Piratecrawl: origin, skills and professions

A quick subsystem to find out where your pirate is from and what life they thought they'd be having. It's nice to be able to customise your character a bit. For use in an upcoming piratecrawl using the GLOG.

THE KNOWN WORLD

Based on Skerples' pirate wavecrawl
The Old World countries are at each others' throats. Their factories hunger and their markets scream for novelties. Tarracon, Valois, the Ranstead League and Wexland ruthlessly exploit their New World colonies. They war over the slightest provocation.

The New World feeds the Old World's hunger. Forts, trading posts and colonies dot the coasts but the inland is strange and unexplored. The Old World is far away and its grasp is weak: hoist the pirate flag and steal their riches for your own!

Left to right: traders from Tarracon, Valois, the Ranstead League and Wexland. (from the Völkertafel)

	Tarracon	Valois	Ranstead League	Wexland
manners	haughty	frivolous	openhearted	well-spoken
minds	clever	cautious	crafty	reasonable
personalities	jealous	refined	cruel	charming
knowledge	theology	military	jurisprudence	natural sciences
desire	honour	luxury	comfort	wealth
flaw	greed	deceit	intolerance	restlessness
clothing	respectable	fashionable	sober	imitate Valois
colonies	oppressive	unstable	exploitative	industrious
beliefs*	superstitious	skeptic	skeptic	superstitious
attitude*	cynic	romantic	cynic	romantic
habits*	traditionalist	radical	radical	traditionalist

* in other words, the Alignment system from Skerples' pirate wavecrawl.


New World Locations

• The Mehabara islands are the gate to the New World. Ships take on fresh supplies and carry away sugar, tobacco and cotton from the plantations. Escaped slaves and pirates sit outside the reach of the law.
• The coastal outposts on the continent of Chult extract spices, iron, gems and strange beasts. Explorers to the interior bring back stories of treasure and magic.
• Colonies on the Ape Archipelago seem doomed to struggle or fail. Beasts grow strange here and the law is far away.
• The volcanic Isle of Dread is a sailor's myth. They say the place is rich in gold, and that the natives know how to raise the dead.
• The Maelstrom islands are the last stop on the spice run. Resupply and avoid Graben's sleeping death, Quellport's red honey, mad Carcosa, the many wrecks of the Fortune and the horrible prison of Dreadhold.
• Ranstead factors on the Spice Islands trade for priceless spices like nutmeg and cloves.
• Yoon-Suin's Yellow City is mostly closed to outsiders. Its tea and opium are legendary.

BACKGROUND

Where are you from and what were you trained for?

• roll or pick your origin and mother tongue (d10)
• pick a profession (d8)
• pick a skill
• +1 to associated abilities (max 17)

Origin and mother tongue (d12)

1-2	Wexland / Wexlish
3-4	Tarracon / Tarraconese
5-6	Valois / Valois
7-8	The Ranstead League / Ranstead
9	Isla de Caracol / *
10	Spice Islands / Malaku
11	Chult / Chultan
12	Yoon-Suin and its  Trade Tongue

* starting language for Isla de Caracol: Wexlish, Tarraconese or Valois.

Professions (d8)

Pick or roll a profession type and gain a +1 to the listed ability (up to 17), then choose a profession from that category.

*/** learn 1 / 2 extra languages above your max

italic: roll another origin as your first profession or as a cover identity.

1. Laborer (+1 Str)

Blacksmith, Brickmaker, Cooper, Dockworker*, Mason, Miner, Ropemaker, Stable hand, Tanner

2. Craftsman (+1 Dex)

Brewer, Cabinetmaker, Candlemaker, Cigarmaker, Freed slave, Gunsmith, Hatter, Printer, Saddler, Shoemaker, Silversmith, Tailor, Taxidermist, Weaver, Wigmaker

3. Outdoorsman (+1 Con)

Farmer, Fisher, Guard, Herder, Hunter, Plantation worker, Lumberjack, Prize fighter, Rancher, Sailor, Scout*, Slaver, Smuggler*, Soldier, Trapper, Veteran

4. Learned (+1 Int)

Accountant, Apothecary, Architect, Banker*, Cartographer, Clerk, Engineer, Lawyer*, Scholar*, Teacher

5. Service (+1 Wits)

Coach driver, Cook, Barber-surgeon, Journalist, Lamp lighter, Navigator*, Prospector, Ratcatcher, Servant, Shipwright, Tavern help, Translator**

6. Social (+1 Cha)

Artist, Courtier*, Exotic dancer, Gentleman, Heir, Land owner, Merchant*, Musician, Officer, Poet, Priest

7. Trouble (+1 Any)

Bounty hunter*, Gambler, Opium peddler*, Pirate, Political radical*, Rebel*, Religious separatist*

8. A story (+1 Any)

Assassin*, Castaway, Old World spy*, Piracy survivor, Prisoner, Shipwreck survivor, Escaped slave, Transportee

Bonus: what's up with you? (d20)

1. framed for smuggling / counterfeiting / murder / piracy
2. huge 2d6 x 500 gp debt to gambling ring / bank / criminals / drug smuggler
3. fell in love with the sweetheart of a cruel courtier / judge / merchant / ship captain
4. dishonoured your family name / mentor / army / betrothed
5. fleeing as ring leader of a failed revolution / worker's union / religious reformation / free press
6. trying to get support for your crazy music / scientific theory / political ideas / trade scheme
7. escaped suffocating life as religious initiate / noble heir / bank clerk / crop farmer
8. exiled after a scandalous affair / raucous play about the king / 
9. fallen out of grace after a failed assassination / spy mission / trade coup / treasure hunt
10. just started your job when your master was exiled / murdered / disappeared / claimed he never met you
11. botched job as a bodyguard / advisor / overseer / guide
12. looking for better pay / religious freedom / excitement / your disappeared love
13. your promised job fell through / land turned barren / cargo spoiled / friends left you behind
14. mistaken identity as a navigator / lawyer / accountant / banker
15. just drafted as a sailor / marine / smuggler / dockworker
16. your ship left without you / robbed you blind / tried to sell you / marooned you
17. you woke up alone in your village / on your ship / on the plantation / in jail
18. want to be the first to circumnavigate the globe / discover the Isle of Dread / start your own colony / plumb the Maelstrom
19. unfortunate penchant for gambling / opium use / petty theft / forgery
20. memory loss, but you have lashes on your back / book in a strange language / map of a strange island / tattoo that seems to move

Skills

Skills are very general in nature; they intentionally overlap with each other and with professions. Pick one from the table and gain +1 to the listed ability (up to 17).

When you have the relevant skill, you roll d20 + Ability instead of d20 + ½ Ability. Am I calling for a different skill than you'd like to use? Sell me on it.

skill	+1 to
blacksmithing, carpentry, swimming	Str
pickpocket, riding, sailor, stealth	Dex
(no specific Con skills)	Con
administration, appraising, botany, chemistry, engineering, folklore, geology, law, navigation, physics, poisons, taxidermy, zoology	Int
animal handling, cooking, gambling, literature, medicine, merchant, spycraft, survival	Wis
acting, courtesy, disguise, musician, larceny, orator, religion, writer	Cha