Puzzini's Elixir of Immortality

This post was inspired by "Forever and Ever" by Steve Ditko, one of four short stories that are included in the forthcoming NUELOW Games comics/RPG-hybrid book "Immortal Tales by Steve Ditko". (Some version of this material will be included in it.)

On May 23, 1568, the Italian alchemist Mario Puzzini sent messengers to his fellow practicioners of the Arts that he had successfully created an elixir of immortality. When his fellow alchemists arrived at his laboratory a few days later, however, they found the place ransacked and Puzzini and his assistant missing. Puzzini was never heard from or seen again, and the heaps of ashes found in the fireplace was believed to all that remained of his notes regarding his many alchemical discoveries--including the secret of immortality.

A few years later, rumors began to arise that the assistant, Georgio, has been spotted in different places throughout Italy and Europe. It was further claimed that he was living proof that Puzzini's immortality formula had worked--or, more specifically, immortal proof that the formula had worked. It also came to be widely believed that Georgio had murdered Puzzini and stolen his secrets and that the ashes in the fireplace was to throw pursuers off his trail. As time passed, rumors became legends, and those legends passed into near-forgotten obscurity... but well-informed alchemists continued to hold out hope that Puzzini's formula could still be found, either due to an immortal being walking the Earth.

The truth is that Georgio did indeed become immortal by drinking Puzzini's elixir. The mixture was flawed, however, and it was Puzzini himself who destroyed his lab and burned the notes and formulas; the aging alchemist was so angered and disappointed by his failure that he quit the art of alchemy on that day. He did, however, let Georgio keep the notebook containing Puzzini's final attempt at creating an immortality elixir, so that he Georgio might have a chance to perfect it, or do undo its effects.

Unfortunately for Georgio, Puzzini's notebook was taken from him by an unscrupulous mystic from whom he sought assistance during the late 1700s and he has no idea what has become of it. But maybe he can cross the paths of a group of heroes who have the skills and motivation to help free him from what he has come to view as a living Hell, and perhaps even succeed where Puzzini failed.


PUZZINI'S ELIXIR IN THE d20 SYSTEM
This section describes how to use Puzzini's Notebook to create his elixir of immortality and what happens to a mortal who consumes it. .

Creating Puzzini's Elixir of Immortality

The method for creating Puzzini's Elixir of Immortality is described in a notebook that consists of 100 pages of parchment bound within plan leather covers. The pages are covered with writing and formulas written with a spidery script. It takes 3d4+2 hours of total time, as well as a successful  (DC14) or Knowledge: Arcane Lore (DC19) skill checks to understand its content and successfully understand the content and thus apply it to the creation of Puzzini's Elixir of Immortality.

   Once the material in the notebook has been mastered, the character must have access to a well-equipped alchemist lab and at least 3 ranks in the Knowledge: Physical Sciences skill or 5 ranks in Knowledge: Arcane in order to actually create a dose of the Elixir. A successful brewing process takes a 12 hours of uninterrupted work and careful monitoring of distillation and the mixing and remixing of the liquids and two successful Knowledge: Physical Sciences (DC18) or Knowledge: Arcane Lore (DC15) skill.

   The nature of the elixir that is created at the end of the process depends on the success or failures of the skill checks.

If both skill checks fail during the brewing process, the resulting elixir has the following effect:

* The consumer must roll a Fortitude save (DC13). If the saving throw fails, the character's Constitution attribute is immediately reduced by 1 point. He or she falls very ill and is sickened for ten days, minus his or her Constitution bonus (adjusted if necessary). The character regains the Constitution point upon recovery from the illness.

If one skill check fails during the brewing process, the resulting elixir has the following effect:

* The consumer immediately becomes 2d10+10 years younger. If the elixir is consumed by a player character, the age cannot be less than the minimum starting age for the character's race, but NPCs can be reduced to infancy. The character's levels Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma attributes remain unaffected, but adjustments may have be made to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution attribute scores if the character has been reduced to young adulthood or even younger. The character ages as normal, just starting from the point to which the clock was turned back.

If no skill checks are failed during the brewing process, the resulting elixir has the following effect:

* The consumer immediately becomes 2d10 years younger. The age cannot be less than the minimum starting age of a player character of the consumer's race.

* The character no longer ages, and is immune to all aging effects, natural and magical.

* The character is immune to all physical harm from any source, including radiation, toxins, and poisons. As soon as he or she is about to take damage, the character immediately becomes insubstantial. He or she remains in this state until the source of the potential physical harm is no longer dealing damage.

* The character is seized with a lack of ambition and is disinterested in improving him- or herself. He or she has a 50% penalty on all earned experience points (round down).

* The character is drained of creative impulses and finds it hard to focus on intellectual matters. He or she has a -6 penalty to all Craft, Knowledge, and Perform skill checks. The character has a -2 penalty to all Bluff, Intimidate, Hide, Search and Spot skill checks.

*The effects of the elixir persist for 10d100+100 years. Once its duration ends, the character begins to age normally and all penalties to experience point gain 

Creating an Antidote to Puzzini's Elixir of Immortality

Creating an Antidote to Puzzini's Elixir of Immortality requires access to a well-equipped alchemy lab, or a well-equipped modern chemistry lab with either access to Puzzini's original formula or a sample of the correctly brewed elixir to analyze. 

   If a character is starting from Puzzini's formula, he or she must first successfully reverse engineer it. This requires 2d6+4 hours of intensive research, as well as a Knowledge: Arcane Lore (DC14, reduced to DC11 if the character has 5 or more ranks in the Knowledge: Physical Sciences skill). If the skill check fails, the character cannot create a successful antidote until gaining an additional rank in the Arcane Lore skill; at that time, he or she can try the skill check again. (However, the character must still spent six hours of uninterrupted work, distilling and mixing liquids in order to create a sweet-tasting but otherwise unremarkable potion.)

   Once a successful formula has been devised, it takes six hours of uninterrupted work, distilling and mixing liquids, as well as two successful Craft: Chemical skill checks (DC12). The end result is one dose that, if consumed within 24 hours of its creation, will end neutralize Puzzini's Elixir of Immortality and all of its effects. The character once again ages normally, can suffer injury and death, and is no longer subject to any skill check or experience point penalties.

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If there's any interest whatsoever, we can provide some random adventure outline generation tables involving where Puzzini's journal can be found. Just let us know.

The Valley of the Immortals

Legends tell of a valley where people are forever young. This post provides tables to randomly generate an adventure outline for characters who set out to find the fabled location.

WHERE IS IT LOCATED? (Roll 1d6)

1. In the Austrian alps, near the border with Italy.

2. A mountainous island in the Atlantic ocean.

3. A mountainous island in the Pacific ocean.

4. In the northern Andes mountains

5. In the Ethiopian Highlands.

6. In the hills above Loch Nevis, Scotland.

HOW IS IT HIDDEN? (Roll 1d6)

1. Surrounded by steep hills/cliffs. (Mountaineering skills, knowledge of secret underground tunnel system, or flight needed to access.)

2. Thick forests/rugged terrain, no easy road access.

3. Only reachable by boat, but surrounded by navigation hazards.

4. Magical misdirection. (Requires a special compass to find, or counter-magic.)

5. A thick fog and cloud-cover surrounds the outer edges, causing those who enter to lose their way and bypass the valley, unless they are members of the community or aware of the one walkable path in and out.

6. Roll two more times on the table, rerolling any additional results of 6. The valley is hidden by a combination of both described methods.

WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF THE IMMORTALITY? (Roll 1d6)

1. A magic fountain at the center of the valley. All who drink from it become immortal.

2. A strange property in the soil causes those who live here and eat food grown here to become immortal.

3. A shape-shifted dragon lives among the immortals. It has placed an enchantment on all who live in this valley, because it wants company.

4. An ancient artifact is buried deep in the ground, and its radiation makes humans and humanoids who dwell in the valley immortal.

5. The church, the school, and pub all conceal gateways to the realms of the gods; the magical energy seeping through gives all sentient beings in the valley eternal life.

6. No one in the valley is immortal. A strange energy field causes time to pass differently in the valley, with each hour spent within equal to a year beyond. (Skip "How Long Must a Person Be in the Valley to Become Immortal" if this result is rolled).

HOW LONG MUST A PERSON BE IN THE VALLEY TO BECOME IMMORTAL? (Roll 1d6)

1. 24 hours..

2. One week.

3. One month.

4. Through All-Hallows Eve.

5. During the Winter Solstice.

6. As soon as the person enters the valley.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO LEAVE THE VALLEY? (Roll 1d6)

1. Nothing. The immortality will stay with them until they die through violence or starvation.

2. Nothing, but the aging process resumes the aging normally.

3. They begin to feel achy and sick. It goes so bad within two days that they must stay in bed for 1d6+6 days. After that, the age normally. If they return to the valley before the sickness passes, they immediately feel better.

4. Nothing they eat or drink provides nourishment. They will die of starvation if they do not return to the valley.

5. They become insubstantial but glow faintly. If they don't return within 24 hours, they disperse like glitter on the wind.

6. The time they spent in the valley catches up with them, and they age one year for each minute spent outside the valley, possibly dying of old age and crumbling to dust.

HOW DO THE IMMORTALS KEEP THE VALLEY SECRET? (Roll 1d6)

1-2. They don't. They like visitors, as it helps them keep up on the outside world, and rely on the discretion of the outsiders, or the general populations unwillingness to believe that a valley of immortals could even exist.

3. They imprison and eventually execute those who do not want to stay in the valley willingly.

4. They tell those who want to go that they will suffer a painful death upon leaving the valley's life-extending zone. (This may or may not be true.)

5-6. They do nothing to stop them, but they contact a cult of assassins devoted to keep the valley's secret and these assassins then hunt those who have left.

Valentine's Day Adventure Seeds

Why did the PC's sweetheart miss the romantic dinner? (Roll 1d12)
   1. Abducted by aliens.
   2. Abucted by enemies of the player characters.
   3. Abducted by an insane ex lover
   4. Caught up in a hostage standoff at a Starbucks
   5. Deep cover agent status reactivated, now on a mission
   6. Fell through a dimensional portal that opened in the living room
   7. Was in an accident, now has amnesia
   8. Is possessed by an ancient spirit on a quest for revenge
   9. Taken hostage by terrorists at Nakatomi Plaza
  10. Still sleeping off last night's bender
  11. Got lost along the way, stumbled into a meeting between rival gangs
  12. Abducted by a mummy who thinks he or she is its long lost love, reincarnated

Potions for me but not for thee!

Potions (healing, invisibility, flying, and so on) do not all need to be the same. Instead, they can be tailored for specific species/races... and if used by other beings, they can have unexpected side effects. This little article provides some random tables GMs can use to make looted potions more interesting in the game. (It adds a little more bookkeeping and complexity that will need to be kept track of, but if some of the burden is shifted to the PCs--like requiring them to note where particular potions were looted from--it shouldn't be overwhelming.)

WHO IS THE POTION INTENDED FOR? (Roll 1d20)

This is revealed along with the nature of the potion when it is identified via magic or the application of appropriate skills. (The GM should feel free to replace any result with species/races relevant to the campaign.)

1-2. Humans

3-4. Elves

5. Dwarves

6. Halflings

7-8. Gnomes

9.   Tieflings

10. Unidentifiable Alien Creature

11. Half-Elves

12-13. Atlanteans

14-15. Witchkind

16. Goblins

17. Kobolds

18. Ogres

19. Dragonborn

20. Amazons

WHAT IS THE SIDE EFFECT? (Roll 1d20)

This is discovered when a character not of the correct species/race drinks the potion. It is in addition to the potion's regular function, unless otherwise noted under the result. If the generated result doesn't seem to apply in any way to the basic effect of the potion, there are no side effects from consumption.

1.    No side effect.

2.    The potion's effect is delayed for 1d4+1 rounds.

3.    The potion's effectiveness/duration is doubled.

4.    The character enjoys a Damage Reduction of 1 against all sources.

5.    The character is healed of all injuries.

6.    The character is healed of all injuries and gains 10 temporary hit points.

7.    The character's eyes are like bottomless pools of darkness for 24 hours.

       The character has lowlight vision for that time.

8.    The character gains a +2 bonus to all saving throws for 24 hours.

9.    The character gains a +2 bonus to all skill checks for 24 hours.

10.  The character becomes 2d20 years (2d20x10 for long-lived beings) 

        younger. Only physical age is impacted and the character retains all 

        levels and learned skills. The character cannot become younger than 

        infancy. The age reversal is permanent unless reversed by a wish spell 

       or the direct intervention of a god or some other powerful being.

11.  The potions effectiveness and/or duration is halved.

12.  The character suffers a -2 penalty to all skill checks for 24 hours.

13.  The character suffers a -2 penalty to all saving throws for 24 hours

14.  The character's skin starts to burn if he or she ventures into the sunlight 

       for 24 hours. He or she suffers 1d6+2 points of damage for each round 

       of exposure.

15.  The character's STR and CON attributes are reduced by 2 for 24 hours.

16.  The character's eyes glow with a brilliant green light for 24 hours, 

       even through his or her eyelids..

17.  All of the character's hair falls out. It will regrow naturally, or can be 

       restored by a wish spell or the direct intervention of a god or some 

       other powerful being.

18.  The character and all items carried at the time of consuming the potion 

        become insubstantial for 24 hours. The character appears normal, 

        but he or she can move through walls, cannot pick up any items etc. 

        and can only be harmed by magic and magic weapons.

19.   The character's INT and WIS attributes are reduced by 2 for 24 hours.

20.   No side effect.

(All text in this post is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms. Copyright 2021 Steve Miller.)

If Santa Claus is coming...

 ... to one of your projects, and NUELOW Games has four possible portraits that you can use in it!

This new stock art collection features our usual wide-open license AND in the spirit of Santa himself, it can be yours for free. (Your can pay whatever you want for it, if you feel like giving US a Christmas present!)

Click here to see previews of and/or to download NUELOW Stock Art Collection: Santa Claus at DriveThruRPG!

It's December...

… Christmas is coming, so let's get in the Christmas Spirit with an unusual version of a favorite among the NUELOW Gang--"Little Drummer Boy", with a video that was filmed not far from the birthplace of NUELOW Games itself!

Three Lost Artifacts of the Amazons

This post is part of a series of posts for d20 System games. Click here for background on and character creation rules for the Amazons.

The Amazons have dwelled in extra-dimensional cities scattered across Earth for more than 10,000 years. During that time, a number of powerful artifacts left behind by the Olympians for their use have gone missing, either due to disaster, theft, or mistakes. The Amazons are eager to recover these items and store them safely in the temples they maintain in honor of the Olympians. This post describes three of them.

CRONUS' SICKLE

Amazonian legend holds that Cronus' Scythe is the last example of a weapon created to fight the Time Eaters. These monsters fed upon the very fabric of time itself and if the ancient Olympians hadn't hunted them to extinction, the Universe would have unraveled and all life doomed. 

    Cronus' Sickle was brought to Earth by the leader of the first Olympian expedition to Earth, just in case they encountered a Time Eater. It remained part of the Olympians arsenal on Earth for millenia, and when they withdrew, they left it with the Amazons in case a Time Eater should threaten them in the future.

   There were at one time thousands of these weapons, but they reportedly crumble to rusty flakes when they deal a deathblow to a Time Eater. Legend has it that there was one such scythe for every Time Eater that was known to exist No one knows if there's any truth to this, but the Amazons believe it is the last of such weapons that remains in existence.

   Cronus' Sickle went missing in November of 1944 when the Amazons were temporarily forced to abandon one of their settlements in Germany after it was discovered by Nazis.

   Cronus' Sickle has a 14-inch, curved, highly polished steel blade mounted on a 10-inch handle made of lacquered hard wood. 

Powers of Cronus' Sickle

The following are the attributes of this magical artifact.

Standard Powers: Cronus' Sickle is a +3 melee weapon that deals base 1d6 slashing damage. It is a light weapon that belongs to the Simple Weapons Proficiency group.

   When a target (that isn't a Time Eater) is struck by Chronus' Sickle for the first time in a combat, it must roll a Will Save (DC18) or be subjected to the effects of a slow spell as cast by a 20th-level caster. Each following successful strike prompts a Fortitude Save (DC12) that, if not successful, causes the target to suffer double damage, as a surge of temporal energy flows through the target and into the weapon, taking with it some of their very life force. (Immortals, Witchkind, and characters with the Fast Healing feat have a +2 bonus to the Will save.)

   If a Time Eater is struck by Cronus' Sickle, it and the Sickle are destroyed instantaneously, the Time Eater bursting into hundreds of bright specks of light that disperse in the area as they blink out of existence, while the Sickle crumbles to flakes of rust and sawdust. The wielder must roll a Fortitude Save (DC18) or be struck by a temporal energy backlash that either ages or makes the wielder younger him or her, or makes him or her younger. See the table below.

1d12 Result    Number of Years Age Changes

1                     1d6+10 years younger

2-5                  2d4+10 years younger

6                     1d4+8 years younger

7                     1d4+8 years older               

8-11                2d4+10 years older

12                   2d10+10 years older

Amazon-Specific Powers: Amazons gain a +4 bonus to resist the temporal energy backlash when destroying a Time Eater with Cronus' Sickle.

TALARA, THE WINGED SANDALS

The Talara (also known as the "Winged Sandals") is a pair of golden sandals that feature ankle straps wiith stylized, ornamental wings. They were created by an Aeromancer named Hermes who died during the final battles between Atlantis and Olympus. They were briefly in the possession of the Amazons during the Olympian evacuation of Earth, but they were lost during the chaos.

   There have been rumored sightings of Talara over the millennia, and they have usually been associated with mysterious disappearances or deaths.

Powers of the Talara

The following are the attributes of this magical artifact.

   Standard Powers: When a user finishes securing the straps around his or her ankles, he or she immediately feels almost weightless. The character is actually floating a fraction of a millimeter above the surface upon which he or she is standing or walking, and this provides a +8 bonus to Move Silently skill checks for as long as the sandals are properly fastened and worn. Additionally, the sandals provide the effects of a pass without trace spell (no saving throw) as if cast at a 20th-level effectiveness.

  If the character says "Talara" while the wearing the winged sandals with the straps secured, he or she is subjected to the effect of a fly spell (no saving throw) as if cast by a 20th-level caster. The character immediately shoots upward at maximum speed, slamming against the celling if indoors (which causes the spell effect to end, whether the character lives or dies from the sudden impact). If outside, the character continues to ascend at maximum speed until the spell duration ends, or until the character takes control by focusing his or her will (successful Will save, DC21). An attempt to control the sandals can be made each round, and once the character has control of the magic, it is as if he or she is subject to a normal fly spell. If the character is airborne when the spell's duration ends, he or she will plummet to the ground.

   Once the pass without trace and/or fly spell effects have run their duration, they cannot be invoked again until the next sunrise and the sandals are exposed to sunlight.

   Amazon-Specific Powers: Amazons need to roll a successful Will save of only DC11 to control the fly effect created by the Talara. This is in addition to, and a modification of, the benefits enjoyed by non-Amazons.

TEROTOS, THE WINGED HELMET

Terotos (also known as the Winged Helmet) is a simple, bowl-shaped helmet that is adorned with a pair of stylized wings. It is made from a silvery metal that never tarnishes. It was created by an Aeromancer named Hermes who died during the final battles between Atlantis and Olympus. It came into the possession of a line of Amazons during the Olympian evacuation of Earth, but was lost nearly 2,000 years ago when a group of Amazons on an expedition to the outside world were killed during the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii. Its current location is completely unknown, and any believed sightings have turned out to be false.

Powers of the Terotos

The following are attributes of this magical artifact.

   Standard Powers: The wearer of the Winged Helmet enjoys a +4 bonus to all Search and Spot skill checks. The wearer also enjoys the benefit of a find traps spell once per day, automatically spotting the closest trap within line-of-sight and 120 feet.

   If the character says "Terotos" while wearing the Winged Helmet, he or she is subjected to the effects of a haste spell as if cast at a 20th-level effectiveness. Once the haste effect has run its duration, it cannot be invoked again until the next sunrise and the helmet is exposed to sunlight.

   Amazon-Specific Powers: Amazons enjoy a +8 to all Search and Spot checks. The Amazon also enjoys the benefit of a find traps spell, at a 20th-level effectiveness. It can be used three times per day, and is invoked at will. The number of find traps spells available resets every sunrise and if the helmet is exposed to sunlight.

TALARA AND TEROTOS WORN TOGETHER

In addition to the benefits and effects described above, when worn together the Talara and Terotos bestow the following benefits:

   *When the word "Talara" is uttered, the wearer is subject to a normal fly spell, in complete control from the beginning and without the sudden upward launch.

   * The pass without trace remains in constant effect while the items are worn, unless ended through a powerful-enough dispel magic or an anti-magic field.

   * +4 bonus to saving throws to resist all electricity-based spells, as well as those based in the elements of air and water.

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All text in this post is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms.