The other production classes that authors seem to miss

[NotaNuffian]

Why blacksmithing is popular as a subclass (cuz MC main class is always the Protagonist, Plot Armor Activate!) is easily understandable. One, the MC can craft weapons and armor for himself and friends without the need to redirect to others. Two, the dwarves of Tolkien's.

Also, a moment of silence.

Silence over.

Then the second most famous subclass is potion maker/ pill maker/ pharmacist/ alchemist (the mix liquid together kind, not clap your hands to the Gate of Truth kind) when being a healer is not an option to MC as all he will do is spam heals and buffs to himself and allies when leeroying. This is mostly seen in xianxias as MCs snort up white lightning whenever they are awake as the only things they need to breathe are air, qi and the good stuff.

Crossing the beams as I ran out of things to say in the "western" (it is either by JP or KR) trend, following pill making in xianxia is the formation master aka the fengshui fraudster that causes shit to happen by placing sticks on the ground and changes the leylines and other BS.

So here is my headscratching question, are the other production classes lame? So lame in fact that most "famous" novels will not mention their MCs having said classes? For example, in Overgeared, Kruger manages to cross sewing with acupuncture and make cloths with special properties. In Legend of the Great Sage, a cultivating farmer is playing a game of plants versus zombies with a necromancer.

I get that not all production classes are equal, blacksmith with swords and alchemist with potions while tanner gets leather and woodcutter gets log.

But is there any works out there that at least tried to explore these mundane classes can do?




Honorable mention to the minion spawner, aka Legendary Mechanic/ Artificer/ Monster Breeder/ Necromancer/ Summoners. Zerg rushing the shit out of their opponent is one thing, but oftentimes they will body tackle the opponents with their PA when all in technicality, their class is a main class that supposed to have paper defense and asthma child's stamina.

 

[Deleted member 19066]

Cartographers

 

[NotaNuffian]

Cartographers

Yeah, map makers and scribes (Shiroe OP) are often forgotten for a lot of good reasons.

It is a novel and unless the writers want a proper excuse to put in their newly made (paid) maps, then they will remember the class.

 

[Amok]

I like the idea of a tattoo artist etching runes into skin

 

[Anon_Y_Mousse]

Literally any production class that deals with alcohol, for any purposes. I cannot imagine a civilized society without alcohol.

 

[NotaNuffian]

I like the idea of a tattoo artist etching runes into skin

The idea has been in Worth the Candle, though not as widely used as MC and gang level up way too fast.

Literally any production class that deals with alcohol, for any purposes. I cannot imagine a civilized society without alcohol.

That would be brewer, the subclass of the alchemist class.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

The idea has been in Worth the Candle, though not as widely used as MC and gang level up way too fast.

City of Sin had runes as tattoos.

That would be brewer, the subclass of the alchemist class.

That's the point btw. When you combine all the different professions into one, the most usable are alchemists and blacksmiths. Because alchemists technically shouldn't know where to find this rocky thing or that pale grass. It's obviously doesn't work in some novels where most materials are from the magical beasts or have some AURA around them. However, if you tone down this shit, even herbalists are underrated. And I mean pure herbalists, not the jack of all trades who can concoct every potion in the world and are commonly named alchemists.

 

[greyblob]

herbalist
construction/architect(?)
shipmaker
baker

 

[Zirrboy]

Widowmaker

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Widowmaker

You're getting less funny with each reply.

 

[T.K._Paradox]

Fishermen, chefs, and tailors.

 

[Zirrboy]

You're getting less funny with each reply.

Told you

 

[NobleTalon]

In Legend of the Great Sage, a cultivating farmer is playing a game of plants versus zombies with a necromancer.

Lmao, they are genius.

As for your question, it's probably because the most useful classes are often the most used by authors.

Sure, creating enchanted clothes is nice. But what about creating a mithril armor with dragon scales and some ancient runes engraved inside ?

Cartographers

Actually, I think cartographers would have been as op and important as blacksmiths or alchemists if most of all the MC from fantasy novels didn't have a kind of integrated map. Or some detection spells acting like a mini map. Add to this all the teleportation stuff, plot shortcuts and timeskip and cartographers become useless in most cases, which is sad.

If I had to buff a production class, it would be the food classes (farmer/hunter/fishermen). While farmer is often used, it is either in slow slice of life novels or they are useless. (unless you read those novels where the mc starts as a farmer to end up as a hero.)

Anyway, food is kinda important and underrated in a lot of novels. It is nice to have big swords and fight works, but if you don't eat you die. So food production should be the priority, and for now, the only authors I've seen using the food classes well are those writing kingdom-building stories.

 

[Sabruness]

Only Sense Online has a tailor and a woodworker as production side chars. there's also a side side char who's a chef/baker i think.
that's the only one that comes to mind with out-of-the-ordinary production classes appearing.

 

[IDKWtWrite-San]

I think bartender and tattooer if you wanted to produce alcoholic beverage as a side and etch rune tattoo on your teammate or NPC to style them or increase their stat permanently ( tattoo ) or temporarily ( bartender )

 

[NotaNuffian]

That's the point btw. When you combine all the different professions into one, the most usable are alchemists and blacksmiths. Because alchemists technically shouldn't know where to find this rocky thing or that pale grass. It's obviously doesn't work in some novels where most materials are from the magical beasts or have some AURA around them. However, if you tone down this shit, even herbalists are underrated. And I mean pure herbalists, not the jack of all trades who can concoct every potion in the world and are commonly named alchemists.

Which kind of sucks, imagining carpenter's skill tree going up to siege weapons crafter/ engineer and the only thing people will only care about the guy who makes swords and the guy who makes necter.

Sure, creating enchanted clothes is nice. But what about creating a mithril armor with dragon scales and some ancient runes engraved inside ?

That is the sad part, most people will only go for the supposed top shelf roles of magic enchanter x blacksmith instead of crafting common day items of nobles because the fame of crafting the armor worn by the hero when he slew the deomn king is always better than the perfume spewing gown worn by the duke in every ball.

Actually, I think cartographers would have been as op and important as blacksmiths or alchemists if most of all the MC from fantasy novels didn't have a kind of integrated map. Or some detection spells acting like a mini map. Add to this all the teleportation stuff, plot shortcuts and timeskip and cartographers become useless in most cases, which is sad.

The only times I could think of for a cartographer's craft to be useful are when at war and when trying to locate treasure.

In this case however, the cartographer ends up being the cat's paw as he sells (sometimes without pay in most xianxia case) his art to someone else.

The only crafter I want to see are furniture maker and leather goods crafter or tanner.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

The only times I could think of for a cartographer's craft to be useful are when at war and when trying to locate treasure.

In this case however, the cartographer ends up being the cat's paw as he sells (sometimes without pay in most xianxia case) his art to someone else.

The only crafter I want to see are furniture maker and leather goods crafter or tanner.

Maps for caravans and peddlers? They usually know the way, but what if they are trying a new route?

 

[NotaNuffian]

Maps for caravans and peddlers? They usually know the way, but what if they are trying a new route?

Correct me if I am wrong, but in novels and RL, new trading routes that offer less danger and speedier travel are often seen as gold mine for merchants and as such treated as a trade secret. In fact, it is often frowned upon within merchants fir them to try and spy or even tail their oppositions through their trading route because of security.

What I am trying to say is, MC who is a cartographer who had well documented the lands can only probably sell his product once to the major merchant guilds and had to keep his mouth shut by either: only work for them or die, if not severely handicapped to the point that he will not be a hindrance.

Assuming you just want the MC to be the general guide for local area, then he might earn the first few dollars and have to suck dew off of plants for sustinence as the caravans he sold the maps to can now be the guide instead. Of course, this is assuming the peddlers are pricks but even if they are not, the amount made by MC will not be enough as with enough traffics, the route will be well known and no longer requiring MC's map. If the route remains rather secretive, I would have think of a bunch of reason why no one wants to walk there, such as dangerous, long winded and/ or not worth the effort. When such news is spread for the new route, then expect the amount of people wanting to take the route to dwindle and die.

 

[CarburetorThompson]

Stone mason. Secret society optional.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Correct me if I am wrong, but in novels and RL, new trading routes that offer less danger and speedier travel are often seen as gold mine for merchants and as such treated as a trade secret. In fact, it is often frowned upon within merchants fir them to try and spy or even tail their oppositions through their trading route because of security.

I don't know, so I can't comment on the rest.