Worse than we thought...

[GuardianLurker]

as we all know, one of the perennial questions (without answer) is "What the bleep does a 20th level commoner do?"

I don't have an answer for that. But it's worse than I realized - according to the DMG the maximum level of a commoner in any community is 4d4+modifier (assuming that wasn't errattaed).

For a metropolis, the modifier is +12 (roll 4 times). This means that in a city of 50,000 people, there are potentially 4 28th level commoners.

And even the smallest settlement could have a 13th level commoner.

Guh-weep?!

 

[Crothian]

I think it shows that the people in the fields are not default st or second elvel, that there are plenty of people higher in level then many people realize.

 

[whatisitgoodfor]

Yep, there's always going to be that wrinkled old dude that sits on the front porch of the local General Sto' and can tell you stories about the "Good old days." Oh, yeah, he can also tell you everything that you could ever want to know about farming (or whtever his profession of choice happened to be).

I don't happen to see the problem with this.

 

[Tar-Edhel]

as we all know, one of the perennial questions (without answer) is "What the bleep does a 20th level commoner do?"

I don't have an answer for that. But it's worse than I realized - according to the DMG the maximum level of a commoner in any community is 4d4+modifier (assuming that wasn't errattaed).

For a metropolis, the modifier is +12 (roll 4 times). This means that in a city of 50,000 people, there are potentially 4 28th level commoners.

And even the smallest settlement could have a 13th level commoner.

Guh-weep?!

Why not? I can easily imagine some people being 20th level lawyers, cooks, policemen and such.

Note that the maximum level is indeed 20. DMG.p 139. No 28th level commoners in Metropolis!

 

[Number47]

Epic commoners? Is that covered in ELH?

 

[whatisitgoodfor]

The ELH clearly states that the NPC classes don't (and shouldn't) extend into epic levels.

When one of the writers of the ELH (can't recall which one) was asked about that, he stated something to the effect that it would just be stupid to have non-prestigious characters advance to epic levels.

 

[Saeviomagy]

Of course he can't give a reason for that...

Personally - can't see a problem. After all, isn't one of the epic-level prestige classes basically "epic guardsman"?

 

[GuardianLurker]

Actually, I wasn't necessarily complaining about the existence of high level commoners, but about the fact that they're MUCH higher than most people think, even when discussing this issue.

That 13th level commoner can occur in a settlement that can just barely support a single 1st level wizard.

And, of course, the problem of putting something in the core rules that wasn't even supported yet (I have the 1st printing of the DMG, *very* pre-ELH). Technically, it still isn't, since the ELH hasn't entered the SRD yet.

Basically, I guess I'm really complaining (not that I'm alone in this) that the official population distribution charts are just wrong in many ways.

Sigh.

 

[Pagan priest]

13th level requires 78,000 experience points. If you assume that a commoner can earn about 1,000xp per year, this will give you a very old commoner. possibly one that was part of the group who originally founded the settlement, dragging the land from raw wilderness into a civilized state.
http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/misc/theoryaboutpeasants.html
is a link to the Sean K. Reynolds web page regarding commoners gaining levels for being commoners. If you accept the possibility that there would be a few other sources of experience points over the years, then a 20th level commoner is indeed possible, and would be venerable in age. Probably have some great stories ( and maybe a few hints...) as well.

 

[hammymchamham]

the commonor could also have been concripted into a couple wars and survived, or fought off a couple bug bears and lived to tell, to add to his XP over his life..