Aging Others To Death?

[Death_Lord12]

I just had an idea of, instead of someone stabbing their opponent a few times, is there a way to age a person until they die? This doesn't even have to be in combat, could be while they're sleeping or something, because it may take a while especially considering how long some races can live, but is there a good way to optimize a character to do this?

Use any method you see fit, from any source.

[ComaVision]

Fun fact: When I first started playing, reading the Monk's Timeless Body ability made me think that magical aging was a relatively common threat. I've never seen in in play.

I think there is a spell (maybe spells?) that age in BoVD, and I think Time Dragons have an aging breath. There certainly aren't a plethora of aging abilities.

[Septimus]

It used to be more common in 2nd edition, where haste spell ages targets by one year every time, or the ghost attacks that age 1d4*10 years if my memory is correct.

Aging damage was one of the several things in 2nd edition that was removed in the 3.0 edition.

[Braininthejar2]

There are temporary aging effects in Dragonlance setting

Also there is an epic monster that kills people by timestopping them and sucking out their time.

[Malimar]

The only canon source of aging damage I know of is the phane (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/abomination.htm#phane) (an epic abomination). Semi-canon Dragon Compendium has the CR3 ciruja plant.

Naturally, because I am a poseur at being old-school, I homebrewed up six spells that deal aging (and give the caster 1 temporary hit point that lasts an hour per year drained, to make it a thing people might actually consider casting in combat). Level 1 least youth drain drains 1 year, level 9 true youth drain drains 1d20 years per caster level (and is probably instant death), the others are variously in between. Fortitude negates.

Also, I houseruled that dying and being resurrected ages you 1d20 minus your Constitution modifier years (minimum 0).

With these effects in the game, I also had to make special rules about aging: Characters have a mental age and a physical age. If they are subjected to an artificial aging, youthening, or aging-prevention effect, it normally affects only their physical age. Physical age penalties apply (or are removed) when the character's physical age advances (or reverses) an age category; mental age bonuses apply (or are removed) when the character's mental age advances (or reverses) an age category. Death from old age only occurs when physical age reaches a maximum; one cannot die of old mental age.

(I haven't worked out exactly how artificial aging works on true dragons, other than the vague notion that artificial aging is never beneficial to the target. OH! Obvious solution: the Dragon type now grants the trait that dragons are immune to artificial aging effects. Which has the one unfortunate side-effect of making Dragonwrought Kobolds immune to artificial aging, which is too bad, because having aging effects in play is a good way to discourage people from playing venerable DwKs. Maybe just make True Dragons immune to artificial aging, that solves the problem.)

I haven't given any means of reversing artificial aging, other than reincarnate and true reincarnate. Wish/miracle can probably do it. Oh, also one card from the full 52-card complete Deck of Many Things youthens you 1d20 years. If these aging effects actually come into play, I'll probably come up with some more accessible means of reversing them.

(People always whine that e.g. elves are more resistant to aging than humans, but I'm completely okay with that. Perk of being a dirty pointy-eared hippie.)

[daremetoidareyo]

Crazy idea that comes to mind.

1: be warforged
2: be psi-forged.
3: Take 8 levels of zerth cenobite: (take six levels of archivist or 4 levels of monk/2 levels of initiators)
4: Use temporal strike to send opponent 10 rounds into the future.
5: wait 1 day.
6: repeat 4 and 5 as needed to age the opponent 1 minute extra per day

Another idea:
1: Be rilkan or skarn, whichever one has the reptilian subtype so that you count as a scaled one. If you need 4 levels of monk, think about being denying stance into sleeping tiger (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#monkVariantFightingSty les) and taking rattlesnake strike, which will allow you to blow a stunning fist during your grapple to help dip those constitution scores by 1d3. Consider also poison expert to make that 1d3+1 relying on this this text to work around the apparent prohibition of poison expert "By expending one of your Stunning Fist uses for the day, you imbue your next unarmed attack with disruptive ki that mimics the effects of mild viper venom."
2: Take body pouch feat from serpent kingdoms
3: grow in size like 2 size categories
4: Take 3 levels in zerth cenobite
5: engulf opponent; constrict
6: timeless step forward a number of rounds equal to your wisdom bonus

If engulfed opponent has lowish constitution or you have a massively high wisdom bonus, and you've taken the quicken spell like ability feat (which you can apply to psilike abilities) go to 7, if not, go to 8.

7.: quicken timeless step and then rely on this text from body pouch to justify your opponent asphyxsiating: "A creature inside the pouch dies of asphyxiation after being constricted for a number of consecutive rounds equal to 2 per Constitution point it possesses." And this text from timeless step, bold type bolded for emphasis: "For you, no time has passed at all." That excludes your gut parasite that you brought with you in your body pouch, like your intestinal flora. Then eat some yogurt.

8: Dismiss (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Duration_(Spell_Descriptor)#.28D.29_Dismissibl e) your size modification spell or find a way to have a quickened dispell target the expansion power/enlarge spell while you are in the time stream, and then rely on this text:
"If you adopt a different body shape or size via any ability that allows a change of shape, everything in your body pouch is immediately expelled onto the ground at your feet."

Except that your feet are inbetween the time streams...And well, you know, you are going to be leaving the timesteam without them.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Phanes and time dragons can do this, but they're both epic monsters.

(Greater) bestow curse can faux-age someone, but (iirc) it's not 'real' age, just all the effects of age.


@daremetoidareyou: that first idea is actually aging your target less, because they're living ten rounds less each day.

[Gildedragon]

The Steal Life spell might be what you want... Sorta
Not quite though

[Bucky]

The traditional way to age someone to death is to trap them on a very fast time demiplane for a few (subjective) centuries.

[daremetoidareyo]

@daremetoidareyou: that first idea is actually aging your target less, because they're living ten rounds less each day.

Right.

Get them addicted to cigarettes then.

And maybe....something something quintessence?

[ryu]

The main problem with this as a strategy is that it's much easier and less costly to be effectively immune to the tactic in dozens of ways than it is to actually attempt the tactic. Hell some of them are things you might have by accident.

[daremetoidareyo]

The main problem with this as a strategy is that it's much easier and less costly to be effectively immune to the tactic in dozens of ways than it is to actually attempt the tactic. Hell some of them are things you might have by accident.

you saying that 4 levels of monk, 3-8 levels of prestige psiwarrior, and multiple feats from the book of serpent cheese isn't a good investment?

[ryu]

you saying that 4 levels of monk, 3-8 levels of prestige psiwarrior, and multiple feats from the book of serpent cheese isn't a good investment?

By accident as in you could easily be immune while never having even considered this a threat to begin with. Undead, warforged, reincarnate, wedded to history, clones, several magic items, or even just race choices....

Although yes it is also entirely correct to say that four levels of monk is never a good investment. Monk sucks. Monk sucks even worse than fighter because at least fighter performs reasonably at what it's supposed to do more or less out of the box.

[Âmesang]

Perhaps take the Epic Spellcasting feat and rediscover the Invoked Devastation? :smallamused:


"A wave of something sweeps over the land. Buildings begin to crumble as if being powdered by an oerthquake, only the ground is not shaking. All living things within the area are sickened. Although some survive, most others are less fortunate. The wind is black and howling, and under its strange force the work of the hands of man decays as if time were running a thousand times faster for such non-living matter. Living things suffer increased aging, but not so severely. Trees grow suddenly, deplete their soil, and die. Animals age and die. Children become adults, but, lacking the nutrients for growth, die. A handful of the young adult folk escape as near- and middle-age wrecks. The remains of the dead are visible for some period, but the habitations are naught but powder and dirt. It is a desolate place that only time will restore."


— Oerth Journal #12, p.6