100 Medieval Careers

Taking a brief break from adventure design, I present a related topic:  100 jobs NPCs in your game-world might have.  Helps with creating those random NPCs — pick a job, then add a name, race, gender, and a quirk or two.

I’ve broken them down into some broad categories, in case you want to go old school and turn it into multiple subtables to randomly roll on.  If you’re taking that approach, note that the “Working Class” and “Scoundrels and the Underclass” categories should be most common in the typical medieval-European-style game worlds, followed by Professionals, Entertainers, and Martial, with Learned and Lesser Nobility being least common.

100 jobs, after the jump.

Learned

1. Academic – a scholar or sage — astrologer, cartographer, historian, philosopher, etc.
2. Architect – a master builder
3. Ascetic – a hermit or wandering monk
4. Barber  – a doctor, surgeon, bloodletter, dentist, and haircutter
5. Barrister – a lawyer
6. Bureaucrat – a local functionary, servant to some more powerful political figure
7. Engineer – a builder of roads, bridges, castles, fortifications, and siege engines
8. Herald – an announcer and deliverer of news on behalf of a lord
9. Monk/Nun – a lay cleric devoted to prayer and spirituality
10. Scribe – skilled in taking dictation or copying documents

Lesser Nobility

1. Adventurer – a minor scion of a noble house who’s chosen to wander the world
2. Dilettante – a minor scion of a noble house who dabbles in various interests
3. Diplomat – a representative of his house in dealings with other noble houses
4. Knight – a well-trained warrior, skilled with sword and lance
5. Minister – a political figure appointed by the ruler to govern a specific area or to oversee a domain; also lesser but important officials, such as a reeve or judge
6. Page – a very young noble beginning his training to be a knight
7. Squire – a young noble progressing on the path to knighthood, perhaps herself a capable warrior

Professionals

1. Armorer
2. Artist – a painter of portraits
3. Baker
4. Blacksmith
5. Bookbinder
6. Bowyer
7. Brewer – a maker of beer and ale
8. Bricklayer – a laborer skilled in the building of walls and ducts
9. Butcher
10. Candlemaker or Chandler
11. Carpenter – an elite tradesman, skilled in math as well as woodworking
12. Cartwright – a maker and repairer of carts and wagons
13. Clothier – a garment-maker
14. Cobbler or Shoemaker – makes and mends shoes
15. Cook
16. Cooper – a barrel-maker
17. Dyer – a maker of inks, paints, dyes, and stains
18. Engraver
19. Furrier
20. Glassblower
21. Goldsmith or Silversmith
22. Hatter
23. Innkeeper or Tavern-keeper
24. Jeweler
25. Joiner – a maker of furniture
26. Leatherworker
27. Locksmith
28. Mason
29. Merchant
30. Moneylender
31. Potter
32. Shipwright – a builder of ships
33. Tax Collector
34. Tinker – a traveling craftsman who repairs tin pots and other small items, often also a peddler
35. Torturer
36. Trader – by land or by sea
37. Vintner – a maker of wines
38. Weaver

The Working Class

1. Boatman – travel by lake or river
2. Coachman – driver of a coach
3. Farmer
4. Fisherman
5. Gravedigger
6. Groom – one who tends animals
7. Herdsman – a keeper of livestock
8. Hunter or Trapper
9. Messenger
10. Miller
11. Miner
12. Painter or Limner
13. Peddler – an itinerant merchant of goods
14. Ratcatcher
15. Sailor
16. Seamstress
17. Servant – maid, butler, attendant, steward, etc.
18. Stevedore – one who loads and unloads goods from sailing ships or caravan

Martial

1. Bodyguard
2. Bounty Hunter
3. Forester – a ranger or game warden, often empowered to act as law enforcement within the forest
4. Gatekeeper or Toll Keeper
5. Jailer
6. Mercenary or Soldier
7. Watchman

Scoundrels and the Underclass

1. Bandit, Mugger, or Thug – steals by force; often part of a gang of thieves
2. Beggar
3. Burglar – steals by breaking and entering
4. Fence – finds buyers for stolen goods, may serve as a pawnbroker
5. Gambler
6. Pickpocket or Cutpurse – steals by stealth
7. Procurer – streetwise specialists in finding whatever their client might be looking for
8. Prostitute
9. Slaver
10. Smuggler – moves stolen or illegal goods
11. Wanderer – a “barbarian” nomad, drifter, or rover

Entertainers

1. Acrobat
2. Actor
3. Clown
4. Dancer
5. Fortune-teller – might well have real power in a fantasy world
6. Juggler
7. Minstrel
8. Prestidigitator – stage magician
9. Storyteller

(Edit: Small changes and clarifications to the list, 2/5/09.)

Related posts:

1. Stealing, By the Numbers