Why do campaign setting books neglect ages for npcs.

[Mavrickindigo]

I am currently developing a timeline for personal use in campaigns i run. Part of that is making sure characters are the proper age in he different time periods my campaigns take place. However, i see an issue with how the books present stats for characters. They almost never make mention of what age grouping a character is in
For example in towns of the inner sea, the stat block for Diobel lists Alvalda Marguel as "NG female human aristocrat 3/bard 10." All well and good. I would think that because there is no age prefix, Alvalda is actually 34 or younger. However, in the "The Kortos Consortium" sidebar, she is described as being in her "late 40s." If that is the case, her stat block ahould actually be "NG female middle-aged human aristocrat 3/bard 10. This is hardly the only time such distinctions are made. I would say that paizo just doesnt give their characters age effect stats, but there are instances in the books where the age category is listed!

Tldr. Why is paizo inconsistent with putting in a character's age category in their stats in their campaign setting books?

[Gorbacz]

Dunno, but you're the first person in 9 years to raise the topic, so I guess that people don't really care.

[zimmerwald1915]

Gorbacz wrote:

Dunno, but you're the first person in 9 years to raise the topic, so I guess that people don't really care.

Wouldn't be so quick on that trigger, there. I've been irked by that same problem, and haven't started a thread about it because it's clear that Paizo doesn't care. I mean really, what are they going to do, put out a bunch of errata for campaign setting books? Change their editing practices in the future? Hardly.

[Mavrickindigo]

It's ridiculous, because at the end of the very same chapter I talked about, there is a stat block for a middle aged character, so it is not like they ignore it for full stats.

[captain yesterday]

I guess it doesn't matter until they're put to stats. :-)

Also, it kinda seems like the kind of thing that could get messed up in editing.

After all, in the back matter article on notorious pirates of the shackles in Tempest Rising they have Avimar Sorrinash a Wereshark. :-)

[zimmerwald1915]

Mavrickindigo wrote:

It's ridiculous, because at the end of the very same chapter I talked about, there is a stat block for a middle aged character, so it is not like they ignore it for full stats.

captain yesterday wrote:

I guess it doesn't matter until they're put to stats. :-)

It matters for people who might want to work up the statlines to full statblocks.

[captain yesterday]

You're already creating a stat block, can't you do that. :-)

[zimmerwald1915]

captain yesterday wrote:

You're already creating a stat block, can't you do that. :-)

Sure, but are you doing it in line with the designers' intent for the character? That might not matter to you, but it surely matters to someone.

[Cpt_kirstov]

The books and adventures are written so that they can be played in any order. The Ages are not specified because then it pigeon-holes the character to stories that fit that demographic. and if a bartender is 50 in adventure path A and 52 in adventure path B, what happens if B happens before A in your home version of the world. Its something left intentionally vague so that GM can define it to fit the story they are telling

[captain yesterday]

zimmerwald1915 wrote:

captain yesterday wrote:

You're already creating a stat block, can't you do that. :-)

Sure, but are you doing it in line with the designers' intent for the character? That might not matter to you, but it surely matters to someone.

is there a lot of designer intent with names dropped in the campaign setting, at least until there's an adventure set there. :-)

[Plausible Pseudonym]

I'll chime in that I've also noticed the missing/illogical ages for some characters. I was particularly annoyed by the Fighter 17 in Moonscar who is an experienced general and has gray hair in his portrait but isn't middle aged.

[Rysky]

Stress and other factors can cause early greying.

[Kajehase]

This picture of Swedish football legend Glenn Hysén is from when he was 29 or 30 years old.

[zimmerwald1915]

captain yesterday wrote:

zimmerwald1915 wrote:

captain yesterday wrote:

You're already creating a stat block, can't you do that. :-)

Sure, but are you doing it in line with the designers' intent for the character? That might not matter to you, but it surely matters to someone.

is there a lot of designer intent with names dropped in the campaign setting, at least until there's an adventure set there. :-)

There's enough intent for them to give physical descriptions and sometimes numerical ages of the characters :)

[johnlocke90]

Plausible Pseudonym wrote:

I'll chime in that I've also noticed the missing/illogical ages for some characters. I was particularly annoyed by the Fighter 17 in Moonscar who is an experienced general and has gray hair in his portrait but isn't middle aged.

TBH I think Paizo just forgets about the rules for age and ability scores.