Some master privateers are pirates, a motley collection of rogues and cutthroats that prey on merchant ships to plunder them for credits and cargo. An unsavory lot, master privateers commandeer any vessel they capture, taking prisoner the crew and passengers, perhaps letting them go, perhaps tossing them out the airlock depending on the nature of their captain. In all, these types of master privateers are treated as criminals by any law enforcement agency.
Although such rogues are a menace to be sure, not all pirates are merciless killers. Many adopt and live by a strict code of conduct that gives them parameters for the types of ships they’ll strike and what they do with prisoners. Some pirates release the prisoners, depositing them in a more-or-less safe location where they are likely to be rescued. But for every decent master privateer, a dozen more merciless fiends lay in wait.
While not as common as the pirates, but probably more famous, and certainly better respected, there are privateers that work in the employ of law enforcement agencies, military forces, and even private security firms. These privateers thrive in times of war, but also in times of peace, as they often see use as customs agents, security forces, and even as assistants for bounty hunters.
REQUIREMENTS
To qualify to become a master privateer, a character must fulfill the following criteria.- Minimum Level: 7th
- Trained Skills: Deception and Pilot
- Feat: Vehicular Combat
- Talents: Any two talents from the Misfortune, Smuggling, or Spacer talent trees (Scoundrel base class)
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Master privateers have the following game statistics.HIT POINTS
At each level, master privateers gain 1d10 hit points + their Constitution modifier.HERO POINTS
Master privateers gain a number of Hero Points equal to 6 + one-half their character level, rounded down, every time they gain a new level in this class.| LEVEL | BASE ATTACK BONUS | CLASS FEATURES |
| 1st | +1 | Defense bonuses, talent |
| 2nd | +2 | Veteran privateer (1/encounter) |
| 3rd | +3 | Talent |
| 4th | +4 | Veteran privateer (2/encounter) |
| 5th | +5 | Talent |
| 6th | +6 | Veteran privateer (3/encounter) |
| 7th | +7 | Talent |
| 8th | +8 | Veteran privateer (4/encounter) |
| 9th | +9 | Talent |
| 10th | +10 | Veteran privateer (5/encounter) |
CLASS FEATURES
The following are features of the master privateer prestige class.DEFENSE BONUSES
At 1st level, you gain a +2 class bonus to your Reflex Defense and a +4 class bonus to your Will Defense.
TALENTS
At every odd-numbered level (1st, 3rd, 5th, and so on), the improviser selects a talent. The talent must be selected from the Piracy talent tree or Privateer talent tree (see below), the Infamy talent tree (Expert base class), or from the Spacer talent tree (Scoundrel base class). The master privateer must meet the prerequisites (if any) of the chosen talent. No talent can be selected more than once unless expressly indicated.PIRACY TALENT TREE
You use devious tactics to capture ships and victims intact.Bloodthirsty: You can perform a coup de grace as a move action. Whenever you successfully perform a coup de grace action and kill the target, all allies within your line of sight gain a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls for the duration of the encounter.
Fight to the Death: Once per encounter, as a swift action, you can fill your companions with renewed vigor. All allies within 6 squares of you heal damage equal to your heroic level.
Prerequisite: Bloodthirsty.
Keep Them Reeling: As a standard action, you can make a single melee attack against a target within reach. If the attack hits, you deal no damage, but your target must move or withdraw away from you on its next turn.
Raider’s Frenzy: Once per round, when one of your allies within 6 squares successfully damages a target, you grant all your allies within your line of sight a bonus to damage rolls against that target equal to one-half your class level until the end of your next turn.
Raider’s Surge: Once per encounter, as a standard action, you can make a Deception or Persuasion check (your choice) against each enemy within your line of sight. If the check result equals or exceeds the enemy’s Will Defense, that enemy must withdraw on its next action or take a -1 penalty on its attack rolls until the end of the encounter. This is a mind-affecting effect.
Savage Reputation: You have cultivated a savage reputation, and when you are recognized, you instill fear in your enemies. All opponents within 6 squares of you take a -1 penalty on all attacks. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Prerequisite: Bloodthirsty.
Take Them Alive: Whenever you or any allies within 6 squares of you reduces a target to 0 hit points, you can choose to treat that opponent as though they had been reduce to 0 by stun damage (and thus, remain stable).
PRIVATEER TALENT TREE
You are a veteran of privateering and have learned the secrets of fighting aboard starships.
Armored Spacer: You can use armored spacesuits as if you had the Armor Proficiency (heavy) feat.
Attract Privateer : You attract a loyal privateer lieutenant. The privateer is a non heroic character who has a class level equal to three-quarters of your character level, rounded down. You can select this talent multiple times. Each time you do so, you gain another privateer. Each privateer who accompanies you on an adventure is entitled to an equal share of the total experience points earned for the adventure. For example, a privateer who accompanies a party of five heroes on an adventure receives one-sixth of the XP that the group earns.
Pistol and Blade I: When you make a single melee attack with an advanced melee weapon or simple weapon as a standard action, you can immediately make an attack with a pistol as a free action, provided you have both the advanced melee weapon and the pistol in your hands when the melee attack is made. You apply the normal penalties for fighting with two weapons to both of these attacks.
Prerequisites: Dual Weapon Mastery I feat, Weapon Proficiency (advanced melee weapons, pistols) feats.
Pistol and Blade II: When you are wielding both an advanced melee weapon or melee simple weapon and a pistol, you treat the melee weapon as though you were wielding it two-handed (including doubling your Strength bonus on damage rolls).
Prerequisites: Pistol and Blade I, Dual Weapon Mastery I feat, Weapon Proficiency (advanced melee weapons, pistols) feats.
Pistol and Blade III: When you are wielding both an advanced melee weapon or melee simple weapon and a pistol, you can make a full attack as a standard action instead of a full-round action, provided you attack with both weapons.
Prerequisites: Pistol and Blade I, Pistol and Blade II, Dual Weapon Mastery I feat, Weapon Proficiency (advanced melee weapons, pistols) feats.
Boarder: You are skilled at boarding hostile vessels. You ignore cover (but not improved cover) with your character-scale ranged attacks while aboard a starship or space station.
Ion Mastery: You know the typical weaknesses of vehicles, and you know how to preserve such targets for capture rather than destroying them. When attacking with ion weapons, you gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls and deal +1 die of ion damage.
Multiattack Proficiency (advanced melee weapons): When you make multiple attacks with any type of advanced melee weapon as a full attack action, you lessen the penalty on your attack rolls by 2. You can take this talent multiple times. Each time you do so, you lessen the penalty on your attack rolls by an additional 2.
Preserving Shot: When you deal damage with a vehicle weapon that is equal to or greater than both the target vehicle’s current hit points and the target vehicle’s damage threshold (that is, when you would deal enough damage to destroy the target vehicle), you can choose to use this talent. Instead of dealing full damage, you instead deal half damage to your target and move it -1 step along the condition track. In addition, you disable the ship’s sublight engines and FTL drive systems. The ship cannot move at sublight or FTL speeds until it has received repairs (through use of the repair object application of the Mechanics skill).