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Message: <blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 5596692" data-attributes="member: 92511">Thanks for covering RC and the compliments (I'm "spreading around" before XPing you too!!!)You're absolutely correct re: "relative power". My world has several VERY "powerful" (or at least perceived that way by inhabitants, in 1e terms those 10th level or higher. Yeah, my world's biiiiig.) personalities spread across the world. Many of them are "outside" of a traditional demographic breakdown like I use above. But it does account for the "more powerful" beings situated in more densely populated areas. My basic system (by which I mean, the system I use/shown above not a system I created) mathematically demands higher level NPCs based on population. This works very well, for me anyway, when the PCs are on their journey from "zero+1" to "hero". By the time you think you ought to be tackling the draco-demi-lich or "dropping in" on the queen at the royal palace, you are not some unheard of shlub but nor are you so powerful that anyone does anything you say/there isn't still someone "better" or at least "comparable" to your level (who could get lucky with the dice).RE: the "military power" you mention above. I believe, and anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the 1e DMG stated somewhere that a "typical" community's defenders would be 1 per 10.So a larger town of, say, pop. 5,000 would have a fully rallied defense force of 500 (including, mostly, 0lvl militia). That would be all "able-bodied men", as it were...children, the elderly, and other non-combatants (including "Clubfoot Stu" who is more than capable of cracking you over the head with his "crutch"/cane) comprising the bulk of the population.By that accounting, if an "invasion" were to come to Welford, the fully rallied militia would be 150 persons. Now, in this specific instance, there are 2 other villages/towns (Welford's size or smaller) situated around/across Lake Imerlis that, given enough time, could be used to bolster this number or send reinforcements. But that's something else entirely.The grand city of Brightmoon, on the other hand (tot. pop. of 40,000, I think, off the top of my head), has a rallied militia of 4,000...possibly more in wartimes. So the standing "official guard" (uniformed, "badged", armed and armored) is easily a force of 400.Furthermore, the breakdown on "classed" NPCs in Brightmoon would be 4,000 (most all to be found in the guard, numerous temples, the mages' and thieves' guilds, aristocratic houses and noble hierarchy)- 2,000 lvl1 and on down (50% less people per level up) from there...to a single 11th or 12th level resident (if my math is correct. Which it infrequently is. haha.<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />EDIT: Well there you have it folks, Steel Dragons doing math in his head while writing a post. Can't even divide by 10!  Tot. pop. 40,000, 1 in 100 persons classed = ...anybody?...give ya a hint...It's not 4,000...<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> But you get the picture...[/EDIT]So a 2nd level party entering Brightmoon would be...unremarkable and overall unnoticed...peons, really, for lack of a better word. The district lieutenant is probably twice their level, at least.That said, I have run a game in Orea that began in a fairly large trade city (pop. 25,000 or something). You, as a DM, just have to adjust NPC reaction and concern (and available resources) to suit the PC level.Eg: "No, walking into the temple of the Celestial Sovereign and asking for an audience with the high priest will get you nowhere. His third-in-command's vice-chancellor's deputy's second assistant's clerk will be happy to hear you out, though...if you're willing to wait til he's available." I usually handle this as "10 minutes have gone by. What're your characters doing?...10 more minutes have gone by. What're your characters doing?...10 more minutes..." etc etc...Trouble and/or shenanigans are almost certain to ensure. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />For a place like Welford, as stated very peaceful and without trouble in the "normal" day-to-day, 12 "law enforcers" in a town of 700 (and covering an extended community of 1500) isn't terrible, though certainly "undermanned" if you go strictly by the numbers.I would say, for a town of comparable size to Welford in some other more volatile, wild or more open region (Welford is surrounded on 2 sides by small mountains/difficult terrain, the lake on the third, so there's really only 1 access point by land), I would definitely go by the numbers or even amp them up depending on the regional likelihood of day-to-day crime and/or danger.   It all just goes to "what makes sense" in the giving setting/scenario. But that's just me/my game/how I look at my world.I rambled on (or rather, OFF) there someplace. lol. BUT, the point is, thanks again, Ben. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />--SD</blockquote>

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