D&D 5E Cool Special Attacks for a "Pirate"

trentonjoe · Jul 11, 2019

I am running an encounter with pirates tonight and want them to play out more complicated than a bag of it points. I am looking for suggestions to give them neat, special attacks or abilities. Currently my list is:

1. Using a net to restrain
2. Lifting up the eye patch to show a mangled eye and "scare"
3. Running away after taking damage
4. Stun (lose an action) if they hit with a belaying pin to the head
5. Parrying with handle (whatever the fancy word is) of their cutlass

I am not really worried about mechanics (although I don't mind seeing them), I am most interested in ideas of what cool things a pirate should be able to do. I want to do something with rum but I can't think of something cool

Thanks in advance.

jasper · Jul 11, 2019

6. Pet Monkey/Parrot attacks
7. Rum breath (disadvantage on next turn)
8.Peg leg stomp ( lose 10' movement)
9. Mug smash another stun attack

Kobold Stew · Jul 11, 2019

Hit with the pommel, not the peened tang.

Tony Vargas · Jul 11, 2019

10. Swinging across a gap and into an enemy.
11. Grab a halyard, cut it free so it pulls you into the rigging, as the spar it was holding up plunges to the deck - preferably onto an enemy.
12. Multiple pre-loaded hand-crossbows or other single-shot fantasy pistol analog of choice.

jasper · Jul 12, 2019

11. Hostile Takeover DC 12 Wis or your loot is theirs
12. Cash on hand DC 10 INT save or your coin is theirs
13. Briefcase add +2 to pirates AC
14. Golden Parachute aka feather fall

Flamestrike · Jul 12, 2019

I like my set piece encounters to feature

1 x Boss (with a buff aura of some nature like the Leadership ability of the Hobgoblin boss and Knight)
1-2 x 'Heavies' (Big hitting brutes, with either high AC or a bag-o-HP or sometimes both,
Multiple mooks

And maybe a caster.

For a twist, consider having your 'Pirate captain' with a parrot on his shoulder be... a Wizard with a Parrot familiar.

Have the Parrot fly to a PC and deliver a touch spell

Draegn · Jul 12, 2019

A pirate could use fish as weapons. Small fish thrown like a dagger, larger fish used as a club.

Regardless of how slippery the ship's deck are or a dock is the pirate never falls.

Tony Vargas · Jul 12, 2019

Flamestrike said:
For a twist, consider having your 'Pirate captain' with a parrot on his shoulder be... a Wizard with a Parrot familiar.

Or a Druid in the form of a parrot, with a differently-abled henchman.

Flamestrike · Jul 12, 2019

Tony Vargas said:
Or a Druid in the form of a parrot, with a differently-abled henchman.

Or the parrot repeatedly squawks it is really a totally powerful bad-ass NPC who was the prior victim of a True Polymorph spell that become permanent.

If the PCs can find a way to remove the spell, it promises to reward them with loot beyond their dreams.

Squawk! True Polymorphed was I! Remove the spell and great treasure will be yours, Squawk!

It's either:

A) Telling the truth. The Pirate is trying to find a way to get the spell cast to acquire the treasure.
B) An elaborate ruse from the Pirate who trained it to squawk that story. It's just a Parrot.
C) An even more elaborate ruse; while the story is partly true; the pirate just arranged for an [insert monster here] to be Polymorphed as a final 'screw you!' for anyone that kills him.
D) Is actually a powerful Demon Lord that was polymorphed by a Goodly Wizard, and remembers enough of it's past life to try and fool the unwary (Deception +12) into releasing it.

Flamestrike · Jul 12, 2019

You could really stitch the PCs up if suddenly several other Pirate Captains come looking for the fabled Parrot (they believe its story and want its treasure).

The PCs will think it's incredibly valuable and obviously telling the truth, if other NPCs go to great efforts to get it for themselves.

Try not to laugh your backside off as DM for the next few months of game-play while they valiantly defend a:

A) Normal Parrot, or
B) Horrible monster polymorphed into a Parrot.