New 2300 AD Careers from Old

Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2002 by Kevin Clark ( kevinc AT cnetech DOT com).  All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer

There is a much easier way to add some new careers to 2300 AD, just re-use existing careers by simply re-interpreting what their skills mean.  The following are examples of how easily you can do this in your own campaigns.
 

Accountant

For those who were educated at a standard university, take Academic as the starting career, followed by either the Core World or Administrator careers, depending on the character's predestined seniority, at their place of work.

For other characters, who were educated at a business trade school, you should instead take Core World as their initial career.  Later, they may either stay in it, or switch to Administrator at some point -- representing the character's promotion, to a more managerial level of responsibilities and duties, by their employer ( or within their firm/partnership).

• Information Gathering represents their skill with accounting software systems, and auditing ability.
• Computer handles programming, hacking and investigating hacking of the accounting information systems.
• Bureaucracy represents their knowledge of business law in general, the tax laws of the nation they live in, and the specific policies and practices of their employer.
• Underworld Skills are available to both Core World and Administrator careers, for those who stray into criminal endeavors ( embezzlement, working for organized crime, or AmericCo).
   

Diplomat

This is simply an individual whose current career is that of an Administrator.

• Bureaucracy represents their knowledge of International Law and Politics.
• The combined application of Appraisal and Psychology will aid in any negotiations.
• French, the language of diplomacy in 2300 AD, is provided automatically to anyone with this career.
• Underworld Skills are related skills, so some Diplomats will be able to dabble at intrigue ( but will leave the real jobs to Field Agents).

A Diplomat who covers more commercial areas of interests, will often have a prior career either involved in trade ( e.g. Independent Trader), or they may come from the Core World career.  Providing a relevant prior career, will allow you to generate Diplomats for other specialized areas of concern ( e.g. a multi-term American Belt Miner, who because of connections is appointed to an American State or Trade Department ( or even an embassy or consolate) staff position, and so represents America's interests in any international mining rights disputes over Sol System's asteroids and comets).
 

Doctor

For a full-fledged Medical Doctor ( an M.D.), simply generate a character who spends more than 12 years involved in the Academic career.

An alternative approach, is to choose Core World for the first term, to represent their 'undeclared major' years of undergraduate education spent at a major university, then switch to the Academic career for the following terms ( which represents the years spent in pre-med studies, medical school, internship, residency, and then finally generalist/specialist practice).

As much as technological progress will have aided a Doctor -- for instance the invaluable Automed or diagnostic expert systems software -- the sheer volume of knowledge and skills needed to practice the profession has increased far quicker.  The net result is that it still takes an extremely long period of formal, followed by hands-on education to become a full-fledged Doctor.

When actually in the Academic career.

• Select Medical as their Primary academic skill.
• For standard physicians select Chemistry and either Biology or Psychology
• For the more invention/technologically inclined physicians, select between Engineering, Physics, or Theoretical Sciences as their second Related academic skill ( or you could even select both Related skills from this list).
• Information Gathering will be an extremely valuable skill, considering the sheer unfathomable size of medical databases and expert systems by the year 2300.  Asking just the right questions to these computers, will greatly aid in diagnosing some of the most obscure or exotic diseases and ailments.
• Academics receive one free language, so select either French or Latin ( I added that to the language list in my char gen software) depending on which is the language of medicine and science in your own campaign.

EMT ( Emergency Medical Technician)
PA ( Physician's Assistant)

An EMT, PA, or other medical professional who isn't a full Doctor can be created in several ways:

• The Technician career, found in the Nyotekundu Sourcebook is a good choice for a PA who works in space ( on a station or starship).
• Another excellent choice is the Core World career, which has First Aid as a Primary skill, and Medical as a Related skill.  Primary access to Mechanical and Electronics allows you to create MRI technicians, and other varieties of medical imaging specialists.
• For colonial worlds, the Colonist career is a good choice for an EMT, since First Aid is a Primary skill.
• Or just select any other career that gives adequate access to the First Aid skill.
   

Exterminator/Pest Controller

For a high-tech pest exterminator, the Core World career works well:

• Electronics allows them to hunt pests with with fancy sensors
• Mechanics allows them to build/repair custom mechanical traps.  Especially good if your client is a NARL supporter.
• Robotics allows them to send/program robotic exterminators into warrens/nests
• Bureaucracy allows them to deal with the Public works, getting permission to cross property lines/boundaries while cleaning out underground areas ( that is an adventure hook if I ever heard one; what if you pass under the "civilian" building that is really the base of a government/corporate black project, and they get a "little paranoid" about it).  Also good for the general hassles of business permits and licenses.
• Information Gathering to search the city's planning departments database for obscure/forgotten plans to abandoned underground pipes/conduits that the rats might be using ( on Earth, some will date back pre-Twilight War).
• Appraisal for estimating how much to charge for a job, and how long it may take, based on your professional opinion.
• Bargain for getting them to pay what you want for the job.
• Swim for those times when the sewage/rainwater gets too deep.
• First Aid for ratbites, and disease avoidance.
• Streetwise for knowing what areas of town are just too dangerous due to two legged predators, also useful for making deals to enter these areas on a job ( "say Mr. Streetgang-Lord, let me go clean up this paying job, and I'll clean out your pad/tenement for free").

For a poor individual in an urban/coreworld location, who may catch vermin to eat, the Thief career is a fairly good choice:

• Melee for your rat spear/gig ( your knife on a pole), or your sling.
• Pistol would work for a hand-made crossbow.
• Ignore the Intellectual Skills, unless this person could have learned some before they sank into abject poverty.
• Scavenge for the interesting things you may stumble across ( that other people may have wanted to stay permanently "disappeared" down a storm drain/sewer -- they may want to "talk to you" about it if word gets around).
• Stealth for sneaking about, and maybe surprising rats on occasion.
• Streetwise for living safely in the worst area of town.
• Mercantile Skills for appraising and selling rat carcasses and other scavenged finds.

On war torn Kafer-invaded worlds, like Aurore, the Scavenger career ( in the Aurore Sourcebook) would work.  This person would not be the best rat catcher, but then normal ones do not have to dodge "Mr. Kafer" while doing their job/surviving.

On normal colony worlds, another good choice is the Colonist career.  This is more of "a hunt them down ( using General Skills ) and shoot the varmits ( using Combat Skills, primarily combat rifleman) to keep the crops/colonists safe" type of career.

Note: Do not forget that rat catching was and is often a job done by young children even as young as seven or eight.  The tradition would have been reinforced by the Twilight War ( plus a couple of FFE's Twilight:2000 modules have groups of children out rat catching as one of their "urban" encounters).
 

Lawyer

For the standard 'run of the mill' lawyer, take one term in either Academic or Core World, to represent their 'undeclared major' years of undergraduate education spent at a major university, then switch to the either the Core World career ( for those practicing business law), the Administrator career ( for those practicing criminal law), or the Journalist ( for those practicing advocacy law for some cause/concern).

For someone with a different prior career, who later in life decides to become a lawyer, just select the second career which is appropriate for the type of law they plan to practice.

• Information Gathering represents their skill at gathering information, especially during pre-trial discovery, from computer systems.  Computers on the Core worlds track just about every facet of a person's life, so it helps to be able to ask just the right questions.
• Computer handles hacking and/or investigating hacking of information systems.
• Bureaucracy represents their general knowledge of the laws for the nation they live/work in, and their knowledge of their laws in their area of legal specialty, as well as the specific policies and practices of their employer/firm.
• Writing is useful for preparing documents/briefs/petitions for the court.
• Interviewing and Psychology skills cover the human side of gathering information before, and questioning witnesses during the trial.
• Underworld Skills are available to Core World and Administrator careers, for those who stray into criminal endeavors ( embezzlement, working for organized crime, or AmeriCo).
• Latin can be taken by those who started in the Academic career.
• French is received for free by anyone taking either the Administrator or Journalist careers, and can be purchased using Linguistics by those who only have the Core World career.
   

Preachers, Priests and other Religious Leaders

Some religions and/or their sub-orders ( for instance the Roman Catholic Church's Society of Jesus -- aka the Jesuits) stress academic learning, so either the Academic or Core World career would be an excellent first/prior career, representing their initial formal university and religious education.

Once actively serving their congregations, you have two options for their main Career:

• Core World for those serving in a more urban environment/area.
• Journalist for those serving in a rural area, since they will often minister via the airwaves to their flock spread over hundreds or even thousands of square kilometers ( any Vehicle Skill or the Riding skill at level 0 or 1, although expensive, will be very useful).

For skills:

• Writing is useful for preparing sermons, scripts for religious broadcasts or lesson plans for religious instruction.
• Bureaucracy represents their knowledge of the laws/precepts of their faith, as well as the specific policies and practices of their religious denomination's hierarchy/organization.
• History will provide contextual knowledge of how their religion has interacted with society during the past.
• Information Gathering represents their skill at searching the voluminous -- by the year 2300 -- database containing the body of reeligious works written by innumerable scholars of their faith, in addition to their faith's actual scriptures.
• Interviewing and Psychology skills will aid them in counseling, comforting, and advising individual members of their congregation.
• If knowledge of another language ( say Latin or Greek) is needed, then Academics receive one free language, and all three ( Academics, Core World and Journalist) have access to Linguistics if more languages are needed.

The above are just a few examples of how you can easily re-use current careers to create new ones.  If you come up with any new careers from old ones, please let me know, I'd like to list them here.