Aging attacks and growing things

[oneofmanynameless]

So there are a couple places in GURPS where you can acquire an aging attack: Leech has a modifier for that, there are some spells, etc. How these work with full adult human beings is pretty straightforward but I'm wondering how people would handle these things being used on targets that will get stronger as time passes, not weaker: e.g. children and trees (especially saplings)?

[Anthony]

Well, aging attacks don't give any experience that you would normally be able to earn during that time period, so any improvements that are a function of learning about the world probably don't happen. That likely means a baby aged to adult would retain the DX, IQ, and mental disadvantages of a baby, but might get adult level ST and HT.

[Refplace]

To age plants I use Unaging with Age Control and Reduced Time variant.
So 15 +20% [18] to age at a 10/1 ratio. Good enough for a farming season to be completed in about a month.
If each level continued that *10 value 3 levels for would give a years growth in 8.76 hours for 15 +60% [24]
If each level after the first was just *2 it would be Age Control, +20%; Reduced Time 6 levels, +120% for 15, +140% [36] and 1 year growth in 13.6 hours.

Slap that in an Affliction or make it Affects Others and tack on a limitation aging only, -50%

[The Colonel]

I recall this being a question in earlier editions of "that RPG" where using a haste spell caused the recipient to age three years - there was always the question of cheesing things by, say, using it on a dragon to increase its age category. If there was any sort of consensus it tended to rule this out as an exploit and considered that the aging effect could not generate any useful growth but was rather an indicator of metabolic damage and shortened lifespan ... don't think anyone agreed how that worked, but it did seem to be agreed that no good ought to come of it.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

So there are a couple places in GURPS where you can acquire an aging attack: Leech has a modifier for that, there are some spells, etc. How these work with full adult human beings is pretty straightforward but I'm wondering how people would handle these things being used on targets that will get stronger as time passes, not weaker: e.g. children and trees (especially saplings)?

Spells that cause things to gain years would indeed cause them to grow up physically and so would the Unaging Affliction although generally without the life experience that would make them gain dexterity and intelligence. However attack advantages that have an aging special effect would just make them become wrinkly and feeble without any maturation. Consider the real life condition of progeria.

[oneofmanynameless]

Originally Posted by Refplace

To age plants I use Unaging with Age Control and Reduced Time variant.
So 15 +20% [18] to age at a 10/1 ratio. Good enough for a farming season to be completed in about a month.
If each level continued that *10 value 3 levels for would give a years growth in 8.76 hours for 15 +60% [24]
If each level after the first was just *2 it would be Age Control, +20%; Reduced Time 6 levels, +120% for 15, +140% [36] and 1 year growth in 13.6 hours.

Slap that in an Affliction or make it Affects Others and tack on a limitation aging only, -50%

Man... I never thought to apply reduced time to Unaging with Age Control. That is a very simple and elegant solution. I feel silly for missing it. Thanks!

[Varyon]

An attack should do damage, not grant benefits. A 6-year-old who gets hit with an age-draining attack (or more likely a series of them) that drains 20 years doesn’t suddenly grow up - he stays 6, and ages normally, but he’ll start suffering age-based degeneration 20 years early. Hit him with a enough aging damage and he can end up in an odd situation where his true age is making him stronger as his body grows, but his effective age is making him weaker as he degenerates.

The Unaging+Age Control Affliction is a clever one, but I’d be tempted to require an age-damaging attack (and age-healing ability, assuming such exist) be taken as an Alternate Advantage set with it.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

Man... I never thought to apply reduced time to Unaging with Age Control. That is a very simple and elegant solution. I feel silly for missing it. Thanks!

Thank you, often the best ideas seem obvious in retrospect.

[Hide]

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

So there are a couple places in GURPS where you can acquire an aging attack: Leech has a modifier for that, there are some spells, etc. How these work with full adult human beings is pretty straightforward but I'm wondering how people would handle these things being used on targets that will get stronger as time passes, not weaker: e.g. children and trees (especially saplings)?

IMO, aging attacks do not make the person grow older in age, they make the target decay; we perceive such decay as "growing/getting older". The same would go to haste.

True aging/growth requires more energy than the basic attack may imply, and nutrients (and also gather experience). Otherwise, the target might experience catabolism.

So, an aging attack would actually make a baby (or a baby dragon, or a tree) wither to death, as their cells grow older and decay without having the chance to recover (since they lack the nutrients, time and energy to do it properly).

Originally Posted by Refplace

To age plants I use Unaging with Age Control and Reduced Time variant (...)

This suggestion seems to handle the requirements of energy/nutrients/time via the unaging advantage. Sounds like a beneficial variation.

[Plane]

Refplace has me imagining some old guy who wants to remain old with someone youthifying them against their will. I guess the only defense against it would be something like "Immunity to Unaging". It sounds like something not that useful (like immunity to resurrection) perhaps worth a perk.