D&D 5E adventurers in your world: common or rare?

GlassJaw · Jun 16, 2017

As I expand the scope of my campaign post-LMoP (big homebrew sandbox), I've been thinking a lot about how common adventures are in the world.

Generally, I always err on the side of "adventures are rare". As a DM, it gives me context for the blacksmiths, bartenders, farmers, etc. the players interact with. Adventuring is hard and dangerous, therefore most don't choose it as a profession.

I also find it useful for role-playing and a potential plot device. As the players get more powerful and acquire more treasure, they gain more notoriety, which can be good and bad for them. They may begin to be sought out to be hired, the target of thieves, tax collectors, rival adventurers, etc.

How common are adventurers in your world? How do you communicate to the players how adventuring is viewed in your world?

iserith · Jun 16, 2017

I would say "uncommon" but not rare in my current game. I do enjoy putting rival adventurers in my campaign because few things motivate the players better than friendly (or unfriendly) competition. The last group of rivals in my 5e campaign was the D&D 3e iconic characters, so the PCs got to thwart Tordek, Mialee, Lidda, and Jozan.

Sunseeker · Jun 16, 2017

Low-level (1-5) are absolutely all over the place, the poor, the rich, the bored, the hungry and those who just don't mesh well with civilized society. Most of the adventurers here are young. "The Party" is likely to run into these guys in any given dungeon (either as corpses, prisoners or competitors).

Mid-level (6-10) are moderately rare. These are people who've figured out how to make a living out of what they do (think Indiana Jones), or are addicted to the rush and haven't stumbled into some bad juju yet. The wealthy and the bored are almost entirely gone from here. Even many of the poor have made it "big" and settled down. What's left are the glory hounds, the adrenaline junkies and the anti-socials.

Upper mid-level (11-15)are very rare. These are either heroic figures who have survives harrowing events or the anti-socials who are two steps away from being the target of the next adventuring party. The adrenaline junkies are usually dead now and the glory hounds have either changed their ways or retired.

High-level (16-20+) are exceedingly rare. You can count how many of them there are in the world on your fingers and have a hand left over. These people are the heroes that heroes look up to. Legendary figures who have done something incredible. (They are often also the villains).

Fanaelialae · Jun 16, 2017

Adventurers are quite rare IMC, at least of the proactive PC variety. The PCs might hear of another group, but are unlikely to ever run into them.

Capable individuals with the capacity for adventure but who lack the inclination to do so exist, but are nonetheless quite uncommon (the PCs are likely to meet a few of these, but not every town will have one). They might include the wizard who is happy being cooped up in his tower, the cleric whose only interest is tending to his shrine, or the captain of the guard whose job it is to protect her town.

Such NPCs might assist the PCs for a time, but are quite happy to return to their quiet lives once the opportunity arises.

Soul Stigma · Jun 16, 2017

shidaku said:
Low-level (1-5) are absolutely all over the place, the poor, the rich, the bored, the hungry and those who just don't mesh well with civilized society. Most of the adventurers here are young. "The Party" is likely to run into these guys in any given dungeon (either as corpses, prisoners or competitors).

Mid-level (6-10) are moderately rare. These are people who've figured out how to make a living out of what they do (think Indiana Jones), or are addicted to the rush and haven't stumbled into some bad juju yet. The wealthy and the bored are almost entirely gone from here. Even many of the poor have made it "big" and settled down. What's left are the glory hounds, the adrenaline junkies and the anti-socials.

Upper mid-level (11-15)are very rare. These are either heroic figures who have survives harrowing events or the anti-socials who are two steps away from being the target of the next adventuring party. The adrenaline junkies are usually dead now and the glory hounds have either changed their ways or retired.

High-level (16-20+) are exceedingly rare. You can count how many of them there are in the world on your fingers and have a hand left over. These people are the heroes that heroes look up to. Legendary figures who have done something incredible. (They are often also the villains).

You just saved me a lot of typing, lol. ^ this

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ccs · Jun 16, 2017

shidaku said:
Low-level (1-5) are absolutely all over the place, the poor, the rich, the bored, the hungry and those who just don't mesh well with civilized society. Most of the adventurers here are young. "The Party" is likely to run into these guys in any given dungeon (either as corpses, prisoners or competitors).

Mid-level (6-10) are moderately rare. These are people who've figured out how to make a living out of what they do (think Indiana Jones), or are addicted to the rush and haven't stumbled into some bad juju yet. The wealthy and the bored are almost entirely gone from here. Even many of the poor have made it "big" and settled down. What's left are the glory hounds, the adrenaline junkies and the anti-socials.

Upper mid-level (11-15)are very rare. These are either heroic figures who have survives harrowing events or the anti-socials who are two steps away from being the target of the next adventuring party. The adrenaline junkies are usually dead now and the glory hounds have either changed their ways or retired.

High-level (16-20+) are exceedingly rare. You can count how many of them there are in the world on your fingers and have a hand left over. These people are the heroes that heroes look up to. Legendary figures who have done something incredible. (They are often also the villains).

I've never bothered to quantify it, but yeah, this sounds about right.
Though I'd say members of the 16+ lv range is probably counted on two hands. Afterall, the world's a pretty big place & at that lv the truly powerful might well be cloaked from observation - or just off planet for the moment.

Istbor · Jun 16, 2017

I would say mine is quite close to [MENTION=93444]shidaku[/MENTION]. There can be a large amount of adventurers at the low levels. People who have no choice but to lead this life, and those who are seeking something more. Typically people get out of that line of work once they make a couple simple scores. The foolish or unlucky don't live very long.

A saying from my home-brew world would sum up adventuring as seen as a career. "There are old adventurers and there are bold adventurers, but there are no old bold adventurers."

MechaTarrasque · Jun 16, 2017

It varies from campaign to campaign. If they are common, then there is an (or more than one) adventurer's guild (that like Killjoys is both a benefit and a problem for the PC's) or society has developed some other response to them (for example all veterans have the mage slayer feat and there is a cottage industry keeping track of anyone over level 5 [think medieval paparazzi])

Patrick McGill · Jun 16, 2017

I guess it depends on how you define it. People that go out seeking dungeons and loot to plunder for profit are very rare -even the PCs of my current campaign aren't these sorts of adventurers. They're a group of castaways who are trying to get home, and this happens to get them into all sorts of fun trouble.

GlassJaw · Jun 16, 2017

I understand the idea of lots of low-level adventurers but fewer and fewer at higher levels. However, this will ultimately be self-correcting. If the world is significantly dangerous, people will stop pursuing the adventuring life because of its high mortality rate. If everyone in a village or town that has attempted adventuring never returned, then people will stop.

I guess this is generally how I view the average person's choice about whether to become an adventurer. Even to achieve 1st level, you need talent, skill, training, equipment; none of those are an insignificant investment.

But again, all these concepts imply information about the world. If lots of "commoners" try their hand at adventuring, maybe the world is rife with loot and valuables just beyond the village walls.

D&D 5E adventurers in your world: common or rare?

GlassJaw

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iserith

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Soul Stigma

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ccs

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