Star Wars Universe Roleplaying Game

The Next Generation of Star Wars Tabletop Adventure

    Pirate

    The Scoundrel Pirate is what happens when bad decisions, fast ships, and heavier blasters all collide. In SWURPG, this subclass represents the classic Star Wars space raider: part charismatic captain, part ruthless boarder, part unrepentant problem for every shipping lane in the sector. You are equal parts showman and threat — the kind of person who strolls down a captured corridor cracking jokes while alarms blare and blaster bolts scorch the walls.

    As a subclass of the Scoundrel, the Pirate begins from the same base chassis of close-range blaster work, street instincts, and improbable luck. At levels 1–2, you learn to live like any other Scoundrel: getting the drop on enemies, talking your way out of trouble, and refusing to die when the odds say you should. At level 3, you commit to the Pirate path, turning that foundation into a life of raids, boarding actions, dockside ambushes, and “aggressive negotiations” with freighter captains.

    Pirates differ from other Scoundrel subclasses by embracing maximum chaos. Where Assassins prefer silence and precision and Bounty Hunters lean on discipline and calculated risk, Pirates are at their best when everything is loud, messy, and barely under control. You weaponize confusion, momentum, and morale — using sudden charges, feigned retreats, and outrageous stunts to make better-equipped enemies crumble under the pressure of your sheer audacity.

    In the Star Wars galaxy, Pirate crews range from small, barely functional bands on patched-together freighters to infamous raider fleets with distinctive colors and reputations. You might operate as an independent raider, a Hutt-backed privateer, or a captain trusted by Rebel or New Republic forces to hit convoys the “respectable” militaries cannot openly touch. Whatever the specifics, the Pirate fantasy centers on the thrill of the score, the scramble when everything goes wrong, and the stories you tell in the cantina afterward.

    Examples from Star Wars lore: Hondo Ohnaka and his Weequay raiders, the Crimson Corsair and his crew, assorted Outer Rim pirate captains who raid lanes around the Mid Rim, and opportunistic raider bands that appear whenever empires grow complacent and shipping security gets lax.

    Playing a Scoundrel Pirate

    Playing a Scoundrel Pirate in SWURPG is about owning the room and the spacelane. You are rarely subtle, but you are excellent at seizing control of a situation. In combat, you thrive in tight spaces — docking tubes, cargo bays, cramped corridors, hangars filled with crates and refueling equipment. Anywhere that offers cover, height, and environmental hazards is somewhere you can turn into a stage for your next outrageous stunt.

    Mechanically, Pirates favor agile positioning and psychological pressure. You may dive into cover, pop up with a devastating close-range volley, then shout something that makes half the room shoot you instead of your more fragile allies. You excel at turning half-planned ambushes into convincing victories, riding the wave of momentum as panicked enemies scatter or hesitate. Many Pirate builds focus on dirty tricks, forced movement, and advantage generation, reflecting the idea that you fight better when the battlefield is a little bit out of control.

    Outside of combat, you shine whenever status, reputation, and guts matter. You can swagger onto a station and convince the locals that your ship is untouchable, strike half-legal deals with dockmasters, or run cons on nervous traders who would rather pay a “toll” than risk a firefight. Knowledge: Galactic Lore helps you identify valuable cargo, weakly defended routes, and which factions will pay for what kind of trouble. Pilot and Mechanics support the fantasy of living and dying by your ship’s engines, shields, and the quality of your getaway.

    When building a Pirate, start with Dexterity for your blaster and defense, then raise Charisma to fuel Deception, Intimidation, and your ability to steer social situations. Skills like Deception, Intimidation, Pilot, Mechanics, Stealth, Investigation, and Knowledge: Galactic Lore all reinforce the archetype of a raider who knows where to strike and how to get away with it. If your GM is running a ship-focused campaign, coordinating your build with the crew’s Pilot, Engineer, and Face roles can make your Pirate feel like the natural lightning rod for every daring raid.

    Talk with your GM about your Pirate’s code. Are you a ruthless marauder who will hit civilian traffic, or a quasi-ethical privateer who only targets military or corporate shipments? Do you spare crews who surrender, or do you rely on fear to make future raids easier? The answers will shape how NPCs react to your flag, how widely your name spreads, and how often bounties get posted with your face attached.

    Scoundrel Traits (Levels 1–2)

    Before committing to the Pirate path at level 3, your character advances through the same Scoundrel stages as any other rogue of the Outer Rim. The traits below are shared with all Scoundrel subclasses. They represent the universal training in point-blank blaster work, streetwise instincts, fast draws, and sheer stubborn luck that keeps Scoundrels alive in a hostile galaxy.

    Level 1 – Point Blank Shot

    When you make a ranged weapon attack against a target within 20 feet, you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and +1 to damage rolls.

    Level 1 – Street Savvy

    When you make a Deception check, you can choose to gain Advantage on the roll. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus per Long Rest.

    Level 2 – Quickdraw

    You gain Advantage on your first ranged attack roll made during the first round of combat.

    Level 2 – Lucky Break

    Once per Long Rest, when you fail an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll it and must take the new result.

    Pirate Path Traits (Level 3+)

    At level 3, your Scoundrel embraces the Pirate life completely. From this point forward, the traits below are unique to the Pirate subclass and build on the shared Scoundrel foundation. They enhance your ability to dominate chaotic encounters, capitalize on enemy fear and confusion, and turn every boarding action, bar brawl, or ambush into a story that spacers will still be telling cycles later.

    Level 3 – Improvised Mayhem

    Once per Short Rest, when you make a blaster attack, you may declare it as Improvised Mayhem before rolling the attack.
    This wild, unpredictable shot sacrifices accuracy for chaos. On a hit, choose one of the following effects:

    • Frighten: The target must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Charisma modifier). On a failed save, it becomes frightened until the end of its next turn.
    • Suppress: The target can’t take Reactions until the start of your next turn.
    • Disrupt: The target has Disadvantage on its next attack roll before the end of its next turn.

    While using this trait, you take a –2 penalty to both the attack roll and damage roll.
    This penalty decreases and the effect improves as your skill (and swagger) grows:

    • Level 6: The penalty is reduced to –1.
    • Level 10: The penalty is removed.
    • Level 15: You may apply two effects instead of one.

    Level 5 – Dirty Tricks

    Once per Short Rest, when you hit with a melee attack, you may apply one of the following effects:

    • Blindside: Target has Disadvantage on its next attack.
    • Trip Up: Target’s movement is halved until end of its next turn.
    • Gut Punch: Target takes a –2 penalty on its next saving throw.

    • At level 11, you can apply two effects instead of one.

    Level 6 – Cunning Escape

    Once per Short Rest, when you take damage that reduces you below half HP, you may immediately move up to your Speed without provoking opportunity attacks and make a Stealth check to Hide.

    • At level 13, you may also drop a distraction (smoke, flash, debris) — one enemy of your choice within 10 ft must succeed on a Wisdom save (DC = 8 + PB + CHA) or be Distracted, granting Advantage on the next attack against it.

    Level 7 – Favorite Weapon

    Choose a weapon you are proficient with and gain specialization (+1 attack, +1 damage).

    • Level 13: Upgrade to expertise (+2 attack, +2 damage).
    • Level 17: Your critical range with this weapon becomes 19–20.

    Level 9 – Cutthroat Momentum

    Once per Short Rest, when you reduce a creature to 0 HP, you may immediately move up to half your Speed and make one additional weapon attack.

    • At level 15, this improves: you can move up to your full Speed, and if that follow-up attack also reduces a creature to 0 HP, you may repeat the effect once more (maximum two chains per encounter).

    Level 10 – Extra Attack

    You can attack twice instead of once when you take the Attack action.

    Level 11 – Daredevil Pilot

    Once per Short Rest, while piloting a vehicle or starship, you may perform one of the following maneuvers:

    • Evasive Roll: Attackers have Disadvantage on ranged attacks against your vehicle until your next turn.
    • Death Spiral: Move through enemy zones without provoking opportunity fire.
    • Showboating Dash: Move an extra 20 ft this turn; one enemy who witnesses it must make a Wisdom save (DC = 8 + PB + CHA) or be Frightened until your next turn.
    (You fly by instinct, ego, and sheer audacity.)

    Level 13 – Captain’s Call

    Once per Long Rest, as an Action, you may issue a command that emboldens your allies. One ally within 30 ft may immediately take one Action (Attack, Dash, or Hide).

    • At level 18 you can choose up to 2 allies instead of 1.

    Level 14 – Pirate Connections

    Once per Long Rest, when you finish a Short or Long Rest, you can call in a favor through your network of smugglers, mercenaries, and shady contacts.
    You arrange for temporary backup — a hired gun, mercenary droid, or thug — who fights by your side for the next encounter.
    Your borrowed ally uses the stats of a CR ½ creature (such as a security droid, pirate enforcer, or Trandoshan bruiser) as determined by the GM.
    It obeys your verbal commands to the best of its ability but leaves or powers down when reduced to 0 HP, when combat ends, or after 10 minutes — whichever comes first.

    Level 15 – Street Smart

    When not wearing medium or heavy armor, you gain a +2 bonus to AC.

    Level 17 – Plunderer’s Luck

    Your knack for seizing opportunities borders on supernatural. Once per Long Rest, when you miss an attack roll or fail an ability check, you may immediately reroll it. If the reroll still fails, you gain Advantage on your next attack roll or skill check made before the end of your next turn.

    Level 18 – Pirate Grit

    When you have disadvantage on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can choose to cancel the disadvantage and roll normally. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier per Long Rest.

    Level 19 – Infamous Momentum

    Once per Short Rest, when you reduce a creature to 0 HP, you immediately regain one spent feature that recharges on a Short Rest (such as Dirty Tricks, Fearless Gambit, or Cunning Escape). During the following round, you also gain +2 to attack rolls and saving throws.

    Level 20 – Legend of the Void Space

    Once per long rest, you can unleash your full chaotic legend — the stuff of holodramas and whispered tales across the Rim.
    As a bonus action, enter your Legendary State for three rounds.
    While in this state:
    • You gain Advantage on all attack rolls, Deception, and Intimidation checks.
    • Enemies that start their turn within 10 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your Charisma modifier + your Proficiency Bonus) or become Frightened until the start of your next turn.
    • When you reduce a creature to 0 HP, you can immediately move up to your Speed and make one weapon attack as part of the same action (this does not consume your reaction).
    • Once during this duration, you can automatically turn a missed attack into a hit (no roll required, not critical).
    The effect ends early if you are incapacitated.

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