Immortality, but in a fun way

[Moonwolf727]

I recently began searching for a way to have my character become effectively immortal before 21st level and I came up with the following:

step1: Play as an Elan(or other ageless race) psion of the kineticist discipline.
step2: At the earliest level you can (9th) learn the fiery discorporation power.
step3: Find a Wizard/Sorcerer/Cleric/Any-damn-caster-ever and have them cast continual flame on any part of your body (it doesn't do damage because it creates no heat)(I had mine inscribed as a symbol on the back of my hand).
step4: whenever you die simply discorporate into the flame.
step5: reappear a day later.
step6: repeat steps 4-5 ad infinitum.

I used this method in a game to create a cult around my character and he eventually became a major religious figure and even gained a divine rank.

What I would like to know is, can you find any holes in my method and if you have any more paths to immortality that aren't obvious or used all the time.

[Hyde]

dispel magic?

[Flickerdart]

Discorporation only works against death from damage, and has a massive Will save - by the time you're 9th level, it's not unusual for a level-appropriate challenge to be hitting you for around 60 damage. You're much better off with Body Leech, because it has a set DC for the Will save (even if it's also restricted to death from damage).

You also can't discorporate while in a Null Psionics Field or out of PP, and are vulnerable to dispels.

[Clistenes]

I recently began searching for a way to have my character become effectively immortal before 21st level and I came up with the following:

step1: Play as an Elan(or other ageless race) psion of the kineticist discipline.
step2: At the earliest level you can (9th) learn the fiery discorporation power.
step3: Find a Wizard/Sorcerer/Cleric/Any-damn-caster-ever and have them cast continual flame on any part of your body (it doesn't do damage because it creates no heat)(I had mine inscribed as a symbol on the back of my hand).
step4: whenever you die simply discorporate into the flame.
step5: reappear a day later.
step6: repeat steps 4-5 ad infinitum.

I used this method in a game to create a cult around my character and he eventually became a major religious figure and even gained a divine rank.

What I would like to know is, can you find any holes in my method and if you have any more paths to immortality that aren't obvious or used all the time.

Anybody able to kill you will notice the continual flame, take and examine it, and probably will end either capturing you or dispeling the flame and letting you die.

Also, people in a D&D world won't feel too impressed by a mere resurrection; any 9th level cleric can raise people.

[Hyde]

It is fun, though.

[Silva Stormrage]

Well, dispel magic on the continual flame for one. You character could fail the will save required for Fiery Discorporation, the enemies could simply knock you out instead of killing you (Non Lethal Damage or Sleep etc). Coup De Grace with a high strength character wielding a scythe would basically make it so you could only succeed on the will save with a natural 20.

A good fix for the will save is buying a ring of nine lives. It lets you as an immediate action automatically succeed on any save. Make a schisimed mind cast Fiery Discorporation and have the main body activate the ring.

Also an invisible continual flame would be a lot more effective as most people wouldn't recognize what you are doing unless they have see invisibility or true seeing active.

Edit: Sigh, Ninja'd.

[Moonwolf727]

I had forgotten about continual flame's vulnerability to dispelling however I didn't forget about the will save problem. I specifically recommended Elan because they can, as an immediate action, lower the damage they take at a 1 for 2 powerpoint to damage ratio. I am aware that you cannot have two consecutive immediate actions but I got around that with the Psionic contingency power because I was worried about being killed when unable to take actions(like when I am asleep for instance).

Still I can't believe I forgot about dispelling.

[Flickerdart]

Edit: Sigh, Ninja'd.
Ninjas would help too - a flat-footed character can't use immediate actions.


I had forgotten about continual flame's vulnerability to dispelling however I didn't forget about the will save problem. I specifically recommended Elan because they can, as an immediate action, lower the damage they take at a 1 for 2 powerpoint to damage ratio. I am aware that you cannot have two consecutive immediate actions but I got around that with the Psionic contingency power because I was worried about being killed when unable to take actions(like when I am asleep for instance).

Still I can't believe I forgot about dispelling.
Psionic Contingency only lets you make a contingent Discorporate at ML 15.

[Moonwolf727]

Ninjas would help too - a flat-footed character can't use immediate actions.

0_0 although I wasn't really thinking about it at the time psionic contingency also protects me against the flat-footed problem BUT DAMN how did I miss that one.

[Malroth]

Hire a spellcaster with the Invisible spell feat to cast an Invisible continual flame on you, won't eliminate your dispel weakness entirely but will require them to have at least one additional layer of active spells in order to find you.

[Moonwolf727]

Also, people in a D&D world won't feel too impressed by a mere resurrection; any 9th level cleric can raise people.

They tend to be impressed when, 24 hours after being killed by their best swordsman in my case sunrise, you reappear entirely unscathed in a massive burst of swirling fire (Seemingly without any outside help) and succeed on an intimidate check that went something like "I DARE YOU TO TRY THAT AGAIN YOU PATHETIC LITTLE B****RDS!"


Psionic Contingency only lets you make a contingent Discorporate at ML 15.

True as you have said I did need to be ML 15 before I could do that however when I first tried making a contingency discorporate (level 11 or 12 I believe) my DM pointed it out to me and I just went about business as usual until I could do it legitimately.


Hire a spellcaster with the Invisible spell feat to cast an Invisible continual flame on you, won't eliminate your dispel weakness entirely but will require them to have at least one additional layer of active spells in order to find you.

Hadn't thought of this one I have to admit. I generally use www.d20srd.org for my planning and it doesn't mention invisible spell, I am positively boggled by the number of flaws in my plan that I somehow missed.


the enemies could simply knock you out instead of killing you (Non Lethal Damage or Sleep etc).

The point of my circuitous route to immortality is to avoid being killed not being shoved into a sack and dragged of to who knows where. Although the eternal imprisonment thing is something I would like to avoid at all costs.


A good fix for the will save is buying a ring of nine lives. It lets you as an immediate action automatically succeed on any save. Make a schisimed mind cast Fiery Discorporation and have the main body activate the ring.

Good point except I don't really like the idea of relying on a item for my immortality and we generally try to avoid forgotten realms stuff due my DM's "MUST CONFIRM EVERYTHING" quirk and she doesn't make a habit of buying the forgotten realms books. Luckily the information for divine ranks is on www.d20srd.org

[Malroth]

, I am positively boggled by the number of flaws in my plan that I somehow missed.


Which actually makes it a fun challenge for a 4th-6th lv party going up against a 9th lv big bad evil guy using this as his main trick.

[Moonwolf727]

Which actually makes it a fun challenge for a 4th-6th lv party going up against a 9th lv big bad evil guy using this as his main trick.

Cant deny that, If I hadn't already used this idea as a PC of mine I would suggest it to my DM.

Also I don't mean to go off track but if you ever encounter an annoying druid or anyone who talks about being connected to nature just use "flesh to stone" then "rock to mud" and plant a tree in them.

[Silva Stormrage]

Good point except I don't really like the idea of relying on a item for my immortality and we generally try to avoid forgotten realms stuff due my DM's "MUST CONFIRM EVERYTHING" quirk and she doesn't make a habit of buying the forgotten realms books. Luckily the information for divine ranks is on www.d20srd.org


The ring is in the Magic Item Compendium. I don't think its forgotten realms is it O.o?

[Moonwolf727]

The ring is in the Magic Item Compendium. I don't think its forgotten realms is it O.o?

Oh sorry, I didn't feel like looking through all of the books so I just googled it and I found the info on the forgotten realms wiki. In hindsight I probably should have checked the magic item compendium.

[Lyndworm]

Also an invisible continual flame would be a lot more effective as most people wouldn't recognize what you are doing unless they have see invisibility or true seeing active.

Hire a spellcaster with the Invisible spell feat to cast an Invisible continual flame on you, won't eliminate your dispel weakness entirely but will require them to have at least one additional layer of active spells in order to find you.
From the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#invisibility):


... An invisible burning torch still gives off light, as does an invisible object with a light spell (or similar spell) cast upon it...
Although the continual flames will be invisible, the continual light they provide will not be.

[Sugashane]

While not immortal, Dragon #286 has a write up of the Elder Druid prestige class from the Shannara series. At 7th level you gain access to the Druid sleep, so you still gain the bonuses from aging without showing any signs of aging. The only catch is you must spend 1/12th of the year in this magical hibernation. Still, you can live well past your life span. This is doubly impressive if you are a race that lives for centuries.

[Amidus Drexel]

Although the continual flames will be invisible, the continual light they provide will not be.

So, we have a person that arises 24 hours after death in a burst of fire, and that gives off light from an invisible flame. You could probably convince some people that you are a god. :smallcool:

[Moonwolf727]

While not immortal, Dragon #286 has a write up of the Elder Druid prestige class from the Shannara series. At 7th level you gain access to the Druid sleep, so you still gain the bonuses from aging without showing any signs of aging. The only catch is you must spend 1/12th of the year in this magical hibernation. Still, you can live well past your life span. This is doubly impressive if you are a race that lives for centuries.

I suppose this counts but I was hoping for ways of getting immortality out of things that aren't meant to give you immortality, for instance fiery discorporation was designed to be an easy and very circumstantial way of cheating death.


So, we have a person that arises 24 hours after death in a burst of fire, and that gives off light from an invisible flame. You could probably convince some people that you are a god. :smallcool:

I did this (except the flame wasn't invisible) in game as well since my characters overarching theme was he wanted to become a god so that he could forcefully revive one of his enemies and curse them to walk around as a flaming corpse for all eternity(or some over punishment that fit his theme of fire and dying).

come to think of it, all of us managed to reach at least divine rank 0 at some point in that campaign and it ended with us killing the first archdevil Bel (the paladin took his sword "cus hey why not?".