First Mate — Shipboard Officer
Watch officer · Quarterdeck authority · The crew between captain and mutiny
The first mate keeps a ship alive while its captain chooses where it sails. When powder is wet, a spar splits in the night or two watches draw blades over a stolen share, everyone looks for the officer who can put hands to work before the quarrel becomes a disaster.
At a Glance
| Position | First mate and senior deck officer, answerable to the captain and the ship’s articles |
|---|---|
| Background | Veteran sailor, former gunner, pilot or trusted fighting officer |
| Duties | Watches, readiness, sail handling, discipline and working parties |
| Arms | +1 cutlass, loaded pistol, boarding axe; the officer can also use a whip or crossbow if the original Pathfinder build is selected |
| Armour | Studded leather or fitted breastplate depending on edition and resources |
| Associations | Pirate Captain, Shipmates, other Brethren of the Coast |
| Waters | Tortuga, Port Royal, defended harbours and dangerous channels |
| Immediate Concern | Someone has falsified the powder tally; the captain believes the guns can still fire |
Game Statistics
Choose the appropriate edition. The prepared fighting officer below uses the site’s cutlass, pistol and boarding axe rules. The original Pathfinder expert/fighter is preserved as a separate published reference within its own edition.
D&D 5.5e / 2024
First Mate
Medium Humanoid (Human), any alignment · CR 3 (700 XP)
Armor Class 16 (studded leather); Hit Points 65 (10d8 + 20); Initiative +4; Speed 30 ft.
Saving Throws Dexterity +6, Constitution +4; Skills Athletics +4, Acrobatics +6, Intimidation +3, Perception +3, Performance +3; Vehicles (Water) +6; Senses Passive Perception 13; Languages Common, Aquan; Proficiency Bonus +2.
Equipment +1 cutlass, one loaded pistol, boarding axe, studded leather, ship’s whistle, coil of rope, tally keys and duty ledger.
Traits
Sea Legs. The first mate has Advantage on checks to keep footing on a pitching deck or climb the ship’s rigging. Watch Officer. The mate can identify ordinary faults in sails, tackle and hull-work and organise a crew to repair them; this is not an automatic combat bonus.
Weapon Mastery (Pistol — Vex). When the first mate deals damage with the pistol, it has Advantage on its next attack against that creature before the end of its next turn, under the site’s 2024 weapon mastery rules.
Actions
Multiattack. The first mate makes two Cutlass attacks. The mate may replace one Cutlass attack with a shot from a previously loaded Pistol; the firearm’s Loading property still applies.
+1 cutlass. Melee Attack +7, reach 5 ft. Hit: 8 (1d6 + 5) Slashing.
pistol (Loaded). Ranged Attack +6, range 30/90 ft. Hit: 9 (1d10 + 4) Piercing. It holds one shot; reloading follows the site’s firearm rules.
boarding axe. Melee Attack +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) Slashing or Piercing. The hooked spike can help with climbing timber, without creating a free attack.
Bonus Actions
All Hands (Recharge 5–6). One willing allied deckhand within 30 ft. who can hear the first mate can move up to half its Speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Reactions
Parry. Against one melee attack the first mate sees, it adds 2 to AC while wielding the cutlass.
Shipboard weapons. The pistol is single-shot, 1d10 Piercing and Loading (30/90 ft.); the 2024 version also uses Vex mastery. A cannon belongs to the ship’s artillery, not this personal stat block.
D&D 5e / 2014
First Mate
Medium Humanoid (Human), any alignment · CR 3 (700 XP)
Armor Class 16 (studded leather); Hit Points 65 (10d8 + 20); Initiative +4; Speed 30 ft.
Saving Throws Dexterity +6, Constitution +4; Skills Athletics +4, Acrobatics +6, Intimidation +3, Perception +3, Performance +3; Vehicles (Water) +6; Senses Passive Perception 13; Languages Common, Aquan; Proficiency Bonus +2.
Equipment +1 cutlass, one loaded pistol, boarding axe, studded leather, ship’s whistle, coil of rope, tally keys and duty ledger.
Traits
Sea Legs. The first mate has Advantage on checks to keep footing on a pitching deck or climb the ship’s rigging. Watch Officer. The mate can identify ordinary faults in sails, tackle and hull-work and organise a crew to repair them; this is not an automatic combat bonus.
Actions
Multiattack. The first mate makes two Cutlass attacks. The mate may replace one Cutlass attack with a shot from a previously loaded Pistol; the firearm’s Loading property still applies.
+1 cutlass. Melee Weapon Attack +7, reach 5 ft. Hit: 8 (1d6 + 5) Slashing.
pistol (Loaded). Ranged Weapon Attack +6, range 30/90 ft. Hit: 9 (1d10 + 4) Piercing. It holds one shot; reloading follows the site’s firearm rules.
boarding axe. Melee Weapon Attack +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) Slashing or Piercing. The hooked spike can help with climbing timber, without creating a free attack.
Bonus Actions
All Hands (Recharge 5–6). One willing allied deckhand within 30 ft. who can hear the first mate can move up to half its Speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Reactions
Parry. Against one melee attack the first mate sees, it adds 2 to AC while wielding the cutlass.
Shipboard weapons. The pistol is single-shot, 1d10 Piercing and Loading (30/90 ft.); there is no 2024 Weapon Mastery in the 2014 version. A cannon belongs to the ship’s artillery, not this personal stat block.
Pathfinder 1e
The ready-for-boarding First Mate below is a campaign variant using the site’s cutlass and pistol. The original Paizo expert 4/fighter 5 with shortswords, whip and crossbow is retained in the expandable reference, rather than combined with the new gear.
First Mate — Boarding Officer Variant
CR 8; XP 4,800; N Medium humanoid (human); human expert 4/fighter 5
Init +4; Senses Perception +10; Languages Common, Aquan.
Defense
AC 21, touch 14, flat-footed 17 (+7 +1 mithral breastplate, +4 Dexterity); hp 63 (4d8+5d10+18); Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +6; Defensive Abilities bravery +1.
Offense
Speed 30 ft. (mithral breastplate counts as light armour); Melee +1 cutlass +15/+10 (1d6+6/15–20, improved critical); boarding axe +10 (1d6+2/×3, Slashing or Piercing). Ranged masterwork pistol +13 (1d8/×4, 20-ft. increment, misfire 1, capacity 1), against touch AC in the first increment.
Special Attacks weapon training (light blades +1). Pistol requires Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms); misfire and reloading follow firearm rules.
Statistics
Base Atk +8; CMB +10; CMD 24.
Feats Athletic, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms), Improved Critical (cutlass), Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Quick Draw, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (cutlass), Weapon Specialization (cutlass).
Skills Acrobatics +13, Climb +10, Craft (ships) +5, Intimidate +5, Perception +10, Profession (sailor) +12, Swim +13, Survival +5.
Gear +1 cutlass, one masterwork pistol with powder and bullets, boarding axe, +1 mithral breastplate, grappling hook, keys, whistle and cargo ledger.
Tactics The mate fires a loaded pistol to break an enemy advance, then holds a gangway with the cutlass. The boarding axe is used to break a jammed hatch or cut rigging when that is more useful than another blow.
Original Pathfinder First Mate (Expert 4/Fighter 5) — source stat block
Published Pathfinder Reference
| First Mate CR 8 |
| XP 4,800 Human expert 4/fighter 5 N Medium humanoid Init +4; Senses Perception +10 |
| DEFENSE |
| AC 21, touch 14, flat-footed 17 (+7 armor, +4 Dexterity) hp 63 (9 HD; 4d8+5d10+18) Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +6; +1 vs. fear Defensive Abilities bravery +1 |
| OFFENSE |
| Speed 30 ft. Melee +1 shortsword +15/+10 (1d6+6/17-20) or +1 shortsword +13/+8 (1d6+6/17-20), +1 shortsword +13/+8 (1d6+5/17-20) or +1 shortsword +13/+8 (1d6+6/17-20), mwk Whip +11 (1d3+1 nonlethal) Ranged mwk heavy crossbow +13 (1d10/19-20) Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (15 ft. with Whip) Special Attacks weapon training (light blades +1) |
| STATISTICS |
| Strength 14, Dexterity 18, Constitution 14, Intelligence 8, Wisdom 12, Charisma 10 Base Atk +8; CMB +10; CMD 24 Feats Athletic, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Whip), Improved Critical (shortsword), Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Quick Draw, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (shortsword), Weapon Specialization (shortsword) Skills Acrobatics +13, Climb +10, Craft (ships) +5, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (Geography) +3, Knowledge (nature) +3, Linguistics +3, Perception +10, Perform (sing) +4, Perform (wind) +4, Profession (sailor) +12, Survival +5, Swim +13 Languages Aquan, Common SQ armor training 1 Combat Gear potion of water breathing, feather tokens (anchor, fan); Other Gear +1 breastplate, +1 shortswords (2), masterwork heavy crossbow with 10 bolts, masterwork Whip, Ring of Swimming, Everburning torch, Musical instrument (concertina or fife) Boon A first mate can arrange for PCs to meet with a captain or merchant prince of their acquaintance, with a +2 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy checks because of the first mates’ reputation. He can also accompany PCs with a longboat and crew of four shipmates for up to 1 day. |
D&D 3.5e
First Mate — Expert 4/Fighter 5
| Size / Type | Medium Humanoid (Human) |
|---|---|
| Alignment / CR | Neutral; CR 8 (campaign adaptation) |
| Hit Dice / HP | 4d6+5d10+18 (59 hp) |
| Initiative | +4 |
| Speed | 30 ft. in mithral breastplate |
| Armour Class | 20, touch 14, flat-footed 16 (+1 mithral breastplate armour bonus +6, +4 Dexterity) |
| Base Attack / Grapple | +8 / +10 |
| Attack | +1 cutlass +14 melee (1d6+5/15–20); masterwork pistol +13 ranged (1d10/×3; 50-ft. increment; one shot) |
| Full Attack | +1 cutlass +14/+9 melee; loaded pistol +13 ranged once before a standard-action reload |
| Space / Reach | 5 ft. / 5 ft. |
| Saving Throws | Fort +7; Ref +6; Will +6 |
| Ability Scores | Str 14, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 12 |
| Skills | Tumble +11, Climb +10, Swim +12, Profession (sailor) +12, Spot +9, Listen +9, Intimidate +5 |
| Feats | Weapon Finesse (cutlass), Weapon Focus (cutlass), Weapon Specialization (cutlass), Improved Critical (cutlass), Quick Draw, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms), Athletic, Improved Initiative |
| Special Abilities | Fighter training; expert skill versatility; no Pathfinder-specific weapon training bonus |
| Gear | +1 cutlass, masterwork pistol (1 loaded), boarding axe, +1 mithral breastplate, grappling hook, signal whistle, ledger and ship’s keys |
Firearm rules: the pistol deals 1d10 Medium Piercing, ×3 critical, 50-foot range increment, one-shot capacity and standard-action reload. It requires Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms). The cutlass counts as a finesse-able martial sword under the site’s cutlass entry.
What Is the First Mate Doing Now?
The mate has caught the quartermaster’s assistant using a second powder ledger. Three barrels were marked dry after being hauled through a storm, although the seals on their lids have swollen. The captain wants to depart before dawn to intercept a prize. The first mate wants one more watch to inspect the magazine, and suspects that admitting the problem will cost the crew its promised shares.
Each hour increases the risk. If the first mate tells the truth, the captain may accuse the officer of cowardice. If the mate says nothing, a gun crew could die when a damp charge fails. Someone must decide which duty comes first.
How the First Mate Behaves
Practical before proud, the mate remembers which sailor can climb the mainmast in a gale and which must not be sent aloft with an injured hand. Officers who steal food or shares earn less patience than sailors who merely swear at orders. The mate’s whistle carries through the storm, but a measured sentence in a quiet cabin can be more frightening than a shouted threat.
Loyalty: the ship and its company, with the captain’s authority accepted so long as orders remain workable. Fault: the mate sometimes shields an incompetent friend rather than admit a mistake before the crew. Pressure: a crew asked to sail with wet powder may decide it needs a different captain—or a different first mate.
When the Characters Meet the Mate
At the gangplank: the mate checks arms, asks for honest business and decides whether visitors should wait under guard. During a storm: there are lines to haul, a hatch to secure and a missing sailor to find; a helping hand is remembered. Before a boarding action: the mate sets grapnels, sends two trusted sailors to the forecastle and draws a cutlass if an enemy threatens the helm.
For a lower-level scene, use the Shipmate statistics as an assistant or watch leader; the full First Mate is a seasoned opponent or ally.
Relationships and Authority
The Pirate Captain grants authority to command watches but cannot demand unquestioning loyalty. The shipmates know which officers share their rations and which lock themselves away during a squall. The Guide or pilot may challenge an unsafe approach through reefs; the Veteran Buccaneer may have the fighting skill to become a gunner without the judgement to be a trusted watch officer.
Among the Brethren of the Coast, a first mate may exchange work crews, trade warnings or serve as witness when two captains settle their shares. The job carries practical influence, never authority over the entire brotherhood.
Adventure Hooks
All Hands to the Pumps
The main bilge pump fails as a prize is being towed home. Someone has filed through a key iron fitting, but the carpenter insists it was intact yesterday. The party must keep the ship afloat while working out who wanted the cargo lost.
The Quartermaster’s Second Book
A second ledger records fewer wounded sailors than the original tally. The mate asks the party to discover which names were removed before the crew votes on shares. The missing money may be funding a shore escape.
A Broadside That Never Fires
The first cannon spits water instead of fire as a hostile vessel closes. The crew needs someone to hold a gangway, secure a powder store and decide whether retreat is still possible.
Arms, Armour and Officer’s Kit
Boarding arms. +1 cutlass for tight deck fighting, one preloaded pistol for a sudden shot, boarding axe to chop loose a hatch or drag debris away, and a utility knife. The mate wears a fitted breastplate or studded leather according to edition and wealth; do not combine their armour bonuses.
Officer’s equipment. A whistle to call hands to stations, a watch roster, tally keys, dry powder, six bullets, oilcloth pouch, compass, grappling hook and stout rope, spyglass shared with the captain, and a ledger recording the ship’s stores.
Treasure: the mate’s share of prize money is smaller than the captain’s, but the keys, duty roster and knowledge of which warehouse holds the spare powder can be worth far more during an adventure.
Further Paths
Meet the Pirate Captain, Shipmates and the Brethren of the Coast; visit Tortuga or Port Royal, or browse other non-player characters and named Caribbean NPCs.
Sources and Licensing
The complete original Pathfinder First Mate (Expert 4/Fighter 5, CR 8) is retained in the Pathfinder tab. The cutlass-and-pistol officer and the D&D 5.5e/2024, D&D 5e/2014 and D&D 3.5e statistics are separate campaign adaptations. Their rules and Challenge Ratings are not automatically interchangeable.
Equipment references: Cutlass, Pistol, Boarding Axe, Breastplate, Studded Leather, Grappling Hook, Spyglass. Original Pathfinder NPC source.
Section 15: Copyright Notice – Game Mastery Guide
Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide, © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Cam Banks, Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, Jim Butler, Eric Cagle, Graeme Davis, Adam Daigle, Joshua J. Frost, James Jacobs, Kenneth Hite, Steven Kenson, Robin Laws, Tito Leati, Rob McCreary, Hal Maclean, Colin McComb, Jason Nelson, David Noonan, Richard Pett, Rich Redman, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Amber Scott, Doug Seacat, Mike Selinker, Lisa Stevens, James L. Sutter, Russ Taylor, Penny Williams, Skip Williams, Teeuwynn Woodruff.
Keep this reference growing
If this page helped with your reading or game, you can support its upkeep or explore the curated books.
Explore the Bookshop — epics, classics and stories behind imagined worlds.