D&D General What Are Adventurers In Your World?

[Misanthrope Prime]

My D&D setting takes place after a worldwide series of revolutions and civil wars that resulted in there being a LOT of stateless, homeless, paramilitary veterans with "uncomfortable politics" roaming the countryside (just because someone killed the darklord doesn't mean his soldiers don't still need to eat). A lot of adventuring work is just giving them stuff to do so they don't become a problem in the towns they wander into, "better send Rambo off to kill some giant frogs before he pops off in the tavern and slices a kid's head off".

 

[DragonLancer]

To me, they are effectively mercenaries, sell-swords, warrior or wizard for hire. Adventurers are those who live on the fringes of society because of what they do - they aren't farmers, shopkeepers... etc, like everyone else. They are perhaps a necessary nuisance to communities or lords because although they help deal with monsters, bandits and evil villains, they often stir up trouble in their wake. Ultimately they are individuals who are brave enough (maybe even adrenaline junkies in a way) to remove monstrous threats and delve those dark places to gather the treasure that everyone else wishes they could. They are adventurers.

Personally I hate the term Murderhobo. I prefer player character adventurers to be more on the heroic scale, and Murderhobo sounds more like a villainous adventurer.

 

[payn]

My D&D setting takes place after a worldwide series of revolutions and civil wars that resulted in there being a LOT of stateless, homeless, paramilitary veterans with "uncomfortable politics" roaming the countryside (just because someone killed the darklord doesn't mean his soldiers don't still need to eat). A lot of adventuring work is just giving them stuff to do so they don't become a problem in the towns they wander into, "better send Rambo off to kill some giant frogs before he pops off in the tavern and slices a kid's head off".

 

[Pedantic]

Uniquely powerful individuals: I tend to define "adventurer" as someone who has access to personal violent power that has social impact, and plans to apply that power to get more of it. I like to propose adventuring as a risky endeavor, most people who do it aren't likely to get the set of generally level appropriate encounters the PCs do, so it's generally a huge gamble.

Mostly people who do it die, and the ones who don't set themselves on the path to becoming effectively sovereign powers in their own right. Adventurer also signifies the person is outside the existing social order to acquire power, and is doing so fundamentally as a free agent.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

My home campaign is a new world created for mortals by Gods, many of which who were once adventurers themselves. Mortal souls can be enriched with power and accomplishment, and earn greater rewards in the afterlife, and the new world itself is a crucible for people to seek their passions and build their own legends. Many Gods and other Entities create and utilize Dungeons as tests, for the full spectrum of aligned perspectives. There are some known dungeons, but far more have not been found yet. Much of the world is still being explored. It's a world of exploration, adventure, puzzles, challenges, and accomplishment.

Even the bad guys know this. Everyone knows good, evil, order, chaos, and balance is real, and that there are evil monsters, as well as entities and people who choose an evil path, because the Lower Planes aren't technically a punishment. They include rewards for being evil. There are factions and organizations that embrace the full spectrum of ideals, so there is a lot of potential for conflict and challenge.

Adventurers are people who actually embrace that lifestyle. On the other side of the spectrum, some people who can't handle the stresses of an adventurous life stay to the safer realms and try their best to be the best they can with their passions. Some faithful crafters even sacrifice their high-quality creations to their Gods, and those creations may appear in dungeons or other treasure hoards, and become sought after treasures. Everyone has a way to build their own legend, whether locally (like cultivating the best green honey in Honeyhome) or globally (like an archmage who earned the Staff of Power from the Diamond Plinth of Power dungeon). The Archmage just might get hunted/challenged by rivals/monsters who want that treasure for themselves.

 

[Mercurius]

I used to teach at a private high school in which, as a private school, most of the kids came from wealthy families. To such folk, there was a common third post-secondary option beyond "enter the work-force" and "go to college" - taking a gap year. Some would take gap years.

I see adventurers sort of like that - they're taking a gap year(s) - but instead of taking selfies in Goa drinking bhang lassis, they drink dwarvish ale from slain orc skulls.

But more seriously, it depends upon world, campaign, and individual PC. An adventurer could be anything from a nobleman's fourth son seeking to make his name and quell his ennui to a young wizard seeking arcane secrets to an outlaw fleeing a crime to...whatever the player dreams up. The commonality is that they live in a world with vast tracts of ruin-infested wilderness in which "adventuring" is a well-known, viable life-path. Rare, but not extremely so. Some people get the itch, most don't. The PCs are among those that do, so they hit the road and see what fate has in store for them.

 

[Fifinjir]

One of the conceits of my setting is, because of the ascendancy of a new generation of demonic powers who are ushering in an age of hell on earth, the line between “adventurers” and everyone else is becoming increasingly blurry. Adventurers could very well just be people trying to survive the latest crisis. Player characters might be a cut above, but they’d still need a lot of other people to keep the local bad guy’s army busy while they go for the head (as an example).

 

[cbwjm]

Fortune seekers and troubleshooters who were bored with their old careers.

 

[Hriston]

In my game, adventurers are people who face obstacles that are manifestations of one or more conflicts that exist on a cosmic scale.

 

[Corinnguard]

In Level Up, an adventurer is an individual who is in pursuit of their own destiny. It's what motivated the character into leaving everything behind, and going into the much larger world that lies beyond the safe confines of home.