Profession (Merchant)
Full rules text, use cases, and edge-case handling for this skill.
Description
Profession represents practical knowledge of a trade or vocation — not crafting physical goods, but the know-how of running a business or plying a trade day to day. Like Craft and Perform, it is a family of separate sub-skills each purchased independently: Profession (sailor), Profession (merchant), Profession (herbalist), and so on.
The sub-skill you are viewing (Profession (Merchant)) covers one vocation. The rules for earning money and making relevant checks are identical across all Profession sub-skills.
Class skill — "Profession (any)": When a class lists Profession as a class skill, it applies to any one Profession sub-skill the character chooses.
Common Sub-Skills
Any meaningful trade or vocation is a valid sub-skill. Common examples include:
Check
A Profession check is used to earn money through honest work over a week, and to answer questions or perform tasks relevant to the trade.
| Task | Earnings / DC |
|---|---|
| Earn money (one week of work) | Half check result in gp |
| Answer a question within the trade's expertise | GM-set DC (typically 10–20) |
| Perform a skilled task within the trade under pressure | GM-set DC |
For example: a character with Profession (sailor) checks to navigate in a storm, recall trade route knowledge, or assess a ship's seaworthiness. A character with Profession (herbalist) can identify plants, prepare poultices, and know which roots are toxic.
Action
Earning money: One week of work.
Trade knowledge or skilled task: Varies — typically no action for recalling information, or part of an extended action for a task.
Try Again
For earning money: yes, each week is a new check. For specific tasks: at GM discretion — some tasks allow retries, others do not (a failed attempt to navigate has already taken you off course).
Special
- Trained only: You must have at least 1 rank — professional knowledge implies actual training or experience.
- Breadth of use: The GM determines what tasks fall under a given Profession. Profession (sailor) can substitute for relevant Knowledge (geography) checks about coastlines and tides at GM discretion.
- Skill Focus (feat): +3 to one Profession sub-skill; increases to +6 with 10 or more ranks.
- Sage (background/trait): Some traits give a bonus to one Profession sub-skill representing a character's pre-adventuring life.
Untrained
No. Profession requires at least 1 rank — you cannot earn money as a professional without actual training in the trade.