fatal

Aging Effects
Abilities are not constants throughout a character’s lifespan. Instead, abilities vary as the character
ages, though some vary more or less, and in different proportions. Different races vary regarding lifespan
and years per age category listed below. Racial information may be found in Chapter 1: Race and Gender.
Percentile effects are reflect a distance from Young Adult. For instance, the average ability of Reflection
for an infant is 10 (100 - 90% = 10), while for Old Age it is 125 (100 + 25% = 125).
Chapter 3: Abilities
Sub-Ability
Infant
Child
Puberty
Young
Adult
Middle
Age
Old
Age
Venerable
P hysical Fitness - 90%
- 40%
- 10%
- - 10%
- 30%
- 60%
S trength
- 90%
- 60%
- 20%
- - 5%
- 25%
- 65%
B odily Attract… - 90%
- 40%
- 10%
- - 10%
- 40%
- 90%
H ealth
- 35%
- 15%
- 5%
- - 10%
- 30%
- 60%
F acial
- 70%
- 30%
- 10%
- - 5%
- 25%
- 65%
V ocal
- 90%
- 40%
- 10%
- - - 20%
- 60%
K inetic
- 90%
- 35%
- 5%
- - - 20%
- 60%
R hetorical - 90%
- 45%
- 15%
- + 15%
- - 55%
1
Hand-Eye
Coord. - 90%
- 30%
- 10%
- - 10%
- 20%
- 30%
A gility
- 90%
- 30%
- 10%
- - 10%
- 40%
- 80%
2
Reaction
Speed - 90%
- 30%
- 10%
- - 10%
- 30%
- 50%
E nunciation - 90%
- 40%
- 10%
- - - 10%
- 30%
3
Language
- 90%
- 40%
- 10%
- + 10%
- - 20%
Math
3 - 90%
- 60%
- 20%
- - 5%
- 25%
- 65%
3
Analytic
- 90%
- 60%
- 20%
- + 20%
- - 40%
3
Spatial
- 90%
- 40%
- 10%
- + 10%
- - 20%
D rive
- 40%
- - - - - - 40%
I ntuition
- 55%
- 15%
- 5%
- + 10%
- - 40%
C ommon Sense - 90%
- 40%
- 10%
- + 10%
- - 40%
R eflection - 90%
- 40%
- 10%
- + 20%
+ 25%
- 25%
Persistent Exercise
Only the following sub-abilities may be increased
with Persistent Exercise: Physical Fitness,
Strength, Language, Math, Analytic, and Spatial. The
other 14 sub-abilities are unable to be increased by
the character’s determination and efforts, though
particular skills that depend upon those sub-abilities
may be increased substantially (see Chap. 8: Skills).
For example, a character’s Facial Charisma is simply
that with which they are born. Although a character
can experiment with grooming and hairstyles,
1. Manual Dexterity and age were correlated in the following study: Adult Norms for the Box and Block Test of Manual
Dexterity. For more information, see the References section at the end of this book.
2. According to The Owner’s Manual for the Brain, Reaction Speed doubles from age 20 to 60. For more information, see the
References section at the end of this book.
3. These estimates relate to the average character. According to The Owner’s Manual for the Brain, mental abilities do not
decline with age if the brain is exercised, but only from disuse. For more information, see the References section at the end
of this book. Consult with the Aedile to determine whether or not a particular character has exercised mentally.
98
this does not directly change their Facial Charisma,
but is more applicable under a skill, such as Disguise,
since this is not their natural state. With the
exception of the sub-abilities noted above, the others
are relatively fixed, and may only be altered by
aging, magic, or something happening to the character
that is debilitating.
Gains may occur with Physical Fitness and
Strength, provided the character devotes at least an
hour every other day to appropriate exercise. Appropriate
exercise is somewhat of a qualifier, since