Pirate A young half-elf smirks as she hears the satisfying click of the lock on her cell door. She creeps stealthily past the pirate guards and makes her way to the jolly-boats. Just as she begins lowering a boat down to the water, a long cutlass crosses her path. The smiling face of the burly pirate captain bars her way. But someone that young, who could sneak out of a pirate's brig that easily, has potential--and would make an impressive pirate one day. Source of Power Pirates possess a diverse set of abilities. They are skilled duelists, sailors, and treasure hunters. Some prefer to train as deadly assassins, others as cunning tricksters. Many have been on a ship for so long that climbing rigging and swimming in the ocean are as natural as walking. Others have invested their time into becoming expert navigator's, able to read any map, and can practically smell the direction of treasure. Forced to train their combat skills on the slippery decks of ships, pirates are agile and acrobatic, often able to trick and trap their opponents with elegant and creative maneuvers. They utilize their quick reflexes and wit to stay calm under pressure and avoid danger. Origin The life of a pirate is a life of freedom and adventure, constantly seeking treasure and glory out on the open seas. You are a pirate through and through, but still abide by an important set of laws, governing your actions: The Pirate Code. These articles outline a code of conduct, which provide rules for a crew to abide by. Every crew might have a slightly different code, but at its core, it determines how loot is divided, expected behaviors, and punishments for breaking the rules. While many outsiders might view pirates as uncivilized, undisciplined groups, the opposite is usually true. Pirates may be ruthless and greedy, but they also may be fair and just, punishing those that steal from their own or do not do their fair share of the work. The pirate code you follow determines the basic rules you live by, and how that influences you on your adventures. Credit: Tomasz Chistowski

Creating a Pirate As you create your pirate character, consider why this character resorted to piracy. Were you a member of the navy who became fed up with the stifling discipline and uniform? Were you sold as labor, or abducted from your home, spared from death even? Was there a pirate captain that took you in? Mentored you? Are you currently a ship's captain? How did you get that title? Did you earn the loyalty of your crew over time, or take it? Did you incite a mutiny? Were you the victim of one? What is your driving motivation? Treasure? The freedom of the sea? Have you always loved to sail? Did you grow up on a ship, or escape on one? Are you a ruthless pirate who takes no prisoners? Are you fair and just, solely hunting for treasure, never pillaging or burning homes? Quick Build To quickly build a pirate, follow these suggestions. Make Dexterity your highest ability score in order to fully utilize the rogue-like tendencies of the pirate. Second, make Charisma your next highest ability score in order to succeed at intimidation and other social interactions. Additionally, choose the Sailor background. This class already gives you proficiencies in Navigator's Tools and Water Vehicles, so simply choose applicable replacements, such as Thieves' Tools and the Disguise Kit. Class Features As a pirate, you gain the following class features. Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d8 per pirate level

1d8 per pirate level Hit Points at 1st Level: 8+ your Constitution modifier

8+ your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per pirate level after 1st Proficiencies Armor: Light armor

Light armor Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords

Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords Tools: Navigator's tools, Vehicles (water) Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma

Dexterity, Charisma Skills: Choose four form Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: (a) a rapier or (b) a shortsword

(a) a shortbow and quiver of 20 arrows or (b) a shortsword

(a) a burglar's pack, (b) a dungeoneer's pack, or (c) an explorer's pack

Leather armor, two daggers, navigator's tools, and thieves' tools The Pirate Level Proficiency

Bonus Sneak

Attack Features 1st +2 1d6 Expertise, Sneak Attack, Pirate's Familiar 2nd +2 1d6 Cunning Action, Shipmaster 3rd +2 2d6 Pirate Reputation 4th +2 2d6 Ability Score Improvement 5th +3 3d6 Uncanny Dodge 6th +3 3d6 Expertise 7th +3 4d6 Pirate's Toughness 8th +3 4d6 Ability Score Improvement 9th +4 5d6 Pirate Reputation 10th +4 5d6 Ability Score Improvement 11th +4 6d6 Evasion 12th +4 6d6 Ability Score Improvement 13th +5 7d6 Pirate Reputation 14th +5 7d6 Reliable Talent 15th +5 8d6 Slippery Mind 16th +5 8d6 Ability Score Improvement 17th +6 9d6 Pirate Reputation 18th +6 9d6 Elusive 19th +6 10d6 Ability Score Improvement 20th +6 10d6 Dueling Master Expertise At 1st level, choose two of your skill proficiencies, or one of your skill proficiencies and your proficiency with thieves’ tools. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies. At 6th level, you can choose two more of your proficiencies (in skills or with thieves’ tools) to gain this benefit. Sneak Attack Beginning at 1st level, you know how to strike subtly and exploit a foe’s distraction. Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon. You don’t need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn’t incapacitated, and you don’t have disadvantage on the attack roll. The amount of the extra damage increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Sneak Attack column of the Pirate table.

Pirate's Familiar At 1st level, you have an animal companion that goes on adventures with you. Choose one of the following: bat, cat, crab, frog (toad), hawk, lizard, octopus, owl, poisonous snake, fish (quipper), rat, raven (parrot or macaw), sea horse, spider, or weasel. Your familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn. A familiar can’t attack, but it can take other actions as normal. You can comprehend and verbally communicate with your familiar. The knowledge and awareness of your familiar are limited by its intelligence, but at a minimum, it can give you information about anything that it has perceived within the past day such as the number of monsters in the next room or whether or not there is a trap over in the next corridor (if it can detect it, of course). Its hit point maximum equals the hit point number in its stat block or three times your pirate level, whichever is higher. Like any creature, it can spend Hit Dice during a short rest to regain hit points. If the familiar dies, you can obtain a new familiar by spending 8 hours magically bonding with another creature from the list above that isn’t hostile to you and that meets the requirements. You can’t have more than one familiar at a time. Cunning Action Starting at 2nd level, your quick thinking and agility allow you to move and act quickly. You can take a bonus action on each of your turns in combat. This action can be used only to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action. Shipmaster Beginning at 2nd level, you are intimately familiar with the conditions surrounding your vessel. Choose a type of vessel: airborne or waterborne. When you make a Dexterity, Intelligence, or Wisdom check related to operating a vessel of your chosen type, your proficiency bonus is doubled if you are using a skill that you’re proficient in. You gain the following benefits while operating a vehicle of your chosen type: You and your ship can’t become lost except by magical means.

Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling in your vessel (such as navigating, tracking or reveling) you remain alert to danger.

Your cost to hire a crew is half of what it normally is (as per the PHB, one skilled hireling costs at least 2 gp per day). In addition, you can man a ship with 5 less crew than what is normally required (minimum of 1).

Because of your excellent tactics, the AC of your ships increases by +1 when you are at the command. This bonus increases by and additional +1 when you reach 5th level (+2), and again at 11th level (+3), and 17th level (+4).

For any waterborne or airborne vehicle that you are the captain of with a crew of 10 or more (before your modifier) the hit points of the vehicle increase by an amount equal to 10 times your levels in this class. In addition, its speed increases by 2mph.

While your vessel is berthed, you can make faster repairs to your ship than normal. You repair your ship at a rate of 2 hp per day for a cost of 20 gp for materials and labor instead of the normal repair rate. Pirate Reputation At 3rd level, you choose a reputation that indicates the type of pirate you are: Swashbuckler, Rapscallion, or Treasure Hunter, detailed at the end of the class description. Your reputation choice grants you features at 3rd level and then again at 9th, 13th, and 17th level. Ability Score Improvement When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 10th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. Uncanny Dodge Starting at 5th level, when an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack’s damage against you. Pirate's Toughness Years at sea steering ships through storms, fighting to hold onto the rigging, and gritting your teeth against icy winds and waters have toughened your body. At 7th level, you gain a +1 to your natural AC, regardless of whether you are wearing armor or not. When on board a ship, your AC increases by 2.

Evasion Beginning at 11th level, you can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a red dragon’s fiery breath or an ice storm spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail. Reliable Talent By 14th level, you have refined your chosen skills until they approach perfection. Whenever you make an ability check that lets you add your proficiency bonus, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10. Slippery Mind By 15th level, you have acquired greater mental strength. You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws. Elusive Beginning at 18th level, you are so evasive that attackers rarely gain the upper hand against you. No attack roll has advantage against you while you aren’t incapacitated. Dueling Master At 20th level, you are an elite duelist and fighter, easily fending off your foes with wit and style. Once on each of your turns, you can add your Charisma bonus to your attack roll. Pirate Reputations There are many types of pirates in the world. Some focus exclusively on treasure hunting, others enjoy attacking and robbing other ships, and others simply live for the freedom of the sea. The reputation you choose can help shape the kind of pirate you are: combative, cunning, greedy, clever, etc. Swashbuckler As a pirate, you spent many years practicing your swordsmanship. Living on a ship has given you a unique fighting style and an advantage over most landlubbers. Those that focus their piracy training in the art of dueling earn this reputation. Skirmisher Starting at 3rd level, you are difficult to pin down during a fight. You can move up to half your speed as a reaction when an enemy ends its turn within 5 feet of you. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks. Rakish Audacity Starting at 3rd level, your confidence propels you into battle. You can give yourself a bonus to your initiative rolls equal to your Charisma modifier. You also gain an additional way to use your Sneak Attack; you don’t need advantage on the attack roll to use your Sneak Attack against a creature if you are within 5 feet of it, no other creatures are within 5 feet of you, and you don’t have disadvantage on the attack roll. All the other rules for Sneak Attack still apply to you. Sea Legs Your time on a ship has taught you to move quickly, yet deliberately. At 9th level, your walking speed increases by 10 feet. Additionally, due to your constant time climbing rigging and spending time in the water, your climbing and swimming speeds equal your walking speed. Sensational Scrapper At 13th level, you can use your action to make a melee attack against any number of creatures within 5 feet of you, with a separate attack roll for each target. Your sneak attack may still only be used once per turn. Sudden Strike Starting at 17th level, you can strike with deadly speed. If you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make one additional attack as a bonus action. This attack can benefit from your Sneak Attack even if you have already used it this turn, but you can’t use your Sneak Attack against the same target more than once in a turn. Rapscallion Your take pleasure in creating mischief. The most cunning of pirates typically follow this reputation, using their wit, charm, and connections to trick others into giving up treasure, as well as to get the better of their enemies in battle. Trickster When you choose this reputation at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the disguise kit and the poisoner’s kit. Silver Tongued At 3rd level, you become more adept at lying. You gain expertise in Deception and Persuasion. Backstabber Starting at level 9, you have learned to further exploit your foe's weaknesses. Your Sneak Attack damage now uses d8s. Black Market Regular Beginning at 13th level, so long as you are in a large town with multiple merchants, you are able to find its underground black markets. You are able to purchase otherwise illegal goods such as poisons and forged documents. Cheap Shot At 17th level, you have mastered the art of deception, faking out your opponents and landing critical hits. Once per long rest, you can turn any attack roll into a natural 20.