► QUESTION: Best way to create a once powerful but now old and infirm NPC?

[Devin Ellenwood]

I need to create a NPC that was once powerful, but is now 75 years of age. While the physical stat reduction makes sense, it doesn't completely take into account human degeneration.

Let's say this character made it to Lv 25 as a Cleric. All of his physical stats have gone down, but he still hits like a Lv 25 Cleric. It would occur to me that someone that old would have a huge problem in melee combat - In 2003 in Orange County a WWII Vet was beaten to death by a 29 year old man.

Also, all Mental stats go up. What about things like Dementia and Alzheimer's? I'm not certain how to go about representing things like that.

Any ideas?

[Cymric]

You could give him the fatigued condition permanently, after a few rounds of combat he falls into exhausted. Parkinson can be shaken. Alzheimer can be less spell slots or forgetting to prepare his full assortment of spells. Dementia is not so easily explained, maybe you can modify the spell confusion a bit.

[Sissyl]

Alzheimer's/dementia is most accurately represented by a slow-acting Int- and Wis-damaging disease, I think. Say, roll every month, 1 point of permanent Int and Wis per failed roll. You can't shake it without magic. With magic, I would say it requires a Heal spell. This is not going to stop a 25th level cleric, of course. Not much in the way of infirmity will.

[DigitalMage]

Could you not create the NPC as a lower level, e.g. cleric level 12? Or does he still need to be able to cast the higher level spells?

[LazarX]

You build him as you want him to be. Aging rules don't take into account character classes, because quite frankly, Heroes generally aren't meant to die in bed.

[Alzrius]

DigitalMage wrote:

Could you not create the NPC as a lower level, e.g. cleric level 12? Or does he still need to be able to cast the higher level spells?

I second this approach. Build him as he is now, not as he used to be, and call it done.

[Sebastrd]

Devin Ellenwood wrote:

It would occur to me that someone that old would have a huge problem in melee combat - In 2003 in Orange County a WWII Vet was beaten to death by a 29 year old man.

This is demonstrably untrue. The news is rife with stories about elderly veterans subduing young hooligans that assume they're easy targets.

[Sissyl]

Thing is, if you keep up your training, the human body does not necessarily lose much muscle mass... But the time you need to put in to make it happen grows and grows. Very few do it. Still, you don't need muscles to beat up someone if you have experience.

[ZilWerks]

Simple solution? Permanent negative levels defined as "aging", require Wish or Miracle to remove. He keeps the spells, loses the combat effectiveness.

Just my opinion.

--ZilWerks

[Velcro Zipper]

Do you actually want this NPC to be senile? Really, the simplest way to make your geezer NPC is to just stat him the way you want him statted and role play him the way you envision his personality and condition. If he isn't supposed to be senile, don't worry about penalizing his abilities. If he is supposed to be senile or mentally deficient in some other way, just play him that way.

If this guy is an active 75yr old lv.25 cleric, it shouldn't matter if the rules say he lost a little muscle mass. His Fort save for being a cleric is still better than most creatures younger than himself and the vast amount of power at his disposal is going to make up for his loss of physical ability. A 75yr old human with Righteous Might and Bull's Strength actually hits harder than he did when he was 30 (without the spells, of course, but still.)