459 Historic Professions - Jobs - Trades For Fantasy RPG Settings
459 Historic Professions - Jobs - Trades For Fantasy RPG Settings
Below is a huge list of 459 jobs, careers, professions, trades, etc from throughout history
which can be used for Player’s Characters, or Non-Player Characters (NPCs) when creating
them for your Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, or any RPG Fantasy Setting, or Randomly
Generated City or Town.
Some are “old timey” jobs which don’t exist anymore, and some still exist today. Regardless,
very few people your world are “adventurers” and most have a profession on the list below.
Give each of your Randomly Generated NPCs a real Craft or Trade to make them more realistic.
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If there is a job you don’t see listed, please submit it in the comments and it will get added!
1. Animal/Monster Handler – responsible for the safe keeping, dietary care, and exercise of
animals or monsters.
2. Arborist – maintains and cares for trees, often by surgically removing dying limbs.
3. Baler – bales hay, or in the mills, wool and cotton goods.
4. Beekeeper – owns and breeds bees, especially for their honey.
5. Breeder – breeds livestock, animals, or monsters.
6. Cowherd – supervises grazing cattle.
7. Dairyboy/Dairymaid – milks cows and makes cheese and butter.
8. Falconer – keeps, trains, and hunts with falcons, hawks, or other birds of prey.
9. Farmer – operates a farm or cultivates land.
10. Fisher – catches fish.
11. Florist – grows and arranges plants and cut flowers.
12. Forager – searches for food in the wild.
13. Forester – supervises the wellbeing of a forest.
14. Fowler – catches or ensnares birds.
15. Gamekeeper – breeds and protects game, typically for a large estate.
16. Groom – cleans and brushes the coats horses, dogs, or other animals.
17. Herder – supervises a herd of livestock or makes a living from keeping livestock, especially
in open country.
18. Horse Trainer – tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines.
19. Hunter – hunts game or other wild animals.
20. Lumberjack – fells trees, cuts them into logs, and transports them to a sawmill.
21. Master-of-Horses – supervises and commands all horses under a jurisdiction.
22. Master-of-Hounds – maintains a pack of hounds and their associated staff, equipment, and
hunting arrangements.
23. Miller – owns or works in a grain mill.
24. Miner – works underground in mines in order to obtain minerals such as coal, diamonds, or
gold.
25. Pathfinder – scouts ahead and discovers a path or way for others.
26. Plumer – hunts birds for their plumes.
27. Prospector – searches for mineral deposits, especially by drilling and excavation.
28. Ranger – wanders or ranges over a particular area or domain.
29. Renderer – converts waste animal tissue into usable materials.
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30. Shepherd
Resources – herds,
for D&D, Pathfinder, d20 &tends,
More and guards sheep.
31. Stablehand – works in a stable.
32. Thresher – separates grain from the plants by beating.
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33. Trapper – traps wild animals, especially for their fur.
34. Vintner – engages in winemaking, especially with monitoring and harvesting the grapes.
35. Zookeeper – maintains and cares for animals or monsters in a zoo.
36. Architect – designs buildings or landscapes and in many cases supervises their
construction.
37. Brickmaker – crafts bricks from clay, stone, or other materials.
38. Brickmason / Bricklayer / Mason – builds with mineral products such as stones, bricks,
cinder blocks, or tiles, usually with the use of mortar as a bonding agent.
39. Carpenter – makes and repairs wooden objects and structures.
40. Construction Worker – a laborer in the physical construction of a built environment and its
infrastructure.
41. General Contractor – supervises a construction site, manages its vendors and trades, and
communicates information to all involved parties.
42. Glazier – fits glass into windows and doors.
43. Plasterer – applies plaster to walls, ceilings, or other surfaces.
44. Roadlayer/Streetlayer – paves roads or streets.
45. Roofer/Thatcher – builds and repairs roofs.
46. Stonemason – cuts and prepares stone for use in construction.
60. Curator – keeper and custodian of a museum or other collections of precious items.
61. Costumer – makes theatrical costumes.
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62. Dancer – moves their body rhythmically with or without musical accompaniment.
63. Equilibrist – performs balancing feats.
64. Fashion Designer – applies design, aesthetics and natural beauty to garments and their
accessories.
65. Gladiator – fights against other people, wild animals, or monsters in an arena.
66. Glasspainter – produces colorful designs on or in glass.
67. Jester – professional joker or “fool” at court, typically wearing a cap with bells on it and
carrying a mock scepter.
68. Juggler – keeps several objects in motion in the air at the same time by alternately tossing
and catching them.
69. Illuminator – paints and calligraphs to adorn or enlighten scrolls and manuscripts.
70. Limner – paints portraits or miniatures.
71. Makeup Artist – applies cosmetics to models, actors, nobles, etc.
72. Minstrel – recites lyric or heroic poetry for nobility.
73. Model – poses as a subject for an artist, fashion designer, or sculptor.
74. Musician – plays a musical instrument.
75. Painter – paints pictures.
76. Playwright – writes plays or musicals.
77. Poet – writes ballads, epics, sonnets, or other forms of poetry.
78. Ringmaster/Ringmistress – master of ceremony who introduces the circus acts to the
audience.
79. Ropewalker – walks along a tightrope to entertain others.
80. Sculptor – crafts art by carving or casting blocks of marble, stones, or other hardened
minerals.
81. Singer/Soprano – sings with or without instrumental accompaniment.
82. Skald – composes and recites poems honoring heroes and their deeds.
83. Stage Magician – deceives their audience with seemingly impossible feats while using only
natural means.
84. Stuntman/Stuntwoman – performs dangerous stunts for their audience.
85. Tattooist – illustrates the skin with indelible patterns, pictures, legends, etc.
86. Theater Director – supervises and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production by
unifying various endeavors and aspects of production.
87. Wrestler – performs in matches involving grappling and grappling-type techniques.
88. Writer – commits his or her thoughts, ideas, etc., into written language.
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BUSINESS & TRADE
CRAFTSMANSHIP
CRIME
75. Assassin – murders through stealth for reasons pertaining to money, politics, or religion.
76. Bandit – a robber or outlaw belonging to a gang and typically operating in an isolated or
lawless area.
77. Burglar – illegally enters buildings and steals things.
78. Charlatan/Conman – tricks people by gaining their trust and persuading them to believe
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something
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for D&D, Pathfinder, is ¬
Moretrue in order to benefit from the encounter.
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