Magic and aging limits...

[seebs]

So far as I can tell, age is completely inevitable in Pathfinder. In at least some previous editions, there might exist at least some items that could genuinely reverse aging. In 1E, there were potions of longevity (which could backfire), and there were elixirs of youth (which couldn't). But in Pathfinder, you can postpone the effects of aging, but your life expectancy is totally fixed at character creation (though unknown to you as a player), and... that's it. Nothing. Lifestyle doesn't matter (except for fatal mistakes), magic doesn't matter, in the Nth year you die no matter what.

Am I missing something here?

EDIT: Yes, I am. "Reincarnate" can bring back a creature that died of old age, so if you aren't too picky about species, and don't mind a very very low chance of getting back to any non-core-rulebook species, you're set.

[VRMH]

There are magical "imprisonments" that keep the victim from ageing. Golarion has its Sun Orchid Elixirs. And of course the Wish and Miracle spells can do almost anything.

[seebs]

Well, more specifically:
reincarnate + wish + restoration => your original body as a young adult.

That's ~28k of expenses every 50ish years, which I think is pretty cheap by the time you've made some progress.

[Matt Thomason]

I'd probably rule some kind of diminishing returns on that, or alternatively decide that a god of death is going to mobilize their forces to claim something that's long overdue ;)

Another option would be to introduce a small random chance of those spells turning you into a lich instead, to reduce the attractiveness of the option.

[Nox Aeterna]

Well honestly , for 28k im impressed your world is not filled with rich humans with 200/300 years.

Kings there must be OLD.

[blackbloodtroll]

Well, a 20th level Alchemist can.

[Zhayne]

In a typical game, assuming aging is even tracked (I've never encountered a GM who actually cared), you're going to retire the character well in advance of reaching his maximum age, even for short-lived species like goblins. As far as I know, you can't be artificially aged in PF, so this really isn't a concern.

[Lathiira]

Not to mention things like monk archetypes, arcane discoveries, and oh, certain mythic abilities can give you ways to avoid death by old age.

[VRMH]

Or worship a hedonist deity, and look forward to the afterlife!

[wjsilver]

Nacreous Gray Sphere ioun stone protects against aging for 10k, but you still die of old age when you reach your max age limit.

[seebs]

All the other things like "immortality" and such prevent you from effects of age, except then you still die anyway. Only reincarnate appears to reset the age counter.

[Captain Xenon]

some classes grant immortality- the lv 20 wizard for example.

want to live forever? move to a timeless plane or demiplane. for enough gold you can have your own permanent timeless demiplane to live in forever. you could even build one as a prison....

[LazarX]

Matt Thomason wrote:

I'd probably rule some kind of diminishing returns on that, or alternatively decide that a god of death is going to mobilize their forces to claim something that's long overdue ;)

Another option would be to introduce a small random chance of those spells turning you into a lich instead, to reduce the attractiveness of the option.

The Inevitables apparantly have a division which monitors mortals who live beyond their natural span and they put them on a list. The protagonist of "Death's Heretic" is on such a list. His name hasn't come up yet for action though.

The Sun Orchir Elixir has it's own limitations. Only six vials are made at a time, and the only way to obtain one is by blind auction in which the proceeds of the bid are spent no matter whether you win or loose.

[seebs]

Immortality doesn't prevent you from dying, it just removes the penalties for aging. Timeless will kill you if you ever leave the demiplane.

Hmm. Interesting. The monk and druid ones explicitly state that you still die of old age, the wizard one doesn't:

Timeless Body (Ex): At 17th level, a monk no longer takes penalties to his ability scores for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any such penalties that he has already taken, however, remain in place. Age bonuses still accrue, and the monk still dies of old age when his time is up.

Timeless Body (Ex): After attaining 15th level, a druid no longer takes ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any penalties she may have already incurred, however, remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and the druid still dies of old age when her time is up.

Immortality (Ex): You discover a cure for aging, and from this point forward you take no penalty to your physical ability scores from advanced age. If you are already taking such penalties, they are removed at this time. You must be at least a 20th-level wizard to select this discovery.

And that does also remove existing penalties, suggesting it may be intended to be different from the others.

[VRMH]

Beast-bonded witches can go body-hopping for all eternity. And several creature-types (probably) don't age - at least not like we know it.

It's probably simplest to have Binding - Minimus Containment cast on you. Sure, you'll be confined to a pickle jar. But inside that jar, you'll live forever.

[seebs]

I think the goal is to actually DO stuff for as long as possible. At which point, it looks like reincarnation, or possibly the wizard "immortality", are the options.

[Arakhor]

In the world of Cerilia (the 2nd Edition Birthright setting), one of the divine blood abilities available was Long Life, which reduced your rate of ageing by 80%, 96% or even 99%. Given that the divine bloodlines had only existed for 1524 years prior to campaign start, several notable characters who were amongst the first to inherit divine blood were still alive in the current day.

[Zhayne]

I'd let a single wish do the 'true immortality' thing (not aging and not dying after X time). That's a lot less valuable than most of the things on the official 'wish list'.

[Sir Ophiuchus]

An 18th-level witch can use the hex Forced Reincarnation on herself, and become a young adult (of some description, anyway) again any time she likes.

[Samasboy1]

Eternal Youth
Prerequisite: Grand discovery

Benefit: The alchemist has discovered a cure for aging, and from this point forward he takes no penalty to his physical ability scores from advanced age. If the alchemist is already taking such penalties, they are removed at this time.

The alchemist discovery wording mirrors that of the wizard, in contrast to the monk and druid.

So Monk/Druid is "stop ageing, still die from old age" and Wizard/Alchemist is "become young again, stop ageing, maybe not die from old age"

Druid/Witch Reincarnate would be "get new young body, resets age."

[Helic]

Aging is the thing you'd really want to avoid. In Pathfinder there is an afterlife that can be demonstrated to exist, so death is really only something to be avoided at all costs by Evil types. Getting old sucks for everybody, though.