As time goes by... [spell]

[Dhavaer]

Chronal Blast
Necromancy
level: Wiz/Sor 2
Components: V, S
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: Short
Target: 1 creature or object
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

The target ages 2d12 years.
A lesser restoration can remove 1d4 + 1/2 caster level (max +5) years of magical aging. Restoration and Greater Restoration remove all magical aging.

[Paragon Badger]

Ouch. That could kill a character easily if you spammed it enough... or at least force the DM to roll a Maximum age check or two. ;-)

Plus, it could handily reduce a few physical stats, but it would boost mental stats.

Is it reversable, by a restoration spell or somesuch?

On a funny note, I just found this in the SRD, shortly before I saw your spell:

Reverse aging (subject gets younger each year, disappearing at moment of “birth”) under 'Flux Slime'

[Dhavaer]

Is it reversable, by a restoration spell or somesuch?

I'm fairly sure there's at least one healing spell that notes that it reverses magical aging. I'll just have a look for it...

Edit: No, I was thinking of Timeless Body. I suppose Lesser Restoration would partly reverse it, and Restoration fully reverse it.

[AKA_Bait]

I'm fairly sure there's at least one healing spell that notes that it reverses magical aging. I'll just have a look for it...

Edit: No, I was thinking of Timeless Body. I suppose Lesser Restoration would partly reverse it, and Restoration fully reverse it.


You may want to note that in the spell description.

Other worries: This would be very effective against Humans and other short lived races (2 of these maximized would age a human 48 years) but not particularly useful against say, elves, dwarves or gnomes. I'm not sure if there is a fix for that though. You may want to raise the level of the spell and just have it advance them an age category instead since that is what a maximized one would effectivley do to a human.

[UserClone]

I have a splatbook called Encyclopaedia Arcane: Chronomancy, and it has a similar spell, but the increase of an age category via that spell only decreases the physical scores, as there is no reason the mental scores would increase if your body was suddenly aged by a spell:)

[Tinranor]

Every dragon would know this spell :smallcool:

The spell level seems kind of low to me for 2d12 years of age, but maybe that's just me.

As far as the actual effect, instead of 2d12, if you don't go with the age category that others are suggesting, I think it would make more sense for it to be, like, 1d4+1/caster level or something so the spell scales.

Is this a ray attack? Or touch?

[Tormsskull]

I think you might be opening a can of worms with this spell. First, if you were to cast this on a child (say a 3 year old human), and raised that child's age to 18 or higher, would that child now be a fully functional adult? Would they have the mind of a child? If so, how would that affect them mechanically?

Also, if such a spell is so easy to cast (reflective of its level 2 status), then wouldn't it be comparatively easy to cast the reverse (for - 2d12 years)? If no, why not? If so, then every Wizard who buys this on a scroll is now effectively immortal as far as aging is considered. And I am sure powerful/rich people would also gain access to the spell.

It also affects objects, which could include trees. If a higher-level wizard loaded up with this spell they could create forests from saplings in a relatively short period of time.

Personally I have never been a fan of time-controlling magic, so I wouldn't allow the spell at all. But for general games, I would either add in a lot more limitations to the spell, or bump up the spell level quite a bit.

[Dragonmuncher]

Definitely add that mental bonuses don't take spell-added years into consideration.

[Kaelaroth]

That worries me immensely. Kill off old rulers... age your child to become your companion... super-charge draconic beings....

and Spell Level 2?

[Cyrano]

I'd like to note that, realistically, age wouldn't necessarily make dragons bigger. I mean, I don't have a doctorate in draconian characteristics, but I imagine that one gets that big by eating, not just by waiting. This spell wouldn't be overpowered if it didn't increase mental traits (A child raised to 18 would still have the mind of a child), only decreases mental stats, and perhaps with a note that it can't cause the death of anyone (Because you could kill any NPC villain in 3 or 4 rounds with consecutive castings.)

[Dhavaer]

Added the ways to reverse it.

[NakedCelt]

I'd like to note that, realistically, age wouldn't necessarily make dragons bigger. I mean, I don't have a doctorate in draconian characteristics, but I imagine that one gets that big by eating, not just by waiting.

Technically, that's the case for children as well...

[Gralamin]

Chronal Blast
Necromancy
level: Wiz/Sor 2
Components: V, S
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: Short
Target: 1 creature or object
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

The target ages 2d12 years.
A lesser restoration can remove 1d4 + 1/2 caster level (max +5) years of magical aging. Restoration and Greater Restoration remove all magical aging.

That could kill a Thri-kreen with one blow! Maybe make it only apply to humanoids? It also stops dragons abusing it.

[Inyssius Tor]

Technically, that's the case for children as well...

Yeah. I think that it's generally assumed that you would have lived a moderately healthy life-style in the years that you've skipped, so that you don't age 1/100th of a year and then die of starvation (or, for that matter, thirty-two stab wounds to the head).

[Demented]

"Zap! Lose 18 years of your life, sucker!"
"No! The best years of my life! All go—Wait. Without a year's worth of decay and bad food... I feel pretty normal. C'mere mage, let's see about those d4 hit dice."
"Ohhhh CRAP!"


And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is why it's a 2nd-level spell.

[Zeta Kai]

Target: 1 creature or object

Do you have any information on aging an object? Other than food & other obvious perishables, most objects in D&D are effectively immortal, as written.

Here's a proposed edit:

Chronal Blast
Necromancy
Level: Drd 3, Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S, M/DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Short
Target: 1 living creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

The target advances 1 age category, with all ability bonuses & penalties that normally apply in cases of advancing age. No experience or skills can be gained in this manner, nor does the target suffer any deprivation of basic anatomical functions, such as starvation or dehydration.
Creatures younger than the age of adulthood are unaffected. Creatures aged to their maximum do not die immediately, but will die within 1 year unless reversed. Lesser restoration can remove 1d4 + ½ caster level (max +10) years of magical aging. Restoration & greater restoration remove all magical aging.

Material Components: An ounce of white sand.

[GNUsNotUnix]

This looks okay, but I'd give it a duration, or at least something about stacking effects. Plenty of monsters and animals (think most dire animals, for sure) don't live that long; a maximized (or very lucky) casting would kill many high CR monsters outright. And, as has been stated, without a duration (1 round/level or some such) or anti-stack rule, this spell could be used to raise very powerful dragons, while a similar opposing spell could be used to obtain immortality.

[Dryad]

This is my proposal, then. Upped the dice a bit, so that the minimum and average are raised a tad, but left room for spamming. After all, it's an average third level spell that will not instantly incapacitate most opponents, or even land a very heavy blow in most cases.

Chronal Blast
Necromancy
Level: Drd 2, Sor/Wiz 3, Clr 3
Components: V, S, M/DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Short
Target: 1 living creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

The target instantly ages 4d6 years. Treat this aging as age damage, that heals just like ability damage does.
Spell Component: A small silver sand-timer worth 2 gp.

[GNUsNotUnix]

This is my proposal, then. Upped the dice a bit, so that the minimum and average are raised a tad, but left room for spamming. After all, it's an average third level spell that will not instantly incapacitate most opponents, or even land a very heavy blow in most cases.

Chronal Blast
Necromancy
Level: Drd 2, Sor/Wiz 3, Clr 3
Components: V, S, M/DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Short
Target: 1 living creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

The target instantly ages 4d6 years. Treat this aging as age damage, that heals just like ability damage does.
Spell Component: A small silver sand-timer worth 2 gp.

That could work. But does aging past venerable kill, or does it merely incapacitate, a la ray of enfeeblement?

[Dryad]

Well, the problem is venerable and maximum age, which isn't quite the same.. So I'd say incapacitate, not kill. That means that the target can be killed by a simple slit of the throat, but may survive if her party does. Opens up new possibilities.

[knightsaline]

I have a suggestion. Since people are worried about this spell killing short lived races if spammed, why not make it so that the spell affects different races differently.

Chronal Blast
Necromancy
Level: Drd 2, Sor/Wiz 3, Clr 3
Components: V, S, M/DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Short
Target: 1 living creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

As you intone the words of power, you see a white sand like substance surround your hands. The sand flows over the target and it looks older

This spell makes the target age depending on its race. It is subject to age penalties, but gains no age benefits (the target is physically older, not mentally older). The amount of physical aging depends on the race of the target and are as follows;
Human, Half orc; 1d6
Elf: 1d20
Dwarf, Gnome: 1d12
Half Elf: 1d8
If this spell is cast upon a target whose race is not listed here, the DM may decide on how much the target is aged. Dragons are immune to this spell, but the DM may decide on a case-by-case basis.

Arcane Spell Component: A handful of white sand and a small hourglass

How was it?

[Dryad]

I disagree. Isn't the whole point of the spell that you can take out opponents with it, either by getting lucky, or spamming? Having these age effects ruin it's effectiveness completely.

[GNUsNotUnix]

I still like Dryad's take on it better. Besides, this spell could conceivably be terrific for non-battle purposes; imagine the bonus to disguise!

I might limit this to affecting humanoids only, though. If it had a mass version (like mass enlarge person, say), it could even be used to kill swarms of everything from orcs to vermin to animals. Even if you compensated for that with a level change, as a DM, I'd be more comfortable knowing that the affected creature type limited the amount of unforeseen uses somewhat.

[knightsaline]

Yes, Dryad, I see your point. It just seems odd that a player should be punished by chara death for choosing to play a short lived human or half orc. That is why I changed it so it affects by race. Yours is better when compared with mine.

Now I remember something. What happens if the target of this spell is an Elan? since they have no maximum age, they are really in no danger from this spell.

[firepup]

Chronal Blast
Necromancy
level: Wiz/Sor 2
Components: V, S
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: Short
Target: 1 creature or object
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

The target ages or loses 2d12 years. Targets who advance age catagories gain any physical advantages or disadvantages but keep the mental bonus/penalty of their actual age catagory. THis doesn't effect characters with timeless body, and they are treated as if they made their will save.
A lesser restoration can remove magical aging as if it were temporary ability damage. Restoration and Greater Restoration remove all magical aging. If on the target is the caster, the caster must make a will save or take an additional 1d12 years gained or lost

[Dryad]

If cast on an Elan, high level monk or druid, or other creature that doesn't suffer from aging effects: They still age. They just don't notice it, and won't suffer any ill side effects.