```metadata title: '[Background] Commoners, Peasants, & Villagers' description: A booklet of level 0 classes for 5e. Originally by u/MasterOfTheHats tags: '' systems: - 5e renderer: legacy ``` S*o I've been having a quick took around reddit, as well as the web, to see if anybody had ever made some sort of commoner class. While I did find a few, the ones I could find were all based around the idea of it being a full class. But, what I really needed was essentially a playable background, or as some people who I've had a look at it called them, 'Rookie Classes'* So, I decided to do what every student with no spare time does, and that was to push my school work aside and type up a few instead. Now, the idea behind this was to type up three to six classes, but it turned out to be so much fun that I ended up with 12! Anyway, enough dillydallying, because I present to you guys:
# Cheerful Commoners, Pleasant Peasants, and Vivacious Villagers Some people are born into adventuring. While some are forced into it, whether that be by an orc warlord, or a bored necromancer. And then, there's that special type of adventurer, the accidental one. These are people who usually end up adventuring by the most unlikely on means. One man signed a contract to test a batch of wands for a wizard. Another hitched a ride with the wrong wagon. One thing all these have in common, is that they started out as commoners, peasants, or villagers. And as everyone knows, any one of these titles mean they've had a job before this. So, if your a DM who wants your players to play out thier backstories, or just looking to do a hilarious one-shot, this just might be what you're looking for. On the next pages you will find a number of classes, which are really meant to be templates for level 0 characters, as a way to ease your players into the story. There will also be a short description of the general idea of the class, intended for roleplaying, or just getting a feel for the profession. This entices the following things: Hit dice, health, proficiencies, skills, equipment, and the occasional spell. All professions also carry Rookie Packs, which consist of: - A backpack - A bedroll - 50ft hempen rope - 15 days rations - 5 torches ##### Completed Classes | Class | |:--------------| | Blacksmith | | Lumberjack | | Carpenter | | Mason | | Farmer | | Sheriff | | Hunter | | Fisherman | | Butcher | | Skald | | Doctor | | Preacher |
##### Aknowledgements - This document was written using the homebrewery.naturalcrit.com - Original post on r/UnearthedArcana by u/TheMasterOfHats - Edited and updated by u/PhoenixO8
\page ## Blacksmith People who choose to become blacksmiths usually do it for one of the following three reasons: - The thought of shaping something useful out of some unsightly lump has always enticed them. - Their father, or another family member, worked as a blacksmith, and they have always helped in and around the shop. - The only thing they were ever good at was hitting stuff with other stuff. One of the things blacksmith's are especially good at, however unlikely it may seem, is finding small inconsistancies. After all, a tool is only as good as the skill of the smith who makes it. Along with his craftsmen brethren: the lumberjack, carpenter, mason, and farmer, no town would be able to keep itself together without them. As a blacksmith, you gain the following features #### Hit Points ___ - **Hit Dice:** 1d10 - **Hit Points:** 6 + your Constitution modifier #### Proficiencies ___ - **Armor:** Light armor - **Weapons:** dagger, hand axe, light hammer, warhammer - **Tools:** smith's tools ___ - **Skills:** Athletics, Investigation #### Equipment You start with the following equipment, as upposed to the equipment granted by your background: - *(a)* a dagger or *(b)* a hand axe - light hammer - warhammer - padded armor - smith's tools - rookie pack ## Lumberjack The lumberjack is the foundation of every community. After all, if the lumberjack didn't fell trees, there would be no buildings, no tools, and no firewood. They might not be the most welcoming people, but buy them a beer and you've got a drinking mate. Give them a helping hand and you've got a meal and a roof to sleep under. Give them company and you've got access to one of the most unique minds in the world. For you see, a lumberjack doesn't simply fell trees. At night, you will find them sitting around the fire, exchanging tales of the fearsome citters of the woods, the brave men before them, and stories from their hometowns. All of these things can easily give one unique insight in the ways and traditions of the local area. As a , you gain the following features #### Hit Points ___ - **Hit Dice:** 1d10 - **Hit Points:** 6 + your Constitution modifier #### Proficiencies ___ - **Armor:** Light armor - **Weapons:** dagger, hand axe, battleaxe - **Tools:** none ___ - **Skills:** Athletics, History, Performance #### Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: - dagger - hand axe - battleaxe - padded armor - rookie pack \page ## Carpenter Once the lumberjacks return with wood, the carpenter steps into action. No man is quite as effective at shaping and reshaping wood, lumber, and logs into houses, wagons, and tools. Now, were a lumberjack merely chops trees down, the carpenter shapes them into tools, cutlery, boats, planks, and boats. There really aren't limitations apart from your tools and your skills. As a carpenter, you gain the following features #### Hit Points ___ - **Hit Dice:** 1d10 - **Hit Points:** 6 + your Constitution modifier #### Proficiencies ___ - **Armor:** Light armor - **Weapons:** dagger, hand axe, battleaxe, club, greatclub - **Tools:** tools ___ - **Skills:** Athletics, Sleight of Hand #### Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: - dagger - hand axe - great club - padded armor - carpenter's tools - rookie pack ## Mason The mason. The man you call when wood just won't cut it. Masons have the ability to do with rock and stone what carpenters do with wood. Shaping it into the most magnificent things, but the difference is that these people have an innate ability to see exatly what every rock's identity is. Almost as if they have an insight into the very thoughts of the rocks and stones of the world. They are, however, sometimes also a little eccentric, especially those sho have oriented themselves towards the more artistic branches of this line of work. As a Mason, you gain the following features #### Hit Points ___ - **Hit Dice:** 1d10 - **Hit Points:** 6 + your Constitution modifier #### Proficiencies ___ - **Armor:** Light armor - **Weapons:** dagger, had axe, war pick, warhammer - **Tools:** carpenter's tools ___ - **Skills:** Athletics, Insight #### Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: - dagger - war pick - warhammer - padded armor - mason's tools - rookie pack \page ## Farmer The farmer, no town with even the slightest self respect will admit to not having one. Not that this ever happens, as farmers practically grow on the trees... Or in the fields... Farming and ranching have always been and always will be hard, but honset work. With long days of hard labor, it's one of the most rewarding lines of work in the world. After all, knowing that you've helped fill the stocks of the town and prepared it for another winter, well, there's just nothing quite like that feeling. Whether preparing the fields or herding the cattle in the baking heat, the only thing about the weather they'll ever complain about is the time sun and rain comes. As a farmer, you gain the following features #### Hit Points ___ - **Hit Dice:** 1d10 - **Hit Points:** 6 + your Constitution modifier #### Proficiencies ___ - **Armor:** Light armor - **Weapons:** dagger, hand axe, whip, trident - **Tools:** none ___ - **Skills:** Animal Handling, Nature #### Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: - *(a)* dagger or *(b)* hand axe - trident - whip - padded armor - rookie pack ## Butcher If you've got a hunter, a farmer, and a fisherman in town, you can bet your nether region that you'll also find a butcher. Butchers process meat, cut it up, prepare it, salt it, store it, whatever needs to be done to make it tasty for a long time. Certain butchers have also realized that hide, pelt, and leather are sometimes just as, if not more valuable than certain meats. Hence, why they tend to sell these on the side for a little extra coin. Most butchers have an almost uncanny way with knifes, wielding them the same way a fisherman wields his tackle or the hunter his bow. But, instead of wanting to kill his "prey," he aims to prepare it for selling. This leads to them knowing how to cut the different meats. Now of course, this doesn't mean butchers are small and dainty men, in fact, most of them are big and burly, as they carry around carcasses day in and day out. Finally, they need to know how to be quite the persuasive salesman, so they also have just the right kind of charisma. As a butcher, you gain the following features #### Hit Points ___ - **Hit Dice:** 1d10 - **Hit Points:** 6 + your Constitution modifier #### Proficiencies ___ - **Armor:** Light armor - **Weapons:** dagger, hand axe, shortsword - **Tools:** None ___ - **Skills:** Athletics, Persuation, Slieght of Hand #### Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: - dagger - hand axe - meat cleaver (shortsword) - padded armor - rookie pack - 10gp \page ## Sheriff The sheriff, no matter how useless they might seem to the average adventurer, has a number of things that actually makes him rather valuable. You see, even though he might not be able solve every crime, he can lock up criminals, pay bounties, and give information on the locals, and local gangs for that matter. Some of them might be in contact with other sheriffs, leading to them building up a network of contacts. Most sheriffs also have at least a basic understanding of how to use crossbows and even certain swords, as they need these tools to fight off bandits. They also have a keener eye than one might think when looking for clues. As a sheriff, you gain the following features #### Hit Points ___ - **Hit Dice:** 1d10 - **Hit Points:** 6 + your Constitution modifier #### Proficiencies ___ - **Armor:** Light armor, medium armor - **Weapons:** dagger, hand axe, light crossbow, shortsword, longsword - **Tools:** None ___ - **Skills:** History, Insight, Investigation #### Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: - *(a)* dagger or *(b)* hand axe - light crossbow with 20 bolts - shortsword - chain shirt - rookie pack ## Hunter The hunter, the one person you will almost definitely meet more than one of on your travels across the land. Hunters have a special outlook on life, some of them prefer to spend days or even weeks by themselves in the wilderness. Others have simply realized that there's something special about the thrill of the hunt. But, one thing every hunter has in common is thier ability to pick any relativly common ranged weapon and use it. They might not have the almost inhuman ability that rangers have, but hey, as long as the arrow hits, who cares how awsome the shot looked? Another thing they have is the ability to stalk prey for days, or even weeks. When they lose the trail, well, they almost always somehow manage to find it again. When you spend as much time out in the wild as they do, you learn things that no scholar knows, or thinks is important. As a hunter, you gain the following features #### Hit Points ___ - **Hit Dice:** 1d10 - **Hit Points:** 6 + your Constitution modifier #### Proficiencies ___ - **Armor:** Light armor - **Weapons:** dagger, hand axe, shortbow, longbow, light crossbow, heavy crossbow - **Tools:** None ___ - **Skills:** Nature, Survival, Stealth #### Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: - *(a)* dagger or *(b)* hand axe - *(a)* shortbow or *(b)* longbow or *(c)* light crossbow - 20 ammunition - studded leather armor - hunting trap - rookie pack \page ## Fisherman The fisherman might not be the most common sight in every village, but any town located close to a lake, river, or the sea will almost certainly have at least one. It might not be the most prestigious work, but sometimes a changge to the usual red meat is welcome, and besides, what if both the harvest and the hunt fails? Always consider ever outcome. These people tend to know how to wield most pieces of fishing equipment, trident to net and everything in between. They will almost always be able to aquire passage in a boat, and they will definitely know how to prepare fish. As a fisherman, you gain the following features #### Hit Points ___ - **Hit Dice:** 1d10 - **Hit Points:** 6 + your Constitution modifier #### Proficiencies ___ - **Armor:** Light armor - **Weapons:** dagger, hand axe, trident, net - **Tools:** fishing tackle ___ - **Skills:** Sirvival, Nature #### Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: - dagger - trident - net - padded armor - rookie pack - fishing tackle ## Skald The skald has devoted their life to traveling the lands, bringing tales of dragons and demons, princes and princesses, knights and cowards, mages and madmen. They might be able to tell stories with the same enthusiasm as bards, but that isn't necessary, after all, as long as you know what to say and to whom, you just might be able to make a pretty penny. As a skald, you gain the following features #### Hit Points ___ - **Hit Dice:** 1d8 - **Hit Points:** 5 + your Constitution modifier #### Proficiencies ___ - **Armor:** Light armor - **Weapons:** dagger, handaxe - **Tools:** 1 musical instrument ___ - **Skills:** Performance, deception, one non-exotic language #### Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: - dagger - proficient instrument - padded armor - rookie pack \page ## Doctor Although they might not be the most popular person in town, there's no denying that they know their way around most things that ail the living. Whether that be setting a broken bone, a troublesome birth, or simply cooling down a high fever, this is the person you want with you. These people, sometimes reffered to as herbalists, have an almost unnatural knowledge of plants and wildlife, leading to some suspecting them of being more than meets the eye, hence why they are also derogatorily reffered to as witch doctors. Of course, everything has its roots in reality after all, everyone has to start somewere, right? As a doctor, you gain the following features #### Hit Points ___ - **Hit Dice:** 1d8 - **Hit Points:** 5 + your Constitution modifier #### Proficiencies ___ - **Armor:** Light armor - **Weapons:** dagger, hand axe, sickle - **Tools:** herbalism kit ___ - **Skills:** Nature, Medicine #### Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: - *(a)* dagger or *(b)* hand axe - sickle - padded armor - herbalism kit - rookie pack #### Spellcasting You learn the *Druidcraft* cantrip. ## Preacher Not every town has a man blessed by the gods available to them at any given time. However, they do have a man doing his best to spread the word of his lord. Although he might not have the same combat capabilities as his adverturing brethren, he still knows a thing or two about the gods and the land. While some men of the cloth spread the word of the lord with fire and brimstone, and others with promises of salvation, the precher prefers to do it the old fashioned way, with a holy book in one hand, and a symbol of his god in the other. With some old fasioned gumption, he preaches day in and day out, hoping that someday, the gods might just recognize his work and show their appreciation to him. As a preacher, you gain the following features #### Hit Points ___ - **Hit Dice:** 1d8 - **Hit Points:** 5 + your Constitution modifier #### Proficiencies ___ - **Armor:** Light armor - **Weapons:** dagger, hand axe - **Tools:** None ___ - **Skills:** Religion, History #### Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: - *(a)* dagger or *(b)* hand axe - padded armor - holy symbol - vial of holy water - rookie pack #### Spellcasting You learn the *Spare the Dying* cantrip.