Creative Characters – Bloody Bill, Corsair

Welcome back to Creative Characters. This time around we turn our eyes to the high seas, and the lawless world of piracy. Drawn from many walks of life, with a wide variety of skills, no two pirates are the same, as we’ll definitely see from looking at some of the crew of the Lady’s Bounty.

For the sake of reference, and consistency, all characters here are created with the Elite stat array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) and all hit points are rolled as averages. They are also written so that they can be used as either NPCs or PCs. First up, Bloody Bill, deadly Corsair, and First Mate.

Bloody Bill CR 6

XP 2,400
Male human corsair 7
CN Medium humanoid
Init +7; Senses ; Perception +10 (+12)

DEFENSE

AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 16 (+4 chain shirt, +1 deflection (ring), +3 Dex , +1 natural (amulet), )
hp 47 (7d10+7)
Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +4
Defensive Abilities uncanny dodgeDR 1/—

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee +1 rapier +10 (1d6+4/18–20) +2 bonus on attack and damage vs. aquatic subtype
Ranged mwk light crossbow +10 (1d8/19–20)
Special Attacks sneak attack +4d6, Vital Strike

TACTICS

During Combat Living up to his name, Bloody Bill is a terror in combat, leaping into battle to strike first, often with brutal results. An expert in catching his opponents off-guard, he delivers vicious wounds with almost every strike, taking advantage of distractions or flanking opportunities with other members of the crew.

STATISTICS

Str 10, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 8
Base Atk +7/+2; CMB +7; CMD 20
Feats Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Fencing Grace, Improved Initiative, Light Armor Proficiency, Martial Weapon Proficiency, Medium Armor Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Vital Strike, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (rapier)
Skills Acrobatics +19, Climb +16
Languages Common, Aquan
SQ sea hunter, throw the bones
Magical Gear amulet of natural armor +1, +1 chain shirt, potion of cure moderate wounds, +1 rapier, ring of protection +1 Non-magical Gear backpack, a bedroll, a belt pouch, dagger, flint and steel, an iron pot, a mess kit, ropesoap, torches (10), trail rations (5 days), and a waterskin. Coins 217 gp, 7 sp (these remaining coins can be spent at the GM or player’s discretion before the start of the game session).

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Rugged Sailor (Ex)

Bloody Bill adds half his corsair level to Climb and Swim checks and to Acrobatics checks to move on narrow surfaces and uneven ground.

Sneak Attack (Ex)

If Bloody Bill can catch an opponent when she is unable to defend herself effectively from his attack, he can strike a vital spot for extra damage.

His attack deals extra damage anytime his target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the corsair flanks his target. This extra damage is 4d6. Should he score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied. Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet.

With a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (like a sap, whip, or an unarmed strike), Bloody Bill can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. He cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual –4 penalty.

He must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A corsair cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment. This is the same as the rogue ability.

Sea Hunter (Ex)

Bloody Bill gains a +2 bonus on BluffKnowledgePerceptionSense Motive and Survival checks against creatures with the aquatic subtype. He also receives a +2 bonus on attack and damage rolls against them. A corsair may make Knowledge skill checks untrained when attempting to identify aquatic creatures.

Throw the Bones (Ex)

Once per day, Bloody Bill may add his Wisdom bonus (minimum 1) as a luck bonus to one skill check, attack roll, or saving throw.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex)

Bloody Bill can react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He cannot be caught flat-footed, even if the attacker is invisible. He still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. He can still lose his Dexterity bonus to AC if an opponent successfully uses the feint action against him.

Blind-Fight

Adept at taking advantage of foggy conditions or twilight, Bloody Bill receives Blind-Fight as a bonus feat.

Surprise Attack (Ex)

During the surprise round, opponents are always considered flat-footed to Bloody Bill even if they have already acted.

Vital Strike

Bloody Bill receives Vital Strike as a bonus feat.

Damage Reduction (Ex)

Bloody Bill possesses damage reduction. Subtract 1 from the damage he takes each time he is dealt damage from a weapon or natural attack. At 10th level, and every three corsair levels thereafter, this damage reduction rises by 1 point. Damage reduction can reduce damage to 0 but not below 0.

ABOUT

Born in a pirate port brothel, Bloody Bill’s path of lawless violence was laid out as clear as day. Growing up amidst the chaos and freedom of a pirate town, the boy was earning his berth aboard ships before he was in double digits, learning the tricks of the seaborne trade at the feet of wily old salts, the wind in his hair, salt spray in his face and a blade in his hand.

Loyal to those who offered him the freedom to live the way he was born to, unrestrained and fully alive, he has firmly settled into his position as first mate, gleefully leading the charge to board a captive merchant vessel in search of plunder.

Products used in this Character!



About markt

Mark has been playing RPG's for over 25 years, the last 10 primarily online. A veteran of countless Play by Post games, he is also a content creator for OGN and an RPG Superstar alumni.

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