Everyone knows that pirates plague the shores of the Wraith Coast, but they aren’t the only reavers who haunt the waterways. The continent is crisscrossed by countless rivers, and riverboat traffic makes up a major portion of trade throughout the regions. Where there’s trade, however, there are those who would prey on it. That’s where river raiders like you come in.
River raiders are pirates who ply the rivers and streams, pillaging riverboats and nearby communities alike. Like other outlaws, some are driven to this life because they have few alternatives, while others
take to it because they enjoy the freedom, the power, or the violence. Whatever drew you to a life of looting along the waterways, your company is on its way to becoming the scourge of whatever body of water you call your territory.
Downtime: River Legs
Riverboat pirates don’t make it very long if they can’t keep their footing when a boat runs aground or when they need to wade through the shallows to strike at a target. You have advantage on saving throws made to avoid being knocked prone or moved against your will, and moving through nonmagical difficult terrain doesn’t cost you extra movement.
Company Accomplishments
From waylaying other riverboats to raiding settlements along the shore, your company’s prestige increases when you prove your mettle through acts such as the following:
- Stealing or sinking the riverboat of a rival faction of river raiders, or defeating their captain in single combat
- Plundering at least 1,000 gp in goods in a single haul
- Evading a military patrol sent to bring you in
- Slaying a major beast that has been plaguing the waters where you operate
- Breaking someone out of prison
Prerequisites
Any character can belong to a River Raider company, but at least one member should be proficient with vehicles (water). Many river raiders are rogues or raiders, but fighters, rangers, and others who can be useful in a pinch and don’t have too many scruples are welcome aboard.
Tier 1 : Creek Bandits
Everyone has to start somewhere, and in the case of your crew, it’s aboard a leaky tub that can barely make its way up and down whatever waterway you have chosen as your territory. You’re just starting out, but you have big dreams. Your success is just a matter of finding bigger and better scores.
Benefits
Leaky Tub. Every pirate needs a ship, and you’ve got one . . . technically. Your company commands a small paddleboat and a crew of two noncombatant swabs who can keep the thing afloat most of the time. They use the commoner stat block. The ship can hold your entire company plus the two swabs and a passenger or two, with a little room left over to stash some loot or smuggle some contraband. The whole thing is in poor repair, and fixing it up or replacing it with a nicer model is high on your list of priorities, but it beats swimming. If the riverboat is lost or destroyed, you will need to purchase or pilfer a replacement.
Put ’Er in Here. You’ve carved out a few hiding spots up and down the river’s edge where you can stash your boat out of sight from patrols and rival raiders. Whether a secluded cove screened by foliage or half-submerged cave, these spots offer little more than a place to lay low, fix up your boat, and count your loot.
Strong Swimmer. Any river pirate worth their salt goes overboard at one time or another. You’ve developed a knack for swimming even in strong currents or amid unpleasant distractions, such as firefights and hungry gators. You gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.
Tier 2 : River Ruffians
By this point, your company has made some significant scores up and down the river you call home. Your reputation has begun to spread, and any riverboat making its way through your territory is likely to take on extra guards. You can now attract recruits to your company who will fight at your side, and you’ve developed enough of a reputation in the local underworld that criminal contacts trust you to take on smuggling jobs, which help line your pockets when tempting targets for raids are scarce.
Benefits
Derring-Do. Boarding actions conducted on a river present different challenges than those undertaken upon the high seas. Fortunately, you have come up with a variety of ingenious ways of getting from one boat to another, from using grappling pistols to swinging from vines to installing simple springboards on the deck of your own vessel. When you make a long jump onto or off of a water vehicle, the number of feet you can cover is doubled.
Eager Recruits. Up-and-coming criminals seek out your company to prove their worth. You gain 1d4 hirelings who will fight in boarding actions or on raids against shoreline communities. Hirelings gained by this benefit must have a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower.
Smuggler’s Blues. Your daring river raids have boosted your company’s reputation to the point that you can make a little extra coin on the side by smuggling contraband up and down the river. Setting up a smuggling job and securing the cargo takes 1d4 days of work, plus an additional 1d4 days to transport the goods successfully. At the end of the job, each member of the company earns 1d10 gp.
Tier 3 : Scourge of the Water Ways
Your company’s reputation is known throughout the region where you ply your trade. The names of its most prominent members are invoked by communities along the shoreline in campfire tales, and you’ve evaded more than a few military patrols dispatched to bring you to justice. Your name strikes so much fear among riverboat captains that some will simply drop their weapons and give up their cargo rather than face you in combat.
Benefits
Bad Reputation. Your company’s deeds are known up and down the river. You gain a +2 bonus on Charisma (Intimidation) checks involving enemy forces and Charisma (Persuasion) checks involving friendly forces.
Smuggler’s Bliss. Your company’s growing reputation allows you to line up more lucrative smuggling jobs. At the end of a smuggling job, each member of the company now earns 2d10 gp, rather than 1d10 gp.
The Yarest River-Goin’ Boat There Be. By this point, your crew has managed to upgrade your boat, either by fixing up the old one or by stealing or purchasing a better model. Your new boat is large enough for everyone in your company to enjoy their own private quarters, with room left over for barracks for new recruits. You also have a crane you can use to load and unload cargo, and it’s large enough and strong
enough to move even the heaviest of cargo.
Tier 4 : Monarchs Among Thieves
Your company’s legend grows with each new village you plunder and boat you raid. Many along the waterways know you by reputation, if not by sight, and will bow to your superior skills without a fight. Your reputation as the most preeminent river pirates in the region—if not in all of the Wraith Coast—not only attracts top-notch recruits to your crew, but also results in a steady stream of protection money from any merchant in your territory who doesn’t want to feel your wrath.
Benefits
Better Bandits. By this point, only the most enterprising criminals in the region seek to join your crew. You gain an additional 1d4 hirelings with a challenge rating of 2 or lower.
Protection Money. The communities up and down the stretch of river that is your primary territory have learned to fear you. What’s more, riverboat captains who regularly pass this way feel the same. Rather than risk your crew’s wrath, they’re willing to pay you a tithe to provide them safe passage or simply to leave them alone. You collect 200 gp per month in protection money from local communities and the captains of passing boats.