What's the easiest way to immortality?

[thickets]

I want one of my bad guys to be treading the dangerous path to immortality. He is an orc - so he doesn't live that long as it is. He would want to get the quick and easiest path to immortality possible with the lease negative side effects. He definitely does not want to lose his mind.

The suggestions I've had so far are below. Any other suggestions, or addendums to these ones would be very welcome. You can post here or just email me at thickets@uniserve.com! Thanks

1. Make a pact with a devil/demon. It'd be hard as hell to not get screwed over in the process and you'd end up with a twisted, evil, soulless sort of immortality but it's the easy way to go.

2a. Become a lich - be a level 18 Wizard/Sorcerer/Psionicist (yup, they can do it to) and follow a complex ritual that involves killing yourself and hoping nothing goes wrong so you can come back as an immortal undead spellcaster.

2b - find a lich and convince him to turn you into a Vassalich. They can turn you into a low-grade lich with a ritual. This usually has the disadvantage of leaving your phylactery in their hands but can be done to anyone and their dog if the lich wants to.

3. Get bitten by a vampire. This one has obvious disadvantages (thirst for blood, aversion to daylight, etc)

4. Get a Deity to do it.

 

[Psychotic Jim]

There are several ways in the D&D system to achieve "immortality". In Planescape (if you are at all familiar with it) there were two very little known groups called the Prolongers and the Incantifiers who were similar in that they believed in extending life through stealling life or magic from others. The Incantifiers were a sect of mages that lived unnaturally off of stolen magical energy from magical itesm- having no need to eat, drink, or even breathe. The Prolongers were generally more obssessed with staving off death- they found a process you could prolong one's life by draining life energy levels from others; the problem with this though is that they aged 10 times faster than normal. Thus a prospective Prolonger would almost have to constantly find victims to drain life essence from.
The orc might try shifting his essence into a golem. I think Touched by the Gods, a d20 supplement, has information on a cult that is obsessed with immortality and designing the "perfect body" and allows certain people to undergo the process of becoming an unliving golem for the right price..
Is the orc a psion. I think there is a power that lets one transfer one's mental essence into another's body, but it causes the taken over body to decay rapidly, which would force the villain to frequently shift bodies.
Another very dangerous way would have the orc try to somehow arrange his death in such a way that he would rise again as a ghost. Don't know how that would happen though.
Finally, if he had no other choice, the orc might flee to a place he would never age, like the Astral Plane. That might be easiest, but it would put a damper on his operations.

 

[Darklone]

High or low magic?

I'd go with the lich. Relics&Rituals has a nice lvl4 ritual for lichdom. You need 3 spellcasters for it though, but I think only one has to be lvl7.

If you are interested, I will check till tomorrow and tell you more about it.

Other ways:

Don't like them too much. Devils and Demons: No way. You get cheated. Vampire: You will be under his control.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

as DM, you can always make up a new method unique to your world/setting...

perhaps a high level archmage has discovered a new ritual for immortality and your orc could seek him/her/it out for this secret. and either negotiate it or take it by force...

anything that grants a wish (luck blade, ring of wishes, genie, etc). the conditions/drawback of a wish might provide a cool character motivation/opportunity for development. or it could be a unique aspect to the character that could be both advantageous and disadvantageous depending on what you come up with. or it might be a plot hook for the party, etc...

put a new spin on soul magics like trap the soul, magic jar, etc...

perhaps a particular deity is personally involved in this world and is more approachable.

just some thoughts.

 

[Zef]

If your willing to go the Dragonstar route (or use a bit of the mithos) you could go the soul mech route, but it does involve creating a mechanical body

Zef

 

[Crimson_Blade]

Funny you should mention such a thing...

My power-hungry diviner in RttToEE has plans. Big plans. Plans to subsume Tharizdun's power. That's always a good way to get immortality.

ALso, invest in ALOT of Elixirs of Youth.

 

[kkoie]

Heck just come up with a reason, since he's an npc it doesnt matter.

- Maybe he made a pact with Gruumsh(insert orcs diety instead) or got his attention and Gruumsh decided to award the Orc w/ nasty powers and quasi-diety status.

- Maybe the orc is actually a half-fiend and just has a much longer lifespan than most everyone else?

- Turn the Orc into a death knight using the template from the latest dragon.

- Turn the Orc into a shade.

- Decide later and when the players ask, let them figure out the mystery the hard way.

 

[thickets]

The important part is that the adventure revolves around him trying to become immortal - the PCs will probably want to stop him.

Heck just come up with a reason, since he's an npc it doesnt matter.

- Maybe he made a pact with Gruumsh(insert orcs diety instead) or got his attention and Gruumsh decided to award the Orc w/ nasty powers and quasi-diety status.

- Maybe the orc is actually a half-fiend and just has a much longer lifespan than most everyone else?

- Turn the Orc into a death knight using the template from the latest dragon.

- Turn the Orc into a shade.

- Decide later and when the players ask, let them figure out the mystery the hard way.

 

[Raduin_Nimblegrund]

Well, there are different forms of immortality...

You've got those never-aging types, but still as vulnerable to a blade as any other...

And then you have you're never-dying types who just get older and crustier (and madder) as time goes on...

And then there are the "death becomes you" immortals who are both immortal and ageless, however their physical bodies no longer have the ability to mend themselves...

And there's also the kind that spend all their time watching anime, telling people about imaginary characters... no wait those are gamers....

Your body-switchers,

your life-drainers,

Your ghosts,

And then you've got your gods. Perhaps they have the only key to true immortality. ;]

 

[Deadguy]

Best way to Immortality?

(With apologies to Terry Pratchett)

The best way to Immortality is to Never Die!