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

[Bohandas]

So, I started thinking about the title while reading a Reddit thread about adventurers with disabilities, many people there were claiming it was a ridiculous concept, since they couldn't possibly survive the dangers in dungeons and such. I initially thought it was silly argument, since in the games I've played even a completely healthy person would probably die a hundred times over between all the fights with giant monsters, being hit by lightning, fire, explosions, bullets, and waves of poison, getting beaten to a pulp and completely recovering in a night, etc. The PCs only survive due to superhuman abilities granted by their classes and general D&D mechanics, all of which a disabled character would have as well

And crucially, among those superhuman abilities are spells like Remove Blindness/Drafness and Remove Paralysis

 

[Zubatcarteira]

And crucially, among those superhuman abilities are spells like Remove Blindness/Drafness and Remove Paralysis

Similarly, Raise Dead and Resurrection exist, but you still see a lot of orphan Rogues running around.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Similarly, Raise Dead and Resurrection exist, but you still see a lot of orphan Rogues running around.

Money talks, and diamonds aren't cheap.

 

[Stormonu]

I'll just say if I grabbed four random people off the street and put them in the opening goblin ambush from Lost Mines of Phandelver, they wouldn't make it.

Now, if I grabbed an Army private, a gang member, a Marine medic and a Chemist, they'd have a fighting chance (especially if the Chemist had time to prep for a "dangerous trip"). However, once the group got to the Ruins of Thundertree, I think they'd be well over their head. I doubt they'd survive the Redbrand Hideout and if they got through Wave Echo cave, I'd be truly surprised.

 

[jasper]

I think Hema/SCA, Military Special forces types, martial arts black belts may make to the third day.
The rest of this forum. Kobold Chow.

 

[Horwath]

I'll just say if I grabbed four random people off the street and put them in the opening goblin ambush from Lost Mines of Phandelver, they wouldn't make it.

Now, if I grabbed an Army private, a gang member, a Marine medic and a Chemist, they'd have a fighting chance (especially if the Chemist had time to prep for a "dangerous trip"). However, once the group got to the Ruins of Thundertree, I think they'd be well over their head. I doubt they'd survive the Redbrand Hideout and if they got through Wave Echo cave, I'd be truly surprised.

what weapon would the be using?
Medieval or moders?

Even with medieval, I see them having a good chance to clear most of LMoP.
Just take is slow and get cover always.

 

[ezo]

what weapon would the be using?
Medieval or moders?

While some D&D games include more modern weapons, I think the default would be only medieval weapons.

Even with medieval, I see them having a good chance to clear most of LMoP.
Just take is slow and get cover always.

Maybe the goblin's Cragmaw Hideout...
The Redbrand Hideout would be quite a problem, but with some luck and planning... insane luck and extremely intelligence tactical planning...

Pretty much anything beyond that and I can't see them surviving. They might survive some individual encounters, but without leveling and increased hit points, the odds are most overwhelmingly not in their favor.

It would be an interesting thing to play out, however.

 

[delericho]

Absolutely not. Even at 1st level, 5e D&D characters are strictly superhuman, so barring truly absurd luck a normal human would very quickly be dead.

 

[Horwath]

Absolutely not. Even at 1st level, 5e D&D characters are strictly superhuman, so barring truly absurd luck a normal human would very quickly be dead.

but that is the problem, how do you define "real human" here?

real humans went through decades of war and some of them survived dozens of battles?

do they fight "real goblins" or whatever that would be?

or are real humans bunch of 20YO with no fighting skills whatsoever?

 

[GrimCo]

That's the crux of the problem. We haven't defined what constitutes as "real normal human". Classed systems like D&D, which focus on narrow horizontal growth, are notoriously bad for stating out normal humans. I could make reasonable approximation of my friend group in WoD or GURPS, but in D&D, that's a challenge. Commoners, as stated in pretty much all editions, suck as representation of normal real world human.