For an RTJ All I need to start is race, class(and subclass) and background desired. Geography of origin wouldn't hurt.

Given the limits of Geography and the setting's racial distribution (plus the need for a crew that actually knows how to handle a ship) I will post four sections below, detailing Race, Class, and Background issues. Please read and take them into account. The fourth section will be Feats that can help you make the character work if you want to avoid a seafaring background, boost seafaring skills past background, or acquire enough of another's classes ability to fulfill a specific shipboard role.


Edit: I require a minimum Int of 10 (No one that takes an 8 even tries to RP it, and usually acts like they have an Int of 15, so get your extra points from Charisma, like everyone else.) No Evil Alignments, and no Chaotic Neutral. Evil isn't always bad for party cooperation, but CN always seems to be "because that's what the character would do". I know, YOU wouldn't, but everyone else seems to, so I don't take the risk anymore.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:07, Tue 27 Oct 2020.

D&D uses Tolkien-esque versions of Earth Legendary Races and in a rather more cosmopolitan that myth and legend did. Unfortunately for those  used to that, this is a setting based on those legends more or less. At least the feel of the ones I'm familiar with and could work into the setting.

Races other than human are severely limited in geographic location, and, in some cases, the location may limit one of more of them to a one or two classes and/or backgrounds. This is especially true of Gnomes.

From the PHB in order listed therein:
Dwarves:
Dwarves (either subtype) are exclusively found in Vikingland. They aren't from around here and get places using Yggsdrasil. Not impossible to play, but they won't have a nautical background. You'll be spending that 4th level ability gain on a Feat, most likely.

Elf
6 races, broken down into 3 regional pairs. Most elves don't have clerics, and only the barred subrace has warlocks.

The Sidhe: Daoine Sidhe use the DMG version of Eladrin, and the Aos Sidhe use Wood Elves. Basically noble/Common, or Civilized/Rural, depending on perspective. British Isles
Sidhe have boats and  a sailing tradition.
Storm Sorcerers

Seelie: Volo's Eladrin, and Spenser's Faerie Folks. Oberon and Titania's people. France
Storm Sorcerers
UnSeelie: Closed until I run a particular game I have in my note. The Queen of Air and Darkness rules this Court. Also France.
They don't go to sea. Too much like work. <shudder>

The Alfar:
LosAlfar: High Elves. They worship the Vanir and have clerics (Vanir are as listed under the Norse and the elves gods from the PHB). They MAY have some skill at sea travel.
DokAlfar: Drow, no Lloth. Clerics are possible, although deities are, as yet, unknown. They aren't nautical.
Shadow Sorcerers

Halfling
Congo pygmies. Others may be undiscovered (but then, so is the Pacific, right now).
No nautical tradition.

Humans
Plenty of options, but sorcery is Wild Magic ONLY. Be aware your employers may have Role Play limits, as well. Egypt might be a hard sell, and Greek clerics should be of Poseidon.

Human Variant is fine.

Dragonborn
No. They aren't from around here, although if the game lasts until you reach South America, you'll meet them.

I mean it: NO.

Gnome
Highly restrictive in many cases...unless you WANT to play that class/background combo.

Forest Gnomes:
Leprachauns: Guild Artisan, although not limited to cobbling. Either Arcane Trickster or Illusionist, ad the wizards are fairly rare. Nobles do exist, but likely wouldn't be taking to the high seas. Ireland

Brownies: Rangers (some subclass restrictions, but most available), Scouts, and Land Druids. Grassland terrain. Hermit, Guild Artisan, Outlander(Homesteader)

Danish Trolls: Primitive Brownies, basically. No Guild Artisans, and terrain is Forest or Mountain

Rock Gnomes:
Danish Elves: Rogue(thief) not because they steal, but because they hide and are nimble and crafty. An Arcane trickster or Illusionist is possible, as well, of course. Guild Artisan. Not always Cobblers.

German/Santa's Elves: Guild Artisan. Ranger, Scout, Artificer, Land Druid, Illusionist, even an occasional Bard. No clerics.
Forest terrain for those still in Germany, and Arctic for those who moved to the North Pole. Few are left in Germany.

Gremlins: Artificer, Guild Artisan. They will muck about with any device. And when they find a new one, they will take it apart to see how it works. You may have to reassemble it yourself.

Half Elf
Elves are like Greek Gods...they (apparently, from the number of pointy eared humans in games) can't keep it in their pants.
Half elves are often  called Fey Touched or Fey Blooded. They are, without exception, raised as and by humans. Half elf variants from SCAG page 116 are available.
-The Half elven Skill Versatility is the default, but, depending on race, substitutions may be made for it.
-A half-elf of Seelie or Aos Sidhe descent can choose the wood elf's Fleet of Foot, or Mask of the Wild.
-A half-elf of Losalfar descent can choose the high elf's Cantrip.
-A half-elf of Dokalfar descent can choose the drow's Drow Magic.
-A half-elf of aquatic heritage can choose a swimming speed of 30 feet. Aquatic Elves are extremely rare. Half elves of this breed are occasionally born to Atlanteans.

Elven Weapon Training is barred, simply because it takes an elf to do the training, and half elves are human raised.

Half Orc
Basically, Troll-blooded Vikings. ("Troll" being what the Vikings call Orcs). Vikings will be a hard sell, because sailor Vikings tend to rape, pillage, plunder, etc.

Tiefling
Someone's parent was a fiendish warlock. You really should pick your parents better. Maybe get some that aren't cursed from selling their souls.

You can try and apply for the job, but you better tick a LOT of boxes.

From other sources, no particular order:
Gensai:
Mostly you'll be interest in Water, although all 4 are found in Araby. In Araby they are mainly Genie blooded.

However, there are other sources. Water Gensai, for instance, could be a reward by Poseidon to a family after generations of devotion, or a by blow of the Greek Deity habit of sowing their seed nearly everywhere, or even a Half-Triton.

Aasimar:
The DMG version is good for Greek Deity by-blows, and the Volo's version for the Royal Houses of Egypt, Cathay, and Nippon. The Royals are barred but the Greeks are possible.

There ARE other races than those listed above, and I might consider one, but it will be a hard sell. Not impossible, necessarily (although some, such as Firbolg, ARE impossible), but the specifics for each will need be taken into account.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:44, Wed 21 Oct 2020.

First, note that there are certain jobs on ship board that require magic:
-Ships Mage
 Source of Mending, Gust of Wind. Maybe be sorcerer or Wizard
-Ship's Cleric
 Source of Purify Food/Drink, Create Water, Create Food and Water, and a fair bit of healing.

Other Officer Positions will be covered in Feats as they are skill driven.

Note that Feats (Magic Initiate, or Ritual Caster, for instance) or Tome Warlocks can cover some of the above magic if the positions are unfilled. This also helps an application for a crew position.

Class and Subclasses, in PHB Order:

Barbarian;
This will be a hard sell. Nautical Vikings have a bad reputation, and they are by far the largest number of nautical barbarians. And almost all the Berserkers.

However:
Scotland produces warriors touched by the Bear. A Scottish Bear Totem is possible

Zealots are a mite too religious to be hired.

Ancestral Spirit types are from too far away to matter at game start.

Storm Herald, however, is possible A Bedouin Desert Herald could well discover the ocean and decide to relocate to a ship. It's still nomadic, and he can certainly learn a second Aura type by 7th level. However, be clear: Background will have to be appropriate to the desert. the 4th level gain will have to be a feat to qualify for ships' crew.

Bard
Jack of all trades lets you fake a lot, but you might want to hedge your bets and take a background or feat that assures training in an important tool. Or not.
Lore works well for a sage/mage replacement and navigator/cartographer.
Sword or Valor works well for a well traveled and well educated nautal hero type.

Truthfully, I don't see a mission like this holding interest for Glamour or Whispers.

Cleric
Greek Clerics should be of Poseidon. The employers have no desire to risk his wrath
Clerics of other pantheons don't matter. Well, except for Egypt, of course. And Norse clerics are probably Vikings...

But you can always try.

Druid
Land druids are likely Coastal if they are sailors. They can take over some of the Ships Cleric's Duties if there isn't one.
Moon Druids are possible, but most of them are British or Irish and tend to stay at home.
Circle of Dreams are mostly French No reason they couldn't be at sea occasionally, but they are Fey (Seelie) oriented, and there aren't many such at sea.
Shepherds are in from the same tribes as Ancestral Spirit Barbarians, and not from around here.

Fighter
Battle masters are not merchant seaman, usually. Where would they learn or use their skills?
Samurai are from too far east to have been met, yet.
Cavaliers needs their horses.
Eldritch Knights, Champions, and Arcane Archers all work, however.

Monks
No. Not until the East is unlocked and a route is made connecting East and West.

I mean it: NO

Paladin
Oath of Ancients is about the only one I would consider. Even then the nautical choice will need a little explaining. Not much, however: Half Elf or Half Trition, that sort of thing works, but is hardly necessary.

Ranger
Gloom Stalkers don't work, but all the rest do. Coastal Terrain is highly advised. You're supposed to be experienced, remember?
Beastmasters note: Your dog, horse, or elephant isn't being hired. A Small beast is best. Flying or amphibious is probably wise, too. I have some ideas if you need an idea or two.

Rogue
Thief, Arcane Trickster, Scout, Swashbuckler: All work. Inquisitive might, but has some special considerations.

The other two don't really work. Not for an exploratory mission.

Sorcerer
No Draconic Bloodlines. Bloodlines are narrow by race.
Humans outside of Arabs use Wild Magic. Arabic humans use Storm Magic.

Air Genasi use Storm Magic
Fire Genasi Use Red Dragon magic, but it's reskinned for Efreeti
Earth and Water Gensai don't use Sorcery until such time as something applicable becomes available. I have hopes for mid November 2020.

Most elves use Storm Magic. Exceptions have been noted already.

Aasimar use Celestial sorcery

Most other races don't use sorcery.
Half humans have access to either parents' type.

Warlock
Patrons:
Fiend: No. Really, NO.

Undead: Worse than Fiend. Just as evil, and Atlantis is at war with them. They are the enemy. No.

Celestial: A hard sell. Why make a warlock instead of a cleric? However, there IS a path.
It's Greek, of course. And it might irritate the actual Gods who will wonder who is making a bid for godhood. But that's only your problem if your powers suddenly fade away, right?

Great Old One...ok, not the best choice but it works...unless you're an Egyptian Astronomer. You're probably Arabic, however. No Fey down there to do the job, after all.

Fey: Probably the best choice, and it covers a LOT of options, even including aquatic. Please keep you invocations appropriate to your patron. I'm talking about the effect, not the name. This is also the source of Witches, Wise Women, Cunning Men and the like.

Fey variant: Fairy Godmother: You were born blessed by a patron, just like the fairy tales. Background should be Inheritor to reflect a more substantial token, and you may be human but use Generic half elf stats, if you wish. This covers a lot or area, from the British Isles to Germany. Past that you're into Hag territory. Best choice for a French Warlock. You're probably Blade Pact by default, but all are possible.

Pact:
All three are pretty standard, but Only Great Old One a Fiendish Familiar.
The Strength of the Chain pact is the intelligent Familiar. If you just want a normal one, you might be happier with a Tome Pact and the Find Familiar Ritual.

Celestial Patrons may give Pseudodragons to Chains, Fey may give Sprite or Pseudodragons. Great Old ones are limited to Imps and Quasits.

Wizard
Gnomes are Illusionists. Most other races are not so limited. Virtually any race can learn Wizardry. It doesn't take a blood line, just time and education.

And, from another source:
Artificer: Basically, this is mostly an Arab choice, and could well fill in several Ship's Officer positions, depending on subclass and created gadgets. You should AT LEAST be a carpenter, however. Weaver isn't a bad idea, either.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:40, Sun 03 Apr 2022.

Other Ships' Officers than the spell casters, are:
Bosun: Carpentry, Athletics
Navigator/Quartermaster: Navigator's tools and Nature
Surgeon: Medicine and Herbalsim
Cook: Brewer's tools and Cook's tools

Nothing prevents the Weather Wizard from being the Navigator, nor the Cleric from being the Surgeon. Or other such combinations. And, truly, someone should have Weaving for Sail repairs.

Now, ways to get some of the above tools and proficiencies:

First the PHB:
Sailor is the obvious choice (and the only PHB Background to include watercraft training).

The only other PHB Background to give useful nautical sills would be the Merchant Variant of Guild Artisan. If present that person will work for the Employer directly, and be tasked with Navigation and mapping and other such chores. Having learned Cartography somewhere along the way would be useful, but probably not required.

From SCAG:
Nothing that helps, but a few that just don't work in the setting. This is not the setting it was deigned for, after all.

From Ghosts of Saltmash (GoS):
And this is where the useful nautical Backgrounds are. I'll leave out the campaign adaptations they give, and list the Backgrounds that are new and could be useful. You'll still need to look up details on your own.

Fisher: Their version of a Fisher is an Angler: fishing poles and what not. The following changes make it a fishing boat skilled Fisher:
Replace History with Nature.
Replace Language with Weaving for net and rope repair.
Add Vehicles(Water).

Marine is a good choice for a nautical Soldier type.

Shipwright makes for a good Bosun Background.

Smuggler...well, don't ADMIT it, but it gives you the ship skill needed. The rest is just past experience.

Now, be clear: None of the above are required. However, if you don't opt for any of them you're going to need a feat to learn your shiphandling. That's next.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:38, Sun 03 Apr 2022.

First, from Xanathar's for you human and part human types:

Prodigy: this only gives a single tool proficiency, but it give other things, as well. If you're reading this and don't have Vehicle(Water), that should be the tool proficiency or for a cook to learn Brewing, or whatever else might be needed to wualify for GoS shipboard positions (which are needed to make Event rolls). It also gives a single skill proficiency, in case you are missing something needed for one of the other jobs, such as Surgeon.

From the PHB:
Skilled is the obvious choice for missing skills and tools. It gives 3, and you can mix and match skill and tool.

Ritual Caster and Magic Initiate can be used to learn the ship useful spells but each has to be learned for a specific class and Magic Initiate can only provide cantrips and a 1st level spells.
Spells that might be useful at sea, and learned by this method:
Mending (Cantrip, all Arcane casters)
Control Flames (Cantrip, Druid/Sorcerer/Wizard)
Purify Food and Drink (1st level, ritual, cleric/druid)
Create Water (1st level Druid/Cleric)
Create Food and Water (3rd level Cleric)
Water Breathing(3rd level Ritual, Druid/Sorcerer/Wizard)

Personally I'm not recommending the spell feats to get jobs. That is what spellcasters are for, but they ARE a way to fill in potential gaps.

And that is pretty much it. If you've gotten this far and can't figure out how to pick up at least Vehicles(Water)...well, this probably isn't the game for you.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:16, Fri 11 Dec 2020.

We will do this at the end, however:

You will need to fit everything into a backpack and, maybe, a second sack. Space is limited

No Animals. Not even a dog. (Familiars are fine, they're small enough not to be a major drain on food and water resources...and if they drown, you can just resummon them later...when you find a brass brazier.)

Familiars cost 10 gp to summon. They count as an equipment resource as  a result.

I'd recommend light armor. You don't want to be in plate or even a  breastplate, and fall over the side.

You will have some extra cash for upgrades, all standard class and background based starting equipment, and one reusable Uncommon magic item.

Again, all for later, but if you have a favorite magic item in mind, by all means, ask for it when the time comes.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:55, Thu 22 Oct 2020.

This is a Roleplaying game, not a Story telling game. Acting rather than authoring. There IS a difference.

Roleplay is missing internal dialogs, hearts on sleeves, copious amounts of biography disguised as character motivation, etc. Things no one can tell from watching you kick a can in disgust, or the like.

Storytelling, on the other hand, has all that and forces it on others, then expects then to forget they know it. The problem is, it's not entirely fair to folks. Are you going to remember 6 months down the road, what you learn IC and can act on, and what you're supposed to pretend you don't know? I'm not.

Now, for this game I've been trying to apply a light hand and remind folks less. Two problems wth that: First, the more it happens, the more it WILL happens, as everyone starts doing a bit of the same. Second, the more it happens, the less I read, so the more I miss. And, even when I DO read, I may misunderstand the intents, especially if some form of subterfuge is being used.

I've been missing more and more lately, which means I've been reading less and less. Either it's because I started to read it, and it was internal fluff, or it was so long so early in the morning I assumed it was fluff and moved on to the next post.

So...3 fixes:
1: I remind you the this is a Roleplay game, and hope.
2: You post actual things I need to know (including all spells and abilities used) in orange at the bottom so I can ignore the fact that you're Storytelling again.
3: If you're doing something complex and or sneaky, run it by me in your private list, first. Just in case. If nothing else, I'll know what's going on and won't be lost.

Also, #3 helps to not render a long post moot. If you run it by me first (again, complex or sneaky are usually the only times this is needed) I can tell you if you know if it will work or not. Or I can say "go ahead and find out" in which case you'll post the activity, but not the result...and hope.

"Complex" in this context includes trying to push the limits of a spell. Most of my examples are Damen trying to get a lot out of the Shape Water Cantrip, but there have been others.

So. Help a DM out, please. cut back on the Storytelling and make sure mech details appear at the bottom in orange.