My main wizard is just shy of level twelve and is starting to consider his mortality. With the middle age bracket fast approaching, he is researching ways to extend his life. This translates to me looking into ways for him to attain immortality. I am not looking for invincibility or even improved capabilities. Just eternal youth. Currently, I do not see many options.
My wizard is opposed to necromancy both morally and mechanically, and I cannot find anything like a "good lich" anyway. Rules-wise, my GM fully allows anything from Core or Advanced, but supplements or 3.5 hold-overs need approval. This leads me with the following challenge to any wiling to accept it:
Is it possible for a good-leaning wizard to attain immortality? Can this be done using only the Core and Advanced books?
I have come up with one possible solution myself, and I am looking to see if it would work. Polymorph any Object to duplicate the effects of Form of the Dragon I. The wizard is medium sized, and your intelligence score is unchanged with this spell. That leaves me with a duration of permanent. I know this is more of a rules question, but would that make my character live as long as a dragon?
Any input on the question or my possible solution is appreciated. Thanks!
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Unfortunately, I do not think I could answer your question regarding polymorphing oneself into a dragon. But there may be other secrets your character could seek in order to achieve immortality.
Technically, in the Pathfinder Campaign Setting, the Rune Lords of Thassilon were able to achieve true immortality. They did so without relying on the more common Necromatic process of turning themselves into liches. However, I do not know if they were able to do so without clearly evil means. Judging from their most infamous representative, Karzoug, I kind of doubt that they relied on entirely benign means in order to achieve their longevity.
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There is a 20th level arcane discovery that gives you immortality in Ultimate Magic. You take it instead of the 20th level feat. I think this does what you want, but I'm not sure if you are counting it as a core or advanced book!
See Immortality here.
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There's the immortality arcane discovery from ultimate magic. Gives you the youth bit, with no age penalties ever, but I'm not sure from my reading whether it actually makes you immortal too.
It's more of an "eternal youth" discovery. You never age, and you can potentially live forever, but you can still be slain, starve to death, etc.
There is a 20th level arcane discovery that gives you immortality in Ultimate Magic. You take it instead of the 20th level feat.
Hey thanks, echilda and others who suggested this. To clarify, I meant the Core Rulebook and Advanced Player's Guide are the only things allowed by default, but I know the GM has allowed another party member to use something from the Ultimate Magic at least once before. This seems balanced enough that he may consider it.
Corlindale, Reincarnate specifically forbids the return of someone that has died of old age under the same paragraph as "A creature that has been turned into an undead..."
LazarX, I am not saying you are wrong, but can you give me some justification? If my wizard has the body of a dragon, why doesn't he have a lifespan equivalent to that? Could you reference or explain that ruling?
If anyone else had any suggestions that are definitely Core/Advanced or one that can be done earlier than level 20, I would love to hear them. Thanks.
EDIT: Louis, eternal youth is all that I am looking for here as I stated. I know that freedom from hunger and sword-to-the-heart would be too much to ask.
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There is a 20th level arcane discovery that gives you immortality in Ultimate Magic. You take it instead of the 20th level feat.
Hey thanks, echilda and others who suggested this. To clarify, I meant the Core Rulebook and Advanced Player's Guide are the only things allowed by default, but I know the GM has allowed another party member to use something from the Ultimate Magic at least once before. This seems balanced enough that he may consider it.
Corlindale, Reincarnate specifically forbids the return of someone that has died of old age under the same paragraph as "A creature that has been turned into an undead..."
LazarX, I am not saying you are wrong, but can you give me some justification? If my wizard has the body of a dragon, why doesn't he have a lifespan equivalent to that? Could you reference of explain that ruling?
If anyone else had any suggestions that are definitely Core/Advanced or one that can be done earlier than level 20, I would love to hear them. Thanks.
There is the Classic Method that's been prevalent in fantasy literature since the beginning of time, WISH for it!!
Its a level 9 spell in the core Rulebook, attainable at level 17. The key Phrase is:
"You may try to use a wish to produce greater effects than those listed, but doing so is dangerous. (The wish may pervert your intent into a literal but undesirable fulfillment or only a partial fulfillment, at the GM's discretion.)"
So you have to work with your GM a bit, but it is attainable. You could also get your hands on a wish spell at earlier levels, Summoning a Genie, demon or other powerful outsider comes to mind, or question for a fabled item like a ring of wishes.
You could also attempt to get yourself one of the fabled Sun Orchid Elixers, apparently those grant immortality.
There is a 20th level arcane discovery that gives you immortality in Ultimate Magic. You take it instead of the 20th level feat.
Hey thanks, echilda and others who suggested this. To clarify, I meant the Core Rulebook and Advanced Player's Guide are the only things allowed by default, but I know the GM has allowed another party member to use something from the Ultimate Magic at least once before. This seems balanced enough that he may consider it.
Corlindale, Reincarnate specifically forbids the return of someone that has died of old age under the same paragraph as "A creature that has been turned into an undead..."
LazarX, I am not saying you are wrong, but can you give me some justification? If my wizard has the body of a dragon, why doesn't he have a lifespan equivalent to that? Could you reference of explain that ruling?
If anyone else had any suggestions that are definitely Core/Advanced or one that can be done earlier than level 20, I would love to hear them. Thanks.
EDIT: Louis, eternal youth is all that I am looking for here as I stated. I know that freedom from hunger and sword-to-the-heart would be too much to ask.
You only get what is mentioned in the spell, your type or subtype does not change with polymorph spells. The spell is still only permanent meaning it can be dispelled at any time, an anti-magicfield or similar effect reverses the change.
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You could also use the 8th level wizard Spell "Clone" to create young bodies for yourself, that your mind would enter if your current body is ever killed. By repeatedly casting clone, you can essentially live forever. HOWEVER, each time you transfer to a new body you lose levels, just as if you had been raised from the dead, and you have to adventure to regain that lost level.
Corlindale, Reincarnate specifically forbids the return of someone that has died of old age under the same paragraph as "A creature that has been turned into an undead..."
You misread it. It specifically DOES allow you to be brought back from dieing of old age.
A creature that has been turned into an undead creature or killed by a death effect can’t be returned to life by this spell. Constructs, elementals, outsiders, and undead creatures can’t be reincarnated. The spell can bring back a creature that has died of old age.
My apologies. I did misread this. Thanks for the heads up.
Is it possible for a good-leaning wizard to attain immortality? Can this be done using only the Core and Advanced books?Yes, and yes.
- Use Limited Wish to duplicate a Reincarnation spell, and combine that with Contingency. Every time you die, you are reborn.
- Create a Simulacrum of a body you'd like, then use the Minimus Containment version of a Binding spell on yourself. Your body is trapped in a gem and ceases to age. You can now Magic Jar into the Simulacrum, who cannot resist this.
- Clone, Clone and Clone again.
Would clone really work here? If I am reading correctly, clone fails if the target dies of natural causes and it has to be a duplicate of the original, so it could not be made younger than the target. I will admit there could be some interpretation as to whether or not it means at the time of casting or the time of death, but the reading seems to be time of death.
The Contingency / Reincarnate seems like my best bet to stave off the reaper. I only have one concern. Contingency has a sixth level restriction on it. Even though Reincarnate is fourth level, Limited Wish is seventh. Which spell would it use? Other than that, it looks to me like I could then cast Limited Wish two more times to counteract the two negative levels. Clean, efficient immortality. And at level thirteen too!
Kassegore, if I cannot do it any other way, I will Wish for it. However, my GM is clever and just slightly malicious. I love him for it, but he can make one regret a Wish. Lets call that Plan Z. Last resort.
LazarX, we are playing a home-brew world (thus the restrictions on supplements). However, that would only delay my ascension, not stop it. If I still fear a Marut by level 20, I am doing something very wrong.
Still don't fully agree with the dragon-aging bit, but I have to agree with the point that it never specifies a type / sub-type change. This does seem to sink my argument about aging, but it leaves me with a lot of questions. I may make a rules question about this later. For now, I will consider it a dead end.
