Frequency of classes in the setting.

[SteelGuts]

We are having a few animated discussions on the playtest forum about the presence of Goblins as a core race in PF2, and it made me wonder: are the core classes the most numerous in default Golarion?

For example I can picture more Witches than Druids, and more Warpriests than Paladins.
For the arcane spellcasters the question is tricky too, because. Arcanist sand Wizards are similar so I really don’t know.
And there are regional specialities. In Tian Xia I can picture more Samurais than Figthers. And the word fighter probably means Cavalier or Swashbuckler in Taldor.
We can imagine more Brawlers than Monks.

Anyway what are your thoughts on this?

[SOLDIER-1st]

I have asked for an official demographics book before. Doubt we'll ever get it though.

[Cevah]

I would say the demographics follow the publication of the classes. The older the class, the more numerous the class.

/cevah

[SheepishEidolon]

Cevah wrote:

I would say the demographics follow the publication of the classes. The older the class, the more numerous the class.

To support this with some book text:

APG, page 5 wrote:

These base classes are just as powerful as the

core classes found in the Core Rulebook, though they are generally assumed to be less common in the world (unless a Game Master decides otherwise).

APG, page 26 wrote:

While most common folk have shared ale with a fighter or perhaps even seen a wizard perform an awesome act of magic, these are not the only adventurers known to legends and history.

Ultimate Magic, page 4 wrote:

This chapter starts off with

a bang, presenting a new 20-level base class, the magus. This class is just as powerful as the classes in the Core Rulebook and the Advanced Player’s Guide, though it is assumed to be less common in the world (unless the GM says otherwise).

Ultimate Combat, page 9 wrote:

For a renegade few, battle sounds different than it does for the typical fighter. The clash of steel and the sizzle of

spell energy are drowned out by the thunderous rhythm of gunfire—the pounding beat of the gunslinger.

Couldn't find such text in ACG, OA, UI and UW, though.

[deuxhero]

I'd imagine Alchemist, Magus and Warpriest are the most common non-core classes, with Skald relatively common in areas where barbarians hail from but rare elsewhere and Bloodrager similar to Skald. I'd say they're all more common than Paladin. From how a GM would populate enemies, I'd imagine Kineticist, which are very useful as mooks far under the PC's level due to targeting touch AC, would be more common while Swashbucklers, which aren't that interesting to fight compared to [b]warriors[b], would be less common and Paladins virtually non-existant but anti-paladins relatively common among the forces of evil.

[Phoebus Alexandros]

SteelGuts wrote:

We are having a few animated discussions on the playtest forum about the presence of Goblins as a core race in PF2, and it made me wonder: are the core classes the most numerous in default Golarion?

...
Anyway what are your thoughts on this?

The material appears to support Cevah’s views, but I agree with your instincts. Both Barbarians and Druids strike me as rather culture-specific, for instance. Likewise, while most Core Classes are probably widely represented in most of Golarion’s realms, perhaps it’s a certain Archetype that suits a given nation more so than the standard class.

[Adjoint]

Phoebus Alexandros wrote:

The material appears to support Cevah’s views, but I agree with your instincts. Both Barbarians and Druids strike me as rather culture-specific, for instance. Likewise, while most Core Classes are probably widely represented in most of Golarion’s realms, perhaps it’s a certain Archetype that suits a given nation more so than the standard class.

I would agree with Druids, but there are many flavors that can be mechanically described as a Barbarian. Thugs, gladiators, mercenaries, bandits, they can all be mechanically Barbarians.

[SteelGuts]

Thanks for your thoughts guys. I figured indeed that the more you went away from Core the rarer the classes would be, but some of them seems indeed sometimes more commune than Core.

The Druid/Witch/Shaman is probably the best example. As the Paladin/Antipaladin/Warpriest depending on the churches. The same goes for Swashbuckler/Cavalier/Brawler/Figther/Samurai. I think a lots of NPCS were made as Figthers because at that time the other classes did not exist, but I don’t know if it is jut a mechanical thing or indeed they are Figthers in the setting.