Profession Rules

What is a profession?

Instead of acknowledging hundreds of other disciplines, a profession covers the same areas but allows inerts to be equally proficient at the chosen area.

Example of Professions: doctor, assassin, teacher, bard, soldier, hunter, historian, farmer, actor, cook, pharmacist, tailor, bartender, shoemaker

Why choose a profession over a jumble of skills?

By choosing a profession, there is a bonus to the rank and legend point cost.

Each profession has three groupings of skills. Group 1 is basic knowledge skills that are necessary to give structure to the profession. Group 2 is actual physical skills that put the knowledge to use. Group 3 is a grouping of skills that augment group 2 and heighten the overall effectiveness of the profession.

A character can have only one profession. For most adepts, this is adventuring. The character must spend two thirds of their time practicing their profession. (A character cannot pick up additional professions just for the bonuses).

Rules

Rank and Cost

These skills are not like normal skills and thus do not have the same costs. One designated skill in each profession's first group is cost-free at rank one. This is the primary knowledge skill for that profession (p. 126 ED)

As in the manual, the rank is proportional to the amount of time spent studying and practicing, this makes sense since a profession is life's work.

There should be a progression through the three groups as follows:

Apprentice Level: group one: knowledge
A character is an apprentice for the first year of study, minimum. When the character has the primary knowledge skill and three relating knowledge skills at rank two, the character can move on to the level of Journeyman and implement their knowledge.

Journeyman Level: group two: practical
A character will be a journeyman for most of his life. When the characters four knowledge skills and four practical (hands-on) skills are at rank 7, the character can apply for certification of mastery. At rank five or above, the character can move on to group three: specilization.

Certification of Mastery
It is generally assumed that when a character applies to his guild for mastery, they have already specialized. The character is required to demonstrate their expertise by creation or performance, to a council of masters.

Professions