Classes / Ocupations / Role Profiles

Class archetypes
I do not like to be locked into a class, as often as not I want to use a particular combination of skills and all the rest of a class becomes useless. For example a berzerker that does not use two handed weapons. But if there are no classes then there is very little direction in how a character should progress. For example in mount and blade or vampire masquerade there is no indication of how good you need to be at a skill for it to be useful or whether it will be relevant in 10 levels time, this encourages players to be a jack of all trades and master of none. Either that or to put every point into a skill that they understand, to the exclusion of all else.

I think the way around this is to have players start as an apprentice to a master of the class that they have chosen, this NPC will provide all the resources to aid in levelling up the relevant skills and a few quests to reach milestones in that occupation. One of the quests would be to become better than your master. But not lock in obedience to this master or exclude any skill.
Thus you could pick up the starting equipment then go somewhere else.

Each occupation within the community should have a class associated with it. Furthering the idea that the Player does not need to solely kill things, they have to opportunity to fulfil any role in a community.

As far as building the game (and the first play through) the player would start be within a homestead. Start as a “Jack of all Trades”, with an adventurous spirit and then leave home. The larger settlements and the new classes within them would need to be discovered.

Paladin class is to be the unbalanced one that everybody complains is overpowered. They can buff their learning ability in any skill. They can heal, fight and with self-buffs can excel at any of the other crafts. They are the OP cheaters class. They have the delete spell that can uninstall the game.

Classes sorted by where they can be found, each community contains all the classes of the smaller communities.

Homestead (3NPCs Max)
farmer
miners
hunters
jack of all trades (farmhand)
housekeeper

Settlement
Butcher
baker
carpenter
Travelling merchant
merchant bodyguard
Publican
mage
tech
medic

Town
Armour smith
builder
carpenter
weapon smith
merchant
skinner
clothier
tool smith
undertaker
thief
guard
rumour monger (newspaper)

City
Guild leader
law enforcement
nobility
banker

Capital City
embassy
ruling party
standing army
spy

Adventurer
any other class can be randomly encountered in the wilderness
Paladin, the unbalanced class that can do anything.