Too Old, Too Cold? Playing older characters in D&D/Pathfinder

I must declare an interest here - I hate the ageing rules in 3.0 and 3.5 D&D, not to mention Pathfinder. Apart from making non-magical characters ever more useless, and giving an unfair advantage to Magic classes, it also makes no sense:

At middle age, -1 to Str/Dex/Con; +1 to Int/Wis/Cha.
At old age, -2 to Str/Dex/Con; +1 to Int/Wis/Cha.
At venerable age, -3 to Str/Dex/Con; +1 to Int/Wis/Cha.

SOURCE: The D20 System Reference Document

After all, characters are not like normal people. They heal quickly with magic, survive things that would kill most people, they come back from the dead (preferably via a Cleric and not a Necromancer) and they are generally larger than life.



It's also not very fair on real old people, who often pay a price in mental terms as they get older (octogenarian Alzheimer victims, for example, don't benefit from +3 Wis), but can also stay surprisingly fit and active well into their autumn years.

Meanwhile, it pays no attention to the wide range of characters in popular fiction who are over the hill, but still formidable. Up, Watchmen and David Gemmell's novel 'Legend' all provide examples of characters who still pack a punch despite the ravages of time.

So here's an alternative system for ageing, based on the Flaws rules from Unearthed Arcana (again, accessible on the SRD D20). These impose penalties on the characters as they get older, but in return, they get a bonus feat, balancing them out while still reflecting the passage of time.

(Characters that no longer age do not, of course, get bonus feats for getting older. You can't have it all.)

First, work out how old the character is. Use the existing rules for when the characters move from adulthood to middle age, old age and venerable ages. Then consult this table to see how many flaws they get and how many bonus feats too:

Middle Age: One Flaw and one Bonus Feat
Old Age: One extra Flaw and one Bonus Feat
Venerable: Two extra Flaws and two Bonus Feats

NOTE: If character is over Level 20, bonus feats can be chosen from the Epic list.

To work out what Flaw you get, roll D20 and see what result you get on the following table. Those marked with (*) are new flaws I've added to the existing list. Those marked with (X) can only be taken once. Re-roll if you get them. All other flaws stack if you roll them more than once.

1= Broken (*)
Wounds do an extra point of damage

2 = Feeble
You are unathletic and uncoordinated.
You take a -2 penalty on Strength-, Dexterity-, and Constitution-based ability checks and skill checks.

3 = Forgetful (*)
-2 on all Int/Wis-based skill checks

4 = Frail
You are thin and weak of frame.
Subtract 1 from the number of hit points you gain at each level. This flaw can reduce the number of hit points you gain to 0 (but not below).

5 = Haggered (*)
You tire twice as fast

6 = Inattentive
You take a -4 penalty on all Search checks.

7 = Maimed (*) (X)
You recover from wounds and penalties at half the usual amount. Magical healing still works as before.

8 = Meager Fortitude
You take a -4 penalty on Fortitude saves.

9 = Murky-Eyed (X)
-4 on all Perception checks that require vision. All invisible or concealed foes are an additional -2 to hit.

10 = Nemesis (*)
One selected kind of monster (DM's choice) treats you as a Favoured Enemy. If rerolled, the DM can pick another.

11 = Noncombatant
You take a -2 penalty on all melee attack rolls.

12 = Old Git (*)
You take a -4 penalty on all Cha-based checks

13 = Pathetic
Reduce one of your ability scores (randomly chosen) by 1d4.

14 = Poor Reflexes
You take a -4 penalty on Reflex saves.

15 = Shaky
You take a -2 penalty on all ranged attack rolls.

16 = Slow (X)
Your base land speed is halved (round down to the nearest 5-foot interval).

17 = Unreactive
You take a -6 penalty on initiative checks.

18 = Vulnerable
You take a -1 penalty to Armor Class.

19 = Weak Will
You take a -4 penalty on Will saves.

20 = Wizened (*) (X)
In terms of carrying, endurance and lifting, the character is assumed to be one size level smaller than he or she actually is. So a Dwarf or a Human would be considered Small, a Halfling or Gnome would be considered Tiny and so on. They can still do damage and use weapons, armour and equipment equal to their size, however.

This also lets you play older characters. Just work out how old they are and then generate the flaws and feats. Start at Level One and play as usual, with the DM deciding if/when the character gets even older or just dies of old age. Voila! Your own axe-wielding, spell-casting Senior Citizen! Enjoy.