NPC classes

[Judge_Worm]

How do you run NPC classes as a DM?
Do you ever utilize NPC classes as a player?

As a DM I rarely ever use aristocrat, but I use most the other classes. Commoners being the bulk of NPCs, they do everything from owning a tavern to farming to being the slave of the BBEG. I use expert for skilled craftsman like smiths, artisans, or mundane bards, however I use PC classes for craftsman of magical items. I use warrior for common thugs and soldiers, although most encounters against small groups or individuals above level 1 I just go ahead and make them fighters or barbarians, sometimes rogue for renowned bandits. Most clergymen (and barbarian witchdocters and shaman by extension) are adepts, even at higher levels, unless they're someone special, in which case they're either adept+prestige or straight clerics, if they're really special or important they get normal PC classes and necessary prestige classes. I use spellcasters for most non-enemy NPCs, except as noted by experts, enemy NPCs always get at least sorcerer.

As a player I might dip expert to expand skills (barbarian with spellcraft is surprisingly useful), and as a cleric I might dip adept so I stay a purely divine spellcaster but gain a familiar without wasting a precious feat.

[Larkas]

I've never used them as a player, but if I had to, I'd go for adept. Better yet, make it a religious adept. The class's spell list ain't that bad, and the addition of a domain can really make the class. Failing that, I'd look at the magewright second and the expert third. With some optimization, you can expand the magewright's spell list, and the expert makes for a passable skill monkey, and its "10 skills as class skills" ain't half bad.

I think I'd never play warrior, aristocrat or commoner.

[Chronos]

As a player, the standard adept has some appeal. Their spell list is an interesting hybrid of things usually found on arcane and divine lists: You've got healing and such, but you've also got Web, Lightning Bolt, and Polymorph. I'm not sure why anyone would pick the Eberron religious adept over cleric, or the magewright over wizard, though.

Similarly, there's no point in picking warrior instead of fighter or barbarian or whatever, and very little point in picking expert over rogue (yeah, there are some skills the rogue doesn't get, but not enough to be worth it). Aristocrat, maybe, if it gets you greater wealth, but I don't think that's explicit, and of course nobody wants to be a commoner.

I've heard of some DMs using alternate rules to put NPC classes into the hands of the players, and that can have potential. The first variant I've heard is to require that everyone start with X levels in NPC classes: This lets rogues keep up their skills via Expert levels, and lets fighter-types keep up their BAB via Warrior, but spellcasters can't stack their progression, at best getting a smattering of extra low-level spells from Adept or Magewright. Alternately, I've also heard of balancing by allowing gestalt for low-tier classes: IIRC, Tier 1 and 2 are as-is, Tier 3 can gestalt with an NPC class, and Tier 4 can gestalt with NPC classes or Tier 5. This would, for instance, let a swordsage get full BAB, or let any Tier 3 class get a bunch of skills (though it's remarkable how many T3 classes already have 6 skill points per level).

[Extra Anchovies]

Expert can have Iaijutsu Focus as a class skill. Toss on some Quickrazors, Combat Reflexes, Mercurial Strike, Hidden Blade (skill trick) and Acrobatic Backstab (skill trick), and then make three of your other class skills Bluff, Diplomacy, UMD, and you have a character that's legitimately viable (in a low-op game at least) until the mid-levels. If I ever play E6 I'm probably going to use a character along these lines.

[Sir Garanok]

Warrior for tribal people who don't have military training,their leaders are usually Barbarians.

Commoners are most of the common folk.

Experts would be all craftsmen,archtectures,doctors and anyone with some intelligence and education.
Dwarf expert is pretty often used.

Aristocrat is used for nobles usually multiclassed with some other basic class(and have quite good gear).

Adept i mostly use on greenskins and sometimes is the village elder and is mostly found in isolated tribes
as DMG suggests.

[VoxRationis]

In my current campaign, the vast majority of enemies are low-level warriors. I don't usually use experts; if I want someone to be a skilled character beyond a commoner's capabilities, I'm usually at the point where I want the NPC to have rogue levels. Adepts... I almost never use them. I just have my NPC spellcasters use PC classes. The PC spellcasting classes seem much better-themed than the adept for most uses.

[Blackhawk748]

I use Warrior all the time, mainly because it doesnt increase their CR as quick and its an easy way to increase their HP and BAB.

Ive used Adept and Expert a few times, as Adepts actually make pretty durable shamans as i can give them more levels than if i gave them a PC class.

I despise the Commoner as written, i usually give them a D6 HD instead, as that d4 crap is ridiculous, also i usually up their skills per level to 4 and give them proficiency with all simple weapons and the Shortbow, as some of them DO go hunting.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

I've run the Expert in games as a PC class with all skills as class skills and 12+int skill points per level. It's still not enough to make up for no class features, except in very specific campaigns.

[AuraTwilight]

The Adept is rad as hell to play as, honestly, if you don't want to be a God Wizard.

[Sylthia]

I've never played as an NPC class as a player, but I've used quite as a few as a DM. They are good for fleshing out encounters without having to write a whole PC worthy character or breaking wealth by level by having appropriate gear for them. I've taken to having Vow of Poverty like NPCs as most of my humanoid enemies.