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BluSponge blusp...
BluSponge blusponge@verizon.net's picture
Pirate-y Archetypes
NPCs, game master

So I was adding some details to my brainstormed list of proto-NPCs when it dawned on me that a lot of them weren't very...piratey.  That is, very few of them would be at home in the Port Royal or Tortuga of Pirates of the Caribbean, or make sense aboard a pirate ship.  So in response to this, I started to brainstorm a list of archetypal characters that WERE piratey.  

  • The Tale Teller (Gibbs from PotC)
  • The Gambler
  • The Hidden/Secret Loyalist
  • The Avenger
  • The Underestimated (usually with a chip on his/her shoulder)
  • The Aspirant (when I grow up...)
  • The Mad Seer
  • The Honorable Pirate (I served with your father for 20 years...)
  • The Exotic Sorcerer (Tia Dalma from PotC: DMC)
  • The Prodigal Son (Euron Greyjoy, Song of Ice and Fire)
  • The Dashing Egotist (There I was, in the Congo...)
  • The Ex-Slave
  • The Disillusioned Loyalist
  • The Heretical Priest
  • The Well Connected (I know a guy...)
  • The Deserter
  • The Fallen Loyalist (Norington from PotC 2-3)
  • The Groupie (So...is it true what they say?)

Got any you'd like to add?

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BluSponge blusp...
BluSponge blusponge@verizon.net's picture

Two more:

  • The Crusty Veteran (You're not a true berserk!)
  • The Green Recruit
BluSponge blusp...
BluSponge blusponge@verizon.net's picture

The list of stock characters continues to grow.  I rewatched Pirates of the Caribbean last night to get my brain into the swing of it all.  The morning brainstorming session adds these to the list:

  • The Jovial Bruiser
  • The Secret Bastard (Gendry from Song of Ice and Fire)
  • The Maimed Master Duelist
  • The Ambitious Seaman
  • The Drunk with a glorious history
  • The melancholy pirate
  • The Lore Keeper (not to be confused with the Tale Teller)
  • The Plucky Kid
  • The Jenny with a heart of gold
  • The Mother Bear Madame
  • The Cast-off Courtesan
  • The Cruel (and Cowardly) Pimp
  • The Maimed Pirate
  • The Aclimated Hostage (The Patty Hearst)
  • The Resourceful Seaman
  • The Unintelligible and his translator
  • The Strong, Silent, and Direct Pirate
  • The Hopeless Schemer
  • The Unexpected Badass
  • The Faithful Hound (Loyal to the end)
  • The Captain without a ship
  • The Living Treasure Map (Black Harry from Cutthroat Island)
  • The Exile
  • The Fugitive Noble

 

 

Salamanca
Salamanca's picture
The mutineer, the unlucky victim, the Superstitious helmsman, the cook, the liar who was never actually there, the cannibal, the guy everyone picks on, and the belligerent drunk.
LibrariaNPC
LibrariaNPC's picture
  • The Rogue With a Lass at Every Port
  • The Deaf Gunner
  • The Powder Monkey
  • The One Pressed Into Service (who may actually like it!)
  • The Disillusioned Noble (not really fugitive, but rather one who is just tired of the noble life)
  • The Thrill-Seeker (especially if they aren't a pirate, and just hire the crew for the adventures)
  • The One Who Really Runs The Ship (i.e a "shadow prince" archetype)
  • The One Desperate To Become A Legend
  • The Unlucky One (but somehow things work out in the end. . .sometimes. . .)

"Smilies exist because no one's bothered to create a sarcasm font." --Lost_Heretic

BluSponge blusp...
BluSponge blusponge@verizon.net's picture

Great adds, guys! Keep em coming! I'm sure there are some still missing.

Can't believe I forgot the Cook! between Steven Seagal and Down Periscope, that really needs to be in there.

Ben Woerner
Ben Woerner's picture

Great list! I think you'll like PN!

BluSponge blusp...
BluSponge blusponge@verizon.net's picture

I really hope so. in my dreams it contains a lot of tools, lists, and generators for high seas adventures. I don't really expect it to be that, but I would love to be surprised. :D

Ben Woerner
Ben Woerner's picture

A lot of that stuff you can find online. But there are a TON of new rules and background and setting and the like.

BluSponge blusp...
BluSponge blusponge@verizon.net's picture

Eh.  Not as much as you might think, and most of it geared for Gonzo D&D play.  But whatever, I'm looking forward to the book all the same.  :)

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