SableWyvern
Adventurer
If the d&d worlds are swamped in poverty, who exactly hangs out in inns? The prices are exorbitant. I don't recall hearing about any campaigns were only the rich hung out at an inn. They're always full of locals.
A labourer (note: Labourer, not farmer) earns enough to provide himself one poor meal every two days (too bad if he has kids). Obviously, he feeds himself and family by thieving. So what happens when the local lord brings in a thousand-strong work force to build a castle or his mausoleum? They'll end up burning down his town.
Try to defend the system's intrinsic economy as you like, it doesn't work.
Personally, I just ignore the inconsistencies. It's D&D folks. It doesn't make sense. That's the nature of the game. HPs are crazy, economies don't work and adventurers get insanely rich and powerful.
A labourer (note: Labourer, not farmer) earns enough to provide himself one poor meal every two days (too bad if he has kids). Obviously, he feeds himself and family by thieving. So what happens when the local lord brings in a thousand-strong work force to build a castle or his mausoleum? They'll end up burning down his town.
Try to defend the system's intrinsic economy as you like, it doesn't work.
Personally, I just ignore the inconsistencies. It's D&D folks. It doesn't make sense. That's the nature of the game. HPs are crazy, economies don't work and adventurers get insanely rich and powerful.