Homebrew Aquatic Shifter Species Details
Shifters are sometimes called weretouched, as they are descendants of people who contracted full or partial lycanthropy. Humanoids with a bestial aspect, shifters can’t fully change shape, but they can temporarily enhance their animalistic features by entering a state they call shifting. Aquatic shifters separated from normal shifters after living near and eventually in water for a generations.
Aquatic shifters are similar to humans in height and build but are typically more lithe and flexible. Their facial features have a bestial cast, often with large eyes and holes for ears; most aquatic shifters also have webbed fingers and toes. They can have scales or rubbery skin on nearly every part of their bodies. While a aquatic shifter’s appearance might remind an onlooker of an animal, they remain clearly identifiable as aquatic shifters even when at their most feral.
Most aquatic shifters resemble a particular kind of lycanthrope. You can choose the kind of lycanthrope in your past, or you can determine it randomly by rolling on the Lycanthrope Ancestor table. The table also provides a suggestion for the Shifting option you might have as a result of your ancestry.
Lycanthrope Ancestor
| d6 | Ancestor | Suggested Shifting Options |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wereturtle | Boneshell |
| 2 | Wereseasnake | Venomfang |
| 3 | Weresquid | Rapidfin |
| 4 | Werefish | Rapidfin |
| 5 | Wereseal | Pinwheel |
| 6 | Weredolphin | Pinwheel |
Aquatic Shifter Traits
As a shifter, you have the following racial traits.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.
Creature Type
You are considered Humanoid.
Size
You are Medium.
Speed
Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Hold Breath
You can hold your breath for up to an hour.
Bestial Instincts
Channeling the beast within, you have proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Acrobatics, Perception, Intimidation, or Stealth.
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 discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.
Aquatic Shifting
As a bonus action, you can assume a more bestial appearance. This transformation lasts for 1 minute, until you die, or until you revert to your normal appearance as a bonus action. When you shift, you gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed. You can shift a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Whenever you shift, you gain an additional benefit based on one of the following options (choose when you select this race):
Boneshell: While shifted, you have a +2 bonus to your Armor Class.
Venomfang: When you shift and as a bonus action on your other turns while shifted, you can use your venomous fangs to make an unarmed strike. If you hit with your fangs, you can deal 1d4 piercing damage and the target must make a DC 10 + your proficiency bonus Constitution saving throw, taking 2d4 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Rapidfin: While shifted, your walking speed increases by 10 feet. Additionally, when you shift and as a bonus action on your other turns while shifted, you can take the Disengage action.
Pinwheel: While shifted, you have advantage on Charisma checks, and you have advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't Incapacitated.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.
Previous Versions
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4/22/2024 3:10:05 PM
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16
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7
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Coming Soon
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