Aging penalties and Wild Shape

[sjeshin]

I can't seem to find anything to really clarify what KIND of penalty age imposes on your scores, or if it just flat out changes them. My question is, assuming a druid is under level 15, but into venerable (maybe he didn't get out much), do the changes to his physical ability scores carry over to wild shape? Are they penalties, or are they changes to the score like racial ability changes?

[Crake]

I can't seem to find anything to really clarify what KIND of penalty age imposes on your scores, or if it just flat out changes them. My question is, assuming a druid is under level 15, but into venerable (maybe he didn't get out much), do the changes to his physical ability scores carry over to wild shape? Are they penalties, or are they changes to the score like racial ability changes?

for reference, the penalties are written just under the age categories table in the phb, and are cumulative +1 to all mental abilities per age category and a cumulative -1, -2 and -3 to all physical (so a total of -1, -3 and -6 overall). These are actual adjustments, so no, they do not get carried over in wildshape, as wildshape overrides your physical abilities. Do note that the con change from wildshaping doesn't change your hp though, so with -6 con, they'd still have really low HP.

[sjeshin]

for reference, the penalties are written just under the age categories table in the phb, and are cumulative +1 to all mental abilities per age category and a cumulative -1, -2 and -3 to all physical (so a total of -1, -3 and -6 overall). These are actual adjustments, so no, they do not get carried over in wildshape, as wildshape overrides your physical abilities. Do note that the con change from wildshaping doesn't change your hp though, so with -6 con, they'd still have really low HP.

Ok, thank you. I wasn't really clear if they were adjustments or penalties. So much for geezer druidic avenger :(.

[XionUnborn01]

It would be cool to see an old druid that's weak in his old age turning into clearly older animals. A lion that's not quite as fearsome but you can tell has more cunning than a young pride leader and so on.

[Milo v3]

Wait... Wouldn't aged animals suddenly stop being animals because of their high intelligence?

[Gemini476]

Wait... Wouldn't aged animals suddenly stop being animals because of their high intelligence?
Well, really old animals actually being intelligent is a pretty old mythological trope. The most notable example would probably be something like Japan's fox-yokai, but I'm pretty sure that I remember some similar things from western myths as well.

That's most likely not intended, though. I'd repost that in the dysfunctional rules thread, if I were you.

[Phelix-Mu]

I'm not sure that things not actually noted as having age categories have them at all by RAW. I mean, of course most everything gets older, and that should change ability scores of animals and the like, but since no age categories are given, we can't assume it's tiered like in the PHB, or that the adjustments are the same (in fact I think it's fairly likely that they aren't).

If anyone has a bit of RAW that disagrees with this, though, I'd be very interested in a source.