Vital Statistics

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VITAL STATISTICS
This section offers advice as you determine your character’s name,
gender, age, height, and weight. Start with some idea of your character’s
background and personality, and use that idea to help you add
the details that bring your character to life.
NAME
Invent or choose a name that fits your character’s race and class.
Chapter 2: Races contains some examples of elf, dwarf, halfling,
gnome, and orc names (and thus half-elf and half-orc names, too). A
name is a great way for you to start thinking about your character’s
background. For instance, a dwarf’s name might be the name of a
great dwarven hero, and your character may be striving to live up to
his name. Alternatively, the name could be that of an infamous
coward, and the character could be bent on proving that she is not
like her namesake.
GENDER
Your character can be either male or female.
AGE
You can choose or randomly generate your character’s age. If you
choose it, it must be at least the minimum age for the character’s
race and class (see Table 6–4: Random Starting Ages). Your
character’s minimum starting age is the adulthood age of his or her
race plus the number of dice indicated in the entry corresponding to
the character’s race and class on Table 6–4: Random Starting Ages.
For example, an elf ranger must be at least 116 years old (adulthood
age 110 plus 6, because the entry for an elf ranger is +6d6).
Alternatively, refer to Table 6–4: Random Starting Ages and roll
dice to determine how old your character is. An elf ranger’s randomly
generated starting age, for example, is 110+6d6 years.
Table 6–4: Random Starting Ages
Bard Cleric
Barbarian Fighter Druid
Rogue Paladin Monk
Race Adulthood Sorcerer Ranger Wizard
Human 15 years +1d4 +1d6 +2d6
Dwarf 40 years +3d6 +5d6 +7d6
Elf 110 years +4d6 +6d6 +10d6
Gnome 40 years +4d6 +6d6 +9d6
Half-elf 20 years +1d6 +2d6 +3d6
Half-orc 14 years +1d4 +1d6 +2d6
Halfling 20 years +2d4 +3d6 +4d6
With age, a character’s physical ability scores decrease and his or
her mental ability scores increase (see Table 6–5: Aging Effects). The
effects of each aging step are cumulative. However, none of a
character’s ability scores can be reduced below 1 in this way.
For example, when a human reaches 35 years of age, his Strength,
Dexterity, and Constitution scores each drop 1 point, while his
Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores each increase by 1 point.
When he becomes 53 years old, his physical abilities all drop an
additional 2 points, while his mental ability scores increase by 1
again. So far he has lost a total of 3 points from his Strength,
Constitution, and Dexterity scores and gained a total of 2 points to
his Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma scores because of the
effects of aging.
When a character reaches venerable age, the DM secretly rolls his
or her maximum age, which is the number from the Venerable
column on Table 6–5: Aging Effects plus the result of the dice roll
indicated on the Maximum Age column on that table, and records
the result, which the player does not know. A character who reaches
his or her maximum age dies of old age at some time during the
following year, as determined by the DM.
The maximum ages are for player characters. Most people in the
world at large die from pestilence, accidents, infections, or violence
before getting to venerable age.
Table 6–5: Aging Effects
Maximum
Race Middle Age1 Old2 Venerable3 Age
Human 35 years 53 years 70 years +2d20 years
Dwarf 125 years 188 years 250 years +2d% years
Elf 175 years 263 years 350 years +4d% years
Gnome 100 years 150 years 200 years +3d% years
Half-elf 62 years 93 years 125 years +3d20 years
Half-orc 30 years 45 years 60 years +2d10 years
Halfling 50 years 75 years 100 years +5d20 years
1 At middle age, –1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.
2 At old age, –2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.
3 At venerable age, –3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.
HEIGHT AND WEIGHT
Choose your character’s height and weight from the ranges mentioned
in the appropriate race description (see Chapter 2) or from
the ranges found on Table 6–6: Random Height and Weight. Think
about what your character’s abilities might say about his or her
height and weight. A weak but agile character, she may be thin. A
strong and tough character, she may be tall or just heavy.
Alternatively, roll randomly for your character’s height and
weight on Table 6–6: Random Height and Weight. The dice roll
given in the Height Modifier column determines the character’s
extra height beyond the base height. That same number multiplied
by the dice roll or quantity given in the Weight Modifier column
determines the character’s extra weight beyond the base weight. For
example, Tordek (a male dwarf) has a height of 3 feet 9 inches plus
2d4 inches. Monte rolls 2d4 and gets a result of 6, so Tordek stands 4
feet 3 inches tall. Then Monte uses that same roll, 6, and multiplies
it by 2d6 pounds. His 2d6 roll is 9, so Tordek weighs an extra 54
pounds (6 × 9) on top of his base 130 pounds, for a total of 184
pounds.
Table 6–6: Random Height and Weight
Base Height Base Weight
Race Height Modifier Weight Modifier
Human, male 4´ 10” +2d10 120 lb. × (2d4) lb.
Human, female 4´ 5” +2d10 85 lb. × (2d4) lb.
Dwarf, male 3´ 9” +2d4 130 lb. × (2d6) lb.
Dwarf, female 3´ 7” +2d4 100 lb. × (2d6) lb.
Elf, male 4´ 5” +2d6 85 lb. × (1d6) lb.
Elf, female 4´ 5” +2d6 80 lb. × (1d6) lb.
Gnome, male 3´ 0” +2d4 40 lb. × 1 lb.
Gnome, female 2´ 10” +2d4 35 lb. × 1 lb.
Half-elf, male 4´ 7” +2d8 100 lb. × (2d4) lb.
Half-elf, female 4´ 5” +2d8 80 lb. × (2d4) lb.
Half-orc, male 4´ 10” +2d12 150 lb. × (2d6) lb.
Half-orc, female 4´ 5” +2d12 110 lb. × (2d6) lb.
Halfling, male 2´ 8” +2d4 30 lb. × 1 lb.
Halfling, female 2´ 6” +2d4 25 lb. × 1 lb.