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<blockquote data-quote="FireLance" data-source="post: 1953913" data-attributes="member: 3424">Because classes are just a mechanical representation of a character's abilities and have nothing to do with background, social station or beliefs?Not every noble is an Aristocrat. Not every Barbarian comes from an uncivilized region. The mousy librarian who helps her fellow party members fight better by delivering a lecture about the creatures they are facing could be a Bard using Inspire Courage.Why do some characters start out as Commoners? Perhaps they didn't have the opportunity to get the proper training to be anything else. Perhaps they were just lazy. Why do they continue advancing as Commoners? For exactly the same reasons. Being a Warrior or a Fighter means hours of weapons practice. Being an Expert or a Wizard is a lot of hard work. Perhaps the secrets of Druidic lore are only taught to a few, and you need to be born with Sorcerous talent. Barring a few specialized campaigns, PCs are always the exception. They have the right combination of natural talent, determination and opportunity to pick any class they want (within the framework of the rules and the campaign, of course).So, who's a 20th-level Commoner? The determined and hardworking member of a group that is despised by the rest of society. He has been discriminated against, had doors slammed in his face and had opportunities denied him all his life, so he has never had a chance to learn to be anything more. The extremely lazy and only halfway competent son of a Baron. He &quot;adventures&quot; frequently, but never picks up any useful skills and only survives because his retainers do their best to protect him. The loyal retainer who accompanies his master on an epic quest. He lacks the ambition to be anything more than a cook or a gardener, so he never develops his talents in other areas.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="FireLance, post: 1953913, member: 3424"] Because classes are just a mechanical representation of a character's abilities and have nothing to do with background, social station or beliefs? Not every noble is an Aristocrat. Not every Barbarian comes from an uncivilized region. The mousy librarian who helps her fellow party members fight better by delivering a lecture about the creatures they are facing could be a Bard using Inspire Courage. Why do some characters start out as Commoners? Perhaps they didn't have the opportunity to get the proper training to be anything else. Perhaps they were just lazy. Why do they continue advancing as Commoners? For exactly the same reasons. Being a Warrior or a Fighter means hours of weapons practice. Being an Expert or a Wizard is a lot of hard work. Perhaps the secrets of Druidic lore are only taught to a few, and you need to be born with Sorcerous talent. Barring a few specialized campaigns, PCs are always the exception. They have the right combination of natural talent, determination and opportunity to pick any class they want (within the framework of the rules and the campaign, of course). So, who's a 20th-level Commoner? The determined and hardworking member of a group that is despised by the rest of society. He has been discriminated against, had doors slammed in his face and had opportunities denied him all his life, so he has never had a chance to learn to be anything more. The extremely lazy and only halfway competent son of a Baron. He "adventures" frequently, but never picks up any useful skills and only survives because his retainers do their best to protect him. The loyal retainer who accompanies his master on an epic quest. He lacks the ambition to be anything more than a cook or a gardener, so he never develops his talents in other areas. [/QUOTE]

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