Captain Skills - Your Primary & Secondary Skills Last update 20th May 2001

 

Each captain has a particular skill she really excels at, and 2 skills she has picked up so far from experince.

 

Primary Skill. Your primary skill commences at +2 skill ranks above the normal captain start level. This skill is considered one which comes to you freely and naturally. You may not invest your first gained campaign skill point in your primary skill. However, any time after that you may invest as many skill points as you choose as you gain them. The first skill point that you do invest in your primary skill is worth 2 skill ranks, thereafter any skill points are worth one skill rank. Your primary skill may also affect your crew directly. If that skill is applicable to the whole or any member of the crew, they also have one extra skill rank in it. If the skill is not applicable to the crew, there is no benefit from it. This is also only applicable to your first crew & ship. So, if you change ships, or split the plunder, or suffer over 50% crew casualties, this crew effect is removed permanently.

Secondary Skill. You have 2 secondary skills, both of which commence at skill rank 2. These are considered as skills you have had past experience at. Otherwise they have no real impact on any other thing.

 

For example. French captain Joan of Circles, in command of the pirate vessel 'Oija Bored' sets sail on her career. Her primary skill is Naval Tactics, ergo it is skill rank 3. Her secondary skills are combat leadership and gambling skill, both of which are at rank 2. All other skills are rank 1. As her primary skill is not applicable to the crew in general, they get no benefit, though the bosun will gain a skill rank increase in naval tactics. Say she had the primary skill of sword, the whole crew would get the benfit of it and have a rank of 2 in the sword skill.

After her first successful voyage she has one campaign skill rank to use. It may not go on her primary skill of naval tactics. She chooses to put it on recruiting skill, taking it to rank 2.

After her second successful voyage she has one campaign skill rank to use. She can place it on any skill she chooses. She places it on naval tactics. As it is the first point she places on her primary skill it is worth 2 ranks, so her skill rank for it is now 5. For the rest of her career, every campaign skill point she gets is worth one extra skill rank in any skill she so chooses.