Aging and it's Effects
Every mortal being ages over time. Some 'age' more quickly due to their short lifespans, while others 'age' over a very long periods of time. And despite popular belief, your age isn't just numbers on a piece of paper. Depending on how old you are can very well affect your attributes with bonuses and/or penalties. Use the chart below to determine the age ranges of the different races, and determine which age range your character is in.
Now technically there are seven stages of aging, the first two being infancy and childhood. However those are not calculated due to the fact that only those of young adult nature and above are physically ready to adventure out into the world. As such, only the age categories of Young Adult, Mature, Middle Aged, Old, and Venerable shall be shown here.
In addition to the list of the 8 races of Erelest, there are also the very unique lifespans of the Half-Races. The human-blood half-races are especially unique in that their lifespan is even shorter depending on if they are only 1/3 blood, or only 1/4 blood of their non-human heritage. For non-human half-races, any imbalance of the blood simply tilts towards the lifespan of that particular race, being so close it's almost indistinguishable due to the strong nature of each race's blood.
As the body ages and their experiences accumulate, so to will their six attributes be affected. Aging bodies get weaker, but their minds get stronger for instance. The only statistic that is not affected by this list is charisma, as that trait has to do with both physical appearance, and their manner of speech. That is to say, even if their attractiveness dwindles, their mannerisms and choice of words when speaking to others can grow, resulting in making up for what was lost.
Young Adult: -1 WIS, +1 CON
Mature: +1 STR, +1 WIS
Middle Aged: -1 STR, -1 CON, +1 INT, +1 WIS
Old: -2 STR, -2 DEX, -1 CON, +1 WIS
Venerable: -1 STR, -1 DEX, -1 CON, +1 INT, +1 WIS
Keep in mind that each of these penalties and bonuses are cumulative. This means that if a player is middle aged, they apply the penalties and bonuses of young adult (-1 WIS, +1 CON), mature (+1 STR, +1 WIS), and middle aged (-1 STR, -1 CON, +1 INT, +1 WIS), and apply all modifiers (a total of +1 WIS, +1 INT) to the player's ability scores. If they chose Old, then they would modify their stats accordingly: Young Adult (-1 WIS, +1 CON) + Mature (+1 STR, +1 WIS) + Middle Aged (-1 STR, -1 CON, +1 INT, +1 WIS) + Old (-2 STR, -2 DEX, -1 CON, +1 WIS) = -2 STR, -2 DEX, -1 CON, +2 WIS, +1 INT.
Unnatural Aging: It is possible, both through potions, magic, and certain monsters, for characters to suddenly age or de-age a certain range of years. When this occurs, should the character change the threshold of their age category, their physical traits will change but never their mental traits. For example: If an Elixir of Youth is consumed and the character goes from middle Aged to Mature, they will regain their lost bonus to STR and CON, but will not lose their increased INT and WIS. Likewise, if a character who is in the Mature Age category is forced into the Middle Aged Category by some enemy, they will lose their STR and CON bonuses of their youth, but will not gain their bonus to INT and WIS. This can only be gained through 'true aging', i.e. the aging of their mind and spirit.
True Death: Even if someone had a lifetime's supply of Elixir of Youth, the tether connecting their soul and spirit to the body would eventually give out, resulting in death no matter the age of their physical body. How long they can last until they have truly died is equivalent to how long their lifespan is, as not everyone dies at the same age. If a high elf's natural lifepsan for instance allowed for them to live up to 1,225 years, then with the help of elixirs they could last another 612.5 years (half their natural lifespan) longer before their soul gives out.
Aging Effects per Race: As it stands, every race ages differently, but magic doesn't care how long you live. As such aging deals in percentages of one's lifespan, using human years as a baseline. For example: a creature that can age humans 10 years (which is 12% of a human's full lifespan), would have a far greater number of years aged if used on an elf, or nephilim. As such the table below is meant for anyone (especially DMs) who need to convert human years to non-human years, or vice versa:
And here is the table for Half-Races:
Now technically there are seven stages of aging, the first two being infancy and childhood. However those are not calculated due to the fact that only those of young adult nature and above are physically ready to adventure out into the world. As such, only the age categories of Young Adult, Mature, Middle Aged, Old, and Venerable shall be shown here.
| Race | Young Adult | Mature | Middle Aged | Old | Venerable |
| Dracon | 25-30 | 31-80 | 81-120 | 121-160 | 161-200 |
| Dwarf, Hill | 35-50 | 51-150 | 151-250 | 251-350 | 351-450 |
| Dwarf, Mountain | 40-60 | 61-175 | 176-275 | 276-400 | 401-525 |
| Dwarf, Duergar | 30-45 | 46-100 | 101-200 | 201-300 | 301-425 |
| Elf, Aquatic | 75-150 | 151-450 | 451-700 | 710-1,000 | 1,001-1,200 |
| Elf, Drow | 50-100 | 101-400 | 401-600 | 601-800 | 801-1,000 |
| Elf, Gray | 150-250 | 251-650 | 651-1,000 | 1,001-1,500 | 1,501-2,000 |
| Elf, High | 100-175 | 176-550 | 551-875 | 876-1,200 | 1,200-1,600 |
| Elf, Wood | 75-150 | 151-500 | 501-800 | 801-1,100 | 1,101-1,350 |
| Gnome, Burrow | 50-90 | 91-300 | 301-450 | 451-600 | 601-750 |
| Gnome, Svirfneblin | 40-75 | 76-200 | 201-350 | 351-500 | 501-650 |
| Halfling | 22-33 | 34-68 | 69-101 | 102-144 | 145-199 |
| Half-Orc | 12-15 | 16-30 | 31-45 | 46-60 | 61-80 |
| Human | 14-20 | 21-40 | 41-60 | 61-90 | 91-120 |
| Nephilim | 24-200 | 201-400 | 401-550 | 551-800 | 801-900 |
| Half-Race | Young Adult | Mature | Middle Aged | Old | Venerable |
| Half-Dwarf, Hill | 1/2: 25-40
1/3: 20-35 1/4: 18-25 |
1/2: 41-100
1/3: 36-60 1/4: 26-50 |
1/2: 101-150
1/3: 61-90 1/4: 51-70 |
1/2: 151-190
1/3: 91-120 1/4: 71-100 |
1/2: 191-225
1/3: 121-150 1/4: 101-130 |
| Half-Dwarf, Mountain | 1/2: 32-40
1/3: 25-35 1/4: 20-30 |
1/2: 41-110
1/3: 36-85 1/4: 31-60 |
1/2: 101-160
1/3: 86-125 1/4: 61-80 |
1/2: 161-210
1/3: 126-150 1/4: 81-110 |
1/2: 211-260
1/3: 151-175 1/4: 111-140 |
| Half-Dwarf, Duergar | 1/2: 25-35
1/3: 20-30 1/4: 18-25 |
1/2: 36-95
1/3: 31-60 1/4: 26-50 |
1/2: 96-140
1/3: 61-80 1/4: 51-70 |
1/2: 141-180
1/3: 81-110 1/4: 71-100 |
1/2: 181-210
1/3: 111-140 1/4: 101-130 |
| Half-Elf, Aquatic | 1/2: 50-110
1/3: 30-80 1/4: 20-60 |
1/2: 111-250
1/3: 81-150 1/4: 61-100 |
1/2: 251-410
1/3: 151-225 1/4: 101-170 |
1/2: 411-500
1/3: 226-325 1/4: 171-240 |
1/2: 501-600
1/3: 326-400 1/4: 241-300 |
| Half-Elf, Drow | 1/2: 40-80
1/3: 30-60 1/4: 20-50 |
1/2: 81-125
1/3: 61-90 1/4: 51-100 |
1/2: 126-250
1/3: 91-170 1/4: 101-150 |
1/2: 251-375
1/3: 171-250 1/4: 151-200 |
1/2: 376-500
1/3: 251-330 1/4: 201-250 |
| Half-Elf, Gray | 1/2: 100-200
1/3: 80-140 1/4: 50-100 |
1/2: 201-400
1/3: 141-270 1/4: 101-200 |
1/2: 401-600
1/3: 271-400 1/4: 201-300 |
1/2: 601-800
1/3: 401-530 1/4: 301-400 |
1/2: 801-1,000
1/3: 531-660 1/4: 401-500 |
| Half-Elf, High | 1/2: 60-120
1/3: 50-90 1/4: 35-60 |
1/2: 121-300
1/3: 91-200 1/4: 61-100 |
1/2: 301-470
1/3: 201-310 1/4: 101-150 |
1/2: 471-640
1/3: 311-420 1/4: 151-200 |
1/2: 641-800
1/3: 421-530 1/4: 201-250 |
| Half-Elf, Wood | 1/2: 50-100
1/3: 40-80 1/4: 20-60 |
1/2: 101-250
1/3: 81-180 1/4: 61-90 |
1/2: 251-420
1/3: 181-270 1/4: 91-179 |
1/2: 421-540
1/3: 271-360 1/4: 171-250 |
1/2: 541-675
1/3: 361-450 1/4: 251-330 |
| Half-Gnome, Burrow | 1/2: 40-80
1/3: 30-60 1/4: 20-30 |
1/2: 81-145
1/3: 61-100 1/4: 31-70 |
1/2: 145-230
1/3: 101-150 1/4: 71-110 |
1/2: 231-305
1/3: 151-200 1/4: 111-150 |
1/2: 306-375
1/3: 201-250 1/4: 151-180 |
| Half-Gnome, Svirfneblin | 1/2: 35-50
1/3: 25-40 1/4: 20-34 |
1/2: 51-125
1/3: 41-95 1/4: 35-66 |
1/2: 126-200
1/3: 96-135 1/4: 67-98 |
1/2: 201-260
1/3: 136-175 1/4: 99-130 |
1/2: 261-325
1/3: 176-216 1/4: 131-162 |
| Half-Lin | 1/2: 20-30
1/3: 18-25 1/4: 16-23 |
1/2: 31-60
1/3: 26-50 1/4: 24-45 |
1/2: 61-90
1/3: 51-80 1/4: 46-70 |
1/2: 91-120
1/3: 81-110 1/4: 71-100 |
1/2: 121-160
1/3: 111-150 1/4: 101-130 |
| Gnarf, Hill | 75-110 | 111-220 | 221-330 | 331-440 | 441-550 |
| Gnarf, Mountain | 85-120 | 121-240 | 241-360 | 361-480 | 481-600 |
| Gnarf, Duergar | 70-115 | 116-210 | 211-315 | 316-420 | 421-525 |
| Dwaling, Hill | 50-70 | 71-140 | 141-210 | 211-280 | 281-350 |
| Dwaling, Mountain | 55-80 | 81-160 | 161-240 | 241-320 | 321-400 |
| Dwaling, Duergar | 45-65 | 66-130 | 131-200 | 201-265 | 266-325 |
| Elvlin, Aquatic | 80-120 | 121-240 | 241-360 | 361-480 | 481-600 |
| Elvlin, Drow | 65-90 | 91-180 | 181-270 | 271-360 | 361-450 |
| Elvlin, Gray | 110-200 | 201-400 | 401-600 | 601-800 | 801-1,000 |
| Elvlin, High | 95-150 | 151-300 | 301-450 | 451-600 | 601-750 |
| Elvlin, Wood | 90-140 | 141-280 | 281-420 | 421-560 | 561-700 |
| Gnolin | 65-100 | 101-200 | 201-300 | 301-400 | 401-500 |
Young Adult: -1 WIS, +1 CON
Mature: +1 STR, +1 WIS
Middle Aged: -1 STR, -1 CON, +1 INT, +1 WIS
Old: -2 STR, -2 DEX, -1 CON, +1 WIS
Venerable: -1 STR, -1 DEX, -1 CON, +1 INT, +1 WIS
Keep in mind that each of these penalties and bonuses are cumulative. This means that if a player is middle aged, they apply the penalties and bonuses of young adult (-1 WIS, +1 CON), mature (+1 STR, +1 WIS), and middle aged (-1 STR, -1 CON, +1 INT, +1 WIS), and apply all modifiers (a total of +1 WIS, +1 INT) to the player's ability scores. If they chose Old, then they would modify their stats accordingly: Young Adult (-1 WIS, +1 CON) + Mature (+1 STR, +1 WIS) + Middle Aged (-1 STR, -1 CON, +1 INT, +1 WIS) + Old (-2 STR, -2 DEX, -1 CON, +1 WIS) = -2 STR, -2 DEX, -1 CON, +2 WIS, +1 INT.
Unnatural Aging: It is possible, both through potions, magic, and certain monsters, for characters to suddenly age or de-age a certain range of years. When this occurs, should the character change the threshold of their age category, their physical traits will change but never their mental traits. For example: If an Elixir of Youth is consumed and the character goes from middle Aged to Mature, they will regain their lost bonus to STR and CON, but will not lose their increased INT and WIS. Likewise, if a character who is in the Mature Age category is forced into the Middle Aged Category by some enemy, they will lose their STR and CON bonuses of their youth, but will not gain their bonus to INT and WIS. This can only be gained through 'true aging', i.e. the aging of their mind and spirit.
True Death: Even if someone had a lifetime's supply of Elixir of Youth, the tether connecting their soul and spirit to the body would eventually give out, resulting in death no matter the age of their physical body. How long they can last until they have truly died is equivalent to how long their lifespan is, as not everyone dies at the same age. If a high elf's natural lifepsan for instance allowed for them to live up to 1,225 years, then with the help of elixirs they could last another 612.5 years (half their natural lifespan) longer before their soul gives out.
Aging Effects per Race: As it stands, every race ages differently, but magic doesn't care how long you live. As such aging deals in percentages of one's lifespan, using human years as a baseline. For example: a creature that can age humans 10 years (which is 12% of a human's full lifespan), would have a far greater number of years aged if used on an elf, or nephilim. As such the table below is meant for anyone (especially DMs) who need to convert human years to non-human years, or vice versa:
| Non-Human Race | 1 Human Year Equivalent | 10 Human Years Equivalent |
| Dracon | 1.6 Years | 16.6 Years |
| Dwarf, Hill | 3.7 Years | 37.5 Years |
| Dwarf, Mountain | 4.3 Years | 43.7 Years |
| Dwarf, Duergar | 3.5 Years | 35.4 Years |
| Elf, Aquatic | 10 Years | 100 Years |
| Elf, Drow | 8.3 Years | 83.3 Years |
| Elf, Gray | 20 Years | 200 Years |
| Elf, High | 13.3 Years | 133.3 Years |
| Elf, Wood | 11.2 Years | 112.5 Years |
| Gnome, Burrow | 6.2 Years | 62.5 Years |
| Gnome, Svirfneblin | 5.4 Years | 54.1 Years |
| Halfling | 1.6 Years | 16.5 Years |
| Half-Orc | 0.6 Years | 6.6 Years |
| Nephilim | 7.5 Years | 75 Years |
| Half-Race | 1 Year Human Equivalent | 10 Human Year Equivalent |
| Half-Dwarf Hill | 1/2: 1.8
1/3: 1.2 1/4: 1 |
1/2: 18.7
1/3: 12.5 1/4: 10.8 |
| Half-Dwarf Mountain | 1/2: 2.1
1/3: 1.4 1/4: 1 |
1/2: 21.6
1/3: 14.5 1/4: 10.8 |
| Half-Dwarf Duergar | 1/2: 1.7
1/3: 1.1 1/4: 1 |
1/2: 17.5
1/3: 11.6 1/4: 10.8 |
| Half-Elf Aquatic | 1/2: 5
1/3: 3.3 1/4: 2.5 |
1/2: 50
1/3: 33.3 1/4: 25 |
| Half-Elf Drow | 1/2: 4.1
1/3: 2.7 1/4: 2 |
1/2: 41.6
1/3: 27.5 1/4: 20.8 |
| Half-Elf Gray | 1/2: 8.3
1/3: 4.7 1/4: 4.1 |
1/2: 83.3
1/3: 47.1 1/4: 41.6 |
| Half-Elf High | 1/2: 6.6
1/3: 4.4 1/4: 2 |
1/2: 66.6
1/3: 44.1 1/4: 20.8 |
| Half-Elf Wood | 1/2: 5.6
1/3: 3.7 1/4: 2.7 |
1/2: 56.2
1/3: 37.5 1/4: 27.5 |
| Half-Gnome Burrow | 1/2: 3.1
1/3: 2 1/4: 1.5 |
1/2: 31.2
1/3: 20.8 1/4: 15 |
| Half-Gnome Svirfneblin | 1/2: 2.7
1/3: 1.8 1/4: 1.3 |
1/2: 27
1/3: 18 1/4: 13.5 |
| Half-Lin | 1/2: 1.3
1/3: 1.2 1/4: 1 |
1/2: 13.3
1/3: 12.5 1/4: 10.8 |
| Gnarf, Hill | 4.5 | 45.8 |
| Gnarf, Mountain | 5 | 50 |
| Gnarf, Duergar | 4.3 | 43.7 |
| Dwaling, Hill | 2.9 | 29.1 |
| Dwaling, Mountain | 3.3 | 33.3 |
| Dwaling, Duergar | 2.7 | 27 |
| Elvlin, Aquatic | 5 | 50 |
| Elvlin, Drow | 3.7 | 37.5 |
| Elvlin, Gray | 8.3 | 83.3 |
| Elvlin, High | 6.2 | 62.5 |
| Elvlin, Wood | 5.8 | 58.3 |
| Gnolin | 4.1 | 41.6 |
