D&D General Could a real human survive your D&D adventures?

[Bayushi_seikuro]

I think it all depends. Normal humans moved to a fantasy world would have adaption issues any way, but I feel the 'adventures' a person with disabilities would undertake, like anyone else, would be those that play to their strengths. Kind of like Tyrion Lannister - partly he was relegated to the politics because of his father's views and his limitations, but he made himself exceptionally good.

This discussion also reminded me of the old book series Guardians of the Flame, where modern college kids got fused magically with their fantasy RPG characters. It took adapting. BUT, on their only trip back to the Real World, knowing he had lost all his magical abilities, the formerly 14th-level wizard grabbed all of the engineering class books he had. Sure he had lost all his class abilities, but... he now had the know-how to invent guns and gun powder. And as they advanced their tech, he sold off the previous iteration - meaning people were using flintlocks when he had moved his people onto cartridge rounds.

The series also featured a character who in the real world was in a wheelchair, but in the fantasy world he was a dwarf berserker. There's a scene that always gets me because he fired up his berserker rage in one scene remembering what it was like in our world. It was pretty grim, but it had inspired a friend's character in the first campaign I joined outside my house - a friend who has MS.

 

[Fanaelialae]

Maybe a level 1 adventure. But higher level adventures? Not likely. IMO, real world people (even capable ones) would likely be maimed or killed by the challenges D&D characters typically face.

 

[Bedrockgames]

No

 

[Stormonu]

Someone probably would, but it's unlikely the random person (or four) on a street corner would. I'm not sure an average enlisted soldier might get too far without a bit of luck themselves. How far they got might be a better question, and I'd dare say less than 50% would probably survive past the first adventure.

People have survived and done some things that even Hollywood would find ridiculous. Luck, skill and circumstance came together at just the right moment in most cases. I think that's true of what I've seen of D&D. Most folks wouldn't make it past the first adventure or two unless they were a bit exceptional in some form or fashion - and good at teamwork.

 

[GrimCo]

Probably. Most of our campaigns these days are more like GoT. Low level, combat and fantasy monsters very light. Humans are scariest monsters. Lots of faction vs faction play, lots of politics, very character driven.

In the context of my game worlds, typical d&d style adventurers are Darwin awards candidates.

 

[Yaarel]

Fun question!

"Could a real human survive your D&D adventures?"

At levels 1 thru 4, definitely.

At levels 5 thru 8, it is lethal.

At levels 9 thru 12, rarely.

At levels 13 and up, never.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Probably not. But it depends on the specifics of the adventure.

A team of office workers? Highly likely that most of them are dead or maimed after their first "Adventure". Even if all of them have assault rifles.

An elite team of soldiers with modern military equipment? Well, if you kept the adventure to humanoid enemies and mundane traps, they likely all survive. But throw in something like a warg bursting from a hallway, or a non-obvious spore trap, and they are losing multiple people.

Place them against magic, and without the knowledge or the special defenses that PCs get, they are toasted and served.

 

[Tonguez]

The series also featured a character who in the real world was in a wheelchair, but in the fantasy world he was a dwarf berserker. There's a scene that always gets me because he fired up his berserker rage in one scene remembering what it was like in our world. It was pretty grim, but it had inspired a friend's character in the first campaign I joined outside my house - a friend who has MS.

My nephew is a lower leg amputee, he's 38, still fit, plays basketball, runs faster than many and does rock climbing, with the Olympics coming up is good to remember that disability isn't always an impediment to adventure, especially with the magic of technology and skilled artificers

 

[MGibster]

I have yet to meet a D&D adventure that could survive me. I'll be fine! Bring it on, beholder.

 

[bloodtide]

Well, most normal people would die quick enough...though they would die in plenty of real world places too.

The 'average' Western person would not last too long in most of the rest of the world...even more so any place without modern tech and professionals to help them...or any "war zone".

Though for a lot of people the problem would be more a social one. Lots of 21st people don't really get the 'real world' of life and death and think their wacky beliefs are universal.