New Spell: Voronious's Infinite Youth

[Corlon]

I seem to be on a spell making frenzy lately...

Voronious's Infinite Youth
Necromancy
Sor/Wis 8
Components: V,S,M, Exp
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: Touch
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude Negates
SR: Yes

This insidious spell was created by a greedy wizard named Voronious who was searching for the answer to immortality. He could never create a spell that made him permanently youthful, and even the mystical effects that make monks and druids seem the same age, they still die once their "time is up." This spell could even overcome this seemingly natural time span that all creatures had. By touching a creature, this spell steals their youth (usually, but this can still affect old creatures) by aging them 1d6+1/caster level years. Unfortunatelly, the years drained from the creature are drastically lost through the transfer from one creature to another, and therefore only the result of the 1d6 is subtracted from the casters age. No more years than the creature has left can be drained from them, (ie: no draining twenty six years off of the old man who only has a few minutes left) but if all of the targets years are taken away then they die instantly. If the target makes a fortitude save, then all effects of the spell are negated. This spell doesn't work on ageless creatures such as undead, constructs, deities, etc. The human Voronious lived until he was three hundred years old at which point he died of mysterious causes. Most peopel believe that the god of death killed the mage for keeping his soul too long from the god.
Material Component: A piece of sponge which magically fills with water and bursts during the casting.
Experience Cost: 100 Exp

 

[rkanodia]

I would make it so that the target creature must have HD comparable to the caster's own, or another similar restriction. Otherwise, there's no reason why a wizard can't just kidnap a random baby every few years and live forever. It's more exciting if he needs to go after someone powerful (like the PCs!) to steal their youth.

 

[Corlon]

hmm, good idea, this was really made as an adventure hook type thing, so how about: years can only be stolen from a creature with 1/2 or above the HD of the caster. This way the caster could still do the kidnap thing, but a level 7 (at lowest) level character going missing from towns again and again wouldn't go unnocticed.

 

[Arken]

It might be what you're aiming for but as written a higher level mage automatically drains more than a lower level wizard without gaining any extra benefit.

e.g. A 16th level caster drains 1d6 + 16 while a 20th level caster drains 1d6 + 20. However the benefit is still the same.

This seems to suggest that there has actually beenm a decrease in the power of the caster as before they were able to draw the benefit from a drain of a lesser amount of 'youth'.

I think I'm right but I may well be wrong . In ewither case you might have wanted this effect.

 

[Corlon]

that's exactly how it was meant to be. It's an imperfect spell, and it seems that even the most skilled mage can only deal more damage, but not gain any more benefit.

 

[Vahktang]

Well, first off, no youthening in 3.0 (+)
They got rid of the longevity potion.
And there used to be phalactary (sp) (I think)
If you ignore that, then the spell should be 9th, not 8th.
Keeping youth is a very powerful motivation.
If the Fort save is made, the caster should still lose D6 years.
(The spell is very risky)

The human Voronious lived until he was three hundred years old at which point he died of mysterious causes.

Knife throwing accident involving an exotic dancer?
(Thank you, Mythadventures.)

Material Component: A piece of which magically fills with water and bursts during the casting.
Experience Cost: 100 Exp

A piece of...what?
Put a GP value on it, 1000 per year or so, instead of an XP part.

My $.02.

More later,

Vahktang

 

[Corlon]

The spell was made specifically for the purpose of adding a way to add youth to a magical world where this seemed to be impossible through even wish or miracle.

The reason that if the fortitude save negates the draining of the years is because they aren't drained so the person has no place to get the years from. That with only a fort save between it failing, along with the 100xp per casting, and the touch range are the reasons that I made the spell 8th level. The piece of *blank* is sponge, I thought I editted it...

The experience cost as opposed to a gold cost is because this strange magic that drains a natural life span from someone would be personally taxing and not really require a gold cost.

If it's a bit too powerful I'd say a higher exp cost would be in order, any thoughts from other people?

 

[Jeph]

I like it.

But then again, I may be biased.

(If you do think an additional cost is in order, I suggest either bumping the EXP componant significantly, say to 500, or calling for some costly material componant to filter and distill the target's age through in addition to the EXP cost...say, a rare gem of atleast 1,000 GP value. Also, it needs a footnote saying that the spell does not work on ageless creatures, including constructs, undead, outsiders, elementals, dieties, and some abborations.)

 

[Vahktang]

a rare gem of atleast 1,000 GP value. Also, it needs a footnote saying that the spell does not work on ageless creatures, including constructs, undead, outsiders, elementals, dieties, and some abborations.)

I meant a gem, too.
Since raising from the dead is 5,000, now a days, not aging for years has to be worth at least as much.

The sponge is a nice touch, though.

More later,

Vahktang