How Dangerous is your campaign world?
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Arnwyn
First Post
Quite dangerous. Farmers travel in groups, and live in groups (mostly large walled farms). Very few are Com1's - most are Com3 or higher, as they have to thwack wolves (at the very least) on a semi-regular basis to harvest their crops.
Populated regions with farmers are usually controlled by some sort of ruling/governmental body, and reasonably patrolled - though there are still large regions with arable soil that are unpopulated because of the monster population.
People become farmers because people gotta eat, and it's still safer than becoming an adventurer (who go to places with an even greater number of monsters per square mile).
Populated regions with farmers are usually controlled by some sort of ruling/governmental body, and reasonably patrolled - though there are still large regions with arable soil that are unpopulated because of the monster population.
People become farmers because people gotta eat, and it's still safer than becoming an adventurer (who go to places with an even greater number of monsters per square mile).
The civilized core is undergoing a renaissance, so it is fairly safe - from independent monsters. It's good ol' human schematizing that'll get you there.
The northern freeholds are not as safe, but most of the main dangers have at least been located and built around, so the primary danger is still good ol' human schematizing.
There is a continent to the west that's in the first stages of being colonized, which is an excellent place to go if you enjoy nonhuman dangers.
There are mysterious islands and groves and planar bleeds and spontaneously generated monsters every now and then. There are goblins that live in a vast network of tunnels under the earth. There is a nation of (variant) trolls. But human civilization is dominant and monsters extraordinary things adventurers have to go out of their way to find.
Levels skew lower, close to (and even a bit lower than) Ebberon demographics.
Now on the other hand I have a postapocalyptic fantasy setting where it's the humans and demihumans that live in little lairs of 20-200 in the wilderness like the reverse of the AD&D Monster Manual, and hobgoblins and ogres and bugbears and other monstrous humanoids have carved nations from erstwhile human hands. That is dangerous.
The northern freeholds are not as safe, but most of the main dangers have at least been located and built around, so the primary danger is still good ol' human schematizing.
There is a continent to the west that's in the first stages of being colonized, which is an excellent place to go if you enjoy nonhuman dangers.
There are mysterious islands and groves and planar bleeds and spontaneously generated monsters every now and then. There are goblins that live in a vast network of tunnels under the earth. There is a nation of (variant) trolls. But human civilization is dominant and monsters extraordinary things adventurers have to go out of their way to find.
Levels skew lower, close to (and even a bit lower than) Ebberon demographics.
Now on the other hand I have a postapocalyptic fantasy setting where it's the humans and demihumans that live in little lairs of 20-200 in the wilderness like the reverse of the AD&D Monster Manual, and hobgoblins and ogres and bugbears and other monstrous humanoids have carved nations from erstwhile human hands. That is dangerous.
Ed_Laprade
Adventurer
"Due to the effects of the War Centuries agriculture is based around protected areas, such as walled towns, with much wilderness between civilized areas. These wilderness areas are often home to fierce monsters and mostly forgotten ruins. Fortunately, the monsters have a healthy regard for the protectors of the civilized areas and usually leave them alone."
That's what my latest homebrew world is like. Or will be if I can ever get a group together!
That's what my latest homebrew world is like. Or will be if I can ever get a group together!
TheAuldGrump
First Post
For my homebrew the answer is 'depends where you are, and when you're there'. The biggest threat in the old world is war - armed brigands turned mercenaries, mercenaries turned brigand. Armies scouring entire areas barren of food and loot.
Thousands are killed in witch hunts, thousands more, who can not afford a cleric, are killed by pestilence. Many more die of starvation and exposure in the areas through which the armies have passed. Others die of fire in burning cities, or random violence.
Little need for marauding monsters, the armies of civilization cause enough catastrophe.
The new world is another matter, largely unsettled and unexplored, monsters, marauding orcs, and goblins from the forests are to be feared.
The Auld Grump
Thousands are killed in witch hunts, thousands more, who can not afford a cleric, are killed by pestilence. Many more die of starvation and exposure in the areas through which the armies have passed. Others die of fire in burning cities, or random violence.
Little need for marauding monsters, the armies of civilization cause enough catastrophe.
The new world is another matter, largely unsettled and unexplored, monsters, marauding orcs, and goblins from the forests are to be feared.
The Auld Grump
CruelSummerLord
First Post
My version is similar to that of the AuldGrunp: 'depends where you are, and when you're there'. Most people live near the major roads and settled routes, where armed patrols are common and they are close to the major markets they travel to to sell their crops and produce.
Orc and goblin raiders are a fairly common occurrence even in the most civilzed of areas (the creatures breed like flies, and are remarkably skilled at being able to dwell right under the nose of man), but as their tactics are very poor and their fighting skills not much better, patrols and even village militias win just as often as they lose. Giants aren't as much of a problem either, as they have the 1E hit dice and statistics, thus making them significantly weaker.
Even so, bandits and drow can kidnap you and use you as their slave, or sell you on the slave market...if you're a man. If you're a woman, they can do all that and...well, more.
Monsters like giant beetles and ankhegs are a danger, but just as farmers and other sedentary peoples have developed ways to deal with creatures like bears and wolves, farmers often pass down the knowledge of how to deal with these creatures.
Out in the wilder areas, you're taking a risk settling down, especially if you live alone. Still, some people do it anyway, since the rewards-being totally independent, making a great deal of money by panning or mining for mineral wealth, attracting your own followers, etc.-are too great for some people to resist. Just consider how settlers would often move in the American West, even under the threat of attacks from First Nations raiders.
The cities aren't necessarily any better. Street gangs and assassins, bar fights, and everything like that are a constant threat, to say nothing of harassment by city guards and the lord's soldiers.
So, I think that it's much the same as any typical medieval city-just substitute some of the human and animal threats for orcs and monsters, and there you go. Some parts of the world are still extremely dangerous, but I'd be very much surprised if they aren't better today in many parts of the world than they ever were in human history.
Besides, even if your part of the world is still very dangerous, chances are you're still going to try to live your life. If you live in Zimbabwe, Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan or any other place where violence is rampant, does that mean that every single person stops trying to make a living in some way, and every single person is part of the militia or the army? It would be no different in the medieval world.
Orc and goblin raiders are a fairly common occurrence even in the most civilzed of areas (the creatures breed like flies, and are remarkably skilled at being able to dwell right under the nose of man), but as their tactics are very poor and their fighting skills not much better, patrols and even village militias win just as often as they lose. Giants aren't as much of a problem either, as they have the 1E hit dice and statistics, thus making them significantly weaker.
Even so, bandits and drow can kidnap you and use you as their slave, or sell you on the slave market...if you're a man. If you're a woman, they can do all that and...well, more.
Monsters like giant beetles and ankhegs are a danger, but just as farmers and other sedentary peoples have developed ways to deal with creatures like bears and wolves, farmers often pass down the knowledge of how to deal with these creatures.
Out in the wilder areas, you're taking a risk settling down, especially if you live alone. Still, some people do it anyway, since the rewards-being totally independent, making a great deal of money by panning or mining for mineral wealth, attracting your own followers, etc.-are too great for some people to resist. Just consider how settlers would often move in the American West, even under the threat of attacks from First Nations raiders.
The cities aren't necessarily any better. Street gangs and assassins, bar fights, and everything like that are a constant threat, to say nothing of harassment by city guards and the lord's soldiers.
So, I think that it's much the same as any typical medieval city-just substitute some of the human and animal threats for orcs and monsters, and there you go. Some parts of the world are still extremely dangerous, but I'd be very much surprised if they aren't better today in many parts of the world than they ever were in human history.
Besides, even if your part of the world is still very dangerous, chances are you're still going to try to live your life. If you live in Zimbabwe, Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan or any other place where violence is rampant, does that mean that every single person stops trying to make a living in some way, and every single person is part of the militia or the army? It would be no different in the medieval world.
shilsen
Adventurer
My players (and their PCs) claim that they won't go get the newspaper in Sharn without being completely armored, having all their major buffs up, and traveling in a large group. I think they're just paranoid.Mallus said:
In my Eberron game, the internal areas of the Five Nations (well, four, since Cyre went ka-blooey) are quite safe, but border areas and much of other less 'civilized' nations like Droaam and Darguun are quite dangerous.
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