PC Ages

[Aaron L]

34 and a few months. that way when i reach the 35 middle age thingie i can powergame with the best of them.

Of course, It's much easier to just make them 35 to begin with and take the adjustment in character generation. Such an exploitation of the rules.

I usually start my characters at 25 or so, unless I want someone especially old or especially young.

 

[Kichwas]

I'm 'converting' non human ages over to human in thinking about this.

In pre modern societies adulthood begins when the girls start having periods. So I tend to make younger characters rather than people who, at age 20 or so; should already be about halfway through their lives and have 4+ offspring, a cow, three pigs, and a handful of chickens.

a medieval 16 year old is like a modern day 30 year old... time to get 'a real job', or get married before you become an old maid. By 20, you're looking into your retirement plan and starting to train your 6 - 8 year old son / daughter to take over.

 

[Mouseferatu]

It largely depends on character concept. But...

All else being equal, I've discovered that I seem to gravitate towards characters older than I am, but not by too much. When I was a kid, I wanted to play teenagers. When I was a teen, I was playing people in their low 20s.

Now that I'm staring 30 in the teeth early next year, I find myself preferring characters in their mid-30s to low 40s.

Wonder, when I'm 80 and still gaming, if I'll be playing undead.

 

[tetsujin28]

Believe it or not, all my PCs are generated using the completely random tables. So I get anything from 14 year-old, 4'11" fighters to hulking 30 year-old wizards.

 

[Dark Jezter]

My human PCs usually begin their adventuring careers at any point during their late-teens/early-twenties.

Although a player's age must meet the minimum starting age for his class.

The bloody idiots are elves! They're all over 100 year old!

Well, the reasons that elves begin at such a high age is because they spend several decades recieving intensive training in how to be aloof, condescending, and arrogant. They also learn about important subjects like dancing in the moonlight and singing to the trees.

 

[Gnarlo]

I allow my players to choose their age, with the minimum being the minimum on the random age tables. I guess it's a hold-over from the 1e days of slower levelling, but despite the fact that 3e's faster levelling means that aging almost never is a factor in the game, they all choose the lowest age possible to start play. If I didn't set a minimum age, they'd all have to have cohorts along to change their diapers and hand out the milk and cookies before nap time.

 

[tetsujin28]

they spend several decades recieving intensive training in how to be aloof, condescending, and arrogant.

So all your PCs are in academia, then?

 

[Steverooo]

Hijack Alert!

Well, the reasons that elves begin at such a high age is because they spend several decades recieving intensive training in how to be aloof, condescending, and arrogant. They also learn about important subjects like dancing in the moonlight and singing to the trees.

Y'know, it always bothered me that a 16 year old Human had more skill than a 120 year old Elf, and that that poor Elf had NO Perform (Dance, Sing) skills... So I did the same old thing I usually do when I'm irritated by something, in a game...

I sat down and thought about it, analyzed the situation, located the source of my irritation, and (since I couldn't smash it) formed a basic framework for the ideas, did some research, cobbled together an article, wrote and asked Ranger Wickett if he was interested in it (which I don't usually do), polished and reviewed it, received his reply that he was, did some more research and made a few additions, then polished it off, and sent him a few copies for possible publication in the ENWorld Players' Journal (should it be accepted).

Now, I have a system where older PCs begin the game with more knowledge and "Background Skills" determined by their race. Elves can Dance & Sing (to trees, or Elven Maids), climb trees without falling out of them, etc. Meanwhile, younger Humans can pick up a few Ranks in a career skill (what Dad trained them in, since "Adventuring aint a REAL job!"), and pretty much anyone can have Knowledge (Local).

/Hijack Alert

And back on topic... I prefer PCs who aren't on their very first adventure, so I like to start at over-20 (or 120, if Elven)! ;D

 

[nimisgod]

I usually play characters about my age, or at least somewhere in that range. That means, currently, somewhere in the vicinity of 18-22-ish

 

[Wombat]

I let the players' choose their age, as long as they are at least of "legal age" (usually 15 in my worlds).

Most of the players go for something between 18 and 25 as a starting age.