Boatman (Any Race)

All about the rivers, lakes, and coastlines, the towns and villages built along these first and oldest methods and routes of shipping and connectivity, men and women with boats, skiffs, and barges of all kinds ply this basic trade, offering transportation of a variety of scales, more localized, simple ferrying and regional services. 

Boats and Barges of all sorts used to clog the waterways, both older and newer constructions, steam powered vessels being the cutting edge of course. Now with the boom of both rail and air travel, things have become more balanced. Traffic is still quite steady, and if anything the births and booms of these two other technologies and methods stopped the current infrastructure from being overwhelmed completely in most ports around Valerick. So now expansionism has become a major thing in the cities and towns as well, not just amongst the idea of settling wild frontiers. Boatmen find work here as well, besides their usual, as construction supplies need to be ferried to various ports and dock districts in communities across the continent, as this age of industrialization and revitalization truly begins to move forward, fueled by the improved transportation options and reliability

Boatmen are those on the frontier much like coachmen, as they rivers and roads are the first available to reach more rural communities, as without one or the other, no settlement will survive long enough to matter. They ship goods and people all about the Valarian continent, including to these more remote areas. Boat Masters are the elite, the most well known and sought after for their services, masters of the rivers and lakes, and coastal routes, with exhaustive knowledge of all. A Boat-Hand on the other side is the dogsbody, they are green, they are new, but they'll either learn the ropes swiftly, or find themselves fired within a voyage or two. Boatmen are the crew, these men and women are the muscle and pulse of a vessel, insuring cargo is secure, and is delivered and offloaded swiftly. A boatswain, these are veterans and have learned over the years, generally offering their services as both a spare hand on deck, and a maintenance and repair man for vessels, or indeed building and selling boats themselves.

Role: Though they can hold their own, they are not combatants. They are knowledgeable of the waterways, the villages and towns along them, they are skilled sailors and offer improved ability to an adventuring group, generally capable of getting them on a ferry, or indeed having one of their own.

Career

Qualifications

Comfortable on the water

Career Progression

CAREER CHARACTERISTIC ADVANCEMENT SCHEME:

WS	BS	Str	T	I	Ag	Dex	Int	WP	Fel
		1	1	2	1	3	4

CAREER PATH OUTLINES:

TIER 1: Boat-Hand: Silver-1
Skills: Consume Alcohol, Dodge, Endurance, Gossip, Melee (Basic), Row, Sail, Swim
Talents: Dirty Fighting, Fisherman, Strong Back, Strong Swimmer
Trappings: Hand Weapon (Boat Hook), Sleeved Gambeson Jack, Pole

TIER 2: Boatman: Silver-2
Skills: Athletics, Entertain (Story-Telling), Haggle, Intuition, Lore (Waterways), Perception
Talents: Etiquette (Guilder), Seasoned Traveler, Very Strong, Waterman
Trappings: Rope, Rowboat

TIER 3: Boatswain: Silver-3
Skills: Climb, Entertain (Singing), Heal, Trade (Boat-Building)
Talents: Dealmaker, Embezzle, Nose for Trouble, Strike Mighty Blow
Trappings: Backpack, Trade Tools (Carpenter)

TIER 4: Boat Master: Silver-5
Skills: Leadership, Navigation
Talents: Menacing, Orientation, Pilot, Public Speaker
Trappings: Hat, Riverboat and crew

Payment & Reimbursement

Boatmen are paid reasonably well, and this is because they are still quite a high demand, vital service. They start at Silver-1 and they can see their status and worth ascend to Silver-5 after climbing through four tiers of the career.

Other Benefits

Many contacts and friends all about the docks and ports, knowledge of the riverways

Perception

Purpose

Shipping and transportation of goods and people along the continent's waterways

Social Status

They are seen as hard and tough folk, but fair, generally speaking. Also seen as a worthwhile and honorable profession.

Demographics

You will find folks of all race and walks of life plying this craft

History

The history of this career is as old as trade itself. But recently an innovation that speaks to changing times. Steamboats, a new technology, exceedingly expensive, so very few exist as of yet, but everyone knows the time will come that such craft replace traditional sail and rowing craft. The new generation of boatmen of course are divided now, you have those more mechanically inclined, and those more old school inclined. But many of the skills are still transferable, and as such, you can cross them over. So it feels less like a threat and more like, to the old guard, not worth learning a new system when they will be dead or retired before they'd need to phase out sail or row anyway.

Operations

Tools

Boat (obviously)
Oars or Shovel
Armor
Weapons
Rope
Backpack
Trade Tools (Carpenter)

Materials

Sails or Coal
Lumber
Nails
Crew

Workplace

The waterways can be a treacherous mistress, and require skilled hands. The smell and feel of the rolls of the currents, the chill mist in the air, the calls of wild creatures and things great and small, there is a edge of beauty to it. In towns and cities of course, it is more the brick and mortar jungle, no less beautiful necessarily in its own way, but also no less dangerous.

Provided Services

Shipping of goods and people all over the continent

Dangers & Hazards

Traffic, Extortion (By Naval Wardens or Pirates), Weather, Monsters, all manner of hazards await you.

Alternative Names

Ferryman

Type

Transportation

Demand

High

Legality

Shipping is regulated and you will be subject to customs inspections and dock inspections, along with subject to laws and answering to the Naval Wardens.