[RPG] How do dwarves age relative to humans

agingdungeons-and-dragonsdwarfforgotten-realmslore

I'm trying to figure out how dwarves in dungeons and dragons, mainly in lore, age relative to humans, specifically behaviourally?

My preference for lore references is the Forgotten Realms but if there is not enough information there, I'd accept from the Dungeons And Dragons franchise as a whole.

I'm specifically looking for direct comparisons of dwarves to humans, again mainly in lore. So any passage from rules or connected novels etc. that say something like "Diggy McMineface was 18, a baby to others dwarves, but as capable as any human the same age", or "Although she was not considered mature by the Dwarven elders, Diggella had finished her apprenticeship in pie-making at the same age as other dwarves, 12".

This is largely as the D&D 5e basic rules say, for Dwarves:

Age
Dwarves mature at the same rate as humans, but they’re considered young until they reach the age of 50. On average, they live about 350 years.

But for a start, I couldn't find an 'age' section under the Human entry on DnDBeyond, second the concept of being an adult varies wildly by culture and time in the real world, especially as adulthood/maturity are often overloaded terms, being anywhere between 11 (the age children were sent to workhouses in the 19th Century) and 40 (the age of candidacy in many countries).

And secondly, "considered young" by whom? Other dwarves – obviously – but which ones? But if I'm comparing to humans, who they consider the behaviour of 18 year old dwarves mature, and it's only dwarves and other long lived races who'd consider them them immature?

So are their applicable comparisons of dwarven maturity behaviour (expected or average) with humans in lore?

I think a different, but equally valid phrasing, what happens between 18 and 50 to a dwarf that shows maturity compared to humans?

Best Answer

You have quoted one of the relevant sections (for Dwarves). The relevant section for humans comes from the PHB, in the description section titled "A Broad Spectrum":

Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and rarely live even a single century.

The relevant quote for dwarves is:

Dwarves mature at the same rate as humans, but they’re considered young until they reach the age of 50. On average, they live about 350 years.

Taking these two sentences in concert we must conclude that physically dwarves are "adults" by their late teens, but they are considered "young dwarves" until they are age 50. As to who would consider them "young", it's clearly other dwarves.

Being considered "young" is an inherently cultural thing and may have a variety of meanings, such as:

  1. They might be immature in personality or experience.
  2. They might be rash or hotheaded as a result of their comparative "lack of experience" compared to other dwarves.
  3. Their might be certain things they don't get until they are no longer "young" (for example, some clans might not give their "young" a clan name)
  4. They might not be considered an adult until they are no longer "young"

The explanation of racial traits, and age specifically, in the PHB points is in the right direction:

The age entry notes the age when a member of the race is considered an adult, as well as the race’s expected lifespan.

So for the purposes of the game, we can now interpret the Dwarf age racial trait as

  • A dwarf is not considered an adult by their society until they reach age 50, however they are physically mature by their late teens. Their average lifespan is 350 years.
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