Aging-
Aging-
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In order to establish the
overall effects of age,
it is necessary to establish
a number of standard age brackets for each race of characters.
When age category is established,
modify ability scores accordingly,
making each change progressively
from young adulthood,
all additions and subtractions
being cumulative.
The only ability which may exceed 18 due to age effects (unless age restricts this) is wisdom.
Most adjustments are in whole
numbers, so that 18 strength drops to
17, even if it is from 18/00, as exceptional strength is not considered.
| Race | Young Adult | Mature | Middle Aged | Old | Venerable |
| dwarf | 35-50 | 51-150 | 151-250 | 251-350 | 351-450 |
| dwarf, mountain | 40-60 | 61-175 | 176-275 | 276-400 | 401-525 |
| elf, aquatic | 75-150 | 151-450 | 451-700 | 701-1000 | 1001-1200 |
| elf, Drow | 50-100 | 101-400 | 401-600 | 601-800 | 801-1000 |
| elf, gray | 150-250 | 251-650 | 651-1000 | 1001-1500 | 1501-2000 |
| elf, high | 100-175 | 176-550 | 551-875 | 876-1200 | 1201-1600 |
| elf, wood | 75-150 | 151-500 | 501-800 | 901-1100 | 1101-1350 |
| gnome | 50-90 | 91-300 | 301-450 | 451-600 | 601-750 |
| half-elf | 24-40 | 41-100 | 101-175 | 176-250 | 251-325 |
| halfling | 22-33 | 34-68 | 69-101 | 102-144 | 145-199 |
| half-orc | 12-15 | 16-30 | 31-45 | 46-60 | 61-80 |
| human | 14-20 | 21-40 | 41-60 | 61-90 | 91-120 |
Young
Adult: Subtract 1 point of wisdom,
add 1 point of constitution.
<START: -1 WIS, -1 CON>
Mature:
Add 1 point of strength, add 1 point
of wisdom.
<START: +1 STR, +1 WIS>
Q: A 20-year-old human
fighter has a
strength of 18/01. When
he reaches
the age of 21 (mature),
he gains one
point of strength. What
is the fighter
?s new strength score?
A: The character?s
new strength score is
18/11. The additional point
of strength
equals 10% on the exceptional
rating.
(137.68)
Middle
Aged: Subtract 1 point (or half exceptional rating) of strength
and 1 point of constitution;
add 1 point of intelligence
and 1 point of wisdom.
<START: +1 INT, +1 WIS>
Subtract 2 points of STR,
2 points of
DEX, and 1 point of CON;
add 1 point of WIS.
<START: -2 STR, +1 INT,
+2 WIS, -2 DEX, -1 CON>
Myrkul (god of old age)
Venerable:
Subtract 1 point of strength, 1 point
of dexterity, and 1 point of constitution;
add 1 point of intelligence
and 1 point of wisdom.
<START: -3 STR, +2 INT,
+3 WIS, -3 DEX, -2 CON>
It is important to remember
that adjustments cannot exceed racial maximums nor can they be used
if they cause abilities to exceed stated maximums.
Likewise, any adjustments
cannot lower any ability below racial or class minimums.
Q: Page 13 of the
DMG says that
adjustments due to aging
will lower
an ability score a full
point, so that a
– 1 will reduce an 18/00
strength to
17. Yet under “Middle Aged,”
it says:
“Subtract 1 point (or half
exception-
17. Yet under “Middle Aged,”
it says:
al rating) of strength.”
Please resolve
this contradiction.
A: The text has been
changed in a later
printing of the DMG. When
going from
“Mature” to “Middle Aged,“
a character
loses one point of strength
or half the
exceptional rating. Thereafter,
any loss
lowers strength a full point.
A percentage-
rated 18 strength at middle
age drops
to 16 with the two-point
loss at “Old.”
(144.7)
<add COM modifiers to the START lines>
Certain creatures will cause
unnatural aging, and in addition various magical factors can do so.
The following magic causes
loss of life span, aging the practitioner as indicated.
See also DISEASE
for other unnatural aging causes.
(longevity potions and possibly
other magical means will offset such aging to some extent.)
Magical
Aging Causes:
casting
alter
reality spell 3 years
casting
gate
spell 5 years
casting
limited
wish spell 1 year
casting
restoration
spell 2 years
casting
resurrection
spell 3 years
casting
wish
spell 3 years
imbibing
a speed potion 1 year
under
a haste spell 1 year
Note: Reading one
of the above spells from a scroll (or using the power from a ring or other
device) does not cause unnatural aging,
but placing such a spell
upon the scroll in the first place will do so!
(Cf. Death Due to Age subsection of DEATH.)
phasedoor wrote:
Gary
Does your ADandD 1st edit. Greyhawk campaign allow me to be a human male PC who is 5feet and 5inches tall at the age of 45 years?
sure, why not?
I'd likely have taken one poit from Dexterity due to age and added one to Wisdom, but that's about all I'd have required in regards that PC.
Cheers,
Gary
Handy Haversack wrote:
Hi Gary,
Another incredibly picayune AD&D question for you: do you think that if age raises a fighter's STR to 18 he should then get to roll for exceptional STR?
The fate of nations hangs on your answer! Well, OK, the fate of one half-orc we made at a bar last night. But maybe I'll make the player name him Nations!
Thanks.
HH
Actually, following my stats
for Conan, I'd have to say yes, there is a need to roll, but the table
will need to be adjusted.
Initial roll under 51 = 18/xx
Str comes in d2 years
Initial roll 51-75 = 18/50
Str, and 18/xx comes in d2 years
Initial roll 76-90 = 18/50
Str, 18/75 comes in d2, 18/xx in d2 more
etc.
Cheers,
Gary
Salut HH:)
right, the initial rll determines the character's potential greatest Str.
The growing strength as the fighter matures subsumes active physical exercise to build the greater prowess.
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tuzenbach
I was curious about something.
What are your views regarding magical aging, both in 1E and how the rules
currently work in 3E? IMHO, today's rules governing magical aging are nothing
more than the RPG version of "Affirmative Action" for all races who's lifespan
neither meets nor exceeds 160 years.
Back in 1E, I liked the idea that if the party met with a ghost, it was OK for the humans, half-orcs, and halflings to immediately run from it and have the elves and dwarves deal with the foe. That circumstance made ghosts more frightening and gave long-lived races a certain kind of "specialness". Granted, 1E held that dwarves and elves could advance no further than 10th or 14th level respectively, but that's neither here nor there.
I don't care to make comparisons
between OAD&D and new D&D. I will say, though, that I concur with
your evaluation of the aging effects in the original game, and that human
and non-long-lived PCs were meant to flee opponents who could age them,
that being more fearsome even than level loss!
As for level limits for demi-humans,
there was none on the thief aspect, and in my estimation, and such PC that
hit the maximum levels possible was either playing for a very long time
or in a Monty Haul campaign. It took me five years to work my dwarf fighter,
Zigby, to his level limit. He didn't go on all that many adventures as
my single PC, but he was there getting half experience on many a big-time
foray with Mordenkainen and/or Bigby and the rest.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mistere29
Somwhere in the DMG is a
chart that has age modifers for demi-humans. The gist of it is that magical
aging assumes a human life span. If a race lives twice as long as humans,
for example, then all aging effects are doubled.
Plus there is always the system shock roll.
Considering the lifespan
gor humans subsumed in the game, even an adjusted loss of longevity for
use of speed potion is minimal.
As for use of system shock,
I never employed that foe the consumption of potions.
In a magical milieu, only
a misbrewed potion would be likely to have ill effects on the one quaffing
it
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by rossik
hi gary!
what do you think of characters
and age?
i mean, isnt odd a 1st lvl
M-U old, bald, with long beard?
i always try to make young 1st lvl characters....whats your thoghts about this?
I am in agreement with you,
although a fledgling m-u will likely be a good deal older than a 1st level
fighter.
So for beginning PCs I suggest
age 18 or so for a fighter or thief,
age 21 or so for a cleric, and age 25 or thereabouts for a magic-user.
Cheers,
Gary
