Why be a Commoner?

[Tzeentch]

From a game standpoint what purpose does the Commoner class serve over a human, or any humanoid for that matter, over simply taking humanoid levels? Sure, you don't get access to the class skills but in every other way you are going to be a lot better off.

A third level humanoid:
3d8 Hit Dice (12 hp), a base attack bonus of +2, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +1, Ref +3, and Will +1. Skill points equal to 6 x (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1).

A third level Commoner:
3d4 Hit Dice (6 hp), a base attack bonus of +1, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +1, Ref +1, and Will +1. Skill points equal to 6 x (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1).

Did I do this right? Is the only thing going for Commoner the lame selection of class skills?

I knew Commoner and the NPC classes were pretty useless, but this seems a bit off-kilter even for cannon-fodder.

 

[phindar]

I'd consider "cannon-fodder" to be warriors. Commoners are kind of sub-cannon-fodder.

You can justify it by thinking of humanoids as the tribal savages; they're a little tougher than the commoners on an individual basis, but they aren't that useful at the grand scale; they aren't productive to society. Class skills-- Profession and Craft most notably-- are what make the commoners useful, they make or grow everything that society needs for daily survival. (Experts are better at this, but so few people do the necessary post-graduate work to qualify.)

But the only real reason to be a commoner is because you don't have a choice.

 

[frankthedm]

From a game standpoint what purpose does the Commoner class serve over a human, or any humanoid for that matter, over simply taking humanoid levels? Sure, you don't get access to the class skills but in every other way you are going to be a lot better off.

Advancing by hit die is not an option for most folks. Being a commoner is a cruel turn of fate, doomed to do menial work until a marauding monster eats you.

Commoner is the class for those without intrinsic value. Not dedicated to a trade, nor raised in luxury and trained by the best instructors money can buy.

 

[Evilhalfling]

hey I have 2 levels in commoner.
let me tell you the HD and BAB change would make very little difference in my life.
while the craft (house) skill points have been of great use, the ranks in handle animal less so.
it is a little difficult to explain the knowledge skills (history), (gaming), (architecture)

 

[Notmousse]

The in game explaination is that these poor souls didn't have the chance to become more than they did as all PCs do by way of being PCs.

I say bull and rebuilt the NPC classes to be more useful, if less adventure oriented. I dare say some less combat oriented PCs would give thought to taking my version of the NPC classes.

 

[Celebrim]

The commoner basically exists for backwards compatibility. You can dispense with it completely if you don't like it.

I think the best answer given is that you end up with commoner if you don't have the oppurtunity to be anything else.

To a certain extent that is true, and I'd say a good percentage of the commoners I've ever had in a campaign were assumed to be commoners for that reason. It's also probably the only in game explanation you can have with the rules as written. But, I'm not entirely satisfied with that explanation.

So, in backgrounding my world and feeding the little simulationist in me, I've brain stormed a little to come up with advantages that would make the commoner class attractive to a commoner. The heart of what I came up with is this:

Ordinary Challenges: A commoner does not need to overcome heroic challenges in order to gain experience. A commoner classed individual gains 1 bonus XP for every day that he is engaged in at least eight hours of ordinary manual labor. This bonus XP may only be applied toward gaining levels as a commoner.

This is an amazingly useful ability for a non-hero who plans to lead a quiet, simple life. Instead of going out and risking your neck, you can do your chores or employment and learn from that experience. By the time you are middleaged, its not at all unusual to be 4th level or more. If you are fit and healthy, you are probably a match for a first level fighter in a bar fight.

The other thing about the commoner class which is interesting is that its pretty much strictly inferior to any other class. You've got bad saves, poorest HD, weakest BAB progression, and very limited access to skills, feats, or proficiencies.

In short, you are completely adaptable. You haven't yet committed yourself to anything. Which brings us to this:

Untapped Potential: Even though you may only be a farm boy or the miller's son or a simple street urchin, you have the potential to be so much more if only the oppurtunity arises. If ever you gain XP for heroic deeds sufficient to place you halfway to a level in any other class, you may switch your trade one level of commoner for a level in any other class provided you have recieved some form of mentoring by a higher level member of this class.

And you always wondered how Luke managed to gain so many levels in Jedi Knight? Lots of hard work on the farm - that's how.

 

[Unkabear]

Because if you take levels in commoner you can take a few of those flaws from the april issue of Dragon a few years back.

Tasty and dead are my favorite. But it is one fun event when you give the draws arrows flaw to a commoner and force the party to defend him against a hoard of...well anything. It was a lighthearted one shot that had us all laughing.

In the end we realized that it would be more efficient if we just killed the commoners ourselves.

 

[Goolpsy]

Well.. HuManoids.. aren't really like most other races... i'd say that most humanoids wouldn't be able to advance by hit dice. (I can be argued that if you look at the real world, nobody can get super cool, just out of 'improvement'.. they dont just get most "hp" and wiser at the same time) The PC/NPC Classes are made for humanoids, its the only way they can really improve - within this fantasy world.

 

[EyeontheMountain]

Why be a commoner?

Because it is your destiny, young never-to-be a padewan.

I mean how many people start out to be the village idiot?

 

[hong]

What a bizarre question.

Why be a human at all? Why not a storm giant?