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Making a Living - Shifts & Jobs

"Anyone can forage a handful of roots. The forager who signs on for the morning pitch comes home with a full sack, a few coppers, and hands that have learned something. Put in a shift."

You can scrape by on one-off actions - forage here, fish there - but the real way to build coin, standing and skill is to work a shift: sign on at a venue and put in a focused stretch of work. This is the engine room of an honest livelihood (and a quietly excellent way to grind a skill).

At a glance
Start a shift Be at a shift venue, then /shift start
Check progress /shift status
Stop early /shift end
A shift pays Coin + reputation with the venue's faction + skill SP
It costs Time (several phases) and fatigue - it's a working day
Best for Steady income and grinding a specific skill

How a shift works

  1. Go to a venue that runs shifts (the table below) and /shift start. You sign on for a timed stretch - a working block of several phases.
  2. The work comes in tasks, scaled in difficulty (from routine to genuinely demanding). Tougher tasks pay more and teach more, but ask more of your skill.
  3. When the block ends you collect the day's return:
  4. Coin - a stipend/purse from the venue.
  5. Reputation - standing with the venue's faction or guild.
  6. Skill SP - progress toward the next rank in the relevant skill (see Skills & Training).
  7. It costs you the clock and some fatigue - you've worked. Rest, eat, or sleep after (see Wounds & Healing for recovery). /shift end bails out early if you must, but you forfeit the rest of the block's return.

Why a shift beats one-offs: a single fish is a nibble; a fishing shift is a morning's haul - more coin, steady SP, and rep you don't get from casual actions. If you mean to get good at something, put in shifts.

Where to work - venues by trade

Each venue suits a class/skill, but you don't have to be that class to sign on - anyone can put in an honest day. Match the venue to the skill you want to grow.

Venue The work Fits
Foragers' pitch (Greenweald) Gather herbs & roots Herbalist / forager
River dock (Millhaven) Fishing Fisher
Open shaft (the mines) Mining ore Miner
Snare line (Darkhollow) Trapping game Trapper
Logging stand (Iron Pass) Felling & hauling timber Woodsman
Hunt camp (Greenweald) Tracking & taking game Hunter / Ranger
Sparring yard (barracks) Drilling at arms Warrior / fighters
Practice hall (Academy) Forms & study Mage / scholar
Tinker bench (Academy) Fixing & fabricating gadgets Tinkerer
Brew counter (apothecary) Brewing & compounding Alchemist / Herbalist
Forge bench (Iron Scale) Smithing Blacksmith
Performance stage (tavern) Playing to a crowd Bard
Research desk (library) Study & transcription Scholar
Dojo (temple) Martial forms & meditation Monk
Chapelyard (temple) Faith duties Paladin / Cleric
Hospice wing (temple) Tending the sick & hurt Healers
Crypt duty (cemetery) Burial-ground keeping Necromancer
Caravan rally (north gate) Escorting & guiding Wanderer / guard

(New venues get added over time - if a place feels like somewhere work happens, try /shift start and see.)

Tips

  • Pick the venue that grows the skill you care about - the SP goes where the work is. A few shifts is one of the fastest ways up a skill ladder.
  • Reputation compounds. Shift rep builds standing with that guild or faction, which unlocks better trainers, stock and tiers down the line (see the Reputation & Standing guide).
  • Mind your fatigue and the clock. A shift eats hours; line up a meal, a bed, or a camp for after.
  • Don't out-reach your skill. The demanding tasks pay best but need the rank to match - grow into them.

See also