Ship Scavenger (Gillman Ranger 6)

This gillman’s lean, athletic frame speaks to a life of hard work, but his keen eyes and appraising smirk suggest a sharp mind and daring nature.

Ship Scavenger CR 5

XP 1,600
Gillman ranger 6
N Medium humanoid (aquatic)
Init +2; Senses Perception +9

DEFENSE

AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor, +2 Dex, +1 shield)
hp 51 (6d10+18)
Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +3; +2 vs. non-aboleth enchantments, –2 vs. aboleth enchantments
Defensive Abilities enchantment resistance; Weaknesses water dependent

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee +1 shortspear +8/+3 (1d6+3), mwk short sword +7 (1d6+2/19–20)
Ranged shortspear +9/+4 (1d6+2)
Special Attacks combat style (two-weapon), favored enemy (animals +2, aquatic humanoids +4)
Ranger Spells Prepared (CL 3rd; concentration +4)

1stresist energy, summon nature’s ally I

STATISTICS

Str 14, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +6; CMB +8; CMD 20
Feats Athletic, Endurance, Quick Draw, Two-Weapon Defense, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (shortspear)
Skills Climb +8, Handle Animal +8, Knowledge (engineering) +6, Knowledge (nature) +9, Perception +9, Stealth +10, Survival +10, Swim +17
Languages Aboleth, Common
SQ amphibious, favored terrain (water +2), hunter’s bond (companions), track +3, wild empathy +6
Combat Gear potion of barkskin, potion of bull’s strength, potions of cure light wounds (2); Other Gear +1 wooden armor, +1 shortspear, mwk short sword, shortspears (5), block and tackle, crowbar, mwk backpack, sacks (4), silk rope (100 feet), whetstone

ABOUT

Hunting below the waves secures only a precarious living, and forges don’t burn underwater. To acquire worked goods and supplement their income, many turn to scavenging. Shipwrecks, storm-washed flotsam, and jetsam abandoned to dodge customs officers all offer a wealth of goods now beyond the reach of their human creators and free to any aquatic creature strong and brave enough to claim them. Those gillmen who pick the bones of sunken hulks must compete with other ocean-going scavengers, from sharks and giant crabs to sahuagin.

Fierce battles can erupt over new opportunities, just as surface peoples may battle over a mine or treasure-laden tomb. Truly successful scavengers often conceal or boobytrap their most lucrative discoveries, or recruit additional gillmen to help them guard a find and swiftly pick it clean. Groups of gillmen ranging in size from small gangs to large organized companies may claim especially treacherous waters and identify these jagged reefs, storm wracked passes, and monster-infested shoals with distinct markers, which canny sailors learn to use for navigation.

While most ship scavengers content themselves with recovering lost treasures from past accidents or battles, a greedy few cause shipwrecks by moving buoys, extinguishing lighthouses, disseminating false charts, and sabotaging vessels. The worst are little better than pirates, prying ships apart from below the waves or setting them aflame, then slaughtering the crew as they leap into the ocean. Whether they’re malign or merely opportunistic, ship scavengers are unlikely to share a wreck’s treasures, even—or especially—with its air-breathing former owners.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Monster Codex © 2015, Paizo Inc.; Authors: John Compton, Paris Crenshaw, Mike Myler, Tork Shaw, and Larry Wilhelm.

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