D&D 5E "Monster density" and wilderness settlements in D&D campaign worlds

Andor · Sep 29, 2014

Derren said:
How can anything grow in such a world? The whole ecosystem would collapse.

The same way middle earth did after the gold and silver lamps were destroyed and before the sun and moon were created?

Some worlds run on hard science with a tiny spattering of magic, Barbra Hamblys Darwath trilogy for example dealt with a world entering a severe ice age and the resulting ecological collapse.

Others run on a spinning disk which rest on the backs of four giant elephants who are bourne through spa e on the back of a giant turtle.

I would venture to claim most gaming worlds are pretty sketchy for the point of view of or current understanding of ecology.

Agamon · Sep 29, 2014

Mercurius said:
I mean, it makes sense to have any size settlement in Cormyr, but what about in the North? What about the Dalelands - how do those survive?

I'm currently running a game in the North, using the 3e Silver Marches book. It actually explains in detail how the hub of the three main cities in the south are more protected due to patrols (and magic, in the case of Silverymoon), outlying towns and villages are harassed and sometimes outright attacked, the north half of the Marches are lawless and dangerous, and that the whole region is under constant threat of attack from orcs, trolls, giants, dragons, and drow (and what happened in the past when such invasions have occurred).

Authweight · Sep 29, 2014

Andor said:
The same way middle earth did after the gold and silver lamps were destroyed and before the sun and moon were created?

Some worlds run on hard science with a tiny spattering of magic, Barbra Hamblys Darwath trilogy for example dealt with a world entering a severe ice age and the resulting ecological collapse.

Others run on a spinning disk which rest on the backs of four giant elephants who are bourne through spa e on the back of a giant turtle.

I would venture to claim most gaming worlds are pretty sketchy for the point of view of or current understanding of ecology.

For the record, the lamps and their destruction and all that was my primary inspiration. Although I have thought out the ecology quite a bit. The fact it works differently than our world doesn't mean it doesn't have internal logic.

And it makes me quite happy somebody picked up on the Tolkien themes

Hussar · Sep 30, 2014

Derren said:
How can anything grow in such a world? The whole ecosystem would collapse.

I believe that would be the same power that lets things that grow up in the dark develop better sight, allows most monsters to exist at all, and fuels the D&D economy in most settings.

Savage Wombat · Sep 30, 2014

Hussar said:
I believe that would be the same power that lets things that grow up in the dark develop better sight, allows most monsters to exist at all, and fuels the D&D economy in most settings.

Experience Points?

Joddy37 · Sep 30, 2014

Cormyr and Dalelands are the Heartlands of Faerun. These two regions are inhabited since the pact with elves and the erection of the standing stone more than a millenium ago. On the edges of these counties goblinoids will be aplenty, eager to attack and plunder but hesitant enough because of local militia of the towns, notable adventurers in the villages etc. The truly supernatural and magical monsters are a different thing entirely. They may become threat even for the goblinoids in the region. The monsters don't say, "hey these are just orcs, they are evil like me, I have to bypass these and attact the goodly folk on the frontier". They can as well attack the orcs before encountering humans. Goblinoids can really act as a buffer for frontier settlements against much more dangerous monsters.

D&D 5E "Monster density" and wilderness settlements in D&D campaign worlds

Andor

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Agamon

Adventurer

Authweight

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Hussar

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Savage Wombat

Hero

Joddy37

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