Do female adventurers make any sense?

[HoboKnight]

Recently, a few materials I have stumbled upon made me think - do females adventuring makes any sense at all in a generic dnd setting? Adventuring is a very dangerous business - its constant exposure to killing and a good chance of being killed, a good chance to develop all sorts of mental disorders (PTSD...) and in case of being captured, being exposed to torture, possibly sexual violence and death. Why would any sane girl or woman do it?

Things that made me think was an analysis of violence in Goblin slayer anime (yeah, THAT scene), an analysis of what would adventuring be like for adventurers (mentioned above) and the fact that most dangerous jobs are almost exclusively done by males. And adventuring is not oil-rig work, construction or underwater welding. Its more akin to mercenary work where all mentioned harms are a real option. Heck, societies have since time immemorial decided it will be men that will be sent to war. You send in the expendables, not the most biologically valuable part of the society.

So, those female barbarians... should they be a rarity, an oddity - few and far between or... what am I missing?

[Keltest]

I question the assumption here that male adventurers aren't insane.

[GloatingSwine]

You should probably check your assumption that sexual violence in conflict and captivity is something that happens only to women. It isn't and never has been.

[Mordar]

Joke, right? Troll?

Over/under on posts to thread lock?

Let me flip this question...look at lions and orca. Females are smaller and "weaker" than males. I'd call them adventurers!

- M

[TrueAlphaGamer]

Does a generic D&D setting make any sense? No.

Let's just play with our toys in peace.

inb4 thread gets pruned.

[Unoriginal]

Recently, a few materials I have stumbled upon made me think - do females adventuring makes any sense at all in a generic dnd setting? Adventuring is a very dangerous business - its constant exposure to killing and a good chance of being killed, a good chance to develop all sorts of mental disorders (PTSD...) and in case of being captured, being exposed to torture, possibly sexual violence and death. Why would any sane girl or woman do it?

Men who choose or are forced to become adventurers are just as likely to see deaths, have to inflict death, or be killed, and are just as likely to be captured, tortured and sexually assaulted.

So are agender or gender-fluid adventurers.



Things that made me think was an analysis of violence in Goblin slayer anime (yeah, THAT scene)

The only reason Goblin Slayer had that was for cheap outrage and sexual assault fetishism (because yes, some people find those scenes arousing).


You send in the expendables, not the most biologically valuable part of the society.

There is no such thing as a "biologically valuable" part of society.




So, those female barbarians... should they be a rarity, an oddity - few and far between or... what am I missing?

Have you seen the "Conan the Barbarian" movie?

(trigger warning)
Conan is captured as a child, enslaved, tortured until his late teens, forced to fight and kill to survive, and then made to impregnate women because he's been deemed "good breeding stock" and the people enslaving him want more slaves with his prodigious strength and endurance.

Being made to procreate while in captivity so that your kids can be valuable slaves is a form of sexual assault.

(Meanwhile, the last person who died trying to protect Conan, weapon in hand? A woman, his mother.)

Have you seen Avatar: the Last Airbender? Katara, being a girl from the Northern Water Tribe, needs to travel to the other side of the world in order to learn Waterbending, since all her Tribe's teachers were captured or killed decades ago. She goes on that adventure, fighting bad guys all the way, become a Waterbending Master, and help save the world from being conquered or burned to the ground. During this adventure, Katara is captured several times.

And yet at *no* point does the possibility of her getting sexually assaulted is ever brought up or implied or even exist in proximity of the table.

So, this means that Conan, the 20-something mountain of a man who can easily kill someone barehanded, got raped, while Katara, the teenage woman who got imprisoned in ways that prevented her from using her water powers, wasn't.

Because Conanthe Barbarian is a violent movie for an adult public, while Avatar: The Last Airbender kept things PG despite its mature themes.

THAT is what you're missing. Sexual assault doesn't have to be a risk in your storyor at your gaming table. And if it is a risk, then it is a risk for everyone.

Also if you told Katara she shouldn't be an adventurer because she is a woman, not only she would punch you, but Conan would punch you too.

[JNAProductions]

Ignoring the blatant sexism…

Adventurers in general do not make much sense from the point of view of a reasonable individual.
Certainly not past the first big haul.

People risking everything to retire with a dragon’s hoard of gold? I’ll buy that.
Continuing to adventure AFTER you have the hoard… you’re nuts.

But D&D and other TTRPGs aren’t meant to be realistic, they’re meant to be fun.
And it’s fun. So that’s what we do.

[Mastikator]

I question the assumption here that male adventurers aren't insane.

Basically this. Unless the adventurer has the proverbial tadpole stuck in their brain, going on adventure is not sane.

Edit- goes for any gender.

[Talakeal]

There is no such thing as a "biologically valuable" part of society.

In this context, I disagree.

Fertile females take 9 months to produce a baby.

Fertile males take about 9 seconds.

Objectively, if you are trying to grow / restore a population, you want a lot of fertile females and a few fertile males.

[Anonymouswizard]

Fertile males take about 9 seconds.

If they're bad at it :smalltongue:


More seriously, it's a fantasy. Let people have their thirsty sword lesbians if they want to. An entire class in D&D will lug a freaking pipe organ into the dungeon in order to fight better, the game isn't really on speaking terms with sense.

[TrueAlphaGamer]

In this context, I disagree.

Fertile females take 9 months to produce a baby.

Fertile males take about 9 seconds.

Objectively, if you are trying to grow / restore a population, you want a lot of fertile females and a few fertile males.

This is a myopic perspective on things. Let us please not wade into the swamp that is ascribing 'value' to elements of sexual dimorphism.

[Peelee]

The Mod on the Silver Mountain: No,this thread is not going to happen here.