D&D General Death due to old age

[dave2008]

Aging is something that always bothered me. Even large campaigns usually only last a few years of in game time. Though I like the idea of using it, unless you do a multi generational campaign it just never really comes up.

That is why I think it should be an optional rule. As I mentioned in another post my player's characters have been adventuring for 10 years (in game) and are only level 14. It will probably be another 10 years to get to level 20 (if they make it). So aging could become a factor, but probably only if they get hit by a ghost.

 

[Nebulous]

That is why I think it should be an optional rule. As I mentioned in another post my player's characters have been adventuring for 10 years (in game) and are only level 14. It will probably be another 10 years to get to level 20 (if they make it). So aging could become a factor, but probably only if they get hit by a ghost.

How did you deal with 1st level hit points for such a long time? Surely they would have gotten killed much easier than PCs who level to 2nd after one session.

 

[Nebulous]

Aging is something that always bothered me. Even large campaigns usually only last a few years of in game time. Though I like the idea of using it, unless you do a multi generational campaign it just never really comes up.

What bother me about aging is that the long lived races, like elves, are no better skilled warriors or wizards than the short lived races, despite hundreds of years more practice.

 

[dave2008]

How did you deal with 1st level hit points for such a long time? Surely they would have gotten killed much easier than PCs who level to 2nd after one session.

We have a house rule where he have bloodied hit points (BHP) and we use DR when you're BHP are hit. This boost is most noticeable at first level the most. So at first level you have:

HP as normal + BHP. BHP = (CON mod + STR mod)x size (1 for Medium)
When HP = 0, damage comes off BHP - DR from Armor (Armor DR = armor AC - 10)
When BHP = 0, you die.
BHP do not increase with level, it is always: (CON mod + STR mod)x size (1 for Medium)

This also makes armor more important and provides an incentive to spend money on better armor, which helps with "improvement" while not actually increasing in level.

EDIT: I am sure one could do it by being cautious or going easy on the PCs, but that is not my style.

 

[Salthorae]

Ennui and differing focuses.

Dwarves are the best smiths in world usually because they practice for decades and centuries more than human smiths. But they don’t usually make the craft of war their whole focus.

Elves are flighty in focus and go from thing to thing. OR They have a long view, so for them to spend decades mastering a spell isn’t as big a deal.

I also really like Eberron designer Keith Baker’s take on why it takes an elf a 100 years to do something humans do in ten.

Spoiler

This ties to my idea that Aereni arcane magic presents very differently from Aundair’s path. At my table the idea is that the Aereni use a definitive lexicon of magical incantations, and that as an Aereni wizard you not only learn the 82 words for fire and the proper conjugation, you also learn to enunciate them with the exact pronunciation the elf who first scribed the spell… while Aundair’s Path is that each wizard works from a basic toolset but personalizes it. So four wizards from Arcanix are all using the same fundamental incantation for their fireball, but they are emphasizing different syllables, and they’ve added or dropped a few words to find out what works best for them. Their gestures are similarly unique. Think of it as the magical equivalent of music. The Aereni are a classical symphony orchestra, where each piece has to work just so; Arcanix teaches jazz, and every time you cast a spell the casting might be slightly different, as you adjust to the feelings of the moment. Which is why an Aereni spends a century learning the same foundation a human can master in a decade. It’s not that the elf is stupid; it’s that their wizardry is literally more ARCANE, and human wizardry is more “figure out what works and run with it.” I think the Aereni are appalled by human wizards and amazed that they somehow produce magic with their clumsy, kluge-y methods. Meanwhile, those same methods are why human wizards are coming up with things that the elves have never tried in twenty thousand years of working spells… because their approach to magic encourages creativity.

From this post on his blog Dragonmarks: Magicians

 

[Nebulous]

We have a house rule where he have bloodied hit points (BHP) and we use DR when you're BHP are hit. This boost is most noticeable at first level the most. So at first level you have:

HP as normal + BHP. BHP = (CON mod + STR mod)x size (1 for Medium)
When HP = 0, damage comes off BHP - DR from Armor (Armor DR = armor AC - 10)
When BHP = 0, you die.
BHP do not increase with level, it is always: (CON mod + STR mod)x size (1 for Medium)

This also makes armor more important and provides an incentive to spend money on better armor, which helps with "improvement" while not actually increasing in level.

EDIT: I am sure one could do it by being cautious or going easy on the PCs, but that is not my style.

Yeah that's cool. I so wish D&D had armor as damage reduction. Just makes more sense. So in your game, AC from armor exists as written, in addition to damage reduction, or is the AC itself calculated differently?

DR from Armor (Armor DR = armor AC - 10) So plate is DR 8 and leather is DR 1.
With a system like that you could also add in how certain weapons are more effective against certain armors. I know that's more granularity than 5e wants but i so so wish they'd release an Unearthed Arcana toolbox like they did with 3e.

 

[dave2008]

Yeah that's cool. I so wish D&D had armor as damage reduction. Just makes more sense. So in your game, AC from armor exists as written, in addition to damage reduction, or is the AC itself calculated differently?

AC is figured RAW.

I struggled with it (armor as DR) for a long time and we came up with this basic idea in 4e. I like it better now in 5e with keeping the AC rules RAW and limiting BHP to what you get at 1st level and that is about it (you still get some benefit from ASI increases too)

DR from Armor (Armor DR = armor AC - 10) So plate is DR 8 and leather is DR 1.

Correct, makes someone with plate very sturdy against lesser foes and makes an ancient dragon (DR 12 w/ 76 BHP) very difficult for peasants to take down. Even a critical hit may not get through its hide.

With a system like that you could also add in how certain weapons are more effective against certain armors. I know that's more granularity than 5e wants but i so so wish they'd release an Unearthed Arcana toolbox like they did with 3e.

Yep, I think a book with a whole host of variant and optional rules would be great. It would be even better if they could bundle some these rules into themes.

 

[Nebulous]

Yep, I think a book with a whole host of variant and optional rules would be great. It would be even better if they could bundle some these rules into themes.

It shouldn't be too difficult to do, and would greatly stretch the lifespan of 5e (I'm personally craving something crunchier). I think 5e would make an excellent modular ruleset. And yeah, add in rules for getting old!!!

 

[TiwazTyrsfist]

@dnd4vr Question about your chart.

In the Height modifier and Weight modifier columns, what does it mean when two die values are listed separated by a slash?

I.E. Dragonborn Height Mod +2d8/2d4 - Weight Mod x(2d6/2d4)

 

[Nebulous]

@dnd4vr Question about your chart.

In the Height modifier and Weight modifier columns, what does it mean when two die values are listed separated by a slash?

I.E. Dragonborn Height Mod +2d8/2d4 - Weight Mod x(2d6/2d4)

gender i guess