I'm going down now, to the riverside...

FERRYMAN (#6/28, #6/365) [POT]

SKILL: 7

STAMINA : 8

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: Dagger or Club

ARMOUR: None or Leather Jack

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

HABITAT: Rivers, Lakes, Seashore, Towns (dockside), Marshes

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1

TYPE: Humanoid

REACTION: Neutral-Friendly

INTELLIGENCE: Average

Somewhat different to the free-sailing boatman, in that they are tied to a particular route or water passage, the FERRYMAN (or Ferrywoman) is nevertheless similar in many other respects. They will be armed with a club or dagger and wear clothes ranging from bundles of cloth or a loincloth and a head-covering in warmer climes to boat pants and a jerkin in temperate areas, or even be clad in animal pelts and skins (roll a die; on 6 the Ferryman has apparel equivalent to a Leather Jack). They will also have 1-3 special items of gear as determined below:

Roll Extra Gear

1    Rope

2    Lantern

3    Fishing Gear

4   a Net

5   a flask of Special Brew

6   a Pipe and a pouch of Smoking Weed 

The ferry itself will typically be a Knarr (see Blacksand, p. 16), and include oars, a 10' wooden pole used for punting, and a boater's gaff (as per Polearm), as part of its gear. Ferryman usually operate at unfordable river crossings, on the docks of large river-ports and towns, on the shores of lakes, or even short journeys along the coast or to nearby offshore islands. Passage on a ferry usually costs 1-6 GP depending on distance and danger, and may be multiplied by the passenger's social status value if they look particularly wealthy!

One of the more infamous Ferrymen of recent times was Tek Kramin of Lake Ilklala, a notorious character known throughout the lands of Kakhabad prior to being slain by the Air Serpent, which then impersonated him, in its bid to slay the Analander (see The Crown of Kings Campaign, p. XX). Another was Burgess of Firetop Mountain (see Warlock of Firetop Mountain, p. 40), whose prices tended towards "inflation" and was rumoured to be a Wererat, while the assassin Zeedle of the Scorpion's Guild was reputed to disguise himself as a ferryman, sometimes after killing the real ferryman first. 

Equally dangerous are the puntmen of the Lake of Death, in the lower reaches of the Scamder river-valley north of Gundobad the Golden City. Not only did they charge exorbitant fees for crossing the nefarious lake, but would halt in the middle of their journey to demand more gold. If the unfortunate passenger refused, the puntman would knock them into the lake with their wooden pole, where the resident shoals of invisible Deathfish that gave the lake its name would do the rest!