Behold_the_Void
2006-08-29, 03:06 AM
Aging isn't terribly burdensome in most campaigns, but in some cases, it may actually come up. One thing I've never really liked about the rules for aging was the fact that you have a set age where you just die. People don't usually die because they just hit some point in their internal calendar and everything shuts down. Instead, it's more of a gradual deterioration over time.
So here's how I'm thinking it'd work. You have venerable, which has accrued you a total penalty of -6 to all of your physical stats. Instead of a character just kicking the bucket, why not keep increasing age categories?
By the point you reach venerable, you've been progressing at a fairly set amount of years for the next age progression. Let's take the human for example, they tend to progress every ninteen years-1 for each age category after reaching maturity. By the time you hit venerable, I'd say your body's likelier to deteriorate. So in this case, let's start bumping up the decrease in years by one for each expanded age group. the progression. It'd look a little something like this:
Human:
Maturity: 16 years old
Middle-Aged: 35 years old (19 years after maturity)
Aging (I'll be changing the descriptors a bit): 53 years old (18 years after middle-aged)
Old: 70 years old (17 years after Aging)
At this point, let's say the body is breaking down faster now.
Very Old: 85 years old (15 years after Old)
Venerable: 92 years old (12 years after Venerable)
Ancient: 100 years old (8 years after Venerable)
Shouldn't be Alive: 103 years old (3 years after Ancient)
With the increased age categories come penalties accruing at the normal rate. Thus, by the time you're Ancient, you have -21 to all of your physical stats. Also, eliminate the fact that aging cannot bring you to 0. Should that point be reached, your body is considered to have broken down to the point where you are bedridden and cannot move any longer. When your constitution hits 0 (assuming a disease or whatever doesn't carry you off first), you have died.
Now, in the case of the Monk and Druid Timeless Body, we resolve this in a different fashion.
One would be to make them effectively immortal. They aren't aging anymore. They aren't breaking down, and characters that high a level are hard to come by. High level Druids and Monks do not die until they are slain. If this is the case, I'd probably give Timeless Body to anybody who reaches Epic Level, or make it an available Epic Feat, probably with Expanded Lifespan as a prerequisite.
The other alternative is to track the constitution loss, but not apply it. When the Monk or Druid has lost enough constitution to die, the internal wear and tear has finally reached its apex, and the character's body can no longer continue to go on.
Anyway, just something I got an idea about looking over other people's posts in the aging thread. Any thoughts?
So here's how I'm thinking it'd work. You have venerable, which has accrued you a total penalty of -6 to all of your physical stats. Instead of a character just kicking the bucket, why not keep increasing age categories?
By the point you reach venerable, you've been progressing at a fairly set amount of years for the next age progression. Let's take the human for example, they tend to progress every ninteen years-1 for each age category after reaching maturity. By the time you hit venerable, I'd say your body's likelier to deteriorate. So in this case, let's start bumping up the decrease in years by one for each expanded age group. the progression. It'd look a little something like this:
Human:
Maturity: 16 years old
Middle-Aged: 35 years old (19 years after maturity)
Aging (I'll be changing the descriptors a bit): 53 years old (18 years after middle-aged)
Old: 70 years old (17 years after Aging)
At this point, let's say the body is breaking down faster now.
Very Old: 85 years old (15 years after Old)
Venerable: 92 years old (12 years after Venerable)
Ancient: 100 years old (8 years after Venerable)
Shouldn't be Alive: 103 years old (3 years after Ancient)
With the increased age categories come penalties accruing at the normal rate. Thus, by the time you're Ancient, you have -21 to all of your physical stats. Also, eliminate the fact that aging cannot bring you to 0. Should that point be reached, your body is considered to have broken down to the point where you are bedridden and cannot move any longer. When your constitution hits 0 (assuming a disease or whatever doesn't carry you off first), you have died.
Now, in the case of the Monk and Druid Timeless Body, we resolve this in a different fashion.
One would be to make them effectively immortal. They aren't aging anymore. They aren't breaking down, and characters that high a level are hard to come by. High level Druids and Monks do not die until they are slain. If this is the case, I'd probably give Timeless Body to anybody who reaches Epic Level, or make it an available Epic Feat, probably with Expanded Lifespan as a prerequisite.
The other alternative is to track the constitution loss, but not apply it. When the Monk or Druid has lost enough constitution to die, the internal wear and tear has finally reached its apex, and the character's body can no longer continue to go on.
Anyway, just something I got an idea about looking over other people's posts in the aging thread. Any thoughts?