I am putting together a list of traits for a possible campaign I am looking to run with a group of friends. Rather than professional adventurers, I hope to foster in them a desire to play more realistic heroes—those who are made, not born. To this end, I've come up with the following traits, each focused on a particular upbringing/profession.
Without further adieu:
*= Craft (Smithing) is a house-ruled skill in my games. Essentially, it comprises armorcrafting, weaponcrafting, and toolmaking—all in one skill.
I'd like to hear what you all have to think? I'm still looking to create a few more like this—one for an apothecary, another for a fisherman, perhaps—I don't know.
Any suggestions?
They aren't complete, but here's what else I've been able to come up with:
I'd also like to create one for a "Hunter/Tracker", but don't know what skill is most relevant. I'd assume Survival, but that doesn't fit the theme presented above (skills which can be used for profit). Maybe Profession (Tanner) would be more appropriate. Then again, I could rule that Survival can be used similarly to a Profession check (perhaps to guide folks through the wilderness, tracking for them and providing food/shelter).
Hmmm...
actually, hunting or tracking are already covered in Survival, but you can throw in Knowledge Nature if you want. In reality, the learned medieval types knew ZILCH about nature and animals, having still been studying the Greeks who most certainly had been hitting hallucinogens. It was the hunters and trappers that knew biology and nature.
I always assumed that the "providing food" aspect of Survival had to do with foraging (not hunting). Gaaaahhh. Complicated.
I tinkered on this for a while, but it's clearly better than anything presented above (it also breaks the trap construction rules, which fail miserably to meet my expectations):
Hunter: You gain a trait bonus on Profession (Trapper) checks equal to 1/2 your character level (minimum +1). In addition, you begin play owning a longbow, a quiver (containing 20 arrows) and 1d4+1 bear traps. You can use the Profession (Trapper) skill to construct simple mechanical traps at no cost (assuming you have access to basic materials). Doing so takes between 2d4 rounds and 1d6 hours, depending upon the complexity of the trap and the amount of work required to construct it. Similarly, the DC will vary (typically a roll of 15 to 20 is required). On a failed check, you may roll again, unless you fail by 5 or more. In this case, you do not realize the fault in your design and assume that the trap is functional.
What about stonemasons, woodcarvers, herders (handle animal?), weavers, tailors, entertainers, or professional travelers (tinkers, merchants, teamsters or european travelers in caravans)?
Then you've also got general laborers (no skill bonus, but maybe the trait lends them an extra HP or something due to hardiness), professional soldiers, militia minutemen, or perhaps couriers/town criers?
How about scholars? Alongside your Apothecary you might have herbalists, religious or arcane scholars, metalurgists, engineers or even animal/vermin handlers as specialists in a single animal, such as horse breeders or beekeepers.
There's too many professions/crafts/performances to think about. If I were running the same game and had months to plan, I'd try to organize my world into guilds. There were TONS of guilds in medieval towns and cities; one for nearly every profession. Anyway these guilds would at least give me a basis to start from.
Say one of my players whanted to be a chandler (candle-maker). There'd be a guild for it in their home town/city, they'd be a member of the guild and that would give them maybe a bonus to craft: chandler. Later on in the campaign, maybe the guild would teach them how to sculpt homonculi or wax golems; alternately they could teach the PC to infuse spells in the candles for either a new kind of consumable magic item or as special effects like prayer candles that give a bonus to Wis for a day or something.
Man, this is a fun way to start the day!
I personally think that Disable Device should logically include the ability to craft traps already, since if you know how to dismantle a trap, you should be able to make one.
That's kinda a overly potent trait you made, be honest with you.
Oh hey, here's a neat tip: Try checking out the various racial booklets, like Orcs, Goblins, etc. They have lots of traits you could use for this.
I know it's powerful. Probably better to just re-design trapmaking and assimilate it into another skill. Disable Device makes a lot of sense, but not in the context of the game I'm thinking about running (inspired by the show "Vikings", I'm considering something low-fantasy; 8th/9th-century is a good frame of reference).
@ Mark Hoover: Totally agree with you. There are a lot of professions (too many to accommodate). I was just picking out a couple common ones. I really like my Smith/Farmer ones. I'd love to see 'em in action. My group and I have largely ignored the Profession skill (though Craft has been pretty popular at times).
How's this look (borrowed a bit from the "Trapper" archetype of the Ranger)?:
Hunter: You gain a trait bonus on Profession (Trapper) checks equal to 1/2 your character level (minimum +1). In addition, you begin play owning a longbow, a quiver (containing 20 arrows) and 1d4+1 bear traps. You can use the Profession (Trapper) skill to construct a snare trap (takes 1d4+1 minutes and fills a 5-foot square). The trap constricts around a limb or other part of the triggering creature’s body (Reflex avoids; DC = skill check result). The creature cannot move from the location of the trap, unless you included a “leash” when setting the trap, in which case the creature is limited to the length of the leash. The trapped creature can escape with an Escape Artist check (DC = skill check result) as a full-round action. The trap or its leash has a number of hit points equal to 1/2 your level, or can be burst as a full-round action with a DC 25 Strength check. The trap can hold up to a Medium creature. If there is a tall object or structure nearby, you can have the trap lift the creature.
Wait, I just had an idea.
If you look at the Survival skill, it includes hunting, tracking, foraging etc. Now, most survivalists tend to make tiny traps for animals, and make LOTS of them so that they can gather food far more efficiently and thus get a decent meal. Same logic applies to fishing; why use a fishing line when you can make a net and cover more area?
So, why couldn't that miniature trapmaking be scaled upward to Medium sized animals, aka humans? Thus Survival could also include trapmaking.
PS Plate wouldnt exist, nor would 2 handed swords or bastard swords in that time frame. You would be limited to perhaps chain shirts or mail as the best armor possible. No need for huge weapons if there isn't armor that stops the smaller ones.
People in that time frame also believed in bathing regularly; it didn't go out of style until the 1300's when the Plague hit and "doctors" started following those damned goofy Greek writings that probably involved a lot of hallucinogenics.