Pathfinder 1E Alternatives to Merfolk

[koesherbacon]

My PCs spoiled my original plans for having Merfolks be their enemies by saving one of their scouting parties from some coral drakes and becoming friends with them.

So instead of having the next leg of their campaign be infiltrating their city to find some artifacts lost at sea, I need to find a group of alternate enemies who would be the Merfolks enemies who actually took the artifacts from them. Then the Merfolk can ask the PCs to help get their stolen stuff back and they'll be rewarded with the items the PCs are searching for.

Do you have any suggestions for me?

Thanks a lot!

 

[Sunseeker]

CRAB PEOPLE! /kidding

Could you roll up the bad-guys as being some sort of rogue faction? I mean, "bandits with fish-tails" isn't a terrible idea.

There are several mer-variants that are little more than descriptive changes if you want another aquatic race. Could do shark-folk, sea-serpent people, pretty much anything along the lines of "merfolk with spiced up flavor", octopus/squid-folk.

Assuming you want the adventure to be in the water of course, and it would probably be easier with the Merfolk as allies, their priest/king/whatever could bless all your players with the ability to breathe underwater, maybe with just straight-up magic, gills, or heck, even a temporary transformation into merfolk themselves.

Anyway, if you could give a little more info on what direction you want to go with your bad-guys or if you want to keep it on land or not, I could probably give you more specific suggestions.

 

[koesherbacon]

Does anyone know what race of underwater creature Ursula from The Little Mermaid was? That race would be PEFECT! If there's nothing that's actually been built, I'll make the race using the Monster Creator from HeroLab.

Pics for reference (and bc they're fun):

View attachment 61285View attachment 61286View attachment 61287


Thanks!

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Lizardfolk.

 

[Sunseeker]

Does anyone know what race of underwater creature Ursula from The Little Mermaid was? That race would be PEFECT! If there's nothing that's actually been built, I'll make the race using the Monster Creator from HeroLab.

Pics for reference (and bc they're fun):

Thanks!

Cecelia.

And as was recommended to me when I started thinking up underwater games: Cerulean Seas http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/86538/Cerulean-Seas-Campaign-Setting?term=cerul

 

[Starfox]

Sahaugin, Locanth, mer-hobgoblins (there used to be an aquatic hobgoblin), skum, perhaps even mer-trolls.

All of these are probably spelled wrong; too busy to check.

 

[steeldragons]

All good suggestions. My top picks would probably go like this...

1. Sahuagin, obviously.
2. despite @shidaku 's joking suggestion, a fully or more aquatic version of the original Fiend Folio's Crabmen would do nicely (and happens to be an evil aquatic race in my own homebrew game setting)
3. Merrow (aquatic trolls) [EDIT: actually, merrow, in D&D, are aquatic ogres and "scrags" are aquatic trolls. I've never seen the need for both and go with the traditional folkloric merrow as aquatic trolls - complete with regenerative powers) /EDIT]
4. since the coral drake has already been introduced, maybe there has been a sudden uptake in the numbers of/attacks by these creatures recently...under the command of a black dragon moving into the territory or after some treasure of the mermen's city...or a blue, if you make your blue's to be the oceanic creatures they really should be...or any/one of the oceanic asian dragons (though I don't believe these are generally evil in disposition, iirc. But your game, your monster.)
5. a storm giant wizard who's gone mad (and evil) and fancy's himself the new "lord/god/ruler of the sea" demanding the mermen's fealty.

Then you have the kuo-toa (if you bring them out of the underdark waters), the aquatic hobgoblins (what was there name again?), aquatic gargoyles, aquatic umber hulks (forget their name too...started with a "v"?)...I have a hard time imagining evilly-disposed locathah, but again, it's your game, make the monsters into anything you need/want.

There's certainly no lack of options here.

 

[Connorsrpg]

Locathah were always a favourite of mine. If you want real evil, go sahuagin.

Let me just check my Realms Charts (a system I developed for creating realms of ALL kinds from tribes to cities to forests - it includes large race lists inspired by the 2E World Builder's guidebook).

Here is a list and their refs:
1. Aventi - 3E Stormwrack (Atlantean-like ancient people - might be perfect).
2. Sea Kin - 3E Races of Destiny (Also 'altered' humans, a little more creepy from memory).
3. Merrow - D&D most eds inc Pathfinder (Aquatic ogres).
4. Scrags - D&D most eds (Aquatic trolls).
5. Elves - D&D most eds had a sea-styled elf.
6. Crabfolk - can't recall, but it was D&D. 2E.
7. Darfellan - 3E D&D Stormwarck (Orca folk with heavy NW Native American influence).
8. Kopru - 3E MM2 (Eelfolk but nasty)?
9. Kuo-Toa - D&D all eds (Underdark fishfolk).
10. Locathah - D&D up to 3E (Fishfolk and a fav I would like to use more).
11. Nommo - D&D 3E African Adventures (African fishfolk).
12. Sahuagin - D&D all editions (Sea devils).
13. Shalarin - 3E Forgotten Realms (I believe a warped version of sea elves, that weren't so good).
14. Anguillian - 3E Stormwrack (lamprey-like folk).
15. Ixitxachitl - D&D most eds (evil intelligent, devil-worshiping rays).
16. Ormyrr - 3E MM2 (Not sure - I think intelligent worm-like things).
17. Sea Wolves - 3E Stormwrack (No explanation needed...right).
18. Tako - Oriental Advs (inc 3E) (Octupi-folk).
19. Sharkfolk - Pathfinder from the Skulls & Shackles AP I believe.
20. Grindylows - as above (basically goblins cross octupi I think. These 2 are from mem of the minis - I need to actually add them to my lists).
22. Tritons - early D&D (basically another version of merfolk with legs and separate fins).
22. Star Wars Alien: yes I have done this regularly. I have used several aquatic species in my games. Some art even looks fantasy. Best bet would be Aqualish or Nautolans, but could also go with Quarren or Mon Calamari
23. Many other 'folk' mostly developed for fresh water, or at least coastal waters, such as lizardfolk, kappa/tortles (turtlefolk).
24. Or Google merfolk for a heap of cool variants. Some great art out there inc some great eel-like pics by Applibot. (I just saved those pics and will HAVE to create a race for them now ).

That should about do it

Good luck

 

[Kinak]

Pathfinder's added a couple of neat ones like the Ceratioidi (biology-inspired anglerfish people), the Iku-Turso (disease-worshipping eel people), the Cecaelia (the octopus people [MENTION=93444]shidaku[/MENTION] mentioned), and probably more than I'm forgetting.

All that said, the Sahuagin are absolutely classic. You can't go wrong with evil blood-frenzying shark people and their shark minions.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[Celebrim]

I also vote for Sauhaugin, which are basically Cthulhu worshiping Deep Ones in my version of them.

I like the crabfolk suggestion as well.

Kopru are a favorite of mine, as they are from the same sort of Far Realm world as Mind Flayers and Aboleth. They are an amphibious race from outside of reality (or another world) and this world is too cold for them by about 100 degree F, forcing them to only live in the vicinity of hot springs and volcanic regions. In the deeps, they inhabit the areas around 'black smokers'. They are plotting to raise the temperature of the world (magical global warming), boiling the oceans and killing off all native lifeforms. The fact that this world is about as harsh as the artic to them is the main thing stopping them. To enable them to extend their reach beyond their little pools of life sustaining heat, they have powerful mind control abilities that they use to create slave empires for them. At one time they held control of large regions of the world, but a slave revolt led by a group of wizard slaves who studied necromancy (because the Kopru couldn't control the minds of undead) broke the back of Kopru empire and its never been able to recover. The descendents of those long ago necromancers still keep the Kopru isolated from potential slaves by basically killing anyone that goes looking for the Kopru, and armies of savage zombie warriors still patrol the lands around their ancient dwellings.

As others have pointed out, there are far more underwater monsters than you'll probably ever use or need - even if you ran a purely underwater campaign.