Reincarnate = immortality?

[Hunter In Darkness]

Ah but you see druids are about nature and its cycles. Death is a part of nature its natural and comes to all things in time.I could see a druid doing this but not a lot and not to someone who merely wants to cheat death.

 

[Allegro]

Ah but you see druids are about nature and its cycles. Death is a part of nature its natural and comes to all things in time.I could see a druid doing this but not a lot and not to someone who merely wants to cheat death.

Tell that to the venerable arch-druid kobold that 7 is plenty. I'd also point out the loss of strength and agility due to age is also natural but the Druid class specifically avoids this. To take this thinking even farther, a druid comes upon a squirrel that escaped a hawk but was mortally wounded. Should the druid heal the squirrel since dying is natural?

 

[eamon]

I'd say it looks like it resets the aging clock. You could indeed consider that you then nevertheless die when your time is up - but that seems pretty weird to me, and I wouldn't. There's a maximum of +3 on the mental enhancers anyhow, so I don't think it'll be game breaking even should it some occur that someone abuses this (which you don't want to allow of course, as DM, but it's not the end of everything). There are a lot of balancing factors, such as the level loss, the cost, and the impossibility of choosing your own body.

Game-play wise, reincarnate has a bunch of other open ends anyhow, such as how to deal with racial HD, level adjustments, racial abilities etc. Just add this to the bunch - the spell is thoroughly in the plot-advancement region anyhow, and that means it'll need individual adjudication each time anyhow.

Indeed, this looks like a fun plot hook possibility!

 

[Hunter In Darkness]

Tell that to the venerable arch-druid kobold that 7 is plenty. I'd also point out the loss of strength and agility due to age is also natural but the Druid class specifically avoids this. To take this thinking even farther, a druid comes upon a squirrel that escaped a hawk but was mortally wounded. Should the druid heal the squirrel since dying is natural?

Well there is a big diff between avoiding weakness and dying. living for ever is just as corrupting as undeath to some druids.When your time comes it comes you pass on your knowledge and become one with nature. as for the squirrel NG would prob heal it N or NE would prob let it die. But not even NG would keep bringing it back from death.

 

[Nifft]

In my game, reincarnate could indeed grant immortality. This is because I like finding ways for magic to break the natural order of things, particularly when it's more easily abused by NPCs than PCs.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Kmart Kommando]

Then there's the ancient druid, sworn to protect the sacred grove, who has been reincarnated many times over a thousand years to stay at his post, waiting for the replacement mentioned in a prophecy to come along.

 

[Hunter In Darkness]

Then there's the ancient druid, sworn to protect the sacred grove, who has been reincarnated many times over a thousand years to stay at his post, waiting for the replacement mentioned in a prophecy to come along.

that can be the land itself keeping him and not really a spell.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

I don't see a problem with it, I don't think immortality is out of line and should be rendered impossible. It's one of the most common elements of myth and legend, and considering how far D&D jumps beyond most common myths or legends in terms of power it doesn't create problems.

 

[Kmart Kommando]

that can be the land itself keeping him and not really a spell.

well, now you're just making stuff up, the players would sometimes call foul if they can't do the same.

 

[Hunter In Darkness]

It's story fluff he could do it with a spell but you cant cast it on yourself AFAIK so the land keeps him alive as its champion and guardian.While it can be done by rules the way you wrote it sounds like its not his choice that makes it fluff .And of course I'm just making stuff up,I am a DM that is my job.