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Message: <blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 9276586" data-attributes="member: 2067">Here's how I might imagine things.First, in most versions of D&D, "everyone" is a "0-level NPC" or a "Commoner." The assumption is that any king or any knight or any merchant or any priest or any farmer you meet is this kind of mortal baseline. Whatever difference these people have in their skillsets doesn't really rise to the level of "needs to be differentiated with game mechanics." "NPCs with Classes" are always exceptions to that rule. I think late AD&D and 3e probably had the most common exceptions, with 3e suggesting that most towns of significant size had some spellcasters and cities and the like had some pretty significant NPCs with levels. Still a world where 99% of people were not gifted in any particular way, but noting that even 1% could add up to a couple thousand people in a big enough city.So, lots of NPC's had classes, but they were always exceptional, just like PC's.And in that world, you get a little bit of a different understanding. Most local priests are just people who know the rituals. But, maybe one priest a few towns over is reportedly able to heal wounds with a touch, or maybe the city has a church where the cardinals are able to break curses, and maybe you've even heard legends about a priest who could raise the dead.In that way, it sounds a little bit like the real world - we've all heard legends about holy figures who can raise the dead. In an era before mass long-distance communication and good science, probably most communities heard about some holy figure out west or in the big city who could do remarkable things. In a world where magic was real and dragons could be seen and fey creatures actually do lurk in the wilderness, you could even imagine it makes sense that one shaman in a hundred actually can hear spirits and make plants move and befriend animals. Not everyone has a class. Still only maybe one in a hundred. And you only know their powers based on the stories told about them or the things they've done. I don't imagine your average pig farmer understands that the bookish kid is a [Wizard], but they do understand that they can cast some spells and like their book, and maybe legends have spoken of others who can do that who the stories call wizards. I do think a lot of people (and a significant number of adventure designers) forget that most people are not special in a D&D world and do things like say all the hunters in the village are 6th-level rangers or something. While it might not matter in a particular adventure, I don't think that's great worldbuilding. One level 20 rogue on the continent might be OK. A dozen level 1 rogues in the kingdom might also be fine. But most people are just...normal. The thieves' guild is not filled with 15th level rogues, and I think it'd be weird if it was!</blockquote>

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