Your party could be a group of castaways, left to die by their captains. Either way, it makes for a nice pirate vibe.Īnother traditional pirate story is one of revenge. Maybe the treasure is a ruse, meant to lure unsuspecting cutthroats to unleash an ancient evil from its prison. The most obvious pirate idea is the search for buried treasure, so these locations make for logical choices. Create story beats of revenge, treasure hunting and/or exploration.Ī few dungeon ideas could be based around an expansive seaside cave system or an ancient jungle temple. Maybe the first encounter could be an ornery plesiosaur laying her eggs on the beach.
The beaches could have sea hag encounters or giant crabs.
I like the concept of a lush jungle island full of dinosaurs, lizardfolk and insects of disturbing size. Other creature encounters can be found on the islands themselves. There are options to battle underwater, too, but be warned, the firearms won’t shoot when they’re wet. They could raid your ship or be as big as your ship. The monsters and wildlife along the way could come from the sea itself, such as krakens, merfolk, kuo-toa, aboleths and my personal favorite, dragon turtles. Maybe these islands are nations, maybe the world has nothing but island nations. This means islands, beaches and coastal towns are likely to show up along the way. Whether the setting is tropical or arctic, one thing is for sure: you’re going to spend some time in or around the water. Guide to Building a Goblin Character DnD 5e Related Posts: Island Adventure and Campaign Guide: DnD 5e There are themes that commonly go with a swashbuckling adventure. However, the story and setting could be modified to fit a pirate campaign. We wouldn’t want to drop the opportunity for a goblin cutthroat on the high seas. All of the races available in DnD can be infused into this pirate story. Your pirate story can take place wherever-make up an island chain, base it off influences from classic pirate stories. We love a good outlaw in the USA, so naturally pirates are popular here. From East Asia to Europe to Africa to the Americas, if you have a boat and are willing to steal, you’re a pirate. Of course, pirates in the real world have been a global issue for a very long time. In my mind, as a guy in America, the idea of pirate stories brings the Caribbean islands to mind. Handheld fuse bombs are fair game as well, dealing 3d6 fire damage against a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw. For this, you will use the Burst Fire property to spray 10 bullets within a 10-foot cube area. It’s also going to take more than one bullet, as these basic shotguns did. Note there is no pump-action here, just a one-shot spray. I would also argue that blunderbusses are fair game, so you could take the shotgun damage (2d8) and apply it to a single blast. For the sword, remember that most slashing weapons are generally Power based, while most stabbing (or fencing) weapons will use Dexterity. This could be paired nicely with a cutlass or other saber in the main hand. These weapons deal 1d10 damage with a range of 30/90. Pistols are similar as one-shot, reloading weapons.
You can generally do this as an action, which feels closer to reality than some special bonus action (unless, perhaps, your gifted with the Sleight of Hand proficiency). The range is set to 40/120, and the weapon must be reloaded after each shot. Muskets will cost about 500 gold, dealing 1d12 piercing damage at a distance. You could either choose the traditional prof + Dex bonus attack modifier against your enemy’s AC, or choose a DC saving throw of 15 (Dex) for the attack roll. Along with bullets, you will need to carry gun powder in a water-resistant powder horn. Obviously, the ammunition used for these projectile weapons are bullets, which you can buy 10 of for 3 gold. However, if you’d like to check out a premade pirate adventure, check out my original adventure, Dead Man’s Tale, by clicking here or below.įirst of all, let’s talk about renaissance era firearms, as this will relate to classic pirate weaponry. With this article, I want place together a few need-to-know game functions, along with example stories and character builds.
The good news: this gives the DM and players room for creativity. Gun powder, ship navigation and character themes will be much more prevalent. Create story beats of revenge, treasure hunting and/or explorationĪ pirate campaign has different elements from the run-of-the-mill DnD 5e basic.
For a DnD 5e pirate campaign, remember these elements and character/story tropes: