What level is your average local NPC?

[Shades of Green]

Depends on system, though I think that in heroic fantasy there should be a gap between epic heroes/villains and commoners to highlight the heroes'/villains' larger-than-life nature and to make higher levels meaningful.

In most retro-clones, if a typical commoner NPC needs stats (and in many cases they don't), he'd be level 0. Most common guards are level 0, while veterans and tough guards are level 1 and really elite ones are level 3. High level PCs - even level 5 ones with a Fireball once a day - are going to be able to ready kick the a$$ of many ordinary guards - this is intentional and, IMHO, it fits the genre.

In Stars Without Number, non-heroic NPCs don't have levels but are rather statted like monsters and have appropriate skills. Anyhow, rank-and-file guards shouldn't have much more than 1-3 HD. An elite veteran (say, a level 5 Warrior) is going to wipe the floor with conscripts any day, though their weapons would typically still be painful to him or her.

Classic Traveller is far more realistic, and skill levels (there are no class levels in Classic Traveller) advance with job experience, but the typical colonist, guard or conscript is usually going to have 1-3 terms of experience under his or her belt, meaning a few skills of 2 or lower (usually just 1), and maybe a single skill of 3 for professionals.

 

[RedTonic]

The vast majority of my campaign world's populace have one level in an appropriate NPC class, usually commoner, sometimes expert. Most magic casters are adepts rather than having levels in a PC class (low magic game); most nobles are warriors; most officials are aristocrats or experts. Likewise, military forces are composed of commoners, warriors, and experts. Someone who's pretty accomplished at arms or at a skill will probably go up to NPC level 3, but theoretically most stay at level 1 from adulthood to death. Kids are basically 0th level (unless they're undergoing some sort of rigorous education, which is uncommon). The setting's in the sophistication range where most families have several children with the expectation that only a few will survive til adulthood. If I did a graph of population by NPC class over, say, the last couple decades, the growth in experts would outstrip growth in any other class. (They've just rediscovered algebra and are arguing about the shape of the world.)

 

[S'mon]

I just came up with the following for my planned 4e Wilderlands game. This version of the Wilderlands is a pretty high powered setting, similar to the vibe I get from the sample NPC 'monsters' in the 4e Monster Manuals & Monster Vault - eg a 'common bandit' is a 2nd level standard, a pirate can be 9th level(!), and so on.

4e NPC Wilderlands Human Demographics

Novice: Minion 1-3
Trained: Minion 4-6
Experienced: Minion 7-10, Standard 1-2
Veteran: Minion 11-13, Standard 3-5, Elite 1
Elite: Minion 14-16, Standard 6-8, Elite 2-4
Ultra-Elite: Minion 17-20, Standard 9-12, Elite 5-8, Solo 1-3

Most Ultra-Elites will be leaders, champions & warlords, but might include small cadres of ultra-elite imperial bodyguards and such.

Edit: I'm starting PCs at 3rd level, equivalent to Elite NPCs.

 

[WayneLigon]

I'm thinking, the people at the next table in the average tavern, the guy walking down a street in a typical town, and perhaps the typical guards in town.

I usually use the Eberron default that extremely few people in the world are higher than sixth level, even if they are of a PC-class. The vast majority of them are going to be 0-2 level in some NPC class, usually commoner or expert.

 

[Stormonu]

Average skilled NPC (butcher, baker, candlestick maker): Level 3.

Average journeyman NPC: Level 2.

Average apprentice NPC: Level 1.

Average guard: Level 1 to Level 3.

Average guard sergeant: Level 3.

Average captain: Level 4-6.

Highest non-character class NPC: Level 10.

Similar for me.

Unskilled labor - 1st

Veteran of the profession - 3rd

Award-winning professional - 5th

Master of your profession - 7th

Legendary - 9th

Mythical stature -12th+

 

[Ravilah]

My NPCs are almost never above level 5 (and the masses are typically 1-3).

Of course, when a party of PCs started to throw their weight around too much, I told them that around 1 peasant in every 100 was really a dragon, demon, or celestial in disguise.

I only had to follow through on that threat once.


Edit: Just so you railroadiphobes know...I did roll randomly for each NPC they accosted.

 

[steenan]

When I ran a Planescape campaign, the world war quite high-powered. Of course, there were first-level commoners somewhere in the background, but such characters were never meaningfully interacted with. My NPCs had about 3-5th level on average, with PC classes in most cases, and some of them were in high teens.

Lately I ran Pathfinder with very different assumptions. Typical NPCs are level 1; experienced and competent ones 2-3. Levels 6-7 are real heroes of kingdom-wide fame, and anyone above that is epic, a legend.

 

[Bedrockgames]

It depends on the person's role. I assume things like town guards and armies are going to be capable of handling common threats in the region and usually they range in experience level (just like you have in real army or police force). One thing I don't do is scale the world to the PCs. The guards aren't 0 level when the players start out and 15th when they reach high level in my campaigns.

 

[greatamericanfolkher]

From the hero or zero thread, I got to thinking: What level is the average, typical, run of the mill NPC in your game.

I'm thinking, the people at the next table in the average tavern, the guy walking down a street in a typical town, and perhaps the typical guards in town.

I don't usually bother to stat most people, but my general rule is is only children and kobolds have 1 hit die. A good 50% of adults have 2 levels, generally commoner or expert. People who've led more interesting lives get more levels, but in a dirt-farming peasant village the best you'll usually see is 3rd, maybe 4th level.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

In my games, any adult is at least level 1. Professionals are usually level 2 or 3, masters in their field can be as high as 6. Anything higher than level 6 or 7 is a legendary talent, a one in a million prodigy.