Motives for Slavery in Fantasy Games & Settings

Revised Jan. 2026

"Mosaique echansons Bardo" (resized) by Pascal Radigue (resized) is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Introduction

Many fantasy roleplayers encounter slavery in their games. Usually, player characters discover desperate NPCs being held against their will. Battle commences, the adventurers win, and the prisoners go free. Official roleplaying materials usually give gamers what they need to know to fight slavers, and that's it - and that's understandable. In the real world, slavery is horrific and deserves our disgust. It relies on many crimes, not just one, and no caring writer or gamer endorses or enjoys what slavers do on Earth. For gaming companies, avoiding the topic or keeping it brief is wise. Yet fantasy stories allow us to explore things we would never want to encounter in our own world. As long as everyone in the group agrees to engage the topic and is okay with how it's handled, even a practice as foul as slavery can be examined without anyone being hurt.

Slavery isn't new. We've all heard about it in real life and seen it in fiction. It's part of our consciousness, which means the topic can come up in many games at almost any time. Since slavery can upset many people quickly, it should be considered and discussed during Session Zero as well as before and after it appears. If anyone is opposed to the topic, their voice should be respected. If at any point it becomes too disturbing, stop. You're gaming with equals who deserve your respect, and they should be treated as such.

This discussion explores why characters engage in slavery in a fantasy setting, especially in tabletop games. It will be of most use to those who have used it in their TTRPG sessions or think they might, but could also give fantasy writers some food for thought. This article doesn't aim for historical accuracy or reflect how slavery is practiced on Earth now; it's about fictional fantasy produced by and for adults. And while it reflects elements common to D&D, it applies across systems and settings.

Motivations

At first glance, slavery doesn't seem like a practical way to get rich or stay that way. The moral and emotional problems are bad enough (and they are considerable). When you add the time and effort it takes to obtain prisoners, make them work, and keep them from fleeing, the whole enterprise seems to cost far too much. And in fantasy worlds, features like magic can make it seem even more pointless. Why enslave anyone when a spell can do the cleaning? But characters with magic are often in the top echelons of society, so why would they waste magic on house chores? We could keep going back and forth, but the bottom line is this: nearly any fantasy element can be used to rule out slavery or excuse it instead.

And plenty of diversions and justifications are needed to keep the practice going in any setting. These excuses don't have to make logical sense if they're feeding our worst urges, and fulfilling our most selfish desires is often the deeper reason slavers persist. The motives below are based on the seven deadly sins to reflect this. By weaving three or more of them together, a rationale can be built for how and why one group enslaves others. The beliefs, laws, and methods they develop from there probably won't be difficult to imagine. Once forced labor becomes a regular part of production, characters who benefit from the system will likely be loath to give it up, but their motives may reveal weaknesses and how to stop them.

Whether player characters are participating in the practice or working against it, understanding the major underlying motives will help Game Masters develop adventures, encounters, and NPCs with care and lead to more thoughtful experiences for players. These motives can also apply to player characters who participate in enslaving others, if that's allowed. Some of the motives below - and ideas inspired by them - don't lend themselves to group play and are best kept to one-on-one, private games. As with the rest of gaming, the more aware and honest everyone is about what they're interested in exploring and why, the better the experience can be.

Envy

Although captors would never admit it, many of them envy what others possess. After all, lives and cheap manual labor aren't the only things slavers want, and a fantasy character can offer so much more. Dwarves admired for their metal and stone work could be targeted by those who want to exploit those skills. Their longer life-spans and hearty constitutions mean dwarves can be kept longer than other hostages. (It also means they likely cost more to purchase and maintain.)

It doesn't take much to summon the green-eyed monster: any perceived benefit will do. Nearby people and places often draw resentment first because their advantages are easiest to see, but they aren't the only ones in danger. Those who possess beautiful, rare, or useful features or resources can inspire jealousy in others, no matter how kind or far away they are. Downtrodden or resentful groups may attack just because others seem so damned happy and lucky, and taking what others enjoy is easier than creating joy or opportunities for themselves.

Sometimes a jealous god will encourage followers to enslave others in the mortal realm. The more fearsome their following appears, the more interest it will draw, which could result in more power for the deity. In many fantasy settings, the gods are real and communicate with their worshipers - and if followers don't obey, they can be punished in very real and immediate ways. Worshipers could be ordered to enslave whoever their god desires, regardless of their personal feelings. And while some won't mind, others will have life-altering crises of faith.

Gluttony

A variety of intelligent and communicative species inhabit many fantasy worlds, which makes hunting and eating them ethically problematic. While players are less likely to be when their characters consume creatures with animal features, they can be quickly horrified once humanoid meat is on the table. Gaming bestiaries often include meat-eating creatures and their preferred prey, but these details are meant to be grist for encounters. It's assumed GM-controlled creatures will do the badwrong eating and player characters will put a stop to it. Most often, PCs dine much like their players do, or at least on creatures players are comfortable with.

This won't stop problems with gluttony from arising during play, however. Vampires may keep larders of miserable captives for the sole purpose of feeding on them. Others slaughter and consume hostages to control or punish the population. These practices will inject horror into any game and probably be impossible for PCs to ignore. Moral quandaries are likely and will probably need to be discussed. If everyone's okay with that, so be it; if not, avoid having intelligent creatures eat each other. And be aware: in games that go against norms, like evil Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, players might assume their characters can consume anything they defeat. Addressing this during Session Zero is a good idea, unless you want your game being described in horror stories on Reddit.

The gluttony of the gods is worth a moment's pause. Fantasy deities reflect a range of morals and practices. This can include demands for live sacrifice, and targets may be hunted and kidnapped just for that purpose. Cruel gods will delight in this, but other gods might require sacrifices only in special circumstances, such as punishment for grievous violations or on the highest holidays. Being held captive and marked for sacrifice could be seen as a great honor or an unfortunate necessity. Either way, sacrifice is how gods symbolically consume other beings. The more fervent believers are - and the more they fear their gods - the more difficult it will be for them to deny their deities' demands for blood.

Greed

A thirst for coin and luxury is only the beginning of greed. Inanimate objects can be wonderful and flashy, particularly in fantasy games, but they can't really react to their situation (unless they're sentient, and most objects aren't). The desire to claim and own sapient beings can be intoxicating. Seizing control over someone's life and death is a declaration of ultimate power, and the thrill of counting people among one's possessions might not wear off for a while. If it does wear thin, conquering new captives could bring it back.

Some slavers kidnap noteworthy targets and hold them for ransom; for them, getting rich fast is the goal. Slave traders abduct targets to move them and sell them elsewhere, also for quick profit. These captors have no interest in being long-term slaveholders and may abandon or destroy prisoners they can't sell fast enough. A few slavers intend to keep their captives no matter what families can pay, along with anyone sent to bargain for their release - but if they can get loved ones to cough up some gold, they'll be glad to take the money, too.

Greed-driven slaveholders flaunt their captives to satisfy conspicuous consumption, but why and how they do so will vary. If having many captives is the benchmark of success in a society, regardless of their condition or how they're kept, miserly slavers will spend as little as possible on upkeep. On the other hand, if highly skilled and well-groomed hostages earn their captors extra acclaim and coin, they may be better dressed and trained than many free citizens. In any case, greedy captors will invest only as much as needed to get the highest return.

Lust

Sexual access is a well-known reason for keeping prisoners, but it's also one of the most damaging to bring up in a game. Enslaved people can't consent to activities with anyone who has advantages over them due to their situation: captors, guards, townsfolk who threaten to turn them in, etc. Generally speaking, they can't expect their wishes to be respected or leave the scene of their own free will. And since sexual coercion does awful harm in real life, it elicits powerful reactions, even in fictional contexts. Trying to reframe the issue to make it more bearable, such as casting it in a romantic light, can do more harm than good. A thorough conversation needs to happen before anyone alludes to lust as a motive for taking captives in a tabletop game.

Sexual interaction doesn't have to enter into the equation at all. It never has to come up during play, even if sex and slavery are allowed separately. Imposing sexual acts on hostages could be strictly forbidden and harshly punished. Cultural taboos could exist against it due to rigid social hierarchies, roles, and norms. It could only be kept off-screen and practiced only by enemies the PCs are meant to destroy.

Sensual activities involving captives could be allowed only in specific contexts, such as personal harems, brothels, or temples where behavior is regulated. Since captives in pleasure-based roles could be better regarded and treated, they might have no sensual motives of their own, just desires for better conditions. While it's easy to assume patrons have purely lustful motives, they could be following local norms and avoiding social fallout. There are many ways to present this motive, whether it's truly a factor or only appears to be.

And let's not ignore the elephant in the room: erotic roleplay exists, master/slave fantasies aren't uncommon, and both of these things make plenty of people uncomfortable. There are many reasons for these things, and valid reasons on all sides. Speaking purely in fictional contexts among consenting adults, these fantasies needn't harm anyone but aren't advised for group games. They must also never be confused with actual experiences. No amount of historic detail or imagination is enough to truly understand what it's like in real life.

Pride

Some slavers are thoroughly convinced of their own superiority and assume it's their birthright to rule over others. They aim to become kings of their own territory, however great or small their influence actually is, and keep slaves instead of serfs. This motive also leads them to believe they must take control, since only they know what's best. Many slaveholders twist the idea of noblesse oblige to include the need to take care of "lessers" who supposedly can't handle themselves.

Wealth and noble titles aren't the only things that lead to delusions of superiority. After years of adventuring, a party could become powerful enough to take over a town and all of the people in it. Perhaps they raise their children to follow in their footsteps, leading to generational slavery. Or a group of evil wizards might believe those without magic are weak, pathetic fools. Anyone who can't demonstrate some kind of arcane ability to local magistrates is enslaved, but they are freed if they ever develop and reveal such ability.

The mechanics of fantasy species complicate this issue because not all characters are created equal and mechanical superiority is clearly possible. Species with more abilities and bonuses than others tend to perform better. Advanced characters with potent spells and gear can easily subdue everyday people. For these reasons, characters could see their mechanical superiority as proof of their right to rule and succeed in acting it out.

Sloth

Some captors would much rather leave heavy lifting and dirty chores to someone they don't have to treat fairly. Sure, they could pay a free citizen for a job, but why? Prisoners often maintain fine houses and keep things running smoothly while their slavers enjoy lives of leisure - and leisure is important enough for captors to see it as their right, not a privilege they should pay for.

Sloth can be a strong motivation for decadent slave-keeping groups, and it definitely influences how they operate. Perhaps certain tasks are deemed unworthy of coin or they only pay for services they can get no other way. Such slavers pay little attention to what vassals are doing so long as their work is done on time and they don't try to flee. Constant monitoring could require too much effort.

It doesn't take much effort to rationalize why one caste of society has to do the most work, or the worst kinds. Even in their rationalizations, slothful characters can be lazy. Myths can be turned against a group: since they were created last by the gods, they're destined to serve their elders. Forced labor could be demanded for any thinly veiled excuse a slaver can get away with, if only to make it easier to obtain prisoners close to home.

Wrath

Some take and keep slaves to hurt them, their families, and/or their fellows. This feeds wrathtful abductors' rage, not just once but over time. Whether their anger is based on actual wrongs or false slights doesn't matter much. Lashing out in battle makes abductors feel mighty in groups, and punishing targets at home makes them feel strong individually. It's rarely enough to assuage their anger for long, however. Anything that makes them feel threatened can set them off again.

Aggressive armies may press people into service, whether they want to be involved in a conflict or not. Anyone they can grab will be put to work or or pushed into fighting in battles. Prisoners might not be combat-ready but they're seen as expendable, and any extra labor they perform makes the army stronger. When battles are done, survivors might be given a choice between remaining enslaved or being put to death. If they are offered freedom, it won't be until after the war is over.

In any case, wrath-based slavery may not last as long as others. Injury and mortality rates among prisoners tend to be higher, especially when free citizens get first dibs on healing materials and spells. Enslaved soldiers may be able to escape during the heat of battle, and hostages kept for humiliation might be sold or even released after the thrill of tormenting them is gone. It's also worth noting that slavers who take out their rage on others can make enemies who take them out of the equation. This last possibility is often the best one for captives who are rescued and released as a result.