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 class is "not available" to that character race.
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, adding 2d6+1d4 to that base age. This would make the multi-class half-elven's age an average of 32-33.
Non-player characters of a character class will generally be older; we assume they have been out and about in the world for sometime, while the numbers shown indicate the player character at approximately the moment they have been released from their training. A general guideline of 1d4 years can be added per level of the NPC to indicate the amount of time spent in gaining levels, so that a 5th level NPC human mage would ordinarily be 24+2d8, +4d4 (four levels gained past 1st), for an average age of 43 years. As a guideline this can be ignored in special cases, because it can certainly take less than four years to gain four levels if the NPC has spent that time adventuring, while at the same time there's nothing to say that a 5th level mage cannot be 70+ years old.
Age Adjustments to Ability Stats
| Age Category | Range in Years | New Character | Grown Older |
|---|---|---|---|
| young adult | 13 to 20 | -1 wis, +1 con | -1 wis, +1 con |
| mature | 21 to 40 | +1 str, +1 con | +1 str, +1 wis |
| middle aged | 41 to 60 | +1 int, +1 wis | -1 str, +1 int, +1 wis, -1 con |
| old | 61 to 90 | -1 str, +1 int, +2 wis, -1 con, -1 dex | -1 str, +1 wis, -1 con, -1 dex |
| venerable | 91+ | -2 str, +2 int, +3 wis, -2 con, -2 dex | -1 str, +1 int, +1 wis, -1 con, -1 dex |
Depending on the age category into which a character's age falls, the character's ability stats are adjusted to reflect the character's generation. These categories are shown on the Age Adjustment table. When the character is first created, the player makes adjustments according to the "New Character" column. When a character ages during the game, moving from one age category to the next, the player makes adjustments according to the "Grown Older" column.
For example, the player rolls up a 1st level dwarven fighter that is 20 years old. This makes the character a "young adult." Using the New Character column, the fighter's wisdom is reduced by 1 point, while the fighter's constitution is increased by 1. As the campaign continues, the dwarven fighter advances to age 21, or "mature." Using the Grown Older column, the point of wisdom is restored and the character gains 1 point of strength. Once the character aged to being 41, the adjustments made for being middle aged would be applied to the character's stats.
