Hi, this is a question to get some input on a little dilemma I am having.
I created a Homebrew race, called Chetins. They are Beetle like humanoids, and can do all kinds of things, but for this discussion, it's important to know that they do not die of old age. They grow old, so they are not immune to aging, but do not become weaker. Instead, they constantly grow larger. The idea is, that most die from mating rituals, fighting and due to their general lifestyle. However, the strongest ones eventually die, simply because they cannot eat enough to sustain themselves.
Now comes the actual question:
What if someone cast Time Ravage on one of those Chetins? What would happen? Them simply growing until they crush the entire world doesn't seem quite right, nor that the growing suddenly stops either.
I'd say if they don't ever die of old age then you could either rule that that part of the spell has no effect, or that the same effects apply, but it will die from starvation, for the reasons you list above. If there were ones big enough to die that way in the past, surely they weren't large enough to crush the entire world.
Mixing homebrew content with other non-core content makes for a lot of headache.
For "realism", no creature can change size without taking in more matter, so unless the Chetin's growth is inherently magical, you could say that they rapidly starve. Their body would have to grow by consuming itself, so their bones would become more brittle and their flesh would become torn and stretched thin. They would be alive, but too weak to care for themself, and could be assumed to die within 30 days unless given extensive care.
There is also the issue of infinite growth. Just because a creature gets bigger doesn't mean it can do so indefinitely. Without magic, any creature would reach a point where their biological functions would start to fail. Their limbs would be unable to support their own weight, their lungs would be unable to supply enough oxygen, or their body would be unable to dissipate the heat that their body produces and they would roast from the inside out.
The practical solution would be to say that while no one has ever witnessed a Chetin being at risk of old age, when magically forced, the target eventually reaches some finite size that simply isn't sustainable.
There's actually no such thing as dying of old age. In practice something stops working for some reason, usually the heart. Maybe that doesn't apply equally to this race since it doesn't physically deteriorate, but I suspect the distinction is mostly a technicality. If size is a function of age and that size eventually kills you, well, old age is what kills you. Real life comparison: lobsters. Lobsters can theoretically live forever (well, that may be an exaggeration - but the point is that we don't know since it never comes to that for reasons I'll get to now). Their bodies will never stop working unless something makes them. And that something is the fact that they keep growing too. Their problem with infinite growth is their shell. They outgrow it, replace it with a bigger one, outgrow that one, and so on. They're vulnerable during this process, but assuming they don't get eaten or otherwise hurt while without its protection they can do this for a very, very long time. Eventually though, they simply can't summon the energy for this very taxing moult anymore and they'll die: either from exhaustion during their last moulting attempt, or from giving up on moulting and and one or more very unfortunate consequences of that (their shell falling apart, or their bodies literally getting trapped in too small a shell, etc). Now, does that mean they die 'of old age'? Maybe you don't think so, but I do. Making the distinction, to me, is splitting hairs.
The whole concept of "only 30 days left before it dies of old age" doesn't make sense (in reality, or in 5e). I suspect someone ported something over from 3.5e (where creatures did actually have a predestined lifespan).
The interesting consequence of this trait is that the more nutrient rich the Chetin/lobster is, the faster it will grow, and the shorter its practical lifespan will be. The really wise individuals among them might deliberately fast to slow the molting process and make each successive stage slightly smaller. The glutinous noble Chetins might be huge, but also die young, making each generation miss out on a couple decades/centuries of experience.
Hi, this is a question to get some input on a little dilemma I am having.
I created a Homebrew race, called Chetins. They are Beetle like humanoids, and can do all kinds of things, but for this discussion, it's important to know that they do not die of old age. They grow old, so they are not immune to aging, but do not become weaker. Instead, they constantly grow larger. The idea is, that most die from mating rituals, fighting and due to their general lifestyle. However, the strongest ones eventually die, simply because they cannot eat enough to sustain themselves.
Now comes the actual question:
What if someone cast Time Ravage on one of those Chetins? What would happen? Them simply growing until they crush the entire world doesn't seem quite right, nor that the growing suddenly stops either.
What are your thoughts?
I'd say if they don't ever die of old age then you could either rule that that part of the spell has no effect, or that the same effects apply, but it will die from starvation, for the reasons you list above. If there were ones big enough to die that way in the past, surely they weren't large enough to crush the entire world.
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
Mixing homebrew content with other non-core content makes for a lot of headache.
For "realism", no creature can change size without taking in more matter, so unless the Chetin's growth is inherently magical, you could say that they rapidly starve. Their body would have to grow by consuming itself, so their bones would become more brittle and their flesh would become torn and stretched thin. They would be alive, but too weak to care for themself, and could be assumed to die within 30 days unless given extensive care.
There is also the issue of infinite growth. Just because a creature gets bigger doesn't mean it can do so indefinitely. Without magic, any creature would reach a point where their biological functions would start to fail. Their limbs would be unable to support their own weight, their lungs would be unable to supply enough oxygen, or their body would be unable to dissipate the heat that their body produces and they would roast from the inside out.
The practical solution would be to say that while no one has ever witnessed a Chetin being at risk of old age, when magically forced, the target eventually reaches some finite size that simply isn't sustainable.
There's actually no such thing as dying of old age. In practice something stops working for some reason, usually the heart. Maybe that doesn't apply equally to this race since it doesn't physically deteriorate, but I suspect the distinction is mostly a technicality. If size is a function of age and that size eventually kills you, well, old age is what kills you. Real life comparison: lobsters. Lobsters can theoretically live forever (well, that may be an exaggeration - but the point is that we don't know since it never comes to that for reasons I'll get to now). Their bodies will never stop working unless something makes them. And that something is the fact that they keep growing too. Their problem with infinite growth is their shell. They outgrow it, replace it with a bigger one, outgrow that one, and so on. They're vulnerable during this process, but assuming they don't get eaten or otherwise hurt while without its protection they can do this for a very, very long time. Eventually though, they simply can't summon the energy for this very taxing moult anymore and they'll die: either from exhaustion during their last moulting attempt, or from giving up on moulting and and one or more very unfortunate consequences of that (their shell falling apart, or their bodies literally getting trapped in too small a shell, etc). Now, does that mean they die 'of old age'? Maybe you don't think so, but I do. Making the distinction, to me, is splitting hairs.
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The whole concept of "only 30 days left before it dies of old age" doesn't make sense (in reality, or in 5e). I suspect someone ported something over from 3.5e (where creatures did actually have a predestined lifespan).
Thank you for the very thought out reply. I like your way of thinking!
Hmmm, good comparison too the lobstor... So pretty much, they grow until the point they would normally not be able to outgrow. Seems logical.
The interesting consequence of this trait is that the more nutrient rich the Chetin/lobster is, the faster it will grow, and the shorter its practical lifespan will be. The really wise individuals among them might deliberately fast to slow the molting process and make each successive stage slightly smaller. The glutinous noble Chetins might be huge, but also die young, making each generation miss out on a couple decades/centuries of experience.
Huh...
I might just add that to the culture of the Chetins... Very cool idea, and makes the race more immersive. Thanks!