Should potions of longevity be put back in the game?

[BryonD]

I should remind people that potions of longevity in 1e had a 1% cumulative chance of undoing the effects of all previous potions of longevity. There was therefore, in fact, a limit to the number of potions of longevity one could consume. Theoretically, if one was extremely lucky (and I do mean extreme), one could consume 99 potions and enhance one's lifespan an average of 643.5 years. But the odds of that happening are infinitessimally small. In fact, if my calculations are correct, there is about a 43% chance that the effects will be reversed by the time you drink your 10th potion, so the potion is all but a surefire thing.

The odds are not as rough as that. 99 1% chances does not make for a 99% chance.
10 potions has just over a 90% success rate. And you vould drink 99 and still have better than a 35% chance of success. Less than 50/50, so lucky yes, but 1 in 3 is far from extreme.

 

[Seeker95]

I voted no.

However, I wanted an option for "Other: Please explain".

The only reason to add these items back into the game is if they also add mechancis that age you. Like you said in the first post, you've nevre had a campaign cover more than 20 years of game time.

Aging is relatively non-existent in D&D. Items that extend your lifespan or decrease your age are equally irrelevant.

 

[DragonLancer]

Hey, if you want true immortality, go druid. So long as you never actually kick off due to old age, you simply get a buddy to cast reincarnate on you, and poof you have a young body for another lifetime.

I now have a nice mental image of a Druid cabal being led by a council of racoons and squirrels, tooled up with armours and weapons. Heh.

 

[Farland]

I worked pretty hard on making a balanced potion of longevity-type item for the World of Farland. Check it out here .

Comments are welcome.

 

[Hussar]

I now have a nice mental image of a Druid cabal being led by a council of racoons and squirrels, tooled up with armours and weapons. Heh.

Heh. )

Except that in 3e, Reincarnate always brings you back as a humanoid.

 

[DragonLancer]

Heh. )

Except that in 3e, Reincarnate always brings you back as a humanoid.

I know, but it was still a funny image.

 

[Lord Rasputin]

Yes. There is an epic feat to extend lifespan, after all.

 

[Evil Monkey]

The odds are not as rough as that. 99 1% chances does not make for a 99% chance.
10 potions has just over a 90% success rate. And you vould drink 99 and still have better than a 35% chance of success. Less than 50/50, so lucky yes, but 1 in 3 is far from extreme.

It is not 99 separate 1% chances, it is a cumulative 1%/potion drunk, so your 99th potion has a 99% chance of undoing all the effects.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

If you did this, you'd need to bring back ghosts causing unnatural aging and other effects for the potion of longevity to counter.

Indeed. I still use those effects in my games. And those potions DO exist in my games. I don't do magic shops, though.

 

[Rhun]

Absolutely...Potions of Longevity and such should definitely be brought back.