Commoners.
You can’t swing a dead displacer beast around the local community without hitting at least a half-dozen of them (well, unless the displacer beast ate a bunch of them first), but the point is – they’re everywhere. Commoners fill up villages, towns, and cities and perform those tasks that PCs often take completely for granted. I mean…your PC might be doing research with a local librarian, or paying taxes to a city bureaucrat, or maybe just buying a drink from the barkeep – but when it comes down to it, that PC is interacting with a commoner.
Commoner…
The name itself suggests a boring nobody – a work-a-day schlub who has nothing better to do that to stand ready to serve the PCs needs. But is that really fair? These people have JOBS, their lives have meaning. They’re bakers, bankers, farmers, and fisherfolk. They’re librarians, entertainers, and merchants. It’s time PCs take a step back and give the commoner some gods-be-damned respect.
The Ziggurat has the answer.
I was thinking about this topic the other day when I was looking up stats for citizens swept up by an evil cult. The 5th Edition Monster Manual (a tome gravid with a wealth of ideas), has lots of entries for various types of NPCs, but if I want a variety of commoners, this is what I get:
Well, come on. That just won’t do. I mean I get the reality of printing cost, and text space, but I just couldn’t label all of these unfortunate cultists as a generic commoner. After all, if Jack the Baker gets a sacrificial dagger to the heart, he’s not going to want “Here Lies Jack – The Commoner” on his tombstone.
So here’s what I came up with. You know that great section in the 5e Player’s Handbook, that 3rd Pillar of the PC creation called Background? That’s right, I got the inhabitants of the Ziggurat together and we came up with a way to use PC Backgrounds to develop some quick and dirty alterations to the ordinary commoner.
LET’S GO TO THE LIST, RAY.
- New Commoner – Academic (Background – Acolyte)
INT 12, WIS 12; AC 10; +2 to hit; Hit Points 1d8 (4)
Skill Prof: Investigation, History; Weapon of Choice: Heavy Book (1d4 Bludgeoning) - New Commoner – Huckster (Background – Charlatan)
CHA 14; AC 10; +2 to hit; hit Points 1d8 (4)
Skill Prof: Sleight of Hand, Persuasion; Weapon of Choice: Dagger (1d4 Piercing) - New Commoner – Mook (Background – Criminal)
STR 12, CON 12; AC 10; +3 to hit; Hit Points 1d8+1 (5)
Skill Prof: Stealth, Intimidation; Weapon of Choice: Club (1d4+1 Bludgeoning) - New Commoner – Street Performer (Background – Entertainer)
DEX 12, CHA 12; AC 11; +2 to hit, +3 to hit (ranged); Hit Points 1d8 (4)
Skill Prof: Acrobatics, Performance; Weapon of Choice: Dart (1d4 Piercing) - New Commoner – Folk Hero (Background – Merchant)
CON 12, WIS 12; AC 10; +2 to hit; Hit Points 1d8+1 (5)
Skill Prof: Insight, Perception; Weapon of Choice: Spear (1d6 Piercing) - New Commoner – Artisan/Smith/Engineer (Background – Guild Artisan)
DEX 12, INT 12; AC 11; +2 to hit, +3 to hit (ranged); Hit Points 1d8 (4)
Skill Prof: Investigation, Nature; Weapon of Choice: Hammer (1d4 Bludgeoning) - New Commoner – Wandering Prophet (Background – Hermit)
WIS 12, CHA 12; AC 10; +2 to hit; Hit Points 1d8 (4)
Skill Prof: Insight, Persuasion; Weapon of Choice: Walking Stick (1d4 Bludgeoning) - New Commoner – Bureaucrat (Background – Noble)
INT 14; AC 10; +2 to hit; Hit Points 1d8 (4)
Skill Prof: History, Intimidation; Weapon of Choice: Dagger (1d4 Piercing) - New Commoner – Farmer/Rancher (Background – Outlander)
CON 14; AC 10; +2 to hit; Hit Points 1d8+2 (6)
Skill Prof: Nature, Animal Handling; Weapon of Choice: Sickle or Handaxe (1d4 Slashing) - New Commoner – Bar/Innkeeper (Background – Sage)
WIS 14; AC 10; +2 to hit; Hit Points 1d8 (4)
Skill Prof: Athletics, Perception; Weapon of Choice: Club (1d4 Bludgeoning) - New Commoner – Sailor/Fisher (Background – Sailor)
DEX 14; AC 12; +2 to hit, +4 (ranged); Hit Points 1d8 (4)
Skill Prof: Acrobatics, Survival; Weapon of Choice: Knife or Gaff Hook (1d4 Piercing) - New Commoner – Rioter (Background – Soldier)
STR 14; AC 10; +4 to hit; Hit Points 1d8 (4)
Skill Prof: Athletics, Intimidation; Weapon of Choice: Spear or Pitchfork (1d6+2 Piercing) - New Commoner – Homeless (Background – Urchin)
DEX 12, WIS 12; AC 11; +2 to hit, +3 to hit (ranged); Hit Points 1d8 (4)
Skill Prof: Stealth, Survival; Weapon of Choice: Sling (1d4 Bludgeoning)
You might not agree with all the associations, but that’s okay! Most people might not immediately associate a barkeep with a sage, but when you think about it in the context of all the other backgrounds, it kind of makes sense.
You’ll also notice that none of these commoners are superstars. They don’t have impressive combat abilities, resistances, or spell use. But by tying the commoner to various PC backgrounds, they now gain backgrounds themselves. Could I have incorporated more of the PC background information into the commoner? Well, I could have, but I think a thematic relationship is enough. After all, backgrounds are really tied to PCs and major NPCs, and you don’t need the full gamut of that info to make commoners come to life.
So get out those community rosters and fill in those hard working commoners. Jack the Baker’s headstone carver will thank you!
The Ziggurat is now closed.