Why keep adventuring?
- Thread starter Stormborn
- Start date
ThirdWizard
First Post
Because life is complicated.
You build up enemies and allies. Enemies keep coming after you, and you have to do something. Allies need help, and you have to do something. Life goes on. Who can sit still when they've made their life on the death of others? Things just can't sit still around you, and its always one thing or the other, if only things would just stay right for a little while. Why are those zombies attacking your tower??? People have heard of you, come to you for help, for extortion, try to con you, need you to save the city, the continent, or the world. Old favors are called in, old friends you owe your life come to you for help. You go to them for help. And, when you're settled in again, it all starts over again.
You build up enemies and allies. Enemies keep coming after you, and you have to do something. Allies need help, and you have to do something. Life goes on. Who can sit still when they've made their life on the death of others? Things just can't sit still around you, and its always one thing or the other, if only things would just stay right for a little while. Why are those zombies attacking your tower??? People have heard of you, come to you for help, for extortion, try to con you, need you to save the city, the continent, or the world. Old favors are called in, old friends you owe your life come to you for help. You go to them for help. And, when you're settled in again, it all starts over again.
SteelDraco
First Post
Most of the time, my PCs don't really have a home, either ever, or any more. This drives them to continue moving, or try and establish a home at some point. Typically, this is only finished around the time that the game is ending anyway, so they DO retire to a home. 'course, this isn't a money issue as much as it is a happiness and stability issue. A 5th level PC has more money than most people in the setting will see in their lives - it's more about finding and protecting people he cares about, and making a life like that.
I've had a dwarf druid who was kicked out of his clan, a paladin who found out the gods couldn't hear him, a demonslayer whose family was killed by demons, a Gypsy hexblade who was transported to the Americas... hm. An Arab wizard who was told he had to leave his home. My most recent character, a githzerai psychic warrior, is on his rrakkma. When that's over with, he still won't retire, because he just plain likes killing things and taking their stuff.
I've had a dwarf druid who was kicked out of his clan, a paladin who found out the gods couldn't hear him, a demonslayer whose family was killed by demons, a Gypsy hexblade who was transported to the Americas... hm. An Arab wizard who was told he had to leave his home. My most recent character, a githzerai psychic warrior, is on his rrakkma. When that's over with, he still won't retire, because he just plain likes killing things and taking their stuff.
Nyeshet
First Post
This can vary greatly from player to player, from campaign to campaign. An example: in one campaign a while back I played an undead hunter (ranger, cleric, a few levels from a couple PrCs). His backstory involved the death of most of his village due to undead - his survival mere chance. His drive to slay undead was such that so long as each adventure involved some undead slaying he continued on. He knew he couldn't kill all undead, but he strove to leave the world a better place - by slaying just about every undead he came across.
For another example, there have been a couple campaigns I've been in that have literally involved 'saving the world' (one kept a dark age of evil overlords at bay through various means (creating internal strife between them, killing a few of them, saboutaging some of their schemes, killing many of their minions, etc), while the other sought to help find an artifact that would eventually be used by a very high level NPC to prevent a dark demideity from ascending to true divinity (and, from what various oracles stated, eventually greater divinity). Both were a series of adventures that culminated at the final point of success, after which the campaign ended.
So, for myself, the campaign continues either because the over-arching plot has not yet been fulfilled or because traits of the characters would not allow them to rest on their laurels. They have some goal, some drive, that won't let them stop while some certain type of menace, etc still exists - even if truly destroying the menace in its totality is an impossibility.
For another example, there have been a couple campaigns I've been in that have literally involved 'saving the world' (one kept a dark age of evil overlords at bay through various means (creating internal strife between them, killing a few of them, saboutaging some of their schemes, killing many of their minions, etc), while the other sought to help find an artifact that would eventually be used by a very high level NPC to prevent a dark demideity from ascending to true divinity (and, from what various oracles stated, eventually greater divinity). Both were a series of adventures that culminated at the final point of success, after which the campaign ended.
So, for myself, the campaign continues either because the over-arching plot has not yet been fulfilled or because traits of the characters would not allow them to rest on their laurels. They have some goal, some drive, that won't let them stop while some certain type of menace, etc still exists - even if truly destroying the menace in its totality is an impossibility.
(Psi)SeveredHead
Adventurer
Nightfall said:Nye,
Come on. We all know it's for the treasure and the women.
True, but you can't enjoy them if you're dead. Well, actually, if you are friends with a powerful cleric...
VirgilCaine
First Post
Stormborn said:
Somewhere in the world, a gnoll is barbecueing a baby. I must stop him.
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