[Index]

PIRATE CAPTAIN5 (15)

Cypher Bestiary

Some pirates rise above their fellow crew to gain command. The loyalty a pirate captain enjoys stems from the awe and fear the crew have for their captain, plus the size and frequency of shares to the crew of booty from captured ships. The lack of the latter sometimes overshadows the former, risking mutiny.

Pirates may also be encountered in any number of port towns where pirate ships dock, though with their pirate flags lowered.

Health: 24

Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound

Armor: 1

Movement: Short

Modifications: Tasks related to command, charm, deception, and running a ship as level 7

Combat: A pirate captain attacks twice with their cutlass or their two-shot long-range flintlock, or once with each.

Some captains have obtained mythical pirate booty that is potentially useful in combat.

Individual captains may also avail themselves of one of the following tactics:

• Avast, Me Hearties: The pirate captain only attacks once this round but issues a command to all allied pirates who can hear, immediately granting each an attack action, even if they've already attacked this round.
  
• Hoist the Colors: The pirate captain only attacks once this round but issues a command that causes nearby pirates to raise a banner, pirate flag, or similar device. All allied pirates who see it regain 3 health, and their attacks and defenses are eased for one minute.
  
• To Arms, Ye Scurvy Dogs: The pirate captain only attacks once this round but issues a command to all allied pirates who can hear, granting each an extra attack each round for one minute.
  
• Send 'em to Davy Jones' Locker: The pirate captain only attacks once this round but issues a command to all allied pirates who can hear, immediately granting each an action, which is to push/toss/force foes who fail a Might defense roll overboard into the cold chop of the sea.

PIRATE CAPTAIN NAMES

Pirate captains generally choose their own names, keeping their original moniker if they've gained a reputation with it, or choosing something they hope will frighten those who hear it. Options include: The Brigadier, Ironheeled Eleanor, Long Ben, Firebeard, Bellamy the Sinner, Captain Charlotte, The Sea King, Nathanial Kraken, The Terror, Captain Flint Mako, Radha the Red, Pandora, Ryland the Undrowned, Yara the Nightwitch, Captain Vanquish

THE ESSENCE OF PIRATES

Pirates are usually encountered as part of a crew of dozens, all under the command of a notorious captain aboard an infamous pirate ship. They yearn for wealth, freedom, and whatever lies over the sea's horizon. They are equally thrilled by seeking hidden treasures, finding uncharted islands, and discovering drowned legendary artifacts as they are when a ship laden with potential booty heaves into view.

Pirates enjoy their bloodthirsty reputation but prefer that their prey surrender over fighting to the last sailor. If the targeted crew know the pirates will keep a promise of only plundering, not murdering everyone, they might give up rather than fight.

Individual pirates have unique pirate names and distinctive looks and habits, but all answer to a pirate captain.

The only difference between pirates and privateers is that privateers obtain a license for their tyranny.

DISTINCTIVE PIRATE LOOKS AND HABITS

Pirates are a disreputable lot, weathered and often wearing a patchwork of dress and style. But every pirate has a particular habit, distinctive look, or behavior that sets them apart, including:

d20	Distinction
1	Wears a lion-skin cape with lion.head hood
2	Smells of cinnamon oil and burnt gunpowder
3	One eye glows with silver light
4	Can't go a day without being struck by lightning
5	Seems to be a talking lemur in pirate clothes
6	Speaks eloquently with perfect diction
7	Talking blue-shelled crab on shoulder
8	Set of wooden teeth capped with ivory
9	Always strumming on a lute
10	Monstrously drunk; sobers up quick in a fight
11	Followed around by a seal in an eyepatch
12	Muscle-bound; sports knife-through-heart tattoo
13	Beard is a wooden prosthetic
14	Always shucking and eating clams/oysters
15	One peg leg always tries to take root
16	Wears a live rat strapped to head as a hat
17	Wields a cutlass that whistles and glows
18	Their swearing peels splinters from the deck
19	Wears a spherical diving helmet at all times
20	Never misses opportunity to mention they were once a "lost boy"

MYTHICAL PIRATE BOOTY

More than gold, jewels, clothing, and art, pirate captains prize looted magic artifacts, including:

d6	Artifact (level 7; depletion 1 in 1d6)
1	Faerie caught in amber: Causes all flying creatures in a very long radius to fall from sky.
2	Cursed chest: Locking someone inside for a day transmutes them to a very expensive sum of coins.
3	Dagger of Endings: Drawing the dagger disintegrates all drawn weapons in short-range.
4	Spyglass of Sinking: User can sink a ship they spy within very long range.
5	Hand cannon: Magical hand-held cannon makes a long-range attack dealing a major wound.
6	Ice wand: Turns water to ice in a very long area, imprisoning nearby ships in ice for hours.

Adventure Seed: A chalice of enchanted nectar, bound for a distant island ravaged by bad dreams, is stolen by a pirate ship. Getting the chalice back could ensure the peace of hundreds.

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