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ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="painandgreed" data-source="post: 1941043" data-attributes="member: 24969">IMC, there are three main types of threats to the average village: monsters, raiders, and armies.Villages tend to be a little more compact and fortified than in RL because there are deadly monsters that lurk out in the woods. Even in highly civilized areas, there will still be forest with a chance of meeting smaller beasts and monsters. Outside of such areas, the wilderness will begin very closely to the village and its farm lands and chances of running into large creatures might happen. The village itself is usually fortified with a ditch or wall and watch. Dogs or geese might be used in the defence and once the alarm is raised, then the village militia will try and fend off such creatures if possible with missle weapons and long spears. Outisde of the village, most houses and even huts will be simple but very study build with doors and shutters that can be locked from inside. If encountering things in the woods, the best thing to do is run or hide even at sight of tracks from such a beast. Once the village is warned, then the local lord, cleric and maybe ranger will go out and hunt down things whose territories get to close to civilization.Radiers almost offer less of a threat to commoners. The tactic used most by all but the feircest is simply to not resist. Commoners are typically seen as treasure generators and although they'll be robbed and abused, they'll usually be left alive and maybe even with some of their equipment and stores if they don't resist, so that they can be there to rob and abuse next year. This includes most humanoids tribes who also ignore non-combatants if simply raiding. Any active defence is left to the local lord and whatever forces he can muster.In the case of armies, they simply run away. If the local lord has ample fortifications, they can sometimes seek refuge there, but unless the area is of good alignment, such fortifications usually aren't built or supplied to handle lots of refuges and their property and animals. ANother, possibly better, solution is to run deeper into one's own country and become refuges. With enough warning most of the household can be packed up and taken with them down the road inorder to outrun the advancing army. Barring those two options, the next thing is to run into the wilderness and take your chances with the monsters. Some villages might even have caves or hide outs built out in the woods or hills for such occations that are hard to find. Most armies are busy trying to find other armies to fight and don't have the time or manpower to hunt down commoners in the wild. However, there are always deserters, thieves, and the losing side's forces after the battle to worry about.</blockquote>

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