Author Topic: Level Adjustment Mini-Guide  (Read 18403 times)

Offline nijineko

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Level Adjustment Mini-Guide
« on: November 10, 2011, 12:39:19 PM »
This mini handbook is designed to showcase a theory I came up with when reviewing the rules in detail attempting to optimize a ghost telekinetic. It is a thought experiment and would be surprising if allowed to be used in a real game. One of my DMs would allow this, but he subscribes to the school of "Let-them-do-what-they-want-'cause-the-more-they-take-advantage-the-more-I-feel-justified-in-PUNISHING-them-MUWAHAHAHAHAH!!!" Thus, it is not recommended to be attempted in game, even with my DM.

As this is the min/max section, I present it for your use and enjoyment. Feedback is welcome here, in the discussion thread

Section 1: The Rules

Reducing Level Adjustments
(click to show/hide)


Experience Point Cost
(click to show/hide)


Savage Progressions: Gaining a Template Midcampaign & General Rules for Template Classes
(click to show/hide)

These rules are summarized from the d20srd and the Savage Progressions WotC web articles.
« Last Edit: November 04, 2012, 11:22:58 PM by nijineko »

Offline nijineko

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Re: Level Adjustment Mini-Guide
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2011, 12:39:42 PM »
Section Two: The Theory



Based on the rules highlighted above, the following summation can be drawn:

  • Qualifying leveled templates are gained the same as regular levels, by gaining enough xp to reach the next level.
  • Gaining a template level increases your LA, but most likely does not increase HD, BAB, saves, feats, or skill points.
  • If the given level of a template does not grant HD, then the LA can be bought off at the appropriate point.
  • There is no restriction on when a template level can be taken, so long as any prerequisites (for inherited templates converted to leveled templates by these rules) are met. Templates that change type might invalidate taking other templates that have type-based entry requirements.
  • Leveled templates must be taken in order from lowest to highest. (ie: 1st level of template, then 2nd level of template, then 3rd....)
  • There is no requirement that all levels of a leveled template must be taken.
  • The DM is supposed to veto anything that "does not make sense". The example given is taking a template that grants a type the character already possesses. (Taken to the logical conclusion, this rule would most likely invalidate the optimization concept in 99.9% of games out there.)
  • The only rule regulating when the LA must be bought off is that when the character reaches the level that puts them at a character level to LA ratio of 3:1, that one level of the LA must immediately be bought off by spending (ECL-1)*1000 in xp.
  • Furthermore, in the case where the starting LA is greater than 1, the text and table imply that the next LA buyoff is calculated from the starting point of the last LA buyoff. The best example of this is the drow example in the text, and the LA +3 line in the table.

    The drow has an LA +2, so, 2*3 = 6, thus the first LA level you can buy off is at 6th level. The remaining LA +1 requires an additional 1*3 = 3 class levels before it can be bought off.

    For the LA +3 line entry on the table: LA 3*3 = 9th level, LA 2*3 = another 6 levels or at 15th level, and LA 1*3 = another 3 levels or at 18th level. See the last paragraph in this post for a suggestion of combining this implied rule with the handbook concept of taking only one level adjustment at a time.

    If this implied rule is taken as applicable to all LA buy-off, then a given character will be limited to 6 template levels taken one at a time in a 20 level build. Furthermore, the level at which the LA is gained, would become the starting point for counting levels for purposes of buy-off. See last paragraph this post for details.



According to these rules as written, one can start off as a 1st level character, take a single template level at 2nd level, and take two more character levels. The character has an ECL of 4, the xp of a 4th level character (6000), 3 class levels and +1 LA. According to the rules, one must now immediately buy off the +1 LA buy spending [ECL(4)-1=3]*1000 = 3000xp. This drops the character to 3000xp, the minimum needed for 3rd level, and removes the +1 LA.

The character is now a 3rd level character with 3000xp plus the abilities of the 1st level of the template. The rest of the party is now 4th level and has 6000xp.

The party continues the campaign (and for the purposes of simplicity) manages to gain another 3000xp. This places the party at 9000xp, and the example character at 6000xp. The player opts to add the second level of the template as per the gaining templates midcampaign rules. The template level adds +1 LA for a total of three character levels, one LA, and a total ECL of 4 at 6000xp.

Now, according to the buy-off rules, the character, being at a 3:1 ratio of character level to LA, must immediately spend (ECL-1)*1000 in xp, which again works out to 3000xp. This drops the character back to 3rd level, with a total of 3000xp. The character now has three class levels, no LA, and the abilities of two template levels.

From this point the potential progression is easily visible. In essence, each template level is costing 3000xp, so long as no more than one level is taken at a time, and a template level is taken every time the character levels up.

Assuming a 20th level party, and a flat xp progression (a DM who only grants evenly split up xp regardless of character level), the rest of the party will have a minimum of 190,000xp. Even if the example character takes 6 template levels as specified above for a total effective cost of 18,000xp behind the rest of the party, the character will have a total of 172,000xp, enough for 19th level, plus the abilities of 6 levels worth of templates.

If the DM uses the xp charts as written, then the player must be certain that the character never falls behind more than 8 levels calculated from the average party level at any given time as this would cause the character to "fall off" the xp chart. It could be argued RAW that they cannot gain xp for encounters that exceed the character level by more than 8.


One possible method of compromising with the DM regarding buying extra template levels cheaply, would be to only take +1 LA every three levels. In other words, take three class levels, then take a +1 LA. Buy off the LA. Take another class three levels and take another +1 LA. Buy off the LA. Repeat.
This will cause the LA to be more costly each time you take it, but will still allow you to fit a +1 LA at levels 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18, for a total of 6 template levels bought off in a 20 level build.
This would cost 3000xp the first time, 6000xp the second time, 9000xp the third time, and so forth. (Idea courtesy of Widow. Thank you.)

Offline nijineko

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Re: Level Adjustment Mini-Guide
« Reply #2 on: November 10, 2011, 12:40:12 PM »
Section Three: Sample Build



To be added.


Offline nijineko

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Re: Level Adjustment Mini-Guide
« Reply #4 on: November 10, 2011, 12:40:59 PM »
Section Five: Miscellaneous



Synergy Levels

Legacy Champion: Levels in this prestige can advance a template that are using the "Gaining Templates Midcampaign" rules since templates count as class levels for purposes of level gaining. This has obvious benefits as it effectively adds HD, BAB, saves, skills, and feat progressions to templates that frequently do not grant such.

Uncanny Trickster: Same benefits as Legacy Champion.

Master of the Unseen Hand: Notable for dramatically boosting telekinesis-granting templates, such as Ghost. And for unique entry requirements allowing one to qualify for this prestige, as written, via psionics, magic, and simply being a creature with the telekinesis ability.




Synergy Races and Templates

Customized Half-fiend template rules: These rules allow one to customize which fiend one gains the half template from, thereby adjusting stats and abilities accordingly. Using these rules as guidelines, one can postulate similar configurations for celestials as well.




Synergy Feats

Item Familiar: By linking to an item magically and it becoming a familiar to you, you can various benefits. One of these benefits is a bonus to awarded xp, which can be used to accelerate the recovery of xp spent in buying off levels.

There are a number of monstrous feats which can improve save DCs of various template granted abilities. To be added.




Synergy Items

Orange Ioun Stone: For templates that grant casting abilities with a specified caster level, this item can boost said caster level.

Memento Magica: For templates that grant x/day type spell-like abilities, a memento magica of the appropriate level could be considered to restore a single use of said ability.




Synergy Spells and Powers

To be added.



« Last Edit: July 22, 2016, 12:52:31 PM by nijineko »

Offline nijineko

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Re: Level Adjustment Mini-Guide
« Reply #5 on: November 10, 2011, 12:41:42 PM »
Section Six: Level Adjustment and Retraining rules



Retraining rules

Quote from: The retraining rules from the PHB2 state:
Racial Hit Dice: Adding or subtracting racial Hit Dice is perhaps the most complicated part of character rebuilding. Work with your DM to ensure that he approves of this degree of change and that you’re doing it correctly.
If your character’s original race had any racial Hit Dice, you must remove all the benefits they granted. This process is similar to removing class levels (see Class Level Rebuilding, page 197). Next, replace these racial Hit Dice with class levels of your choice until the character’s effective character level is the same as it was before the rebuilding occurred.


Note that these rules do not remove any LA in question.

Use of these rules can remove racial HD and replace them with class levels with obvious benefits to your build, however it removes all benefits associated with those HD levels, including feats, racial features, skills, BAB, Saves and so forth. This leads to a question... should all racial HD levels be removed, are you still a member of that race, albeit one without any of the racial abilities? If not, then what do you become?



***

End of mini-guide.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2016, 02:44:06 PM by nijineko »

Offline nijineko

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Re: Level Adjustment Mini-Guide
« Reply #6 on: November 02, 2012, 04:11:32 PM »
updated.

Offline Endarire

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Re: Level Adjustment Mini-Guide
« Reply #7 on: November 04, 2012, 09:39:55 PM »
We can haz discussion thread with link to such thread at the top of this guide?