This started as a Reddit post I made and someone suggested I post my ideas here. Essentially I think it would add an interesting layer of progression to the game if cosmetics for your ships (figureheads, sails, hull paints) gave the crew passive buffs to how they interact with the world.
Each of the three factions cosmetics could give you buffs such as,
- lowering the chance of the crew digging up a castaway chest,
- giving a chance for ordinary skeletons (non-named) to drop foul bounty skulls when killed by the crew,
- uncaged snakes don't spit venom at the crew (caged snakes still need charming).
The Bilge Rat ship cosmetics could give low chance "all rounder" buffs, such as a tiny chance at high tier loot dropping/being dug up, or your crew can handle more grog before they throw up. Higher tier cosmetics (that you unlock by increasing your rep with a faction) could increase the strength of the buff.
This would also add an extra layer to the experience of encountering other ships at sea. Rather than calling out the ships location, you'd be actively trying to get as much information on that crew as possible from their cosmetics to get an idea of what they're currently up to, such as what type of voyage they're undertaking and what they likely have on board.
