The corsair is a warrior of the seas, serving aboard ships as an officer. He defends his ship and leads attacks against other ships. Many corsairs are pirates, though if they are affiliated with a government agency, they more accurately called privateers. Others serve as protectors of legitimate trade as merchant marines or serve in their country's navy.

Alignment: Any, the best and worst are found among corsairs.

Hit Die: d10

Class Skills

Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), <br />Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Knowledge (Nature), Linguistics (Int), Perform (Cha), <br />Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Skill Ranks Per Level: 4 + Int modifier

Level	Base Attack	Fort	Ref	Will	Special Abilities
1st	+1	+2	+0	+0	Sea legs +1, Intimidating presence, Hearty constitution
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+0	Evasion, Combat Style Feat
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+1	Sea legs +2, Seagoing Talent
4th	+4	+4	+1	+1	Uncanny Dodge
5th	+5	+4	+1	+1	Sea legs +3
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+2	Combat Style Feat, Seagoing talent
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+2	Sea Legs +4, Leadership
8th	+8/+3	+6	+2	+2	Improved Uncanny Dodge, Iron Guts
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+3	Sea Legs +5, Seagoing Talent
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+3	Combat Style Feat
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+3	Sea Legs +6, Lady Luck
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+4	Seagoing Talent
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+4	Sea Legs +7
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+4	Combat Style Feat
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+5	Sea Legs +8, Seagoing Talent
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+5	Lady Luck
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+5	Sea Legs +9
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+5	+6	Combat Style Feat, Seagoing Talent
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+6	Sea Legs +10
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+6	Captain My Captain

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Corsairs are proficient with all simple and martial weapons. They are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.

Sea Legs (Ex): Walking along the pitching deck of ship and climbing the rigging has given a corsair a knack for climbing, swimming, and moving across difficult surfaces. He gains a +1 competence bonus to all Climb and Swim checks as well as Acrobatics checks to move on narrow surfaces and rough terrain, including wet or slippery surfaces. At every odd-numbered level, this bonus increases by +1 to a maximum of +10 at 19th level.

Intimidating Presence (Ex): Sailors are a tough lot. A corsair quickly learns how to handle himself in tough situations and gains a +2 competence bonus on Intimidate checks.

Hearty Constitution (Ex): Traveling on a ship tests the stamina of anyone. In addition to facing seasickness, a corsair travels to exotic ports where he might be exposed to a variety of disease. Only the heartiest souls can withstand this life, so a corsair adds twice his Constitution bonus (if any) to Fort saves to avoid becoming nauseated or sickened or to avoid contracting any kind of disease.

Combat Style Feat (Ex): Like a ranger, a corsair choose a particular combat style at 2nd level. At each indicated level, he gains a bonus feat relating to that style, however, a corsair looses the benefit of these feats whenever he wears medium or heavy armor carries a medium or heavy load.

Pugilist: Sometimes, the only weapons you can truly depend on are your own two fists. A corsair who chooses the pugilist combat style may select from the following bonus feats at 2nd select level: Improved Unarmed Strike, Scorpion Style, Deflect Arrows, and Improved Grapple. At 6th level, he adds Gorgon’s Fist and Greater Grapple to the list. At 10th level he add Medusa’s Wrath and Stunning Fist.

Rapier: In the confined areas of a ship, many corsairs focus on the close, stabbing work of the rapier. At 2nd level, a corsair who selects the rapier combat style may choose from the following list whenever he gains a combat style feat: Improved Initiative, Quick Draw, and Weapon Finesse. At 6th level, he adds Improved Feint, Lunge, and Vital Strike to the list. At 10th level, he adds Bleeding Critical and Improved Vital Strike.

Throwing Knives: Bows are fine for hunting in the woods, but replacement strings and arrows can run short on long sea journeys. Knives, on the other hand, are reusable, easier to conceal, and more useful in tight quarters. A corsair who chooses the throwing knives combat style can choose from the following list whenever he gains a combat style feat: Deadly Aim, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, and Throw Anything. At 6th level, he adds Improved Precise Shot and Rapid Shot to the list. At 10th level, he adds Improvised Weapon Mastery and Shot on the Run to the list.

Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, a corsair can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the corsair is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless corsair does not gain the benefit of evasion

Seagoing Talent: At 3rd level and every three levels thereafter, a corsair picks up a seagoing talent from the list below. Some talents may be taken more than once.

Acrobatic Assault (Ex): The corsair gains the ability to charge in situations where others cannot. He may charge over difficult terrain that normally slows movement. Depending on the circumstance, he may still need to make appropriate checks to successfully move over the terrain.

Acrobatic Mastery (Ex): A corsair may always take 10 on Acrobatics and Climb checks and never loses his dexterity bonus to AC for Balancing, Climbing, Running or performing other precarious stunts. Prerequisite: Acrobatic Assault

Animal Friend (Ex): The corsair gains an animal companion in the form of a tiny animal such as a parrot (treat as a raven) or monkey. This animal acts as a wizard’s familiar, except that the corsair cannot use the share spells ability unless he also has levels in a spell casting class or takes the major magic talent. His effective wizard is equal to his corsair level. If he has levels in another class that grants a familiar, the levels stack.

Bleeding Attack: As the rogue talent. Prerequisite: sneak attack.

Crippling Strike (Ex): This is equivalent to the rogue talent and follows the same general rules.

Deep Breath (Ex): A corsair is able to hold his breath for a number of rounds equal to four times his Constitution score.

Defensive Roll (Ex): As the rogue talent. Prerequisite: evasion.

Fast Climb (Ex): A corsair gains a climb speed equal to his base movement speed. Prerequisite: Acrobatic Mastery.

Feat (Ex): In place of a talent, a corsair may select any feat for which he meets the prerequisites as a bonus feat.

Improved Evasion (Ex): As the rogue talent. Prerequisite: evasion.

Major Magic (Sp): As the rogue talent. Prerequisite: minor magic

Minor Magic (Sp): As the rogue talent.

Natural Swimmer (Ex): A corsair gains a swim speed equal to his base land speed and can always take 10 on Swim checks.

Opportunist (Ex): As the rogue advanced talent. Prerequisite: Corsair level 9+.

Resiliency (Ex): Once per day, a corsair with this ability can gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the corsair's level. Activating this ability is an immediate action that can only be performed when he is brought below 0 hit points. This ability can be used to prevent him from dying. These temporary hit points last for 1 minute. If the corsair's hit points drop below 0 due to the loss of these temporary hit points, he falls unconscious and is dying as normal.

Rogue Crawl (Ex): While prone, a corsair with this ability can move at half speed. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. A corsair with this talent can take a 5-foot step while crawling.

Slow Reactions: As the rogue talent. Prerequisite: Sneak Attack.

Sneak Attack: The corsair gains +1d6 sneak attack, as a rogue. This talent may be taken more than once.

Watch My Back (Ex): A corsair is trained in fighting in closed quarters with comrades on his flanks. Whenever a corsair is fighting adjacent to an ally, he gains a dodge bonus to his AC equal to 1/4 his class level. He loses this bonus if he is denied his Dexterity bonus to AC or if he or his ally moves more than 5 ft. away.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a corsair can react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He cannot be caught flat-footed, even if the attacker is invisible. He still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. A corsair with this ability can still lose his Dexterity bonus to AC if an opponent successfully uses the feint action (see Combat) against him. If a corsair already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.

Leadership (Ex): At 7th level, a corsair gains Leadership as a bonus feat. In addition, if the corsair obtains a ship, it counts as owning a stronghold when determining his leadership score. He receives no penalties for moving around a lot if he travels by his own ship.

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): A corsair of 8th level or higher can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the character by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target does. If a character already has uncanny dodge (see above) from another class, the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.

Iron Guts (Ex): A corsair gains immunity to all effects that could cause him to become nauseated or sickened. Furthermore, he now adds three times his Constitution bonus to all Fortitude saves to avoid contracting any disease.

Lady Luck (Ex): Once per day, a corsair of 11th level or higher may re-roll any failed attack roll, skill check, ability check, or saving throw. He must however, take the results of the second roll even if it is lower than the first. A corsair of 16th level or higher may use this ability two times per day.

Captain My Captain (Ex): At 20th level, a corsair has gained a reputation as either a dreaded pirate or a daring privateer admiral. He gains a +6 bonus to Intimidate checks. This stacks with Intimidating Presence. In addition, he gains a secondary cohort who is three levels lower than his primary cohort. The primary cohort is generally referred as the first mate while the secondary cohort is the second mate.

Author's Note: Any feedback is welcome.

Additional Ratings
Balance:	1 2 3 4 5 ( 8 Votes )
Utility:	1 2 3 4 5 ( 7 Votes )
Clarity:	1 2 3 4 5 ( 7 Votes )