The profession skill

[Spectator]

Seriously, whatever professsion it may be, as an adventurer would you ever use it???
I have played Conan since 04 and have never made a 'profession herbalist ' roll, usually another skill more specific overtakes that skill such as 'knowledge-nature' or 'craft-herbalism'????????


Am I out of line in suggesting that it is a waste to allocate skill points there? After all if you were in a career such as 'profession-sailor' there would be no need for you to be a 4th level pirate 'second mate' on the zingaran carrack???????

 

[Foxworthy]

Profession (Sailor) has come up quite a bit in Conan and D&D. It's hard to pilot aboat with out the skill. As for other professions, not so much. It's more of an NPC thing as I never really see PCs needing to make an honest living.

 

[Krushnak]

aside from prof(sailor) most pc's generally wont have a profession other than adventurer or more likely thieves as the authorities like to call them. i allow a synergy bonus from 5 ranks in prof(merchant) to appraise.

also the money profession gives you in conan is wrong, it was cut and pasted from the srd and should be in silver and i think roughly a quarter of your skill check.

 

[Paul16120]

Profession can be used to modify Appraise rolls; Gather Info; and reaction rolls.

A PC with Profession (Weaponsmith) could be given a bonus to his appraisal of a sword, maybe knowing who made the thing and where - it's history - if it has one.

Gather Info and reaction rolls can be modified (Synergy bonuses) if say the PC who has Profession (Blacksmith) is hanging out on the Street of Smiths trying to get info about who the bandits are selling thier loot to.

I would say that like any skill it is only as useful as the GM makes it.

 

[Foxworthy]

Blacksmith and Weaponsmith are both Craft skills since you sell what you make with them. Craft does synergy into appraising the object you can craft.

I'm sure some people would have synergies for things like, Guard, Mercenary, Thief, and what not but sinking five skill ranks into a worthless skill for a plus two bonus doesn't seem like a good deal. Or it could be over powered depending on how many skills it synergies into to.

Profession is mostly flavor though, and sometimes a prequiste for a class or feat.

 

[Paul16120]

They could also be Profession skills.

And while making a sword (for example) would be covered with a craft check -- identifying a sword by its maker mark (or construction, ect.) could be covered with a Profession skill check (as could handling a staff of assistants, knowing guild gossip, market knowledge 'straight edge dirks are in vogue', decipering a strange metallurgical 'recipe' used by the ancient Atlantians, ect.).

I agree that the expediture of skill points on Profession from a purely tactical standpoint is a waste - but it can server to add that bit of flavor for role-playing.

Again it all depends on your GM - In my opinion a wise GM makes use of his PCs' skills and background. If I had a player spend four precious skill points on a Profession I'd make sure he got the chance to use them - then again if a player is spending points on Profession he probably won't need any proding from me :lol:

 

[argo]

Generally speaking you should not let Craft and Profession overlap. So Profession (herbalist) really is a dud skill.

As for Profession: sailor, soldier, hunter, butcher, baker and candle-stick maker. I frequently let the PC's use them as quasi-Knowledge checks with a very limited field; usually with a higher DC than a comperable Knowledge check. You could also use it as a substitute for Gather Info if the player is trying to pump the "Guild" for information.

Of course if the adventure makes it nessicary for the players to organize a labour force of the appropriate type then profession checks should be required or else they will screw up and give poor orders. Captaning a ship should require Prof (sailor) and organizing the defense of a city should require Prof (soldier/mercenary).

And lastly the GM should consider handing out synergy bonuses for Profession skills just like for knowledge.

At the end of the day you still won't see profession being a "top-tier" skill like Bluff or Spot but the GM still ought to take steps to make sure the skill is usefull.

Later.

 

[Foxworthy]

They could also be Profession skills.

And while making a sword (for example) would be covered with a craft check -- identifying a sword by its maker mark (or construction, ect.) could be covered with a Profession skill check (as could handling a staff of assistants, knowing guild gossip, market knowledge 'straight edge dirks are in vogue', decipering a strange metallurgical 'recipe' used by the ancient Atlantians, ect.)

Profession (Swordsmith or Weaponsmith) is not a profession. It's a craft. All thos ething you talk about are neither the provance of Craft nor Profession by the rules. If you were going to allow Profession to do all those things why wouldn't you allow Craft?

Of course as a gamemaster I'd break most of those things up into different skill check that fit better.

Identifing a sword's maker by how it's crafted would be Appraise.

Market Knowledge and things like that would be either the Craft skill if running a Weaponsmith shop or Profession (Merchant), a strange metallurgical recipe would be Knowledge (Alchemy) or Knowledge (History). Synergy bonus would apply based on common sense.

Profession covers earning money off the skill, if you wnat to make money making swords you need craft as Craft is the skill used to earn money off making things.

Profession as written isn't that useful of a skill, adding uses for it that aren't in the rules would obviously make the skill useful but that beyond the scope of the written rules.

In general most adventures won't have a profession skill, since they are adventurers. That is why Profession is a weak skill. If you're party doens't adventure than making a quarter of your skill check per week is a lot better than what untrained laborers get paid, that's when having a profession is worthwhile.

 

[Sutek]

I have players make Profession rolls in what amounts to "down time". It's there so they can make money by utilizing what they know. The key difference to it and other skills is that it earns you silver per week depending on your skill check. A skill check represents a weeks worth of labor anyway, so it's not about creating an item of quality (Craft) or even applying one's knowledge to recall facts (Knowledge).

Knowledges are raw application of the skill to answer questions or identify aspects of things that fall within your area of expertise.

Craft allows you to make or build specific things.

Perform allows you to successfully perform a spcific act.

Profession acts as a general enabler to do generic things within yout area of expertise to make a decent living. You dont' produce anything significant or of spectacular quality, nor are you able to excell at a specific act or deed. It's a generalist skill for earning a moderate amount of cash instead of setting up a scenario for a specific windfall to occur.

For instance, Profession (Dancer) would generate some silver pieces for a Temptress character over the course of a week, based on her skill roll. She'd find taverns and street stalls that provide her a decent place to dance, drawing an respectable number of coins dependant on her expertise. However, if she wanted to perform a specific dance to really earn some cash, she'd need to make a Perform (Dance) check and succeed at the required DC. It's got a specific target that has to be met, or failures increase the DC each subsequent time.

I dont' see it as a weak skill at all. It's something for other characters to do to earn money for the party while some of them are healing or also out earning money. It takes one die roll, eats up a single week, and replinishes the party's pockets to get to the next town or adventure.

:wink:

 

[urdinaran]

I had 1 of my plarers take a couple of ranks of Profesion (bodyguard) for his Soldier. On ocassion got jobs guarding warehouses and such.

I agree, it's not the most useful skill in the world, but it adds flavor.

 

[VincentDarlage]

For me, it is an NPC skill and/or a flavour skill.

 

[Krushnak]

the lines between knowledge, craft and profession can be blurred sometimes.

prof(soldier) i treat as covering mercenary, bodyguard, sentry, hired muscle etc.

 

[Sutek]

Profession (Soldier) - the character can find temporary work as a city guard or sherrif or some similar position in the soldiery of a town that he visits.

Knowledge (Soldier) - the character can identiy ranks, regiment standards, interpret battle line tactics and the appropriate armor and weaponry to outfit for a fight. He is also well versed in care of weapons and armor.

Craft (Soldier) - n/a

Perform (Soldier) - the character can act as if he were a soldier, mimicking behavior in most respects. He may know the rudiments of interacting with true soldiers, but someone with actual training would be able to spot flaws in his routine.

8)

 

[Krushnak]

knowledge(warfare) and perform(guardmount) is what your looking for sutek. 5 ranks in know(warfare) aslo gives a synergy bonus of +2 to initiative so is pretty good for all soldiers to get. both skills taken from the free companies and hyboria's finest books respectively.

 

[Yogah of Yag]

If you're running a seaworthy campaign (Pirate Isles), having an NPC onboard with significant ranks in Profession (cook) should provide regular morale bonuses to the crew. 8)
Bad, mealy, wormy food on a voyage was grounds enough for mutiny and hanging the officers from the yardarms. :twisted:

 

[slaughterj]

I don't make PCs get the skill, but I do try to mention its usefulness in my games, i.e., I let people use it fairly broadly and creatively. E.g., for Profession (Soldier), that would include basic knowledge of soldiering, such as knowing ranks, typical arms for soldiers, mercenaries, and guards in various regions, how to act like a soldier (e.g., to present yourself as one to town guards who might otherwise be concerned with large well-armed individuals walking about their town), etc. etc.

 

[Sutek]

knowledge(warfare) and perform(guardmount) is what your looking for sutek. 5 ranks in know(warfare) aslo gives a synergy bonus of +2 to initiative so is pretty good for all soldiers to get. both skills taken from the free companies and hyboria's finest books respectively.

No, I'm not looking for anything.

All I was trying to do up there was show how each of the particular skills could have the same exact sub-category and still be totally different and exclusive...and useful.

In other words, Knowledge (Warfare) could be one skill and Perform (Warfare) could be another. One is information recal about battle tactics, unit make-up, formations, etc. The other is something that might be taken by a Gladiator in order to make his bouts that much more splendid and entertaining.

Yogah: I wouldn't say that Profession (Cook) on a ship would be worthwhile. The Profession skill is meant to bea a means of accruing moderate amounts of silver for spending time in some location and plying one's trade. Being on a ship would acrue pay more based on Profession (Sailor) in any case, and Craft (Cooking) would be what I'd ask for to prepare a successful meal. Either that or Survival (lol).

 

[Jotenbjorn]

Bah, I let anyone use any skill for profession to make money as long as they can explain it. Survival? You're a guide. Sleight of Hand? You're a pickpocket. Animal Handling? Tons of options. Jump? Well, that needs a good explanation.