use for commoners and experts

[grimbold]

what roles can i give commoners and experts in my world? asides from farmers blacksmiths, tavern owners teachers and coopers i don't have a lot of ideas. the other classes are easy but those 2 are very ambiguous and i need help and advice on giving them jobs

[kamikasei]

Every ordinary person who isn't a Warrior or Aristocrat?

Virtually every craftsman, tradeperson, merchant, peasant, unskilled labourer, etc. - pretty much anything you can think of - will be one of the two.

edit: Actually I'm puzzled by the question itself. Why are you starting with the NPC classes and trying to come up with jobs for them? Is the problem actually the reverse - you're not sure what kind of people would populate your setting?

[Zeta Kai]

NPC concepts for a Commoner or an Expert include: Actor, Alchemist, Artist, Athlete, Chef, Courier, Craftsman, Diplomat, Engineer, Expert, Explorer, Guide, Messenger, Minstrel, Prostitute, Sailor, Scholar, Scout, Shopkeeper, Smith, Teacher, & Virtuoso. Below is a list of skill allocations for some common concepts:

• Beggar (Appraise, Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Info, Listen, Perform, Sense Motive, Spot)
• Craftsman (Appraise, Concentration, Craft, Knowledge, Profession, Spot, Use Rope)
• Driver (Balance, Handle Animal, Listen, Profession, Ride, Search, Spot, Use Rope)
• Farmer (Appraise, Craft, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Profession, Ride, Use Rope)
• Merchant (Appraise, Diplomacy, Forgery, Knowledge, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot)
• Porter (Concentration, Handle Animal, Jump, Profession, Swim, Tumble, Use Rope)
• Sailor (Balance, Climb, Craft, Intuit Direction, Jump, Spot, Swim, Tumble, Use Rope)
• Savage (Handle Animal, Heal, Intimidate, Listen, Move Silently, Ride, Spot, Survival)
• Slave (Bluff, Escape Artist, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Sense Motive, Spot, Swim)
• Smith (Appraise, Concentration, Craft, Knowledge, Profession, Search, Use Rope)

[Mystral]

Experts and Commoners share the roles in society. Both classes can be blacksmiths, farmers, alchemists, beggars and mayors.

The question is not about different roles, it is about ability.

Bob the village blacksmith who can, with some time, forge a decent sword? Commoner. Bob the Weaponsmith, with renown trough the whole kingdom for his fine armor and weapons? Expert.

Lisa the barmaid? Commoner. Lisa, the owner of the prestigious Three Dragons Inn and important contact person for any adventurer who seeks employment in the city? Expert.

That said, Warriors, Experts and Commoners make up the majority of the worlds population, and commoners greatly outnumber the first two. If there is no need to give an NPC a class, make him a commoner or expert, unless he's part of the militia or city guard, then, make him a fighter.

[grimbold]

thank you guys, i am having issues because 75 pages into my world i am getting slowly worn out, i want 100 pages by christmas

[hamishspence]

Races of Faerun suggests commoners tend to be illiterate except in cases of exceptionally literate races (such as sun elves).

Maybe the tough, illiterate farmer, who took charge in a crisis (such as monster invasion or disease outbreak) and organized the defense of the town, becomes beloved by the townsfolk and promoted to mayor.

This might explain why the mayor can be a commoner and not an expert or aristocrat.

Cityscape does suggest aristocrats don't have to be members of the noble caste- they can be career politicians.

[jiriku]

thank you guys, i am having issues because 75 pages into my world i am getting slowly worn out, i want 100 pages by christmas

Ack! Ur doin it rong. Run a campaign in your world. A long one, set in one specific region of the world and largely staying there. It will give you plenty inspiration for at least another 20 pages.

[Calmar]

I think the commoner is a theoretical class for NPCs without class. The guy without many useful abilities who's unlikely to survive a fight anyway probably is a commoner 1-3. I mean, you won't find a commoner 11 running around anywhere, because anything this guy is supposed to do can better be represented with levels as expert, warrior, or some character class.

[Greenish]

thank you guys, i am having issues because 75 pages into my world i am getting slowly worn out, i want 100 pages by christmas

Setting a page number and trying to fill it doesn't sound like the best way to build a campaign world. No one is going to bother to read those 100 pages just to play in your campaign, anyway.

I mean, you won't find a commoner 11 runningh around anywhere

I found a level 19 (or 18, I forget) one running around in Sharn - The City of Towers. She was sort of a politician, one of the elected representatives of her district, if my memory serves.

[hamishspence]

If the DMG rules are followed- they pretty much demand that at least some high-level commoners are running around.

Question is- do high levels translate to high influence in at least some field?

[kamikasei]

Maybe the tough, illiterate farmer, who took charge in a crisis (such as monster invasion or disease outbreak) and organized the defense of the town, becomes beloved by the townsfolk and promoted to mayor.

This might explain why the mayor can be a commoner and not an expert or aristocrat.

I'd expect such a character to level as at least an Expert if not Aristocrat, unless he didn't gain any levels after becoming mayor. Even if he still couldn't read, it'd represent having to pick up a variety of people skills quickly.

[hamishspence]

True- it would probably represent him only shortly after having been given the role.

[Ossian]

Commoners, in theory, aren't supposed to go adventuring, though they might have a brush with danger from time to time. High level ones tend to be respected members of their community, and to be rather senior. They have picked up a smattering of a bunch of useful skills, and are probably very good at doing one thing. The respected Sr.farmer, who breeds the best mustangs of the region, might well be a level 15 Commoner. By that level he will have seen a river flood, a couple of raids from the Earl's men-at-arms, fended off cattle raiders a bunch of times, rescued a calf from a crevice, a bunch of tavern brawls, courted and possibly married someone, won a contest of rock throwing, hunted down a dangerous boar and conducted a couple dozen difficult transactions with neighboring farmers, perhaps on border disputes and the like. He'll be 50-something, and know his s**t on horses, crops and leather work.

Voilá, no too bad.

Experts are perhaps a notch up. The Alderman might be a level 10 or higher "expert". A skilled trader and merchant, a good diplomat with all of the guilds' bickering, a man you won't bully or intimidate, no matter if you are the Earl, the Bishop or the leader of the brigands.

O.

[Morph Bark]

.
If I am going to go by the "question" in the thread title, and I am, then here are some totally shameless plugs for you.
.

[Telonius]

There's also the ever-popular "Siege Weapon" and "Transportation Device" uses.

[grimbold]

telonius you scare me

anyway in my world there are high level commoners who are leaders of unions :). They organize events for The People. And f.y.i i am currently running a campaign right now working in my dwarven lands :).

[Telonius]

Just google "commoner railgun" and you'll see what I mean.

[Greenish]

Just google "commoner railgun" and you'll see what I mean.

Of course, it doesn't actually work.

[The Glyphstone]

The Commoner Package Delivery Service, on the other hand, does.

[Kalaska'Agathas]

And if you want to get really crazy, Commonernet is theoretically buildable.

[Yuki Akuma]

Of course, a single 8-bit RAM chip would take a whole bunch of commoners.

[Mojo_Rat]

the Game Mastery guide from Paizo has a section on NPCs at the back with many of them being NPC classes or npc/pc class multi classes. If you are not playing PFRPG it may not be as useful but i found the book a really good read for that section.

[Duke of URL]

Of course, a single 8-bit RAM chip would take a whole bunch of commoners.

That's okay, they're cheap.

Commoner = cannon fodder.

Well, for that matter, so are most NPC classes, but they're useful for other things, too.

[Cogidubnus]

Commoners are the majority of your population. Most of your population in the average DnD setting are peasants and serfs. They farm, they tithe, they die of the Black Death.

[jiriku]

I'd expect such a character to level as at least an Expert if not Aristocrat, unless he didn't gain any levels after becoming mayor. Even if he still couldn't read, it'd represent having to pick up a variety of people skills quickly.

Unless he turned out to be a lousy mayor.

[Cieyrin]

I'd expect such a character to level as at least an Expert if not Aristocrat, unless he didn't gain any levels after becoming mayor. Even if he still couldn't read, it'd represent having to pick up a variety of people skills quickly.

Joe Wood would like to have a word with you about that.

[Jabas]

I'd suggest checking out the career system in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, either 1st or 2nd edition, if you're able to. Most of the careers available to PCs reflect those of "normal" people (rat catcher, anyone?) who have given them up to begin a life adventuring. Also the way the careers are split into Basic and Advanced might suggest how you can differentiate between Commoner and Expert. Don't be afraid to rely on other sources outside of published D&D material.

[grimbold]

oo thanks for tip nucleus

there is also commoner zombie warfare.
find out where there have been cities killed because of black death or plague bring lots of wands of animate dead and some spare commoners with ranks in use magic device, hope some roll high enough to use the spell. Dominate person the commoners, now you can control even moar zombies!
also when the orcs attack you re-animate the ones you kill and send them right back in the orcs lair or dungeon, (fun easy dungeon clearing)

Edit; just found a great site :) list of jobs http://hkcarms.tripod.com/occ.html

[Ernir]

Question is- do high levels translate to high influence in at least some field?

My take on that is - not necessarily. But that practically, it does, because high level people tend to be extraordinarily good at the things they do.

[hamishspence]

True- a 10th level commoner with Handle Animal maxed out, and various skill-boosting feats, might be a legendary Horse Whisperer (or nearest equivalent) famed for miles around. With other would-be animal trainers travelling long distances to learn from him.