This article focuses on what type of people would be into rocks at any given time and how they can be important for a campaign. Included are what to do with a character with these professions, as well as plot hooks for NPCs.

Stones

Masonry

In the early history of man, most construction materials were of wood or hide, although some rocks may have been placed as borders, such as a hearth or as a protective wall. During the Neolithic period humans learned to create quicklime, plasters, and mortars, and used this knowledge to create homes.

Guilds: In the earliest terms, a guild was an association of similar crafters, but the guilds grew throughout the centuries to become semi-secret cartels in their various businesses. Guild members would trade techniques and maintain top-secret information involving their craft.

Hierarchy. As the start of the medieval era closed in, the various craftspeople began to follow a standard formula to move an inexperienced craftsman to a skilled professional.

• Apprentice: Indentured to a master in lieu of pay for training.
• Journeyman: Able to travel for their master and oversee jobs for their masters.
• Master: A freeman able to work on projects for patrons.

Laborer: Laborers do the work that is typically shunned by journeymen or masters of various crafts, although an apprentice will often do this sort of work for a master. Laborers learn a variety of trades at apprentice level, while some are able to reach journeyman-level in one craft or another without ever apprenticing. The various jobs include concrete-making, paving, demolition, tunnels and digging, plastering, and making bricks.

Player Character. Laborers have the most manual labor with the least responsibility. The character that has some experience with any of the above will likely be able to find a job in any given region and get enough in barter or payment to squeak by on food and shelter. The PC that has gotten experienced at it will understand enough of masonry to know when something is wrong.

The Non-Player Character. Laborers are plentiful on building sites and any can be used to pass on information to the character party about what has been happening around the area. In older game settings, the laborer will likely not appreciate the concept of the hierarchy, especially older laborers that have the experience of journeymen. Despite common lore, laborers do not have to be less intelligent, although there is typically some reason why the NPC is not advancing, especially if the NPC is noted as fairly skilled.

Stonemason: The ancient civilizations thought highly of stonemasons, using them to build the Egyptian and Central American pyramids, Persian palaces, and Grecian temples. In the medieval era starting in the 12th century, stonemasons became members of a guild, and were divided into apprentices, journeymen, and masters. Stonemasons have continued their traditions right through to modern day.

Bricklayer: A tradesman that uses brick and mortar for construction. While in some circles bricklaying is considered a laborer’s job, other communities will have higher respect for kiln handlers and block masonry.

Plasterer: In ancient times the plasterer could command a high level of respect if the work was impeccable, and the work in Greece was particularly admired.

Player Character. A stonemason PC is one that has skill as an artisan as well as focus and strength. While an apprentice would need to be under the strict guidance of his master, a journeyman can be available to wander on an adventure in his master’s stead. A master mason will also have clout among his or her peers and clientele, and typically a guild membership for back-up.

The Non-Player Character. A stonemason is a gifted artist, one that has both connections and the respect of local authority figures. He typically has an apprentice or journeyman working with him that could get into trouble. A stonemason could be a witness to a crime or a convenient employer when needed.

Stone-Carving

This is an ancient activity still seen today that involves shaping various types of stones into usable tools and beautiful artwork.

Knapping: The work of Paleolithic societies to create stone tools from flint. In some societies this became a profession like any other, assuring the artisan of goods or at least respect from his peers.

Sculptors: Sculpting figures from stone is a process that can be as old as 800,000 years, possibly more. The earliest process involved hitting a softer stone with a harder one or using an abrasive. With some stone it was possible to use an antler as a tool. It was not until the development of iron that true sculpting of stone became possible, creating chisels, drills, and saws.

Letterers/Etchers: In ancient times, certain carvers would mark down events in the language of the region, combing knowledge of stonework with the skills of a scribe.

Player Character. As one of the oldest types of artisans, this is a respectable career choice available for very primitive societies. It can be used right up to today’s society, particularly in the form of sculptors. Regardless of era, the sculptor PC is likely to convince any authority figure (or a town or village) that he or she needs a statue.

The Non-Player Character. The sculptor is an artisan, usually in a dreamy state as he or she envisions a creation to completion. It is often the case that the sculptor falls in love with the object of his attention, regardless of the social or marital status of the model. Sculptors can also disguise clues or satirical images in their works, left behind for the character party to discern.

Jewels

Lapidary: An artisan that forms stone, minerals, gemstones, and other durable materials into decorative items. Many lapidaries specialized in specific styles depending on the available gemstones of their region, including tumbling, cutting, and carving techniques. At one time the skills of the trade were all separate professions, but since have become melded together under the basic jeweler heading.

Stonesetter: A specialist that sets stones into jewelry.

Casters: The art of pouring molten metal into a mold (see metallurgy for modern-day equivalents).

Goldsmith: A metalworker specializing in gold and precious metals. The techniques of the goldsmith have evolved little but the profession is rarer now, with the bench jeweler taking up a majority of the slack. Historically goldsmiths also made flatware, goblets, platters, utensils, and religious items. In Europe the goldsmith guild often also operated as a banker. Traditionally these skills of filing, soldering, sawing, forging, casting, and carving were passed on through apprenticeships, but modern day fine arts colleges can now provide much of the knowledge.

Bench Jeweler: A contemporary term for jewelers that have a broad set of skills, including stone setting, engraving, gold and silver smithing, and casting.

Player Character. The jeweler PC not only works with precious and semi-precious stones but knows the value of them, which is especially useful in treasure-finding games. In games where magic is prominent, a jeweler can also have skills in making and setting items of power. The jeweler PC will have connections with either guilds or goldsmiths/bankers and have knowledge of a fair exchange rate.

The Non-Player Character. All character parties should know a respectable jeweler if they want a fair assessment on all the treasures they find; otherwise the jeweler they meet with could be crooked or at least dishonest. In some societies the jeweler is highly connected and, crooked or not, should not be messed with by the party.

Ceramics

Ceramics include objects such as tile, figures, and pottery made from clay and other raw materials. Glassworks is a different category. Ceramics in the earliest days was mainly pottery from clay, but the field has advanced far beyond that right into the stars.

Structural: Some types of bricks, roofing tiles, pipes, and floors

Refractories: Kiln linings, fire radiants, steel- and glass-making crucibles

Whitewares: earthenware (from clay, quartz, and feldspar), stoneware, porcelain (kaolin), bone china

Technical: often not including clays, these ceramics are used in advanced engineering

Potters: Pottery started nearly 30,000 years ago. The earliest potters used clay and bonfires to create simple figures, usually of naked robust women. The potter’s wheel was invented by the 4th millennium BCE, thereby creating a lucrative profession. Pottery styles and substances vary greatly all over the world, but suffice to say potters were popular, from apothecaries and common households to temples and emperors’ palaces.

Ceramic Engineers: Ceramic Engineering is the craft of creating objects from inorganic, non-metallic materials. While potters could be considered ceramic engineers, this title is typically given to modern-day craftsmen of high-tech ceramics used in mining, aerospace, medicine, refinery, foods, chemicals, packaging, electronics, industrial and transmission electricity, and guided lightwave transmission. Ceramics for state-of-the-art configurations is a multi-billion dollar industry.

Player Character. The character off on adventures could readily be a potter’s son or daughter that found the family business undesirable. In modern-day or futuristic adventures, a ceramic engineer would be important on a spaceship or port for maintaining the integrity of the ships. While current media shows many ships made of metal, the mechanics of the space-travel era could actually work solely in non-metallic material, making the ceramic engineer as PC a likely combination.

The Non-Player Character. In ancient and medieval times potters can exist anywhere and everywhere. Those with special formulas or access to secret mixes that command higher prices can find themselves at risk of competitive sabotage. For adventures set in modern or futuristic times, the ceramic engineer is well-to-do and a valuable asset to any company. Rather than just sabotage, there could be outright kidnappings of these scientists, leading to both investigations and government interference. The ceramics engineer could be a mogul with a multi-billion dollar bank account and room to play around with bizarre or disturbing hobbies.

Metallurgists

Smiths

Smiths are metalworkers that create items, typically using a forge of some type. The art of smithing is seen throughout many eras and settings, and typically all weapons and armor are seen to by a smith.

Arrowsmith: Forges arrowheads. While one of several jobs for a blacksmith, in some communities a blacksmith may focus exclusively on arrowheads.

Blacksmiths: These craftsmen create items from iron or steel.

Bladesmith: A form of blacksmithing related to creating knives and other blades using a forge, and often must have knowledge of woodworking and leathermaking. Swordsmiths focused on swordmaking exclusively.

Coppersmiths: Also known as brownsmiths, these craftsmen work almost exclusively with copper.

Fendersmith: In some communities, certain blacksmiths would focus on the metal fender before the fireplaces, making and repairing these protectors in mansions, castles, or palaces, and often tending for the fires as well.

Goldsmiths: Craftsmen that work specifically with gold.

Silversmiths: Also known as brightsmiths. Work exclusively with silver; some specialists focused on pewter, labeled pewtersmiths.

Whitesmith: Works with light-colored metals, such as tin. Whitesmiths work almost exclusively with cold metal. The term is also traditionally applied to craftsmen that only do finishing work (polishing, filing) on blacksmith items.

Player Character. A smith, particularly in weaponry, would make a classic PC type since most that do such hard manual labor have the strength to take up arms should they have to. This player character has the knowledge to recognize good craftsmanship in others’ works, and many will be guildmembers.

The Non-Player Character. The blacksmith of novels is typically a large, frightening individual covered in the soot of his or her trade. With the Iron Age typically so important to fantasy game settings, nearly every village will have a blacksmith that works in weaponry. In later eras, the other non-ferrous metalsmiths are more prominent, and are more typically craftsmen or women without the classic blacksmith build.

Other Metallurgists

Ironmongers: a retailer or wholesaler of iron goods, also known as tinkers. More likely seen in Industrial Revolution settings.

Ironmaster: This was the manager and usually owner of a forge or blast furnace, the term beginning roughly around the time of the Industrial Revolution in Europe. The ironmasters were entrepreneurs and very important members of their communities.

Bellmaking: The craft of creating bells in a foundry. The worker is called a bellmaker or bellfounder.

Boilermaker: a trained craftsman that produces steel fabrications from plates and sections. Originally used for craftsmen that made boilers, but in modern times can also be used for people that make everything from bridges to blast furnaces.

Gunsmiths: A craftsmen that repairs, modifies, designs, or builds firearms. Craftsman must possess skills as a mechanic, a metalworker, a woodworker, and an artisan, and also understand the mathematics, ballistics, and chemistry of the weapon.

Locksmithing: Traditionally locksmiths made the entire lock. The earliest lock, similar to ones used today, was made in Egypt over 4,000 years ago. Nowadays most locks are mass produced.

Machinist: Produces a specific part by cutting with machines, usually using blueprints or designs made elsewhere

Millwright: a modern occupation working with steel (older millwright professions worked with wood). A millwright produces industrial machinery for other companies, usually creating and then assembling the pieces onsite.

Tool and Die Makers: Also included are moldmakers and tool fitters. These craftsmen make all sorts of equipment and tools used in the manufacturing process by other companies.

Saw Maker: also called a saw doctor, this craftsman maintains and repairs saws in mills or for personal use.

Shipfitter: a marine occupation putting boats and ships together, usually by welding or riveting.

Player Character. A variety of careers all working with various metals. A player character could have any one of them as a background—either a family-run business or a trade that was later abandoned. Those that continue training to become professionals can leave for a variety of reasons, but use the information to color a character’s background. Some of these careers, especially those of later eras, can leave the character fairly wealthy.

The Non-Player Character. Any of these craftsmen can be needed at any time for plot hooks, suspects, or victims.

Geology

Geology is the study of various aspects of minerals and rocks, and the geologists are particularly useful for both plot hooks and information-gathering.

Archaeometallurgy: The study of history and prehistory of metals and their use by early humans. Typically called in on archaeological digs and found as professors at universities and colleges, these archeological scientists can also be used to discern the uses of ancient technology on other worlds.

Economic Geology: the study of ore genesis, the mechanisms of ore creation, and geostatistics. While practiced by geologists, the profession is of particular interest to investment bankers, stock analysts, engineers, and environmentalists. This type of geologist would be of use when new ore deposits are found, when new energy fuels are discovered, or in expeditions to other planets.

Engineering Geology: This geologist investigates and provides geologic recommendations, analysis, and design for human development in a region. The most important function of the engineering geologist is to interpret landforms and earth processes to identify potential hazards to human development projects. These scientists are hired by development companies, government and military installations, public works, mining excavations, habitat restoration programs, and coastal engineering and development. They can also be used for space programs in developing colony worlds and establishing off-planet bases.

Geophysics: The applied branch deals with the application of physical methods such as gravity, seismicity, electricity, magnetic properties to study the earth. The geophysicist observes tectonic plate motion, studies the internal structures of planets, and supplements and interprets data from maps and studies. This information can be used to analyze potential fuel and mineral deposits, locate groundwater and archeological finds, to study thickness of soil and glaciers, and for environmental remediation. This is a broad term that can be subdivided into many other types of geosciences, include volcanology, hydrology, and atmospheric sciences.

Geochemistry: The applied branch deals with the study of the chemical makeup and behavior of rocks, and the study of the behavior of their minerals, as well as their reactions with the hydrosphere and atmosphere. They can specialize in such fields as ocean chemistry and soil chemistry to regulate pollutants and man’s impact on Earth’s constituents, or they may analyze the distribution of elements and their isotopes throughout the cosmos.

Geochronology: The study of isotope geology specifically toward determining the date within the past of rock formation, metamorphism, mineralization, and geological events (such as meteorite impacts). This science can be used to determine the historical age and events of other planets as well.

Geomorphology: the study of landforms and the processes that create them. By understanding landform dynamics and history, a scientist in this field can predict future changes, such as the effect of climate change, river and coastal control and preservation, and assessing the presence of water and other substances on other planets.

Hydrogeology: The study of the origin, occurrence and movement of groundwater in a subsurface geological system. This science is vital to the fields of soil science, agriculture, and civil engineering, studying the relationship between soil, water, nature, and society. The scientist may be called upon to determine the effects of farming on the local river, whether a body of water can be effected by a nearby factory’s pollution, and what streams can be dammed for hydrologic power without effecting the environment.

Isotope Geology: the study of the isotopic composition of rocks to determine the processes of rock and planetary formation. By studying various isotopes’ decay rates, scientists can determine the age of specific rocks or the origins of air or water trapped inside certain rocks.

Marine Geology: The study of the seafloor; involves geophysical, geochemical, sedimentological and paleontological investigations of the ocean floor and coastal margins. Marine geology has strong ties to physical oceanography and plate tectonics. Scientists in this field are especially useful for military and economic objectives, climate studies, ocean disaster scenarios, origin of life studies, and studies of the mantle of the earth.

Paleoclimatology: The application of geological science to determine the climatic conditions present in the Earth's atmosphere within the Earth's history. Similar studies can be utilized off-planet by space explorers.

Paleontology: The classification and taxonomy of fossils within the geological record and the construction of a paleontological history of the Earth. This science is useful for studying prehistoric life, its evolution, and the interaction between them and their environment. This science is one of the few with an early history, fossils having been observed and discussed as early as the ancient times. Often called in to observe and study markings or fossils found, especially those of questionable origin.

Pedology: The study of soil, soil formation, and regolith formation. These scientists study the formation and evolution of soils, while edaphology studies the way soil influences living things. Only through a thorough understanding of the soil can society make it remain sustainable for future generations.

Petrology: The study of rocks and conditions under which they form. Subdivided into petrography (study of rock by eye) and lithology (study of rock via microscopes). The field of petrology is subdivided into igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary petrology. By studying the microscopic structure of rocks, scientists can determine the likely origins of rocks in any given area.

Petroleum geology: The study of sedimentary basins applied to the search for hydrocarbons (oil exploration). This science solely focuses on finding oil for fuel use. These scientists are usually brought on by companies and the government.

Sedimentology: The study of sedimentary rocks, strata, formations, eustasy, and the processes of modern day sedimentary and erosive systems. Since the sedimentary stones are most prominent and hold the fossil record of earth, these scientists can determine the history of past environments and understand the evolution of sedimentary basins and sequences to estimate future erosion and sequences.

Structural Geology: The study of folds, faults, foliation, and rock microstructure to determine the deformational history of rocks and regions. Scientists use these studies to understand patterns of rock deformation in order to find fossil fuels and metal deposits, as well as to determine safety of mining operations in relation to tectonics and other geological events.

Volcanology: The study of volcanoes, their eruptions, lavas, magma processes, and hazards. These scientists can use observation and data to predict earthquakes or eruptions, thereby saving a number of lives.

Player Character. The geological sciences have some very specific fields of study and creating a specialist may limit a player character in a longer campaign; what’s the marine biologist going to do if the trail leads into a glacier pack? Still a general geologist with maybe one or two specialties may be useful in a longer campaign. The geological sciences are especially useful for science fiction explorations taking place on other worlds.

The Non-Player Character. It is more likely a scientist will be called in to investigate via a large conglomerate or government agency, but this does not mean that the character party doesn’t have access to a scientist in these fields. Often a large university will house one form of geologist or another, one who will be willing to look at something new and interesting that he or she could possibly publish a paper on.

Pseudo-Scientists

Rocks are also considered to have magical capability by many societies and individuals, leading to the designation of pseudo-geologists. While alchemists were at one time professionals with high standing in society, witches and warlocks in the real world were not. In modern-day settings, New Age practitioners and even alchemists are met with skepticism and mockery, but also have a large following of believers.

Alchemists: Already covered in a previous article, the alchemists use many aspects of geochemistry in their endeavors to create the Philosopher’s Stone and the Elixir of Life. Many are actually skilled in their craft and can help traveling parties with potions or objects of power. In magic settings, the alchemist is capable and known for his or her abilities, and capable of using various stones and minerals to do everything from heal to raise the dead.

New Age Mysticism: The New Age magicians believe or want to convince others to believe that certain therapies they prescribe work to heal the body. This includes crystal healers that work with the belief that certain stones carry with them healing or magic energies, magnetic therapists who use magnets in bracelets and on straps to align the energies of the body. These magicians also sometimes use crystals and other translucent or transparent stones to scry (see present or future events). Many also use stones to perform magic spells, using either color or traditional folklore to choose stones they believe will work in a spell.

Player Character. Common game settings allow for the belief of magic and the player can readily play a character that uses stones or minerals in their craft. If the alchemist or magician PC is in a modern-day setting, he or she may be ridiculed for his or her beliefs, adding to the personality of the character in mind.

The Non-Player Character. Both true believers and charlatans can hold that certain stones can create great influence on the body and mind (for a fee, of course). It will be up to the GM and the players whether the magician they meet is real or a scam artist. Coming Next: How to kill people with rocks.