Why no life extending magic???

[Oni]

Something I've wondered a couple of times. Why is it, that in 3E they seem to have gotten rid of all the various magics that were used to extend ones life beyond its natural means (excepting some types of undeath). It does not strike me as something that was really needed to be kept out of the hands of PC's (especially considering the already long lifespan of elves for instance.) While I know that I can simply make something up and put it in my game, I still wonder why they make no mention of it, and in fact go to the trouble to make sure there is no confusion about any of the raising or resurrection spells being able to bring back any that have died of old age. There are some mentions of people extending their lives in the FR books, but no actual explanation is given other then through magic. So I ask, why did they make the decision to leave this sort of magic out of the basic rules for the new edition?

 

[Dieter]

While I don't know of any arcane way of prolonging life, there is the Elixir of Youth from 2e.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Well, you could always take a bunch of levels in druid or monk....

 

[Wolfspider]

I assume there will be some information about this in the Epic Level Handbook. After all, it doesn't take that long in character years for someone to go from 1st to 20th level. Epic Level Characters, however, tend to be much older, I think....

 

[Matchstick]

Heck, extending your life through magical means is easy.

I brought this up before, a long long time ago on these boards.

Just cast Astral Form (or whatever it's called). So you wind up on the Astral Plane and you have access to all sorts of other planes, including the Prime Material.

Now, according to the spell, when you go to one of those planes you create a body and items for yourself. So you go the Prime Material and re-create your body and items. That body can be killed, but even if it is you just snap back to your original body.

Meanwhile your original body is just resting somewhere safe in suspended animation. If you wake up for some reason, just cast the spell again.

Easy, and even now that the MotP is out there are no rules against it that I've found.

 

[Azenis]

My guess would be that they had no real effect on the game and it saved a few paragraphs for other magic items that did. I've never seen a PC die naturally of old age (unnaturally yes in 2e Return to the Tomb of Horrors) and it seems 'aging attacks' (like a ghost's) have been removed in 3e.

 

[Greatwyrm]

I think Reincarnate will bring you back from dying of old age. You even get a brand new, young adulty body. With that and a Wish to get your original form back, you can keep coming back as long as you've got friends.

 

[Thorntangle]

I'm sure there's a way to manipulate the limitations of Clone as well.

Edit: Wish is also a good bet.

 

[Skald]

Let the Dead Remain So

I certainly understand the desire for life-prolonging or resurrection magic and spells, but I was never a fan of them. Many of the groups I've played in over the past 20 or so years became so frivolous and heedless on the idea of character death that it was never deemed a threat. The lives of their characters had no real value since they could simply drop a pile of gold into the coffers of a local church in order to bring back their dead companions. The risks they took became foolish and self-serving, not heroic.

I think there was a quote somewhere stating that "Immortality is reserved for the greatest of all evils." I personally like the idea that once a character dies, he is gone forever, and if he lives to a ripe old age before dying that can be quite an accomplishment.

Has anyone ever toyed with the idea of a recently raised character being furious and angry at his former companions who just brought him back from Heaven, Paradise, Nirvana, Valhalla, or whatever afterlife he entered? The idea strikes me coming from the new season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer... she was rather disturbed at how selfish her former friends were for bringing her back from the only peace she ever knew.

 

[Dieter]

I'm sure there's a way to manipulate the limitations of Clone as well.

Edit: Wish is also a good bet.

....as Thorntangle's DM cringes in fear of what is to come.