NPC Concept: Pirate Lords

Overview:

If there's one thing that I, as a DM, love to include in my campaigns, it's pirates and piracy. There's something so incredibly fascinating to me about pirates, and something that really screams "Adventure!"

In my Tri-Panthonic War Campaign, the pirates in the world are actually organized under a system of Pirate Lords. Today, I want to talk about those Pirate Lords and how I went about creating them so you can get some ideas for your own games.

Function and Motivations:

There are ten Pirate Lords and seven seas in the world of Roglovar. Three of the largest seas - the North, Xanden, and Erog seas - are divided in half to create ten territories. Each territory is ruled by a Pirate Lord, who commands a fleet of ships. These ships collect "tolls" from any ship they encounter that is not part of the fleet. Any ship that doesn't pay is destroyed.

The Pirate Lords, in that campaign, serve a mostly antagonistic role. Some of them are willing to make temporary alliances with the PCs while others would actively seek them out and destroy them for one reason or other. In my campaign setting, they're an obstacle to overcome but not necessarily enemies to kill, especially given the fact that they're very powerful.

No regular old sailor with a ship can go toe-to-toe with krakens and top-of-the-line naval ships from rich kingdoms. Personally, I give my Pirate Lords classes (usually two classes) and make them powerful PC-esque NPCs. They can be fought, but when the players first encounter them, it wouldn't be wise to do so.

Each Lord's motivation varies. Some wish to do their business and be left alone. Some wish to be rich. Some want power beyond mortal comprehension from some being or other. Some have mini wars with each other, and that can cause problems, especially when the party comes over asking to make an alliance. That, in my opinion, is what makes the Pirate Lords so interesting. The players have to navigate a political environment, which they've done before in this campaign, but this political environment is ten times different. It's frequently violent, and they don't use back-handed passive-aggressive insults to get their way. They use knives and guns. These Pirate Lords are essentially a board of executives for the country that is the Seas of Roglovar, and they all have problems working with each other. This is something that the players are going to have to help them overcome for the greater good. And anyone who disagrees... maybe the players will be in a position where they can actually dispose of the Pirate Lords who do.

Why Should I Include This?

There's something about the lawlessness of piracy that's exciting, sure. But piracy that also has its own codes and laws can be vastly interesting too.

Players are used to governments with lords but not Pirate Lords. They might expect them to work in similar ways. Maybe in your world, they do! In Roglovar... not so much. There's an air of mystery about them. How does their political system work? How are they able to get so much power? Why does almost every country in the world pay their tolls instead of launching a massive assault on them? These are all avenues worth exploring.

Good Pirate Lords can lead to engaging sea encounters, where players meet the Pirate Lords and even go on side quests for some of them. Others they'll pay their toll to and sail away before they outstay their welcome. They'll learn that some seas are better off going around just in case. Sure, it might take longer, but for whatever reason, the captain of the players' chartered ship "won't go messin' with Pirate Lord Daphici. She's a dangerous woman and holds a hell of a grudge..."