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Negative Levels & Caster Level

J

Jamz

Well-known member
This is half-rules question and half Hero Lab question... Is there a reason HL doesn't reduce Caster Level when you apply a negative level?

My understanding is your Caster Level isn't actually reduced when you get a negative level (or is it?) but, quote: "The creature is also treated as one level lower for the purpose of level-dependent variables (such as spellcasting) for each negative level possessed."

This came up because our cleric had 5 negative levels and wasn't applying the neg levels to cure light wounds cause, "hero labs says my Caster Level is still 6" or as we like to say, #herolabsletmedoit

Is there a rules case that "level-dependent variable" would not affect a Caster Level? Or is "Caster Level" a "level-dependent variable" in and of itself?

I mean it does affect concentration, scroll activation, & spell penetration, right? (what else is Caster Level used for outside actual spells?)
 
level and caster level are not the same thing. Look at Rangers for example, they dont get a caster level until 4th level. Note that it also states that casters do not loose prepared spells when they get a neg level. If they took a caster level hit they would loose those slots.
 
A post from James Jacob:

http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2l7ns&page=685?Ask-James-Jacobs-ALL-your-Questions-Here#34224
James Jacob said:
Negative levels do not block access to spells, nor do they actually lower your level. That's how they worked in D&D. In Pathfinder, they merely represent cumulative penalties to your d20 rolls and a cumulative lowering of your hp by 5 per negative level. Your negative levels also lower your effective caster level... but not your ACTUAL level. So if you're a 4th level sorcerer who gains 1 negative level, you scan still cast and retain access to your 2nd level spells, but you determine their range and effect and concentration and spell penetration and all that as if you were CL 3rd, not CL 4th.
Click to expand...

So it should be d8+1.

I just added created a level 6 cleric and gave him 4 negative levels, Hero Lab shows it as CL 2. So either your friend didn't apply the negative levels, did something wrong or is lying.
 
Ah, ok, so I see if you check a spell description via hover text, it shows the reduced CL.

But, on the side bar on the class tab, under you spells per day, it still shows full CL and unadjusted vs SR and concentration checks... which is probably where he looked...

So is that on purpose, a bug, or?
 
I'd say it would be better to display that on the class, in addition to the individual spells (although it still probably needs some degree of individual spell handling in order to work properly on spell-like abilities), so give us a bug report on this, and we'll put it on the to-do list as an improvement to make.
 
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