Sailor (Pirate) (Variant)
Source: Player’s Handbook p. 139
- Skill Proficiencies. Athletics, Perception
- Tool Proficiencies. Navigator’s tools, vehicles (water)
- Equipment. A belaying pin (club), silk rope (50 feet), a lucky charm such as a rabbit foot or a small stone with a hole in the center (or you may roll for a random trinket on the Trinkets table in chapter 5), a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp
You spent your youth under the sway of a dread pirate, a ruthless cutthroat who taught you how to survive in a world of sharks and savages. You’ve indulged in larceny on the high seas and sent more than one deserving soul to a briny grave. Fear and bloodshed are no strangers to you, and you’ve garnered a somewhat unsavory reputation in many a port town.
If you decide that your sailing career involved piracy, you can choose the Bad Reputation feature instead of the Ship’s Passage feature.
Feature: Bad Reputation
No matter where you go, people are afraid of you due to your reputation. When you are in a civilized settlement, you can get away with minor criminal offenses, such as refusing to pay for food at a tavern or breaking down doors at a local shop, since most people will not report your activity to the authorities.
Suggested Characteristics
Sailors can be a rough lot, but the responsibilities of life on a ship make them generally reliable as well. Life aboard a ship shapes their outlook and forms their most important attachments.
dice: [](sailor-pirate-variant.md#^personality-trait)
| dice: d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | My friends know they can rely on me, no matter what. |
| 2 | I work hard so that I can play hard when the work is done. |
| 3 | I enjoy sailing into new ports and making new friends over a flagon of ale. |
| 4 | I stretch the truth for the sake of a good story. |
| 5 | To me, a tavern brawl is a nice way to get to know a new city. |
| 6 | I never pass up a friendly wager. |
| 7 | My language is as foul as an otyugh nest. |
| 8 | I like a job well done, especially if I can convince someone else to do it. |
| ^personality-trait |
dice: [](sailor-pirate-variant.md#^ideal)
| dice: d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Respect. The thing that keeps a ship together is mutual respect between captain and crew. (Good) |
| 2 | Fairness. We all do the work, so we all share in the rewards. (Lawful) |
| 3 | Freedom. The sea is freedom—the freedom to go anywhere and do anything. (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Mastery. I’m a predator, and the other ships on the sea are my prey. (Evil) |
| 5 | People. I’m committed to my crewmates, not to ideals. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Aspiration. Someday, I’ll own my own ship and chart my own destiny. (Any) |
| ^ideal |
dice: [](sailor-pirate-variant.md#^bond)
| dice: d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I’m loyal to my captain first, everything else second. |
| 2 | The ship is most important—crewmates and captains come and go. |
| 3 | I’ll always remember my first ship. |
| 4 | In a harbor town, I have a paramour whose eyes nearly stole me from the sea. |
| 5 | I was cheated out of my fair share of the profits, and I want to get my due. |
| 6 | Ruthless pirates murdered my captain and crewmates, plundered our ship, and left me to die. Vengeance will be mine. |
| ^bond |
dice: [](sailor-pirate-variant.md#^flaw)
| dice: d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I follow orders, even if I think they’re wrong. |
| 2 | I’ll say anything to avoid having to do extra work. |
| 3 | Once someone questions my courage, I never back down no matter how dangerous the situation. |
| 4 | Once I start drinking, it’s hard for me to stop. |
| 5 | I can’t help but pocket loose coins and other trinkets I come across. |
| 6 | My pride will probably lead to my destruction. |
| ^flaw |