Shouldnt Elves live longer? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Shouldnt Elves live longer?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
keolander
Jan 15, 2004 4:49:11 Hi,

I mostly hang out at the Greyhawk board...but I recently started in a friend's DragonLance (War of the Lance) 3.5 campaign. Having fun playing a soon to be Solamnic Knight.

Anyway...I know a few things about DragonLance (since its right behind Greyhawk for my favorite D&D setting). I was wondering how they can explain that Elves live to be about 500 yrs old when Silvanos lived well over 1500. Are we to believe that the lifespans of Elves shortened for some inexplicable reason? Wouldnt they begin to fear Death since they now live, at most, to a maximum of 1/3 of what their ancestors did?

Does anyone know if they have Errata'd this little discrepancy?
#2
zombiegleemax
Jan 15, 2004 5:02:23 Personally I think elves should live longer, the DCLS has Silvanesti elves barely able to push 500 while sea elves can crest 1000. I think that needs to be reconsidered. Of course DL elves have not had the best environment for long life over the past few centuries.

That said, Silvanos was a legendary figure, much like some humans live to 100 or even 120, he lived an amazing long time even for an elf.
#3
silvanthalas
Jan 15, 2004 7:44:00
Originally posted by Keolander

Does anyone know if they have Errata'd this little discrepancy?

I can't think of any. Silvanos is the only elf I know of in DL that actually lived to such a long time compared to other elves, so maybe we can assume some divine interference or something.
#4
darthsylver
Jan 15, 2004 12:36:56 Or perhaps this is another reference to a well known trilogy in which the "Line of Kings" live longer than most others of their kind.

Wink, wink;)
#5
carteeg
Jan 15, 2004 16:04:22 I thought I read somewhere that the livespan of elves is decreasing generation to generation.
#6
zombiegleemax
Jan 15, 2004 18:49:37 This is just one of those areas where there is a discrepancy between the lifespan of elves as presented in the novels ( both Dragonlance and elsewhere ), and the mechanics for aging presented in the D&D rules. Elves in various settings are often described as living for close to a thousand years, and usually don't show visible signs of aging until they are close to death. To get a set of elven aging rules closer to the feel of the novels, I would give all elves lifespan categories equivalent to the sea elves, and have them possess the timeless body special quality up until the last 1d20 years of their lives, when the physical aging penalties would finally begin to catch up with them.
#7
zombiegleemax
Jan 17, 2004 12:18:50 This is from Fistandantilus Reborn pg. 212

"He as the Master of Past and Present, you know. The first wizard- and one of a very small number- who learned how to travel through time. An archmage who manipulated history by altering his own position in the River of Time. He had an influence in the age of elves and men, in an era before the Cataclysm-"
#8
zombiegleemax
Jan 18, 2004 21:12:38 I think that maximum lifespan is something that is rarely felt in the case of elves regardless. Though as a rule, it is worth asking if anybody lives as long as they did during the Age of Dreams. Are the Irda still immortal? I notice no mention was made of their lifespan.

I wouldn't give elves Timeless Body. It's inconsistent with what we know of them. Solastaren, for example, was showing signs of his age during the War of the Lance and I don't believe he was at the upper limit.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 keolander Jan 15, 2004 4:49:11	Hi, I mostly hang out at the Greyhawk board...but I recently started in a friend's DragonLance (War of the Lance) 3.5 campaign. Having fun playing a soon to be Solamnic Knight. Anyway...I know a few things about DragonLance (since its right behind Greyhawk for my favorite D&D setting). I was wondering how they can explain that Elves live to be about 500 yrs old when Silvanos lived well over 1500. Are we to believe that the lifespans of Elves shortened for some inexplicable reason? Wouldnt they begin to fear Death since they now live, at most, to a maximum of 1/3 of what their ancestors did? Does anyone know if they have Errata'd this little discrepancy?
#2 zombiegleemax Jan 15, 2004 5:02:23	Personally I think elves should live longer, the DCLS has Silvanesti elves barely able to push 500 while sea elves can crest 1000. I think that needs to be reconsidered. Of course DL elves have not had the best environment for long life over the past few centuries. That said, Silvanos was a legendary figure, much like some humans live to 100 or even 120, he lived an amazing long time even for an elf.
#3 silvanthalas Jan 15, 2004 7:44:00	Originally posted by Keolander Does anyone know if they have Errata'd this little discrepancy? I can't think of any. Silvanos is the only elf I know of in DL that actually lived to such a long time compared to other elves, so maybe we can assume some divine interference or something.
#4 darthsylver Jan 15, 2004 12:36:56	Or perhaps this is another reference to a well known trilogy in which the "Line of Kings" live longer than most others of their kind. Wink, wink;)
#5 carteeg Jan 15, 2004 16:04:22	I thought I read somewhere that the livespan of elves is decreasing generation to generation.
#6 zombiegleemax Jan 15, 2004 18:49:37	This is just one of those areas where there is a discrepancy between the lifespan of elves as presented in the novels ( both Dragonlance and elsewhere ), and the mechanics for aging presented in the D&D rules. Elves in various settings are often described as living for close to a thousand years, and usually don't show visible signs of aging until they are close to death. To get a set of elven aging rules closer to the feel of the novels, I would give all elves lifespan categories equivalent to the sea elves, and have them possess the timeless body special quality up until the last 1d20 years of their lives, when the physical aging penalties would finally begin to catch up with them.
#7 zombiegleemax Jan 17, 2004 12:18:50	This is from Fistandantilus Reborn pg. 212 "He as the Master of Past and Present, you know. The first wizard- and one of a very small number- who learned how to travel through time. An archmage who manipulated history by altering his own position in the River of Time. He had an influence in the age of elves and men, in an era before the Cataclysm-"
#8 zombiegleemax Jan 18, 2004 21:12:38	I think that maximum lifespan is something that is rarely felt in the case of elves regardless. Though as a rule, it is worth asking if anybody lives as long as they did during the Age of Dreams. Are the Irda still immortal? I notice no mention was made of their lifespan. I wouldn't give elves Timeless Body. It's inconsistent with what we know of them. Solastaren, for example, was showing signs of his age during the War of the Lance and I don't believe he was at the upper limit.