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2017/01/16 16:36:48
Subject: So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
I didn't think Dante was 5k at all. Definitely just over 1000, although I'll need to find a reference for that.
I was under the impression that Dante was exceptionally old, and Blood Angels are known for being long-lived (implying that Space Marines do die of old age).
Given that it goes Dante(1100)>Blood Angels (maybe 800-1000)>normal marines (maybe 500-800?).
As for Eldar, I think average life expectancy is in the low 1000s, althoguh for some ludicrous conflicting reason Eldrad is around during the Heresy.
Dark Eldar are able to prolong their life through dark technomancy almost indefinitely. Vect was a child during the Fall (a few hundred years before the Heresy), and Lelith Hesperax was fighting in the arenas before then so I'd assume she'd be older.
Again, I'll need to get references but I'll find them in a sec!
Space Marines can die of old age (in one of the HH stories some Hrud age an Iron Warrior so much he dies of old age) but the exact amount is unknown (they die in battle mostly)
Eldar I think live for a few thousand years (again, they mostly die in battle now) although Eldrad was fething around during the Heresy so he's at least 10k years old
TheEyeOfNight- I swear, this thread is 70% smack talk, 20% RP organization, and 10% butt jokes
TheEyeOfNight- "Ordo Xenos reports that the Necrons have attained democracy, kamikaze tendencies, and nuclear fission. It's all tits up, sir."
Space Marine flyers are shaped for the greatest possible air resistance so that the air may never defeat the SPACE MARINES!
Sternguard though, those guys are all about kicking ass. They'd chew bubble gum as well, but bubble gum is heretical. Only tau chew gum
2017/01/16 17:11:54
Subject: So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
The did change Vect's background in the recent Dex. He is no longer as old as the Fall, but was a slave in the early days of Commoragh. He rose up to overthrow his captors and built a regime that united many webway pockets that ultimately create Commoragh as it is in the present. So currently Eldrad is the oldest, but even Farseers begin to turn to crystal when they start getting too old.
And Eldar must be significantly older than 10k considering he was already a chef Farseer during the Heresy and it can take centuries just to master being a Seer, much less one of the most powerful ones
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/01/16 17:14:05
Ulrik the Slayer has served the Space Mutts for 700 years so he's probably 715-720 years old, Grimnar is 500ish.
Space Wolves tend to die quickly or last forever - Bjorn was around during the Horus Heresy and gets woken up at least once every century for the Great Feast, can't remember where I read it but most Blood Claws don't survive long enough to meet him.
I don't break the rules but I'll bend them as far as they'll go.
2017/01/16 20:00:03
Subject: So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
200 would be already quite old for a Space Marine I imagine. 300 is definitely old, 400 is really, really really old and everything beyond that is just ancient and incredibly rare. There is only a few Space Marines in the fluff that are that old. Eldar do a lot less fighting so they can probably expect to get older. Some Dark Eldar are practically immortal given that they can regenerate their bodies even if they fall in combat. Vect and Eldrad are some of the oldest Eldar. They were alive even before the Fall of the Eldar which makes them at least 12.000 years old. I have no idea what is a standard age for Eldar though or even whether Eldar can actually die outside of combat.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/01/16 21:00:24
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2017/01/16 21:05:42
Subject: So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
War Kitten wrote: Space Marines can die of old age (in one of the HH stories some Hrud age an Iron Warrior so much he dies of old age) but the exact amount is unknown (they die in battle mostly)
Eldar I think live for a few thousand years (again, they mostly die in battle now) although Eldrad was fething around during the Heresy so he's at least 10k years old
I don't think death via Hrud isn't really a good indication of the effects of old age on Space Marines. Rapid aging via Hrud probably leads to atrophy and other issues as death approaches, so not really comparable to a Space Marine aging naturally over time.
Potential Spoilers for anyone who hasn't read the Salamander novels:
Spoiler:
Judging from the legionnaire the Salamanders found once in a 10,000 year old ship, it doesn't look like old age has much of an effect on a Space Marine's body. The Salamander legionnaire was still barely alive when they found him, despite having atrophied to the point where he couldn't move. Were it not for the Astarte tendency to die in combat, Marines living for thousands of years and remaining physically fit for combat might not be that far-fetched. Whether or not their minds stay the same would be another question.
2017/01/16 21:08:44
Subject: So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
The pre-fall Eldar basically lived as long as they liked due to their mastery of genetics, so it's fairly likely there are some pre-fall Eldar around even now.
Also, he probably doesn't count, but Asurmen is ridiculously old, very possibly the oldest thing in the setting that isn't a Warp God, a C'Tan or a Necron. He'd been around for a while even as the Fall was first gradually starting to creep in ten thousand years before Slaanesh's birth.
2017/01/16 22:06:26
Subject: So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
Pre-fall eldar probably lived for as long as current eldar. If you can simply reincarnate after death. No need to prolong your life if you can just move onto the next one. It's just us one-lifers who are obsessed with living forever.
Conjecture of course, but it makes sense from a cultural mindset perspective.
Not sure how old Asurmen was when the Fall was happening (literally happening, not building up), but from what I've heard of the Asurmen book he was quite young.
I'd definitely go along with your suspicious that he doesn't really count anymore. He's more a constellation of souls encased in armour than a living, breathing Eldar.
@Galef have they retconned that bit about Vect? Haven't read the latest codex. AFAIK Commorragh itself predates the Fall and was one of many shady outside-the-law ports operated by the eldar during the empire.
According to the 5th ed codex the Port of Commorragh was established in M18, meaning that if Vect was around in its early days he's way older than I thought!
Automatically Appended Next Post: Oh, and as for Eldrad the first instance of him being as old as the Heresy is here:
Spoiler:
Eldrad is the greatest among us. He is the sun which eclipses the light of our stars. He is Ulthwé and the fate of our kind rests in his hands. His eyes are the keenest, no detail goes unnoticed. Four thousand runes can he cast, guiding our path through torment and war, death and salvation. He is the pathfinder, the seeker, the true guide. Even your race has trembled before his might, though you may not have known it. It was he who guided us to the Ork known as Ghazghkull, and commanded us to steer his path to your world of Armageddon. Ten thousand Eldar lives would have been lost if he had not done so. What sacrifice is a million humans for such a cause?
He knows your affairs better than you do yourself. He warned that weakling seer you call Emperor of the treachery of Horus and the strife which would engulf us, just as it engulfed the rest of the galaxy, but your arrogance deafened you to his words. Your stupidity almost destroyed the galaxy, yet you never knew how close the forces of light were to our ultimate defeat. He saw the Great Devourer and warned our kin on Iyanden, even before they had neared our galaxy.
To him all futures are laid out, just as your crude implements of torture are laid out on the cold metal of that shelf. You say we are random and capricious, we say you are vulgar and idiotic. Some of you call us your enemies. All races are our enemy in time. Some of you call us your allies. You are not allies, any more than a butcher’s knife is his ally. You are tools, nothing more. To be used and expended to protect our race, that is your fate.
Your kind think you are so magnificent, yet even now, at the nadir of our power, we can manipulate you, turn you to our ends, as easily as you might pull a trigger and fire a gun. Our time will come again, Eldrad has promised us. Once more you upstart Mon-keigh [subject spits] shall kneel before our power! This time we will not be so lenient! We will exterminate you, every world, every vessel, every one of you! Eldrad has seen the stars stained red with your blood, and it pleases him!
You think us weak, but we will be your doom, children of Earth.
p39 Eldar 3rd ed. codex
What I think is often missed in this quote is that it's the last words of a captured Eldar Ranger. It was probably intended to demonstrate the hubris and arrogance of the Eldar, and as an attempt to make his interrogators appear weak and child-like. Thus, you should take it with a massive grain of salt.
Unfortunately, it was also missed by the writers of the Fulgrim novel who just jammed Eldrad right in there, probably because he was an already known Eldar character so they could just name-drop him. So, now we've got an Eldrad that's 10,000+ years old when other sources state eldar as living to 1000-2000 years.
That's like someone coming up to you today claiming that they're very long-lived for a human...and saying that they're 500 years old.
Long-lived is one thing. 5 times longer lived than the commonly accepted maximum age is a bit of a stretch.
But hey ho, that's what we've got...
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/01/16 22:18:39
pm713 wrote: Blood Claws aren't a good measure of how long average Space Wolves live seeing as their plan is run at the most dangerous thing they see.
Considering you have to survive being a Blood Claw to become any other kind of Space Wolf and they make up a large portion of the Space Wolf ranks their influence of the 'average' is pretty damn important.
I don't break the rules but I'll bend them as far as they'll go.
2017/01/16 23:42:19
Subject: So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
pm713 wrote: Blood Claws aren't a good measure of how long average Space Wolves live seeing as their plan is run at the most dangerous thing they see.
Considering you have to survive being a Blood Claw to become any other kind of Space Wolf and they make up a large portion of the Space Wolf ranks their influence of the 'average' is pretty damn important.
Given a pack can ve 15-20 strong blood claw. 10 grey hunter and lownas 5 long fang.
25% survive maybe that far max.
Morality rate his high but those who do make it are damn tough, smarter and most importantly lucky.
Sgt. Vanden - OOC Hey, that was your doing. I didn't choose to fly in the "Dongerprise'.
"May the odds be ever in your favour"
Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl wrote:
I have no clue how Dakka's moderation work. I expect it involves throwing a lot of d100 and looking at many random tables.
FudgeDumper - It could be that you are just so uncomfortable with the idea of your chapters primarch having his way with a docile tyranid spore cyst, that you must deny they have any feelings at all.
2017/01/16 23:53:51
Subject: Re:So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
It has to be mentioned that there are all the CSM in the warp who have been around for a long time. I am aware the warp has no sense of time (The night lords trilogy only remembers Terra about 100ish years ago), but then there's no reason a CSM can't have spent more than 10,000 years fighting in the warp, making them older than any non-eldar/necron.
Also, the Salamanders trilogy has a (minor spoiler);
Spoiler:
Old veteran from the heresy who has spent 10,000 trapped in a chair. He has deteriorated to the point where they can't move him and have to harvest his gene-seed before the planet blows.
Grimdark. This indicates that spending 10,000 or so years in realspace doing nothing is probably enough to kill a SM.
If you allow yourself to be killed and ingested, your soul is forfeited.
2017/01/16 23:58:37
Subject: So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
Dante is 1k+ BUT I do believe there is an upper age limit before they become combat ineffective. There were references to Marines who had succumbed to age-related effects when exposed to Hrud entropic fields ---- we don't know the equivalent biological age but it at least proves there is a limit.
pm713 wrote: Blood Claws aren't a good measure of how long average Space Wolves live seeing as their plan is run at the most dangerous thing they see.
Considering you have to survive being a Blood Claw to become any other kind of Space Wolf and they make up a large portion of the Space Wolf ranks their influence of the 'average' is pretty damn important.
Given a pack can ve 15-20 strong blood claw. 10 grey hunter and lownas 5 long fang.
25% survive maybe that far max.
Morality rate his high but those who do make it are damn tough, smarter and most importantly lucky.
Blood Claws go as big as 15.
tremere47-fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate, leads to triple riptide spam
2017/01/17 06:56:14
Subject: So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
Ynneadwraith wrote: Pre-fall eldar probably lived for as long as current eldar. If you can simply reincarnate after death. No need to prolong your life if you can just move onto the next one. It's just us one-lifers who are obsessed with living forever.
Conjecture of course, but it makes sense from a cultural mindset perspective.
Not sure how old Asurmen was when the Fall was happening (literally happening, not building up), but from what I've heard of the Asurmen book he was quite young.
No, we are explicitly told in Asurmen that they were quite easily able to extend their natural lifespan, which was already measured in hundreds of years, by a hundredfold with their mastery of their own biology. This implies a lifespan in the several tens of thousands for pre-fall Eldar at least, not even taking into account reincarnation.
And no again, it was made pretty clear that Asurmen (then Illiathin) was already well into adulthood as the rot was starting to set in.
2017/01/17 07:44:32
Subject: So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
pm713 wrote: Blood Claws aren't a good measure of how long average Space Wolves live seeing as their plan is run at the most dangerous thing they see.
Considering you have to survive being a Blood Claw to become any other kind of Space Wolf and they make up a large portion of the Space Wolf ranks their influence of the 'average' is pretty damn important.
Given a pack can ve 15-20 strong blood claw. 10 grey hunter and lownas 5 long fang.
25% survive maybe that far max.
Morality rate his high but those who do make it are damn tough, smarter and most importantly lucky.
Space Wolves tend to get promoted as a pack so yes the pack dwindles but the reason for promotion to Grey Hunters and Long Fangs (unless you're Lukas Strifeson crazy) is time in service, with no pack to be promoted with Space Wolves go an alternate route - you remember the title for a Space Wolf with no pack? Outstanding service lands a Space Wolf in alternate positions like Sky Claws, Swift Claws, Wolf Guard and TWC or priesthood of some station. Surviving for a set amount of time is impressive enough to be promoted to Grey Hunter.
I don't break the rules but I'll bend them as far as they'll go.
2017/01/17 08:01:16
Subject: So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
I noticed some of the comments about Eldrad. I was thinking that he might be a perpetual. If that is the case, then he cant be used as a base line for Eldar Age. Alternatively it is possible that the Eldar are effectively Ageless and only die in battle (or when their souls get nommed).
I would also point out that as a general rule, Psykers tend to live far longer than normal for their race (unless you are In the IoM and then you are more likely to rounded up by a black ship).
pm713 wrote: Blood Claws aren't a good measure of how long average Space Wolves live seeing as their plan is run at the most dangerous thing they see.
Considering you have to survive being a Blood Claw to become any other kind of Space Wolf and they make up a large portion of the Space Wolf ranks their influence of the 'average' is pretty damn important.
Given a pack can ve 15-20 strong blood claw. 10 grey hunter and lownas 5 long fang.
25% survive maybe that far max.
Morality rate his high but those who do make it are damn tough, smarter and most importantly lucky.
Space Wolves tend to get promoted as a pack so yes the pack dwindles but the reason for promotion to Grey Hunters and Long Fangs (unless you're Lukas Strifeson crazy) is time in service, with no pack to be promoted with Space Wolves go an alternate route - you remember the title for a Space Wolf with no pack? Outstanding service lands a Space Wolf in alternate positions like Sky Claws, Swift Claws, Wolf Guard and TWC or priesthood of some station. Surviving for a set amount of time is impressive enough to be promoted to Grey Hunter.
Lone wolf. If you complete the near death mission they make you a wolf guard pr such though
Also wolf scout. Less pack oriante veterans.
Sgt. Vanden - OOC Hey, that was your doing. I didn't choose to fly in the "Dongerprise'.
"May the odds be ever in your favour"
Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl wrote:
I have no clue how Dakka's moderation work. I expect it involves throwing a lot of d100 and looking at many random tables.
FudgeDumper - It could be that you are just so uncomfortable with the idea of your chapters primarch having his way with a docile tyranid spore cyst, that you must deny they have any feelings at all.
2017/01/17 08:14:00
Subject: So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
pm713 wrote: Blood Claws aren't a good measure of how long average Space Wolves live seeing as their plan is run at the most dangerous thing they see.
Considering you have to survive being a Blood Claw to become any other kind of Space Wolf and they make up a large portion of the Space Wolf ranks their influence of the 'average' is pretty damn important.
Given a pack can ve 15-20 strong blood claw. 10 grey hunter and lownas 5 long fang.
25% survive maybe that far max.
Morality rate his high but those who do make it are damn tough, smarter and most importantly lucky.
Space Wolves tend to get promoted as a pack so yes the pack dwindles but the reason for promotion to Grey Hunters and Long Fangs (unless you're Lukas Strifeson crazy) is time in service, with no pack to be promoted with Space Wolves go an alternate route - you remember the title for a Space Wolf with no pack? Outstanding service lands a Space Wolf in alternate positions like Sky Claws, Swift Claws, Wolf Guard and TWC or priesthood of some station. Surviving for a set amount of time is impressive enough to be promoted to Grey Hunter.
Lone wolf. If you complete the near death mission they make you a wolf guard pr such though
Also wolf scout. Less pack oriante veterans.
I just realised a fallicy in my reasoning.
What happens to the remaining member if a pack is wiped to two members and one gets drafted into priesthood?
I don't break the rules but I'll bend them as far as they'll go.
2017/01/17 10:25:08
Subject: So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
pm713 wrote: Blood Claws aren't a good measure of how long average Space Wolves live seeing as their plan is run at the most dangerous thing they see.
Considering you have to survive being a Blood Claw to become any other kind of Space Wolf and they make up a large portion of the Space Wolf ranks their influence of the 'average' is pretty damn important.
Given a pack can ve 15-20 strong blood claw. 10 grey hunter and lownas 5 long fang.
25% survive maybe that far max.
Morality rate his high but those who do make it are damn tough, smarter and most importantly lucky.
Space Wolves tend to get promoted as a pack so yes the pack dwindles but the reason for promotion to Grey Hunters and Long Fangs (unless you're Lukas Strifeson crazy) is time in service, with no pack to be promoted with Space Wolves go an alternate route - you remember the title for a Space Wolf with no pack? Outstanding service lands a Space Wolf in alternate positions like Sky Claws, Swift Claws, Wolf Guard and TWC or priesthood of some station. Surviving for a set amount of time is impressive enough to be promoted to Grey Hunter.
Lone wolf. If you complete the near death mission they make you a wolf guard pr such though
Also wolf scout. Less pack oriante veterans.
I just realised a fallicy in my reasoning.
What happens to the remaining member if a pack is wiped to two members and one gets drafted into priesthood?
I'd guess Lone Wolf or join an existing pack.
tremere47-fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate, leads to triple riptide spam
2017/01/17 10:48:52
Subject: So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
pm713 wrote: Blood Claws aren't a good measure of how long average Space Wolves live seeing as their plan is run at the most dangerous thing they see.
Considering you have to survive being a Blood Claw to become any other kind of Space Wolf and they make up a large portion of the Space Wolf ranks their influence of the 'average' is pretty damn important.
Given a pack can ve 15-20 strong blood claw. 10 grey hunter and lownas 5 long fang.
25% survive maybe that far max.
Morality rate his high but those who do make it are damn tough, smarter and most importantly lucky.
Space Wolves tend to get promoted as a pack so yes the pack dwindles but the reason for promotion to Grey Hunters and Long Fangs (unless you're Lukas Strifeson crazy) is time in service, with no pack to be promoted with Space Wolves go an alternate route - you remember the title for a Space Wolf with no pack? Outstanding service lands a Space Wolf in alternate positions like Sky Claws, Swift Claws, Wolf Guard and TWC or priesthood of some station. Surviving for a set amount of time is impressive enough to be promoted to Grey Hunter.
Lone wolf. If you complete the near death mission they make you a wolf guard pr such though
Also wolf scout. Less pack oriante veterans.
I just realised a fallicy in my reasoning.
What happens to the remaining member if a pack is wiped to two members and one gets drafted into priesthood?
I'd guess Lone Wolf or join an existing pack.
I believe they tend to become a lone wolf and join the scouts.
The canon is conflicting about the mortality of Space Marines. In some Black Library books Space Marines are described as functionally immortal: if they are left to live an healthy peaceful life they could live forever. Many other describe them as incredibly long-lived, but still mortal.
I prefer the second, describing their aging as "they can become old enough to the point that they'll eventually die in battle before turning too old".
I don't think that 1k is an upper limit, because nothing ever referenced to the fact that Dante has surpassed his expected longevity. He's the oldest one just because he's one of the best SM around and thus was able to outlive everyone else on the battlefield.
Any marine that has been exposed to / passed much time on the warp of course doesn't count, their natural lifespan has been messed up, at least relatively to Terra timeframe.
About the Eldar it gets much more difficul, because they are very long lived and there are few references Pre-fall. And they are also "strange": e.g. Farseers usually don't die, but turn into crystal. About the others, even if not vowed to constant war as the Space Marines, they're not genecrafted to be the perfect warrior as the Astartes, hence an higher mortality rate on the battlefield (against equal odds of course) is to be expected, probably limited a lot by their divination and cunning. Sooner or later every Eldar will end up fighting to protect his/her craftworld, so it's most likely that most of them will die of a violent death before becoming too old. However there are cases of Eldar already living during the Heresy (Eldrad wasn't just alive, was already a leader for Ulthwè, thus already old enough to be an experienced Farseer). So I'd consider their natural lifespan to be measured in a few tens of thousands of years (but 99.999% won't reach that in the 40k)
Dark Eldars are difficult to compare, the fact that live in Commoragh and that are "nurtured" by pain and all that stuff is likely to make them virtually immortal (as long as they feed enough, but probably the more they become older, the more they need to be fed) - yet still, this kind of feeding requires an exceptional risky lifestyle, sooner or later they'll all meet a violent end
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2017/01/17 12:04:28
2017/01/17 13:03:04
Subject: So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
we have a LOT of space marines living past the 10k mark, a hell of a lot, but lets leave the warp shenanigans out for now.
Salamander dieing to malnutrition and most likely his body eating itself to the point of atrophie, he was around for 10k years.
We also have a Dark angels space marine (grey knight) living 10k years with NO stasis field or warp shenanigans, whilst I find this one quite silly, its there in the fluff.
Now, do I think marines are fuctionally immortal, yes and no, from our perspective, yes they are, but a hundred thousand years? a million? no, I doubt that very much.
Now Chaos marines, sorry to disagree with the above post, but yes they count, some have been fighting for more than 10k years, some have only just dropped from the warp since the heresy, the reason I say they count is it seems they still perceive the turning of time (relative) and it does affect them.
2017/01/17 13:09:43
Subject: So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
Ynneadwraith wrote: Pre-fall eldar probably lived for as long as current eldar. If you can simply reincarnate after death. No need to prolong your life if you can just move onto the next one. It's just us one-lifers who are obsessed with living forever.
Conjecture of course, but it makes sense from a cultural mindset perspective.
Not sure how old Asurmen was when the Fall was happening (literally happening, not building up), but from what I've heard of the Asurmen book he was quite young.
No, we are explicitly told in Asurmen that they were quite easily able to extend their natural lifespan, which was already measured in hundreds of years, by a hundredfold with their mastery of their own biology. This implies a lifespan in the several tens of thousands for pre-fall Eldar at least, not even taking into account reincarnation.
And no again, it was made pretty clear that Asurmen (then Illiathin) was already well into adulthood as the rot was starting to set in.
Very interesting. Thanks for clearing that up that would also imply that pre-Fall Eldar had lifespans at least exceeding 15,000 years.
icn1982 wrote: I noticed some of the comments about Eldrad. I was thinking that he might be a perpetual. If that is the case, then he cant be used as a base line for Eldar Age. Alternatively it is possible that the Eldar are effectively Ageless and only die in battle (or when their souls get nommed).
I would also point out that as a general rule, Psykers tend to live far longer than normal for their race (unless you are In the IoM and then you are more likely to rounded up by a black ship).
I think you're onto something with the psykers having an extended lifespan. Farseers seem to undergo a different aging process to normal eldar, their bodies slowly crystallising as they age which AFAIK is not something that happens to eldar that don't exercise their psychic might.
Possibly the use of their psychic powers alters them in some way. Given that to the eldar psychic abilities and technology blend seamlessly into one-another, I wonder if that's similar to their pre-Fall life-extending abilities...
As far as i know Space Marines being “functionally immortal” was always just a theory held among the Space Marines during the Great Crusade but they had never been able to test it as none of them had ever lived long enough. The Great Crusade only lasted for around 200 years which would still mean that every Space Marine alive at that time was still young by the standards of 40k Marines. The Theory seems to have been proven false however given that we have seen that they do start to fail over time. The average Space Marine should expect to serve for around 200 to 400 years before they are killed or are no longer fit for service but then you have very old Marines like Logan Grimnar and Ulrik that prove that they can live up to at least 800 years with the Blood Angels being stated to be amongst the longest lived at around the 1000 year mark.
Standard Humans are pretty much all over the place with the average citizen either having a very short and brutal life or the lucky ones that can expect to reach an age which would be similar to the age expectancy of today’s world. There are wealthy humans that can extend their lives for several centuries but they are very few in number. The Sister of Battle are likely to live for a good few centuries given how well funded they are.
Eldar live for around 1000+ years with some like Eldrad living well past the 10,000 year mark but this is put down to his vast Psychic might. So it looks like the more the Eldar develop their Psychic powers the longer they can expect to live, but their bodies will eventually start to crystallize. Pre-Fall Eldar were essentially a race of perpetual’s, they lived there lives and upon their deaths their souls would enter the Warp and after a time return to live again. Many among the Pre-Fall Eldar had ambitions to extend their lives to the point that they could outlive stars.
Tau are a short lived race, the oldest can probably expect to reach their 60th year unless there is some other factor involved like commander Farsight.
Dark Eldar have the potential to live as long as their Craftworld kin, as long as they are able to survive that long. Most of the Dark Eldar Haemonculus have been around since before the Fall and many had high ranking positions among the pleasure cults that spread throughout the old Eldar Empire.
Orks I would say are actually “functionally immortal” as they just keep on getting bigger and stronger the longer they live; as long as they are not killed that is. I don’t think there has ever been an example of an old Ork that can no longer fight. Does anyone know what happens when an Ork gets too old?
2017/01/17 14:13:26
Subject: Re:So how old is old for a space marine? And what about Eldar?
Mudrat wrote: It has to be mentioned that there are all the CSM in the warp who have been around for a long time. I am aware the warp has no sense of time (The night lords trilogy only remembers Terra about 100ish years ago), but then there's no reason a CSM can't have spent more than 10,000 years fighting in the warp, making them older than any non-eldar/necron.
This is the sort of bit that always gets me.
When ages are mentioned, are they relative or absolute?
You could be 100 Terran years in absolute terms, ie physical age measured against a fixed time base.
But you could also be 1000 years in relative terms because 1000 years have passed on Terra whilst you were in warp jumps etc, even though you are only 100.
Ultramarines, 3rd Co. and friends, 16k+ 
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