New Occupations

Introduction

While the simple occupation of “sailor” may be fine for a normal Call of Cthulhu game, White Leviathan requires the specialized occupation of Whaleman. All members of a whaling crew are considered whalemen; although greenhorns will have very little knowledge of Whalecraft, and will be forced to learn along the way.

WHALEMAN—Climb, Seamanship, Whalecraft; one specialized skills from this list: Art/Craft (Blacksmith), Art/Craft (Carpentry), Art/Craft (Cooking), Art/Craft (Cooperage), Mechanical Repair, Leadership; and three personal specialties from this list: Art and Craft, Fighting (Harpoon), Fighting (Lance), Navigate, Other Language, Pilot (Boat), Sea Lore, Spot Hidden, Swimming, Survival, Throw. Harpooneers add INT X 1 points and receive one extra specialty. Officers add INT X 1 points and EDU X 1 points, and receive two extra specialties.

Credit Rating: 5-15
Occupation Skill Points: POW X 2, + either DEX X 2 or STR X 2.

Specializations
There are several specializations within the category of whaleman. The ship’s cook, steward, blacksmith, carpenter, and cooper will have specialized knowledge, and their statistics should reflect appropriate Art and Craft skills. The ship’s harpooneers must have whaling experience, and take Harpoon as a specialized Fighting skill. If they are white or have patronage, they may have their eye on advancing to officer level. The ship’s officers, who possess higher levels of Pilot (Boat) skill, must have Navigate and Leadership as well, and add Lance as a specialized Fighting skill. Although more important in the merchant service than the whale fishery, Other Language (Portuguese) is common, as Portuguese competes with English as a nautical Lingua Franca, especially in the Far East trade.

Sample Whalemen
The following templates may be used for generic whalemen. These templates have lower statistics than the player characters, whom even in Call of Cthulhu may be considered “heroes.” (Albeit doomed, tragic heroes.) The statistics are also on the lower end for nonplayer characters as well. Keepers wanting to roll up “named” NPC whalemen should use the core character creation system for more robust statistics. The terms “ordinary seamen” and “able seamen” are derived from the Navy, and are more loosely defined in the merchant service and whale fishery. Shipkeepers and idlers should use the Able Seaman template, with significant boosts in appropriate Art and Craft skills. Higher ranking officers should also receive stat boosts.

Greenhorn

Age: 13-20, Nationality: Any, Birthplace: Any.

Combat

Skills
Accounting 5%, Anthropology 1%, Appraise 5%, Archeology 1%, Art/Craft (Carpentry) 5%, Art/Craft (Miscellaneous) 35%, Artillery 1%, Charm 15%, Climb 40%, Credit Rating 5%, Demolitions 1%, Disguise 5%, Fast Talk 10%, First Aid 30%, History 5%, Hypnosis 1%, Intimidate 20%, Jump 20%, Law 5%, Leadership 5%, Library Use 20%, Listen 20%, Locksmith 1%, Mechanical Repair 25%, Medicine 1%, Natural World 20%, Navigate 30%, Occult 5%, Operate Heavy Machinery 15%, Persuade 10%, Pilot (Boat) 10%, Psychology 10%, Read Lips 1%, Religion 20%, Ride 20%, Seamanship 5%, Sea Lore 1%, Sleight of Hand 10%, Spot Hidden 40%, Stealth 20%, Survival 25%, Swim 20%, Throw 30%, Track 10%, Whalecraft 5%.

Description
Barely considered a human being, a greenhorn is ridiculed by forecastle and quarterdeck alike, and is one step above being a “lubber.” (In the Navy, he’s called a “landsman” for the first year of his service.) A greenhorn is expected to learn on the job, and most sailors think nothing of ordering greenhorns to do difficult things with little training—“Go aloft, there, boy!” It’s the best way for them to learn, right?

Ordinary Seaman

Age: 17-22, Nationality: Any, Birthplace: Any.

Combat

Skills
Accounting 5%, Anthropology 5%, Appraise 5%, Archeology 1%, Art/Craft (Blacksmith) 5%, Art/Craft (Carpentry) 10%, Art/Craft (Cooperage) 5%, Art/Craft (Miscellaneous) 50%, Artillery 1%, Charm 15%, Climb 50%, Credit Rating 10%, Demolitions 1%, Disguise 5%, Fast Talk 20%, First Aid 40%, History 10%, Hypnosis 1%, Intimidate 20%, Jump 20%, Law 5%, Leadership 10%, Library Use 20%, Listen 20%, Locksmith 1%, Mechanical Repair 30%, Medicine 5%, Natural World 30%, Navigate 30%, Occult 5%, Operate Heavy Machinery 20%, Persuade 20%, Pilot (Boat) 40%, Psychology 10%, Read Lips 1%, Religion 20%, Renown 1%, Ride 20%, Science (Astronomy) 5%, Science (Meteorology) 10%, Seamanship 40%, Sea Lore 10%, Sleight of Hand 10%, Spot Hidden 45%, Stealth 20%, Survival 25%, Swim 20%, Throw 30%, Track 10%, Whalecraft 20%.

Description
Originating with the British Navy in the eighteenth century, an “ordinary seaman” is a standard deckhand, usually with one or two years of seafaring experience. An ordinary seaman is trusted to know the ropes, work the rigging, and carry out the general duties of maintaining a ship. He’s entered into the records as “O.S.”

Able Seaman

Age: 20+, Nationality: Any, Birthplace: Any.

Combat

Skills
Accounting 5%, Anthropology 10%, Appraise 5%, Archeology 1%, Art/Craft (Blacksmith) 10%, Art/Craft (Carpentry) 15%, Art/Craft (Cooperage) 10%, Art/Craft (Miscellaneous) 75%, Artillery 1%, Charm 15%, Climb 75%, Credit Rating 15%, Demolitions 1%, Disguise 5%, Fast Talk 25%, First Aid 45%, History 10%, Hypnosis 1%, Intimidate 20%, Jump 25%, Law 5%, Leadership 15%, Library Use 20%, Listen 20%, Locksmith 1%, Mechanical Repair 35%, Medicine 5%, Natural World 35%, Navigate 35%, Occult 5%, Operate Heavy Machinery 25%, Persuade 20%, Pilot (Boat) 60%, Psychology 10%, Read Lips 1%, Religion 20%, Renown 5%, Ride 20%, Science (Astronomy) 10%, Science (Meteorology) 15%, Seamanship 50%, Sea Lore 20%, Sleight of Hand 10%, Spot Hidden 50%, Stealth 20%, Survival 30%, Swim 20%, Throw 30%, Track 10%, Whalecraft 50%.

Description
An able seaman is a sailor with a few years’ experience at sea, and is qualified to work at every station on the ship, including the helm. He’s entered into the records as “A.B.,” an abbreviation that gave rise to the misconception it stood for “able-bodied” seaman.

Boatsteerer/Harpooneer

Age: 18+, Nationality: Any, Birthplace: Any.

Combat

Skills
Accounting 5%, Anthropology 10%, Appraise 5%, Archeology 1%, Art/Craft (Blacksmith) 15%, Art/Craft (Carpentry) 15%, Art/Craft (Cooperage) 10%, Art/Craft (Miscellaneous) 75%, Artillery 1%, Charm 15%, Climb 75%, Credit Rating 20%, Demolitions 1%, Disguise 5%, Fast Talk 25%, First Aid 45%, History 10%, Hypnosis 1%, Intimidate 50%, Jump 40%, Law 5%, Leadership 25%, Library Use 20%, Listen 20%, Locksmith 1%, Mechanical Repair 35%, Medicine 5%, Natural World 35%, Navigate 35%, Occult 5%, Operate Heavy Machinery 25%, Persuade 20%, Pilot (Boat) 60%, Psychology 10%, Read Lips 1%, Religion 20%, Renown 10%, Ride 15%, Science (Astronomy) 10%, Science (Meteorology) 15%, Seamanship 55%, Sea Lore 20%, Sleight of Hand 10%, Spot Hidden 60%, Stealth 20%, Survival 30%, Swim 20%, Throw 50%, Track 10%, Whalecraft 60%.

Description
When most people think of a whaleman, they think of the iconic harpooneer, sometimes spelled “harpooner.” Positioned at the bow of the whaleboat, it’s the harpooneer’s perilous job to throw his harpoon into the whale. This harpoon is connected to a line that tows the whaleboat behind the enraged beast, acting as a drag and exhausting the whale. A harpooneer is also called a “boatsteerer” because after he impales the whale, he switches places with the mate, taking over the steering oar while the mate kills the whale with his lance. Harpooneers may be any ethnicity, and Pacific Islanders and Gay Head Indians are common in the American fishery. See “Hunting Whales” for details.

Mate/Boat-Header

Age: 22+, Nationality: American or European, Birthplace: Likely New England!

Combat

Skills
Accounting 30%, Anthropology 10%, Appraise 5%, Archeology 1%, Art/Craft (Blacksmith) 15%, Art/Craft (Carpentry) 15%, Art/Craft (Cooperage) 15%, Art/Craft (Miscellaneous) 75%, Art/Craft (Miscellaneous) 75%, Artillery 1%, Charm 20%, Climb 65%, Credit Rating 25%, Demolitions 1%, Disguise 5%, Fast Talk 25%, First Aid 45%, History 10%, Hypnosis 1%, Intimidate 50%, Jump 40%, Law 10%, Leadership 30%, Library Use 20%, Listen 20%, Locksmith 1%, Mechanical Repair 35%, Medicine 10%, Natural World 35%, Navigate 50%, Occult 5%, Operate Heavy Machinery 30%, Persuade 45%, Pilot (Boat) 70%, Psychology 20%, Read Lips 1%, Religion 40%, Renown 15%, Ride 20%, Science (Astronomy) 10%, Science (Meteorology) 20%, Seamanship 70%, Sea Lore 20%, Sleight of Hand 10%, Spot Hidden 60%, Stealth 20%, Survival 30%, Swim 20%, Throw 40%, Track 10%, Whalecraft 75%.

Description
A ship’s officers are called “mates.” Most whalers have three mates: a first mate, also called the chief mate, a second mate, and a third mate. Smaller ships may have only two mates, while larger ships may require a fourth mate. In the whale fishery, mates are sometimes called “boat-headers” because each commands a whaleboat during the hunt. After the boat’s harpooneer impales the whale and connects the line, he switches places with the mate, who pierces the heart of the whale with his lance. See “Hunting Whales” for details. Most officers on American whalers are white New Englanders, but black, Indian, and Pacific officers are not unknown.

Captain/Master

Age: 26+, Nationality: American or European, Birthplace: Likely New England!

Combat

Skills
Accounting 50%, Anthropology 15%, Appraise 20%, Archeology 5%, Art/Craft (Blacksmith) 15%, Art/Craft (Carpentry) 15%, Art/Craft (Cooperage) 15%, Art/Craft (Miscellaneous) 75%, Art/Craft (Miscellaneous) 75%, Artillery 1%, Charm 35%, Climb 60%, Credit Rating 50%, Demolitions 1%, Disguise 5%, Fast Talk 30%, First Aid 60%, History 15%, Hypnosis 1%, Intimidate 70%, Jump 35%, Law 35%, Leadership 50%, Library Use 20%, Listen 20%, Locksmith 1%, Mechanical Repair 35%, Medicine 15%, Natural World 35%, Navigate 65%, Occult 5%, Operate Heavy Machinery 30%, Persuade 60%, Pilot (Boat) 75%, Psychology 25%, Read Lips 1%, Religion 40%, Renown 25%, Ride 20%, Science (Astronomy) 15%, Science (Meteorology) 20%, Seamanship 75%, Sea Lore 25%, Sleight of Hand 10%, Spot Hidden 60%, Stealth 20%, Survival 30%, Swim 20%, Throw 40%, Track 10%, Whalecraft 75%.

Description
A ship’s captain is the undisputed master of the vessel, and his word is law—at least while at sea! Most captains in the whale fishery have previously served as mates, and are connected to the industry through financial and family ties. They may even own a share of the ship they command. Every experienced captain has developed a reputation, usually summarized by a single word: cruel, wise, kind, tyrannical, mad, fishy, lucky, unlucky, and so forth. Most captains in the American fishery are white New Englanders. Black captains are rare, but not unknown.

White Leviathan, Auxiliary Materials
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Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 7 August 2023
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]