Why don't giants rule the world?

[Shortman McLeod]

Or, for that matter, dragons? Or aboleths? Or beholders? Or mind flayers?

The only answer I can think of that makes sense in the context of the D&D world is: magic. Human wizards keep them all at bay (or whatever).

But then I think, Why don't giant wizards rule the world? and the cycle repeats.

 

[Umbran]

Well, here's the thing - it takes a dragon centuries to come to maximum power.

A human can come to a power level to challenge said dragon in roughly 20 years.

Any time the more powerful race comes to maximum power more slowly than the PC races, the slower race will lose out.

 

[Shortman McLeod]

Well, here's the thing - it takes a dragon centuries to come to maximum power.

So why don't all the dragons that have come to maximum power rule the world?

 

[megamania]

Eberron ---

Demons ruled but the Dragons got sick of that in a hurry.

Giants ruled then experimented on planar gates. Got slapped by planar creatures. Blew up much of their world to stop the planar creatures from winning.

Dragons could rule but it is such a pain in the backside keeping humanoids (especially elves) in place.

Mankind just THINK they control much of the world.....


There is always something bigger, better and rolling a lot of natural 20's out there.

From there....Umbran said the main reason that is logical.

 

[Nifft]

So why don't all the dragons that have come to maximum power rule the world?

They do.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Stormborn]

In Eberron they did,before they used magic in their war against extra-dimensional invaders. It devestated their society, but they were ready to use it again when the draagons finally devestated their civilaztion. The giants that remain are debased and fractious, a tiny shadow of their past glories.

In many places in many campaign worlds mages do rule, but their infighting, and reliance on potentially rebelious subordinates often frustrates their efforts at world conquest.

Basically there is always someone out there bigger and better and more powerful than you are, usually a dragon who isnt interested rule but wants you to remember your place. Or there are a whole lot of little someones out there who are more numerous than you and have their own talents.

Of course in ANY campaign world the ultimate answer as to why giants, or mages, or liches, or dragons don't rule the world? The PCs of course.

 

[jdrakeh]

A human can come to a power level to challenge said dragon in roughly 20, 15, ten,six years months.

I fixed your math. Seriously. A D&D AP will cover about a year in real time, assuming weekly game sessions of approximately five hours each. In game time, an AP seems to consume about six to eight months. Any given AP propels characters from 1st Level nobodies to world-shaping 20+ Level heroes in due course. It does not take years (let alone 20 of them) to obtain this kind of power in D&D.

 

[Shortman McLeod]

Dragons could rule but it is such a pain in the backside keeping humanoids (especially elves) in place.

If keeping humans and elves in their place is too much of a pain in a backside for dragons to rule, then they really can't rule, can they?

It's like saying, "I could go to medical school, if it wasn't too hard for me."

Or, my personal favorite, "I could make the NBA, if I had the height and athleticism of an NBA player." (a buddy of mine said this once, without irony.)

 

[Nifft]

It does not take years (let alone 20 of them) to obtain this kind of power in D&D.

Assume the PCs are nineteen-and-a-half years old when the AP starts?

Cheers, -- N

 

[Nifft]

Or, my personal favorite, "I could make the NBA, if I had the height and athleticism of an NBA player." (a buddy of mine said this once, without irony.)

Well, it's not a totally fatuous statement. Aside from athletic ability (including aptitude), one must consider attitude (including ambition) and also attention (including absorption in arduous application).

, -- N