D&D 5E What Makes a Good Urban Adventure?

[Schmoe]

Pest control.

 

[Charles Rampant]

By 'combat jobs', do you mean 'things that can be used as excuses for adventures'? The usual would be 'working for a noble' or equivalent, with the players having a set patron whose political machinations require all kinds of vaguely nefarious activities to be done, probably in places where the law doesn't look too closely. Then the noble turns out to be a Yugoloth, drama ensues, etc, etc.

Also: gladiator arenas are a thing that you get in fantasy cities. Waterdeep has one, complete with Clerics who promptly heal/resurrect any fallen, to keep things acceptable for a NG-aligned city. More evil cities certain have them. It's another useful 'combat release valve' that the players can tap whenever they're desperate to get away from social heavy stuff and use their class features.

 

[Yaarel]

By 'combat jobs', do you mean 'things that can be used as excuses for adventures'? The usual would be 'working for a noble' or equivalent, with the players having a set patron whose political machinations require all kinds of vaguely nefarious activities to be done, probably in places where the law doesn't look too closely. Then the noble turns out to be a Yugoloth, drama ensues, etc, etc.

Also: gladiator arenas are a thing that you get in fantasy cities. Waterdeep has one, complete with Clerics who promptly heal/resurrect any fallen, to keep things acceptable for a NG-aligned city. More evil cities certain have them. It's another useful 'combat release valve' that the players can tap whenever they're desperate to get away from social heavy stuff and use their class features.

Heh, by ‘combat friendly’, I mean Urban situations that employ ‘legitimate violence’, where D&D combat mechanics kick in, even if non-lethally.

I agree, gladiator combats are a Neutral Evil or Lawful Evil thing. Turning murder into a spectator sport is about as evil as humans can possibly get.

But you are also right about magic as a game changer. Resurrecting the loser is ethically acceptable.

In my 4e setting, the Eladrin Elves in the Feywild were extremely Urban. They celebrated their annual Revelry, where all Eladrin would gather together from across the worlds. Then they would go nuts. (A kind of blend about folklore fairy revelries with Star Trek Vulcan mating season.) The Eladrin would have massive sexual orgies while artists (Bards) of every kind would put on lavish artistic productions using magical constructs, illusion spells, and so on. Circles of friends would conceive Eladrin children magically, blending many people within a ritual to share their DNA so that they were all equally the parents of the baby, who was then infused with their magic. Sometimes one of the female Eladrin in the circle became pregnant and carried the child. Sometimes they built a magical nest, where the child incubated, sometimes the child was fully formed as an adult, using polymorph magic. The food was conjured to be exquisite, with especially intoxicating sweet liqueurs.

The Revelry also included spellcasting duels to the death, but the losers were immediately resurrected after the games.

Except for this annual Revelry that lasted 8 days, the Eladrin were extremely sober rational people, who studied magic nonstop to advance personal and collective magical prowress, and governed each of their independent cities by philosophical ideals (Intelligence), oratory persuasion (Charisma), and voting (Chaotic Good).

 

[Charles Rampant]

That's pretty cool. Certainly gives you plenty of options for an interesting session for the players.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

I like all campaigns to have numerous NPC organizations with varying motivations and goals and I find these work very well in an urban campaign since the single location forces their actions and plots to become embroiled among one another. The variety of organizations and plots give the players more say in where they want the campaign to go. They can decide if they want to face against a corrupt politician or the thieves' guild or a neighboring city's spy ring. And they can decide if they want to be agents of the crown in the city, or pit fighters, or vigilantes. Since it's all in one location, it's also fine for players to spread their interests because splitting the group's focus won't mean a character has to leave the group to pursue their goal. My group played in Ptolus ages ago and it was excellent. Our party had very diverse personal goals and motivations. The fighter-mage was trying to get into a mage's guild, my character was trying to clean up the crime-ridden slums, our cleric/wizard was setting up his own laboratory, and our ranger took up an interest in the gladiatorial school. I loved that we were able to pursue our own goals without jeopardizing the cohesiveness of the party. I could do my crime fighting and bring in the rest of the group when necessary but I was also on hand to help the cleric/wizard do stuff to get his laboratory ready. And we were also present to deal with overarching plots the GM wanted to explore.

 

[jayoungr]

Also: gladiator arenas are a thing that you get in fantasy cities.

I agree, gladiator combats are a Neutral Evil or Lawful Evil thing. Turning murder into a spectator sport is about as evil as humans can possibly get.

On a less drastic note, though, professional athletes. Boxers and wrestlers could have levels in barbarian or monk.

Bouncer for a tavern or brothel is another "combat-friendly" profession.

 

[Ancalagon]

The Yoon-Suin campaign setting is *excellent* at designing cities and neighborhoods (by this I don't mean map - but the social groups and institutions, rivalries, intrigues and rumors). It may take a little bit of work to use it in a traditional setting (the slugman becomes a noble, the teahouse becomes a tavern etc) but I've been finding it immensely useful. The game is going on in a huge metropolis of over 300 000 and *I've got this*.

 

[aco175]

How many movies have a plot where a town leader involves a group of PCs into doing a job for them only to pin blame on them once the job is done. The PCs are now on the hook for the death of a rival, or theft of a holy chalice. You always throw in a good sheriff that wants to believe the PCs along with a rival of the leader that set them up in the first place. The PCs have to hide from the law, while trying to gather information on the frame job against them.

 

[TheNoremac42]

I agree, gladiator combats are a Neutral Evil or Lawful Evil thing. Turning murder into a spectator sport is about as evil as humans can possibly get.

I see gladiator combat as more like ye olde Professional Wrestling. Gladiators, when it comes down to it, are entertainers, and good acts are hard to come by. It also costs a lot of money to train, outfit, and keep the gladiators into shape. That investment is wasted if the gladiator dies in the ring.

 

[Libramarian]

This is a cool set of tables for determining local "politics & peculiarities". Very much in the style of the 1e DMG.