that sounds like the type of thing the average person, especially the average person getting into adventuring, absolutely would know ngl, it's such a basic piece of D&D lore. Definitely basic enough that I could see players getting annoyed if you tell them "your characters don't know that"
Where does it say that it's basic knowledge to people inhabiting the world?
It's basic to us as the players, but how is a random farmer-turned-adventurer from bumfuck nowhere even supposed to know there's different types of dragons let alone that some of them are good?
Besides, that would entirely depend on the setting.. If you're playing in a setting where dragons are just about everywhere and a common sight then the average commoner would probably know a bit about dragons. If you're in a setting where most people have never seen a dragon, let alone fought or spoken to one, then the average person probably doesn't know a lot about dragons beyond "huge lizard that flies."
I assume an average heroic fantasy setting like FR. Of course the average person doesn't know all that much, but to know that there are good metallic dragons and evil "colored" dragons, the most basic piece of lore about the most classic monster is something that I think almost anyone would know. How little do you think a commoner knows? like, sure, a little, but not THAT little, they've spent their entire lives in this world.
Just because they live in the world doesn't mean they know a lot about anything that goes on outside their local villages.
How much do you think the random peasant in France during the medieval age knew about
elephants? If a traveling tradesman told him there existed huge, gray animals with two large tusks and a nose that reached the ground across the southern sea he'd probably be able to recognize
one if he ever saw one. But if someone didn't tell him, he'd most likely go his entire life without even knowing elephants existed. Or some other very exotic animal that didn't live near him.
People in the medieval age traveled little. It took forever to get from one place to another, so most people would only know about their immediate surroundings, and an education was out of reach for most people. Sure, people living in port cities that saw a lot of trade would know more about the world, at least in the form of secondhand information. But a random guy from a random small village would know very little.
Heck, a farmer like that would probably only be aware of Africa and the Middle East because the local priest mentioned these places in his sermons.
So I would imagine a random farmer would only be knowledgable (beyond the barest of basics) about the monsters that lived near his village. If a dragon roosted somewhere nearby, he'd probably know more about dragons than someone who had only ever encountered goblins and the occasional gnoll.
If he took to adventuring for a few years before returning home, I imagine his horizons would be broadened quite a bit, but if he just stayed put there his entire life he'd probably remain ignorant of a lot of the world.
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u/Ronisoni14 Dec 19 '23
that sounds like the type of thing the average person, especially the average person getting into adventuring, absolutely would know ngl, it's such a basic piece of D&D lore. Definitely basic enough that I could see players getting annoyed if you tell them "your characters don't know that"