D&D 5E What proportion of the population are adventurers?

These kinds of conversations always make me realize I live in a different world. IRL the number of people I know who DON'T have "levels" is quite small. My instinctive response to what percentage of the population has levels is: near 100%

Stalker0 said:

I think the issue is how you are defining it. I see it in 4 buckets:

1) 1st level “warriors”
2) higher level “warriors”
3) 1st level “fighters”
4) higher level “fighters”

Bucket 1 is probably where most mercenaries come from, and having there be a number of those makes sense. Likely the other buckets are a lot lower, especially bucket 4

Click to expand...

Imo there is no difference between mercenaries and adventurers so all those buckets would be counted together.

Im certainly a multi classed citizen. I've levels in several trades, skilled in several tools, some instruments, writing, poetry, carpentry, masonry, manufacturing, animal handling, farming; Computer systems, software, HR, Management; Sailing, Longshoreman, Deckhand...

I'm probably above average (I prefer the term 'abnormal'), but its my experience that I'm more common than most

Radaceus said:

Im certainly a multi classed citizen. I've levels in several trades, skilled in several tools, some instruments, writing, poetry, carpentry, masonry, manufacturing, animal handling, farming; Computer systems, software, HR, Management; Sailing, Longshoreman, Deckhand...

I'm probably above average (I prefer the term 'abnormal'), but its my experience that I'm more common than most

Click to expand...

How many spell slots do you have...?

Radaceus said:

Im certainly a multi classed citizen. I've levels in several trades, skilled in several tools, some instruments, writing, poetry, carpentry, masonry, manufacturing, animal handling, farming; Computer systems, software, HR, Management; Sailing, Longshoreman, Deckhand...

I'm probably above average (I prefer the term 'abnormal'), but its my experience that I'm more common than most

Click to expand...

Education and training is more readily available today than in most fantasy settings. Job specialization is high in our society; not so much in a typical fantasy setting where most people are farmers. Even with farming techniques more efficient than the European Middle Ages (not a high bar...) where 90-95% of the population were farmers most people will be producing food so that a relatively few can specialize outside of food production. And few of those specialists will be "adventurers", most will fill needed slots like "smiths", "carpenters" and "priests". Adventurers... some soldiers / martial types, some rogues, a few non-sedentary priests and, imho, damn few magic wielders. All this would vary with the particulars of the setting, it's location, it's economy, tech level, magic availability, etc. In short, your guess is as good as mine

Parmandur said:

How many spell slots do you have...?

Click to expand...

None at the moment, let me ring you back after my long rest...

R_Chance said:

Education and training is more readily available today than in most fantasy settings. Job specialization is high in our society; not so much in a typical fantasy setting where most people are farmers. Even with farming techniques more efficient than the European Middle Ages (not a high bar...) where 90-95% of the population were farmers most people will be producing food so that a relatively few can specialize outside of food production. And few of those specialists will be "adventurers", most will fill needed slots like "smiths", "carpenters" and "priests". Adventurers... some soldiers / martial types, some rogues, a few non-sedentary priests and, imho, damn few magic wielders. All this would vary with the particulars of the setting, it's location, it's economy, tech level, magic availability, etc. In short, your guess is as good as mine

Click to expand...

In my case, I dropped out of highschool ( note, I did have high marks, it's a longer story..), did 8 years in the Bering Sea, got my GED in the mean time, as well as learned several aspects of the building industry on my off seasons, which I parlayed into my next chapter as a carpenter and builder...etc. and so on...
But I digress,

In my travels, which includes living on three continents, I've toiled next to all manner of folk, and your blanket textbook assessment above is, in my humble opinion, inaccurate. Many 'skilled' people that I have had the honor of working beside had no degrees, little in the way of education; they learned their trades by application, not in a classroom. And this has been the way of the worker since time immemorial.

snickersnax said:

These kinds of conversations always make me realize I live in a different world. IRL the number of people I know who DON'T have "levels" is quite small. My instinctive response to what percentage of the population has levels is: near 100%

Click to expand...

I'm curious IRL what people you know who have "levels"? I could see someone in the military (or ex-military) having some fighter, ranger, or other warrior class levels. Someone who grew up "on the street" might have some rogue levels. So how are things IRL that makes you realize you live in a different world?

In game, what levels would the greater percentage of the population have? Farmers are druids or rangers? Shopkeepers are rogues? Blacksmiths are fighters? I wouldn't find it unusual for any "profession" to have a level or two in a class due to their background (e.g. a blacksmith might have served in an army and have the soldier background and gained two levels in fighter), but I would never consider it normal.

That being said, so much depends on the flavor of your game. A world where travel and opportunity is limited is less likely to have commoners with levels IMO, because such things lead to experience (which translates into levels). Since levels 1 and 2 in many games are considered apprentice levels, it wouldn't be crazy to think many adults might have one or two levels in a class.

When I DM I give levels as needed. If I want an merchant to know a bit of magic learned from a remote place during his travels, I'll give him a level of sorcerer or something. This amounts to maybe 1-2% of the general population in my estimate. In a city of 10000 people, I could see a couple hundred of them having some levels, but in general it isn't really necessary because of the way "monsters" work. A "Thug" for instance, already has a stat block, so I don't need to make him a fighter/rogue 2/3 or something unless I want him to be a "leveled" NPC for some reason.

dnd4vr said:

I'm curious IRL what people you know who have "levels"? I could see someone in the military (or ex-military) having some fighter, ranger, or other warrior class levels. Someone who grew up "on the street" might have some rogue levels. So how are things IRL that makes you realize you live in a different world?

Click to expand...

As far as fighter levels go:

I know a lot of martial artists - both eastern and western, many of whom are excellent. I know a lot of street fighters who even in their 40's - 70's are getting into fights. I live in Amish country and every weekend they get together and wrestle. Because it seems so common in real life, I can't imagine fighter training not being a natural part of survival in a world where death is often caused by losing a fight.

As far as other classes go:

I live near a spiritualist community and mediumship and healing are not an uncommon pursuits.

I work as a healer and witness miracles quite often, in a professional capacity many of my colleagues do as well.

I know many people who study and practice shamanism.

I know people who have fought bears, survived mass shootings in foreign countries, killed lots of people, won fist fights vs multiple opponents, are expert hunters. Magic IRL is poorly modeled by D&D, but I know many people whose lives are filled with magic. When I start to add up the people in my head who have at least one level and many who I would consider to have 5+ levels It doesn't talk long to be thinking about hundreds of people.

There are "classes" that I don't see many of, but I don't think that they don't exist; they just aren't in my circle of acquaintances. Rogues fall into that category.

Greenstone.Walker said:

I figure that adventurers come from a fairly small subset of the population - those who have the drive and determination to leave a life as a merchant or scholar or priest, to take up the extremely dangerous role of "adventurer". I also figure that not all strong-willed, determined people will become adventurers. Some would direct their drive and determination into politics or business.

So, is it one in a thousand? One in ten thousand?

The greater territory of Waterdeep has around 2 million people. How many of them are adventurers?

Click to expand...

If you compare the distribution of a 4d6 drop lowest roll with something like the normal distribution of scores you'd expect to find in a given population, less than 2/10ths of a percent would have an adventurer's distribution, so out of 2 million, there are at most around 3,800, or about 1 in 531.