GMs - What kind of NPC level demographics work best?

[S'mon]

I've run a lot of 3e campaigns over the past 8 years. Level demographics - what it "means" to be 3rd level or 8th - is something I've played around with a lot. Currently I'm running a game at the very low end, where the PCs are the only PC-class characters (NPCs use Mentzer Red Box classes!) and a 1st level PC is already a major force. NPC spellcasters are usually limited to 1st & 2nd level spells, 3rd is rare and 4th nearly unheard of. By the time the PCs reach 10th they'll be of demigod stature.

However I'm thinking of running a Wilderlands 3e game for my next campaign, probably next year. Traditionally Wilderlands has a lot of 'mid' level NPCs - 5th level barmaids, that kind of thing - but few very high level. So I was thinking of using something like this:

1-5: Mundane NPCs, from 1st level novices to 5th level elite guards.
6-10: Heroic NPCs - mercenary captains, high priests and such.
11-20: Legendary NPCs, like the Invincible Overlord and the Green Emperor.

I was wondering what kind of level spreads you've used in your own 3e campaigns, and have you tried different ones for different settings? Also, anyone been running Wilderlands?

 

[Gilladian]

In my homebrew campaign, where I pay attention to "verisimilitude", most NPCs are of the NPC classes (3e), and are of levels 1-3. I would say 90% fall in this category. But of the other 10%, most are higher level NPC classes (usually expert, aristocrat or warrior), and a few are low-mid level PC classes (usually prestige classes such as knight, which replaces paladin IMC) including cleric, wizard or sorcerer, and rogue.

This doesn't count the DIRECT combat foes of the PCs, who are almost always leveled PC classes - I figure they're elites like the PCs and don't worry about how they "fit" the population guidelines.

But when I design the population of a town or a village or other community, those are my guidelines.

The one thing to be aware of in all this is that I tend to run campaigns that end when the PCs hit about 12th level; that's when I find 3e "breaks" for me and I get tired of the complexity.

 

[Fenes]

Similar spread as you have, S'mon.

 

[S'mon]

The one thing to be aware of in all this is that I tend to run campaigns that end when the PCs hit about 12th level; that's when I find 3e "breaks" for me and I get tired of the complexity.

Yes, I have the exact same issue. Thus my current campaign was designed to run from roughly 1st-10th as a high-power game where the PCs can dominate the setting easily at higher levels, matched only by super-villain like NPCs.

I have been wondering if there are ways to make 3e work at higher levels. However it may be that for my next game I will stick to a 1-10 or 1-12 level spread (NPCs are between 1st & 10th, PCs probably won't exceed 10th) but have many more mid-level NPCs - "5th is the new 1st". I think this should give a much grittier feel, even though the background magic level will be higher. Thinking also of starting PCs at 2nd level with maximum hit points, to avoid paper-bag syndrome. Alternately I might start them at 1st but with +10 hit points.

 

[Fenes]

One thing that works for me is a shortage of ac boosting items, and spells that boost ac directly or indirectly. Which means most stat boosters are canned, and the "you can't hit me" spells as well.

I have a 3E party at level 16 (no cleric, all martial characters using Bo9S), and their AC is ranging from 13 to 20+. That means even low level guards can hit and damage them, so they are not complete pushovers, but need to mass to be a threat.

I have to adjust most monsters, but since I rarely use monsters, that's not much of a problem.

In 4E terms, my normal NPCs can act as minions on about every level without chaning their stats, and the PCs act as strikers against most monsters - dealing "regular" level 16 damage, but not being able to soak as much.

 

[Delta]

Similar to the OP. Numerically it's about half as many NPCs per +2 level jump. Previously I took Gygax's 1E sources and interpolated the overall NPC distribution, that's written up here (XLS spreadsheets at bottom):

AD&D Class/Level Demographics by Daniel R. Collins

 

[Logos7]

Eberron ruined me even before 4th edtion.

If it's not meant to be fought, it gets level 0 and a Hp, and can do whatever it needs to do. If it is fought it dies really quickly and violently.

Why I like this, It stops me from relying on naturalism as an excuse for npc actions (my npc dude is a level 30 wizard of course he spied on the pc's using arcane sight, has glibness running and etc,etc) and makes me consider what each one is doing.

Oddly enough I find it removes the videogameness that is often the claim that people make when i have combat and not combat. Npc's don't have stats. If you fire at them they will die, rather like in RL. My ranger was rather surprised when he threatened to fire a arrow at a gibbering goblin prisoner's head and then fired, it hit and killed the defenceless goblin (slugg btw lolser)

Just what I do, I find it works

L

 

[Orius]

I've gone with the basic assumption that in a community, about 10% of the NPCs have a PC class. Depending on the community, clerics and bards are about 10% of that population each, wizards maybe 2-5%, with fighters and rogues making up most of the rest. There's a small percentage of NPCs in the other PC classes. In smaller communities, some of the demographics tend to skew more heavility toward stuff like barbarians, rangers, druids, and sorcerers. The Web Enhancement for the 3.5 DMG that had tables for building city neighborhoods had class breakdowns that worked very well with my assumptions.

For levels, I then assume about half are 1st level. Half of the remainder is 2nd level, half of that reaminer is 3rd, and so on. I also have some high level NPCs generated from the NPC tables in the DMG. I don't really know how realistic it is, and I don't really care, since it usually works okay.

 

[S'mon]

What kind of levels do you give a city guard patrol? 1st level Warriors? 5th level Fighters?

 

[Fenes]

What kind of levels do you give a city guard patrol? 1st level Warriors? 5th level Fighters?

Mix of that, depending on the area. High-class areas will have higher levelled guards, low class areas will have mostly green recruits, and a few vets who made some officials mad at them, or who have other interests (looking for a missing brother, hunting their nemesis, running the local crime scene) for being there.

Having some "lethal weapon 4" moment (some of the veteran guards, maybe even some of the "trouble shooters" aka high-levels, doing patrols for ruining a noble's party by accident) can be fun as well.
(I'd do that in an open manner "Ok, you hear people scream for the guards. Roll 1d6. If you're unlucky, then the local elite guard detachment of the silver falcons was a bit too rowdy celebrating their victory over the ogre tribe, and is now doing a few guard shifts in the slums as penance, and hears the screams. 2-5 you've got the usual greenhorns and screw-ups, making sure the screams stopped before coming to "investigate" the scene...")