• Ageing
• Additional Characteristics

Ageing

I was thinking about aging and it's effects recently (actually as part of a DW scenario I am slowly putting together), and quickly knocked up some DW rules to cover some appropriate changes to the characters.

This includes allowing players to roll up characters that are already aged to reap some potential benefits. Academic professions such as Sorcerers* and even Mystics* would gain some advantage being older, which nicely ties in to the stereotype of the aged wizard or worldly sage (but is no means compulsory, and has some counter-balancing drawbacks).

Note the changes in the charts aren't necessarily realistic - they merely give a 'flavour' of the effects of aging. The bonuses to Intelligence and Psychic Talent in the higher age brackets are mainly to balance the physical degradation, and promote the ideal of wisdom growing with age.

Initial Age Chart (applied at character creation only): Roll Character Decide Age and modify stats accordingly:
16-31: No Change
32-47: +1 Strength, -1 Reflexes
48-63: -2 Reflexes, +1 Intelligence, +1 Psychic Talent
64-79: -1 Strength, -3 Reflexes, +2 Intelligence, +2 Psychic Talent, -1 Looks
80-95: -4 Strength, -5 Reflexes, +3 Intelligence, +3 Psychic Talent, -3 Looks

Ongoing Aging Chart (once game is progressing):
At 32 years old: +1 Strength, -1 Reflexes
At 48 years old: -1 Strength, -1 Reflexes, +1 Intelligence, +1 Psychic Talent
At 64 years old: -2 Strength, -1 Reflexes, +1 Intelligence, +1 Psychic Talent, -1 Looks
At 80 years old: -2 Strength, -2 Reflexes, +1 Intelligence, +1 Psychic Talent, -2 Looks
At 96 years and older:

Each year lose 1d4 [1] points from your attributes (each point deducted from a randomly selected attribute). If this process would bring an attribute to below 3, roll a d6 – on a 1-3, the character suffers no ill effect and the attribute remains at the minimum value of 3. On a 4-6, the character will pass away due to natural causes within the next 2d8 years (such as a heart attack, cancer, nervous system disorder etc.) Obviously this last roll should be made by the GM only, as the year of death would only be revealed to the character if they managed to gain knowledge of the future.

Elves* do not suffer from the effects of aging once they have reached maturity, other than a dulling of past memories (that may eventually be forgotten entirely if enough time passes). This is why, despite their great life spans, Elves* are not always the wise sages and unrivalled experts one would expect. Normal spells, even those as powerful as Miracle Cure*, will not defer the effects of aging. True immortality requires magic an order of magnitude more powerful, and has been mastered by only a handful of practitioners through the ages.

[1] Mystics* who have reached Adepthood* no longer lose attribute points when they become older than 95. Rather than slowly wither and fade as normal, each year beyond 95 the Mystic* rolls 2d6. On the roll of a 12, they have reached the point of absolute enlightenment, and can only continue their journey by passing beyond the physical plane. At some time and place (to be arranged between player and GM) the character will enter one last state of meditation before passing on to the other side forever.

Additional Characteristics