15 Professions of OnceWas
15.0.1 Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Forestry
Animal Handler – responsible for the safe keeping, dietary care, and exercise of animals.
Arborist – maintains and cares for trees, often by surgically removing dying limbs.
Baler – bales hay, or in the mills, wool and cotton goods.
Beekeeper – owns and breeds bees, especially for their honey.
Breeder – breeds livestock, animals, or monsters.
Cowherd – supervises grazing cattle.
Cow Hand– milks cows and makes cheese and butter.
Falconer – keeps, trains, and hunts with falcons, hawks, or other birds of prey.
Farmer – operates a farm or cultivates land.
Fisher – catches fish.
Forager – searches for food in the wild.
Forester – supervises the wellbeing of a forest.
Fowler – catches or ensnares birds.
Groom – cleans and brushes the coats horses, dogs, or other animals.
Herder – supervises a herd of livestock or makes a living from keeping livestock, especially in open country.
Horse Trainer – tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines.
Hunter – hunts game or other wild animals.
Lumberjack – fells trees, cuts them into logs, and transports them to a sawmill.
Miller – owns or works in a grain mill.
Miner – works underground in mines in order to obtain minerals such as coal, diamonds, or gold.
Pathfinder – scouts ahead and discovers a path or way for others.
Plumer – hunts birds for their plumes.
Prospector – searches for mineral deposits, especially by drilling and excavation.
Ranger – wanders or ranges over a particular area or domain.
Renderer – converts waste animal tissue into usable materials.
Shepherd – herds, tends, and guards sheep.
Stablehand – works in a stable.
Thresher – separates grain from the plants by beating.
Trapper – traps wild animals, especially for their fur.
Vintner – engages in winemaking, especially with monitoring and harvesting the grapes.
15.0.2 City and Town Architecture and Construction
Architect – designs buildings or landscapes and in many cases supervises their construction.
Brickmaker – crafts bricks from clay, stone, or other materials.
Brickmason – builds with mineral products such as stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or tiles, usually with the use of mortar as a bonding agent.
Carpenter – makes and repairs wooden objects and structures.
General Contractor – supervises a construction site, manages its vendors and trades, and communicates information to all involved parties.
Glazier – fits glass into windows and doors.
Plasterer – applies plaster to walls, ceilings, or other surfaces.
Roadlayer – paves roads or streets.
Stonemason – cuts and prepares stone for use in construction.
Thatcher – builds and repairs roofs.
15.0.3 Arts
Acrobat – performs spectacular gymnastic feats high above the ground on a tightrope or trapeze.
Actor – impersonates characters, typically on stage in a theatrical production.
Clown – comic entertainer who wears a traditional costume and exaggerated makeup.
Contortionist – twists and bends their body into strange and unnatural positions.
Costumer – makes theatrical costumes.
Dancer – moves their body rhythmically with or without musical accompaniment.
Gladiator – fights against other people, wild animals, or monsters in an arena.
Glass Painter – produces colorful designs on or in glass.
Jester – professional joker or “fool” at court, typically wearing a cap with bells on it and carrying a mock scepter.
Juggler – keeps several objects in motion in the air at the same time by alternately tossing and catching them.
Minstrel – performs in a public place, often for money.Model – poses as a subject for an artist, fashion designer, or sculptor.
Musician – plays a musical instrument.
Painter – paints pictures.
Playwright – writes plays or musicals.
Poet – writes ballads, epics, sonnets, or other forms of poetry.
Ringmaster – master of ceremony who introduces the circus acts to the audience.
Sculptor – crafts art by carving or casting blocks of marble, stones, or other hardened minerals.
Skald – composes and recites poems honoring heroes and their deeds.
Stage Magician – deceives their audience with seemingly impossible feats while using only natural means.
Tattooist – illustrates the skin with indelible patterns, pictures, legends, etc.
15.0.4 Business and Trade
Accountant – keeps and inspects financial accounts.
Animal Collector/Monster Collector – collects and deals in rare and exotic animals and monsters.
Auctioneer – conducts auctions by accepting bids and declaring goods sold.
Banker – an officer or owner of a bank or group of banks.
Bookkeeper – keeps records of financial affairs.
Chandler – deals in provisions and supplies.
Collector – collects things of a specified type, professionally or as a hobby.
Debt Collector – recovers money owed on delinquent accounts.
Draper – an alcohol merchant.
Grocer – a food merchant.
Guild Master – leads an economically independent producer (a “guild,” an association of craftsmen or merchants that often holds considerable bureaucratic power).
Innkeeper – owns and runs an inn.
Land Surveyor – establishes maps and boundaries for ownership or other purposes required by government or civil law.
Merchant – sells and trades goods.
Moneychanger – exchanges one currency for another.
Moneylender – lends money to others who pay interest.
Peddler – travels from place to place selling assorted items.
Farmer – an owner of an estate on which crops are cultivated by resident labor.
Tradesman – deals exclusively in bartering.
Vendor – deals items in the street.
15.0.5 City Communication
Billboard poster – a person who puts up notices, signs and advertisements.
Courier – transports packages and documents.
Herald: a messenger who carries important news.
Interpreter: interprets language and its meaning, especially within ancient manuscripts.
Linguist: studies the essence of communication, including the units, nature, structure, and modification of language.
Messenger: carries messages between recipients.
Town Crier: makes public announcements in the streets or marketplace.
Translator: translates between languages.
15.0.6 Skilled Labor
Armorer – specializes in making and repairing armor.
Blacksmith – forges and repairs things in metal, including weapons, armor, utensils, etc.
Bookbinder – binds books and wraps scrolls.
Bottler – bottles drinks and other liquids.
Bowyer – makes bows and crossbows.
Brewer – brews ale.
Broom Maker – makes brooms and brushes.
Candlemaker – makes candles and wax from honey and tallow.
Cartwright – makes and repairs carts and wagons.
Cobbler – makes and repairs footwear.
Cooper/Hooper – makes and repairs casks and barrels.
Cutler – makes cutlery.
Dyer – dyes cloth and other materials.
Embroiderer – ornaments with needlework.
Engraver – incises a design onto a hard surface by cutting grooves into it.
Farrier – trims and shoes horses’ hooves.
Fletcher – makes and repairs arrows.
Furniture Artisan – makes and repairs furniture.
Furrier – prepares furs for adornment.
Glassworker – blows glass planes and items.
Glovemaker – makes and repairs gloves.
Goldsmith/Silversmith – a smith who specializes in precious metals.
Hatter – makes and repairs headwear.
Instrument Maker – makes and repairs musical instruments.
Jeweler – designs, makes, and repairs necklaces, bracelets, watches, etc., often containing jewels.
Leatherworker – makes items from leather such as pouches, scabbards, straps, etc.
Locksmith – makes and repairs locks.
Mercer – weaves textile fabrics, especially silks, velvets, and other fine materials.
Potter – makes pots, bowls, plates, etc., out of clay.
Ropemaker – braids rope.
Rugmaker – makes and repairs rugs by braiding, hooking, weaving, etc.
Saddler – makes and repairs saddlery.
Seamstress/Tailor – makes, alters, repairs, as well as occasionally designing garments.
Soaper – makes soap from accumulated mutton fat, wood ash, and natural soda.
Tanner – treats the skins and hides of animals to produce leather.
Taxidermist – prepares, stuffs, and mounts the skins of animals.
Tinker – travels from place to place mending utensils.
Weaver – makes fabric by weaving fiber together.
Wheelwright – makes and repairs wooden wheels.
Whittler/Woodcarver – fashions wood into various shapes.
15.0.7 Crime
Assassin – murders through stealth for reasons pertaining to money, politics, or religion.
Bandit – a robber or outlaw belonging to a gang and typically operating in an isolated or lawless area.
Burglar – illegally enters buildings and steals things.
Charlatan/Conman – tricks people by gaining their trust and persuading them to believe something that is not true in order to benefit from the encounter.
Cockfighter/Game fighter – engages in arena matches in which animals or monsters are pitted against one another, typically to the death.
Cutpurse – a pickpocket or thief.
Drug Dealer – dealer of illegal substances.
Extortioner – extorts money from someone by threatening to expose embarrassing information about them.
Fence – deals in stolen goods.
Forger – produces fraudulent copies or imitations.
Fugitive – a person who has escaped from a place or is in hiding, especially to avoid arrest or persecution.
Highwayman – robs travelers on a road.
Kidnapper – abducts people and holds them captive, typically to obtain a ransom.
Loan Shark – charges extremely high rates of interest for moneylending, typically under illegal conditions.
Pirate – attacks and robs ships at sea.
Poacher – hunts illegal game.
Poisoner – makes poisons to harm or kill.
Raider/Marauder – makes sudden, unprompted attacks against defenseless or near-defenseless settlements.
Smuggler – manages the import or export of goods secretly, in violation of the law, especially without payment of legal duty.
Thief – steals people’s property, especially by stealth and without using force or violence.
15.0.8 Government and Law
Alderman – a civic dignitary in the local council ranked below the mayor.
Chancellor – a senior state or legal official.
Chief – leads or rules a people or clan.
Count/Earl/Countess – a nobleperson ranking above a viscount and below a marquess.
Courtier – attends court as a companion or adviser to the king or queen.
Diplomat – an official representing a country abroad.
Duke/Duchess – rules over a duchy and is of the highest rank below the monarch.
Judge – decides cases in a court of law.
King/Queen – the ruler of an independent state and its people.
Knight – serves his or her sovereign after being bestowed a rank of royal honor.
Lawyer/Advocate – practices or studies law, typically an attorney or a counselor.
Master-of-Coin – supervises the royal treasury, advises the monarch on financial matters, and is responsible for raising money through taxation.
Noble– a person belonging to a class with high social or political status.
Orator/Spokesman – makes statements on behalf of a group or individual nobleperson.
Page – a young attendant to a person of noble rank.
Prince/Princess – the direct descendant of a monarch.
Steward – supervises both the estate and household of his lord or lady while they are away.
Squire – acts as an attendant to a knight before attempting to become a knight themselves.
Tax Collector – collects unpaid taxes from people, guilds, or businesses.
Ward – a member of a noble house who has been taken in by another noble family to be raised for a time.
15.0.9 Common Labor
Tunner – fills casks in a brewery or winery.
Baker – bakes bread and cakes.
Barber – cuts hair and shaves or trims beards.
Barkeep – works and serves drinks in a bar.
Barmaid/Barboy – serves drinks and food in a bar as well as engaging with customers.
Butcher – cuts up and sells meat.
Butler – the chief servant of a household.
Charcoal Maker – manufactures charcoal by carbonizing wood in a kiln.
Majordomo – a person in charge of a large household.
Chimney Sweeper – a small person, typically a child, who ascends chimneys to clean them.
Clerk – undertakes routine administrative duties in a business or bank.
Cook – prepares food for eating.
Exterminator – exterminates unwanted rodents and insects.
Food & Drink Taster – ingests food that was prepared for someone else to confirm it is safe to eat.
Gardener/Landscaper – tends and cultivates a garden.
Gongfarmer – digs out and removes excrement from privies and cesspits.
Gravedigger – digs graves for the purposes of a funeral ceremony.
Groundskeeper – maintains an athletic field, a park, or the grounds of a graveyard or other institution.
Knacker – disposes of dead or unwanted animals.
Lamplighter – lights street or road lights at dusk.
Laundry Worker – a laborer who takes part in the washing, drying, and ironing of clothes and other fabric items.
Longshoreman – loads and unloads ships in a port.
Maid – a domestic servant of a household.
Pastry Chef – makes desserts, especially cakes and pastries.
Porter – carries luggage and other loads.
Prostitute – engages in sexual activity for payment.
Quarryman/Quarrywoman – quarries stone.
Servant – performs duties for others, especially a person employed in a house or as a personal attendant.
Street Cleaner – cleans streets and alleyways after dark.
Water Bearer – brings water from rivers, wells, and lakes back to their settlement.
15.0.10 Military
Admiral – commands a fleet or naval squadron.
Bailiff – looks after prisoners.
Bodyguard – escorts and protects another person, especially a dignitary.
Bouncer – prevents troublemakers from entering or to eject them from the premises of an establishment.
Captain – an army officer of high rank in charge of commanding squadrons of soldiers.
Castellan – the governor of a castle.
Cavalryman/Cavalier – a skilled horseback rider.
City Watch – an officer of law enforcement who resides in larger towns or cities.
Duelist – skilled in one-on-one combat.
Executioner – carries out a sentence of death on a legally condemned person.
Firefighter – extinguishes fires.
Guard – a person who keeps watch, especially a soldier or other person formally assigned to protect a person or to control access to a place.
General – the chief commander of an army.
Jailer – supervises a jail and the prisoners in it.
Lieutenant – an officer of middle rank in the armed forces.
Archer – in long-range weapons, such as the bow, crossbow, sling, etc. to inflict damage from afar.
Marshall – has the charge of the cavalry in the household of a monarch.
Mercenary – a soldier without allegiance who works for money, typically a member of a company or guild.
Quartermaster – responsible for providing quarters, rations, clothing, and other supplies.
Royal Guard – responsible for the protection of a royal person.
Runner – carries information between lines in wartime.
Sergeant – an officer instructed with a protective duty, typically worth “half a knight” in regard.
Sergeant-at-Arms – charged with keeping order during meetings and, if necessary, participates in battle.
Scout – sent ahead of a main force so as to gather information about the enemy’s position, strength, or movements.
Man-at-Arms – serves in an army.
Special Force Soldier – carries out special operations.
Spy – secretly collects and reports information on the activities, movements, and plans of an enemy or competitor.
Tollkeeper – collects tolls at a bridge, road etc. where a charge is made.
Torturer – inflicts severe pain on someone as a punishment or in order to force them to do or say something.
Warden – responsible for the supervision of a particular place or thing or for ensuring that regulations associated with it are obeyed.
15.0.11 Religion
Abbot/Abbess – the head of an abbey of monks.
Acolyte – assists the celebrant in a religious service or procession.
Archbishop – responsible for an archdiocese, their surrounding district.
Bishop – a senior member of the clergy, usually in charge of a diocese and empowered to confer holy orders.
Cantor – sings liturgical music and leads prayer in a synagogue.
Cardinal – a leading dignitary of a church, nominated by the highest official.
Cleric – has devoted their entire being to the will of their god, thus gaining magical powers.
Cultist – a member of a cult who generally lives outside of conventional society and worships an unorthodox patron.
Cult Leader – the organizational leader of a cult who is occasionally also the founder.
Diviner – seeks ultimate divination in order to further understand or meet godly substance.
Exorcist – expels or attempts to expel evil spirits from a person or place.
High Priest/Patriarch/Matriarch – the chief priest of a religion.
Inquisitor – seeks to eliminate heresy and other things contrary to the doctrine or teachings of their faith.
Missionary – goes on a religious mission to promote their faith in a foreign place.
Monk – able to manifest their spirituality through a calm, centered being and thus gain abilities which function similarly to magic.
Paladin – a holy knight and divine spellcaster crusading in the name of good and order.
Priest – has the authority to perform certain rites and administer certain sacraments.
Prophet – regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God.
Sexton – looks after a church and churchyard, sometimes acting as bell-ringer and formerly as a gravedigger.
Templar – fights in a religious military order.
15.0.12 Science and Education
Midwife – assists in childbirth and the care of women giving birth.
Apothecary – prepares and sells medicines, drugs, and potions.
Apprentice – studies a trade under a skilled employer.
Archivist – maintains and is in charge of archives.
Assayer – determiner of the proportions of metal in ore and the amount of copper, silver, gold, or platinum in coins.
Astrologer – uses astrology to tell others about their character or to predict their future.
Astronomer – makes observations of celestial and scientific phenomena within the material plane.
Bloodletter – surgically removes some of a patient’s blood for therapeutic purposes.
Botanist – an expert in or student of the scientific study of plants.
Cartographer – a scholar and illustrator of maps.
Doctor/Physician – a qualified practitioner of medicine.
Engineer – designer of a machine or structure.
Herbalist – practices healing by the use of herbs.
Librarian – administers or assists in a library.
Mortician – prepares dead bodies for burial or cremation and makes arrangements for funerals.
Philosopher – a scholar of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence.
Scholar/Researcher – a specialist in a particular branch of study who pursues the acquisition of knowledge.
Scribe – copies out manuscripts.
Teacher – instructs on a particular skill or subject.
Tutor – charged with the instruction and guidance of another.
15.0.13 Transportation
Boatman – mans a small seacraft.
Wagoner – drives a horse-drawn wagon.
Ferryman – operates a ferry.
First Mate – the deck officer second in command to the master of a ship.
Helmsman – steers a ship or boat.
Navigator – directs the route or course of a ship or other form of transportation, especially by using instruments and maps.
Purser – keeps the accounts of a ship, especially as the head steward on a passenger vessel.
Sailor – works as a member of the crew of a commercial or naval ship or boat.
Sea Captain – commands a ship.
Shipwright – a carpenter skilled in ship construction and repair.
15.0.14 Unemployed, Self Employed and Outcast
Adventurer – wanders the world in search of knowledge, treasure, fame, glory or a multitude of additional wants and desires.
Beggar – lives by asking for money or food.
Monster Hunter – takes on jobs to hunt down and kill or capture dangerous creatures.
Bounty Hunter – pursues a criminal or fugitive for whom a reward is offered.
Deserter – a member of the armed forces who has deserted.
Disgraced Noble – a person of high birth who has since loss their respect, honor, or esteem in some or all noble circles.
Drunkard – a person who is habitually drunk and considers themselves a professional in the task.
Elder – a person of a greater age, especially one with a respected position in society.
Exile – lives away from their native country, either from choice or compulsion.
Explorer – explores unfamiliar areas in search of geographical or scientific information.
Ex-Criminal – a person who has been convicted of a crime and has since served their sentence, or who has preemptively given up their life of crime.
Folk Hero – a celebrity who is greatly admired by many people of a particular kind or in a particular place.
Gambler – bets money on sports, card games, or games of chance in the hope of a profit.
Grave Robber– steals valuables from graves and tombs.
Heretic – differs in opinion from established religious dogma.
Hermit – lives in solitude, typically as a religious or spiritual discipline.
Pilgrim – journeys to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion, occasionally to settle there.
Prisoner – held in confinement as a punishment for crimes they have been convicted of.
Rag-and-Bone Man – collects unwanted household items and sells them to merchants.
Refugee – leaves their home in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.