One of my favorite things from the 3E DMG was the NPC classes. Putting NPC's on a similar footing to PC's with (underpowered) classes to use was, IMO, a wonderful idea. It's grown on me with familiarity, and while there are a few problems with it in practice, I'm looking to incorporate it more heavily than is standard in my conversion of my 1st Edition AD&D campaign world.
Here's the idea: nearly everyone, I mean everyone, has only NPC class levels. PC classes are, while not limited to PC's, limited to adventurers. Most people do not charge into situations that are likely to have them fighting demons and dragons, thank you very much; only the few people who are willing to take on those kinds of risks & their commensurate rewards have PC class levels.
The standard experience system applies only to adventurers-normal people (i.e. those with NPC classes) get experience points through, well, experience. By training and practice, not by overcoming challenges. The base numbers I'm looking at are an average of 2 x.p. per day for commoners, 5-6 for characters of other classes. (I suppose that this could apply to adventurers, too, at this rate. Few characters of even low levels will be interested in taking three weeks off to train for 100 x.p. ... but I digress.)
Note that this doesn't scale with level. A commoner will reach 2nd level after about a year and a half of experience, 3rd after 4 years or so, etc. It takes about 50 years to reach 8th level as a commoner, about 16 as another class. (I'll need to work out a reduced rate for nonhumans, lest the multiverse be overrun with 50th level elven commoners.
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Primary effects:
1. There are very few really high-level NPC's. The old gaffer pulling roots down the street is, at most, a 9th or 10th level commoner. The famous retired general might be a 15th or 16th level warrior, etc.
2. There are very few really low-level NPC's. The world isn't packed with 1st level commoners-most of the folks you meet on the street are probably more like 3rd-5th level. Forget the 1st level warriors in the town guard-that's a snot-nosed kid just out of basic training. Even a low-ranked guardsman for a dinky town is likely to be at least 2nd level, likely more like 3rd. The sergeant is likely to be 6th-8th level.
3. There are very few characters of any level with PC classes. The thieves' guild isn't packed with Rogues-these guys are mostly experts and commoners. The wandering minstrel is an expert, the fighting mystics and roving woodsmen are expert/warrior multiclasses, and the priests at the temple are adepts, experts, and possibly a warrior/aristocrat or two. The wizards are-well, more on that below. The exceptions would be retired adventurers who have settled down, possibly having multi-classed to an NPC class.
Secondary effects:
1. No 20th level commoners beating people up. (Yay!)
2. Don't mess with the experienced warriors of the town guard just because they're stupid NPC's. Could get ugly ...
3. Don't think you can get your dead buddy restored to life at the temple in virtually any good-sized city. The patriarch is probably an Adept12/Expert2. Finding even a 9th level cleric with access to raise dead might be a challenge ...
Well, there are others, that I'm sure you can imagine. I've thought of a few problems, and I'm fishing for more, so I can either fix them or drop this wacky idea. One problem is-arcane spellcasters. You can vaguely simulate virtually every role in the game with combinations of NPC classes, except for the wizard and sorceror. I'm thinking about creating an 'arcane adept' class, possibly using the adept spell progression but with access to a small number of (fixed? variable?) arcane schools of magic. They'd use spell books, preparation, and other related wizard rules ... Another problem is with the NPC wealth tables. Again, with so many mid-high level characters running around, these are obviously not appropriate. I'd probably want to make a new set for the NPC classes, probably more than one. (An 8th level commoner would probably not have as much wealth as an 8th level aristocrat.)
So-any thoughts?
Here's the idea: nearly everyone, I mean everyone, has only NPC class levels. PC classes are, while not limited to PC's, limited to adventurers. Most people do not charge into situations that are likely to have them fighting demons and dragons, thank you very much; only the few people who are willing to take on those kinds of risks & their commensurate rewards have PC class levels.
The standard experience system applies only to adventurers-normal people (i.e. those with NPC classes) get experience points through, well, experience. By training and practice, not by overcoming challenges. The base numbers I'm looking at are an average of 2 x.p. per day for commoners, 5-6 for characters of other classes. (I suppose that this could apply to adventurers, too, at this rate. Few characters of even low levels will be interested in taking three weeks off to train for 100 x.p. ... but I digress.)
Note that this doesn't scale with level. A commoner will reach 2nd level after about a year and a half of experience, 3rd after 4 years or so, etc. It takes about 50 years to reach 8th level as a commoner, about 16 as another class. (I'll need to work out a reduced rate for nonhumans, lest the multiverse be overrun with 50th level elven commoners.
)Primary effects:
1. There are very few really high-level NPC's. The old gaffer pulling roots down the street is, at most, a 9th or 10th level commoner. The famous retired general might be a 15th or 16th level warrior, etc.
2. There are very few really low-level NPC's. The world isn't packed with 1st level commoners-most of the folks you meet on the street are probably more like 3rd-5th level. Forget the 1st level warriors in the town guard-that's a snot-nosed kid just out of basic training. Even a low-ranked guardsman for a dinky town is likely to be at least 2nd level, likely more like 3rd. The sergeant is likely to be 6th-8th level.
3. There are very few characters of any level with PC classes. The thieves' guild isn't packed with Rogues-these guys are mostly experts and commoners. The wandering minstrel is an expert, the fighting mystics and roving woodsmen are expert/warrior multiclasses, and the priests at the temple are adepts, experts, and possibly a warrior/aristocrat or two. The wizards are-well, more on that below. The exceptions would be retired adventurers who have settled down, possibly having multi-classed to an NPC class.
Secondary effects:
1. No 20th level commoners beating people up. (Yay!)
2. Don't mess with the experienced warriors of the town guard just because they're stupid NPC's. Could get ugly ...
3. Don't think you can get your dead buddy restored to life at the temple in virtually any good-sized city. The patriarch is probably an Adept12/Expert2. Finding even a 9th level cleric with access to raise dead might be a challenge ...
Well, there are others, that I'm sure you can imagine. I've thought of a few problems, and I'm fishing for more, so I can either fix them or drop this wacky idea. One problem is-arcane spellcasters. You can vaguely simulate virtually every role in the game with combinations of NPC classes, except for the wizard and sorceror. I'm thinking about creating an 'arcane adept' class, possibly using the adept spell progression but with access to a small number of (fixed? variable?) arcane schools of magic. They'd use spell books, preparation, and other related wizard rules ... Another problem is with the NPC wealth tables. Again, with so many mid-high level characters running around, these are obviously not appropriate. I'd probably want to make a new set for the NPC classes, probably more than one. (An 8th level commoner would probably not have as much wealth as an 8th level aristocrat.
)So-any thoughts?
First-level warriors would be just as uncommon among the humanoid races as among demi-humans. One of the main challenges for a DM in this kind of world would be creating interesting low-level adventures that don't throw PC's into a meat-grinder.
