Any obscure ways to remove aging penalities?

[Catalysis]

Hey there!

I only know 1,5 ways to remove aging penalities:
the first is timeless body, the druid class feature
the other one is some kind of twist with the dragonwrought feat, from Races of the Dragon, but I'm really unsure about the mechanics implied (is it a combo with a class or a second feat?)...

Could any of you take a second to explain it to me? It would me much apreciated.

Moreover, is there another trick to remove those penalities?
Note: if it's psionic related, take your time to explain it, please. I sadly never took the time to understand this part of DnD, sorry!

Thanks for taking your time

Catalysis

[VoxRationis]

Technically, timeless body doesn't remove aging penalties, it prevents them.

[atemu1234]

I think the point is that they can't be stopped. Death is an irrevocable piece of life in the game, and the penalties are meant in respect to that, and stopping them requires difficult measures. Being a powerful druid is capable of stopping aging only as a temporary measure, and even then it still leaves you dying. An undead can be used to avoid it, but is irrevocably evil. In other words, it's difficult for a reason.

[Deophaun]

the other one is some kind of twist with the dragonwrought feat, from Races of the Dragon, but I'm really unsure about the mechanics implied (is it a combo with a class or a second feat?)...
Dragonwrought is simply because the kobold becomes a dragon, and dragons (true or not, doesn't matter) don't take aging penalties.

[VoxRationis]

That said, if you don't mind losing a level and then regaining it, Reincarnate gets you back into a young adult body.
Lichdom, vampirism, Cloud Anchorite, and Green Star Adept all offer immortality, to stop those aging penalties from coming back. All of those have strings attached, though.

[Rubik]

Most shapeshifting magic (such as Polymorph, Metamorphosis, and such, but not Alter Self) will replace your body (and thus physical scores) with that of an average adult of the race you become. A psychoactive skin of proteus (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/items/universalItems.htm#skinofProteus) will make you immortal, so long as you occasionally renew its effect (and don't return to your base form).

Being undead rids you of Con penalties, though Str and Dex penalties still remain.

[Baroknik]

Becoming an Élan effectively prevents them and natural death. But you are level 1...

[torrasque666]

If the idea is that as you age your body breaks down, thus causing the Str/Dex/Con penalties, and your experience has allowed your mental facilities to expand, how would that affect a race like the Warforged, who are immortal and don't physically change?

[Rubik]

Becoming an Élan effectively prevents them and natural death. But you are level 1...That's when you use the thought bottle you'd prepared ahead of time, with your full XP total in it.

Bonus points if you got hit with 200 strains of lycanthropy beforehand (which is cured when you're elanified, of course, since aberrations can't gain lycanthropy). You also lose the RHD and LA, but keep the XP total you had for that ECL.

[WhamBamSam]

Dragonwrought is simply because the kobold becomes a dragon, and dragons (true or not, doesn't matter) don't take aging penalties.Not true. Half-Dragons are dragons and they age by the normal rules. Dragonwrought Kobolds don't take physical ability score penalties for aging because Races of the Dragon says they don't in plain English.


Ability penalties due to age do not apply to dragonwrought kobolds. See the Dragonwrought feat, page 100.

[atemu1234]

Elans may follow a similar logic to Dragonborn, but I'm not certain. I did based on DM fiat.

[Vhaidara]

If the idea is that as you age your body breaks down, thus causing the Str/Dex/Con penalties, and your experience has allowed your mental facilities to expand, how would that affect a race like the Warforged, who are immortal and don't physically change?

Warforged get hit with one age category at 150 years old. -1 to physicals, +1 to mentals.

[Gildedragon]

I think the point is that they can't be stopped. Death is an irrevocable piece of life in the game, and the penalties are meant in respect to that, and stopping them requires difficult measures. Being a powerful druid is capable of stopping aging only as a temporary measure, and even then it still leaves you dying. An undead can be used to avoid it, but is irrevocably evil. In other words, it's difficult for a reason.
Pfft. Except there are WAY to many ways to make death a non issue. Also there are a goodly number of ways of preventing them.


That said, if you don't mind losing a level and then regaining it, Reincarnate gets you back into a young adult body.
Lichdom, vampirism, Cloud Anchorite, and Green Star Adept all offer immortality, to stop those aging penalties from coming back. All of those have strings attached, though.
Better than Reincarnate: Last Breath (Spell Compendium) make it contingent, commit suicide, come back with a new young body but a wise old mind.

Alternatively: Necropolitan, that doesn't have aging penalties and you can turn into one whenever ya like

Steal Life (BoVD) can reduce your age: a week at a time per casting.

[Catalysis]

Interesting, thank you all for the clarification!

Hmmm, I intended to find a way to boost my mental stats without taking a big physical hit.

Concerning immortality, it wasn't my goal, but if I recall correctly, warforged wiki page's state they are technically immortal... You know, machines and all that stuff... :smallcool:

Well, thanks anyway!

[Gildedragon]

Oh and one more: As you didn't specify PF of 3.X

The pathfinder Age Resistance line of spells of 4th, 6th, and 7th level that provide resistance to middle age, old age, and venerable age respectively (and cumulatively)

[Catalysis]

Better than Reincarnate: Last Breath (Spell Compendium) make it contingent, commit suicide, come back with a new young body but a wise old mind.

I just checked it, awesome!

Thanks!

[Catalysis]

Side note: all of those replies/ideas would make fine addition to already whacky builds!:smalltongue:

[Graypairofsocks]

No idea about removing aging penalties, but these may arguably help in preventing them:

There is this old psionic Prestige class on the WotC website: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20011123b

Its capstone turns you into a living chunk of crystal and makes you an earth subtype elemental.

There is also this other old psionic one which makes you undead: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20030628b

It makes you undead on the first level, but taking the whole class will lose you 4 manifester levels.

They may need slight changing though.

[Catalysis]

No idea about removing aging penalties, but these may arguably help in preventing them:

There is this old psionic Prestige class on the WotC website: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20011123b

Its capstone turns you into a living chunk of crystal and makes you an earth subtype elemental.

There is also this other old psionic one which makes you undead: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20030628b

It makes you undead on the first level, but taking the whole class will lose you 4 manifester levels.

They may need slight changing though.

Again, thank you very much!

Suppressing the physical stats is kind of extrem, but it's allways an interesting idea.

I should really start spending some time in the XPH...:smallamused:

[Graypairofsocks]

I also found this guide, it can probably help: http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=1179.0

[Catalysis]

I also found this guide, it can probably help: http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=1179.0

:smallbiggrin:
Exactly what any insane DM would like to have to build a proper race of powerful (but not game breaker) immortal ruler prior to it's player's era.

I'll read this in a moment...

That's some awesome help! :smallsmile:

[Rubik]

Call or create or Dominate a creature whose physical stats you want. Manifest the Fusion power on it. Manifest Astral Seed. Either dismiss Fusion or not, depending on whether you want the other creature around afterwards. Commit seppuku. When you come back, you can have the other creature's physical stats/youth/immortality, as is your wont.


Side note: all of those replies/ideas would make fine addition to already whacky builds!:smalltongue:They're useful for far more builds than just those that whack stuff.

[Catalysis]

Call or create or Dominate a creature whose physical stats you want. Manifest the Fusion power on it. Manifest Astral Seed. Either dismiss Fusion or not, depending on whether you want the other creature around afterwards. Commit seppuku. When you come back, you can have the other creature's physical stats/youth/immortality, as is your want.

They're useful for far more builds than just those that whack stuff.

I'll have to check if I can do it with my character's options (dips and all that stuff), but it's very interesting!

You're right, it could be kind of useful for many other things, I just have to figure them out.

Thanks for the help!

Catalysis

[zingbobco000]

Be a dragon!

I.E. dragonspawn template, dragonwrought, etc...

[Catalysis]

Be a dragon!

I.E. dragonspawn template, dragonwrought, etc...

Maybe I should:)

[zingbobco000]

Maybe I should:)

Dragons are one of the best races that you can be, so be them! (Pumped up version of elf resistances, subterranean vision, flight etc...) In my view the best way to achieve this is the blue dragonspawn template, +6 STR, +4 CON, +4 WIS +4 CHA. Add this on to being old and you get: +6 STR, +4 CON, +7 WIS, +3 INT, and +7 CHA. Great sorcerer template.

[Crake]

Wedded to history makes you live forever, and you get no aging penalties, but no aging bonuses either. Also comes with your choice of nifty bonuses. One of my favourite is not being treated as your type when its beneficial to you (such as, if you're a humanoid, not being considered a humanoid when targetted by a hold person spell. Still affected by hold monster, since that doesnt care about type)

[Rubik]

Ghosts can use Malevolence, wizards can use Magic Jar, and fiends of possession can use their possession abilities to inhabit the bodies of other creatures and take on their physical stats (including ability scores), irrespective of whatever natural penalties they may have in regards to aging. Likewise, becoming undead and casting Haunt Shift to possess an item makes one's physical stats irrelevant.

Casting Clone on yourself using the preserved flesh of a much younger you and committing suicide will give you the stats you had way back then. Unfortunately, that also means that you lose a level, as well. BUT! Using the XP storage ability of a thought bottle to give yourself the XP total you had prior to death means you lose nothing but your age.

Bestow Curse could potentially de-age you.

Epic spells, of course, can give this to you, and I believe there are spells that let you consume the youth of another. There's also an epic feat that lets you live longer, though I don't recall if it makes you younger or not.

[Catalysis]

Dragons are one of the best races that you can be, so be them! (Pumped up version of elf resistances, subterranean vision, flight etc...) In my view the best way to achieve this is the blue dragonspawn template, +6 STR, +4 CON, +4 WIS +4 CHA. Add this on to being old and you get: +6 STR, +4 CON, +7 WIS, +3 INT, and +7 CHA. Great sorcerer template.

Wow, I'm definetly going to check that up! (Of it's dragon mag, it might not be elligible)

Thanks for the full caster support and undead mastery, but I'm looking something a bit more mundane :smalltongue: , anyway they still are all great tricks.

Very pleased by all the support so far!!

EDIT: I've heard of the bestow curse option to grow old but then be stuck at that age forever, neat!

[JohnnyCancer]

Pathfinder has a 20th level Wizard discovery that can be taken in place of the bonus metamagic feat that offers immortality and removes age penalties.

[Graypairofsocks]

Casting Clone on yourself using the preserved flesh of a much younger you and committing suicide will give you the stats you had way back then. Unfortunately, that also means that you lose a level, as well. BUT! Using the XP storage ability of a thought bottle to give yourself the XP total you had prior to death means you lose nothing but your age.

The best part is that removing level loss from death is a RAI use of a Thought Bottle.

[Vedhin]

Dragon Magazine 334 has Evermead, a 200gp consumable alchemical item that removes aging penalties for 12 hours.

[pi4t]

If your DM likes the idea, there's always the possibility to go on a quest for some kind of Artifact of Immortality (and preferably some things for the other PCs, too). If the campaign is appropriate, you might want to suggest it to him. Worth a try, surely?

[AnonymousPepper]

So much overthinking. Just join the Warforged master race, mon!

As a side note, being immortal allows a Warforged artificer to completely break wealth-by-level by exploiting a fast-flowing time demiplane. 1-demiplane-year-to-a-Prime-Material-second would quickly cut years off the lifespan of a mortal being, but you? You can stay there indefinitely for your crafting needs, and come back no worse for wear.

[WhamBamSam]

Thanks for the full caster support and undead mastery, but I'm looking something a bit more mundane :smalltongue: , anyway they still are all great tricks. 5 levels of Tatooed Monk will do it if you choose Crane as your first Tatoo. Beloved of Valarian 1 essentially stops you aging, though it looks like that prevents you from accruing mental bonuses as well. A bunch of classes grant Timeless Body, usually at a high level cost. Thief of Life 10 will get prevent you from physically aging for a year after you kill something of as many or more HD than you with a Sneak Attack.

Mundane solutions tend to be worse than caster solutions, as is the case with anything in 3.5.

[Gavinfoxx]

What did you think of the immortality handbook?

[Elderand]

Elans do take aging penalties, they just have no maximum age. They get old and decrepit like evrybody else. An elan druid on the other hand...

[Graypairofsocks]

Elans do take aging penalties, they just have no maximum age. They get old and decrepit like evrybody else. An elan druid on the other hand...

I think that they stop taking aging penalties at venerable age.

[Elderand]

I think that they stop taking aging penalties at venerable age.

There are no defined penalties for anything beyond venerable, they take the same maximum penalties as anyone else, they just have to live with the their decrepit bodies longer than other races.

[Phelix-Mu]

Depending on starting stats, a character can easily avoid being anything like "decrepit," even at a very advanced age. While the penalties definitely do hurt, they are hardly crippling when compared to the extremely long list of ways to improve stats, offset penalties with bonuses, and otherwise patch up weaknesses. The character may never be as strong as someone without the penalties, but no power without price, eh? For a caster, the tradeoff is probably worth it (unless they really dumped Con).

[John Longarrow]

10th level elemental Savant becomes an Elemental... Great way to avoid aging penalties.

[Catalysis]

If your DM likes the idea, there's always the possibility to go on a quest for some kind of Artifact of Immortality (and preferably some things for the other PCs, too). If the campaign is appropriate, you might want to suggest it to him. Worth a try, surely?

Yes, sure it's worth a try! I'll figure something out before coming up with those slightly optimized (and wonderful) ideas...

[Catalysis]

What did you think of the immortality handbook?

Absolutely superb! It contains a full list of amazing tricks, like combining timeless body (with a complete list of classes granting it, as mentionned earlier) with immortality to get those bonuses, and way much more!!!

Definetly saved it to my handbook link's list:)

[Curmudgeon]

Wow, I'm definetly going to check that up! (Of it's dragon mag, it might not be elligible)
Dragonspawn is a template originally in Dragonlance Campaign Setting (pages 222-223). It's been updated, though; the current version is in Bestiary of Krynn, Revised (pages 43-48). (As far as I know, that update is the only part of a Margaret Weis Productions book that's official D&D content, because DCS is written to be applicable to both Dragonlance and D&D and WotC stipulates that new versions replace old content if you have access to the book with the update.) You'll definitely want to get the newer book, because that's the one that makes you a Dragon; the older version makes you a Monstrous Humanoid.

[One Step Two]

If you're going to dip into Dragonlance, there's the Legends of the Twins sourcebook, technically 3rd party material but still has the WOTC stamp.

It has the spell River's Ravages, Greater, which lets you age, or de-age a target upto 2 years/Caster level, Permanently. It doesn't affect XP memories, or Mental stats, but it can affect Physical one. It costs 100xp per year aged, or 500xp per year made younger. Casting it once per year to stay the same and effectively never age for 500xp is the same cost as using a thought-bottle suicide/reincarnate tricks.

[atemu1234]

I think the Last Breath idea on a druid of at least thirteenth level is my old standby. Oh, I'm dying of old age? Nope, I'm an orc. And now, thanks to A Thousand Faces, I'm looking human again.

[Curmudgeon]

If you're going to dip into Dragonlance, there's the Legends of the Twins sourcebook, technically 3rd party material but still has the WOTC stamp.
It has the WotC stamp for Dragonlance (Wizards of the Coast published Dragonlance Campaign Setting), not for D&D.

[zingbobco000]

It has the WotC stamp for Dragonlance (Wizards of the Coast published Dragonlance Campaign Setting), not for D&D.

But dragonlance is a campaign setting for DnD and it has the spell format that DnD uses...

[Curmudgeon]

But dragonlance is a campaign setting for DnD and it has the spell format that DnD uses...
No, it's not. It's a campaign setting for d20 System. You can integrate the material of Dragonlance Campaign Setting into a D&D game (instructions for doing so are on page 7). However, the contents of that one book are the limit of what's D&D-compatible.

[zingbobco000]

No, it's not. It's a campaign setting for d20 System. You can integrate the material of Dragonlance Campaign Setting into a D&D game (instructions for doing so are on page 7). However, the contents of that one book are the limit of what's D&D-compatible.

Could've sworn it was DnD, well ok.

[Dorian Gray]

I personally like using Steal Life on a full moon to get a bucket load of extra lifespan. It's really evil, but you can do it over and over again, and it can't be dispelled/disjoined. Not to mention that it's mostly immune to rule 0- its specific purpose is to make you younger.