Question a pirate's cohort

[Vespasian]

I am making a 6th level bard who is the captain of a small galley (15 oars to side and a crew of 100) he has taken the leadership feat and I am having trouble deciding on what my cohort should be. I have thought about a halfling sorcerer, but that would mean that he would have a high charisma too (at least as high as mine is at 16) which could lead him to challenge my leadership purposely or even inadvertantly. This problem lead me to think about an Ogre fighter or barbarian, but the group already has two good 6th level fighters and my cohort would only be 4th, plus the fact that he would be quite stupid and I want my cohort not to be follower as much as a friend to my bard. I do not want a paladin, druid, wizard or ranger because they would not fit in very well and the setting has no gnomes. A cleric would be an obvious choice that I haven't ruled out, but my character isn't religious so I don't see them being good friends. A rouge would be nice, but if he were to be a large benefit to the party (as a dungeon crawling rouge would be so he could disarm traps and sneak around) he would seem out of place in a pirate ship.

What do you guys think of my ideas and/or do you have any good ones that would fit in to the setting and as my character's friend? (The power and benefit of the character isn't as important as the role playing aspect, but I don't want my cohort to be useless)

 

[Liquidsabre]

Aargh!! You're a pirate now matey, get yourself a fair-feathered fowl and be done with it! Personally there should be a pirate PrC that has animal companion for goodness sakes.

Seriously though, what books (i.e. classes) are available here? Also keep in mind that your PC will look for a sort of cohort to attract but may not necessarily get it. So what are you looking for in a cohort? Likely he'll be looking for a top notch first mate I'd imagine, someone to keep the crew in-line, take care of ship business, and to generally make themselves useful. With great luck you'll find a highly skilled tough guy that realizes the quality of your intellect and abilities and decides to follow you through storm and mutiny.

I'd go with a Rogue of some sort, a highly skilled mariner type, good with a blade but better with seacraft (afterall, you don't want him to be TOO good with a blade, *ahem* just in case). Plenty of appraise (knowing value of stuff your party nabs), balance, climb, craft: ship-building (for ship repairs), Prof (Sailor), Knowledge (local sea), Gather Info (for finding out info on the seas concerning pirates, trade, gossip at port, etc.), listen & spot (always good to have someone watching your back), sense motive (aid another in negotiations?), tumble (to get to you in battle), use rope.

Pretty much shore up your weaker skill-spots, fill in where you don't want to go (or will be recognized, noticed, etc.), and aid you to make your already superior skills even better with aid another.

 

[Khayman]

Aargh!! You're a pirate now matey, get yourself a fair-feathered fowl and be done with it! Personally there should be a pirate PrC that has animal companion for goodness sakes.

Actually, there is --- the Freeport Pirate, from Green Ronin. It's even been updated to 3.5 on the message boards. The PrC is treated as a ranger for purposes of determining the animal's HD.

 

[Khayman]

Try to find a hole in your party's composition and exploit it.

I'm playing a pirate in Greyhawk --- worked my way from Bosun's mate to First Mate and now to Captain. For my cohort I decided to create a trusted lieutenant to fill another shipboard role... so I recruited a minor character from my character's backstory, a nebbishy sort of bookkeeper for whose abusive father I once worked. He signed on as my quartermaster and keeps track of the loot... and for all our hard work, he and I skim a bit off the top.

I chose a wizard/rogue because our party consists mostly of fighters and rangers. (It also includes a priest steeped in evil and a halfling druid who is the scariest thing I've ever seen.) The combination has its advantages --- including ample skill points sunk into Appraise, Open Locks, and Profession (sailor). I tailored his spells to allow for opening & closing pesky locks, plus a bit of charm and mind control. As time has passed he's picked up some useful mass combat spells (i.e., web for tangling up men/sails/oars, mass jump for aiding boarding parties, and a few other maritime spells chosen from Relics & Rituals and Broadsides.

Other things to consider: a cleric or cleric/fighter (free healing, plus acts as the Ship's Chaplain), or a druid (the Ship's Doctor). Druids are particularly useful at sea, both for the espionage and combat benefits of their wild shape, and for their broad range of elemental spells. You could couple that with a PrC like the Sea Witch (from Relics & Rituals).

 

[Gregor]

Three words: "Awakened Parrot Sorcerer"

 

[RigaMortus]

I would suggest a Ninja as a cohort, but unfortunately Pirates and Ninjas are natural enemies...

 

[smetzger]

Druid

 

[welby]

I would suggest a Ninja as a cohort, but unfortunately Pirates and Ninjas are natural enemies...

well of course, what with the pirates kicking ninja booty (pun intended!) all over the place.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

What do you guys think of my ideas and/or do you have any good ones that would fit in to the setting and as my character's friend? (The power and benefit of the character isn't as important as the role playing aspect, but I don't want my cohort to be useless)

I'd go with a Telepath. Having someone who can read minds would be a great use to a Pirate captain as pirate crews aren't known for their loyalty when times get tough. A Telepath would be able to spot the troublemakers before they could sway too many other crew members to their side and reveal to the captain the plans for a mutiny ahead of time so he could be prepared for it.

 

[Pax]

A wizard, rather than a sorceror, would also work.

Or a cleric of an oceanic deity (preferably one of the nastier ones).