Adventurers: "We don't want your kind around here."

[WayneLigon]

Some places are like that IMC, some are not. The usual reaction most common folk will have to armed strangers is a neutral one; they're generally going to be distrusting of strangers, especially armed strangers who are not wearing the lord's colors (they're more distrusting of the ones who do, sometimes), but they're also going to be afraid of ticking them off. Polite distrust sums it up.

Now, if they have an obvious priest of The Daughter (a healing deity) with them, the reaction is friendly. Likewise if someone is wearing the colors of a paladin order. Any normal cleric almost guarentees a good reaction.

Obvious wizards and sorcerers are treated like minor lords, since no-one wants to tick off the walking WMD. People will be defferncial, polite, but distant. After all, no one really trusts them unless they have a personal good reputation. A wizard with a very good rep in an area makes it better for all wizards, since people will think 'Well, Old Tom is a pretty good guy and he vouches for this kid, so... '

 

[Tom Cashel]

It is great fun to READ about these guys, but in most cases it actually sucks to BE them. [...] I personally would be depressed playing in this type of campaign (at least in the absence of the cool superpowers and supervillians to beat the hell out of).

I don't really buy this as a truism.

How much of the player's enjoyment in a typical D&D campaign really depends on the accolades of the general populace? Not much, in my experience. I think a fair share of the treasure and some XP trumps a key to the city presented by the Mayor every time.

Plus, D&D characters are superheroes, transposed into a fantasy genre.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Do you not think the general populace's reaction would depend a great deal on how the PCs behave? If they loot, rape and pillage then they'll be scorned. If they bestow gifts, spend gps freely, kill troublesome monsters and heal the sick they'll be popular.

Fair enough, the initial reaction to the approach of a group of armed men is most likely to be apprehension at best. But they'll change their tune when the party deals with the hobgoblin menace.

Marvel's approach to mutants of having them universally feared and hated has always seemed a little implausible to me. Especially when everyone loves the Avengers.

 

[Darkness]

Considering the Diplomacy totals even medium-level parties have, most citizens they want to befriend won't treat them (or at least their spokesperson) like pariahs for long.

Rog6 with Cha 12, 9 ranks in Diplomacy, +2 synergy bonus from Bluff = Diplomacy +12

Assuming an initial attitude of 'Unfriendly', the Rogue will turn the NPC Friendly 40% of the time,, Indifferent 50% of the time, and fail to improve the NPC's attitude 10% of the time. He can't worsen his attitude. (Note: Skill checks don't auto-fail on a 1.)

Of course, parties that consist entirely of gruff dwarf wizards, uncivilized half-orc fighters and similar people deserve to be treated like suspicious sellswords.

 

[IronWolf]

I think the "We don't wnat your kind around here" could be an interesting dynamic, *if* the PC's have some chance of turning the public opinion around or if perhaps it was only a particular area that was anti-adventurer. In fact it might even me fun if the group went from one area of the world to another and the new area finds them in a town where unlike other places adventurers are frowned upon. I think with some work from the DM it could provide an interesting feel of depth to the world.

 

[Crothian]

with the diplomancy rules set up and how easy it is to get a high modifier on that roll, I imagine the Pcs with be hereoes no matter what

 

[Von Ether]

with the diplomancy rules set up and how easy it is to get a high modifier on that roll, I imagine the Pcs with be hereoes no matter what

The Savage World campaign Evernight does a fun twist on this. In the first third of the game, the heroes see and participate in the "rock star" world of being an adventurer, admired and respected.

... But when the world fall apart around them, the common folk don't see why they should risk their necks when the adventurers are there to take the heat for them. One of the themes of the game is to inspire the regular people to stand up for themselves.

 

[Numion]

We tend to play chatic neutral PCs mostly, so public opinion wouldn't mean much. Just stay out of our way and we'll do our job is the attitude. Any commoner would be wise the stay his opinions to himself

 

[Krieg]

From Seven Samurai -

Kikuchiyo: What do you think of farmers? You think they're saints? Hah! They're foxy beasts! They say, "We've got no rice, we've no wheat. We've got nothing!" But they have! They have everything! Dig under the floors! Or search the barns! You'll find plenty! Beans, salt, rice, sake! Look in the valleys, they've got hidden warehouses! They pose as saints but are full of lies! If they smell a battle, they hunt the defeated! They're nothing but stingy, greedy, blubbering, foxy, and mean! God damn it all! But then who made them such beasts? You did! You samurai did it! You burn their villages! Destroy their farms! Steal their food! Force them to labour! Take their women! And kill them if they resist! So what should farmers do?

Is the life of your average D&D peasant really any different?

 

[Ace]

Some places are like that IMC, some are not. The usual reaction most common folk will have to armed strangers is a neutral one; they're generally going to be distrusting of strangers, especially armed strangers who are not wearing the lord's colors (they're more distrusting of the ones who do, sometimes), but they're also going to be afraid of ticking them off. Polite distrust sums it up.

Now, if they have an obvious priest of The Daughter (a healing deity) with them, the reaction is friendly. Likewise if someone is wearing the colors of a paladin order. Any normal cleric almost guarentees a good reaction.

Obvious wizards and sorcerers are treated like minor lords, since no-one wants to tick off the walking WMD. People will be defferncial, polite, but distant. After all, no one really trusts them unless they have a personal good reputation. A wizard with a very good rep in an area makes it better for all wizards, since people will think 'Well, Old Tom is a pretty good guy and he vouches for this kid, so... '

This is pretty much how I handle it as well.

All High level PC types get a bit of defference as well -- A party of say 12th level types can wipe a village from the map if they so choose and a lot of them (or at least my players) would be willing to if threatened