Homebrew Cecaelia Species Details

She seemed to hover before me, held aloft by those strange tentacles.  Her glowing eyes met my gaze, arrogant and unafraid.  Before the darkness took me I swear I could hear her voice.  "Do not worry surface sweller, you will not die here, Fate still has a use for you." - Arag the Storm Tossed, Tales of Sole Survivors.

Sometimes known as Sea Witches, Cecaelias are the descendants of an ancient line of magically advanced humanoids whose cities were swallowed by the sea.  Tales abound of how they made an arcane pact with a slumbering Kraken, the terms of which have long been forgotten,  To most surface Dwellers they look like a very fit Human from the Hips up but their lower half consists of 6 tentacles resembling that of an octopus.  Cecaelias rarely congregate together, viewing the destruction of their ancient empire as divine punishment for their species collective hubris.

A Fractured Society

Cecaelias do not congregate together outside of small family units.  While mated pairs do travel together most Cecaelias are terrified of drawing the ire of the long forgotten deity that consigned them to the ocean.  As such any statements towards their culture is a generalization at best.  Still they seem to value honesty and hospitality above all other things.  Even more than the Merfolk the times surface dwellers have discovered Cecaelias in the sea, it has been as result of being rescued from being lost in the ocean, whether as a result of a ship wreck or being tossed over board.  The Cecaelias often clothe, feed, and take thier charges ashore often only asking for some tale of the Mammals adventures as payment.

Alien Intellect

A Cecaelia possesses and advanced neurological system that seems to exceed the limits of most humanoids, most of this system seems to be devoted to the continuous processing required to move 6 tentacles and two humanoid limbs completely independently of each other, however it also allows them to focus on multiple and completely separate tasks at once, including being able to move both of their eyes separately without special training.  This combined with their astute memories makes them powerful arcane magic users, a boon considering their less than impressive speeds both on land and in water.

Hidden in Plain Sight

A Cecaelias final adaptation to the under water environment involves their skin pigmentation, which they can change at will.  This is primarily used for Communication as words tend to fail in the depths.  In fact the entire Cecaelian language is based on these pigment changes.  A secondary effect of this however is they can will them selves to be nearly invisible to detection with the naked eye.

Curious Explorers

Every Cecaelia is possessed of an insatiable thirst for knowledge, often getting themselves in trouble trying to find all the secrets of any new land land they come across.  They rarely stay in any given environment for very long as wanderlust is a near universal malady for the strange Half-Octopuses.  The reason for this has long been obscured by legend, but the prevailing theory among the Sea Witches is that the ancient Cecaelias promised the sleeping Kraken to share the stories of their adventures with the primordial god through their dreams.

Cecaelian Names

Cecaelias do not have names in the traditional sense as their natural language relies on visual changes to convey ideas.  However they tend to take on names of other aquatic objects/lifeforms such as Coral, Pearl, Ray, or Orca when speaking common as a way of developing trust with surface dwellers.

 

Cecaelia Traits

Cecaelias share a number of traits in common with each other.

Otherworldly Intellect

Cecaelias brains have developed an extremely advanced neurological system that surpasses that of normal understanding A Cecaelia can concentrate on two different spells at the same time. While concentrating on more than one spell they have disadvantage on all concentration checks and if the fail a concentration check they lose concentration on both spells.

Darkvision

Cecaelias have darkvision up to 60 ft

Adaptive Camoflauge

Cecaelias skin naturally shifts pigments.  They use this natural ability as both a means of communication and as a defense mechanism. You gain Proficiency in Stealth checks.  Additionally whenever the Cecaelia attempts to hide they gain advantage on the roll, and may use their intelligence modifier in place of dexterity.

Tentacles

The Cecaelia uses their 6 tentacles in place of standard legs.  In order to maintain balance outside of water three tentacles must be touching the ground.  The tentacles lack the strength or physical dexterity to use weapons, but may be used to hold objects.

Ability Score Increase

Your Intelligence increases by 2, and your Dexterity Increases by 1

Age

Cecaelias age at incredibly slow rate they enter adulthood at the age of 110 and have been known to live up to 700 years old 

Alignment

Cecaelias lack of traditional society and prediction for wandering gives them a strong chaotic bent,

Size

Cecaelias tentacles can be up to 5 feet long each, and their torsos are another 2 and a half to three feet long. but tas their tentacles are   curled  to maintain  that they only stand up to about 6 feet tall.  Cecaelias also lack a traditional bone structure making them lighter than expected often weighing between 110 and 150 pounds.  Your size is Medium

Amphibious

Cecaelias can breathe in both air and water, however their body structure makes them less than ideal in either environment, your walking speed is 20 and your swim speed is 25

Languages

You can speak read and write Common and Cecaelian