[Rules] Aging: Lucky number 13

Is there any logical explanation for the cruel result of number 13 on the aging table (p170). For me it feels illogical to even be there, right in between "1 Aging Point in any Characteristic" and "1 Aging Point in Qik"
Is it a "typo"? (Maybe it should read 1 Aging Point in Str). What are your thoughts?

It is there so that characters have a 10% chance each year of gaining a decrepitude point once they have a -3 aging modifier (Which happens to be right when most people start making aging rolls). This means that a character should die of decrepitude from this result alone somewhere around 50 years later. Thus, it is rare for a peasant to live to 80 or a noble to live to 100. The next time it appears is at 22, so that a character with a -12 aging modifier increases this chance to 20%, with the chance rising from there. This ensures that characters who beat the odds on their aging rolls will be finished off in short order before they start making a complete mockery of the natural human life span. It also makes sure that ancient magi are in a hurry to redo their longevity potions after an aging crisis.

If you removed this condition on an aging roll of 13, your average peasant would have no chance of receiving an automatic decrepitude point until they were 120 years old.

Great answer. Thanks a million.

The problem with lucky number 13 is it gets all screwy when you consider the dice explosions for rolling a 1. Especially with magi or other people who rack up large negatives. Consider someone with a 0 to their aging roll and a -1. If the person with a -1 gets a 1 followed by a 7, they end up with... 13. But the guy with the 0? 14. No chance of getting the dread 13.

Thats really less of an issue with 13 being the chosen number and more of an issue with multiplying the die roll by 2. If you changed the specific target number you would still have the chance to hit it one decade, then no chance the next.

Given as the maximum chance of a 13 in such a situation is with -3 (for 16 on the roll) and that's still only 1.11%, I think that's a case of "mathematical oddity that's basically irrelevant to normal play"

A follow up question, which I feel is unclear in the rules: When does the magi suffer a crisis (i.e has to renew his potion)? Is it only when he hits 13 and 22. Or is 10+?

Yes, only when hitting 13 and 22 (or higher), don't forget the +. In the chart on page 170, that's when a crisis happens. Other results are normal aging.
Consider if a crisis happened every year someone rolled 10+ you'd see a lot of people dying really fast beginning around age 35, which doesn't really happen.

They also happen every time you gain a decrepitude point due to accumulating aging points from results between 14 and 21.

I'm looking for where it says that and can't find it. Help me out?

I could have sworn I read that, but I guess I was wrong. Only a result of 13 or 22+, or strenuous action with a decrepitude score of 4 causes an aging crisis.

Well, the game has a habit of doing that to you. Or is it the book? :smiley:
I had some trouble with finesse/aimed spells the other day. Couldn't find how they were resolved, even though I was certain I read it.

So, when a Magus suffers a crisis, exacly what happens? Rules (p 168) say:

What does survive mean? Does it mean that the magi "gain sufficient Aging Points (in any Characteristics) to reach the next level in Decrepitude" or that the ritual nullifies the result and perishes in the process? That it "takes one for the team" so to speak.

I take survive to mean the crisis is automatically averted, and the character doesn't have to spend the season in bed rest.

Keep in mind that the increase in Decreptitude is separate from the crisis. The Insert says increase in aging points AND crisis.

A strict reading would only eliminate the "Stamina roll of 3+ or CrCo20 to survive" roll. As the last paragraph of Crisis states, you'd spend the rest of the season to recover fully.

You could also interpret it as skipping the Crisis Roll altogether as Mr Link stated, RAW can be seen both ways.

I see LR as a pre-paid version of the Creo Corpus Momentary Ritual that will resolve the crisis. But since it never happened in our saga I don't have a strong opinion here.