⚔️ Pirate & Naval Reference

High seas adventure, naval combat, treasure hunting, and pirate life. Roll or choose elements for your swashbuckling campaign.

⛵ Ship Types (2d10)

2d10	Ship Type	Description	Guns	Crew
2	Sloop	Fast single-masted vessel, pirate favorite	10-12	75
3	Schooner	Quick two-master, coastal raider	8-14	80
4	Brigantine	Two-masted square-rigger	12-16	100
5	Frigate	Fast naval warship, powerful	32-44	250
6	Galleon	Spanish treasure ship, heavy	30-40	200
7	Man-of-War	Massive warship, devastating	60-100	500+
8	Merchant Brig	Cargo vessel, lightly armed	6-10	60
9	Bark	Three-masted trader	10-16	90
10	Corvette	Small fast warship	16-24	150
11	Cutter	Single-mast patrol vessel	8-12	50
12	Pink	Narrow-sterned cargo carrier, agile in shallow waters	4-8	40
13	Snow	Two-masted brig variant, reliable in rough seas	10-18	90
14	Xebec	Mediterranean three-master, favored by corsairs	20-24	150
15	Fluyt	Dutch cargo hauler, minimal guns, maximum hold	4-8	60
16	Pinnace	Small, fast scout vessel, often carried by larger ships	2-6	25
17	Fire Ship	Sacrificial vessel packed with combustibles, crewed by the desperate	0	10
18	Dhow	Indian Ocean trader, remarkably fast with favorable wind, carries surprising cargo	6-12	65
19	Hospital Ship	Nominally protected by treaty; flagrantly misused by all sides; holds secrets	8-14	80
20	Unknown Vessel	No flag, no registry, no listed port of origin. Matches no known design. Moving against the wind. Approaches every ship it encounters. Has never been successfully boarded.	Unknown	Unknown

💰 Treasure & Plunder (2d10)

2d10	Treasure	Description	Value
2	Spanish Doubloons	Gold coins, pirate currency	High
3	Pieces of Eight	Silver reales, common payment	Moderate
4	Jeweled Crown	Stolen royalty treasure	Very High
5	Pearl Necklace	South Seas treasure	High
6	Spice Cargo	Nutmeg, pepper, cinnamon	Moderate-High
7	Silk Bolts	Fine Chinese silk	Moderate
8	Rum Barrels	Caribbean spirits	Low-Moderate
9	Navigation Charts	Secret routes and locations	Variable
10	Aztec Gold	Cursed treasure (literal)	Priceless/Worthless
11	Ivory Tusks	African elephant ivory	High
12	Indigo Dye Casks	Prized textile dye, high demand in European markets	Moderate-High
13	Silver Ingots	Uncoined silver from New World mines, heavy but liquid	High
14	Weapons Cache	Pistols, cutlasses, and a small field cannon, freshly made	Moderate (+ tactical)
15	Diplomatic Letters	Sealed correspondence between hostile nations; highly dangerous, highly valuable	Variable (dangerous)
16	Rare Books & Maps	Illuminated manuscripts, ancient charts, forbidden texts - worth fortunes to the right scholars	Very High (to buyers)
17	Living Cargo	Escaped captives, political prisoners, or someone's hostage - each with their own story and consequences	Complicated
18	Alchemical Supplies	Sealed crates of ingredients for medicines or worse; labeled in a dead language; buyer already paid for delivery	High (if delivered)
19	Royal Commission	Signed letters of marque granting legal piracy rights in a specific sea lane; whoever holds them owns a license to plunder	Extraordinary
20	The Ship's Heart	A sealed iron chest bolted to the keel, not on any manifest. It pulses faintly. The previous crew would not touch it. Three buyers have inquired about it before the ship was even boarded.	Unknown

⚓ Naval Combat Maneuvers (2d10)

2d10	Maneuver	Description & Effect
2	Broadside	Turn ship sideways, unleash full gun battery
3	Raking Fire	Shoot down length of enemy ship, maximum damage
4	Boarding Action	Grapple and send crew to fight hand-to-hand
5	Chain Shot	Destroy enemy rigging and sails, immobilize
6	False Colors	Fly friendly flag, approach close, then attack
7	Running Battle	Chase while exchanging fire, test endurance
8	Crossing the T	Position ship perpendicular to enemy, maximum advantage
9	Tacking into Wind	Sail against wind using zigzag pattern
10	Fire Ship	Set abandoned vessel ablaze, ram into enemy fleet
11	Stern Chase	Pursue from behind, harass rear guns
12	Feigned Retreat	Draw enemy into pursuit, reverse suddenly when wind favors, catch them unprepared
13	Smoke Screen	Burn wet material to create concealing smoke, change course under cover, emerge from unexpected angle
14	Anchor Turn	Drop anchor at speed to pivot ship sharply, bringing guns to bear faster than any sail maneuver allows
15	Shore Battery Bait	Lure enemy into range of allied or captured shore guns, coordinate fire for devastating crossfire
16	Night Attack	Douse all lights, approach in darkness, board or fire at close range before enemy can see the threat
17	Double Boarding	Simultaneous attack from both sides using two vessels; enemy crew split, confused, and overwhelmed
18	Sacrificial Decoy	Small vessel draws enemy fire and attention while main ship repositions; crew of decoy knows the risk
19	Powder Room Threat	Boarding party reaches enemy magazine and threatens to detonate; standoff forces surrender or mutual destruction
20	The Dead Man's Run	Disable own steering, lock cannons aimed broadside, and drift directly toward enemy at full sail. Opponent must break off or take a full broadside at point-blank range. Your crew does not love this plan.

👥 Pirate Crew Roles (2d10)

2d10	Role	Responsibilities
2	Captain	Commands ship, makes battle decisions, elected by crew
3	Quartermaster	Represents crew, divides plunder, disciplines crew
4	First Mate	Second in command, manages daily operations
5	Sailing Master	Navigation and piloting expert
6	Boatswain (Bosun)	Maintains ship, supervises rigging and sails
7	Gunner	Responsible for cannons, powder, shot
8	Master Gunner	Trains gun crews, coordinates broadsides
9	Carpenter	Repairs ship damage, plugs leaks during battle
10	Surgeon/Sawbones	Treats wounded (often drunk, little training)
11	Cook	Prepares meals (often one-legged veteran)
12	Powder Monkey	Young crew member carrying powder charges to guns during battle; fast, expendable, often surprisingly competent
13	Lookout	Posted in crow's nest, first to spot sails, reefs, and things that shouldn't be on the water
14	Purser	Manages supplies, provisions, and accounts; knows exactly how long before the crew starves
15	Master at Arms	Maintains weapons, enforces internal discipline, trains crew in boarding tactics
16	Interpreter/Linguist	Speaks enough languages to negotiate or deceive in most ports; often the most educated person aboard
17	Spy/Informant	Officially listed as ordinary crew; actually reporting to someone else; loyalty unclear; information accurate
18	Former Privateer	Holds expired letters of marque; legally complicated; knows naval patrol patterns intimately; navy wants them back
19	Sea Priest	Provides spiritual protection and crew morale; the rites they perform are not from any established church; they work anyway
20	The One Nobody Hired	Present on crew manifest. Draws a share. Does their work well. Nobody remembers signing them on. Nobody wants to ask.

🏴‍☠️ Port of Call Activities (2d10)

2d10	Activity	Description
2	Tavern Brawl	Drunken fight over insults or dice
3	Recruiting Crew	Find desperate or foolish sailors
4	Selling Plunder	Fence stolen goods for coin
5	Gambling Den	Dice, cards, lose/win fortune
6	Courting Danger	Romance with governor's daughter
7	Ship Repairs	Dry dock, careening, supplies
8	Brothel Visit	Sailors spend coin on company
9	Gathering Intel	Learn of treasure ships, routes
10	Naval Press Gang	Avoid/confront Royal Navy recruiters
11	Market Shopping	Buy provisions, weapons, luxuries
12	Seeking a Fence	Find buyer for unusual or suspicious cargo; negotiation required; discretion costs extra
13	Church & Confession	Crew seeking absolution; priest knows things; information flows both ways in port confessionals
14	Cockfighting Ring	Betting, watching, brawling; a known smuggler runs the operation; everyone who matters comes through eventually
15	Meeting the Harbormaster	Bribes, permits, and careful lies; harbormaster knows every ship, every cargo, and is currently being watched
16	Pursuing a Bounty	Wanted poster in the tavern - person of interest is in this port right now; so is whoever put out the poster
17	Auction at the Docks	Ship, cargo, or captive being sold openly; several buyers; at least two shouldn't be allowed to win
18	Trial in Port	Piracy hearing underway; accused may be innocent; witnesses are for sale; verdict is not yet decided
19	Governor's Reception	Formal event; attend under false pretense; everyone is lying about something; something valuable is present and unguarded during the dance
20	Port Is Closed	No ships leaving. No explanation given. Soldiers on the docks. Something came in on the last vessel and the governor knows what it is. Nobody else does. Yet.

🌊 Sea Hazards & Encounters (2d10)

2d10	Hazard	Description & Danger
2	Hurricane/Storm	Violent weather, shipwreck danger, crew overboard
3	Doldrums	No wind for days, rations run low, crew restless
4	Reef/Shoals	Hidden rocks tear hull, rapid sinking
5	Kraken/Sea Monster	Tentacles attack ship, drag sailors down
6	Waterspout	Tornado at sea, deadly if crosses path
7	Rogue Wave	Massive wall of water, capsizing risk
8	Sargasso Sea	Thick seaweed traps ship, strange creatures
9	Fog Bank	Zero visibility, collisions, ghost ships
10	Siren Song	Enchanted voices lure sailors to rocks
11	Becalmed	No wind for week+, water shortage, madness
12	Uncharted Currents	Ship swept off course by powerful flow not on any chart; takes days to correct; new position uncertain
13	Floating Wreckage	Debris field from recent sinking; survivors possible; valuables present; so is whatever caused the wreck
14	Disease Outbreak	Sickness spreading belowdecks; source unknown; nearest port may refuse entry; crew morale failing fast
15	Magnetic Anomaly	Compasses spin uselessly for hours; stars obscured; navigation by instinct only; something large is below
16	Ghost Fleet	Multiple spectral vessels on the horizon, matching course and speed; don't approach; don't fall behind; do not let them draw level
17	The Bleeding Sea	Water turns deep red for miles in every direction; fish surfacing dead; crew superstitious and mutinous; not chemical, not natural, not explained
18	Impossible Island	Island appears that matches no chart; fresh water and food visible; island not there on departure; something left behind on the ship smells of the place
19	The Edge of the Map	Ship has sailed beyond known charts; water changes color; creatures visible that have no names; turning back works, but something followed
20	The Sea Claims Someone	One crew member simply gone. No splash. No scream. No sign. Present at last watch, absent at the next. The sea took them. The sea sometimes does. The rest of the crew knows better than to ask why.