Why did they take a level of commoner?

[Henry]

Archade, what's this NPC's backstory? Peasant Hero? Farmer who turned adventuring? Rogue who settled down farming? Any backstory would spell it out. If there is no backstory, you could select any of these as justified. Farming, unskilled day laboring, all these are good examples of how one would get Commoner levels as opposed to craftsman-type levels. I don't see it as "what class you take", I see it as "what pursuits did you engage in to result in that class?"

 

[pawsplay]

Most NPCs, while not being adventurers, have to make decisions about "their character" in any case -- where to put skill ranks (obviously in profession-related skills), what alignment to be, how to spend their meager earnings. Why is it hard to wonder how they make their decisions on which classes to take when they level up?

Mu.

 

[Christian]

Why would anybody take levels in Commoner?

 

[Crothian]

In 3.Xe D&D, XP have a source: overcoming appropriate-leveled challenges. Moreover, there is no concept of "Rogue XP" or "Commoner XP". XP is not typed by class. Everyone gets XP, and then gains levels in whatever class they wish (subject to campaign-specific limitations).

As a DM do you actually track XP for all the NPCs? I sure don't, they get the classes and levels I feel they should have. XP is not part of that.

 

[MarkB]

Only if you are not playing D&D.


In 3.Xe D&D, XP have a source: overcoming appropriate-leveled challenges. Moreover, there is no concept of "Rogue XP" or "Commoner XP". XP is not typed by class. Everyone gets XP, and then gains levels in whatever class they wish (subject to campaign-specific limitations).

No, adventurers gain XP that way. There are no hard-and-fast rules for how non-adventurers earn XP.

 

[pawsplay]

Actually, the DMG says NPCs gain XP just like PCs do, but have less exciting lives. Except hirelings. They never level at all, despite having more exciting lives (encountering creatures high CR relative to them).

 

[MarkB]

Actually, the DMG says NPCs gain XP just like PCs do, but have less exciting lives. Except hirelings. They never level at all, despite having more exciting lives (encountering creatures high CR relative to them).

Ah. My mistake.

I tend to assume that NPCs earn experience by overcoming the challenges that their daily life throws at them - i.e. a merchant earns XP when he strikes a particularly good deal, a miner earns XP by putting in a particularly productive day's work, etc. - all at just a fraction of the rate at which PCs earn XP. PCs wouldn't earn any significant XP for such tasks, because they're not in those lines of work.

 

[Wolfwood2]

Actually, the DMG says NPCs gain XP just like PCs do, but have less exciting lives. Except hirelings. They never level at all, despite having more exciting lives (encountering creatures high CR relative to them).

I think the DMG is wrong on this point, because it is mistaking a meta-game tool for something that should be modeled as an in-game reality.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Lots of you have said this.

Frankly, you're begging the question. Let's put it another way: "What did this NPC do to gain 6 levels of Commoner? Where did the XP come from?"

NPC's do not earn XP unless they are adventuring with PC's. NPC's are ASSIGNED xp totals and class levels.

 

[pawsplay]

I think the DMG is wrong on this point, because it is mistaking a meta-game tool for something that should be modeled as an in-game reality.

It may be poorly thought out, useless, and obstructive, but I don't think it can be wrong per se... Them's the rules!