Smuggler
A Pilot Specialty for freighter captains: a Confidante bonus to Coordinated Crew, a crew reroll, port favors, a vessel hidden from tracking and a fearless crew that survives killing blows.
Identity
The Smuggler is the Pilot Specialty of the captain whose freighter, crew and cargo are all theirs and whose contract technically is not. A veteran Smuggler has rebuilt the same corvette three times, knows the customs officer at every minor port within fifty parsecs, and has taught their gunner to lie to authorities with a straight face.
Features
- L3 Confidante
At the end of a long rest, choose one crewmember of your Bonded Vessel to be your Confidante for the next 24 hours. While you and your Confidante are both aboard your Bonded Vessel, the Coordinated Crew bonus they receive from you increases by an additional +1 (so +2 at 5th level, +3 at 14th), and you have advantage on Insight checks made to detect deception aimed at either of you. Before 5th level, you and your Confidante each gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and saving throws while both are aboard your Bonded Vessel. You also gain proficiency in Persuasion if you do not already have it.
- L7 Crew Reroll
Once per short rest, when a crewmember of your Bonded Vessel within 30 feet of you makes an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can use your reaction to let them reroll the result and take the higher of the two. You must be able to see or speak to them, including by comms. You can use this feature on yourself only if you are at the controls of your Bonded Vessel at the time.
- L11 Port Contacts
Your name is known at frontier ports, free stations, and gray-market exchanges. When you arrive at a port the GM judges to be frontier or criminal-adjacent in character, you can spend 10 minutes asking after favors, leads, or local intelligence. You learn one piece of useful local information (a rumor, contact, or threat) without rolling, and you can attempt to call in a small favor (an overnight berth, expedited clearance, a tip on a job) with a successful DC 13 Charisma check. Agents of factions you have crossed hear of your arrival within a day.
- L15 Ghost Ship
Ordinary tracking cannot find your Bonded Vessel. While you are aboard and at the controls (or have designated a trusted crewmember at the controls), it does not appear on standard sensor sweeps, port-authority manifests, or magical scrying that targets the vessel by location. Targeted scrying that names you or another crewmember aboard still works normally. Specialized military sensors, or those of the Aurelion High Magisterium, can pierce the cover with a contested Investigation or Riftcraft check against your Intelligence or Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus.
- L18 Steady Crew Capstone
While you are conscious and aboard your Bonded Vessel, your trusted crew (designated by Crew Captain or any Confidante currently in effect) are immune to the Frightened condition and have advantage on saving throws to maintain concentration on tasks (piloting, gunnery, system operation) while under fire. When a trusted crewmember would drop to 0 hit points from a single instance of damage, they drop to 1 hit point instead. Each crewmember can benefit from this last effect once per long rest.
