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<blockquote data-quote="Snapdragyn" data-source="post: 1710039" data-attributes="member: 12432">This assumes a world where no XP is given for noncombat encounters. If the campaign awards story or roleplaying XP to the PCs, then it should also do the same for NPCs (following on our extrapolation of PC rules to the world at large).I'm with you on this point. The cities would represent a major brawn- &amp; brain-drain on the rural areas, just as they drain away the food. The payment for this drain would be, as you mention, protection.I'm not so certain of this. I think this very much gets into the game mechanics vs. realism gap. What are 'hit points'? What is the real damage a tiger's bite would do?To grab 1 quick example: MM lists the attack of a rhino as 2d6+12, which would be a max of 24hp. A 5th level NPC barbarian with average hp &amp; no CON bonus could thus survive a full damage (non-crit) gore from a rhino, while no one IRL can survive a full damage (figuring the RL equivalent would be through the center of the chest, rather than a leg) goring by a rhino.I think D&amp;D rules severely underestimate the dangers of 'mundane' creatures of the sorts which our ancestors would've encountered; if you take this discrepancy into account the survival risks they faced are probably much closer to those encountered in a D&amp;D world than what we might think.I think quite likely our ancestors did face &amp; survive dangers just as severe in the one-on-one theatre as occurs in D&amp;D (though certainly nothing like a dragon's AE breath weapon).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Snapdragyn, post: 1710039, member: 12432"] This assumes a world where no XP is given for noncombat encounters. If the campaign awards story or roleplaying XP to the PCs, then it should also do the same for NPCs (following on our extrapolation of PC rules to the world at large). I'm with you on this point. The cities would represent a major brawn- & brain-drain on the rural areas, just as they drain away the food. The payment for this drain would be, as you mention, protection. I'm not so certain of this. I think this very much gets into the game mechanics vs. realism gap. What are 'hit points'? What is the real damage a tiger's bite would do? To grab 1 quick example: MM lists the attack of a rhino as 2d6+12, which would be a max of 24hp. A 5th level NPC barbarian with average hp & no CON bonus could thus survive a full damage (non-crit) gore from a rhino, while no one IRL can survive a full damage (figuring the RL equivalent would be through the center of the chest, rather than a leg) goring by a rhino. I think D&D rules severely underestimate the dangers of 'mundane' creatures of the sorts which our ancestors would've encountered; if you take this discrepancy into account the survival risks they faced are probably much closer to those encountered in a D&D world than what we might think. I think quite likely our ancestors did face & survive dangers just as severe in the one-on-one theatre as occurs in D&D (though certainly nothing like a dragon's AE breath weapon). [/QUOTE]

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