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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 6648508" data-attributes="member: 6790260">How often did people in Antiquity or the Medieval period die of starvation, thirst, exposure, purely mundane animal attack, or disease? How often did they die of being burned to a crisp, run through by an enemy's sword, or grievously injured by an unseen trap?Now, consider the same questions, but (a) for your own group's PCs, and (b) for the PCs of the community at large. Death by combat or a really nasty magic trap or spell is, I'd wager, FAR more likely than death by exposure, starvation, etc. except in settings where that is made a key part of play (e.g. Dark Sun--the only such setting I know of).I don't disagree that the combat pillar is usually the one that weighs heaviest on players' (and DMs') minds, but I think that's rather simply explained by doing a frank risk analysis. What's the bigger threat, environment and mundane creatues or fellow sentients and their works? My experience has always been that the latter is not only greater, but greater by far--and a weapon is still pretty handy for dealing with the mundane creatures too. If taking weapons makes you better at dealing with both the more common and more dangerous threat, why WOULDN'T you take the more-weapon-y, less-tool-y item, especially if your DM is lenient about whether swords can cut down trees or whittle?I will still grant the spear thing though. Tragically under-used, since it really was super good for killing while staying protected.</blockquote>

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