[Template] Under the fading trees, until all the world has changed...

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Immortal

Some beings are just not meant to die. Blessed by the gods, descendant of an immortal ancestor, or simply a fluke of nature, they are destined for something beyond their mortal kin.

They often go through stages as the centuries pass by, trying many different occupations, finally boring of them over the decades. As such, many immortals become filled with innui and are dominated by boredom, while other, more patient individuals devote themselves to long-term tasks and goals that may take millenia to come to fruition.

Immortals thus tend to have high levels in various classes while immortals that advance by hit dice are normally found at their maximum advancement.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Sample Immortal Creature

Fangorn

Immortal Treant
Gargantuan Plant
Hit Dice: 41d8+328 (512 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 30 (+7 competence, +17 natural, -4 size), touch 13, flat-footed 30
Base Attack/Grapple: +30/+56
Attack: Slam +40 melee (4d6+14)
Full Attack: 2 slams +40 melee (4d6+14)
Space/Reach: 20 ft./20 ft.
Special Attacks: Animate trees, double damage against objects, trample 3d6+21
Special Qualities: Been there done that, damage reduction 10/slashing, eternal youth, low-light vision, plant traits, regeneration 10, vulnerability to fire
Saves: Fort +30, Ref +13, Will +22
Abilities: Str 39 (+14), Dex 10, Con 27 (+8), Int 16, Wis 24 (+7), Cha 16
Skills: Balance +10, Diplomacy +47, Handle Animal +47, Heal +29, Hide +32*, Intimidate +47, Jump +36, Knowledge (geography) +47, Knowledge (history) +57, Knowledge (nature) +47, Listen +52, Move Silently +44, Sense Motive +52, Search +47, Sense Motive +52, Spot +52, Survival +52 (+54 aboveground)
Feats: Awesome Blow, Combat Focus, Combat Stability, Earth's Embrace, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Natural Attack (slam), Improved Rock Hurling, Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Jack of All Trades(B), Multisnatch, Rock Hurling, Snatch, Track, Power Attack
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 21
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Neutral good
Advancement: 8–16 HD (Huge); 17–41 HD (Gargantuan)

Fangorn speaks his own language plus Auran, Elven, Common, Orc, Sylvan and Terran.

Combat

Animate Trees (Sp): A treant can animate trees within 180 feet at will, controlling up to two trees at a time. It takes 1 full round for a normal tree to uproot itself. Thereafter it moves at a speed of 10 feet and fights as a treant in all respects. Animated trees lose their ability to move if the treant that animated them is incapacitated or moves out of range. The ability is otherwise similar to liveoak (caster level 12th). Animated trees have the same vulnerability to fire that a treant has.

Been There, Done That (Ex): Fangorn gains a +4 bonus to saves against fear, including intimidation.

Double Damage against Objects (Ex): A treant or animated tree that makes a full attack against an object or structure deals double damage.

Eternal Youth (Ex): Fangorn does not age but remains at his adult physical peak. He takes no ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged.

Regeneration (Ex): Fire and acid deal normal damage to fangorn. If Fangorn loses a limb or body part, the lost portion regrows in 1d6 minutes. He cannot reattach the severed member.

Trample (Ex): Reflex DC 44 half. The save DC is Strength-based.

Skills: *Treants have a +16 racial bonus on Hide checks made in forested areas.


-=-=-=-=-

Creating an Immortal Creature
"Immortal" is an inherited template that can be added to any living creature, hereafter referred to as the base creature.

An immortal creature uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here. Do not recalculate the creature’s Hit Dice, base attack bonus, saves, or skill points if its type changes.

Size and Type: Size and type is unchanged.
Armor Class: An immortal creature gains a competence bonus to its armor class equal to its wisdom modifier.

Special Qualities: An immortal creature retains all qualities of the base creature plus the following qualities.

Been There, Done That (Ex): An immortal creature is difficult to impress from an extended lifetime of experiences. An immortal creature gains a +4 bonus to saves against fear, including intimidation.

As well, they may pick 4 extra languages known.

Eternal Youth (Ex): An immortal creature does not age but remains at their adult physical peak. They take no ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged.
Regeneration (Ex): An immortal creature gains regeneration 10. Fire and acid deal normal damage to an immortal. If an immortal loses a limb or body part, the lost portion regrows in 1d6 days. The immortal cannot reattach the severed member.

Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +2, Dex +2, Con +2, Int +4, Wis +8, Cha +4.

Skills: An immortal with an intelligence score higher than 3 has skill points equal to (12 + Int modifier) x (HD +3). Do not include Hit Dice from class levels in this calculation - the immortal gains skill points only for its racial Hit Dice, and gains the normal amount of skill points for its class levels. No skills are considered cross-class for an immortal.

An immortal gains a +10 bonus to Balance and Knowledge (history) checks.

Feats: An immortal creature with an intelligence score of 3 or higher gains Jack of All Trades as a bonus feat. Otherwise same as base creature.

Challenge Rating: As base creature +5.

Advancement: An immortal creature that advances by hit dice has the limit of their maximum hit dice increased by 10 + 2 per size category above tiny at maximum advancement.

For example, a creature that can be advanced to 20 Hit Dice and achieves a size of Large can be advanced another 16 hit dice.

Level Adjustment: +8

[Poppatomus]

Interesting, still going through it.

Question though, are all skills non-cross class, even if the skill points are gained from class levels?

[Raistlin1040]

More crazy coolness from our resident tribble. Wish I was as creative as you. Which reminds me, back to work!

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Originally Posted by Poppatomus

Question though, are all skills non-cross class, even if the skill points are gained from class levels?

I'm not entirely sure I understand the question. If I'm understanding right then yes, if they were non-cross class before the class, then you can add ranks to them as class skills.

[Poppatomus]

I'm not entirely sure I understand the question. If I'm understanding right then yes, if they were non-cross class before the class, then you can add ranks to them as class skills.

Yea, knew it was unclear when I wrote, but couldn't think of a better way to write it at the time.

That is the answer I was looking for, I think. To give an example, an Immortal taking a level in fighter can put a point in, say, use magical item as though it were a class skill

[Generic PC]

so, this template would be usable for a PC? seeing as how you added the LA in there... It would be insane, but some people might like it. Good Job, but one question, which is for Eternal Youth, do you still get aging bonuses to your Wis/Int/Cha?

[Khoran]

Whoops, made a comments before realizing you'd basically already included what I was talking about. Anyways, it looks good. Would be nice to flesh out a world and make an NPC that is supposed to be some sort of eternal watcher of something. One thing I would think though, bonuses to Knowledge (History). Either in "Been There, Done That". There is a chance that if they are an immortal that they could have been there for a historical event.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Originally Posted by Poppatomus

Yea, knew it was unclear when I wrote, but couldn't think of a better way to write it at the time.

That is the answer I was looking for, I think. To give an example, an Immortal taking a level in fighter can put a point in, say, use magical item as though it were a class skill

Sure thing.

so, this template would be usable for a PC? seeing as how you added the LA in there... It would be insane, but some people might like it

Hey, anything can be a PC if the DM allows... however, it also needs LA for cohort and stuff.

One thing I would think though, bonuses to Knowledge (History). Either in "Been There, Done That". There is a chance that if they are an immortal that they could have been there for a historical event.

Under skills:
"An immortal gains a +10 bonus to Balance and Knowledge (history) checks. "

[jindra34]

Might some imortals qualify more/better as native outsiders?

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Originally Posted by jindra34

Might some imortals qualify more/better as native outsiders?

Yeah, most like... ?

[ZeroNumerous]

Why the bonus to Balance checks?

[EvilElitest]

Do all imortal creatures gain this templete in your worlds (like demons) or only special ones?
from,
EE

[terror_drone]

Why regeneration? I mean I can understand if you were thinking along the lines of Dorian Grey immortal, but most immortals from literary works (at least those Ive read) don't have immortals regaining body parts or rapidly healing, just living for ever.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Originally Posted by ZeroNumerous

Why the bonus to Balance checks?

Well, got the idea from a sci-fi book where you could always tell someone who took this longetivity drug because they had lived so long they were perfectly poised. They knew exactly how to step and movement was so hardwired into their brains they never tripped, bumped into things or even stumbled.

Do all imortal creatures gain this templete in your worlds (like demons) or only special ones?

These are special immortals. And I rarely have a chance to use any of my stuff in an actual campaign. I just do it as a hobby and to flesh out ideas for my writings.

Why regeneration? I mean I can understand if you were thinking along the lines of Dorian Grey immortal, but most immortals from literary works (at least those Ive read) don't have immortals regaining body parts or rapidly healing, just living for ever.

Well, whats required for living forever tends to be continuous cell regeneration. I.e. regeneration.

Also, think Wolverine. He never ages because he is always healing.

In one of my favorite books there is also a guy who in his current 'roll' has the last name of 'Evergreen' as a joke. He's one of the few naturally occurring immortals on Earth and has been around for, oh, 6,000 years. Been through a thousand wars and never died because he'd always heal up.

So actually, almost every book with an 'immortal' in it I've ever read they did have regenerative properties.

[geez3r]

The one thing that I see "wrong" with this template, is that this immortal creature can still die. Hypothetically you could drown them in lava or something and they would die. You could give them an ability like the ghost's rejuvenation where they "come back" after X period of time. If I missed something, point it out. A great job as always though.

[Poppatomus]

Originally Posted by geez3r

The one thing that I see "wrong" with this template, is that this immortal creature can still die. Hypothetically you could drown them in lava or something and they would die. You could give them an ability like the ghost's rejuvenation where they "come back" after X period of time. If I missed something, point it out. A great job as always though.

See with this i disagree. I like the idea of an immortal that has a bunch of advantages, but if they die, they die. It allows them to really earn the template, and makes their psychology more interesting.

Another template, built around a truly unkillable creature, like a natural lich, might also be interesting to work through.

[Grey Watcher]

Ok some questions:

Does the Wisdom bonus to AC stack with class features and the like that provide the same benefit? (So, for example, would an Immortal Human Monk add his Wisdom modifer to his AC once [because they don't stack] or twice [because they do])?)

It's your template, obviously, but I'll admit, I don't really like the regeneration or bonus to Balance checks. The balance bonus especially feels strange....

And while I see your point about the regeneration, I think that there's a difference between rapid healing and resistance to aging. I mean, your cells replacing themselves quickly and efficiently enough to keep ahead of tissue wear and tear is a LONG way away from the kind of cellular metabolism you would need to regrow something as complex as a human arm in a matter of minutes. In fact, if we're going to commit the heresy of trying to relate D&D rules to real-world science, I would think that such an overdriven metabolism would result in a shorter lifespan, not a longer (in this case unlimited) one. I think I'd prefer a bonus to saves against (if not an outright immunity to) death effects, massive damage, etc. Perhaps a free Diehard feat thrown in for good measure. If you're bent on going the route of Highlander and the like, I'd go for fast healing (that is what it's called, yes?) or something, not regeneration.

Are these abilities Extraordinary or Supernatural? (I think we can safely say none of them are Natural or Spell-like.)

Are you TRULY immortal? Or can you die by injury, illness, etc.? As someone else asked, do you come back like a lich or something if you're "killed"? Are we still in the world of Highlander (where you appear dead for a number of hours or days before you revive)?

As someone else asked: Do you age at all? You specifically mention that you avoid penalities for aging, but what about benefits? Does an 102 year old immortal human still get his +3 to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma? (As a side nitpick, your template never actually says that it prevents the creature from dying of old age.)

Also, I'm when does one apply this template? It's built to reflect a being that's not only immortal, but has already lived much longer than is normal for someone of his species. Can you become immortal, or is it something you must be born into. Do beings that are immortal, but have not yet lived longer than is normal for their base creature gain any of these bonuses? If so which ones?

I know I'm being picky, but it is a really cool template. It seems like you were thinking Highlander, whereas I came into thinking Heroes Chronicles.

[Icewalker]

When it comes to mortality I made a sort of grid once, based off of my own ideas and the idea of 'immortals' in the books by Tamora Pierce.

Basically 5 levels of mortality

Mortal
Lesser Immortal
Immortal
Greater Immortal
True Immortal

Mortals = normal.
Lesser Immortals cannot die from old age.
Immortals cannot die from age or disease
Greater immortals cannot die from age, disease, or poison
True immortals are just that: immortal. Like the highest of gods.

However in my campaign lesser gods would be greater immortals with massive powers, so they could be overthrown, but it kinda takes followers and such. Ascension is such a cool goal. And the least of gods are weak enough they could still participate in the occasional adventure.

[Closet_Skeleton]

Originally Posted by Icewalker

When it comes to mortality I made a sort of grid once, based off of my own ideas and the idea of 'immortals' in the books by Tamora Pierce.

Basically 5 levels of mortality

Mortal
Lesser Immortal
Immortal
Greater Immortal
True Immortal

Mortals = normal.
Lesser Immortals cannot die from old age.
Immortals cannot die from age or disease
Greater immortals cannot die from age, disease, or poison
True immortals are just that: immortal. Like the highest of gods.

However in my campaign lesser gods would be greater immortals with massive powers, so they could be overthrown, but it kinda takes followers and such. Ascension is such a cool goal. And the least of gods are weak enough they could still participate in the occasional adventure.

I tend to seperate it into mortals, ancients (haven't died yet), immortals (can still be stabbed) and eternals (have always been and will always be, as old as the universe and unkillable).

If I made this template I would slow down limb regeneration to day based and I would take away the strenght and dex bonus but increase the con bonus. But I didnt' make this template so my opinion is not important.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Originally Posted by Grey Watcher

Does the Wisdom bonus to AC stack with class features and the like that provide the same benefit? (So, for example, would an Immortal Human Monk add his Wisdom modifer to his AC once [because they don't stack] or twice [because they do])?)

Unnamed bonuses always stack.

And while I see your point about the regeneration, I think that there's a difference between rapid healing and resistance to aging. I mean, your cells replacing themselves quickly and efficiently enough to keep ahead of tissue wear and tear is a LONG way away from the kind of cellular metabolism you would need to regrow something as complex as a human arm in a matter of minutes. In fact, if we're going to commit the heresy of trying to relate D&D rules to real-world science, I would think that such an overdriven metabolism would result in a shorter lifespan, not a longer (in this case unlimited) one. I think I'd prefer a bonus to saves against (if not an outright immunity to) death effects, massive damage, etc. Perhaps a free Diehard feat thrown in for good measure. If you're bent on going the route of Highlander and the like, I'd go for fast healing (that is what it's called, yes?) or something, not regeneration.

Well, with fast healing you aren't really immortal. You get shot, your dead. With regeneration you can be filled with holes... heal even after death, and come back to life.

Are these abilities Extraordinary or Supernatural? (I think we can safely say none of them are Natural or Spell-like.)

Extraordinary as it says in the text.

Are you TRULY immortal? Or can you die by injury, illness, etc.? As someone else asked, do you come back like a lich or something if you're "killed"? Are we still in the world of Highlander (where you appear dead for a number of hours or days before you revive)?

You can die if you sustain enough fire or acid damage. Otherwise nope, you're effectively immune to that. You can 'die' but thats not much of a big deal. See the rules for regeneration to get a full explanation.

As someone else asked: Do you age at all? You specifically mention that you avoid penalities for aging, but what about benefits? Does an 102 year old immortal human still get his +3 to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma?

That is what the ability increases are. Benefits from extreme old age.

(As a side nitpick, your template never actually says that it prevents the creature from dying of old age.)

I thought that was covered under Eternal Youth?

"Eternal Youth (Ex): An immortal creature does not age but remains at their adult physical peak. They take no ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged."

Also, I'm when does one apply this template? It's built to reflect a being that's not only immortal, but has already lived much longer than is normal for someone of his species. Can you become immortal, or is it something you must be born into.

""Immortal" is an inherited template"

This means you are born into immortality.

Do beings that are immortal, but have not yet lived longer than is normal for their base creature gain any of these bonuses? If so which ones?

No, this template is only for those that have lived awhile. Not much point in having a young immortal because at that point you can't tell they are immortal.

I know I'm being picky, but it is a really cool template. It seems like you were thinking Highlander, whereas I came into thinking Heroes Chronicles.

Don't even know what Highlander is

Basically there are those whose race is immortal, i.e. most outsiders. This is for those who normally aren't and thus are quite different. They retain the ability to learn and adapt as that of a short-lived race, but has all the benefits of an immortal one.

If I made this template I would slow down limb regeneration to day based and I would take away the strenght and dex bonus but increase the con bonus. But I didnt' make this template so my opinion is not important.

Good idea for the limb-based thing.

The stat increases is because they are stuck at their peak physically.

[Imrix.]

Well, got the idea from a sci-fi book where you could always tell someone who took this longetivity drug because they had lived so long they were perfectly poised. They knew exactly how to step and movement was so hardwired into their brains they never tripped, bumped into things or even stumbled.

Strata, right? Wonderful book.

But I don't really agree with that, it strikes me as just something best represented by actually putting ranks into Balance. Somebody who doesn't do so just... Doesn't have a knack for balance, that's all. It's certainly something I'd expect to see in an immortal creature, but I'd expect them to be fundementally knowledgable about practically (or impractically) everything, so the point is moot. Maybe just let them get eight doses of skill points?

Also, excuse me for the pedantry, but considering a creature with this template can in fact, still die, they are not immortal. Eternal, yes, but if they were immortal they simply would not die. The result of immortality is that, no matter what happens, you will remain alive! This encompasses everything from natural diseases to being at ground-zero of a high-yield nuclear detonation, or even more powerful weapons, such as being teleported into the heart of a sun going nova.

For an immortal creature, it doesn't matter if they're splattered over an area of fifty cubic miles as a fine mist of distantly-associated individual cells. Somehow, they will still be conscious, and they will still be alive. This doesn't necessarily mean they'll heal however, and they may spend eternity like that.

Sorry about that, it's something of a pet peeve of mine, how often the word is misused.

Speaking of healing though, I have to say I agree with Grey Watcher on the point of regeneration. Certainly, the easiest method of attaining immortality is self-healing cells (though how you deal with mental deterioration is another matter), but it's not the only one. Even if it was, that doesn't account for people who's regenerative abilities are enough to stave off aging indefinitely, but not enough to heal grevious wounds any faster than normal.

In effect, their healing properties are minor enough to be permanently occupied with stopping the aging process. So, I'll put my vote down for removing the regeneration.

Gotta say, I like this thing, the only thing that stops me from wanting to use it is the LA. Which makes me wince.

[puppyavenger]

I have to agree with you Imix as after all Imortal means I-not mortal so they should be unkillable.



PSS I blame wizzards

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Listen folks, even the gods can die. All immortal beings in D&D can die. Immortal does not mean unkillable.

I made a template. If I wanted to go the route of totally unkillable what'd be the purpose of a template? You'd just say, 'He can't die no matter what you do!' and boy, that'd be fun.

Every immortal being I've ever read a story about has been able to heal. Take out regeneration and you know what you have? Someone with high ability scores and alot of skill points. That sounds more like the Paragon template to me.

Gotta say, I like this thing, the only thing that stops me from wanting to use it is the LA. Which makes me wince.

Good, it is not made for typical player use.

[Grey Watcher]

So, as Vorpal pointed out, I evidently can't read.

I still disagree with you about regeneration, but I think it's just a weird thing in my brain, probably the part about reattaching limbs that just makes the machinery up there go "TILT." Looking over fast healing, I don't see the problem with swapping it out (I mean, it just kinda bothers me that immortality would mean resistance to one kind of damage [slashing] and not another [fire].) The Immortal Fighter of Doom laughs as you cut him, but brandish a torch and he squeals like a little girl and runs away? Eh, I'll shut up now, since I don't see either of us budging the other, and we'll just have to agree to disagree on the point. If I ever use your template, I'll swap regeneration out for Fast Healing, free Diehard feat, and immunity to death effects and massive damage, OK?

Originally Posted by The Vorpal Tribble

"Eternal Youth (Ex): An immortal creature does not age but remains at their adult physical peak. They take no ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged."

And I know I'm being stupidly picky, but you don't say anything about preventing death. I guess it's a moot point since the Monk class ability (Timeless Body, I think) has to specifically mention that you still die of old age as normal, but I like things like that to spelled out explicity (evidently there's a bit too much of a rules lawyer in me).

Don't even know what Highlander is

Eh, a movie that got turned into a TV show my mother liked for some reason. It featured immortal humans who could only be killed by decapitation. Other normally fatal injuries just made them appear dead for an apparently random amount of time (ranging from a couple of hours to a few days, though it seemed that the more you "died" the faster your recovery time was). At which point they'd be back. Of course, that would be an acquired template, since an immortal was perfectly normal in every respect until their first "death". That's the point at which their aging halts (there was one episode that concerned someone who underwent this process as a child, and used that to his advantage).

Heroes Chronicles was a game, and well, if you died you lost, so Tarnum mainly avoided death by being good at what he did. (Again, his immortality was acquired, forced him by the Gods as penance.)

[EvilElitest]

Originally Posted by Imrix.

Strata, right? Wonderful book.

But I don't really agree with that, it strikes me as just something best represented by actually putting ranks into Balance. Somebody who doesn't do so just... Doesn't have a knack for balance, that's all. It's certainly something I'd expect to see in an immortal creature, but I'd expect them to be fundementally knowledgable about practically (or impractically) everything, so the point is moot. Maybe just let them get eight doses of skill points?

Also, excuse me for the pedantry, but considering a creature with this template can in fact, still die, they are not immortal. Eternal, yes, but if they were immortal they simply would not die. The result of immortality is that, no matter what happens, you will remain alive! This encompasses everything from natural diseases to being at ground-zero of a high-yield nuclear detonation, or even more powerful weapons, such as being teleported into the heart of a sun going nova.

For an immortal creature, it doesn't matter if they're splattered over an area of fifty cubic miles as a fine mist of distantly-associated individual cells. Somehow, they will still be conscious, and they will still be alive. This doesn't necessarily mean they'll heal however, and they may spend eternity like that.

Sorry about that, it's something of a pet peeve of mine, how often the word is misused.

Speaking of healing though, I have to say I agree with Grey Watcher on the point of regeneration. Certainly, the easiest method of attaining immortality is self-healing cells (though how you deal with mental deterioration is another matter), but it's not the only one. Even if it was, that doesn't account for people who's regenerative abilities are enough to stave off aging indefinitely, but not enough to heal grevious wounds any faster than normal.

In effect, their healing properties are minor enough to be permanently occupied with stopping the aging process. So, I'll put my vote down for removing the regeneration.

Gotta say, I like this thing, the only thing that stops me from wanting to use it is the LA. Which makes me wince.

Just a note on immortal, i think the more techenical defination is that you can't die natrually, death via poky things is still the same
from,
EE

[Closet_Skeleton]

Partial immortality is the most common form of immortality in fiction and why not?

Immortality tends to be more of a curse in mythology. Cursed immortals tend to have a very specific way they can die but otherwise will regenerate or be indestructable.

You might want to consider changing what bypasses the immortals regeneration. Maybe change it to lawful weapons (inevibility of death) or cold (slows down cell activity, thus stopping regeneration). Or maybe make them vulnerable to a divinely ordaned substance if these immortals are supposed to be campaign setting specific. Fire and acid seems too troll-like to me.

[Poppatomus]

It would be interesting to create the reverse of this template as well, The James Dean template if you will (can't think of any satisfying antonyms for immortal at the moment). Effectivy it would need to be a creature that gains great power at dramatic speed, but at the cost of any chance to live a long, normal life. They know that they won't survive their current age catagory (or some such), fate guarentees their death, one way or another, but that allows them to unlock hidden stores of energy within themselves, or perhaps even access fate directly.

I'm trying to think of appropriate mechanics, but if anyone else thinks its interesting and wants to take a crack at it please be my guest.