Aging
| Class | Dwarf | Elf | Gnome | Half-elf | Halfling | Half-orc | Human |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assassin | 27+1d4 | 14+2d4 | 20+1d4 | 16+2d4 | na | 37+1d6 | 20+1d4 |
| Bard | na | na | na | 33+1d4 | na | na | 25+1d4 |
| Cleric | 57+2d4 | 38+1d8 | 48+1d10 | 28+1d6 | NA | 30+1d6 | 20+1d4 |
| Druid | NA | NA | NA | 30+1d6 | 36+1d8 | NA | 22+1d4 |
| Fighter | 16+1d4 | 15+1d4 | 15+1d4 | 18+1d4 | 17+1d4 | 25+1d6 | 14+1d4 |
| Illusionist | NA | NA | 21+2d6 | NA | NA | NA | 29+2d8 |
| Mage | NA | 22+2d4 | NA | 23+2d6 | NA | NA | 24+2d8 |
| Monk | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | 23+1d4 |
| Paladin | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | 19+1d4 |
| Ranger | NA | 18+1d4 | NA | 21+1d4 | NA | NA | 17+1d4 |
| Thief | 25+1d4 | 12+2d4 | 18+1d4 | 14+2d4 | 29+1d6 | 35+1d6 | 18+1d4 |
When player characters are generated, it is necessary to establish the character's age. I usually do this with my character background generator, but in case I have to do it manually, and so that players understand the formulas for calculating age, I include the table shown on the right. Where "NA" appears, it is because that race has no access to training in that character class.
My game does not recognize the extended lifespans that are given to non-human characters in AD&D, so all character races are adjusted to fit the traditional human lifespan. The translation from AD&D has resulted in some characters being unusually old (dwarf and gnome clerics) or somewhat young (elven assassins and thieves). I consider that this disparity depicts a cultural prejudice against training individuals until they have reached a certain age, or the speed with which training can be mastered by one race as opposed to another.
Characters that are multi-classed should begin with the highest base number of the two or more classes chosen, then add the total modifiers of both classes to that characters age. For example, a half-elven fighter/mage would have a base age of 23 and then would add 2d6 + 1d4 to that base age. This would make the multi-class half-elven's age an average of 32-33.
