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| Illustration by Luis Perez |
People love a good campaign based around pirates. Paizo
has made not one but two Adventure Paths - Skulls and Shackles and Serpent’s Skull - as well
as at least one module with pirates as the theme. Chris Jackson has contributed
their splat book on ships as well as written three book
series about the crew of the Stargazer. Seafaring seems to be pretty popular in
Pathfinder, and with the new 7th Sea book which came out last year I think it's
pretty popular across game platforms.
Pirates, however, aren't the only people sailing the seas
of the world. There are plenty of other types of ships to ply the waters that
your players might enjoy playing, or to feature as enemies. Using Golarion as
an example Andoran, Cheliax, Qadira, and Taldor all have massive navies. Games
set around being a crewman on any one of these seagoing vessels could be quite
interesting. It is a slightly more structured lifestyle than being on a pirate
ship but you're far less likely to get a knife in the back for your share of
plunder.
If you'd like a mix of pirates and legitimate naval
fleets maybe it’s time to live the life of a privateer. Letters of Marque given
to buccaneers allowed them to prey on ships of enemy countries. Taldor relies
on these legal pirates to patrol the river that runs between the empire and
Qadira. Even Andoran uses privateers to attack the slaver ships of Okeno, and
occasionally vessels from Cheliax. Even though Cheliax is considered an evil
nation they are all about order and they despise both pirates and privateers.
In the northern waters you have the Ulfen raiders. Not as
active as they once were, still some clans of the Ulfen from both the Land of
the Linnorm Kings and the Ironbound Archipelago continue the tradition of
raiding coastal villages and towns. Different from pirates who usually attack
other ships, these raiders are also usually a family or clan, which has a
different dynamic than the 'every man for himself' rule of a pirate ship.
Slavers are feared across the inner sea region. The
yellow-sailed ships of the slavers of the Katapeshi island of Okeno strike
terror even into the hearts of hardened pirates. Using these foul folk as a
foil to your sea bound players could lead to many interesting games. Be careful
though, slavery is a tough subject for some so choose your use of slavers
judiciously.
No matter what kind of seafaring game you end up playing,
a lot of folk who end up on boats for a living grew up around them. We need to
consider where characters learned to sail in the first place. Fisherfolk,
merchant vessels, and transport ships are all perfect places for sea bound
characters to have gotten their start. Children of people who make a living off
the sea often find a way out onto the waters themselves.
One need not have ever been on a boat to know a lot about
them. There is a lot of support that goes into the seafaring. Harbors and docks
are filled with shipwrights, sailmakers, and cordonniers. If your parents were
dockworkers, harbormasters, or even a barkeep in a dockside tavern there is a
good chance you'll have some knowledge of seafaring.
On Golarion you also have deities that deal with waters
and seafaring; Gozreh in her female aspect of goddess of the sea, Besmara the
goddess of pirates, Hei Feng the Tian
god of the seas. Other than these major and minor deities there are a few Demon Lords, Infernal Dukes, and Empyreal Lords that deal with
aspects of life at sea or on the coasts. Deciding which deity a character pays
homage to gives a good idea of how they feel about the sea.
So, there’s more to just sailing the seas than being a
pirate. Whether you’re playing in or running a game based on a ship there’s a
lot to consider, and not just what you do on the boat. How did you learn to
sail? What do you do on land? What job do you have onboard? Which deity do you
pray to to keep you safe?
The open waters have been a source of wonder for ages,
and hopefully the CRB brings you that same sense of excitement and adventure.
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The opening illustration was created by the fine artist Luis Perez. You can find him on Twitter, Tumblr, and on Instagram at luisperezart.
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