D&D 5E How do you handle Commoners in your game?

[Minigiant]

I use the statblock in the MM and hive them skills if appropriate.

I roll for stats if that commoner is a regular.

Footmen and guards use basic blocks too. I do a +4/-4 every 5 or so of them to their scores to give them a quirk bases on their higher or lower abikity

Nobles are fully started out.

 

[Green1]

This is for 5e, mind you, and kind of house ruled.

Depends on what kind of commoner, and commoners do have hit dice. Usually some tool proficiency or two even if it is just being the village drunk. A farm hand may have 2 HD, but the overseer may have 4. How large depends on how you want to make the common folks vs full PCs/NPCs/BBGs. Low as 1d4, high as 1d8 like 5e does for it's NPC section in the back of the MM.

All scores are usually 10 with an 8 in one. However, certain fields would encourage higher scores but nothing above 16. For instance, a farmer would have STR 12 to 14 just because of the heavy nature of the work. A courtesan would have CHA 14 to 16.

They may have 1 or 2 background skills, but that is it.

Now, there IS a standing behind the scenes deal that if a commoner becomes pivotal in an encounter, I adjust the stats somewhat. Being around greatness does inspire the common man.

But, done this way, its easier to do in your head if your players want to mess with random farmer dude #7 and you need quick stats.

 Random Farmer dude (2hd commoner -1d4, for tougher 1d8)
ST 14 (+2)
DX 10 (+0)
CN 12 (+1)
IQ 10 (+0)
WI 10 (+0)
CH 10 (+0)

Prof Bonus (+2)

skills: animal handling +2, nature +2

tool prof. (farm implements)
Prof. Simple Weapons

HP 7 ( max 1st HD; avg 2nd d4+ CN) or (d8 HD if you want tougher) 15.
AC 10

Attack: pitchfork +4 1d6+2
Attack : rock +2 1d2+2

 

[steeldragons]

"...handle Commoners?" You MUST be joking! Why, the very idea...unsavory.

[ps: haven't read past the title yet. Probably have something to add later. ]

 

[HEEGZ]

Oh, I also keep a sheet of paper that has the name, class, level, max HP, AC, and Passive Perception scores for each PC.

For my group of two PCs, I also run an extra NPC or two as a member of the party. I created this NPC using the random tables in the 3.5e and 5e DMGs. If they seek out a fourth NPC for the party, I'll randomly roll up another NPC. Good luck!

 

[ExploderWizard]

They're un-damageable and do 1hp of damage if attacking.

If I was playing a fighting man in your campaign then one of my first acts would be to apologize profusely to the potboy as I affixed straps to him and took him into the dungeon as my tower shield.

Hey, lets play 101 uses for indestructible commoners:

1) A shield

2) A battering ram

3) A barricade

 

[The Myopic Sniper]

For anyone worth writing up...

"Commoners" = d4hd + background
"Experts" = d6hd + background + 2skills + expertise in two skills
"Warriors" (town guard) = d8hd + background + martial armor and weapon proficiencies.

Mostly handwaved though.

 

[bedir than]

I developed a not really simple system to make a commoner playable, or created if they are going to regularly engage with the players. Building out a stat set for an NPC helps me understand them. One player liked the idea enough that he's playing a Tinker. At 3rd level he'll multi-class into something (either a Bard or a homebrew Engineer). Currently no NPCs are statted using this system. But we're still sort of in the prelude portion of the campaign.

https://fullmoonstorytelling.wordpress.com/2015/06/09/estrella-was-as-common-as-they-come/

 

[Jaelommiss]

Hey, lets play 101 uses for indestructible commoners:

1) A shield

2) A battering ram

3) A barricade

4) Projectiles for catapults - they can just walk back after being fired and reload themselves

5) Anvils, sledgehammers, and other striking tools

6) Sapper-proof foundations for fortifications

7) Stress balls for demon lords

8) Self-erecting Tarrasque cages

 

[discosoc]

On the off-chance that I need them to roll something and there's a reason why they wouldn't automatically succeed, I just decide if the task is something they would be good at, have no particular skill, or if they'd be unlikely to handle it. Advantage, normal, and disadvantage respectively. Nothing real crazy goes into it, either. I definitely don't think in terms of combat or character skills or anything. But like if for some reason a farm hand suddenly has to pick a lock, I'd probably set the DC to 15 and with disadvantage. If the town drunk needs to pick the lock, I might let him roll normally, to signify the shady or unknown history there.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

For basically any non-adventurer in my campaigns I give them a name, something they do with their time (i.e. "he's a drunk" or "she's a blacksmith"), and give some thought as to how they behave and what they care about.

99% of NPCs in my campaigns don't have any mechanics because they don't need mechanics.

That other 1% (the ones that are potentially going to try and defeat the PCs in some way) tend to get treated the same way the Monster Manual handles NPCs in its appendix on the topic.