Swashbuckler

You sailed on a seagoing vessel since you were old enough to stowaway on your first ship. When you were discovered, you were able to talk the captain into making you his cabin boy (or girl), and the captain began to teach you all the skills of a sailor.  While at sea, you faced down mighty storms, monsters of the deep, and those who wanted to sink your craft to the bottomless depths. Your first love is the distant line of the horizon, and your second love is any lass with a pretty face.  Your name is known to sailors on many ships, as well as wenches and barkeeps in many ports.   When your first captain grew too old to sail, you moved to another ship, where you honed your skills while working as a lookout in the crow's nest, the ships navigator, a boatswain in charge of the masts, a carpenter's assistant, and finally as the first mate on  your most recent ship.  Now, when you might begin to look for a ship of your own to captain, you've decided to try your luck in something else, though you will take with you a love of the sea.

Discuss the nature of the ship you previously sailed with your Dungeon Master. Was it a merchant ship, a naval vessel, a ship of discovery, or a pirate ship? How famous (or infamous) is it? Is it widely traveled? Is it still sailing, or is it missing and presumed lost with all hands?

Your skills on a ship are valuable in other areas of life, and you hope to find treasure and love as you wander across the land.

Skill Proficiencies: Acrobatics, Perception, Performance

Tool Proficiencies: Navigator’s tools, vehicles (water), carpenter's tools

Equipment: A lucky charm such as a rabbit foot or a small stone or foreign coin with a hole in the center, tied on a piece of leather to hang around your neck, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.