Commoner

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**Game Masters Note:** This class was designed to mostly be used as an NPC class, however this class is scaled to be usable as a player character class.

The Commoner class represents the average no name anyone you might meet on the street. They can be from any lot in live work in any profession, or not be professional at all. A doctor, lawyer, janitor, bartender, cop, grocery clerk, burger flipper of even the mayer, any or all of these people could be from the commoner class.

**Examples of Commoners in Books, Comics, Games, TV, &Movies**

John Average Joe (Anything)

**Cross-Class Requirements**

cross-class requirements determine weather of not a character can cross-class into being a Commoner in addition to any other existing classes.

**Requirements:** None.

**Game Rule Information**

Commoners have the following game statistics.

**Ability**

The Commoner has no real associated ability score.

**Hit Die**

At 1st-level (i.e. Character creation) a Commoner receives hit points equal to 1d10 + his or her Constitution Score. Every level thereafter the Commoner gains 1d3 + the character’s Constitution modifier hit points per level. (To a minimum of 1 hit point per level regardless of a negative Constitution Modifier.) *Multi-class Characters* cross-classing into Commoner after 1st level only gain the 1d2 + the character’s Constitution modifier hit points per level, even at 1st level.

**Action Points**

8 + one-half character level, rounded down, every time the Techie attains a new level in this class.

**Class Skills**

The Commoner’s class skills, and the key ability for each skill, are as follows (see Skills Chapter for skill descriptions):

Computer Use (Int), Craft (any) (Int), Drive (Dex), Knowledge (any) (Int), Listen (Wis), Navigate (Int), Profession (any) (Wis), Read/Write Language, Repair (Int), Research (Int), Search (Wis), Speak Language, and Spot (Wis).

Also the starting occupation you select can provide you with additional class skills to choose from.

**Skill Points at 1st Level:** (5+ Int modifier) x4.

**Skill Points at Each Additional Level:** 5+ Int modifier.

**Class Features**

The following features pertain to the Commoner class.

**Armor & Weapon Proficiencies**

Commoners are proficient with all Simple Weapons. (*Multi-class Characters* cross-classing into Commoner after 1st level do not gain any proficiency from this class.)

**Commoner Talents**

At 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, and 19th level, the Commoner selects a talent from the following talent trees. Some trees have a set order that must be followed, while others provide a list to choose from. As long as the Commoner qualifies, you can select freely from any and all talent trees. No talent can be selected more than once unless expressly indicated.

**Extreme Effort Talent Tree**

A Commoner can push himself to make an extreme effort. The effort must relate either to a Strength check or a Strength-based skill check. You must decide to use this ability before making the check.

• • **Extreme Effort:** The effort requires a full-round action and provides a +2 bonus on the check.

• • **Improved Extreme Effort:** The effort requires a full-round action and provides a +2 bonus that stacks with the bonus provided by extreme effort (+4 total). *Prerequisite:* Extreme Effort

• • **Advanced Extreme Effort:** The effort requires a full-round action and provides a +2 bonus that stacks with the bonuses provided by extreme effort and improved extreme effort (+6 total). *Prerequisites:* Extreme effort, improved extreme effort.

**Heavy Load Talent Tree**

Commoners with this talent tree are capable of carrying excessively heavy loads on their backs.

• • **Heavy Load:** The character’s carrying capacity is calculated as if his Strength score were one point higher than it actually is.

• • **Greater Heavy Load:** The character’s carrying capacity is calculated as if his Strength score were two points higher than it actually is. *Prerequisite:* Heavy Load.

• • **Improved Heavy Load:** The character’s carrying capacity is calculated as if his Strength score were three points higher than it actually is. *Prerequisite:* Heavy Load, Greater Heavy Load.

• • **Maximum Heavy Load:** The character’s carrying capacity is calculated as if his Strength score were four points higher than it actually is. *Prerequisite:* Heavy Load, Greater Heavy Load, Improved Heavy Load

**Increased Speed Talent Tree**

The Commoner can increase her natural base speed.

• • **Increased Speed:** The Commoner’s base speed increases by 1 meter.

• • **Improved Increased Speed:** The Commoner’s base speed increases by 1 meter. This talent stacks with increased speed (2 meters total). *Prerequisites:* Increased speed.

• • **Advanced Increased Speed:** The Commoner’s base speed increases by 1 meter. This talent stacks with increased speed (3 meters total). *Prerequisites:* Increased speed, improved increased speed.

**Need For Speed Talent Tree**

Commoners with this talent tree possess exceptional driving skill and can perform high-speed stunts that other characters can only dream about.

• • ***Driven to Drive:*** Commoners with this talent are so comfortable behind the wheel that driving is second nature to them. As a result, their innate reflexes enhance their driving skills allowing the Commoner to add his base Reflex saving throw bonus to all of his Drive checks. *Prerequisites:* Drive 4 ranks.

• • ***Speed Racer:*** When driving at All-Out speed, the Commoner with this talent gains a +2 bonus to all Drive checks. *Prerequisites:* Drive 4 ranks,

• • ***Offensive Driving:*** All attacks made from a vehicle driven by a character with this talent gain a +2 bonus to their attack rolls. *Prerequisites:* Drive 4 ranks, Driven to Drive.

• • ***Speed Demon:*** With this talent, the Commoner becomes skilled at pushing a surface vehicle he is driving to extreme limits of speed. This ability increases the vehicle’s top speed 5 meters on the vehicle scale. *Prerequisites:* Drive 4 ranks, Driven to Drive.

**Damage Reduction Talent Tree**

The Commoner has an innate talent to ignore a set amount of damage from most weapons, but not from energy or special attack forms (which may or may not exist in your campaign). Before the Commoner can select a talent from this tree he must have previously selected at least one talent from Unbreakable Talent Tree.

• • **Damage Reduction 1/-:** The Commoner ignores 1 point of damage from melee and ranged weapons.

• • **Damage Reduction 2/-:** The Commoner ignores an additional 1 point of damage from melee and ranged weapons (DR 2/- total). *Prerequisites:* Damage Reduction 1/-, one other talent from the Unbreakable Talent Tree.

• • **Damage Reduction 3/-:** The Commoner ignores an additional 1 point of damage from melee and ranged weapons (DR 3/- total). *Prerequisites:* Damage Reduction 1/-, damage reduction 2/-, one other talent from the Unbreakable Talent Tree.

**Unbreakable Talent Tree**

The Commoner is particularly resilient thanks to the following talents.

• • **Remain Conscious:** The Commoner gains the ability to continue to perform actions when he would otherwise be considered unconscious and dying. When the Commoner’s hit points reach -1, he can perform as though he were disabled, making either an attack action or a move action every round until he reaches -10 hit points (and dies) or his hit points return to 1 or higher. The hero can choose to succumb to unconsciousness if he thinks that doing so might prevent him from taking more damage.

• • **Robust:** The Commoner becomes especially robust, gaining a number of hit points equal to his Commoner level as soon as he selects this talent. Thereafter, the hero gains +1 hit point with each level he gains.

• • **Second Wind:** The Commoner can spend 1 action point to gain a second wind. When he does this, he recovers a number of hit points equal to his Constitution modifier. This talent does not increase the Commoner’s hit points beyond the character’s full normal total. For example, a Commoner with a Constitution bonus of +3 and this ability can recover 3 hit points by spending 1 action point- but only if his current hit point total is 3 or more lower than his full normal total.

• • **Stamina:** The Commoner recovers twice as fast as normal. So, he recovers 2 hit points per character level per evening of rest, 2 points of temporary ability damage per evening of rest, and awakens in half the normal time after being knocked unconscious. *Prerequisites*: Robust.

**Toxin Resistance Talent Tree**

Commoners with this talent tree are remarkably capable of enduring harmful chemicals and infectious diseases.

• • **Apocrustic Resistance:** Commoners with this talent tree gain a +4 bonus to all saving throws made against strong odors such as those produced by a corps or a sewer.

• • **Toxin Resistance:** Commoners with this talent tree gain a +4 bonus to all saving throws made against poison. *Prerequisite:* Apocrustic Resistance.

• • **Disease Resistance:** Commoners with this talent tree gain a +4 bonus to all saving throws made against disease. *Prerequisite:* Apocrustic Resistance.

**Research Talent Tree**

The Commoner has a natural aptitude for study and fact-finding. These talents can be selected in any order.

• • **Savant:** Select one of the skills listed in the following paragraph. The Commoner gets to add a bonus equal to his Commoner level when making checks with that skill. A Commoner can take this talent multiple times; each time it applies to a different skill. Computer Use, Craft (any single skill), Decipher Script, Demolitions, Disable Device, Forgery, Investigate, Knowledge (any single skill), Navigate, Repair, Research, Search.

• • **Linguist:** With this talent, the Commoner becomes a master linguist. Whenever the hero encounters a new language, either spoken or written, he can make an Intelligence check to determine if he can understand it. The check is made with a bonus equal to the Commoner’s Commoner level + the Commoner’s Intelligence modifier. For a written language, the bonus applies to a Decipher Script check instead. The TN for the check depends on the situation; TN 15 if the language is in the same group as a language the hero has as a Read/Write Language or Speak Language skill; TN 20 if the language is unrelated to any other language the hero knows; and TN 25 if the language is ancient or unique (such as Sumerian or ancient Egyptian). (See the sidebar on page 73 for more on language groups.) With this special ability, a Commoner can glean enough meaning from a conversation or document to ascertain the basic message, but this ability in no way simulates actually being able to converse or fluently read and write a given language. *Prerequisites:* At least 1 rank in either Read/Write Language or Speak Language for each of three different languages.

**Insightful Talent Tree**

The Commoner’s innate insightfulness serves her well.

• • **Skill Emphasis:** The Commoner chooses a single skill and receives a +3 bonus on all checks with that skill. This bonus does not allow the hero to make checks for a trained-only skill if the hero has no ranks in the skill.

• • **Aware:** The Commoner is intuitively aware of her surroundings. She adds her base Will saving throw bonus to Listen or Spot checks to avoid surprise. *Prerequisites:* Skill emphasis.

• • **Faith:** The Commoner has a great deal of faith. It might be faith in herself, in a higher power, or in both. This unswerving belief allows the Commoner to add her Wisdom modifier to the die roll whenever she spends 1 action point to improve the result of an attack roll, skill check, saving throw, or ability check. *Prerequisites:* Skill emphasis.

• • **Cool Under Pressure:** The Commoner selects a number of skills equal to 3+ her Wisdom modifier. When making a check with one of these skills, the Commoner can take 10 even when distracted or under duress. *Prerequisites:* Skill emphasis plus either faith or aware.

**Animal Friendship Talent Tree**

These Commoners are especially devoted to the care and well-being of the lesser creatures of the earth. Through their bond, they develop a kinship with animals and are constantly in their company.

• • **Animal Affinity:** Commoners with this talent gain a +3 bonus to all Handle Animal Checks.

• • **Wild Empathy:** A Commoner can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person. The Commoner rolls 1d20 and adds her Commoner level and her Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly. To use wild empathy, the Commoner and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 10 meters of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time. A Commoner can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but she takes a –4 penalty on the check. *Prerequisite:* Animal Affinity.

• • **Animal Friendship:** With this talent, the Commoner spends an Action Point to beguile any creature of the animal type. To use this ability, the hero must be within 10 meters of the intended target animal. Attempting to beguile the animal is a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity. The target animal must make a Will save (TN 10 + the Commoner’s Charisma bonus + the Commoner’s class level). If the save fails, the animal becomes friendly for 1 minute per Commoner class level.

• • **Advanced Animal Friendship:** With this talent, the Commoner spends an Action Point to beguile any creature of the Animal, or Vermin, with an Intelligence of 1 or 2. To use this ability, the hero must be within 10 meters of the intended target creature. Attempting to beguile the creature is a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity. The target creature must make a Will save (TN 10 + the Commoner’s Charisma bonus + the Commoner’s class level). If the check fails, the creature becomes friendly for 10 minutes per Commoner class level. *Prerequisite:* Animal Affinity, Wild Empathy, Animal Friendship.

**Bonus Class Skill**

At 1st, 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th level, the Commoner designates one cross-class skill as a class skill. Once designated, the skill is considered a class skill every time the character adds a new level of Commoner.

**Bonus Feats**

At 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, and 20th level, the Commoner gets a bonus feat. The bonus feat must be selected from the following list, and the Commoner must meet all the prerequisites of the feat to select it.

[VEHICLE FEATS], OR [BASIC FEATS].

**Skill Bonus**

At 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level, the Commoner gains an additional skill rank that the Commoner can add to any class skill the Commoner has requardless of maxs ranks or other limitations.