Roguish Archetype: The Corsair [Third Draft]

One of the biggest things I wanted to do during my absence was update older content. So much of what I make can use additional iterations, especially with the quantity of good feedback it has been collecting.

The Corsair has always been one I've been meaning to update. I didn't leave it in a good place, and the familiar it introduced stole the spotlight and bogged it down with math.

So, I fix that by just getting rid of the damn thing. Here's what I did.

CHANGELOG:

• Removed First Mate, brought Dirty Fighting to 3rd level to give a distinctive feature early on that wasn't a nightmare for everyone involved.
• Added Lookout feature, to give this pirate a good fluff ability and to keep the option from being centered almost exclusively on combat.
• Moved familiars to an optional rule, because they should still be there, but should definitely be about as useful as a wizard's familiar. 
• Added a Feint-like ability to Dirty Fighting, to introduce CHA-dependence at an earlier level.

CONCERNS:

• Maybe I bunged something up without noticing in Lookout, but I'm betting not. This seems pretty water-tight to me.

WHAT I LEARNED:

• Half-year turn around time for project updates? Maybe I want to do these sooner instead of later.

Roguish Archetype: The Corsair [Second Draft]

People loved the first corsair!

...except for just about everything mechanical about it. Ah well.

But that's okay. I got even more quality criticism than usual, and revised most of the corsair's abilities to improve flavor and general, all-around power balance.

CHANGELOG:

• Compressed Sea Legs and Bonus Proficiencies into Scallywag's Tricks, removing the additional skill proficiency while maintaining the rest.
• Moved the animal companion to 3rd level as its own feature, First Mate! The animal companion can even use a diminished form of your Sneak Attack, and is balanced against having an off-hand attack.
• Replaced Captain at the Helm with Dirty Fighting to give the class option more things to do itself, and less abilities reliant on others doing things.
• Compressed Captain at the Helm into Infamy, offering players a choice of abilities depending on whether they're a naughty or nice pirate. 
• Added rules for having a hook, because really, what's a pirate without a hook?

CONCERNS:

• Balance on First Mate is something I'm sure will come up, but I'm fairly certain it trades off well against an off-hand attack. Unless there's something I didn't notice, but we'll find out. 
• Touched up the companion stats a little bit, maybe not enough, let me know. 

WHAT I LEARNED:

• If you're trying to make a pirate, don't make some sort of rogue-warlord. Just make a pirate. 

Roguish Archetype: The Corsair [ROUGH DRAFT]

The Swashbuckler in the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide is a really cool option - probably my favorite in the book. And while it's great for a duelist, rake, or general seeker of adventure, it's just not a pirate in the same way that 3.5's Dread Pirate class was.

So, based on a great suggestion from one of my readers, I created the Corsair roguish archetype option! Lead your crew into battle on land and ship, and teach those landlubbers why you are the most-feared pirate to sail the seven seas!

FEATURES:

• Sea Legs and Bonus Proficiencies, both designed to make you feel perfectly at-home on the deck of a ship!
• Captain at the Helm and Infamy, designed to make you feel like a rogue ne 4e warlord as you lead your crew.
• Avast, ye Scurvy Dogs! which is probably the most team-focused a rogue level 17 ability can be.
• Monkey and Parrot familiars for pirates of sufficient station.

CONCERNS:

• Sea Legs and Bonus Proficiencies give you a lot, but none of what they give you seems particularly game-breaking.
• Captain at the Helm may be worded oddly, and its tHP math could use a look to see if it's overpowered or not.
• I like Infamy a lot, but it could probably use a look at its power balance.
• Avast, ye Scurvy Dogs! strikes me as almost a non-concern - rogue level 17's should do situationally an additional ~40 damage, and the situation on Avast is if everyone's attacks hit. Still, verbage might be shaky, and that's where I'd look there. 
• The Monkey and Parrot likewise could use a look. As usual, I outright suck at monster math, and appreciate any help that can be rendered. 

WHAT I LEARNED:

• Y'all have some great ideas. Thanks, Lee Robins!