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cheezewizz2000
2010-03-20, 04:14 AM
My google-fu has failed me. Is there a list anywhere online for how a 3.5 character can achieve immortality (or effects similar to it) by RAW?

Obviously there's "become a lich", and I am aware of the uses of reincarnation to create yourself a new young adult body any time you die, I just wondered if there were any more tricks or cheese that could extend the natural life of a character.

I am also aware of the Omniscifier and Pun-Pun, so let's leave them out.

Geiger Counter
2010-03-20, 04:30 AM
You do live on in an afterlife (which sucks in eberron).
You could move to the astral plane.
You could steal something the maruts confiscated.
You could just keep making clones and putting them into temporal stasis.

Scoot
2010-03-20, 04:38 AM
Here (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5996.0) is a list.

2xMachina
2010-03-20, 04:38 AM
You can be an Elan. Life span = infinite.
Outsiders also infinite lifespan IIRC
Warforged also have no age limit.

What you want is immunity to being killed. Old age is not a problem.

Altair_the_Vexed
2010-03-20, 04:39 AM
Generally, there isn't.
By the Core, you cannot clone, raise, reincarnate, or resurrect someone who has died of old age.

In previous editions of D&D, there were potions and spells and so on that could lower your age - but the maximum age limit of your species generally still applied.

In Cyclopedic D&D, and the Master Set and Immortals Set from which it was derived, there was the option of pursuing Immortality - in effect, to join the gods through long and difficult questing.
It wasn't particularly popular, as the power level of a new Immortal was somewhat less than a 30+ level adventurer.
The quest paths were interesting stuff, though. The Masters Set is available to buy as a PDF relatively cheaply, and the rules wouldn't need much modification.

Kobold-Bard
2010-03-20, 05:52 AM
Get as many people as possible to worship you and give you Divine Rank 0.

You only really need a few hundred to get that, and since you can't grant spells they don't even have to be that devout.

Thrallherd with a monster Charisma should work. Once you get Dr0 nothing can take it away from you, even if you don't have a single worshipper. It sets a new base level that you can never go below.

magic9mushroom
2010-03-20, 05:56 AM
If you want to do it the stylish way, get Ritualed (Savage Species) into a True Dragon and take twelve levels of Dragon Ascendant.

Congratulations, you are now a quasi-deity, entirely within the rules.

Kobold-Bard
2010-03-20, 06:02 AM
If you want to do it the stylish way, get Ritualed (Savage Species) into a True Dragon and take twelve levels of Dragon Ascendant.

Congratulations, you are now a quasi-deity, entirely within the rules.

Would PAO x2 followed by a massive level retrain work?

Kumori
2010-03-20, 06:04 AM
I had a gestalt character once, Druid//Wizard, who would contingency the reincarnate spell before ritualistically offing himself. Only ever did it once, but it was fun.

magic9mushroom
2010-03-20, 06:10 AM
Would PAO x2 followed by a massive level retrain work?

Yes, but I said "stylish".

Kobold-Bard
2010-03-20, 06:13 AM
Yes, but I said "stylish".

Fair point.

magic9mushroom
2010-03-20, 07:56 AM
Oh, and also, you need BAB +30 to enter Dragon Ascendant, so it's Epic only.

Sliver
2010-03-20, 08:45 AM
From a thread I just saw.. (http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/drfe/20080428)

alisbin
2010-03-20, 08:58 AM
be a telepath, abuse greater mindswitch. i think you should be able to make mind switch contingent on you having less then 0 HP then every time you "die" you hop to a readied body and all that happens is you'll get a negative level.

LibraryOgre
2010-03-20, 09:01 AM
Two steps:

1) Have inside you blood of kings.
2) Have no rivals... no man can be your equal.

You are now immortal, but there can be only one of you at any given time.

magic9mushroom
2010-03-20, 09:03 AM
From a thread I just saw.. (http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/drfe/20080428)

You mean, the one I saw because of a link earlier in this thread and WTFed at?

deuxhero
2010-03-20, 09:05 AM
Make your characters goal to become such. It makes is quite a bit more likely for DM fiat to give you an artifact for it (It's not like it has mechanical advantages outside of the... 3 effects in 3.5 that magically age you).

magic9mushroom
2010-03-20, 09:07 AM
Make your characters goal to become such. It makes is quite a bit more likely for DM fiat to give you an artifact for it (It's not like it has mechanical advantages outside of the... 3 effects in 3.5 that magically age you).

Incidentally, that brings up a good point.

Wouldn't a phane try and find immortal characters to get a lasting food supply?

Graymayre
2010-03-20, 09:12 AM
Be a warforged

Or

Permanently polymorph yourself into that jellyfish that continuosly goes back into polyp stage.

Geddoe
2010-03-20, 09:42 AM
Take the Wedded to History feat(dragon 354) at first level or retrain your first level feat into wedded to history.

cheezewizz2000
2010-03-20, 01:24 PM
Hey guys, thanks! All very helpful.

Starbuck_II
2010-03-20, 01:27 PM
Two steps:

1) Have inside you blood of kings.
2) Have no rivals... no man can be your equal.

You are now immortal, but there can be only one of you at any given time.

But you can be killed by taking your head. Plus, the ultimate price if you kill the rest is mortality.

Ravens_cry
2010-03-20, 01:54 PM
Generally, there isn't.
By the Core, you cannot clone, raise, reincarnate, or resurrect someone who has died of old age.

Ah, but there is way to be immortal. Have a druid friend. In fact, have a cult of druids who basically worship you. When you hit venerable, commit ritual suicide,then have them reincarnate you. Bamn, now you're a young adult again (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/reincarnate.htm).
By RAW, it works like a charm.

Aharon
2010-03-20, 03:02 PM
Well, it's not immortality, and it's incredibly boring, but you could use a Rod of Security to gain 200 days for every 6 seconds of your life. That multiplies your lifespan by 2880000, which is quite some time.

Elfin
2010-03-20, 03:40 PM
Take the Wedded to History feat(dragon 354) at first level or retrain your first level feat into wedded to history.

What does that do?

Lord Munchkin
2010-03-20, 03:59 PM
Basically it makes you immune to time and aging I think. That article is actually very good for running legendary campaigns. I used that feat as the center of one my own where each player was immortal and each adventure was spaced centuries apart. Basically as fate would have it they kept running into each other due to some greater plan the planes had. I gave them hints throughout the game as to why, but eventually they found out at lvl 20 in the final adventure. The Universe was coming to a predetermined end and they had been chosen to be the architects of the new one about to be borne. It was quite awesome and they finished it off by slaying the former architects who were by then the heads of pantheons.

Geddoe
2010-03-22, 06:07 PM
What does that do?

You choose one of a few immortal archtypes(remnant of ancient civilization, throwback to an older better version of your race, survivor, wanderer, or fated to do something important but you don't know what). You stop aging(no penalties or ability bonuses) and live forever unless killed. The archtypes each have a bonus ability(survivor can replace a fort save or reflex save with a will save, but all future will saves in the day are at a cumulative -1).

Forai
2010-03-22, 06:21 PM
http://dndsrd.net/spellsPtoR.html#reincarnate

Just a fourth level spell, You change bodies before you would die of age over and over

Kobold-Bard
2010-03-22, 06:24 PM
http://dndsrd.net/spellsPtoR.html#reincarnate

Just a fourth level spell, You change bodies before you would die of age over and over

Then you get the Marut's (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/inevitable.htm#marut) coming after you.

Lysander
2010-03-22, 10:47 PM
Do you count undeath as immortality? If so there are a lot of options besides lich. If you don't want a level adjustment become a necropolitan.

Lord Vukodlak
2010-03-22, 10:52 PM
Generally, there isn't.
By the Core, you cannot clone, raise, reincarnate, or resurrect someone who has died of old age.


But if you keep taking flesh samples you could have a staple of clones in there 20's, preserved with gentle repose.

vampire2948
2010-03-22, 11:16 PM
But if you keep taking flesh samples you could have a staple of clones in there 20's, preserved with gentle repose.

Gentle Repose (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/gentlerepose.htm) does not state that it stops aging, only decay. The upped time limit on raise dead and it's ilk could be fluffed as being due to the body not taking much damage during the time it is under the effects of the spell.

Deca
2010-03-23, 02:01 AM
Get someone to cast Imprisonment on you.

Congratulations, you now live forever! Trapped in a tiny sphere under the earth for all eternity.

Ravens_cry
2010-03-23, 02:10 AM
Then you get the Marut's (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/inevitable.htm#marut) coming after you.
That should be said of any means of achieving immortality. The fact that every lich doesn't have a horde of Maruts coming after must mean they are unlikely to come after an 'immortal' druid.

Kobold-Bard
2010-03-23, 11:57 AM
That should be said of any means of achieving immortality. The fact that every lich doesn't have a horde of Maruts coming after must mean they are unlikely to come after an 'immortal' druid.

Maybe every Lich does have a Marut after it. Just because you do't see it, doesn't mean it isn't coming. After all their entry specifically says they walk after there targets, maybe the Lich just stays ahead.

Using reincarnate over and over is specifically called out in the description:


Those who use magic to reverse death aren’t worthy of a marut’s attention unless they do so repeatedly or on a massive scale.

Lord Vukodlak
2010-03-23, 12:28 PM
Gentle Repose (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/gentlerepose.htm) does not state that it stops aging, only decay. The upped time limit on raise dead and it's ilk could be fluffed as being due to the body not taking much damage during the time it is under the effects of the spell.

Corpses don't age in the way a living creature does, they rot. Gentle repose doesn't have to stop the aging process on a lifeless lump of flesh just keep it from rotting, the clone body would remain young and youthful the entire time. So long as you don't die of old age or natural causes you can return to life through the clone.

Ravens_cry
2010-03-23, 12:31 PM
Maybe every Lich does have a Marut after it. Just because you do't see it, doesn't mean it isn't coming. After all their entry specifically says they walk after there targets, maybe the Lich just stays ahead.

Druid's aren't Immortal, they just don't age. BIG difference.
No, but a druid with some trustworthy compadres can simply kill themselves when they reach venerable and have the fellow druids cast reincarnate so they come back as a young adult.
Rinse, lather, repeat.

Kobold-Bard
2010-03-23, 12:32 PM
No, but a druid with some trustworthy compadres can simply kill themselves when they reach venerable and have the fellow druids cast reincarnate so they come back as a young adult.
Rinse, lather, repeat.

Yeah that was my mistake, I thought you meant Timeless Body. My previous post is edited accordingly.

Ravens_cry
2010-03-23, 08:04 PM
Yeah that was my mistake, I thought you meant Timeless Body. My previous post is edited accordingly.
Well, if a lich can stay a step ahead of Marut, so can a druid cult. They may even justify it by seen themselves as the Eternal Guardians of Nature, that they are needed to protect the living world, no matter how long it takes. Think of them as a slightly (or maybe not ) less villainous D&D version of Ra's al Ghul. Besides, I think a few druids could take a Marut or two.

Jack_Simth
2010-03-23, 08:08 PM
No, but a druid with some trustworthy compadres can simply kill themselves when they reach venerable and have the fellow druids cast reincarnate so they come back as a young adult.
Rinse, lather, repeat.

Also, look up Spell Compendium - there's that nifty Cocoon spell so you're not constantly losing levels that way.

Ravens_cry
2010-03-23, 08:14 PM
Also, look up Spell Compendium - there's that nifty Cocoon spell so you're not constantly losing levels that way.
Why does that spell make me think of Preservers from Elf Quest?:smalltongue:
And even if that spell didn't exist, immortality would be worth losing a few levels every few decades/centuries.

2xMachina
2010-03-24, 04:41 AM
Also, look up Spell Compendium - there's that nifty Cocoon spell so you're not constantly losing levels that way.

Also, Last Breath. Reincarnate without the lvl loss. And if you're ritual killing anyway, you can prepare to cast the spell as the kill is finished.

Gaiyamato
2010-03-24, 05:03 AM
Killorean do not die of old age. (RoW)
Then use one of the prescribed methods to come back from the dead.

magic9mushroom
2010-03-24, 05:22 AM
Well, if a lich can stay a step ahead of Marut, so can a druid cult. They may even justify it by seen themselves as the Eternal Guardians of Nature, that they are needed to protect the living world, no matter how long it takes. Think of them as a slightly (or maybe not ) less villainous D&D version of Ra's al Ghul. Besides, I think a few druids could take a Marut or two.

Generally, if an inevitable fails in a task, increasingly powerful ones are sent until one succeeds. My reference for this is the situation with Pandorym in Elder Evils, and the sequence of Obligatum kolyaruts sent to undo its imprisonment.

Eldariel
2010-03-24, 08:09 AM
Generally, if an inevitable fails in a task, increasingly powerful ones are sent until one succeeds. My reference for this is the situation with Pandorym in Elder Evils, and the sequence of Obligatum kolyaruts sent to undo its imprisonment.

Which raises the interesting question of how powerful Inevitables Mechanus can truly produce; you'd think there's an upper limit given even Gods aren't omnipotent.

Lord Vukodlak
2010-03-24, 09:15 AM
Here's why the druid method fails, because using magic to become immortal defies the laws and balance of nature.

Vulaas
2010-03-24, 12:28 PM
You could also take the Cloud Anchorite PRC out of Frostburn, as it's capstone ability makes you no longer die from old age.

JohnnyCancer
2010-03-24, 12:53 PM
Green Star adept isn't a great class, but they have immortality in the form of a green metal statue of yourself waiting at the end. There's also a fountain in the Serpent Kingdoms book that makes you immortal while you're bathing in it (once you leave you resume aging, it does give you some kind of permanent effect though).

Ravens_cry
2010-03-25, 10:43 AM
Generally, if an inevitable fails in a task, increasingly powerful ones are sent until one succeeds. My reference for this is the situation with Pandorym in Elder Evils, and the sequence of Obligatum kolyaruts sent to undo its imprisonment.
Yes, that's what makes it so epic, literally. A cult of druids that has been going all immortal is going is likely in epic levels. Which means epic spellcasting.
If the inevitables send an equally epic response, the planes tremble at the power that would be unleashed.

Godna
2010-03-26, 10:50 AM
You could just keep yourself immersed in quintessen :)

Volkov
2010-03-26, 05:02 PM
Which raises the interesting question of how powerful Inevitables Mechanus can truly produce; you'd think there's an upper limit given even Gods aren't omnipotent.

Mechanus is itself infinite, there probably isn't an upper limit, it's just that after a few inevitables the target or task is either completed by the inevitable or is solved by someone or something else. Assuming that cheese is regulated and kept under control (a reasonable thing to do) even an epic level wizard will fold after the first few Quaruts.

Eldariel
2010-03-26, 05:22 PM
Mechanus is itself infinite, there probably isn't an upper limit, it's just that after a few inevitables the target or task is either completed by the inevitable or is solved by someone or something else. Assuming that cheese is regulated and kept under control (a reasonable thing to do) even an epic level wizard will fold after the first few Quaruts.

Quaruts...well, they're information- and mobility-handicapped vs. an epic Wizard. I'm mostly thinking how the power of balance in the multiverse is maintained if Mechanus could theoretically slay all deities if it so decided. 'cause without balance of power, the multiverse can't even really exist.

Like, I'm almost certain e.g. The Abyss or The Nine Hells cannot produce demons/devils on par with the power of deities, though through personal growth such power is of course acquirable. And same with the Heavens or Blessed Fields producing Eladrins or Archons, or any good plane producing Angels. And with Limbo and Slaadi.


Seems logical the limit of Mechanus would be the same, that is, any power under the power of deities is doable.

Volkov
2010-03-26, 05:29 PM
Quaruts...well, they're information- and mobility-handicapped vs. an epic Wizard. I'm mostly thinking how the power of balance in the multiverse is maintained if Mechanus could theoretically slay all deities if it so decided. 'cause without balance of power, the multiverse can't even really exist.

Like, I'm almost certain e.g. The Abyss or The Nine Hells cannot produce demons/devils on par with the power of deities, though through personal growth such power is of course acquirable. And same with the Heavens or Blessed Fields producing Eladrins or Archons, or any good plane producing Angels. And with Limbo and Slaadi.


Seems logical the limit of Mechanus would be the same, that is, any power under the power of deities is doable.

The nine hells as per the Fiendish codex, has a finite amount of energy to work with. So it logically cannot do this. The Abyss can spawn beings on par with deities on occasion, I think Mau-yuan is now an abyssal entity. Yes, Mau-yuan the godslayer.

Zaphkiel is mightier than Asmodeus, and is thus probably near the level if not at the level of the gods, D&D hardly remembers that Eladrins and Guardinals exist any way, and the Slaad can't do so because the princes of the slaad limited their mutability, otherwise Limbo would eventually spawn slaad of incomprehensible power. Gehenna/Hades spawned the General of gehenna who is on par with a demi-god in power at the least.

And seeing that Limbo is much more Chaotic than the Abyss, I think there are some rules governing the random spawning of demons, as the majority of demons are randomly spawned instead of being formed from chaotic evil mortal souls who didn't follow any specific deity.

magic9mushroom
2010-03-26, 09:27 PM
Quaruts...well, they're information- and mobility-handicapped vs. an epic Wizard. I'm mostly thinking how the power of balance in the multiverse is maintained if Mechanus could theoretically slay all deities if it so decided. 'cause without balance of power, the multiverse can't even really exist.

But that's exactly it. The inevitables are not capable of taking over the universe - they stick to their purpose alone. That's kind of the point, as I believe a Dragon article said - that the way inevitables work means they can be given enormous power without there being a chance that they'll try to take over.