Character Age in a program

[Magian]

Hi,

I was hoping for some feedback from this list on a project I am working on.
It is an age tracker for birthright characters during a campaign. The
current brainstorming has led me to use the age rolling from the PHB and
allow the DM to modify the rolls for each race. (those where age applies)
Then track the age over the years of the campaign and apply the age effects
to the characters. Also apply the long life blood ability to the age
tracker.

Now I am wondering if a sys. shock roll or something to check each time the
character looses a CON point for a "death check" would be plausible since
not all regents live to the maximum age of their species. This is intended
to be a time when the character is susceptible to death because of waning
health(blah blah and so on).

If there are any other ideas you could think of to apply to this age system
for a program I would appreciate it. I am trying to keep it simple and
related to age as much as possible.

ciao,

Paul

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[Trithemius]

Paul sez:
> I was hoping for some feedback from this list on a project I
> am working on. It is an age tracker for birthright characters
> during a campaign. The current brainstorming has led me to
> use the age rolling from the PHB and allow the DM to modify
> the rolls for each race. (those where age applies) Then track
> the age over the years of the campaign and apply the age
> effects to the characters. Also apply the long life blood
> ability to the age tracker.
>
> Now I am wondering if a sys. shock roll or something to check
> each time the character looses a CON point for a "death
> check" would be plausible since not all regents live to the
> maximum age of their species. This is intended to be a time
> when the character is susceptible to death because of waning
> health(blah blah and so on).
>
> If there are any other ideas you could think of to apply to
> this age system for a program I would appreciate it. I am
> trying to keep it simple and related to age as much as possible.

What a neat idea. In the spirit of cooperation I will explain how
another medieval game deals with this subject.

Ars Magica has a system of "decreptitude" to represent the effects of
advancing age. Each year in winter (Ars Magica is also a seasonally
based game) a player who`s character`s age exceeds 35 + their Stamina
(ranges from -3 to +3 in most cases) rolls an aging die. The result is
modified by the social conditions (to represent nutrition mainly) and
the number of decades the character has lived. If the total is above 6
then a brief table is consulted, which results in a physical or mental
affliction of variable strength or, at worst, a Decreptitude point. When
a character has 10 or more Decreptitude points they die.

In order to stave off old age, magi brew longevity potions which can
prolong their life for quite a long time, depending on the skills of the
magus in question.

Decreptitude can also come from botched magical experiments and from
incomplete recovery from incapacitating wounds.

Magical healing is not so plentiful in Ars Magica, so this may not apply
in BR. Also, social status modifiers may have to be altered to reflect
the amount of magical healing available to the wealthy. I also decided
that long life kicked in at the age where aging effects would normally
take place (i.e. a character with long life major and Stamina +1 would
roll for aging at 47, not 37).

I used this system when I ran a BR campaign under Ars Magica. It workes
quite nicely, although no-one died from old age, some people`s elderly
lieutenants were getting on a bit.

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[Magian]

>From: John Machin <trithemius@PARADISE.NET.NZ>
>Reply-To: Birthright Roleplaying Game Discussion


That is a very interesting system and will help out. Thank you John.

ciao,

Paul

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[kgauck]

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Machin" <trithemius@PARADISE.NET.NZ>
Sent: Monday, May 27, 2002 8:44 PM


> Each year in winter (Ars Magica is also a seasonally
> based game) a player who`s character`s age exceeds 35 + their Stamina
> (ranges from -3 to +3 in most cases) rolls an aging die.

That`s not an unfamilar range of we consider the Con modifer in place of the
Stamina.

> Decreptitude can also come from botched magical experiments and from
> incomplete recovery from incapacitating wounds.

These could be described in d20 as a critical failure of various kinds. As
you know, I recently posted healing as an extention of the skill system. So
even with magical healing, a critical failure, and hence a decreptitude
point is possible for incomplete recovery from incapacitating wounds.

Neat system and another reason to futher explore Ars Magica.

Kenneth Gauck
kgauck@mchsi.com

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