Pirates - A Rogue Subclass
The lack of an actual pirate class or subclass in D&D is surprising. As a class, it probably wouldn’t make much sense, but as a subclass? It sure as hell would, and I’m not the only one who thinks so given the fair number of homebrew subclasses that are out there. Sure, there is the swashbuckler but reading the description of the subclass presents the biggest issue I have when talking to people about a pirate subclass. That problem is that when you look at pirates in cinema they are no longer the vicious seafaring individuals they use to be, but pretty boys with a soft spot for the underdog.
Pirates are not nice people. They are defined as thieves, scoundrels, or violent criminals that sailed the open waters of the world. There is no doubt that they would kill you in a heartbeat to get their hands on whatever treasure you had. The first documented example of pirates originates in the 14th century in the Mediterranean region. Called the Sea Peoples, they were thought to roam the Aegean Sea, hunting other ships and raiding seaside villages. Who they were and where they came is a matter of some debate, as they could have come from what is now known as Spain, the northern shores of Africa, or the islands Greece. Existing in one form or another since then, pirates still exist today, as they roam the seas of Southeast Asia and the eastern coast of Africa, hijacking whatever ships they come across, stealing cargo, and ransoming the crew.
When most people think about pirates, they are talking about those individuals that roamed the high seas during what is known as the Golden Age of Piracy. The period is broken down into three eras.
The buccaneering period (approximately 1650 to 1680), characterized by Anglo-French seamen based on Jamaica and Tortuga attacking Spanish colonies, and shipping in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
The Pirate Round (1690s), associated with long-distance voyages from the Americas to rob Muslim and East India Company targets in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.
The post-Spanish Succession period (1716 to 1726), when Anglo-American sailors and privateers left unemployed by the end of the War of the Spanish Succession turned en masse to piracy in the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the North American eastern seaboard, and the West African coast.
(Wikipedia, Golden Age of Piracy)
This time period is where a majority of the pirate lore we use today comes from. There were different types of pirates during this time. The terms loosely encompass all pirates now, but there was a distinct difference between them in the 17th and 18th centuries.
A privateer was a European government-commissioned pirate. They were private individuals who were hired by various governments to do what pirates do best but were given orders on which country’s ships and villages they were to attack, rob, and pillage. Of course, being pirates, privateers didn’t always follow the rules they are supposed to live under. They sometimes went beyond their commissions, attacking vessels that didn’t belong to the targeted country, and keeping the bounty for themselves. It was quite a lucrative side business.
A corsair is a pirate name for those individuals who operated in the Mediterranean Sea when the Ottoman Empire waged war on the seas against European Christian nations. Both sides hired corsairs to supplement their naval forces, but instead of working with the fleet, they, much like the privateers, operated as individual ships. The term corsair carried an added religious connotation because the conflict was between Muslim and Christian powers.
Finally, we have the buccaneer. These pirates were also privateers of a sort, operating in the Caribbean Sea. The term originates from the fact that these individuals survived initially by hunting game and cooking it over a wooden platform that they called a boucan. There was more money to be made on the ocean, and they began to attack Spanish ships and ports, as they were the dominant nation in this area at the time. The other European countries couldn’t have been happier about this and began recruiting them as privateers, whom they referred to as buccaneers. As time wore on, buccaneers often ignored the mandate under which they operated, raiding any ships that had the misfortune of crossing paths with them.
Of course, there were also independent pirates, those that swore no allegiance to a nation, refusing to take their coin no matter the protections it gave them. These pirates did not care what flag the ship was flying under, and if they thought they could take the vessel, they would. The critical thing to remember is that no matter what type of pirate you are talking about, robbery, kidnapping, and murder qualified as piratical activities, provided there is a body of water and a boat involved. Just to reiterate, pirates were not nice people.
Today, cinema has romanticized pirates, and these scallywags have thrived on the big screen for decades. We’ve come to love pirates, thinking of them dashing scoundrels who always end up doing the right thing in the end. Some even sing! Pirates don’t sing, they pillage…and don’t even get me started on Johnny Depp and the whole Pirates of the Caribbean movies series.
We will discuss those pirates in a future article, as we take the romanticized version of the pirate and make it into its own subclass.
So there’s a little background on the pirate. After reading about the history of pirates in some detail, I immediately thought they should be a Rogue subclass and started working on it directly. There were a great many options to choose from when selecting abilities and I am sure people will have strong opinions on things that were left out. For example, I wanted to give pirates proficiency in firearms, as most of us envision a pirate with a cutlass in one hand and a pistol in the other but I just couldn’t make it work, so it was dropped. So let’s take a look at this rogue pirate, and as always, constructive criticism is always appreciated.
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There is nothing lovable about this pirate, as they care about their ship first, their treasure second, and their fellow pirates a distant third. Like our pirate friends from the 18th century, this rogue makes their living on the open water, raiding, plundering, and murdering those foolish enough to get in the way. Let’s see how they do it.
Buccaneer Know-How
You’re a pirate, so yeah, you’ll need a ship. If you have a ship, it’s probably a good idea to know how to operate it. A pirate that never leaves the dock is no pirate at all, just some person who lives on a houseboat. You have proficiency in sea vehicles.
There is shamefully little information on sea vehicles in the PHB. While Ghosts of Saltmarsh provides additional information on ships and combat, if you are looking for some tremendous seafaring information, you can find more here at our Archipelago Adventure series. In addition to that, you can check out our Patreon, where we have new homebrew ships for you to captain.
One with the Sea
Swimming is a very important skill for someone who makes his living on the seas. Your swim speed is the same as your movement.
Master of Moves
A ship’s deck is always wet, the wind can toss you around like a rag doll, and if your cargo isn’t secure, you had better be light on your feet. None of that compares, however, to what it’s like where you are under attack on the ocean. It could be cannonballs flying past, marauders boarding you, or some creature erupting from the depths of the sea and thinks your ship is a snack. Whatever the reason, it’s going to be ok, since you have your sea legs are underneath you, allowing you to move like a ballerina aboard your beloved vessel. You have an advantage on all checks and saving throws against being shoved or knocked prone.
Abandon Ship
Pirates may be mean, but they aren’t stupid. When the odds are stacked against you, running is an option that sane people take. Living to fight another day also means you can steal more treasure and drink more rum, so run as fast as your legs can carry you. When you take the Disengage action, you can immediately move up to half your speed.
Aye Captain
You’re got own ship, crew, and maybe even a parrot perched on your shoulder. To say the crew loves you may be a stretch, but they will follow your orders. Who cares that it is out of love or fear, because sometimes you may need a little bit of help, and isn’t that why they are your crew? You can issue a command of movement, disengagement, or order them to help as a bonus action.
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