Power.
One of the key concepts that is fundamental to the atmosphere of a setting are the levels of power present in the world; more importantly, the attainability of that power.
Power is measured via several abstract methods. Level is just one means to determine power. The standard definitions of Minion, Standard, Elite and Solo apply, however there are several important additional markers in a setting that need to be highlighted.
The first is the fundamental difference between a classed character and a non-classed character. Classes, whether attributed to a PC or NPC, represent a level of power far above that of a regular person.
In many ways, a classed character is the equivalent of an Elite monster. They are more powerful than a Standard monster of the same level. NPC's are mostly represented as Minion level. This applies to all people in the world.
The setting justification for this is rooted in the premise that knowledge is power. Asking a question isn't good enough to find the true answer. You have to search for it.
Just because Joe farmer always fancied himself a bit of a fighter, doesn't mean he can pick up a sword and swing it as well as classed fighter. To become a true fighter takes a combination of skill, ability, perseverance, training and luck.
The biggest limitation in that equation is training. Most people simply don't have access to the level of training required to attain the skills of a true fighter.
Every village of significance that has to protect itself will have a militia. At most they will have a few who will attain the power level of a Standard monster, perhaps 1 out of every 10. None, however, will ever gain the abilities of a fighter, no matter how hard they practice. This is simply because they do not have access to someone of sufficient power and knowledge to train them properly. Which is why there is a natural tendency toward the nobility being classed whilst everyone else misses out, ability or no.
The second most important limitation is ability. The people with the ability to train someone to the peak that they have attained, aren't going to waste their time investing it in someone that has no hope of learning what they can teach. They may train a hundred people the basics of fighting and that will give some of them the power of a Standard monster, but more than likely none of them will have the ability to step up to the trainer's level.
When someone special does come along, a trainer will often nurture the person simply out of a willingness to pass on their knowledge. But even that isn't enough. The third challenge to overcome is essentially a matter of self-discipline. Does the person have the drive to became all that they can be? Being strong, agile and fit with a few smarts isn't enough to become a true fighter. They have to have the will to succeed and the drive to attain far-reaching goals.
Those rare individuals that make it this far are exceptional indeed and so after many months of training can attain 1st-level in a class. They have reached a level far above that of normal people and as such, stand out from the crowd. These are the types who, "walk like a warrior" or "have a keen eye and a sharp mind". They are exceptional and are often labelled heroes for their exploits, since they achieve what only heroes can achieve.
But even heroes have their limits. Most heroes will become significant leaders or pillars of their community and in this they will have reached the limit of their potential. A good, real-world example is athletes that compete at a professional level. Your average person can't hope to get to their level but even their careers peak at some point.
Whilst their flame may burn brightly, it generally also burns quite quickly. Few athletes ever manage to excel in their field for more than a few years. In fact, virtually none can reach beyond their potential and excel beyond the heroic limits of endeavour.
And so whilst there might be a few heroes in the world, there are very few paragons. To reach that level of power one has to go beyond the peak of endeavour and reach heights of ability that are almost, and in some cases are, super heroic.
This is the realm of the action hero. Virtually no real world examples can be given because at this level of power you are delving into make-believe and fantasy. This is where your heroes achieve such great heights of endeavour that they become a part of tales and legends in their own life-time. It thus goes without saying that to go beyond this level of power is almost unheard of; but not quite.
20th-level is the highest level a mortal can achieve. It represents the tangible limits that a body can reach, physically, mentally and spiritually. To go beyond this is to break the bonds of your mortal shell and become, quite literally, super-powered. To do so is not a simple matter of gaining the skill, it requires something much greater as you are literally exceeding the natural limits of your mind, body and soul. Many have tried doing this and most have failed.
The Math.
Although not a hard-wired system component, it is safe to say that the world follows some basic mathematical principles.
Remember, this is not about any one thing. Someone with access to training may never become classed because they don't have the ability. Someone with the ability, however, may never get access to training.
It all comes down to the mystical combination of skill, ability, training, drive and luck. Many refer to this as destiny or fate, however you may call it what you wish.
What none of this takes into account, either, is death. These figures assume only the ability, skill, luck, training needed to reach these levels of power. They do not assume people simply dying and not being resurrected. Given that such people tend to attract attention and violence to themselves simply by being powerful, the odds are actually much lower even than the statistics presented above.
This is, of course, an average and not an absolute. In a time when the PC's are rising to epic levels, then it is a major event in the world's history, not just an every other generation occurrence.
I hope this gives everyone a solid idea of how special PC's are and how power is balanced in the world. It is not good enough to say that anyone can do what they can do, because quite simply, they can't.
