D&D World Demographics

[Quasqueton]

Do you use the world demographics rules from the DMG?

If you do use the DMG demographics rules, how do you "explain" (in game) the existance of a paladin or monk in a village of 200? How do you explain that the highest level NPC in the village/town/city is a commoner, instead of a fighter or mage?

If you do not use the DMG demographics, do you have a formula or chart for determining what classes and levels are in a given settlement?

If the PCs decide to haggle with the merchant over the price of goods, how do you quickly determine the merchant's Diplomacy skill?

If the PCs decide to take on the local bully in a bar brawl, how do you quickly determine the bully's abilities and level?

Quasqueton

 

[Wombat]

In my current game world they don't really fit.

Partially this is because I am using AU instead of the core books, but more importantly this is due to the fact that my players are in a colonial situation. My feeling is that this would play merry havoc with the demographics.

 

[Darkness]

How do you explain that the highest level NPC in the village/town/city is a commoner, instead of a fighter or mage?

The best die young?
Heh. If it's a small place, the more skilled (read: PC-classed) characters have probably moved to large cities. If it's a large place, I assume the commoner is much older than the others or something.
But then, I don't really roll the NPCs' levels randomly; instead, I use the DMG guidelines as, well, a guide and then decide myself what I need. Usually I don't assign the highest level to a Com in the first place...

If the PCs decide to haggle with the merchant over the price of goods, how do you quickly determine the merchant's Diplomacy skill?

Level+3, modified by stats (generally +0 to +1 unless high-level). If I don't know the level, I'll make it up or see who of the inhabitants is still undetailed and pick an appropriate one (generally a Com or Exp).

 

[Flyspeck23]

Do you use the world demographics rules from the DMG?

More or less, yes.

If you do use the DMG demographics rules, how do you "explain" (in game) the existance of a paladin or monk in a village of 200? How do you explain that the highest level NPC in the village/town/city is a commoner, instead of a fighter or mage?

These are the exceptions that prove the rule?
High-level commoners should be rare, if you ask me (or otherwise it'd be a contradiction in terms). But hey, it's fantasy - anything can happen
Additionally, IMHO you should have a means to explain those paladins and monks in the village anyway.

If the PCs decide to haggle with the merchant over the price of goods, how do you quickly determine the merchant's Diplomacy skill?

If the PCs decide to take on the local bully in a bar brawl, how do you quickly determine the bully's abilities and level?

Well, I make them as I go. More often than not, I use my "rule of two" for low-level NPCs - they are at level 2. The bully's BAB would be +2 if he's a warrior (add another 2 for high strenght, and that's it), and the merchant's diplomacy would be maxed at 5 ranks (plus another 2 for high charisma).

 

[painandgreed]

Do you use the world demographics rules from the DMG?

If you do use the DMG demographics rules, how do you "explain" (in game) the existance of a paladin or monk in a village of 200? How do you explain that the highest level NPC in the village/town/city is a commoner, instead of a fighter or mage?

For lack of anything better, I do, at least for the core classes. For special classes such as paladins, druids, and monks, many are regional and I ignore what the demographics say about them. These are placed only in special towns where I think they'd be. there are high elvel commoners because, there are a vast number of commoners compared to all the other classes, and commoners aren't as likely to die young in combat. They typically gain experience by practicing their trades and not takign 10. Since most of the population takes 10 because their lives are often on the line due to starvation, only the very talented or well off can attempt to push their skill to the limits. I spend a lot of time talking about it in an old thread I was writing called Fantasy World Economics although I don't think i ever came up with a single satisfying mechanic for it.

If you do not use the DMG demographics, do you have a formula or chart for determining what classes and levels are in a given settlement?

If the PCs decide to haggle with the merchant over the price of goods, how do you quickly determine the merchant's Diplomacy skill?

If the PCs decide to take on the local bully in a bar brawl, how do you quickly determine the bully's abilities and level?

I wing it.

I used to have a chart based upon age for the usual level which would put most commoner type NPCs at around level 1-6. In adopting 3E, I still haven't quite worked out a mechanic that I like to formulate a similar chart.

 

[Umbran]

Do you use the world demographics rules from the DMG?

I have doen so in the past, yes.

If you do use the DMG demographics rules, how do you "explain" (in game) the existance of a paladin or monk in a village of 200? How do you explain that the highest level NPC in the village/town/city is a commoner, instead of a fighter or mage?

In the first case -that depends entirely upon what I'm using the village for. I expect that I'd be using such individuals as notable NPCs in the town, so they'd each hove an individual explanation that would make the story more rich.

In the second - simple statistics. There are far more commoners than there are anything else. So, you'd expect there to be more high-level ones about. But again, I'm likely to take the highest level individuals, and flesh them out as full NPCs, so each will have their own unique backstory.

If the PCs decide to haggle with the merchant over the price of goods, how do you quickly determine the merchant's Diplomacy skill?

I take a quick estimate of the merchant's level. I then figure that diplomacy is one of the guy's most important skills, so he's going to have it maxed out - ranks equal to level +3. Add in a charisma bonus, and you're done.

If the PCs decide to take on the local bully in a bar brawl, how do you quickly determine the bully's abilities and level?

Well, assuming that I didn't make up the bully beforehand...

How much of a challenge do I want the bully to be? Pick class and level quickly to match that. This gives me his hit points and BAB lickety-split. As a stereotypical bully, the guy is going to be a bit heavy on physical attributes. Again, pick them to match how big a challenge I want the guy to be.

The demographics are good for generating ideas beforehand. But on-the-fly stuff is generated by the needs of the story.

 

[Ibram]

I dont use the DMG guide to population, 99% of the time it doesnt even come up (who cares how many townspeople are commoners/experts/aristocrats). I just assume that any tradesman types encountered will be experts, any guards would be warriors or fighters, and any beurocrats or nobles would be aristocrats.

as to haggling for prices.... if its over a piece of rope id set a DC between 15-20, if its over the price of a good sword it would be 20+.

 

[Silveras]

I use the same technique as the DMG.

I use additional NPC classes (Friar, the NPC cleric; Thug (from FFG), the NPC thief; Hedge Mage, the NPC arcane spellcaster) as well as the "regular" ones. I also use some 3rd party PC classes, as well. So, the DMG tables don't really work as more than a base.

I make custom tables for each race + culture combination in my homebrew world, adding and removing classes as appropriate to the race + culture, as well as adjusting the dice patterns. A combative culture gets a bigger roll (d8 becomes d10, d10 becomes d12) for Warrior, Barbarian, Fighter, and Ranger, for example, and probably gets a smaller roll (d6 becomes d4, or d4 becomes d3) for Hedge Mages, Wizards, and Sorcerers.

That being said, I treat the occasional anomalous result as a plot hook to be worked up.

 

[coyote6]

I make it up as I go. Theoretically, it's based on the DMG numbers -- except that I think that most people should probably be 2nd or 3rd level (commoners), rather than 1st.

Helps explain why house cats haven't killed off the human race.

 

[LostSoul]

I wing it.

I used to have a chart based upon age for the usual level which would put most commoner type NPCs at around level 1-6. In adopting 3E, I still haven't quite worked out a mechanic that I like to formulate a similar chart.

This is one of the things about D&D that frustrates me. Maybe it's a feature of class- and level-based systems, but it seems like it would make the DM's job a lot easier if you had benchmarks for ability (in terms of HP, Atk, dmg, etc.) instead of having to rely on the whole class+level+abilities+feats write-up.

Oh well. Sometimes D&D is to much of a wargame for my tastes.