Most PuPu are highly technological in nature, but even without their most advanced materials, sky captains make do with what they have and sail the open skies in search of plunder and adventure.
The sky captain is an archetype of the engineer class, available only to pupu engineers.
Airship (Ex)
At 1st level, a sky captain begins with an airship of his own.
All damage dealt to the sky captain is evenly split with his airship (any excess damage from an odd number applies to the airship); if the airship is reduced to half its total hit points, it gains the broken condition and the bonus it grants to AC is halved, rounding down and any attacks made with the airship suffer a –2 penalty on attack and damage rolls. Such weapons only score a critical hit on a natural 20 and only deal x2 damage on a confirmed critical hit; if the airship is reduced to 0 hit points, it enters a state of critical failure and the sky captain must exit the airship and begins falling (if airborne). Airships can be repaired at a rate of 5 hp per day using a DC 10 Repair check. For each 5 points by which the sky captain exceeds this DC, the airship recovers an additional 5 hit points. Only the sky captain knows how to operate his airship, if anyone besides the sky captain attempts to pilot it, it will stop working.
An airship uses either magical or technological means of propulsion and are self-sustaining, though a GM may decide that their campaign’s primary source of conflict stems from a world where technology is fueled by a highly limited resource, such as gasoline. These airships are intended to serve as a simple and accessible option for introducing character-oriented airships to your campaign and should not be used in conjunction with the standard airship combat rules, instead using only the rules presented here.
An airship can be mounted or dismounted as a move action, though a sky captain may attempt a Pilot check to attempt a fast mount or dismount just as with a normal mount. Airships do not have any actions of their own, and the sky captain must expend his own actions to control the airship. Unless otherwise noted, a sky captain may use any weapon equipped to an airship, using their own feats, base attack bonus, and other bonuses but using the airship’s physical ability scores in place of their own. The sky captain of an airship is treated as mounted for all feats and effects unless otherwise noted. A sky captain’s weight is not counted against an airship’s total carrying capacity, though any gear he carries beyond a set of clothing does.
An airship that is lost or destroyed can be replaced with 24 hours of uninterrupted work in a garage or similar environment where basic machining tools can be accessed, costing 200 gil per engineer level, including any associated costs involving upgrading material of his airship.
Airship
STARTING STATISTICS
Size: Huge; Maximum Speed: Fly 90 ft. (Clumsy); AC: 15 (+8 armor, -3 size) Ability Scores: Str 24, Dex 10, Con -; Bonus HP: 40 hp; Weapon Affinity artillery; Weapon Slots 4; Special Qualities: Construct traits.
Immense: The ship can safely carry up to 5 Medium creatures in addition to the pilot without counting them against its carry capacity. Increase this number by 10 every time the ship increases in size. In addition, the ship has twice the normal carrying capacity, which doubles with every size increase.
Airship Upgrade 1-4: At 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter, the ship’s size increases by 1. If the ship is already colossal, it becomes 20 feet longer one way and 10 feet longer on the other axis. Each time the ship’s dimensions are altered or its size is increased, its armor bonus and Strength score increase by 2, and it gains 10 additional hit points.
Weapon Affinity and Weapon Slots: Various airship body types are designed for certain types of weapons; this is called Weapon Affinity and affects the types of weapons an airship can wield. Any standard weapon (such as a longsword, crossbow, or even firearms such as pistols, revolvers, or shotguns) can be converted for use by an airship, though the weapon must be crafted in a size that the airship can use with its weapon slots. There are three types of affinities an airship can have: ranged, melee, and artillery. Ranged weapons include things like bows and one or two-handed firearms, while melee weapons include swords, hammers, axes, and similar weapons.
Artillery weapons include grenade launchers, flame throwers, rocket launchers and similar weapons; the pilot of an airship with Weapon Affinity for artillery weapons is treated as having Exotic Weapon Proficiency (artillery firearms) as long as they are driving their airship.
An airship’s weapon slots are specially designed to seat a broad array of weaponry; one weapon slot can accommodate a single Medium or smaller sized weapon. An airship must have sufficient slots available and a weapon must be slotted for an airship and its pilot to wield it, unless otherwise noted. Multiple slots can be combined to fit larger weapons; two weapon slots fit a Large weapon, three slots fit a Huge weapon, 4 slots fit a Gargantuan weapon, and 5 slots can fit a Colossal weapon. Airships never take inappropriately sized weapon penalties with slotted weapons. Attacks with slotted weapons are made using the pilot’s full base attack bonus, though they do not receive additional attacks for a high base attack bonus. If an airship attacks with a natural attack or unslotted melee weapon, the airship takes a -5 to all attacks with slotted weapons. The maximum number of slotted weapons that can be used in a round is equal to the sky captain’s Dexterity modifier.
Table: Airship Base Statistics
| Class Level | HD | Armor Bonus | Hardness | Str/Dex Bonus | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1 | +0 | 1 | +0 | — |
| 2nd | 2 | +1 | 2 | +0 | — |
| 3rd | 3 | +1 | 2 | +0 | — |
| 4th | 3 | +2 | 3 | +0 | — |
| 5th | 4 | +2 | 3 | +2 | Airship Upgrade 1 |
| 6th | 5 | +3 | 5 | +2 | — |
| 7th | 6 | +3 | 5 | +2 | — |
| 8th | 6 | +4 | 7 | +2 | — |
| 9th | 7 | +4 | 7 | +4 | — |
| 10th | 8 | +5 | 9 | +4 | Airship Upgrade 2 |
| 11th | 9 | +5 | 9 | +4 | — |
| 12th | 9 | +6 | 11 | +4 | — |
| 13th | 10 | +6 | 11 | +6 | — |
| 14th | 11 | +7 | 13 | +6 | — |
| 15th | 12 | +7 | 13 | +6 | Airship Upgrade 3 |
| 16th | 12 | +8 | 15 | +6 | — |
| 17th | 13 | +8 | 15 | +8 | — |
| 18th | 14 | +9 | 17 | +8 | — |
| 19th | 15 | +9 | 17 | +8 | — |
| 20th | 15 | +10 | 19 | +8 | Airship Upgrade 4 |
- Class Level: The character’s engineer level. The engineer’s class levels stack with levels of any other classes that are entitled to an automaton, or similar companion for the purpose of determining the airship’s statistics.
- HD: This is the total number of 10-sided die (d10) Hit Dice the airship possesses. No Constitution modifier is applied to the airship’s hit points.
- Armor Bonus: The number noted here is the airship’s base total armor bonus. This number is modified by the airship’s base form. An airship cannot wear armor of any kind, as the armor interferes with the sky captain’s operation of the airship. A sky captain can enchant his airship’s body as if it were armor.
- Hardness: The number noted here represents how well the airship resists damage. When an airship is damaged, subtract its hardness from the damage. Only damage in excess of its hardness is deducted from the airship’s hit points. Energy attacks deal half damage to most airships. Divide the damage by 2 before applying the airship’s hardness. Some energy types might be particularly effective against airships, subject to GM discretion.
- Strength and Dexterity Bonus: Starting at 5th level, the airship gains a +2 enhancement bonus to its Strength and Dexterity scores. At 9th level and every four levels thereafter, this bonus increases by an additional +2.
This ability replaces automaton and automaton upgrades.
Sea Legs (Ex)
At 1st level, a sky captain becomes adept at moving on airships, boats, and similar vessels. He gains the Sea Legs as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites.
This ability replaces crafter.
Airship Operation (Ex)
Also, at 1st level, a sky captains gains Airship Operation as a bonus feat. In addition, he gains a competence bonus to Pilot and Navigate skills equal to half his engineer level (minimum 1)
This ability replaces technologist and tinkering.
Airship Enhancements (Ex)
At 2nd level and every two engineer levels thereafter, a sky captain may choose an engineer trick or a airship enhancement (see below). Unless otherwise stated, each enhancement can only be selected once. A sky captain loses access to engineer tricks that modifies constructs.
Additional Weapon Affinity: The airship gains Weapon Affinity with an additional weapon type of the sky captain’s choice (melee, ranged, artillery). This enhancement can be taken up to two times, selecting a different weapon type each time.
Additional Weapon Slot: The airship gains an additional weapon slot. This enhancement can be taken multiple times. A number of weapon slots are granted as follows: 1 Weapon slot at 2nd level, 1 at 6th, 1 at 10th, 1 at 14th, and 1 at 18th.
Advanced Armor Plating: The airship increases its armor bonus to AC by +2. Prerequisite: The sky captain must be at least 8th level to select this enhancement.
Advanced Munitions Upgrade: The airship is treated as though its pilot has Greater Weapon Specialization with one weapon it took the Munitions Upgrade Enhancement for. This enhancement can be taken multiple times but must apply to a different weapon each time. Prerequisites: The sky captain must be at least 12th level and have munitions upgrade enhancement to select this enhancement.
Advanced Targeting Upgrade: The airship is treated as though its pilot has Greater Weapon Focus with one weapon it took the Targeting Upgrade enhancement for. This enhancement can be taken multiple times but must apply to a different weapon each time. Prerequisites: The sky captain must be at least 8th level and have targeting upgrade enhancement to select this enhancement.
Arcforged Armor: The airship increases its hardness by 5. Prerequisite: The sky captain must be at least 12th level to select this enhancement.
Cerebral Reinforcement: The airship extends the following construct features to the sky captain while he operates it: Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns and phantasms). Prerequisite: The sky captain must be at least 12th level to select this enhancement.
Intelligent Vessel: The airship is able to be controlled by AIs in a manner similar to a robot, gaining the aggregate template when it is so controlled (even though it is not a robot). The airship does not, however, gain the benefits of any feats that the AI possesses. The airship starts out controlled by a base AI with 10 in all of its mental ability scores and the ability to speak one language the sky captain is capable of speaking. If the sky captain is not controlling the airship, the AI can cause the airship to act on its own, taking a full round’s worth of actions each round. Prerequisite: The sky captain must be at least 16th level to select this enhancement.
Manual Loader: An allied character in an adjacent or shared square can reload his artillery firearms for the sky captain as a standard action, or firearm weapons for the sky captain as a move action.
Munitions Upgrade: The airship is treated as though the sky captain has Weapon Specialization with one weapon from a category it has Weapon Affinity with. This enhancement can be taken multiple times but must apply to a different weapon each time. Prerequisites: The sky captain must be at least 8th level and to select this enhancement.
Nautical Superiority: The airship gains a swim speed equal to base land chosen when this upgrade is selected. The airship can remain submerged for 1 hour per Hit Die before its air filters start to fail and the sky captain has to make Constitution checks to hold their breath or begin drowning. Prerequisite: A sky captain must be at least 4th level to select this enhancement.
Superior Arcforged Armor: The airship increases its hardness by 5. This stacks with the increase granted by the Arcforged Armor enhancement. Prerequisites: The sky captain must have the advanced arcforged armor and must be at least 16th level to select this enhancement.
Superior Armor Plating: The airship increases its armor bonus to AC by +3. This stacks with the increase granted by the Advanced Armor Plating enhancement. Prerequisites: The sky captain must have the advanced armor plating enhancement and must be at least 12th level to select this enhancement.
Targeting Upgrade: The airship is treated as though its pilot has Weapon Focus with one weapon from a category it has Weapon Affinity with. This enhancement can be taken multiple times but must apply to a different weapon each time.
Thrusters: The airship increases its current fly speed by 10 feet and increase its maneuverability by one step. Each time the sky captain takes this enhancement, improve his airship’s fly speed by an additional 10 feet and its maneuverability by one step. This enhancement can be taken up to three times.
Weapons Upgrade: The airship can treat the damage dice of weapons from a category with which it has Weapon Affinity as though they were one size category larger. The airship can take this upgrade multiple times, but it cannot apply to a given weapon category more than once. Prerequisite: A sky captain must be at least 8th level to select this enhancement.
These abilities may replace engineer tricks.
Rally the Crew (Ex)
Starting at 5th level, a sky captain can inspire his allies (including himself) to great bravery in combat once per day. This inspiration grants them a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 morale bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. To be affected, an ally must be able to see or hear the sky captain. The effect requires a free action to activate and lasts for 1 minute per engineer level, even if the sky captain moves out of range or loses consciousness. This is a mind-affecting ability. At 9th level and every four levels thereafter, a sky captain can use this ability an additional time per day, and the bonus increases by +1.
This ability replaces crafting expertise.
Captain Feats
At 6th level, a sky captain gains Airship Dodge as a bonus feat. At 10th, 14th, and 18th level, he also gains one of the following bonus feats: Airship Battle Run, Airship Feint, Airship Gunnery, or Airship Mobility. The sky captain does not need to meet the prerequisites for these bonus feats.
This ability replaces an engineer trick gained at 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.
Space Captain
At 7th level, a sky captain gains Space Captain as a bonus feat.
This ability replaces quick craft.
Airship Mastery (Ex)
At 10th level, a sky captain becomes supremely confident of his mobility. He has mastered the skills, Pilot and Navigate, to the extent that he can take 10 with them even under stress.
This ability replaces salvage expert.
Captain’s Step (Ex)
At 11th level, a sky captain has learned to use the chaos of an airship to his benefit, taking advantage of the swaying airship and swinging rigging to remain out of reach of his opponents. While aboard an airship and wearing nothing more than light armor, the sky captain gains a +2 dodge bonus to his Armor Class. If he is caught flat-footed or otherwise denied his Dexterity bonus, he also loses this bonus. At 15th level, the dodge bonus from the sailor’s step class feature increases to +4.
This ability replaces unflustered.
Fight to the Death (Ex)
At 19th level and higher, a sky captain can inspire his allies to carry on against tremendous odds. Each ally affected by the sky captain’s rally the crew ability (see above) also gains temporary hit points equal to 10 + the sky captain’s Charisma modifier (minimum +1), gains a dodge bonus to Armor Class equal to the sky captain’s Charisma modifier (minimum +1), and are treated as having the Diehard feat even if they don’t meet the prerequisites. These effects are lost if the sky captain loses consciousness.
This ability replaces primal technomancy.
The Sky Captain Code
Most sky captain codes share a number of elements regarding the proper “etiquette” of piracy. Here are a few ideas that might be appropriate for your sky captain’s personal code:
- Everyone shall obey all orders.
- Everyone shall have a vote in major decisions. (This point is not necessarily limited to honorable sky captains.)
- Everyone shall have a share of captured food and drink.
- Booty will be shared out as follows: one share to each among the crew; one and one-half shares each to the first mate, master engineer, and master carpenter; and two shares to the captain. (Some honorable captains might accept a smaller share, but they will take no fewer than one and one-half shares.)
- Anyone not keeping his weapons clean and fit for an engagement shall be cut off from his share, and suffer other punishment as the captain deems fit.
- Anyone who strikes another among the crew shall receive forty lashes across his back.
- Anyone who attempts to desert or keep any secret from the company shall be marooned with one bottle of water and one weapon.
- Anyone who steals from a crewmate shall be marooned or run through. (The latter consequence is more appropriate for dishonorable sky captains.)