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Message: <blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 5596562" data-attributes="member: 92511">Having been thinking lately on Haakon's NPC thread, <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/306705-what-level-your-average-local-npc.html" target="_blank">http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/306705-what-level-your-average-local-npc.html</a> , and writing up a small town in my SH, <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/story-hour/294419-steel-dragons-tales-orea.html" target="_blank">http://www.enworld.org/forum/story-hour/294419-steel-dragons-tales-orea.html</a> , I thought I might "fully flesh out" the whole town.For the game, I had set done a few NPCs (the important folks) ready to go but the group certainly did not encounter everyone/thing that was there.So I figured, let's see how the full town "breakdown" of "classed NPCs" looks following my usual system.(Note: This is for a 1-2e campaign but homebrewed with some 3e elements.)The Hamlet of WelfordNortheast coast of Lake Imerlis in the LaklansTotal Pop: c. 1,500Other than "the town" proper, most of Welford's population is in farming  (mostly orchards, a few vinyards, but enough grain and vegetable  farmers to meet the community needs).Figuring, approximately, the farms and various homesteads comprise about  half of the population, so roughly, 800 "farmers/out of town" and 700  "townsfolk" at any given time.I do not usually adjust for "children vs. adults" when making these stats. Suffice to say, all "classed" NPCs would be over the age of majority (which I usually make 16-17 just to be simple even though, as we all know, in  medieval times it was significantly younger.)So a pop. of 1,500 would yield 15 "classed/leveled" NPCs.8 (rounding up, since it makes the rest of the breakdown easy/even): 1st level 4: 2nd lvl2: 3rd lvl1: 4th lvlWelford is a happy, peaceful, somewhat secluded place. Crime is essentially unheard of so their "security force" is somewhat undermanned (10 guardsmen, a deputy and a constable. A total law enforcement force of 12. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />. They simply have to keep an eye on "strangers"...who are not so common.Soooo...8 1st level5- of the town's 10 "trained" guardsmen are "good enough" to be considered 1st level Fighters.2- 1 lvl Clerics "acolytes" in the multi-denominational "Gods Hall". 1 to the goddess of nature. 1 to the goddess of healing.1- let's say the last one is a hunter/woodsman out side of town, skilled enough to considered a 1 lvl Ranger.4 2nd level1- the town Deputy, Skot, a 2 lvl Fighter.1- the other acolyte/attendant to the goddess of healing, a 2 lvl Cleric.1- another cleric, devoted to the god of music and autumn (and gambling, a trickster god and patron of bards but that's not important here), under the tutelage of the ranking priest of that god.1- how about we make the last a 2 lvl mage who owns/runs the apothecary/herbalist shop. He also keeps a small stock of basic (1st level spells) arcane components and equipment. No "magic items" for sale though.2 3rd level1- Constable Brethel, 3 lvl Fighter.1- Prior Korin, 3 lvl cleric of the nature goddess and administrator of the Gods hall.1 4th lvlHarper Cressden a 4 lvl cleric of the god of music. The "happy go lucky/enjoy life" tenets of his deity means he has no desire to take on any "responsibilities" as far as the Gods Hall and the priory are concerned even though he, technically, is more powerful than Prior Korin.Now I have already broken this breakdown (shoulda done this more "on paper" than in my head for play). There are a few additional "ranking" NPCs that do not fit into this.Namely:I added a "Protectress of Gilea", a special rank/branch of the hierarchy for the goddess of healing's pacifist followers. They are allowed to bare arms and do harm to others (in the service of the goddess or personal defense). This would be considered a homebrewed "prestige class" of the order that I set as being 5th level before being able to take it. So we'll make her 6th level...not so far outside the breakdown.There is also "Brother Berk" who is a priest devoted to the god of knowledge and the lesser moon, patron of scribes, yada yada. Made him 4th level as well, but his spellcasting ability really only deals in divinations, so no real outrageous "breaking" of the game here (though he is useful for information). He pretty much spends all of his time in sequestered scribing and study.Then there's the reason the party went there in the first place, to find "the Green Witch of Welford." She is something of a Gandalf/Elminster figure (a "Ganmifster"?) who is a high-ranking member of the homebrewed "Order of the Emerald Tear", an organization of those with psychic/mental/psionic powers. She also has some spellcasting ability in "phantasmal magics" (she was originally a 1e Illusionist character of mine from eons ago) and is skilled in herbalism and potion-making.Her statted level is MUCH higher than the group (I think last stats I have for her are 11th level!) so she "comes and goes" from the valley and can be helpful if she's around, but not "controlling" of the PCs or their missions (I try to run a fairly sandboxy game <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Does that sound unreasonable? Too many? Too few? It played beautifully, when the party (mostly 2nd level then) first came there. So I think it is ok. But outside eyes are always good.   Wud'jall think?--Steel Dragons</blockquote>

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