Humans hired as help

[Ragitsu]

(The following post was conceived with an AD&D 2e perspective in mind.)

 

Hello!

 

I've been contemplating what may hopefully be an interesting "fish out of water" campaign: as part of an expedition far removed from home, the Player Characters - all Human - have been entreated by one of the isolated demihumans (limited to the "core" folk) to meet the challenge of a particular undertaking. What? Why? That is for you to decide and contrive .

 

 

From the start, there are a number of disadvantages our distant cousins bring to the table ->

 

* They are shorter-lived.
* They are blind in the dark.
* They are not particularly hardy (well, perhaps compared to Elves...) nor are they resistant to magic.
* By virtue of race, they don't possess much in the way of special training or inherent gifts.
* They are much more unpredictable; for better or worse, humanity is a wild card.

 

I can picture snidely intricate remarks in the native tongue of the sylvan scouts as to how their Human companions clumsily navigate the viridian expanse. Moradin's kin may often loose deep (and usually good-natured) laughter when the large folk have trouble maintaining the same pace. Gnomes politely sigh in vexation when their usual humble accommodations do not meet with the approval of their discontented guests. However, there may still be a few reasons as to why their host goes through with all the trouble.

 

If there is a curse or monster that only affects or is attracted to X racial group, then the Human immunity/indifference makes them invaluable. If racial class limits are in effect, Humans may possess unique skill (e.g., the call of the Paladin). If differences in racial psychology exist, then the drive and unorthodox views brought by humanity will present options either never considered or never attempted. If the PCs are renowned or highly-connected, this may be a political maneuver of sorts. When all else fails, a prophecy indicating that "A kind from realms beyond the forest/mountains/hills/et cetera. will save the people." is a suitable motivation.

 

With such a concept, the main draws are the "culture shock"/exotic appeal (for the players) and the opportunity to cut loose while exploring a race which is ordinarily thin on the ground within humanity's stomping grounds (for the DM). Should even the refined adventure seed lack the staying power necessary for a full-fledged campaign, it could still suffice for a "one-shot". Come to think of it, the entire experience may be the basis for a tale told to the folks back home...the sort that tends to likewise grow taller as the years are piled high.

 

Suggestions? Criticisms? Slide your two pence right on over.

[Old Man]

The first thing that springs to mind is... the herd of sheep that one party drove before them in Tomb of Horrors.  They're expendable and stupid and that's all they need to be.  There are also loose movie parallels, such as Escape From New York or Hunger Games.  Look at how easily people treat each other as subhumans, imagine how cruel they could be with actual nonhumans.

 

Alternatively, as you mentioned, there might be political reasons why people from another species/culture could succeed in an alien environment, specifically because of their cluelessness--like in Shogun, Dances With Wolves, or Last Samurai, in which the foreigner becomes a useful pawn in the struggle between warring factions.  This would be harder to GM, but not impossible.

 

Otherwise it's difficult to think of ways in which humans might be superior when Tolkien elves exist.  In my own setting elves are relatively frail, physically, and burned by iron, so if there were some kind of postapocalyptic Mad Max junkyard lying around they might want to outsource its exploration to some dumb expendable humans.

[Ninja-Bear]

Well I would imagine Halflings hiring said humans. Typical Humans have better stats Halflings. @Old Man, D&D elves aren’t powerful as Tolkein elves. However typically elves in most Fantasy are few compared to humans a race might want to use a plentiful race. And Humans although their individual reasons differ are usually easier to convince than those snooty elves.

[Ragitsu]

The Tolkienian bunch tend to be superhuman; they - in particular - sit near the top of the power scale across most settings. Pictures Elves who are special in their advantages yet still within the same rough "tier" as humanity. By the way, the assumption is that these demihumans are good on average and "neutral" at worst. It is easy to think of reasons as to why an opportunistic/manipulative people would use anyone else.

[Steve]

I suppose Humans coukd act as go-betweens for two races that don’t like each other. Humans are often said to be adaptable sorts. They could be the face of a trade caravan when dealing with other cultures. The Elves may be the makers of stuff, but their haughty attitude is off-putting. Bring in some humans to market their wares.

[Ragitsu]

On 6/2/2024 at 6:43 PM, Steve said:

I suppose Humans coukd act as go-betweens for two races that don’t like each other. Humans are often said to be adaptable sorts. They could be the face of a trade caravan when dealing with other cultures. The Elves may be the makers of stuff, but their haughty attitude is off-putting. Bring in some humans to market their wares.

 

"Humans are everyone's second-best friends."