When Bad Things Happen to Good Adventurers
or: "What To Do Besides Cursing the Gods"
So, you have it all together. You have a heart full of ambition, a purpose, a cause, and nothing is going to stand in your way.
Then, life or plain bad luck drops a fireball at your feet. You just lost the death-bringing sword you'd scrimped and saved for to a pickpocket, you ran into a party of marauders, some cruel person called you names, or things just didn't go as planned.
Buck up, young adventurer, all is not lost! Even the bad things that happen to you may lead to new opportunities. There are far more things to do than curse the gods and bemoan cruel fate.
Why not instead:
Take it in stride.
Take the matter to a city official.
Start a movement.
Use it as an opportunity to gain sympathy and build ties.
Make a band or pact with a group of trusted friends for mutual support.
Join a pre-existing organization for protection and support.
Redouble your determination to train and become able.
Develop a sympathy for the suffering of others.
Spread the word and warn others of whatever it is that happened to you.
Take it in stride.
Go along with it. You might just grow as a person.
Build on it. Don't just ride with the current, propel it! See how far the ripples reach.
Think about who you would actually turn to in need. A friend? A mentor? Yourself?
If needed support or sympathy isn't there, how does that affect you? Keep asking, "now what?" and answer!
Avoid forcing your self-pity on others. If you really must out with the hurt, at least try not to be angsty. Everyone wants to be angsty because it's so dark and impressive . . . only it usually isn't. It's really not that special. There's more to you than that.
Avoid angst. See above. Who can afford to spend all that time brooding (and hours upon hours of brooding are required for angst) when there are monsters to be splatted, governments to build and topple, intrigues to make intriguing, gods to please and appease, members of the opposite sex to woo, and generally a lot of stuff that's far more fun and interesting for everyone involved.
Keep things in perspective. Lost a bit of gold in a robbery? Well, you escaped with your life. Got smacked down? Well, you just learned not to tease an ancient dragon about its age.
Remember that you are an adventurer. Adventurers live dangerous lives, full of all kinds of risks. Something bad will happen eventually. Plan ahead. Don't do things unless you're willing to accept the consequences. And, when bad things do happen, look for tangles of cause and effect. Why did it happen? What led to it? Is it really not fair, or just not something you wanted? Is it simply the result of a dangerous world? If then what? If then . . . if then . . . what if?
Take it in stride.