Aquatic Races! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Aquatic Races! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
malak92
05-16-07, 06:27 PM Hey, my current DM wants to start a see voyage campeign with some aquatic races. looking for some good suggestions. The only issue im coming across is the lack of actual aquatic race types with some what of a diversity.
I got access to most all books.
I DONT WANNA PLAY AN AQUATIC ELF :P

Thanks alot, if u can also put down the book the race is located in that would be alot of help.
BugHunter
05-16-07, 08:51 PM You can look in the UA pages 5-7 for racial variants, there is also Merfolk in the MM, there might be others in Stormwreck and other books.
JarionSilverblades
05-17-07, 08:16 AM If it's going to be a campaign at sea, then you really should pick up Stormwrack, it's got everything you could need to play a awesome ocean adventure. In fact your DM should look at picking it up if he(or she) doesn't have it already. :duel:
Kobold_Avenger
05-17-07, 08:57 PM The Sea devils are a good choice, so are water gensi.
Silversheen197
05-18-07, 12:51 AM I'm currently running a seafaring campaign, and I must say, Stormwrack is extremely, extremely, extremely... ... ...helpful. There are three cool new races therein: the aventi, the hadozee, and the darfellan. I would recommend darfellen for an underwater themed character, and hadozee for a more ship-board character. And, as has been said before, definately pick up Stormwrack for your game.

Have fun!
Borris
05-18-07, 03:34 AM I'm planning to run a campaign set in the Sea of Fallen Stars (in the Forgotten Realms) once the current one is over.

So far, the races I'm allowing include:

Aquatic Elf
Half-Aquatic Elf (with Water Adaptation feat)
Merfolk
Locathah
Water Genasi
Malenti (elf-looking shuagin), if the player doesn't mind the LA.

I'm considereing adding Shoal Halflings to that list.
If it were set anywhere else, I'd also allow Aventi.

Darfellan don't really work well for an underwater campaign, as they have no natural way to breathe water.
Atsettam
05-18-07, 06:36 AM I am not sure about balance but you could try a Warforged with the Seakin feat

Seakin [Warforged]
Most Warforged seem best suited to a career as infantry soldiers. Some however were designed to be more flexible in their career options. The Seakin have been designed for an aquatic lifestyle, taking full advantage of the Warforged racial ability of not needing to breath.
Prerequisites: Warforged, 1st level only.
Benefit: You have been optimized for an aquatic life. You gain a Swim speed of 30 but your land speed is reduced to 20. Your webbed feet are better suited to an aquatic world than walking on land. You also gain a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. You can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered; and you can use the run action while swimming, provided you swim in a straight line. Lastly, you gain the Aquatic subtype.
Normal: Without this feat, your Warforged has a land speed of 30 and has no special bonuses to its Swim skill.
Special: Unlike most feats, this feat must be taken at 1st level, during character creation.
El_Machinae
05-18-07, 08:24 AM Were-salmon!:D
Of_Monkeys
05-26-07, 12:45 AM Aquatic Elf - Gets a "swim" speed
Half-Aquatic Elf - Gets a "swim" speed
Hengeyokai Carp (Goldfish) - Gets a "swim" speed
Hengeyokai Crab - Gets a "swim" speed
River Spirit Folk - Gets a "swim" speed
Sea Spirit Folk - Gets a "swim" speed
Warforged - Don't need to breath
Air Genasai - Don't need to breath
Water Genasai - Gets a "swim" speed

The races in Stormwracked.

There are options out there.
You just have to find them.
Aeolius
05-27-07, 09:12 AM Depending on how odd of a character concept you can stomach, you might also consider awakened animals for PCS. An adventuring octopus, moray eel, or grouper perhaps?

And then there are the monster races to consider; merrow, scrag, and other options could be scaled down using monster classes, as in Savage Species. My undersea game has water-breathing kobolds, goblins, orcs, and bugbears, for example; each inspired by a real-world undersea creature.
ODDin
05-28-07, 01:41 PM I myself am planning an aquatic adventure, and I'm going to join everybody else here - do get Stormwrack.

Aside from offering cool races, Stormwrack provides a template that transforms a creature into an aquatic variant of that creature. It's got an LA of +0, which makes it very handy indeed.
smartasdan
05-28-07, 02:50 PM I went to a retail store recently and got UNearthed Arcana. It has some good ideas, and you can get water based creatures, a template that gives them a swim speed and waterbreathing. It is really helpful
Aeolius
07-01-07, 09:24 AM Tonight (Sunday) at 9pm (Eastern) I'll be hosting an informal pre-game Q&A session for "Heirs of Turucambi"; a chat-based game set beneath the surface of the sea. Hope to SEA you there!

Server: irc.otherworlders.org
Port: 6667
Channel: #turucambi
Aeolius
07-17-07, 04:30 PM One can always resort to using the undead, for undersea adventures. Savage Species had the emancipated spawn PrC which is particularly inspiring. Then there is the prospect of using constructs; a sentient figurehead, an awakened fishing net, or perhaps a living lobster trap. ;)

Last Sunday, I had a brief introductory adventure for "Heirs of Turucambi". There's always room for one more! :)
tantric
07-17-07, 05:10 PM How about a dolphin telekinetic?
Drow64
07-17-07, 06:09 PM Tritons, Locothahs, Water Elementals, and(I can't believe nobody thought of this first):
Anthropomorphic Sharks!
Oh, and most important of all: WATER DROW!
Aeolius
07-18-07, 11:21 AM How about a dolphin telekinetic?
So long as it's this sort of dolphin:
http://indian-river.fl.us/fishing/fish/dolphin.jpg

...Anthropomorphic Sharks! Oh, and most important of all: WATER DROW!
"They called him jabber jabber jabber jabber jabber jabber Jabberjaw!" :D

As for water drow, in the 1e MM it left hints as to a possible connection between sahuagin and drow.
RobbyPants
07-18-07, 11:29 AM The Sea devils are a good choice, so are water gensi.
Agreed. I've always loved the Sahuagin (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/sahuagin.htm) (sea devils). It's a pity that they're ECL 4 without class levels... :(
tantric
07-18-07, 03:05 PM Why can't you play a mammalian dolphin? They could be monks, psions, sorcerers, etc, even without hands. realistically, they would kick ass against any of the human-shaped races
Aeolius
07-18-07, 03:22 PM Why can't you play a mammalian dolphin? They could be monks, psions, sorcerers, etc, even without hands. realistically, they would kick ass against any of the human-shaped races

It depends on how much time the campaign spends near the surface, I suppose. In my undersea game, PCs must be able to breathe underwater. A porpoise could be a half-elemental (water) or have the amphibious template, I suppose. Better yet; Flipper the Dragon Shaman!! :D
Sir Aurik
08-07-07, 11:14 AM I'm planning to run a campaign set in the Sea of Fallen Stars (in the Forgotten Realms) once the current one is over.

So far, the races I'm allowing include:

Aquatic Elf
Half-Aquatic Elf (with Water Adaptation feat)
Merfolk
Locathah
Water Genasi
Malenti (elf-looking shuagin), if the player doesn't mind the LA.

I'm considereing adding Shoal Halflings to that list.
If it were set anywhere else, I'd also allow Aventi.

Darfellan don't really work well for an underwater campaign, as they have no natural way to breathe water.

Found this on candlekeep

Aventi; Aventi are a relatively new race to Faerun. This race of aquatic humans did indeed live in a
human empire known as Aventus, and when that empire fell beneath the waves, Aventurnus, their most
prominent god, changed the Aventi to allow them to survive beneath the waves.
What many do not know is that one of the primary forces working against the empire of Aventus was
the ancient demon lord Dagon. The details are unknown, but at some point in the ancient history of
Aventus, Dagon set in motion the events that allowed the nation to sink beneath the waves, and many
of the monstrosities that the Aventi found there were his minions.
The Aventi that are currently in Faerun were members of a crusade several thousand strong that
followed a minion of Dagon from their homeworld through a portal to another group of Dagon's
minions. These minions were the corrupted shalarin of the Sea of Corynactis. The Aventi crusaders
battled the corrupted shalarin for some time in this region of Toril.
A few hundred of the aventi crusaders were caught up in the “wild tide” of Dagon in 1371 DR when a
permanent portal was established between Corynactis and Seros. The shalarin of Seros have cut off the
travel between the portal to Corynactis and the Sea of Fallen Stars, and the Aventi are effecitvely cut
off from what is left of their crusade in Corynactis.
Being relatively new to the region, the Aventi do not trust the shalarin, even those native to Seros, due
to their experiences in Corynactis, and by extention they do not trust the races allied to them. Similarly,
the ixitxachtil presence in the Sea of Fallen Stars has convinced the Aventi that the Sea of Fallen Stars
is haunted by demon worshiping denizens of the deep.
Some Aventi might be disillusioned by the long crusade away from their homeworld, and some may
end up on quests that take them far from their new “home,” and these are the Aventi most likely
encountered by adventurers. Aventurnus has not yet petitioned Ao to become a member of Faerun's
pantheon, but his followers still petition him, and for the time being, Tyr answers their prayers. While
the god of the just does not seek to steal them as followers, if Aventurnus ultimately decides not to
enter Faerun's pantheon, Tyr will take on Aventurnus as another manifestation of his own power and
utilize his new followers to scourge the seas of demonic influence.
Hellsbells
08-07-07, 11:44 AM Sea elf, half-sea elf, triton, merfolk, sahugan, just to name a few good ones from monster manual. Also creatures with the aquatic template, were- [insert aquatic creature here], anthropomorphic [insert aquatic creature here], and awakened [insert aquatic creature here] all work well. I also can post a mer creature homebrew template. It is basically the tuaric creature template but aquatic.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
malak92 05-16-07, 06:27 PM	Hey, my current DM wants to start a see voyage campeign with some aquatic races. looking for some good suggestions. The only issue im coming across is the lack of actual aquatic race types with some what of a diversity. I got access to most all books. I DONT WANNA PLAY AN AQUATIC ELF :P Thanks alot, if u can also put down the book the race is located in that would be alot of help.
BugHunter 05-16-07, 08:51 PM	You can look in the UA pages 5-7 for racial variants, there is also Merfolk in the MM, there might be others in Stormwreck and other books.
JarionSilverblades 05-17-07, 08:16 AM	If it's going to be a campaign at sea, then you really should pick up Stormwrack, it's got everything you could need to play a awesome ocean adventure. In fact your DM should look at picking it up if he(or she) doesn't have it already. :duel:
Kobold_Avenger 05-17-07, 08:57 PM	The Sea devils are a good choice, so are water gensi.
Silversheen197 05-18-07, 12:51 AM	I'm currently running a seafaring campaign, and I must say, Stormwrack is extremely, extremely, extremely... ... ...helpful. There are three cool new races therein: the aventi, the hadozee, and the darfellan. I would recommend darfellen for an underwater themed character, and hadozee for a more ship-board character. And, as has been said before, definately pick up Stormwrack for your game. Have fun!
Borris 05-18-07, 03:34 AM	I'm planning to run a campaign set in the Sea of Fallen Stars (in the Forgotten Realms) once the current one is over. So far, the races I'm allowing include: Aquatic Elf Half-Aquatic Elf (with Water Adaptation feat) Merfolk Locathah Water Genasi Malenti (elf-looking shuagin), if the player doesn't mind the LA. I'm considereing adding Shoal Halflings to that list. If it were set anywhere else, I'd also allow Aventi. Darfellan don't really work well for an underwater campaign, as they have no natural way to breathe water.
Atsettam 05-18-07, 06:36 AM	I am not sure about balance but you could try a Warforged with the Seakin feat Seakin [Warforged] Most Warforged seem best suited to a career as infantry soldiers. Some however were designed to be more flexible in their career options. The Seakin have been designed for an aquatic lifestyle, taking full advantage of the Warforged racial ability of not needing to breath. Prerequisites: Warforged, 1st level only. Benefit: You have been optimized for an aquatic life. You gain a Swim speed of 30 but your land speed is reduced to 20. Your webbed feet are better suited to an aquatic world than walking on land. You also gain a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. You can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered; and you can use the run action while swimming, provided you swim in a straight line. Lastly, you gain the Aquatic subtype. Normal: Without this feat, your Warforged has a land speed of 30 and has no special bonuses to its Swim skill. Special: Unlike most feats, this feat must be taken at 1st level, during character creation.
El_Machinae 05-18-07, 08:24 AM	Were-salmon!:D
Of_Monkeys 05-26-07, 12:45 AM	Aquatic Elf - Gets a "swim" speed Half-Aquatic Elf - Gets a "swim" speed Hengeyokai Carp (Goldfish) - Gets a "swim" speed Hengeyokai Crab - Gets a "swim" speed River Spirit Folk - Gets a "swim" speed Sea Spirit Folk - Gets a "swim" speed Warforged - Don't need to breath Air Genasai - Don't need to breath Water Genasai - Gets a "swim" speed The races in Stormwracked. There are options out there. You just have to find them.
Aeolius 05-27-07, 09:12 AM	Depending on how odd of a character concept you can stomach, you might also consider awakened animals for PCS. An adventuring octopus, moray eel, or grouper perhaps? And then there are the monster races to consider; merrow, scrag, and other options could be scaled down using monster classes, as in Savage Species. My undersea game has water-breathing kobolds, goblins, orcs, and bugbears, for example; each inspired by a real-world undersea creature.
ODDin 05-28-07, 01:41 PM	I myself am planning an aquatic adventure, and I'm going to join everybody else here - do get Stormwrack. Aside from offering cool races, Stormwrack provides a template that transforms a creature into an aquatic variant of that creature. It's got an LA of +0, which makes it very handy indeed.
smartasdan 05-28-07, 02:50 PM	I went to a retail store recently and got UNearthed Arcana. It has some good ideas, and you can get water based creatures, a template that gives them a swim speed and waterbreathing. It is really helpful
Aeolius 07-01-07, 09:24 AM	Tonight (Sunday) at 9pm (Eastern) I'll be hosting an informal pre-game Q&A session for "Heirs of Turucambi"; a chat-based game set beneath the surface of the sea. Hope to SEA you there! Server: irc.otherworlders.org Port: 6667 Channel: #turucambi
Aeolius 07-17-07, 04:30 PM	One can always resort to using the undead, for undersea adventures. Savage Species had the emancipated spawn PrC which is particularly inspiring. Then there is the prospect of using constructs; a sentient figurehead, an awakened fishing net, or perhaps a living lobster trap. ;) Last Sunday, I had a brief introductory adventure for "Heirs of Turucambi". There's always room for one more! :)
tantric 07-17-07, 05:10 PM	How about a dolphin telekinetic?
Drow64 07-17-07, 06:09 PM	Tritons, Locothahs, Water Elementals, and(I can't believe nobody thought of this first): Anthropomorphic Sharks! Oh, and most important of all: WATER DROW!
Aeolius 07-18-07, 11:21 AM	How about a dolphin telekinetic? So long as it's this sort of dolphin: http://indian-river.fl.us/fishing/fish/dolphin.jpg ...Anthropomorphic Sharks! Oh, and most important of all: WATER DROW! "They called him jabber jabber jabber jabber jabber jabber Jabberjaw!" :D As for water drow, in the 1e MM it left hints as to a possible connection between sahuagin and drow.
RobbyPants 07-18-07, 11:29 AM	The Sea devils are a good choice, so are water gensi. Agreed. I've always loved the Sahuagin (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/sahuagin.htm) (sea devils). It's a pity that they're ECL 4 without class levels... :(
tantric 07-18-07, 03:05 PM	Why can't you play a mammalian dolphin? They could be monks, psions, sorcerers, etc, even without hands. realistically, they would kick ass against any of the human-shaped races
Aeolius 07-18-07, 03:22 PM	Why can't you play a mammalian dolphin? They could be monks, psions, sorcerers, etc, even without hands. realistically, they would kick ass against any of the human-shaped races It depends on how much time the campaign spends near the surface, I suppose. In my undersea game, PCs must be able to breathe underwater. A porpoise could be a half-elemental (water) or have the amphibious template, I suppose. Better yet; Flipper the Dragon Shaman!! :D
Sir Aurik 08-07-07, 11:14 AM	I'm planning to run a campaign set in the Sea of Fallen Stars (in the Forgotten Realms) once the current one is over. So far, the races I'm allowing include: Aquatic Elf Half-Aquatic Elf (with Water Adaptation feat) Merfolk Locathah Water Genasi Malenti (elf-looking shuagin), if the player doesn't mind the LA. I'm considereing adding Shoal Halflings to that list. If it were set anywhere else, I'd also allow Aventi. Darfellan don't really work well for an underwater campaign, as they have no natural way to breathe water. Found this on candlekeep Aventi; Aventi are a relatively new race to Faerun. This race of aquatic humans did indeed live in a human empire known as Aventus, and when that empire fell beneath the waves, Aventurnus, their most prominent god, changed the Aventi to allow them to survive beneath the waves. What many do not know is that one of the primary forces working against the empire of Aventus was the ancient demon lord Dagon. The details are unknown, but at some point in the ancient history of Aventus, Dagon set in motion the events that allowed the nation to sink beneath the waves, and many of the monstrosities that the Aventi found there were his minions. The Aventi that are currently in Faerun were members of a crusade several thousand strong that followed a minion of Dagon from their homeworld through a portal to another group of Dagon's minions. These minions were the corrupted shalarin of the Sea of Corynactis. The Aventi crusaders battled the corrupted shalarin for some time in this region of Toril. A few hundred of the aventi crusaders were caught up in the “wild tide” of Dagon in 1371 DR when a permanent portal was established between Corynactis and Seros. The shalarin of Seros have cut off the travel between the portal to Corynactis and the Sea of Fallen Stars, and the Aventi are effecitvely cut off from what is left of their crusade in Corynactis. Being relatively new to the region, the Aventi do not trust the shalarin, even those native to Seros, due to their experiences in Corynactis, and by extention they do not trust the races allied to them. Similarly, the ixitxachtil presence in the Sea of Fallen Stars has convinced the Aventi that the Sea of Fallen Stars is haunted by demon worshiping denizens of the deep. Some Aventi might be disillusioned by the long crusade away from their homeworld, and some may end up on quests that take them far from their new “home,” and these are the Aventi most likely encountered by adventurers. Aventurnus has not yet petitioned Ao to become a member of Faerun's pantheon, but his followers still petition him, and for the time being, Tyr answers their prayers. While the god of the just does not seek to steal them as followers, if Aventurnus ultimately decides not to enter Faerun's pantheon, Tyr will take on Aventurnus as another manifestation of his own power and utilize his new followers to scourge the seas of demonic influence.
Hellsbells 08-07-07, 11:44 AM	Sea elf, half-sea elf, triton, merfolk, sahugan, just to name a few good ones from monster manual. Also creatures with the aquatic template, were- [insert aquatic creature here], anthropomorphic [insert aquatic creature here], and awakened [insert aquatic creature here] all work well. I also can post a mer creature homebrew template. It is basically the tuaric creature template but aquatic.