PC Concept: Arcane Pirates

Overview

Here's Em, on her pirate kick again! Really though, how can you hate pirates as an aesthetic, especially when it comes to playing them in your fantasy TTRPGs?

Today, I want to make pirate build for those players who want a little more of an arcane flare to their favorite sea dogs and buccaneers. After all, this is a fantasy game; magic is a core part of that. Who said you can't be a pirate and also fling spells at your greatest enemies? Besides, an arcane pirate? That's a very intimidating aesthetic as well. Let's see what we can do to make this happen!

Race, Class, Stats, and Background

Race is going to be your most fluid choice here. For the classes I'm going to be recommending, I'd say pick something that does well with Dexterity and Charisma. Changeling (Eberron) is a good choice. Half elf (Player's Handbook) wouldn't be a bad choice either. Both of those options are more Charisma-heavy, but have the potential for Dexterity. If you want to go the other way around, Tabaxi (Volo's Guide) might be more what you're looking for. However, stat bonuses aren't always important. Sometimes, you just have an aesthetic in mind and water is a big part of a pirate's aesthetic. Sea elf (Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes), Triton (Volo's Guide), or Water Genasi (Elemental Evil Copendium) might be a better option if you want to go that way.

For your background, the Player's Handbook already has you covered with Sailor. That option even has a Pirate variant! "Sailor" can be really versatile, and you can determine who you previously sailed for and why. So can "Pirate" if you really think about all of the crimes that pirates can get involved in. If you're looking for something else though, Marine (Ghosts of Saltmarsh) might be more your speed. Perhaps you were once in service to a country, fighting great naval and coastal battles, and then something terrible happened that caused you to leave. Marine has great options for that built into the background itself.

I have three options here for class, and two of them do require multiclassing. Remember to check with your DM about multiclassing before you go ahead and do it!

- First option would be an Eldritch Knight Fighter. (Player's Handbook) Pirates are typically considered to be decent, if not great, swordsmen. Personally, I like the idea of investing in your Dexterity modifier, and becoming a Dex-centered fighter with a finesse weapon like a rapier or scimitar.

- If you're looking for more of a pirate vibe, you can always start with Swashbuckler Rogue. (Xanathar's Guide) It has all the charm required of a daring pirate. A lot of their abilities also rely on Charisma, but it is not a spellcasting class. I'd pair it with one of the two following options, and really it depends on which aesthetic appeals more to you, or what class you prefer playing. In either of these options, I'd take 10 levels in Swashbuckler, and 10 levels in one of the following:

- College of Swords Bard (Xanathar's Guide) would be excellent to pair with any melee fighting class, especially when it comes to their Blade Flourish ability. This class is meant to help you deal more damage as a melee fighter. It functions almost like a "one-third-fighter" class, as opposed to a "one-third-caster" class like Eldritch Knight.

- Fathomless Warlock (Tasha's Cauldron) is better for the spooky aesthetic and for protecting yourself and others at later levels using your arcane prowess. Additionally, this warlock subclass also gets a lot of water-based spells, which really plays up the idea of a pirate being committed to the sea.

Both of those last two classes are Charisma-based spellcasters. Pirates practically ooze Charisma in pop culture. If your pirate is going to cast spells, I think it only makes sense that they do it with their Charisma. Dexterity should also be high because it's the rogue's best friend.

Roleplay Potential

The biggest factor that comes into play when roleplaying a pirate character is the following: why are you no longer a pirate? Or, more accurately, why are you no longer sailing?

As I mentioned earlier, pirates are not typically portrayed as spellcasters, even in other fantasy-based media. Maybe that's what sets your PC here apart from the other pirates. That could answer the first question I posed. It could also be a potential for conflict. Maybe pirates despise the arcane arts because of what a spell like Fireball or Shatter can do to a ship. Now you have this person who became a pirate and a spellcaster. Is there a reason why they did it to begin with? Did they know this when they became a pirate? Like I said, a pirate with arcane prowess - especially as powerful as Level 10 in a spellcasting class - would be frightening. You have 5th level spells at that point, which are nothing to scoff at.

Beyond that, characters should also have a goal. Perhaps your arcane abilities have caused you to question your choice of work. Your goal is to find somewhere to improve those abilities, so you no longer have to be a pirate. Perhaps you want your own ship and crew. Maybe your goal is to become the most powerful pirate that ever lived, so you learned magic or gained it in some way. The warlock version of this build is great for that goal.

Pirate PCs are always more fun to play when you know that you'll be going on adventures on the sea. However, that doesn't mean that these types of PCs aren't useful in other situations, such as map-reading and navigation. They excel in certain situations, but that doesn't mean that they won't be a joy to play on land.