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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jack7" data-source="post: 4780289" data-attributes="member: 54707">The Sharpers and the Acers: being a brief description of two of the Variant Character Profession Types of Terra (our world).The Sharpers and the Acers are two special types of variant Professional Career paths that can be undertaken by a player in Terra Ghantik. Both, as do the Amaconoi, follow an unconventional or unorthodox career progression that is sometimes very different from those who follow more normative adventuring career paths (though it is somewhat of a misnomer to call adventurers “normal”). To become either a Sharper or an Acer places more extreme demands upon a character than even those demands forced upon a more normal “adventuring professional,” and therefore the expense in time, money, resources, dangerous training, and so forth dissuades many from the attempt. Nevertheless some adventurers decide to pursue these career paths despite the danger and cost.The Acers, also known as The Amateurs The Acers are a group of individuals who eschew the typical adventuring career path and who seek to avoid the strict and regimented professional path of advancement taken by most adventurers. Instead of taking a career in a single profession (or class) the Acer prefers to learn skills and capabilities of as many professions as he or she has interest in. Therefore the Acer might decide to learn certain skills possessed by Rogues, decide to learn the fundamentals of science and related technical skills like a Wizard, may learn some of the combat capabilities of the Soldier, and may even learn the meditational or prayer techniques of a Hermit, or the rhetorical or instrumental skill of a Bard. The Acer does not attempt to be any one thing. Furthermore he does not seek to be an expert on anything in particular, but rather he is a type of what would later be called, The Renaissance Man, or the Polymath. He can do a bit of everything (or rather a little of everything he desires to do) and usually does those things quite well (especially in comparison to the general public). He will never be the expert combatant that the Soldier becomes, but then again, he has no desire to be a Soldier, but merely to know how to fight better than most other men. He will never be the proto-scientist that the Wizard is, but if he wishes he will come to understand far more about the fundamental nature of the universe than the great majority of people. Acers are usually highly valued for their wide range of skills and capabilities (depending upon personal interest, training, and experience of course) among adventuring parties, but to the general public they are often referred to as the Jack-of-All-Trades, either derisively, or admirably. A minority of adventuring professionals (especially many Rogues, though ironically enough to the general public Acers and Rogues are often synonymous terms) through look upon the Acers as Amateurs and are distrustful of them. Hence, their second and more common appellation to the general public, the Amateurs. The Acers, however, have adopted the term amateur as a sign of respect among themselves, and Acers will often excitedly discuss their own peculiar and individual capabilities with others of their kind, each anxious to learn of some new skill or capability in the other. Some believe that there is a sort of Guild or group association among the Acers, but this is unknown for certain. <img src="http://www.denali.net/~leif/TestPics/Harlequin.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />What is known is that the path of the Acer is often an expensive proposition. They must find different individual experts in any skill or capability they wish to master to instruct them and the training process is often quite expensive. Thankfully, due to the wide and varied range of skills and knowledge possessed by most Acers, especially as they age and gain life experience, they often require no more, or even less, time than non-Acers to master specific skills or capabilities. Most of those who train an Acer however will not reveal higher-level professional knowledge to the Acer, considering that proprietary to their profession. For instance a Soldier might very well train an Acer to fight very well, but not train the Acer for combat as well as he would another Soldier under his command. However some Acers develop a bartering system of “favors” with which they can trade for more advanced training, and some develop long-term relationships with their trainers and masters and eventually some masters are willing to teach some Acers even their most advanced techniques, skills, training, or knowledge. Acers however are not limited to gaining the skills and capacities of the various “adventuring professions.” They may seek to become trained in, and proficient in, any profession, from bookbinding to philosophy to banking and money lending to hunting. Anything an Acer desires to learn he can pursue, given the proper training and trainer, and given the necessary time and expense to master the subject, skill, or capability. Some Acers even become de facto Sages, the type of Sage who has an encyclopedic range of knowledge and skills. Though most Acers, even into old age prefer the active life to the sedentary or academic life.Most Acers, however, compensate for their lack of more sophisticated expert knowledge regarding any given specialty or profession they train in by mastering a wide and sometimes even staggering array of knowledge and capabilities in a variety of different, complimentary, or related subject matters. In addition many Acers are superb toolmakers and tool-users, making them very useful in a number of circumstances.Acers are often highly valued as “independent agents” or lone operatives, and sometimes Acers become Vadders as well, so that they also become excellent infiltrators and spies. For this reason, many Agents and Scouts (Rogue Types) often consider the Acer a sort of direct and dangerous competition towards their livelihood and are therefore generally hostile towards Acers. However many Bards consider Acers excellent and fascinating companions, as do Wizards and Monks. Vadders often think of Acers as some of the most proficient of their kind.My next post will discuss the Sharpers</blockquote>

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