You are a builder of boats, as was your father and his father before him. You know what trees to use and how to prepare the lumber in just the right way. When it comes to assembling and shaping the boat, you are able to supervise workers or to do it yourself. Even down to the sculpting of the figurehead and saying the appropriate prayers. 

 Of course you don't just build the boats. You also sail them to glory and riches. You spent your youth under the sway of a famous viking earl, a ruthless marauder who taught you how to survive in a world of sharks and savages. You’ve indulged in raids on the coast and sent more than one deserving soul to an early grave. Fear and bloodshed are no strangers to you, and you’ve garnered a somewhat unsavory reputation in many a port town.

Skill Proficiencies: History, Insight, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Religion

Tool Proficiencies: Shipbuilder’s tools, vehicles (water)

Equipment: A belaying pin (club), 50 feet of silk rope, a lucky charm such as a rabbit foot or a small stone with a hole in the center (or you may roll for a random trinket on the Trinkets table in chapter 5), a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp

Suggested Characteristics

Sailors of every type 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	I enjoy escalating the level of violence in every situation.
6	I never pass up a friendly wager.
7	My language is as foul as an otyugh nest.
8	My savage nature calls out for blood.

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 towns along the sea are my prey. (Evil)
5	People. I’m committed to my crewmates, not to ideals. (Neutral)
6	Aspiration. Someday I’ll rule as an earl and chart my own destiny. (Any)

d8	Bond
1	I’m loyal to my earl 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 soldiers murdered my viking band, burned our ship, and left me to die. Vengeance will be mine.
7	Success is the only option. I may retreat but never surrender.
8	I hear their voice of the gods. They must be obeyed.

d8	Flaw
1	I follow orders, even if I think they’re wrong.
2	I am a workaholic. If there is work to do, I must complete it.
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.
7	Challenges are the only way to find who is best. I can not deny one.
8	I know what is best and you can't convince me otherwise.