Mulling a character idea around in my head.
An Elf Dhampir who was part of the Shining Crusade fighting against the Whispering Tyrant. Elves and Human Dhampirs live to be about 600 years old, on average.
How old could an Elf with Dhampir heritage live to be?
Shining Crusade ended in 3827 AR, and the current year is 4722, which is only 895 years ago, which I think should easily be in the age range Elf Dhampir can live to be.
Do you think a middle aged 1200 year old Elf Dhampir would be reasonable? Or could the character have a truly astounding lifespan and live up to three or four thousand years or longer?
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This would be something that falls into GM territory, since a mixture of ancestries doesn't necessitate an extended lifespan except where it says, like with half-Elves. As such, the GM will tell you if it sounds reasonable or not. That being said, even Dragons don't live to be a millenia old, either because they grow old and die out, or would-be adventurers and dragon hunters slay them. The odds of this character being that old without having pissed someone off to kill them or not having some sort of deathly encounter is slim to none, all things considered.
If you are the GM, then consider how the longevity and lifestyle at their disposal has developed the character. Does their age benefit them or serve as a drawback? Is being a Dhampir forcing them to hide in the shadows, or have they acquired experience that no other living being has, making them powerful enough to live that long? Would the character being hundreds of (not just one or three, but numerous) years old be a fit for the campaign for a player, or would this be better fit for a unique NPC instead? Having concise answers to those questions will tell you both the feasibility as well as the likelihood of such a character existing, either as PC or NPC.
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The Skeleton Ancestry might work.
Skeletons have a fractured memory of their former life, so you could be as old as you wish, while having a reason why you don't remember everything exactly.
This would be something that falls into GM territory, since a mixture of ancestries doesn't necessitate an extended lifespan except where it says, like with half-Elves. As such, the GM will tell you if it sounds reasonable or not. That being said, even Dragons don't live to be a millenia old, either because they grow old and die out, or would-be adventurers and dragon hunters slay them. The odds of this character being that old without having pissed someone off to kill them or not having some sort of deathly encounter is slim to none, all things considered.
If you are the GM, then consider how the longevity and lifestyle at their disposal has developed the character. Does their age benefit them or serve as a drawback? Is being a Dhampir forcing them to hide in the shadows, or have they acquired experience that no other living being has, making them powerful enough to live that long? Would the character being hundreds of (not just one or three, but numerous) years old be a fit for the campaign for a player, or would this be better fit for a unique NPC instead? Having concise answers to those questions will tell you both the feasibility as well as the likelihood of such a character existing, either as PC or NPC.
Thanks for the detailed response. The character idea isn't for any game, and I'm not sure if it'd be better as PC or an NPC. It's more me just thinking out loud.
I think with your point on dragons, I'd cap the age between 1000 to 1200 years old.
I was thinking millennia because a human dhampir lives to be 600 years old. Normal human life span is 70-ish years. Being a dhampir extends it a bit over 9 times. Nine times longer than a typical elf's lifespan would probably break the game.