Use Core skills and talents unchanged. The notes below explain their use at sea and within the Company, followed by sixteen Era talents.
Skills at Sea
Use Operate with Sail and Gunnery specialties. The Core lists both among Operate's replacement names (Core Rules, Skills and Talents, Replaceable Skills for Universes); Black Flag adopts them as specialties. Sail handles chases, grappling and gales. Gunnery aims and fires batteries. Sourcebook Light Ranged and Heavy Ranged both become Core Ranged; Gunnery becomes Operate (Gunnery). A ship's commander rolls Operate (Sail), while a gunner uses Operate (Gunnery) or Leadership for battery fire (The Heavy Armory, Batteries and Broadsides). Leadership and Charm govern Company matters (Era Rules, Crew and Articles); Streetwise and Negotiation govern the Prize and Fence Loop. Navigate with Survival: Average by day with visible coast or sun, Hard at night or in storms. Treat scurvy and fever with Medicine (Era Rules, Scurvy and Fever).
Talents
Talents use the card format and Core tiers. At creation, characters can purchase Tier 1 and Tier 2 talents.
Tier 1: Foundational
Weather Eye (Passive)
When using Perception to spot sails, shoals or squalls, add 1 Boon Die . This includes Sighting (Sail Combat), without adding the die twice. The GM gives you one round's warning of squalls and wind changes.
Quick Hand (Passive)
For climbing rigging, swinging between vessels or running boarding lines, add 1 Boon Die to Athletics checks.
Honest Weight (Passive)
When weighing, measuring, counting or dividing goods and shares, remove 1 Bane Die from the check. Appraisal in the Prize and Fence Loop becomes Easy rather than Average.
Fence's Eye (Passive)
When selling goods with Streetwise, add 1 Boon Die. Increase any fence rate you set by 5 in 100, to a maximum of 60 in 100.
Plain Speech (Once per Scene)
Before an aboard-ship quarrel turns violent, make an Average Charm check. Success ends it without Strain or an article being broken. A Quartermaster can intervene before the dispute reaches the Quartermaster's court (Era Rules, Crew and Articles).
Safe Harbour (Passive)
Choose a port at creation. A friend there is willing to hide you or sell to you and serves as your Sponsor (Era Rules, Prejudice). In that port, also shift the audience's Attitude one step toward Welcome 1.
Ship's Doctor (Passive)
For Medicine checks aboard ship, remove 1 Bane Die. Care for scurvy or fever gains 1 Boon Die. You can treat as many as three patients with a single Medicine check.
Careener's Skill (Passive)
A successful Craft check reduces careening from five days to three and increases its Hull repair by 1.
Dead Reckoning (Passive)
Use Easy Survival checks for daytime navigation at sea, Average at night or in storms (Skills at Sea). Once each voyage, determine your position without a landmark.
Lie Low (Passive)
For each month you stay out of the news, reduce Infamy by 1 rather than waiting a season. Anyone tracking you by Name adds 1 Bane Die to the search check.
Tier 2: Adept
Master Gunner (Passive)
For a battery under your command, add 1 Boon Die to its attack. Once per session, you may re-roll one die from that battery's attack.
Boarding Rush (Once per Scene)
Leading a Boarding gives your Company 1 Boon Die in the contest's first round. You also gain 1 Boon Die in your first Core combat round aboard the enemy vessel.
Cool Under Fire (Passive)
For Readiness checks triggered by gunfire or broadsides, remove 1 Bane Die. Once per scene, ignore the Strain you would suffer from fear.
Voice of the Company (Passive)
During a Vote, add 1 Boon Die to Leadership and Charm checks. Also add 1 Boon Die to your Leadership checks when Captain and Quartermaster disagree. A Vote you put forward successfully with 2 or more net Successes grants the Company 1 Morale.
Reading the Wind (Once per Chase)
Once per Chase, reduce the weather-gauge check from Hard to Average Operate (Sail) (Sail Combat, The Chase Round). A gauge gained through this check survives a passing squall.
Short Shrift (Passive)
When demanding surrender, add 1 Boon Die to Intimidation (Sail Combat, The Gun to Bring To). You can make this demand from Long Distance. Success grants your Company 1 Morale.
