Revised Mariner (3.5e Class)

Author: Eiji-kun (talk) Date Created: 5-15-24 Status: Complete Editing: Mechanical changes on Talk

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This is a rebuild of the Mariner class from Dragonlance. 20 0 Good Good Good Poor Other Other

Revised Mariner

This class is a rebuild of Dragonlance's Mariner class, an interesting but terribly built sailor class.

Making a Revised Mariner

Mariners are sailors and pirates, using all manner of skills and even some magical trinkets to survive the harsh open seas.

Abilities: Mariners can be built many ways. In melee, Strength and Constitution are important, but because of their light armor finesse and Dexterity are often important. Charisma gives them force of presence, and helps them with what little magic they know. Intelligence helps with their many skills, and Wisdom can shore up their poor Will save.

Races: Any, though some species take to the water better than others.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Gold: 5d4×10 gp (125 gp).

Starting Age: As fighter.

Table: The Mariner

Hit Die: d10

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Spells per Day
		Fort	Ref	Will		1st	2nd	3rd	4th
1st	+1	+2	+2	+0	Creative Grip, Seamanship, Sailor Lore, Semaphore	—	—	—	—
2nd	+2	+3	+3	+0	Dirty Strike 1d6, Dirty Trick, Raise Colors	—	—	—	—
3rd	+3	+3	+3	+1	Bonus Feat, Object Nimbleness, Sense Leadership	—	—	—	—
4th	+4	+4	+4	+1	Nimble Feinting, Rituals of the Sea	1	—	—	—
5th	+5	+4	+4	+1	Dirty Strike 2d6	2	—	—	—
6th	+6	+5	+5	+2	Mobile Fighting	2	—	—	—
7th	+7	+5	+5	+2	Bonus Feat	3	—	—	—
8th	+8	+6	+6	+2	Dirty Strike 3d6, Dirty Trick	3	1	—	—
9th	+9	+6	+6	+3	Fit to Lead	3	2	—	—
10th	+10	+7	+7	+3	Improved Dirty Trick	4	2	—	—
11th	+11	+7	+7	+3	Bonus Feat, Dirty Strike 4d6	4	3	1	—
12th	+12	+8	+8	+4	Myth of the Sea	4	3	2	—
13th	+13	+8	+8	+4	Legendary Presence	4	3	2	—
14th	+14	+9	+9	+4	Dirty Strike 5d6	4	4	3	1
15th	+15	+9	+9	+5	Bonus Feat	4	4	3	2
16th	+16	+10	+10	+5	Rallying Call	4	4	3	2
17th	+17	+10	+10	+5	Dirty Strike 6d6	4	4	4	3
18th	+18	+11	+11	+6	Greater Dirty Trick, Blessing of the Sea	4	4	4	3
19th	+19	+11	+11	+6	Bonus Feat	4	4	4	3
20th	+20	+12	+12	+6	Dirty Strike 7d6, Soul of the Sea	4	4	4	4
Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (geography) (history) (local) (nature) (nobility) (Int), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (None), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha), Use Rope (Dex).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Revised Mariner.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A mariner is proficient with all simple weapons and martial weapons, plus the net and sap. A mariner is proficient with light armor and shields (but not tower shields).

Creative Grip (Ex): Mariners need to use their hands to work the ship and climb the mast, even when they are otherwise occupied. They may use their mouth as an additional hand for the purposes of holding (but not wielding) anything. This allows them to swap a sword to their mouth as a free action to climb a rope, then switch it back to their hand when done.

Seamanship (Ex): The mariner adds their Charisma bonus (if any) as a competence bonus to all Balance, Climb, Profession (sailor), Survival checks made out on the water, and Swim checks. They also increase this amount by a further 1/2 their level (round down).

Sailor Lore (Ex): A mariner picks up a lot of knowledge by listening to local gossip in various ports of call or from the sea stories of shipmates. A mariner may make a special sailor lore check with a bonus equal to his mariner level + his Intelligence modifier to see whether he knows some relevant information about local people or history, far away places, or strange superstitions. This check will not necessarily reveal true information, as much of the time the mariner heard it from someone who heard it from a friend, who heard it from a guy, etc. The mariner may not take 10 or 20 on this check; this sort of knowledge is essentially random. This functions effectively as a bard's bardic lore.

Semaphore: A mariner learns the "language" of semaphore, the ability to communicate over distance using two flags. So long as someone can see the flags, any skilled person who speaks semaphore can learn the messages involved.

Dirty Strike (Ex): A mariner is adept at opportunistic and underhanded tactics. Starting at 2nd level, a mariner may deal an additional +1d6 damage to any creature who would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (just as a rogue's sneak attack). Like sneak attack, this is precision damage. However, the mariner also has access to various Dirty Tricks, all which modify or lower the damage die granted by dirty strike. So long as you have sufficient dice to sacrifice, you can choose to use a single Dirty Trick on any one attack.

The damage of dirty strike increases at 5th and every three levels beyond. It counts as sneak attack for the purpose of pre-requisites.

Dirty Trick (Ex): By expending dirty strike dice, you can trade in the potential damage for a riding effect on your attack. You may select any trick from the following list. Use the ability modifier associated with your attack roll instead of the normal ability modifier (when relevant). You may individually choose different dirty tricks with each attack you have, but you may only effect any one opponent by the same dirty trick once a round no matter how many attacks you make. Dirty tricks function even if the target would be otherwise immune to dirty strike damage, so long as the pre-requisites of activating the damage are met. Dirty Tricks reduce dirty strike damage by 1 die.

Big Gulper (Ex): As part of the attack you make you can apply a potion on hand (such as on a potion belt) and apply it moments before the attack. If your potion is stored away, you can retrieve it as a move action but will be only able to attack once. This does not provoke attacks of opportunity, and can only be performed once per round.

Crab Grip (Ex): Make a grapple attempt without provoking. If you have Improved Grapple you may benefit from the other effects of the feat.

Disarming Strike (Ex): Make a disarm attempt without provoking. If you have Improved Disarm you may benefit from the other effects of the feat.

Knockdown (Ex): Make a trip attempt without provoking. If you have Improved Trip you may benefit from the other effects of the feat.

Pain Point (Ex): The target must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + your ability modifier to attack) or be sickened for 1 round.

Poisonbite (Ex): As part of the attack you make you can apply a poison on hand (such as on a potion belt) and apply it moments before the attack. If your poison is stored away, you can retrieve it as a move action but will be only able to attack once. This does not provoke attacks of opportunity, and can only be performed once per round.

Shove (Ex): Make a bull rush attempt without provoking. If you have Improved Bull Rush you may benefit from the other effects of the feat. Unlike a normal bull rush, you need not follow along with your target.

Treasure Buster (Ex): Make a sunder attempt without provoking. If you have Improved Sunder you may benefit from the other effects of the feat. If you break the item in question, you may immediately make an attack at your full attack bonus against the wielder of the item.

Raise Colors (Ex): A 2nd level mariner is associated with a particular brand, generally a flag. If they present said iconography as a standard action, they may make a Diplomacy or Intimidate check to all those who can see the flag as part of the standard action. Mariners often perform this just before combat to start their opponents in a demoralized state.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every four levels beyond (7th, 11th, etc), the mariner may select a bonus feat they qualify for from the following: Any Ambush, Luck, or Fighter bonus feat, or any Skill Focus or +2 skill feat such as Alertness.

Object Nimbleness (Ex): The mariner needs to stay on their toes on a rocking ship or in a rocky battle. At 3rd level and beyond, they may pick up items they could hold in their hands off the ground as a free action, and they may draw or sheath any wielded item once per round as a free action. This counts as having the Quick Draw feat.

Sense Leadership (Ex): At 3rd level and beyond, the mariner can attempt a DC 15 Sense Motive check against a group they can see. If there is a leader or other person in position of authority amongst them, the mariner can sense whom the others consider their rightful leadership, officially or not.

Nimble Feinting (Ex): The 4th level mariner is an excellent fighter, but they cannot always rely on a flatfooted opponent to bring the pain. Therefore so long as the mariner successfully climbs, jumps, swims, or tumbles towards a potential opponent moving at least 10 ft and the result of their check equals or exceeds the opponent's AC, the opponent now qualifies for dirty strike damage as if they were denied their Dexterity (their actual AC does not change) for the next attack. Provided you have the means (such as by Mobile Fighting) you can use this ability multiple times against the same opponent.

Rituals of the Sea: A mariner is not technically a spellcaster, but their connection to the sea gives them a certain sway not unlike a ranger or druid by the blessing of the ocean itself. At 4th level and beyond the mariner gains "spellcasting" as a SRD:Ranger, preparing spells from their class spell list and counting them as divine spells. However, they are more rituals and superstition, and casting these spells takes a minimum of 1 minute or the spell's casting time if longer.

They can accelerate this process with a Ritual Trinket. The trinket itself matters not: a lucky coin, a special amulet, a particular ring. Whatever they choose as their trinket is merely a focus to any of the spells they cast, and they may prepare 1 + their Charisma bonus (if any) of their spells as spells bound to the trinket. Until they next rest for 8 hours, the trinket is effectively a magic item that they and only they can activate with the action time, caster level, and spell DCs associated with themselves. Mariners have a caster level equal to their class level and spellcasting associated with Charisma, requiring a Charisma of 10 + the spell level to cast and for setting spell Difficulty Class (10 + spell level + Charisma modifier). Because it is cast from a "magic item", casting in this method does not provoke, they merely require the trinket to be on their person.

They can choose a new trinket each time they prepare spells, as the item itself is little more than a focusing charm.

1st—absorb weapon^SpC, accelerated movement^SpC, air dry, alarm, animal messenger, animate rope, appraising touch^SpC, balancing lorecall^SpC, bear's endurance, bladeweave^SpC, blessed aim^SpC, bull's strength, buoyant lifting^SpC, cat's grace, cheat^SpC, climb walls^SpC, cloudburst^SpC, create water, critical strike^SpC, continual flame, deep breath^SpC, detect animals or plants, distract assailant^SpC, eagle's splendor, endure elements, floating disk, fox's cunning, guiding light^SpC, healing lorecall^SpC, identify, insightful feint^SpC, ironguts^SpC, jump, know direction, omen of peril^SpC, owl's wisdom, pathfinder, protection from arrows, refrigerate, salt in the wound, saltray^SpC, scare, shock and awe^SpC, stalking brand^SpC, sticky fingers^SpC, surefooted stride^SpC, swim^SpC, true strike, unseen servant, warning shout^SpC, wings of the sea^SpC, wood shape.

2nd—animate dead, battle hymn^SpC, call lightning, control water, create food and water, easy climb^SpC, fear, greater floating disk^SpC, force chest^SpC, glowing orb^SpC, lay of the land^SpC, make whole, mass curse of impending blades^SpC, mass swim^SpC, merform, quench, raise from the deep^SpC, safety^SpC, see through fog, sending, servant horde^SpC, sink^SpC, skull watch^SpC, speak to allies^SpC, standing wave^SpC, tiny hut, tongues, treasure scent^SpC, water breathing, water walk, weather eye^SpC, wind at back^SpC.

3rd—call lightning storm, cloak of the sea^SpC, commune with nature, control winds, fogbank, mass bear's endurance, mass bull's strength, mass cat's grace, mass eagle's splendor, mass fox's cunning, mass owl's wisdom, mass surefooted stride^SpC, remove curse, rune delver's fortune^SpC, secret chest, sirine's grace^SpC, tidal surge^SpC, wind tunnel^SpC.

4th—control weather, drown^SpC, hunger of the deep, submerge ship^SpC, teleport object, work of recall.

Mobile Fighting (Ex): One cannot stay still on a ship, and at 6th level and beyond the mariner applies that to their fighting style. They may move and full attack, moving in between attacks as they see fit. They still provoke for moving as normal.

Fit to Lead: The 9th level mariner is a rare breed, and people begin to notice. They gain followers as if they had the Leadership feat (but no cohort). These are people willing and able to crew a ship, and have the skills required to operate said vessels.

Myth of the Sea: Being an effective sailor lends an air of mystery to you, and to the 9th level mariner they begin to become part of the very rumors they so often hear. Choose one lie of your choice; this will begin to swirl as a rumor in local areas, especially those close to ports. The rumor need not be true (and often isn't), and a truly unbelievable rumor may have a circumstance penalty on its DC. For the purpose of the rumor, the effective Bluff DC for anyone hearing the rumor is 10 + your bluff score. While this does nothing on its own, the rumor itself may lead to opportunities if everyone, perhaps, did believe you were friends with the king. You may change the rumor once a month, though it takes an additional month for the change to come into effect as rumors spread.

Improved Dirty Trick: The 10th level mariner expands the amount of dirty tricks they have access to. You may select from the following below. Improved Dirty Tricks reduce dirty strike damage by 3 dice.

Bloody Slash (Ex): The target is struck take your base weapon dice as bleed damage at the start of their turn, until they make a DC 20 Heal check or recieve magical healing. This includes any weapon enhancements, but not damage from feats or your ability score to damage.

Gut Punch (Ex): The target is rendered staggered and flatfooted for 1 round.

Senseless Blow (Ex): The target is struck blind and deaf for 1 round.

Unbalancing Blow (Ex): The target takes a -10 penalty balance, concentration, climb, swim, and tumble checks until they can reassert themselves as a move action.

Unfocusing Blow (Ex): The target loses focus and cannot take any immediate actions or attacks of opportunity for 1 round, and any readied actions are unreadied and lost.

Wild Strikes (Ex): You may swing at a nearby creature as if using Cleave, even if you have not struck down the target.

Legendary Presence (Ex): The 13th level mariner is the talk of the town, for good or ill. Whenever you announce yourself (or if you have some manner of identifying signature to yourself such as a flag), those who recognize you will either be impressed (if positive) or intimidated (if negative) from the news, granting you a +10 circumstance bonus on any Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate you subsequently make with them. This can be affected by whatever myth of the sea you have active at the time.

If intimidating in combat, once per person per day you can intimidate any number of creatures within 90 ft of yourself as a free action.

Rallying Call (Ex): The 16th level mariner is a leader yet, and can stir the fires of zeal in their allies. Once per day by speaking for at least one minute, the mariner can grant a +4 morale bonus to attack, damage, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks for any one stated goal, up to 30 minutes in length. Those inspired also gain 5 temporary hp per mariner's level for as long as the bonus applies.

Blessing of the Sea: The mariner knows the sea, loves the sea, and it loves them back. It is said the 18th level mariner is blessed by the ocean itself, and they possess a single use wish they may use without expensive material component by merely desiring it, as long as they are within 1 mile of the shore.

Greater Dirty Trick: The 18th level mariner expands the amount of dirty tricks they have access to. You may select from the following below. Improved Dirty Tricks reduce dirty strike damage by 5 dice.

Overwhelming Blow (Ex): The target must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + your ability modifier to attack) or be dazed for 1 round.

Killer Shark (Ex) and (Su): As part of the attack you get a free bull rush, as the Dirty Trick Shove. However if the target ends up in knee deep water or deeper (or they were already in water), they must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + your ability modifier to attack) or die by sudden supernatural shark attack. A successful save still deals 10d6 damage. This can only effect an individual creature once per day.

Black Spot (Su): The target must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + your ability modifier to attack) or suffer the effects of bestow curse upon them. Their bodies are marked with a black spot, recognizable as a curse of a mariner.

Soul of the Sea: The 20th level mariner and the sea shall never be apart. They gain DR 10/magic and are under the constant effects of water walk and water breathing as extraordinary abilities, able to be suppressed as a non-action. They also can speak with all aquatic creatures as if under speak with animals or tongues. Aquatic creatures with an Int of 2 and below are by default always Friendly to the mariner.

If the mariner should happen to die, they shall appear on a boat at sea (their own if possible) in 1d10 alive and well. However, they may not step foot on land again until their killer is dead, or a sacrifice of 5000 gp is made to the ocean itself. It is said the only way to prevent their return is by killing them while unable to step back on land while they are still at sea, in which case they perish normally.

Half-Orc Revised Mariner Starting Package

Weapons: Scimitar.

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 6 + Int modifier.

Skill	Ranks	Ability	Armor Check Penalty
Bluff	4	Cha	—
Climb	4	Str	-1
Intimidate	4	Cha	—
Survival	4	Wis	—
Swim	4	Str	-1
Tumble	4	Dex	-1

Feat: Dodge.

Gear: Studded Leather Armor.

Gold: 85 gp.

Revised Mariner Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge Local can research Revised Mariners to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge Local

DC	Result
10	Mariners are the rangers of the sea, either performing the role of trustworthy sailor or devious pirate.
15	Mariners are mobile fighters, jumping from foe to foe and pulling off tricks in rapid succession.
20	Powerful mariners are known and feared by name and appearance alone, and are blessed by the sea under its divine protection.
30	Those that reach this level of success can research specific mariners, their whereabouts, local myths and legends, and other details.

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