Aging in the Ethereal Plane

[Beale Knight]

In the DMG the Ethereal Plane is listed as being Alterable Morphic, which is described under Planer Traits as meaning:

"...objects remain where they are (and what they are) unless affected by physical force or magic. You can..grow crops in an alterable plane, changing your immediate environment as a result of tangible effort."

From this I'm thinking that people in the ethereal plane would remain what they are, such as a ten year old girl, unless they put forth tangible effort to change the immediate environment of their age, presumably by some harnessing of willpower.

So in the ethereal plane no one will age unless they want to. This isn't specificly addressed in the core books, unless I've missed it somewhere, so clearly my conclusion is based on interpretation of that one paragraph.

My question is: Is this too much of a stretch or does it fit well with the whole nature of D&D-ness?

 

[Henrix]

You are stretching it too much.

Time passes normally on the ethereal plane in standard D&D. The astral plane is timeless, though.

Nothing is mentioned in the DMG about time on the ethereal plane because there is nothing special about time there.
Alterable morphic is the normal state of things, by the way. The material planes are also alterable morphic.

 

[jodyjohnson]

Isn't the Prime Material Plane alterable morphic as well?

That discription matches the material plane as well. You are reading too much into it.

 

[ARandomGod]

Isn't the Prime Material Plane alterable morphic as well?

That discription matches the material plane as well. You are reading too much into it.

Ex-actk-itacak-itcaly. In fact, if one resists the "peer pressure" to age well enough on the prime material, one doesn't have to age at all. As is evidenced by the "timeless body" ability that some classes get.

PS, although the "rules" say that characters with this trait die of old age when their "time is up", that's just propaganda. Such characters have learned to change their appearance to avoid suspicion that naturally attaches to the ageless, and they've let on that they do indeed die. But they don't. It's patently impossible for them to die of "old age", as they do not, in fact, age. However, sometimes they do just die. Typically speaking, any character who's proficient enough to prevent aging can also just pass on at will after a paltry few years in this state (the number of years required to reach this state varies from race to race, and is suspiciouly similiar to their natural lifespan....)

 

[Beale Knight]

Time passes normally on the ethereal plane in standard D&D. The astral plane is timeless, though.

That discription matches the material plane as well.

Thanks for the replies. I was thinking I might have been thinking wrong. These inconvenient facts will have to be worked around to do what I had in mind then. I appreciate the help.