Real World Professions

[Kyutaru]

Due to teleport having a range of "same plane of existence", the party has ended up on Earth. They are in pursuit of this month's villain who is proving tough to locate in a world of billions of people and layers upon layers of subterfuge. As such, the players have to find work and gain experience in their careers the same as any. Only it turns out this isn't the first time wizards have teleported to this planet and there are plenty of NPCs in positions of power interested in these new arrivals with careers of their own.

In keeping with the D&D ability scores, I've been trying to lump jobs into one of the six attribute scores in terms of what they primarily depend upon. Other attributes that are also necessary for complex fields will simply apply synergy bonuses for meeting the requirements. But before I set it in stone I want to make sure it's workable and there isn't a better way to arrange the categories or define the aspects. Trying to workshop this and looking for opinions. As such, there is no wrong answer.

What I'm thinking of so far...

Strength - Enforcer - Being able to grapple, takedown, bull rush, and subdue unarmed any target is paramount for careers falling in this category. Everything from being a soldier with a heavy backpack to a night security guard to a trained mercenary to a police officer to a club bouncer needs you to have a high score here to deal with the majority of obstacles this profession path faces.

Dexterity - Circus Performer??? Seriously, I have no idea. Who besides cowboys and thieves needs this??

Constitution - Laborer - Sadly moving the same weighing objects from one place to another over and over again isn't going to make you any better at bench-pressing but it will result in you getting less tired and taking fewer sick days due to being the picture of health and endurance. If it's hard on the muscles and you have to do it for eight hours then it's probably in this category. Everything from moving furniture to construction work to stocking shelves to driving trucks is going to take a decent amount of fortitude to get through the day as the major obstacle faced here is tiring out.

Intelligence - Thinker - A required role in virtually every modern company is to have someone able to work out the details whether they be in computing, finance, research, technical, or other. While not necessarily demanding original ideas, careers in this area do demand an understanding of complex situations which alone can make them require certifications and degrees that prove one's ability score. The challenges faced here are with regard to memory, logic, planning, and knowledge which all strike the key notes of the attribute.

Wisdom - Director - Possibly more important than being smart in today's world is being able to make wise decisions. With so many out to take advantage of suckers and a world of people who will lie, cheat, and steal their way to the top without remorse along with the cost of poor foresight on the long term health of a business, many are employed under the expressed purpose of keeping the ship stable. This could even carry over to solo ventures like playing the stock market or opening a new restaurant chain or working in human resources or managing pretty much any large body of workers. The exact day to day specifics are less important because of delegation so you only need to worry about making the right judgments when employees (or your employer) presents your options. The difficulty is therefore in maintaining a cool head, seeing through deception, and weighing the pros and cons with great perception. Failing to do so could result in the destruction of all you have achieved so it pays rather well to avoid making mistakes.

Charisma - Charmer - Some folks work, some folks think, but some folks get by on their looks and personality alone. Whether it's closing deals with clients or acting on television or smooth talking the opposition or simply existing in a photo, a high score here is paramount. The types of obstacles faced with these sorts of careers are almost entirely about improving the general perception people have of you or your offers or those you represent. The snake oil salesmen are the best at convincing fools to part with their money even if there's no logical reason why they should.

[Lavaeolus]

Now, while thinking about this obviously there are some professions that really need high doses of a few things to do well. Some might lean in one obvious way; your circus acrobat primarily needs Dexterity, I'd say, but certainly won't be hurt by having Charisma. Others are more ambiguous; a stage magician specialises in Sleight of Hand, but needs a strong sense of personality and Deception both to pull off their tricks, and to be actually engaging to watch.

While thinking of Dexterity, a surgeon came up in my mind as someone who really has a lot going on. They need a keen eye for details (Wisdom); they need to be really precise and steady with their hands (Dexterity); and all of that will be for naught if they don't have an in-depth knowledge of human biology (Intelligence). I'm gonna say it: surgeons require a really MAD build, and I hope this is addressed in real-life's second edition.

Certain athletes might be better examples of less-muddled Dexterity, although in real-life few Olympians -- especially not archers -- are going to dump Strength. Or, following a similar thought but dependent on region, professional hunters and gamekeepers are still around. Mostly they'd use a firearm in the modern day and age, but that's still in the realm of Dexterity.

I suppose a real-world private eye, secret-CIA-agent, or any other sort of information-gatherer also has calls for Stealthing about and stalking people, although in the modern day surveillance can involve parking up in a van more so than prowling rooftops. Of course, going the more stereotypical fictional private detective angle is probably the more engaging way to go if you're actually gonna have players spend time doing their job. Hey, not like your fantasy PCs know the laws they're supposed to follow or methods they're meant to use. A more out-of-the-box idea might be physical penetration testers; get someone to hire you to try and break into their building / retrieve something, in order to test their security.

I'll volunteer a copyeditor / proofreader for a pretty mundane Wisdom job. Director's not wrong, but broad 'making the right decisions' is a little vague, and I could see a lot of attributes coming into play for that. (And at the end of the day, pretty much anyone is helped by being perceptive and intuitive.) Copyediting requires a solid grasp of grammar (Intelligence), but primarily involves being pretty thorough, not letting small details slip by you, etc.

Admittedly Investigation is an INT skill, and that seems the most relevant one to copyediting, but I think anything that requires noticing keen details and digging up something could be a good place for Wisdom. In fact, returning to the info-gatherer angle, it could be good for anyone who wants to dig through details, pour through newspapers, find something small in secret patents. A lot of journalism is probably Charisma, and if not that perhaps Intelligence, but Wisdom could be a valid approach (depending on investigative style).

For something really out there? Well, Animal Handling is a Wisdom skill. Dogsitter time. I don't know how you'd leverage that in any way that actually helps you track down a wizard, though. But maybe you just want to spend this D&D session with imaginary dogs. Understandable.

[Kyutaru]

Now, while thinking about this obviously there are some professions that really need high doses of a few things to do well.
For sure but that can be said of most professions and yet D&D boils them down into a single skill check. I thought it better to just give them bonuses on their role if they have high values in the secondary attributes.

Precision work is interesting and gives me the idea of Tinkerers who toil away on watches and other fine detail projects. A surgeon is just someone who tinkers around inside living people. Since stealth and firearm usage are already covered elsewhere I'm not specifically including them unless that's the main thing the profession is based around. Anyone with a Dexterity score can fire a hand crossbow but Profession (sharpshooter) tends to be super Dex based.