You were a pirate. A raider of coastal settlements and hunter of treasure ships, living wild and free on the sea. That changed when you opened the wrong chest—a barnacle-encrusted, ancient coffer that pulsed with eerie magic. Since then, the salt calls to you in strange ways. You hear voices in the tide. Your skin sometimes glistens like scales.

Now, you scour ruins, shipwrecks, and drowned cities for answers. You’ve become something of an expert in ancient civilizations, sea curses, and sunken places—though the transformation creeping through your body is still a mystery. You're hunting a cure, or maybe just understanding. Either way, your fate lies in the depths.

Skill Proficiencies: History, Investigation

Tool Proficiencies: Navigator's Tools, vehicles (water)

Languages: One of your choice (Aquan or Primordial suggested)

Equipment: A sea-worn trinket from the cursed chest (random magical effect, visual change, or you may roll for a random trinket on the Trinkets table in chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook), a journal filled with sketches of ruins, shipwrecks, and prophetic dreams, a waterproof pouch containing charcoal and parchment, a vial of sea water that always swirls even when still, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp

Suggested Characteristics

Your growing connection to the ocean colors everything—your instincts, your moods, your dreams. Whether you embrace it or resist it, the sea is calling.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I hum sea shanties without realizing it—even when it’s quiet.
2	I stare too long into pools of water, expecting them to blink back.
3	I’m obsessed with shipwrecks and half-drowned temples.
4	I always taste the salt in the air, even inland.
5	I talk to the ocean like it’s an old friend or a god.
6	I keep track of the moon's phases and tides like a religion.
7	I have dreams of swimming deep beneath the waves—without breathing.
8	I don’t trust anyone who’s never been on a ship.

d6	Ideal
1	Redemption. Maybe this curse is a punishment—and I’ll earn my way out. (Good)
2	Knowledge. If I understand the curse, I can control it. (Lawful)
3	Freedom. No curse, god, or sea can cage me. (Chaotic)
4	Power. What if this curse is actually a gift? (Evil)
5	Balance. The ocean takes and gives in equal measure. (Neutral)
6	Transformation. Change is part of life, even if it’s terrifying. (Any)

d6	Bond
1	I dream of a drowned city I’ve never seen—but must find.
2	The ocean took my crew. I must know why I was spared.
3	I fear the day the transformation finishes—but I can’t stop it.
4	I once saw a merfolk with the same mark as mine. I need to find them.
5	My old captain knew something about the curse. I’m tracking them down.
6	I left someone behind on land—if I change completely, I’ll never see them again.

d6	Flaw
1	I hide my symptoms, even from allies—I don’t want them to see what I’m becoming.
2	I’ll throw away everything else for a lead on the curse.
3	Deep down, I want to become what the ocean is making me.
4	I’m losing my sense of time—sometimes I forget how long I’ve been under.
5	I can’t resist swimming out into dangerous waters.
6	I sometimes hear the ocean whispering secrets—and I believe it.