The Keep on the Borderlands: The Webcomic

Determining Character Statistics at Creation, their Improvement, and Aging Rules

Methods of determining stats:

1. NPC version: Roll 3d6 and assign as rolled
2. PC Version 1: Roll 4d6, discard the lowest and assign as rolled
3. PC Version 2: Roll 3d6 and assign where you want them to be
4. Hero Version: Roll 4d6 and assign where you want them to be.
5. The ‘makin’ a baby’ version:

Between the two characters that are having the baby, you first determine the PC’s genetic destiny:

D4 roll	Who the Baby favors	Baseline stats:
1	Daddy	Father’s Stats
2-3	Neither	Average their stats*
4	Mommy	Mother’s Stats

Then for each stat, roll on the following chart:

3d6 Roll	Stat adjustment
3	-5
4-5	-3
6-7	-2
8-9	-1
10-11	0
12-13	+1
14-15	+2
16-17	+3
18	+5

Increasing Stats

Stats can be improved through training and experience. Physical skills can be practiced, mental ability can be trained, wisdom can be learned, you can learn to be a nicer person. My rule is a PC can use a skill slot to apply a stat increase. Since they are not learning a skill with their time, they are training their abilities and a PC has the potential to gain 8 skill slots over the course of his career, a PC can dramatically increase a stat if they choose to apply themselves to it. One skill used this way increases a stat one point. Skill slots cannot be used this way at character creation. (I also allow one skill slot, one language.) (I also, also, allow the bonus languages for high Intelligence to be used for skills. If a PC increases his Intelligence with a skill slot, then gains a bonus skill/language as a result, that bonus skill slot cannot again be used to increase any stat. The PC will have to wait for the next skill slot gained through level increase to increase their stat again.)
All the usual magical effects that increase stats can also be used to effect a PC as they adventure as well.

Aging

The Stats you have generated are considered the stats the PC will achieve as an adult. The Representation of those stats will be adjusted as a character ages.

Once you have determined the adult stats of your PC, you will mostly likely play them as adults. Proceed as normal. However, if you are going to play your PCs as children, or if your PC has a child and is growing up as the campaign moves forward in time, this is how you determine the stats of a growing child. Assume a baby has a one in every stat. (and one hit point) Add up the total points that your PC will have as an adult, subtract 6 then divide the rest by the number of intervals the PC will pass through until they reach adulthood. This number is the number of points you will assign at each interval to the PCs stats as you choose. You cannot pass the adult stat level and by the time the PC is an adult all the stats will be at the adult level. Now you can pick a class and get adventuring.

Now if your character reaches middle age, their stats will start to decrease because time is a mother fucker and will eventually kill us all. For every interval, roll to save vs. paralyzation.  If this roll is failed, a random stat is reduced by one. (roll a d6 to determine which). When Venerable, roll an additional save vs. Paralyzation, if failed, the PC’s level is reduced by one. If any stat reaches zero, or the level is reduced to zero, the PC dies of old age. Yes, with this system, you wither away and die. Time to become a lich. Also, this system allows for the truly heroic and high level to live much longer than the typical citizen.

Race	Baby	Youngster	Young Adult	Adult	Middle-Aged	Elder*	Venerable**	Interval	Death***
Human	0-5	6-11	12-20	21-39	40-49	50-69	70+	1 year	80+2d12
Elf	0-20	21-50	51-150	151-400	401-599	600-699	700+	10 years	750+2d100
Hin	0-6	7-15	16-55	56-78	79-119	120-179	180+	3 years	190+2d20
Dwarf	0-20	21-30	31-100	101-160	161-239	240-349	350+	5 years	375+1d100
Rakasta	0-4	5-8	9-15	16-29	30-39	40-59	60+	1 year	65+2d8
Lupin	0-4	5-8	9-15	16-29	30-49	50-69	70+	1 year	80+1d10
Tortle	0-3	4-7	8-21	22 – 35	36 – 79	80 – 119	120+	2 years	150+2d100

Stats increase from youngster through Young Adult. As a general rule, a PC has to at least be a Young Adult age to be able to take a class. That is why those age categories are distinct. This is how I handle creating stats and how they change over time.