Raduin_Nimblegrund
First Post
I have set back to work on creating a completely aquatic campaign. But to do this I have set out to create a line of aquatic PC races. Be sure to read the descriptions, because I have altered the races somewhat to make them more distinct (Sea elves are more than just elves that live underwater) and in some cases I have altered the description and abilities to the point where they less resemble the originals. I have decided to post the races one by one so that they could be commented on individually.
I have to give kudos to steve bartell ( http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/stbartell/index.htm ) whose ideas I have shamelessly taken and molded to my own desires. ;] If you visit his site, be sure to look under the fathoms link where he has a handbook for a 2e aquatic campaign. (note that I have take ideas such as the Hai-Nu and Octofolk from him.)
Merfolk, while quite capable of going into the deep ocean, are often found living on the cliffs surrounding islands or continents, preferring a quiet existence of solitude. There they stay in peaceful serenity, away from the goings-on of the world around them, preferring only to sit basking in the sunlight of their homes.
Merfolk are a generally kind race, but are also known for their aloof and whimsical demeanor. Merfolk certainly believe in peace over war, and go to great lengths to maintain that peace. When hard pressed, Merfolk can hold their own as good or better than any of the deeper races.
Personality: Merfolk love beauty and actively seek it out wherever they are. While they dislike conflict, merfolk who wander away from home are not so naïve as to go out unarmed, despite their reputation for naiveté. Merfolk in the deep ocean are not totally uncommon, though few would be seen.
Physical Description: Merfolk have often been described as being similar in nature as humans, though only a few of the aquatic folk have seen them. They have the upper body of a human, with skin that can vary between human colors as well as various shades of greens and blues. Their hair can be any shade of brown, red, blond, deep blue or light green. Their lower bodies consist of a single finned appendage similar to a fish. The scales vary in color as well, and can be just about any color of the rainbow. Merfolk enjoy their diversity, with no color dominating over the other. Merfolk are typically anywhere from 4½ to 6 feet long, weighing 160 to 220 pounds. Merfolk reach majority around 21 to 26 years old, and can live anywhere from 150 to 200 years old.
Relations: Merfolk get along with elves, for they both share the same view of good and evil, though they find it difficult to understand their love for their deep-water homes. Quirden get along especially well with merfolk, sharing the same whimsical attitude as well. Both races can generally speak the other’s language due to the frequent visits by passing sea-gnomes. They have few problems with the Locathah, due to their shared deity, Eadro. They have some distaste for Triton, and Octofolk, and are particularly distasteful of Hai-Nu, and try not to associate with those races, but would never openly say so, at least not while others of their kind are near.
However, newer generations of merfolk are rebelling against this view, realizing that their kind is slowly ebbing away. These merfolk take their love of the world around them and apply it to the lands in the deep waters as well as their homelands, and push others to do the same. These travelers, typically bards, wish to see all the world’s grandeur. In any event, Merfolk have recently become more common in the deep in the past 50 years.
Alignment: Merfolk enjoy freedom and love, and tend to be Chaotic and Neutral in alignment. They will work to make freedom enjoyable for all; if they have the courage.
Merfolk Lands: Merfolk enjoy their coastal homes for several reasons. As any sea-dweller knows, as one goes deeper into the waters, colors around them tend to drain into shades of green, blue and violet. Merfolk relish in their colorful homes, covering them and painting them in vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows, as well as the colors of the sea.
Merfolk are also famous for their odd habit of sunning themselves in the open air. Their legless bodies prevent them from venturing too far onto land, but in heavily populated areas, merfolk can often be sighted on rocks jutting out into the ocean.
Religion: Merfolk revere Eadro, their racial god as well as the god of the Locathah.
Language: Merfolk speak Merr, a graceful language rivaling that of surface elves and elves alike. It has the additional perk of being speakable above and below water; unlike most races Merfolk have lungs as well as gills and use them from time to time. The only other language useable above water is the language of the elves.
Names:
Male Names:
Female Names:
Adventurers: An adventuring Merfolk is a sight to see, except if they are bards. Few others would leave the Merfolk homeland. But there are a few young Merfolk who have been overcome with wanderlust, but these are few and far between.
Merfolk Racial Traits
·+2 Charisma –2 Wisdom: Merfolk know how to impress people and know the meaning of beauty, while they are often naïve.
·Medium-size: As medium-size creatures Merfolk have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
·Merfolk base speed is 50 feet, being one of the fastest races in the deep.
·Merfolk are immune to sleep and gain a +2 bonus to enchantment spells.
·Low-light Vision: Merfolk can see twice as far as normal in low-light conditions.
·Free Dodge Feat: When trained for adventuring-type classes, martial training leans toward the defensive aspects of combat.
·+2 bonus to perform, sense motive, and diplomacy: merfolk are very talented when it comes to social interaction, and their natural wariness of outsiders allows them to discern between truth and lies easily. It should be noted that a bonus to perform does not count as a rank; therefore a 1st level bard with 4 ranks in perform would not get access to the Inspire Competence ability.
·Automatic languages: Merr and Common. Bonus languages: Elvish, Quirden, Locathan, Draconic, Aquan. Merfolk when confronted with an enemy prefer to put as much distance between themselves and their enemies, so they generally do not learn the languages of unfriendly races.
·Favored Class: Bard. A multiclass Merfolk’s Bard levels do not count when determining whether or not she suffers a XP penalty (see Experience for Multiclass Characters, page 56, PHB) A merfolk’s natural talent for music makes them ideal bards.
I have to give kudos to steve bartell ( http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/stbartell/index.htm ) whose ideas I have shamelessly taken and molded to my own desires. ;] If you visit his site, be sure to look under the fathoms link where he has a handbook for a 2e aquatic campaign. (note that I have take ideas such as the Hai-Nu and Octofolk from him.)
Merfolk, while quite capable of going into the deep ocean, are often found living on the cliffs surrounding islands or continents, preferring a quiet existence of solitude. There they stay in peaceful serenity, away from the goings-on of the world around them, preferring only to sit basking in the sunlight of their homes.
Merfolk are a generally kind race, but are also known for their aloof and whimsical demeanor. Merfolk certainly believe in peace over war, and go to great lengths to maintain that peace. When hard pressed, Merfolk can hold their own as good or better than any of the deeper races.
Personality: Merfolk love beauty and actively seek it out wherever they are. While they dislike conflict, merfolk who wander away from home are not so naïve as to go out unarmed, despite their reputation for naiveté. Merfolk in the deep ocean are not totally uncommon, though few would be seen.
Physical Description: Merfolk have often been described as being similar in nature as humans, though only a few of the aquatic folk have seen them. They have the upper body of a human, with skin that can vary between human colors as well as various shades of greens and blues. Their hair can be any shade of brown, red, blond, deep blue or light green. Their lower bodies consist of a single finned appendage similar to a fish. The scales vary in color as well, and can be just about any color of the rainbow. Merfolk enjoy their diversity, with no color dominating over the other. Merfolk are typically anywhere from 4½ to 6 feet long, weighing 160 to 220 pounds. Merfolk reach majority around 21 to 26 years old, and can live anywhere from 150 to 200 years old.
Relations: Merfolk get along with elves, for they both share the same view of good and evil, though they find it difficult to understand their love for their deep-water homes. Quirden get along especially well with merfolk, sharing the same whimsical attitude as well. Both races can generally speak the other’s language due to the frequent visits by passing sea-gnomes. They have few problems with the Locathah, due to their shared deity, Eadro. They have some distaste for Triton, and Octofolk, and are particularly distasteful of Hai-Nu, and try not to associate with those races, but would never openly say so, at least not while others of their kind are near.
However, newer generations of merfolk are rebelling against this view, realizing that their kind is slowly ebbing away. These merfolk take their love of the world around them and apply it to the lands in the deep waters as well as their homelands, and push others to do the same. These travelers, typically bards, wish to see all the world’s grandeur. In any event, Merfolk have recently become more common in the deep in the past 50 years.
Alignment: Merfolk enjoy freedom and love, and tend to be Chaotic and Neutral in alignment. They will work to make freedom enjoyable for all; if they have the courage.
Merfolk Lands: Merfolk enjoy their coastal homes for several reasons. As any sea-dweller knows, as one goes deeper into the waters, colors around them tend to drain into shades of green, blue and violet. Merfolk relish in their colorful homes, covering them and painting them in vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows, as well as the colors of the sea.
Merfolk are also famous for their odd habit of sunning themselves in the open air. Their legless bodies prevent them from venturing too far onto land, but in heavily populated areas, merfolk can often be sighted on rocks jutting out into the ocean.
Religion: Merfolk revere Eadro, their racial god as well as the god of the Locathah.
Language: Merfolk speak Merr, a graceful language rivaling that of surface elves and elves alike. It has the additional perk of being speakable above and below water; unlike most races Merfolk have lungs as well as gills and use them from time to time. The only other language useable above water is the language of the elves.
Names:
Male Names:
Female Names:
Adventurers: An adventuring Merfolk is a sight to see, except if they are bards. Few others would leave the Merfolk homeland. But there are a few young Merfolk who have been overcome with wanderlust, but these are few and far between.
Merfolk Racial Traits
·+2 Charisma –2 Wisdom: Merfolk know how to impress people and know the meaning of beauty, while they are often naïve.
·Medium-size: As medium-size creatures Merfolk have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
·Merfolk base speed is 50 feet, being one of the fastest races in the deep.
·Merfolk are immune to sleep and gain a +2 bonus to enchantment spells.
·Low-light Vision: Merfolk can see twice as far as normal in low-light conditions.
·Free Dodge Feat: When trained for adventuring-type classes, martial training leans toward the defensive aspects of combat.
·+2 bonus to perform, sense motive, and diplomacy: merfolk are very talented when it comes to social interaction, and their natural wariness of outsiders allows them to discern between truth and lies easily. It should be noted that a bonus to perform does not count as a rank; therefore a 1st level bard with 4 ranks in perform would not get access to the Inspire Competence ability.
·Automatic languages: Merr and Common. Bonus languages: Elvish, Quirden, Locathan, Draconic, Aquan. Merfolk when confronted with an enemy prefer to put as much distance between themselves and their enemies, so they generally do not learn the languages of unfriendly races.
·Favored Class: Bard. A multiclass Merfolk’s Bard levels do not count when determining whether or not she suffers a XP penalty (see Experience for Multiclass Characters, page 56, PHB) A merfolk’s natural talent for music makes them ideal bards.
