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Welknair
2010-11-10, 11:46 AM
I have a few objections to the aging system in DnD 3.5. Namely, the effect on the personality scores.

According to real life:
You get wiser (by a deal)
It gets harder to learn new things
You get wrinkly
You eventually become senile
Your hearing and eyesight eventually fade


According to DnD:
You get a bit wiser
You get a deal smarter
Things get easier to learn
You become more attractive
Your senses get better


....

Am I missing something?

Yora
2010-11-10, 11:48 AM
No, that's about it.

Except that Charisma is a mental stat, not a physical one.

Kaww
2010-11-10, 11:48 AM
Yes, dragonwrought kobolds... :smallbiggrin:
Also high charisma doesn't equal good looks.

hamishspence
2010-11-10, 11:49 AM
It does have "you get clumsy" "you get weak" and "your physiology gets fragile" as well.

But the mental stats always getting better is a little odd. Especially Wisdom, as a sensory stat.

Maybe Flaws from Unearthed Arcana (for vision and hearing) could be added to represent it better?

zephyrkinetic
2010-11-10, 11:54 AM
I think the increasing Charisma is intended to demonstrate the "wizened sage who kindly dispenses advice" sort of thing. Or "nice old lady that bakes brownies a lot." But that's totally bogus, because a lot of old folks I know are mean, stubbon curmudgeons. Some are racist, or think that women should never have gotten the vote. So, yeah. Just houserule that their personality is amplified, and throw the Charisma rules out the window. 'Cause some old people suck.

Yora
2010-11-10, 11:58 AM
Bu that's because they are *******s, and probably have been so 50 years ago as well. :smallbiggrin:

Yuki Akuma
2010-11-10, 01:33 PM
People don't get more or less pleasant as they get older. A nasty old man was probably equally as nasty when he was twenty.

Personality does not change, barring brain damage, once you stop maturing.

hamishspence
2010-11-10, 01:35 PM
They might get a better understanding of social skills though- knowing how people tick, what to say to manipulate them or inspire them, and so on.

Diplomacy and Bluff ranks might represent specialist training, and the boost from aging, might represent "life experience".

Murdim
2010-11-10, 02:26 PM
I would say that the aging system was only ever really meant to be applied to badass adventurers, powerful archmages and dignified monarchs, because those characters are expected to age gracefully and grow wiser for the sake of epicness. Not so that a sizeable minority of level 1 commoners can reach a supposedly superhuman level of mental ability as soon as they celebrate their 35th, 53rd or 70th birthday.

If that doesn't stop you from trying to make sense of the aging rules... Abilities scores in the 10-11 range are supposed to represent the human average, right ? How does that interact with aging bonuses and penalties ? :smallamused:

The awful truth is that in D&D, you need to be a significant character in order to have such a thing as a past. Spear carriers are born the way they are, at the age they are, with the clothes they wear.