TEXT: Pirates!
  A Dungeon World Sourcebook
  Zane Grimes (Order #10210989)
  
  2
  “Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest
  Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of  rum! 
  Drink and the devil had done for the rest
  Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of  rum!”
  Treasure Island. R.L. Stevenson
  “So ye want t’ be a jack tar, Laddie? Let me tell ye about 
  life aboard a sailin’ ship. It be hell. Ships may be out 
  t’ sea for months. The food be bad - dry bread full o’ 
  weevils and rancid salted pork better fit for makin’ soap. 
  Sanitation be worse. And disease! Yer teeth fall out and 
  yer ears rot off. Do somethin’ wrong? It’s the cat o’nine 
  tails for ye or even the keelhaul! And don’t even think 
  about piracy or ye’ll be swingin’ from the yardarm!”
  Naval Tactics
  There is a huge difference between fighting on a ship, 
  which is a moving platform with confined space, and 
  fighting on land. 
  Sailing ships cannot sail directly into the wind, most can 
  only sail up to 70 degrees off the wind. Therefore being 
  up wind of your opponent (holding the weather gage) 
  is an important tactical consideration. Ships that are up 
  wind  of their opponents generally can force the action. 
  They can avoid combat by staying up wind or they can 
  bear down on their enemies. Ships on the lee side of 
  their enemies cannot force any action, but can only flee 
  downwind.  
  Most of the cannons on a ship are mounted on the 
  sides. In order to fire an effective salvo, a ship has to 
  present its “broad side” the enemy. Few guns are mount-
  ed on the bow and stern. Because of these consider-
  ations, maneuvering is the most important part of any 
  sea battle, and getting the weather gage to present an 
  effective broadside makes all the difference.
  Communication between ships is very difficult, and in 
  the absence of magical means, rely on signal flags that 
  may be obscured by black powder smoke during battles.
  The best way to win a naval battle is by boarding the en-
  emy vessel. It can be done by running the bow over the 
  enemy’s sides, or grappling the enemy ship from the side 
  and invading the deck. Of course this maneuver may 
  open the attacking ship to the enemy’s broadside! It can 
  also be done by launching boats with boarding parties.
  Ships fight more effectively if they form lines, so that 
  they present their broadsides in succession to the enemy. 
  This is called “The Line of Battle”. Ships that are in line 
  formation have to fight whatever ships oppose them, for 
  they cannot break the line and flee, so only bigger ships 
  qualify for this tactic. Ships that are strong enough to 
  take part in forming lines of battle are called “Ships of 
  the Line”. 
  Some examples of  ships
  Brig: A smaller two-masted vessel, square-rigged on 
  both masts. 
  Cutter: A fast-sailing fore-and-aft rigged single-masted 
  vessel usually setting doubleheadsails, used for patrol 
  and dispatch services. They could carry up to 12 guns. 
  Dinghy: A small rowing or sailing boat. 
  Fireship: A ship or boat that is deliberately set on fire 
  Pirates!
  A Dungeon World Sourcebook
  Zane Grimes (Order #10210989)
  
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  and steered to collide with a larger enemy ship in order 
  to set it on fire and destroy it. 
   
  Galleon: A square-rigged, three- or four-masted sailing 
  ship in use from the 16th to the 18th century, particular-
  ly by the Spanish and Portuguese but also by most other 
  European nations. 
  Longboat: A boat carried aboard a larger ship, pro-
  pelled by oars or sail.
  Man O’War: A ship specifically built for the purpose of 
  war. 
  Ship of  the Line: A warship built to fight in the line of 
  battle. The ‘line of battle’ meant that each ship would 
  form in a line thus allowing each ship to fire full broad-
  side salvos at the opponent. 
  Sloop-of-war: These are small three masted war ships, 
  fast and highly maneuverable, with 8 to 22 cannon on 
  only one deck. They were either fully rigged as ships 
  (three-masted ship-sloop) or as snows (two-masted brig-
  sloop). 
  Ship’s Cannons
  Ship’s cannons are heavy - they may weigh up to two 
  tons each. So it takes a whole crew to operate one. 
  The loading procedure starts when the barrel is wiped 
  out with a wet swab to douse all remaining embers from 
  the previous shot and to cool the barrel down. Then a 
  black powder charge is loaded as a paper cartridge that 
  was prepared by the powder monkey.  A wad of old 
  cloth is inserted and it is rammed down, after which the 
  ball is inserted and rammed down with another wad. 
  Then the gun is run forward by the crew to the gun 
  port. The cartridge is perforated through the touch hole 
  and a priming charge is poured into the touch hole. The 
  cannon is fired by igniting the priming charge with a rod 
  with a smouldering rag at the end. 
  A well trained gunner crew can fire a broadside every 2 
  minutes or so.
  Remember that a salvo of ship’s guns is extremely loud 
  and produces a large cloud of smoke!
  Naval Battles
  In these rules, every ship has statistics, a bit like mon-
  sters. They have Hit Points,  Toughness (it works exactly 
  like armor by reducing damage taken) and Damage 
  (dealt by cannon salvos). Ships cannot be damaged by 
  hand held weapons. They can only be damaged by can-
  non salvos, storms, reefs or giant sea creatures. These 
  sources of  damage do not damage player characters directly. 
  Whenever their ship takes damage, each Player Character has to 
  do the Defy Danger: Naval Battle move. 
  Each ship has a Maneuverability (Man) statistic that is 
  used during the Naval Maneuver move: Roll+Man. 
  Each ship also has a crew size. The crew size works 
  more like a tag than a statistic, because running totals of 
  crew losses are not kept. 
  Player ships are controlled by their captains. If the 
   
  Brig
  Sloop
  Frigate
  Galleon
  Man o’War
  Longboat
  Toughness (Armor)
  0
  0
  1
  2
  4
  _
  Hit Points
  10
  15
  20
  25
  40
  _
  Crew
  50
  100
  250
  500
  800
  12
  Cannon damage
  2d4
  2d4
  2d6
  2d8
  2d12
  _
  Maneuverability (Man)
  1
  2
  0
  -1
  -2
  4
  Crippled at
  3 HP
  5 HP
  7 HP
  8 HP
  13 HP
  _
  Disabled at
  2 HP
  3 HP
  4 HP
  5 HP
  8 HP
  _
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  captain of the ship is not a Player Character, he can 
  be controlled by either the players or the GM. A good 
  fictional reason for the GM to control the ship may be 
  if the captain of the ship is antagonistic to the player 
  characters. (They may be planning a mutiny!)
  GM Moves
  • Hunt down a ship.
  • Initiate a maneuver to fire cannons.
  • Initiate a maneuver to grapple and board a ship.
  • Disengage from combat and flee.
  • Start a fire on a damaged ship.
  • Start a mutiny.
  • Start a disease outbreak on a ship.
  • Change the weather.
  • Describe reefs and dangerous shipwrecking land-
  marks.
  • Spawn giant or mythical sea creatures.
  Player Moves
  Naval Maneuver Move
  When you maneuver a ship in naval combat, declare 
  your objective and Roll+Man.
  On 10+:  According to your objective:
  • You come into fighting range of an enemy ship 
  that tried to avoid combat, with the weather gage 
  advantage.
  • You position your ship to deliver a full broadside 
  cannon salvo at the enemy ship. Do your ship's can-
  non salvo damage to the enemy ship.
  • You grapple and board the enemy ship. This trig-
  gers the Boarding move.
  • You disengage your ship from battle and avoid 
  further conflict.
  • You navigate a dangerous reef or storm.
  On 7-9: According to your objective:
  • You come within fighting range of an enemy ship 
  that tried to avoid combat but the GM chooses one:
  –You end up on the enemy's lee side. Take -1  on-
  going to  Naval Maneuvers except to flee, until you 
  can maneuver into an up wind position.
  –The captain is ready for you. Take half his cannon 
  salvo damage to your ship. (1 die instead of 2)
  • You position your ship to deliver a broadside can-
  non salvo at the enemy ship but the GM chooses one:
  –Do only half your ship's cannon salvo damage to 
  the enemy ship. (1 die instead of two)
  –Do your ship's cannon salvo damage to the enemy 
  ship, but the enemy is also in position. Take half its 
  cannon salvo damage to your ship.(1 die instead of 
  2) 
  • You grapple and board the enemy ship, but things 
  go wrong. Take -1 to the Boarding move. 
  • You disengage your ship from battle and avoid 
  further conflict, but the GM chooses one
  –The pursuing ship fires its chaser guns. Your ship 
  takes 1d4 damage.
  –The GM makes a move of his choice against your 
  ship.
  • You navigate a dangerous reef or storm but the 
  ship takes 1d6 damage
  6-: According to your objective.
  • The ship you pursue disappears over the horizon
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  • The enemy ship fires a broadside at you (take its 
  full cannon salvo damage) or the enemy ship grapples 
  and boards you.
  • You navigate a dangerous reef or storm but the 
  ship takes 1d10 damage.
  The Defy Danger: Naval Battle move
  When a ship is hit by a cannon salvo, the cannon balls 
  shatter wooden planks and beams into deadly flying 
  splinters that impale sailors and sever limbs.
  When your ship takes damage during a naval battle, 
  all Player Characters on the ship must Roll + Str, Con, 
  Dex, Int or Wis.
  On 10+: You are not affected by the damage
  On 7-9: You are stunned
  On 6- : You take half the damage that the ship took. 
  (Rounded down)
  Crew casualties
  Crew casualties are always proportional to the hit points 
  damage a ship has taken. Although it is not necessary 
  to keep running totals, keep casualties already taken in 
  mind when boarding happens.
  Crippled
  When a ship loses about  2/3 of its hit points, it is 
  crippled due to loss of crew and damage to the rigging. 
  It takes -2 ongoing to Maneuver rolls and damage is 
  reduced to 1 damage die instead of two. Attacking ships 
  take +1 to Roll+Man.
  Disabled
  When a ship loses about 4/5 of its hit points, it is dis-
  abled. It can be shot at or boarded without rolls by any 
  ship that is not also engaged in battle with another ship.
  Sunk
  When a ship is reduced to 0 hit points it is sunk. The 
  crew is lost. Player Characters and named NPC’s may be 
  saved if they defy danger and  are rescued.
  Boarding
  The boarding move uses a Mob Buff: This is an arbi-
  trary modifier from -2 to +4 assigned by the GM that 
  reflects the PC’s ship’s crew’s chances against the crew 
  of the enemy ship.
   When assigning a Mob Buff, the GM takes into 
  account: 
  • The size of the 2 crews, including casualties taken 
  before boarding happens. Remember that casualties 
  taken during a naval battle are proportional to the 
  damage the ship has taken. 
  • Are the crews merchants or marines? Merchant 
  sailors may be helpless against even small bands of  
  trained fighters.
  • Individual actions of PC’s during boarding.
  • Tactical advantages such as swivel guns.
  • Specific moves PC’s may have that modify the 
  Mob Buff.
  The following table is a guide to assigning a Mob Buff. 
  But forget the numbers and just remember this: For a more 
  or less 50-50 fight, assign a Mob Buff of 0.  Seldom as-
  sign a +3. Try not to go over +3, unless the PC’s have a 
  definite chance of winning!
  Buff
  Chance of rolling 7+
  -2
  27.77 %
  Set them up for failure
  -1
  41.66 %
  Heroic fight
  0
  58.33 %
  Good fight
  +1
  72.22 %
  Better odds
  +2
  83.33 %
  Probable win
  +3
  91.66 %
  More probable win
  +4
  97.22 %
  Definite win
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  Boarding happens as follows:
  First, describe the start of the boarding battle in the 
  fiction. Then describe and resolve individual PCs’ fights 
  against enemies during the battle according to the nor-
  mal Dungeon World procedure. Remember that PC ac-
  tions can swing the battle, for instance if they take down 
  the guy who mans the swivel gun, or if they set off a 
  powder keg in the arsenal! Lastly, resolve the battle using 
  the Boarding move.
  The Boarding move
  When you are part of a group consisting of more than 
  just the player characters fighting against a large group 
  of opponents: Roll+ Buff
  On10+: The crew wins the battle with very few casual-
  ties. The enemy takes heavy casualties and will rout or 
  surrender.
  On 7-9: The crew wins the battle with up to 40% (1d4 x 
  10 %) casualties. There are also other complications.
  On 6-:The crew loses the battle with up to 60% (1d6 x 
  10 %) casualties. The GM makes a hard move against 
  the crew.
  Examples of hard moves: Make the NPC members of 
  the PC’s crew retreat, rout or surrender. Kill a named 
  NPC.  Take a NPC captive/hostage.
  Notes: 
  PC’s will never die because of a Boarding  move. They 
  can only die because of damage taken. It is not neces-
  sary to calculate the exact amount of casualties since 
  it is not a simulation. But it is important to reflect the 
  casualties taken in the fiction.
  Ships of the Line
  When ships with unmodified Maneuverability of less 
  than 1 aid each other
  • For two ships: Take +1 on Maneuver rolls
  • For more than two ships: Take +2 on Maneuver 
  rolls
  Buying a ship
  Who buys a ship when you can just comman-
  deer one? OK, maybe you have one to sell. 
  Here is how much it is worth: The cost of 
  a ship is equal to its current hit points  
  x 1000 coin. For instance: A frigate 
  (maximum 20 hit points) has 10 hit 
  points of damage. It costs 10 000 coin. 
  If it were undamaged, it would cost 20 
  000 coin.
  Repairing a ship
  The cost of repairs equals the hit points of dam-
  age to be repaired x 500 coin. Of course if you have a 
  good boatswain your ship is kept in good order, so de-
  duct 10% off the cost. And if you have a good carpen-
  ter, you may deduct a further 20% or 40% off the cost. 
  Supplies
  Supplies for a month’s sea voyage costs about 6 x crew 
  size in coin. For example, it will cost  a frigate with 250 
  crew 6 x 250 = 1 500 coin to buy supplies for a month’s 
  journey.
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  Crew
  Crew loyalty
  The whole crew of a ship has just one corporate loyalty 
  score. It starts at a default of 0, but may be -2 to +4. 
  (+4 is the max!) Skilled officers or specialists may bolster 
  the crew’s loyalty. Only apply those bonuses when the 
  officers or specialists are first recruited. The GM will 
  adjust a crew’s loyalty as the fiction demands. Fair winds 
  and good profit may boost the loyalty by 1. Poor deci-
  sions and lost battles may decrease loyalty. 
  When a crew find themselves in a dangerous, de-
  grading, or just flatout crazy situation due to the 
  captain’s orders roll+loyalty. 
  On a 10+ they stand firm and carry out the order. 
  On a 7–9 they do it for now, but come back with serious 
  demands later. Meet them or the crew quits on the worst 
  terms, short of mutiny.
  Wages
  The basic wage in the navy is a coin a day, or 30 coin per 
  month. Some crews go by the article “no prey no pay” 
  which means each crew member is entitled to a share 
  of the profit. If you recruit crew based on wages, they 
  will cost 30 x crew size per month. So ‘n frigate with 250 
  crew members would cost 7 500 coin per month. If you 
  cannot pay, loyalty will plummet.
  Recruiting
  When you set out to recruit a crew
  If you make it known… 
  • that your pay is generous or they will get a share 
  of profits, take +1
  • what you’re setting out to do, take +1 
  • If you have a useful reputation around these parts 
  take an additional +1. 
  Roll+bonuses for each officer or specialist you recruit. 
  You may never add more than +4 to a roll. If you roll a 
  miss the person you recruit brings you no advantage. If 
  a Player Character already fills a post, you cannot recruit 
  an NPC for the same post and stack the bonuses.
  Captain
  The Captain is in charge of the ship. He makes the ulti-
  mate decisions in the day to day running of the ship. His 
  fee is about 80 coin per month, or two shares of profit.
  On 10 +  the  captain gives your ship the following 
  bonuses:
  • Take +1 to the Boarding move.
  • Increase crew loyalty by 1.
  • Take +1 to recruiting.
  On 7-9: Choose one of the above.
  On 6-:  The crew’s loyalty is decreased by 1.
  Quartermaster
  The quartermaster is second in charge and the chief ex-
  ecutive power on the ship. He is in charge of discipline 
  and finances. His fee is about 80 coin per month or two 
  shares of profit. 
  On 10+: The quartermaster gives your ship the follow-
  ing bonuses: 
  • Decrease the cost of supplies by 20%. 
  • Iron discipline: Re-roll one die once during a loy-
  alty check. 
  • Increase crew loyalty by 1.
  On 7-9 choose one of the above.
  Navigator
  The navigator charts the ship’s course.  His fee is about 
  60 coin per month or a share and a half of profit.
  Recruiting specialists on the high seas
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  On 10+: The navigator gives your ship the following 
  bonuses:
  • Your ship will need 20% less supplies to complete 
  a journey. 
  • The ship will not be hit by a serious storm. 
  On 7-9: The ship will need 10% less supplies to com-
  plete a journey.
  Boatswain (Bosun) 
  The boatswain is in charge of the physical sailing of 
  the ship and maintenance of sails and rigging. His fee is 
  about 60 coin per month or a share and a half of profit. 
  On 10+: The boatswain gives your ship the following 
  bonuses:
  • If your ship has no other bonuses to maneuver-
  ability, your ship takes +1 to maneuverability. 
  • Ship repairs cost 10% less (This may stack with 
  bonuses from the carpenter.)
  On 7-9 choose one of the above.
  Carpenter
  The carpenter’s fee is 40 coin per month or a share and 
  a quarter of profit. 
  On 10+ : The carpenter gives your ship the following 
  bonus: Ship repairs cost 40% less. He can repair some 
  damage on the high seas.
  On 7-9: Ship repairs cost 20% less. He can repair the 
  most urgent damage on the high seas.
  Surgeon
  The surgeon’s fee is 40 coin per month or a share and a 
  quarter of profit.  
  On 10+ : The surgeon gives the following bonuses: 
  • Reduce casualties after a sea battle by 30%. 
  • Increase crew loyalty by 1.
  On 7-9: Reduce casualties after a sea battle by 10%.
  Master gunner: 
  The master gunner’s fee is 40 coin per month or a share 
  and a quarter of profit.
  On 10+: If your ship has no other bonuses to damage, 
  your ship does +1d6 cannon damage. 
  On 7-9: If your ship has no other bonuses to damage, 
  your ship does +1d4 cannon damage. 
  Cook
  The cook’s fee is 30 coin per month, or a share of 
  profit.
  On 10+ : The cook gives your ship the following bo-
  nuses: 
  • Increase crew loyalty by 1.
  • The GM will never start a disease outbreak on 
  your ship as a hard move, unless supplies run out.
  On 7-9: Choose one of the above.
  Sailors
  You roll only once for all the sailors in your crew. You 
  may never add more than +4 to a roll. 
  On 10+: You get a full crew. Add 1 to their loyalty.
  On 7-9: Yo do not get a full crew. Their loyalty is 0, but 
  can be increased by officers or specialists. 
  On 6-: The crew is too small and is incompetent: Your 
  ship takes -1 to maneuverability. Their loyalty is 0, but 
  can be increased by officers or specialists.
  Weapons
  These firearms are notoriously unreliable. On a 6- they 
  probably do not even go off. They take time to load, so 
  have as many on you as you can fit into you belts and 
  pants. You will probably only get one shot with each 
  when you are in battle!
  Swivel guns are fixed to the bulwark, and can only be 
  moved with great difficulty. They shoot grape shot, are 
  the main defense against boarding parties, and can kill a 
  few sailors with one shot. They do not damage ships.
  A harpoon gun is exactly like a swivel gun but is loaded 
  with a barbed harpoon with a rope attached. Use it to 
  catch whales, or even bigger game...
  Flintlock pistol: Near. Loud. Pierce 1. Reload. 1 weight
  Double barrelled flint lock pistol: Near. Loud. Pierce 
  1. Reload. 2 shots. 1 weight.
  Blunderbuss: + 3 damage. Two-handed. Near.  Loud. 
  Pierce 1. Messy. Forceful. Reload. 2 weight.
  Musket: Two-handed. Far. Loud. Pierce 2. Reload. 2 
  weight.
  Grenade: 1d10 damage. Dangerous. Thrown. Near. 
  Loud. Blast range: Close. Pierce 2. 1 Weight.
  Powder keg: 2d12 damage. Blow up structures. Blast 
  range: Near. Loud. Messy. Forceful. Dangerous. 10 
  Weight.  A powder keg requires Defy Danger (Int) to use as an 
  explosive device.
  Swivel gun: +1d6 damage. Two handed. Near. Loud. 
  Ignores armour. Messy. Forceful. Cone shaped area of 
  effect. Reload. Can be moved by one person with great 
  difficulty. 
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  Harpoon gun: +1d12 damage. Two handed. Far. Loud. 
  Ignores armour. Messy. Forceful. Can be moved by one 
  person with great difficulty. It may ensnare creatures that 
  are immune to hand wielded weapons and do 1d4 dam-
  age against such creatures.
  Cutlass: Close. Precise. 1 weight.
  Dagger, Dirk: Hand. 1 weight.
  Belay pin: Hand. 1 weight.
  Hook: Hand 0 weight.
  Sea Monsters 
  Important tags:
  Damage to ships: This deals damage to ships and 
  not to characters. (Like cannon salvos.) When a ship is 
  damaged each PC has to roll Defy Danger: Naval Battle. 
  Crew losses are proportional to damage to the ship. 
  Cannot be harmed by hand wielded weapons: 
  This monster can only be damaged by artillery, bombs, 
  harpoon guns and the like. Offensive spells that deal 
  significant area of effect damage may work.
  Grapples: The monster will grapple a ship in order to 
  do some types of damage. A ship may do a Naval Ma-
  neuver move to avoid being grappled. When the ship is 
  grappled it cannot do any maneuvers but it can do half 
  its cannon salvo damage (1 die instead of 2) without a 
  maneuver roll. A grappling monster will let go when it 
  takes significant damage.
  Morgawr 
  Solitary. Gargantuan.  
  Damage to ships: 1d4 – 1d10, Forceful. Grapples. 
  HP 8-12 Cannot be harmed by hand wielded weap-
  ons. 
  Armor 0-4
  Instinct: 
  • Bite boats in half. 
  • Crush ships in its coils.
  • Pull ships to the deep. 
  • Feed. 
  A massive, horned, coiling sea serpent, churning the 
  water and capsizing ships in its wake. It has a mouth big 
  enough to swallow a boat and teeth the size of longboat 
  oars. 
   
  Aspidochelone 
  Solitary. Gargantuan.  
  Instinct: 
  • Fall asleep on the surface of the sea, and dream 
  of whatever giant turtles dream of. 
  • Wake up. 
  • Swim. 
  • Dive.
  “Ye see that bit o’ open sea over thar, Mate? A short 
  while ago thar was an island, I swear! It had rocks and 
  hills and trees and sandy beaches and everythin’! Me 
  ship’s crew landed the longboat. Tried to find fresh wa-
  ter. Made campfires for the night. Then in the middle o’  
  night the island trembled and moved, it opened an eye, 
  by Jove, a massive turtle’s eye. And then it started swim-
  min’, almost capsizin’ me ship in its wake. And when it 
  dived down into the deep, I lost every single hand that 
  was on that longboat!”
  Look, there is Fastitocalon! 
  An island good to land upon, 
  Although ‘tis rather bare. 
  Come, leave the sea! And let us run, 
  Or dance, or lie down in the sun! 
  See, gulls are sitting there! 
  Beware! 
  The Adventures of  Tom Bombadil, J. R. R. Tolkien 
  The Terrible Dogfish 
  Solitary. Gargantuan.  
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  Damage to ships: 1d6 - 1d10. 
  HP 16 Cannot be harmed by hand wielded weapons.
  Armor 0-4
  Instinct: 
  • Swallow ships whole, with the crew. 
  • Digest slowly.
  “And my father?”
  “By this time, he must have been swallowed by the Terrible 
  Shark, which, for the last few days, has been bringing terror to 
  these waters.”
  “Is this Shark very big?” asked Pinocchio, who was beginning 
  to tremble with fright.
  “Is he big?” replied the Dolphin. “Just to give you an idea of  
  his size, let me tell you that he is larger than a five story build-
  ing and that he has a mouth so big and so deep, that a whole 
  train and engine could easily get into it.”
  Pinocchio, Carlo Collodi
   
   
  Tiamat
  Goddes of primal chaos. Solitary. Gargantuan. Intelli-
  gent. Chaotic. Evil. 
  Damage to ships: 2d8. Forceful. Messy. Grapples.
  HP 12-24 Cannot be harmed with hand wielded weap-
  ons.
  Armor 2
  Instinct: 
  • Appear as a beautiful female humanoid. 
  • Beguile, bewitch, subvert, corrupt and enslave. 
  • Transform into a gargantuan sea-dragon when 
  threatened or insulted. 
  • Grab, crush, bite and destroy ships and their 
  crews. 
  And the lord Marduk stood upon Tiamat’s hinder parts,
  And with his merciless club he smashed her skull.
  He cut through the channels of  her blood,
  And he made the North wind bear it away into secret places. 
  The Enûma Elish  
  Sirens. Mermaids
  Group. Intelligent. Devious. 
  Damage 0
  HP 6 
  Armor 2
  Instinct: 
  • Lure and seduce. 
  • Wreck ships. 
  • Convince sailors jump over board, scuttle their 
  own ships or kill their mates. 
  • Feed off the waning life force of drowning men. 
  The rock was very small now; soon it would be submerged. 
  Pale rays of  light tiptoed across the waters; and by and by there 
  was to be heard a sound at once the most musical and the most 
  melancholy in the world: the mermaids calling to the moon. 
  Peter Pan and Wendy, JM Barrie
  Kraken
  Solitary. Gargantuan.  
  Damage to ships 1d4 - 1d10. Grapples.
  HP 8 - 16 Cannot be harmed with hand wielded weap-
  ons. 
  Armor 2
  The Kraken’s tentacles fight as individual monsters 
  when it grapples a ship:
  Damage 1d6 (Suckers)
  Zane Grimes (Order #10210989)
  
  11
  HP 6
  Armor 1
  When the Kraken itself is reduced to 0 HP, or when all 
  of its 10 tentacles are destroyed, it is defeated.
  Instinct: 
  • Latch on to ships and crush them. 
  • Grab sailors and bite them with its massive beak. 
  • Squirt black ink when it is harmed. 
  For an instant I thought the poor man entwined by the devilfish 
  might be torn loose from its powerful suction. Seven arms out 
  of  eight had been chopped off. Brandishing its victim like a 
  feather, one lone tentacle was writhing in the air. But just as 
  Captain Nemo and his chief  officer rushed at it, the animal 
  shot off  a spout of  blackish liquid, secreted by a pouch located 
  in its abdomen. It blinded us. When this cloud had dispersed, 
  the squid was gone, and so was my poor fellow countryman!
  10 000 Leagues under the sea. Jules Verne.
  Dead Pirates
  Horde
  Damage 1d6 (Cutlass) Close
  HP 11
  Armor 1
  Instinct
  • Guard the treasure
  • Attack in overwhelming numbers
  • Call on their slain victims to join the fight
  They made a deal with the devil. Now it’s payback time.
  Forever.
  “Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest
  Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of  rum! 
  Drink and the devil had done for the rest
  Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of  rum!”
  Treasure Island. R.L. Stevenson
  Credits
  Based on the game Dungeon World by Sage LaTorra and Adam Koebel
  Text: Wynand Louw & his Dungeon World group (Mostly family!)
  Layout: Wynand Louw
  All artwork in this work are in the public domain, by Howard Pyle and N.C. Wyeth.
  Special thanks to the Google+ Dungeon World community. You guys rock!
  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
  Zane Grimes (Order #10210989)
  
  Jack Flint. Billy Bones. Long John Silver. Ben Gunn. Jack Marrow. Calypso. Red Handed Jill. Jan van 
  Riebeeck. Vasco da Gama. Barbosa. Alxandre Villon. Anne Dieu-le-veut, Anne Bonny, Mary Reed, Blind 
  Pew, Nelson, Lafras Kuyper.
  Choose from the list or write your own.
  Misty eyes. Dark eyes. Dangerous eyes. Stormy 
  eyes. Wild hair. Bleached hair. Dreadlocks. Shaved 
  head. Powdered wig. Weathered face. Tricorn hat. 
  Sailors cap. Captain’s uniform. Calf britches.
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  ◊Adventure: Mark XP when you have the most 
  amazing story to tell.
  ◊Fame: Mark XP when others have the most 
  amazing story to tell about you.
  ◊Fortune: Mark XP when you find amazing 
  treasure.
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  ___________________ Is a scurvy mutineer. I 
  have my eye on him!
  ___________________ Is a useless landlubber, 
  but he has potential.
  ____________________Showed me a map once, 
  I wonder if he still has it.
  If I had to be marooned on a desert island with 
  someone, I’d choose  ____________________
  Swing from the rigging (Dex)
  When you perform a feat of  acrobatics using 
  the environment to your advantage. Describe 
  what you do and roll+Dex
  On 10+: You execute the maneuvre perfectly as 
  planned and take 1+ forward.
  On 7-9: You sort of succeed but (GM chooses)
  You open yourself to attack
  You drop something important
  You take -1 forward as you land where you did not 
  plan to.
  Rigger
  Whatever your do with ropes, it is always successful 
  if the fiction allows it.
  Contacts in every port (Cha)
  When you enter a port or town you have been 
  before (your call)Roll+ Cha
  On10+: You know someone who is willing to help 
  you
  On 7-9: They are willing to help at a price
  On 6-: They make life complicated for you and 
  your party.
  Swimmer
  When you defy danger in water, take +1.
  Two handed brawler
  When you Hack and Slash with a precise 
  weapon in one hand and a pistol in the other, 
  add your pistol’s damage to you melee damage as 
  long as you still have loaded pistols.
  Coin: ____________
  Your Load is 10+Str. 
  Maximum load:  ________
  Current load:     ________
  You start with Ship’s Rations (5 uses, 1 weight) and 
  a powder horn and balls. (3 ammo) 
  Weapons: Choose three 
  ◊Flintlock pistol: Near. Loud. Pierce 1. Reload. 1 
  weight
  ◊Blunderbus: + 3 damage Two-handed. Near.  
  Loud. Pierce 1. Messy. Forceful. Reload. 2 weight.
  ◊Musket: Two-handed. Far. Loud. Pierce 2. Re-
  load. 2 weight
  ◊Cutlass: Close. Precise, 1 weight.
  ◊Dagger, Dirk: Hand. 1 weight.
  ◊Belay pin: Hand. 1 weight.
  ◊Hook: Hand 0 weight.
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  Coin and Gear
  Bonds
  THE SEA DOG
  Drive
  Look
  Stats
  NAme
  Level
  XP
  Starting Moves
  Assign these scores to your stats: 
  16 (+2), 15 (+1), 13(+1), 12 (0), 9 (0), 8 (-1)
  Maximum hitpoints are 8+ Constitution
  Alignment
  ◊Lawful: In the King’s Navy. For King and Coun-
  try!
  ◊Good: Rebel, Merchant. Fight for freedom. Hon-
  est commerce.
  ◊Neutral: Privateer. Show me the money!
  ◊Evil: Buccaneer, Pirate. Make a pact with the devil.
  History
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  _______________________________
  Zane Grimes (Order #10210989)
  
  THE SEA DOG
  ◊Animal Companion
  You have an almost supernatural connection with 
  a loyal parrot or monkey. You can’t talk to it per 
  se but it always acts as you wish it to.
  When your parrot distracts your enemy dur-
  ing a brawl and you roll 12+ on Hack and Slash, 
  do +1d6 damage.
  When your monkey picks a pocket or steals a 
  small object, Roll+Cha
  On 10+: He gets away with it, but hides for a 
  while. You can get the object a bit later.
  On 7-9: He gets the item but the GM also 
  chooses one.
  -He draws attention to you and puts you in a 
  spot.
  -He gets the wrong item, although it is not totally 
  useless.
  -He gets chased and disappears for the rest of 
  the day.
  ◊Sniper
  When you use a musket at long range to vol-
  ley, take +1
  ◊Powder Monkey
  You are an expert at handling black powder. 
  You can make black powder out of the raw 
  material (charcoal, saltpetre and sulphur) and can 
  use it to blow stuff up. You do not have to Defy 
  Danger in order to use black powder.
  ◊Gunner
  Requires Powder Monkey.
  You are an expert at handling cannons. 
  Your ship does +1d4 cannon damage. 
  Your firearm does +1d4 damage.
  ◊Master gunner
  Requires and replaces Gunner. 
  Your ship does +1d6 cannon damage. 
  Your firearm does +1d6 damage.
  ◊Navigator (Wis)
  When you go on a perilous sea journey, 
  Roll+Wis. 
  On 10+  you make excellent time and avoid foul 
  weather.
  When you Discern Realities while at sea, 
  take +1.
  You can predict the weather accurately 24 hours 
  in advance.
  ◊ Kraken’s ink tatoos
  When you are inked with Kraken’s ink, and 
  do not wear other armor, take +1 armor. 
  ◊Master Navigator (Wis)
  Requires Navigator
  As long as you are at sea or can see the stars, you 
  do not get lost. 
  You can predict weather accurately 48 hours in 
  advance.
  You can communicate with the soul of the sea 
  and the wind. When you do it to follow a trail 
  left behind by passing ships or large or mys-
  tical sea creatures, roll+Wis. 
  On a 7+, you follow the ship or creature until 
  there’s a significant change in its direction or 
  mode of travel.
  On a 10+, you also choose 1:
  -Gain a useful bit of information about your 
  quarry, the GM will tell you what.
  -Determine what caused the trail to end.
  ◊Helmsman
  Your ship takes +1 to Maneuver rolls.
  ◊Captain (Cha)
  Requires Master Navigator and Helmsman.
  Your are qualified to be a ship’s captain. 
  Your crew takes +1 on Boarding rolls.
  ◊Treasure Hunter (Wis)
  When you Discern Realities while reading a 
  map, you may ask “Where is the treasure?”
  On 10+: The answer is more or less straight.
  On 7-9: The answer is a bit more vague and 
  cryptic.
  ◊Treasure Finder (Wis)
  Requires Treasure Hunter.
  When you find the treasure Roll+Wis
  On 10+: The treasure is 50% more than it would 
  have been.
  On 7-9: The treasure is 20% more than it would 
  have been.
  ◊Duelist’s Parry
  When you hack and slash with a precise 
  weapon, you take +1 armor forward.
  ◊Disarm
  Requires Duelist’s Parry
  When you roll 10+ on hack and slash with a 
  precise weapon, you disarm your opponent (If 
  appropriate in the fiction)
  ◊Lady killer / Man eater
  When you parley with someone who finds 
  you attractive, take +1
  ◊Insult Fighting (Cha)
  When you utter a grievous insult to an op-
  ponent intelligent enough to understand it, 
  or his mother and the GM thinks your insult is 
  funny, original or deserving of recognition, roll 
  + Cha.
  On 10+: Take +1 and +1d6 damage forward to 
  Hack and Slash against that opponent.
  On 7-9: Take +1 and +1d4 damage forward to 
  Hack and Slash against that opponent.
  On 6-: Your opponent makes the perfect come-
  back and takes +1d6 damage forward against 
  you.
  ◊ Fish breath
  You can hold your breath for up to 5 minutes. 
  ◊ Its all legal, Sir! (Cha)
  When you are asked to present identifica-
  tion, cargo manifests, shipping documents, 
  import documents or any other official stuff, 
  roll + Cha
  On 10+ You have some sort of paper you can 
  flash and talk your way out of it. 
  On 7-9, the GM chooses
  -You have to promise to present it within a day 
  or so to the proper authorities
  -You have to pay a bribe.
  ◊ Fear the Dread Pirate Roberts!
  When you interact with NPC’s your fearsome 
  reputation works for you.
  At 3rd to 5th level: Roll +3 instead of +Cha.
  At 6th level or higher: Roll +4 instead of +Cha.
  ◊ Yo ho ho! And a bottle of  rum
  When you fight while under the influence of  
  rum, 
  Take +1 armor.
  Take +1 to all Cha rolls.
  Take  -1 to all Wis rolls.
  When you win a tavern brawl while inebri-
  ated, take +1 to the Carouse move.
  ◊ Tongues of  men and mermaids (Int)
  When you encounter a new culture with a 
  foreign tongue, roll + Int.
  On 10+, you can more or less communicate
  On 7-9, the GM will introduce interesting misun-
  derstandings. 
  Advanced moves
  Each time you gain a level from 2-10, choose one of  these moves.
  Zane Grimes (Order #10210989)
  
  CAPTAIN’S LOG
  Hispaniola. Black Pearl. Trafalgar. Sovereign. Wind Star. Wind Song. Royal Clipper. Argo. Calypso. Titanic. 
  Minotaur. Archilles. Midas. Leviathan. Dawn Treader. Queen Liz. White Shark.   Poseidon. Hammerhead. 
  Brig, Sloop, Corvette, Frigate, Galleon. 
  Man o’ War
  Name
  Wage
  Skills / Bonuses
  Captain
  Quartermaster
  Navigator
  Boatswain
  Carpenter
  Surgeon
  Master Gunner
  Cook
  Naval Maneuver Move
  When you maneuver a ship in naval combat, 
  declare your objective and Roll+Man.
  On 10+:  According to your objective:
  -You come into fighting range of an enemy ship 
  that tried to avoid combat, with the weather gage 
  advantage.
  -You position your ship to deliver a full broad side 
  cannon salvo at the enemy ship. Do your ship’s 
  cannon salvo damage to the enemy ship.
  -You grapple and board the enemy ship. This trig-
  gers the Boarding move.
  -You disengage your ship from battle and avoid 
  further conflict.
  You navigate a dangerous reef or storm.
  On 7-9: According to your objective:
  -You come within fighting range of an enemy ship 
  that tried to avoid combat but the GM chooses 
  one:
  -You end up on the enemy’s lee side. Take -1  on-
  going to  Naval Maneuvers except to flee, until you 
  can maneuver into an up wind position.
  The captain is ready for you. Take half his cannon 
  salvo damage to your ship. (1 die instead of 2)
  -You position your ship to deliver a broad side can-
  non salvo at the enemy ship but the GM chooses 
  one:
     --Do only half  your ship’s cannon salvo damage to the 
  enemy ship. (1 die instead of  two)
     --Do your ship’s cannon salvo damage to the enemy ship, 
  but the enemy is also in position. Take half  its cannon salvo 
  damage to your ship.(1 die instead of  2) 
  -You grapple and board the enemy ship, but things 
  go wrong. Take -1 to the Boarding move. 
  -You disengage your ship from battle and avoid 
  further conflict, but the GM chooses one
     --The pursuing ship fires its chaser guns. Your ship takes 
  1d4 damage.
     --The GM makes a move of  his choice against your ship.
  -You navigate a dangerous reef or storm but the 
  ship takes 1d6 damage
  On 6-: According to your objective.
  -The ship you pursue disappears over the horizon
  -The enemy ship fires a broadside at you (take 
  its full cannon salvo damage) or the enemy ship 
  grapples and boards you.
  -You navigate a dangerous reef or storm but the 
  ship takes 1d10 damage.
  The Defy Danger: Naval Battle move
  When your ship takes damage during a naval 
  battle, all Player Characters on the ship must Roll 
  + Str, Con, Dex, Int or Wis.
  On 10+: You are not affected by the damage.
  On 7-9: You are stunned.
  On 6- : You take half the damage that the ship 
  took. (Rounded down)
  Crew casualties
  Crew casualties are always proportional to the hit 
  points damage a ship has taken. Although it is not 
  necessary to keep running totals, keep casualties 
  already taken in mind when boarding happens.
  Crippled
  When a ship loses about  2/3 of  its hit points, 
  it is crippled due to loss of crew and damage to the 
  rigging. It takes -2 ongoing to Maneuver rolls and 
  damage is reduced to 1 damage die instead of two. 
  Attacking ships take +1 to Roll+Man.
  Disabled
  When a ship loses about 4/5 of  its hit points, 
  it is disabled. It can be shot at or boarded without 
  rolls by any ship that is not also engaged in battle 
  with another ship.
  Sunk
  When a ship is reduced to 0 hit points it is sunk. 
  The crew is lost. Player Characters and named 
  NPC’s may be saved if they defy danger and  are 
  rescued.
  Boarding
  When you are part of  a group consisting of  
  more than just the player characters fighting 
  against a large group of  opponents: Roll+ Buff
  On 10+: The crew wins the battle with very few 
  casualties. The enemy takes heavy casualties and 
  will rout or surrender.
  On 7-9: The crew wins the battle with up to 
  40% (1d4 x 10 %) casualties. There are also other 
  complications.
  On 6-: The crew loses the battle with up to 60% 
  (1d6 x 10 %) casualties. The GM makes a hard 
  move against the crew.
  Ships of  the Line
  When ships with unmodified Maneuverability 
  of  less than 1 aid each other
  For two ships: Take +1 on Maneuver rolls
  For more than two ships: Take +2 on Maneuver 
  rolls
  Ship repairs
  When in a friendly port repair damage to your 
  ship at a price. The cost of repairs equals the hit 
  points of damage to be repaired x 500 coin. If you 
  have a good boatswain your ship is kept in good 
  order, so deduct 10% off the cost. And if you have 
  a good carpenter, you may deduct a further 20% or 
  40% off the cost. 
  Loyalty check
  When a crew find themselves in a dangerous, 
  degrading, or just flatout crazy situation due to 
  the captain’s orders roll+loyalty. 
  On a 10+ they stand firm and carry out the order. 
  On a 7–9 they do it for now, but come back with 
  serious demands later. Meet them or the crew quits 
  on the worst terms, short of mutiny.
  Ship’s Name
  Type
  Officers and Specialists
  Naval Moves
  Zane Grimes (Order #10210989)
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeon World (PbtA) [multi]/Suplements/Pirates A Dungeon World Sourcebook.pdf