Posibility of 30 in all ability scores?!

[Spacehamster]

With all the stat tomes it says it can’t increase above 30 in the score it affects and that it looses its power for a century, for an elf that’s a 100 yrs old and live to about 700 that’s 6 uses of each type of tome that he has collected, so 12 to each score, buuuut let’s say he is a druid and lives to level 18, then all of a sudden his max age becomes 7000 years old, letting him just chillax in his grove until he has passed 1100 years for the amount of 11 uses on the skill he has a 8 in at level 1.

This is obviously never going to see play, but could make for an interesting exxcentric character to meet for the party. :) maybe he is aiming of becoming a Demi god and then a lesser god, and collects the tomes to gain power enough to convince people to worship him?

[KorvinStarmast]

With all the stat times it says it can’t increase above 30 in the score it affects and that it looses its power for a century, for an elf that’s a 100 yrs old and live to about 700 that’s 6 uses of each type of tome that he has collected, so 12 to each score, buuuut let’s say he is a druid and lives to level 18, then all of a sudden his max age becomes 7000 years old, letting him just chillax in his grove until he has passed 1100 years for the amount of 11 uses on the skill he has a 8 in at level 1.

And name him Elrond.

This is obviously never going to see play, but could make for an interesting exxcentric character to meet for the party.

Only if his daughter is a great beauty.

[Deathtongue]

With all the stat tomes it says it can’t increase above 30 in the score it affects and that it looses its power for a century, for an elf that’s a 100 yrs old and live to about 700 that’s 6 uses of each type of tome that he has collected, so 12 to each score, buuuut let’s say he is a druid and lives to level 18, then all of a sudden his max age becomes 7000 years old, letting him just chillax in his grove until he has passed 1100 years for the amount of 11 uses on the skill he has a 8 in at level 1.

This is obviously never going to see play, but could make for an interesting exxcentric character to meet for the party. :) maybe he is aiming of becoming a Demi god and then a lesser god, and collects the tomes to gain power enough to convince people to worship him?

Doesn't have to be an archdruid. 5E D&D makes getting immortality surprisingly easily, especially if you're nonviolent and don't expect to be ganked by adventurers with twitchy Dispel Magic fingers.

[WaroftheCrans]

Yeah, there are plenty of spells that can give you pseudo immortality. Cloister, re-incarnate, Astral Projection and Imprisonment (Condition: 100 years have passed). Those are just a few non-violent ones. You could also use magic jar, or some similar spell for a less peaceful approach.

Undying warlocks also live for a very long time, and warforged haven't been known to die of old age.

[Chronos]

While tomes regaining their power after a century does theoretically enable shenanigans like this, I think it was a good thing for the game, because the existence of the tomes finally makes sense. With the old way, where they're used up completely the first time they're read, why would you ever find one? Anyone who ever made one (however it is you do that) would have used it immediately, or given or sold it to someone else who used it immediately. Now, though, after that first use, someone will hold onto it (for their heirs, if nothing else), and if you unearth a lost library that's been buried in ruins for centuries, or if a wizard's tower was overrun by creatures who don't understand the significance of what they've found, or whatever, it's still there for the players to loot.

[Greywander]

The thing is, there's an easier way to do this, especially if you're talking about getting to 18th level first. It's a variant rule (but then the DM determines which magic items you find, so either way it's up to DM approval), but when you hit 20th level you can start spending XP on epic boons. One of the things you can get for a boon is a feat or ASI, and these ASIs can boost you up to a max of 30.

So it's probably easier to hit 20, grab the boon of immortality if you want, then start grinding out ASIs. If necessary, make an expedition into the Abyss, which practically never runs out of demons to fight. You'll hit 30 in all ability scores long before 100 years have passed. Protip: be a paladin 6 with one level in monk or barbarian and prioritize CHA, DEX, and CON/WIS; as your ability scores push higher, the fact that you double up on both AC and saves will make your defenses absurd. You'll eventually have a naked AC of 30 and +26 to all saves.

[MaxWilson]

The thing is, there's an easier way to do this, especially if you're talking about getting to 18th level first. It's a variant rule (but then the DM determines which magic items you find, so either way it's up to DM approval), but when you hit 20th level you can start spending XP on epic boons. One of the things you can get for a boon is a feat or ASI, and these ASIs can boost you up to a max of 30.

So it's probably easier to hit 20, grab the boon of immortality if you want, then start grinding out ASIs. If necessary, make an expedition into the Abyss, which practically never runs out of demons to fight. You'll hit 30 in all ability scores long before 100 years have passed. Protip: be a paladin 6 with one level in monk or barbarian and prioritize CHA, DEX, and CON/WIS; as your ability scores push higher, the fact that you double up on both AC and saves will make your defenses absurd. You'll eventually have a naked AC of 30 and +26 to all saves.

How +26? I hope you're not relying on taking Resilient multiple times? The only way to get proficiency in all saves is to be a level 14+ monk.

[Greywander]

How +26? I hope you're not relying on taking Resilient multiple times? The only way to get proficiency in all saves is to be a level 14+ monk.

Whoops, you're right. For some reason, I just assumed you'd somehow get proficiency with all saves. It's +26 for your proficient saves, +20 for your non-proficient saves. By the way, your spell save DC is only 24, and with two more boons you get advantage on all saves vs. magic and on all CON saves. It's virtually impossible to fail a proficient save, and extremely unlikely to fail a non-proficient one. In theory, the spell save DC of a CR 30 monster with 30 in their ability scores would be 27, so still impossible to fail with proficient saves.

I still wonder why Elemental Adept is the only feat you can take more than once, RAW. It always seemed like feats like Resilient or Magic Initiate or Skilled should allow you to take them more than once to choose different options. I mean, part of it is probably that most builds don't have the budget for that many feats, so it would only come up in situations like this where you have essentially infinite feats/ASIs.

[CheddarChampion]

Another method to not die of old age is Ancients Paladin 15. (Not that level 15 is common.)

[MaxWilson]

Whoops, you're right. For some reason, I just assumed you'd somehow get proficiency with all saves. It's +26 for your proficient saves, +20 for your non-proficient saves. By the way, your spell save DC is only 24, and with two more boons you get advantage on all saves vs. magic and on all CON saves. It's virtually impossible to fail a proficient save, and extremely unlikely to fail a non-proficient one. In theory, the spell save DC of a CR 30 monster with 30 in their ability scores would be 27, so still impossible to fail with proficient saves.

I still wonder why Elemental Adept is the only feat you can take more than once, RAW. It always seemed like feats like Resilient or Magic Initiate or Skilled should allow you to take them more than once to choose different options. I mean, part of it is probably that most builds don't have the budget for that many feats, so it would only come up in situations like this where you have essentially infinite feats/ASIs.

Oh, I totally agree that Resilient (and Magic Initiate and skilled, good call) should have the same tag as Elemental Adept. I assume WotC just didn't put much thought into the tag after creating it specifically for Elemental Adept. I don't think they had some cunning master plan beyond preventing stacking.

Another method to not die of old age is Ancients Paladin 15. (Not that level 15 is common.)

Yep, or Clone, or Wish (Clone).