Pirate, Variant (5e Class)

Pirate

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. Now, you've become a feared pirate in your own right. You have indulged in larceny on the high seas and sent more than one deserving soul to a briny grave. Bloodshed and the pursuit of treasure are no strangers to you, and you've garnered a somewhat unsavory reputation in many a port town.

Pirates by Ilya Komarov at deviantArt

Class Features

As a Pirate you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per Pirate level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per Pirate level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, crossbows, flintlock pistols, rapiers, shortswords
Tools: Navigator's tools
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
Skills: Choose three from Acrobatics, Deception, Intimidate, Insight, Perception, Performance, Stealth, Survival

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a rapier or (b) a shortsword or (c) a cutlass
• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) a flintlock pistol
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• Pirate Clothes (this is just like common clothes that make you look like a pirate), a dagger, and navigator's tools

Table: The Pirate

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Dueling Bonus	Features
1st	+2	1d6	Dueling Ace, Fencing Adept
2nd	+2	1d6	Rigging Monkey, Slippery as an Eel
3rd	+2	1d6	Pirate Reputation, Sturdy Sea Legs, Parrot Buddy
4th	+2	1d6	Ability Score Improvement, Pirate Garb
5th	+3	1d6	Extra Attack, Grog Master
6th	+3	1d6	Follow Foe, Fencing Adept Improvement, Pirate Reputation
7th	+3	1d8	Eagle Eyes
8th	+3	1d8	Ability Score Improvement, Pirate's Luck
9th	+4	1d8	Reputation feature
10th	+4	1d8	Slippery as an Eel Improvement
11th	+4	1d8	Extra Attack(2)
12th	+4	1d8	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	1d10	Legendary Greed
14th	+5	1d10	Reputation feature
15th	+5	1d10	Fencing Master, Certain Death
16th	+5	1d10	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	1d10	Belay That!, Slippery as an Eel Improvement
18th	+6	1d10	Reputation feature
19th	+6	1d12	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	1d12	Reputation feature, Seaworthy

Dueling Ace

Beginning at 1st level, when you willingly try to attack a target on your turn, you may begin dueling with them as a bonus action. All subsequent melee and ranged attacks, including targeted spell attacks, you make against a target you are dueling deal an extra 1d6 in damage. If a target you’re dueling takes any action except moving that does not target themselves or you, your targeted attacks against them get advantage on your next turn and you deal bonus damage equal to your proficiency bonus per hit. If you’re dueling and you attempt to attack another target, you immediately stop dueling the prior target. The dueling dice changes as you gain Pirate levels, as shown in the Dueling Bonus column of the Pirate table. Dueling ends if you or the target are put into a dying state, rendered unconscious, or restrained.

Fencing Adept

At 1st level, while wielding a finesse weapon if you’re the target of a melee or melee-spell attack from a target that you are dueling, you may use your reaction to add a +2 bonus to your AC. At 6th level, this increases to a +4 bonus to AC.

Rigging Monkey

Starting at 2nd level, a life of sailing has given you considerable expertise when it comes to climbing, and rigging is almost an extension of yourself. You gain a climb speed equal to your land speed, and proficiency in Athletics. You cannot be put at a disadvantage on any non-attack checks that involve rope, chain, or hooks. (I.E. Swinging on ropes, restraining things with a chain, catching a ledge with a hook.)

Slippery as an Eel

Starting at 2nd level, if you take damage from a melee attack, as a reaction you may allow yourself to be flung backwards, thereby lessening the impact. If you make an Acrobatics check equal to or greater than the damage inflicted, you suffer only half the damage, on a natural 20 you dodge completely. You’re moved 5 feet away from the source of damage. At 10th level, you take half the damage if it’s equal to or greater than half the damage inflicted. Dodge on a natural 19. You’re moved 10 feet away from the source of damage.

Pirate Reputation

When you reach 3rd level, you choose how you want people to perceive you. Choose Dread Pirate or Cunning Pirate, both detailed at the end of the class description. The archetype you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 9th, 14th, 18th, and 20th level.

Sturdy Sea Legs

Starting at 3rd level, a lifetime of fighting on land and sea has taught you to travel with ease over any terrain. You may ignore difficult terrain up to 1/2 your move speed. You gain +5ft movement speed and gain a +10ft bonus to movement speed on ships.

Parrot Buddy

Upon the 3th level, a parrot will notice your scent and will do your bidding to the best a bird can. This parrot is useful for picking up small materials or scouting secret areas.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Pirate Garb

Beginning at 4th level, while wearing the awe-inspiring Pirate Garb. It doesn't need to be counted as Armor if your intention is for it to act as clothing so you can still use features, such as Unarmored Bonuses. However, you still gain +2 to AC wearing the garb and cannot be put at a disadvantage on skill checks involving Performance, Persuasion, Insight, Deception, or Intimidation.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. Beginning at 11th level, you can attack three times, instead of twice, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Grog Master

At 5th level, years of heavy drinking has left you hardy and resilient. You have advantage on saving throws against poisons.

Follow Foe

Starting at 6th level, as your foe retreats, you stay on their heels, moving through the path made by their escape. When a target within 10 feet of you that you’re dueling takes the disengage action, you may use your reaction to move up to your target's movement speed to keep up with your target. You must use this movement to stay as close to your target as possible, you cannot move through opponents, you do not incur attacks of opportunity when you move this way, you do not set off traps, and other creatures cannot gain advantage against you for flanking or surrounding you until the end of your next turn.

Eagle Eyes

At 7th level, your time at sea has given you an affinity for spotting incoming foes. You have advantage on all Perception rolls initiated by the DM. In addition, you may use a bonus action on your turn to make a Perception check to find a hidden creature.

Pirate's Luck

At 8th level, You have 3 luck points. Whenever you make an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw, you can spend one luck point to roll an additional d20. You choose which of the d20s is used for the attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. You can also spend one luck point when an attack roll is made against you. You regain these points on a long rest.

Legendary Greed

Starting at 13th level, finding treasure inspires your lust and paranoia towards it, leading you to search for hidden treasure troves. When you find an enclosed container with gold pieces in it, you may search it for hidden compartments. Roll 1d10. On a 1-4, the hidden compartment is empty. On rolling 5-10, you find that many stacks of your proficiency modifier X 5 in gold pieces. If your roll was 10, you also gain 1 of your choice: a potion of healing, a piece of jewelry worth 250 gold pieces, or ammunition +1. You may use this ability once between short rests.

Fencing Master

Beginning at 15th level, when using the Fencing Adept ability, if you are not hit by the attack, you may either immediately make a single Melee attack against what attacked you, or you may immediately switch positions with what attacked you. You may only perform this movement with creatures the same size as you, and neither of you incur attacks of opportunity when moving this way.

Certain Death

At 15th level, as you feel the cold approach of death, your adrenaline pumps, your focus narrows, and you both know one of you won't be coming out of this alive. If you are below 1/3 of your maximum health, any enemy you are dueling takes double the bonus dueling damage from your attacks, they cannot gain advantage against you, and your attacks against them cannot be at a disadvantage. Neither your target nor you may take reactions against any targets but each other. Should the enemy you're dueling die or begin dying, dueling immediately ends, you regain HP equal to your class level, and if you were the one that put them into that state, you regain an additional 5 HP.

Belay That!

At 17th level, when a creature within 30 feet of you that you have line of sight on takes an action, you may use your reaction to make a melee or ranged attack, including targeted spell attacks (as appropriate) against that creature. On a hit, the creature takes no damage or status effects, but their action is spent without having taken effect. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Seaworthy

At 20th level, your Dexterity and Charisma scores increase by four, to a maximum of 24.

Pirate Reputations

Dread Pirate

Some of your features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Ability save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Imposing Figure

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, as a bonus action you may force all enemies within 60 feet to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the target is frightened until the end of your next turn. You can use this a number of times equal to your charisma modifier +1, you must finish a short or long rest to gain these uses back. If any enemy is within 5 feet of you when they become frightened, they provoke an attack of opportunity and remain frightened.

Steady Stance

At 4th level, a dread pirate can force his body to empower his weapon but for a price, as a bonus action you can add your charisma modifier to all your attacks but you also take damage equal to your proficiency modifier this lasts for one minute.

Words of Terror

At 6th level, as a bonus action before your attack, you speak grimly to a target you’re dueling, either threatening to dismember it, to gouge out it's senses, or scar it's beauty. The target must be able to understand at least one language you can speak. If you threaten to dismember it, the target must make a Constitution saving throw. If you threaten it's senses, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. If you threaten it's beauty, the target must make a Charisma saving throw. On a failed save you gain advantage on attacks against them this turn and the target takes psychic damage equal to the Dread Pirate’s Charisma modifier times two (at level 14 this increases to 3 times your Charisma modifier damage). You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier plus 1. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Captain's Help

At 6th level, your threats inspire the crew to do things they didn't even know they could. While out of combat, you may choose an ally who is not proficient in Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Medicine, Persuasion, Intimidation, Insight, Slight-Of-Hand, or Stealth. They must roll an Intelligence save. If they fail the save you may pick one of these untrained skills. They treat the skill as if they were proficient in it for the next 24 hours. You may only use this skill once between long rests and cannot use it on a person who is already benefiting from it.

Horrifying Figure

Starting at 9th level, you become your enemies’ worst nightmare. When you use the Imposing Figure ability, you may force your targets to act as though under the effects of the spell “Fear” instead. All enemies take 5d6 psychic damage on a failed save and half as much damage on a successful one.

Dead Men Tell No Tales

Starting at 14th level, word has spread of your terrors. You have advantage on all Intimidation checks against those who recognize you. You gain advantage on one attack made against one enemy that has been fighting you, or your allies, for more than three rounds.

Crippling Words

At 18th level, in addition to the effects of Words of Terror, on a failed save the target becomes paralyzed. The target remains paralyzed for up to 2 minutes. At the end of each of it's subsequent turns, it may attempt the same kind of save it previously failed. It may also attempt that save any time it is attacked. On a successful save, or after taking more than 1/4 of it's HP rounded down in damage while paralyzed, it is no longer paralyzed.

Dreadful Aura

Beginning at 18th level, as an action, you may begin to radiate an aura of pure menace inspiring hopelessness and dread in all who enter it for up to 10 minutes. Enemies who enter or begin their turn within 30 feet of you have disadvantage on attack rolls against you and your allies. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. If on the high seas, enemies must pass a wisdom saving throw DC 13, on a fail, they jump ship. If on land, when enemies enter the aura they provoke an attack of opportunity as if they just passed by you.

Davy Jones' Locker

At 20th level, you use your entire action to channel the spirit of Davy Jones. You may pick 5 enemies + your charisma modifier within 120 feet of you. These enemies must pass a wisdom saving throw higher than your spell-save DC, on a failed save, these enemies swear fealty to you for the next hour. They retain their order in the initiative. Those who swear fealty take 12d12 psychic damage when the effects end. On a successful save, the enemies take 6d12 psychic damage. You may use this ability once per long rest.

Cunning Pirate

Some of your features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Ability save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier

Explosives Expert

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, Cunning Pirates learn to create devious bombs to take down their opponents. Once a day, you may spend 2 hours and 25 gold pieces in a village, town, or city collecting materials to create bombs of your choice. You can carry up to 6 bombs in any combination of types on your person, and can store up to 12 more. You may only give these bombs to other characters if their intelligence is at 9 or above, and may only give 1 for each point of intelligence they have 9 or above (Int 9 give 1, Int 10 give 2, ect.) Roll a d4 and add 2 to determine how many bombs you are able to create within that hour, any bombs made beyond your maximum are immediately sold for 5 gold pieces each. After the roll, you are free to determine which bombs you create. As an action, a person holding a bomb may throw it to an area up to 30 feet away, affecting everything in a radius of 15 feet around that area. Other player characters that throw your bombs must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw at a DC of 13 or drop the lit bomb at their feet. The types of bombs you can make are listed below.

Powder bomb. Creates a 15ft radius explosion. All creatures in the area must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw vs your ability save or take 4d6 fire damage, half as much on a successful save.

Grease Bomb. Releases a slippery liquid that covers the ground. When the grease appears, each creature standing in its area must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw vs your ability save or fall prone. A creature that enters the area or ends its turn there must also succeed on a Dexterity saving throw vs your ability save or fall prone. The area is difficult terrain until the grease is cleaned or washed away.

Scatter bomb. Creates an explosion sending small pellets flying. This bomb's explosion radius is only 5 ft due to the pellets' loss of momentum. All creatures in the area must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw vs your ability save or take 5d6 piercing damage, half as much on a successful save.

Poison bomb. Releases a cloud of poison that lingers for three turns, ending on your turn. A creature that enters the area or ends its turn there must succeed on a Constitution saving throw vs your ability save or be poisoned (see Poisoned status effect), and must repeat the saving throw at the start of each of its turns. On each successive failed save, the character takes 1d4 poison damage. On a successful save, the poison ends. Maximum of 1 minute duration.

Smoke bomb. Releases a cloud of smoke. The area becomes heavily obscured for 10 minutes or until a wind of moderate or greater speed (at least 10 miles per hour) disperses it.

Sticky Bomb. Releases a viscous liquid that covers the ground. All creatures in the area must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw vs your ability save or be restrained. All creatures must make a Strength save at the end of each of their turns to free themselves.

Poison Savant

Starting at 3rd level, whenever you spend an hour in town collecting bomb materials, you may also collect vials of poison. Spend 20 gold pieces and roll a separate d4 to determine how many vials of poison you are able to purchase up to a maximum capacity of 8. The only poison you are able to procure this way is basic poison. In addition, as a bonus action you can apply this basic poison to a weapon or five pieces of ammunition. Once applied, the poison retains potency for 5 minute before drying. Struck targets must make a Consitution saving throw vs your ability save or take an extra 1d4 poison damage. This damage increases to 1d6 at 9th level.

Cheap Shot

At 6th level, you can attempt to blind a target you’re dueling. As a bonus action, you can throw gravel, dirt, grass, mud, or sand up to 10 feet as long as it is available, or if you are carrying a whip, chain, bandana, or rope, you may flick it at their eyes. Your target must make a Dexterity saving throw vs your ability save or be blinded until your next turn. Only usable against creatures with physical eyes. Creatures with more than 2 eyes gain advantage on their saving throw and creatures with only one eye have disadvantage on their saving throws. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier plus 1. You regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

Death from above

At 9th level, whenever you drop down adjacent to a creature you are not dueling from a height of at least 10 feet, you gain advantage on your next attack made against that creature this turn and deal an additional 3d6 damage if it is successful. You may begin dueling this target at the end of your turn.(This increases to 6d6 at the 14th level.)

Explosives Master

Starting at 14th level, you learn to create more powerful bombs, as listed below. To create these new bombs you must spend 50 gold pieces and spend 6 hours in a village, town, or city. You are only allowed to have one of each bomb at a time, they are too dangerous to give to others, and cannot be sold without raising suspicion. The radius of affect for all bombs you make with Explosives Expert increases by 5 feet and they may be thrown up to 40 feet. Furthermore, when creating the bombs listed under explosives expert ability, you roll a d6 plus 2 to determine how many bombs you create.

Incendiary bomb. Creates a deadly explosion. All creatures in a 10ft radius must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw vs your ability save or take 6d10 fire damage, half as much on a successful save.

Fury bomb. Releases a cloud of gas. All creatures in a 20ft radius must succeed on a Constitution saving throw vs your ability save or fall under similar effects of the Confusion spell. All creatures must make a Wisdom save at the end of each of their turns to overcome the gas.

Sleep bomb. Releases a cloud of gas. All creatures in a 30 foot radius must succeed on a Constitution saving throw vs your ability save or be knocked unconscious. All creatures must make a Wisdom save at the end of each of their turns to overcome the gas. A sleeping creature awakens when attacked.

Concussive bomb. Creates a concussive shock-wave. All creatures within a 60 foot radius that have Line of Sight to the area must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw vs your ability save or be stunned. All creatures must make a Wisdom save at the end of each of their turns to snap out of it.

Yellow Bellied Lubber

Beginning at 14th level, you are able to spend at least 15 minutes searching the surrounding area for broken glass and crushing it. If the area has glass, roll a d4 plus two to determine how many vials of powdered glass you gain. This may be done during short rests. You may carry a number of vials of powdered glass equal to your proficiency bonus. When using Cheap Shot, you may spend a vial of crushed glass. If the target fails it's saving throw, the target is blinded indefinitely, and takes 1d6 slashing damage to their eyes each round. If the target is healed, or takes a short or long rest, the damage is stopped. If the target is magically healed, it is no longer blind. If the target is not magically healed within two weeks, one eye rots and falls out. This repeats every two weeks until the creature has no eyes.

Black Market Regular

Beginning at 18th level, you are considered an important person in underground black markets. Whenever you spend an hour acquiring poisons, you can acquire any type of poison. You must spend 100gp and roll a d6 to determine how many vials you collect. After the roll, you are free to determine which poisons you collect. The save against the poisons is your ability save.

Disabling Blow

At 20th level, whenever you hit with a finesse weapon you may choose to sever a muscle in one of the areas on your target listed below. This is limited to Beasts and Humanoids. The target must perform a long rest before regaining control of the damaged muscle.

Arm. You disable a muscle in one of their arms. The target must succeed against a Constitution saving throw else be forced to take disadvantage on subsequent attacks with that arm.

Leg. You disable a muscle in one of their legs. The target must succeed against a Constitution saving throw else have their movement speed cut by half.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Pirate class, you must meet these prerequisites: Dexterity 13 and Charisma 13

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Pirate class, you gain the following proficiencies: Light armor, shields, simple weapons, three skills from the class's skill list, navigator's tools

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