Age again rears its ugly head

[lordxaviar]

Greetings all I have been updating conversions of modules. I am working on dwellers of the forbidden city I-1 at the moment
working on the wizard in it I looked at the older conversion and realized they had left out age... I still guess most people dont use age... i always have - well from the first hard back dmg anyway

ok my point was how to age a higher level npc? I came up with a system based on a lifetime (possible) achievement of 20th level and starting age of the lowest possible rolls.. for a Wiz that is 17. I used the following 2 years for the first 3 levels then 3 years for the next 3 4/3lv then 5/3 the 6/2, 7/2, 8/2 then 9/1 maxing out at 110years and 20th level..

what do ya think? makes certain choices more inevitable as the npc worries more and more about their death.

 

[Crothian]

I make NPCs the age they need to be. If I need an old 17th level wizrad then he's old, but if he needs to be 25 and level 17 then that works just fine for me too.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

I don't think most people are capable of making it past fifth or sixth level no matter how long they live. That's why ancient high-level elves and dwarves don't overrun the world.

A 1st level Commoner with Skill Focus is a highly trained professional. A 3rd level Warrior is a hardened veteran. A 6th level Expert is a multidisciplinary genius. An 8th level Paladin is a living saint. A 12th level Fighter is a legendary hero. A 15th level Druid is an unstoppable force of nature. A 20th level Wizard is a demigod.

So yeah. Every level you take is a level in badass, so if I want to show that someone's grown considerably over the years, I bump them up two levels and one age category.

 

[Aoric]

Greetings all I have been updating conversions of modules. I am working on dwellers of the forbidden city I-1 at the moment
working on the wizard in it I looked at the older conversion and realized they had left out age... I still guess most people dont use age... i always have - well from the first hard back dmg anyway

ok my point was how to age a higher level npc? I came up with a system based on a lifetime (possible) achievement of 20th level and starting age of the lowest possible rolls.. for a Wiz that is 17. I used the following 2 years for the first 3 levels then 3 years for the next 3 4/3lv then 5/3 the 6/2, 7/2, 8/2 then 9/1 maxing out at 110years and 20th level..

what do ya think? makes certain choices more inevitable as the npc worries more and more about their death.

Sounds like you put in a lot of what a former president refers to as fuzzy math. I think it's a good rule to help define the level of commitment it takes to shape magical energies. However I personally decide based off of what I want to portray the NPC as.

As a guide alone good idea you could even modify it to reflect the level of magic in the campaign world. Low magic worlds require a greater level of commitment. High magic worlds require lesser commitment. just some thoughts good post.

 

[lordxaviar]

just to give a little more info... the wiz in the mod is (or was) a 12th lv with a 4th lv apprentice .

 

[Rhun]

I make NPCs the age they need to be. If I need an old 17th level wizrad then he's old, but if he needs to be 25 and level 17 then that works just fine for me too.

This is what I do. I'm the DM...and all NPCs in my games are the age I determine them to be. I don't see the need to try to shoehorn some formula for determining age into my game.

 

[lordxaviar]

This is what I do. I'm the DM...and all NPCs in my games are the age I determine them to be. I don't see the need to try to shoehorn some formula for determining age into my game.

Ok im not shoe horning anything... was just a rational attempt to make the age of a higher lv combatant make sense. i guess I could have a 12 lv 20 year old.

I was also curious to see if anyone even uses age, over the years i have found very few so there is only positive growth in characters, with no drawbacks, no end

Monty still lives...

 

[kitcik]

The only campaign I played in long enough for age to become a factor was my high school 1E campaign (I had a 33rd level cleric by the end).

However, in 1E, there was the Potion of Longevity so, while my DM did use aging rules, they never impacted the party members.

 

[Rhun]

Ok im not shoe horning anything... was just a rational attempt to make the age of a higher lv combatant make sense. i guess I could have a 12 lv 20 year old.

I was also curious to see if anyone even uses age, over the years i have found very few so there is only positive growth in characters, with no drawbacks, no end

Well, while it is possible to have a 12th level 20-year old, it would be rare in my game. But it could certainly happen. Take some of the recent fiction for example: in Song of Ice & Fire series, Ser Loras is renown as one of the most skilled warriors in the land, and yet he is only 17 years old.

D&D does include age rules that reflect the drawbacks of growing old. Obvious I'd apply those ability score modifications to a PC/NPC of the appropriate age category.

 

[Axel]

D&D does include age rules that reflect the drawbacks of growing old. Obvious I'd apply those ability score modifications to a PC/NPC of the appropriate age category.

It's not just drawbacks. You gain Int and Wis as you age, which is not unreasonable (though paradoxically it gives you better Spot/Listen checks). Also, you gain Charisma...because everyone likes old people better. Right?

I have played a middle aged character before - Wizard. I had fairly ordinary rolls (3d6 and assign to preference) for stats and "needed" to get his Intelligence up. Worked well for me.

In terms of NPC age... Chalk me up as the 30th for "make it up as you go along". Is it knowing his precise age relevant to the encounter? Maybe you could just describe him as a "Powerfully built man well past his prime; his raven black hair now streaked with grey."