Corsair
Foundations | |
Required Abilities | Dex, Cha, San |
Axiom | Sensate |
Affinity | Mystical |
Spell Casting | Cha |
Spell Attack | Per |
Saving Throws | Dex, Per, San |
Hit Dice | D8 |
HP @ Lvl 1 | Your Con Modifier + 1d8 or 5. |
HP @ Higher Lvls | Your Con Modifier + 1d8 / Level After 1st |
Introduction
While many don’t see it, and even fewer recognize it, there is a constant and ongoing cold war among the many Nobles and figures of Authority upon the world. Realms seek to prey upon the unwary of other realms, Nobles seek to gain an upper hand, merchants will want to undermine others.
It is, of course, always a secret thing, a thing where they cannot be seen doing it openly, where they must rely on others, usually for a price.
There are few who are truly drawn to this unique world, and while there is always work, that work is not always seen as legal and is not always seen as safe and who is to really complain if you take the time to do a little bit of it for yourself. Bandits are disorganized mobs who cry out for a leader, someone who can guide them, someone who can turn them into something more than starving and hungry desperate people Someone who has the wit and courage and will to make something, someone who seeks adventure and fortune, and doesn’t mind the tricky little bits about how they get there so long as they look good doing it.
Someone who recognizes that by land or sea or air, there is always a way to get what you want. These people are Corsairs. Some call them swashbucklers, because they are known to have a knack for style, fashion, and are mighty handy with a sharp-edged pointy thing or two.
Wyrlde is not without roaming bands of criminally minded miscreants and malcontents. While many of them do not have a leader, most do, and that person will always be a corsair at the least, as they tend to be the exact sort needed to lead a bunch of rough and ragged sorts while also appearing not to be doing exactly that. Because they need to be able to gain letters of marque or other tools that enable them to claim at least some legality to their acts – even if they may accidentally pick on the wrong ship from time to time, so long as it isn’t one that will get another corsair sent after them.
Which is not to say that Corsairs are only found upon roads and astride boats. Not all corsairs have found their crew yet, and some seek to strike it rich without such things, or to ply their gifts in ways that are less than common – ruffians and scallywags, they may take a tavern and rue a Section rom within it, or angle themselves into a position with a House or even as Nobility.
Corsairs are varied and peculiar, but what marks them is that sense of style that gift for being charming, that roguish swagger and confidence that carries them through the world – well, that and their absolute and unwavering faith that the Sisters watch over them.
Role
Proficiencies | |
Skills (Pick 2) | Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, Riding, Piloting, |
Spell Proficiency | Simple, Rudimentary |
Armor Training | Standard, Light, Medium |
Weapon Training | Simple, Expert, Specialist |
Despite the bragging and swagger, beign a corsair is hard work; there is no easy way to sail a ship or care for a mount or understand the winds in a skyship. Having a few handy tricks up one’s sleeve doesn’t hurt, and the ever-popular use of the distant hand is a well-known trick of corsairs who like to keep their touch light and their toes lighter.
Corsairs often surprise people when they prove somewhat useless with common weapons but demonstrate skill and capability with weapons that otherwise take extreme skill to use. This is part of what makes a Corsair a Corsair – they have a tendency to bluff and bluster their way through things, with a smile and a bit of panache that is hard to fake and impossible to pretend. They break rules in many ways and see them as a kind of suggestion. Corsairs see themselves as a more challenging form of Envoy, without the secrecy and sneaker or airs. Like Envoys, they solve problems, unlike them, they get their hands dirty.
Corsairs know the ins and outs of smuggling and fencing goods, and can often locate and find places and out of the way shops based on things heard or experienced during their apprenticeship years.
All this while avoiding wearing anything that might weigh them down, relying instead on their ability to read a situation and react properly.
In the end, Corsairs are the folks that are turned to when a problem involves something that cannot be taken care of in a room with soft words or silent action – for silence and subtlety are not a hallmark of Corsairs.
Fortes
Duelist
At 1st Level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if something in the game lets you choose again.
At 5th Level, when you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
At 9th Level, when you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack
At 13th Level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Charming Confidence
Your confidence is your strongest asset, and can influence the weave of Fate, Destiny, and Fortune.
Starting at 1st Level, you can turn to the Sisters to aid you. To do so, you use a bonus action on your turn to choose gain one Confidence die, a d6, usable on your next turn or later.
Once within the next 10 minutes, you can roll the die and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw you make. You can wait until after rolling the d20 before deciding to use the Confidence Die but must decide before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. Once the Confidence Die is rolled, it is lost. You can have only one Confidence Die at a time.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Your Confidence Die changes when you reach certain levels in this class. The die becomes a d8 at 5th level, a d10 at 9th level, and a d12 at 13th level.
Starting at 5th Level, your confidence propels you into battle. You can give yourself a bonus to your initiative rolls equal to your Charisma modifier.
At 9th Level, your charm becomes extraordinarily beguiling. As an action, you can make a Charisma (Persuasion) check contested by a creature’s Wisdom (Insight) check. The creature must be able to hear you, and the two of you must share a language.
If you succeed on the check and the creature is hostile to you, it has disadvantage on attack rolls against targets other than you and can’t make opportunity attacks against targets other than you. This effect lasts for 1 minute, until one of your companions attacks the target or affects it with a spell, or until you and the target are more than 60 feet apart.
If you succeed on the check and the creature isn’t hostile to you, it is charmed by you for 1 minute. While charmed, it regards you as a friendly acquaintance. This effect ends immediately if you or your companions do anything harmful to it.
Starting at 13th Level, you can use a bonus action on your turn to gain advantage on the next Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Strength (Athletics) check you make during the same turn.
Beginning at 17th Level, your mastery of the blade lets you turn failure into success in combat. If you miss with an attack roll, you can roll it again with advantage. Once you do so, you can’t use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.
Legerdemain
At 1st Level, you gain the spell Mage Hand as part of your training. At each degree of mastery, you gain an additional hand you can control.
At 5th Level, when you cast mage hand, you can make the spectral hand invisible, and you can perform the following additional tasks with it:
You can stow one object the hand is holding in a container worn or carried by another creature.
You can retrieve an object in a container worn or carried by another creature.
You can use thieves’ tools to pick locks and disarm traps at range.
You can perform one of these tasks without being noticed by a creature if you succeed on a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check contested by the creature’s Wisdom (Perception) check.
In addition, you can use the bonus action granted by your Florid Prowess to control the hand.
At 9th Level, you
At 13th Level, you gain the ability to distract targets with your mage hand. As a bonus action on your turn, you can designate a creature within 5 feet of the spectral hand created by the spell. Doing so gives you advantage on attack rolls against that creature until the end of the turn.
At 17th Level, you gain the ability to magically steal the knowledge of how to cast a spell from another spellcaster.
Immediately after a creature casts a spell that targets you or includes you in its area of effect, you can use your reaction to force the creature to make a saving throw with its spellcasting ability modifier. The DC equals your spell save DC. On a failed save, you negate the spell’s effect against you, and you steal the knowledge of the spell if it is at least 1st level and of a level you can cast (it doesn’t need to be a wizard spell). For the next 8 hours, you know the spell and can cast it using your spell slots. The creature can’t cast that spell until the 8 hours have passed.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Florid Prowess
At 1st Level, you gain a bonus action on each of your turns, and can take the evade action as a reaction.
At 5th Level, you learn to perform impressive displays of martial prowess and speed.
Whenever you take the Attack action on your turn, your walking speed increases by 10 feet until the end of the turn, and if a weapon attack that you make as part of this action hits a creature, you can use one of the following Blade Flourish options of your choice. You can use only one Blade Flourish option per turn.
Defensive Flourish. You can expend one use of your Confidence Die to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Confidence Die. You also add the number rolled to your AC until the start of your next turn.
Slashing Flourish. You can expend one use of your Confidence Die to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit and to any other creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of you. The damage equals the number you roll on the Confidence Die.
Mobile Flourish. You can expend one use of your Confidence Die to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Confidence Die. You can also push the target up to 5 feet away from you, plus a number of feet equal to the number you roll on that die. You can then immediately use your reaction to move up to your walking speed to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the target.
Starting at 14th Level, whenever you use a Blade Flourish option, you can roll a d6 and use it instead of expending a Confidence die.
Apprenticeship
Starting Gear | |
Gear | Small Backpack, Tinderbox, Large Sack, 30’ Rope, Waterskin |
Tools or Kit | Climber’s Tools OR Cartogrpaher’s Tools OR Navigator’s Tools |
Focus | Bauble – seemingly innocuous object such as a broken compass, a favored scarf, a bracelet, or amulet. |
Armor | Any standard Armor |
Weaponry | Any one Expert melee, and 1 Simple ranged. |
Wealth Bonus | 20 |
Corsairs, like other Sensates, have a strong tendency to simply fall into their particular profession, and profession it is – the Adventurer’s Guild does not recognize many things as a profession. Just ask Merchants.
Unless you are a Corsair, that is – there is a kind of friendly rivalry that can turn quite ugly between the two groups. Corsairs are often found with outlaws around them, which may feed not that.
Corsairs are not entirely self-taught, however – one does not learn the finer techniques and style of swordsmanship that is a hallmark on one’s own. No, for that, you usually have a Leader that helped you, and a Crew that you were a part of during your time as an apprentice. These people watched your back as you watched theirs, and the training that you gained for them likely has saved your life at least once already – as well as saved one of theirs, as well.
As a result of this, Corsairs have learned to work well with others while still being an independent operator.
Aspects
Orders
At 1st Level, you gain 1 First Order.
At 9th Level, you gain 1 Second order or 2 First Orders.
At 17th Level, you gain 1 Third order, or 2 Second Orders, or 3 First Orders.
Precepts
Starting at 3rd Level, you learn how to land a strike and then slip away without reprisal. During your turn, if you make a melee attack against a creature, that creature can’t make opportunity attacks against you for the rest of your turn.
At 7th Level, you can choose one aspect from the Postulant list.
At 11th Level, you can choose one aspect from the Initiate list, or one aspect from the Postulant list.
At 15th Level you can choose one aspect from the Member list, or one aspect from the Initiate list, or one aspect from the Postulant list.
At 19th Level you can choose one aspect from the Hieros list, or one aspect from the Member list, or one aspect from the Initiate list, or one aspect from the Postulant list.
Maxims
At 4th Level, you can choose one Dedicated Maxim.
At 8th Level you can choose one Persistent Maxim or one Dedicated Maxim.
At 12th Level you can choose one Zealous Maxim or one Persistent Maxim or one Dedicated Maxim.
At 16th Level you can choose one Unyielding Maxim or one Zealous Maxim or one Persistent Maxim or one Dedicated Maxim.
At 20th Level you can choose one Absolutist Maxim or one Unyielding Maxim or one Zealous Maxim or one Persistent Maxim or one Dedicated Maxim.
Esoterica
At 2nd Level, you can choose one aspect from the Postulant list.
At 6th Level, you can choose one aspect from the Initiate list, or one aspect from the Postulant list.
At 10th Level, you can choose one aspect from the Member list, or one aspect from the Initiate list, or one aspect from the Postulant list.
At 14th Level, you can choose one aspect from the Hieros list, or one aspect from the Member list, or one aspect from the Initiate list, or one aspect from the Postulant list.
At 18th Level, you can choose one aspect from the Alumni list, or one aspect from the Hieros list, or one aspect from the Member list, or one aspect from the Initiate list, or one aspect from the Postulant list.
Mysteries
Affinity | Axiom | Cipher | Manifestation | Orgone |
Mystical | Sensate | 
| WHIRLWIND | MOJO |
Affinity Score | Axiom Score | Spell | Spell Book | Focal |
CHA | PER | JUJU | Nomicon | Bauble |
Spell Level | Spell Point Cost | Actions to Cast |
Cantrips / 0 | 1 | 1 |
1 Level Spells | 3 | 1 |
2 Level Spells | 5 | 2 |
3 Level Spells | 8 | 2 |
4 Level Spells | 12 | 3 |
5 Level Spells | 14 | 3 |
6 Level Spells | 17 | 4 |
7 Level Spells | 19 | 4 |
8 Level Spells | 21 | 5 |
9 Level Spells | 25 | 5 |
Corsairs are users of Mystical magic and tend to see it as an aid or an assistance to their regular habits, as opposed to a tool to use on its own.
Their focus is always some sort of bauble, or small, seemingly ordinary and unremarkable item with a bit of a quirk to it. This item is carried upon their person and may be worked into all manner of things on their person – but if separated from it, they lose that capacity – something they are quite aware of.
At 5th Level, you gain 1 Simple Mystery.
At 13thth Level, you gain 1 Rudimentary Mystery, or 1 Simple Mystery.
Mana Stored & Spells Per Level
Complexity -> | Mana Stored | Simple | Rudimentary | Intermediate | Advanced | Expert | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mastery | Level | Cantrip | 1st Level | 2nd Level | 3rd Level | 4th Level | 5th Level | 6th Level | 7th Level | 8th Level | 9th Level | |
Novice | 1 | 5 | 3 | |||||||||
2 | 13 | 4 | 1 | |||||||||
3 | 19 | 4 | 1 | |||||||||
4 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||
Yeoman | 5 | 31 | 5 | 2 | 1 | |||||||
6 | 42 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||||||
7 | 49 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||||||
8 | 57 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||||||
Adept | 9 | 65 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||||
10 | 72 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||||
11 | 79 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||||
12 | 87 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||||
Master | 13 | 94 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||
14 | 102 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||
15 | 110 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||
16 | 117 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||
Grand Master | 17 | 124 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
18 | 132 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
19 | 139 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
20 | 147 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | |
Proficiencies
At 2nd Level, you gain 2 proficiency slots.
At 6th Level, you gain 2 proficiency slots.
At 10th Level, you gain 3 proficiency slots.
At 14th Level, you gain 2 proficiency slots.
At 18th Level, you gain 2 proficiency slots.
Ability Score Increases
At 3rd Level, You gain 2 points.
At 7th Level, You gain 2 points.
At 11th Level, You gain 3 points.
At 15th Level, You gain 2 points.
At 19th Level, You gain 1 point.
Leveling Table
Level | Mastery | Prof Bonus | Skill | Forte | ASI | Maxims | Precepts | Mysteries | Orders | Esoterica |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Novice | 0 | Yes | Simple | First | |||||
2 | 0 | Yes | Yes | |||||||
3 | 0 | Yes | Yes | |||||||
4 | +1 | Yes | Rudiments | |||||||
5 | Yeoman / Doyen | +1 | Yes | Second | ||||||
6 | +1 | Yes | Yes | |||||||
7 | +1 | Yes | Yes | |||||||
8 | +2 | Yes | Medial | |||||||
9 | Adept | +2 | Yes | Third | ||||||
10 | +2 | Yes | Yes | |||||||
11 | +2 | Yes | Yes | |||||||
12 | +3 | Yes | Advanced | |||||||
13 | Master | +3 | Yes | Fourth | ||||||
14 | +3 | Yes | Yes | |||||||
15 | +3 | Yes | Yes | |||||||
16 | +4 | Yes | Expert | |||||||
17 | Grand Master | +4 | Yes | Fifth | ||||||
18 | +4 | Yes | Yes | |||||||
19 | +4 | Yes | Yes | |||||||
20 | +5 | Yes |
