|
" ... I have no rival, no man can be my equal! Take me to the future of your world! Born to be Kings ... Princes of the Universe ... "
<ahem> Alright, sorry about the 20-year-old theme song.
The question that I want to put to to the PFS members is about the Living Monolith class. The reason that I am asking here rather than in rules is that I don't want homebrew answers, I want an answer specific to the organization in which I play. I don't want suposition, I am looking for a quorum in the version of the game I actually play.
So ... in the Living Monolith PRC, from Osiorion, Land of the Pharoahs, p.22, the Monolith gains a 10th level ability that makes him immortal. Yes. You read that right. They are immortal. As in: they do not die. They become living statues that are entirely ageless. My question is what that realistically means in game terms. There's a provision that the Monolith can be killed, but, it's just a generally vague thing. The text reads as follows:
Master Ka Stone (Su): At 10th level, a living monolith must undergo a final Ka stone ritual, replacing his current stone with one worth at least 10,000 gp. Upon completing this ritual, the living monolith becomes immortal. He ceases aging (though any aging effects already accrued remain in place) and becomes immune to energy drain and death effects, though he can still be killed by other means.
So ... how does this affect my character (Qa'pelos) when he gains the level (which should hopefully not be inthe not-too-distant future). how does immortality work? (Ask a Highleander, right?) Obviously, combat can kill him. How about starvation? Does he still eat and drink normally? How about sleep? Can he use his statue spell-like ability to rest? Or does he still require normal sleep? ... is it the same as being mortal, only without the aging that goes along with it?
I'm sure this may seem obvious to some, but, I often write short stories for my characters, and I am trying to get into the fluff so that I can really write the character well, and use that to RP at the table. Depending on the response to the thread, I may expand it to discuss the rules applications of other class abilities.
Oh, and thanks for the help and fun suggestions!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Don't lose your head!"
Director of Brand Strategy
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So ... how does this affect my character (Qa'pelos) when he gains the level (which should hopefully not be inthe not-too-distant future). how does immortality work? (Ask a Highleander, right?) Obviously, combat can kill him. How about starvation? Does he still eat and drink normally? How about sleep? Can he use his statue spell-like ability to rest? Or does he still require normal sleep? ... is it the same as being mortal, only without the aging that goes along with it?
The benefits of being immortal are listed in the Master Ka Stone ability. You cease aging (which doesn't really apply in PFS) and you are immune to energy drain and death effects. But the "you may be killed by other means" includes starvation, suffocation, dehydration, disease, poison, etc. If you became immune to those effects, the ability would list them. So if you get this ability and then retire, you're likely to live for a long, long time unless someone poisons the food you need to eat. But as an adventurer, being immortal is only as good as your ability not to die.
|
|
... if you get this ability and then retire, you're likely to live for a long, long time unless someone poisons the food you need to eat. But as an adventurer, being immortal is only as good as your ability not to die.
Ha-hah! That's great, Mark, thanks. That's very, very clear. Especially calling out the specific things like dehydration and suffocation. I certainly hope that I don't end up with anyone that would want to poison Qa'pelos, but, I can imagine a person becoming somewhat overly caustious (if not downright paranoid) about the few things that could kill him! It certainly will make for great RP!
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Even though Mark beat me to it, I was going to say that you get what benefits are spelled out in the description of the feature. I won't bother spelling them out again. They're all cool abilities, but unless you have a really, really long campaign (think Dennis McKiernan) the anti-aging ability will be of little help, and of of virtually no help in adventuring encounters.
However, if you're looking to get into the mindset of the character, the fact that he does not age will likely have a significant impact on his perception of the world. If you write in first person, the character's thoughts will likely become less like a regular human as time goes on. At first, there would be no change. After a couple of decades adventuring companions are seen as acquaintances rather than lifelong friends. Depending on the character's alignment, companions could eventually be seen in a light similar to children or pets, or even expendable resourses. The emotional disconnect will grow as time goes on, and the character could have difficulty relating to anyone who is not also immortal. Of course, the character could also see mortals as his charges and helping them grow as his duty.
Writing in third person will make these things less obvious, perhaps impossible to discern, since someone with decades to practice blending in is unlikely to be discovered. In any case, the character's view of the world and how to solve problems should gradually take a long-term view. This could even be longer than a lifetime, depending on the circumstances. Patience should become a noticeable trait. Even someone with a low intelligence will likely have learned a thing or two after a century or so and be difficult to deceive or surprise in normal circumstances. Those who were already brilliant will be even more so. Referencing the Highlander show, you will remember how Duncan had encountered virtually every situation at some point in his past. So, when the same situation rolls around again, he learns from his mistakes and performs flawlessly.
Though this is difficult to mimic in game terms, you can have the character prepare for just about anything. Have the best and most diverse equipment and alchemy available. Carry a few one-shot magic items that are highly situational. Make stashes of money and magic at various locations around the world. Remember to help people and go back to them when you need a return favor. All of this will foster the aura of wisdom, preparedness and experience that an immortal should learn over time.
|
|
Another spell-like ability I would like to discuss the mechanics of for PFS in regards to the Living Monolith PRC is Tombsight.
Tombsight (Su): A living monolith of 4th level can perceive the balance of life and death within those they see, as if using deathwatch and detect undead simultaneously. This power can be used at will and lasts as long as the living monolith concentrates. Using this ability is not an evil action.
The text of the ability says "those they see", and refers to two spells. Those spells in turn refer to "creatures" as the objects which can me seen. The spells allow Qa'pelos to see general states of those surrounding him. (Living, Dead, neither Living nor Dead, Undead, injured, healthy, etc.)
My question is how this would appear to him. While I understand that creatures are called out for mechanics reasons, I am curious what the ability would "look like". That is, could he see an aura of sorts of the living grass and trees? Would he see everything in a sort of colour-shifted weird reality (like when Bilbo or Frodo put on the One Ring in LotR)? Would the air itself be coloured with the living tings that are in it? How would he percieve things made of wood? Perhaps they are seen as "dead" since they were once living? How would this affect illusions - certainly he would know that they weren't real creatures because they wouldn't register as living, I should think.Are there other unique aspects of this ability of which I'm not thinking? How could this be used legally in PFS OP in unique ways to do cool stuff with it?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Bonus points for quoting this awesome song! Freddie is the true Immortal.
|
|
... the fact that he does not age will likely have a significant impact on his perception of the world. ... In any case, the character's view of the world and how to solve problems should gradually take a long-term view. ... after a century or so and be difficult to deceive or surprise in normal circumstances. ... Referencing the Highlander show, you will remember how Duncan had encountered virtually every situation at some point in his past. So, when the same situation rolls around again, he learns from his mistakes and performs flawlessly.
Though this is difficult to mimic in game terms, you can have the character prepare for just about anything. Have the best and most diverse equipment and alchemy available. Carry a few one-shot magic items that are highly situational. Make stashes of money and magic at various locations around the world. Remember to help people and go back to them when you need a return favor. All of this will foster the aura of wisdom, preparedness and experience that an immortal should learn over time.
Wow ... *this* is great stuff!
I hadn't ever thought of this kind of thing when I wrote this thread! It just so happens that Qa'pelos is a merchant that owns a shop, a caravan and a trading ship. He could certainly have all kinds of things in caches all over the place. Those one-shot items, and specific use items could be easily placed. And then there's the contacts in other cities. They're expensive, but, I could easily buy them with Prestige Points - there's a vanity for just that.Thanks for the tips and ideas on the character, Obirandiath!
My question is how this would appear to him. While I understand that creatures are called out for mechanics reasons, I am curious what the ability would "look like".
It "looks like" whatever you and your GM agree it looks like, as long as the information it provides matches that of the referenced spells. It could be magical writing that only you can see that floats above the creature. It could be an outline that's white for a completely healthy creature that fades through grey to black as they take damage and disappears completely upon death.
I don't imagine that an item made of wood would register as "dead" unless it was a (nearly) complete bonsai tree, nor would your meal on your plate (unless you're eating whole raw crawdads or something like that) and even then, it's likely the lack of data on health that indicates "dead".