Suggestions for those missing Career skills – WFRP4e

The Careers in WFRP 4e started with 8 skills in the starting career (T1 career), and then changed in some of the later official books to 10 starting skills, of which only 8 had to be advanced to count toward advancing through the stages of the career. There was a note about this in one book noting that the suggestions for “absent” skills would be coming soon.

As patience is not one of my strongest attributes – here is a suggestion for how to pick what gets added to each career. Please keep front of mind that careers are meant to be played – so the skills should be logical to the flavour of the career and also add some useful element during play. Not all Nuns are the same, and the style of character profession within the setting should strongly influence what is chosen.

The intent for this post is to show a few options for each career from the core rule book, and then for that choice to be validated by the players together.

For all Careers

• If the character is Human and career lacks an early lore skill, it probably means an additional Lore skill is useful. The Lore should be something related to the career (politics, heraldry, law, a race, a region, a profession, or craft), but failing that perhaps even add Lore (Local). Lore (Local) should be a useful skill to many careers, as without it the character shouldn’t really be able to understand quirky customs, or avoid social pitfalls.
• If the character is non-Human you should perhaps still consider Lore local – however missing a lore also adds something to a game when the non-humans get to be “fish-out-of-water” types.
• If the career already has a Lore skill then perhaps don’t add another. Sometimes its good to have characters know a little less too. In these cases consider adding an extra language if the career is one where socialisation is important.

Specific Classes and Careers – Some classes are plainly designed for particular pursuits. If you wish to take a broad brush approach, consider the following table as suggested areas for additional skills.

• Academics = An additional Language is a fair choice, with the best probably Language (Classical) or another racial language, or regional language. The really off-beat languages would need an explanation in the character’s career background.
• Burghers = Lore (Local) makes so much sense I’m surprised this is missing from many Burgher classes.
• Courtiers = Entertain (any) suitably restricted to a mode suitable to the career – perhaps dance for nobles, storytelling for many, or Play (any) for instruments for others.
• Peasants = Stealth (Rural) seems a suitable skill most country folk might acquire, as is Lore (local), and potentially a Lore (local primary production), such as cattle farming of some-such.
• Rangers = Lore (Woodlands) or Lore (Travel). Or perhaps Play (?) or Entertain (Storytelling)
• Riverfolk = Lore (Riverways) and/or Outdoor Survival if its not present in the career.
• Rogues = Language (Thieves Tongue), or Gamble
• Warriors = Melee (Brawl) or Melee (Basic) if not present already, as this is what these careers do.

Specific Careers – A few careers have what I think are tweaks in design which can be addressed by adding skills. The list below is meant to be complimented by the broader Class based skills above, so a mix of either could be suitable.

e.g. When deciding what two skills to add to a Merchant character’s background, consider any potential for new Lore, new Language, and then also Melee (unarmed). In combination it gives many to select from.

Academics

• Apothecary = Evaluate
• Engineer = Evaluate.
• Lawyer = Intuition
• Nun = Consume Alcohol, Perform (Sing), or Perform (Storytelling) – depending on the style of religious cult chosen.
• Physician = move Research to T1, and add Dodge to T3.
• Priest = Outdoor Survival for rural characters, or Trade (Calligrapher) for urban characters. Or Consume Alcohol.
• Scholar = Evaluate
• Wizard = Research, Perform (Any)

Burghers

• Agitator = Language (any),
• Artisan = An extra Trade (any) skill, as true craftsmen are probably handy in many areas.
• Beggar = Melee (Brawl), Secret Signs (Vagabond)
• Investigator = Endurance
• Merchant = Melee (Brawl)
• Rat Catcher = Gamble
• Townsman = move Lore (Law) to the T1-Clerk career level, and add Leadership to the T3-Councillor level.
• Watchman = Stealth (Urban), or Play (any)

Courtiers

• Advisor = Lore (any)
• Artist = Art (any) again.
• Duelist = Entertain (Storytelling)
• Envoy = Outdoor Survival
• Noble = Entertain (Any), Perform (Dance)
• Servant = Gamble, Trade (any)
• Spy = Dodge
• Warden = move Charm to T1-Custodian, and add Lore (any) to T3-Seneschal

Peasants

• Bailiff = Consume Alcohol
• Hedge Witch = Stealth (Rural)
• Herbalist = Athletics, Stealth (Rural)
• Hunter = Athletics, Trade (Bower)
• Miner = Gamble,
• Mystic = Language (any), Stealth (Rural)
• Scout = Dodge, Cool
• Villager = Range (Thrown), Stealth (Rural)

Rangers

• Bounty Hunter = Cool, Lore (Criminals?)
• Coachman = Haggle, Play (?)
• Entertainer = Climb,
• Flagellant = Consume Alcohol, Lore (Travel)
• Messenger = Intuition
• Pedlar = Melee (Brawl),
• Road Warden = Cool,
• Witch Hunter = Lore (Sigmar)

Riverfolk

• Boatman = Gamble
• Huffer = Outdoor Survival
• Riverwarden = Consume Alcohol
• Riverwoman = Haggle
• Seaman = Play (Penny-whistle)
• Smuggler = Dodge, Lore (Riverways)
• Stevedore = Lore (Ports)
• Wrecker = Ranged (Entangle)

Rogues

• Bawd = Slight of Hand,
• Charlatan = Stealth (Urban)
• Fence = Language (Thieves Tongue)
• Grave Robber = Athletics
• Outlaw = Evaluate
• Racketeer = Gamble
• Thief = Melee (Basic), Language (Thieves Toungue)
• Witch = Heal

Warriors

• Cavalryman = Athletics
• Guard = Haggle
• Knight = Animal Training (Horse)
• Pit Fighter = Heal
• Protagonist = Gamble
• Slayer = Athletics
• Soldier = Melee (Brawl)
• Warrior Priest = Gossip, Language (Classical)