[CONAN] Barbaric Commoners?

[Supplement Four]

Is there such a thing as a Pict Commoner? A Commoner who is also a member of a Cimmerian clan? A Commoner of the Black Kingdoms?

Or, is the Commoner class restricted to NPCs of "civilized" cultures?

 

[Boneguard]

Yes, Female tribe members would be commoners.

I guess also some male tribe member would be commoner...especially farmers/hearder.

 

[Supplement Four]

Yes, Female tribe members would be commoners.

I guess also some male tribe member would be commoner...especially farmers/hearder.

But aren't those people Barbarians first and farmers/herders second?

Shouldn't they be 1st level Barbarains (not Commoners) with skill points put into the Farmer or Herder Profession?



Put another way, did the Apache Indians have anything that could be classed as a Commoner?

 

[Spectator]

I like the concept of "commoners" for soft Khauranian peasants who know no hardship unlike the Pictish/ Black Kingdom tribesmen do. I think that by virtue of growing up in the woods/ jungle/ cimmerian highlands you are hardier (even their women-folk) therefor Commoner is a bad call for these races.

Yes, Female tribe members would be commoners.

I guess also some male tribe member would be commoner...especially farmers/hearder.

But aren't those people Barbarians first and farmers/herders second?

Shouldn't they be 1st level Barbarains (not Commoners) with skill points put into the Farmer or Herder Profession?



Put another way, did the Apache Indians have anything that could be classed as a Commoner?

 

[Boneguard]

Yes, Female tribe members would be commoners.

I guess also some male tribe member would be commoner...especially farmers/hearder.

But aren't those people Barbarians first and farmers/herders second?

Shouldn't they be 1st level Barbarains (not Commoners) with skill points put into the Farmer or Herder Profession?



Put another way, did the Apache Indians have anything that could be classed as a Commoner?

I see it differently, even if barbarian culture represent hardship, some would be non-combative member of the society and thus would qualify as commoner -especially if any of them are thralls- and I can see most women being non-combative member of their society as well as a small subset of the male population.

 

[Nyarlathotep5150]

I partially agree. Most women in barbarian cultures would be non-combatant commoners (barring the occasional shield maiden, witch, thief, etc). As would children.
As far as men, I would say they were all prettymuch barbarians. Barbaric cultures (especially ones like Cimmerians and Nordheimir) usually don't have standing armies, and all male members of the tribe are trained to fight, and defend their family. So, I'd say, prettymuch all male members of the society would be barbarians (though, maybe only 1 level of barbarian).
Thralls are the hardest to pin down, since that would depend on the nature of Thralldom. If thralldom is hereditary, then they would be a class of commoner. but many barbaric cultures take thralls from cultures they raid, and release them as free citizens once they've completely acclimated to the tribes culture (gone native). So, in that instance, a thrall would likely be whatever class was predominant among the culture raided, until such time as he learned the tribes language and picked up a level in barbarian (and thus was no longer a thrall).
It's a complicated issue, but I'd fall on the side of 99% of male tribesmen have some levels in barbarian, roughly 95% of females would be commoners. The thralls being wild cards that might be anything from commoners to pirates, to enemy soldiers who were too unlucky to die.