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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Aloïsius" data-source="post: 3867068" data-attributes="member: 1191">As said in the other thread, darkness is not only about marauding raiders or marching armies.What defenses against the other cause of darkness ?<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">disease : There is probably a healer even in the smallest village. Probably one of the most precious person of the community. He may have magical power, or not. If not, he probably use  herbal lore. How the PC fit ? One of the PC can be the healer of a community, but this won't lead to fantastic adventure. More interesting, the PC may have to rescue the healer of a community. They may be send to look for the rare and precious plant that can save the village/the princess from the pest. Too bad, it only grow on a wyvern infested cliff... </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">famine : In point of light, most community grow their own food rather than buying it. However, fishers, peasants, herders or gatherer/hunters have different ways of collecting food. Plowing is probably not spectacular, but hunting dinosaurs... The granary (or granaries) may be one of the most strategic place in a town. In times of trouble, it's probably guarded 24 hours a day against sabotage... Herds of animals are another ressources. Not all nomadic tribes belongs to the darkness, some of them may perfectly fill the role of merchants. However, their herds of whatever-beastie they use is probably more precious to them than the merchandise they sell here and there. How the PC fit . A hunt scenario is always a lot of fun : finding the big beast, fighting it, killing it, and then rejoicing around huge bonefire with the happy villagers... But what if the beast is not there ? Why are the bisons/thuna/diplodocus not coming this year ? Something may block their passage... Disputed ressources : one of the first reason for bad blood between point of light is the dispute around vital ressources. What if the herds graze upon the fields of the labourers ? This could lead to a classic nomad VS sedentary war, if the PCS don't find a solution. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">other natural disaster Some places adapt to the natural perils (in a fantasy world, this may lead to really strange places). Others seems just happy to rebuild on a regular basis and adopt a more fatalist attitude. By exemple, a levee can protect the town from a flood, or may be the town is made of boats (a floating town) anyway. Or maybe the town is just flooded every 50 years. The use of magic, especialy divine magic, is probably one of the "best" solution against those problems. Now, what if you don't have the required high level spellcaster, but, instead, a ritual that works just as well ? Only that you need some sacrifice, for the greater good, of course. How the PC fit Depending of their level, they can do a lot of things. - help the community to recover from the disaster. (healing, protecting against scavengers...) - warn the community from the incoming disaster (you have to evacuate ! the dam is about to break !) - lessen the effects of a disaster (usually, through magic) or offer refuge to the population against the elements (ditto : how many rope trick can you cast in a day ?). - stop the disaster : it's one thig to stop a hord a goblins, it's another to stop a flow of lava... But not impossible at high level. Some PC may be able to redirect a disaster : for example, the flood enginered by the hobgoblins army or shaman to allow the invasion of the town may as well strike the ennemy, if the PCs find a good idea. The PCs may have to recover an artifact that protect such or such place from the yearly thunderstorms that would otherwise reduce it to ashes, or they may have to destroy the black altar of bad luck, hidden somewhere in the mountain caves, so that calamities stop to hit the region.</li> </ul></blockquote>

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