You sailed on a seagoing vessel for years. In that time, 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, but the time has come to try your hand at something new.
- Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Stealth
- Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (Water), thieves’ tools
- Equipment: Rope, Silk (50 feet), a crowbar, a set of dark common clothes including a hood, and a pouch containing 15 gp
A sailor is s varied as the seas they've sailed and individual members have particular specialities. Were you a Captain, a navigator, or a simple cabin boy? Choose the role you played in your naval career, or roll on the table below.
| d7 | Sailor's Past |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cabin Boy |
| 2 | Navigator |
| 3 | Boatswain |
| 4 | Captain |
| 5 | Pirate |
| 6 | Naval Officer |
| 7 | Naval Spy |
When you need to, you can secure free passage on a sailing ship for yourself and your adventuring companions. You might sail on the ship you served on, or another ship you have good relations with (perhaps one captained by a former crewmate). Because you're calling in a favor, you can't be certain of a schedule or route that will meet your every need. Your DM will determine how long it takes to get where you need to go. In return for your free passage, you and your companions are expected to assist the crew during the voyage.
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 | I enjoy sailing into new ports and making new friends over a flagon of ale. |
| 2 | I am always calm, no matter what the situation. I never raise my voice or let my emotions control me. |
| 3 | My language is as foul as an otyugh nest. |
| 4 | To me, a tavern brawl is a nice way to get to know a new city. |
| 5 | I work hard so that I can play hard when the work is done. |
| 6 | I don’t pay attention to the risks in a situation. Never tell me the odds. |
| 7 | The best way to get me to do something is to tell me I can’t do it. |
| 8 | I blow up at the slightest insult. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fairness. We all do the work, so we all share in the rewards. (Lawful) |
| 2 | Freedom. The sea is freedom-the freedom to go anywhere and do anything. (Chaotic) |
| 3 | Respect. The thing that keeps a ship together is mutual respect between captain and crew. (Good) |
| 4 | Mastery. I'm a predator, and the other ships on the sea are my prey. (Evil) |
| 5 | People. I’m loyal to my crewmates, not to any ideals, and everyone else can take a trip down the Styx for all I care. (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 | Something important was taken from me, and I aim to steal it back. |
| 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 | When I see something valuable, I can’t think about anything but how to steal it. |
| 2 | I follow orders, even if I think they're wrong. |
| 3 | I'll say anything to avoid having to do extra work. |
| 4 | Once I start drinking, it's hard for me to stop. |
| 5 | Once someone questions my courage, I never back down no matter how dangerous the situation. |
| 6 | My pride will probably lead to my destruction. |
You spent your youth under the sway of a dread pirate, a ruthless cutthroat who taught you how to survive in a world of sharks and savages. You've indulged in larceny on the high seas and sent more than one deserving soul to a briny grave. Fear and bloodshed are no strangers to you, and you've garnered a somewhat unsavory reputation in many a port town.
No matter where you go, people are afraid of you due to your reputation. When you are in a civilized settlement, you can get away with minor criminal offenses, such as refusing to pay for food at a tavern or breaking down doors at a local shop, since most people will not report your activity to the authorities.
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