RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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It strikes me that Commoners should have a good Fortitude save. They generally end up performing hard labor, and they're constantly exposed to disease, exhaustion and terrible conditions.
I realize that Commoners are supposed to be pretty much worthless, but I think that adding a good fortitude save would help to distinguish the class and make it more realistic.
I always saw having a good save as representing actual training. Rangers and barbarians getting exposed to a host of natural poisons, fighters being routinely beaten and healing from their wounds, mages and clerics receiving strict discipline in how to channel their mental energies and clear their minds, rogues getting put through "gauntlet" training programs to hone reflexes.
A commoners fort is as good as a rogues, their reflex as good as a fighter, and their will as good as a barbarians.
Just my 2cp.
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In my mind, Commoners are meant to be the base line (and pretty much suck at everything for all the reasons Starglim mentioned above). They already got a bump from d4 HP to d6. That's enough for me.
Actually, given the above, I have a problem with Commoner's class skill list: Climb, Craft, Handle Animals, Perception, Profession, Ride, and Swim. Commoners shouldn't have any skill that someone else is denied. Clerics, paladins, wizards and sorcerers don't get Climb, so why should a Commoner? Craft, okay, everybody seems to get that. Handle Animals, okay. Perception! Clerics, fighters, paladins, wizards and sorcerers don't get Perception! Yet a farmer does? Wrong! I don't think anybody but Experts ought to get Profession. And sure a Commoner may be able to Ride and Swim, but I don't see any reason why they should be especially good at it. My suggested Commoner class skills list is: Craft, Handle Animals. That's it. They can take anything else, but they sure as heck don't get any +3s for it
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Wrong... The commoner also has to have profession... A farmer isn't an expert, as farming doesn't per se craft anything (although if he were a cheesemaker, he could take craft:cheesemaking). Profession is thus essential. ;)
I see your point, although I was thinking the farmer would still take Profession (farmer) and just not get the +3 class-skill bonus. That way, a Commoner with 3 ranks of Profession (farmer) would still be sub-par compared to an Expert with 3 ranks of Profession (farmer). One would be a dirt-scraping peasant and the other would be more of a modern farmer - someone actually wise to the hows and whys of agriculture.
But I wouldn't die if Profession stays on Commoners' skill list. The other ones though - Climb, Ride, Swim, PERCEPTION - have got to go.
Just being able to level up is a huge gain for commoners. Before 3E they were stuck at zero level, with no improvements unless they were a "retired" fighter and so on. As for the skills, leave them with what they have. Commoners have to make a living too :) They were no threat to the superiority of the expert class in professions, because the experts gain more skill points in 3.5... have to check the "NPC" classes in PF and check on skill progression in them (I've been focused on the PC classes).
I think they were given them as class skills in order to allow the DM to make a commoner with different professions.
A sheepherder without perception is useless. No more sheep.
They have few enough skill points though that a commoner isn't going to be running around with perception, craft, profession, climb, and swim.
Most will have craft or profession, and maybe one other skill.
The typical farmer I can see having prof (farm) and climb.
Maybe swim if he's located near a source of water.
It makes sense that the typical "person" would be moderately useful at 2 things.
