The Commoner Handbook

[WonderfulAngus]

An Anthropomorphic Raven can use a small crossbow to rain death from above, add in the Magic-Blooded template for some SLAs at no real cost. also to fix the problem of light sensitivity in water orcs, try applying the dragonborn template, an extra +2con, -2dex and you trade in light sensitivity for wings, or a breath attack, or some cool immunities/visions.

[Amidus Drexel]

This thread is just too awesome.

I've always wanted to play as a commoner. Just for the challenge of it.

I'd like to have a source on the last two options (page number included if possible)...

Tainted giving feats is from Heroes of Horror, page 67

[Benly]

My favorite NPC-class trick (which works fine with commoners) is the Bully Boys.

Each Bully Boy has Apprentice (soldier) to make Intimidate a class skill, and the rest of their feats (and traits, if available) are focused on boosting Intimidate. (Skill Focus: Intimidate, Menacing Demeanour if they're half-orcs, Unnatural Aura trait, etc.) Generally speaking, with a bit of effort they can make it very hard for an enemy to resist their Intimidate, even one a few levels above them.

The strategy is for three or more Bully Boys to delay their actions so they can all act together, then move into melee range and demoralize the enemy. Three successful demoralize attempts stacks the target's fear level up to panicked, at which point he drops whatever he's holding and spends his next action running away, getting whacked in the back of the head by the Bully Boys' AoOs as he goes. This works very well on adventurer-class characters who think they can push commoners around with their magic weapons.

[Crasical]

My favorite NPC-class trick (which works fine with commoners) is the Bully Boys.

Each Bully Boy has Apprentice (soldier) to make Intimidate a class skill, and the rest of their feats (and traits, if available) are focused on boosting Intimidate. (Skill Focus: Intimidate, Menacing Demeanour if they're half-orcs, Unnatural Aura trait, etc.) Generally speaking, with a bit of effort they can make it very hard for an enemy to resist their Intimidate, even one a few levels above them.

The strategy is for three or more Bully Boys to delay their actions so they can all act together, then move into melee range and demoralize the enemy. Three successful demoralize attempts stacks the target's fear level up to panicked, at which point he drops whatever he's holding and spends his next action running away, getting whacked in the back of the head by the Bully Boys' AoOs as he goes. This works very well on adventurer-class characters who think they can push commoners around with their magic weapons.

Hrm. I was going to say I'm not sure that works, but I can't seem to find the rules for escalating fear effects at the moment and the Intimidate skill doesn't disalow it. If only my chosen minion wasn't small-sized with a charisma penalty, I'd totally use this tactic.

[Benly]

Hrm. I was going to say I'm not sure that works, but I can't seem to find the rules for escalating fear effects at the moment and the Intimidate skill doesn't disalow it. If only my chosen minion wasn't small-sized with a charisma penalty, I'd totally use this tactic.

Got you covered.

"A shaken character who is made shaken again becomes frightened, and a shaken character who is made frightened becomes panicked instead. A frightened character who is made shaken or frightened becomes panicked instead."

There are a number of effects that explicitly disallow this kind of stacking, but good old Intimidate isn't one of them. This is mostly counterbalanced by Demoralize only lasting one round without further shenanigans, so stacking it up to the useful levels is kind of tricky. A group of buddies is the easiest way of doing it; the guy will only be panicked for one round, but since he'll be as far away as he can get in one round and he'll have dropped whatever he was holding, it'll minimize the threat from most melee enemies.

[Crasical]

Got you covered.

"A shaken character who is made shaken again becomes frightened, and a shaken character who is made frightened becomes panicked instead. A frightened character who is made shaken or frightened becomes panicked instead."

There are a number of effects that explicitly disallow this kind of stacking, but good old Intimidate isn't one of them. This is mostly counterbalanced by Demoralize only lasting one round without further shenanigans, so stacking it up to the useful levels is kind of tricky. A group of buddies is the easiest way of doing it; the guy will only be panicked for one round, but since he'll be as far away as he can get in one round and he'll have dropped whatever he was holding, it'll minimize the threat from most melee enemies.

And then you pick up the (Expensive, magic) weapon they where holding and leg it/go hide.

[etrpgb]

Well, the Commoner is a good way to make a stone wall. Just using one of the flaws of Dragon Magazine #330 page 87.

I quote the relevant part:

Someone cast divine flavor on you.
Effect: all monsters attack you if able regardless their attitude toward the rest of your party.[...]

Lets see...
Commoner/1 (Flaw: Delicious)
Survivor/5
Ur-Priest/10
Barbarian*/4

Of course you need to survive the first level, but after that you are very solid. In the first levels you use the Survivor features, after the Cleric spells to keep you protected (via Persist DMM) and monster HAVE TO attack you. You are almost SAD as you need only constitution and wisdom.

If your DM accept to relax the Ur-Priest alignment restriction (as you obviously trying to revive a dead god of non violent chickens) you can probably also take vow of peace, no-one expect you to be have to be able to do damage.

*Can you think something better? Maybe something with 8 clerical spell increases?

[Vizzerdrix]

If yer gonna use Commoner/1 (Flaw: Delicious) then you might as well go right to Commoner/1 (Flaw: Were-sheep) and get lycanthropy right from level one and only be tasty when you shift.

[etrpgb]

Can you shift freely? And you can cast spell while shifted? If so, it is indeed a great idea.

So you can avoid any malus when outside combat and do your job as tank when it is needed.

[etrpgb]

Reading the lycanthropy rules I think it might be bad actually.

The problem is the LA: ``Level adjustment: Same as the base creature +2 (afflicted) or +3 (natural).''

Ok, you get a +2 Wisdom and some nifty bonus, but it does not pays for three levels. Of course if via DM fiat the Weresheep is a LA0 then it is cool.

[Thurbane]

Not sure if it's been brought up already, but if the Commoners are NPCs, you can add certain NPC Traits from the DMGII with no increase in CR.

[Cieyrin]

Reading the lycanthropy rules I think it might be bad actually.

The problem is the LA: ``Level adjustment: Same as the base creature +2 (afflicted) or +3 (natural).''

Ok, you get a +2 Wisdom and some nifty bonus, but it does not pays for three levels. Of course if via DM fiat the Weresheep is a LA0 then it is cool.

Considering the flaw is an April Fools' joke and you're supposed to be pretty useless as a sheep, not to mention Delicious while in that form, I think it's safe to assume that it's LA +0.

[etrpgb]

I think it too. Really a Stone Wall so. :D

[Crasical]

Dunno how useful a commoner throp would find this trick, but....

A Warforged commoner with Improved Resiliency feat and the Quick trait can ignore the penalties from Hustling and Forced Marching, and jog on through the night. With his new 40 feet move speed, the 'forged can hustle at 8 miles per hour, meaning he moves faster than a horse trots and can keep it up far longer, covering just shy of 200 miles in a single 24 hour period.

Makes keeping in contact with others easier, so he does okay as a mailman or courier of small packages, anything not putting him over a light load.

[Zonugal]

Dunno how useful a commoner throp would find this trick, but....

A Warforged commoner with Improved Resiliency feat and the Quick trait can ignore the penalties from Hustling and Forced Marching, and jog on through the night. With his new 40 feet move speed, the 'forged can hustle at 8 miles per hour, meaning he moves faster than a horse trots and can keep it up far longer, covering just shy of 200 miles in a single 24 hour period.

Makes keeping in contact with others easier, so he does okay as a mailman or courier of small packages, anything not putting him over a light load.

I didn't include Warforged for the same reason I don't have Dragonborn or Hellborn in the race section.

I, within all the fluff and thematic elements in D&D, can't see any of them being commoners. I know fluff can be waved away but for somethings I don't know...

Maybe a Warforged was thrown out before being taught anything? Sure, sounds like a reasonable way into the commoner class. But a whole slew of them? Eh....

[Mithril Leaf]

I'd like to be the expert poisonmaker. Assuming I play a middle ages strongheart halfling I could max out Craft(Poisonmaking), Handle Animal, and Ride. Then I'd take Hidden Talent, picking Psionic Minor Creation, Artiste Psicrystal, and Psionic Talent x 2. I use my money on a crafted masterwork item of Craft(Poisonmaking) and a riding dog. Every three hours I'd produce some Sassone leaf residue and distribute it to the poisoner troops. For money, I'd produce salvo for passing traders, which would net me a healthy 90 GP a week. My goal is to save up enough money to buy a warbeast fleshraker. Additionally, if there was a major threat, I would put a full cubic foot of Sassone leaf residue into a glass container and have one of the archers use it as a splash weapon against the threat. If he hits, it deals an average of 6000 damage to anything not poison immune, assuming it's fortitude save is +6.

[Cor1]

TL;DR : 6000 damage with a first-level power.

That's... beautiful... :'|

[demigodus]

This thread really makes me want to play an e6 game, where almost all NPC's are commoners or the rare warrior, (basically only the PCs and plot-centric, powerful characters get PC classes), except every single commoner/warrior is built using this thread. Possibly make it an evil campaign, starting at lvl 6, so the PCs get to feel like they are powerful badasses when they start out.

So the PCs get to discover at lvl 6, that between Mithril Leaf's poison-maker of doom, and a few of Vizzerdrix's half-lings of doom, as well as a horde of wild cohorts, they are in fact outmatched by a random thorp, and need to heavily utilize tactics to beat down a bunch of villagers.

[Cor1]

Hmm... the idea it gives me is one I can't get out of my head since just reading it : begin a campaign with a party of first-level optimized Commoners, and let them level up in whatever afterwards. E6.

I'd set that up in a private world created by a fundamentalist atheist Psion with Genesis, so that it has a reason to let the characters level further if it gets there.

[Mithril Leaf]

Alright, I've run the numbers and figured out how to do it. In the spirit of both this thread, and the killing of a prismatic dragon thread, I have figured out how to kill a great wyrm prismatic dragon as a level 1 commoner. This does rely on one small piece of DM fiat, but it's fairly reasonable.

The Dragon Slayer: Male Middle-Aged Strongheart Halfling Commoner 1; CR ½; Small Humanoid (halfling); HD 1d4+0; hp 4; Init +0; Spd 20 ft.; AC 11 (10 +1 dex), touch 11, flat-footed 11; Base Atk +0; Grp -5 (-1 str -4 size); AL TN; SV Fort +0, Ref +1, Will +1; Str 8, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 12.
Skills and Feats: Craft (Poisonmaking) +10 (4 ranks +1 int +2 Masterwork Tool +3 Psicrystal bonus), Handle Animal +5 (4 ranks +1 cha), Craft (Leatherworking) +8 (4 ranks +1 int +3 Psicrystal bonus) and Read/Write/Speak (Common & Elven); Hidden Talent (Psionic Minor Creation), Psicrystal Affinity (Artiste), and Psionic Talent x2.
Traits & Flaws: Noncombatant & Frail
Equipment (70 gp [36 gp if crafted]; 6 lb.): One cow, to be made into a sculpture, one masterwork tool (Poisonmaking), one glass vial volume totally 7 cubic feet (no listed price, 10 gp sounded fair).

I butcher my cow and make the carcass into a facsimile of a cow, but with the large glass vial taking up a large part of its internal digestive system. Then, I head to the entrance to the nearby prismatic dragon's lair with my creation. Once there, I manifest psionic minor creation to create 7 cubic feet of sassone leaf residue within the large glass vial. I then make some shouting and offer my cow to the great beast. Once the dragon consumes the cow, the glass vial breaks, releasing the 6630 doses of poison. The dragon fails approximately 5% of it's saves, and takes about 4,300 damage. This kills said dragon and loots me, a level one commoner about 3 million gp in loot. Plus enough xp to reach the upper half of the game at least. The xp is certainly off the charts.

Thoughts on how to improve this? Also any ideas for ways to make the method less reliant on the dragon eating the cow sculpture and not you?

[Slipperychicken]

Thoughts on how to improve this? Also any ideas for ways to make the method less reliant on the dragon eating the cow sculpture and not you?

Instead of a cow, how about a Willing Deformity(Obese) Were-Sheep Commoner (so it suffers the Delicious flaw)? Or just an Obese Delicious Commoner, since the Dragon has no choice but to attack it first? The Corpse flaw may be useful if the hireling objects to being stuffed full of poison and eaten.


Obesity is used to achieve the same poison capacity as the cow, Delicious to make the Dragon attack (and presumably eat) it first, Corpse makes sure the hireling doesn't object (I don't think Delicious expires after a character dies. Might be wrong on that one).


EDIT: Also, I'm pretty sure you can only level up twice from an encounter, so our Dragon Slayer, if he won, could enjoy being a 3rd level WBL-mancer... once he drags all 3 million gp of loot safely back to base. Good luck with that.

[Mithril Leaf]

Also, I'm pretty sure you can only level up twice from an encounter, so our Dragon Slayer, if he won, could enjoy being a 3rd level WBL-mancer... once he drags all 3 million gp of loot safely back to base. Good luck with that.

Well, he'd most likely move into the cave, probably much nicer than his hovel, so that is his base. As for normal transport, he heads to a nearby town and picks up a few dozen warbeast dire polar bears. It should be pretty easy after that.

Instead of a cow, how about a Willing Deformity(Obese) Were-Sheep Commoner (so it suffers the Delicious flaw)? Or just an Obese Delicious Commoner, since the Dragon has no choice but to attack it first? The Corpse flaw may be useful if the hireling objects to being stuffed full of poison and eaten.


Obesity is used to achieve the same poison capacity as the cow, Delicious to make the Dragon attack (and presumably eat) it first, Corpse makes sure the hireling doesn't object (I don't think Delicious expires after a character dies. Might be wrong on that one).

Thanks, good idea.

[Cor1]

...and that, boys and girls, is how our thorp moved into this easily-protected dragon cave.

[Crasical]

First question: Where are you getting the numbers for how many doses constitute a cubic foot?

Second question: I'm trying to make a trapsmith follower for my army, but I'm a few points short. Ideally, I want him to be able to hit DC20 by taking 10 on both Survival and Craft: Trap, but I'm quite a few skill points short and he's already used his feat. If I can get his Survival up to at least +5, okay, if I can get it up to 20 fantastic, but I really need those last two points in Craft. Any suggestions?

Craft: 4 ranks + 1 Intelligence + 1 Specialized +2 Masterwork Artisan Tools = +8
Survival: 4 Ranks +0 Wisdom

[Zonugal]

First question: Where are you getting the numbers for how many doses constitute a cubic foot?

Second question: I'm trying to make a trapsmith follower for my army, but I'm a few points short. Ideally, I want him to be able to hit DC20 by taking 10 on both Survival and Craft: Trap, but I'm quite a few skill points short and he's already used his feat. If I can get his Survival up to at least +5, okay, if I can get it up to 20 fantastic, but I really need those last two points in Craft. Any suggestions?

Craft: 4 ranks + 1 Intelligence + 1 Specialized +2 Masterwork Artisan Tools = +8
Survival: 4 Ranks +0 Wisdom

Why do you need to get the Survival up to twenty? You can already take 20 on it for the foraging aspects of building quick traps (via DMG2).

Also are you not utilizing flaws?

[Crasical]

Why do you need to get the Survival up to twenty? You can already take 20 on it for the foraging aspects of building quick traps (via DMG2).

Also are you not utilizing flaws?

I'm not utilizing flaws because it would be too easy to just take Shaky and Noncombatant, or Frail, on half my followers for free feats, and I don't want the DM to throw a book at my head.

And because I'm playing the Thrallherd in the Red Hand of Doom module, so I'm kind of on a time limit. A booby trap created every eleven minutes is better than a booby trap every three hours.

[Zonugal]

I'm not utilizing flaws because it would be too easy to just take Shaky and Noncombatant, or Frail, on half my followers for free feats, and I don't want the DM to throw a book at my head.

And because I'm playing the Thrallherd in the Red Hand of Doom module, so I'm kind of on a time limit. A booby trap created every eleven minutes is better than a booby trap every three hours.

Hmm...

Middle-Aged Human Commoner
Str 10, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 12
Skills: Concentration 2, Craft (Trapmaking) 4, Spot 4 & Survival 2.
Feats: Hidden Talent (Precognition) & Focused Skill User (Craft [Trapmaking], Spot & Survival)
Traits: Specialized (Craft [Trapmaking])
Equipment: 2 Masterwork tools (Craft [Trapmaking] & Survival)

You should end up with Craft (Trapmaking) +9 (4 ranks +1 int +2 masterwork tool +2 focused skill user) & Survival +7 (2 ranks +1 wis +2 masterwork tool +2 focused skill user). If you have two commoners build each booby-trap they can assist each other pushing their Craft (Trapmaking) to +11 and thus qualifying on the construction aspect. Regarding Survival, through assisting they'll get up to +9 and if you need to hit above 10 they can use Precognition (but only twice a day).

Mind you if you simply pair up three into a trap-squad than you should be able to stack on the assists to get their Survival skills to +11.

Eh?

[Slipperychicken]

First question: Where are you getting the numbers for how many doses constitute a cubic foot?

Second question: I'm trying to make a trapsmith follower for my army, but I'm a few points short. Ideally, I want him to be able to hit DC20 by taking 10 on both Survival and Craft: Trap, but I'm quite a few skill points short and he's already used his feat. If I can get his Survival up to at least +5, okay, if I can get it up to 20 fantastic, but I really need those last two points in Craft. Any suggestions?

Craft: 4 ranks + 1 Intelligence + 1 Specialized +2 Masterwork Artisan Tools = +8
Survival: 4 Ranks +0 Wisdom

Isn't 1 ounce the default volume for potions/poisons? I assume he was working off that...

[Crasical]

Hmm...

Middle-Aged Human Commoner
Str 10, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 12
Skills: Concentration 2, Craft (Trapmaking) 4, Spot 4 & Survival 2.
Feats: Hidden Talent (Precognition) & Focused Skill User (Craft [Trapmaking], Spot & Survival)
Traits: Specialized (Craft [Trapmaking])
Equipment: 2 Masterwork tools (Craft [Trapmaking] & Survival)

You should end up with Craft (Trapmaking) +9 (4 ranks +1 int +2 masterwork tool +2 focused skill user) & Survival +7 (2 ranks +1 wis +2 masterwork tool +2 focused skill user). If you have two commoners build each booby-trap they can assist each other pushing their Craft (Trapmaking) to +11 and thus qualifying on the construction aspect. Regarding Survival, through assisting they'll get up to +9 and if you need to hit above 10 they can use Precognition (but only twice a day).

Mind you if you simply pair up three into a trap-squad than you should be able to stack on the assists to get their Survival skills to +11.

Eh?

Looks good to me. I guess I'll just delay a level and pick up a trapmaking squad when I have more than one extra guy.

[Marnath]

Dunno how useful a commoner throp would find this trick, but....

A Warforged commoner with Improved Resiliency feat and the Quick trait can ignore the penalties from Hustling and Forced Marching, and jog on through the night. With his new 40 feet move speed, the 'forged can hustle at 8 miles per hour, meaning he moves faster than a horse trots and can keep it up far longer, covering just shy of 200 miles in a single 24 hour period.

Makes keeping in contact with others easier, so he does okay as a mailman or courier of small packages, anything not putting him over a light load.

Or he could run and cover 384 miles a day. Immunity to nonlethal damage and fatigue means the

"A character can’t run for an extended period of time.
Attempts to run and rest in cycles effectively work out to a hustle.

does not apply.