User:Downzorz/Tome of Steel/Socinomicon

Socinomicon

Polite Combat

Description of the more subtle ways that organizations try to sabotage each other, and how these can be adventures.

They're Different! Or, Racism is Justified When Your Eyes Can Shoot Fire

Racism in real life exists over extremely insignificant differences- skin color, facial features, and other superficial aspects. In D&D, the same differences exist, writ EXTREMELY large. And in some cases, it reflects reality. Saying that Orcs are, in general, less intelligent than Humans is completely true. However, this gets extended to individuals, and that is when it breaks down. While Orcs might not be genetically predestined to be geniuses, there ARE Orcish scholars that are more intelligent than the average Human, or even most adventurers. But every specific Orc gets screwed by the reputation of all the rest of them. And that is just the races that live as an "underclass-" some races are excluded from society as a whole. As the Dungeonomicon touches on, Beholders can't get along at all, simply because they all can kill each other with their eyeballs.

Then there is the problem of high-powered adventurers. A 20th level wizard can single-handedly devastate an entire nation, if not stopped by an opposing hero-level threat. Generally, the level of discrimination powerful adventurers receive is dependent on their class. As the Tomes pointed out, NPC's advance in class level by doing things related to their profession. Thus, a Wizard advances by studying magic out of books, tablets, enchanted moving-picture gemstones, and other such things. Since wizardry is something that often requires studying in civilization, a high-level Wizard is probably going to be pretty civilized. This means that powerful wizards will be respected more than they are feared. The same goes for other classes that grow well in civilization- fighters advance by fighting in major wars, which require armies, which are almost exclusively a feature of civilization. Rogues, though they are often criminals, are also generally considered "civilized," and the most powerful ones are feared in a very different way from, say, a powerful dragon. The same goes for Clerics, excluding those of very destructive gods. Bards tend to be respected as well. On the other hand, Sorcerers advance by growing in willpower and personality; Barbarians advance by raging around in the wilderness and challenging powerful opponents; Druids advance by connecting with nature in the wild; and Monks advance in isolation and through personal reflection and study. That means that all of these classes are generally feared in civilization. This group also includes necromancers, as they are rather dangerous to everything that lives. Rangers tend to be on the fence, as they spend time in the wilderness, but are more respected in civilization for hunting wilderness creatures. Paladins deserve a special mention- though they may be a "civilized" class, nobody aside the most extreme of nations wants them around. Why, you ask? Because they are obliged to challenge Evil creatures whenever they encounter them; Paladins cannot just look the other way. This doesn't seem bad at first, but consider how many people you know that a Paladin would have to drag in. Think of all the minor crimes that you commit in your life. The Paladin is the guy who refuses to let anyone sing "Happy Birthday" in public because it is copyrighted. Civilization is built on compromise, and Paladins are incapable of that.

When Adventurers Get Involved

Dungeon adventurers can have a hard time in cities. Smaller towns and villages without a hero-level patron consider them like forces of nature- to be weathered and survived, but ultimately uncontrollable. Adventures in these areas are treated with great fear, but also with great respect. These towns are glad to have them if there are powerful enemies to be eliminated, but the propensity of adventurers to draw powerful enemies makes them greatly feared when there isn't a more immediate threat. Adventurers in small towns will usually get a "go away" vibe, and any hospitality they get will be reluctant at best. However, few common villagers would be brave- or stupid- enough to be openly hostile to an adventurer, or even go far enough as to refuse something to them.

In larger cities, or cities with a powerful hero-level presence, adventurers are treated totally differently. Usually, they are treated like kings, and constantly targeted with recruitment as one of a nation's hero-patrons. Adventurers here are treated very well, with cooperation in about everything they do. Rich shopkeepers will shower the more powerful adventurers with baubles and minor magical items, they are treated to the best rooms at inns, and peasants on the street will bow down if asked to do so. The treatment of an adventurer grows drastically in proportion to their power. A low-level adventurer might get free rooms at some decent inns and a meal or two, but a high-level adventurer can walk into shops and walk out with diamonds unmolested.