Fountain of Youth

[Benjamin]

When you read fantasy books, those who wield magic are always extending their lives. You often read of wizards who are hundreds of years old. In RoE, Aelis is a half-elf who has lived centuries through the magic of the Erebannien. I figured I would put together a spell that would create this effect.

Note this is a 1 time shot spell. Try it again, and you are dead dead dead. Not almost dead, not mostly dead, nor not quite dead. DEAD. That, plus the cost, should limit it's use.

I also figured that divine magic can duplicate this effect, but needs more power to do so. After all, wizards are tapping the land, which is constantly rejuvenating. Clerics will call upon the power of their god, who is a bit less willing to perform the miracle. I'm making this a realm spell because it's a big deal, and I don't want just anyone casting.

Finally, there is the bit about age bonuses and penalties. I know everyone wants to say the age penalties go away, but not the bonuses. I agree with this in principle. However, allowing this will unbalance the game. Thus I wrote the spell to simply ignore age based penalties and bonuses. This may be the biggest argument part.

Anyway, I wanted to see what people think of it. Please point out any problems you can see. Thanks!


Breathe of Life

Necromanctic
Level: Clr/Drd 7 , Sor/Wiz 7
Target: 1 person
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
Special Requirements: Source (5) or Temple (6)
By use of this spell, the cleric or mage taps into great power to actually remove years of age from the target. Physical years only are affected, not experience. Any bonuses or penalties acquired due to age are not changed, either, only the physical age of the body. You are young again, but you are not as quick, strong, or healthy as you once were. Memories are also not affected. Fertility and other aspects based upon physical age are affected, so a person made younger could have children again. The subject must be willing, or the spell automatically fails.
This spell can only be cast once upon a recipient. A second casting on the same person results in instant and irrevocable death. Not even a Wish can restore the person killed by this spell.
Regency Cost: 5 RP + 3 RP per year removed
Material Cost: 2 GB of expendable ritual components

[Hrandal]

It seems so expensive in RP and other requirements that I doubt any mage could ever have enough power to get much benefit from this. Only a mage with more than one source of regency could make this worthwhile - especially since you can only cast it once.

In fact, its a good idea, but I think you've actually down-powered it way too much. I can see why, but I think it would need to be better before any PC would really bother with it.

What I think would be interesting would be a ritual to mimic the High Mage Aelies's delaying of ageing. A ritual that ties a person to certain piece of land and stops them ageing so long as they are within it.

I'd suggest that requirements for this would include having a source holding 1+ in each affected area, and probably the Arcane Sanctum feat. The effects would be permanent, but would probably require a small annual tithe of RP to maintain.

[The Jew]

I like the spell as is, maybe a slight stregthening to 8 Rp + 2RP/year. The slowing down of age though is already captured within BR, by the long life blood ability. I don't see the need to create another method.

[Angelbialaska]

It would be a lower level spell than 7th level. Torele Anviras doesn't have any power to extend his life and he has been spending a hundred years in the forest and haven't aged a single day. And he's level 10 now.

[Osprey]

I explained Aelies' timelesness by his elven blood. In fact, since Sidhelien are immortal, I changed a fair bit from the norm. When half-elves live in mebhaighal-rich areas like the Errebannien, their aging slows or even ceases altogether - assuming they are living an elven style of existence (low-no impact). When living in civilized lands, however, where the mebhaighal is slight, they gain only a little longevity (as per half-elven aging in the PHB).

This is based on the idea of elves in BR gaining sustenance and vitality from mebhaighal. IMC the Sidhelien will begin to wither and age if they live too long in civilized lands outside their forest realms. Should they step into the Shadow World, leaving the mebhaighal altogether, they become entirely mortal, subject to aging, disease, illness, sleep...same goes for the Seelie and the Seeming. That's why their aren't many faeries in the sunlit world of Aebrynis - they cannot long survive it (though occassional jaunts and forays are still doable, for a little fun or trouble

[ConjurerDragon]

Angelbialaska schrieb:



>This post was generated by the Birthright.net message forum.

> You can view the entire thread at:

> http://www.birthright.net/forums/ind...=ST&f=2&t=2885

>

> Angelbialaska wrote:

> It would be a lower level spell than 7th level. Torele Anviras doesn`t have any power to extend his life and he has been spending a hundred years in the forest and haven`t aged a single day. And he`s level 10 now.

>

In my opinion that was not the result of a spell of Torele Anviras. When

he vanished into the forests he was not even able to use true magic. I

would assume that the time runs different in sidhelien realms, as the

novel "Iron Throne" mentions several times. The hundred years in the

forest might have been only a day for him.

bye

Michael

[Benjamin]

Well, not everyone has Long Life blood ability. And for those who don't, this spell would be great. That's why I created it.

Yes, it is a bit power hungry. I didn't want people to just knock 50 years off a regent at a whim. Now they will have to save up for it a bit, and maybe take 10-15 years. Not a big deal to mess with dynastic affairs too much, but enough to give some regents a second chance to make things right before they pass on.

[The Jew]

I like the spell, i'm not arguing against it. I was simply refering to Torieles and the high mage. The simplest method to explaid both of them is the long life ability. Torieles entered the forest without a bloodline, right? Early on he aquired one, gained the long life ability, and so hasn't appeared to age a day in the 100 years since. Alies has always had it, and so has had a life span far longer than a normal half-elf. obviously anyone can add whatever they want for their own personal campaigns. But I generally like Occums Razer (sp?), the simplest answer is usually right.

[ConjurerDragon]

The Jew schrieb:



>This post was generated by the Birthright.net message forum.

> You can view the entire thread at:

> http://www.birthright.net/forums/ind...=ST&f=2&t=2885

>

> The Jew wrote:

> I like the spell, i`m not arguing against it. I was simply refering to Torieles and the high mage. The simplest method to explaid both of them is the long life ability. Torieles entered the forest without a bloodline, right?

>

No. The PS of Talinie states (p. 22) that he, a scion of the Anviras

noble line, ran away and vanished into the woods. He is also mentioned

to having had the "red hair" bloodmark of the Anduiras line before the

events in the missing century.



> Early on he aquired one, gained the long life ability, and so hasn`t appeared to age a day in the 100 years since.

>

Not quite. The PS says that he appeard "not a month older", so he could

have aged a few days or even weeks in that century ;-)

bye

Michael

[Justinius_ExMortis]

Now correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't there a mere potion in 2nd Edition that reduced age by something like D6 years with every swig? An individual could even inbibe several of these potions and reduce their age repeatedly. With that I think I should point out several important things.

1. Almost all mages have a reputation of long natural life spans, personally I've always believed that the very act of using magic extends a persons lifespan; not greatly mind you but a just a few more years in each category than everyone else.

2. Now what of true mages that don't have sources? They do exist, contrary to popular mythology that you're not really a true mage without a source in BR. Any blooded being can pick up Wizard levels. Thus any regent with even the slightest inclination of scholarly learning can become a Wizard. That sais to me that there are several more Wizards than sources available in the BR world. Wouldn't any practicioner of true magic want to extend their life and devote resources to such an act? Wouldn't that result in more than enough research into the subject to have created at least several spells of varying power and effectiveness to ward off impending age and infirment?

3. Wish spell allows for either extending life span or even arresting aging for a time. If a wizard is casting a 7th level realm spell than they are well on their way and very close to ninth level spells.

4. The epic feat extend life. You have to be 14th level (don't have a PHB in front of me so exscuse if I'm off by a level or so) to cast 7th level spells. Again, an issue of being very close to epic level, short of absolute failure or even accidental death, where one can just select the feat.

Sorry if I sound like I'm shooting down your idea, I'm really not. Just trying to offer up some considerations to be had before aging magic is dealth with in BR. Birthright is perhaps the only DnD game (ever) where aging actually becomes an issue so I feel having a good idea of the particulars is important.

Justinius_ExMortis

"A man underestimated is a man who will get a lucky shot"