Age

Alrik:Handicraft describes articles, which explain old school roleplay as was common in the 70s or 80s. Overall these are things missing from OSRIC™.

To model the effects of aging, different age groups must be determined for each race.

Race Starting age by class type [1]

_ _ _ _ Lizardman 0 12+1d4 000 — 000 — 0 20+2d4 Elf 130+5d6 500+10d10 150+5d6 100+5d6 Gnome 0 60+5d4 300+3d12 100+2d12 0 80+5d4 Half-elf 0 22+3d4 0 40+2d4 0 30+2d8 0 22+3d8 Halfling 0 20+3d4 0 40+3d4 0 40+3d4 0 40+2d4 Half-ogre 0 15+1d4 0 20+1d4 000 — 000 — Half-orc 0 13+1d4 0 20+1d4 000 — 0 20+2d4 Half-sea elf 0 22+3d4 0 40+2d4 000 — 0 22+3d8 Lokathah 0 12+1d4 000 — 000 — 0 17+2d6 Merman 0 15+1d4 0 20+1d4 0 24+2d8 0 20+1d4 Human 0 15+1d4 0 20+1d4 0 24+2d8 0 20+1d4 Sea elf 130+5d6 500+10d10 000 — 100+5d6 Dwarf 0 40+5d4 250+2d20 0 90+4d6 0 75+3d6 1. ↑ Warrior classes ; Priest classes ; Arcane classes ; Rogue classes Race Age group [1]

Young Adult Mature Middle Aged Old Venerable

Lizardman 13-16 17-44 45-80 81-120 (40) 121-250 (130)

Elf 101-175 176-550 551-875 876-1200 (325) 1201-1600 (400)

Gnome 51-90 91-300 301-450 451-600 (150) 601-750 (150)

Half-elf 24-40 41-100 101-175 176-250 (75) 251-325 (75)

Halfling 22-33 34-68 69-101 102-144 (43) 145-199 (55)

Half-ogre 12-18 19-40 41-80 81-110 (30) 111-140 (30)

Half-orc 12-15 16-30 31-45 46-60 (15) 61-80 (20)

Half-sea elf 24-40 41-100 101-175 176-250 (75) 251-325 (75)

Lokathah 11-14 15-32 33-50 51-70 (20) 71-99 (29)

Merman 14-20 21-40 41-60 61-90 (30) 91-120 (30)

Human 14-20 21-40 41-60 61-90 (30) 91-120 (30)

Sea elf 101-175 176-550 551-875 876-1200 (325) 1201-1600 (400)

Dwarf 35-50 51-150 151-250 251-350 (100) 351-450 (100)

1. ↑ Characters beyond the "Venerable" life stage are still considered venerable. For the "Old" and "Venerable" life stages, the interval length is given in parentheses, as it is important for calculating the maximum age. If a character reaches the respective age group, their ability scores are modified as indicated, whereby the specified modifiers for all age groups reached are cumulative. The modifiers are usually given in whole numbers, so that even a fighter with exceptional strength of 18/XX will be reduced to 17 as a result of a −1 negative modifier (exceptions only apply to middle-aged characters). Age group STR DEX CON INT WIS Young Adult ±0 ±0 +1 ±0 −1 Mature +1 ±0 ±0 ±0 +1 Middle Aged −1 [1] ±0 −1 +1 +1 Old −2 −2 −1 ±0 +1 Venerable −1 −1 −1 +1 +1 1. ↑ Fighters with exceptional strength halve their percentage value instead. No modification can exceed the maximum ability scores of the race or fall below the minimum ability scores of the race or class. The exception thereto is wisdom, which is the only ability that can exceed the maximum value of the race through aging. Charisma does not change with age. There are obviously children of every race, but they typically do not go on adventures and have not yet completed their education. They are therefore not relevant for the considerations presented here. How children should be represented in the game world is therefore up to the Game Master.

Unnatural Aging Some monsters, such as ghosts, cause unnatural aging, as do various magical factors. The following magic reduces lifespan and causes the affected person to age as indicated. A potion of longevity or other magical means can reverse unnatural aging to a limited extent. Magical Aging Causes Aging (years) Imbibing a potion of speed 1 Under a Haste spell 1 Casting Resurrection spell [1] 3 Casting Limited Wish spell [1] 1 Casting Alter Reality spell [1] 3 Casting Gate spell [1] 5 Casting Restoration spell [ 1] 2 Casting Wish spell [1] 3 1. ↑a b c d e f Casting one of these spells from a scroll will not cause unnatural aging. However, inscribing such a spell onto a scroll will cause unnatural aging! 2. Determination of the maximum age If the PC does not die from other causes, they will live to old age. The maximum age given for each race serves as a guideline to determine the exact age at which the character will die of old age using the following tables. The baseline age is the lower or upper interval limit of the specified age group. The variable age limit is then rolled and added to or subtracted from the baseline age. d20 Baseline age Variable age limit

Age group Interval limit

01-02 Old lowest age +1d8 time spans 03-05 Old highest age −1d4 time spans 06-12 Venerable lowest age +1d6 time spans 13-18 Venerable highest age −(1d10−1) time spans 19-20 Venerable highest age +(1d20−1) time spans Depending on the interval length of the determined age group, the time span of the variable age limit is determined as follows: Interval length Time span Additional Variation <100 1 year intervals — 100-250 10 year intervals ±(1d10−1) years >250 20 year intervals ±(1d20−1) years The additional variation is always given in years and is calculated in the same "direction" as the variable age limit. If the variable age limit is subtracted from the baseline age, the additional variation is also subtracted; if the variable age limit is added, the additional variation is also added.

Example: Alrik on his deathbed After a long life full of adventure and romance, Alrik feels that his body will soon fail him. A 16 is rolled on the d20, so Alrik lives as a human until a baseline age of 120 years. To determine the variable age limit, a second roll is made on a d10. This shows a 3, so 2 years are subtracted from Alrik's baseline age. Alrik passes away at the proud age of 118 surrounded by family and friends, who bid farewell to the hero who enriched their lives so much. If Alrik had been a dwarf, however, the same dice results would give a base age of 450 years minus 2 decades, since the interval length of venerable dwarves is 100. Another d10 would also need to be rolled to determine the additional variation. So a result of 4 would mean that 3 more years should be abstracted, resulting in a maximum age of 427 years.

Death from old age Death from old age is almost impossible to stop. Unless the character's lifespan is somehow extended, even a revived character will soon die again. Unless a spell or magical item explicitly extends lifespan or is a wish, death from old age will not be averted. Once a character's actual maximum age is reached, then it is final. Thus, characters who are confronted with death from old age will have to look for forms of immortality, either by becoming a lich or by living on in the loving memory of their children.