Immortality

>I think tragedy is a really big focus of this campaign, and I want the sad states of these once great heroes to reflect that.
Feels pretty dark souls

We can post about non-cleriv and rogue immortality ideas right?

Absolutely, but, even if I didn't want you to, you realize there is literally nothing I could do to stop you?

To be honest, what the Fighter did sounds more like something the Rogue would do. Maybe they worked together on that and divides the spoils, with the Rogue taking something to hide him from death (like Harry Potter) or some other way to deceive it while the Fighter took the more straight forward method.

What is the Cleric a priest of?

The fighter is a child of the sun god and pretty much rampaged through the underworld in order to take his hourglass (which i should mention, there is one for every living thing) so it was less of a stealthy stealing and more of taking by force. Death himself did not stop the fighter personally, because he did not wish to kill his king's son.

The cleric is a worshiper of that same Sun god, who is basically the Zeus of this setting.

Why is a gods sun doing anything for immortality?

Well to be honest, I didn't really want to get too off track from "Immortality in Campaigns" so I'll try to keep this short.

>Sun god heard a prophecy that a child of heaven would one day rule over the world.
>Sun god decides to take away his baby son's immortality and send him to earth to die a natural death.
>It becomes clear that this child, while kind, has a dangerous amount of ambition.
>Sun god is worried the prophecy might still come true, so he decides to kill him.
>Sun god can't bring himself to do it himself
>Tells son that if he accomplishes 12 mighty deeds he will be welcomed into heaven.
>Sun god expects these tasks to be the death of his son
>Son accomplishes them, but leaves his body and mind ravaged
>Sun god apologizes to his son, explaining to him he was never going to be immortal.
>Son goes berserk and steals immortality from Death
>Son conquers the world and outlaws the worship of the Pantheon

>I find a sort of "fountain of youth" that always works exactly as advertised and you don't have to worry or sacrifice anything for
You can do this well, too.

>The fount flows slow, its waters weak.
>The trickle that remains can only halt the aging of the main expedition... plus one.
>They all have loved ones at home, but will have to figure out who doesn't have to see their family wither and die.
>And when jealousy sets in and new loves flare, it becomes easy to see the others as just one more yearly dose...

Ah, the classic: if you weren't such a cunt because of this prophecy, the prophecy would never have happenened

We had a blood mage who did it in a pretty ghastly manner, at different steps.

Initially just bathing in the blood of sacrifices did it. Later on, sacrificing family members (same bloodline) did it so she tended to always have a kid around. Finally she could turn blood outright so at that point age and other factors stopped applying to her, she could just materialize within someone young and become them.

A nice one for evil is the method of the divine shadow in Lexx.

He just takes a new body when his current one is ruined. He needs the body to have it's mind wiped or he retains some of the new bodies personality. Also he keeps the brains of the previous bodies in storage and consults them as a private council. I believe they also act as a kind of back up system so that should the divine shadow be destroyed they can be uploaded into a new body and he only loses the memories of his most recent life.

Also if I remember correctly(old lore) the emperor in star wars had clones of himself created mind wiped and hidden all over the galaxy that he could simply transfer to if ever killed.

The rogue could steal the youth of others... Or maybe the cleric takes the youth of other worshippers of the same god who he convinces to sacrifice themselves and become old and decrepit.

>Some other ideas i've had include preserving the very idea of yourself in the mind of someone else, being able to take control of their mind should your true self ever be destroyed.
Survival as an "autonomous conceptual entity."
scp-wiki.net/scp-1383

Doesn't really apply to rogues or clerics, but something to think about with respect to immortality.

Including an Immortality CYOA that might give you some ideas.

tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Immortality

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Remember, the Invisibility Cloak had one purpose.
To hide from Death.

I would say give the hour glass to the rogue and make the fighter's immortality come from slaying and drinking/bathing in the blood of something powerful like a demigod.

Not immortality then.
Only so many demigods in the world.
At that point, it's just the most over-complicated life extension.

I think the rogue should incorporate theft into their immortality. What if they stole shadows from people, living at their expense in a sort of "Portrait of Dorian Grey" situation?

Plus OP said fighter IS a demigod, sort of.

Perhaps his ghost steals bodies?

Which thinking about, you would be constantly bathing in blood of a powerful person.
Yourself.
(Technically an internal/surface level skin bath)

Gnome inventor who is too absemt-minded to remember to die.

Wizard erased all memory of his birth from the cosmos so Death never cimes ti reap him.

Raistlin/Fistandantalus loop.

Rogue gambled the devil and won.

If you're still here OP, remember it doesn't have to be over-the-top immortality.
It can be something simple, like a general bodily enhancement which ensures all cells that die from natural causes are fully replaced.
Sounds weird, but is simple. Just regeneration that limits itself to compensate for time.

The last three were by chance references to Naruto? I just found the order to be stupidly on point and the "heart in a box but still inside the puppet" part is a little too on point.

Bard who gets so into character that he becomes them. When one character gets close to death he just adopts a new persona.

OP here, surprised this thread is still going honestly. I'm still finding all of your ideas really cool and helpful.

I noticed there seems to be an agreement that stealing the hour glass seems to be more appropriate for a thief, but I neglected to share the part that the hour glass only functions as long as the fighter continues to kill and cremate powerful creatures to fill it with ashes.

In an attempt to keep this thread going (because i think it's been pretty cool so far) why don't we try our best to come up with a thematic form of immortality for all the core classes!

Haven't seen anyone mention:
>Barbarian
>Bard
>Monk
>Paladin
>Ranger
>Warlock

Cleric whose faith and righteousness have become so strong that they actually have eclipsed and supplanted his own god in the cosmic order -- he doesn't know it, though. He just thinks his god has kept getting more powerful and granting him even more power and longevity.

>Barbarian
They devour the still-beating hearts of mighty men and beasts and thereby claim their vitality.

Why stop at core classes?
>Alchemist
>Cavalier
>Gunslinger
>Inquisitor
>Magus
>Oracle
>Summoner
>Vigilante
>Witch

And if we want to get crazy.
> Ninja
>Samurai
>Arcanist
>Bloodmage
>Brawler
>Hunter
>Investigator
>Shaman
>Skald
>Slayer
>Swashbuckler
>Warpriest

[s] and then we just get fucking stupid
> Kineticist
> Medium
> Mesmerist
> Occultist
> Psychic
> Spiritualist [/s]

...

Immortal Rogue? Reminds me of Ban from Seven Deadly Sins.

>Theif who wanted to steal the fountain of youth.
>Fell in love with the fountain's guardian(Loli.)
>Suddenly Demons.
>Loli sacrifices herself to save him from demon.
>Demon still kicks his ass.
>Loli backwashes fountain of youth into his mouth with a kiss.
>Loli dies tragically.

Now he's super Wolverine looking how to revive his lost Loli.

Forgot pic.

Fucking loved Ban. I haven't looked at that series in forever (like a year and half) I should check it out again.

>barbarian
After a thousand thousand spirit hunts and eating the hearts of ancient beasts told in the legends of his tribes, he has become more than man... but has begun to be consumed by the beasts raging inside him.

>Bard
Already done

>Monk
Shit, just look at buddhism or xianxia stories.

>Paladin
He long ago swore a vow to never rest until evil has been defeated. Little did he know that that included the great eternal rest, and that evil always springs anew.

>Ranger
Has journeyed into the deepest wilds and found the true fountain of youth... yet its effects are hardly eternal. He carries with him a skin of the waters, that he must take a drop from every day, lest his age catch up with him.

>Warlock
When he forged the pact of eternal life, the warlock had no idea that it was contingent on the life of the imp granting his wish. Now he must constantly work to battle the imp's enemies, lest his own life be ended along with the devil-thing's.

> Likes garbage like 7 deadly shits
> Familiar with the 12 labors of Hercules and looking to illecit tragedy in his campaign

I can't tell if you're edgy and underaged or an old fag who likes children's anime

>Hating on anime on Veeky Forums
also what the fuck does Hercules have to do with age?

I'm gonna stop announcing myself since apparently it distracts from the topic.

Alchemist is easy, it can be done with normal game rules, no GM fiat required. Hit level 20, take the Elixir of Youth grand discovery so you stop ageing, then keep a bunch of clone backups ready to go.

How about the Rogue has become a living shadow himself?

Each time its "owner" dies, it has to find a new one.

>Bard
They're only young and charismatic while singing. When they stop performing they quickly shrivel up and go back to a decayed form that just can't die. The effect lasts longer in front of a large, enthusiastic crowd.

Cursed with imortality and an impossible task to accomplish. To earn death, Barbarian has to defeat the greatest warrior in a duel to death. Problem is that he never met the right guy, and after centuries of battle he became the greatest warrior on earth.

So he has to... lose?

>Alchemist
Philosopher's Stone

>Cavalier
Folk hero. A rider became a legend ingrained in the minds of those who respect and fear you. Long after his death, stories continue to pop up of various people being saved by strangers who'd vanish without a trace or evil doers who are paralyzed with fear by visions of the roaming hero.

>Gunslinger
BECOME A GUN

>Inquisitor
an old preserved corpse that awakes to serve his church when given orders by the higher ups of the faith.

>Magus
I don't have anything for this one that isn't handled by the wizard. Perhaps with some archetype fuckery i could come up with something else

>Oracle
Cursed with immortality

>Summoner
Find another plane where time doesn't pass. You can project yourself into your own world in a form similar to, or perhaps even as, your eidolon.

>Vigilante
Legacy characters.

>Witch
Dark magics and deals with spirits. Probably some kind of faustian bargain.

> Ninja
Become a living shadow, capable of possessing or stealing the bodies of others, but only for a time.

>Samurai
As long as they remain undefeated in an honorable fight, this noble warrior will never cease his journey.

>Arcanist
Through intense study and complex rituals the mage has unlocked the true potential of his blood, transforming entirely into a (INSERT IMMORTAL CREATURE HERE) like the one's he was descended from.

>Bloodrager
>Brawler
>Hunter
>Investigator
>Shaman
>Skald
>Slayer
>Swashbuckler
???

>Warpriest
GOD WILLS IT.

So cavaliers become the green knight from WHFB?

Let's get fucking stupid

> Kineticist
Let go your earthly tether,
Enter the void, Empty,
And become wind.

> Medium
You become the spirit to another Medium?

> Mesmerist
Implanting the very idea of himself into the minds of millions, the great Mesmerist existed as a sentient illusion that could never truly die so long as he was never forgotten

> Occultist
The old occultist used his various tools and objects to the point he considered them his second skin. Upon his death, his psyche was so firmly imprinted onto them, that they each became an intelligent item with his mind, but only a fraction of his power. Should they hold them all, the occultist would truly live again, in the body of the item's host.

> Psychic
I think there's a spell that does this, with marking your very being into some kind of giant psychic record, and then just being reborn into that body upon death.

> Spiritualist
You become the phantom to another spiritualist?

That sounds cool, what is that?

General:
>Fated to die in some very specific way, which hasn't happened yet and quite possibly never will
>The fates think this person's struggle is hilarious and will never let them die until they stop being amusing to watch.
>They died and beat the reaper in a contest/tricked him so hard that he's afraid to ever come for them.
>They accidentally cut off their threads of fate during some epic journey, and now the reaper can't find them

>Gunslinger
>BECOME A GUN

I mean, in pathfinder setting, gunslingers have access to secret advanced technologies. Maybe they could become a robot man.

I was thinking that the only way he'd be able to die is by his own hand

Or after meeting his inner self and achieving peace thanks to some deep introspection and meditation. And that's the trick

maybe someone replaces their blood with the Elixir of Eternal Life or something. They can't die and can regenerate from anything but it also hurts on account of being kept alive by magic potion instead of, you know, actual human organs.

The Cleric constantly marches into Hell, slaying the demon kings and eating their hearts, taking the sin they represent into himself, granting absolution to his people. However, the sins have transformed him into a monster, only keeping his mind with his holy purpose.
The Rogue steals the life out of others, extending his own. But he is constantly hounded by the ghosts of those who's life he stole.
The Monk resides within a holy temple, his body and mind so in tune with the cosmos, himself so virtuous that the imperfection of death is banished. But, he is ultimately disconnected from mortality, his followers left running rampant without his guidance. Plus, they're slaughtering anyone who might come near and spoil The Monk's purity.

Any of these do it for ya?

In the campaign i'm planning I've got the champion of a god, who, after unknowingly killing his son, was forbidden from taking his own life. He could only die should he lose in a fair fight he goes all out in and loses. The winner taking his place as the god's champion.

The constant battles have only made him stronger. Now he does things like kidnap princesses in hopes of young adventurers to come looking and kill him.

I have a few meet ups with him planned, but since he's an incredibly difficult fight for a party, i doubt he'll actually be killed in single combat and die for real. The current plan to wrap up his storyline is that upon realizing that his loss to the party wasn't considered a "fair fight" and they couldn't kill him, and the only ones who could wanted to use him, so he could never be free, he'd stop moving and go completely silent unless further provoked. Upon defeating that dungeons boss, the cave will begin to crumble and he will allow himself to be buried alive in it. If the players try to talk him into saving himself he'll respond with one of my favorite lines from anything ever:

youtube.com/watch?v=eUl3X9qyxHQ

This is a lot of assumptions on my part though, so who knows. Maybe the wizard will forcefully teleport him out, or the fighter will just kill him in 1v1 combat on their first encounter, breaking the curse. You never can tell with these games.

> Kineticist
Fire element actually has an ability that lets you rebirth like a Phoenix. From the Ashes.

>Gunslinger
>BECOME A GUN

Pic related.

I always wanted to write a story about a Monk who reached enlightenment only to reject it out of his love for others. For if he leaves the physical world who will pass down his teachings?

So he lives as a spirtual being trapped in a decaying husk of a mummified body. Ultimately he'd be a villian passing down a selfless, but still imperfect view of enlightenment due to his attachment for the welfare of others and sense of pride. Always thought it'd make an interesting take on the wise ancient Monk sensei trope.

I want to second gambling with the devil and winning. But make it a so that the rogue lost something/one important in the previous rounds of betting and only went with the immortality to try to recover what was lost.

I always enjoyed the idea of becoming a being of Dreams. Either by releasing your consciousness into the astral plane. Or going into the realm of dreams in your corporal form. Time is relative in the Dream realm so you wouldn't age and you could in- tune your mind to sleepers in the real world, visiting there Dreams.

I picture some Cleric, oracle or psychic pulling this off.

>Gets stabbed up
>Friends gather around
>"He's dead!"
>"Nah we just gotta reload him."
>Cleric pulls his head back like a pez dispenser
>Burning casing ejects
>Cleric pulls out bowling ball sized bullet
>Reloads
>Gunslinger wakes up.

I like to think the god saw this guy as a worthy replacement and decided not to tell him.

"He'll figure it out eventually."

Despite all it's problems Naruto provides a lot of cool magical bullshit to steal for games

>The Clerics a pretty easy one, say that as long as they keep completing their gods will he continues to let them wander the earth.
Sounds like T.O.E. on Rice Boy; or Calabash, if you want to take it in that direction.

Aren't 2, 3, and 4 pretty much just re-writes of what he already has?

>rogue shadow doing dracula antics
oh god yes

>Cleric

Divine Inviolability. The cleric is not permitted by the rules of the world to die or be harmed until a certain condition has been met or forever (wandering Jew style) depending on how you want it. Can be negated if in a space where the laws of the world break down.

This happened in samurai jack with a viking. He was trapped in an immortal, stone body underground, but he had to die in battle for valhalla, so he couldn't just kill himself.

Let's see...

Here's one for the other Bard type: Seduced the god(dess) of death or one of his/her Reapers, and the lovestruck reaper keeps misfiling them under living people so he'd be happy.

>Bloodrager
Got so angry the gods don't want him anywhere near their afterlives. Good thing too, since no reaper would be foolhardy enough to reap him.
>Brawler
Worked out and honed the body until he beat out entropy.
>Hunter
Broke out of an eternal eldritch dream and is unaware his original body is even dead. Alternatively, learned how to eat souls, eats the souls of his animal kills.
>Investigator
Grits his teeth and refuses to die until that elusive case is finally cracked and closed. The case is impossible to close
>Shaman
Possessed his own body as a shaman zombie.
>Skald
Literally what?
>Slayer
Got good enough that he's basically a living, otherwise mortal reaper.
>Swashbuckler
Imitation, copycats or cursed treasure, make your pick.

A Psion held together by pure Willpower so he is only as old as he feels
A Brawler who has acquired Nine Lives
A Rogue? who can outrun Death

>>Skald
>Literally what?

Bardbarian. Let's give him, kept alive by an Epic Poem about his heroic deeds. Dies if his deeds are ever forgotten about

>Bloodrager
If their bloodline is linked to something immortal/incredibly long lived they can tap into that immortality through a ritual? Or maybe by pushing their rages to the limits they enter a sort of eternal rage. as long as they're raging they don't age because they're sustained by the coursing blood.
>Brawler
Enters into world tournament-esque battle tower run by death. By consistently defeating opponents death keeps him alive for the enjoyment of spectral watchers. Eventually challenges death to a fight. Win = immortality nsa, lose = existence wipe
>Hunter
Becomes a part of the karmic wild hunt. Similar to druid reincarnations but he gets a better reincarnation form depending on how successful of a reincarnation his previous life was. Success is relatively compared. If he stops hunting he dies.
>Investigator
By careful study of the world around him he gains necro-precognition. Gains gut feeling/understanding of what paths and actions lead to death.
>Shaman
By devotion to one ancestry she can become speaking voice fo rthat ancestry to all other shamans.
>Skald
Creates epic about herself and her journies and spreads it to other bards and skalds. Once her physical body dies they continue to tell her tales, but sometimes they create new tales for her seemingly as though she had done it and told them herself. In actuality she is living out the stories vicariously by manipulating her tales from beyond the grave.
>Slayer
Someone puts out a hit on the Slayer as he accepts a hit on his own assassin. Slayer is supposed to die from this assassin according to death himself. Slayer kills his assassin in a bizarre-reality-breaking way and manages to survive. Since he "missed his own death" he can no longer actually die.
>Swashbuckler
>literally jack sparrow

>Investigator
So absorbed in his case he simply forgot he was supposed to die

Flight, Death's Number, 14 pizzas.

Or that, yeah. Bonus points if he's pockmarked with old bullet wounds and scars that healed weirdly.