Corsair Class

Corsairs are warriors born to the sea, unencumbered by bulky armour, accustomed to swift moves and running battles over open water. She is the daring merchant-princess, he the cunning rogue; together they are bold explorers. While the early Zakharan peoples were born to the desert, they soon became practised in the ways of the sea, and dominated trade (and piracy) in the waters surrounding their empire.

Role: Corsairs successfully bring to the sea lanes the same virtues that have worked so well for their desert born cousins—bravery, honesty among allies, leadership by example, and advancement by merit. However, Corsairs are not tethered to land-based organisations or leaders; they are the master of their own universe when at the helm of a ship.

Corsairs exist on the borders of society. They are continual travellers between the great seaports, with no single place to call their home. Many are explorers, seeking out new lands and adventures. Others are pirates and freebooters, looking to loot as much as possible from their prey. Upon "retiring," Corsairs often become simple sea merchants, following common routes and carrying traditional cargoes. Yet even in the hearts of these old sea dogs a fire burns—a passion that may lead them to accept one "last" great adventure.

Equipment: Corsairs may not begin play with armour heavier than studded leather. They prefer the short sword and/or scimitar.

Restrictions: All races except ghul and jann may become Corsairs. Some sailors consider women to bring bad luck, but in general female corsairs are as successful as males.

Hit Die: d10
Base Attack Increment: As Fighter
Saving Throws : Reflex (Good), Fortitude (Good), Will (Poor)
• Class Skills: Class Skills: Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Profession (Wis), Spot (Int), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Rope (Dex).
• Skill points at each level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the corsair class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Corsairs are proficient with all simple weapons and martial weapons as well as light armor but not with shields.

Sea Legs: Early on, corsairs learn to compensate for the rocking motions of ships. In any fight on a rocking surface, such as aboard a ship at sea, the corsair gets a +4 bonus on initiative. If the rocking motion is enough to cause a penalty, the corsair can either ignore the penalty (if it is -2 or less) or halve it (if it is +3 or greater). The corsair also gains a +2 competence bonus to Balance checks.

Swing Attack: If a rope, chandelier or other swinging line is available, the corsair can make great leaps and still attack in the same action. Use the Jump skill for this; the difficulty is the number of 5' squares you wish to move. If you start in an elevated position, you get a +2 bonus for each 5' or height, the reverse applies if you wish to swing upwards. If you make the roll, you swing successfully as a move-equivalent action that does not trigger any attacks of oppurtunity. If you fail, you move as a full-round action. If you fail by 10 or more, you fail the swing and end up a number of squares along the path equal to your skill total, and do trigger attacks of oppurtunity.

Combat Feats: As the corsair advances in level, new combat tricks and feats come naturally to him. All normal prerequisites still apply. For every four levesl, the corsair may select one feat from the following list: Ambidexterity, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Expertise, Great Cleave, Improved Bul Rush, Improved Critical, Improved disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Mobility, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Spring Attack, Sunder, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus, Whirlwing Attack.

Celestial Navigation: When the corsair can see the clear sky, at night or day, he gets a +5 circumstance bonus on Intuit Direction and won't misjudge direction on a roll of 1.

Leadership: Corsairs are a close-knit bunch. A sailors reputation is worth more than gold. A corsair that advances to 6 th level automatically gains the Leadership feat, usually applied to his officers and crew.

Master Helmsman: The corsair gets a +4 competence bonus to Profession (sailor). His ship also gains a 20% increase in speed.

Weather Sense: The corsair can predict weather changes. Use Profession (sailor) for this, the difficulty is 20. For every point of margin, the corsair predicts the weather-change one hour in advance. On land, the difficulty is 25.

Dead Reckoning: Determining how far a ship has sailed without landmarks is very difficult with primitive navigational tools, but a corsair gets an instinctive feel for distance as he gains in experience. Use Intuit Direction for this, the difficulty is 30. Celestial Navigation bonuses apply (q.v.). On a failed roll, the corsair misjudges the distance travelled by 5% per point of failure.