Sea Reaver

Sea reavers represent a particularly nasty and vile breed of pirate. They spend most of their lives at sea or in port cities, and rarely, if ever, voluntarily travel inland except for the occasional raiding foray up large rivers. An encounter with a sea reaver is not easily forgotten. Only their unbelievably foul mouths match their rough and feral looks. A ship of sea reavers is a menace that few are willing to face directly. They fight dirty, talk dirtier, and are generally unpleasant to be around. When a passerby hears the normally tough waterfront thugs speak in hushed whispers about the new crew that pulled into port, they are invariably talking about sea reavers.

But sea reavers are more than just foul-mouthed, seagoing thugs. Their fighting skills on board the cramped conditions of most sailing vessels are a wonder to behold; sea reavers fighting amongst the rigging of a ship dance and flit about with effortless ease. And in the water this grace and style is only enhanced; they are natural swimmers and are almost more at home in the sea than on board a floating vessel. It is said that the most powerful sea reavers have even managed to tame incredible sea monsters to use as potent allies when mounting raids on merchant ships or undefended ports.

Although bards, rogues, rangers, and fighters are the most common sea reavers, it is not at all unusual to see any seagoing character take up this prestige class. Anyone sufficiently motivated by greed and lust for power and notoriety on the open sea can become a sea reaver.

NPC sea reavers are usually encountered as pirates. Most sailors and seamen are not sea reavers; the sea reavers represent the worst of the worst on the open sea. Despite the name, sea reavers have been known to ply their savage trade on freshwater lakes or even on large rivers.

Hit Die: d10

Requirements

To qualify to become a sea reaver, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria:

Skills: Diplomacy 1 rank, Knowledge (local) 1 rank.

Feats: Skill Focus (swim)

Language: Aquan

Special: All sea reavers must either own their own ship or must have served aboard a ship for at least a year.

Class Skills

The sea reaver’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Profession (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table: Sea Reaver
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special
1st +1 +1 +1 +0 Taunt, swimming feat
2nd +2 +1 +1 +1 Swingfighting
3rd +3 +2 +2 +1 Swimming feat
4th +4 +2 +2 +1 Underwater sense
5th +5 +3 +3 +2 Swimming feat
6th +6 +3 +3 +2 Improved swingfighting
7th +7 +4 +4 +2 Swimming feat
8th +8 +4 +4 +3 Cutting down the landlubber
9th +9 +5 +5 +3 Swimming feat
10th +10 +5 +5 +3 Dominate aquan

Class Features

The following are class features of the sea reaver prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Sea reavers are proficient with all simple weapons and all piercing martial weapons. In addition, they are proficient with the net. Sea reavers are proficient with light armor but not with shields.

Taunt (Ex)

Sea reavers associate with tough crowds, and as a result they quickly develop a large repertoire of insults and bawdy jokes. Often, a sea reaver’s skill at insulting an enemy can win a conflict before weapons are drawn. A sea reaver may taunt a specific individual within earshot as a move action. He makes an Intimidate check to determine the effectiveness of the taunt. If the player actually comes up with a particularly witty and cutting taunt, this check gains a +2 circumstance bonus. The taunted individual must match or exceed the result of the Intimidate check with her own Intimidate check. If this fails, the taunted victim becomes demoralized and suffers a –2 morale penalty to all attack rolls, checks, and Will saves for the rest of the round. A particularly skilled sea reaver can continue to taunt a poor victim indefinitely in this manner.

Swimming Feats

Sea reavers are gifted swimmers. As they gain levels, they begin to develop specialized feats that augment their swimming skills. Each time the sea reaver gains an even numbered sea reaver level, he may select a bonus swimming feat from the list below:

Distance Swimmer: The sea reaver does not have to make Swim checks to avoid nonlethal damage each hour.

Pressure Resistance: The sea reaver gains pressure resistance 10; the first ten points of damage he takes in a round from water pressure is negated. This feat may be selected multiple times, its effects stacking with each selection.

Increased Swimming Speed: The sea reaver can swim at a speed equal to half her normal speed as a move action or equal to her normal speed as a full round action.

Deep Diver: The sea reaver no longer suffers the standard cumulative –1 penalty for continual underwater swimming. In addition, the sea reaver does not take falling damage if he lands in deep water (in this case, water depth must equal or exceed twice the sea reaver’s height).

Floating: The sea reaver can float on the surface of calm water as a free action. While floating, the sea reaver is considered prone and cannot move. A sea reaver can actually sleep while floating in this manner.

Flow With the Current: By coordinating her actions with waves, currents, and eddies, the sea reaver gains a +2 bonus to initiative checks while swimming.

Swingfighting (Ex)

At 2nd level, the sea reaver develops a unique form of combat called “swingfighting”. While hanging from a rope or similar material (such as a ship’s rigging), the sea reaver can swing about with great skill and grace. This grants the sea reaver a +2 dodge bonus to her AC and Reflex saving throws. A swingfighting sea reaver can Take 10 on all Climb checks as a free action. If the sea reaver moves during a round in which he is swingfighting, he cannot attack with a two-handed weapon or use a shield.

At 6th level, the dodge bonus gained while swingfighting is doubled.

Underwater Sense (Ex)

At 4th level the sea reaver has become so familiar with the sea that he can locate creatures in a 30-foot radius underwater by detecting subtle changes in the current. This ability negates the effects of invisibility and poor visibility while in the water. The power is less effective against creatures without working central nervous systems such as undead, oozes, and constructs; sea reavers can locate such creatures within a 15-foot radius.

Cutting Down the Landlubber (Ex)

At 8th level, the sea reaver has become so filled with contempt and derision for landlubbers (any non-aquatic living creature without any ranks in Profession (sailor) or Swim) that they gain significant combat bonuses when fighting against such targets. Against landlubbers, a sea reaver gains a +2 morale bonus to attack and damage rolls, a +4 morale bonus to Intimidate checks, and a +2 morale bonus to Will saving throws against attacks. Against a landlubber who is onboard a ship or in water, these bonuses double.

Dominate Aquan (Su)

At 10th level, the sea reaver gains the supernatural ability to cast a dominate monster spell once per day on any aquatic creature. The DC for this ability is 19 + the sea reaver’s Charisma bonus.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Villains: Rebirth. Copyright 2003, Bastion Press, Inc. Author: James Jacobs.

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