Y'all have raised really good point about experience and age. I'm on the "wrong side" of 40 myself, so this is the viewpoint I'm coming from. If I think about my teenager, will she have the same level of proficiency in the various things I've learned over the years? No. But then too, there is a big difference between my teenager and someone who has grown up having to become an adult in a hurry (for example, if you had to start mining at age 8, you're going to be a lot better at it by the time you're 20 than someone who didn't start til they were an adult). And I feel Eorzea is more of the latter with the mix of quasi-medieval and fantasy violence/wars going on.
So, for example, I RP with a character that grew up hunting. They have various proficiencies that are related to hunting (not just ranged weapon use) and are good at them; they have also picked up unrelated skills due to being on their own as an adventurer for the past handful of years. Even though the character is just shy of 20, they can claim to be skilled at these abilities. Could they be 'better' at these abilities than someone older? In my opinion sure, unless the other person also grew up in that environment AND have more years of experience doing them (ie older).
Flaws are something we all have as a result of our experiences (lawd knows I do) and I think our characters should have them too, for the same reasons. I suggest not just randomly assigning a flaw to the character for the sake of balance, but instead letting it evolve naturally or on the fly as you RP.
So, for example, I RP with a character that grew up hunting. They have various proficiencies that are related to hunting (not just ranged weapon use) and are good at them; they have also picked up unrelated skills due to being on their own as an adventurer for the past handful of years. Even though the character is just shy of 20, they can claim to be skilled at these abilities. Could they be 'better' at these abilities than someone older? In my opinion sure, unless the other person also grew up in that environment AND have more years of experience doing them (ie older).
Flaws are something we all have as a result of our experiences (lawd knows I do) and I think our characters should have them too, for the same reasons. I suggest not just randomly assigning a flaw to the character for the sake of balance, but instead letting it evolve naturally or on the fly as you RP.
