There are 27 adventuring careers. Each sorts the ten characteristics into four primary (1), two secondary (2) and four tertiary (3). Skill names, the groups in brackets and (all) are explained in the next chapter, Skills.
Characteristic profile. The line beside each career's name is its characteristic profile. Each number is the cost multiplier for that characteristic: primary (1), secondary (2) and tertiary (3). How characteristic advances work, and how to work out their experience cost, is explained in chapter 7, Advancement.
Skills. Each career lists its primary skills, which include its main Knowledge fields, and two or three secondary skills. A character whose first career this is starts at Familiar rank in all of them. How skill advances work, and how to work out their experience cost, is explained in chapter 7, Advancement.
Weapons. Every career that is not mainly academic has a basic weapon skill among its skills.
Magic. Three careers each hold one magic skill that no other career can learn: Hearthwarden (Hearth Magic), Keeper (Soul Magic) and Runewright (Rune Magic).
Trappings. Each career lists its starting trappings, kept short because goods are scarce. Every character also starts with travelling clothes, flint and steel, and d6 pieces.
Career master talents
Every career has one Master talent: a capstone ability that marks a character as one of the very best at their trade. A Master Bowman chooses where every arrow lands; a Master Sworn Guard takes the blow meant for their charge.
Master talents are the one exception to the rule that talents are flat modifiers or situational bonuses. Each one changes how the character plays.
Who can buy one. Only a member of the career. A character can buy the Master talent of their current career, and no other.
Prerequisite. Master rank in at least two of the career's skills, primary or secondary. Each group of a grouped skill, such as Melee (Basic) or Knowledge (Law), counts as one skill.
Cost. 8 experience, the most of any talent.
Once only. Each Master talent can be bought once.
Changing career. A Master talent already bought is kept after changing career, and keeps working. The old career's Master talent cannot be bought after leaving it. A character who has been in several careers can hold several Master talents, one from each career they mastered while in it.
Other talent rules still apply. A Master talent follows every other talent rule, including one talent per roll, unless its own entry says otherwise.
The full list of Master talents, one for each career, is in Master talents in chapter 5, Talents.
Changing career
A character has one career at a time and can change to another. Three things are needed.
The trappings. Gather everything in the new career's trappings list. Papers and badges that cannot be bought, such as a warrant or a letter of marque, must be earned in play.
A trainer. Find a member of the new career who is willing to teach. For the three magic careers this is hard.
The experience. Spend 3 experience points.
What switches. From that moment the new career's characteristic profile and skill lists set every cost. The old career's no longer apply.
What is kept. Every advance, skill rank, talent and spell already bought.
Advances carry on counting. The next advance in a characteristic costs the new career's multiplier times the advance being bought. A character with 2 advances in Might buys the third for 3, 6 or 9, depending on where Might sits in the new career.
Old skills. A skill that is not on the new career's lists is treated as a skill outside the career: a basic skill costs triple, and an advanced skill or group cannot be raised any further. That includes a magic skill. The caster keeps their rank and their spells and can still cast.
Master talents. A Master talent already bought is kept. The old career's Master talent cannot be bought after leaving.
Nothing is handed out. The starting skill ranks, free advances, starting spells and starting coin are for new characters only.
Closed careers stay closed to the species listed in the random career table, in Career in chapter 1.
Going back to a former career is another change, made the same way.
Acrobat
Travelling shows follow the trade roads from the ports to the frontier forts. An acrobat is welcome in most settlements, which makes one useful to anyone who needs eyes inside the walls.
Trappings:three throwing knives, 50 feet of rope, a performer's costume, a pot of face paint.
Useful gear
Three throwing knives.
50 feet of rope.
Performer's costume.
Pot of face paint.
Travelling shows entertain in every town and fort, drawing crowds and opening doors that are otherwise closed.
From the ports to the frontier forts.
An acrobat is welcome in most settlements, which makes one useful to anyone who needs eyes inside the walls.
Acrobatics, juggling and stilt work draw a crowd in any settlement.
Antiquarian
Digs the abandoned earthwork cities of the river elves and the oldest dwarven workings, and sells what turns up to collectors or the merchant company. The boat-clans call most of them grave robbers.
Trappings:a writing kit, a book of old-world tales, a lantern and oil, a knife, a magnifying lens.
Tools of the trade
Writing kit with ink, pens and notes.
Book of old-world tales.
Lantern and oil.
Knife.
Magnifying lens.
River elf figurine. Exquisitely made. Likely a household or ancestor shrine piece.
Fragment of a larger stone disk. Purpose unknown.
Broken tablet. Ancient script. Still working on a translation.
Abandoned earthwork city of the river elves. Much still lies beneath the mud.
Oldest dwarven workings. Long abandoned. Still beautiful.
The boat-clans call us grave robbers. Maybe they're not wrong. But what is forgotten to them is knowledge to others — and coin enough to fund the next dig.
Barber-Surgeon
A practical healer with a saw and a razor, found in every garrison, ship and trading post, On the frontier this is the only medicine most people will ever see.
Trappings:a longbow, 20 arrows, a hatchet, a knife, a spare bowstring.
Tools of the trade
Longbow.
20 arrows.
Spare bowstring.
Hatchet.
Knife.
Common quarry
Provides meat quietly, without spoiling the hide.
Elf scouts move through these forests as easily as the rivers. They see as long before we see them.
High ground, clear sight lines, and good cover an archer more valuable than a score of soldiers with guns.
On the frontier, a quiet shot can feed a camp, keep a traveller alive, or settle a problem before it starts.
A skilled archer can loose several arrows before a musketeer manages a single shot.
Charlatan
Sells cures, charms and forged deeds to settlers who cannot tell a true working of the Worldsoul from a trick, and moves on before the buyers find out.
Trappings:fine clothes, a writing kit, a sealed letter of introduction, a knife, sealing wax and a seal.
Tools of the trade
Writing kit. Letters, agreements and copies of treaties.
Sealed letter of introduction. Opens doors that words alone cannot.
Sealing wax and a seal. A mark of authority.
Knife. A practical necessity.
Common companions
Light travel gear. Able to move quickly when a council ends.
Knows the rivers, the peoples, and the ambitions. The land is woven together by knowledge as much as by force.
Different nations. Different languages. The same need for understanding.
Travels widely — by canoe, on foot, and in the company of traders, soldiers and native guides.
Forts, trading posts and council fires are where agreements take shape.
Hearthwarden
Keeps the hearth magic of the halfling homesteads: small workings of bread, fire, threshold and field. Newcomers hungry for the Worldsoul overlook it, and those who want the Worldsoul ended rarely think it worth burning.
Trappings:a sling, a copper kettle, a pouch of herbs and seed, a knife, a jar of salt. Starts knowing three Hearth Magic spells: two Very easy and one Easy.
Tools of the trade
Sling, Useful for hunting and protection.
Copper kettle. For cooking, healing and small workings of the hearth.
Knife. A practical necessity.
Jar of salt. For food, preservation and warding.
Pouch of herbs and seed. For healing, charms and the land.
Strong hearths make strong homes. Strong homes make strong communities.
Bread, fire, and good company keep more than hunger away.
Newcomers chase grand magic and rare wonders. They often overlook the small workings that keep people alive. That suits a hearthwarden well.
Fields tended with care feed families for generations. Quiet magic endures longer than armies.
Highwayman
The roads between settlements are long and unwatched, and coin now travels them. A highwayman takes it at pistol point.
Trappings:lockpicks, 50 feet of rope, a lantern and oil, a knife, a small pry bar.
Tools of the trade
Lockpicks. Small tools open big opportunities.
50 feet of rope. For high walls, quiet entries and quick escapes.
Lantern and oil. Light when needed, darkness when not.
A knife. A constant companion.
A small pry bar. For doors, chests and other stubborn problems.
Strongboxes, land deeds and small treasures fetch high prices.
A quiet approach, a watchful eye, and an open door where others see only walls.
New locks and clever rune-work make a challenge worth the risk.
The best housebreakers leave no trace. A closed door, a quiet street, and business unfinished to the world.
Wealth moves through every port and town. A careful thief can travel far on it.
Keeper
Tends the Worldsoul, which elves call the Breath or the Soul. The river elves' older word is the Braiding, and the plains elves' is the Under-Song. Keepers are courted by those who want to learn from it and hunted by those who want it ended.
Trappings:a lance, a riding horse with saddle and tack, a knife, a regimental pennant
Arms and equipment
A lance. Reach, power and presence on the field.
Pistol for close defence.
Cavalry sabre for the press of battle.
A knife. A constant companion.
Saddle and tack. Built for long rides and hard country.
A regimental pennant. Shows where you ride and whom you serve.
Horse proportions (for reference)
14-16 hands (140-160 cm) at the withers
Body length ~1.6-1.8 × height
Rider height ~1.7-1.9 m
The horse in this illustration uses realistic proportions for a riding/war horse. It stands around 15 hands (+ 150 cm / 5 ft) at the withers, with correct anatomy, depth, and mass to carry an armoured rider with equipment.
The wide country favours the mounted. Speed brings opportunity, but also responsibility.
Different peoples, a shared code. Discipline, skill and honour travel farther than borders.
Long roads, open plains, and new frontiers. A lancer can be a scout, a messenger, or the first, answer to danger.
Minstrel
Carries news, songs and old stories between settlements and nations, and is often the only word a place gets from anywhere else.
Trappings:a small keg of powder (20 rounds' worth), slow match and fuse, a hatchet, a knife, a ball of twine
Tools of the trade
A small keg of powder (20 rounds' worth).
Slow match and fuse for controlled fire.
A hatchet for many purposes.
A knife. A constant companion.
Ball of twine, spare shot and small tools.
Every fort and company wants one.
Forts, ships and companies all need skilled hands for their guns.
Understands blasting and mining as well as the battlefield.
Knows the right mixtures for different uses and conditions.
New resources open new possibilities.
Knows a range of guns, from small field pieces to large mortars.
Privateer
A licensed raider on the Eastern Ocean or the great river, taking a rival power's ships under a letter from a crown or company. Without the letter, a pirate.
Trappings:a club, hand wraps, a purse of winnings (an extra d6 pieces), a knife, a jar of liniment
Typical gear and trinkets
A club for breaking problems.
Hand wraps for protection and a firm grip.
A knife. A constant companion.
A jar of liniment to ease sore limbs and keep fighting.
A purse of winnings (an extra d6 pieces).
Brawls in taverns, on docks and in frontier camps draw crowds and coin.
Where there are wagers, there is a crowd.
A good fight can earn a fat purse.
Known for strength, endurance and a wild spirit. Fights often end in friendship, or in a long grudge.
Raider
Lives by taking: the war parties of the nations and the border reivers of the colonies. Colonists call them barbarians, and their own people call them providers.
Trappings:a long rifle, powder and shot for 10 rounds, a powder horn, a knife, a gun-cleaning kit
Arms and equipment
A long rifle, accurate at great range.
A powder horn to carry and measure powder.
Powder and shot for 10 rounds.
A knife for camp and close work.
A gun-cleaning kit to keep the rifle in good order.
Riflemen range ahead, scouting the land and watching for signs.
Riflemen hunt for food, but their greatest value is what they can see and report.
From a hidden position, a skilled shot can strike at great distance.
Riflemen often serve with the militias, guiding them through rough country.
They know the rivers, ridges and game trails, and can move unseen where others cannot.
Runewright
Cuts the runes that turn a dwarven device from metal into magic. Anyone can use the finished work, but only a runewright can make it. Every trading company wants a runewright on its books, and very few will teach an outsider.
Trappings:one rune device of the player's choice from the Very easy or Easy lists, engraving tools, a hammer (as a club), a knife, chalk and charcoal. Starts knowing two runes from the Very easy or Easy tiers, one of them the rune on that device.
Tools of the trade
Runic chisels and punches in many shapes and sizes.
An engraving hammer (as a club).
A knife for many uses.
A gun-cleaning kit works well for keeping tools in order.
Chalk and charcoal for marking layouts.
Runes can improve a weapon's range, accuracy or durability.
Runes can guide, protect, repair and do much more.
Runes channel power into a device, giving it properties beyond ordinary metal.
Common devices include tools, locks, weapons, navigation aids and everyday gear for explorers and traders.
Every trading company wants a runewright on its books.
Some seek out rare metals and rune-stones in the wilds, where new work and knowledge can be found.
Soldier
A drilled, paid fighter for a crown, a company or a nation's war band. The coming war will need thousands of them.
Trappings:a shortbow, 20 arrows, three steel traps, a knife, fish hooks and line.
Tools of the Trade
Shortbow for hunting.
20 arrows for small and larger game.
Three steel traps for beaver and other furs.
Knife for skinning and everyday use.
Fish hooks and line for food on the trail.
Knows the country — where the beaver run, which lakes hold marten, and which routes are worth the risk.
Builds trust, trades fairly, and lives by the leave of the nations.
Furs are the wealth of the trade — beaver, marten, otter and more.
Traps along rivers, lakes and portages, following the signs of the land.
Lives for long stretches in a hard country, reading the land and the sign.
Sets traps, checks lines, and knows where the best furs are to be found.
Witchfinder
Roots out Worldsoul-craft for the southern crown and for the sects of the charter colonies. Feared by the nations, and by any settler who has traded for a charm.
