Wyrd of the Week: City Living - Urban Professions

 In the core rule book of The Hero's Journey, Second Edition, most of the professions found on page XX are very focused characters who lived as commoners or craftsmen before taking up the life of adventure. While this assumption is very common in classic fantasy and folklore, players may want to have their character be from a more urban environment or even grown up in a the security of a castle! 

Players, with Narrator permission, may select one of the following professions instead of those found in the core book. These professions are very focused on human character or characters that grew up in traditionally human cultures, so may not be appropriate for everyone or every legendarium. 

In addition to the professions listed below, there are several new pieces of equipment associated with some of these professions.

Urban Professions

Apothecary: You specialize in crafting salts, poultices, and solutions used to treat minor ailments. You are skilled at identifying poisons and liquid solutions, as the necessary procedure to craft mildly effective balms and medicines. Starting Gear: Three vile tasting concoctions that function as healer’s kits, a mortar and pestle, a small collection of dried herbs, 1d6 x 10 gold pieces. Artist: You are a skilled painter or visual artist, able to identify valuable art objects and forgeries with ease, as well as understanding the basic etiquette when interacting with nobles and other aristocrats. Starting Gear: A set of brushes and paints, 3 small canvas sheets in a scroll tube, one complete painting which can be sold to an interested buyer for 1d6 x 10 gold pieces, 1d6 x 10 gold pieces. Bailiff: You ensure that the lord’s proper taxes are collected and their laws are enforced. You are knowledgeable in both matters of etiquette and local law, with a fierce reputation in your home town. Starting Gear: Long blade, fine clothing, 3d6 x 10 gold pieces. Barrister: You speak in a court of law on behalf of those who stand accused of a crime. You are well versed in law in its myriad of forms, including the rights of the accused and accuser. Starting Gear: Quill, a bottle of ink, a blank journal, a book of law, fine clothing, 3d6 x 10 gold pieces. Blacksmith: You are trained to work iron at the forge into the tools of day to day life like nails, horseshoes, and hand tools. You can also identify quality smithwork for such items with careful examination. Starting Gear: Hammer (small), leather apron, a crowbar or twelve iron spikes (choose one), 2d6 x 10 gold pieces.

Brewer: You are skilled at the preparation, fermentation, and storage of grains for purposes of brewing beers, ales, ciders, and stouts. In addition to being able to identify quality beverages brewed from grains, hops, wheat, and oats, you are also able to recognize when such crops are healthy, of poor quality, or riddled with rot and mold. Starting Gear: A keg of ale, a wooden tankard, 2d6 x 10 gold pieces.
Butcher: You know how to carve, salt, and prepare meat for consumption. You can identify cuts of meat from various animals and easily identify a quality piece of meat or poor cut, as well as meat that has been fouled. Starting Gear: Carving Knife (damage as dagger), bag of salt, leather apron, 2d6 x 10 gold pieces. Crier: You walk through city and village streets, yelling out the latest news and events, as well as declaring royal proclamations, announcing festivals and market days. You can easily find your way around cities and castles, and know where to go to find the latest news and gossip. Starting Gear: A set of fine clothing, a hand bell, 2d6 x 10 gold pieces. Famulus: You were the apprentice or servant of a wizard. You grew up in a truly strange environment, handling unusual substances and helping your master in all manner of alchemy and study. You have a firm, but basic, understanding of magic and its principles. Starting Gear: Blank journal, heavy robes, 3d6 x 10 gold pieces. Falconer: You know how to train birds of prey, how to tend to them, and how to hunt with them. You know everything there is to know about avian wildlife, can easily identify each breed, and are knowledgeable regarding their basic patterns of behavior. Starting Gear: Trained falcon, falconer’s glove, falconer’s training kit, 2d6 x 10 gold pieces. Innkeeper: You spent some time running a pub or tavern. You know how to bend the ear of a stranger and can usually get a sense of a person simply by sizing them up. You’re good at identifying quality food and drink. Also, you’re not too shabby at whacking someone with a barstool if the need arises. Starting Gear: Hardwood chair leg (damage as club), mostly blank journal with a list of former patrons who still owe a tab, 3d6 x 10 gold pieces. Link Man: You worked in castles and cities, guiding nobles and wealthy individuals through shadowy streets at night, guiding them by torchlight. You are less disoriented at night and can easily find your way through winding city streets. Starting Gear: Torches (6), flint and steel, 1d6 x 10 gold pieces. Kennel Master: You know all the nuances of dog training and how to tend to them. You can turn groups of dogs into coordinated hunting packs and you know how to lead them in a hunt. You can determine their general state of health and mood. Starting Gear: Hunting dog, dog whistle, bag of training treats (with 10 treats), 2d6 x 10 gold pieces.

Minstrel: You’re a skilled musician and singer who travels from town to town making a living by performing on street corners, taverns, festivals, and even noble courts when the opportunity arises. You have a lovely singing voice and can generally find a cheap place to sleep and a simple meal in exchange for an evening’s performance. Starting Gear: One musical instrument of choice, a set of fine clothing, a set of traveling clothes, 1d6 x 10 gold pieces. Man-at-Arms: You’re a trained soldier, capable of holding your own in most combat situations. While you’ve not seen a lot of live combat, you still know basic military protocol and most common laws of the realm. You likely briefly campaigned for a lord or mercenary captain. Starting Gear: Long blade or spear (choose one), whet stone, helmet, 2d6 x 10 gold pieces. Messenger: You are a runner and horseman often hired by nobles and rich merchants to ferry letters and missives across vast distances when time is of the essence and carrier birds cannot be trusted. You have an excellent sense of direction and are likely to know the lay of the land for miles around. Starting Gear: Riding horse, belt pouch, saddle, two sets of traveling clothes, 2d6 x 10 gold pieces. Merchant: You bought and sold goods for profit. You’re a skill negotiator and know how to haggle for a good price when buying most mundane products. Dealing regularly with coins, you can often identify counterfeit coinage. Starting Gear: Wooden chest, lock (with matching key), 3d6 x 10 gold pieces. Physician: You are a medical professional that specializes in stitching wounds, amputations, and pulling teeth. You also know how to identify infection and wounds that are not healing properly. The job you do is a messy one, but you help keep your patients alive more often than not. Starting Gear: Bonesaw (damage as hand axe), healing kit, 2d6 x 10 gold pieces. Rat Catcher: You slither, climb, and wiggle your way into filthy places like castle dungeons and city slums in an effort to kill rats to control the spread of plague and disease. You know how to make use of traps and trained dogs to hunt and kill these vermin, and rarely lose your sense of direction in confined or dark spaces. Starting Gear: Trained dog, animal trap, lantern, 1 pint of oil, 1d6 x 10 gold pieces. Servant: You are a servant in a noble court or a castle, doing the bidding of the aristocracy. You typically assist in day to day tasks or mundane affairs they deem beneath their station. You are often ignored and regularly treated as little more than an afterthought, though are surprisingly knowledgeable about the day-to-day practices of courtly life. Starting Gear: A set of fine clothing, 1d6 x 10 gold pieces. Shepherd: You know how to raise and tend to sheep for their milk and meat, as well as shearing them for their wool. You can determine their general state of health and market value. You know how to train and work with a shepherding dog. Starting Gear: Shepherd dog, sling, bag of stones (20), walking stick (damage as quarterstaff), 2d6 x 10 gold pieces. Squire: You trained to become a knight, but never completed your term of service. You have basic knowledge of horsemanship and courtly etiquette, as well as the proper keeping of arms and armor. Starting Gear: Long blade, a set of fine clothes, 3d6 x 10 gold pieces. Stevedore: You spent years laboring on the shore, loading and unloading cargo, as well as performing manual labor to make ends meet. All that time on the water gave you a keen ear for gossip from foreign parts as well as giving you an opportunity to learn to swim. Starting Gear: Crowbar, two sets of common clothing, 2d6 x 10 gold pieces. Steward: You previously represented a noble lord or lady, speaking with their voice and authority in their absence. You are a keen speaker and skilled at navigating the subtleties and subterfuges of court. Starting Gear: A set of fine clothing, 4d6 x 10 gold pieces. Watchman: You walk the streets of a city or village, often at night, ensuring that law and order are maintained, and more importantly that the lamps stay lit to stave off the darkness. You’ve got a keen eye for trouble and often find it easy to bend the ear of the law-abiding citizens whom you protect. Starting Gear: Club or short blade (choose one), lantern, pint of oil, 2d6 x 10 gold pieces. New Equipment Bag of Training Treats: Typically composed of small pieces of meat soaked in marrow gravy and then dried, they are used to aid in the training of dogs, owls, falcons, eagles, and hawks. Typically sold in small bags of 10 treats. Cost: 1 gp.

Dog Whistle: This small metal whistle that can only be heard by dogs and cats when blown. They hear a shrill noise that carries for a distance of 1200 feet. Cost: 2 gp.

Falconry Training Kit: This elaborate kit includes a perch, bells, anklets, leashes, hoods, jesses, and other basic tools necessary to properly train a hunting bird to follow commands. Cost: 35 gp.

Falconer’s Glove: This thick leather glove runs nearly to the elbow and offers fine protection from the sharp talons and beak of a falcon or other bird. It can even serve as minor protection in combat and if a character is wearing a Falconer’s Glove on a hand not otherwise occupied by a shield or through the use of a two-handed weapon, that character receives a +1 bonus to their Defense. Cost: 15 gp.

For more information on The Hero's Journey, Second Edition or to purchase a copy you can go to DriveThruRPG where the core rules and a line of supplements are available for purchase.