elven lifespans?

[Voadam]

How old do standard high and gray elves get to be?

Is it plausible for a 16th level elven sorceress to be involved in battles 300 years ago? 700 years ago? Assume no life extension magic.

 

[Arnwyn]

1) That isn't in the PHB?

If not, then:
2) It varies by campaign world.

 

[Voadam]

I don't have access to a PH or MM right now, if they are in there that would be best.

 

[Mercule]

Check the PH, specifically, the Description chapter.

Otherwise, I can't help you much. I'm still using 1E ages so my elves live 1500 to 2000 years.

 

[DMH]

3rd ed elves live for about 800 years.

Here is a thread on rpg.net that I posted and questioned the reduction in lifespans:

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=128826

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

300 years ago, definitely. 700 years ago, I think you're getting towards the edge of plausibility, but if she's pretty old, yes. I don't have a PHB handy, but I seem to recall the standard elf having a lifespan in the 700-800 year range, possibly older. Gray Elves have always been considered to live longer than High Elves, Wood Elves and Drow to live shorter lives.

 

[Sejs]

Going by the PHB, elves hit the Venerable category at 350 years old, and have a maximum age of 350 + 4d100 years. So yes, she could have been in a battle 300 years ago - she'd be about the human equivalent of being in her late 60s now, and she was probably inexperienced at the time of the battle (or is/was some kind of prodigy). Likewise, she could have been in the battle 700 years ago; she would be the equivalent of a human that's just over 100 years old now, and she would have been a child/adolescent when that battle took place.

Then again, being an elf she probably isn't showing her age in the slightest. She's got all the standard age penalties and bonuses, but they're all under the surface.




Which is interesting, if you think about it. For elves having one of their own die of old age and not look any different physically than the rest of them. No stooped frame and wrinkled skin... your old friend Bill(thiel) looked exactly like you've always remembered him. It's just that one evening he went off to reverie and somewhere in the middle of it all his body went totally limp... and like just llike that, he was dead.

 

[Aaron L]

Or you could use 1E elven ages like we do, high elves max out at around 1600 years, grey elves at 2000. Much cooler.

 

[Tonguez]

Or you could use 1E elven ages like we do, high elves max out at around 1600 years, grey elves at 2000. Much cooler.

So what does that do for all those ancient prophesies and curses etc you know when the Humans are going

"it has been 3000 years since Sir Bob did battle with the Dark Scorcerer Dan"

and then the grey elf in the party pops up and says - "um excuse me but Dan was my uncle and he wasn't Dark, its you bloody humans that kept stealing his land that caused it all - god humans can be so damn annoying!"

 

[kirinke]

heck, go for the gold and make em lesser immortals like in tolkien.
half elves max out at 1000 years, but most kicking the bucket at around 500.
that's how it's supposed to be. yeh....