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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Brother MacLaren" data-source="post: 3173826" data-attributes="member: 15999">I just ran the DMG numbers on a typical small city (9,000 people).  That's the size of the LARGEST city in my current campaign world (a land similar in size and population to Dark Ages Ireland, with dozens of tiny kingdoms, and population of half a million).I think the rules postulate an over-abundance of PC classes (they are 3.7% of the population) but, aside from the commoners, not an insane number of high-level characters (less than 1/1000 are "legendary", 11th level or above as defined by the Legend Lore spell).  Assuming typical rolls, it looks something like this:7,841 commoners (16 are level 2, 8 are level 4, 4 are level 8, and 2 are level 16)272 experts (8 are level 3, 4 are level 7, 2 are level 14)443 warriors (8 are level 2, 4 are level 5, 2 are level 11)57 aristocrats (8 are level 2, 4 are level 4, 1 is level 8, 1 is level 9)57 adepts (8 are level 2, 2 are level 4, 2 are level 5, 1 is level 9, 1 is level 10)Then the PC-classes.  The two top rogues are levels 11 and 10.  Same for fighters.  Then four at level 5, eight at level 2, and sixteen at level 1.The two top bards are levels 9 and 10.  Same for clerics and druids.The two top barbarians are levels 8 and 9.  Same for monks, wizards, and sorcerers.The two top paladins are level 8.  Same for rangers.Traveling freelance mercenaries, perhaps?  They have a much higher fraction of their number above level 1 (47%).  330 of them, reaching as high as the 11th level rogue and fighter and the six 10th-level characters (rogue, fighter, bard, cleric, druid).  The 22 PC-classed characters of 8th-11th level MIGHT be able to stop a party of 15th-level characters if they could all be convinced to help out the city guard.The total value of the possessions of the inhabitants of this town is about 9.1 million GP.  If you assume that commoners have just the value of their thatched-roof cottages and not the DMG guidelines for NPC wealth, it's more like 1.8 million GP.  If you just count the PC classes, it's 775,000.Things that don't make sense to me include the over-abundance of PC classes, the frequency of monks and druids, and the wealth per NPC.  BUT, what does make a lot of sense is the preponderance of level 1's.Maybe I'm used to the Basic/Expert set with "Normal Man" being absolutely sucky.  Or the "0-level humans" found in 2nd edition.  And maybe I'm used to these two points being hammered over and over in every edition I've played -- PCs are exceptional, and they advance levels by taking risks and succeeding at dangerous challenges.By the rules, you need XP to level.  A warrior needs to defeat about 3.5 foes of CR equal to his level to advance.  What are the chances of this without the "player shield" that means they usually only face things they are capable of defeating?</blockquote>

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