What skills should a medieval college student who's working part time have?

[a-d]

Question
What skills should a medieval college student who's working part time have?

Background
I'm attempting to make a medieval character who's background is that of someone who was going to college and working part time, but am uncertain what skills would support this.

Since their main motivation is attempting to develop commercially available immortality the skills;
Heal
Knowledge Arcana
Spellcraft

And the made up Knowledge Immortality skill obviously ought to be maxed, along with a couple ranks in Decipher Script and probably access to most of the standard Knowledge skills since they're researching a relatively untouched area, but what skills should be taken in order to pay for their schooling?

Of course it could be handled with a few ranks in Profession (Blank) or perhaps a Craft skill, but it would be preferable if it meshed with their overall objective. Any ideas?
Hey, does the Heal skill cover Profession like it does the Knowledge category? That would simplify things a little.
...For that matter, does the Heal skill cover all categories? You can't use it to craft medical things, right?

Oh, and what skills do you think a college student should have to do well? Concentration? Autohypnosis?

Question
What skills should a medieval college student who's focusing on creating commercially viable immortality while working part time have?

 

[Savage Wombat]

I'm not sure how much the concept actually existed in medieval society. If you were going to college, the college was pretty much your life. If you needed money, I suspect you worked at the college as well, probably doing scutwork or assisting a professor.

 

[Dandu]

Since their main motivation is attempting to develop commercially available immortality the skills;
Heal
Knowledge Arcana
Spellcraft

And the made up Knowledge Immortality skill obviously ought to be maxed, along with a couple ranks in Decipher Script and probably access to most of the standard Knowledge skills since they're researching a relatively untouched area, but what skills should be taken in order to pay for their schooling?

Of course it could be handled with a few ranks in Profession (Blank) or perhaps a Craft skill, but it would be preferable if it meshed with their overall objective. Any ideas?

Craft: Alchemy was used by people in medieval Europe to achieve immortality.

Hey, does the Heal skill cover Profession like it does the Knowledge category? That would simplify things a little.
...For that matter, does the Heal skill cover all categories? You can't use it to craft medical things, right?

Medical knowledge and training only. Making things is a craft skill.

Oh, and what skills do you think a college student should have to do well? Concentration? Autohypnosis?

Autohypnosis is more useful.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

What did the PC do before he went to college? If he was urban, he probably helped around his father's business, even if he just delivered messages and talked to people. Take Diplomacy. If he was rural he definitely had an unpaid family job of sorts, and it wasn't necessarily farming. (What if he was trained as a falconer.)

Sites that describe medieval jobs:

http://arcana.wikidot.com/list-of-medieval-european-professions
http://abutterflydreaming.com/2009/02/06/100-medieval-careers/
http://hkcarms.tripod.com/occ.html
http://www.svincent.com/MagicJar/Economics/MedievalOccupations.html
http://www.listology.com/list/jobs-ancient-medieval-or-old-some-modern

 

[pemerton]

Another post along the same lines as above: how much work is "medieval" doing in your question? Medieval "college students" were generally clergy, and not really participants in a free labour cash economy.

The college probably has land that is mostly worked by tenants - maybe the PC has skills in animal husbandry or farming?

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

I'm curious about the "Commercially available Immortality" thing. Is this something you expect to produce from mundane means, or are you open to magical?
I'd imagine this more likely accomplished from class abilities than skill point investment. What sort of class do you see this character as?

The most simple and effective "Immortality" I'm aware of in D&D is the Druidic Reincarnate spell, which specifically states it "Creates an entirely new young adult body..." and so the elderly and infirm can be restored. Now, you're race and gender is randomized, so that might be complicated...

 

[Nellisir]

Languages. A decent medieval scholar in Europe would need Latin, Greek, French, and German to start. Spanish, Hebrew, and a few others would be good too. Maybe English, if he wanted to work at the edge of the world away from decent civilization.

 

[S'mon]

If he's actually 'medieval' and a 'college student' then he's not 'working',
as others have said.

 

[a-d]

I'm not sure how much the concept actually existed in medieval society. If you were going to college, the college was pretty much your life. If you needed money, I suspect you worked at the college as well, probably doing scutwork or assisting a professor.

That could work.

Craft: Alchemy was used by people in medieval Europe to achieve immortality.

There's something you can make using an Alchemy check to gain either the halt aging, can't die condition, or be made younger?
...Are you talking about the...the...Pathfinder? Alchemist who can make a potion which halts aging at a certain level? I thought they could only make one of those.

What did the PC do before he went to college? If he was urban, he probably helped around his father's business, even if he just delivered messages and talked to people. Take Diplomacy. If he was rural he definitely had an unpaid family job of sorts, and it wasn't necessarily farming. (What if he was trained as a falconer.)


Sites that describe medieval jobs:


http://arcana.wikidot.com/list-of-medieval-european-professions
http://abutterflydreaming.com/2009/02/06/100-medieval-careers/
http://hkcarms.tripod.com/occ.html
http://www.svincent.com/MagicJar/Economics/MedievalOccupations.html
http://www.listology.com/list/jobs-ancient-medieval-or-old-some-modern

Right now I'm leaning heavily toward a Scholar mother and Merchant Apothecary even if that would make a character proficient with both simple and martial weapons somewhat more difficult to excuse.


@pemerton
I'm avoiding clerics, except to study their form of magic and history for clues on how to discover publicly available Immortality.

I'm curious about the "Commercially available Immortality" thing. Is this something you expect to produce from mundane means, or are you open to magical?

Already have one magical method in mind but would like mundane ones as well. On a completely unrelated note, have you ever heard what kind of Heal check would be required to cure aging or old age.

I'd imagine this more likely accomplished from class abilities than skill point investment. What sort of class do you see this character as?

Factotum as fighter/scholar followed by Chameleon to show breadth of research, with Artificer later on as understanding of magic reaches one of it's limits.
Also a number of Feats from "The Psychic's Handbook," since the first "Halt Aging" skill I've seen "Life Extend" comes from one of them.

The most simple and effective "Immortality" I'm aware of in D&D is the Druidic Reincarnate spell, which specifically states it "Creates an entirely new young adult body..." and so the elderly and infirm can be restored. Now, you're race and gender is randomized, so that might be complicated...

Heard of the method, but my character's looking for methods which don't require your death, change of species, and/or can be used cheaply or for free by those at a lower level. Like One.


You know, like a high-tech medical lab.

Languages. A decent medieval scholar in Europe would need Latin, Greek, French, and German to start. Spanish, Hebrew, and a few others would be good too. Maybe English, if he wanted to work at the edge of the world away from decent civilization.

Sorry I wasn't clear before. Should have used swords and sorcery instead of medieval, but I did chose the Feat "Master Linguist" to gain a language per level.
Would Common, Elven, Dwarfish be a good first three? Or should one of them be switched with Draconic due to the strong focus on magic?

 

[TarionzCousin]

Bloodletting. Definitely bloodletting... and possibly applying leeches for fun and profit.

--because you need to balance your humors!