Inquisitor
The Sovereign was an Inquisitor within the state church before the Cataclysm and his rise to power.
Bonus to Fire and Life magic. Starts with a minor unique fire spell.

Bureaucrat
The Sovereign was a bureaucrat before the Cataclysm and that has carried over to his new career.
Everything is 5% cheaper and taxes are always counted as being 5% higher for the purpose of determining effective income.

Slaver
The Sovereign was a successful slaver before the Cataclysm and have continued the tradition.
First city starts with 50% more workers and a Slave Market that increases trade income and population growth by 5-10%. All subsequent cities may build a Slave Market. Population produced by Slave Market will not partake in the city defense and may not be used to produce troops.

more combos from Moi

Slaver-(slave market courtesy of Luckmann) -> Plantation Owner - Farms and Orchards gain increased food yields

Slaver- "" "" -> Warlord-can train slave soldiers (decreased HP and morale, much cheaper)

Slaver- "" "" -> Minister- can build Colliseums, prestige bonus for city, large.

Slaver- "" "" -> Merchant- can build an improved Slavers Market (Slavers Forum) that increases trade income and static monetary gain (keeps former bonuses as well).

Slaver- "" "" -> Mason- cities with a Slave Market can build improvements 30% faster.

Royalty- loyalty bonus for troops and Champions -> Warlord- increased morale for troops, Heroic victories gain more prestige, Champions gain experience faster

Royalty - "" "" -> Soldier- high prestige cities are known for their Military Rigor, in honor of the Soverign ... cheaper/faster training-> able to get better troops for less training.

Royalty- "" "" -> Plantion Owner- Farms and Orchards are larger, more expensive, and grant prestige. (famous foods). Slight food increase as well.

Royalty- "" "" -> King- Prestige bonus for all cities

Royalty- "" "" -> GodKing- large prestige bonus, and moderate food bonus, in Capital City. Capital Keep is a Palace(holds more people, larger), trading defenses for prestige and granduer. All other cities have a normal defensive keep however.

Royalty- "" "" -> Merchant- trade routes increase prestige, if your prestige level is higher than AI X, you will get a favorable trade deal.

Governing- decreased Upkeep costs for cities -> Warlord- decreased upkeep for armies

Governing- "" "" -> Merchant- trade routes are more efficient, roads cost less upkeep and grant more profits, in both gold and raw materials (from your cities).

Governing- "" "" -> Mason- increased prestige for all buildings (the architect)

Governing- "" "" -> Populist- increased housing capacity, increased population growth

Governing- "" ""-> Elitist- slower population growth, citizens produce more taxes and research

• Animal Tamer - Mounted Fighters produced faster - starts with a horse resource
• Aristocrat - Gain additional gold per turn for each family-member in play
• Bard - Taverns and Theaters operate more efficiently - people are more prone to joining your cities
• Baron - Gain additional gold per turn per house owned
• Enchanter - Enchanted Jewelery produced faster or has better effects - starts with a crystal node nearby
• Guildmaster - Loyalty and Prestige bonus
• Miner - Collects ore faster, starts with a mine
• Rake - Produces offspring more frequently
• Shaper - Spells that alter the world are less expensive to cast and easier to research
• Tyrant - friendly troops are less likely to flee from battle, Enemy troops are more likely.

See when you said Animal Tamer... I was thinking.... Well. You know when people say they "Tamed" a woman?

Yeah.

Tasunke-> mounted units recieve +2 attack, +2 movement, and +4 morale

Cerevox-> Necromantic spells cost 20% less mana, Undead soldiers cost 20% less upkeep

Prophet
The Sovereign was a prophet of a major faith before his ascension, but has since the Cataclysm become disillusionised with his own beliefs, which can now take the form of everything from new-age adventism to theocratic megalomania.
Recieves bonus to morale and loyalty.

Edit: Originally wrote theologic, meant theocratic. Fixed.

Every profession should have a name, a small (or large) description (pref. w/ an icon), and an effect. Anything less would make me a sad panda.

I like this idea a lot, they could use it to both determine bonus values and some special abilities and to write your background.

Better still how about a short of branching background story writer, giving you different options at each stage depending on previous choices, writing your background story, giving bonuses and being a sort of interactive prelude for your monarch.

Honestly, I've not read all of what's been posted here, so forgive me if something similar was already suggested.

Marksman:

You take it as an imperative to pass on your exceptional skills as a Marksman to the chosen leader of your ranged attack troups (bolt- and/or arrow slingers) who in return teaches the troops. This provides those troops with a remarkable to-hit bonus and additional damage done. Even raised critical or crippling hit probability. Those bonuses apply for all ranges within the physical boundries of the weapon used (X-Bow, Short Bow, Long Bow).

I also like the idea of a personality test. But let's face it. A questionnaire to figure out that you were of any of the professions mentioned afore would be impossible to implement.

Footpad-

Your nefarious past as a robber of the walking masses has certain advantages pertaining to contacts in the underworld. You gain a bonus to city order but suffer increased corruption.

'My good sir, your claim of my resemblance to a common thief who did rob your person in your youth I find insulting and frankly ridiculous'

Labourer-

Your caloused hands and tanned skin bespeak of a previous life as a labourer in the outdoors. You understand the working man like few others, yet your brusque manners and lack of what some call refinement can cause the moneid classes to sneer at your new-found authority. You gain advantages to agricultural production and building but gain less money from trade.

'In my day we worked from dawn till dusk with ne'er a break to stretch our backs. By 'eck it were an 'ard life.'

Artisan-

A crafter of items from inumerable materials have left you an appreciator of the hands of craftsmen. You gain an bonus to item creation and equipping troops, but your disdain for mass-manufacture gives a penalty to high-tier production buildings.

'A well-crafted Pearl necklace is like a beautiful woman that dances in... no, it's like a string of moons on silvery... no, actually it's more like a milky swirl of... oh to hell with this simile'.

Poet-

Whether the rough-hewn sagas of bloody battles or the flowing sonnets of courtly romance, this Soveriegn was once a composer of rhyme and stanza. Such skills rarely leave the soul, causing the Sovereign to occasionally indulge in his previous interests and inflict it upon his people. Gains a bonus to diplomacy with Kingdoms but a penalty to Empires.

'Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day? No? I am hardly surprised, you Urxen have a notorious resilience to my sublime poetry'

Woodsman-

Ranger, Marksmen, even bandit have been used by the common folk to describe you as you walked into the fearful villages and towns. You were just a woodsman, though; a hunter, a walker of the wilds and a master of the bow. Your solitary nature makes you rather enigmatic, but a nightmare for your bodyguards. You gain a bonus to public order but a penalty to personal security.

'I find a well-placed arrow is worth a hundred words so be sure to keep your accusations brief'

There was an excelent episode of stargate atlantis, the only really good one, that presents the profession question quite elegantly. A scientist and a military leader find a room in atlantis that has two computer terminals. They each are connected to two actual races on a far away planet, unbeknownst to the two expeditonaries. They proceed to use the room as an Elemental type game for several months before realizing the game is not a game at all.

The scientist used his advanced knowledge to build well crafted tools and technology, about rennaisance level with a few zepplins and bio-weapons. His soldiers had better weapons, like crossbows and fine-tuned siege weapons, while the soldier had a very well organized army and efficient but crude weapons. Both had the basic knowledge an early civilization might benefit from, clean water, food safety, democratic governing, but the knowledge and abilities of the leader greatly shaped how things were developed and what was emphasized in society.

Given that our soverns will come from different walks of life, I think this option should profoundly affect one's kingdom or empire. Perhaps one profession should have at least three traits that affect the sovergn as a unit, the party/city the sovergn is in and the civilization the sovergn creates, instead of only one of these areas.

That said, I agree that the choice of earlier profession should be long-term. I believe this would be best achieved by giving strong starting bonuses, small civilization bonuses, and unique ever-relevant city-by-city bonuses.

For example, a Slaver profession giving a big initial worker boost, a small civilization bonus (+5% Morale, Loyalty, Economics, Whateritics, etc) and a unique building once per city that does something that is unique to that building (or at least unique to professions, if not only one).

To clarify, the basic knowlegde from our civilization that a primitive civilization might benefit from. No need to palm any face.