Salted Strike (Passive) The Brineshade scores a critical hit on a roll of 18, 19, or 20 when it has advantage on a melee attack roll.
Additionally, when the Brineshade scores a critical hit, the target automatically fails any saving throw made against the effect of the attack.
Saltstrike. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or become Parched until the end of its next turn.
A Parched creature's body begins to dry and crack from supernatural salt exposure. While parched, a creature's movement speed is reduced by 10 feet, and it can't regain hit points from magical healing.
Salt Toss (Bonus Action). The Brineshade throws a small, crackling orb of salt at a space within 30 feet. The orb deals no damage and causes no harmful effects. The orb lingers briefly in the space it lands or strikes, becoming a valid target for the Brineshade’s Swap feature until the start of its next turn.
Swap. As a reaction, when a creature or object within 30 feet is targeted by a melee or ranged attack, or is caught in an area-of-effect, the Brineshade snaps its fingers and swaps the positions of two creatures, itself and another creature, itself and an object, or a creature and an object within 30 feet. The Brineshade does not need to be one of the targets, but it can be.
If this reaction is used in response to an attack or effect, the swap happens before the attack roll or saving throw is made. The new target is affected by the attack or area as normal. Magical effects themselves can’t be swapped—only physical participants or projectiles.
If the Brineshade swaps with a moving projectile, it travels the remaining distance of that projectile’s path. If it ends this movement within 5 feet of a creature, it gains advantage on its next attack against that creature before the end of its next turn. The projectile is destroyed as part of the swap.
Description
The Brineshade is a towering, sleek creature with the form of a lizardfolk, but its body is made entirely of smooth, crystalline cooking salt. Its scales have been replaced by polished salt crystals that shimmer in the light, giving it a glassy, almost translucent appearance. The Brineshade’s face is featureless, with two glowing salt-crystal sockets where eyes would be, flickering faintly with an eerie light. Its limbs and tail are long and fluid, with salt-crystal claws and a tail that ends in a sharp, jagged blade of salt. As it moves, it leaves behind a faint dusting of fine salt, like a trail of sparkling, crystalline footprints. Its form is sleek, but delicate cracks run along its surface, hinting at its fragile nature. The air around the Brineshade feels dry, crackling with an almost unnatural stillness, as if it constantly pulls moisture from its surroundings, and its body hums with an ethereal, haunting presence.
Lore of the Brineshade:
The Brineshade are the remnants of a once-thriving race of salt-based creatures, known for their superior culinary salt. The salt that makes up their bodies is not only highly prized for its flavor but also its ability to enhance food like no other. For centuries, their kind lived in peaceful isolation, thriving in the depths of remote marshes and caves where few dared venture. However, as news of their unique salt spread, the greed of nearby settlements grew. Unable to resist the allure of this exquisite seasoning, hunters and merchants began seeking the Brineshade for their precious bodily salt. As they were hunted mercilessly, the Brineshade’s peaceful existence quickly turned into a desperate battle for survival.
The constant persecution birthed a deep hatred within their hearts, as their once peaceful nature morphed into one driven by vengeance and savagery. To protect themselves from those who sought to exploit them, the Brineshade became masters of stealth, able to vanish into their surroundings like the salt they were born from. Their skills in combat and ambush tactics grew as they learned to strike without warning, using the same ruthless precision that their enemies used to hunt them. Over time, the Brineshade’s once-sacred connection to their salt was twisted into a weapon, and they became feared and reviled as a race of savage killers.
Now, the Brineshade are known for their chaotic evil nature—not born of inherent malice, but from a need to protect their dwindling kind and seek revenge against those who sought to take everything from them. They are ruthless, treacherous, and quiet in their movements, lurking in the shadows, striking when least expected. Some say their salt carries the essence of their rage, and those who consume it are said to grow addicted to its taste, but at the cost of their sanity.
The Brineshade are not just predators—they are survivors, and they will stop at nothing to avenge the slaughter of their people. Their vengeful spirit drives them to commit heinous acts against those who dare to cross their path, often harvesting the salt of their victims as a grim reminder of what was taken from them.
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