Some creatures are immortal (all gods, abominations, etc). These creates cannot dies through natural means (though they can be slain). However, many creatures (although it doesnt say they are immortal) cannot die through natural means as well. Devils, angels, demons, undead, some may say elementals (though the life span of an elemental may be more finicky than other life forms) do not die from old age (they live forever until they are slain or taken out some how). So, what does immortality give above and beyond not being able to die from old age?
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Immortality... what does it mean?
- Thread starter Belzbet
- Start date
RUMBLETiGER
Adventurer
It depends upon the way you achieve it.
Warforged and Elan are 0LA races that happen to be immortal. One gets Construct-y goodness and not dependent upon eating, sleeping or breathing, one is transformed into an elite race that, other than not dying from age, generally appears to otherwise function like a person
While Lichdom is pursued by a Wizard over a lifetime to achieve powerful immortality, the Necropolitan template does the same thing for a level 3 character. You get all the goodness and badness of being Undead.
I think a mechanical benefit of not aging might be progressing in the mental stat increases of age categories without suffering the physical stat penalties of age categories.
Anther advantage might be the roleplaying benefits. Your character may have a lot of Knowledge due to having been around a few decades before the adventure begins.
Warforged and Elan are 0LA races that happen to be immortal. One gets Construct-y goodness and not dependent upon eating, sleeping or breathing, one is transformed into an elite race that, other than not dying from age, generally appears to otherwise function like a person
While Lichdom is pursued by a Wizard over a lifetime to achieve powerful immortality, the Necropolitan template does the same thing for a level 3 character. You get all the goodness and badness of being Undead.
I think a mechanical benefit of not aging might be progressing in the mental stat increases of age categories without suffering the physical stat penalties of age categories.
Anther advantage might be the roleplaying benefits. Your character may have a lot of Knowledge due to having been around a few decades before the adventure begins.
I like those ideas. Yeah the mental increase but no physical decrease makes sense.
I'd also mention Fey along the Abominations. Most of them aren't immortal, but live for so long some doesn't even feel the need to count the number of years passed. There are of course exceptions. A certain brand of Abominations, specifically those not from other dimensions, are usually outlived by humans, for example.
A lot of epic characters also achieved godhood beside those who just pop into existence Planecape style, though only a select few gets past the divine rank of zero. (There is an infinite highway for lowbie Lawful Evil godlings in the Nine Hells called God Street. Seriously.) I only know of Vecna and Zagyg who actually gained godly powers beyond immortality on their own. Can't blame them tough, it's a tricky path.
A lot of epic characters also achieved godhood beside those who just pop into existence Planecape style, though only a select few gets past the divine rank of zero. (There is an infinite highway for lowbie Lawful Evil godlings in the Nine Hells called God Street. Seriously.) I only know of Vecna and Zagyg who actually gained godly powers beyond immortality on their own. Can't blame them tough, it's a tricky path.
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Loren Pechtel
Explorer
I have long thought that there should be some mechanic where you gain knowledge skills over time even if you don't go up in level.
RUMBLETiGER
Adventurer
That's going to have to fall under houserule and roleplay territory, otherwise players who choose longer living races, such as Elves and whatnot, can design a level 1 character with higher-than-level-1 skills.
I agree with you, I just think it's something a player and DM need to chat about, and not a mechanic that should be designed.
S
Sunseeker
Guest
Mythologically speaking, there are several forms of immortality.
Eternal youth: You age mentally but never age physically. You can die presumably of enough physical injury, possibly even disease.
Eternal life: You age physically and mentally, for all of time, you can still die the same as above.
Mundane Immortality: You age mentally but not physically, and you cannot die from disease(different versions still allow you to catch and carry disease, but they don't harm you), physical injury can still kill you.
Invincible Immortality: You age mentally but not physically, you are unaffected by disease and no wound can kill you, even if your heart was plucked from your chest.
These all generally apply to physical beings. Energy beings or ones that lack some form of organic nature(such as elemental) are generally considered to be Eternal, they can be physically dispersed, but never truly destroyed. Beings of the upper and lower planes often fall into this category as well, depending on their makeup and how they came to be. Devils are living beings that have been corrupted by evil, Demons are evil given physical form. The former can die, the latter can be physically destroyed, but it's evil essence often lingers or returns to the Plane of Shadow/Abyss to empower/form some other new creature.
If you were in my game and you were Immortal, I would agree that you gain the mental bonuses, but not the physical penalties of aging, but I would reduce them, or spread them out further. The immortal and incredibly long-lived often invest a long time in learning one specific thing, much more than "quicklings" like Humans do.
Eternal youth: You age mentally but never age physically. You can die presumably of enough physical injury, possibly even disease.
Eternal life: You age physically and mentally, for all of time, you can still die the same as above.
Mundane Immortality: You age mentally but not physically, and you cannot die from disease(different versions still allow you to catch and carry disease, but they don't harm you), physical injury can still kill you.
Invincible Immortality: You age mentally but not physically, you are unaffected by disease and no wound can kill you, even if your heart was plucked from your chest.
These all generally apply to physical beings. Energy beings or ones that lack some form of organic nature(such as elemental) are generally considered to be Eternal, they can be physically dispersed, but never truly destroyed. Beings of the upper and lower planes often fall into this category as well, depending on their makeup and how they came to be. Devils are living beings that have been corrupted by evil, Demons are evil given physical form. The former can die, the latter can be physically destroyed, but it's evil essence often lingers or returns to the Plane of Shadow/Abyss to empower/form some other new creature.
If you were in my game and you were Immortal, I would agree that you gain the mental bonuses, but not the physical penalties of aging, but I would reduce them, or spread them out further. The immortal and incredibly long-lived often invest a long time in learning one specific thing, much more than "quicklings" like Humans do.
Loren Pechtel
Explorer
Actually, I had in mind the really long-lived stuff, not merely races like Elves.
The description of liches talks about strange magics and the like--yet the lich gets no benefits from it's centuries or millenia of study.
I was thinking of something along the lines of int bonus of knowledge per century, spread across all knowledge skills they have at least one point in. This would be a bonus, not subject to the normal level+3 cap. Also, an item creation feat per 250 years, if they run out of feats they are eligible for they get whatever one they miss the requirements by the least.
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