Casanova is not really a profession - that would belong more in the strengths/weaknesses dept.

Smith: either quicker advancment down related tech trees, or quicker production of smithed equipment.

Ranger: Speed bonus in forests, larger radius for seeing enemy units.

Merchants get a higher per turn gold income based on how much gold they have in the bank.  The merchant player has to make a risk-reward call: do I keep my money in the bank to accrue more interest or do I spend on a big project now?

Mount and Blade has a past history thing where you select what your character did at each stage of their life. It was neat, if the choices were a little basic. It gave the options in the style of an actual character history, instead of a tickbox from a list. While I do not mind a tickbox from a list, I believe it would be a shame to gather a large list of past histories, then be able to pick 1 per game. I reckon I would fall into a playstyle, pick the one that benefitted it the most, then stick with it. I may try a few other playstyles, but I still would not really use most of them.

I would prefer to pick multiples. You generally do not go Born > Mason > Planetary Overlord of Pain and Suffering.

Anyway, my list

Explorer: + sight bonus and starts with random points of interest nearby already known

Blacksmith: + equipment production for troops

Community Leader: + pop growth/morale

Mercenary Captain: start with a few crappy troops

Monk: + mana regen

Scholar: + research

Shepherd: + animal related farming

Guard: + City defence

Thats all off the top of my head, another few thoughts while they came out:

Random events being able to use past history. A building gets damaged by fire? Mason past helps fix. Merc band raiding your farmland? Merc captain hires them. Old relic dug up by farmer? Scholar recognises it and puts it to use.

Definitely need something for magic using types:

Curator (Spell book bonus or research bonus)

Priest (Healing spell bonus)

Mortician/Necromancer (summon skeleton spell)

General occupations:

Astrologer (Increase in prestige)

Horse/Bear/Lion breeder (starts out with Beast taming tech)

Executioner - (Decrease in Prestige, but increase in Strength)

Messenger - (Increased movement speed)

I'd love to see "Spy" as one, but without an esponiage system I'm really not sure what it would do.

Noble - Improves traits of your spouse (which will get passed on to your kids)

You know I was thinking Warcraft right through the main post.

Okay, time to get creative.

Dragon Farmer: Your history with farming dragons for profit (no they didn't like it much) has made you hostile to most of them. Less Dragons on your team but better at fighting dragons (+20%).

Pretty Poser: Your job of old was to stand around look good. This won you many 'friends', but more gold. +20% trade income.

Patron of Metal: Your ability to shape metal was impressive! Metal - extracting, processing, finishing, listening. You knew it all and it still comes naturally to you. Improves metal ore resoruces and cost of production.

Soil Worker: You listen to the soil. The sound of the picks grating accross metal filled you with joy. The soil workers would sing their ideas in epic songs. The hidden knowledge kept secrect by coded lyrics. You still carry with you the Soilworkers song of the damned. +20 depression, +20 to assassins since you know of the silent stalker and the preadtaor.

Jack of All Trades: Master of none. You know almost nothing about everything. But that means you can trick anyone about any subject they don't know. Better at diplomacy and a small boost to everything.

Fire Domain: Your cleric has access to fire spells.... wait... crap wrong game.

Confesser: Your work as a priest of the local religious sect has given you insight inot others dealings and a lack of any morals to hold you back. Improves information gathering (spys?) and gives a fear bonus to diplomacy.

(Yes I REALLY like traits okay.)

Why click what you are - why not the legendary personality test of jagged alliance 2?

He could always just be a Knight before hand and be able to toaly hit stuff with swords.

Or if its female she could be saved by a knight. Repeatedly. Infact it would be her primary profession. Perhaps should could have longer hair as a bouns. (This is a joke btw)

Tasunke, whats with the siblings and stuff? "Bully" isn't supposed to be a job lol.

I was going to propose this also but as the perk I was thinking of getting more loot from raided caravans and having a better ability to see them (i.e. you know how they think, how fast they can go and what they will do to try and avoid you so you can guess where they are).  Maybe let us see all caravan movement in explored territory even if no one is there to see it.  I think we were already going to be able to raid them but your idea sounds a little more automatic.

+1 for the jagged alliance personality test. That was awesome and worked like a charm.

If the test is not going to be in there - which would be a shame - I would like to see just the generic professions like craftsman and then maybe a few subprofessions, merchant with a few subprofessions, clerc, priest, warrior... You know the drill. Minor changes can influence a game pretty well, since +2 gold per turn does not sound like a lot but over the course of a game it amounts to 1000 gold or more.

That is assuming the game will last at least 500 turns of course. A standard game of Civ IV on a standard map lasts maybe 350 if you take your time.

agree 100%. If you really were a being of mystical energy that people of the time don't understand because their history has been destroyed, people would look at you in disgust, fear, or disdain. You wouldn't be the happy go lucky farmer, woodcutter or miner who just decides to get up one day and rule a nation. Sorry, but that just seems cheesy and a half. I wouldn't mind having backgrounds, which could be explained in the traits and weakness descriptions. Or done as something like Dragon Age, where it explains who you were borne unto i.e Human noble, bastard, rich. Blah blah blah. but as for professions I think they just come out wrong for what is trying to be portrayed here.

Warlord - cheaper soldiers

Soldier (rank n' file) - stronger soldiers

Combat Engineer -cheaper seige engines, with longer attack range (higher attack/damage)

GodKing- prestige bonus in cities

Mercenary - bonus with Mercenary NPCs, favorable for NPCs. all bought mercs are cheaper and have full loyalty

Champion- stronger Sov, better relations with most NPC champions, some champs will have a "grudge" against you. Bonus for Quests/Dungeons

Royalty(The King)- Increased loyalty for all subjects

Diplomat- cheaper treaties with peaceful nations, Diplomacy bonus with all factions

Royal Overseer/Governor/Minister-> less upkeep for cities/roads, roads are cheaper to build

Chief Architect-> all buildings give prestige, pretige buildings give more prestige

Chief Mason-> all buildings cheaper

Grand Librarian -> Science buildings give more science

Wizened Sage -> citizenry gives more science

Tax Collector/Vizier -> citizenry gives more taxes

Merchant King -> commerce buildings and trade routes give more gold

Inventor -> upgrades cost 50% less

Magical Advisor -> spells cost 20% less mana