Our preview of
Unorthodox Pirates continues with my favorite class, the
Freebooter. Well, not sure if it's my favorite (because they're all pretty good), but I sure do love saying
FREEBOOTER!
=======================================================
Freebooter
The Freebooter is the quintessential pirate. Freebooters are excellent sailors, trained from their youth in the art of living, surviving and fighting at sea. Not even the scurvy dogs that make up the civilized navies can out-climb a Freebooter in the rigging, and no men alive can best them in melee while standing on a slippery, pitching ship's deck. Freebooters are the people that society has forgotten or cast away because their race, class, or conduct was seen as unsuitable. Now, Freebooters live on a knife's edge, roaming the seas, taking what they can steal, and savoring every moment of revenge they can take against the weak civilized lambs. They may be thieves and rakes and the scum of the earth, but on the high seas they are kings.
Adventures
Freebooters usually take orders from their captains, but as the best sailors on a pirate ship, they will often occupy fairly high positions in the chain of command. Freebooters relish combat, and are known to draw straws against each other to see who is first over the railing in a boarding action. When in a port, a Freebooter will actively seek out mischief in the few nights he spends on shore: perhaps a little late-night burglary of the local nobles or simply a few good bar brawls. If a Freebooter ever takes charge of his own ship, he will typically work them extremely hard, expecting them to fight and sail as well as he can. Unlike some classes, Freebooter captains will not pursue grand vendettas and engage in all-out battles; they prefer lightning-fast raids, so as to remain anonymous and under the notice of the authorities.
Characteristics
Freebooters are by definition a very diverse bunch. They may include races of men from all across the known world, each one usually possessed of a lengthy list of criminal charges. Some are odd-looking, freakish or disfigured people who were shunned in their homeland. All, however, share a few traits: calloused hands and strong muscles from working the ropes and sails; an affinity for the shadows, and an appreciation of the elegance of a knife in the back; and above all, a sense of freedom.
Alignment
Freebooters may only be chaotic or neutral in alignment. The ways of lawful people do not sit well with them.
Religion
Freebooters, like most sailors, are generally a religious and superstitious sort. They primarily worship the gods of luck, battle and the sea. Some, however, still cling to the worship of the gods of their far-away homelands.
Background
Freebooters have many and varied histories. Some were thieves and rogues in the big cities before pursuing authorities forced them to take to a life at sea. Others were honest sailors or navy men who took to piracy after everything they had was taken from them. A very few can remember only the pirate life, as they grew up on their ships, rising through the ranks from cabin boy to first mate or higher.
Races
Any race may become a Freebooter, as every race has an equal likelihood of producing great sailors and warriors, and Freebooters may start out anywhere. However, halflings, gnomes, and dwarves are less common than others.
Other Classes
The Freebooter holds fighters, monks and barbarians in high regard, and considers rogues akin to brothers-in-arms. He doesn't always get along with wizards and sorcerers though, as they tend to know nothing of sailing or the fine art of killing and plundering. Freebooters are usually wary of clerics and paladins, as they represent order and the establishment.
Never Back Down: A Freebooter will always fight with enthusiasm and never back down. At 1st level, the Freebooter receives a +3 morale bonus to all Will saves while in melee combat. If there one or more other allied Freebooters within sight of him, and also engaged in melee combat, this bonus increases to +6.
The Sea is Home (Ex): The Freebooter feels most at home upon the waves; if he must, he can navigate by the stars and live off what he can catch. At 1st level, the Freebooter gains a permanent +4 bonus to all Survival rolls made on the ocean or shore (up to 5-miles from shore). If engaged in combat while on board a ship, the Freebooter always receives a +5 bonus to initiative.
Climb the Rigging (Ex): The Freebooter can climb and fight in the rigging with ease, and he knows how to use it to outmaneuver any opponent. Starting at 1st level, the Freebooter receives a circumstance bonus to all Climb checks involving ship's rigging and ship's ropes. This bonus is equal to half his Freebooter level (rounded up).
If engaged in hand-to-hand combat while in the rigging, the Freebooter gains a +3 circumstance bonus to his attack roll. At 4th level and every four levels thereafter, this attack bonus increases by 1.
Boarding Action I (Ex): Freebooters are the undisputed masters of shipboard combat. Beginning 2nd level, as long as the Freebooter is engaged in combat onboard a ship, floating platform, or sea-going vassal, he is automatically gains Board Action bonuses.
Due to his superior balance on the sliding, wet deck, the Freebooter gains a +4 circumstance bonus to AC.
=======================================================
The Freebooter was written by the primary author,
Xander Bennett.
I do love saying the word
FREEBOOTER!
Unorthodox Pirates should be available next week, and comes with 6 Pirate classes (full 20 levels), 12 Pirate Magic items, a Pirate Theme song by our friends at Bailey Records (
www.BaileyRecords.com), and 5-pages of rules to introduce guns & gunpowder to your fantasy world! Authors include The Le, Xander Bennett, Mark Charke, and David Gallant. Cover by Carrie Hall.
~The Le Games, We Enhance Worlds
