Ages - common knowledge or FOIG?

[Shaelin]

All I know is that my elf's player is aging a lot faster than the elf.

Scott

I just made my elf 150 years old. I'm a vhinar elf, so I'm mysterious anyways. For all intensive purposes however, I just said I spent a great deal of time with my family and didn't pay much attention to magic and such until right before I decided to go "adventuring." I'm still a young elf, and I think 150 years suits a 17 year old. Idk. The aging thing is always difficult for long lived races, I will agree with that. That's why my second charater is going to be Gypsy...normal life span basically. lol

 

[Mike Ventrella]

Long lived races is definitely a problem for those of us who actually do (funnily enough) grow older. My MWE technically doesn't age but I've been playing him now for 15 years or so, and as my hair thins and grays and my back gives out, I wonder how I'll be able to explain his deterioration...

 

[Shaelin]

That would be something interesting to explain, i can't wait until that happens to me, but when i get older and have grey hair i wonder if i would still have to wear a phys rep to represent my elves hair color. lol.

 

[Mirificatio]

Long lived races is definitely a problem for those of us who actually do (funnily enough) grow older. My MWE technically doesn't age but I've been playing him now for 15 years or so, and as my hair thins and grays and my back gives out, I wonder how I'll be able to explain his deterioration...

Adventuring can be a hard, hard life!

 

[James Trotta]

Yep - blame it on the stress or on spending too much time with humans and other short-lived folk.

Long lived races is definitely a problem for those of us who actually do (funnily enough) grow older. My MWE technically doesn't age but I've been playing him now for 15 years or so, and as my hair thins and grays and my back gives out, I wonder how I'll be able to explain his deterioration...

Adventuring can be a hard, hard life!

 

[Dreamingfurther]

That would be something interesting to explain, i can't wait until that happens to me, but when i get older and have grey hair i wonder if i would still have to wear a phys rep to represent my elves hair color. lol.

You can't wait until you get old enough that your hair is greying...? :?

 

[Shaelin]

Maybe I should've worded that differently. lol.

 

[Baelemar Dryerlilth]

I was gonna say want to have gray hair wait a few years have a few kids and then you'll see that you wished wrong. Besides gray hair is the least of some of our worries. I personally wish my knees and back weren't so battered lol

 

[Shaelin]

lol. Yeah, I have a while until that happens to me. However, it is the inevitable.

 

[Telokh_Amdo]

lol AWESOME if so I will totally play a roach...

Go for a Dung Beetle! "Why are you offerning me coins? I am looking for piles of poo to roll into large balls and take home with me."

 

[Giorgithegypsy]

Long lived races is definitely a problem for those of us who actually do (funnily enough) grow older. My MWE technically doesn't age but I've been playing him now for 15 years or so, and as my hair thins and grays and my back gives out, I wonder how I'll be able to explain his deterioration...

You could always say "It's not the years, it's the mileage."

 

[Wraith]

I was gonna say want to have gray hair wait a few years have a few kids and then you'll see that you wished wrong. Besides gray hair is the least of some of our worries. I personally wish my knees and back weren't so battered lol

No doubt. I don't leap with eagerness to armor up like I did ten years ago.

 

[Wilde_Night]

Muahaha. See, I have that issue covered with my MWE. She doesn't know how old she really is. When she was found, they guessed.

 

[Alavatar]

Sorry for the necro-post.

But, I kind of like how Dragon Age had it. The elves and dwarves age at the same rate as humans, but they used to live for centuries. At some point elves and dwarves lost something that made them live longer and so some of them search for the "immortality of the ancients".

The same or similar could be applied to Alliance ... perhaps a Fortannis-wide cataclysm that completely wracks all PC races so they all age the same as humans, with a couple NPC exceptions if needed.

 

[jpariury]

Ret-conning it would be hell, though.

 

[Janzin]

In Ashbury, for instance, our Duke (a biata) is younger than 50 years old.

Though that is just a kid for Biata, biata don't normally mature until around 100.
My Biata is 530, I came in at 9th level and she was a teacher and a scribe before she started adventuring.
So there are ways to come in at an older age you just have to plan a back round that works to show why they are not very skilled adventures. I really enjoy playing a older Biata I think it adds a nice contrast to the game.

 

[Alavatar]

Ever since I actually started thinking about it I have been confused by the thought that long lived races take so long to learn things.

For instance, I wrote my character's backstory (elf) when I was 16 (before I actually started thinking about age and whatnot) and I wrote in that he had about 30 years of schooling in magic (the equivalent of "college") starting at age 60. Or something like that.

Now, when I think about it, it doesn't make any sense that he started adventuring with only a single 3rd level spell (what he had when he left his training) and merely 10 years later he is considered to be one of the most powerful formal casters in the area, has a 6-column, and has become the Guildmaster of the local "Celestial Guild".

Sure, one could argue that a majority of his time was spent learning how to actually cast, but at the same time it would only take a High Orc a year or so to learn the same things my character learned in 30! I mean, are long lived races just slow learners until they start adventuring or something? It just doesn't make sense! And it also doesn't make sense that MWE, elves, dwarves, who are supposed to live for centuries and started adventuring in their prime are now "middle-aged" less than two decades later, but short lived races such as High Orcs, High Ogres, and many Wylderkin who supposedly only live a few years are not even "old" after two decades!

Or what about the paige that starts playing a Biata when the player is 10 and plays the same character into his 20's. How can that make sense? Especially with the previous comment of "Though [50] is just a kid for Biata, biata don't normally mature until around 100"?

This does not make sense! Either everyone becomes awesome make-up artists and spends a fortune on make-up to make us look as youthful (or old as the case may be) as our characters should look for a weekend and races that "age" at different rates from humans get some sort of explaination as to WHY they are older/younger when they start adventuring, or all PC races should age at the same rate.

And to JP's point, I don't think ret-con would be hell. I think it would be the same as when the magic system is changed, only purely from an RP standpoint. i.e. "The world used to be that way, but for some reason now everything is this way." It could be pretty simple to say that all PC races just suddenly started aging from their current physique at the same rate as a human.

Example: a 1200 year old MWE that looked 30 would still be 1200 years old, but now they start aging so in 30 years instead of still looking 30 like they used to the MWE would look 60.

In my opinion, making all races age at the same rate would solve a lot of continuity problems between Character and Player aging.

Editted for spelling errors.

 

[Gunnar]

From a purely roleplaying standpoint, you can play it off that the long-lived races have something that the short lived ones don't: Patience.

Essentially, I like to think that elves, biata, etc feel like they have all the time in the world to learn or to do things. Its almost a foreign concept to humans in real life, as it would seem (at least where I live on the east coast, near urban areas) that everything is 'do-it-now-get-there-now-have-stuff-now-now-now'. So, the perspective of 'having all the time in the world' is the way I feel about long-lived characters. I mean, if you had 50 years to be able to perfect the way you crafted/wrote/did something, wouldn't you take it?

My sarr's just hitting the crest of the 'in the prime' mountaintop, and I roleplay her accordingly - I've started to roll my shoulders before going into a fight, complain about an old injury, etc etc. She's a grumpy cat who's starting to slow down, and is roleplayed accordingly.

On the other hand, my elf left home at a relatively young age, so she's still rather impetuous and 'almost human' in the way her decisions are made, because to me, that impatience reflects the 'I haven't been around for 100 years.' after she hits her first century, I'm sure her perspective will change.

Another thing to look at too, is when playing an older race, you could've done other things that are not related to your character card. You could've been a fisherman, a baker, anything in turn that would allow you to build a character who is level one, but at an elder age.

Regarding long lived races played by people getting older, I agree with Mike. I think the life/stress of an adventurer is something wherein that could absolutely add to the age of your character. A few grey hairs here and there from the lich who almost took your head off when you became an adventurer is added story - something I think that would get lost if everyone aged at the same rate, along with a lot of the personality perspectives of Orcs and other short lived races versus the long lived ones.

-Ali

 

[Alavatar]

From a purely roleplaying standpoint, you can play it off that the long-lived races have something that the short lived ones don't: Patience.

Short lived races can also be patient. Look at the Japanese culture.

Essentially, I like to think that elves, biata, etc feel like they have all the time in the world to learn or to do things. Its almost a foreign concept to humans in real life, as it would seem (at least where I live on the east coast, near urban areas) that everything is 'do-it-now-get-there-now-have-stuff-now-now-now'. So, the perspective of 'having all the time in the world' is the way I feel about long-lived characters. I mean, if you had 50 years to be able to perfect the way you crafted/wrote/did something, wouldn't you take it?

If the longer lived races have the patience to perfect their abilities then why aren't the average elven/biata/mwe soldiers/wizards/rogues/healers on a level high above high orc/high ogre/wylderkin/human/hobling/etc. of the same profession?

Another thing to look at too, is when playing an older race, you could've done other things that are not related to your character card. You could've been a fisherman, a baker, anything in turn that would allow you to build a character who is level one, but at an elder age.

Granted, a player playing a longer lived race could have had a profession before becoming an adventurer or whatever. But unless every member of those long lived races has multiple professions each it does not explain why an elf that is 800 years old who has been studying magic for the past 100 years could be surpassed in magical aptitude by a High Orc that is less than 10 years old.

Regarding long lived races played by people getting older, I agree with Mike. I think the life/stress of an adventurer is something wherein that could absolutely add to the age of your character. A few grey hairs here and there from the lich who almost took your head off when you became an adventurer is added story - something I think that would get lost if everyone aged at the same rate, along with a lot of the personality perspectives of Orcs and other short lived races versus the long lived ones.

-Ali

What about NPCs that are not combat oriented? What about PCs that have characters with a race that has a projected lifespan of less than a decade, yet have been playing the character for 15+ years?

Granted, there are ways that the age discontinuity can be played off for one reason or another. But, there is a lot of discontinuity due to players aging differently than their characters!

When the rules say High Ogres may be only 4 years old when they start adventuring and a player can play that character for two decades or more and still be fit to adventure my suspension of disbelief is a little strained. When the rules say (chapter specific in this case) that a biata isn't matured until around age 100 and a player can paige at [player] age 10 (biata age 40 or 50) and grow up OOG within 10 years so the biata is now "matured", my suspension of disbelief is strained. Or, if a player of age 40 starts playing an elf and [because of OOG physical appearance] the character is assumed to be centuries old and his backstory was he worked with the Earth Guild all his life yet comes into game with only a 3rd level spell as his most powerful spell, my suspension of disbelief is strained.

I may be the only one that thinks this and it won't cause me to quit the game or anything. It is just irritating and makes it difficult for me to be immersed in the story when the MWE I met 10 years ago has aged the equivalent of 300 years in comparison to the rest of his race.

 

[Ezri]

Am I the only one that thinks we're WAY overthinking this stuff because we're bored in the off season? For criminy's sake people it's a fantasy game.

And personally I'm not a fan of ret-conning anything if you can avoid it. I know we all have different visions of the rules and such, but this really isn't broken. I see absolutely no reason to mess with it.