Aging

When a character has completed their training, it is necessary to establish the character’s age. With player characters in my game, this is calculated with the character background generator. However, to ensure that players understand the source of those numbers, as the table shows.

My game does not recognize the extended lifespan of demi-humans, but supposes that most humanoids fit the human model. The range of ages means to reflect that different races learn their class skills at different rates. Note that this means that all dwarven and gnomish clerics will be quite old.

Characters who are multi-classed should add all modifiers to the base score of the eldest class age shown, +1d6. For example, a human fighter/cleric would start with 20 (from the cleric), then add 2d4 & 1d6 to that number. A half-elven fighter/mage would start with 23, adding 1d4 & 3d6 total (two dice from the half-elf and one multi-classed die).

Once the character’s age is established, adjustments for the character’s age must be applied to the character’s ability stats. The table indicates the five age categories, with a column for when the character is first created, or initiated into the campaign, with a second column showing the adjustment when the character ages up to that category.

Characters who choose race/class combinations should be aware of the sacrifices that come with old age, as well as the bonuses. A dwarven cleric gains the benefit of wisdom and intelligence in exchange for physical benefits. It is always possible for a character to exceed 18 with their ability stats through aging.

As the table indicates, age must be kept track of from year to year of the campaign. Game time years are added and characters are able to move upwards into elder categories.

Death Due to Age

As player characters are presumed to be exceptional compared to other characters, for game purposes player characters are exempt from death by natural causes, except by disease, until they reach the age of 61. Once a character reaches that age, a roll is made, starting with the top line of the chart shown. A note is made that this roll of 5d12, or 5-60, has been made. This will indicate the number of months that will pass, added to the character’s 61st birthday, before a “fate check” will be made. Once the month of the check is calculated, a d30 is added to that date for the specific future day of the fate check.

For example, a character, John, turns 61 years old on March 11th, 1651. He rolls 5d12, gaining a result of 28. Adding this number of months, the calculation gives us July 11th, 1653. Rolling a d30 produces a result of 14. Therefore, on July 25th, 1653, John will make his fate check to see if he was fated to die of old age on that day. A note is then made that John has made his 1st progressive old age check.

The success of the fate check is calculated by adding the character’s present constitution to 80. This produces a two-digit number that is the percentage that must be rolled by John in order to survive.

If John’s constitution is 14, then his fate survival chance is 94%. If John rolls above that, then John is dead of old age.

Success is followed by moving to the next line of the progressive age check, where 5d10 is rolled (5-50). Again the number of months is added to the date of the last fate check, plus 1d30 days, at which time another fate check must be made. A note is made that the 2nd roll has been used. This process then continues until the character dies.

A character that has died of old age may be restored by raise dead ~ however, a note should be made that the next progressive check is skipped, and the one below that is used.

In the example given above, if John dies on the 25th of July, 1653, and is raised, his NEXT roll would not be 5d10, but 4d12, the 3rd line shown on the chart. Each time a character dies of old age and is either raised or resurrected, a line on the progressive old age table is skipped.

If the character should survive until they have reached the line on the chart that indicates 1d4 months (plus 1d30 days), will pass before their next fate check, then from that time forward this line on the chart will be used until the character passes away.