Need a good evil pirate

[danzibr]

I'm about to start up a new campaign (I'm the DM) and I asked my players to have decent backstories. Well, more than nothing, anyway. One of my players, an Anthropomorphic Monkey Factotum//Wizard named Sheevely, wrote the following:

"Ashara was once Sheevely's sorceress mistress. While traveling by sea to the port town of Bal Had'or the ship carrying us was attacked by pirates. I remember striking down the Captain's summoned crows until the mistress ordered me to her pack.

The mistress hid me away when we were taken captive. I heard her die in captain Xerce's quarters when he was finished with her. With her last breaths I heard her tell me to escape, live and be happy.

Sheevely wants nothing more than to kill captain Xerces. But I'm not strong enough yet I will find him again."

I liked the bad dude quite a bit, and I plan on the party having a sea battle which will end with killing Xerces. I don't have any problem making a build for this guy (they'll be about level 7), but I can't decide on the race.

I was thinking some sort of Half-Dragon something-or-other. But... what? What's a good evil pirate race?

[Larkas]

Ehm... Water Orc?

[danzibr]

Ehm... Water Orc?
Oh that is a GREAT suggestion!

I should've mentioned in the original post I have a good Water Orc captain :/

Or maybe... siblings?

[pteromath]

Were-Shark is the first thing that pops into my mind. Your players will think, huh, an ordinary human (dwarf might be cool?)... and then WHAM... they're getting chomped in half.

Or maybe he's already dead? An undead pirate ship, while having been done for laughs in a certain film we all know, could be ridiculously scary. Especially if that captain was some sort of watered down lich.

[kreenlover]

Or maybe... siblings?

Too cliched. Use another water variant race. Stormwrack has a bunch. I'd suggest aquatic elf, durfellan. aquatic elf, or humanoid orca look a like.

Although any of the aquatic variants should do fine. Actually, you could make him an unusually intelligent Scrag for the fun of it.

[Toy Killer]

Percy kicked the bucket across the deck with a snicker, interrupting Wilson's old out of tune accordion. With a smirk, he chimes "Deckard, look at you. Always flinchin' at the slightest movement in the dark. You flirting with the mermaid's lad?"

Deckard nervously twitches out a smile, turning his head back to the waves. taunting him with loud crashes against the sides of the galley.

"At last the last port, I was hoping to see a ol' dog from the Gilipen. Word has it that they never made it back from Drulek's Cove..."

Percy gave an over exaggerated gasp "Oh! Deckard! You don't mean...?!" He snuck behind Wilson and popped his eyes out "The Old Wrack got 'em!"

Childishly dancing about as though fencing the shadows on the deck, he proclaims "I heard they have a crew of 20 dead men, bones and rot. With a mast stitched together by Hextor himself, wrought of flames and the souls of their poor last victims! Wailing about, so loud, you can hear 'em well before the crow's nest get a sight of their Ensign flying high!"

He feigns a blood curling scream, as the waves play with him, pushing him slightly. Percy flails to catch his balance, as a hand from the shadows grabs his Peacoat and steadies him.

Bos'n steps out with an eying glare, taking a heavy seat with a hard earned sigh.

With an tindertwig, he lights up his pipe. The waves wane back, softly caressing the hull of the ship; as though eager to hear what he has to say.

"The Old Wrack... Ain't a joke, y'see."

The old dwarf puffed his pipe and drew himself in. "Legend has it, a crew of 16 men working on an old charter, got fed up with their ship's master, y'see. Their pay was poor, their trades were naught but useless trinkets of trash, symbols of the man's greed.

"One of the deckhands, on port call while the ship's master collected a new souvenir, found himself holding a compass wit' whispers of pride and power. Promised him right, y'see, and with it's message, he plotted the ship of course while the quartermaster stuck below to his rack. The day's rations waned and land was no where to be seen. When the captain found his men to betray the crew he demanded to know who should be rightfully punished. The hand stood proud, declaring that he was the ships true master. Not the captain, nor the Bos'n, and especially not the ship's master took a likin' to that. Told him he was to return the ship to course, or he would have Hell to pay, y'see.

"Little did they know... He already paid Hell. Chained to the mast, and wracked with the gypsy head till he told the secrets to get back to course, his screams filled the night. Now, the boy's already fearful and starved, decided against the few in charge. While he was warped in pain, they threw the Bos'n over board for the tail water feeders to get there fill. They broke the captain against the helm and freed the man from his punishment.

"Figuring they could get him to send them back to port and brig him for his deeds, they stood by to let him have his revenge on the Ship's master. wracked against the mast, he renamed the ship after the tool of her old master's punishment, and the tool of her new master's punishment.

"But the deckhands were wrong about the matter of their homecoming. The new Captain, master and Bos'n of the Old Wrack had a deal to rid them of fear and tire, y'see. An award befitting a man who betrays his ship and fellow mates, they rotted from their very souls out. Wights of the black tides and bound by infernal magic, they stroll in circles, courses unchecked by the very will of the Old Wrack herself, powered by the burning hatred and envy of their Master, Captain Jack M. Xerces"

I vote Wights with Warlock levels, myself.

[kreenlover]

Percy kicked the bucket across the deck with a snicker, interrupting Wilson's old out of tune accordion. With a smirk, he chimes "Deckard, look at you. Always flinchin' at the slightest movement in the dark. You flirting with the mermaid's lad?"

Deckard nervously twitches out a smile, turning his head back to the waves. taunting him with loud crashes against the sides of the galley.

"At last the last port, I was hoping to see a ol' dog from the Gilipen. Word has it that they never made it back from Drulek's Cove..."

Percy gave an over exaggerated gasp "Oh! Deckard! You don't mean...?!" He snuck behind Wilson and popped his eyes out "The Old Wrack got 'em!"

Childishly dancing about as though fencing the shadows on the deck, he proclaims "I heard they have a crew of 20 dead men, bones and rot. With a mast stitched together by Hextor himself, wrought of flames and the souls of their poor last victims! Wailing about, so loud, you can hear 'em well before the crow's nest get a sight of their Ensign flying high!"

He feigns a blood curling scream, as the waves play with him, pushing him slightly. Percy flails to catch his balance, as a hand from the shadows grabs his Peacoat and steadies him.

Bos'n steps out with an eying glare, taking a heavy seat with a hard earned sigh.

With an tindertwig, he lights up his pipe. The waves wane back, softly caressing the hull of the ship; as though eager to hear what he has to say.

"The Old Wrack... Ain't a joke, y'see."

The old dwarf puffed his pipe and drew himself in. "Legend has it, a crew of 16 men working on an old charter, got fed up with their ship's master, y'see. Their pay was poor, their trades were naught but useless trinkets of trash, symbols of the man's greed.

"One of the deckhands, on port call while the ship's master collected a new souvenir, found himself holding a compass wit' whispers of pride and power. Promised him right, y'see, and with it's message, he plotted the ship of course while the quartermaster stuck below to his rack. The day's rations waned and land was no where to be seen. When the captain found his men to betray the crew he demanded to know who should be rightfully punished. The hand stood proud, declaring that he was the ships true master. Not the captain, nor the Bos'n, and especially not the ship's master took a likin' to that. Told him he was to return the ship to course, or he would have Hell to pay, y'see.

"Little did they know... He already paid Hell. Chained to the mast, and wracked with the gypsy head till he told the secrets to get back to course, his screams filled the night. Now, the boy's already fearful and starved, decided against the few in charge. While he was warped in pain, they threw the Bos'n over board for the tail water feeders to get there fill. They broke the captain against the helm and freed the man from his punishment.

"Figuring they could get him to send them back to port and brig him for his deeds, they stood by to let him have his revenge on the Ship's master. wracked against the mast, he renamed the ship after the tool of her old master's punishment, and the tool of her new master's punishment.

"But the deckhands were wrong about the matter of their homecoming. The new Captain, master and Bos'n of the Old Wrack had a deal to rid them of fear and tire, y'see. An award befitting a man who betrays his ship and fellow mates, they rotted from their very souls out. Wights of the black tides and bound by infernal magic, they stroll in circles, courses unchecked by the very will of the Old Wrack herself, powered by the burning hatred and envy of their Master, Captain Jack M. Xerces"

I vote Wights with Warlock levels, myself.

You sir are amazing. I want to make that now. Although, more than 20.
Nay, ye got it wrong there bos'un. Not twenty, mor'n that. A good ship, one to put the fear 'o'ell in ye, now, she ought to be a good three master. Now, a three masters, she needs at least 40 crewers, ro she be nothing but floundering in the water. Unless o'course she be powered by the will o'the damned. In which case, well, 20 be more'n'enough to crew her, but not enough to take other ships. Ye see, ye need at least one crewer to remain aboard at the helm, as many aboard as ye has siege weapons, and likely the ships mage'll be wantin' ta stay aboard too.

That leaves ye down at the least two men. 18 pirates, even damned crewers and wights nay'be match for a good merchant crew. One or two'd die each fight. Unless o'course they was tied to the ship. Which they is. Twenty, is still too few. But the thirty, they be part o'the ship, part'o the crew. Damned to sail the seas so long as the ship does sail 'em, taking other ships into tha Nether wit 'em.

Each night, a' tha stroke o' midnight, there be an eerie glow sometimes seen. This is the ship, the souls o' the damned flowing back. They flow to tha' top o' tha mast, and flow down into new bodies. The bodies o' those they have killed. The bodies o' innocent merchants and seamen like they once was.

And then these spirits flow into tha bodies and remake 'em in their own image. Rottin' corpses, flesh 'angin' loose. They stand, once again shackled to tha damned ship. And each time they fight, tha wights do throw themselves inta battle recklessy, all but tha Captain, as they hope tha by their destruction, the ship may be destroyed, and they may be freed.

I say wights with fast healing. And, once they die they are tied to the ship, and reappear there, as the ghost's rejuvenation ability each day at midnight if destroyed.

[Toy Killer]

Glad you liked it :smallbiggrin:
Big fan of Nautical history, if you can't tell.

Personally, I love the concept of a crew that not only hates, but resents their captain while their captain loves the power of being in the fray of things.

Glaivelock's with fast healing is scary enough, negative levels with no save on top of that is terrifying.

[Sheogoroth]

Goliath might an interesting choice.
Powerful build let's them count as one size larger for weapons, plus they're looking at fighting a 7-8 foot tall pirate, about as big as you can get without warranting a size increase, which might be hell on a ship.

You might grab half-fiend instead of half-dragon for flavor- that way you can give that pirate some SLA's without dipping into less-piratey classes.

[kreenlover]

Goliath and Half fiend are good ideas. I still like the idea of undead though. Goliath half fiend wight?

That should put the fear of god in your players.

[RogueDM]

Hadozee. Make it some even more personal monkey business. I've always liked someone's nemesis to be a sort of evil reflection of themselves. Thinking of The Great Mouse Detective, the fight between Basil and Ratigan.

Seakin or, what was it... Aventi? Oh, or the Merrow. I've always liked them. Aquatic ogres.