Rules Index | GM Screen

Creating Young Characters

Source Ultimate Campaign pg. 194
Young characters are essentially normal characters with an age category younger than any presented in the Core Rulebook. Characters of this age category are able and intelligent, curious and talented, but not yet experienced or worldly. They are on the threshold of great things, but still a step away. This youthfulness is represented in three ways: ability score adjustments, restrictions to available classes, and slower trait acquisition.

Ability Score Adjustments: In the same way an adult character gains adjustments to her ability scores as she reaches middle, old, and venerable age, a young character occupies a new pre-adulthood age category, and therefore has altered physical ability scores, though the vigor of youth does grant some benefit. A young character has a +2 bonus to Dexterity and a –2 penalty to Strength, Constitution, and Wisdom. (A young character’s potential inexperience and awkwardness are represented by having only the skill ranks of a 1st-level character rather than taking a penalty to Intelligence or Charisma.)

When a young character reaches adulthood (see Table 3–9: Random Young Starting Ages), she loses these ability score adjustments.

Available Classes: A young character does not have access to the same classes as adult characters. Not yet trained in the advanced techniques of war, arcana, faith, and varied other pursuits, a young character is a squire, apprentice, acolyte, or student on the path to expertise. As such, you can select only NPC classes while in this age category, beginning play and advancing in level as an adept, aristocrat, commoner, expert, or warrior, according to your interests and social background. As soon as you reach adulthood, though, you may retrain those NPC class levels as levels in any base classes of your choosing (see Retraining).

Traits: Because character traits represent your character’s background before becoming an adventurer, the GM might limit you to selecting only one trait at 1st level instead of the normal two traits allowed. When your character reaches adulthood, you select your second trait. Note that normally you can select a new trait after 1st level only if your character takes the Additional Traits feat, so this option allows you more flexibility in choosing your second trait, as recent events in the campaign might make some of your trait options more valuable than they originally appeared when the campaign started.

Table 3-9: Random Young Starting Ages

Race	Youth¹	Aristocraft, Commoner, Expert	Adept, Warrior	Adulthood²
Human	8 years	+1d6	+2d3	15 years
Dwarf	20 years	+2d6	+4d4	40 years
Elf	55 years	+4d6	+6d6	110 years
Gnome	20 years	+4d4	+3d6	40 years
Half-Elf	10 years	+1d4	+1d6	20 years
Half-Orc	7 years	+1d6	+2d3	14 years
Halfling	10 years	+1d6	+2d4	20 years

1 During youth, +2 Dex; –2 to Str, Con, and Wis.
2 At adulthood, ability score adjustments for young age are lost.

Archives of Nethys

Rules Index | GM Screen

Creating Young Characters

Table 3-9: Random Young Starting Ages