Careers define what your Echo has done with their life. Inspired by Traveller, Barbarians of Lemuria, and Warhammer Fantasy, the career system uses a point-buy economy where each career grants signature skills, a boon (advantage), a burden (flaw), and starting equipment.
“You are not your career. You are everything you’ve survived despite it.”
Career System Overview
Career Points by Age
| Age Category | Career Points | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Youth (15–25) | 4 | Fresh but eager — fewer careers, higher Reverie |
| Prime (26–45) | 6 | Peak experience — the most common starting age |
| Elder (46+) | 8 | A lifetime of learning — most careers, lowest Reverie |
Career Tier Costs
| Tier | CP Cost | Grants |
|---|---|---|
| Standard (Tier 1) | 1 CP | 2 Signature Skills at +1, 1 Boon, 1 Burden |
| High (Tier 2) | 2 CP | 3 Signature Skills at +1, 1 Superior Boon, 1 Burden, +1 Reverie OR +1 Skill |
| Minor (½ Tier) | ½ CP | 1 Signature Skill at +1, 1 Minor Boon (situational) |
Standard Careers (Tier 1)
⚡ Forma Careers
🌪️ Drifter
Skills: Survival, Subterfuge | Equipment: Personal Effects, Travel Gear, Profession Tools
Special: Blend In — Once per rest, become inconspicuous. NPCs won't remember you.
⚔️ Sentinel
Skills: Martial Prowess, Tactics | Equipment: Service Weapon, Dog Tags, Field Rations, Weathered Uniform
Special: Defensive Stance — Once per rest, negate one attack targeting an adjacent ally.
🎨 Artisan
Skills: Craft, Perception | Equipment: Tool Kit, Raw Materials, Work Apron, Guild Token
🏹 Hunter
Skills: Marksmanship, Survival | Equipment: Bow/Trap Kit, Skinning Knife, Tracking Gear, Trophies
🧠 Anima Careers
📚 ScholarHigh Career (2 CP) — 3 Skills
Skills: Lore, Investigation, Languages | Equipment: Worn Notebook, Quill & Ink, Reading Glasses, Reference Tome
Special: Recall Lore — Once per rest, the GM must answer one factual question truthfully.
💊 DoctorHigh Career (2 CP)
Skills: Medicine, Investigation | Equipment: Medical Kit, Herb Pouch, Bandages, Healing Salve
Special: Emergency Care — Stabilize a dying character automatically, no roll required.
✨ Mystic
Skills: Occult, Willpower | Equipment: Ritual Components, Incense, Crystal, Tome of Secrets
Special: Sense the Veil — Detect magical effects or supernatural presence in your area.
🧭 Explorer
Skills: Survival, Perception | Equipment: Compass, Rope, Maps, Survival Kit
👥 Umbra Careers
🎭 Charlatan
Skills: Mendacity, Persuasion | Equipment: Lockpicks, Dark Cloak, Forged Papers, Hidden Knife
Special: Case the Joint — Automatically identify the weakest security point in a location.
🤝 Diplomat
Skills: Persuasion, Insight | Equipment: Sealed Letters, Fine Writing Set, Translation Guide, Official Seal
💰 Merchant
Skills: Persuasion, Subterfuge | Equipment: Ledger Book, Scales, Sample Goods, Coin Purse
🎪 Entertainer
Skills: Performance, Persuasion | Equipment: Instrument/Props, Costume, Mirror, Makeup Kit
✨ Reverie Career
🌙 Dreamer
Skills: Domain Weaving, Willpower
Advanced Careers (Tier 2 — 2 CP)
Advanced careers require a prerequisite Standard career. They grant 3 Signature Skills at +1, a Superior Boon, a Burden, and either +1 Reverie or +1 to any skill.
Advanced Career Table
Skills: Survival, Marksmanship
Boon: Tracker Supreme — Track through any terrain or magical interference. Reroll failed tracking 1/session.
Burden: Lone Wolf — −1 die on group coordination tests.
Skills: Tactics, Martial Prowess
Boon: Command Presence — Allies within 10 hexes gain +1 to physical rolls.
Burden: Responsible — Take Fractures when soldiers under command are killed.
Skills: Craft, Occult
Boon: Enchanted Works — Crafted items hold minor enchantments or domain blessings.
Burden: Demanding Materials — −2 dice to craft without rare/magical materials.
Skills: Lore, Investigation
Boon: Living Library — Recall any learned fact. +2 max Reverie. Establish a permanent archive.
Burden: Obsessive — Must spend at least 1 hour per day recording information.
Skills: Occult, Willpower
Boon: Master of Magic — Reroll failed Occult/Willpower 3×/session. +2 max Potentials.
Burden: Flux-Touched — NPCs instinctively fear or mistrust you.
Skills: Mendacity, Tactics
Boon: Grand Design — Once per story arc, orchestrate a plan affecting multiple factions.
Burden: Marked — Authorities actively hunt you.
Skills: Persuasion, Tactics
Boon: Economic Power — Crash or inflate local economies. Gain wealth automatically each session.
Burden: Responsibilities — Must manage business affairs or lose assets.
Skills: Domain Weaving, Occult
Boon: Foresight — Once per session, ask the GM about a likely consequence of an action.
Burden: Cursed Knowledge — Take 1 Fracture when glimpsing terrible futures.
Master Careers (Tier 3)
The pinnacle of a career chain. Master careers require their Tier 2 prerequisite and represent legendary status in Nowhere Land.
🐺 Beastmaster
One who commands creatures of Nowhere Land.
Chain: Drifter → Ranger → Beastmaster | Skills: Survival, Willpower
📖 Sage
Living repository of all knowledge.
Chain: Scholar → Archivist → Sage | Skills: Lore, Willpower
⚡ Archon
One who shapes domains through will alone.
Chain: Mystic → Sorcerer → Archon | Skills: Domain Weaving, Occult
Career Special Abilities
Once per Rest Abilities
Each career grants a signature ability usable once per rest.
| Career | Ability | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor | Emergency Care | Stabilize a dying character automatically, no roll |
| Scholar | Recall Lore | GM must answer one factual question truthfully |
| Soldier | Battle Cry | All allies within earshot gain +1 die on next attack |
| Charlatan | Case the Joint | Identify the weakest security point in a location |
| Noble | Noble Bearing | Commoners cannot initiate violence for one scene |
| Mystic | Sense the Veil | Detect magical effects or supernatural presence |
| Drifter | Blend In | Become inconspicuous; NPCs won't remember you |
| Sentinel | Defensive Stance | Negate one attack targeting an adjacent ally |
| Gambler | Read the Room | Know if someone is bluffing |
Minor Careers (½ CP)
Half-Point Careers
Side pursuits, hobbies, or brief life phases. Two minor careers cost 1 CP total. Each grants 1 Signature Skill at +1 and 1 Minor Boon (situational).
Multiple Careers & Example Builds
Spending Career Points
Characters spend their Career Points across as many careers as they can afford. Taking multiple careers grants diverse skills at the cost of depth.
The Disgraced Noble
Noble (2) + Scholar (2) + Drifter (1) + Gambler (½) + Courier (½)
6 CP (Prime)
The Street Surgeon
Doctor (2) + Charlatan (1) + Thief (1) + Street Urchin (½) × 2
6 CP (Prime)
The Veteran Explorer
Military Officer (2) + Navigator (1) + Survivalist (1) + Scholar (2) + Linguist (½) × 4
8 CP (Elder)
Career Equipment Sets
Starting Equipment by Career
| Career | Equipment |
|---|---|
| Scholar | Worn Notebook, Quill & Ink, Reading Glasses, Reference Tome |
| Soldier | Service Weapon, Dog Tags, Field Rations, Weathered Uniform |
| Merchant | Ledger Book, Scales, Sample Goods, Coin Purse |
| Artisan | Tool Kit, Raw Materials, Work Apron, Guild Token |
| Doctor | Medical Kit, Herb Pouch, Bandages, Healing Salve |
| Entertainer | Instrument/Props, Costume, Mirror, Makeup Kit |
| Charlatan | Lockpicks, Dark Cloak, Forged Papers, Hidden Knife |
| Explorer | Compass, Rope, Maps, Survival Kit |
| Mystic | Ritual Components, Incense, Crystal, Tome of Secrets |
| Hunter | Bow/Trap Kit, Skinning Knife, Tracking Gear, Trophies |
| Diplomat | Sealed Letters, Fine Writing Set, Translation Guide, Official Seal |
| Default | Personal Effects, Travel Gear, Profession Tools |
Custom Career Creation
Creating Your Own Career
Work with your Trickster (GM) to define a custom career:
- Choose 2 Signature Skills relevant to the concept
- Define 1 Boon — a minor mechanical advantage
- Define 1 Burden — a narrative or mechanical flaw
Example: Portal Hunter
Skills: Investigation, Occult | Boon: Sense portals within 100m | Burden: Compelled to investigate any new portal discovered
“Every scar tells a story. Every skill is a chapter. Your career is the book the world reads when it looks at you.”
— The Count, On the Weight of Experience