D&D 5E Do you allow adult situations in your games?

[Krakenspire]

By adult situations I'm referring too all the uncomfortable stuff that comes along with playing DnD that is more like the Westeros than Forgotten Realms. Sex, prostitution, uncomfortable violence, torture, where half-orcs actually come from (nicely put - forced "mating") and also the other side of the coin - romantic love, relationships and marriages for PC's.

My gaming group doesn't really go into these too much. We don't shy away from the abusive spouse situations or the bugbears selling villagers into slavery (undertone sex slavery...), but no one frequents brothels, chases women/men or ever has to deal with sexual abuse etc...

As well as we are all straight guys no one is comfortable with "roleplaying" a romantic situation as we are not true actors and have a hard enough time being in character to begin with. There was only one romance in all my years and it was kinda hand waved..."You have grown quite attached to Milly the barmaid...she brings you beer".

I think its partially because we play the game to suspend reality not re-enact the horrible parts of the nightly news. We want to fight the good fight against "overwhelming evil" and grand noble threats. By making the game too real, too evil it might become too depressing and basically ruin what we are trying to do. I also think its because no one truly wants to DM that kind of evil character. I have kids myself and the idea of roleplaying a character like Billy Kincaid http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Kincaid I am certainly not comfortable with. Evil dragon that devours armies and turns kingdoms to ash yes. Child killer no.

What about your campaigns. How do adult situations show up or do they at all?

 

[Greatwyrm]

Most of my players and I have kids. Where the adventure goes and how I phrase things are directly affected by whether I think any little ears are present. Whatever Mom and Dad tell them at home is their business, but I'm not interested in starting any "a very special episode" conversations for any of them.

...where half-orcs actually come from (nicely put - forced "mating")....

Please don't think I'm picking on you. I've seen this for years and you're just the last person I saw.

I don't really like this and many people don't. So why do we keep going there with it? Why can't they be some sorcerer's experiment from ages ago that resulted in a race that outlived him? That's the actual lore behind a crap ton of stuff in the Monster Manuals over the years and the Tazian Thralls in the Talislanta game. Why do we have to accept that in a world with chimeras, gorgons, and owlbears that the only possible explanation for half-orcs is assault?

 

[Remathilis]

I don't really like this and many people don't. So why do we keep going there with it? Why can't they be some sorcerer's experiment from ages ago that resulted in a race that outlived him? That's the actual lore behind a crap ton of stuff in the Monster Manuals over the years and the Tazian Thralls in the Talislanta game. Why do we have to accept that in a world with chimeras, gorgons, and owlbears that the only possible explanation for half-orcs is assault?

To its credit, 4e tried to get away from that as the common half-orc heritage. Ultimately, they opted for the "its non of your damn business" origin.

In my campaign, half-orcs are a (nearly) true-breeding race descended from orcs who encountered pseudo-Mongolian humans long ago. They fight from horseback (and breed some of the best horses in the land), use cunning tactics, and live by a warriors code. Its definitely not the "child of a human slave" origin most half-orcs get, though I suppose that is an option too.

 

[Nergal Pendragon]

It depends a lot on the campaign, the setting, and the game system.

Shadowrun? WoD? By the time the first night is out, prostitutes will be the least of the child-inappropriate things you've seen. They come out as downright child-friendly by comparison.

A heroism-focused game? We tend to go a lot lighter, and some games don't feature prostitutes at all.

In some games, the demons and devils are a lesser force of evil than the player characters. That's the one where we nuke the line and then tapdance on its cratered remains. Those make even the worst Shadowrun campaign seem kid-friendly if we're doing DnD. I can't even mention some of the golems they make on this site without risking a ban. It's just that horrible.

Call of Cthulhu games also tend to be pretty kid-unfriendly. But, that's just a kid-unfriendly game.

You know, come to think of it, I think we may have to deny that teenager wanting to join. I'm kinda afraid we're going to corrupt her, mentally scar her, or shatter her sanity.

 

[Remathilis]

What about your campaigns. How do adult situations show up or do they at all?

Its come up some times. Most of our group is mature enough and they tend toward heroes, so the only "adult" situations that tend to come up are mostly implied. (Succubi, torture chambers, etc). Most of it comes from evil NPCs so that the group can feel better about killing them, I don't get too many anti-heroes anymore. An older group of players I used to play with opted to try a more "gray" game, but quickly descended into Stupid Evil and the game imploded in three sessions. We have had some minor elements though; a womanizing cleric, or a a character who was addicted to alcohol.

On the other side, its come up a few times that PCs have had a romantic encounter with an NPC (either a romance or a fling) but that's usually handled a bit more "3rd person" (I tell the princess I love her). Several of my characters (as well as PCs in my games) have been married and a few have had children.

That said, we don't take any of it "really" seriously. We occasionally make some sophomoric jokes about "banging the bard" but we usually leave the truly terrible or intimate things "off camera". We probably keep the game at PG-13 with occasional dips in R territory.

 

[KirayaTiDrekan]

Right now none at all, as I DM for my kids. When I'm DMing for grown-ups, we get into whatever everyone's comfortable with. There have been epic romances, marriages, difficult moral situations, torture, and more.

Regarding half-orcs, I have handled them a few ways, depending on the setting (all homebrew). 1. A subrace of orcs, related to "true" orcs in the same way hobgoblins are related to bugbears. 2. Specifically bred as super soldiers by a militaristic human nation. 3. One step on an evolutionary scale that goes - Orcs -> Half-Orcs -> Humans -> Half-Elves -> Elves.

 

[nomotog]

I think order of the stick did a good comic explaining where half orcs come from I just can't find it right now.

I try to play light most of the time. I make a little bit of effort to avoid anything too dark. I don't ever plan on introducing the R word for example. However it doesn't stop my players from bring up adult topics. I have one player who brings up sex a bit.

 

[Remathilis]

I'm kinda afraid we're going to corrupt her, mentally scar her, or shatter her sanity.

If you don't, your not playing D&D right.

 

[Kristivas]

It depends on the players. I'm in a game where we were teaching my kids to play, so all of the sex stuff is treated as non-existent/not mentioned at all.

But, I'm assuming this is about games with adults, so I'll focus there. The general rule is "what happens in the real world, happens here".

Prostitution and other consenting sex - Yeah
We like to role play as if we were the characters, so at the end of a long day, it's nothing to smoke some devilweed while drinking ale and whiskey, and finding a warm body for the night. The warm body parts aren't played out, and if they are, it probably means your pro is a succubus/thief/assassin/something nefarious.

Rape (by PCs) - No
Everyone in my real life abhors rape. Even in evil games, we stay away from this.

Rape (for the story) - No
We don't use rape to drive a story.

Rape (as a byproduct) - Yes
Slavers rape. People get raped. It's not the focus, but it happens. However, it's more like being added to a laundry list of bad things that a group might do. The slavers, for example. They beat, rape, exploit, and force labor from their slaves. We don't get into the sex parts, but we don't ignore it as something that doesn't exist. It's just in the very distant background.

Child Murder/Molestation - Eh...
I've never been in a game with any kind of child molestation mention (and I hope never to play in one). We've had child killers, though. From cultists needing a sacrifice to a murderer terrorizing the city. I'll keep the Law & Order: SVU stuff to tv.
The Investigation skill is great for having a crime-driven game.

Half-Orc/Half-Elf Origin - Varied
Sometimes, Halfbreeds are born through rape. A lot less with Half-Elves than Half-Orcs, of course. Tanis Half-Elven, from Dragonlance, was one such, and if it's good enough for canon, it's good enough for my game. But, I always give players an option to have a character that's not born from assault (as most of us don't really care for that sort of thing). Plains barbarians encountering the remnants of a tribe of Orcs (mostly women and children) that have been run out of their home by Elves or Dwarves or what have you. They're hungry, they're cold, but they can work because they're strong. The barbarians, without the stigmas of society, integrate some or all of these Orcs. Alternately, an evil human on the run from the law encounters a group of Orcs with some fellow escapees. The Orcs agree to let the strongest survive. After killing his pals, the evil human is accepted as a warrior. After he proves himself strong and cunning, he's given/allowed have a mate that will accept him and proper status within the clan.

Drug Use - Yes
Legalize it. One of my chaotic good characters smuggles drugs. Thinks there's nothing wrong with something a consenting adult wants, as long as it doesn't infringe on another's will.

Torture - Yes
Great for driving a story. I'd give inspiration to a character who role plays trying to recover (mentally) from their ordeals in a very compelling way. Breaking down after a bloody battle would be an example, but I don't really care for people who want to sit out combats because their character wants to just curl up into a ball and sob.

 

[dd.stevenson]

If I'm DMing? Depends on the group. If I'm GMing for a group of adults, I make it clear that I'm OK with sex, though we'll fade to black right about the time clothes come off. I also make it clear that I'm not comfortable with rape/sex abuse in the game, and if it ever comes up at all it'll be only indirectly referenced.

At the same time, I also ask if everyone else is comfortable with these standards and take steps to accommodate anyone who isn't.

Half orcs--I encourage players to not use the "human mom was raped during an orc raid" cliche. If they want to, that's their choice, but we won't be using revenge for/coming to terms with that rape that as a plot point in the campaign; the player is advised to have this already taken care of as part of the character background.