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Average income of a social class?
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<blockquote data-quote="haakon1" data-source="post: 5694207" data-attributes="member: 25619"><p><strong>Compilation</strong></p><p></p><p>I'm trying to compile what's been posted by many folks here into a single document for my campaign. I've also been reading up in the DMG on hirelings, and even checked out the original Unearthed Arcana social class tables.</p><p></p><p>What do you think of this?</p><p></p><p>-------------</p><p></p><p>Destitute (Underclass): 0 steady income.</p><p>You have no steady source of funds, no living space (or perhaps a squatter's homemade lean-to), and must carry all your gear everywhere. You eat poor quality food, mainly scavenged from settlements and stolen from farms and gardens. You wear a peasant outfit, your only change of clothes. Typically vagabonds, drifters, criminal, and outcasts.</p><p></p><p>Typically Commoners. Half-orcs are assumed to be of this class (and often are).</p><p></p><p>------------</p><p></p><p>Cottager or Labourer (Lower Working Class): 1 sp/day, or 3gp/month.</p><p>Basic peasant subsistence is 1 sp/day. That's what you pay an unskilled labourer if there is plenty of surplus labour. It's enough to keep an active human male from starvation. It's also the cost of a maidservant in your castle - you're not really paying her, maybe an occasional sp at holiday time, but feeding her & keeping her supplied with clean linens etc adds up.</p><p></p><p>You work for others for wages/subsistance as a hired hand, and do not own/hold any land of your own. You wear a peasant outfit (you own two) and you can rarely afford to eat meat.</p><p></p><p>In a city, you can sleep in a ragged blanket on a dry(ish) stone/reed floor with 30 other men for 1cp/day, get your food from the market with plenty of hot broth and porridge and you can eat for ca 5 cp/day, if there's regular work you still have 4 cp/day for patching your rags and drinking plenty of weak beer at ca 2 cp/gallon. Not such a bad life by historical standards. But if there's no regular work, you better hope you saved some cps, or it's a choice (at best) between starvation and beggary.</p><p></p><p>Typically Commoners.</p><p></p><p>-------------</p><p></p><p>Crofter, Sharecropper ("Husbandman"), or Tradesman (Middle Working Class): 2 sp/day, or 6gp/month</p><p></p><p>As a farmer, you either own a poor quality farm on the frontier (crofter) or you own very little land (perhaps a home an a garden) and rent the rest for a share of your crop (sharecropper). You likely share expensive tools and livestock (like oxen and a plow) with your neighbors, or rent them from a lord. Though technically a freeman, your ancestors were serfs and your lot isn't much better.</p><p></p><p>In a city, you are an apprentice or other semi-skilled laborer.</p><p></p><p>A mercenary infantryman costs this much. It covers equipment repairs, good eating (equivalent to an Inn meal/day), and booze money.</p><p></p><p>You wear a peasant outfit, but you own 2-3, including a "Sunday best" version.</p><p></p><p>Typically Commoners, or Warriors.</p><p></p><p>-------------</p><p></p><p>Yeoman (Upper Working Class): 10 gp/month.</p><p></p><p>As a farmer, you own a reasonable amount of land, and likely have at least one beast of burden (ox, mule, or horse). In the militia, you may serve as a light crossbowman or longbowman.</p><p></p><p>In a city, you're a journeyman artisan, scribe, teamster, or petty merchant.</p><p></p><p>You own 2-3 artisan outfits.</p><p></p><p>As a mercenary soldier, you're an elite soldier, perhaps a horseman or a junior sergeant.</p><p></p><p>If an unsuccessful/novice adventurer, you sleep 5 to a room (1 sp) and eat 1 meal/day (2sp), the 3sp/day is 2gp/week or 8gp/month for long-term stay. Call it 10gp/month including equipment, clothes, booze & sundries.</p><p></p><p>May be a Commoner, Expert, or Warrior.</p><p></p><p>Halflings and Gnomes are often assumed to be this class.</p><p>-------------</p><p></p><p>Middle Class: 30-40gp/month</p><p>At the "we're successful!" level. You have a pleasant home and wear clothes appropriate to your role, such as artisan's, scholar's, or traveler's outfit, and have several changes of clothes.</p><p></p><p>In a city, you're a master artisan, successful merchant, or a professional (alchemist or barrister, for example).</p><p></p><p>In a soldier, you're a lieutenant.</p><p></p><p>Typically an Expert.</p><p></p><p>Dwarves and Elves are often assumed to be this class.</p><p></p><p>-------------</p><p></p><p>Gentry/Gentleman/Esquire (Upper Middle Class/Wealthy): 200 gp/month</p><p></p><p>By definition, the gentry hold enough assets to live on rents without working. You may be well educated.</p><p></p><p>If you work, it's likely as a guild master, a great merchant, a cleric, in law or politics, or in another educated pursuit without manual labor. It may be a hobby more than a source of income.</p><p></p><p>If you are a soldier, you are a captain or higher rank.</p><p></p><p>Some gentry may possess great wealth, social respectability, and useful contacts, but they are not nobility.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="haakon1, post: 5694207, member: 25619"] [b]Compilation[/b] I'm trying to compile what's been posted by many folks here into a single document for my campaign. I've also been reading up in the DMG on hirelings, and even checked out the original Unearthed Arcana social class tables. What do you think of this? ------------- Destitute (Underclass): 0 steady income. You have no steady source of funds, no living space (or perhaps a squatter's homemade lean-to), and must carry all your gear everywhere. You eat poor quality food, mainly scavenged from settlements and stolen from farms and gardens. You wear a peasant outfit, your only change of clothes. Typically vagabonds, drifters, criminal, and outcasts. Typically Commoners. Half-orcs are assumed to be of this class (and often are). ------------ Cottager or Labourer (Lower Working Class): 1 sp/day, or 3gp/month. Basic peasant subsistence is 1 sp/day. That's what you pay an unskilled labourer if there is plenty of surplus labour. It's enough to keep an active human male from starvation. It's also the cost of a maidservant in your castle - you're not really paying her, maybe an occasional sp at holiday time, but feeding her & keeping her supplied with clean linens etc adds up. You work for others for wages/subsistance as a hired hand, and do not own/hold any land of your own. You wear a peasant outfit (you own two) and you can rarely afford to eat meat. In a city, you can sleep in a ragged blanket on a dry(ish) stone/reed floor with 30 other men for 1cp/day, get your food from the market with plenty of hot broth and porridge and you can eat for ca 5 cp/day, if there's regular work you still have 4 cp/day for patching your rags and drinking plenty of weak beer at ca 2 cp/gallon. Not such a bad life by historical standards. But if there's no regular work, you better hope you saved some cps, or it's a choice (at best) between starvation and beggary. Typically Commoners. ------------- Crofter, Sharecropper ("Husbandman"), or Tradesman (Middle Working Class): 2 sp/day, or 6gp/month As a farmer, you either own a poor quality farm on the frontier (crofter) or you own very little land (perhaps a home an a garden) and rent the rest for a share of your crop (sharecropper). You likely share expensive tools and livestock (like oxen and a plow) with your neighbors, or rent them from a lord. Though technically a freeman, your ancestors were serfs and your lot isn't much better. In a city, you are an apprentice or other semi-skilled laborer. A mercenary infantryman costs this much. It covers equipment repairs, good eating (equivalent to an Inn meal/day), and booze money. You wear a peasant outfit, but you own 2-3, including a "Sunday best" version. Typically Commoners, or Warriors. ------------- Yeoman (Upper Working Class): 10 gp/month. As a farmer, you own a reasonable amount of land, and likely have at least one beast of burden (ox, mule, or horse). In the militia, you may serve as a light crossbowman or longbowman. In a city, you're a journeyman artisan, scribe, teamster, or petty merchant. You own 2-3 artisan outfits. As a mercenary soldier, you're an elite soldier, perhaps a horseman or a junior sergeant. If an unsuccessful/novice adventurer, you sleep 5 to a room (1 sp) and eat 1 meal/day (2sp), the 3sp/day is 2gp/week or 8gp/month for long-term stay. Call it 10gp/month including equipment, clothes, booze & sundries. May be a Commoner, Expert, or Warrior. Halflings and Gnomes are often assumed to be this class. ------------- Middle Class: 30-40gp/month At the "we're successful!" level. You have a pleasant home and wear clothes appropriate to your role, such as artisan's, scholar's, or traveler's outfit, and have several changes of clothes. In a city, you're a master artisan, successful merchant, or a professional (alchemist or barrister, for example). In a soldier, you're a lieutenant. Typically an Expert. Dwarves and Elves are often assumed to be this class. ------------- Gentry/Gentleman/Esquire (Upper Middle Class/Wealthy): 200 gp/month By definition, the gentry hold enough assets to live on rents without working. You may be well educated. If you work, it's likely as a guild master, a great merchant, a cleric, in law or politics, or in another educated pursuit without manual labor. It may be a hobby more than a source of income. If you are a soldier, you are a captain or higher rank. Some gentry may possess great wealth, social respectability, and useful contacts, but they are not nobility. [/QUOTE]
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