Feeding of human-eating monsters

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Kraken(rpgworld)
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Feeding of human-eating monsters

Post by Kraken(rpgworld) »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawney_Bean
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_of_Gévaudan

After reading these materials, I came across a number of doubts.
To feed a one human-eating monster needs a lot of preys.
The wolf of Gévaudan ate 1-2 humans a week, and for four years ate 123 humans.
Many domains of Ravenloft have alot of these monsters.
Why do they still not depopulated?

The only explanation that comes to my mind – respawn of NPC and peasants.
Something very similar I saw in the « Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession».
At the beginning of the game the party meets in the woods a man who searches for his son. «A little boy with blond hair.»(с)
He says that he was married but his wife died. A few days ago, his son was playing with the children in the forest, and suddenly said that his mother was calling him from the forest. Then fled into the woods.
At the next meeting he was very confused - the townspeople say that his son is dead. See proof-scan:
Image

The last meeting I was very scared. He sits by the fireplace, and said that he found his son. Beside him a young man twenty years old, brown hair, eyes slightly glowing (perhaps the reflection of a fireplace). Its «A little boy with blond hair»!? NONONONONO David Blaine!!!

More even stranger. At the beginning of the game we see an empty house was destroyed. At the end of the game home in good condition, there lives a family, and the townspeople are convinced that they have lived here always.
It comes to mind only one explanation - Dark Powers create new commoners to replace the dead, along the way changing the memory commoners.

P.S. Sorry for bad english, im not native americano
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Sareau
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Post by Sareau »

Firstly, none of the maneaters are exclusively maneaters. Second, can't you give the peasants a wee bit of fun since they're all monster fodder? Just assume they have sex and create more peasants instead of spontaneous generation, unless you've got a truly ravenous maneater on the loose.
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alhoon
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Post by alhoon »

And monsters aren't so common in Ravenloft. I think it was mentioned in SoTK that Barovia had about 12 vampires.

The original Core has about 485000 peasants.
An assumption that instead of inconcievably for modern age infant and child deaths we have something closer to what we could understand today, the difference in deaths could easily be filled by monsters.

I mean, how many children lived past the age of 5 in 1200? 60% ? 70% ?

Decrease those deaths by 5% -10% and you suddenly have about 1% more people for monsters to eat!
And still, the infant death ratio remains abominable.
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Rotipher of the FoS
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Post by Rotipher of the FoS »

D&D population figures don't include children, BTW. Given the typical age structures of pre-industrial societies, you should probably double the number of peasants available to snack on, if your monsters are picking off the young as well as the careless.
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Manofevil
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Post by Manofevil »

Won't monsters also eat one another if they find one before they find a peasant?
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Grimuar
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Post by Grimuar »

Attention!
Author Kraken is forum-troll.
Above you joke.
Sorry, my english bad...
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Post by Gonzoron of the FoS »

The respawn idea has been floated before. It's a legitimate answer, not only for human-eating monsters, but for others as well. Someone once worked out that kartakass could only support like one or two packs of wolves unless the Dark Powers replenished the prey animals when no one was looking.

But consider that not every monster in the books exists in every campaign, so maybe there aren't as many monsters as it may seem.

Also... "If you're wondering how he eats and breathes. And other science facts, Just repeat to yourself "It's just a show, I should really just relax."" :)
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DeadReborn
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Post by DeadReborn »

Personaly, I don't look too deeply into that kind of stuff. That's not the reason I play RPGs. I guess some people need to know every tiny detail in order to have fun. *shrugs sholders*
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Post by Lovecraftforever »

My theory -

Lots of adventurers accidentally walk into the mists leading to Ravenloft. Why not simple peasant folk?

My theory is only 1% or less of the people who wandered into Ravenloft survive the first night. The other 99% never encounter another "living" soul.
In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.
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