>>6303931>>6304003>>6304832>"adventurers" archetype spectrum>brigands or special forces?So I think from an abstract worldbuilding perspective there are two somewhat opposing archetypes of "adventurers", I call these the brigands versus special forces.
I think the aspect that is definitive for adventurers in a setting is the RELATIONSHIP TO AUTHORITY, ie whether they are acting officially / with sanction etc or pursuing their own independent selfish interest
So brigands are a bit like Robin Hood, the origin tale is the realm has collapsed, it is anarchy and chaos the Hobbesian War Of All Against All etc you are really left to fend for yourself and so adventurer / mercenary bands have emerged for their own survival / fraternal attempt at rebuilding a modicum of civilisation, a haven or refuge. Along the brigand axis you find the tomb-robbers and the cutthroats and outright murderer thieves; maybe some are kind, naive or altruistic. The entirety of their gear is scavenged or looted.
At the other spectrum, you can have adventurers as "special forces" these are maverick completely risk unaverse insane daredevil indviduals, they probably possess a lot of unorthodox equipment gear and intensive support infrastructure as well as specialist training and skills and experience etc. So they are "officially sanctioned" but due to their high risk tolerance they are probably being sent in to complete the most dangerous perilous missions in unconventional ways etc (maybe leads to them defying authority)
I think there is also obviously space for some crossover, eg the "betrayed spec ops" thing where the military veteran goes rogue countermands orders etc I think for example Agent 47 from the Hitman games is sort of that archetype (note how he requires a panoply of dedicated support services and hideout infrastructure lol)
But maybe when you are trying to justify the role of adventurers in your worldbuilding exercise, you can think about where they fit on this "brigands vs special forces" axis, how selfish / self-serving the adventurers are and whether the backdrop world is supportive or antagonistic to them etc
