COMMONER OR EXPERT?

Is the blacksmith on Winding Way a commoner or an expert? In game terms, it makes no difference insofar as the smith’s ability to make items from iron is concerned; a commoner and an expert of the same level probably have the same skill ranks in Craft. In terms of the game world, commoners are more often menial laborers than master artisans. In a small village, the only blacksmith might be a commoner, but with little opportunity to advance in level, a commoner can’t compete in a big city with plenty of expert blacksmiths. The blacksmith who is a true expert might have commoner apprentices and a number of other commoners who tend his forge and carry his firewood.

The difference between commoners and experts lies primarily in education and opportunity. A person born into a commoner family rarely becomes an expert, and hardly ever learns skills— even specific Craft or Profession skills—other than those that her family teaches her. The child of a farmer learns Profession (farmer) and Handle Animal, takes Skill Focus (Profession), and tends his parents’ farm his whole life. An expert’s child has more money available and receives a better education—not necessarily a formal education, but enough to master many more skills.

All that said, the majority of the humanoid population is made up of commoners, not experts. Cities represent the largest concentrations of noncommoners in the world, but even in a bustling metropolis teeming with PC-classed characters, experts, and aristocrats, commoners still make up the majority of the population. Remember this statistic when placing experts and other NPCs in your city, and don’t be afraid to make the majority of NPCs your players encounter commoners. After all, most craftspeople don’t need six skills—one is enough to make a living.