Character Ideas

Here are some character ideas

Character	Description
Actor/ Entertainer/ Musician	Professional entertainers, such as actors, mimes, and musicians, could be very popular, but were generally held by the wealthy elite to be disreputable people of low class. Many were foreigners, particularly Greeks. Nevertheless, they could move in wealthy circles, especially those who had wealthy patrons. Most entertainers, however, were itinerant, and played on the street or in temporary wooden structures, or could be hired for short gigs.
Artist/ Artisan/ Craftsman/ Engineer	This covers most professional tradesmen, including painters and sculptors, jewlers, carpenters and masons, and the like. Generally they belonged to guilds called collegia. A job would have a master and a number of apprentices, with slaves doing the most manual, least skilled work. This is the most honest way to make a living in Rome, and in particular engineers with the legions or employed in the emperor's personal public works projects can rise to great authority and wealth.
Auxiliary/ Cavalry/ Scout/ Archer	Although the main bodies of the Roman legions were made up of Roman and Italian citizens, the legions employed non-Romans as scouts, and for certain military tasks that they were better at than Romans, such as cavalry, archers, slingers, etc. These soldiers were collectively called "auxiliaries." Completing a 20 year term in the auxiliaries was a common way to gain Roman citizenship.
Barbarian	Many people from beyond Rome's frontiers were attracted to live in the empire by its relative peace and plenty. Alternatively, people in conquered territories might resist Romanization and continue to act like barbarians. Since the empire was a large and cosmopolitan place, virtually anyone could find a way to live within it, as long as they avoided the law.
Centurion	The legions' non-commissioned officers had typically risen through the legion ranks, and there were several grades of centurions, each with different responsibilities and privileges. This was about the highest honor that most non-noble Romans could aspire to, as officers were typically from senatorial families.
Charioteer/ Gladiator	Even more than entertainers, charioteers and gladiators carried the stigma of low status, yet could be extremely popular, as much as today's superstar athletes. Most were slaves, prisoners of war, criminals, or people of very low birth. Only free charioteers and gladiators, or those who had gained their master's trust, would have liberty to leave the arena barracks or their training facilities. Many ex-gladiators take work as bodyguards or gladiator trainers.
Farmer/ Shepherd	The vast majority of the empire's people, of course, live and work in small, agricultural communities, although in Italy and elsewhere many small farmers have been driven out by large slave plantations run by wealthy Romans. Many of these people come to the cities, especially Rome, seeking some kind of livelihood. Also, traditionally, small Italian farmers made up the bulk of the Roman legions, and many soldiers hoped for a land grant after their term of service so that they could return to the soil.
Fortune Teller/ Herbalist	Alongside the great temples and oracles, petty fortune tellers, astrologers, sooth-sayers, healers, potion-makers, and magicians ply their trades for the masses with less coin, trafficking in desires as old as humanity - love, jealousy, rivalry, success in business, sickness, worry, and vengeance. The character could have real ability, be a charlatan, or not even know himself.
Informers	Whenever bounties are offered for information, men will make a living by informing on others, and the temptation to make up crimes (or just stretch the truth) can be great. Particularly if the accused is put to death before they can retaliate. Eventually, of course, there will be a backlash, sometimes before the regime changes, sometimes after.
Legionaire	Rome is a military society, and many men have served the legions for some length of service. The days of civil wars and large bounties for personal loyalty to the commander are hopefully passed, but the legions still offer good pay and land grants for a full 20 years' service. Far from a life of adventure, the legions are as bureaucratic as any modern army, long garrisons of boredom punctuated by a few months action, and occasionally a rogue commander who thinks the can become emperor.
Merchant	Goods pass by sea or along Roman roads from every corner of the empire to every other corner, and beyond. Tin from Cornwall, steel from Spain, wine from Gaul, wheat from North Africa, slaves from Dacia, glass from Egypt, amber from the Baltic, spices from India, silk from China. Merchants can also trade in information, not to mention conduct business activities on behalf of senatorial patrons to whom business is forbidden.
Philosopher/ Scientist	Philosophers and natural scientists probe and record the nature of reality. Some are wealthy diletantes who use their priviledge to indulge their curiosity. Others are men of intellect, sometimes with a patron, sometimes with nothing but their own passion for the truth. Some write, some teach, some simply stand in the market place and proclaim what they believe. Some experiment, while others rely only on logic and the force of their arguments.
Physician	Although medicine has been studied for hundreds of years, in Rome it still encompasses a fair amount of superstition and religious practice. Many of the best doctors are Greeks, especially those schooled in Alexandria where dissection is allowed. In addition, the huge Roman army provides many doctors with practical experience in treating wounds, setting bones, dentistry, and even surgery.
Priest	Some Roman priestshoods are hereditary, others are positions appointed by the Senate. Foreign cults have their own methods of selecting their priesthood. Priests are generally considered sancrosanct (as long as their cult is legal), and may have privileges or restrictions depending on their religion. And, of course, priests have the ear and power of their gods.
Prostitute	Like entertainers, prostitutes, both men and women, are generally held to be low class, but can move in higher circles, although it's generally more difficult. Almost all prostitutes are slaves, or people of very low birth. Poor families will sometimes sell their children into prostitution. Like slaves, prostitutes can get opportunities to buy their way out, and those with wealthy patrons can live quite high. And, of course, things that their lovers say in the heat of passion can command a high price.
Secretary	Most men of the noble class, and even wealthier knights, have personal agents and secretaries who conduct their business for them, keep their correspondance and social calendars, run their proxy businesses, and even write their memoirs. Typically secretaries are highly-educated slaves or freedmen, held by close bonds and in the highest confidence by their masters or ex-masters. They can attain great wealth by accepting bribes for access to their masters, and are in the thick of his intrigues.
Senator	Men of the noble class generally follow the cursus honorum or course of honors, which includes political office, administrative duties, and service as an officer with the legions. Generally, this will lead them to a career in the law courts, provincial administration, or military command, although the more retiring will indulge in pursuits as scholars, writers, historians, or diletante scientists or philosophers.
Slave	A huge part of the population of the Roman empire is slaves, of every sort, from prisoners of war forced to work on farms or in the mines, to priviledged domestic servants, to Greek tutors who sell themselves into bondage in the hopes of moving into higher circles of Roman society. Some slaves hold positions of trust and even a portion of their master's authority, while others are treated barely better than inanimate objects. And, of course, slaves do escape, risking the harshest punishements to regain their freedom.
Teacher/ Tutor	Almost all Romans can read, write, and do simple arithmetic, and a privileged few are trained in rhetoric and law for careers in the Senate. A vast spectrum of teachers and private tutors exist, from hacks drilling small children on their Virgil and multiplication tables, to sophisticated Greeks teaching oratory and philosophy, not to mention specialists in geometry, music, and science
Thieves and Thugs	By day or by night, Rome can be a dangerous place. Many who can afford it keep a small standing army of ex-soldiers, ex-gladiators, or just common toughs. Others keep specialists to intimidate, spy on, or steal from their rivals. Men who cannot find regular work this way will hire themselves out short-term, or go into extortion or other petty crime.

Aspect Ideas

Priest of a god

Favored (or disfavored) of a god

Place where you served as a soldier

A special contact

Status

Magistracy

A patron or client

Galdiatorial fighting style