what does that symbol mean about level drain and how do you get rid of it? i lost a level w/ my mage and can no longer cast certain spells.

Have a druid or a cleric cast Lesser Restoration (or better) on you and you should regain that lost level.
Also you can go to a temple and pay for this service.

thank you....that was driving me mad. LOL

Others here are much more learned in D&D/SoA lore, but I'll try. Level drain is an especially nasty attack form. In SoA it knocks you down a certain number of character experience levels per hit. You cannot increase in level from that point until you remedy the situation, though you do gain experience (it just is untapped for the time being).

Remedy: Restoration or Greater Restoration Scrolls/Spells -- keep restoration scrolls handy - never sell them. There are many level-draining creatures in SoA. When you fight a level-draining creature, wait until the battle or set of battles is finished - because one casting of the spell cures all level drains the character has suffered. Lose a level? - Then make that character be the one who pounds out the fight - so you'll have only 1 to Restore.

Preventative: Spell: Negative Plane Protection will make the character immune to level drain for a SHORT time. Repulse undead will help keep undead away from a character, which is not exactly the same. Note that some magic items make the character immune to level drain - LOVE THEM. Undead Hunter, a Paladin kit, is immune to level drain.

Sources of Level Drain:
Almost nothing drains levels from a distance. It is almost always done via a touch-based attack from a creature. Undead are the typical culprits. Wraiths drain 1 level per hit, Vampires drain 2 levels per hit. Other undead have level-drain attacks. Someone will come along and list them all if you ask nicely.

Oh, and WELCOME. [img]graemlins/happywave.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thewave.gif[/img]

[ 01-15-2003, 10:14 AM: Message edited by: Timber Loftis ]

I believe there is exactly one creature who can level drain from a distance in SoA, but, wont say what for spoiler reasons. You will know it when you see it, and, beware, it is capable of draining a whole slew of levels all at once and killing you in the bat of an eyelash. Negative Plane Protection is very good to have.

thank you..just bought the game and i am at the stage where i am helping korgan out w/ his quest. i just fought all the little spiders and stuff and am in the tomb. i still have no idea what hit me w/ the level drain.

Level draining traps are quite common, along with petrification traps.

BEWARE!

Always check for traps. Always.

There is a wraith spider down there.

a ha.....i thought is got hit w/ lvl drain after a spider. damn it. oh well. thos monsters down there are tough. like 8 of them right in the main lobby of the tomb. very good battle.

mann that was the first quest i took.....i had my ass handed to me by all those undeads in that big room ...... eventually i just had vic turn all the weaklings n just leave me the vampire n the skull wearrior thingies

leaving me 0 experience

Sigh....ahh well

A very minor spoiler
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Theres also a vampyre(yes, with a y), a few shadow fiends and wraiths.

Also, druids cannot cast restoration spells of any kind

Doesnt the amount of levels drained for a vampire depend on the power of the vampire or something. IIRC, ive been drained up to 4 levels from one hit off a vampire. i could, of course, be wrong though.

Whoa, whoa, back up about the Wraith Spiders. Wraith Spiders cannot Level Drain you, they are simply one of the rare types of Spiders that are immune to Normal Weapons.

The creature that Level Drained you, Stoneman, was probably the Wraith. Among the various critters of the Shadow family, the Wraiths, Shadow Fiends, and Devil Shades can all drain levels on melee hits. The Vampyre was there too, but it was a good way down the hall, and was probably taken out by Korgan.

To my knowledge, there are TWO creatures in SoA that have ranged Level Drain attacks: One has a Breath Weapon attack that (I believe) can hit more than 1 target at once, but the Level Drain will wear off of its own accord. (Note that this is the *only* time that you will not require Restoration to remove it.) The other creature is in chapter 4.

You're quite correct, Raistlin, the number of levels drained on a Vampire's melee hit does indeed vary with the Vampire's level--there are 2 Vamps that drain 4 levels per hit. A fight with one of them is unavoidable, a fight with the other is not.

I should end this cheery little post with the warning that if you get down to Level 0, you die. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I can figure out the first one easily enough, but what was the second one.

Sea Zombie Lord. (Sahuagin City.) I'm not sure why I was so vague earlier, this isn't exactly a really big spoiler.

The Wraith Spider holds a secret.

As far as i know, there's only one Wraith Spider in the game, so you've probably killed it too fast to notice. They have devastating melee attacks, though.

It only counts as +1, and deals puny 1D6 piercing damage (nothing fearsome yet), but... drains 5 STR per hit for 300 seconds! :eek: Just like level drain, if any of the stats becomes < 1, you die. This means that unless you're a small god, the Wraith Spdier will kill you after 4 successful hits.

Anyone who faced Sola's Revenge Spiders will know what i'm talking about, as they use the same melee attack. ;)

Tiny nit pick....Shadow Fiends do not level drain you, they have a rather annoying hold attack instead. Shadows also don't, instead, then have a STR drain of -1 (or is it -2) with each hit. Only the Wraiths, Greater Wraiths and Devil Shade members of this family LD.

Wow! that impressive. Too bad a wraith spider has a crap THAC0, low APR and weedy HP. Otherwise they would be absolutely fearsome monsters!

are you certain there's only 1 wraith spider in SoA ???
I'm *sure* I've fought heaps of them, and they aren't a big deal. hell, most of my spider spawn spells summon wraith spiders (and no I'm not getting confused with phase spiders)

... no, but you're probably confusing it with Sword Spiders. ;)

... no, but you're probably confusing it with Sword Spiders. ;) </font>[/QUOTE]Or PHASE spiders. ;)

Jim, I think you're right about the Shadow Fiends' Hold attack, although I never said that plain Shadows could Level-Drain. (When getting hit by Shadows, I always seem to lose STR in multiples of 2.) I clean forgot about Greater Wraiths. Good thing they're all suckers for Turn Undead! :D

-5 to STR for 300 seconds? Is there anything that justifies this ability? I knew that Spectral Trolls had it, but Wraith Spiders?

I dont remember there being any more in SoA, though in IWD1, there were tons in Dragons Eye.

Minor Spoiler
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One is Bodhi(not really hard to guess), is the other one like Hareishan or Tanova? Or perhaps Lassal, no dont think it was him, the female vampires tend to be the more deadly.

Good guesses, but I said that fighting the 2nd one was avoidable. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Wasn't Zombie Lord posted already?

And IIRC, the only spiders that you can summon with Spawn are the Giant Spiders, Phase Spiders, and Sword Spiders.

I shan't, I was stoneskinned. (not me, Solaufein was)

BTW, I checked Monstrous Manual(tm) and there are these spiders:
Hairy, Large, Huge, Giant, Phase, Sword and Gargantuan. No Wraith.

[ 01-18-2003, 05:25 AM: Message edited by: Vedran ]

Hmmm... Interesting.

Sea Zombie Lord and good 'ol Thax?

I shan't, I was stoneskinned. (not me, Solaufein was)</font>[/QUOTE]Actually, that shouldn't matter - since item effects like the Wraith Spider's STR drain are supposed to cut through Stoneskin.

Maybe he had Pro-Magic-Weapons, too?

Perhaps. I don't remember STR draining at all. Maybe Mirror Image or some Item from Item Upgrade mod?

Yep. Although now, after playtesting some things, I have discovered that the Shade Lord has a ranged Level Drain as well--although I must say that anyone who actually lets the Shade Lord stay alive long enough to use it actually deserves to get level drained.

The LDs from the Sea Zombie Lord and the Shade Lord might possibly wear off with time, since I've seen it happen with the Shadow Dragon.

Tiny nit pick....Shadow Fiends do not level drain you, they have a rather annoying hold attack instead. Shadows also don't, instead, then have a STR drain of -1 (or is it -2) with each hit. Only the Wraiths, Greater Wraiths and Devil Shade members of this family LD.</font>[/QUOTE]Actually yes, shadow fiends do level drain. I was doing the quest to save garren's??? kid and walked my party into a whole room full of them. After they were dead, my whole party except my two back seaters (mage and thief) were level drained.

Tiny nit pick....Shadow Fiends do not level drain you, they have a rather annoying hold attack instead. Shadows also don't, instead, then have a STR drain of -1 (or is it -2) with each hit. Only the Wraiths, Greater Wraiths and Devil Shade members of this family LD.</font>[/QUOTE]Actually yes, shadow fiends do level drain. I was doing the quest to save garren's??? kid and walked my party into a whole room full of them. After they were dead, my whole party except my two back seaters (mage and thief) were level drained.</font>[/QUOTE]Shadow Fiends cannot drain you of levels as Jim said. Whatever drained you was either a Wraith (most likely) or another creature/trap in the neighbourhood. It was probably a Wraith though, since they look exactly like Shadow Fiends.

Good guesses, but I said that fighting the 2nd one was avoidable. [img]smile.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]SPOILER!!!
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Is it the Shadow Dragon in the Ruins (Shade Lord Quest)?

Because he uses a Breath Attack with Level drain IIRC.

[add] forgot the spoiler tag :D

[ 02-18-2003, 01:25 PM: Message edited by: Annatar ]

lol, a wee bit too late allready Annatar. But you got that one correct [img]smile.gif[/img]

Hehehe [img]smile.gif[/img] , I know am pretty late but.. I rememberd that my char. all got level drained by that Shadow Dragon so... wanna share it..

was it already told in this thread? because didn't saw it though.

[add] Ohh yes I see... dumb me :D (Alson and Six also mentioned it)

[ 02-18-2003, 02:55 PM: Message edited by: Annatar ]