Publication:Unearthed Arcana/Maritime Character Background

Maritime Background
Characters with maritime backgrounds indulge in the same passions as everyone else- war, trade, and larceny- but they do it with a ship's deck beneath their feet (unless they've been shipwrecked, which is one possible activity in this background).

A character's time spent on the high seas provide a bonus on recognition checks; each time the maritime background is selected for this character, the bonus is increased by 1.

Example Maritime Ranks
Every navy has its own ranking system, and few ships are at exactly their full complement of crew. The following system of ranks is a good starting point for most campaigns.

Maritime Ranks (Lowest to Highest): Ordinary hand, able hand, leading hand, petty officer, chief petty officer, sublieutenant, lieutenant, lieutenant commander, commander, captain, commodore, admiral, grand admiral.