What is the median level of the population of your gameworld?

[the Jester]

1st level. Anything else is the exception.

The idea of running a game with a higher level base is interesting. I might throw that into my high-magic campaign experiment when I run that.

 

[Rassilon]

I ran into this on the boards some time ago, and use it as the default for my realms game:

1st-3rd: apprentices just starting out
4th-6th: Professionals, beginning to make a reputation
7th-9th: Accomplished professionals, recognized by their peers.
10th-12th: Consulted by the powerful.
13th-15th: Significant authorities in their fields, well-known professionals whose services are in demand
16th-20th: Well-known heroes
21st+: Epic

The way I justify it in my mind is to basically assume that everyone who lives long enough settles down to between 4th and 8th level, including commoners, experts, etc.

Of course, there are heaps of lower level guys, but they die in an 'inverted pyramid', the most die at levels 1 to 3, the next most at levels 4 to 6, and so on, with the new recruits, youth etc, refreshing the 'top' level of the pyramid, and level gain moving characters along the pyramid.

I thus tend to think of the average town guard/soldier/tracker/baker being about 4th to 6th by the end of their lives - they are making a reputation of sorts amongst their peers, but by no means are they notable for their deeds on a grand scale. It also explains both how these smaller human armies regularly defeat orc hordes (being higher level than the hordes, which are disorganised, train less, and die earlier) but also can be killed an an indivudual level by a few orcs.

Bear in mind that for this campaign I decided to assign NPC (and to some entent PC equipment) using the 'Mark I Eyeball' device, so NPC's are geared differently to DMG assumptions - typically much less permanent magic, but much more disposable magic(so YMMV with my level splits).

Anyone (PC or NPC) who hits 10th is playing in the big time, but they are the lowest of the low in this "big time". I hope that this will let my PCs feel special at that point, with the clear understanding that there is plenty of tougher stuff out there.

Rassilon.

 

[MonsterMash]

I voted with 2 as there are a fair amount around that are in the 2-4 range, above DMG numbers so the overall median is 2. Mainly commoners and experts, so not necessarily hugely powerful in combat, but reflecting experience gained in life.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

10th level is the highest that PC's are at all likely to run into on any casual basis. That is, if any NPC is higher level than that I will have put them there myself and probably for a specific reason. That applies across the campaign so spells that would be cast by characters higher level than that are in fact UNKNOWN and do not enter consideration by NPC'S (which is a very important point.)

The progression of NPC demographics DOWNWARD from 10th level is relatively normal. That is, for a given 10th level NPC there will likely be two 9th level, four 8th, eight 7th, and so on. That would put the split at generally an equal number of NPC's that are 1st level as those who are 2nd and above. I think that mathematically that puts the median at 1.5. Now there are actually a much higher number of 1st level NPC's in the bulk of the population than the demographic model would suggest so that ought to bring the median even lower but because we are talking about "adult" population that pushes it back up. Furthermore, I don't much hold with trying to make my game world actually fit a formal model. It is what it is as I actively run it, no more or less. So, the NPC's that the PC's actively interact with are likely to be higher than the demographics would suggest simply because I want the NPC's being dealt with by the PC's to have skills and survivability as I see fit - not as my demographic model would seem to dictate. But demographics are not irrelevant either so 2nd seems about right.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

About like d20 Modern progression:

Those with basically normal lives start at 1st level in their mid teens, enter the workforce at about 2nd or 3rd, and reach 7th by retirement, after which they probably stop gaining any meaningful experience.

People in careers that give them encounters with a meaningful CR (such as surgeons, scientists, most firemen, soldiers in peacetime, police in relatively safe regions, and career criminals) probably hit 9th level by retirement.

People who routinely encounter high CR challenges (such as soldiers in wartime, hit men, professional athletes, police in dangerous cities, federal agents and martial artists) sometimes reach 11th level or even more by retirement, but fewer of them retire.

Overall, I'd say probably 4th or 5th level.

 

[JimAde]

Competent adults are usually about 3rd level, with community leaders and prominent professionals being more like 6th. I like third level for the bulk of my "regular people" because of the extra feat. For a human commoner, that's three feats to differentiate yourself from the horde, but a third level commoner will still get smacked around by a first level fighter, as he should be.

 

[S'mon]

10th level is the highest that PC's are at all likely to run into on any casual basis. That is, if any NPC is higher level than that I will have put them there myself and probably for a specific reason. That applies across the campaign so spells that would be cast by characters higher level than that are in fact UNKNOWN and do not enter consideration by NPC'S (which is a very important point.)

The progression of NPC demographics DOWNWARD from 10th level is relatively normal. That is, for a given 10th level NPC there will likely be two 9th level, four 8th, eight 7th, and so on. That would put the split at generally an equal number of NPC's that are 1st level as those who are 2nd and above. I think that mathematically that puts the median at 1.5. Now there are actually a much higher number of 1st level NPC's in the bulk of the population than the demographic model would suggest so that ought to bring the median even lower but because we are talking about "adult" population that pushes it back up. Furthermore, I don't much hold with trying to make my game world actually fit a formal model. It is what it is as I actively run it, no more or less. So, the NPC's that the PC's actively interact with are likely to be higher than the demographics would suggest simply because I want the NPC's being dealt with by the PC's to have skills and survivability as I see fit - not as my demographic model would seem to dictate. But demographics are not irrelevant either so 2nd seems about right.

That sounds very much like my game too.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I suppose most people are discounting races which grand a higher ECL. My game isn't as divided as most, with the PHB "PC" races being the only civilized beings, as it is Planescape. Go to Sigil, and while my Sigil isn't as populated with fiends and celestials as some think of when they think of Sigil, it is still up there. Just taking into account the low ECL races (genasi, planetouched, etc), it raises the median. A tribe of monserous humanoids in my game is often treated as a hamlet instead of another killing spree, even. Hmm...

With that many numbers in the set, it makes it difficult for me to guague it. If I had to pick one, I'd probably say 8th level. While there are a lot more higher level beings, there are also a whole slew of lower level ones as well, bringing the mid-range back down, if I discount those beings who I would classify as not-allowed-for-PCs in the campaign world (most devils, demons, and such).

 

[TheAuldGrump]

*sigh* I asked "what level is the median adult inhabitant of your game world?" not "what is the median level of the levels in your game world?" - which would be infinity if you use Epic levels, or 10.5 (not 10) if you use 1-20, and anyway is a stupid question. To find the level of the median adult inhabitant you start with the level of the lowest level person and go up to the halfway mark, so in a population of 101 it would be the 51st inhabitant. Doing that with DMG demographics the answer is "1" because over half the adult population are 1st level.

As opposed to asking what is the level of the typical inhabitant of your game world? Which would have been both more accurate and less confusing. Or even 'what is the most common level for NPCs in your game world?'

The Auld Grump

 

[Coredump]

Well, to me the character generation rules are 'special rules' for players, and mostly for other 'advanced' folks.

I treat the majority of the population differently. I have not problem with a craftsmen having a 15 skill, but only being lvl 1 or 2.

Peoples cannot be defined by a set of equations, but we need to do it somewhat for game balance. So yeah, most of my citizens are lvl 1. They may have abilities that they 'can't get' until higher level, but that is different.