UA:Character Background: Maritime Background

This material is published under the OGL 1.0a.

Maritime Background

Characters with maritime backgrounds indulge in the same passions as everyone else- war, trade, and larceny- but they do it with a ship's deck beneath their feet (unless they've been shipwrecked, which is one possible activity in this background).

A character's time spent on the high seas provide a bonus on recognition checks; each time the maritime background is selected for this character, the bonus is increased by 1.

Example Maritime Ranks

Every navy has its own ranking system, and few ships are at exactly their full complement of crew. The following system of ranks is a good starting point for most campaigns.

Maritime Ranks (Lowest to Highest): Ordinary hand, able hand, leading hand, petty officer, chief petty officer, sublieutenant, lieutenant, lieutenant commander, commander, captain, commodore, admiral, grand admiral.

Maritime Background Activities

d%	Activity	Class	Feats	Skills	Gear	Contacts	Rep	Recognition
01-12	Pirate	Rogue	Dodge, Mobility	Balance, Jump, Tumble,Bluff, Swim	Weapon	Information	+1/2	Rank, DC 22
13-24	Military Navy	Fighter	Leadership, Weapon Focus	Profession (sailor), Swim, Use Rope	Weapon	Influence	+1/2	Rank, DC 24
25-34	Sea trader	Rogue or bard	Negotiator, Deft Hands	Appraise, Sense Motive, Diplomacy, Swim, Profession (sailor)	Wondrous item that aids interaction	Skill	+0	Rank, DC 26
35-44	Ship's Marine	Fighter	Power Attack, Improved Sunder	Swim Climb, Jump	Light armor	Skill	+0	Rank, DC 26
45-52	Stowaway	Rogue	Stealthy, Deceitful	Swim, Hide, Move Silently, Disguise, Bluff	Item that aids stealth	Influence	+0	-
53-62	Shipwrecked	Barbarian	Track, Self-Sufficient	Swim, Survival, Craft (any), Spot, Listen	Simple weapon or hand-crafted item	Skill	+0	-
63-72	Deckhand	Rogue or fighter	Dodge, Weapon Focus	Swim, Use Rope, Profession (sailor), Climb, Jump	Weapon	Information	+0	Rank, DC 26
73-82	Navigator	Bard or wizard	Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (Transmutation)	Profession (sailor), Decipher Script, Knowledge (geography), Spellcraft, Swim	Scrolls	Skill	+0	Rank, DC 24
83-90	Wind-bringer	Druid or sorcerer	Spell Focus (Transmutation), Spell Focus (Conjuration)	Spellcraft, Concentration, Knowledge (geography), Swim, Profession (sailor)	Item that affects weather or wind	Information	+0	Rank, DC 24
91-100	Chaplain	Cleric	Any metamagic	Heal, Swim, Profession (sailor)	Item that heals or cures	Information	+0	Rank, DC 24

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