Aristocratic Pirate Lord - Fearsome Nagaika Build

[Palanan]

I could use some build ideas for a pirate lord with a noble heritage, who'll be an external threat in my city campaign. He'll be seventh or eighth level, educated and urbane, but also a hardened warrior.

He was originally the privileged son of a leading noble in a major trading port, who at a young age made a rash attempt at a coup. Unfortunately for him, he was betrayed by his friends and the coup failed miserably. He would have been publicly tried and executed for treason, but his father made an emotional appeal for mercy, and the young man was exiled instead.

He fled to join the barons who had encouraged his hotheaded plot, and eventually made a name for himself fighting in their foreign wars. In recognition of his service, his liege-lord granted him the ships and men to establish himself as a maritime scourge. Now he preys on merchant shipping, the very lifeblood of his birthplace, and waits for the right moment to strike and claim the city for his own.

I don't see him as a spellcaster, and I'd like to do this without ToB classes, but otherwise I'm open to a range of ideas. I'm thinking one level of aristocrat and Education to start with...but where to go from there?



EDIT: Here's the build so far:


Aristocrat 1 / Rogue 2 / Corsair 4 / Lasher 2

1st - standard: ..Cosmopolitan
........human: ....Mercantile Background
........flaw: ........Dreadful Wrath
2nd -
3rd - standard: ..Knowledge Devotion
4th - ftr. bonus: .Weapon Finesse
5th - ftr. bonus: .Improved Toughess
6th - standard: ..Leadership
7th - ftr. bonus: .EWP (nagaika)
8th -
9th - standard: ..Imperious Command
........lasher: .....Improved Trip

Skill Tricks: Collector of Stories, Never Outnumbered, Whip Climber

For the most part I like this, but constructive comments are always welcome.



Also, I need a name for this guy, something ferocious and sea-scourge-y.

:smalltongue:

.

[Ansem]

Take Leadership and go into this: http://dndtools.eu/classes/legendary-captain/

[A.A.King]

And to represent the Aristocracy you can take the "Noble Born" feat from Dragon Magazine #333, it synchronizes nice with the Leadership feat.

[Diovid]

Combine the Legendary Captain (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050805a&page=3) prc with the Legendary Leader (http://dndtools.eu/classes/legendary-leader/) prc.

Alternatively you could look at the (honorable) Dread Pirate (http://dndtools.eu/classes/dread-pirate/).

[Palanan]

Okay, thanks for the suggestions so far. I should've mentioned I'm allergic to Stormwrack, and the Legendary Captain isn't quite what I'm looking for.

I'd like the pirate-lord to have some menacing talent or quality that will make him a memorable opponent, but mechanically I'm not sure which way to go. The party will probably be fourth level when they encounter him, and he'll be seventh or eighth, a renowned warrior in his own right as well as a notorious sea-raider.

Something more than Leadership is called for, but not sure what that should be.

[A.A.King]

How about a Rogue/Swashbuckler with the Water Devotion Feat? A light armored sneak attacker who can once a day can summon a flank buddy in the form of a Water Elemental.

[Palanan]

Hmm. Not something I'd thought of, but certainly very thematic.

This would take him down the sneak-attack road, which is one possibility...but as I'm imagining his earlier history, he was more of a toe-to-toe combatant on the battlefield. Not sure if those could be combined.

Worth thinking about, but still looking for that secret ingredient.

[BWR]

Definitely Bard levels. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ7SVMVrick)

[nedz]

Well I'd suggest Scarlet Corsair (http://dndtools.eu/classes/scarlet-corsair/), but that's from Stormwrack. It's a good piratey fear PrC. But then so is Dread Pirate, which has already been suggested. Dread Pirate is from Complete Adventurer BTW, though the two classes are very similar.

Why the aversion to Stormwrack, it would seem to be the very book for this sort of thing ?

Otherwise just refluff a rogue, maybe mixing in some Swashbuckler with the Daring Outlaw feat (Complete Scoundrel).

I like A.A.King's suggestion of Water Devotion, but you really need a Cleric dip — at least for Turn Undead (though you can get this in other ways). If you did want a caster then you should probably go for a Druid or even a Sorcerer though.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by nedz
Well I'd suggest Scarlet Corsair, but that's from Stormwrack.

Thanks, I appreciate the suggestion. Scarlet Corsair seems to be mainly a sneak-attack PrC, which just doesn't quite fit for this fellow.

I do like the notion of some swashbuckler levels, even though it's not the greatest of classes. Could a swashbuckler do anything useful with Knowledge Devotion?


Originally Posted by BWR
*bard levels*

Well, a touch of bard might be useful, although he'll probably have one or more bards in his retinue. I can't really see him as a spellcaster himself.

I could see him doing something with EWP--not a spiked chain, nothing doing, but something unusual he might have picked up during the foreign wars.

What would be a good weapon in a pitched battle on land, that would also translate reasonably well on board a ship? Especially something noble and aristocratic?

[A.A.King]

Swashbuckler works decent with Knowledge Devotion, it has an INT Focus which makes it easier to get the extra skill points to fuel the knowledge skills. Just remember that Aristocrat gets all Knowledge Skills as Class Skills so you can just take Able Learner instead of Educated as one of your first level feats (if you take Aristocrat as first level)

As to which Exotic Weapon he might use:
Why not the humble Whip? I can see that being used by a Pirate. You can justify it being part of the aristocracy by taking a few ranks in Ride.

You can have it as an off-hand weapon and use it mainly for disarming. Fight one man with your Rapier, disarm another with your whip.

Or, really surprise your players and have it be his main weapon.

Bard 1 / Barbarian 2 / Bard +2 (3) / War Chanter 1 / Lasher 2

Lasher is from 3.0, it makes a whip a viable weapon. You can refluff Bard as something Aristocratic,

Barbarian 2 grants your pirate improved trip for free and the Rage fits with the hot-headed personality.. Bard grants you Whip Profiency and 3 Bardic Music Attems to fuel "Snowflake Wardance". Because another great thing about the whip is that it is a one handed slashing weapon meaning you can combine it with Snowflake Wardance. War Chanter one gets you an extra +1 BAB to qualify for Lasher and it gets you "Inspire Recklessness" which is a great song to use on oneself.

[DarkEternal]

Does it have to be a Wotc book? There's a good third party book called Pirates. As for your character, I'd recommend the Sea Chosen PrC. It's a d10 class, more martial than spellcasting involved. The character has to have a cause, similarly to a crusader or a paladin(though nowhere as noble if that's your thing), he's proficient with light armor, simple and martial weapons and has sea related abilities.

Like being able to automatically stabilise when falling beneath 0 hp, he gets bonuses on skill checks to discern illusions out on sea, he's faster on sea and when in pursuit of other ships, can later cast once per day stuff like control weather, elemental swarm or control winds and the like.

[Emperor Tippy]

Cloistered Cleric 1/ Decisive Strike Martial Monk 1/ Swashbuckler 3/ Factotum 3

Take Weapon Supremacy with your Monk feat and then grab Kung Fu Genius. Drop a feat on Snap Kick as well.

One level of Swordsage along with Shadow Blade would help boost your damage (although your damage will already be decent).

[gorfnab]

What race were you thinking of? If you can finagle the Otherworldly (PGtF) feat or somehow make him an abberation, dragon, fey, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, outsider, or undead you could consider the Dungeon Lord (DS) prestige class. Just declare the ship to be a dungeon and you're set.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by A.A.King
Lasher is from 3.0, it makes a whip a viable weapon.

From Sword and Fist, in fact. It's basically Indiana Jones, and completely not what I had in mind for this guy...and yet, there's a nagging coolness about it.

It almost demands that you go the sneak attack route, since otherwise you miss out on a major class feature, and I don't know if it could be combined with something rapier-like; but this definitely a cool and tempting option.


Originally Posted by DarkEternal
Does it have to be a Wotc book? There's a good third party book called Pirates. As for your character, I'd recommend the Sea Chosen PrC.

Hmm...is that this Pirates (http://www.amazon.com/Pirates-system-LII1503-Rules-Supplement/dp/0971214565/) here? Sounds like an interesting PrC, but I don't want to buy the whole book for just a couple pages.


Originally Posted by gorfnab
What race were you thinking of? If you can finagle the Otherworldly (PGtF) feat or somehow make him an abberation, dragon, fey, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, outsider, or undead you could consider the Dungeon Lord (DS) prestige class. Just declare the ship to be a dungeon and you're set.

Very interesting suggestion, thanks; I'd never looked at the Dungeon Lord before. As it stands, however, this fellow will be a baseline human, and not a spellcaster, so he strikes out on two of the main prerequisites.

But I do like this PrC, and I may end up using it elsewhere, so thanks for the heads-up.



--And yeah, very tempted by the Lasher option, although he might take a different route to get there.

I also like the notion of an elven thinblade or courtblade, mainly for the aristocratic pretensions of it all. Is there any way to gain proficiency in these without being an Elf? Would EWP itself be enough?

[HunterOfJello]

Make him a bard and stick an Admiral's Bicorne from Stormwrack on his head. All shall love him and make merry!

[DarkEternal]

From Sword and Fist,

Hmm...is that this Pirates (http://www.amazon.com/Pirates-system-LII1503-Rules-Supplement/dp/0971214565/) here? Sounds like an interesting PrC, but I don't want to buy the whole book for just a couple pages.

That's the one.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Make him something out of The Fear Handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=3809.0). For example:

Human Bard 8, Inspire Awe, Bardic Knack, Spellbreaker Song, Healing Hymn, and trade out Suggestion for Haunting Melody. Feats should be Dreadful Wrath, Martial Study: Devoted Spirit (gets Intimidate as a class skill), Weapon Finesse, and Imperious Command. Give him the Never Outnumbered skill trick, and armor with the Fearsome property (Drow of the Underdark version).

His spells should consist of effects that help him in noncombat situations, such as Silent Image, Disguise Self, Charm Person, Detect Thoughts, etc. He should also have a few spells beneficial to his crew, such as a Cure spell, Haste, Daylight, Invisibility Sphere, etc. It's appropriate to give a powerful pirate captain a certain level of mystery and trickery, and Bard spellcasting is perfect for that. In combat he'll maybe cast one spell, then move in close and use all the fear effects. Let's count those:

Casting a spell activates Dreadful Wrath for the duration of the encounter (20-ft. radius save vs shaken).
Inspire Awe is activated as a standard action and lasts as long as he sings whatever shanty he chooses (60-ft. radius save vs shaken).
Haunting Melody is triggered when he activates any other type of song (30-ft. radius save vs shaken).
He can demoralize an opponent he threatens with an intimidate check as a move action with Fearsome armor, or all opponents within ten feet once per encounter with Never Outnumbered (one opponent or 10-ft. radius, Cower for one round then Shaken on the following round).

Note that fear effects stack, Shaken a second time escalates to Frightened, Shaken again escalates it to Panicked. A panicked opponent who cannot flee cowers. The entire escalated condition lasts until every contributing fear effect's duration has expired on that individual. If they failed the save vs Haunting Melody, their fear condition lasts at least 11 round (his Perform ranks). If they failed the save vs Inspire Awe, their fear condition lasts as long as they hear him perform and 1 round after. Note that even if they move outside of that 60-ft. radius, if they can still hear him performing then the duration is still ongoing.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Biffoniacus_Furiou
*comprehensive mini-fear-handbook*

Thanks as always for the very thorough build advice there. I'd thought about making the pirate-lord a little bit fear-effectey, but nothing quite this imposing.

I'm still not sure if I want to include any bard at all in his build, and I don't think I want him to be all bard. However, what you've outlined here is just too good to pass up, so now I need to think of a new NPC to stack all of this onto. :smalltongue:




Originally Posted by A.A.King
Lasher is from 3.0, it makes a whip a viable weapon.


Originally Posted by Palanan
From Sword and Fist, in fact...there's a nagging coolness about it....

I'm really coming around to the Lasher concept, although not sure how best to implement it.

I'm extremely ambivalent about any bard at all, and not just on account of the spellcasting; but free proficiency with the whip is hard to pass up. Is there anything else out there that would give whip proficiency without spending a feat for EWP?

.

[Talya]

I'm extremely ambivalent about any bard at all, and not just on account of the spellcasting; but free proficiency with the whip is hard to pass up. Is there anything else out there that would give whip proficiency without spending a feat for EWP?

.
Well, you could pull a Tippy and do the DCS thing with an elf. Technically that's still spending a feat, but you're trading racial weapon proficiency feats you already have for it.

[Krobar]

Another good feat from Stormwrack is Scourge of the Seas. I'm posting from my phone right now and am away from books, so I can't reference the exact text, but it allows you to make intimidate checks against other captains based on them seeing you or your flag.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Talya
Well, you could pull a Tippy and do the DCS thing with an elf. Technically that's still spending a feat, but you're trading racial weapon proficiency feats you already have for it.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I was thinking something a little less involved, like a couple levels in a mildly obscure but still relevant base class or something. :smalltongue:

The more I think about it, the more I like A.A.King's suggestion of dual-wielding whip and something else; I'm just not sure what that Something Else could be. A rapier doesn't quite fit...but I'm not sure what else would be better.

Elven courtblade is probably too much hassle, so I'm open to other ideas.

[Talya]

I suppose "advantage" of dual wielding a whip with a non-reach weapon is you don't need TWF to make it work, since you are only attacking with whichever weapon can hit the target at any given time... the disadvantage is you couldn't hit with both weapons at the same time without provoking an AOO most of the time.

[Phelix-Mu]

Alright, well my best pirate build involved a mix of Dread Pirate and Legendary Captain. But we are aiming for something fairly low level and with a pretty narrow focus.

Suggestions:
- Nagaika: It's been an age since I cracked open Masters of the Wild, but back in 3.0, this was the weapon if you wanted a whip-wielder that didn't suck.

- Lasher: I'd go with it if you are feeling it.

- Skill tricks: From Complete Scoundrel, every fast-footed, flourishing fop must have a couple of these. Whip Climber in particular sounds relevant, but many of the movement ones are good, and maybe a couple of the social or manipulation ones as well. Low level, so you will have to be careful where to put things.

- Einhander: Kind of a sidenote, since the visuals don't work so well with whips, but this tactical feat from PHB2 is full of flavor. Its mechanics are pretty dull, but could be easily tweaked to better reflect the degree of awesome you want this guy to have.

Finally, depending on your desired level of corruption, this may be a good character to drop a couple Abyssal Heritor feats on. Especially if you are playing up his penchant for anarchy after his coup failed. "If it can't be mine, burn it down" kind of thing. Not sure that's where you want to go, as it sounds like he still has some dreams, but with enough enticement from some evil patron, he may well set his sights higher than just ruling over his former home.

Alright, the psychological side:
- How evil is he? I alluded to this above, but is he merely hung up on his past failure, fixated on restoring his image in the city? Or is he ready to hit the big leagues of evil, and the city is just the first stepping stone? The more you crawl inside his head, the more obvious the manner to role play him will become (sniveling rich boy looking to outshine/earn respect of his father, or bad boy waiting to burn down the city that chains him to his past).

- Does he care about the city? It seems he has already established himself well enough that he never really needs to set foot in there again, should he wish it. Is the city his crown jewel, or his stepping stone? The key here is if there is anything else from his past...say, a girl...that makes this city a part of his future as well as his past. I don't need to explain to you the dual nature of romantic details both deepening the darkness, while also providing a humanizing element. Also, helps to avoid the sniveling rich boy thing, which is a rather tired, if enduring, stereotype.

- Finally, how deep in is this guy with the barons/other evil masterminds of the plot? Is he totally unsympathetic, a villains villain, or is he just a guy who finds himself on the wrong side of the figurative tracks? Basically, I want to know how much of his soul is already forfeit, and whether he regrets his choices or not. This will heavily influence his interaction with the party, as a potentially redeemable pawn is very different from a lamb-eating psychopath who has a penchant for sadism and conquest.

Anyway, I hope this helps. Always interesting to hear what you are up to, Palanan. One day, I will write you a VERY long pm about what is currently going down in my Exalted campaign, with its endless list of antagonists and intrigues. In the meantime, good luck.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Phelix-Mu
*big stack o' helpful*

Outstanding suggestions, thanks very much indeed. I appreciate the time and thought you put into this, and especially your leading suggestion:


Originally Posted by Phelix-Mu
Nagaika: It's been an age since I cracked open Masters of the Wild, but back in 3.0, this was the weapon if you wanted a whip-wielder that didn't suck.

This...is perfect. Masters of the Wild is my favorite 3.0 supplement, and the nagaika is ideal for the pirate-lord. I was a little torn about spending a feat for an ordinary whip, but Nagaika Lasher is where this bus is headed now. :smalltongue:


Originally Posted by Phelix-Mu
Einhander: Kind of a sidenote, since the visuals don't work so well with whips, but this tactical feat from PHB2 is full of flavor.

Yup, there is tossing and flourishing aplenty. Not sure if it's entirely apt, since I'd still like him to be wearing a sword...but even a mighty nagaika will still be vulnerable to AoOs, as Talya mentioned for the whip, so that bonus could be helpful.

Also, I'm thinking of using a couple levels of the Corsair fighter variant from Dragon #310. The main benefits are Profession (sailor) as a class skill, and a slow-fall ability which is both stylish and useful. Plus the Corsair can substitute Use Rope for a Tumble check while aboard a ship, so Einhander would work nicely with that.


Originally Posted by Phelix-Mu
How evil is he? ...is he merely hung up on his past failure, fixated on restoring his image in the city? Or is he ready to hit the big leagues of evil, and the city is just the first stepping stone?

At this point in his life, he's bitter, hardened and callous, not so much concerned with rehabilitating his name as with taking what he believes he's grown strong enough to claim.

He's been hating himself for many years, for having trusted the wrong friends and acting from rash overconfidence. He likes to think he's become a careful strategist since then, and in some ways that's true--but he's still impulsive and self-justifying, and he'll commit himself to an attack if an opening appears.


Originally Posted by Phelix-Mu
Does he care about the city? It seems he has already established himself well enough that he never really needs to set foot in there again, should he wish it. Is the city his crown jewel, or his stepping stone?

The city has been his obsession these many years: to conquer and possess it will be full validation for his time in exile, and he plans a terrible vengeance on the former friends who betrayed and abandoned him.

Once the river-bridges are decorated with long lines of fresh heads, he will establish himself as the city's sole ruler--and, in fact, he would be a competent if ruthless administrator, following the example of his patrons. He would set his men to purging criminals and traitors alike, and would rule as a stern dictator. He genuinely believes that once he's restored "order" to the city, and scoured it of endemic corruption, conditions will improve and the people--the surviving people--will eventually give him his due.

At this point he will technically owe fealty to his liege-lord and the other barons he fought for, but he hasn't planned much further than this.


Originally Posted by Phelix-Mu
Finally, how deep in is this guy with the barons/other evil masterminds of the plot? Is he totally unsympathetic, a villains villain, or is he just a guy who finds himself on the wrong side of the figurative tracks?

He's hardly an innocent victim of circumstance, but not dedicated to slaughter and rapine for their own sake--although he acknowledges their value to certain ends, including political restructuring and the firmer side of good governance. He bitterly regrets many of his past actions, but only insofar as they were poorly planned and unsuccessful.

It's faintly, remotely possible that he could be brought into a temporary alliance with the PCs, but that would depend heavily on other aspects of the unfolding plot--and he would treat a scruffy little band of adventurers with stiff disdain. He is potentially redeemable, but any alliance would be entirely tactical, and he would drop the PCs down a oubliette at the first opportunity.

As for the barons, they were only distantly involved in his failed coup--conveniently, deliberately so--and they won't have a major role in the current campaign storyline. (Note to me: keep players from charging off the map at the first mention of evil barons.)



So, here's my sketch of the build so far:

Aristocrat 1/Rogue 2/Corsair 4/Lasher 2

He'll have Knowlege Devotion at third level, EWP (Nagaika) at sixth and Einhander at ninth. However, this still leaves him with a lot of feats to fill: three open feats at first level (standard, human, and flaw) plus three more feats at fourth, fifth and seventh, which are the fighter bonus feats from Corsair.

So, what other feats would be good for those open slots? He has feats to burn, and I'm in a spending mood, so anything goes.

:smalltongue:

[nedz]

I'd consider the Corsair Ability Rope Movement and possibly Climb-Fighting, but only if he is going to do a lot of combat on ships.

Other than that your Corsair feats are limited to this set :-

Acrobatic, Agile, Athletic, Cleave, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Great Cleave, Great Fortitude, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical, Improved Disarm, Improved Grapple, Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder,
Improved Trip, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Unarmed Strike, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Skill Focus (any class skill), Toughness, Two-Weapon Defense, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization.

Or these abilities :-

Climb-Fighting – Not considered Flat-Footed while climbing.
Rope Movement – As long as riggings / hanging ropes are available, the Corsair may make a Use Rope check in place of a Tumble check to move through an opponent’s hex without generating an Attack of Opportunity.
Slow Fall – When falling near a sail, tapestry, etc., the Corsair can use a bladed weapon, rope, or pole to slow his fall by reducing the effective distance 30’.
Swinging Bull Rush – By swinging on a rope, the Corsair gains a bonus on Bull Rush checks equal to +1 per 5’ swung.
Big Breath – When holding his / her breath, the Corsair only needs to make a Constitution check once per two rounds.
Ocean Tangle – When grappling in water deep enough to swim in, the Corsair can use his/her Swim check instead of his/her Grapple check.


Will you need Weapon Finesse ?
Or can you go down the Power Attack route ?

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by nedz
Will you need Weapon Finesse ?
Or can you go down the Power Attack route ?

That's a good question, especially about Weapon Finesse, since I'm not sure if it would apply to the nagaika. Weapon Finesse itself explicitly applies to a whip--but the description of the nagaika makes it clear it's not a standard whip. Not sure which way that would go.

As for Corsair feats in general, I'm thinking might as well use one for EWP on the nagaika. Improved Trip is on the Corsair list, but the second level of Lasher gives this as a bonus feat...so the field's still wide open for the other two feats.

I'm also undecided about the cluster of three feats at his very first level. That will be Aristocrat, so maybe a trio of social feats? Those tend to be meh, but it would be nice to give him something thematic there.

[Phelix-Mu]

Weapon Finesse in 3.0 only worked with a small list of weapons and had to be purchased weapon-by-weapon. It would be silly if it wasn't eligible now, especially given the whip mechanics. Nagaika is just a whip designed to injure armoured targets.

[nedz]

Weapon Finesse

With a light weapon, rapier, whip, or spiked chain ...

Is the Nagaika a light weapon ?

It's just a type of Whip so it should be OK, but RAW can be a bit funny.

[Palanan]

So, here's the build so far, working with Aristocrat 1 / Rogue 2 / Corsair 4 / Lasher 2:


1st - standard: ..Cosmopolitan
........human: ....Mercantile Background
........flaw: ........Dreadful Wrath
2nd -
3rd - standard: ..Knowledge Devotion
4th - ftr. bonus: .Weapon Finesse
5th - ftr. bonus: .Improved Toughness
6th - standard: ..Leadership
7th - ftr. bonus: .EWP (nagaika)
8th -
9th - standard: ..Imperious Command
........lasher: .....Improved Trip

Skill Tricks: Collector of Stories, Never Outnumbered, Whip Climber

How does this look?

.

[Phelix-Mu]

That looks good. Intimidation builds are pretty interesting to fight and can weigh in at several power levels. There is an item, I think it's the mask of blood or something like that, which gives a bonus to Intimidate actions in combat, probably found in Magic Item Compendium. A friend of mine used that to good effect with Imperious Command on a similar concept.

Finally, if it does come to combat, don't be afraid to add some interesting visuals to fighting this guy. Maybe he has had the nagaika treated with some alchemist's fire, so that he can light it on fire at the start of combat with some kind of free action. Probably won't add more than a point of fire damage, if that, but man...whips of flame!! Have the fight take place in a smokey alleyway at night (maybe near an opium den, for that extra bit of sensory description), leaping flames from the curling whips illuminate the shadows as they cause eddies in the smokey air.

This does begin to sound like some real fun.:smallsmile:

[Palanan]

Thanks to everyone who made helpful suggestions here, and especially to Phelix, Biff and A.A.King. Right now the pirate-lord has an Intimidate mod of +17 and Knowledge (local) of +14, so between the fear effects and Knowledge Devotion he should be ready to roll.

All I need now is a name, to reflect his being a notorious scourge of the seas and all that.

:smalltongue:

[Phelix-Mu]

- Dread Pirate Roberts

- Captain Morgan

- Davey Jones

- Jack Sparrow

Dammit! Why are iconic pirates so darn iconic?

I've been looking for an opportunity to use "Skiver," but it does sound a bit strange. How about Skiver MacLeish, Hand Behind the Whip? Starting to get better....

Good luck with the concept. Pirates are very classic, and any good campaign should have a taste of the maritime, if only for a short trip to yonder island or some such.

[nedz]

All I need now is a name, to reflect his being a notorious scourge of the seas and all that.

Lasher Bill