Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Daybreaker 09-17-07, 05:29 PM	I'm trying to design a piratey sort of campaign and I've been wondering what races would make interesting pirates. I'm thinking specifically of seafaring pirates, here. Any thoughts? It's pretty wide-open at the moment. So far I've decided there will be storm giants and gnolls ... that still leaves a lot of room inbetween and beyond.
Rogue Shadows 09-17-07, 05:51 PM	Nezumi, or ratfolk, from Oriental Adventures always seemed to make good pirates to me. It just made sense. There's also the Hadozee from Stormwrack. Incedentally, international law now requires you to buy Stormwrack due to its 1001 Pirates of the Dark Water referrences, including the Hadozee themselves. Though, it might be useful for you to own anyway. Goblins, elves, halflings...really, any race you want could be good pirates. I also have a homebrew Gelfling (http://www.bookmice.net/darkchilde/dark/janandkira.jpg) race, based off of those in the Dark Crystal, that, when I put them in my Isles of Erran campaign setting, became very much an optimized ocean-going-but-not-aquatic race that would probably make good pirates. - +2 Dexterity, -2 Strength. Gelflings are agile, but somewhat weak. - Small, with associated bonuses and penalties. - Base speed 20 feet - Dreamfast (Su): Gelflings can communicate telepathically with any other gelfling they touch. Gelflings can also communicate telepathically with any gelfling that that gelfling is touching, and so on - +2 racial bonus to Will saves: Gelflings have a very strong sense of self, and are not easily controlled or influenced by others. - +2 racial to Knowledge (The Ocean) and Swim checks: Gelflings are at home in the seas of Erran, and quite familiar with it. - +2 racial bonus to Listen, Search, and Spot checks. Gelflings are attentive to their surroundings. Like elves, a gelfling have a mojo for secret doors. - Spell-like abilities: At will - speak with animals. This ability functions as a Sorcerer of equal level to the gelfling. - Automatic Languages: Common, Gelfling - Favored Class: Bard
Amaril 09-17-07, 05:53 PM	If you're looking for a singular races that takes to seafaring and piracy as part of their culture, sea kin from Races of Destiny. As far as interesting mixes, I'd say elves, half-orcs, dwarves (especially against storm giants). Maenads are described as being aggressive and living in coastal areas. I'm sure there are dozens of others.
Wulfgar 09-17-07, 06:21 PM	Minotaurs.
maskimus 09-18-07, 01:03 PM	I've always thought Hobgoblins would be a great seafaring race. I mean, look at the picture in the MM. It just screams "Pirate" to me.
RobbyPants 09-18-07, 01:24 PM	Water Orcs (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#waterOrcs) and water halflings (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#waterHalflin gs) from Unearthed Arcana would work pretty well. For that matter, you could apply the races of water (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#racesOfWater ) mod to about any race.
gullas 09-18-07, 03:01 PM	Kobolds
Kapawww!! 09-18-07, 06:19 PM	Gnomes. Humans and dwarves are also good seafaring races, but as mentioned earlier, any race works well as a seafaring race.
UnrelentingHoror 09-19-07, 01:21 AM	I think the pirate life lends itself surprisingly well to most races you already think of as being raiders of one sort or another. Gnolls and goblins I'm thinking in particular. They have good theme and feel for conversian to piracy and they'd do it damn well too. Additionally the odd lizardman for those stealthy night time boarding actions could work, what with the swim speed and all. They could fill the pirate niche of the tribal type who got into pirate crews alot of the time. A myriad and varied type those pirates are hehe.
Disciple_of_Salsa 09-19-07, 01:46 AM	Humans with Minotaur helpers
Omega_Grey 09-19-07, 02:03 AM	Humans with Minotaur helpers with a Mind Flayer giving a thumbs up in the background. (sorry, reference to a different thread and I couldnt help myself) Though any race works well for pirates, except ones with light sensitivity and blindness. Or just plain blindness. I imagine it would be hard to direct a ship without being able to see. Also, having hands is probably a plus. As is being corporeal, unless it was a ghost ship. Then again I still havent found a way to add the ghost template to a boat, but I'm sure there is just some loophole I am missing.
Arakano 09-19-07, 12:05 PM	MINOTAURS? Are you KIDDING me? :confused: I would imagine hooves being kind of a turn-off for sailors. How do you climb with them, not to mention the worse balance in comparison to feet. Besides, minotaurs are almost exclusively found underground in most settings, so having them on ships is very odd to me. As was said, Goblins (small, agile, fast, evil, raider culture) are probably the best pirates, with Gnolls (being the CE hunter and killer beasts they are, with the cool manical-laughter-flair of hyenas to boot) coming a close second. If you want an organised corsair alliance, take hobgoblins. Their lawfulness and martial spirit will make them superior in efficiency to Gnolls, they are better boarding fighters than Goblins I'd say, and the evil part of their alignment makes sure they still have much scheming and infighting going on. You could give the hobgoblins a pirate codex that sets them apart from other pirates and is upheld as holy law among them - maybe rules like "no fighting between hobgoblins while out to sea" (leaving feuds and such for the port times...), "absolute obedience and loyalty to one's captain" (so, you could murder the captain's aides to take their places, but the captain himself is not to be touched), etc.. Maybe give them a home island group, each island belonging to a different clan, working together in a loosely held federation - I could see those guys being the curse of the seas... ;) If you look for more of the Jack Sparrow type - make an incubus captain... :D
imakuni67 09-19-07, 12:10 PM	No one mentioned dwarves!? I'd houserule that their stability racial trait would let them fight without penalty on a bucking deck. Besides, they like two things pirates like: beards and alcohol.
Arakano 09-19-07, 12:14 PM	They were mentioned once, I believe. But you know, being lawful good and basically a cave-dwelling mountain people kind of makes them unfit for the pirate live, if they stay as they are. ;) Although I agree, they'd be kickass pirates. I created a world once where some dwarves in the far north lived pretty much a viking-style culture. At the summer, they would board their longships and either battle the orc pirates who were their mortal enemies, or to raid the evil gnoll/demon empire of the south. When winter approached, they would retreat to their home, where the ice would shut them up in port for a few months.
RobbyPants 09-19-07, 01:42 PM	MINOTAURS? Are you KIDDING me? :confused: I would imagine hooves being kind of a turn-off for sailors. How do you climb with them, not to mention the worse balance in comparison to feet. Besides, minotaurs are almost exclusively found underground in most settings, so having them on ships is very odd to me. I think it's a Dragonlance thing. Perhaps Dragonlance minotaurs have feet instead of hooves. Or perhaps the people who made the setting didn't put as much thought into it as you have. ;)
Karish 09-19-07, 02:08 PM	Water Genasi?
The_Shaman 09-19-07, 02:30 PM	Elves just might... if they don't have a problem with piracy, but quite a few probably won't (especially when it comes to raiding the "lesser" races ). Most stormwrack races could work well anyway, hadozee or not. I don't agree about kobolds - they prefer subterranean races. I tend to think they're a bit agorophobic. Now, orcs or ogres could make a decent pirate race, but they won't be big on seafaring - they'd probably stay near the coast.
Gryllmyre 09-19-07, 02:34 PM	Hard to imagine a ship of halflings attacking you in their raft, but stranger things have happened I guess :)
Jaxgaret 09-19-07, 02:40 PM	I imagine Mongrelfolk take to piracy like a fish to water. Heh. There is a race called Seacliff Dwarves in Stormwrack that would be perfect for the Dwarven Pirates mentioned above. Basically anything in Stormwrack, really - Aventi, Wavecrest Gnomes, Shoal Halflings, Darfellan, Hadozee, Aquatic Elves, and the Seacliff Dwarves.
xXOblivionXx 09-19-07, 02:53 PM	I'm surprised no one has mention githyanki, I mean, the whole race is supposed to be astral pirates right?
Angel Black 09-19-07, 03:12 PM	Goblins(+4 bonus to ride...sharks !!!!!! ) :D Any race with a bonus to dex will do.A swim bonus would be great too.
BaltotheJunkie 09-22-07, 09:36 AM	I would think Dwarves would sink like stones if they fell in the water...
Xiuhcoatl 09-22-07, 09:39 AM	Half-Bronze dragons and merfolk would make good pirates.
RollaD20 09-22-07, 10:18 AM	half-bronzes...awesome, just for the laughs though, you could try to use stone giants as they are mainly brawny dudes. githyanki are good. imo anything can be adapted in perspective to become good pirates. along the lines of a piracy clan, you could use a variety bucket of the races mentioned here. heres my list: captain: half bronze dragon-captain githyanki- first mate human or gnome-cook/cooks assistant drow or gray elf -helmsman minotaur-arms keeper driders-rigging workers dwarves-deck swabbers killoren w/ hunters aspect lol-snipers/cannon firers humans (or other appropriate race)- other onboard proffesions/crafts minotaurs/goblins/humans/kobolds-boarding raiders any race w/ an affinity for magic-mages
Thomasyo4 09-22-07, 11:22 AM	im surprised no one said Scrag (for those of you who don't know, aquatic Troll)
Ecalsneerg 09-22-07, 11:22 AM	Jungle goblins. They have a climb speed for rigging, they're smal, evil and distinctly monkey-like. Just put in an undead one, and you've reached pirate cliches! Congratulations!
Holy_Beholder 09-22-07, 12:56 PM	Scrag make good enemies, as boarders, along with lizardmen. Githzerai make really good gunners(+6 to dexterity with a ranged weapon.) and Half Giants are the guys that guard the captains quarters. Give them cutlasses, which are Large Scimitars. Gnolls make good upper crew, and the generic crew are goblins. The Captain could be a Gnoll with a few levels in swashbuckler, as their abilities make them good duelists, and the captains always end up in duels. Also, goblins can ride giant eagles, just change their name to giant seagulls.
Threefists 09-22-07, 11:00 PM	I'd go with the following, personally. Half-Orc: "Ya touch me booty an' I'll be feedin' ya gibblets tah me parrot!" Pure intimidation. Half-Orcs are generally not well-educated and have often relied upon intimidation to survive a rough childhood. A Captain who treats a Half-Orc fairly is often rewarded with a extremely loyal crewmember, and given their rough nature, large full-body tattoos and exotic piercings added a further level of intimidation to their already fearsome visages. Sea-Cliff Dwarf: [can't think of a witty one-liner] solid, stable combatants, loyal and proud and most definitely handy in a fight. It'd be the rare Dwarf who'd become a pirate, but those that do not only bring a long life of sea-craft to the show, but are also talented boatswains and ship-builders to boot. And by Umberlee's scales do they know their grog! Goblins: "Cutlassesandboozeandcoinsandchestsandwen chesand...wait, why am I tied to the anchor? BOSS!" Sneaky, underhanded, treacherous and cowardly. Still, fun when they die. Most Goblins would be conscripted or press-ganged into working on a ship, but those that are paid well, befriended or intimidated on a regular basis can be relied upon to do menial chores en mass, at best, although such work such as tying off the lines and so forth is best left to beings with a better work ethic. Hadozee: [can't think of a whitty one-liner] Naturally drawn to the sea and ships, Hadozee make great sailors, and are especially handy with the rigging. It would be the rare hadozee who'd take up piracy against good or even neutral ships and/or nations, but there's a mug in every show. Aquatic Half-Elves: "My ears are not quite as pointy as my rapier, you see?" Born of a union between land and sea, Half-Sea Elves make for excellent sailors with their swim speed and innate comfort around large bodies of water, and their often pretty, sometimes androgenous features, make them a perfect 'mouth' for Captains of monstrous or commonly evil alignment to use for those annoying times when diplomacy or bluff is needed. Humans: "You will remember this day as the day you almost captured, the one, the only..." They're everywhere, and they're adaptable as well. With their ambiguous alignment issues, bonus feats, skill points and the ability to master any class, need we say more? And just like Goblins, there's always more ready to serve when they fall. Sahaugin: "Selokha be praised! He sends sharks to take care of the prisoners!" Cruel, evil, sadistic and emminently adapted to a pirate's life. Despite their dependance on salt water, a Sahaugin would have little problem being either the bosun or first-mate on a pirate vessel, easily (and eagerly) able to shred a mutineer with claws and fangs and being able to swim under a vessel locked in combat with it's own and hole the hull from the underside, pulling combatants from the fight to pathc the hole, or possibly leading a aquatic strike-team into the enemy vessel to slay the crew from behind. Halflings: "Wanted to see what was on the other side of the hill. Now, I want to see what's on the other side of the horizon!" Small, morally flexible and prone to larceny, a Halfling might not choose piracy so much as have it be the only option available to escape punishment for theft, whether or not the halfling in question was responsible for it or not. Nimble of both mind and body and with a penchance for games of chance and a devil-may-care attitude, halflings often become the heart of a crew, able to lift morale when all hope might seem lost. Gnolls: "Your life or your gold? No, your life AND your gold!" Inveterate slavers, Gnolls and by association Flinds might find a pirate's life to their liking. Being able to eat the odd mutineer is a bonus. Strong, tough and willing to get right into the thick of the fighting, taking prisoners not just for ransom or to sell as slaves, but for a nice bit of red meat to celebrate a victory. Captains with Gnoll crews are advised to keep a supply of live animals on the ship, preferably chickens and rabbits which are easily stored and kept in small cages, to keep the Gnolls fat and happy with their leadership, as well as letting them have their pick of the slaves. Can't think of any more atm. Will post more when I get some more $5's to feed this blasted pay-as-you-surf PC.
Xiuhcoatl 09-23-07, 08:38 AM	Neogi would make pretty interesting pirates, too. So would Thri'kreen, but they have a rather short lifespan to be sailing for so long. But I could see a hive (?) of Thri'kreen who have a communal ship that has served generations.
sapient 09-23-07, 10:11 PM	To make it simple, I would go with elves and goblinoids. Elves for the romantic, Jack Sparrow-like pirates. Agile as they are, they man the riggings easily, use weather magic to enhance their speed, and fire wolleys of arrows down on their targets before swinging aboard and finishing of the rest of the crew with their rapiers and thinblades. Goblinoids on the other hand, are dirty, messy bands of pirates in wargalleys. Their rowers (Bugbears controlled by Bugbear overseers) are under the command of a Hobgoblin captain. When the enemy has been rammed, Goblin warriors pour over the railings to fight. Only to be followed late by the captains elite Hobgoblin fighters (after the Goblins have taken out the brunt of the resistance - and died instead of the Hobgoblins) who collect the booty.
Horatio Hornblower 09-23-07, 10:29 PM	To make it simple, I would go with elves and goblinoids. Elves for the romantic, Jack Sparrow-like pirates. Agile as they are, they man the riggings easily, use weather magic to enhance their speed, and fire wolleys of arrows down on their targets before swinging aboard and finishing of the rest of the crew with their rapiers and thinblades. Goblinoids on the other hand, are dirty, messy bands of pirates in wargalleys. Their rowers (Bugbears controlled by Bugbear overseers) are under the command of a Hobgoblin captain. When the enemy has been rammed, Goblin warriors pour over the railings to fight. Only to be followed late by the captains elite Hobgoblin fighters (after the Goblins have taken out the brunt of the resistance - and died instead of the Hobgoblins) who collect the booty. I agree. Don't forget to throw in humans and occasionally some of the races from Stormwrack such as hadozee, seacliff dwarves and wavecrest gnomes. Always keep the players guessing. Of course, my favorite are goblinoids with hobgoblin officers.
Japan_the_cougar 09-24-07, 09:18 PM	I really think Mind Flayers are among the best/funniest race for pirates. They're basically humanoid squids with the ability to levitate into the rigging and never stay out of a boarding party because they steal people's brains. That, and I've already seen a picture of one. While I'm on the subject, anthromorphic squids and whales.
The Ubbergeek 09-25-07, 02:00 AM	Elves could make interesting pirates.... I remember the Tribu Elves of the Death Gate fantasy books, they where a nice example of an elven culture that you could fear (like the Valenar of Eberron).
Arakano 09-25-07, 02:09 PM	I have to say, Scrags and Sahuagin are no pirate material, IMHO. They both depend to be in the water to act at full strength, while pirates try to stay out of water. Of course, both make great allies for pirates, or underwater pirates for that. And mind flayers... yes, take one, make him captain, name him Davy, wait for the jokes... ;)
Japan_the_cougar 09-25-07, 02:39 PM	And mind flayers... yes, take one, make him captain, name him Davy, wait for the jokes... ;) Add a claw graft, too, then he's perfect. :D