459 Historic Professions/Jobs/Trades for Fantasy RPG Settings
Below is a huge list of 459 jobs, careers, professions, trades, etc from throughout history which can be used for Player’s Characters, or Non-Player Characters (NPCs) when creating them for your Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, or any RPG Fantasy Setting, or Randomly Generated City or Town.
Some are “old timey” jobs which don’t exist anymore, and some still exist today. Regardless, very few people your world are “adventurers” and most have a profession on the list below.
Give each of your Randomly Generated NPCs a real Craft or Trade to make them more realistic.
If there is a job you don’t see listed, please submit it in the comments and it will get added!
AGRICULTURE, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY, & FORESTRY
- Animal/Monster Handler – responsible for the safe keeping, dietary care, and exercise of animals or monsters.
- Arborist – maintains and cares for trees, often by surgically removing dying limbs.
- Baler – bales hay, or in the mills, wool and cotton goods.
- Beekeeper – owns and breeds bees, especially for their honey.
- Breeder – breeds livestock, animals, or monsters.
- Cowherd – supervises grazing cattle.
- Dairyboy/Dairymaid – milks cows and makes cheese and butter.
- Falconer – keeps, trains, and hunts with falcons, hawks, or other birds of prey.
- Farmer – operates a farm or cultivates land.
- Fisher – catches fish.
- Florist – grows and arranges plants and cut flowers.
- Forager – searches for food in the wild.
- Forester – supervises the wellbeing of a forest.
- Fowler – catches or ensnares birds.
- Gamekeeper – breeds and protects game, typically for a large estate.
- Groom – cleans and brushes the coats horses, dogs, or other animals.
- Herder – supervises a herd of livestock or makes a living from keeping livestock, especially in open country.
- Horse Trainer – tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines.
- Hunter – hunts game or other wild animals.
- Lumberjack – fells trees, cuts them into logs, and transports them to a sawmill.
- Master-of-Horses – supervises and commands all horses under a jurisdiction.
- Master-of-Hounds – maintains a pack of hounds and their associated staff, equipment, and hunting arrangements.
- Miller – owns or works in a grain mill.
- Miner – works underground in mines in order to obtain minerals such as coal, diamonds, or gold.
- Pathfinder – scouts ahead and discovers a path or way for others.
- Plumer – hunts birds for their plumes.
- Prospector – searches for mineral deposits, especially by drilling and excavation.
- Ranger – wanders or ranges over a particular area or domain.
- Renderer – converts waste animal tissue into usable materials.
- Shepherd – herds, tends, and guards sheep.
- Stablehand – works in a stable.
- Thresher – separates grain from the plants by beating.
- Trapper – traps wild animals, especially for their fur.
- Vintner – engages in winemaking, especially with monitoring and harvesting the grapes.
- Zookeeper – maintains and cares for animals or monsters in a zoo.
ARCHITECTURE & CONSTRUCTION
- Architect – designs buildings or landscapes and in many cases supervises their construction.
- Brickmaker – crafts bricks from clay, stone, or other materials.
- Brickmason / Bricklayer / Mason – builds with mineral products such as stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or tiles, usually with the use of mortar as a bonding agent.
- Carpenter – makes and repairs wooden objects and structures.
- Construction Worker – a laborer in the physical construction of a built environment and its infrastructure.
- General Contractor – supervises a construction site, manages its vendors and trades, and communicates information to all involved parties.
- Glazier – fits glass into windows and doors.
- Plasterer – applies plaster to walls, ceilings, or other surfaces.
- Roadlayer/Streetlayer – paves roads or streets.
- Roofer/Thatcher – builds and repairs roofs.
- Stonemason – cuts and prepares stone for use in construction.
ARTS / Artists / artistic
- Acrobat – performs spectacular gymnastic feats.
- Actor – impersonates characters, typically on stage in a theatrical production.
- Aerialist/Trapezist – performs acrobatics high above the ground on a tightrope or trapeze.
- Arranger – adapts a musical composition for performance.
- Athlete – proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise.
- Busker/Street Musician – performs in a public place, often for money.
- Celebrity – a famous person.
- Chef – a professional cook trained in the culinary arts.
- Choirmaster – trains a choir and orchestrates their singing when they perform.
- Clown – comic entertainer who wears a traditional costume and exaggerated makeup.
- Comedian – entertainer whose act is designed to make an audience laugh.
- Conductor – directs the performance of an orchestra.
- Contortionist – twists and bends their body into strange and unnatural positions.
- Curator – keeper and custodian of a museum or other collections of precious items.
- Costumer – makes theatrical costumes.
- Dancer – moves their body rhythmically with or without musical accompaniment.
- Equilibrist – performs balancing feats.
- Fashion Designer – applies design, aesthetics and natural beauty to garments and their accessories.
- Gladiator – fights against other people, wild animals, or monsters in an arena.
- Glasspainter – produces colorful designs on or in glass.
- Jester – professional joker or “fool” at court, typically wearing a cap with bells on it and carrying a mock scepter.
- Juggler – keeps several objects in motion in the air at the same time by alternately tossing and catching them.
- Illuminator – paints and calligraphs to adorn or enlighten scrolls and manuscripts.
- Limner – paints portraits or miniatures.
- Makeup Artist – applies cosmetics to models, actors, nobles, etc.
- Minstrel – recites lyric or heroic poetry for nobility.
- Model – poses as a subject for an artist, fashion designer, or sculptor.
- Musician – plays a musical instrument.
- Painter – paints pictures.
- Playwright – writes plays or musicals.
- Poet – writes ballads, epics, sonnets, or other forms of poetry.
- Ringmaster/Ringmistress – master of ceremony who introduces the circus acts to the audience.
- Ropewalker – walks along a tightrope to entertain others.
- Sculptor – crafts art by carving or casting blocks of marble, stones, or other hardened minerals.
- Singer/Soprano – sings with or without instrumental accompaniment.
- Skald – composes and recites poems honoring heroes and their deeds.
- Stage Magician – deceives their audience with seemingly impossible feats while using only natural means.
- Stuntman/Stuntwoman – performs dangerous stunts for their audience.
- Tattooist – illustrates the skin with indelible patterns, pictures, legends, etc.
- Theater Director – supervises and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production by unifying various endeavors and aspects of production.
- Wrestler – performs in matches involving grappling and grappling-type techniques.
- Writer – commits his or her thoughts, ideas, etc., into written language.
BUSINESS & TRADE
- Accountant – keeps and inspects financial accounts.
- Actuary – compiles and analyzes statistics and uses them to calculate risk.
- Animal Collector/Monster Collector – collects and deals in rare and exotic animals and monsters.
- Business Owner – owns a business entity in an attempt to profit from its successful operations.
- Debt Collector – recovers money owed on delinquent accounts.
- Draper – an alcohol merchant.
- Appraiser – assesses the monetary value of something.
- Auctioneer – conducts auctions by accepting bids and declaring goods sold.
- Banker – an officer or owner of a bank or group of banks.
- Bagniokeeper – owner of a bath house or brothel.
- Bookkeeper – keeps records of financial affairs.
- Chandler – deals in provisions and supplies.
- Collector – collects things of a specified type, professionally or as a hobby.
- Entrepreneur – organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.
- Grocer – a food merchant.
- Guild Master – leads an economically independent producer (a “guild,” an association of craftsmen or merchants that often holds considerable bureaucratic power).
- Innkeeper – owns and runs an inn.
- Land Surveyor – establishes maps and boundaries for ownership or other purposes required by government or civil law.
- Merchant – sells and trades goods.
- Moneychanger – exchanges one currency for another.
- Moneylender – lends money to others who pay interest.
- Peddler – travels from place to place selling assorted items.
- Pimp/Madame – controls prostitutes and arranges clients for them, taking part of their earnings in return.
- Plantation Owner – an owner of an estate on which crops are cultivated by resident labor, typically slave labor.
- Speculator – invests in stocks, property, or other ventures in the hope of making a profit.
- Thriftdealer – deals in secondhand items.
- Tradesman – deals exclusively in bartering.
- Vendor – deals items in the street.
COMMUNICATIONS
- Billboardposter – a person who puts up notices, signs and advertisements.
- Courier – transports packages and documents.
- Herald: a messenger who carries important news.
- Interpreter: interprets language and its meaning, especially within ancient manuscripts.
- Linguist: studies the essence of communication, including the units, nature, structure, and modification of language.
- Messenger: carries messages between recipients.
- Town Crier: makes public announcements in the streets or marketplace.
- Translator: translates between languages.
CRAFTSMANSHIP
- Accoutrementer/Coinsmith – makes currency for the government.
- Armorer – specializes in making and repairing armor.
- Blacksmith – forges and repairs things in metal, including weapons, armor, utensils, etc.
- Bladesmith – specializes in making and repairing bladed weapons, especially swords and daggers.
- Bookbinder – binds books and wraps scrolls.
- Bottler – bottles drinks and other liquids.
- Bowyer – makes bows and crossbows.
- Brewer – brews ale.
- Broom Maker – makes brooms and brushes.
- Candlemaker – makes candles and wax from honey and tallow.
- Cartwright – makes and repairs carts and wagons.
- Cobbler – makes and repairs footwear.
- Cooper/Hooper – makes and repairs casks and barrels.
- Cutler – makes cutlery.
- Dyer – dyes cloth and other materials.
- Embroiderer – ornaments with needlework.
- Engraver – incises a design onto a hard surface by cutting grooves into it.
- Farrier – trims and shoes horses’ hooves.
- Fletcher – makes and repairs arrows.
- Furniture Artisan – makes and repairs furniture.
- Furrier – prepares furs for adornment.
- Glassworker – blows glass planes and items.
- Glovemaker – makes and repairs gloves.
- Goldsmith/Silversmith – a smith who specializes in precious metals.
- Hatter/Milliner – makes and repairs headwear.
- Instrument Maker – makes and repairs musical instruments.
- Lapidary – turns stone, minerals, or gemstones into decorative items such as cabochons, engraved gems, and faceted designs.
- Leatherworker – makes items from leather such as pouches, scabbards, straps, etc.
- Jeweler – designs, makes, and repairs necklaces, bracelets, watches, etc., often containing jewels.
- Locksmith – makes and repairs locks.
- Luthier – makes and repairs stringed instruments.
- Mercer – weaves textile fabrics, especially silks, velvets, and other fine materials.
- Optician – makes and repairs eyeglasses.
- Potter – makes pots, bowls, plates, etc., out of clay.
- Printer – a person who applies pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink to manufacture a text.
- Restorer – repairs or renovates a work of art so as to return it to its original condition.
- Ropemaker – braids rope.
- Rugmaker – makes and repairs rugs by braiding, hooking, weaving, etc.
- Saddler – makes and repairs saddlery.
- Seamstress/Tailor – makes, alters, repairs, as well as occasionally designing garments.
- Soaper – makes soap from accumulated mutton fat, wood ash, and natural soda.
- Tanner – treats the skins and hides of animals to produce leather.
- Taxidermist – prepares, stuffs, and mounts the skins of animals.
- Tinker – travels from place to place mending utensils.
- Toymaker – makes and repairs toys.
- Watchmaker – makes and repairs watches and clocks.
- Weaponsmith – specializes in making and repairing weapons.
- Weaver – makes fabric by weaving fiber together.
- Wheelwright – makes and repairs wooden wheels.
- Whittler/Woodcarver – fashions wood into various shapes.
CRIME
- Assassin – murders through stealth for reasons pertaining to money, politics, or religion.
- Bandit – a robber or outlaw belonging to a gang and typically operating in an isolated or lawless area.
- Burglar – illegally enters buildings and steals things.
- Charlatan/Conman – tricks people by gaining their trust and persuading them to believe something that is not true in order to benefit from the encounter.
- Cockfighter/Gamefighter – engages in arena matches in which animals or monsters are pitted against one another, typically to the death.
- Crime Boss – controls and supervises a criminal organization.
- Cutpurse – a pickpocket or thief.
- Drug Dealer – dealer of illegal substances.
- Drug Lord – controls a network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade and transactions.
- Extortioner – extorts money from someone by threatening to expose embarrassing information about them.
- Fence – deals in stolen goods.
- Forger – produces fraudulent copies or imitations.
- Fugitive – a person who has escaped from a place or is in hiding, especially to avoid arrest or persecution.
- Highwayman – robs travelers on a road.
- Kidnapper – abducts people and holds them captive, typically to obtain a ransom.
- Loan Shark – charges extremely high rates of interest for moneylending, typically under illegal conditions.
- Pirate – attacks and robs ships at sea.
- Poacher – hunts illegal game.
- Poisoner – makes poisons to harm or kill.
- Raider/Marauder – makes sudden, unprompted attacks against defenseless or near-defenseless settlements.
- Smuggler – manages the import or export of goods secretly, in violation of the law, especially without payment of legal duty.
- Thief – steals people’s property, especially by stealth and without using force or violence.
GOVERNMENT & LAW
- Affeeror – determines the values of fines and amercements.
- Agister – affords pasture to the livestock of others for a price.
- Alderman – a civic dignitary in the local council ranked below the mayor.
- Alienist – assesses the competence of a defendant in a court of law.
- Assay Master – oversees the testing of currency.
- Baron/Baroness – a member of the lowest order of the British nobility.
- Chancellor – a senior state or legal official.
- Chief – leads or rules a people or clan.
- Conservationist – advocates for the protection and preservation of the environment and wildlife.
- Count/Earl/Countess – a nobleperson ranking above a viscount and below a marquess.
- Courtier – attends court as a companion or adviser to the king or queen.
- Diplomat – an official representing a country abroad.
- Duke/Duchess – rules over a duchy and is of the highest rank below the monarch.
- Emperor/Empress – the supreme sovereign ruler of an extensive group of states or countries under a single authority.
- Judge – decides cases in a court of law.
- King/Queen – the ruler of an independent state and its people.
- Knight – serves his or her sovereign after being bestowed a rank of royal honor.
- Lady-in-Waiting – attends a queen, princess, or other high-ranking feminine nobleperson.
- Lawyer/Advocate – practices or studies law, typically an attorney or a counselor.
- Marquess/Marchioness – a nobleperson ranking above a count and below a duke.
- Master-of-Coin – supervises the royal treasury, advises the monarch on financial matters, and is responsible for raising money through taxation.
- Master-of-the-Revels – responsible for overseeing royal festivities.
- Minister – assists with the administration of business.
- Noble/Aristocrat – a person belonging to a class with high social or political status.
- Notary – performs certain legal formalities, especially to draw up or certify contracts, deeds, and other documents for use in other jurisdictions.
- Orator/Spokesman – makes statements on behalf of a group or individual nobleperson.
- Page – a young attendant to a person of noble rank.
- Prince/Princess – the direct descendant of a monarch.
- Senator – partakes in governmental decision-making after being elected.
- Sheriff – the chief executive officer in a county, having various administrative and judicial functions.
- Spymaster – directs a network of subordinate espionage agents for a state, kingdom, or empire.
- Steward – supervises both the estate and household of his lord or lady while they are away.
- Squire – acts as an attendant to a knight before attempting to become a knight themselves.
- Tax Collector – collects unpaid taxes from people, guilds, or businesses.
- Viscount/Viscountess – a nobleperson ranking above a baron and below a count.
- Ward – a member of a noble house who has been taken in by another noble family to be raised for a time.
HOSPITALITY & COMMON LABOR
- Acater – provides and prepares foodstuffs or delicacies for events such as festivals.
- Tunner – fills casks in a brewery or winery.
- Baker – bakes bread and cakes.
- Barber – cuts hair and shaves or trims beards.
- Barkeep – works and serves drinks in a bar.
- Barmaid/Barboy – serves drinks and food in a bar as well as engaging with customers.
- Butcher – cuts up and sells meat.
- Butler – the chief servant of a household.
- Caregiver – looks after a sick, elderly, or disabled person.
- Charcoal Maker – manufactures charcoal by carbonizing wood in a kiln.
- Chatelaine/Majordomo – a person in charge of a large household.
- Chimney Sweeper – a small person, typically a child, who ascends chimneys to clean them.
- Clerk – undertakes routine administrative duties in a business or bank.
- Cook – prepares food for eating.
- Copyist – makes copies of handwritten documents or music.
- Croupier – runs a gaming table by gathering in and paying out money or tokens.
- Exterminator – exterminates unwanted rodents and insects.
- Food & Drink Taster – ingests food that was prepared for someone else to confirm it is safe to eat.
- Gardener/Landscaper – tends and cultivates a garden.
- Gongfarmer – digs out and removes excrement from privies and cesspits.
- Gravedigger – digs graves for the purposes of a funeral ceremony.
- Groundskeeper – maintains an athletic field, a park, or the grounds of a graveyard or other institution.
- Kitchen Drudge – performs menial work in a kitchen.
- Knacker – disposes of dead or unwanted animals.
- Lamplighter – lights street or road lights at dusk.
- Laundry Worker – a laborer who takes part in the washing, drying, and ironing of clothes and other fabric items.
- Lector – reads to others while they work for entertainment.
- Longshoreman – loads and unloads ships in a port.
- Maid – a domestic servant of a household.
- Nanny/Nursemaid – a servant employed to look after a young child or children.
- Operator – a laborer who operates equipment, typically in construction.
- Pastry Chef – makes desserts, especially cakes and pastries.
- Plumber – installs and repairs the fittings of water supply and sanitation.
- Porter – carries luggage and other loads.
- Prostitute – engages in sexual activity for payment.
- Quarryman/Quarrywoman – quarries stone.
- Servant – performs duties for others, especially a person employed in a house or as a personal attendant.
- Stagehand – moves scenery or props before or during the performance of a theatrical production.
- Street Cleaner – cleans streets and alleyways after dark.
- Talent Scout – searches for talented individuals who can be employed or promoted.
- Trainer – trains someone in a particular skill, usually physical, for money.
- Water Bearer – brings water from rivers, wells, and lakes back to their settlement.
- Wet Nurse – a woman employed to suckle another woman’s child.
MAGICAL ARTS / ARCANISTS
- Abjurer – a mage focused in protective spells.
- Alchemist – transforms or creates something within nature through (usually) ritualist magic.
- Archmage – an extremely powerful mage.
- Artificer – unlocks magic in everyday objects as well as being an inventor.
- Bard – uses their artistic talents to induce magical effects.
- Conjuror – conjures spirits or familiars.
- Druid – a mage attuned to the magical forces of nature, able to shapeshift, call on the elements, communicate with flora and fauna, etc.
- Elementalist – manipulates nature’s elements to their will.
- Enchanter/Enchantress – uses sorcery to put someone or something under a spell.
- Evoker – manipulates energy or taps into an unseen source of power in order to produce a desired kinetic end.
- Healer – able to cure a disease or injury using magic.
- Hearth Witch/Hearth Wizard – incorporates spells and enchantments in cooking.
- Illusionist – performs tricks and spells that deceive the senses.
- Mage – a magic-user.
- Medium – uses extrasensory perception, magic, or divine powers to identify information hidden from the normal senses.
- Meteorologist – forecasts and manipulates weather.
- Necromancer – communicates with and conjures the spirits of the dead.
- Ritualist – practices or advocates the observance of ritual (formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects).
- Runecaster – uses special alphabets to create runes (symbols possessing magical effects capable of being used multiple times).
- Sage – a wise and experienced magic-user.
- Seer/Oracle – able to see what the future holds through supernatural insight.
- Shaman – accesses and influences the world of good and evil spirits.
- Shapeshifter – a person with the ability to change their physical form.
- Sorcerer/Sorceress – derives their magical abilities innately rather than through study.
- Summoner – a mage able to summon forth magical beasts, creatures, and monsters.
- Transmuter – alters matter in form, appearance, or nature.
- Warlock – a mage who has gained their abilities by forming a pact with an otherworldly being.
- Witchdoctor – a tribal mage with powers of healing, divination, and protection against the magic of others.
- Witch – a woman who has supernatural powers and practices sorcery, typically in solitude.
- Wizard – derives their magical abilities through study.
- Wordsmith – draws their power from language and casts by dictation.
MILITARY & SECURITY
- Admiral – commands a fleet or naval squadron.
- Bailiff – looks after prisoners.
- Bodyguard – escorts and protects another person, especially a dignitary.
- Bouncer – prevents troublemakers from entering or to eject them from the premises of an establishment.
- Captain – an army officer of high rank in charge of commanding squadrons of soldiers.
- Castellan – the governor of a castle.
- Cavalryman/Cavalier – a skilled horseback rider.
- City Watch – an officer of law enforcement who resides in larger towns or cities.
- Commissar – teaches principles and policies to military units.
- Constable – an officer with limited policing authority, typically in a small town.
- Detective/Investigator – investigates and solves crimes.
- Drummer/Fifer – a non-combatant foot soldier who sounds signals for changes in formation in combat.
- Duelist – skilled in one-on-one combat.
- Executioner – carries out a sentence of death on a legally condemned person.
- Firefighter – extinguishes fires.
- Guard/Sentinel – a person who keeps watch, especially a soldier or other person formally assigned to protect a person or to control access to a place.
- General – the chief commander of an army.
- Inspection Officer – responsible for the inspection of military units to ensure they meet appropriate standards of training and efficiency.
- Intelligence Officer – collects, compiles and organizes information about the enemy.
- Jailer – supervises a jail and the prisoners in it.
- Lieutenant – an officer of middle rank in the armed forces.
- Marksman/Archer – in long-range weapons, such as the bow, crossbow, sling, etc. to inflict damage from afar.
- Marshall – has the charge of the cavalry in the household of a monarch.
- Medic – a medical practitioner equipped for the battlefield.
- Mercenary – a soldier without allegiance who works for money, typically a member of a company or guild.
- Privateer – engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war.
- Quartermaster – responsible for providing quarters, rations, clothing, and other supplies.
- Royal Guard – responsible for the protection of a royal person.
- Runner – carries information between lines in wartime.
- Sapper – a soldier responsible for tasks such as building and repairing roads and bridges, laying and clearing mines, etc.
- Sergeant – an officer instructed with a protective duty, typically worth “half a knight” in regard.
- Sergeant-at-Arms – charged with keeping order during meetings and, if necessary, participates in battle.
- Scout – sent ahead of a main force so as to gather information about the enemy’s position, strength, or movements.
- Siege Artillerist – works the artillery machines of an army.
- Slave Driver – oversees and urges on slaves at work.
- Soldier/Man-at-Arms – serves in an army.
- Special Force Soldier – carries out special operations.
- Spy – secretly collects and reports information on the activities, movements, and plans of an enemy or competitor.
- Tactician – uses a carefully planned military strategy to achieve a specific end.
- Tollkeeper – collects tolls at a bridge, road etc. where a charge is made.
- Torturer – inflicts severe pain on someone as a punishment or in order to force them to do or say something.
- Warden – responsible for the supervision of a particular place or thing or for ensuring that regulations associated with it are obeyed.
- Warmage – a soldier skilled in destructive battle magic.
RELIGION / CHURCH
- Abbot/Abbess – the head of an abbey of monks.
- Acolyte – assists the celebrant in a religious service or procession.
- Almoner – distributes money and food to poor people.
- Archbishop – responsible for an archdiocese, their surrounding district.
- Bishop – a senior member of the clergy, usually in charge of a diocese and empowered to confer holy orders.
- Cantor – sings liturgical music and leads prayer in a synagogue.
- Cardinal – a leading dignitary of a church, nominated by the highest official.
- Chaplain – a member of the clergy attached to a private chapel, institution, ship, branch of the armed forces, etc.
- Cleric – has devoted their entire being to the will of their god, thus gaining magical powers.
- Confessor – hears confessions and gives absolution and spiritual counsel.
- Cultist – a member of a cult who generally lives outside of conventional society and worships an unorthodox patron.
- Cult Leader – the organizational leader of a cult who is occasionally also the founder.
- Deacon – an ordained minister of an order ranking below that of priest.
- Diviner – seeks ultimate divination in order to further understand or meet godly substance.
- Exorcist – expels or attempts to expel evil spirits from a person or place.
- High Priest/Pope – the chief priest of a religion.
- Inquisitor – seeks to eliminate heresy and other things contrary to the doctrine or teachings of their faith.
- Missionary – goes on a religious mission to promote their faith in a foreign place.
- Monk – able to manifest their spirituality through a calm, centered being and thus gain abilities which function similarly to magic.
- Nun – a member of a religious community of women, especially a cloistered one, living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
- Paladin – a holy knight and divine spellcaster crusading in the name of good and order.
- Pardoner – raises money for religious works by soliciting offerings and granting indulgences.
- Priest – has the authority to perform certain rites and administer certain sacraments.
- Prophet – regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God.
- Sexton – looks after a church and churchyard, sometimes acting as bell-ringer and formerly as a gravedigger.
- Templar – fights in a religious military order.
SCIENCE, MATH, & EDUCATION
- Abecedarian – teaches the illiterate.
- Accoucheur/Obstetrician/Midwife – assists in childbirth and the care of women giving birth.
- Anthropologist – studies the customs, beliefs, and relationships of humanoids and intellectually and culturally advanced creatures.
- Apothecary – prepares and sells medicines, drugs, and potions.
- Apprentice – studies a trade under a skilled employer.
- Archaeologist – studies humanoid history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts and other physical remains.
- Archivist – maintains and is in charge of archives.
- Assayer – determiner of the proportions of metal in ore and the amount of copper, silver, gold, or platinum in coins.
- Astrologer – uses astrology to tell others about their character or to predict their future.
- Astronomer – makes observations of celestial and scientific phenomena within the material plane.
- Bloodletter – surgically removes some of a patient’s blood for therapeutic purposes.
- Botanist – an expert in or student of the scientific study of plants.
- Cartographer – a scholar and illustrator of maps.
- Chemist – engaged in chemical research or experiments.
- Dean – the head of a college or university.
- Doctor/Physician – a qualified practitioner of medicine.
- Drakologist – studies or is an expert in the branch of zoology concerned with dragons.
- Engineer – designer of a machine or structure.
- Entomologist – studies or is an expert in the branch of zoology concerned with insects.
- Herbalist – practices healing by the use of herbs.
- Historian – an expert in or student of history, especially that of a particular period, geographical region, or social phenomenon.
- Horologist – a scholar of time and entropy.
- Librarian – administers or assists in a library.
- Mathematician – a scholar of the abstract science of number, quantity, and space.
- Mortician – prepares dead bodies for burial or cremation and makes arrangements for funerals.
- Nurse – cares for the sick or infirm, especially in a hospital.
- Optometrist – examines the eyes for visual defects and prescribes eyeglasses.
- Philosopher – a scholar of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence.
- Professor – a teacher of the highest rank in a college or university.
- Scholar/Researcher – a specialist in a particular branch of study who pursues the acquisition of knowledge.
- Scribe – copies out manuscripts.
- Student – attends school or learns under other to enter and pursue a particular subject.
- Surgeon/Chirurgeon – practices surgery.
- Taxonomist – groups organisms into categories.
- Teacher – instructs on a particular skill or subject.
- Theologian – engages in the study of the nature of God and religious belief.
- Tutor – charged with the instruction and guidance of another.
- Veterinarian – treats diseased or injured animals.
- Zoologist – an expert in or a student of the behavior, physiology, classification, and distribution of animals.
TRANSPORTATION
- Boatman – mans a small seacraft.
- Bosun – in charge of organizing the equipment and crew of a ship.
- Cabbie/Wagoner – drives a horse-drawn wagon.
- Cabin Boy/Cabin Girl – waits on the orders of a ship’s officers and passengers.
- Caravaneer – travels or lives in a caravan.
- Charioteer – drives a chariot.
- Carter – transports goods by cart.
- Ferryman – operates a ferry.
- First Mate – the deck officer second in command to the master of a ship.
- Helmsman – steers a ship or boat.
- Navigator – directs the route or course of a ship or other form of transportation, especially by using instruments and maps.
- Purser – keeps the accounts of a ship, especially as the head steward on a passenger vessel.
- Sailor – works as a member of the crew of a commercial or naval ship or boat.
- Sea Captain – commands a ship.
- Shipwright – a carpenter skilled in ship construction and repair.
UNEMPLOYED, SELF-EMPLOYED, & OUTCAST
- Adventurer – wanders the world in search of knowledge, treasure, fame, glory or a multitude of additional wants and desires.
- Beggar/Pauper – lives by asking for money or food.
- Blood Hunter/Monster Hunter – takes on jobs to hunt down and kill or capture dangerous creatures.
- Bounty Hunter – pursues a criminal or fugitive for whom a reward is offered.
- Crossing Sweeper – sweeps a path ahead of people crossing dirty urban streets in exchange for a gratuity.
- Deserter – a member of the armed forces who has deserted.
- Disgraced Noble – a person of high birth who has since loss their respect, honor, or esteem in some or all noble circles.
- Drunkard – a person who is habitually drunk and considers themselves a professional in the task.
- Dungeon Delver – navigates underground labyrinths in search of any treasure they may find.
- Elder – a person of a greater age, especially one with a respected position in society.
- Exile – lives away from their native country, either from choice or compulsion.
- Explorer – explores unfamiliar areas in search of geographical or scientific information.
- Ex-Criminal – a person who has been convicted of a crime and has since served their sentence, or who has preemptively given up their life of crime.
- Folk Hero – a celebrity who is greatly admired by many people of a particular kind or in a particular place.
- Gambler – bets money on sports, card games, or games of chance in the hope of a profit.
- Grave Robber/Tomb Raider – steals valuables from graves and tombs.
- Heretic – differs in opinion from established religious dogma.
- Hermit – lives in solitude, typically as a religious or spiritual discipline.
- Housewife/Househusband – cares for his or her family by managing household affairs and completing housework.
- Pilgrim – journeys to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion, occasionally to settle there.
- Prisoner – held in confinement as a punishment for crimes they have been convicted of.
- Rag-and-Bone Man – collects unwanted household items and sells them to merchants.
- Rebel/Political Dissident – rises in opposition or armed resistance against an established government or ruler.
- Refugee – leaves their home in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.
- Runaway Slave – a slave who has left their master and traveled without authorization.
- Scavenger/Mudlark/Tosher – searches for and collects discarded items.
- Slave – a person who is the legal property of another and forced to obey them.
- Squatter – unlawfully occupies an uninhabited building or unused land.
- Traveler/Wanderer/Vagabond – wanders from place to place without a permanent home or job.
- Urchin – a child who lives or spends most of their time in the streets, occasionally working as a thief or pickpocket.
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