Making Elders of the Universe

Elders of the Universe are a type of immortal being. The wellspring of their immortal life forces is their passion for a single pastime, obsessively pursued throughout most of their mortal lives. If this passion for their hobbies is enough, they may have what it takes to shrug off their mortality.

Four billion years ago, your home star grew cold and dark. Your galaxy collapsed on itself two billion years ago; all that remains now is a dark singularity. Of all the trillions of lifeforms in your galaxy, you alone fled and escaped the death of your race. Of all the trillions of lifeforms, you alone understood that to live one needs a passion. Of all the trillions, you alone. Alone. This is what it means to be an Elder of the Universe.

The Elders are the only survivors of the first galaxies that formed in the wake of the Big Bang. Each comes from a different race and a different galaxy. Each has achieved immortality and moves freely through space. And each wields the power of a god, though the forms of this power are as varied as the Elders themselves. Long ago, every Elder realized the key to eternal life lay in an all encompassing task that prevented its pursuer from losing interest in life. To this end, some elders have chosen to perfect their mental or physical potentials, and others have dedicated their lives to Herculean errands that can never be finished. Whatever the pursuit, it is immense, perhaps even impossible for with fulfillment comes oblivion.

There is no set way to determine how much zeal it takes to become an Elder. It just sort of happens. Furthermore, the Elders' contention that one has to be the last of their species to be one of them seems to just be a matter of convenience; most of them are the last of their kind only because they are so darned old. One can generate an Elder by rolling up statistics for them as an alien (with the Advanced Player's Handbook) or a deity (with the Ultimate Powers Book). It is important to note that an Elder typically has higher ranks in his or her Endurance, Intuition, and Psyche ranks.

It is probably best, however, to model an Elder, rather than roll one up randomly. No tables can generate the proper balance of ability scores and powers to represent an Elder of the Universe properly...

Standard Powers for the Elders are presented below:

• Immortality: Having pursued their personal hobby to their mortal limits and beyond, Elders of the Universe have transcended mere mortality. An Elder can be reduced to Shift 0 Endurance and 0 Health; he can be killed, but he will not die. The only thing that will put an Elder down for good is a loss of his desire to further the pursuit of his personal interest; any other defeat will only be temporary. Should he lose this passion, his life force will shut down, and he will die at once.
• Power Primordial: The original energies of the universe, this power is at the command of the Elders. Primarily, it is a framework for all the powers that represent the Elder's mastery of their passion, and can take any form. For example, the Contemplator manifested vast psionic powers, while the Gardener wielded power over plants. The powers taken should reflect and enhance the Elder's hobby, but still be useful to some extent, should the Elder be subject to violence.
• Invulnerabilities: Elders are immune to Disease, Poison, and Aging effects at Class 1000 rank. Some Elders (most notably those shown in the comic books) also have this resistance to Energy attacks, as well. Unless this is an NPC, I don't recommend that.
• Resistance to Pressure Variance: Rather than a complete immunity to energy attack, I recommend that new Elders simply have Unearthly resistance to external pressures, allowing them to exist in the vacuum of space (or in harsh atmospheric pressures) without problem.
• Self Sustenance: Elders have no need of sustenance of any sort, be it food, drink, or even air. Some Elders no longer even need to sleep!
• Telepathy: Elders all have this power, at least at Feeble rank, allowing them to converse with others all the time, even in space!

All this is the easy part. When making an Elder, his origin and personality are the most important, as Elders should stand out compared to other characters, as they are indeed special beings. A Judge (or lucky player) should spend an extra amount of time figuring these matters out.

By Firebomb