Conundrum of the ancient idiot

[Hairfoot]

One thing about the skill system that never quite gelled for me was the fact that a 1st level, 15-year-old half-orc ranger had the same range of skills and knowledge as a 1st level, 200-year-old elf ranger.

Do you think 4E will do something to address the incongruity of the age/skill gap?

 

[hong]

See, you wouldn't have this problem if you banned orcs and elves.

 

[Teflon Billy]

Eh, probably not.

The closest we might see is some kind of "prose" fix (explaining that Elves reach maturity at age 15--same as all the other races--and just live on indefinitely or something)

 

[hong]

Eh, probably not.

The closest we might see is some kind of "prose" fix (explaining that Elves reach maturity at age 15--same as all the other races--and just live on indefinitely or something)

That's pretty much what I've always assumed. Elves have the mother of all mid-life crises, which explains why they're always harping on about leaving for the west, or holing up in a hidden valley somewhere.

 

[Teflon Billy]

That's pretty much what I've always assumed. Elves have the mother of all mid-life crises, which explains why they're always harping on about leaving for the west, or holing up in a hidden valley somewhere.

...getting a red sportscart, dating that lady-elf who is only 2 millenia old

 

[billd91]

Eh, probably not.

The closest we might see is some kind of "prose" fix (explaining that Elves reach maturity at age 15--same as all the other races--and just live on indefinitely or something)

For what it's worth, I never found the idea that an elf's ages map to a humans proportionately. Being in diapers 50 years simply makes no sense for any society to survive under typical D&D conditions. I always figured they just had an extended adolescent period of their lives and had a "coming of age" and entry onto the adventuring scene at a later age.

 

[Frostmarrow]

For what it's worth, I never found the idea that an elf's ages map to a humans proportionately. Being in diapers 50 years simply makes no sense for any society to survive under typical D&D conditions. I always figured they just had an extended adolescent period of their lives and had a "coming of age" and entry onto the adventuring scene at a later age.

I always assumed elves lie. For, sure they live longer than humans so no one can be around to check their true age.

In the Soviet Union every other geezer lived to 130. It was due to the healthy living of communism.

 

[Fenes]

Possible explanations:

Elves just take longer to learn stuff unless forced to by their enviroment (i.e., adventuring). Left alone by outside pressure, their mental facilities go into hibernation mode, and they spend their days doing nothing - the ultimate couch potatoes, so to speak.

Elves overcomplicate stuff. They don't learn what leaves are poisonous, they learn what leaves were poisonous to what elf in the entire history of the ages, and the songs commemorating that. Adventuring elves learn the neccessities as quikly as other races and skip the rest, having not the time to spend on such luxuries.

They are elves. Don't ask why they are so slow to learn stuff, then advance as fast as the orc ranger from level 1 to 2, just accept that elven minds work in mysterious ways, randomly slowing down or speeding up.

 

[Aloïsius]

Another solution : correct the starting age of all long lived races (elves, dwarves, gnomes-huh, no gnomes-, halflings...). I think a young elf (25 years) is very unexperimented and prone to go adventuring. Somewhat like a 16 year old human runaway...

 

[Gort]

I like the idea of the "prose fix". Long-lived races simply live forever unless killed - they simply don't die of old age, ever, and they come of age at the same age as humans.

Problem solved.