Aquatic Campaigns

[Mind of tempest]

Might one of them be...a sponge?

no I have slightly better ideas than that, I will acknowledge that they are rip of but so are most things in D&D and they are oddly fiting as under sea is a rare setting for some reason.

plus giant sapient enemy crab.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Well...post away!

 

[Mind of tempest]

Well...post away!

do you want a whole state block or something else?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Do that if you want, but rough outlines would be just as welcome!

 

[Mind of tempest]

wait you honestly want something I have to offer, I honestly thought you would just ignore my post.
I would start with a glabrezu strip the magic of it increase the armour class to hard to hurt at all level and add a troll like healing factor.
make him resistant to everything by psionic damage which he take double damage from he also can't heal from it.
can;t swim but can walk or run under water much faster than most with a base speed of 45
possibly add a barbarian like rage for when he hits half health if the pc's are doing to well
back him up with every crab or crab like thing you can get or at least sufficent for a good encounter.

is most likely after the local MacGuffin for power or at least the ability to improve his life in some fashion as he was always the dimest of his associates so to a degree the one lest able to use it.

I can do five more but I am not use to monster crafting.

 

[Anicolarys]

Aeolius, I was directed here by Dannyalcatraz because of your fascinating work on Turucambi. Your focus on marine biology and the 'limitations' of undersea life (corrosion, no paper, no potions) is incredibly refreshing. At the Dark Fantasy Conservation (DFCB), we are documenting an entity called the Sargass-Ouro—a perpetual loop of sargassum that acts as a biological filter. In a world where metal is useless, could such an organism be used by undersea races as a 'living landmark' or a source of organic resources?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Aeolius, I was directed here by Dannyalcatraz because of your fascinating work on Turucambi. Your focus on marine biology and the 'limitations' of undersea life (corrosion, no paper, no potions) is incredibly refreshing. At the Dark Fantasy Conservation (DFCB), we are documenting an entity called the Sargass-Ouro—a perpetual loop of sargassum that acts as a biological filter. In a world where metal is useless, could such an organism be used by undersea races as a 'living landmark' or a source of organic resources?

Unfortunately, Aeolius hasn’t been here for a few years.

I’d say that both are strong probabilities, though.

It’s also possible that some marine life would evolve to filter out certain things in the water and excrete or even extrude them in a useful or valuable form.

 

[Anicolarys]

Unfortunately, Aeolius hasn’t been here for a few years.

I’d say that both are strong probabilities, though.

It’s also possible that some marine life would evolve to filter out certain things in the water and excrete or even extrude them in a useful or valuable form.

It's a shame about Aeolius, but as we say in the Bastion: 'Archives never die, they just wait for the right light.' His notes on Turucambi combined with your idea of biological extrusion create a powerful synergy. I love the concept of marine life as living refineries. It makes the Sargass-Ouro a strategic asset—a 'sacred purifier' for some, and a 'biological goldmine' for others. This duality is the heart of Dark Fantasy Conservation.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

It's a shame about Aeolius, but as we say in the Bastion: 'Archives never die, they just wait for the right light.' His notes on Turucambi combined with your idea of biological extrusion create a powerful synergy. I love the concept of marine life as living refineries. It makes the Sargass-Ouro a strategic asset—a 'sacred purifier' for some, and a 'biological goldmine' for others. This duality is the heart of Dark Fantasy Conservation.

There’s a literal world of inspiration out there.

Consider the scaly foot gastropod:

Scaly-foot gastropod - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It’s a mollusk that lives in extremely hostile deep water conditions near volcanic vents, and extracts metallic compounds from the water to create its shell and foot-scales. That’s NUTS!

 

[aramis erak]

Cookie cutter sharks.
Siphonophores and their toxins
Architeuthis sp.
Coral reef cities
Wrecks
Magic items grown to allow surface species to survive - such as a helm of air
Abyssal plains and their dearth of life save at carcases - whales, dragons, megaturtles...
Giant turtles... not just the real ones.
Tiny critters with mass effects (Swarms)
Giant mantis shrimp with supersonic boom-claws. (I used those in Fallout for S&Gs)