So instead of climbing down into a hideously dangerous environment to loot and fight monsters, why not wait outside for the monsters? If we don't care about the locals why not hide and wait for the monsters to come back and then jump them when they are a little tired, maybe wounded, and possibly with a little easy to grab loot? Just wondering...
Which will lead to a whole new set of skills and feats:
ReplyDeleteMumbletypeg
Flipping playing cards into a helmet.
Retelling old stories.
Bad joke telling.
It would be like being a soldier 99% boreddom and routine with 1% terror.
DeleteThey hate the light?
ReplyDeleteIt burns, it burns, the horrible daystar burns...
DeleteAs Willie Sutton was alleged to have said (but didn't actually), "Because that's where they keep the money."
ReplyDeleteWhat he actually said in his autobiography is also insightful to this question, "Because I enjoyed it. I loved it. I was more alive when I was inside a bank, robbing it, than at any other time in my life. I enjoyed everything about it so much that one or two weeks later I'd be out looking for the next job."
Danger freaks, gotta love them. There are a few men I've known that loved war (not just serving in the military) they were not super aggresive, or mean men, one guy oddly enough hated to kill (he was a camera hunter back at home) but something inside came alive in combat or under threat of combat. I supppose some dungeoneers aren't too far off.
DeleteYep. And also the ones who make the cold, calculating decision that there may be some money in the returning raiding parties, but the fruits of a hundred raids, a thousand, lies deep within the bowels of the dungeon.
DeleteWhy not just make sure the whereabouts of the dungeon falls upon the eager ears of jobbing adventurers then ambush them on their return from the delve ?
ReplyDeleteA busy and large dungeon should have a population of lurkers and hijackers ready to roll wounded and almsot helpless parties or to rush into a dungeon and grab treasuers left for later by the more daring.
DeleteI understand that was the case with Castle Greyhawk.
DeleteBecause adventurers are teenagers (at least in AD&D) and think they're going to live forever.
ReplyDeleteI'm always amused when people try to play as young adventurers and then expect to be treated as anything but a dangerous youth.
DeleteHarry Potter and young Conan might get up to considerable adventures but they are still kids
Cool, I didn't even know that webcomic was out there.
ReplyDeleteThe wanting richer pickings argument is certainly good but expenses would also be lower. I'll readily admit i's also just more fun.