Longelivity potion

[alhoon]

I believe such a potion should exist and reduce aging to 10% - 25% of normal for 1 to 10 years. Since I don't have VRA with me at the time, I couldn't know what category such a philtre would be but it would certainly be of the 3rd permulation IMO.
How much would it cost to be made? What ingredients would be needed?

[Kel-nage]

That's a very good idea. No idea 'bout the rules, sorry, I just wanted to say that's an excellent idea.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Based on the principles of alchemy laid out in VRA, ingredients should include the extracted essence of youth, collected from the corpses of children. Based on the fact that this *is* Ravenloft, after all (;-D), it should be a requirement that the corpses have been dead for no more than a few minutes, as prolonging one's life in this manner ought to be something that a person can't accomplish without resorting to VERY evil deeds ... else, why would so many villains choose lichdom, vampirism, body-snatching via Magic Jar, or other dubious paths to "eternal life"?

[Vorpal Dragon]

Agreed. I suspect that would be a formula of the third permutation so the cost would be approximately 500gp+. Given that it would be a long lasting effect, maybe 750-1000? Or 500 + 5*number of months?

Still, there's no substitute for natural long life.

Perhaps it would also be possible to create a more potent potion (not one based directly off a spell of course - though that could be theoretically possible) that distills the life essence from a long lived creature (inferring fey here and not any particular wing reptile-like creature ). Some rules would need to be put together first.

A few centuries of of existence is bad enough, a few thousand gets tedious, but eternity is just pure torture...

[ScS of the Fraternity]

I like that idea of stealing essances from the bodies of children (the concept, I mean, not that I actually do that.... often.)
But remember, there are already alchemical ways to become immortal. An alchemist could create a perfected philosophical child with the special ability that makes it immune to aging. That done, the alchemist could transfer his or her essance from their natural body to that of their new creation. Thus they could escape their flawed mortal body and enter an immortal vessel.

I would see this potion as a cheep, temporary measure for mid level alchemists. I think a neat provisor for it would be that when the time limit runs out, the user's body ages to match his or her true age. The user still gets the benefit of a few extra years of youth, but can't avoid the ravages of age.
As well, it ratches up the tension - as the clock ticks down the user becomes desperate to find the permanent solution.

There's no reason that such a potion has to be extremly disgusting, just for the purposes of explaining things like liches and vampires.
Firstly, alchemy is not for everyone. A wizard or any other character can't just decide out of the blue to become an alchemist. The path of the alchemist requires a number of levels and feats be devoted to the superstitius science before you get the dividends.
As well, alchemy is known only to only a few of the denizens of Ravenloft, who we might imagine gaurd their secrets jealously. Though wizards may know of alchemy, they won't necessarily know what it can and cannot accomplish.

Remember

[Gemathustra]

The Chinese have had an inscrutably ancient quest in trying to formulate the ultimate potion of longevity.
In fact, the invention of gun powder stems from one such failed recipe.
For the most part, though, Chinese alchemists used herbs in their potions, though some resorted to more macabre measures, too.
A popular ingredient in many Chinese medicines was/is mushrooms, the lingzhi mushroom being the most esteemed. Supposedly, the lingzhi gained its panacea-like qualities from the plum trees it parasitizes, stealing and concentrating the tree's vital energies, and packaging them into a neat product. As such, in ancient times they were harvested preferably after they had killed their host tree (today, they are commercially grown).

Perhaps some similiarly minded alchemists could devise ways of concentrating and packaging the vitality of animals or other beings in a similar manner?

[alhoon]

To ScS: Yes, the alchemist could do an alchemical child and transfer the essence . . . But he couldn't sell that. While a potion could be much better income. And I agree about the ticking clock and quickened aging.

To Rotipher: I agree on essence taken from children after their death, but I disagree on the "just a few minutes dead" aspect. Making the potion should be evil enough (graverobbing and using a family's tragedy) but not nightmarish evil (killing children). Of course the second method is far more convienent than looking for children that died in the vicinity or waiting for this.

Also it leads to corruption. A greedy alchemist makes this potion once every X years for her patrons. At first she just graverobs. But after a few years, no tragedy has befallen the area and time is running short for a couple of her rich, powerful and impatient clients. She knows that if she fails to provide the potions to both of them, they'll have her killed. So she has to force such a tragedy.

To vorpal Dragon: Hmm. Interesting. Although fey are immortal not young. Also the child essence puts an aspect of . . . I don't know, it just seems better suited for Ravenloft. However since my campaign isn't in Ravenloft now, perhaps I'll follow your idea.

About Lichdom IMC: Becoming lich needs a very hineous act IMC. Sacrificing 101 infants alive stealing their essence to create the phylactery. So, nope, Lichdom is worse than this.

[Gemathustra]

About Lichdom IMC: Becoming lich needs a very heineous act IMC. Sacrificing 101 infants alive stealing their essence to create the phylactery. So, nope, Lichdom is worse than this.

While I'm all for evil and corruption, certainly there's a much less, shall we say, inelegant method to lichdom than live infants?

[Wiccy of the Fraternity]

Heh, a character of mine once drank a potion of youth to make himself young again (he was getting on a bit rattled when he moved) only to find that when he got younger, he lost all the memories of his age beyond the point he became, halting his plan to be the youthest mage of his power ever, LOL.

As for the potion of Longevity, I would include other ingredients, not just the essence of youth from the child, but something from the parents of that child that must be taken the moment they discover the death.

[alhoon]

About Lichdom IMC: Becoming lich needs a very heineous act IMC. Sacrificing 101 infants alive stealing their essence to create the phylactery. So, nope, Lichdom is worse than this.

While I'm all for evil and corruption, certainly there's a much less, shall we say, inelegant method to lichdom than live infants?

Of course! But IMC all must be hineously evil. Not just killing your best friend or sacrificing your daughter. Far worse.

[Augustus]

From what I gather there are many paths to Lichdom, some more difficult and some easier but not all of them are evil. Some liches become undead in order to act as guardians. Most want to become undead to endure and have an entitlement complex and don't see why the sacrifice of innocent life-blood is wrong when they have so much to gain.
I figure that there are some methods that involve a combination of alchemy and benign arcane magic that could achieve lichdom or even sheer force of will in the case of a psionic lich. But then again I bet there are easier paths involving draining of unborn babies' lifeblood and such.

[Jasper]

From the cookbook of Chickbone-

Longevity potion

Ingredients

The heart of a child less then seven winters plucked before the setting of the third sun upon its corpse turned into a powder.
A pint of blood from a fey taken under the new moon.
A dram of amniotic fluid from a still born child
Three tears of a mother spilled over the grave of a lost child

First add the blood and boil untill thick. In sperate bowl add the heart powder and the amniotic fluid untill it forms a thin mixture. Pour into blood and stir untill it turns a deep black. Pour into vial and let cool for three days. Rioght before drinking add the tears and enjoy.

Effects are only temporary lasting 1d10 years.

Side effects inculde rapid de-aging, partial de-aging (only hands turn young/only gain a baby face), Hulcinations (drinker sees himself as old while acttuly young), Memory loss and impotence. Consult your witchdoctor before takeing any new potions.

[alhoon]

From what I gather there are many paths to Lichdom, some more difficult and some easier but not all of them are evil. Some liches become undead in order to act as guardians. Most want to become undead to endure and have an entitlement complex and don't see why the sacrifice of innocent life-blood is wrong when they have so much to gain.
I figure that there are some methods that involve a combination of alchemy and benign arcane magic that could achieve lichdom or even sheer force of will in the case of a psionic lich. But then again I bet there are easier paths involving draining of unborn babies' lifeblood and such.

I know. In FR there are also good liches. Any way in my Campaing I don't want good liches or paths to lichdom that are less than completely evil. I had a player wizard once (outside Ravenloft) that wanted to achieve immortality and cheat death. His character was Neutral with evil tendecies.
When he discovered what he would need to do to become a lich he abandoned the idea. In that campaign (and in most my campaigns) the only way to become immortal without doing something really evil is divine intervention. You bow to the gods asking them to make you immortal instead of capriciously decide that you are too important to die from old age.

[Vorpal Dragon]

I know this is perhaps slightly peculiar idea:

An alchemical purgative that purges 1d10 years of life from the target, assuming that they cough it back up again. The alchemist could then consume it to gain the life taken. Not very sellable (sp?) as purgatives tend to weaken and fade out over time, but I thought I could mention this when I had this idea....

An corrupt alchemist life type formula that could animate the other alchemist formulae, effective creating an ooze. The alchemist could keep it in a bottle and throw it at the target, the ooze would spil over the target and 'force' it's way down the target's mouth to activate the purgative.. after being coughed up again, it could slime back to the alchemist.

I'm sure that is worth a horror check.. as I can't see many people being able to pull the ooze off, after all how can one grapple with slime?

As with some alchemical life formula, the alchemist could modify the ooze to use acid to burn into the target. Not too hard as the formulae seem to be petty acid based anyway. This wouldn't be helpful for a purgative, or a curative, or any formulae really... time to create a new type of formula, but that's best left for another thread.

Sorry, strange idea I had.

[Vorpal Dragon]

To vorpal Dragon: Hmm. Interesting. Although fey are immortal not young. Also the child essence puts an aspect of . . . I don't know, it just seems better suited for Ravenloft. However since my campaign isn't in Ravenloft now, perhaps I'll follow your idea.

I would say that this is my point. Taking fey blood (brain, heart, or whatever.. the whole body would do, I like the crunching sound their bones make..) could be used to extend life, though in a different fashion to children.

I would see the essence of children increasing a creature's lifespan by restoring their youth. I would see the essence of fey increasing a creature's lifespan by stretching it out; they would continue to look old and continue to get worse, but they wouldn't die.. for a long while (think the Green Mile). That way they will still have to find a more permanent method (this one will only work for so long.. id est when one is too weak to move..) such as necromancy (heck, after two hundred years they would look like a Zombie any way ). A cruel method to use on a player...

oops.. I just made my idea just a little more fitting for Ravenloft.. ah!

If memory serves me right, 2ed Forgotten Realms box set had a reference to a proper life extending potion that had an accumulative chance of it draining years instead of adding them. Not sure if it was mentioned there, but I recall a suggestion that the big E himself used them. I'll check if you are interested.