How would you know if you stopped aging?

[Mad_Saulot]

OK, here's the thing...

I introduced a puzzle device that once solved halted the aging process of one of the players.

This effect wasn't instantly obvious to the player.

My plan is to describe the effect in game in a not obvious way describing each symptom of the effect gradually.

So far I have decided that the character doesn't need to eat, breath or excrete. Though in the case of eating and breathing the reflex to breath means she still draws breath, despite not needing to, after all you'd still need breath to talk. I plan to describe loss of apatite, yet the player can still consume food and drink, they just don't have to, so they lose the biological urge for food but not the psychological habit.

Perhaps the most obvious side effect is not needing to go to the toilet, that's something you would definitely notice over time, and then might consider going to a doctor, but my world has pre-victorian medicine, which makes it pretty much primitive as hell, so the docs are unlikely to grant any revelation.

Can you think of any other signs that might manifest from this effect?

How would you know if you stopped aging?

Edit:

What's the difference between Immortality and Agelessness?

I always thought the term "Immortal" was a bit presumptuous, in virtually every game I've played "Immortal" things die pretty quickly lol

To add more context my game is pretty RP heavy, the idea behind the game is the players belong to a small company in Suzail, Cormyr , who are trying to set up an official detective agency/public police force. The challenge is that that's an advanced concept in a post-medieval world with monsters and magic ruled by a strict aristocracy.

The player character in question is a 25y/o human female with a background in military-intelligence and her class is artificer, they are level 4.

Someone asked what happens to food if it isnt excreted, I was just going to magic it away, but I suppose it would be better to turn it into a symptom too, so vomiting it out is probably another thing I can add to the list of symptoms.

They have access to surgeons and lower level wizards, and the political elite have access to archmages who help rule the city, obviously if she went to a diviner of some description they might get a definitive answer, but I don't want that solution to be their first response to the condition.

[RSP]

So far I have decided that the character doesn't need to eat, breath or excrete. Though in the case of eating and breathing the reflex to breath means she still draws breath, despite not needing to, after all you'd still need breath to talk. I plan to describe loss of apatite, yet the player can still consume food and drink, they just don't have to, so they lose the biological urge for food but not the psychological habit.


If they don’t need to eat, but still eat, why wouldn’t they still excrete? Particularly if the food isn’t actually being absorbed for nurishment, wouldn’t it mean the entirety of the meal is being discharged (as opposed to just the unused parts)?

[Dame_Mechanus]

A fun question, and something that you can let people know through a lot of subtle elements depending on how you want to go with it. Here's a question: what about hair growth?

Normally, hair grows at a pretty consistent rate, and shorter hairs on your body (like on limbs) get casually shed fairly often. If the character has truly stopped aging in any way, they might notice that their hair has stopped growing, perhaps most immediately notable if the character has facial hair or if they have something else they shave regularly. That might not immediately suggest "I've stopped aging" but it would be a red flag that something is wrong even if it doesn't stand out to them.

Another potential option is nail growth; if that stops or slows, you'll notice it eventually. (Although I don't think most PCs pay particular attention to that in the first place anyhow.)

The last thing that I might suggest is that they could note that even minor cuts produce more substantial scarring, because the tissue isn't healing quite right due to a lack of aging. That is, however, a bit more abstract and may or may not entirely sync up with proper biology, so take it with a grain of salt.

[animorte]

If they don’t need to eat, but still eat, why wouldn’t they still excrete? Particularly if the food isn’t actually being absorbed for nurishment, wouldn’t it mean the entirety of the meal is being discharged (as opposed to just the unused parts)?

This is true. In relevance, my first thought would be that they actually discover the part about not being required to eat first. They will habitually seek nourishment, but after a few days and instances of having eaten a lot less than usual, they will very likely discover that they just aren't hungry. Over the course of a few more days, having perhaps forgotten about food and then suddenly having that realization, "Hey guys, when did I eat last? I don't really feel hungry and I don't really feel any weaker." Naturally it would follow suit that they would be needing to go potty far less as a result.

Of course, learning that you don't need to breathe anymore would also be as simple as thinking you're drowning, then suddenly discovering that you're not actually drowning.

[Willowhelm]

The symptoms in the OP don’t really seem related to halting the ageing process.

They seem a little closer to immortality or being undead.

Stopping aging… That’ll be hard to notice. I’d go for reversing the signs of ageing. Like, eyesight improving, hair growing back, grey hairs disappearing, wrinkles go away, loose skin, energy levels, time to heal etc etc.

Of course as an adventurer you’re probably not suffering from any of those effects yet. Especially with healing to full every night and better than normal stats.

Maybe just mashing together the circlet of human perfection and the periapt of wound closure?

[Angelalex242]

Well...Oath of Ancients Paladins at level 15 stop aging...permanently. The next best thing is an elven druid, who might not be immortal, per se, but 7000 years is generally plenty.

[Xihirli]

Well...Oath of Ancients Paladins at level 15 stop aging...permanently. The next best thing is an elven druid, who might not be immortal, per se, but 7000 years is generally plenty.

They suffer none of the DRAWBACKS of aging, which is just... such a nice, well-defined feature, I know exactly what it does wizards, thanks. No notes.

[Angelalex242]

As far as I know, Oath of Ancients are effectively immortal. They don't age...ever.

[Xihirli]

What's that based on? That Timeless Body is worded to specifically say that you do still age, while Ancients' thing doesn't?

[Angelalex242]

The Druid ability says '10x'. The Monk ability says, "You still die of old age when your time is up." Oath of Ancients...doesn't say any such thing. Hence, there could theoretically be some 20k year old Oath of Ancients Paladins singing, "Who wants...to live...forever?"

[Mad_Saulot]

What's the difference between Immortality and Agelessness?

I always thought the term "Immortal" was a bit presumptuous, in virtually every game I've played "Immortal" things die pretty quickly lol

To add more context my game is pretty RP heavy, the idea behind the game is the players belong to a small company in Suzail, Cormyr , who are trying to set up an official detective agency/public police force. The challenge is that that's an advanced concept in a post-medieval world with monsters and magic ruled by a strict aristocracy.

The player character in question is a 25y/o human female with a background in military-intelligence and her class is artificer, they are level 4.

Someone asked what happens to food if it isnt excreted, I was just going to magic it away, but I suppose it would be better to turn it into a symptom too, so vomiting it out is probably another thing I can add to the list of symptoms.

They have access to surgeons and lower level wizards, and the political elite have access to archmages who help rule the city, obviously if she went to a diviner of some description they might get a definitive answer, but I don't want that solution to be their first response to the condition.

[Khrysaes]

What's the difference between Immortality and Agelessness?

I always thought the term "Immortal" was a bit presumptuous, in virtually every game I've played "Immortal" things die pretty quickly lol

To add more context my game is pretty RP heavy, the idea behind the game is the players belong to a small company in Suzail, Cormyr , who are trying to set up an official detective agency/public police force. The challenge is that that's an advanced concept in a post-medieval world with monsters and magic ruled by a strict aristocracy.

The player character in question is a 25y/o human female with a background in military-intelligence and her class is artificer, they are level 4.

Someone asked what happens to food if it isnt excreted, I was just going to magic it away, but I suppose it would be better to turn it into a symptom too, so vomiting it out is probably another thing I can add to the list of symptoms.

They have access to surgeons and lower level wizards, and the political elite have access to archmages who help rule the city, obviously if she went to a diviner of some description they might get a definitive answer, but I don't want that solution to be their first response to the condition.

Depends.

Agelessness either means a halting of the drawbacks of the aging process or never dying from old age. Never dying from old age but still suffering the drawbacks would suck.

Immortality tends to be used for a few levels of “not dying” as a mortal would.

The simpliest one is never dying from old age but still killable from harm, special conditions, or able to contract diseases.
Weaker is like vampiric, never dying of old age, but requiring a resource to do so.
Zombies and warforged never technically die of old age, but their body can still degrade over time.
Two forms of true immortality are never being able to take harm or subsequently die, from any means. The other is like a phoenix. You can die. You just come back.