NPC class variants

[CullAfulMoshuN]

I've been considering changing the NPC classes a little. I don't like the commoner and expert classes as they do not make sense. I've always found it kind of dumb that you make up the little old sage (an expert) and the town smith or local farmer (probably a commoner) and the sage is likely to have better weapon and armor skills, and probably have more hit points. A classless systems for NPCs would be even better, but these variants were much quicker and easier to come up with.

I was planning on getting rid of the commoner class and instead making 3 varients of the expert class: Academic, Professional, and Laborer. I have also tweaked the warrior slightly.

Thought? Opinions?

----------------------------------------------------

Academic
This covers all learned and bookish types, from scribes and book keepers, to professors and sages. Any role that spends most all of their time in comfortable or sheltered surrounds, focused on learning or performing non physically demanding tasks.
Could potentially make for an interesting PC class with many skill, but not very physically capable.
Hit Die: d4
BAB: Wizard/Sorcerer base attack bonus (1/2)
Good Saves: Will

Class Skills
The Academic can choose any 12 skills to be class skills, but aleast one knowledge skill and one profession must be included. Up to two of these skills may be skills exclusive to some other class.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (8 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 8 + Int modifier.

Class Features
The following is a class feature of the Academic NPC class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Academic is proficient with one simple weapon. He is not proficient with weapons, armor or shields.
Skill Focused: Receives skill focus in one of his class skills as a bonus feat at levels 5, 10, 15, and 20.

----------------------------------------------------

Professional
The Professional NPC class covers the less sheltered professions that get more world experience, but not the most physically demanding tasks. It includes roles from nurses to merchants, barristers to craftsmen, millers to artists.
Hit Die: d6
BAB: Wizard/Sorcerer base attack bonus (1/2)
Good Saves: None.

Class Skills
The Professional can choose any 10 skills to be class skills, but atleast one must be a craft or profession skill. Up to two of these skills may be skills exclusive to some other class.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Class Features
The following is a class feature of the Professional NPC class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Professional is proficient with all simple weapons. He is not proficient with any types of armor or nor with shields.

----------------------------------------------------

Laborer
The Laborer NPC class covers the more physically demanding roles, from miners to porters, sailors to builders, farmers to teamsters.
Hit Die: d8
BAB: Cleric, rogue base attack bonus (3/4)
Good Saves: Fort

Class Skills
The Laborer class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Local), Listen (Wis), Profession (Int), Ride (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str) and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features
The following is a class feature of the Laborer NPC class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Laborer is proficient with all simple weapons and light armor, but not with shields.

----------------------------------------------------

Warrior
As DMG except Spot, Listen and Search have all been made class skills, as they are three of the most commonly performed actions of guards IMC, and it only makes sense that they would be good at them.

----------------------------------------------------

 

[Crothian]

They seem pretty good to me.

 

[Tonguez]

Makes sense

I too always thought that having a "Commoner' class was a bit pointless since in my mind at least the commoner is your basic 'unskilled' peasant in the feild - who in medieval times really was quite pathetic! (PS I never used this NPC)

However your distinction between Expert:Academic, and Expert:Artisan is very good and fits perfectly into my conception of a good NPC class.

Expertrofessional

What I do need to know though is why do professionals get more Skill points than 'Labourers (ie why is a street sweeper more skilled than a blacksmith?) and why have you limited the Labourer class skill list?

Personally I would put Professionals and Labourers together into a single Expert;Artisan 'class' (based on the stats of your professional above)
- I'd also tend to put 'nurses' and merchants in the Academic category rather than Artisan

Infact the two skills Profession and Craft make a gooddemarcation as is except for the more 'rugged' professions like Sailor or Lion tamer which would better match the Artisan class stats

Oh well my $0.016 (bloody exchange rates!)

 

[Jerrid Al-Kundo]

Except, of course, that it was mobs of commoners that overthrew the French Monarchy...

I personally took the opposite approach. Chaosium had codified the Expert (Sailor) for Dragonlords of Melnibon'e, which started me on the concept of doing the same for professions common to my campaign world. The Warrior I beafed-up a tad by adding Bonus Feats at 2nd, 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and 20th and then providing a list from FanCC's Netbook of Feats and other sources that suited general infantry soldiers.

Also, Bastion Press' new release Ink & Quill (65pages, Free .pdf download) has a number of rather neat Pclasses perfectly suited to the Expert Class (or any other character that focuses on the right skills).

 

[med stud]

Makes sense

I too always thought that having a "Commoner' class was a bit pointless since in my mind at least the commoner is your basic 'unskilled' peasant in the feild - who in medieval times really was quite pathetic! (PS I never used this NPC)

On what grounds are you assuming that the medieval peasants were pathetic? I would like to see some references to that statement, and compared to what they were pathetic; were they pathetic because they were uneducated? Or were they pathetic because they obeyed without rebellion? How should you be to not be labelled as pathetic?

 

[Tonguez]

Except, of course, that it was mobs of commoners that overthrew the French Monarchy...

Well actually it was mobs lead by 'Experts' (mainly the guild-merchants and artisans (some with levels of Aristocrat)) who overthrew the French Monarchy.

As to beefing up the Warrior I never saw the point of that either since IMHO the Fighter IS a beefed up Warrior.

Experts, Aristocrats and Adepts (village priest/wisewoman etc) are the NPC classes that make sense IMHO and these are the ones that need defining/beefing up.

 

[Tonguez]

On what grounds are you assuming that the medieval peasants were pathetic? I would like to see some references to that statement, and compared to what they were pathetic; were they pathetic because they were uneducated? Or were they pathetic because they obeyed without rebellion? How should you be to not be labelled as pathetic?

I base the assertion on the fact that medieval peasants generally had a very low health status - they were malnourished, suffered from various diseases (including the plague of course), child mortality was high and in most cases the Nobles and Church did not care.

Try these
http://www.unf.edu/classes/medieval/med-21.htm#Text

http://www.historyhouse.com/in_history/peasant/


This is a poem called "The Crede of Piers the Ploughman". It was written by William Langland about 600 years ago. It must be remembered that few people could read or write when Langland lived, so very few people would have read this poem.

"As I went on my way,

I saw a poor man over the plough bending.

His hood was full of holes,

And his hair was sticking out,

His shoes were patched.

His toes peeped out as he the ground trod.

His wife walked by him

In a skirt cut full and high.

Wrapped in a sheet to keep her from the weather.

Bare foot on the bare ice

So that the blood flowed.

At the field’s end lay a little bowl,

And in there lay a little child

wrapped in rags

And two more of two years old upon another side.

And all of them sang a song

That was sorrowful to hear.

The all cried a cry,

A sorrowful note.

And the poor man sighed sore and said

"Children be still."

Pa·thet·ic
Pronunciation: p&-'the-tik
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French pathetique, from Late Latin patheticus, from Greek pathEtikos capable of feeling, pathetic, from paschein (aorist pathein) to experience, suffer -- more at PATHOS
Date: 1598
1 : having a capacity to move one to either compassionate or contemptuous pity
2 : marked by sorrow or melancholy : SAD

 

[Jerrid Al-Kundo]

As to beefing up the Warrior I never saw the point of that either since IMHO the Fighter IS a beefed up Warrior.

Ah, contair!

The Fighter is the stand-alone hero, who charges into the cavernous lairs of Orcs and Dragons, and also suited to the Knight role via Mounted and Chariot Combat.

The Warrior is the City Guard and standing Infantry. My beefing up is directed at this role, providing a Feat list that make them more effective as infantry units.

To provide them the same Feat options of the Fighter would be an insult to the Fighter.