Homebrew Landlocked Merfolk Species Details

Every culture has stories about mermaids, yet few have any stories of mermen. These beautiful and mysterious creatures have captured the hearts and minds of many, but few have spent time among them. Contrary to popular belief they're able to assume a more humanoid form, without a tail, to live among the humanoids of the earth, with whom they feel a certain kinship, far more so than with most of the other creatures of the sea.

Of Land and Sea

The landlocked merfolk have one natural form, but two ways for this to express itself. In their aquatic form, they are approximately 8 feet long from the top of their crest to the tip of their tails, and weigh on average 190 pounds, with males being stockier and females being longer. In their land-form, the landlocked merfolk transform, and their powerful tails become legs instead. Here, they stand an average of 6 feet tall, but their weight remains the same due to their powerful muscles.

Landlocked merfolk are considered beautiful by most humanoids, with their blue to purple skin lending them an exotic air. Their eyes are slightly luminescent, allowing them to see in the darkest underwater trenches, though this is rarely needed as they prefer to keep to the shallower and warmer waters. The eye color of the landlocked merfolk is black when in their aquatic form, but changes to a dark blue, when in their land-forms. They're covered in scales, and these scales have the same coloration as the fish that are native to the area. So in the colder climes, their scales tend to be silver and blue, but in warmer climates they can have any myriad number of colours and patterns.

Landlocked merfolk are, contrary to popular belief, mammals and give birth to live young and are warm blooded as well.

However, they do not have a need to breathe air, though they are perfectly able to do so. When giving birth, mermaids traditionally retreat to an underwater cave that has an air pocket. In this air pocket they give birth. This has been the tradition for thousands of years, though no one is sure why this is the case. Landlocked merfolk scholars believe that this harkens back to a time before the merfolk were forced underwater for survival, but it is merely out of respect for tradition now, as newborn merfolk can breathe both air and water. Another theory is that this came about when the merfolk race was still young, as when giving birth, there was a high likelihood of blood from the mermaid mother entering the water, and potentially attracting sharks or other predators. Giving birth inside an air pocket would then prevent this problem.

Landlocked merfolk prefer not to dress and limit their clothes, when in water, to the most practical or decorative pieces - often either simply swimming around naked, or with clothes that only just preserve the modesty of the wearer. Either way tends to be accepted by the landlocked merfolk, with only the current fashion dictating whether dressed or undressed is the order of the day. Most merfolk nobles will wear some form of clothing however, simply to denote rank, and on the rare occasion that the merfolk choose to wear armor, they will normally wear clothes as well. When on land however, the landlocked merfolk tend to dress up very warmly, as they often find that the air is too cold for their liking or that the wind is too biting. Nothing is more miserable than a landlocked merfolk in a snowstorm, regardless of the clothes they are wearing.

Currents and Changes

The landlocked merfolk live a life based on prophecy and the changing of the tides and currents. For the most part, this means that their lives are very set, as these are generally predictable, and do not change often. However, on the occasions where they do, it causes great upheaval for these merfolk. They look to their oracles, mermaids who were born blind, to guide them in these circumstances. These wise women are said to be able to foretell the future, but they're helped by their own teaching, as each generation of oracles train the next in the arts of statesmanship, economy, farming, and more, so that they can foresee any issues before they arise, without having to rely upon the magical arts.

The merfolk are led by the aristocracy who congregate around a king or queen. Each ruling family can rule over nations that are many times the size of any land-based nation, as their people are spread far apart. An "ocean-emperor" is so far unheard of. These rulers rule by divine right, as the landlocked merfolk believe that their ruling families are blessed by the gods, falling just shy of being deities themselves. Below the rulers and the aristocracy are the singers and the warriors. The singers are mermaids whose song is beautiful and who work as teachers for the young.

They're highly respected within merfolk society, and they are the ones most likely to encounter land-dwellers as they often serve the function of diplomats. The warriors are male and female merfolk who protect their communities from threats, whether these are simple threats like sharks, underwater terrors like kraken or even pollution from land-dwelling cities. These warriors are very likely to take direct and violent action if the singers cannot accomplish their goals within a reasonable timeframe. They're difficult to control for the aristocracy, as their very nature and role requires them to aggressively act against enemies, so that these do not become too powerful. 

The Long Song

The story of the landlocked merfolk started together with the normal merfolk. In ages past, they are believed to have been normal humanoids that somehow transformed into the merfolk, and then descended into the cold embrace of the oceans. For many years, the merfolk were trying to find their place in this strange new world that they found themselves in. They managed. They survived. They thrived. But they were not alone in the waters. There were many others, threats that had to be overcome or allies that had to be courted. One of the biggest threats that the merfolk faced were the aboleth. These ancient masters of evil were not happy with having yet another player in their part of the world, yet another factor that could upset their plans. So they hatched a plot to weaken the merfolk, like the illithids had done with the kuo-toa millennia ago. Send them off into the dark recesses of the world, to fight for their very survival in the harshest environments.

There, the merfolk would either die, or become more powerful. If they died, fine. If they became more powerful they would simply become more useful slaves later on. But something went wrong. A hero of the merfolk, a young warrior named Kai, interrupted the ritual at the very last moment. This caused only a part of the merfolk to be affected by the ritual, and instead of sending them into the underdark, they were instead moved to an inland sea, thousands of miles from where they made their living. Not only that, but the magic affected their bodies as well, giving the sons and daughters of the merfolk the ability to grow legs when needed. These young merfolk became the first of the landlocked merfolk.

The landlocked merfolk have spent the intervening centuries building up their strength, looking to reunite with their kin, but when they finally did, they found that they were somehow different from them. Far more able to interact with other humanoids, they decided to carve out their own fate and see what life was like among the land-dwellers.

Stretching Legs and Expanding Horizons

Landlocked merfolk that embark on an adventuring career do so out of sheer wanderlust. They love seeing new sights and having new experiences, and while they still feel most at home among the waves, being on land gives them an unparalleled sensation of being free. Many dream of being able to fly, or "swimming the sky" as they call it, seeing it as the last frontier for them to conquer. Some merfolk, especially from the warrior castes, are using this time to scout for territory and see if there is room for the merfolk kingdoms to expand. They keep this to themselves however, as no one likes having others scout territory around them.

Relations with other Races

• Dwarves. Dwarves and the landlocked merfolk hardly ever encounter each other. As such they have no real predisposition towards each other, and let the actions of the individuals speak for themselves. However, when the forces of darkness rise, especially the aboleth or other abominations, the merfolk will gladly protect the waterways, while the dwarves take the fight underground.
• Elves. Elves see the merfolk as being a lot like themselves. Protective of their environment and waterways, though the elves do wish the merfolk would ease up sometimes, as their caste system feels restrictive to the elves. The merfolk have a roughly similar opinion of the elves, considering them distant kin, but ones that are slightly misguided in how they go about things.
• Halflings. Halflings, like dwarves, do not often see the landlocked merfolk. They are not great seamen, preferring to keep to the land. When they do encounter them however, they see the merfolk as incredibily exotic, and resilient. They're curious about the past of these mysterious creatures, and often pester them constantly with questions. The merfolk consider the Small Folk to be too agrarian for their own good, and believe that they would do well to look beyond their own borders a lot of the time. They are good-natured about the constant questioning, but often find amusement in spinning tales for the halflings, as opposed to answering the truth, to some of the stranger questions.
• Humans. Humans see the landlocked merfolk as the embodiment of the many stories that seamen have carried for millennia. They're them embodiment of water come to life, and many believe that the race only has female, and that the mermaids will drag the unwary to their doom. They often misunderstand and misinterpret the actions of the merfolk, leading into conflict. Merfolk for their part see humanity as much too superstitious and warlike for their own good. If only they could be harnessed properly, they'd be a powerful force for good. As it is, they're a minor help at best, and a threat at worst.

Landlocked Merfolk Names

The landlocked merfolk have two names, one that is only pronounceable in Aquan, which, to land dwellers sounds like a series of screeches, clicks and deep hums. Many have compared this to hearing dolphins or whales communicate. However, the landlocked merfolk also have a "land-name" that is for other non-aquatic humanoids to use. These are kept simple, and while the landlocked merfolk do not have surnames in their "land-form", they do in Aquan. However, when needing to refer to themselves with a surname on land, they add a qualifier of where they are from. For example, a mermaid might be Of the Red Coral Reef or Coralborn.

Female Names Include: Evy, Hala, Maya, Nuda, Soosah, and Yvash.

Male Names Include: Bok, Kai, Las, Orta, Tokk, and Xono.

Clan/Tribe Names Include: Clearwater, Coralborn, Deepcold, Maelstrom, of the Dark Trench, and Where Whales Sing.

Race	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Landlocked Merfolk, Female	7'0''	+2d12 in.	100 lb.	x (2d6) Ib.
Landlocked Merfolk, Male	6'8''	+2d12 in.	110 lb.	x (2d6) Ib.

Landlocked Merfolk Traits

As a Landlocked Merfolk, you have the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increases

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.

Age

Landlocked merfolk age at the same rate as a normal human, reaching the age of adulthood around 18 years of age, and normally growing no older than 100

Alignment

Landlocked merfolk live in a fairly strict caste system, one that they are reluctant to overthrow. Most are happy to fulfill the roles that they are predestined for. Most landlocked merfolk will go out of their way to help those in need. As such, landlocked merfolk tend to be lawful good.

Creature Type

You are a Humanoid.

Size

Merfolk, in their aquatic forms are approximately 8 feet long with females being slightly taller. Their average weight is 190 pounds with males being heavier on average. When they are in their land-form, they are 2 foot shorter than in their aquatic form, but retain their weight, due to the heavy nature of their musculature. You choose between being Medium or Small when you select this race.

Speed

You have a 40 foot swimming speed in your aquatic form, but only a 10 foot base walking speed. When in your land-form your base walking speed is 30 feet, but you have no swimming speed.

Amphibious

You can breathe air and water.

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Tool Proficiency

You gain proficiency in one artisan's tool or musical instrument of your choice.

Two Forms

You can switch between your land-form and your aquatic form with an action. Doing so changes your speed as mentioned above.

Aquatic Form Mastery

When in your aquatic form, you can use ranged weapons as you would in the air, i.e. ranged weapons no longer miss automatically when beyond the weapons range.

Merfolk Transformation

As an action, you can change your form. You can either take on the two-legged form of a land-dwelling humanoid, or the form of a merfolk with a tail. While in merfolk form, your base walking speed is reduced to 10 feet and you gain a swimming speed of 40 feet. When you assume merfolk form, you can choose whether equipment and clothing worn on your legs falls to the ground, or whether it’s merged into your body until you resume a humanoid form.

Emissary of the Sea

You can communicate simple ideas to any Beast, Elemental, or Monstrosity that has a swimming speed. It can understand your words, though you have no special ability to understand it in return.

Aquatic Exploder of the Depths

Adapted to the frigid ocean depths, you have resistance to cold damage.