Lifespan

By signoftheserpent, in Rogue Trader

What is a reasonable lifespan for a Rogue Trader?

For a normal human it is limited by the rejuvenation treatments he will take. That would go in the hundreds of years probably. As such, this is a question not normally posed in the Wargames, so there is probably no firm canon or rules as to what is possible, even if there are plenty hints in the many books of the black library.

Obviously, there is some limit, as otherwise the mighty would not let themselves die. What the exact limit is and how to translate that in game mechanics is indeed an interesting question. Logically, it would be limited by the inherent health of the individual (toughness), the quality of the rejuvenation facilities and their techpriests and by the number of rejuvenations a person has allready had. In each case, for those with the thrones, the first century will be no problem.

Then there is the question of Navigators and the Adeptus Mechanicus. Navigators have a normal lifespan of multiple centuries, of which the last are mostly mutation ridden and secluded. If they become powerful, that lifespan even seems to increase, with the Paternova living about a millenium. If they can undergo rejuvenation I do not know, I never read about it. There is the fair possibility their unique genes make this impossible. The followers of the machine god are all the time busy 'rejuvenating' their bodies, often replacing all weak fleshy bits, limiting them in the end just to what their brains can handle. And considering the age of some Dreadnoughts (who spend a lot of time in slumber), that age can extend over the millenia.

Friedrich van Riebeeck, Navigator Primus, Heart of the Void

How many Rogue Traders die of old age ?

How many instead die from one of the things they find out while exploring (or from the Inquisitions reaction to the thing they found) ?

Bilateralrope said:

How many Rogue Traders die of old age ?

How many instead die from one of the things they find out while exploring (or from the Inquisitions reaction to the thing they found) ?

Or from the actions of their crew and family?

I think we can safely assume that a human can get 200 years old with ease, if he is a part of the command structure of a RT-dynasty (in other words a PC).

As an indication, I've just taken a gander at the ages of the Cardinals presented in DH's Blood of Martyrs. One of them is described as "well into his second century", while the other one - "(p)erhaps the oldest member of the Sector Synod, [...] well into his third century of life". The latter is also described as "ancient and extremely frail" - physically, that is. Mentally, he is still a very capable political beast (see also the adventure in DH's Ascension).

Thus, I take it that 350-400 might be nearing the limit of how long the ticker'll go on a-beatin'. Put it at 450-500 for High Lords of Terra for good measure, I reckon, too.

Factor in warp travel too: While this does not extend a Rogue Traders life it does mean he can be around even longer than planet bound nobility, he can easily be around for half a millenia as time runs quicker in the warp (12 days to 1 ...I think). So it quite possible for a minor planetary governor to meet the same Rogue Trader as his grandfather did 500 years before.

But there again being a rogue trader is a risky career...by their nature they venture into domains where there is little to no imperial support, so the death rate must be quite high.

Also there is the instance of the Lucien Gerrit's ancestor on his deathbed being transferred into a dreadnought suit (now it would be intresting to know how the clan arcadius got one of those ) to lead the dynasty for 500 more years

In our dynasty one of the past warrant holders interred himself in a life interred iron lung/throne in the observation dome so he could continue gazing at the stars. There is a similar notion in the novel shadowpoint , where a terribly wounded/maimed imperial officer commands his ship from a protective/womb shell.

Which brings us to another question. How to Rogue Traders keep their heir and progeny? Keeping all of them in the fleet increases the chance of the dynasty being wiped out. Keeping them off the ships means that by the time the rogue trader snuffs it, his great (great?) grandson(s) is in line to take over the warrant. Cue intercine family vendettas to claim the warrant. (see the novel - Legacy by Matt Farrer)

Which brings us to another question. How to Rogue Traders keep their heir and progeny? Keeping all of them in the fleet increases the chance of the dynasty being wiped out. Keeping them off the ships means that by the time the rogue trader snuffs it, his great (great?) grandson(s) is in line to take over the warrant. Cue intercine family vendettas to claim the warrant. (see the novel - Legacy by Matt Farrer)

That's simple, give the most promising ones a small flotilla of ships/a good single ship that works a stable route and have them improve upon it. Nothing builds character better than 50 years of juggling cargo, trade, politics, pirates and a doting daddy/mommy. They'll learn from it plus they won't age as fast.

Those less competent/promising can be paired off with good spouses and left to manage an estate (in the hopes that the kids will be a notch better).

Of course there's also the question of finding a good partner for the RT, keeping a bunch of random hookers like the rt from my group is an extreme measure.

I'm my campaign I've established the upper limit of the human lifespan as around 300 years, with Navigators and Tech-Priests living into their mid 500s. This assumes access to medical treatment, augmetics, and rejuvenation therapy.

Arag said:

Of course there's also the question of finding a good partner for the RT, keeping a bunch of random hookers like the rt from my group is an extreme measure.

Standard practice in the Imperial navy" Besides which you will get a better bloodline for the warrant. Nothing dilutes a dynastys blood like marrying into a simpering noble bloodline. The odd ambitious bastard with a quick eye for profit and a quicker gun always livens up a faltering dynasty...

It's kind of questionable. Supposedly some of the admech magos are pushing over 1k years. Mind you, there's also not a lot left of the human in them by this point, either...

AFAIK the oldest person in 40k is Bjorn the Fell handed, who's slightly over 10,000 years old and entombed in a dreadnought. Though as a SM he's rather the exception. If the dates are more or less right, the crazed navy captain in Lure of the Expanse would be pushing 2,000 years old, but again, he's more machine now then man...

BaronIveagh said:

AFAIK the oldest person in 40k is Bjorn the Fell handed, who's slightly over 10,000 years old and entombed in a dreadnought. Though as a SM he's rather the exception. If the dates are more or less right, the crazed navy captain in Lure of the Expanse would be pushing 2,000 years old, but again, he's more machine now then man...

Not including Dreadnoughts, Commander Dante of the Blood Angels is meant to be one of the oldest living Marines, and that's at 1300 years old.

Don't forget though, Blood Angels have unusually long lifespans even for Space Marines.

Yes, however, again, the captain of the Light of Terra, if hte dates are right, is pushing 2k years old. It says he's beeen stuck, relative to him, in the ship for centuries. Though, granted, it does not say how many...

BaronIveagh said:

It's kind of questionable. Supposedly some of the admech magos are pushing over 1k years. Mind you, there's also not a lot left of the human in them by this point, either...

AFAIK the oldest person in 40k is Bjorn the Fell handed, who's slightly over 10,000 years old and entombed in a dreadnought. Though as a SM he's rather the exception. If the dates are more or less right, the crazed navy captain in Lure of the Expanse would be pushing 2,000 years old, but again, he's more machine now then man...

If you are using life support systems, then the oldest human is about 44000 years old. Been stuck on a throne for 10000 years tho.

:)

Well, that's all fine and dandy for you all to brandish your abnormally long lore-pikes like that, but neither the Space Marines, nor the Emperor are actually normal humans, are they now?

The question was about Rogue Traders, most of whom - though by no means definitely all of them, one could argue - are actually human. Tut-tut.

This question crops up periodically. I wrote an article and some DH rules for it yonks ago:-

Rejuvenat Treatment and Human Lifespan within the Imperium of Man

The Imperium of man is, for the average citizen, a harsh environment. Whilst there is of course tremendous variation from world to world, for the "typical" citizen (if such a hypothetical individual could be said to exist) life expectancy hovers around three score Terran years and ten. There are of course so many exceptions to this rule that the rule is often invalid, however.

Hive world lifespans

Generally, Hive worlders are lucky to make it into their fiftieth Terran year. These environments are often inimicable to human life. For example, on Malfi, in the larger slums, every third child dies in infancy from a combination of massive industrial pollution and the dreaded "hive viruses," horrific diseases which sweep hive worlds with depressing regularity. On any one hive world at any time, there are generally at least a dozen pandemics infecting the populance at large. Overcrowding, poor hygeine, lack of sunlight and slim food supplies all contribute to a lifestyle that kills the vulnerable, often before they are even born.

Then of course there are the external, non medical risks of hive world life: gang wars, civil wars, hivequakes, fires, groundcar accidents…

Of course, humans are resilient, and evolution has, over thousands of years, weeded out the infirm. Most hive worlders have incredibly aggressive immune systems, a defence mechanism inherited from ancestors who managed to survive childhood in the pestilential slums. Of course, there is a trade-off for such an evolutionary survival trait: an over aggressive immune system can attack the body’s own organs, resulting in heart problems, diabetes and other life-shortening condiditons.

Imperial world lifespans

To a lesser degree, many of the problems of hive worlds affect other, “civilised” Imperial worlds. However, as the populations of these worlds have not assumed such gigantic proportions, these are alleviated, and the “”typical” lifespan approaches seventy years.

Feral World lifespans

Like hive worlders, feral worlders rarely make it into their 50s. Competition from hostile local lifeforms, tribal warring and environmental hazards tend to shorten the lives of these individuals. However, they tend to enjoy a better level of general health, as their hunter-gatherer lifestyle seems curiously more suited to human well-being than slaving away in dim factoria for the Emperor.

There are exceptions of course: cultural traditions can have a tremendous effect upon lifespan. On Vedracache, a feral world in the Drepana sector, a man is only allowed to marry and sire children when he is 90 years old. This rigorously enforced, illogical tradition, has led to a peaceful, calm society where everyone simply concentrates on staying alive and healthy for as long as possible. Life has carried on in this way for thousands of years, and as a side effect of this tradition, the population has naturally selected traits which encourage long life. The average lifespan is 135 Terran years for both male and female inhabitants. (This may all be due to change, of course. The Adeptus Terra is dissatisfied with the pacifistic, peace loving population, and has marked the world out for colonization by more aggressive people from the nearby hiveworlds.)

Void born lifespans

A life in deep space is inherently unhealthy: fewer vitamins than “dirt born” humans, exposure to tremendous sources of radiation, a lack of consistently safe sunlight, and the obvious risks of warp travel.

However, curiously, it would appear that while mortality rates amongst void born are higher than on “safe” Imperial worlds, the void born do, for some reason not yet fully understood, live longer than the “average” Imperial citizen. Whilst often physically frail compared to “dirtgrubbers,” the average lifespan is in the region of 80-90 Terran standard years.

Many explanations have been offered for this apparent discrepancy: the close sense of community aboard spacecraft, the potentially lower gravity levels, the respect for the elderly and experienced aboard ship…However, it is felt in many quarters that the warp plays a larger part. Voidborn spend more time in the warp (albeit protected by a Gellar field) then anyone else, and it is theorised by certain members of the Ordo Malleus that some poorly-understood scientific mechanism is at work here…

Medicene in the Imperium

There is no single body or agency which licenses medical practice across the Imperium. As a result there are a bewildering array of Chiurgeons, Medics, Barber Physicians, Witchdoctors, Medicae adepts and other sawbones at large in the galaxy, each practicing to a different level of skill utilising different technology. Broadly speaking, the Adeptus Terra takes a relaxed view of medical practice, provided that it does not stray into certain heretical areas, such as live human cloning, xenomedicene or cybernetics implanted without the knowledge and consent of an appropriately authorised representative of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Typically, each Planetary Governor will be responsible (if he or she deems it necessary) for enforcing standards of practice amongst the Doctors on his or her world. It is generally felt that local authorities are best placed to licence these personnel, if they care to do so. After all, the competence of a planet’s medics is only a concern of the Administratum if it has a bearing upon the ability of a Governor to acheive the tithe…

As such, the standard of medical practitioners varies tremendously throughout the Imperium. On some worlds, every single citizen is guaranteed top quality state enforced healthcare “from the cradle to the resyq vats.” On others, beggars die in the street of easily treated minor medical conditions.

On civilised Imperial worlds, for the rich and influential, medicene can acheive wonders. Over the millenia, vast quantities of pristine jungle worlds have been raided for unusual drugs and chemicals. Pre-Imperial medical treatises are among the rare books from that era widely available. Ten thousand years of practical experience has been dutifully recorded and taught in established colleges.

For the Imperial Elite, they can expect, if they maintain a close loyalty to Terra, to enjoy robust health, cures for all common ailments, and a vastly extended lifespan.

Extending lifespan

There are a variety of treatments available to extend a human lifespan, but they are generically known as “rejuvenat” treatments. Specific treatments include:

Transplant:- there are a lot of people who die young in the Imperium. War is widespread, murder is commonplace and the sick need replacement parts…A thriving black market exists in organ trading, and many are not too picky about where the kidney that saved their life came from… Transplants from unknown sources are fraught with risk, but a well timed transplant can extend a lifespan by decades.

Organ cloning – by ancient charter, cloning of a complete human is forbidden. However, numerous exceptions have been successfully litigated over during the millennia, and it is now quite legal to clone an individual’s organs, and indeed to transplant those organs into a living human being. Vatgrown organs of this type are relatively common amongst senior Imperial servants, and are often used to replace aged or damaged body parts. Such treatment can extend a human life by decades, but it is often noted that the human body is a complex machine that thrives only when all parts work in harmony: one cannot ensure true immortality through the use of such techniques.

Meelangiar – One of a variety of differently named chemicals which have a similar effect, although by far the most famous, Meelangiar was discovered on the jungle world of Redressia in the Segmentum Obscurus, and as a result of its discovery the Redressia Sector is now one of the richest in the Imperium. Meelangiar is a complex and normally highly toxic chemical compound found in the purple blooms of the Redressian viper-orchid: it has a dramatic effect upon human physiology. It is as close to a “fountain of life” as any medical treatment in human history. It has properties that cleanse and purify the human body of oxidant and free radical damage to an unprecedented degree, whilst also stimulating the body to repair damage caused by aging, UV rays and other adverse effects. It also appears to alter the DNA of the user to reflect his or her initial DNA template. In effect, if properly administered, it returns a human body to its “prime,” and can be used for almost a dozen successive treatments before the body builds up a tolerance for the chemical. Careful use of the drug can extend a human lifespan to over 200 years if used sparingly, though Imperial servants who need to remain physically active tend to need more treatments, and usually build up a tolerance within 150-170 years.

The Drug has minor cosmetic effects, but generally if one wishes to appear to be in one’s prime, one must pay extra for cosmetic surgery to accompany the drug regime. It is said however, that no matter how adept the surgery, it is impossible to hide one’s age as shown on one’s elbows…

Use of the drug and its derivatives is common in the Inquisition and amongst senior Imperial servants. Its side effects include paranoia, obsessive compulsive disorder, impotence, depression and monomania, those these side effects are well understood and are often counteracted by other drugs.

Cybernetics – in “mainstream” Imperial society, the use of bionics and cybernetics is extremely common, and is often worn as a badge of pride. The Adeptus Mechanicus claim a monopoly over the creation of such devices, but have no real interest in policing who implants them into patients. Large numbers of “stock” bionic parts, usually characterised by their robust simplicity, are available to all Imperial servants who suffer an injury in the service of the God-Emperor. These stock parts make a useful replacement for – say – a missing limb or eye, but they are not designed with aesthetics in mind! Many cybernetic parts are able to extend a lifespan, and indeed the Adeptus Mechanicus draw themselves closer to the machine God through the use of such devices. Generally, if combined with Meelangiar, cybernetic treatment is able to extend a human lifespan to perhaps 300 years in a relatively active state.

In addition, the Adeptus Mechanicus are said to be able to create cybernetic devices of such complexity and sophistication that they can extend a human lifespan by centuries, provided that the brain of the individual remains sane.

Life support systems – such is the level of sophistication achieved in many Imperial worlds that a lifespan can be extended for almost a thousand years if the subject is willing to be suspended in a life supporting vitae-tank in a state of immobility for the duration. Whilst the subject may be able to communicate with the outside world, they can no longer claim to be truly “human” in the normal sense of the word, free as they are from the normal limitations of desire, hormones, or other bodily functions. However, such is the fear of death inherent in the human condition that many sufficiently wealthy individuals are willing to place themselves at the mercy of the Adeptus Mechanicus in order to guarantee their continued existence. These devices could almost be said to guarantee immortality, but the Adeptus Mechanicus are keen to point out that they cannot guarantee that the mind of the individual treated will last indefinitely. A variety of unpleasant and well documented forms of brain damage strike even the most robust individual after 750-1000 years in the tank…

Dreadnoughts – many insane individuals have, over the centuries, sought to attain immortality by having themselves transplanted into the holy body of an Imperial Dreadnought. It is certainly true that the unbelievably sophisticated life support system that maintains the occupant’s life is able to keep an individual alive for centuries, but the true “immortality” attained by the Dreadnoughts of the Adeptus Astartes eludes those rare individuals capable of capturing a dreadnought body if they themselves are not fully fledged marines. After a thousand years or so, the same types of brain damage that affect vitae-tank occupants creeps in, driving the (often heavily armed) occupant irrevocably insane.

Stasis fields – these are the only way to guarantee immortality, though it is always in the form of an endless sleep. Now immensely rare, these ancient devices freeze time completely within their sphere of influence, provided a constant power source is fed to their output generator. Now unbelievably rare, only a handful of forge worlds now claim to still have the ability to manufacture these, principal among them Belacane in the Calixis Sector. They are typically a measure of last resort for dying plutocrats, who freeze themselves in the hope that at some future date technology will have advanced to a degree that will enable the condition they are dying from to be cured. Given the state of technological progress in the Imperium, this is usually a doomed hope.

Systems: If your player is old, he may want to have his or her lifespan extended. If he, she or the Imperium can pay for it, go for it!

The article is on Dark Reign, and there are some (very limited) rules for paying for such treatment, but these apply to DH, not RT.

http://new.darkreign40k.com/drjoomla/index.php/background/general-background/379-rejuvenat-treatment

Draggah said:

Don't forget though, Blood Angels have unusually long lifespans even for Space Marines.

And we're never told what the hell that actually means, which is what really pisses me off about the statement.

Space Marines only ever die in battle, and Logan Grimnar is about 800 (I think Dante is only 1200, btw), which just throws the whole idea of askew, since I've seen people 'quote' an unamed old source that seems to state Space Marines have a 500 year lifespan (which Grimnar puts in to serious doubt). Really, the whole idea of Space Marines having a finite lifespan is just laughable to begin with. Now, there probably is a point where one would die of old age, but I think that it's such an obscenely long amount of time that noone from any Chapter is going to reach it.

In the end, I choose to personally believe that Blood Angels 'merely' maintain a youthful vigor and appearance longer than other Space Marines. Staying pretty boys and not having to deal with any aches and pains for a few extra centuries still seems like a pretty good deal to me anyway.


"Blood Angels are the only chapter that don't appear age" "So they are the only Space Marines that only die in battle"

Oldest non-blood Angel/Space Wolf Marine currently is 400ish and is considered ancient.

This marine appeared as an elderly man in the codex at a 400 years old.

Oldest Space Wolf is 600ish this is a recon down from 1200ish a few years ago.

Oldest Blood Angel Dante is 1200ish this is a recon down from 2500+ a few years ago. And Dante wasn't even the oldest back then.

Oldest human mobile 700.

Oldest techpriest 1200ish. again this might be a recon because a few years ago 5000-6000 year range was old for a techpriest.

This is from different sources since the old Rouge Trader days.(early 90s)

I would think a wealthy Trader should be able go atleast 500-600 years.


What throws a spanner in the whole thing is that 'life support' seems to make thier lifespan indefinite, but what exactly consitutes it is somewhat vague. However, a human hooked to a machine, appearently, can live for over 2k years. God knows what that translates into as an operations lifespan for Space Marines or The Emperor.

I'll make this observation: If Colonel Al'rahem is the same one that also fought beside Macharius and he's still alive and looking 30ish in 999 m41, that means he's pushing 700 without visibly aging much.

The cannon and fluff on this is all over the place and constantly changing.

One of the few constants are that the wealthy and privalledged (as well as marines) live a long time. Make of that what you will, though I would suggest erring on the side of longevity.

As a side note the average marine sergeant is often described as the veteran of hundreds of campaigns and thousands of battles... Considering how long that would take in just travel times alone... they would have to be really really old 600+ years would not be unreasonable bassed on that for a veteran marine. The mechanicus is also said to have some truly ancient members as well, in game terms they can perform the right of setesh and cybernetic resurrection. Also the effects on longevity of something like a hermetic infusion would be extreme to say the least. For those who don't know it is from the inquisitors handbook and basically replaces all your blood with a nano machine slurry that constantly repairs and fortifies you on a cellular level.

dont kill me for the cheap ansore but how ever long the gm wants him too live

canon wise everything from 80 too 500+ years not counting outside help for shortening it (and realy how likely is that)