Gentlemen of Fortune


Advice


BLUF: How many different ways do the boards know to build a "pirate"?

Background: Recent campaign I was set to play an aerokineticist (akin to Zaheer), but due to undermanning, had to dual hat. I was torn about what to play until I realized I had never actually played an Unchained Rogue. I decided "what the hell" and named him John Silver. I don't think I've ever enjoyed playing a character as much as I'm having with Long John.

But that got me thinking- Rogue and swashbucklers make pretty easy sailors/pirates, what... other classes solid pirates? I should think fighter would be more difficult, as the lack of skill ranks mean they have to choose between Prof(Sailor) and the Climb and Swim they need to not die.

Thoughts?


Loads. Bards, with or without an archetype like arcane duelist, archaeologist or sea singer. Several kinds of ranger. A barbarian, especially a savage technologist or urban barbarian. Three skills is attainable even for a fighter; a lore warden or opportunist gets more skill points too. The list goes on.

A more interesting question is what classes can't be made into a classic pirate?

Sovereign Court

The thing is...pathfinder made it very easy to make every classes into pirates.

Bards are too easy, since they are basically swashbuckler anyway and they do have the buccaneer archetype also.

Fighters can enjoy the corsair archetype for their pirates need. Mobile and free hand fighter works well too.

Barbarians have easy to access to the sea reaver.

Gunslinger also have a bucaneer archetype and siege gunner also works for master gunner role.

Wizards have elemental schools specializations, siege mage or spellslinger archetype etc...

Sorcerer can enjoy marid bloodline or water based one.

Oracles of waves, make decent pirates.

Etc...and many more, I know Skald has one too but well, you get the gist of it.


Daring Champion Cavalier is my vote for the best pirate. Reflavor the feather in your hat, or your flag, as your Banner, then go to town.


Inquisitors could work channeling more of a sort of sea police style who hunts pirates xD

Who needs cannons when you have alchemists? (Or sorcerer or Kineticist xD)

Spiritualist cabin boy could be haunted by a salty sea dog
That sounds fun.


avr wrote:
A more interesting question is what classes can't be made into a classic pirate?

Paladins may have some trouble with it.


Anyone trying to wear heavy armour will struggle early on


dot

The Exchange

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"Me name's Green Beard the Pirate. Cause what else would ya call a half orc pirate?"

"I'm a cleric of Besmara, the pirate queen, but don' let tha' fool ya. I ain't no healer. Besmara give me th' ability to cast those spells, an' I carry wands of Cure Light 'n such, but I'm mos'ly wha's known as a 'bad touch' cleric."

"With th' Trickery and Chaos (Protean) domains, I stand on th' front lines in a fight, slowin' the enemies down, while my teammates do all th' real damage. I prepare spells like Blindness/Deafness, Bestow Curse, an' other 'debuffs' to go with those domain abilities. An' I channel negative energy, so I can cast Inflict spells to hurt the enemies sometimes, without preparin' them."

Up to level 7 in PFS. And he once managed to skip an entire encounter in a PFS scenario with a good Profession: Sailor roll, when he piloted our small riverboat past a net trap.


Methinks Ol' (or young, in this incarnation) Long John will be theory craftin' a few more gentlemen of fortune, seein' as he's in a rather fine mood to-day.

Any thoughts on what level I should build them up to? I would also be appreciative if anyone could throw pointers.


Literally any class that isn't required to be Lawful or Good can pass as a pirate, depending on how you want to build them.(Although if you were a privateer you could be lawful).

Add some skills like swim or profession sailor to hit the right theme. Everything else is up to you.


And here I thought a cleric would be the hardest short of a paladin to make a good pirate. Nicely done Green Beard.


Robin Hood was I'd argue a good aligned person
You could be the Robin Hood of pirates


Inquisitors can make for good pirates/privateers depending on which god you go with. Some domains can grant you movement buffs for getting around on deck easier or you can go with the conversion inquisition if you want to be more sociable. Heck, with the ravener hunter archetype you get access to an oracle mystery and can run around on the ocean like a wave oracle even.


I have nothing to add except I love that you call him long john silver...that's great man


I think gunslingers would also make good pirates, at least in terms of flavor. Firearms are still weird and generally unknown to most people on Golarion, so it makes sense that gunslingers would be attracted to less conventional pursuits. Pirates also get around lots of places, so them picking up the secret of black powder from some place or other fits pretty well. They have Swim as a class skill, too.

Liberty's Edge

"Arrr, I be the chosen of Gozreh."

Ushaka is a Cavalier 1/Rogue 4/Evangelist 3


Balthazar the Red, human Corsair 7

18,14,16,10,12,7

1. Power Attack, Weapon Focus (greataxe), Shield Focus (buckler)
2. Bravery +1, Deck Fighting (Cleave)
3. Armored Pirate, Flanking Foil
4. Unhindering Shield
5. Weapon Training (axes), Advanced Weapon Training (Armed Bravery)
6. Bravery +2, Improved Deck Fighting (Great Cleave)
7. Surprise Follow Through

Skills:
Climb, Intimidate, Profession (sailor), Swim

Thoughts on the first? Assumed a 20 point buy.


Medium- you can literally channel the spirit of your previous pirate character so you can get into cutlass duels.

Mediums are fairly good for any 'type' character concept like this (that doesn't need spells or a ton of skill points, of course- I don't have a positive view of most spirits other than champion).

So basically- grab a cutlass, and then pick a bar known for fights or the deck of your ship (the 'place of violence' option for channeling champion makes it fairly easy to do- adventurers tend to hang out in places of violence).

The flavor comes from the fact that your character is being mentally influenced by a more direct pirate. You might even be able to role play the influence mechanic- have the medium turn from a teetotaling land-lubber to a grog-chugging, wench-loving, gold-stealin' swashbuckler.


With 7 Cha Balthazar must be a smelly, incomprehensible pirate rather than a debonaire gentleman of fortune. OK, maybe he's a really annoying gentleman.

I guess the flanking foil is to reduce the pain of getting into position to use cleave? It's not usually someone's first choice, or their third, or their tenth.

It looks good enough at the low levels but I think it'll already be feeling a bit limited @L7 and that'll get worse soon. It happens with a lot of fighter builds.


Balthazar is meant to be one of the crew, the "muscle" that backs ol' Flinty up. Flint is going to be fun to make... any ideas there?


Flint's the captain? Are they an NPC which the PCs will overthrow, or what?

Got any details on what you want them to be like - race, personality, anything?


Mostly a pet project to satisfy my pirate kick. Only thing on Flint is ideally he'd be terrifying. Not a sort of... Antipaladin level dreadmonger (that's Blackbeard, if anyone) but pumped Intimidate.

Sovereign Court

-Ranger with favored terrain water and...I guess urban? probably work well for ports. Favored enemies (most likely humans and elves)

ranger combat style: two-weapon fighting.


An inquisitor can be pretty scary. Cursing people until they catch fire (blistering invective spell) sets the scene nicely.

Half-orc inquisitors can be really scary due to their racial bonus and FCB. Unless you take signature skill (intimidate) it's all limited to the shaken condition though which should stop it short of Blackbeard-level. So, a half-orc sanctified slayer inquisitor 7 of Zon-Kuthon, taking the heresy inquisition to use Wis with intimidate.

Str 14, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 16+2race+1level=19, Cha 10
Feats
1: Bloodletting
3: Cruelty
3B: Lookout
5: Deific Obedience (Z-K)
6B: Outflank
7: Persistent Spell (when he casts Command, he really expects it to be obeyed!)


I'm very fond of the Inquisitor Pirate, thank ye. What are your thoughts on this?

Muse-Touched Aasimar 9/19/14/12/12/16
Swashbuckler (inspired blade/ shackles corsair) 9
Feats
1: W.Focus Rapier, Fencing Grace
3: Persuasive
4B: Dazzling Display
5: Sinister Reputation
7: Violent Display
8B: Shatter Defenses
9: Combat Reflexes

This seems to me as a much more... captainy build.

The Exchange

avr wrote:

With 7 Cha Balthazar must be a smelly, incomprehensible pirate rather than a debonaire gentleman of fortune. OK, maybe he's a really annoying gentleman.

I should point out that Green Beard has 7 cha also. He's got that half-orc bonus to intimidate, as well as the old PFS Sczarni faction trait that gives +2 intimidate, so he's still pretty good at being intimidating.

I usually introduce him as looking mean, having scars, wearing a black tricorne hat (recently upgraded to Besmara's Tricorne), and a silver skull and crossbones on a necklace (unholy symbol of Besmara), and smelling like cheap rum.

He's a pirate, not a gentleman!


The swashbuckler may be more captainy, but as with being more presidential, that doesn't always get you the position.

But yes, looks nice & scary. Suffers from swift action congestion - menacing swordplay, the riposte of OP&R, charmed life & intimidate via sinister reputation all require swift or immediate action use.


Yeah, ideally, the swift from sinister would be on the initial round before he engages, and rely on violent display to maintain fear. He would need a first mate of some manner of kraken-y goodness.

I shall post another on the morrow, as it is late where I live.


Blind Pew, human Unarmed Fighter 1, UnRogue 8 (bandit/knife master)

7,20,14,13,11,14

1. Blind Fight, Blinded Blade Style, Imp Unarmed Strike, Imp. Blind Fight, Blinded Competence
2. Finesse Training (sanpkhang)
3. Greater Blind-Fight, RT (Poison Use)
4.
5. Blinded Master, RT (Minor Magic)
6. Skill Unlock (sense motive)
7. Quickdraw, RT (Gloom Magic)
8.
9. Improved Initiative, RT (Greater Gloom Magic)

This build assumes the Blind Zeal trait, and he also chose the Reactionary trait.


When I played Skull and Shackles I played an un-archetyped Ranger.

I choose Favored Enemy human and Favored Terrain Water.

You get a good amount of skills, which support being a pirate like swim, climb, profession (sailor), survival, and perception. All of which I consider pretty important pirate skills.


What weapon is Blind Pew using? I don't recognise it and a search finds nothing.

They look like a better lone assassin than a team player. The captain wouldn't appreciate them turning out the lights usually, let alone the crew, and in any case on an open sea the lighting conditions are often bright light which would make darkness hard to use effectively. Probably an effective assassin but still, not ideal as a pirate crew member.

Here's a showoff for you. Frida the Fettered, human bloodrager (kyton bloodline) 4/fighter 1/pit fighter 2. Also a strength based fighter, the pirates shouldn't all be weeds.

Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 13

1: Power Attack, Weapon Focus (bardiche)
3: Dazzling Display
4B: Eschew Materials
5: Savage Display
6B: Dramatic Display
7: Masterful Display

If she has a couple more levels they go into more pit fighter. The next feat might be Combat Reflexes, or Weapon Trick (one-handed) if she's going to use a cutlass with dirty tricks from the 3rd level pit fighter class feature. Obviously she'd retrain the weapon focus if so.

A couple of useful spells might be protection from good and cheetah's sprint. Being able to jump between ships would be handy and not being mind-controlled is always nice.


Sanpkhang is from Adventurer's Armory 2, and increases the DC of poisons it's used to deliver by 1, or 2 if a sneak attack.

And If'n I remember correctly, Blind Pew was one of two men Billy Bones was a'feared of in Treasure Island (the other being Long John, who frightened even Capn' Flint). I'm rather fond of Frida, sounds like an ideal quartermaster :)

I shall be making a bard version of Long John next.


I did read Treasure Island. Once. Nearly 30 years ago.

Don't ask me to recall details.


A pirate that I am currently playing in skulls and shackles who has gotten us out of many a bind is a Gillman water kineticist.

The swim speed is amazing and as a pirate the need to submerge in water should never be an issue.

I have saved our lives a few times by being able to swim to the undersides of other ships in port and saw their rudders off.

The quench ability, which Trytton did not take, is also amazing for stopping your boat going up in flames. Also as you are on the sea you never need to worry about not having some of your element to throw.

The slick wild talent is great fun and very thematic to me. I am thinking of getting fire as 2nd element so I can burn other people's boats to cinders

Sovereign Court

Aquatic adventures added some fun stuffs...looking forward to blood of the sea for more racial options for the seaborn adventurers.

Anyway: Aquanauts and Pelagic Hunter would definitely make some fun pirates. Pelagic hunter in particular is basically Aquaman.


Ok, I think a better question is, outside maybe paladins,what classes cannot be pirates, because I can definitely see most working out. I guess the psychic is a bit harder to rope with their fluff, but there is certainly nothing stopping them from using their talents for plunder and glory.


While not Long John, here's my shot at a Str pirate, something I confess to be rather foreign to.

Lightning Krenshar, Lizardfolk Fighter (dragonheir scion) 7
18,14,16,8,12,13

1. Draconic Bloodline (blue), Eldritch Strikes, Multiattack
2. Fearful Might
3. Draconic Defenses, Intimidating Prowess
4. Draconic Strike
5. Weapon Training (natural), Dangerous Tail
6. Draconic Presence
7. AWT (Versatile Training-climb/intimidate)

Skills
Profession (sailor), Intimidate, Climb, Swim (1 rank), Survival (6 ranks)

FCB- Skill Point


The Shaman wrote:
Ok, I think a better question is, outside maybe paladins,what classes cannot be pirates, because I can definitely see most working out. I guess the psychic is a bit harder to rope with their fluff, but there is certainly nothing stopping them from using their talents for plunder and glory.

Basically I can't see any good creatures being pirates nor LN creatures.

I include all good aligned creatures because at best good creatures are going to be privateers, not true pirates. They're never going to attack innocents with the goal of taking spoils, which is pretty much the point of pirates.

For fluff reasons the qualities of the monk don't jibe with piracy in my mind either. Anyone else can be made to work though, IMO.

Silver Crusade

Claxon wrote:
The Shaman wrote:
Ok, I think a better question is, outside maybe paladins,what classes cannot be pirates, because I can definitely see most working out. I guess the psychic is a bit harder to rope with their fluff, but there is certainly nothing stopping them from using their talents for plunder and glory.

Basically I can't see any good creatures being pirates nor LN creatures.

I include all good aligned creatures because at best good creatures are going to be privateers, not true pirates. They're never going to attack innocents with the goal of taking spoils, which is pretty much the point of pirates.

For fluff reasons the qualities of the monk don't jibe with piracy in my mind either. Anyone else can be made to work though, IMO.

I disagree with good people never being pirates. They could go Robin Hood with it, stealing from the rich and corrupt to give to the needy.

Lawful is the only alignment that I think would never work for a pirate.


Cayden could have pirate worshipers me thinks.


Fromper wrote:
I disagree with good people never being pirates. They could go Robin Hood with it, stealing from the rich and corrupt to give to the needy.

I wouldn't consider that piracy. But therein lies the problem, how do we define piracy.

Piracy to me is inherently not good. If you're doing it for good ends, in my mind it makes you not a pirate.


My mind wandered off and came back with a Faceless Man. No reason they wouldn't join a pirate crew, right?

Not quite Jaqen H'gar here, but some relative perhaps. Call him Jaqen the Younger.

Str 11, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 14 (+2 to either str or dex from alter self/a thousand faces)

Human swashbuckler 1 / urban druid 6

1: Weapon focus (dagger)
1B: Weapon finesse (light or 1H piercing weapons)
Human: Slashing grace (dagger)
3: Dodge
5: Close-quarters thrower
7: False opening

The river rat and deep cover traits seem useful and appropriate. The nobility domain works for combat boosts, or knowledge/espionage as a spy.


Claxon wrote:
Fromper wrote:
I disagree with good people never being pirates. They could go Robin Hood with it, stealing from the rich and corrupt to give to the needy.

I wouldn't consider that piracy. But therein lies the problem, how do we define piracy.

Piracy to me is inherently not good. If you're doing it for good ends, in my mind it makes you not a pirate.

Piracy is just attacking/robbing ships without the authority (some kind of legal order, usually either from a government backed company like the east India company, or by royal authority) to do so.

Now you could be a freedom fighter attacking a trade ship carrying slaves, in order to liberate the slaves. I'd say that would fall under good and piracy.

Now if you were working for a government opposing slavery and attacked another governments trade vessel that would not be piracy.

Piracy is chaotic, not evil in my opinion.

Sovereign Court

Golarion, 7th sea and other campaign settings with pirates usually have room for both types of pirates. Skulls and Shackles, pirates of the inner sea and others books have examples of both.

The gritty evil raiders and the fantasy good guy swashbuckler pirates are both welcome.

Now of course in your homebrew campaign setting, you can decide to lean more toward a certain type of pirate.


Chromantic Durgon <3 wrote:

Piracy is just attacking/robbing ships without the authority (some kind of legal order, usually either from a government backed company like the east India company, or by royal authority) to do so.

Now you could be a freedom fighter attacking a trade ship carrying slaves, in order to liberate the slaves. I'd say that would fall under good and piracy.

Now if you were working for a government opposing slavery and attacked another governments trade vessel that would not be piracy.

Piracy is chaotic, not evil in my opinion.

Again, we have different definitions of piracy.

Yes piracy involves theft without authority, but I wouldn't consider theft with good intentions to be piracy (such as freeing slaves). It doesn't evoke the normal imagery of "pirates". My idea is basically "what is popular representation of pirates" in culture.

Piracy is definitely non-lawful, I agree. But I also define it as non-good.


I'm using the definition of piracy from the dictionary. I don't make up my own definitions of words.

If you don't see pirates who do good as pirates thats kewl, you're welcome to your opinion. I think you're wrong, to me they're just chaotic good pirates.

If you're interested pathfinder has a pirate goddess, she's chaotic neutral.

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