Magical aging

[Elandris Kajar]

Various abilities such as timeless body of the monk, imply the existence of magical aging. However, I have not found a single example of this ability, presumably because of how age works. Does such an ability exist?

[BowStreetRunner]

The rules for the Haste spell in previous editions caused you to age more rapidly. So it may be just a holdover.

[Elandris Kajar]

Huh. I never would've guessed. Thanks

[inuyasha]

The rules for the Haste spell in previous editions caused you to age more rapidly. So it may be just a holdover.

As did gate and wish I believe.

[ShurikVch]

Curse may make you one a. c. older

Also, Dragon magazines have somerelevant stuff,such as spells from "Chronomancy" article, breath of Time Dragon, or that one corrupt spell from #300 (it kill by aging by 1 a. c./turn, then animate body as a zombie and turn soul into ghost)

[WhamBamSam]

There's a variant curse in BoVD that increases the target's age by one category. There are a few other 1st party things that can potentially affect your age (Reincarnate, the Rite of Rebirth), but they probably don't really count as magical aging.

I think there are one or two spells in some Dragonlance book that inflict magical aging.

I'd guess that old school Haste was probably the impetus for the references to magical aging.

[Elandris Kajar]

Thanks to everyone. My curiosity is sated, but feel free to post other examples (not that I could stop you:smallwink:).

[Deophaun]

An epic run-in with a phane (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/abomination.htm#phane) can age you.

[paranoidbox]

I seem to remember that in 2nd edition a ghost's touch would age the character, too. I thought it still did in 3rd edition, but apparently they removed that ability. I guess it is pretty much just a holdover then.

[Venger]

Every time you cast haste in 2e, your guy instantly aged one year with streaks of white in his hair and stuff, instantly putting him one year closer to his max age (which the dm had rolled at the beginning of the game and calculated secretly)

However, it's also important to remember that rezing was much harder in 2e than it is now. When your guy was killed, assuming you could get together the necessary materials (which was a task in and of itself for important spells) you'd need to roll a system shock check which was derived from your con score. if you failed, the spell was ruined and you could never be brought back. Other stuff would trigger it too, like polymorph other, or stone to flesh after being petrified.

so if you used haste (or whatever other spells) too much and ran out the clock, there might actually be a consequence. plus there wasn't a way to play an immortal like a necropolitan or an elan.

[Milo v3]

Ghosts in PF deal damage through aging, and bythos can forcefully age creatures it attacks.

[Jack_Simth]

Every time you cast haste in 2e, your guy instantly aged one year with streaks of white in his hair and stuff, instantly putting him one year closer to his max age (which the dm had rolled at the beginning of the game and calculated secretly)

However, it's also important to remember that rezing was much harder in 2e than it is now. When your guy was killed, assuming you could get together the necessary materials (which was a task in and of itself for important spells) you'd need to roll a system shock check which was derived from your con score. if you failed, the spell was ruined and you could never be brought back. Other stuff would trigger it too, like polymorph other, or stone to flesh after being petrified.

so if you used haste (or whatever other spells) too much and ran out the clock, there might actually be a consequence. plus there wasn't a way to play an immortal like a necropolitan or an elan.
It got better than that, if I recall correctly.
1) Haste aged the targets, not the caster
2) Every source of magical ageing invoked a system shock or die roll.
3) This meant that Haste was one of the most readily accessible roll or die spells in the game, although few made the connection at actual gaming tables AND left that glitch in place when they did.

[MesiDoomstalker]

No wonder Elves made great wizards. They could cast the great spells tenfold more than human counterparts before keeling over.

[Jack_Simth]

No wonder Elves made great wizards. They could cast the great spells tenfold more than human counterparts before keeling over.
Yes. Also, "Party of elves" were not particularly uncommon, for the simple reason that hostile aging effects were also fairly common, and elves were significantly more resistant to them.

[DrMotives]

My favorite was a "time bomb" spell in the Return to the Tomb of Horrors module. Acerak had a trap spell called "Weight of the Wait". It made an area where time flowed slower, so from the outside things looked like slow motion. The danger was in the trigger though. If someone touched the focus item at the center of the area of effect, all the time that didn't pass suddenly does in an instant, catching things up. The person and anyone else nearby gets blasted by the thousands of years that haven't passed as normal for the spell's area.

[Venger]

It got better than that, if I recall correctly.
1) Haste aged the targets, not the caster
2) Every source of magical ageing invoked a system shock or die roll.
3) This meant that Haste was one of the most readily accessible roll or die spells in the game, although few made the connection at actual gaming tables AND left that glitch in place when they did.

Could you target your friends with haste in 2e?
yeah. the game was full of stuff like that. spells were a lot more fast and loose. there wasn't a rubric they adhered to (plus no grid.) so there were a ton of weird little tidbits like that.

[Zancloufer]

Two things I can think of off the top of my head:

1) IIRC there was an Epic spell that could age people. Don't remember the exact one though.

2) There was a module for 3.5 published a while ago (like 2005 iirc). Was a fairly high level one (17+) where the party had to stop some sort of apocalypse. The interesting thing is that it took place somewhere that magically aged anyone in it. Most of the enemies as such where immortal/ageless/Undead but it was a pretty hefty rate. Started at like 1 year/day at first but after a week it got to the point of like a Decade an hour or something. Can't remember the exact module though. Think it's in on mf my Dungeon magazines but I'd have to go through a pile of them to find it.

[BowStreetRunner]

Curse may make you one a. c. older
There's a variant curse in BoVD that increases the target's age by one category.This intrigued me so I looked into it further. The original Bestow Curse (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/bestowCurse.htm) spell from Player's Handbook page 203 lists three possible effects and goes on to state that "You may also invent your own curse, but it should be no more powerful than those described above." There is a list of 11 such alternative curses on page 28 of Book of Vile Darkness, one of which is that the victim goes into the next age category. I'll have to remember that for the next time I have an opportunity to bestow a curse on someone.

[Psyren]

Ghosts in PF deal damage through aging, and bythos can forcefully age creatures it attacks.

Also the Sands of Time spell and Curse of the Ages (the latter of which can be inflicted via Greater Bestow Curse.)

[ShurikVch]

Timeless Planes (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/planes.htm#timeless):
On planes with this trait, time still passes, but the effects of time are diminished. How the timeless trait can affect certain activities or conditions such as hunger, thirst, aging, the effects of poison, and healing varies from plane to plane.

The danger of a timeless plane is that once one leaves such a plane for one where time flows normally, conditions such as hunger and aging do occur retroactively.

[BWR]

I seem to remember that in 2nd edition a ghost's touch would age the character, too. I thought it still did in 3rd edition, but apparently they removed that ability. I guess it is pretty much just a holdover then.

Just seeing a ghost was enough to age you 10 (IIRC) years. Ghosts were scary.
Of course, earlier editions also had potions of longevity to help manage your age, and I remember those potions being some of the most desirable loot one could find in our games.

[Thurbane]

Keoghtom's Ointment TM helps fight the five signs of magical aging!

http://i67.tinypic.com/2z8xaip.jpg

[Quertus]

Why has no one mentioned the youth-stealing spell from BoVD? One of the easiest immortalities in the game.

IIRC, there is also a time elemental which can age you.

But, yeah, very situational ability to have.

[Rubik]

Why has no one mentioned the youth-stealing spell from BoVD? One of the easiest immortalities in the game.Polymorph Any Object is easier, no-risk, and it's Core.

[ShurikVch]

Why has no one mentioned the youth-stealing spell from BoVD? One of the easiest immortalities in the game.Because there are no such spell.
Steal Life don't steal youth, it's just draining ability scores

IIRC, there is also a time elemental which can age you.According to Manual of the Planes, Temporal Energy Plane is uninhabited (except some Constructs).
The only Time Elementals I'm aware of are in the Tome of Horrors. They can Alter Age both ways.
But ToH is a 3rd-party...

[Venger]

Because there are no such spell.
Steal Life don't steal youth, it's just draining ability scores
According to Manual of the Planes, Temporal Energy Plane is uninhabited (except some Constructs).
The only Time Elementals I'm aware of are in the Tome of Horrors. They can Alter Age both ways.
But ToH is a 3rd-party...

You are mistaken.



If the caster casts this spell on the
night of a full moon, she becomes
effectively one week younger for
every point she drains.

You transmute the ability points you drain into youth. If you don't kill the person you're siphoning from, they don't get older, so it doesn't magically age them, but it is a very simple way to attain immortality if you've got 8ths and a reliable stable of people to drain. doing this and sponging off 4 points every month lets you maintain homeostasis and live forever, barring anything else.

[Douglas]

This intrigued me so I looked into it further. The original Bestow Curse (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/bestowCurse.htm) spell from Player's Handbook page 203 lists three possible effects and goes on to state that "You may also invent your own curse, but it should be no more powerful than those described above." There is a list of 11 such alternative curses on page 28 of Book of Vile Darkness, one of which is that the victim goes into the next age category. I'll have to remember that for the next time I have an opportunity to bestow a curse on someone.
Find a friendly dragon and cast it on them. Several times. Instant Great Wyrm!:smallbiggrin:

[Psyren]

Polymorph Any Object is easier, no-risk, and it's Core.

No risk... other than a dispel, disjunction or AMF.

[Rubik]

No risk... other than a dispel, disjunction or AMF.Ravenloft: Legacy of the Blood's devices FTW.

[Psyren]

Ravenloft: Legacy of the Blood's devices FTW.

If you consider third-party as a solution, then we can remove all weaknesses of everything. Just invent "Super Polymorph" as a 1st-level spell, make it instantaneous and pay a few bucks to have it put in a pamphlet with the d20 license stuck in the front cover and you're all set.

[Rubik]

If you consider third-party as a solution, then we can remove all weaknesses of everything. Just invent "Super Polymorph" as a 1st-level spell, make it instantaneous and pay a few bucks to have it put in a pamphlet with the d20 license stuck in the front cover and you're all set.If it's endorsed by WotC, wouldn't it be 2nd party, at worst?

[Quertus]

Because there are no such spell.
Steal Life don't steal youth, it's just draining ability scores


You transmute the ability points you drain into youth. If you don't kill the person you're siphoning from, they don't get older, so it doesn't magically age them, but it is a very simple way to attain immortality if you've got 8ths and a reliable stable of people to drain. doing this and sponging off 4 points every month lets you maintain homeostasis and live forever, barring anything else.

Huh. The "subject withers and shrivels" just refers to ability drain, not to magical aging. Explains why no one mentioned it. :smallredface:

Although, as long as you are humanoid, there is no reason you can't target yourself with the spell, so you don't even need anyone else present to be immortal.

[Jergmo]

There is a third party book called Secret College of Necromancy that contains spells that reduce or increase a target's age; I played a 50-something Necromancer that used magic to maintain the physique of a 20 year old for the lack of Constitution penalties. I don't remember the specifics of it, though, as I lost the book. I think it's 1d10 years for either spell.

[Psyren]

If it's endorsed by WotC, wouldn't it be 2nd party, at worst?

If someone who was not WotC published it, I don't see a distinction that matters; either it's first-party or it isn't. And even if I did, this kind of "ex magic" is so nonsensical both fluff and balance-wise that I wouldn't take it seriously anyway.

[WhamBamSam]

Find a friendly dragon and cast it on them. Several times. Instant Great Wyrm!:smallbiggrin:Bestow Curse is Permanent duration, not Instantaneous, so multiple curses overlap rather than stack, I believe. You can absolutely get one age category that way though. I personally favor Mark of Justice as the spell delivering the curse, so the dragon can age itself as a free action in emergencies.

[Hobosub]

There is a Linnorm Death Curse (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/barbarian/rage-powers/paizo---rage-powers/linnorm-death-curse-crag-su) in Pathfinder that hits at 1 year/day until cured.
Note that the 1 con damage/day is countered by natural healing