By Roaring Oceans
By Roaring Oceans Pirate Multiclassing Options
The pirate class is a versatile concept in Conan the Roleplaying Game. The skill rules in Conan the Roleplaying Game further permit customisation by allowing any skill points realised from high Intelligence scores to be spent on any skill as though it were a class skill. Still further, pirates can take levels in other classes to compliment their own combat mastery or further expand their skills and special qualities. This chapter presents possible ways to combine the pirate with the rest of the classes presented in Conan the Roleplaying Game, presenting advice on feat and racial choices and other options available when the character gains new abilities from new levels in alternative classes. With any sort of multiclassing, the character will lose access to the high level abilities of the pirate character class. All of these combinations include this inherent weakness. These character concepts lose additional sneak attacks, Improved and Greater Mobility, improved Seamanship, additional Poison Resistances and additional Ferocious Attacks. This book assumes that the character’s main focus is the pirate aspect, taking levels in other classes to alter their basic pirate concept slightly. Other character classes taking levels in pirate to compliment their primary focus are covered in later chapters or in other Conan the Roleplaying Game supplements. The advancement rates offered herein are not to be taken as the final word on the subject but merely as guidelines to meet a particular character concept.
Corsair
�Pirate/Barbarian�
A corsair is created by combining the murderous heart of the pirate with the feral power of the barbarian, merging their unique talents together to form a furiously violent pirate, an archetype of amoral power. They are raiders who loot and pillage coastal communities, acting without honour and without fear. Slaying and dying are their pleasures in life, unhampered by morality and other trifles that limit men’s lives. They are brawlers and ruffians, taletellers and carousers. They are not mere pirates – they are an utter scourge, leaving a trail of blood, fire and tears behind them as they travel the seas and ports of
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the Hyborian landscape. Corsairs are havoc incarnate. They haunt the coasts of the Barachas, Zingara, Argos, Shem, Stygia, the Black Coast, Vendhya and Khitai, ravaging the coastlines and plundering the treasures of the age.
Strengths
The pirate gains a number of benefits from adding barbarian levels to his pirate class, the following being the most important for the role of the corsair: Trap Sense: The barbarian’s ability to sense traps helps him in enemy territories and on enemy ships. Fearless: The corsair has a better Will save against fear and Terror than most pirates because of the +2 resistance bonus from the barbarian class. Versatility: This barbarian power helps the pirate when he needs a weapon fast. Crimson Mist: This helps the corsair in Terror-fraught situations. Improved Combat Capability: The corsair has an overall better base attack bonus than a straight classed pirate. Improved Hit Dice: The barbarian’s d10 Hit Dice gives the corsair better average hit points than a similarly levelled pirate. Improved Fortitude & Reflex Saves: The addition of the barbarian class gives the corsair a powerful initial boost in Fortitude and Reflex saves. The corsair ultimately ends with a slightly higher save in both categories. A high Dexterity or Constitution score can bolster this further.
Weaknesses
The pirate dilutes his combat ability by taking up barbarian levels, adding the following weaknesses: Reduced Defence: The corsair suffers from a diminished capacity to defend himself, especially with Parry Defence. Slowed Will Saves: Both barbarian and pirate have slow Will saves, creating a character with an extremely slow developing Will save. Potentially Useless or Duplicated Feats: Track may have less utility for a corsair than for most barbarians, and both the barbarian and pirate gain the Bite Sword ability, for which a second application does nothing for the character.
