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Blackpowder Pirates
Bringing guns to the high seas.
DESIGN
David Adams
ART
Cover: A Mediterranean Brigantine Drifting Onto a Rocky Coast in a Storm, Willem van de Velde the
Younger PD-1996
Pirate: Enmanuel "Lema" Martinez
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voyage out into open waters is as likely
to be perilous as it is beautiful. There are
strange and terrible dangers lurking in the
deeps, and the waters of Faerûn are no
exception. It takes a brave, or perhaps more
likely reckless, spirit to decide to set sail and
venture over the known horizon.
The denizens of Toril are no strangers to
traveling by ship. The Sword Coast is teeming
with merchant vessels, and with those vessels
looking to make quick money by stealing what’s
on the merchant vessels. From the Trackless Sea
to the Sea of Fallen Stars and every body of
water across Faerûn, sailors and pirates abound.
Recently, rumors from merchant ships that
have traveled near the southern reaches of the
Trackless Sea claim that Lantanese pirates are
using a fearsome new technology. It is said these
pirates bear armaments that belch smoke and
fire, injuring and quickly killing men from a
distance. Lantan is no stranger to amazing new
artifice, but as of yet these pirates have not been
spotted in northern waters.
QUICK BUILD
This tome gives you a variety of simple tools to
quickly turn your character into one of the brave
souls willing to risk life and limb on the high
seas in search of plunder. Use the Quick Build
suggestions for your class, but consider the
pirate variant sailor background (or simply the
sailor background) as the point to kick start
building your character.
MARTIAL ARCHETYPE
Men and women experienced with a blade are
always a welcome addition to any crew. Any
fighter with the Sailor background will be more
than able to hold their own on such an
expedition. The archetype presented here, the
Buccaneer, represents a fighter who learned to
fight amidships, using the sway of the deck and
the punch of a brace of pistols to turn the tide of
battle in their favor.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Firearms feature prominently in most of the new class
options presented here because of their prominence in
a great many cinematic depictions of pirates. They
lend a distinctive flair to maritime adventures that
helps establish a unique tone. You’ll need the
Gunslinger PDF for the complete rules on firearms,
otherwise you can utilize one of the alternative options
found within to liberate these pirates from a reliance
upon their guns.
BUCCANEER
The archetypal Buccaneer is at home on any
ship. Buccaneers remain chillingly calm in the
face of danger and relish any and every
opportunity to show off their considerable skill.
Those that seek to emulate this archetype
cultivate a flashy style of fighting that sees them
taking many risks, and learning to reap the
rewards of pushing themselves to their limits.
COMBAT SUPERIORITY
When you choose this archetype at 3 rd level, you
learn maneuvers that are fueled by special dice
called superiority dice.
Maneuvers. You learn one maneuver of your
choice from a subset of the maneuvers presented
in the “Maneuvers” section of the Battle Master
martial archetype in the fighter section of the
Player’s Handbook. Many maneuvers enhance
an attack in some way. You can use only one
maneuver per attack.
You learn one additional maneuver of your
choice at 7 th , 10 th , and 15 th level. Each time you
learn new maneuvers, you can also replace one
maneuver you know with a different one.
When you learn a maneuver, you may choose
from the following options: Disarming Attack,
Evasive Footwork, Feinting Attack, Menacing
Attack, Parry, Pushing Attack, and Trip Attack.
Superiority Dice. You have four superiority
dice, which are d8s. A superiority die is
expended when you use it. You regain all of
your expended superiority dice when you finish
a short or long reset.
You gain another superiority die at 7 th level and
one more at 15 th level.

Using Superiority Dice. In addition to fueling
your maneuvers, you can expend superiority
dice to gain one of the following benefits:
When you make a weapon attack against a
creature, you can expend one superiority die
to make an attack with a firearm you are
holding against any creature you can see
within range of your firearm.
When you make an attack with a firearm, you
can expend one superiority die to add it to the
damage you deal with the attack.
Saving Throws. Some of your maneuvers
require your target to make a saving throw to
resist the maneuver’s effects. The saving throw
DC is calculated as follows:
Maneuver save DC = 8 + your proficiency
bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier
(your choice)
FIGHTING STYLE
Heavy armor fashioned of metal might provide
excellent protection to those fighters that engage in
combat upon land, but for the Buccaneer such armor
is a liability. The extra weight makes swimming
difficult and risks drowning. Salty spray accelerates
the rust and deterioration of such armor as well. The
Mariner fighting style, first shown in the Unearthed
Arcana series from Wizards of the Coast, is
recommended for those characters planning to
emulate the Buccaneer martial archetype and for any
campaigns that are planned to spend much of their
time aboard ships on the open seas.
MARINER
As long as you are not wearing heavy armor or
using a shield, you have a swimming speed and a
climbing speed equal to your normal speed, and you
gain a +1 bonus to AC.
SHOOT FIRST
At 3 rd level, you gain proficiency with firearms.
When you roll initiative you can draw one
firearm in your possession. If you are not
surprised, you can also make one attack with
that firearm against any creature that you can see
and whose initiative result is lower than your
own.
OLD SALT
When you reach 7 th level, your time aboard
ocean-faring vessels has turned you into one of
the finest sailors to board a vessel in living
memory. You are counted as two members of
any ship’s crew and are able to fulfill all the
required duties without unduly exhausting
yourself, and you are able to push the efforts of
other crew members to further heights. The
effective crew of any ship you sail on is
increased by 50% and you can use your
downtime to increase the loyalty score of the
crew by 1d4. Additionally, you are never at risk
of losing your sea legs due to prolonged activity
on dry land.
IMPROVED COMBAT SUPERIORITY
At 10 th level, your superiority dice turn into
d10s. At 18 th level, they turn into d12s.
RECKLESS DARING
Starting at 15 th level, you can spur yourself to
greater action when you throw yourself
recklessly into daring situations. On your turn,
you can take one additional action on top of your
regular action and a possible bonus action. You
can only use this action to Dash or to perform
any action that requires an athletics or acrobatics
check or that would provoke an opportunity
attack. Until the start of your next turn, attacks
against you have advantage.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a
short or long rest before using it again.
GUNSLINGER PERSONAS
Firearms are a favored tool of pirates. They’re
lethal, intimidating, and conveniently
transportable. Those pirates that master them, do
so using the gunslingers art and cultivate a
reputation as ruthless sea dogs.
DREAD PIRATE
Noisy spectacle and boisterous showmanship are
the hallmark of your reputation. You use your

firearms as tools of intimidation against your
foes, and a means to inspire awe in those that
you are allied with. You desire command of
your own vessel and crew, inspiring anyone of
like mind to revel with you in your ostentatious
behavior. You are a consummate adventurer,
enjoying the company of others as bold as
yourself and pushing more out of the dregs that
try to keep up with your company.
COMBAT SUPERIORITY
At 3 rd level, you gain a set of abilities that are
fueled by special dice called superiority dice.
Superiority Dice. You have four superiority
dice, which are d8s. A superiority die is
expended when you use it. You regain all of
your expended superiority dice when you finish
a short or long reset.
You gain another superiority die at 7 th level and
one more at 15 th level.
Using Superiority Dice. You can expend
superiority dice to gain a number of different
benefits:
When you make a weapon attack against a
creature, you can expend one superiority die
to make an attack with a firearm you are
holding against any creature you can see
within range of your firearm.
You can forgo one of your actions on your
turn and expend a superiority dice to allow an
ally that you can see to either make a firearm
attack against a target of your choice, or to
perform an action that requires a skill or
ability check. This ally can add your
superiority die to the firearm damage or
check result.
DETERMINED SWORDSMAN
Starting at 3 rd level when you select this persona,
you gain proficiency with your choice of the
cutlass (use the rules for the scimitar) or rapier.
When you have advantage against the target of
an attack you make with your chosen weapon,
you can expend a use of your Grit to add your
firearm bonus damage to the attack.
VICIOUS REPUTATION
Beginning at 10 th level, your reputation as a
scourge upon the sea has reached the point
where those that see you coming are apt to turn
and run. When you use your Menace ability, the
creatures you target are frightened until the end
of their next turn and until they rest they have
disadvantage on any attack made against you if
you have more than half of your hit points
remaining.
WALK THE PLANK
Upon reaching 15 th level, you use your firearm
to force your foes to swim with the sharks. You
can use your Menace ability to force one target
to spend their turn moving up to their speed
towards the edge of a ship’s deck. They have
advantage on the save against this effect, but if
they have enough movement to reach the edge
of the deck, or a gangplank or similar part of the
ship overlooking the water, they must jump
overboard if they fail the saving throw against
this ability.
OPTIONAL RULE: SEA LEGS
The constant rocking of a ship on the open water can be disorienting for
those unaccustomed to it, and presents constant difficulty for balance
and walking. Aboard such a vessel, a character has disadvantage on
acrobatics checks. During combat, a character that moves more than 5
feet has disadvantage on their attack rolls during their turn. After two
consecutive days aboard a ship, most characters gain their ‘sea legs’ and
no longer suffer these penalties (DMs may decide that acclimation takes
longer, if it is possible at all.)
Characters lose their sea legs if they spend more than a month off a
ship, but gain them again after only an hour aboard a ship. After more
than three months as a landlubber, a character must spend two days
aboard a ship before claiming their sea legs again.

ROGUISH ARCHETYPE
It takes loose morals and a sharp mind to make a
sustained living as a pirate, and rogues have
little problem developing considerable talent in
either area. Freebooters are rogues that ply their
larcenous trade under the billowing sails of a
ship on the open waters.
FREEBOOTER
You hone your skills operating as a pirate-forhire
aboard and ship that will have you. With
finesse and aplomb, you attack other vessels in
order to sell their cargo to the first merchant that
will pay you for it at your next port of call. A
trusty sidearm and a knack for cheating define
the fighting style that keeps you alive and makes
you a valuable asset to the rest of your crew.
SCOUNDREL’S TACTICS
Starting at 3 rd level, you learn to employ a
number of dirty tricks while fighting. When you
hit a creature with a melee attack that has
advantage, you can choose to knock the target
prone or cause it to be blinded or deafened until
the end of its next turn.
Once you have used this ability you cannot
use it again until you complete a rest.
SHOOT FIRST
At 3 rd level, you gain proficiency with firearms.
When you roll initiative you can draw one
firearm in your possession. If you are not
surprised, you can also make one attack with
that firearm against any creature that you can see
and whose initiative result is lower than your
own.
PRESS THE ADVANTAGE
At 9 th level, your dirty fighting style allows you
to capitalize more fully on the openings in your
targets’ defenses. When you would normally
inflict sneak attack damage with a melee attack,
you can instead deal no extra damage but leave
the target of your attack stunned until the end of
that creature’s next turn. This still counts as a
use of your sneak attack ability.
UNFLINCHING
At 13 th level, you become immune to fear and
fear effects and cannot be surprised.
BLOOD IN THE WATER
At 17 th level, your combat bloodlust is spurred
by the sight of a wounded enemy. When you
make an attack against a creature that has fewer
than half of its total hit points remaining, you
can deal additional damage to the target equal to
your sneak attack damage. This does not count
against your limit of dealing sneak attack
damage once per turn.
FIREARM ALTERNATIVES
While the explosive bluster of firearms makes a
solid contribution to the tone of the class options
presented here, they might not be the best fit for
every campaign. DMs looking for alternatives to the
firearm-centric options here need look no further.
ONE STEP AHEAD
Replaces Shoot First
When you roll initiative, you can move up to your
speed before combat beings. Until the end of your
first turn in combat you have advantage on attacks
against any creature that has not yet acted.
PIRATE’S PET
Replaces Shoot First
You gain the loyal companionship of a noisy parrot
(use the stats for the owl). This companion acts
independently in combat, rolling its own initiative
and acting on its own turn, but still obeying your
commands. It can attack, or use its action to distract
an enemy, giving you advantage on attacks against
that target. If your companion dies, it takes 1d4 days
to find and groom a suitable replacement.
SEA SHANTIES
Replaces Shoot First
As a bonus action on your turn you can begin
singing a nautical song. Any non-hostile creature
that can hear you gains advantage on their next skill
ability check as long as you maintain concentration
on this ability.

WARLOCK OPTIONS
Sailors tell tales of voices carried on the wrongs
of storms or crashing waves. Many landlubbers
dismiss such talk as superstitious nonsense, but
you know better. There are mighty powers that
lurk or slumber beneath the deep waters. When
you first heard the call you took to the sea,
saying far and wide wherever the whispers lead.
Eventually you found a place of power where
your future master gathered its followers and
you forged pact to the thing beneath the waves.
The new options below allow you to create a
warlock with strong ties to the sea.
PACT BOON
Any of the warlock pacts presented in the
Player’s Handbook are suitable to high-seas
adventures, but the new Pact Boon presented
here is a distinctly nautical option for warlocks
interested in exploring the mysteries surrounding
exploration upon the high seas.
PACT OF THE COMPASS
Your patron has allowed you to hold the Black
Compass, an instrument of guidance and tool for
divining your master’s will. The compass does
not point towards magnetic north as other
compasses do, instead it bends in the direction
that your patron desires.
While you possess the compass, you can make
navigation checks on the open water as though
you were trained and you do not risk getting lost
if you lose sight of land. Additionally, you can
whisper the name of one person known to you
and the needle of the compass will point in their
direction for the next 24 hours. You must finish
a long rest before using this ability again.
At 11 th level, you can cast find the path using
the compass as the required divinatory tool once
per day without expending a spell slot. You must
finish a long rest before you are able to cast this
spell again. At the discretion of your DM, there
is always the possibility that your patron is
manipulating your compass to draw you into the
web of its greater schemes.
OTHERWORDLY PATRONS
Beings of power capable of fueling the powers
of warlocks might be rare, but there are still
many—including those that are imprisoned or
slumber beneath the waves, biding their time
until a worthy individual comes along and is
crazy, or gullible, enough to work towards their
eventual freedom.
THE THING BENEATH THE WAVES
You have forged a pact with some inscrutable
creature that dwells in the eternally lightless
depths far beneath the surface of some notable
body of water. This creature’s ambitions are
often inscrutable, due to the inhospitable
THING BENEATH THE WAVES SPELLS
Spell Level Spells
1 st fog cloud, thunderwave
2 nd gust of wind, warding wind*
3 rd call lightning, tidal wave*
4 th control water, watery sphere*
5 th control winds*, maelstrom*
* these spells appear in the Elemental Evil Player’s Companion.
environs in which they dwell. Many look to see
kingdoms brought low beneath the waves, or for
the world to be consumed in unending floods.
Others have goals more nuanced and all the
more dreadful.
Entities of this type include Zoth-Ommog and
the Abolethic Sovereignty. Some exceptionally
powerful sea creatures like the kraken or
leviathan may also be able to grant such power
through pacts with mortals.
EXPANDED SPELL LIST
The Thing Beneath the Waves lets you choose
from an expanded list of spells when you learn a
warlock spell. The following spells are added to
the warlock spell list for you.

BREATH OF THE DEEPS
Starting at 1 st level, you are able to breathe water
as easily as air. Additionally, you gain a swim
speed equal to twice your speed.
SIREN’S SONG
Beginning at 6 th level, your patron teaches you
the irresistible call of the sea. As an action you
cause one creature you can see within 60 feet of
you to make a Wisdom saving throw against
your warlock spell DC. On a failure, the creature
is charmed by you and must spend its next turn
moving closer to you without regard for its
safety. This effect ends after a number of rounds
equal to your Charisma modifier, or if the target
takes damage. You must complete a long rest
before using this ability again.
STORM SHIELD
Starting at 10 th level, you are protected by your
patron’s tempestuous magic. You have
resistance to lightning and thunder damage.
Additionally, when you are damaged by a
creature within 60 feet of you, you can expend a
spell slot as a reaction to deal 5d6 lightning
damage to the triggering creature. You must
finish a short or long rest before using this
feature again.
NEW INVOCATIONS
The following new invocations complement the
nautical options presented here.
BAELFUL GEAS
Prerequisite: 12 th level, Pact of the Compass
feature
You can cast the spell geas once using a warlock
spell slot against a creature you have successful
tracked with your black compass. You can’t do
so again until you complete a long rest.
CRAWLING EYE
Prerequisite: 7 th level
One of your eyes is permanently disfigured,
allowing you to cast the spell arcane eye once
using a warlock spell slot. It is your own eye,
not a magical sensor, that travels out as part of
this spell. You can’t cast this spell again until
you complete a long rest.
COMMAND THE GALE
At 14 th level, you are granted the power to
summon storms. You are able to cast the spell
control weather once without expending a spell
slot, but you cannot change the temperature or
decrease the intensity of precipitation or wind.
You must complete a long rest before casting the
spell again.