The "Amateur" Adventurer

When we think of so-called adventurers, we tend to think of those who are in it for the money. Those men and women who turn up to get a share of a lost pirate treasure, a dragon's horde, or at least a pouch of gold coins for bringing in a bandit bounty, or ending the threat from a nearby goblin cave. However, the idea of professionalism is one that we might be able to look at through another lens. Because the way we think of them now is different from the way we once did.

So consider, for a moment, the idea of the amateur adventurer in your next campaign.

"Professionals" Versus "Amateurs" in a Historical Sense

Language and cultural meanings change in strange ways over time. For instance, about a hundred years ago, pink was considered a manly color for boys. After all, it was a lighter shade of red, which was a dominant, masculine color. Blue, by contrast, was a soft, feminine color used for girls. Fast-forward to today, and those two roles have utterly reversed in the minds of many folks.

The same is true of the terms "professional" and "amateur" in many ways.

According to The Cambridge History of Science, back in the 1880s, the idea of a professional (particularly a professional scientist) was considered gauche and insulting. Amateurs, a word which meant one who was devoted to a craft due to their love of the subject, were considered the truer, more trustworthy practitioners.

Why? Well... classism, honestly.

The idea was that those who sold their labor (whatever form that took) were basically offering themselves up to act as highly-trained servants. Aristocrats (which still occupied the higher levels of the social strata in England, and who influenced a great deal of culture from this position) were not actually allowed to pursue many professions because of this impression. However, humans being what we are, they still pursued their passions... something they could do without having to worry about their living expenses due to their social position.

The implication was that the amateurs, those who loved a craft or who dedicated themselves to an area of learning, could do so free of financial entanglements. To be a "professional" was to be considered vulgar, trading in your love or skill for money, and potentially compromising yourself in the bargain.

While these terms have largely traded places, with professionals seen as those deserving of compensation for their skills and knowledge while amateurs are often seen as unreliable or unskilled despite their passion, consider what would lead to an "amateur" adventurer. Was it a third-generation lord who's been fascinated with alchemy? A so-called "gentleman thief" who steals to prove his skill rather than because he needs to sell the baubles he swipes for coin of the realm? Or even an amateur swordsman who studies the blade every day because he has no need to be tilling a field, driving fence posts, or any of a thousand other tasks that would distract him from mastering these skills?

While it may primarily be a matter of motivation, consider what purpose your amateur adventurer would develop these skills for, if not to make money. Is it to protect others? Is it for a love of learning? Or simply something they're obsessed with that they cannot let go of?

For additional reading and inspiration on this subject, check out:

- 100 Character Goals and Motivations

- 100 Fantasy Professions (That Aren't "Adventurer")

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