Corsair - Spacefarer (Character Kit)

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==Corsair==
Description: The Corsair is a roving warrior, sailing the spacelanes seeking pirates and other criminals. Corsairs are semi-official agents of the law of their systems (or perhaps of only a single nation within the system), traveling under letters of marque with authorization to attack and board suspicious or known criminal vessels and bring the booty home.
Corsairs are the customs agents, border patrol, and first line of defense for many spacefaring worlds. When entering a sphere with spacefaring civilizations, the Corsair is often the first character you meet.
Despite their legal role, Corsairs are not always lawful. They pursue their enemies (who may merely fly the flag of a rival nation), capture their ships and treasure, and return a portion (sometimes a small portion) to their home nations.
Corsairs' letters of marque lose significance the farther they get from their homes. Generally speaking, a Corsair's right to intercept other vessels terminates at the edge of his home sphere. (In spheres with multiple spacefaring civilizations, the zone of control may be even smaller.) Some Corsairs, particularly those who are pirates on the side, do not stop at their official borders. Their ability to get away with their activities depends on their strength and speed.
Role: Corsairs are the law in wildspace. When operating as agents of the law, stopping true smugglers or pirates, they are respected within their sphere, and sometimes in other "nearby" spheres. When they engage in piracy under cover of their police powers, they are reviled. One's opinion of a Corsair depends on whether you are the beneficiary or the victim.
Fighters, rangers, or even paladins may be Corsairs. To become a Corsair, the character must convince his home nation of her ability to act as an agent in the freedom of space. This generally requires a Strength of at least 12, a Wisdom of 10 or more, and a Charisma of 14 or more.
To abandon the Corsair kit, the character must renounce his commission. Renouncing the commission may be a crime (if the character was already in trouble for abusing his commission) or a respected retirement from the duties of service. The Corsair must be in his home port to renounce the kit, and it takes one month in port to process the paperwork.
Secondary Skills:
* Required: Navigator.
Weapon Proficiencies: None required or recommended.
Nonweapon Proficiencies:
* Bonus: Heraldry (Space).
* Recommended: Navigation (Wildspace), Spacemanship.
Equipment: The Corsair may buy whatever equipment he chooses, keeping whatever money is left over.
Special Benefits: Corsairs have the right, under letters of marque, to legally stop any ship within their home port's sphere of control. "Home port" need not be a planet; it could be a fixed base or even a fleet mothership. Within the sphere of control, the Corsair may legally stop vessels, board them, assess customs duties, and seize contraband.
Contraband may be any item that is illegal to import or export, or an item for which the proper taxes have not been paid. In addition, at the DM's discretion, there may be certain enemy nations whose ships are always confiscated (such as the neogi). Of course, not every ship is going to peacefully await boarding. A neogi deathspider is unlikely to quietly acquiesce to such an action; if the neogi do allow boarding, a Corsair captain can be assured of an ambush. The only real meaning of this power is that law-abiding ships will comply, and any hostile action taken against other ships will probably be supported by the Corsair's commanders back home.
Corsairs keep 10% of the contraband cargo seized and taxes collected to pay expenses and reward the crew. Some Corsairs withhold more than 10%, risking discovery and prosecution.
Special Hindrances: The Corsair must return to his home port regularly (at least every six months) to report on his activities, and of course must give 90% of the value of cargoes and ships he seizes to his command at that base.
In addition, the home base may choose to send the Corsair on missions that he must undertake. The cost of mounting the mission (including paying her crew) is borne by the Corsair, although as with all of her other activities he may keep 10% of what he finds.
Finally, Corsairs are obligated to defend the home base. This can be a great disadvantage when the neogi show up and the Corsair would much prefer to head for safer climes.
Wealth Options: Corsairs are generally richer than most spacefarers, as their activities bring in more cash than other spacefaring occupations. Corsairs roll 4d6 x 10 gp to determine their initial wealth.
Races: Any human or demihuman may be a Corsair. Dracons, lizard men, and rastipedes may also be Corsairs. Giff and hadozee rarely work as independent Corsairs, although they are often found as crewmembers working for Corsairs of other races. Scro view their naval forces as Corsairs, enforcing their dominance across the Known Spheres, while the xixchil find the legal obligations of the Corsair pointless. Grommams and hurwaeti are never Corsairs.
Category:Character Kit
Category:Character Kit CSH