Class of the Week: Naval Marine

Having made acquaintances such as gunsmith Persistence Black, her number one fan Mutter, her gun-carrying ferry driver Herman, and last but not least, having evidence of another "shooter" in Cardican (Just where did that come from), I thought it might be a good time to feature another prestige class that focuses on firearms. You will find the Naval Marine in the next update of your Fantasy Grounds client.

The Naval Marine fills an important role for ships; either on the pirate side of the broadsides or on the side of the prize. Sometime between cannon fire and boarding actions, the Naval Marines use their dead aim and deadly bullets to soften up the enemy.

It takes many years of training before one can be called a Naval Marine. But once there, the number of combat options increases tremendously. For instance, the dangerous Sword and Gun Style gives the Marine close combat fighting ability coupled with long range shooting. The choice of melee weapons is limited to size, but most fencing blades are handled easily enough to permit pinpoint accuracy for the pistol.

With time, the Twin Gun Style is learned, where the Marine learns to keep the bullets flying. With a pistol in each hand, both weapons are fired as one. Then, two more loaded pistols are drawn and fired as a second attack. Alternately, the Marine could opt to drop or holster a pistol and draw a blade to enter melee combat using the Sword and Gun Style. How can a foe prepare for this sort of assault!?

With the ability to use so many firearms, you may ask yourself "How does the marine have time to load them all?" Why, he has an assistant, he does! A gunner's assistant aboard a ship, will hand the marine a new pistol or rifle whenever he needs a reload. This allows the marine to fire once for every attack that he has, when taking a full attack action.

Naval Marines are known for their eagle eyes and sense of balance. The rocking ship does not affect their aim, in fact they use it to their advantage. While purely a combat profession, a good marine will take time to care for his weapons, as well as set aside some quality crafting time to make special ammunition such as hollow tipped bullets, incendiary bullets and even pepper shot!

From an early point in a prospective marine's career, he or she must dedicate themselves to the cause if they are to excel to full potential. Unlike many professional choices, there is much to learn in the ways of the Naval Marine, but the rewards are very high. As anyone can see within minutes, the diminutive Mutter, of the Queen's Rascal, is completely devoted to his career, going so far as to sing songs and read poetry to his pistols, which must be born only of Persistence Black's skilled hands.