Pirate Magic

While Freeport: The City of Adventure, Stormwrack, and Dragon have provided some pirate specific magic items, I'd like to create some more.

First up is the Vest of the Pirate. I've got a swashbuckling fighter headed for the Freeport Pirate prestige class in my game. She's been a little short on magic so far, so I'd like to work up something useful for her to find down the road. Vests and vestments are supposed to give bonuses to class abilities. I'd like to create one that helps out swashbuckling pirate types. Here are some existing vest and vestment examples:

Druid's Vestment - One extra wild shape per day

Rogue's Vest - bonuses to hide and move silently. Bonus to reflex saves. +1d6 to sneak attack.

Vest of Legends - bonuses to diplomacy and peform. Bonus class levels for bardic song.

Looking at these models, I think that the Vest of the Pirate ought to give bonuses to a couple useful skills like Tumble, Jump, Balance, or Climb. It also ought to provide some kind of specific class ability bonus. Unfortunately neither the fighter nor the Freeport Pirate (my target audience, as it were) have class abilities that really lend themselves to a numerical bonus, like the vests and vestment mentioned above. Another aproach might be to grant a swashbuckle-friendly bonus feat, like Improved Disarm or Quick Draw. However, magic items that grant feats are problematic, and how impressed is a fighter really going to be by another feat?

I'd also like to create a Pirate's Eyepatch. One obvious aproach would be a "I can see better with one eye than you can with two," idea. Perhaps a bonus to spot, and able to cast see invisible 1/day. There are certainly other possible approaches.

Any suggestions for the Vest of the Pirate or the Pirate's Eyepatch? Post your own pirate magic items!

Morrow

For the Vest of the Pirate, I'd go with a Fortitude bonus (to protect you from all the poison those Ninjas use), a bonus to whatever skill it is that you use to sail a boat, and maybe a small Initiative bonus.

For the eyepatch, I'd stay away from the X/day spell-like abilities. How about short-range Blindsense? Whether it's nighttime, invisible, magically dark, foggy, duststorm, etc, you can see into adjacent squares perfectly clearly, which is enough to move at a walking pace safely or fight enemies with Concealment. Maybe allow them to extend the distance if they concentrate for multiple rounds and close their other eye (+5' per round, max 30'?).

I don't like the idea that losing an eye grants you better vision... how about this for Dread Pirate Eyepatch: +2 Cha, +4 Intimidate, blind fury 1/day (whirling frenzy variant of Rage found in UA). Pirates are all about looking cool.

In that same vein: Hand Hook: Simple Light weapon, 1d4/x2, +2 bonus to Disarm checks, can't be disarmed.

... and a magic version -- Dread Pirate's Hook: +2 Keen hand hook, grants the Improved Grab ability (free grapple attempt when you hit with the Dread Pirate's Hook).

-- N

Both suggestions for a pirate eyepatch have something to recommend them, although I don't have UA so I'm not up on blind fury.

I like the idea of a magical hook, although I'm not sure that granting improved grab makes much sense stylisticly. It's a hook, you're probably not going to be grabbing much with it.

Spatzimaus has some interesting ideas for the Vest of the Pirate. I'm still not seeing a "cool, I've gotta get one of those" item, though. I'm a little sceptical about granting a fort save bonus, for the same reason I don't think getting a reflex save bonus from the Rogue's Vest is that great. You're granting a bonus to the strongest save of the likely user of the item. It's just not very exciting. At least with the Rogue's Vest, that bonus offers a synergy with Evasion. Granting a Fort save bonus to a fighter type isn't going to get anybody interested.

Since the Freeport Pirate can't wear armor, maybe something that will increase AC is the way to go. Granting a higher bonus when the Dodge feat is used might be a flavorful option.

Morrow

Morrow said:

Both suggestions for a pirate eyepatch have something to recommend them, although I don't have UA so I'm not up on blind fury.

Click to expand...

Here it is online: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/classFeatureVariants.htm#rageVariantWhirlingFrenzy

Morrow said:

I like the idea of a magical hook, although I'm not sure that granting improved grab makes much sense stylisticly. It's a hook, you're probably not going to be grabbing much with it.

Click to expand...

The idea was that it gets caught on clothing, in your guts, etc.

Morrow said:

Since the Freeport Pirate can't wear armor, maybe something that will increase AC is the way to go. Granting a higher bonus when the Dodge feat is used might be a flavorful option.

Click to expand...

How about a Vest of Armor (works, and is priced, just like Bracers of Armor)?

-- N

Here's a few I created for my own homebrew awhile back, right after Stormwrack came out:

Bloody's Bess' Eyepatch - This fine quality, black leather eyepatch is set with a milky white pearl in the center and is the companion piece to bloody bess' pearl ring. It allows the user to utilize detect ship (see Stormwrack, page 115) at will.

Bloody Bess' Pearl Ring - This beautifully wrought ring is adorned with a white pearl of large size, polished and rendered perfectly on a silver band, engraved with what appears to be rolling, crashing waves. This ring grants a +5 bonus on profession (sailor) checks and grants the wearer the sea legs and sailor's balance feats. Furthermore, the ring grants a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls, armor class, saving throws and skill checks to allies within sound of the wearer's voice (ncluding the wearer).

Pearlsteel Circlet - Created by the combined magics of sea elves and men, this beautifully-wrought pearlsteel circlet gleams magnificently and is adorned with small, milky-white pearls. The pearlsteel circlet adds a +3 bonus to all saving throws and to armor class while the wearer is submerged in water. Furthermore, the wearer is granted a +5 circumstance bonus on all swim and survival checks, while underwater. Finally, the circlet allows the wearer to speak with animals at will, but only those of the aquatic variety.

The Peg Leg of "White Legged Jack" - Beautifully carved from smooth ivory and trimmed with polished silver and balsa wood, this peg-leg was once the property of the "gentleman pirate" White-Legged Jack, known for both his politeness and etiquette, but also for his brutal, bloodthirsty methods and legendary debauchery. The peg leg appears to be in excellent shape, save for a small series of grooves and notches at it's base, the legacy of a sahuagin attack that almost claimed White-Legged Jack's life.

The possessor of this peg leg gains a +4 enhancement bonus to his charisma score for as long as he is not prone. Once a day, for 1D4 +1 hours, any ship he captains moves one hour per mile faster than normal. In addition, the peg leg has a second special power, usable once each week, as long as the possessor is not in stormy waters. With a simple command word, the possessor of the peg leg summons a small, floating isle, 60 feet in diameter. The isle is filled with palm trees, which provide some cover against rain or sun. There are open fireplaces with roasted meat hanging over them and barrels of rum are scattered all around the isle. The isle can hold up to 100 people and provide them with sufficient food and entertainment. The isle and food created by the summoning effect lasts for one day, after which the isle slowly sinks into the sea and the food turns rancid, finally disappearing, along with any other materials taken from the isle.