Adventurers Anonymous

Storyteller is the author of the RPG blog Beneath the Screen, and a content developer for Nevermet Press. He is proud to be back at ChattyDM’s blog for the one-year anniversary of his first guest post ever on the blogosphere, which he wrote for ChattyDM last year. Without further ado, onward with the guest post!

“Hello. My name is K’taluk the Bloodthirsty. And I’m an Adventurer.”

“Hello K’taluk.”

“It’s been three months since my last dungeon delve.”

*Light Applause*

An often overlooked aspect of most fantasy roleplaying games – regardless of system and setting – is the true meaning behind the fact that the players are taking the role of Adventurers. That’s Adventurer, with a capital A – a proper noun like Doctor, or Hippopotamus Tamer – because it’s not just a character descriptor, it’s a profession. Adventuring is a way of life.

“Adventurer” is an umbrella term of course, under which many specialties lie (such as Paladin, Rogue, Arcane Hippopotamus Tamer, etc.), but regardless of what facet of adventuring you’ve chosen as your forte, there is no denying that you’ve made the life choice to become an Adventurer.

Every Adventurer worth their salt could tell you why they picked up the noble mantle of adventuring. Whether they were driven out of their home by tragedy, fueled by a desire for vengeance, hopeful for fame and fortune, or simply guided by wanderlust, there are hundreds of reasons your Average Joe might decide to cast off the shackles of a normal life in favor of venturing forth into lands dangerous and unknown. What many don’t understand is truly what it means to be an Adventurer.

Adventuring: It’s Not For Everyone

The two men emerged from the dense woods, entering a small clearing. Brandishing a broadsword carefully in front of him, Anthony the Blacksmith scanned the area quickly before sheathing his weapon.

“Looks safe,” he called back to Brenton.

The tailor lowered his bow and came up to join his companion. “How far did they say we had to go?”

“Not far,” replied the Smith. “They just said, ‘go wander around in the woods and sooner or later you’ll find some treasure.’ Darn adventurers always make it sound so easy, right Brent?”

The tailor gave no reply.

“Brent?” As the smith turned, his companion was gone, and an unsettling chorus of childlike giggles began to echo from the treetops above. Looking up, Anthony’s eyes went wide as he tried to wrestle his sword free of its scabbard. “BRENT?!”

The life of an Adventurer is a dangerous one. Common tales of adventuring follow the stories of the most powerful and successful heroes, while little thought is ever given to the hundreds of unfortunate souls who regularly leave their homes behind in search of a quick fortune only to fall in their first battle with Goblins.

The backbone behind the Adventurer profession is simple enough – with great risk comes great reward. By putting their lives on the line, and battling the evil creatures which plague the world, Adventurers stand to gain great fortune, skill, and glory. Taking on such dangerous foes however can be a deadly task. While wealthy and powerful Adventurers can even overcome death, young fledgling heroes put all of their metaphorical eggs into one adventuresome basket – making each new quest an all or nothing gamble.

For these reasons, Adventurers are few and far between, while most of the world is content to see old age – living a safe life at home.

So the interesting question becomes, what does the world think of Adventurers?

There are many ways a world may view Adventurers, from overlords to annoyances to even gods! A good way to inject something fresh into your campaign is to give this question some thought – what does this town/nation/world actually think of Adventurers? The prejudices and pre-conceived notions that people have about such a profession may add some interesting flavor to your next campaign.

Let’s look at some options…

A Dime A Dozen

“Let me guess, you’re another Adventurer right? Figured as much. Well, the basic healing wands and potions are over on that counter there, and the rest of my items are individually labeled with their appropriate pre-haggled prices based on this years Adventurers Guild Approved price guide. No, I cannot make special orders. No, I don’t have any local rumors. Yes, you break it you buy it. Now make your purchases and get out – there’s a line behind you.”

One option is to make Adventurers abundantly common. Maybe adventuring is simply the thing to do, or perhaps one community forces all children – upon reaching adulthood – to go and travel the world for a year before they can become adults. Whatever the reason, in this world, adventuring is commonplace, and the public at large knows how to deal with your kind.

In some ways, this can be great! Such a rebellious and impulsive lifestyle is not frowned upon, but neither is it exalted. Villages keep a hefty sum of gold kicking around in their coffers knowing that every week or so a party will roll into town looking to sell off their latest treasures.

Perhaps even city planners will argue over the “prime” settlement location nearest to a Dragon’s Lair – knowing that sooner or later the Dragon will be defeated and the city’s economy will boom from the victorious adventurers and their celebration.

This could also, however, be unfortunate for Adventurers.

When adventuresome sorts are indeed a dime a dozen, cities may shop around for the cheapest party of heroes to come to their aid. Why sacrifice some of the church’s tithes to raise a fallen hero from the dead, when another group is going to show up in town within the week?

When everyone’s a hero, no one really is.

There’s A First Time For Everything

“You’re going to do what exactly, foolish husband of mine? Go and fight the dragon? What are you daft? No one’s ever fought a dragon and lived. Hell, no one’s ever fought a dragon PERIOD! Why? Because they’re not crazy! Well, it seems like you’re set on this but you should be warned I’m planning on remarrying the second you leave town. This is one woman who’s not going to just wait around to be widowed on account of her husband’s ignorance!”

Everything’s got to start somewhere, even adventuring. Maybe you’ve always dreamed big, or maybe you just got really drunk at the tavern with your buddies one night and started spouting nonsense about battling the forces of evil. Maybe you’re actually crazy! Whatever the reason, the life of an Adventurer is calling to you, even though you don’t really know what that means.

It is much more common, when using this approach, to simply be the first of a cloistered community or village to set out in search of something better.

The idea of being the first Adventurers in the whole world however, is almost too good to pass up. (First pick of all the artifacts!)

Without the guidance of Adventurers past, through stories, lore, and clearly defined encyclopedias of monstrous creatures, you’re on your own. The foundation of the adventuring profession rests on your shoulders! You’re writing the myths as you go! How exciting… and deadly. With no one to fall back on for support, you really are on your own. Don’t expect any reinforcements coming over the hill – everyone pretty much thinks you’re insane (and they might be right).

The Stuff Of Legends

“An Adventurer?! My word, are you really? I – well, I’ve never actually seen an Adventurer before. I know you must have a busy schedule but, if you’re interested, my wife and I would love to have you over for dinner tonight. You can tell us of your accomplishments! Oh, and I don’t supposed I could have your autograph as well?”

When all a small secluded town has to go off of for entertainment are the tales and stories of great Adventurers, such visitors are not unlike celebrities, superheroes, and gods all rolled into one.

Perhaps they’ve never seen a real Adventurer, or if they have, they witnessed god-like feats of magic and skill. Simple-minded citizens with no knowledge of magic might quickly declare arcane and divine spells the miracles of demigods.

Whatever the reason, when Adventurers wander into this part of the world, they should expect to be hounded by fans, worshippers, followers, and likely a bachelor and bachelorette or two hoping to be betrothed to such legendary figures.

Some downsides of such fame are the complete lack of privacy the Adventurers may find, along with the annoyingly endless line of questions they may receive about their latest adventurers – both of which make it hard for such heroes to lay low and avoid detection by villains who may seek to make their famous lives short-lived.

In the end, whether it’s a tribal community that worship Adventurers as gods, or a city buzzing with diehard fans, it should give a healthy boost of ego to any traveling heroes who pass through.

Pain in the Assimar

“You think you’re better then me? Huh? You come into my tavern, slap a platinum down on the counter and ask for four rooms for the night. You son of a – You know, not all taverns are inns you egotistical little prick. Gods, why do I even the question the intelligence of someone like you. You were probably raised in a barn, or by wolves, or through some other unlikely infantile scenario that I don’t have the time or energy to decipher right now. Listen pal, I don’t care what childhood tragedy made you think it would be a good idea to go play judge, jury, and executioner out in the world – but this is my tavern, and the only executioner in it is me. Some of my best friends are goblins you jerk. Get the hell out of my bar.”

So… sometimes Adventurers aren’t exactly… welcome. Heroes set themselves on a pretty high pedestals and take some “freedoms” in their work – such as the power to kill monsters willy nilly in a dungeon – more often then not without checking with local law enforcement to make sure it’s ok.

Such actions do not always cast Adventurers in the most flattering of light, and the sheer amount of power, money, and influence heroes throw around can attract some pretty negative prejudices.

Some communities may dislike Adventurers out of greed. Many would take up the mantle of the Adventurer, but are either too weak or too cowardly to do so. It’s only natural that they would then project these insecurities on the very profession they could never take up themselves.

A sort of “how dare you do what I was too chicken to do” kind of thing.

On the other hand, some towns or cities may have been wronged by Adventurers or put into peril because of them – even if accidentally. If a dragon chases a party of heroes back to town, or a villain scorches half the village in search of them – a lot of innocent people may die because of the sheer presence of Adventurers, and that’s enough to make anyone upset.

Maybe when the Adventurers killed off the local tribe of oppressive Lizardmen, it stopped them from extracting “protection money” from the nearby town, but also stopped the protection – leaving the villagers open to even more dangerous threats. By upsetting the Ecosystem of Evil, Adventurers may be harming more then helping.

Think Happy Thoughts! Think Happy Thoughts!

“Oh Gods! Is that a spell component pouch?! AHHHHHHH!”

Power is a dangerous thing, and if there’s one group of people who have power, it’s Adventurers. Putting aside the wealth, fame, and attractive swimsuit models following you around, the one thing that separates Adventurers from commoners is power. This is no secret.

Adventurers have the potential firepower needed to level small countries with their magic, cleave through hundreds of foes, turn invisible, and call down the power of the gods themselves. To your average everyday seamstress or blacksmith – that can kind of be terrifying.

Thankfully, most Adventurers are the “good guys”, and fight the “good fight”. Most evil Adventurers gain the “Villain” title/bull’s-eye painted to their back, and are quickly flattened by the heroes. There are, however, some Adventurers out there living up those lovely shades of gray who don’t mind throwing a fireball or two if it means getting a discount on magic shoes.

Maybe a group of Adventurers founded a city and enjoy casting spooky illusions over the town square whenever taxes aren’t properly paid. Or maybe a rumor gets out that the detect thoughts spell exists, which in and of itself is terrifying.

Whatever the reasoning, it doesn’t take much for a society to go from being in awe of Adventurers, to being terrified of them. Knowing that folks in that profession essentially kill and pillage for a living is an unsettling thought – especially when they’re asking for a discount on the most valuable items in your shop, idly toying with the hilts of their weapons.

A Rose By Any Other Name

Whatever they may call you – Heroes, Adventurers, Hippopotamus Trainers Extraordinaire – remember well that it is a noble profession, not simply an abstract adjective. And so, noble thrill seekers, hoist your weapons high and ready your spells. The world may think you are gods to be worshiped or tyrants to be feared. You may sail high among other travelers, or walk the dark paths alone.

None can know for sure.

But be not ashamed of who you are, and think not on how the common folk of these lands may judge you. Raise your goblet high and shout, “Behold! I am an Adventurer!” For in these coming days of battle and victory, one thing shall be made clear to all of the laymen and neophytes of this world, and one thing alone!

That seriously, if they were worth the XP you would pwn the town before lunchtime.