What to call adventurers?

[invokethehojo]

I have always had a problem with the term "adventurers". Anyone who calls themselves an adventurer seems like they belong in a peter pan story. My campaigns are not bleak wastelands, but they are gritty enough that no person who hires out their martial skill would be caught dead being called an adventurer.

Since 4e uses the PoL setting I really think that D&D finally has a good role or niche for mercenary types: a realistic impetus for people to be sell-swords (or spells). However, my PC's will be saving towns for honor or money, they will be looting dungeons for gear or renown, and they will be killing and risking thier lives for important, concrete reasons... not seeking adventure.

So what do the denizens of my made up world refer to these type of people as? Mercenaries works, as does sell-sword, but I'd like something new.

Ideas?

 

[Vaeron]

I have always had a problem with the term "adventurers".

Fortunately, the designers of 4e fixed that problem for us. They're called "heroes." Straight out of the comic books, maybe, but I like it.

Edit: Maybe not the greatest for your mercenary/sellsword example, but it's something!

 

[DandD]

Heroes...

Since the fall of the last great human kingdom, no one ever dared to pronounce that title to people who go around and undo wrongdoings and slay monsters that terrorize the country-side for three hundred years.

But now, such persons have finally arrived.

Yeah, quite easy as that.

 

[Loincloth of Armour]

"Grave-robbing murderers."

...

<.<


>.>


What?

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Heroes? Mercenaries? Parasites? Suckers?

 

[Michael Silverbane]

Call them adventurers, trouble-shooters, mercenaries... Just, whatever you do, don't call them late to dinner.

Later
silver

 

[Mort_Q]

Mal: "Well, look at this! Appears we got here just in the nick of time. Whaddya suppose that makes us?"

Zoe: "Big damn heroes, sir."

Mal: "Ain't we just!"

I like heroes too.

You could go all technical and call am protagonists, but it doesn't really roll of the the tongue.

 

[RigaMortus2]

I prefer...

The Shoveller: We're not your classic heros. We're the other guys.

 

[Scarbonac]

Mercenary, Brigand, Soldier-of-fortune or Scum.

 

[Tewligan]

"Grave-robbing murderers."

Now, I was going to go with "murderous hobos", but this one works too.