Negative levels don't add up

[Spookydodger]

*If* the description is -1 to saves per neg level, shouldn't I already be dead (due to more than -14 levels)?

You only die from your Constitution going to zero, nothing else.

Your other stats can go to 0 and you are helpless.

Your saves can go below zero infinitely excepting that something else doesn't kill you at that point (like your Con)

[ChaosTheEternal]

You only die from your Constitution going to zero...

... or if you get as many (or more) negative levels as you have levels. That was the point of Strakeln's post.

[Spookydodger]

... or if you get as many (or more) negative levels as you have levels. That was the point of Strakeln's post.

Yes, having as many negative levels as you do levels kills you, too.

It's really impossible to tell what should or did happen to him without knowing how many negative levels he got.

[ChaosTheEternal]

He actually has (I would have to assume) between 9 and 11 negative levels in that screenshot. Not 7 (as you previously mentioned).

12 Barb has a base +4 Will (2 Ftr has base 0), he shows a +0 for Wisdom, so:
4 (base) - 18 (9 neg levels) = -14
4 (base) + 2 (resistance) - 20 (10 neg levels) = -14
4 (base) + 4 (resistance) - 22 (11 neg levels) = -14

[lenric]

Ok, as per description it is working pretty much exactly how it is supposed to save for health and spell points...the reason you get -2 total to saves etc is as follows...the spell itself gives you -1, then the -1 to effective level gives you -1. Your save at 13 was lower than your save at 14. Those two stack, the actual negative effect from the spell and the negative effect due to effective level.
Then as far as hp and spell points go I would be led to believe then that the enhancements and feats which have minimum levels or perhaps even attained at levels you higher than your effective level would be neutralized...on that however I'm not sure. But the -2 makes sense to me.

[MysticTheurge]

the reason you get -2 total to saves etc is as follows...the spell itself gives you -1, then the -1 to effective level gives you -1.

This isn't how it works.

The spell gives you a negative level. The spell description is merely duplicating the description of what a negative level does.

The spell doesn't give you a -1 penalty to stuff plus a negative level.

[lenric]

This isn't how it works.

The spell gives you a negative level. The spell description is merely duplicating the description of what a negative level does.

The spell doesn't give you a -1 penalty to stuff plus a negative level.

oooo mystic thurge is wrong and I am right. Take another look at the spell description of Ennervation in the compendium here on the ddo website under wizard/sorcerer spells.

"A black ray of crackling negative energy suppresses the life force of any living creature it strikes, granting an enemy 1d4 negative levels. If the target has as many negative levels as its hit dice or levels, it dies. Each negative level gives a creature a -1 penalty on attack rolls, saves, skill checks, ability checks, and effective level. Negative levels stack."

The red word is what is very important. See it is an 'and'. So you get the -1 to attack rolls, saves, skill checks, ability checks from the spell/negative level then...you have to have a pnp DM handbook, you go and look up negative levels and see the description of the 'effective level' an effective level lower than your actual character level gives you a -1 to all skills or abilities including attacks that funcion according to a die roll per level lower than your actual level. Therefore, it does make sense for it to be -2 to all attacks, skills, and saves like I said in my original post...

P.S. this is not meant at an attack at you MT I thouroughly respect you I am just moreso excited about me being right when you had me convinced I was wrong.
So now I am going to be trying to make sense of the hp portion of it according to the dnd/ddo rules.

[Strakeln]

Yes, having as many negative levels as you do levels kills you, too.

It's really impossible to tell what should or did happen to him without knowing how many negative levels he got.

We don't need to know the exact number... we only need to know three things:

1) A negative level should be -1 to saves
2) My base will save is 0 or greater (by deduction we can tell it is > 0)
3) My will save is -14 in the screenshot.

This alone indisputably proves that the negative levels I have been hit with do more than -1 to saves per level.

Whether or not that is supposed to be the case is what the question is.

[Hadrian]

You wouldn't happen to be wearing any items that give negative will saves would you?

[Spookydodger]

We don't need to know the exact number... we only need to know three things:

1) A negative level should be -1 to saves
2) My base will save is 0 or greater (by deduction we can tell it is > 0)
3) My will save is -14 in the screenshot.

This alone indisputably proves that the negative levels I have been hit with do more than -1 to saves per level.

Whether or not that is supposed to be the case is what the question is.

We are arguing for the same side, good sir.

It should be -1 per neg level. It's not. Why? Is it a bug? Is it intentional? Do the negative levels NPCs inflict match up with the negative levels we inflict?

[Strakeln]

For some reason I assumed that you could be neg-level'd to death... from phrasing ppl used in PvP. I guess what they really did was con-damage them to death.