The Freebooters' Fellowship

As the first post of the new year, this one presents a band of space pirates who prey upon commercial traffic in aetherspace.

-Nate

Freebooters' Fellowship

While a number of organizations—especially the Elven Navy, the Royal Interplanetary Company and the Dwarven Mining Guild—seek to monitor and even control commerce and other activities in space, there are others who wish to pursue any opportunity for profit in a completely unbridled manner. Some call them pirates, while others prefer “ladies and gentlemen of fortune,” but they refer to themselves as Freebooters.

Goal: Profit

Ultimately the Freebooters seek to turn an easy profit so that they can live comfortably. For some, that means earning enough to spend some time living well in a settlement before heading out on another voyage; others, though, seek to make that one big score that would let them settle down once and for all, leaving life on the account behind themselves and perhaps even setting themselves up as part of the local aristocracy.

Alignment: CN

While some Freebooters seek more to “rob from the rich and give to the poor,” others are bloodthirsty and wicked in their ways. The common thread, though, is a lack of concern for the laws of the Known Worlds and the space that lies between them.

Leader

This organization is unique in that it doesn't have one individual in control of it. Rather, individual captains command their own vessels, and have banded together in a loose affiliation that agrees not to interfere in each other's business. Sometimes this is more easily said than done, of course.

Headquarters

While they don't have their own specific base of operations, the Freebooters can often be found at the Sign of the Cup and Loaf in the asteroid settlement known as the Grotto (follow the link below for details). There are rumors of other hideouts, too, with each captain favoring a particular location. 

The Grotto

Using the Freebooters' Fellowship in an Aetherial Adventures Campaign

This organization can provide plenty of plot elements for a space fantasy RPG campaign; presented here are a few of the possibilities. 

• PCs who share this organization's outlook on life could seek to join the Fellowship and then work their way upward to gain influence in it. They might have to deal with rival captains, especially those whose motivation and methods differ from their own.
• Alternately, the PCs could find their own vessel, or one on which they're employed, under attack by cutthroats who wish to plunder valuables belonging to them or to their employers.
• For a twist on that premise, the PCs could learn that a member of their crew is in league with the pirates and has sold them out for a share of the booty.
• Expanding on that notion, they might even discover a broader conspiracy, one that involves high-ranking members of influential groups.
• Once the pirates have established themselves as a system-wide menace, one or more of the powers that be offer the PCs letters of marque and reprisal to help deal with the problem once and for all.

Pirate Captain CR 8 XP 4800 Various fighter 9 CN medium humanoid Init +5; Senses Perception +1 DEFENSE AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+1 Dex, +3 armor, +1 Dodge) hp 72 (9d10+18) Fort +8, Ref +4, Will +3 Resist Bravery +2 OFFENSE Spd 30 ft. Melee Cutlass +15/+10 (1d6+7) Ranged Shortbow +13/+8 (1d6+2) Special Attacks None STATISTICS Str 16, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 10 Base Atk +9; CMB +12; CMD 23 Feats Critical Focus, Dodge, Improved Critical, Improved Initiative, Lunge, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Skill Focus: Profession (sailor), Weapon Focus (cutlass), Weapon Specialization (cutlass) Skills Climb +8, Profession (sailor) +11 Languages Common SQ Armor training 2, weapon training 2 (light blades, bows) Combat Gear Studded leather armor, +1 cutlass +1, shortbow +1, quiver of twenty arrows, miscellaneous personal items The captain epitomizes the very nature of a pirate, as befits one who leads such a band of scallywags.

Pirate Crew Member, Novice CR ½ XP 200 Various fighter 1 CN medium humanoid Init +0; Senses Perception +0 DEFENSE AC 12, touch 10, flat-footed 12 (+2 armor) hp 11 (1d10+1) Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +0 Resist None OFFENSE Spd 30 ft. Melee Cutlass +3 (1d6+1) Ranged Shortbow +1 (1d6) Special Attacks None STATISTICS Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 9 Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 12 Feats Skill Focus: Profession (sailor), Weapon Focus (cutlass) Skills Climb +5, Profession (sailor) +7 Languages Common SQ None Combat Gear Leather armor, cutlass, shortbow, quiver of twenty arrows, miscellaneous personal items While individual personalities show a tremendous amount of variation, one quality that all of them share is the desire to win a profit for themselves no matter the legality or risk. They are intrepid souls, but also ones who sometimes are given to squabbling amongst themselves if they think that a given course of action might not be lucrative.

Pirate Crew Member, Veteran CR 4 XP 1200 Various fighter 5 CN medium humanoid Init +1; Senses Perception +1 DEFENSE AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+1 Dex, +3 armor, +1 Dodge) hp 42 (5d10+10) Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +1 Resist Bravery +1 OFFENSE Spd 30 ft. Melee Cutlass +10 (1d6+5) Ranged Shortbow +7 (1d6) Special Attacks None STATISTICS Str 16, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10 Base Atk +5; CMB +8; CMD 19 Feats Dodge, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Skill Focus: Profession (sailor), Weapon Focus (cutlass), Weapon Specialization (cutlass) Skills Climb +8, Profession (sailor) +11 Languages Common SQ Armor training 1, weapon training 1 (light blades) Combat Gear Studded leather armor, masterwork cutlass, masterwork shortbow, quiver of twenty arrows, miscellaneous personal items These grizzled souls are, for the most part, just like their less experienced comrades, but their time sailing the spacelanes has taught them some important lessons—and turned them into much more dangerous foes.