Currently, someone could pretty much cobble any profession together out of suitable skills. While this is pretty handy I’ve never found myself picking anything but shower victims or hobos for those precious points.
I think this might downplay the difference between investing years in something as opposed to picking it up as you go.
My suggestion? Professional traits. Let me explain with an example.
A good mechanic knows more than just what part goes where. He knows what corners he can cut and all the little shortcuts to get there. So maybe as a professional trait mechanics just spend less time repairing vehicles, installing parts or siphoning gas/water.
The local gunsmith might be able to cobble together better than factory mass produced rounds
Maybe the football player throws things further thanks to all that time spent with the pig skin or gets a bonus to juke/stiff arm Zeds when running by. The list goes on.
These need not all be advantageous either–consider the hobo. Maybe his condition is two-fold:
Career Drunk - All those years drinking have given you a high tolerance to the detrimental effects of alcohol–but you’re also hopelessly hooked on the hooch. Can never lose this addiction.
Drinks to Forget - You drown your memories at the bottom of a bottle, good and bad, old and new. Each time you drink forget a little bit of he overmap.
So essentially these would be traits that no amount of mutagen, book learning or real-world application would bestow upon the player, as sometimes your best just isn’t good enough–especially in professional fields.
Thoughts?
