Lazarus Tonic
“Though I knew the alchemist had to be at least one hundred and thirty years old, his body was still that of a young man. It was as if he had not aged a day since discovering his formula decades ago. The same, however, could not be said of his mind. He continued to brew and consume that horrible elixir until he became so deranged that he could barely care for himself, much less brew his potions. I had him killed not only to put him out of his misery, but also to burn his blasphemous work.”
When you consume this inky-black potion, you do not age for the next 1d4 years and you permanently lose 1 point from a random attribute. After the potion’s duration has elapsed, aging begins again, though much more rapidly, until your body has caught up with your true chronological age. Drinking another Lazarus Tonic prevents this from occurring.
I love the idea, but it only really sounds meaningful in a campaign that spans 10-20 years! If that’s the aim then cool, I’d love to see a character that degenerated long-term due to the usage of this potion.
That said, it seems like the fictional effect isn’t tied to the mechanical one; -1 random stat is more a debility than making a character deranged (unless it lands on Int or Wis). I’d prefer if it made them slowly insane instead, probably a purely fictional thing. E.g. “When you drink this potion you risk part of your sanity. The GM will describe the toll it takes”, with options for hallucinations, voices, paranoia etc.
In a short campaign, losing one point randomly is a fairly hefty cost, especially as the benefit – not aging for a few years – isn’t that useful. Will a 40 year old be any less capable in your game’s fiction than a 37 year old?
True, this is more of a plot device rather than something that PCs will be actively seeking out.
Though now I’m starting to brainstorm an Immortal CC… I just need to think of some good moves for it.