Yaarel
🇮🇱 🇺🇦 He-Mage
A setting like this, where every adult (age 20 or higher) has levels in a class, doesnt require anything weird or supernatural.That was definitely the idea I was exploring in my opening post. What if everyone was granted some combat or magical ability by the Overgod/System?
My assumption is that being an adventurer is just as much a question of mindset as ability. Most people are going to take their minor magical powers, go be farmers or tradesmen or merchants, and slowly gain some new competence as they live their life. And since most classes don't get their subclass till level 2 or 3, a lot of non-adventurers would probably gain a subclass related to their chosen profession, like a Blacksmith Sorcerer or a Farmer Druid.
It's the reckless, ambitious people who go out and risk life and limb to level quickly and find powerful prestige classes and magical treasure.
It means the period of history happens to be unusually violent. Normal people are forced to adapt to survive.
Some people can become Rogues for the purpose of stealth or trickery to avoid combat, or Clerics, Druids, or Bards to serve as a "combat medic" literally or figuratively.