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Pirate 5e NPC Stat Block: Daggers, Panache and Boarding Fights
This is the Pirate NPC stat block from the 2024 rules (SRD 5.2.1), the deckhand-with-a-knife who swarms over the rail. It's CR 1 with AC 14, 33 hit points and two dagger attacks at +5 for 5 damage each, and it can trade one of those attacks for Enthralling Panache: a DC 12 Wisdom save or the target is Charmed until the start of the pirate's next turn, which means it can't attack that pirate. The 2014 SRD has no pirate; this block is new in 2024, alongside the Pirate Captain.
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Pirate Stat Block (2024)
Pirate
Medium or Small Humanoid, Neutral
Armor Class 14
Initiative +5 (15)
Hit Points 33 (6d8 + 6)
Speed 30 ft.
STR
10 (+0)save +0
DEX
16 (+3)save +5
CON
12 (+1)save +1
INT
8 (−1)save −1
WIS
12 (+1)save +1
CHA
14 (+2)save +4
Gear Daggers (6), Leather Armor
Senses Passive Perception 11
Languages Common plus one other language
Challenge 1 (XP 200; PB +2)
Actions
Multiattack.The pirate makes two Dagger attacks. It can replace one attack with a use of Enthralling Panache.
Dagger.Melee or Ranged Attack Roll: +5, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) Piercing damage.
Enthralling Panache.Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 12, one creature the pirate can see within 30 feet. Failure: The target has the Charmed condition until the start of the pirate’s next turn.
Stat block from the SRD 5.2.1 (2024 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
The pirate is a Dexterity fighter: Dex 16, Initiative +5, Dexterity save +5, AC 14 from leather armor. It carries six daggers and can throw them 20 feet (60 with disadvantage), so it always has a ranged option. The Charisma 14 and Charisma save proficiency (+4) fit the flair the block is built around.
Weak points: Intelligence 8 and Strength 10 (+0 Strength save). It's built to dodge, not to stand firm.
Compared with the 2014 options people used for pirates before this block existed, the pirate sits between the bandit (CR 1/8, 11 HP) and the bandit captain (CR 2, 65 HP in 2014). It's a sturdier rank-and-file fighter with a trick.
How Pirates Fight
Damage. Against AC 15, a +5 dagger hits on 10 or better (55%). Two daggers average 5.5 damage a round. That's low for CR 1. The pirate's value is in what Enthralling Panache does to the party's turn.
Panache as a shield. Charmed means the target can't attack the charmer or target it with damaging abilities or magical effects. A pirate in melee with the party's fighter makes one dagger attack and uses Panache on the fighter. If the fighter fails the DC 12 save (about 50% for Wisdom +1), it has to attack a different pirate or do something else on its turn. Three pirates doing this to the same fighter can make it waste a turn walking to reach someone it's allowed to hit.
Who to charm. The best Panache target is whoever was about to kill this pirate: the character standing next to it, or the archer who shot it last round. The worst target is a cleric or wizard who wasn't going to attack it anyway.
Use the ship. The block has no boarding trait, so the deck does the work:
•Rigging. Climbing costs 1 extra foot per foot moved for creatures without a Climb Speed. A pirate climbing 15 feet up a mast uses its whole 30 feet of movement. Put a couple of pirates up there before the fight, throwing daggers down.
•Gaps between ships. A running Long Jump covers feet equal to the jumper's Strength score. Pirates (Strength 10) clear a 10-foot gap after a 10-foot run. Characters with Strength 15 clear 15 feet.
•Overboard. A shove pushes a target 5 feet. At the rail, that's into the sea. Pirates resist a 2024 shove with their Dexterity save (+5), so they rarely go over. Characters standing at the rail should.
Running a Boarding Action
Pirates are 200 XP each. For four level 3 characters, using the 2024 XP budget (600 / 900 / 1,600):
Difficulty
Example
Low (600 XP)
3 pirates
Moderate (900 XP)
4 pirates + 4 bandits
High (1,600 XP)
8 pirates, arriving in two waves of four
The 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide guidelines (used by our encounter calculator) count three pirates as 600 × 2 = 1,200 XP, a Hard fight for four level 3 characters.
Run boarding fights in waves. The first group comes over the rail with grappling hooks; the second comes from the rigging two rounds later; the third is the captain. Keep the initiative tracker handy if you split pirates into groups. For a crew with personalities, the NPC generator can stock the deck with names and grudges.
How Players Beat Pirates
•Resist the charm. A character with a good Wisdom save shrugs off DC 12. Elves in the 2024 rules have advantage on saves against the Charmed condition.
•Avoid its Dexterity save. Pirates cluster at the rail, but their Dexterity save is +5, so Fireball (28 average, 33 hit points to chew through) gets halved about half the time. Thunderwave targets Constitution (+1) instead and pushes each failing pirate 10 feet, which at the rail means into the sea.
•Spread the charm. Panache only affects one target. A party that splits its attacks across pirates makes each charm less useful.
•Use Hold Person. Its Wisdom save is +1 and it's Humanoid. A paralyzed pirate at the rail is easy to finish.
Pirate Encounter Ideas
The friendly crew. The party books passage on a ship whose crew are, quietly, pirates. They're fine passengers until the ship meets an easier mark. Then the party has to pick a side.
The charming boarders. A pirate crew that charms rather than kills: they board, use Panache to keep the party off the crew while others loot the hold, then leave. Getting the cargo back means finding their cove.
Mutiny. Half a pirate crew wants to mutiny against the Pirate Captain and asks the party for help. The other half is loyal. Picking the wrong pirates to trust turns the deck into a three-sided fight.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CR is a pirate in 5e?
The Pirate is CR 1 (200 XP) in the 2024 rules (SRD 5.2.1), with AC 14 and 33 hit points.
Is there a pirate stat block in the 2014 rules?
Not in SRD 5.1. In a 2014 game, the bandit or bandit captain can stand in for pirates. The 2024 SRD adds the Pirate and the Pirate Captain.
What does Enthralling Panache do?
The pirate targets one creature it can see within 30 feet. On a failed DC 12 Wisdom save, the target has the Charmed condition until the start of the pirate's next turn, so it can't attack the pirate or target it with damaging abilities or magical effects. The pirate can use it in place of one of its two dagger attacks.
How many daggers does a pirate carry?
Six, according to its Gear line. Its daggers can be thrown 20 feet normally or 60 feet with disadvantage.
Stat blocks: System Reference Document 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Tactics, encounter math and ideas are Loreify's own.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Loreify is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.