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

[S'mon]

World-building GMs - what level is the median adult inhabitant of your game world? In my campaign I use the following demographic for normal people:

1st - Novice
2nd - Trained
3rd - Experienced
4th - Veteran
5th - Elite

With about 50% 1st, 25% 2nd, 12.5% 3rd etc. This means that in my game world the median level is 2nd. According to 3e DMG, the vast bulk of the population are 1st level. Do you stick with that?

 

[Al]

Assuming a reasonable demographic spread in a more or less peaceful area, I'd go with 3rd or possibly 4th level. I start from the premise that it's silly to assume that XP can only come from killing monsters, otherwise the vast majority of the population would be 1st level, and the master blacksmith the same level (and therefore, likely the same skill modifier) as his apprentice. As such, I assume a more flexible approach to XP with, as a rule of thumb, people have levels equal to (Age/10 - 1) rounded to the nearest whole number. This would mean that the median of the skilled population* would be about level 3 (i.e. 35-45 year olds).

* I'm aware that life expectancy was much lower, but I've assumed 35-45 to be the median age for two reasons: one, in a high-magic world, life expectancy will be lower, and two, life expectancy is usually taken at birth. Once you survived childhood, your life expectancy would be much higher than a newborn.

 

[The Shaman]

It depends on genre.

In D&D and similar fantasy games that I run, most folks are first level. In my Modern games, most people are between second and sixth level, more toward the former than the latter.

 

[Odysseus]

I use the assumption that adults get 1 xp per day of their lives. So that someone in their 20's would be around 3rd or 4th level. And the average population level would be around 5th.

 

[Gez]

I think I'd use 3rd level as the media. While there are a lot of 1st levels, most adult people are rather second level. And I count a few level-adjusted races amongst my population (like hobgoblins, blue, bugbears).

If I did a breakdown by levels, I think I would get something like this:

Number of NPCs per level, for 1 000 000 NPCs.
  1: 200000
  2: 200000
  3: 200000
  4: 200000
  5: 100000
  6:  50000
  7:  25000
  8:  10000
  9:   5000
 10:   3300
 11:   2500
 12:   1500
 13:   1200
 14:    800
 15:    500
 16:    160
 17:     12
 18:     12
 19:     10
 20:      5
21+:      1

Even number of people in each of the fourth first levels, then the fifth fifth (heh) is distributed among all the other levels.

So, one in a million people is epic. One out of 100 is level 8, one out of 100 000 is level 19. It seems OK.

 

[Storyteller01]

DOn't have a demographic per say, but the books we use (DS) have Elite crews gaining a +8 to relavent skill checks. It's not taking into account individual stats, so I'd say Elites (not including PC's or strange circumstances) is about 5th.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Just about every adult human(oid) in my homebrew is experinced.

 

[Turanil]

This means that in my game world the median level is 2nd. According to 3e DMG, the vast bulk of the population are 1st level. Do you stick with that?

In my game world, a young adult, an apprentice, etc. is normally 1st level. Then, by the age of 30 most people have reached 3rd level and will probably remain at that level until the end of their life. Those too lazy or stupid only reach 2nd level, or even remain 1st level; while those ambitious and dedicated reach 4th or 5th level; yet both only represent a minority as the bulk of people of 30 and above are 3rd level. In any case I don't use percentages.

 

[Psychic Warrior]

In my Scarred Lands game I have the average level being 5th. That would represent your typical merchant, farmer etc of adult age (over 20 but less than 50 human equivilant). Most town guards are expected to contend with outside attacks on a semi regular basis (and are conscripted to fight invaders) so then tend towards the 6th to 8th level range. I almost always use the NPC classes for NPCs (Experts, Adepts, Warriors and Aristocrats mainly).

 

[dren]

For 0 level races, I tend to make the median around 5th level. That means they'll face tons of 0 and 1st level members, and very few 15th level, and it averages to around 5th.

Most non-adventurers tend to be between 4th-6th level experts. Two knife jabs, one sword thrust or just about any spell and they tend to die.