Boatswain guide
This guide explains what the Boatswain skill and every Boatswain perk really do in game v1.5.7: ship costs and ship damage, wages, food, cargo and healing at sea, ammo and armor in naval battles, how many ships you can deploy, and the governor bonuses for port towns. Boatswain is a NavalDLC skill: it only exists when the NavalDLC module is active, and all of its effects live in NavalDLC. NavalDLC extends the agent damage, agent stats, carry capacity, food consumption, healing, party morale, troop upgrade cost, wage and recruitment cost, militia and village production models, extends and replaces parts of the battle reward, siege engine, party speed and troop sacrifice models, and replaces parts of the campaign ship damage and ship cost models. StoryMode extends the wage and recruitment cost models, and extends and replaces parts of the battle reward models in the story campaign.
For exact formulas, edge cases and links to the game code, see the deep dives: Naval campaign (wages, food and cargo at sea, overburdened speed at sea, getting away, salvage, shipyards, governor gold and garrison recruits), Naval battles (ship siege weapons, campaign ship damage, ship loot, ship costs, deployment limit, main deck crew), Combat agent stats (armor and ammo in naval battles), Combat damage (shield damage, sail fire damage), Settlements (militia, village production), Party and map (recruitment and upgrade cost, morale, healing) and Characters and politics (influence).
Who holds the perk. Each half is read from one hero, and the role decides who:
- First mate: the hero in your party's First Mate role; when nobody holds it, the party leader.
- Party leader: the leader of the party.
- Captain: the captain of a formation in a naval battle, which is a ship's crew. The bonus goes to the troops of that ship; in most cases the captain himself does not get it.
- Governor: the governor of the town or castle. Some governor halves need the governor to be in the town; each perk says so.
- Personal: the hero's own character.
What the verdicts mean.
works: does what the tooltip says, or more; broader effects are noted.differs: narrower, different or extra conditions or values compared with the tooltip.unused: never read by the game.ui_only: only shown in the interface.
No Boatswain perk is ui_only. Special Arrows' second half and Naval Bombardment are unused.
Most Boatswain halves show "Sea only" under their description in the tooltip: they give nothing while the party is on land. The tooltip says so, so the limit is not a differs reason.
What unlocks what
Every 25 points of Boatswain opens a new pair. You pick one perk of each pair; the other is locked for that hero. Boatswain 275 has a single perk.
| Boatswain | Perk A | Perk B |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Master Shipwright: cheaper ship upgrades; governor gold per repaired ship | Merchant Prince: cheaper ship repairs; governor gold per traded ship |
| 50 | Streamlined Operations: faster ship siege weapon reloads; faster shipyards in the governed town | Well Stocked: more ammo and throwing weapons for a ship's crew |
| 75 | Naval Horde: lower wages for mounted troops at sea; lighter mounts at sea | Optimization: lower wages for non-mariner troops at sea; lighter pack animals and livestock at sea |
| 100 | Gilded Purse: bigger share of captured ships; lighter trade goods at sea | Veteran's Wisdom: daily naval skill XP for companions; smaller overburdened penalty at sea |
| 125 | Shipwright's Insight: more ballista damage to hulls; more ammo for a ship's crew | Special Arrows: +5 armor for low-tier troops and sail fire damage |
| 150 | Accuracy Training: crew ranged damage to shields at sea; +2 daily militia at ports | Smooth Operator: +5 ballista ammo; less food eaten at sea |
| 175 | Efficient Captain: cheaper mariner upgrades; morale in port (never for your party) | Popular Captain: cheaper mariner recruits; bigger main deck crew |
| 200 | Blessings Of The Sea: +1 ship in battle; more fish from villages | Port Authority: +1 ship in battle; more walrus ivory and whale oil from villages |
| 225 | Salvage: influence from discarded ships; trade tax from merchant convoys | Shipwright's Hand: discarded ships repair your ships; garrison recruits from merchant convoys |
| 250 | Merchant Fleet: +1 ship in battle; influence per ship built | Resilience: heroes heal after a won battle; faster troop healing at sea |
| 275 | Naval Bombardment: does nothing (no alternative) | — |
Tier 1 (Boatswain 25): Master Shipwright or Merchant Prince
Master Shipwright
- Primary, −30% cost of ship upgrades (first mate;
works). Every ship upgrade piece costs 30% less for your party. The same piece value is part of a ship's base value, so the perk also lowers the trade value and the repair cost of ships with upgrade pieces, which the tooltip does not say. - Secondary, +30 denars for each ship repaired in the governed town (governor;
works). Each time any party repairs a ship in the town you govern, the governor receives 30 denars. The governor has to be in the town. You get nothing when you are the governor and the ship is your own.
Merchant Prince
- Primary, −30% ship repair cost (first mate;
works). Repairing your party's ships costs 30% less. - Secondary, +500 denars for each ship bought or sold in the governed town (governor;
works). When a ship is bought from or sold to the town you govern, the governor receives 500 denars. The governor has to be in the town. You get nothing when you are the governor and the ship becomes yours.
Which one? Master Shipwright lowers upgrade costs (and through them part of trade value and repair cost); Merchant Prince lowers the whole repair cost by 30%. As governor, Master Shipwright pays 30 per repaired ship and Merchant Prince 500 per traded ship.
Tier 2 (Boatswain 50): Streamlined Operations or Well Stocked
Streamlined Operations
- Primary, "+10% ballista reload time" (captain;
works). The captain of the ship formation that operates a siege weapon gives +10% reload speed (the tooltip says "reload time"). - Secondary, +20% shipyard production rate in the governed town (governor;
works). A port town that is not under siege and not in a battle rolls a daily chance of 0.5 to build ships; with the perk the chance is 0.6. The governor has to be in the town.
Well Stocked
- Primary, +30% ammunition per stack (captain;
differs). The perk is listed under the first mate, but the game reads it from the ship's captain, and it goes to the other troops of that ship, not to the captain himself. Every arrow, bolt and throwing weapon stack of those troops gets 30% more, rounded. On a ship with upgrades, the first ammo slot and the first throwing slot are refilled after deployment, and the bonus is lost in those slots. - Secondary, +2 throwing weapons per stack (captain;
differs). Same holder and same troops as the primary. Each throwing weapon stack gets 2 more. The 2 is added first, then the percentages (the primary's 30% and Shipwright's Insight's 25%) are applied. The same upgraded-ship refill removes it from the first throwing slot.
Which one? Streamlined Operations gives its ship's siege weapons faster reloads and helps a governor of a port town build more ships. Well Stocked gives more ammo to every ship crew whose captain holds it.
Tier 3 (Boatswain 75): Naval Horde or Optimization
The wage halves apply only while your party is at sea, where every party already pays 20% less wages.
Naval Horde
- Primary, −30% wages for cavalry troops at sea (first mate;
works). The 30% is scaled by the share of your base wage that goes to mounted troops (heroes not counted). - Secondary, −30% weight of mounts in ship's cargo (first mate;
works). At sea every mount counts 50 cargo weight; with the perk it counts 30% less. Mounted troops also add 50 cargo weight each at sea, which this perk does not reduce. On land, mounts weigh nothing in cargo, so the perk has no effect there.
Optimization
- Primary, −10% wages for non-mariner troops at sea (first mate;
works). The 10% is scaled by the share of your base wage that goes to non-mariner troops (heroes not counted). With only mariner troops the perk does nothing. - Secondary, −30% weight of pack animals and livestock in ship's cargo (first mate;
works). At sea a pack animal counts 30 cargo weight and a head of livestock 20; with the perk each counts 30% less.
Wage at sea = base wage × (1 − 20% − perk percentage × share of wages paid to those troops)
- Base wage: your normal daily wage with all land terms.
- Perk percentage: 30% for Naval Horde, 10% for Optimization.
- Share: the part of your base wage paid to mounted troops (Naval Horde) or to non-mariner troops (Optimization). If your quartermaster has Steward's Aid Corps, only healthy troops count for the share.
Worked example. Your party at sea pays 200 denars of base daily wage, 150 of it to non-mariner troops, and your first mate has Optimization:
A party at sea pays 200 denars of base daily wage, 150 of it to non-mariner troops. Its First Mate has Optimization. Inputs: total wage 200, non mariner wage share 0.75.
| Step | Source | Stage | Change | Running value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | Party daily wage | base | 200.0000 | |
| 1 | Optimization | factor -7.5% | -15.0000 | 185.0000 |
| 2 | Wage reduction at sea | factor -20% | -40.0000 | 145.0000 |
| Result | Party daily wage | 145.0000 |
With these inputs, party daily wage is 145.0000.
The 10% is scaled by the 0.75 share to 7.5%, and the at-sea reduction adds 20%, so you pay 145.0000 instead of 200.0000.
Which one? Naval Horde helps a party with many mounted troops and mounts; Optimization helps a party of mostly non-mariner troops carrying pack animals or livestock.
Tier 4 (Boatswain 100): Gilded Purse or Veteran's Wisdom
Gilded Purse
- Primary, "+25% to chance of capturing ships after battle" (party leader;
differs). No capture chance changes. When several parties win a battle together, the defeated ships are split among them by a share score (contribution to the battle, men, and bonuses for clan and kingdom leaders); the perk raises your party's score by 25% when your party is a mobile party. If your party is the only winner, it gains nothing. - Secondary, −15% weight of trade goods in ship's cargo (first mate;
works). At sea every trade good weighs 15% less.
Veteran's Wisdom
- Primary, daily XP for companions (party leader;
works). Every day the party spends at sea, each companion of your clan in the party gets 10 × the party leader's level as experience in one random naval skill: Mariner, Boatswain or Shipmaster. Sea only, as the tooltip shows: on land it gives nothing. - Secondary, −20% overburdened penalty for ships (first mate;
works). At sea a party carrying more than its cargo capacity loses speed in proportion to the excess. The perk makes that penalty 20% smaller. On land it does nothing.
Which one? Gilded Purse matters only when you win naval battles alongside other parties, plus lighter trade goods at sea; Veteran's Wisdom trains companions in a naval skill every day and softens the overburdened penalty at sea.
Tier 5 (Boatswain 125): Shipwright's Insight or Special Arrows
Shipwright's Insight
- Primary, +30% damage to enemy hulls by ballista (personal;
works). When you fire a ship's siege weapon yourself, each hull hit does 30% more damage, rounded up, at most 2000. - Secondary, +25% ammo for crew (captain;
differs). The captain's other troops on that ship get it. Every consumable stack tied to a skill gets 25% more, not only ranged ammo. It adds to Well Stocked's 30% in the same multiplier. On a ship with upgrades, the first ammo slot and the first throwing slot are refilled after deployment, and the bonus is lost in those slots.
Special Arrows
- Primary, +5 armor for low-tier troops (captain;
differs). The armor part works as written: in naval battles, troops of tier 3 or below in the captain's ship formation get +5 head, body, arm and leg armor. The captain himself does not get it. Not in the tooltip: the perk also adds +5 fire damage to every hit the formation's troops land on an enemy sail, except hits from ship siege weapons. Unlike the armor, the sail fire damage counts the captain's own hits too. This flat +5 is what the game applies in place of the secondary half. As a side effect, holding this perk adds 0.02 to your hero strength rating in simulated battles, which the tooltip does not say; see Hero power modifier. - Secondary, "+40% damage dealt by crew to enemy sails" (
unused). The game's only sail damage calculation applies the primary's +5 instead, so the 40% is never read.
Which one? Shipwright's Insight raises a ship's ballista damage to hulls and its crew's ammo; Special Arrows protects tier 3 and lower troops of the ship and adds +5 sail fire damage.
Tier 6 (Boatswain 150): Accuracy Training or Smooth Operator
Accuracy Training
- Primary, "+30% damage to shields with ranged weapons" (captain;
works). In naval battles, bow, crossbow and throwing hits on shields by troops of the captain's formation deal 30% more damage. - Secondary, +2 militia in coastal towns and villages (governor;
works). A town with a port gains +2 militia a day when its governor holds the perk and is in the town. A village whose bound town has a port gains +2 a day when that town's governor holds the perk and is in the town.
Smooth Operator
- Primary, "+5 ammo for ballista" (captain;
works). A ship's ballista starts with 5 more ammo when the ship's captain has the perk. - Secondary, −30% food consumption at sea (first mate;
works). At sea your party already eats 20% less; the perk takes another 30% off, and the two add up to 50%. The minimum of 0.01 food a day still holds.
Daily food at sea = base consumption × (1 − 20% − 30%)
- Base consumption: one food per 20 people a day, counting members and half the prisoners.
- 20%: the at-sea reduction every party gets.
- 30%: Smooth Operator.
Worked example. A party of 100 members and no prisoners at sea, with Smooth Operator on the first mate:
A party of 100 members and no prisoners at sea. Its First Mate has Smooth Operator. Inputs: members 100, prisoners 0.
| Step | Source | Stage | Change | Running value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | Party daily food consumption (negative) | base | -5.0000 | |
| 1 | Smooth Operator | factor -30% | +1.5000 | -3.5000 |
| 2 | Food consumption reduction at sea | factor -20% | +1.0000 | -2.5000 |
| Result | Party daily food consumption (negative) | -2.5000 |
With these inputs, party daily food consumption (negative) is -2.5000.
The party eats 2.5000 food a day instead of 5.0000.
Which one? Accuracy Training raises your crews' ranged damage to shields in naval battles and gives militia to port towns and their villages as a governor perk; Smooth Operator adds ballista ammo and cuts food at sea.
Tier 7 (Boatswain 175): Efficient Captain or Popular Captain
Efficient Captain
- Primary, −30% upgrade cost for mariner troops (party leader;
works). Upgrading a mariner troop in your party costs 30% less. - Secondary, +5 morale while waiting in a port (party leader;
differs). The bonus counts only while the party is at sea ("Sea only" in the tooltip), but a party that can travel on land stops being at sea when it enters a town or castle. So your party never gets it; only parties without land travel can.
Popular Captain
- Primary, −30% recruitment cost for mariner troops (party leader;
works). Mariner troops cost 30% less to recruit when the leader of the recruiting hero's party has the perk. The 1-denar minimum still holds. - Secondary, +5% combat deck size (party leader;
works). In a naval battle, the main deck crew of a ship grows by 5%, rounded up, up to the ship's total crew capacity. Broader than the tooltip: every ship whose first troop comes from the leader's party gets it, not only the leader's own ship.
Which one? Efficient Captain lowers mariner upgrade costs; its morale in port never reaches your party. Popular Captain lowers mariner recruitment costs and adds 5% to the main deck crew of your party's ships.
Tier 8 (Boatswain 200): Blessings Of The Sea or Port Authority
Both primaries are the same: +1 ship to command limit (party leader; works). A party can deploy 3 ships in a naval battle; the perk adds one more. It is the per-battle deployment limit; it does not change how many ships the party may own. It adds up with Merchant Fleet (Boatswain 250) and with Shipmaster's Master and commander and Stormrider.
Blessings Of The Sea
- Secondary, +25% fish production in villages (governor;
differs). Villages produce 25% more fish when the governor of the town they trade with holds the perk and is in that town. The tooltip names the governed settlement's own villages; the game checks the town the village trades with instead, so a castle's governor never gives this bonus, and a town governor gives it to castle villages that trade with his town.
Port Authority
- Secondary, +15% walrus ivory and whale oil production in villages (governor;
differs). Same rule as Blessings Of The Sea, for walrus ivory and whale oil: read from the governor of the town the village trades with, who has to be in that town.
Which one? The primaries are identical. Pick by what the villages trading with your governor's town produce: fish (Blessings Of The Sea) or walrus ivory and whale oil (Port Authority).
Tier 9 (Boatswain 225): Salvage or Shipwright's Hand
Both primaries act when your party discards one of its ships.
Salvage
- Primary, discarded ships provide influence (party leader;
works). Discarding a ship gives the party leader's clan influence equal to 1% of the ship's hit points. The tooltip gives no amount. - Secondary, +40 denars for each merchant convoy entering port (governor;
works). Each time a merchant convoy (a caravan that sails) enters the town, 40 denars are added to the town's trade tax, which goes to the owner clan, not to the governor. The governor does not need to be in the town.
Shipwright's Hand
- Primary, discarded ships repair party ships (party leader;
works). Half of the discarded ship's hit points are poured into your other ships, one ship at a time in list order, each up to its missing hit points, until the pool runs out. - Secondary, +1 recruit to the garrison for each merchant convoy entering port (governor;
differs). When a merchant convoy enters the town, the garrison gets one basic troop of the town's faction. Not in the tooltip: it only happens when the garrison's wage limit, minus the garrison's current wages and 5, still covers that troop's wage. The governor does not need to be in the town.
Which one? Salvage turns discarded ships into influence and convoys into trade tax; Shipwright's Hand turns discarded ships into repairs and convoys into garrison troops (within the wage budget).
Tier 10 (Boatswain 250): Merchant Fleet or Resilience
Merchant Fleet
- Primary, +1 to command limit of ships in battle (party leader;
works). One more ship in naval battles, adding up with the Boatswain 200 perk. - Secondary, +5 influence for each ship built in the governed settlement (governor;
works). Each ship built in a town or castle whose governor holds the perk gives 5 influence to the settlement's owner, not to the governor. The governor does not need to be there.
Resilience
- Primary, "30% of the health lost in a battle is recovered after a victory" (personal;
differs). After any battle that has a winner, every hero holding the perk in every party involved heals 30% of all his missing hit points, losers included, and not only the hit points lost in that battle. The tooltip says "Sea only", but it also heals after land battles. It adds to Medicine's Preventive Medicine in the same heal. - Secondary, +30% troop healing at sea (first mate;
works). Wounded regular troops heal 30% faster while your party is at sea.
Which one? Merchant Fleet adds one more ship in battle and influence from shipbuilding; Resilience heals heroes after every battle with a winner and speeds troop healing at sea.
Tier 11 (Boatswain 275): Naval Bombardment
- "Shipboard ballistas fire during sieges" (
unused). Nothing in the game reads this perk, so taking it changes nothing.
Skill effect
This comes from the Boatswain skill itself, no perk needed.
- Reduce ships' received damage, −0.25% per point (first mate;
works). Ships of your party take 0.25% less campaign damage per point of the first mate's Boatswain. The damage never drops below 0. The same reduction also lowers the ship damage your side has to take when you try to get away from a naval engagement (see the Naval campaign deep dive).
Ship damage taken = raw damage × (1 − 0.25% × first mate's Boatswain + 20% if the attacker has a Ram figurehead)
- Raw damage: the damage the hit would do.
- First mate's Boatswain: the skill of your First Mate, or of the party leader when nobody holds the role.
- Ram figurehead: an attacker ship with a Ram figurehead adds 20% damage in the same sum.
Worked example. A ship of your party takes 100 raw damage; your first mate has Boatswain 200 and the attacker has no Ram figurehead:
A ship of your party takes 100 raw damage on the campaign side. Your party's First Mate has Boatswain 200; the attacker ship has no Ram figurehead. Inputs: raw damage 100.
| Step | Source | Stage | Change | Running value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | Campaign damage dealt to a ship | base | 100.0000 | |
| 1 | Reduce ships' received damage | factor -50% | -50.0000 | 50.0000 |
| Result | Campaign damage dealt to a ship | 50.0000 |
With these inputs, campaign damage dealt to a ship is 50.0000.
200 points give −50%, so the ship takes 50.0000 instead of 100.0000.
What the skill level itself does
The game also reads your Boatswain level directly, without any perk. Effects that depend on any skill level are listed once in the skills guide.
| What it affects | What the level does | Level needed | Conditions | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tavern keeper companion recommendation score | For party-role recommendations the score is the candidate wanderer's level in the role's skill (Scouting, Engineering, Medicine, Steward, Boatswain or Shipmaster). | — | — | works |
Who the perks work for
Who counts as you, a relative or a wanderer, and why some halves skip one of them, is explained in the Skills guide.
Every other Boatswain perk half and skill effect works for every hero: you, relatives and wanderers.
| Perk | Half | Works for | Where the hero has to be |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Shipwright | secondary | relatives and wanderers, not you | governor |
| Merchant Prince | secondary | relatives and wanderers, not you | governor |
| Streamlined Operations | secondary | relatives and wanderers, not you | governor |
| Special Arrows | secondary | nobody: never read in play, or only shown in the interface | — |
| Accuracy Training | secondary | relatives and wanderers, not you | governor |
| Blessings Of The Sea | secondary | relatives and wanderers, not you | governor |
| Port Authority | secondary | relatives and wanderers, not you | governor |
| Salvage | secondary | relatives and wanderers, not you | governor |
| Shipwright's Hand | secondary | relatives and wanderers, not you | governor |
| Merchant Fleet | secondary | relatives and wanderers, not you | governor |
| Naval Bombardment | primary | nobody: never read in play, or only shown in the interface | — |
All Boatswain effects
Every effect site of the Boatswain perks, skill effects and skill level. Values are what each site applies; a value that grows with skill is shown at the perk's required skill (skill effects and skill levels: per skill point). ×N marks N identical sites.
| Perk | Half | Game number | Stage | Value | Conditions | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master Shipwright | primary | Ship upgrade piece cost | factor | -30% | Role: first mate | works |
| Master Shipwright | secondary | Gold paid to a governor when a ship is repaired in the town | add | +30 | Role: governor; settlement: town | works |
| Merchant Prince | primary | Ship repair cost | factor | -30% | Role: first mate | works |
| Merchant Prince | secondary | Gold paid to a governor when a ship is traded with the town | add | +500 | Role: governor; settlement: town | works |
| Streamlined Operations | primary | Siege weapon reload speed in naval battles | factor | +10% | Mission: naval battle; role: captain | works |
| Streamlined Operations | secondary | Daily chance that a port town builds ships | factor | +20% | Role: governor; settlement: not under siege, port, town | works |
| Well Stocked | primary | Missile ammo amount per slot | factor | +30% | Item: consumable weapon; mission: naval battle; role: captain | differs |
| Well Stocked | secondary | Missile ammo amount per slot | add | +2 | Item: throwing weapon; mission: naval battle; role: captain | differs |
| Naval Horde | primary | Party daily wage | factor | -30% × mounted wage share | Party: at sea; role: first mate | works |
| Naval Horde | secondary | Effective cargo weight of one item | factor | -30% | Item: mount; party: at sea; role: first mate | works |
| Optimization | primary | Party daily wage | factor | -10% × non mariner wage share | Party: at sea; role: first mate | works |
| Optimization | secondary | Effective cargo weight of one item | factor | -30% | Item: pack animal or livestock; party: at sea; role: first mate | works |
| Gilded Purse | primary | Winner party's score for receiving defeated ships | factor | +25% | Party: mobile; role: party leader | differs |
| Gilded Purse | secondary | Effective cargo weight of one item | factor | -15% | Item: trade good; party: at sea; role: first mate | works |
| Veteran's Wisdom | primary | Daily skill XP granted to a party hero | add | +10 × leader level | Role: party leader | works |
| Veteran's Wisdom | secondary | Overburdened speed effect (added to party speed base) | factor | -20% | Party: at sea; role: first mate | works |
| Shipwright's Insight | primary | Ship siege weapon damage to a ship hull | factor | +30% | Hero: hero; mission: naval battle; role: personal; siege engine: ship siege engine | works |
| Shipwright's Insight | secondary | Missile ammo amount per slot | factor | +25% | Item: consumable weapon; mission: naval battle; role: captain | differs |
| Special Arrows | primary | Agent arm armor | add | +5 | Mission: naval battle; role: captain; troop tier: at most 3 | works |
| Special Arrows | primary | Agent head armor | add | +5 | Mission: naval battle; role: captain; troop tier: at most 3 | works |
| Special Arrows | primary | Agent leg armor | add | +5 | Mission: naval battle; role: captain; troop tier: at most 3 | works |
| Special Arrows | primary | Agent torso armor | add | +5 | Mission: naval battle; role: captain; troop tier: at most 3 | works |
| Special Arrows | primary | Hero power modifier in simulation | add | +0.02 | Mission: simulation | differs |
| Special Arrows | primary | Fire damage to a ship sail | add | +5 | Mission: naval battle; role: captain | differs |
| Special Arrows | secondary | Fire damage to a ship sail | base | 0.4 | — | unused |
| Accuracy Training | primary | Blow damage after attacker amplifications | factor | +30% | Attack: shield hit; item: ranged weapon; mission: naval battle; role: captain | works |
| Accuracy Training | secondary | Daily militia change of a settlement | add | +2 | Role: governor; settlement: port | works |
| Smooth Operator | primary | Ship siege weapon starting ammo | add | +5 | Mission: naval battle; role: captain | works |
| Smooth Operator | secondary | Party daily food consumption (negative) | factor | -30% | Party: at sea; role: first mate | works |
| Efficient Captain | primary | Troop upgrade gold cost | factor | -30% | Role: party leader; troops: mariner | works |
| Efficient Captain | secondary | Party morale | add | +5 | Map state: in settlement; role: party leader; settlement: port | differs |
| Popular Captain | primary | Troop recruitment cost | factor | -30% | Role: party leader; troops: mariner | works |
| Popular Captain | secondary | Ship main deck crew size | factor | +5% | Mission: naval battle; role: party leader | works |
| Blessings Of The Sea | primary | Ships a party can deploy in a naval battle | add | +1 | Role: party leader | works |
| Blessings Of The Sea | secondary | Daily production of one item in a village | factor | +25% | Item: fish; role: governor | differs |
| Port Authority | primary | Ships a party can deploy in a naval battle | add | +1 | Role: party leader | works |
| Port Authority | secondary | Daily production of one item in a village | factor | +15% | Item: walrus tusk or whale oil; role: governor | differs |
| Salvage | primary | Influence gained by a clan through GainKingdomInfluenceAction | add | +0.01 × ship hit points | Role: party leader | works |
| Salvage | secondary | Town accumulated trade tax added per party visit | add | +40 | Party: caravan; role: governor; settlement: town | works |
| Shipwright's Hand | primary | Hit points restored to party ships from a discarded ship | add | +0.5 × ship hit points | Role: party leader | works |
| Shipwright's Hand | secondary | Basic troops added to a town garrison per naval convoy visit | add | +min(garrison wage room / basic troop wage, 1) | Party: caravan; role: governor; settlement: town | differs |
| Merchant Fleet | primary | Ships a party can deploy in a naval battle | add | +1 | Role: party leader | works |
| Merchant Fleet | secondary | Influence gained by a clan through GainKingdomInfluenceAction | add | +5 | Role: governor; settlement: fortification | works |
| Resilience | primary | Hero hit points healed at battle end | add | +0.3 × missing hp | Role: personal | differs |
| Resilience | secondary | Daily healing of wounded regular troops | factor | +30% | Role: first mate | works |
| Naval Bombardment | primary | — | base | — | — | unused |
| Reduce ships' received damage | — | Ship damage taken by the player side to get away | factor | -0.25% per point | Party: main party; role: first mate | works |
| Reduce ships' received damage | — | Campaign damage dealt to a ship | factor | -0.25% per point | Role: first mate | works |
| Skill level (any skill) | — | Agent effective skill in battle | base | skill value | — | works |
| Skill level (any skill) | — | Skill a hero inherits on coming of age | base | +1 per point | — | works |
| Skill level (any skill) | — | Heir selection points of a clan member | add | +5 | — | works |
| Skill level (any skill) | — | Maximum troops lost on an issue's alternative solution | multiply | ×max(0.2, min(0.8, trunc(issue required skill / skill) × 0.1)) | Hero: player clan | works |
| Skill level (any skill) | — | Days an issue's alternative solution takes | add | +2 × min(10, trunc(issue required skill / skill)) | Hero: player clan | works |
| Skill level (any skill) | — | Failure risk of an issue's alternative solution | add | -0.005 per point | Hero: player clan | works |
| Skill level (any skill) | — | Troops required for an issue's alternative solution | multiply | ×max(0.2, min(1.2, issue required skill / skill)) | Hero: player clan | works |
| Skill level (any skill) | — | Skill is high enough for a perk reset | override | on | Hero: player clan | works |
| Skill level (any skill) | — | Gold cost to reset the perks of a skill | add | +40 per point | Hero: player clan | works |
| Skill level (any skill) | — | Persuasion success multiplier | factor | min(0.2, floor(skill / 250) × 0.2) | Hero: main hero | works |
| Skill level | — | Tavern keeper companion recommendation score | base | +1 per point | — | works |
Practical tips
- If you want the campaign halves, give the hero who holds them the First Mate role: ship costs, wages, cargo, food, healing at sea and the skill's damage reduction are all read from your First Mate.
- If you want the ship battle halves, assign the hero who holds them as a ship captain: Well Stocked, Shipwright's Insight (secondary) and Special Arrows are read from the captain of each ship formation and go to that ship's other troops.
- Two halves are never read. Naval Bombardment and Special Arrows' 40% sail damage are never read. If you pick one of those perks, pick it for its other half.
- If you fight with large fleets, Blessings Of The Sea or Port Authority and Merchant Fleet each add one ship to the 3 a party can deploy in battle.
- If your army is mostly mounted, Naval Horde's wage cut grows with the share of wages paid to mounted troops; if it is mostly non-mariner, Optimization's does.
- If you win naval battles alone, Gilded Purse's first half gives nothing, since it only changes how ships are split among several winners.
- If a governor holds Boatswain perks in a port town, most governor halves need the governor to stay in the town; Salvage, Shipwright's Hand and Merchant Fleet do not.