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How would *you* play a Commoner CHARNAME?

KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
Lately, I feel that I've played too many villains, lunatics, or similar ilk. Thus I'm trying to plan something a bit different for my next playthrough: a run-of-the-mill Commoner! Needless to say he or she would stay that way throughout the whole Baldur's Gate trilogy.

Things I've thought up at this point:

- Only a single "main" weapon with max. 1 proficiency point to it. That main weapon's category will probably be either Club, Sling, or Quarterstaff (the non-magical kind), since those were freely available to farmers and other simple folks.
- Stats scores must vary in between 7 and 9 in all attributes.
- Reputation mustn't fall lower than 8 or raise higher than 12.
- Mustn't equip armors heavier than leather.
- Mustn't equip helms, shields, or off-hand weapons of any kind.
- No stat increases of any kind allowed. Be it from permanent stat boosts, spells, or equipment.

Haven't decided on gender, class, or race choice yet. Suggestions of any kind are of course welcome!
Anyway, what's your take on such a playthrough? And how would you roleplay a Bhaalspawn Commoner?
Post edited by Kamigoroshi on
CalmarjackjackBlackravenbooinyoureyesStarflower2525CrevsDaakNonnahswriterFredjoElrandirJenzafarlolien
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Comments

  • CalmarCalmar Member Posts: 688
    The game probably makes it hard for you to be unheroic and unspecial, with getting sucked up into the events with the Nashkell mine and the bandits and all.

    I'd probably chose a druid who doesn't use his druid abilities. I think all classes require one above-average ability score.

    Can you use this EEKeeper program to change your appearance into that of a NPC commoner? :D
    KamigoroshiFredjo
  • jackjackjackjack Member Posts: 3,251
    edited April 2014
    I love this idea! Will you edit your scores to get around the minimum 75 point roll? I would greatly enjoy hearing more about this.
    I advise against a solo run, (I never do 'em anyway).
    Post edited by jackjack on
    KamigoroshiBlackraven
  • CalmarCalmar Member Posts: 688
    jackjack said:

    I love this idea! Will you edit your scores to get around the minimum 75 point roll? I would greatly enjoy hearing more about this.
    I advise against a solo run, (I never do 'em anyway).

    I don't think he has to do that, because you don't need to spend all your points. I just checked this by creating a Str 9, Dex 3, Con 3, Int 3, Wis 3, Cha 3 fighter.

    ... no need to thank me for your next awesome type of challenge! :P
    Kamigoroshijackjack
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    I've thought about building a Druid as well, but then remembered that they need 12 Wisdom and 15 Charisma. Which is a tad too high for a "commoner". Though, I reckon a self proclaimed Cleric of Chauntea could also work, if I'd play him/her like some faithful hobby farmer. And I could get away with 9 Wisdom to boot. Hmm... I have to think about it some more later.

    And yes, there's no reason to spend all attribute points in this case. :)
    jackjack
  • CalmarCalmar Member Posts: 688
    edited April 2014
    Or simply a fighter with low stats who uses simple armor and weapons?
  • jackjackjackjack Member Posts: 3,251
    Calmar said:

    jackjack said:

    I love this idea! Will you edit your scores to get around the minimum 75 point roll? I would greatly enjoy hearing more about this.
    I advise against a solo run, (I never do 'em anyway).

    I don't think he has to do that, because you don't need to spend all your points. I just checked this by creating a Str 9, Dex 3, Con 3, Int 3, Wis 3, Cha 3 fighter.

    ... no need to thank me for your next awesome type of challenge! :P
    Derp. I've left points unspent but managed to forget that you can do that. Onward!
    I love the Cleric angle.
  • dustbubsydustbubsy Member Posts: 249
    In all honesty I think a commoner Charname would just hide out in Beregost and try to live a normal life. Still, go for it.
    GoturalJLee
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    I think a commoner character shouldn't have a lot of things going for him. He should have close to zero experience in combat, close to zero social skills, close to zero real practical talents to bring to a situation and enough hit points to be afraid of house cats.

    But the one advantage the commoner character should be under-appreciation and thus, surprise. Many underestimate the abilities of the simple commoner; few will take the time to pay any appropriate attention towards them. This is where, in my opinion, the commoner should shine, this is where he may blend in with background and survive.

    Continuing this thought, I come to the following:

    1) The commoner character should never, if possible, engage an enemy in melee combat. In fact if the option is available retreating should be a legitimate reaction. You one weapon proficiency and at most maybe 30 hit points, you are not a warrior. But that isn’t to say you can’t support in a fight, just make sure you are at a safe distance.

    2) Creativity is your greatest tool and one that will more than likely save your life countless times. Creative solutions become mandatory because you lack the hit points to try anything else. Mysterious creature in the basement? Tie a rope to a ham and chuck it down as a means to scout. Potentially trapped hallway? Fill up a barrel and roll it down. Approaching problems in an imaginative manner has to become a standard procedure.

    3) Specialization is key, do not over burden yourself by trying to make your commoner good at a whole lot of stuff. Ideally he should be good at one thing and possibly ordinaty at another.

    This can lead to other ideas:

    Hit Points: You should get a d4 which would put you against mages except they have all of that magic stuff to compensate; you just have those awesome.... hmmm... yes, jokes…

    A d4 would mean the commoner charname is very vulnerable, vulnerable enough to fear housecats. It’s a bad situation…

    Proficiencies: You get no armor (or at least no solid armor) or shield, thus re-enforcing our idea that you should stay out of melee. Regarding weapon proficiencies you receive only simple proficiencies. So some legitimate choices are:

    *Dart: Practical, versatile and cheaply produced makes darts excellent choices for a commoner. Its damage is modest and with ranged damage you’re given some more versatility.

    *Sling: Lacking any melee potential the sling is almost a purely defensive weapon. But being practically free (including using stones instead of sling bullets, which are still very cheap) means everyone can make, carry and use one when needed.

    So, maybe a thief with low CON (so that you get 4d) and low DEX (so that your thieving skills being spent equally are ordinary in each category).
    Kamigoroshilolien
  • SionIVSionIV Member Posts: 2,689
    Just look at Garrick.
    GoturalFredjobooinyoureyesIthual
  • SirK8SirK8 Member Posts: 527
    edited April 2014
    I think it depends on how you see your character developing in response to the things that happen to him. This reminds me of a MTG book called "Arena" or something like that I read many years ago. Basically one of the main characters is just a woodcutter/woodsman (Ranger or Fighter with axe prof?) who gets caught up in certain events. Obviously even a commoner could not be unaffected entirely. In his case eventually he goes on to be the general of an army and quite proficient in fighting/war.

    So it depends on your idea of commoner and how you see them developing. Maybe pick a key stat that they excel in (12 or 13 instead of 10, I say 10 cause that's my idea of commoner) and a weakness (much lower stat in one area). Their development might be based on that. I would stay away from the caster classes or only use the spells for RP flavor, i.e. maybe he has an affinity for nature and is a druid, so summons spells might be appropriate, or goodberries spell (hey then that spell could actually see some use). Thief could make sense too, but so could ranger, fighter, etc.

    Maybe you don't want them to go from zero to hero like my example above, but think about what would happen if all of these events were taking place. If their high stat was intelligence, then forming a capable party to do their bidding might make sense (alignment might also play into this).

    Overall though I do like the idea of lower stats, simple weapons and low hit points. I guess my point is that nobody could go through the events of BG unchanged and you want to think about how your commoner would be changed and that can help you pick an appropriate class.

    Sorry for the ramble :)

    Edit: As far as min stat requirements for classes, I wouldn't worry about that, just pick your class then EEKeeper your stats the way you want them.
    KamigoroshiBlackravenElrandir
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    edited April 2014
    Other restrictions I can come up with for a commoner charname:

    -Can only play pure class (no kits because commoners are not specialized in any fields!)
    -Can only play as a Fighter, Thief and Cleric (commoners dont have strong devotion to duty, nature or knowledge/power)
    -Allow one exceptional stat and no stats can go above 12
    -Total stats cannot exceed 60
    -Recruitment of NPC depends:
    Your charname must have a higher Charisma than the NPC (to be able to convince that individual to join your party).

    KamigoroshiBlackravenJuliusBorisov
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    I

    I've thought about building a Druid as well, but then remembered that they need 12 Wisdom and 15 Charisma. Which is a tad too high for a "commoner". Though, I reckon a self proclaimed Cleric of Chauntea could also work, if I'd play him/her like some faithful hobby farmer. And I could get away with 9 Wisdom to boot. Hmm... I have to think about it some more later.

    And yes, there's no reason to spend all attribute points in this case. :)

    Or a Cleric of Ilmater?

    @Ballad, hilarious! I didn't say that OP should change his sprite in that of a commoner, though I like the idea. I would watch out with it though. I once tried to run a gypsy bard with the harlot sprite through the game, but it crashed because of it.
    Fredjo
  • SirK8SirK8 Member Posts: 527
    And whenever it rains say "Weather's been lousy lately"
    wintersbooinyoureyesFredjo
  • meaglothmeagloth Member Posts: 3,806
    Most commoners would have been farmers or do some kind of manual labor. I would say you could probably have 12-14 con and str, and there's no reason a normal guy can't have high cha.
    booinyoureyesFredjo
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    @meagloth: All true, but the commoners in the game have 9s in every stat. I think OP is trying to emulate that idea.
    jackjackKamigoroshibooinyoureyes
  • meaglothmeagloth Member Posts: 3,806

    @meagloth: All true, but the commoners in the game have 9s in every stat. I think OP is trying to emulate that idea.

    Yea, yea, I know... But still.
  • VakarianVakarian Member Posts: 94
    Or, if you really want to emulate a commoner, why don't you get out some dice and actually roll 3d6 for each stat and use that for your character. Like most real commoners, you are likely to have some stats that are better than average and some that are worse. And you can use your rolls to guide your character's background/personality. Above average strength? Maybe you were a farmer or stableboy. Above average intelligence? Maybe you worked as a scribe in the library.
    BlackravenWolkCrevsDaakFredjo
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