Profession?

[PaigeXenon]

Ok I am going to play a necromancer in this next campaign and i would like to give her a profession skill for a back ground But im unsure what would work best.

I am thinking of Profession(mortician) but idk what sort of things that would be useful for.

do you have any ideas about what profession i should take that would be some what related to the dead and what kind of things that skill would allow me to do?

Thanks a lot for all your help and sorry I just keep asking questions.

[Wyntonian]

It's perfectly possible to just say that your character was a mortician without actually putting ranks into the skill. Unless you intend to be rolling Profession (Mortician) checks during the game, you'd just be wasting points.

[PaigeXenon]

My character is going towards the mad scientist and enjoys experimenting on dead bodies so I figured out actual having the skill would be useful I just don't know what having the skill would actually do or what kind of things I would use the skill checks for other than profit.

[Wyntonian]

My character is going towards the mad scientist and enjoys experimenting on dead bodies so I figured out actual having the skill would be useful I just don't know what having the skill would actually do or what kind of things I would use the skill checks for other than profit.

....it won't. If you want to open up a private practice or something instead of adventuring, you can make some money. Alternatively, you could take Heal or some Knowledge to fit the whole "I know my way around a corpse" thing and maybe actually get some use out of it.

[PaigeXenon]

From what you are saying it seems that profession is a pretty useless skill? profession(sailor) is the only flavor of this skill is the only thing that seems useful at all as it is a prerequisite for some PrCs. I need some help with my skills then. to fit this character. I have an int of 18 so I can max out 6 skills at 1st lvl. I would like to aim for the palemaster PrC so i need knowledge religion.

[The Gilded Duke]

Profession Sailor is used to control ships. Profession Driver is from what I remember used for vehicles such as wagons. Profession Pilot is used for Airships, Hang gliders and the like. The only other profession skill that I've seen that's actually useful is Profession Siege Engineer, which is used for operating siege weapons.

[PaigeXenon]

there is also a PrC that needs profession orator

[BowStreetRunner]

Book of Vile Darkness has rules for Profession (Executioner) if you would find that of interest...

Edit: If you are looking for useful profession skills, you should confine yourself to this list (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9572495&postcount=33). All of these show up somewhere as a prerequisite or have other rules related to them in one of the books. Anything not on the list just gets you an income (barring house rules that state otherwise).

[PaigeXenon]

This has gone from profession skill help to general skill help. because profession mortician is not usefull and i wont be able to use it to make money that often (that time will most likely be used to make magical crap and alchemy stuff)

[hymer]

Max Concentration and Spellcraft. Strong points in Know (religion) so you know about undead. Points in Heal and Know (nature) should make you seem like you know your way around a corpse. How much do you have to throw around?

[PaigeXenon]

I have and 18 int and we are 1st level so I have a total of 24 skill points to play with I also need a craft alchemy I am working with my dm to use it to make an embalming fluid to preserve dead bodies (and clones once i can make them.) I will also be able to sell it for some spare cash.

[BowStreetRunner]

A craft skill is essentially the same as a profession skill, but where you actually make a product of some sort as opposed to just a service. Here are some options to consider.


Craft Alchemy sounds like something you may already have. DCs for common items are in the SRD. DR 349 has additional rules for preserving raw materials using this skill, which might address your embalming fluid needs.
Craft Body Modification (from DR 359) would fit well, especially if you use it to modify some of your undead creations.
Craft Poisonmaking (CAdv and DR349) would fit thematically with someone focused on death.
Profession Astrologist (DR 340) might go with the theme too.
Profession Executioner (BoVD) I mentioned above.

[hymer]

Basically it would seem you can max six skills. A single point in craft (alchemy) would make you trained, but more points ups your speed and expands on your options. Since this seems to be a major thing for your character, I'd suggest something like:

Concentration 4
Craft (alchemy) 4
Heal (CC) ½
Know (Arcana) 3
Know (Dungeoneering) 3
Know (nature) 1
Know (Planes) 3
Know (religion) 4
UMD (CC) ½

I'd leave Know (nature) to the party druid if there is one, but one point to be trained can't hurt, and serves your fluff. Religion is your top knowledge skill, the rest are chosen to help ID monsters. You'll want to try and keep them up (even nature if there's nobody else who can do it; it's monstrous humanoids, giants and animals, so it's pretty good).

Take a look at what prestige classes you're looking to get into, though. Those could affect your skill choices even now.

[PaigeXenon]

the only PrC I'm looking to enter is the palemaster and it only needs knowledge religion. but now i have to adjust my stats becsue most of its skills are touch atacks and i only have a str of 6.... The DM rolled our stats so we have 18, 16, 14, 11, 8, 8 to play with im a gnome so i took a hit to my strength

[hymer]

May I suggest using your familiar and/or Spectral hand to deliver those touch spells? That should eliminate/offset the penalty. You don't want to get in melee if avoidable, after all. :smallsmile:
If you're going heavily into touch spells, find a way to make them ranged. Keeps you safe(r) and lets you use dex to-hit instead of str.

Edit: Just looked at pale master. I don't really see how to make those touch attacks into ranged ones. May I suggest, then, building towards being able to do satisfactory melee? Generally speaking, you shouldn't be in melee at all, but you have to if you want to use those abilities, it seems.

[BowStreetRunner]

The feat Reach Spell from Complete Divine should help.

[PaigeXenon]

If weapon finesse works for unarmed attacks then that will probably be what I go with for using the abilities of the pale master. Currently our party is made up of a suicidal sorc, a fighter, and gnomish assassin I am apparently meant to be the brains.

[falloutimperial]

I would recommend you speak with your DM about practical applications of Profession (mortician). Were I your DM, I would allow you to perform autopsies with such a skill. Most people would say that this falls under the Heal skill, but it is reasonable in terms of game balance to allow as I have described.