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View Full Version : Rules Q&A Immortality as a character option?



JakOfAllTirades
2019-08-03, 09:01 PM
I'm working on a list of ways for characters to become effectively immortal. Not necessarily un-killable, just immune to aging. So far I've got these class/archetype features:

Druid, 18th level: Timeless Body
Monk, 15th level: Timeless Body
Ancients Paladin, 15th level: Undying Sentinel
Undying Warlock, 10th level: Undying Nature*

Did I miss any?

And are there any other options (items, etc.) aside from class features, that have similar effects?

*Character ages at one tenth normal rate. Not truly un-aging, but allows humans to live for about a millennium, other races several times that, so who's counting.

Lunali
2019-08-03, 09:09 PM
Druid has the same limitation as warlock.
Monk has a normal life span, they just stay young.
Paladin may or may not work depending on if your DM includes death as "a drawback of old age."

Wizards have the most options for immortality, clone being the obvious one.

Sigreid
2019-08-03, 09:13 PM
Well, there's the epic boon that does exactly that.

Captain Panda
2019-08-03, 09:15 PM
Create a clone.

Jump off a cliff.

Repeat! :D

JackPhoenix
2019-08-03, 09:17 PM
Reincarnate allows you to come back in young body. Same with Clone. Not immortality, technically, but good enough.
Wizards can turn into liches (we do have rules for that in CoS), everyone may end up as a vampire (rules for PC vampires are in MM).

Sigreid
2019-08-03, 09:19 PM
Presumably a god could do it if they want to.

If you use the optional potion mixing rules in the DMG with a potion of youth, that might work depending on the DM.

DarkKnightJin
2019-08-04, 03:22 AM
Presumably a god could do it if they want to.

If you use the optional potion mixing rules in the DMG with a potion of youth, that might work depending on the DM.

Hmm.. Might do that as a potion. [X%] chance of becoming the ageless. And the rest is you just drop dead right there on the spot.
Obviously more of an NPC/MacGuffin sorta potion, but could be fun with a PC.

Lunali
2019-08-04, 08:18 AM
Hmm.. Might do that as a potion. [X%] chance of becoming the ageless. And the rest is you just drop dead right there on the spot.
Obviously more of an NPC/MacGuffin sorta potion, but could be fun with a PC.

Dropping dead on the spot just means you have to trust your companions and have revivify ready. Or if you don't trust your companions, you need to be able to cast both contingency and revivify. If it's a single or permanently limited supply potion, it's probably ok, but if the PCs can craft it, they can make themselves and an arbitrary number of NPCs immortal.

DarkKnightJin
2019-08-04, 11:33 AM
Dropping dead on the spot just means you have to trust your companions and have revivify ready. Or if you don't trust your companions, you need to be able to cast both contingency and revivify. If it's a single or permanently limited supply potion, it's probably ok, but if the PCs can craft it, they can make themselves and an arbitrary number of NPCs immortal.

Hence the MacGuffin bit. The potion could make them ageless, or it could make them die right there.
Also, resurrection magic isn't a thing in my game. There is a single kind of item that effectively works like Revivify, but those aren't easy to get and/or stockpile.
So, that's a thing I kept in mind that I should've probably shared as well. So, the risk is a bit higher for the PCs in my setting.

Sigreid
2019-08-04, 05:35 PM
Hmm.. Might do that as a potion. [X%] chance of becoming the ageless. And the rest is you just drop dead right there on the spot.
Obviously more of an NPC/MacGuffin sorta potion, but could be fun with a PC.

Well, the table in the DMG has a small chance for one of the potions to become permanent, and a variety of other effects up to and including an epic explosion. If it's allowed, it's a dangerous game.

DarkKnightJin
2019-08-04, 11:02 PM
Well, the table in the DMG has a small chance for one of the potions to become permanent, and a variety of other effects up to and including an epic explosion. If it's allowed, it's a dangerous game.

I'm gonna workshop it a bit. Currently, I'm thinking it's a 20% chance of ageless-ness, 30% of just dying right there on the spot, and 50% of other effects of varying intensity. Like maybe they blow up and everybody in range takes a crapton of damage, save for half.

GlenSmash!
2019-08-05, 12:08 PM
Well, there's the epic boon that does exactly that.

Nice. I've always wanted to incorporate more boons into my games.

Talionis
2019-08-05, 09:59 PM
Wish spell can do it.

firelistener
2019-08-05, 10:22 PM
Hmm.. Might do that as a potion. [X%] chance of becoming the ageless. And the rest is you just drop dead right there on the spot.
Obviously more of an NPC/MacGuffin sorta potion, but could be fun with a PC.

I have one of these in the main setting I run. It's a chalice blessed by the goddess of Arcana/Trickery/Knowledge/Death/Grave called "the Daughter". Filling the chalice with water produces a black ichor that requires a DC20 Con save or the drinker takes 5d20 acid damage and must reroll the saving throw every six seconds until they pass. When they pass, it fully heals the drinker and prevents them from aging at all for the next 24 hours. When a magical ruby is set into the chalice, the chalice produces a golden ambrosia instead of the black ichor, and the constitution save is no longer necessary.

It's a popular MacGuffin for my villains as they want it and the magic ruby that goes with it to stay young and strong forever, and right now the party has the chalice in their possession without the ruby. I like it because it promises immortality, but it's requires someone hold onto the chalice and ruby forever.

iTreeby
2019-08-06, 12:06 AM
Magic jar could kindof do it, for certain values of immortality. True polymorph can also do it if you change into something immortal (or something that can cast true polymorph).

Porcupinata
2019-08-06, 02:37 AM
My current character is a Transmuter wizard who is fully intending to use her Transmuter's Stone to remain young until the end of her natural lifespan, by which time she hopes to have learned enough magic to be able to use the Clone spell to avoid death and come back in a new young body.

jdolch
2019-08-07, 02:24 AM
Player Characters can become Vampires (GM approval of course)

BloodSnake'sCha
2019-08-07, 02:29 AM
Warforged??