Would You Allow an Old Starting PC?

[Mouseferatu]

I actually prefer playing older characters. My current druid, in his low 20s, is the first time I've played a character younger than I am in several years. I normally prefer characters who are just approaching middle age, but haven't quite gotten there yet. I recently played a cleric, though, who was definitely in his middle years.

I don't bother with age adjustments--positive or negative--with starting characters. I figure those adjustments are sort of already accounted for in his starting stats; I just worry about the ones that occur during play.

As for explaining why they're low-level at that age, well, there's all sorts of reasons. That cleric I mentioned? He'd been a crusader for St. Cuthbert for many years. But he'd also spent the last 10 retired, and presiding over his own church. I figured he was, as someone else suggested, just rusty, and not as spry as he used to be.

 

[Conaill]

Not exactly "Old", but i did play a middle-aged village cleric once. His kids were all grown up, his eldest son was taking over as village cleric, and his wife of 20 years had just passed away. So he figured he would go adventuring and see all those far-off places his grandfather used to tell him about from his travels.

(Apparently, his grandfather was quite the rascal before he settled down, and some of the longer lived NPC's the current PCs met in their travels still remembered him being chased out of town in some places etc... )

 

[Numion]

I talked with the player, and he thought that the idea of lost power was what he's going with. Either his power was siphoned by his former partner in EEEVIL when his character had a change of heart and tried to go neutral, or that he was smacked down by a god for his insolence. I'm not too keen on the second idea, since I like my gods a little less 'hands on', as I've expressed in other threads

I think that the former partner stealing his powers is worth pursuing. I could introduce him later as an arch-villain who's since become a lich, so he can have his vengeance. The vengeance angle might also be twisted by me so that his partner has since had a change of heart too - presenting a dilemma: will he still want revenge if his nemesis has spent years trying to make right the wrongs he's / they've (or she?) done?

Another aspect of this is that he plans that his wizard type character has also found god now. He starts as a cleric, and aims for the Mystic Theurge PrC, so he'll combine his former arcane knowledge in service to a god. Or just hedging his bet, knowing he'll need cleric Mojo too to defeat his former partner.

This is turning out really nice, methinks

 

[diaglo]

if the guy is gonna high five and all or talk like the young crowd... well then make him one.

i mean. he was apprentice to some other wizard. goofed up a spell and got aged. so he got kicked out of the wizard's employee. and now he looks like a wizened old man but is in fact a pretty lousy 2000ed fanboy... i mean lvl 1 novice.

 

[Numion]

if the guy is gonna high five and all or talk like the young crowd... well then make him one.

i mean. he was apprentice to some other wizard. goofed up a spell and got aged. so he got kicked out of the wizard's employee. and now he looks like a wizened old man but is in fact a pretty lousy 2000ed fanboy... i mean lvl 1 novice.

diaglo, you're cold as ice

 

[Meowzebub]

I am playing a older charater right now that devolved from a more experienced character as part of his background. A tragic struggle against undead and then 20 years drinking his life away from a bottle in order to forget his past. What was once a respectable military commander has been reduced to a synical, albiet wise, homeless man. He is 2nd level, with one level representing the last vestige of his former life, the other level is one his God/Patron has chosen for him though he refuses to accept it. The internal struggle he has with his God/Patron just makes him seem that much more crazy to those around him.

He is pared with a trio of youngsters which present many interesting and fun RP opportunities. They are conflicted as they look up in a way to the older, more experienced warrior, but clearly he is insane in some aspect and often drunk. The drinking helps silence his God/Patron trying to communicate to him in his dreams.

Perhaps not the standard way to go about it, but as mentioned earlier, it allows some immediate history with some of the heavy hitters of the campaign at an early level, other than the typical "You killed my Pa" approach.

 

[DonTadow]

Hi!

I'm starting the Shackled City campaign soon, and that means new 1st level PCs for my players. I discussed PCs with one player, and he envisioned a Gandalf-type old and wizened wizard. He thought about making an older PC, in short. Maybe he's aiming for the mental stat bonuses, or maybe he's just RPing, but thats beside the point. I just said "So what's he, an overage fratboy from Wizarding U? He's sixty years old and still first level!".

Still, it's his vision for the character, and who's to say that a 60 year old first leveler is any more unbelievable than 18 year old one who zooms to level 20 before he's 20 years old. There is still the consideration of the stat adjustments - he could play them to his advantage, because STR and DEX aren't that important to wizards, while INT is. CON is important too, so maybe that'll even out. Another point is that Elves have 120 year old 1st level guys all the time. He's planning a human, BTW.

So, the question for this discussion is, would you, or have you, allowed this kind of a 'late bloomer' characters?

Wow we must be on the same wavelength. I'm starting a shackled city campaign next week and hte character I've designed is a first level cleric between 45 to 50 "he got the calling late in life". Its something I've never done before and I figure its going to be really fun.

 

[Baron Opal]

The worst case scenario here is an dirty old man type of adventurer, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that. Can you picture Gandalf laughing maniacally while fireballing his enemies into kingdom come, then high-five his comrades and asking "who's your daddy", flirting with bar wenches one third their age (probably using charm person spells, to boot) and being obsessed with loot?

Gandalf, no. Saruman, oh yes.

I have a character just like this in my game now, although he didn't ask for the age related bonuses / penalties. He washed ashore with amnesia, and as he gaines levels he regains his memory.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I have played my share of old[er] characters and allow my players to play 'em too.

 

[MavrickWeirdo]

Lets look at the #'s

25 point buy

Human Wizard 1
Str 5, Dex 7, Con 9, Int 18, Wiz 16, Cha 13
HP 3
Init -2, AC 8
Attack -3 melee, -2 ranged
Fort -1, Ref -2, Will +5

Skill points 28
Appraise +4, Concentration +3, Decipher Script +8, Diplomacy +1, Gather Info +1, Heal +3, Knowlege Arcana +8, Knowledge Local +8, Listen +5, Search +4, Sense Motive +3, Spellcraft +8, Spot +5, Survival +3

2 feats, +familar (alertness), + Scribe Scroll

Speaks 5 languages (including common)

Knows 7 1st level spells (8 if specialist)