Dealing with age.

[CIDE]

I can't recall if I've asked this question. If I have I couldn't find the relevant thread on the subject.

Anyway, in one particular 2e AD&D campaign I'm in my character is a Mul. Everyone else thus far is a human using the blood lines and such from the birthrite campaign setting and all of them rolled particular well; specifically all of them would outlive me several times over. Now, this particular DM in this particular homebrew universe has ben known to include severe aging effects, time skips, or the campaigns just to last that long In Character.

That said my Mul is a psionicist (or at least one of his classes). Without outside influence from items found along the way, mages, etc is there a way for my character to keep up in the age process? To stop aging, slow the aging down, etc?

[hamlet]

Potions of Longevity would be the key here, though they come with caveats and provisos of their own.

Unique items.

A very well worded wish . . .

[Lord Torath]

Dual-Class into Preserver/Defiler and become an Avangnion/Dragon. Of course, since psionicist is only "one" of your classes, that means you're likely advancing as a demi-human rather than a human, which means you can't advance unlimited in any class, and also rules out dual classing.

As far as psionic powers, there is the Pychometabalic devotion "Aging." It can only be used to make creatures older (and most uses are considered evil). But you could conceivably research a power that works the opposite. Pending your DM's approval, of course.

There is also the Time Travel science (Psychoportation), which could give you an option of skipping his time skips.

[satorian]

Haste your friends to even things out a bit.

[CIDE]

Dual-Class into Preserver/Defiler and become an Avangnion/Dragon. Of course, since psionicist is only "one" of your classes, that means you're likely advancing as a demi-human rather than a human, which means you can't advance unlimited in any class, and also rules out dual classing.

As far as psionic powers, there is the Pychometabalic devotion "Aging." It can only be used to make creatures older (and most uses are considered evil). But you could conceivably research a power that works the opposite. Pending your DM's approval, of course.

There is also the Time Travel science (Psychoportation), which could give you an option of skipping his time skips.

Yep, progressing as a demi-human but I think only one of my classes for my race (Psionicist/Fighter/Thief) even caps out. Even then the DM fiat is on my side as I have no cap currently since the DM wouldn't let my race take the birthrite stuff.

Honestly, progressing as a demi-human so far seems to be the only reason I'm even keeping up with the combined class features as they are. I know they'll pull out though. They're already 1-2 levels ahead of me now and my own level up isn't in sight just yet.


Haste your friends to even things out a bit.

As in haste my allies?


Potions of Longevity would be the key here, though they come with caveats and provisos of their own.

Unique items.

A very well worded wish . . .

That would require DM Fiat and I'm not sure I'd get it.

He seems to enjoy characters struggling with time and age. I know he did with my thri-kreen. Poor guy...

[satorian]

Well, yeah I meant haste your allies, which will age them every time you do it. Then, if your DM makes aging tough on you, he makes it tough on all of you equally.

[meschlum]

Elixirs of Youth are superior to Potions of Longevity in the long run, as they give you fewer years but do not have an increasing risk of reverting.

Reincarnation costs a level, but gets you a new, young, and possibly longer lived body!

Spend time on the Astral Plane, where you age 1 day (or possibly 1 hour) for every year that passes - this essentially stops aging (and natural power point recovery and healing) while you're there. Psychoportation should help.

Temporal Stasis, Imprisonment, Trap the Soul, all can put you in 'cold storage' until you're needed. Rather high level and dependent on others, though. Unguent of Timelessness is the cheap approach - or things like sequester and petrification if you're desperate.

Bargain with Efreeti or Noble Djinni to get access to Wishes. Planar travel lets you meet them, and Psychometabolism helps survive in the new environment.

Mind Swap and Magic Jar have definite potential, if you're not overly good.

Design a new Psychometabolism Science to do the job?

[CIDE]

Elixirs of Youth are superior to Potions of Longevity in the long run, as they give you fewer years but do not have an increasing risk of reverting.

Reincarnation costs a level, but gets you a new, young, and possibly longer lived body!

Spend time on the Astral Plane, where you age 1 day (or possibly 1 hour) for every year that passes - this essentially stops aging (and natural power point recovery and healing) while you're there. Psychoportation should help.

Temporal Stasis, Imprisonment, Trap the Soul, all can put you in 'cold storage' until you're needed. Rather high level and dependent on others, though. Unguent of Timelessness is the cheap approach - or things like sequester and petrification if you're desperate.

Bargain with Efreeti or Noble Djinni to get access to Wishes. Planar travel lets you meet them, and Psychometabolism helps survive in the new environment.

Mind Swap and Magic Jar have definite potential, if you're not overly good.

Design a new Psychometabolism Science to do the job?

A bunch of good suggestions. Most of them aren't very practical given the campaign but hey...they fit the criteria I mentioned above. Even if in those boughts of "down time" for my character everyone else is off doing stuff still.


As for designing a new power I completely forgot about that. Granted, I'm not sure the DM would let it fly anyway. I could always try.

[Lord Torath]

Yep, progressing as a demi-human but I think only one of my classes for my race (Psionicist/Fighter/Thief) even caps out. Even then the DM fiat is on my side as I have no cap currently since the DM wouldn't let my race take the birthrite stuff.

Honestly, progressing as a demi-human so far seems to be the only reason I'm even keeping up with the combined class features as they are. I know they'll pull out though. They're already 1-2 levels ahead of me now and my own level up isn't in sight just yet.Sorry, I should have been more clear. I was just pointing out that becoming an avangion or dragon was not one of the options available to you, because you're advancing as a demi-human, and demi-human muls can't even become mages as I recall.

I'm not sure how I like the anti-aging psionic power (seems way too easy to abuse), but if you can age someone psionically, presumably you can un-age them as well. Do you have a Science available to dedicate to Psychoportation? If so, I'd say Time Travel might be your best option. Would your DM allow you to "skip over the boring parts" in that manner?

If you have a high-level cleric friend, they can "Age Creature" on you, but it only removes the un-natural effects of aging when reversed. Not terribly helpful.

How high is your constitution? Enough to have a System Shock roll near 100%? You could have a mage friend turn you to stone, then turn you back to flesh X years later when the next adventure starts. Or Polymorph Other you into a dragon or something equally long-lived, then change you back when needed?

How long do these Birthright people live? I'm not familiar with the setting?

[CIDE]

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I was just pointing out that becoming an avangion or dragon was not one of the options available to you, because you're advancing as a demi-human, and demi-human muls can't even become mages as I recall.

I'm not sure how I like the anti-aging psionic power (seems way too easy to abuse), but if you can age someone psionically, presumably you can un-age them as well. Do you have a Science available to dedicate to Psychoportation? If so, I'd say Time Travel might be your best option. Would your DM allow you to "skip over the boring parts" in that manner?

If you have a high-level cleric friend, they can "Age Creature" on you, but it only removes the un-natural effects of aging when reversed. Not terribly helpful.

How high is your constitution? Enough to have a System Shock roll near 100%? You could have a mage friend turn you to stone, then turn you back to flesh X years later when the next adventure starts. Or Polymorph Other you into a dragon or something equally long-lived, then change you back when needed?

How long do these Birthright people live? I'm not familiar with the setting?

Just out of curiosity (even if I can't use them) but what are the preserver and defilers? Kits or what? Also, I believe mage (or some dark sun specific variant) was allowed to me but it severely limited the class options that I could take alongside and that was one of the few classes theDM wouldn't adjust the level cap on either. And as I recall I htink it was a really low level cap for a demi-human mul. So even if I can take it I think it may not have been the most useful alternative.


My system shock currently is also 99% so that's pretty good.

Anyway, the birthrite guys have varied ages. The way the setting works is essentially the mortals have bits of divinity in their blood. The chance of it manifesting or the degree of it manifesting is all up to random dice rolls and one of the things available on the charts you roll on is slowed aging. As odd as it was all three of the other players all rolled in front of me and got it. I think the shortest lived one at the moment would be 70ish and look like they're in their 20's. And by that point my Mul's got one foot in the grave.

[Lord Torath]

On Athas, arcane magic gets its energy from life. Preservers carefully extract the energy in a way that doesn't harm the life it's coming from. Defilers don't care, and so every time they cast a spell, all the plant life in a given radius turns to lifeless ash, and nothing will grow there for at least a year (great way for killing shambling mounds and other plant-monsters). Preservers use the standard Mage XP table, while defilers cannot be a good alignment and have a table closer to that of thieves, so they advance more quickly. Both classes use the mage spells-per-level chart.

To become a Dragon, you hit level 20 as a Defiler/Psionicist (multi-class) or as either a Psionicist or Defiler, then dual-class to the other class, and hit level 20 in it as well. Avangions do the same thing, except as a Preserver rather than a Defiler.

So you hit level 20, then cast the Psionic Enchantment Defiler/Preserver Metamorphosis, and poof! You're now capable of casting 10th level spells and will no longer age. As you level up, your form changes so that when you hit level 25, you only vaguely resemble the human you once were, and at level 30, you're completely different. (Details in the Dragon Kings (http://www.waynesbooks.com/DarkSun.html) supplement, 3rd entry down the page). And if you're a dragon, in addition to turning all the plant life around you to ash each time you cast a 10th level spell, you also inflict something like 1d6 hp to all living things within a given radius.

Your DM was being quite generous even allowing your mul to advance as a multi-class mage. By the book, they can only be a mage if advancing as a human (advance unlimited in any class).


He seems to enjoy characters struggling with time and age. I know he did with my thri-kreen. Poor guy...Yeah, max age of what, 35 years old? Hit old age at 25 years. Strength/Constitution/Dex penalties, and not even a wisdom boost to make up for it!

[CIDE]

The DM didn't allow me to multiclass with a mage. I was just asking abou the mages; even if I wanted to avoid using maic since I don't personally have access to it. My Mul is a Fighter/Thief/Psionicist Multiclass.

[Eric Tolle]

This is D&D. Have a crystal that's actually an interdimensonal intelligence that eats 20 years from the first person to touch it, rendering the character 20 years younger. Anyone else who touches it turns purple. Because D&D.

[CIDE]

This is D&D. Have a crystal that's actually an interdimensonal intelligence that eats 20 years from the first person to touch it, rendering the character 20 years younger. Anyone else who touches it turns purple. Because D&D.

Not sure the DM would go for that without somekind of rule behind it.