Are Aberrations or Elementals immortal?

[zeek0]

Hello all,

I'm researching some information about how characters might achieve immortality. I stumbled upon this thread: http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5996.0

In a few of the PrCs, the capstone changes the character's type to aberration or elemental. Does this really allow for immortality?

Cheers.

[Flickerdart]

Gaining a creature type doesn't explicitly change your age categories unless it specifically says in the type that there's some effect. While real elementals might be immortal, it's unrelated to their elemental type, and so you don't get it.

Aberrations are all different. While some might be immortal of their own accord, the creature type isn't what helps them get there (aboleths and illithids, the most famous ones, are well-known to be mortal).

[zeek0]

And after looking again, it appears that the author does this when the character's type is changed to 'living construct' as well.

Can I get a second opinion / confirmation? Thanks!

[hamishspence]

Aberrations are all different. While some might be immortal of their own accord, the creature type isn't what helps them get there (aboleths and illithids, the most famous ones, are well-known to be mortal).

Aboleths, according to Lords of Madness - keep growing as they age - and there's nothing hinting that they die of old age.

That said - past a certain point, the growth rate becomes "only noticable on a geological scale" - a hint that they live a very long time.

[Flickerdart]

Aboleths, according to Lords of Madness - keep growing as they age - and there's nothing hinting that they die of old age.

That said - past a certain point, the growth rate becomes "only noticable on a geological scale" - a hint that they live a very long time.
Hm. Doesn't that make the whole ancestral memory thing kind of pointless then?

[Fouredged Sword]

No, it just means that they are around to regret the fact that their children already know all their life stories and lessons.

[Phelix-Mu]

I always ruled that type changes that radically change someone's biology also change aging, which to me is chiefly a biological function in game. But there is lots of vagueness around this area of the game, so it's always best to confirm how things work with the specific DM you are working with.

BoEF has a section about the reproductive processes of obscure creature types. Has a lot of useful, unusual info like that. Still not RAW around most tables, though.

[atemu1234]

We do not discuss the BoEF. It never happened. NEVER

[Phelix-Mu]

Actually, as long as you ignore its PrCs, [most of] the rest of the book isn't that terrible. I mainly use it as a source for determining effects of pregnancy on npcs (and occasionally pcs) and some other esoteric stuff that has little to do with game balance, but which adds a lot of realism to the game world (for players who are up for that kind of thing, ofc).

Clearly not for everyone, and no one should use that one PrC, but some of the other stuff is, at the very least, interesting.:smallsmile: