List of Professions anywhere?

[KjetilKverndokken]

So, we get a good few professions in the BRP Core. But I find them somewhat lacking a bit if I'm hosting a dark age or a fantasy game. So before I get along and start writing the Professions myself, I thought it might be a smart thing to ask you guys if you know of a Profession list with write ups or where I can get them?

Cause I'm looking at the flexible Lifepath system of Burning Wheel, and would need a good ammount of dark age/middle age/Renaissance/fantasy professions.

[Jason D]

You might look to Cthulhu Dark Ages for more professions. CDA has the following professions:

Beggar

Cleric

Craftsman/Shopkeeper

Farmer

Guard

Healer

Hermit/Heretic

Household Officer

Juggler/Minstrel

Mercenary/Brigand

Merchant

Monk/Nun

Pilgrim

Priest

Sailor

Scholar

Sergeant/Mayor

Small Trader

Warrior

Woodsman/Fisherman

Another source would be Stormbringer/Elric!. The following professions are represented therein:

Beggar

Craftsperson/Shopkeeper

Hunter

Lost/Forgotten

Mercenary/Bodyguard

Merchant

Minor Noble

Nomad

Paid Assassin/Thug

Peasant/Farmer

Physician/Apothecary

Sailor

Scribe/Engineer

Shaman/Priest/Cultist

Slave

Small Trader

Soldier/Guard/Watchman

Tax or Rent Collector

Thief

Troubadour/Entertainer

Between those two sources, you've got most non-setting-specific professions covered.

[KjetilKverndokken]

Thanks, I feel stupid now, I got CDA

Then its all good to go

[HANZO]

Is there any chaosium systems still in print that the professions are like they were in old RQ with a set amount added to each skill based on the profession?

[Jarulf]

I don't think so.

Nick Middleton's fanzine Uncounted Worlds has an article describing a lifepath system for BRP that does something similar.

You can get it as a free pdf from Chaosium or basicroleplaying.net which also offers it printed from Lulu.

[rleduc]

This is probably only related in my mind, but I put an MS Word document in the download section that has all the core professions typed out and formatted – I use it as a framework for putting together my own lists of available professions.

http://basicroleplaying.com/forum/downloads.php?do=file&id=123

[Chaot]

Adding to Jason's list, here are the ones from Corum.

Artist

Beggar

Charioteer

Cosmographer, Astrologer

Craftsperson, Shopkeeper

Explorer

Historian

Hunter, Fisher

Lost, Forgotten

Mercenary, Bodyguard

Merchant, Small Trader

Meteorologist

Mineralogist

Minor Noble, Local Hero

Naturalist

Peasant, Farmer

Peddler

Philologist

Physician, Apothecary, Surgeon

Planar Specialist

Sailor, Pilot

Scholar

Scribe, Engineer

Shaman, Priest, Cultist

Slave

Social Scientist, Entomologist

Sorcerer, Seer

Soldier, Guard, Watchman

Spiritualist

Thief

Thug, Assassin

Troubadour, Player, Entertainer

[Sescheraun]

On 4/13/2009 at 3:00 AM, Jarulf said:

I don't think so.

Nick Middleton's fanzine Uncounted Worlds has an article describing a lifepath system for BRP that does something similar.

 

You can get it as a free pdf from Chaosium or basicroleplaying.net which also offers it printed from Lulu.

Do you have a link to this?  I might want to add this to my next game.

[Scotty]

1 hour ago, Sescheraun said:

Do you have a link to this?  I might want to add this to my next game.

https://www.chaosium.com/uncounted-worlds/

[Ravenheart87]

Magic World has a decent list of fantasy professions.

[g33k]

14 hours ago, Scotty said:

https://www.chaosium.com/uncounted-worlds/

...

??!?

TYVM!

I had no notion Chaosium was (still?) hosting this.
I've been to the Chaosium website... kind of a lot... over the fast few years, never spotted it.

I've perused "Free Stuff."
Recently, I've been looking at the "Basic Roleplaying" & "BRP Classic" pages.

Never spotted it.

Even now... I go site-search for "uncounted" and do not find this.

It's living in some pocket-dimension.
Uncounted!

 

[g33k]

Also, @Sescheraun:

16 hours ago, Sescheraun said:

Do you have a link to this?  I might want to add this to my next game.

Welcome to the forum !!!

😁

[NickMiddleton]

Both issues of uncounted worlds are in the Downloads section here at BRP Central as well.

[tooley1chris]

Ok. I first wanna say I've spent way too much time making "profession" fan books to say this but professions always bothered me (at least in Magic World)

I know medieval people usually had a profession they were either born into or apprenticed in, but one of the things that brought me into the BRP Fold was it  being skill based progression. Few player characters "set up shop" until they're ready to retire (at least in my groups. Maybe we're weird) 

I actually took professions out of my Quasar Core book, relying on education instead. Your character might have been trained in a field but is not limited by it. Hell. Personally my first profession was aircraft mechanic. Then I went to school for professional photography.  I did both thinking they were careers. I'm doing neither now. I know real life isn't RP but professions always seemed too close to "classes". That's why I LEFT D&D.

Edited December 1, 2023 by tooley1chris

[g33k]

From my own POV, a "professional background" (like a culture, or a RQ Cult) is best shown (in terms of skills) as a package of starting skills; possibly a network of contacts, a reputation in your field.

Trained as an aircraft mechanic?  You know about the relevant tools, materials, some electrical, likely some about instrumentation, probably the bernoulli effect, etc.
Trained as a photographer?  Aperture, shutter, ISO (or ASA if you're older), DOF; panning, dragging, fast & slow shutters, lighting, maybe developing & printing, darkroom techniques.  Likely some classical art (golden ratio, negative space, etc).

Those'd be your starting skills.  Starting characters trying to do that stuff, untrained, would start way behind you; but they could catch up!  Just as you can catch up to them, in their skils.

The thing about an ongoing advantage in learning things... that's something else.
An inherent "aptitude" is a real thing (someone with a "knack for languages" or the like) which only occasionally lines-up with a "profession."

Sometimes, one knows enough surrounding "professional skills" that it's remarkably-easy to add another related skill, it just slots-in to your mental framework so easily.

Sometimes one has a "mental block," and learns a topic slowly, poorly.

Sometimes, one has a gifted teacher, who helps; sometimes a poor teacher, who's little help.

I'm not sure I've seen a single system that captures all these nuances.  I'm not sure I'd think it was a "good" system -- complexity usually comes at the price of playability, after all!

Edited December 1, 2023 by g33k