ARG! - A Pirate Party [Archive] - Wizards Community

ARG! - A Pirate Party [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Furry Rodent
02-22-05, 09:24 PM So, I will soon be DMing a campaign focused around high seas adventure and swashbuckling, and it sparked an idea: what would be the Char Op Board's answer to the best Pirate Crew? The party will be starting at 6th and 8th level (the captain gets to have a few levels in Dread Pirate), but I'll let you guys have at it at any level. To make it slightly more interesting, I'll put some rules on this:

1) Only 5 characters, as follows:

Captain: Levels in Dread Pirate should be required, but for sake of seeing what you guys do, this is open to free reign

First Mate: This is the truely open role. The First Mate could be just about any character class and have any background; all he needs to do is issue orders, and there is no need for charisma to do that, if not wanted.

Navigator: You've got to know where the hell you are if you plan on going anywhere. This probably makes most sense to fill as the role of a wizard, but again, I won't put any class requirements.

Ship Doctor: When your bleeding, somebody's got to patch you up. Could actually be a number of things, not just a Cleric, as 5 of 11 base classes all have access to CLW.

Public Face: Every good pirate ship needs someone with a silver tongue who can get through customs and sweet talk the customer to get some more cash, and this is the guy. Really anybody with a strong Diplomacy can fill this, but again, I'll enforce nothing except that the role be filled. :)

Assume crew is provided.

I will be interested to see what results there are. And please, if you bring up ninjas, your only allowed to if you prove that ninja builds fill these roles better than the pirates. :-D
JosephKell
02-22-05, 11:27 PM First I want to say that Pirates don't follow most of the rules for D&D. Pirates are the best canidates for Light Armor because Heavy Armor can kill you if you have to swim. So assume lightly outfitted PCs.

Captain: Bard 4/Swashbuckler 1/Honorable Dread Pirate X (for 8th level, 3) Doubles as the Face (Bard levels should pick up extra languages since Speak Language is class for Bards).
. Improvements: If human, Able Learner feat (Races of Destiny) to keep your Diplomacy ranks up. Song of the Heart feat (Eberron Campaign Setting) to improve the bonus of Inspire Courage and Rally the Crew.

First Mate: The Muscle. If the Captain is the Good Cop, then the First Mate is the Bad Cop. He is the guy you take it up with if the Captain doesn't sway you. So I would go the Power Attack route (especially Improved Bullrush). Don't take a single class that reduces BAB. Barbarian 4/Fighter 2 is a start. Improved Bullrush should be the second feat taken (after its prerequisite Power Attack). Use Bullrush to push boarders into the water. Leap Attack is a good idea since ships are usually crowded.

Navigator: Actually... I think a Cleric of Air and Water might be a better plan. Or a Druid (since that is pretty much an Nature Cleric). Only Bards and Druids have Know Direction (to find north). Definately a Druid. Just don't get obsessed with the Wildshape stuff. Primary use is to Control Wind (to get better sailing). For a familiar.. Large Shark is a good start. Dire Shark is something to aim to. Or an Octopus/Squid to grapple the enemy ship.

Medic: Even with a Druid, a Cleric of Obad-Hai (Air and Water) might still be useful. The Medic should probably be built to assist the First Mate in repelling boarders. Cleric 6.

Face: Since the Captain can be the face, a Rogue 5/Thief Acrobat X is a good idea. A Sorcerer might be more helpful though (just as long as Knock is on the spell list to make up for the missing Rogue).
Caelic
02-22-05, 11:35 PM Hmm. I'll have to play with it. Captain Sailbad and the crew of the Merry Wastrel will be up later tonight. :)
Tempest Stormwind
02-23-05, 01:00 AM Make absolutely certain you face off against some ninjas, at least once. :p (See the Most Uber Character in my sig.)

Seriously, though, you can have a lot of fun with the following setup:

1) Captain. This is a guy who's a capable leader, a good swordsman, and a decent sailor. The Dread Pirate PrC is built for this role, but Duelist isn't a bad option either.

2) Mate/Navigator. This is the guy who's everyone's support. I'd suggest a bard here, with levels in War Chanter (Could you imagine Inspire Legion on a crew of thirty warriors?). Focus on healing or buff magic, with divinations. You've got enough skills to make a decent navigator, cartographer, destination-planner (Bardic Knowledge: "Hey, I hear in Port Alberny there's tales of a lost mountain of pearls!"), and so on. Heck, with a high enough intelligence, you can afford Profession: Cook and be everyone's best friend. With a high charisma alongside the captain, the two make excellent faces for the crew.

(There's also a Dragon Magazine prestige class, the Windsinger, that is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for this character, tailored for a role like this, plus you're every captain's best friend. It's like the Seeker of the Song, except with a fighter's attack bonus, and every single one of the songs you learn is related in some way to the wind or sailors. Think The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker in bard form. It's in Dragon 294. Got a roleplaying requirement of "survive a great ordeal at sea," similar to the Dungeon Delver.)

3) Mate/Boarding specialist. This is the guy you use to repel boarders or take point when you board another ship (and not diplomatically). Usually focus on control and lots of attacks here -- Snow's chaingun fighter is a good call, as is any monk with the Great Throw feat (toss 'em overboard!). Usually you want to give this guy a potion of Jump or a Ring of Featherfall, and toss him over to the other ship. (A friend of mine made a 3.0 Fighter/Ranger/Gladiator (renamed "Ship's Champion" -- we also used the Ranger class to represent most adventuring sailors) for one such campaign. His specialty was to team up with the bard (me), rally the crew, then be the first to leap over amidst most of us cheering. He'd hack down as many people as he could with twin hatchets, and then cleave through the mast with a final mighty blow. He also had the Great Throw feat, which he abused on the defensive. He's pretty much the perfect boarding specialist I can think of.)

4) Spellcaster. Supplimented by the mate, but this is where the real magic power comes from. In charge of repairing the ship, disguising your arrival/getaway, controlling the wind, subduing other vessels... a generalist wizard with a focus on item creation is a good, all-round character here. Another good alternative is a druid -- you're outdoors most of the time, so focus more on spells than Wild Shape (but don't forget the dire shark form!). You also get healing magic, Create Food and Water at low levels, and an animal companion (an octopus is an interesting choice -- they're startlingly intelligent for an animal, can go really deep for you, and they keep barnacles off the hull).

(I loved playing alongside a crotchety old hermit druid on our last naval campaign. Not quite so piratey (more Royal Navy), but he stole the show nonetheless:
"You there, hermit! Get down off the figurehead!"
"eeh, I reckon there's a storm comin'."
"What? Daft fool. There's not a cloud in the sky! Now get down from there or I'll clap you in irons!"
"I SAID: I RECKON there's a STORM comin'."

*one hour later*:

"BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES! BAIL OUT THE BILGES! TIE YOURSELF TO SOMETHING!"
"Told ye so.")

If there's a fifth slot, take a sniper -- rangers are solid choices, but there are alternatives as well. You want someone with good ranged attacks, good awareness, and a few other solid skills here and there. Plop him in the crow's nest and give him a bow or the like. If you don't have a fifth slot, the navigator might be able to take this role.

NOTE: DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE UNDERRATED ITEMS. Two in particular utterly destroy naval combat -- Qaal's Feather Token (Tree) and Dust of Dryness. Both will capsize many a ship with no saving throw if used correctly, and the latter can coat arrows. The former's also a ready source of wood should the wizard need to Fabricate you a new hull.

Also: Historically, not all pirates or naval crewmen could swim. It was a rare thing when everyone aboard a ship could swim beyond dog-paddling. You can avoid points in Swim if you want, although heavy armor is still a bad idea.
PhaedrusXY
02-23-05, 07:34 AM Fun idea! I'll post a couple of things. For the captain, I'll use an NPC pirate from the game I DM. I don't have a book with Dread Pirate in it, but the build is only 16 levels anyway. So you could add 4 levels of DP onto it. The build contains two home-brewed feats I got from the Skills and Feats forum and use in my game.

Fyldrin of the Eleven Chairs, the Captain
(The name is from the Unapproachable East book. He's the son of the former Iron Lord of Rasheman, and a somewhat famous buccaneer who harried Thay's coastline.)

Rogue1/Monk2/Swashbuckler3/ShouDisciple3/Duelist7 (CL16)
Hit Dice: 6+2d8+13d10+48 (134)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 41 (+4AC+4dex+5int+3wis+2monk+2nat+2defl+7E lParry+3Feats+3Fdefens-4Karmic), 43 vs Dodge target (using Karmic Strike), 45/47 w/o Karmic Strike Touch 35, Flatfooted 23
Base Attack/Grapple: +14/+14
Attack: +22 (1d6+8+1d6PrStrike sword or 1d10+7 unarmed )
Full Attack: +17/17/12/7 defensive flurry
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Stunning Fist 10xday, Freezing the Lifeblood (DC 21, 1d4+1 rnds), Precise Strike +1d6, +1d6 Sneak Attack, Int mod to damage, Light Flurry -1/-1
Special Qualities: Evasion, Enhanced Mobility (+8), Enhanced Dodge (+2)
Saves: Fort +15, Ref +25, Will +13
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 20, Wis 16, Cha 8
Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Elusive Target, Karmic Strike, Wpn Focus: Unarmed Strike, Weapon Finesse, Stunning Fist, Freezing the Lifeblood, Single Swordplay, Single Swordmaster (Expertise), Combat Reflexes

Progression
1 rog1 Dodge, Wpn Focus: unarmed strike
2 swshb1 Weapon Finesse (b)
3 monk1 IUS (b), Stunning Fist (bonus), Single Swordplay
4 monk2 evasion, flurry -1/-1, Combat Reflexes (b)
5 swshb2
6 swshb3 Single Sword Mastery, Int to damage
7 Shou1
8 Shou2 Mobility (b), Dodge +2
9 Shou3 Elusive Target, Light Flurry
10 Duel1 Canny defense
11 Duel2 Improved reaction (+2 Init)
12 Duel3 Karmic Strike, Enhanced mobility (+4 more AC vs AoO for moving)
13 Duel4 Grace (+2 Ref)
14 Duel5 Precise strike +1d6
15 Duel6 Freezing the Lifeblood, Acrobatic charge
16 Duel7 Elaborate parry

With 32 pt buy and standard NPC wealth:

Starting Stats: Final Stats:
str 12 4 Str 14 +2
Dex 14 6 Dex 18 +4
Con 14 6 Con 16 +3
Int 16 10 Int 20 +5
Wis 14 6 Wis 16 +3
Cha 8 0 Cha 8 -1

Items: +2 Str gloves, +2 Dex boots, +2 int headband (w/+2 Wis), Bracers of Armor +4, +2 Ring of Natural Armor, +2 Con Amulet, Ring of Protection +2, Cloak of Resistance +3, +1 smoking shortsword. Put 2 points from leveling into Int., other 2 into Dex.

Total: `82,000 (77K gp in gear for NPC)

Fights defensively all the time and only loses a net -1 to attack, but gains +10 to AC.

Att: 14bab+4dex+1enh(focus)+3feats-4defensive-1flurry=+17

Orcus the Bruiser, First Mate
For the first mate, I like the idea of him being a "bruiser". I have an insane NPC build that I used for the leader of a Forsaker group in my game. I think he'd work great here, due to his *ahem* unique heritage. It's a 21 level build, so shave one off the end if you want. It also has a few home-brew/houseruled feats in it that could be replaced.

whale3/barb5/monk2/ftr2/ShouDisciple5/FrenziedBerzerker1/forsaker3
(Alternate Bear Totem barbarian: Toughness, Imp Grapple, Great Fort., +4 Grapple when raging)

Large Humanoid (Anthropomorphic baleen whale)
Hit Dice: 5d8+7d10+9d12+189 (308) 350 raging
Initiative: +4
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 42 (+9dex+7wis+17NA-1size), Touch 25, Flatfooted 42
(45 w/dodge, 41 karmic+dodge, 38 karmic, 41frenzy+rage+dodge, 38 frenzy+rage, 37 karmic+frenzy+rage+dodge, 34 karmic+frenzy+rage)
Base Attack/Grapple: BAB +20, Grapple +41/50, Trip +37/42
Attack: (BAB19+13Str+1enh-1size) Attack +33 adamantium heavy flail (2d8+20) or +33 unarmed strike (3d6+20)
Full Attack: Frenzied Raging Flurry +37/37/37/32/27/22 (2d8+28, Avg 37), +6 PwrAtt +31/31/31/26/21/16 (2d8+37, Avg 46), +10 PwrAtt +27/27/27/23/17/13 (2d8+48, Avg 57) with flail
Space/Reach: 5 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Rage 2xday, Frenzy 1xday
Special Qualities: SR13, Blindsight 60', Darkvision 60', Reach, Fast Healing 1, Natural Weapons
Saves: Fort +22/24, Ref +21, Will +18/20 (partial method)
Abilities: Str 36/46, Dex 28, Con 28/32, Int 8, Wis 24, Cha 8
Skills: Tumble 24+9, Swim 0+23/28, Jump 20+13/18
Feats: WpnFocus: US, LightRef, Dodge, Iron Will, Combat Reflexes, Destr.Rage, IntimRage, ImpInit, ImpGrap, Power Att, Cleave, Great Fort, Imp Sunder, Force Breaker, Karmic Strike, Dire Charge
Challenge Rating: 21

The "cool-headed" Master Wang, Ship's Diplomat and/or Boarding Specialist
I don't think the following partial build would be great for the "face", but I want to put it in somewhere, and it doesn't really work anywhere else. So he'd just take a bunch of ranks in Diplomacy, and the discipline of his monk training would allow him to remain cool during "hot" negotiations. This guy would fulfill Tempest's "boarding specialist" role, though. He'd certainly be able to wreak havoc on a wooden ship. :P

Elan Monk2/Swashbuckler3/Pyrokineticist10/Shou5
BAB +16, 2d6 unarmed, Int to Damage and AC (Kung Fu Genius), Weapon Finesse, 2 monk feats, flurry (at -1) w/weapons, all pyro abilities

Feats: Dodge, Wpn Focus: Unarmed Strike, Stand Still, Combat Reflexes (monk or Shou), Up the Walls, Improved Grapple (monk), Psionic Fist, Unavoidable Strike, 2-3 more

The Navigator and Ship's Doctor, Finnaeus Manson
The Survival skill is used to determine direction now. The old Intuit Direction was bundled into it in the 3.0 to 3.5 conversion. I only have the class levels for this one picked out, and not feats. But every level has Survival as a class skill. He's a skilled cleric that would roleplay more like a ranger. For feats, I'd focus on archery mainly, except for the needed prereqs. Control Water is on the general cleric spell list, and it is insanely deadly to use against enemy ships. Also, as a cleric of Shaundakul he can choose the Air domain for Control Wind and Control Weather.

rng2/clr4/MasterOftheYuirwood4/WindWalker10
Base attack and Caster level are both 18.

Balthazar the Black, Diplomat?
Since I have Finnaeus fulfilling two roles, I could add in an arcane caster here to fulfill the diplomatic role, instead of Master Wang. How about a former paragon of goodness fallen upon hard times? :D He'd be able to either smoothtalk his way into getting what he wants, or use Intimidation/force to get it.

Fighter1/FallenPalladin1/Blackguard10/NarDemonbinder1/Spellsword1/EK6
BAB+19, Caster level 10 BG (4th level spells), 17ND (8th level spells), -10% ASF

1 Education, Power Attack, Cleave
3 Improved Sunder
6 Iron Will
9 Spell Focus: Conjuration
12 Convert 10 Palladin levels to Blackguard levels, Take Divine Might
13 NarD1
14 Spellsword1

Start out as a fighter1/palladin11 (or take fighter after palladin), then "fall". Convert 10 levels of Palladin to Blackguard. Then take Nar Demonbinder. Finish with a level of Spellsword, then EK. Take Arcane Strike at level 15. Combine Arcane Strike, Divine Might, Power Attack, Smite Good, a spell storing weapon, and sneak attack dice to dish out insane damage.

Add a Gut Worm from the Fiend Folio for +2 Con and Rage at will. A Soul Tick and Fiendish Skin would be good, too.
Furry Rodent
02-23-05, 03:56 PM Nice guys. I'll have mine up in a bit. Oh, and *bump.* :)
Xeraph
02-23-05, 04:48 PM I would love to see the "Public Face" being a nice mix of Marshal/Bard and Master Spy. (Jack Sparrow meets Joey (from friends)... which is actually quite disturbing)

And i second Josephkells suggestion about the "First Mate" being a big brute (Bad cop/Good cop), like the big afro guy in Pirates of the Carribean.

"Navigator" can be actually be some kind of Psion on the brink of insanity. With oracle like babblings and such. (Minority Report like)

"Ship Doctor" Would be fun to be just slightly saddistic. Maybe a dwarf "arhh.. ye need salt to close that wound"

...Just some ideas.
Furry Rodent
02-23-05, 10:16 PM I'll put my team here when I get it up. Oh, look at that! I think I just *bumped.* :D
Eidolon Faer
02-23-05, 10:45 PM First of all, you need to have a Necromancer or Pale Master in the crew, mostly to control all the zombie and skeleton sailors and oarsmen...

And he needs to have a Stitched Flesh Familiar that's a monkey...

And of course the DISHONORABLE Dread Pirate can make threats like "Arr, Matey, you have three choices...pay a ransom, join the crew, or...join the crew!"
PhaedrusXY
02-23-05, 10:54 PM Hehehe, I thought about using a True Necromancer in the crew I listed, but went with the rangerish cleric instead. Maybe I should stick the necromancer in there. :P Hell, this is sounding like so much fun I might have to use this in a game.
Furry Rodent
02-23-05, 10:59 PM Feel free to rip off any ideas you get from me. When it comes to gaming, immitation is the highest form of flattery... unless it involves scimitars and CG Drow... :)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Furry Rodent 02-22-05, 09:24 PM	So, I will soon be DMing a campaign focused around high seas adventure and swashbuckling, and it sparked an idea: what would be the Char Op Board's answer to the best Pirate Crew? The party will be starting at 6th and 8th level (the captain gets to have a few levels in Dread Pirate), but I'll let you guys have at it at any level. To make it slightly more interesting, I'll put some rules on this: 1) Only 5 characters, as follows: Captain: Levels in Dread Pirate should be required, but for sake of seeing what you guys do, this is open to free reign First Mate: This is the truely open role. The First Mate could be just about any character class and have any background; all he needs to do is issue orders, and there is no need for charisma to do that, if not wanted. Navigator: You've got to know where the hell you are if you plan on going anywhere. This probably makes most sense to fill as the role of a wizard, but again, I won't put any class requirements. Ship Doctor: When your bleeding, somebody's got to patch you up. Could actually be a number of things, not just a Cleric, as 5 of 11 base classes all have access to CLW. Public Face: Every good pirate ship needs someone with a silver tongue who can get through customs and sweet talk the customer to get some more cash, and this is the guy. Really anybody with a strong Diplomacy can fill this, but again, I'll enforce nothing except that the role be filled. :) Assume crew is provided. I will be interested to see what results there are. And please, if you bring up ninjas, your only allowed to if you prove that ninja builds fill these roles better than the pirates. :-D
JosephKell 02-22-05, 11:27 PM	First I want to say that Pirates don't follow most of the rules for D&D. Pirates are the best canidates for Light Armor because Heavy Armor can kill you if you have to swim. So assume lightly outfitted PCs. Captain: Bard 4/Swashbuckler 1/Honorable Dread Pirate X (for 8th level, 3) Doubles as the Face (Bard levels should pick up extra languages since Speak Language is class for Bards). . Improvements: If human, Able Learner feat (Races of Destiny) to keep your Diplomacy ranks up. Song of the Heart feat (Eberron Campaign Setting) to improve the bonus of Inspire Courage and Rally the Crew. First Mate: The Muscle. If the Captain is the Good Cop, then the First Mate is the Bad Cop. He is the guy you take it up with if the Captain doesn't sway you. So I would go the Power Attack route (especially Improved Bullrush). Don't take a single class that reduces BAB. Barbarian 4/Fighter 2 is a start. Improved Bullrush should be the second feat taken (after its prerequisite Power Attack). Use Bullrush to push boarders into the water. Leap Attack is a good idea since ships are usually crowded. Navigator: Actually... I think a Cleric of Air and Water might be a better plan. Or a Druid (since that is pretty much an Nature Cleric). Only Bards and Druids have Know Direction (to find north). Definately a Druid. Just don't get obsessed with the Wildshape stuff. Primary use is to Control Wind (to get better sailing). For a familiar.. Large Shark is a good start. Dire Shark is something to aim to. Or an Octopus/Squid to grapple the enemy ship. Medic: Even with a Druid, a Cleric of Obad-Hai (Air and Water) might still be useful. The Medic should probably be built to assist the First Mate in repelling boarders. Cleric 6. Face: Since the Captain can be the face, a Rogue 5/Thief Acrobat X is a good idea. A Sorcerer might be more helpful though (just as long as Knock is on the spell list to make up for the missing Rogue).
Caelic 02-22-05, 11:35 PM	Hmm. I'll have to play with it. Captain Sailbad and the crew of the Merry Wastrel will be up later tonight. :)
Tempest Stormwind 02-23-05, 01:00 AM	Make absolutely certain you face off against some ninjas, at least once. :p (See the Most Uber Character in my sig.) Seriously, though, you can have a lot of fun with the following setup: 1) Captain. This is a guy who's a capable leader, a good swordsman, and a decent sailor. The Dread Pirate PrC is built for this role, but Duelist isn't a bad option either. 2) Mate/Navigator. This is the guy who's everyone's support. I'd suggest a bard here, with levels in War Chanter (Could you imagine Inspire Legion on a crew of thirty warriors?). Focus on healing or buff magic, with divinations. You've got enough skills to make a decent navigator, cartographer, destination-planner (Bardic Knowledge: "Hey, I hear in Port Alberny there's tales of a lost mountain of pearls!"), and so on. Heck, with a high enough intelligence, you can afford Profession: Cook and be everyone's best friend. With a high charisma alongside the captain, the two make excellent faces for the crew. (There's also a Dragon Magazine prestige class, the Windsinger, that is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for this character, tailored for a role like this, plus you're every captain's best friend. It's like the Seeker of the Song, except with a fighter's attack bonus, and every single one of the songs you learn is related in some way to the wind or sailors. Think The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker in bard form. It's in Dragon 294. Got a roleplaying requirement of "survive a great ordeal at sea," similar to the Dungeon Delver.) 3) Mate/Boarding specialist. This is the guy you use to repel boarders or take point when you board another ship (and not diplomatically). Usually focus on control and lots of attacks here -- Snow's chaingun fighter is a good call, as is any monk with the Great Throw feat (toss 'em overboard!). Usually you want to give this guy a potion of Jump or a Ring of Featherfall, and toss him over to the other ship. (A friend of mine made a 3.0 Fighter/Ranger/Gladiator (renamed "Ship's Champion" -- we also used the Ranger class to represent most adventuring sailors) for one such campaign. His specialty was to team up with the bard (me), rally the crew, then be the first to leap over amidst most of us cheering. He'd hack down as many people as he could with twin hatchets, and then cleave through the mast with a final mighty blow. He also had the Great Throw feat, which he abused on the defensive. He's pretty much the perfect boarding specialist I can think of.) 4) Spellcaster. Supplimented by the mate, but this is where the real magic power comes from. In charge of repairing the ship, disguising your arrival/getaway, controlling the wind, subduing other vessels... a generalist wizard with a focus on item creation is a good, all-round character here. Another good alternative is a druid -- you're outdoors most of the time, so focus more on spells than Wild Shape (but don't forget the dire shark form!). You also get healing magic, Create Food and Water at low levels, and an animal companion (an octopus is an interesting choice -- they're startlingly intelligent for an animal, can go really deep for you, and they keep barnacles off the hull). (I loved playing alongside a crotchety old hermit druid on our last naval campaign. Not quite so piratey (more Royal Navy), but he stole the show nonetheless: "You there, hermit! Get down off the figurehead!" "eeh, I reckon there's a storm comin'." "What? Daft fool. There's not a cloud in the sky! Now get down from there or I'll clap you in irons!" "I SAID: I RECKON there's a STORM comin'." one hour later: "BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES! BAIL OUT THE BILGES! TIE YOURSELF TO SOMETHING!" "Told ye so.") If there's a fifth slot, take a sniper -- rangers are solid choices, but there are alternatives as well. You want someone with good ranged attacks, good awareness, and a few other solid skills here and there. Plop him in the crow's nest and give him a bow or the like. If you don't have a fifth slot, the navigator might be able to take this role. NOTE: DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE UNDERRATED ITEMS. Two in particular utterly destroy naval combat -- Qaal's Feather Token (Tree) and Dust of Dryness. Both will capsize many a ship with no saving throw if used correctly, and the latter can coat arrows. The former's also a ready source of wood should the wizard need to Fabricate you a new hull. Also: Historically, not all pirates or naval crewmen could swim. It was a rare thing when everyone aboard a ship could swim beyond dog-paddling. You can avoid points in Swim if you want, although heavy armor is still a bad idea.
PhaedrusXY 02-23-05, 07:34 AM	Fun idea! I'll post a couple of things. For the captain, I'll use an NPC pirate from the game I DM. I don't have a book with Dread Pirate in it, but the build is only 16 levels anyway. So you could add 4 levels of DP onto it. The build contains two home-brewed feats I got from the Skills and Feats forum and use in my game. Fyldrin of the Eleven Chairs, the Captain (The name is from the Unapproachable East book. He's the son of the former Iron Lord of Rasheman, and a somewhat famous buccaneer who harried Thay's coastline.) Rogue1/Monk2/Swashbuckler3/ShouDisciple3/Duelist7 (CL16) Hit Dice: 6+2d8+13d10+48 (134) Initiative: +6 Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares) Armor Class: 41 (+4AC+4dex+5int+3wis+2monk+2nat+2defl+7E lParry+3Feats+3Fdefens-4Karmic), 43 vs Dodge target (using Karmic Strike), 45/47 w/o Karmic Strike Touch 35, Flatfooted 23 Base Attack/Grapple: +14/+14 Attack: +22 (1d6+8+1d6PrStrike sword or 1d10+7 unarmed ) Full Attack: +17/17/12/7 defensive flurry Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Stunning Fist 10xday, Freezing the Lifeblood (DC 21, 1d4+1 rnds), Precise Strike +1d6, +1d6 Sneak Attack, Int mod to damage, Light Flurry -1/-1 Special Qualities: Evasion, Enhanced Mobility (+8), Enhanced Dodge (+2) Saves: Fort +15, Ref +25, Will +13 Abilities: Str 14, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 20, Wis 16, Cha 8 Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Elusive Target, Karmic Strike, Wpn Focus: Unarmed Strike, Weapon Finesse, Stunning Fist, Freezing the Lifeblood, Single Swordplay, Single Swordmaster (Expertise), Combat Reflexes Progression 1 rog1 Dodge, Wpn Focus: unarmed strike 2 swshb1 Weapon Finesse (b) 3 monk1 IUS (b), Stunning Fist (bonus), Single Swordplay 4 monk2 evasion, flurry -1/-1, Combat Reflexes (b) 5 swshb2 6 swshb3 Single Sword Mastery, Int to damage 7 Shou1 8 Shou2 Mobility (b), Dodge +2 9 Shou3 Elusive Target, Light Flurry 10 Duel1 Canny defense 11 Duel2 Improved reaction (+2 Init) 12 Duel3 Karmic Strike, Enhanced mobility (+4 more AC vs AoO for moving) 13 Duel4 Grace (+2 Ref) 14 Duel5 Precise strike +1d6 15 Duel6 Freezing the Lifeblood, Acrobatic charge 16 Duel7 Elaborate parry With 32 pt buy and standard NPC wealth: Starting Stats: Final Stats: str 12 4 Str 14 +2 Dex 14 6 Dex 18 +4 Con 14 6 Con 16 +3 Int 16 10 Int 20 +5 Wis 14 6 Wis 16 +3 Cha 8 0 Cha 8 -1 Items: +2 Str gloves, +2 Dex boots, +2 int headband (w/+2 Wis), Bracers of Armor +4, +2 Ring of Natural Armor, +2 Con Amulet, Ring of Protection +2, Cloak of Resistance +3, +1 smoking shortsword. Put 2 points from leveling into Int., other 2 into Dex. Total: `82,000 (77K gp in gear for NPC) Fights defensively all the time and only loses a net -1 to attack, but gains +10 to AC. Att: 14bab+4dex+1enh(focus)+3feats-4defensive-1flurry=+17 Orcus the Bruiser, First Mate For the first mate, I like the idea of him being a "bruiser". I have an insane NPC build that I used for the leader of a Forsaker group in my game. I think he'd work great here, due to his ahem unique heritage. It's a 21 level build, so shave one off the end if you want. It also has a few home-brew/houseruled feats in it that could be replaced. whale3/barb5/monk2/ftr2/ShouDisciple5/FrenziedBerzerker1/forsaker3 (Alternate Bear Totem barbarian: Toughness, Imp Grapple, Great Fort., +4 Grapple when raging) Large Humanoid (Anthropomorphic baleen whale) Hit Dice: 5d8+7d10+9d12+189 (308) 350 raging Initiative: +4 Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares) Armor Class: 42 (+9dex+7wis+17NA-1size), Touch 25, Flatfooted 42 (45 w/dodge, 41 karmic+dodge, 38 karmic, 41frenzy+rage+dodge, 38 frenzy+rage, 37 karmic+frenzy+rage+dodge, 34 karmic+frenzy+rage) Base Attack/Grapple: BAB +20, Grapple +41/50, Trip +37/42 Attack: (BAB19+13Str+1enh-1size) Attack +33 adamantium heavy flail (2d8+20) or +33 unarmed strike (3d6+20) Full Attack: Frenzied Raging Flurry +37/37/37/32/27/22 (2d8+28, Avg 37), +6 PwrAtt +31/31/31/26/21/16 (2d8+37, Avg 46), +10 PwrAtt +27/27/27/23/17/13 (2d8+48, Avg 57) with flail Space/Reach: 5 ft./10 ft. Special Attacks: Rage 2xday, Frenzy 1xday Special Qualities: SR13, Blindsight 60', Darkvision 60', Reach, Fast Healing 1, Natural Weapons Saves: Fort +22/24, Ref +21, Will +18/20 (partial method) Abilities: Str 36/46, Dex 28, Con 28/32, Int 8, Wis 24, Cha 8 Skills: Tumble 24+9, Swim 0+23/28, Jump 20+13/18 Feats: WpnFocus: US, LightRef, Dodge, Iron Will, Combat Reflexes, Destr.Rage, IntimRage, ImpInit, ImpGrap, Power Att, Cleave, Great Fort, Imp Sunder, Force Breaker, Karmic Strike, Dire Charge Challenge Rating: 21 The "cool-headed" Master Wang, Ship's Diplomat and/or Boarding Specialist I don't think the following partial build would be great for the "face", but I want to put it in somewhere, and it doesn't really work anywhere else. So he'd just take a bunch of ranks in Diplomacy, and the discipline of his monk training would allow him to remain cool during "hot" negotiations. This guy would fulfill Tempest's "boarding specialist" role, though. He'd certainly be able to wreak havoc on a wooden ship. :P Elan Monk2/Swashbuckler3/Pyrokineticist10/Shou5 BAB +16, 2d6 unarmed, Int to Damage and AC (Kung Fu Genius), Weapon Finesse, 2 monk feats, flurry (at -1) w/weapons, all pyro abilities Feats: Dodge, Wpn Focus: Unarmed Strike, Stand Still, Combat Reflexes (monk or Shou), Up the Walls, Improved Grapple (monk), Psionic Fist, Unavoidable Strike, 2-3 more The Navigator and Ship's Doctor, Finnaeus Manson The Survival skill is used to determine direction now. The old Intuit Direction was bundled into it in the 3.0 to 3.5 conversion. I only have the class levels for this one picked out, and not feats. But every level has Survival as a class skill. He's a skilled cleric that would roleplay more like a ranger. For feats, I'd focus on archery mainly, except for the needed prereqs. Control Water is on the general cleric spell list, and it is insanely deadly to use against enemy ships. Also, as a cleric of Shaundakul he can choose the Air domain for Control Wind and Control Weather. rng2/clr4/MasterOftheYuirwood4/WindWalker10 Base attack and Caster level are both 18. Balthazar the Black, Diplomat? Since I have Finnaeus fulfilling two roles, I could add in an arcane caster here to fulfill the diplomatic role, instead of Master Wang. How about a former paragon of goodness fallen upon hard times? :D He'd be able to either smoothtalk his way into getting what he wants, or use Intimidation/force to get it. Fighter1/FallenPalladin1/Blackguard10/NarDemonbinder1/Spellsword1/EK6 BAB+19, Caster level 10 BG (4th level spells), 17ND (8th level spells), -10% ASF 1 Education, Power Attack, Cleave 3 Improved Sunder 6 Iron Will 9 Spell Focus: Conjuration 12 Convert 10 Palladin levels to Blackguard levels, Take Divine Might 13 NarD1 14 Spellsword1 Start out as a fighter1/palladin11 (or take fighter after palladin), then "fall". Convert 10 levels of Palladin to Blackguard. Then take Nar Demonbinder. Finish with a level of Spellsword, then EK. Take Arcane Strike at level 15. Combine Arcane Strike, Divine Might, Power Attack, Smite Good, a spell storing weapon, and sneak attack dice to dish out insane damage. Add a Gut Worm from the Fiend Folio for +2 Con and Rage at will. A Soul Tick and Fiendish Skin would be good, too.
Furry Rodent 02-23-05, 03:56 PM	Nice guys. I'll have mine up in a bit. Oh, and bump. :)
Xeraph 02-23-05, 04:48 PM	I would love to see the "Public Face" being a nice mix of Marshal/Bard and Master Spy. (Jack Sparrow meets Joey (from friends)... which is actually quite disturbing) And i second Josephkells suggestion about the "First Mate" being a big brute (Bad cop/Good cop), like the big afro guy in Pirates of the Carribean. "Navigator" can be actually be some kind of Psion on the brink of insanity. With oracle like babblings and such. (Minority Report like) "Ship Doctor" Would be fun to be just slightly saddistic. Maybe a dwarf "arhh.. ye need salt to close that wound" ...Just some ideas.
Furry Rodent 02-23-05, 10:16 PM	I'll put my team here when I get it up. Oh, look at that! I think I just bumped. :D
Eidolon Faer 02-23-05, 10:45 PM	First of all, you need to have a Necromancer or Pale Master in the crew, mostly to control all the zombie and skeleton sailors and oarsmen... And he needs to have a Stitched Flesh Familiar that's a monkey... And of course the DISHONORABLE Dread Pirate can make threats like "Arr, Matey, you have three choices...pay a ransom, join the crew, or...join the crew!"
PhaedrusXY 02-23-05, 10:54 PM	Hehehe, I thought about using a True Necromancer in the crew I listed, but went with the rangerish cleric instead. Maybe I should stick the necromancer in there. :P Hell, this is sounding like so much fun I might have to use this in a game.
Furry Rodent 02-23-05, 10:59 PM	Feel free to rip off any ideas you get from me. When it comes to gaming, immitation is the highest form of flattery... unless it involves scimitars and CG Drow... :)