Child Characters for D20

[TheWarBlade]

This sorta popped into my head

How you play them stat-wise? would they be small? bonuses to stats?

[Ranis]

I classify children under "mooks."

[Vespe Ratavo]

There's already been a few threads about this. I can't find the thread, but one person made up these little "feats" that essentially give kids mini versions of classes (i.e. The "Wild Child" that can rage once per day or something like that) but they get overtaken by the full class, or if the kid takes a different class when he grows up, he can still sorta use it. That, and I think that you roll their stats as they grow (i.e. One die when they turn 5, another at 10, and the last two at 15, etc)

[Saph]

Elves are good if you want to play a child character.

The PHB lists elves as reaching adulthood at 110, but if you read Races of the Wild it's more interesting than that. Normal elves reach physical maturity at 25, but they don't reach emotional and cultural maturity until they're over a hundred.

So if you want to play a child character, you can just play an elf who's 40-90 years old - they'll have full physical stats and can use a normal character class, but they'll act more like a human child or teenager.

- Saph

[Orzel]

Elves are good if you want to play a child character.

The PHB lists elves as reaching adulthood at 110, but if you read Races of the Wild it's more interesting than that. Normal elves reach physical maturity at 25, but they don't reach emotional and cultural maturity until they're over a hundred.

So if you want to play a child character, you can just play an elf who's 40-90 years old - they'll have full physical stats and can use a normal character class, but they'll act more like a human child or teenager.

- Saph

Elf: Mr. Dragon, why you breathe fire?
Dragon: I like burning people.
Elf: Why?
Dragon: Because it's fun.
Elf: Why?
Dragon: Because people run funny when burning.
Elf: Why?
Dragon: I don't know.
Elf: Why?
Dragon: Bec- Shut up, kid. Go way. Tele-
Elf: Shivering Touch Why?
Dragon: Just kill me.
Elf: Okay, I love you, Buh-bye!

[AtomicKitKat]

Oh dear Gygax, Mindy-elf. That's just scary.

[Saph]

Elf: Mr. Dragon, why you breathe fire?
Dragon: I like burning people.
Elf: Why?
Dragon: Because it's fun.
Elf: Why?
Dragon: Because people run funny when burning.
Elf: Why?
Dragon: I don't know.
Elf: Why?
Dragon: Bec- Shut up, kid. Go way.

We had an encounter between the elf in our group and a dragon that went a bit like that . . .

- Saph

[Yuki Akuma]

I class children in three 'age categories': Infant, Child and Adolescent.

Infants are two size cateories smaller than an adult. They receive a -8 penalty to Strength, -4 to Dexterity, Constitution, Wisdom and Charisma, and a -2 penalty to Intelligence. They have no feats, and have no skill points. They have 1/4 of a d8 for their HD (average HP for an infant human would therefore be 1). They have no language, until age 2, where they learn their parents' native tongue (and not Common unless their parents speak Common at home). At age 1 they gain a base speed of 1/6 their adult form's speed; at age 2 this improves to 1/3, and at age 3 it improves to 1/2. At age 5 they become children.

Children speak their native language, as well as any other automatic languages of their race. They have a base land speed of 2/3 the norm for adults of their race. They have a -4 penalty to Strength, Dexterity and Constitution, a -2 penalty to Wisdom and Charisma, and no penalty to Intelligence. They gain 1 skill point, plus any bonus skill points for having a high Intelligence. If they're human, they also gain their bonus feat at this time. They have 1/3 of a d8 as their HD (so their average HP doesn't actually change unless they have an obscene Constitution). Children may take class levels, which replace their normal skill points with those for their class, and they gain any bonus languages they would be entitled to for their high Intelligence. Children with class levels are very rare, however, and most of these children would be rogues, sorcerers or wilders, with a small number of barbarians from particularly 'savage' backgrounds. When they reach the age of 12, they become adolescents.

Adolescents have the same size, base speed and languages of their adult forms. They have a -2 penalty to Dexterity, Wisdom and Charisma. They gain their first level feat at this time, and their HD improves to a 1/2d8. They may take class levels as normal.


...Of course, YMMV. This only applies to humanoids, by the way.

[Vespe Ratavo]

Adolescents have the same size, base speed and languages of their adult forms. They have a -2 penalty to Dexterity, Wisdom and Charisma. They gain their first level feat at this time, and their HD improves to a d6 (making the average for a human adolescent 3). They may take class levels as normal.

But...doesn't that mean that they've got more hit points than an average commoner? Or a wizard, for that matter. Do they lose a hit point when they turn into adults?

Other than that it sounds good. Just think of a teenaged barbarian.

"NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ME! GWARR!!! *rages*"

[Khantalas]

Aren't there rules for child characters in d20 Modern?

I don't think they'd be small though, because most children are taller than 4 feet.

[Yuki Akuma]

But...doesn't that mean that they've got more hit points than an average commoner? Or a wizard, for that matter. Do they lose a hit point when they turn into adults?

Other than that it sounds good. Just think of a teenaged barbarian.

"NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ME! GWARR!!! *rages*"

...Uh. Changed to 1/2 d8s. <.<

I've made children age to adolescents at 12. Also, these ages are obviously for humans... you'd need to do a bit of maths for other humanoids.

(I know adolescence starts at different points for males and females. Also, yes, I'm well aware that many children are taller than 4 feet, but it doesn't feel right to have an eight year old with the same size category as a twenty year old.)

[anphorus]

Having children learn their native language at two feels wrong to me. I've known kids who could speak full sentences at 9 months old and some who couldn't speak a word until they were over 3. I know this is just for simplification but still... I was thinking of something like 3d12+5 months maybe, but that doesn't factor in intelligence. Maybe a -1 to the months depending on their adult Int modifier?

I understand the reasons for it, but it also feels odd to me giving children negative scores to intelligence, since infants and children are capable of learning things much faster than adults. Plus people naturally find young children (and other animals too) more charismatic. There’s a definite biological reason why babies and young animals seem cuter than their adult counterparts.

[Yuki Akuma]

Plus people naturally find young children (and other animals too) more charismatic. There’s a definite biological reason why babies and young animals seem cuter than their adult counterparts.

Cute has little to do with charisma. The little five year old may be very cute, but he won't be able to intimidate anyone without a hefty circumstance bonus (such as, say, holding a power drill to their genitals?).

If there were such a thing as "first reaction" rules in D&D, I'd give children a bonus to that. But there isn't. Children do not have many of the skills needed to converse properly, and have little force of personality. So they have a Charisma penalty.

The penalty to Intelligence is supposed to represent the difficulty an infant would have with grasping certain "high end" concepts. The ability to learn quickly doesn't translate perfectly into a high Intelligence. All infants are just natural knowledge sponges.

[Leush]

Interesting system Yuki. I don't agree with it, but it's interesting non the less.

Especially on the intimidate: There's considerable debate as it is as to whether it's indeed a purely charisma based skill.

Charisma is force of personality. Yes?
Children are damn stubborn. They are the paragon of stubborness. That constitutes a manifestation of force of personality, no? To be fair, I see no reason to give them penalties to charisma. The only reasons that they're obedient is a) they are trained from a young age to be subordinate to adults, b) they're physically smaller and can be punished into submission.

I would play children as a small version of adults and finish at that.. (You don't have to be under 4 feet tall to be small, some gnomes are over four feet tall and still small.) If I was feeling really pedantic, I would give extra penalties to strength or con, but leave it at that, since it's easier to say that they haven't invested ranks in listen or sense motive than start messing with mental stats.

[AtomicKitKat]

Other than that it sounds good. Just think of a teenaged barbarian.

"NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ME! GWARR!!! *rages*"

"Of course I'm upset! I'm a TEENAGER!!! *Rage+extreme size gain*"

More Animaniacs as D&D characters FTW!

[Dhavaer]

Aren't there rules for child characters in d20 Modern?

I don't think they'd be small though, because most children are taller than 4 feet.

Yes. 20ft. movement, -3 Str, -1 Dex, -3 Con, -1 Int, -1 Wis, -1 Cha, 1d4HD, no skills, feats or levels.

[Khantalas]

Do you mean 1/4 HD?

Cause 1d4 HD is... urgh.

[Single Shot Zombie]

Do you mean 1/4 HD?

Cause 1d4 HD is... urgh.

Considering that the smallest class Hit Die in D20 Modern (Smart Hero, Charismatic Hero) is d6........yeah; 1d4 for a kid would make sense.

And as a sidenote, you can play an angsty twelve-year old in Modern. You're considered a young adult by that age, and thus can take your first class level.

[Dairun Cates]

Cute has little to do with charisma. The little five year old may be very cute, but he won't be able to intimidate anyone without a hefty circumstance bonus (such as, say, holding a power drill to their genitals?).

Slayers d20 had a feat called cute to mimic this. It gives you like a +2 to diplomacy, perform, bluff, and reputation, but you get like a -4 to intimidate rolls and no one takes you seriously. Pretty funny feat.

[Khantalas]

Considering that the smallest class Hit Die in D20 Modern (Smart Hero, Charismatic Hero) is d6........yeah; 1d4 for a kid would make sense.

I interpreted as you get 1d4 X HD. Silly me.