PDA

View Full Version : Aging spell against monsters



Taco064
2020-12-09, 09:42 PM
Hello all!
I have a creature/player (it's a bit of a awakening/transformation) with a blade that ages the target by 1 age category with successful hits and they fail a save.
Only issue is that the aging process available with d&d is largely humanoid character base and just -1 or -2 to abilities. That doesn't seem right or fair when used against a monster with his ability score all sitting above 20.
Anyone got a god idea or know of design to age monsters in a more meaningful way?
I was thinking it could be a percentage of stats instead, but not sure what's fair for that number.
All help is welcomed :)

Vahnavoi
2020-12-09, 11:01 PM
If this is D&D, those penalties are cumulative, meaning after three or so failed saves, they're rocking -6 to all physical ability scores and +3 to all mentals. After fourth or so failed saves, they're near irrecovably dead. That's powerful enough of an effect, for monsters rhat are effected (plenty of immortal and ageless beings which aren't).

Taco064
2020-12-09, 11:16 PM
If this is D&D, those penalties are cumulative, meaning after three or so failed saves, they're rocking -6 to all physical ability scores and +3 to all mentals. After fourth or so failed saves, they're near irrecovably dead. That's powerful enough of an effect, for monsters rhat are effected (plenty of immortal and ageless beings which aren't).

Beautiful, I missed the part of it being cumulative! Thanks for the clarification :)

Rynael
2020-12-09, 11:48 PM
It's also fair enough to use the default flat numbers as they are because, for example, a Venerable ogre is probably supposed to remain much stronger than an average human (they'd have 15 STR, using the default aging rules)... and Celestia forbid they use that blade against a true dragon....

At first, I feared that the nearly irreversible old age death effect on the fourth strike (or however many it takes to get a dragon to Great Wyrm if, for example, you hate yourself) could actually be overpowered, given how many attacks per round players can accrue over time, but a save-or-die that takes a full 4 failures doesn't sound game-breaking to me.

I wouldn't raise their mental scores, though. If I recall, that's supposed to represent experience, which doesn't apply to magically-induced aging.

Satinavian
2020-12-10, 03:55 AM
I would be wary of introducing weapons that do a new kind of damage without any remedy, when everything else including deazh by missing hitpoints can be healed via magic.

It might be better to give this aging a duration.

Vahnavoi
2020-12-10, 05:00 AM
I'm pretty sure potions of youth or rejuvenation are a thing in D&D, nevermind class abilities and creature template additions which stop or make you immune to aging.

GrayDeath
2020-12-10, 10:18 AM
Well, my Dragon Mount wants that Blade, stat. Where can I get it?

I`ll pay your unsatisfied players in Chaositek or Knowledge about the beginning of 3 Mortal Races, depending. :)

Xervous
2020-12-10, 03:57 PM
I would be wary of introducing weapons that do a new kind of damage without any remedy, when everything else including deazh by missing hitpoints can be healed via magic.

It might be better to give this aging a duration.

Oblivion flashbacks of -100 max hp for 1 second. Oh dear.

Vahnavoi
2020-12-11, 10:11 AM
I went and checked, and apparently potions of longevity and elixir of youth skipped the 3rd edition of D&D. They were present in AD&D and are again present in 5th edition.

If you want to backport such magic items to 3rd Edition, it's dead simple: it's a potion that makes you 1d4+1 years younger. You can change years to percentages if you want it to have same utility for all species. It cannot make you younger than the minimum for young adult category. After 10 uses, it will make you older by the same amount instead.