If $X$ is a smooth projective curve (e.g. a Riemann surface if you work over $\textbf C$) and $D$ is the divisor of a point $P\in X$, then $|D|$ is just $P$ (unless $X\cong\textbf P^1$, in which case $|D|=\textbf P^1$).
As another example, consider this pencil ($=$ one-dimensional linear system) on the projective plane: for $t$ ranging $\textbf P^1$, the corresponding divisor is given by the equation $y(x-tz)$: the $x$-axis plus a "vertical line". All these divisors meet at the point at infinity, and there is no other base point (even if the $x$-axis appears in each divisor!)
A useful characterization says that $|D|$ is base-point-free if and only if $\mathscr O_X(D)$ is generated by its global sections. Similarly, for non-complete linear systems: $\textbf PV^\ast\subseteq |D|$ is base-point-free if and only if $\mathscr O_X(D)$ is generated by the global sections in (a basis of) $V$. Translation: a linear system determines a rational map $\psi:X\dashrightarrow \textbf PV^\ast$, and $x\in X$ is a base point if and only if $\psi$ is not defined at $x$ (which means that all the sections generating $V$ vanish at $x$). Just take $V=H^0(X,\mathscr O_X(D))$ if you only care about complete linear systems.
Another example of a linear system with base points: let $k$ be the algebraic closure of $\textbf F_2$ and let $V\subset H^0(\textbf P^2_k,\mathscr O(3))$ be spanned by the cubics
\begin{equation} x^2y+xy^2,\,x^2z+z^2x,\,y^2z+z^2y. \end{equation}
Then the linear system $\textbf PV^\ast$ (which is two-dimensional) has $7$ base points: look at those points in $\textbf P^2_k$ at which the above sections vanish simultaneously, and you will find that this happens exactly when the coordinates all lie in $\textbf F_2$. So the base locus here is the finite projective plane $\textbf P^2_{\textbf F_2}$.