Homebrew Cecaelia Species Details

As enigmatic and untamable as the seas they come from, and with one of the stranger physiologies of the world, the Cecaelia have received a questionable reputation among the land-dwelling races, who sometimes view them as suspicious, arrogant, or evil. With a fiercely independent nature and nomadic lifestyle, getting to know a Cecaelia personally is challenging, but they have proven to be hard workers and are a boon to any group or settlement they join, no matter how temporary their stay may be. While hailing from the seas, the Cecaelia have also integrated into coastal villages and port towns, often working as fishermen, musicians, or guide for sailors traveling through unfamiliar waters. Some have migrated even further inland, following rivers and lakes.

Striking Appearance

The torso of a Cecaelia is humanoid and has a very pale skin tone, usually taking on muted pinks, greys and blues. Their hair and eyes stand in stark contrast to their light complexion, being rich blues and blacks, their dark eyes especially adding to their mysterious character. However, the lower body of a Cecaelia is their most striking figure feature. From the waist down they are akin to a large octopus, bearing eight long, dexterous tentacles which can both propel them in the water and carry them on land. These are often deeper blues, purples, and reds, sometimes with faint circular or wave-like patterns of a darker tone. Some Cecaelie have the ability to alter their coloration, giving them an even greater range of exotic colors and patterns.

Independent Souls

The sea is treacherous and deadly, and every Cecaelia is born with a strong sense of self-reliance that they have used to survive. They are fiercely independent and will always try to complete a task by themselves unless it becomes apparent that they can't do it alone. At this point they will seek out people they know for help, before approaching strangers as a last resort. If someone offers to help a Cecaelia without provocation or, even worse, tries to help without asking, the Cecaelia will see this as an affront to their abilities to look after themselves and will take personal offense, emphatically arguing that they can complete the task by his or herself and requesting, politely or not, to be left alone. This is not to say that Cecaelia crave isolation, as given enough time and patience a Cecaelia will form intimate bonds with friends and family.  Usually limited to a small group, these connections are of personal importance and are rarely broken.

Aquatic Origins

The history of the Cecaelia as a race is all but unknown to scholars of the surface world, and though some surface dwellers believe they are a subrace of Merfolk, the Cecaelia, and indeed the Merfolk themselves, would take great offense to this comparison. Regardless of their true origins, their lives beneath the waves have affected them greatly. Though they can survive outside of the oceans no Cecaelia ever completely abandons the water, with many of the land dwelling individuals making pilgrimages to the sea every few months. Throughout the rest of the year these inland Cecaelia sate their innate desire for an aquatic environment via other means, such as swimming in a nearby river or lake, or frequenting the local bathhouses.

A Wanderer's Heart

As a nomadic people it is very unusual for a Cecaelia to stay in any given place for longer than a few years. Cecaelia who take up adventuring do so to fulfill a desire to keep moving, traveling to exotic coasts, following meandering rivers inland, or plumbing into the mysterious depths of the sea in their lifelong journeys. They take great pleasure in seeing all the world has to offer at their own pace, striving to explore and experience as much as they can before their relatively short lives are complete. However, no matter how independent they are, they are not needlessly reckless. An intelligent Cecaelia recognizes when help is needed and will turn to small groups of fellow adventurers to aid them. This is most often how personal bonds are formed by adventuring Cecaelia, and it is not unexpected for them to stay in touch with previous allies and party members long into old age.

 

Credit

Created by Rich Howard

Cecaelia Traits

Ability score increase, Age, Alignment, Size, Speed, Amphibious, Tentacles, Hydrostatic Skeleton, Languages

Ability Score Increase

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You can follow those suggestions or ignore them, but you can’t raise any of your scores above 20.

Size

A Cecaelia's torso averages 2 to 3 feet, though their tentacles reach 8-10 feet in length. Your size is medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet. You have a swim speed of 30 feet.

Language

You speak, read, and write Common, Primordial, and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player’s Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.

Amphibious

You can breath both air and water.

Tentacles

Your lower body consists of a crown of eight tentacles, the bottom surface of which are covered in a layer of soft hydrostatic discs. You can manipulate these discs to create a suction powerful enough to suspend you out of the water, as well as grip opponents with frightening strength. Your tentacles are strong enough to support your weight above water and provide movement on land, albeit at a slower pace than most terrestrial beings. Though prehensile enough to manipulate objects, you tentacles do not possess the manual dexterity or speed to wield weapons' effectively. You gain advantage of Athletics (Climbing) checks and on checks to either initiate or end a grapple. You may take the Use an Object actions an a bonus action on your turn and can do so from a range of up to 10 feet.

Hydrostatic Skeleton

The internal skeleton of your upper torso is made of flexible cartilaginous tissue, stronger than that of surface-dwellers but far more flexible than bone. Your lower body and tentacles are composed of vessels that can be filled and emptied of fluid, allowing you tin stretch , manipulate, expand and contract your entire body. You gain resistance to bludgeoning damage. In, addition , you may squeeze through spaces up to two size categories smaller than you with no penalties.  Equipped weapons, armor and other items must also fit through the space to use this ability.