Heroic Frequency

[Imp]

So you might have a bunch of adventurers meet and decide to head off for the loot in the lost old temple out in the dark woods, but the band breaks up soon after. Most of these people are in it for the money, few trusting the other completely.

Oh yeah, I use this model too. Frequently NPC adventurer groups organized this way are larger, but about as cohesive as a nightmare group of players might be, or their distribution of labor will be completely unequal – there may be a cleric in the group, but he insists on camping out away from the danger and the party comes to him for healing, or if there's a rogue, he'll hang out outside until the NPC fighters clear out all the dangers – lots of stuff that would get a player kicked out of a gaming group can happen with NPC parties.

 

[robberbaron]

There are some other adventuring parties. In fact, the PCs have followed and ambushed one of them (they later murdered, in full view of many members of the public, the rogue who got away).

There is also a Hunter's Guild which attracts groups of Bounty Hunters.

In my earlier 1e campaign in the same world, the PCs were hoiked away by a playful god who put them in a 'World Cup' of adventurers. They came a respectable 2nd.

I'm waiting for the PCs to target another rival group as I've got a bit of a surprise in store for them (muwahahaha).

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Well, Ptolus is part of my world, where adventuring groups are common and there is, in fact, an adventuring guild. (Two, actually, since I really dig the League of Boot and Trail from the Complete Adventurer and stuck them in, too.)

But in my actual campaign, there's only been one NPC adventuring party, and they've only met one member. Still, they're out there.

 

[Wombat]

Only a handful of other groups exist -- this is a specialized market for desperate and/or truly inspired individuals.

But gotta have some -- the PCs need rivals and benchmarks.

 

[Griffith Dragonlake]

In Grymwurld™ adventuring is an anomaly but PC classed NPCs are not. There are mercenary companies who fight wars for pay (and practice brigandage in their spare time). There are orders of monastic knights (paladins & clerics) who go on crusades. The Druids and Rangers have similar associations although they are focused on preservation and protection rather than crusading. There are universities that crank out wizards. There are Thieves' guilds as well. But dungeon crawling adventuring parties? Nope. There are bandits which come close but as (PSI)SeveredHead mentioned, those groups are not as balanced as PC adventuring parties.

Once and only once in 30 years of D&D have I had the PCs hear of another adventuring party — or at least a group that took their name — the ghoul reivers. As it turns out, they were happy to give up their name even though the other party was pretty lousy at reiving ghouls! :\

 

[Simia Saturnalia]

My 1e and 3.5 settings use the 100+ model, and bears a lot of similarities to Imp's model in that some of them function very differently than PC groups would. A great many of the successful ones become caravan/shipping companies after a year or two of adventuring, having developed contacts, wealth, and power (i.e., NPCs retire around 5th - 8th level). Others serve as excellent warnings. A not-insignificant number of the evil ones present the problematic NPCs of the campaign from among their number - that necromancer menacing the city probably has some friends with different talents hanging around who stand to benefit too.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I've always run my campaigns as if adventurers were uncommon, and ADVENTURERS! were very rare indeed. In other words, low-level mercenaries, scoundrels, etc were reasonably prevalent, but that the party was almost unique, especially as their level increased. The mortality of low-level characters always seemed sufficiently high to discourage most from living by the sword, and those that did and survived to the point where they sought out danger were almost unheard of.

 

[jodyjohnson]

PC classes are uncommon but only the party benefits from 'plot protection'. So rising to the levels of true heroism is very rare for NPCs.

Non-party PCs run into overwhelming encounters with a much higher frequency than Party PCs do. Just look at the bones!!! That's one viscious rabbit!

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

Other: PCs aren't "career adventurers" in my games.

Certainly there are other mercenary companies, military units, demon hunting knightly orders, merchant traders and sometime privateers, rebels fighting against usurpers or conquerers, etc.

The PCs are "adventurers" in the sense that they are "people who have adventures." They are not "adventurers" in the sense that they make a living by going into holes in the ground, killing things, and taking their stuff. They may do all of the above, they may do it as a consequence of their professions, but it does not constitute the meat and potatoes of their profession.

In general, there are no other "career adventurers," either, although I suppose a handful of NPCs could arguably be described as such.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I'm playing in Eberron (and, shortly, in Star Wars).

There are lots, and lots, of out-of-work ex-soldiers, ex-Battle Wizards, and warforged with significant martial training and not much to do with it. There are weekly stories in the Korranberg Chronicle of the exploits of Adventurer-de-la-Semaine braving the wilds of Xendrik (and, sometimes, ending up lost).

Yeah, there's a lot of adventuring companies.