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PlatinumJester
2007-11-16, 05:54 PM
So at some point our group is going to start a Campaign where we all level 1 commoners who are either a Gnome, Dwarf or a Halfling (we agreed those 3 races only). Now I have only DM'd twice and I figure that a few commoners aren't going to last long in combat thus I decided that the game is going to based around using the commoners skills such as climb and Handle Animal.

So basically I am asking if anyone has any suggestions on how to make challenges for commoners.

I already have them sneaking around in barrels to get through an enemy encampment.

VerdugoExplode
2007-11-16, 06:02 PM
The challenges they face depend more on what's going on around them. As commoners they are probably confined to their town lacking the finances to travel abroad. They must obey the local laws as they lack the power to confront them. If the average party is any indicator of the current state of the nation at least 50 farming families are being slaughtered in front of their children's eyes so these children will one day grow up to be adventurers with a grudge against the aforementioned antagonists.

With commoners the goal of the campaign might be less "Defeat the enemies and take their possessions" and more "Don't die horribly." Commoners would be better off trying to run away, escape or hide than actually fight. Commoners don't really adventure so the obstacles they face would probably be more mundane. The current price of wheat means more to a commoner than the legend of the dragon ghosts treasure.

horseboy
2007-11-16, 06:08 PM
Urban or rural commoners?

Jack Zander
2007-11-16, 06:09 PM
See War of the World's on how characters should act when constantly faced with an overwhelmingly powered enemy.

Jack Zander
2007-11-16, 06:13 PM
Alternatively, you could make the campaign based on challenges such as, "Tommy wants a new sword for New Year's Day. You've got the gold saved up for it, but there is only one blacksmith in town, and he's only got enough time to craft one more weapon before the holiday. Johnny stares you down from across the street, holding a sack of gold himself. Both of you are an equal distance from the blacksmith shop. Johnny looks like he's about to sprint. Roll initiative."

horseboy
2007-11-16, 06:32 PM
Hmm, well, for an urban campaign, three word: "High School Campaign". Dwarfs could be used to emulate an industrial era society, where they would have such a thing. Turn over to the Disney channel for as long as you can stomach it. Write down their plots. Use with your group.

For a more rural campaign, it should be more of a defensive campaign. Kobolds are sneaking into the barn. The party sets up ingenious traps and murder holes. Kobolds are confused by the role reversal, give up and go home. Wolves in the live stock. Oh no, there's a party of adventurers in town, that means you're about to be attacked by orcs, get them out of town however you can. All kinds of stuff.

Blasterfire
2007-11-16, 06:59 PM
An idea I always thought would be neat is to run a commoner campaign alongside a real campaign. That way, after the inevitable town wrecking occurs and the PC's do their whole hero thing, you could run a side plot where the players play commoners and the ir goal is to stay alive through what you just played. You could maybe do something like this if they kept moving from town to town after they get destroyed. This also adds a sense of humor to the situation because no matter where they go, their town gets destroyed (Hitchhikers guide anyone?).

Paragon Badger
2007-11-16, 07:10 PM
I wanted to run a commoner campaign, but put it in the OOC thread instead of the recruiting thread (twas when I just joined...whoops) and never picked it up again.

The thing was, it was going to be humorous. The commoners discovered that they looked almost exactly like a group of adventurers, by a sheer twist of fate, so they would go around 'adventuring' and leeching off of the adventure's glories and rewards. Free tavern meals, sexy groupies, ect.

The problem would be that they would be occasionally asked to preform great heroic deeds. They were seemingly impossible but easily dealt with if the party was tricky/funny enough.

Plus, falling ass-backwards into heroism is always satisfying. Irresponsible captain tyler or something. :smallamused:

Doresain
2007-11-17, 12:05 AM
...who are either a Gnome, Dwarf or a Halfling (we agreed those 3 races only)...

didnt you know? gnomes, halflings and dwarves are all the same race...they wear disguises when acting as a part of one of the said "races"...doing so allows them to make more money from WotC using information on their "cultures"

PlatinumJester
2007-11-17, 05:42 AM
Urban or rural commoners?

It would be VERY rural. They would be travelling through forests as well as over a mountain and trekking through snow and rain.

The finale will probably involve escaping down a river on a boat.

nonsens
2007-11-17, 05:59 AM
I'm guessing their commoner campaign is inspired by Joe Wood (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=763260).
And if it isn't, I suggest you and your players read all about it (it's really great)