I find IC age and career time to be a major factor in determining a character's skills.
Like, I'm fine if you want to be this young, beautiful wizard lady, but I don't care how talented you are, I will not accept your character to be stronger than my old grumpy sorcerer who has been practicing the dark arts for twice the years she has.
For physical classes I suppose it can be a double edged sword. Sure, the old veteran is more skilled and expert, but a young ruthless fighter will have stamina and vigor on his side. Magic class is definitely about mental skills though, and as such the older should make you the better mage of the two (provided that you have been studying magic for most of your life, or anyways more years than the younger mage has). That's like standard protocol in all fantasy stuff.
Like, I'm fine if you want to be this young, beautiful wizard lady, but I don't care how talented you are, I will not accept your character to be stronger than my old grumpy sorcerer who has been practicing the dark arts for twice the years she has.
For physical classes I suppose it can be a double edged sword. Sure, the old veteran is more skilled and expert, but a young ruthless fighter will have stamina and vigor on his side. Magic class is definitely about mental skills though, and as such the older should make you the better mage of the two (provided that you have been studying magic for most of your life, or anyways more years than the younger mage has). That's like standard protocol in all fantasy stuff.
To be an interesting, intriguing, well-written character, there needs to be something to allow the audience to relate to them. That is what the problem is with who wants their character to be "perfect". Perfect characters will never be strong, and strong characters will never be perfect, because WE (those who read, who watch, who RP) are not perfect.
"What makes a strong character is how they deal with their flaws, their fears, their turmoils, their troubles that get in the way. That's what makes them relatable." -- N.C.
"What makes a strong character is how they deal with their flaws, their fears, their turmoils, their troubles that get in the way. That's what makes them relatable." -- N.C.