Homebrew Merpeople Species Details

Denizens of the deep who seldom show their faces on land. Equipped with their natural amphibious traits, they are excellent swimmers. Their regular haunts include the deepest, darkest, depths of the oceans, however, they are not shy of those who live on land. 

Water Warriors 

Merpeople are known for their natural resilience against powerful currents, storms, and other dangers that may lurk in the depths of the ocean. Commonly, they will use weapons that include tridents, harpoons, fishing rods, and other things that would sink to the bottom of the ocean. They are seen as things of beauty to most humans, specifically pirates, who will spend their days hunting them down. The merpeople, however, do not like this and will often fight back by attacking pirate ships at will or any ship really that comes into their waters unannounced. 

Depth Striders 

The merpeople, having spent most of their time towards the bottoms of the ocean in areas such as Atlantis, are used to having to navigate in the dark, therefore giving them darkvision. Their aquatic ears, webbed hands and feet, and dorsal fins allow them to easily navigate through waters -  even those with harsh currents or ice floes. Despite their webbed features - and many folktales - the merpeople do not actually have tails instead of feet. They have a pair of legs just like all other bipedal creatures in the world. The fins on their arms are also reported to be fairly sharp depending on the type of fish they take after. 

Appearance

Most merpeople tend to have skin colors that match the corals at the bottom of the oceans that they inhabit. The most common color for the merpeople is usually blue, green, turquoise, and on rare occasions, white. They have pupils that are pure white instead of black. They are often seen with multicolored hair that is usually tied back and long, regardless of their gender. Males tend to be much larger than females both in height and weight. Females of larger size can usually be told apart from their male counterparts not by their chest, but by their butt.

Natural Mutations

The merpeople have adapted and mutated over the centuries they have spent in the waters. They possess darkvision, allowing them to look for their prey even when the prey retreats into the darkest depths of the water. As natural denizens of the pressure at the bottom of the ocean, they are very resistant to water. They are however weak to sunlight because of this, and dry out very easily. They move as quickly on land as they do in the water, as long as they are not inhibited by something. 

 

Species 

Merpeople are as plentiful as fish. They come in all shapes, sizes, and patterns, as well as colors and fin shapes. Most merpeople will look like the fishes that that inhabit the waters they do. The most recorded and well observed species of fish that are with the more people are marlin, sharks, whales, and lionfish.

School Tactics 

Merpeople are very social creatures. They will spend most of their lives in what we have observed to be called schools. A merperson can hardly ever keep their mouth shut - they are social creatures who crave attention from anybody and everybody when the scene is too quiet. As of this, they are usually Bards - if they leave their home.

 

Merpeople Traits

Your character will have an array of aquatic related abilities and amphibious traits.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Aquan.

Darkvision

Merpeople can see in the dark, as though it we just like the depths of the ocean. 

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2.

Age

If the lifespans of the merpeople are not cut short by pirates or other hunters, they can live to be roughly 120 years of age.

Alignment

Proud of themselves and in no hurry to cause trouble for others, merpeople are usually good. 

Size

Though they share common blood with sharks, whales, and other sizable fish, the merpeople stand anywhere from 4ft to 7ft tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking and swimming speeds are 30 feet.