Homebrew Cephalods Species Details
I nearly soiled my armor when the thing showed up on my boat. I'd heard tales of the mind-flayers called Illithid before, and figured meself a goner. Then the bastard went and asked if it could play on the mast.
Cephalods are playful beings that roam mostly the deep ocean. While they bear a striking resemblance to Mind-Flayers, they could not be more different. They are often portrayed in Triton stories as tricksters, mostly because the Cephalods annoy the Tritons.
The Simple Life Beneath the Waves
Most Cephalods live in the deep oceans in close knit villages where they farm mollusks and kelp. They are an intelligent race and have their own unique dialect of Aquan, which itself is a dialect of Primordial. Through trade with the Tritons, they have learned common and other languages. On the whole they have a much more mellow attitude than the Their Triton neighbors. There are also nomadic tribes of Cephalods in shallower ocean waters. They have very short life-spans and so are unconcerned with much of the more structured world. However as civilization, from trade ships to Triton settlements encroaches on their lands each generation grows more curious about the world above. While they are omnivores, most of the meat they it comes from bivalves and other mollusks that might as well be plants they can pick and grow. The idea of killing another sapient being is offensive to them. They will do it to protect themselves, but they will be very traumatized by it. Cephalods that have killed usually become hermits, and will occasionally cut off limbs (they regrow over the course of a month).
Child-Like Beings
Cephalods live only 10 - 15 years. They are considered "Adult" at only 6 weeks of age. They can perform any math an average humanoid could do as an adult, read and write, and perform complex planning, however much of their mind set is still child-like. They have an intense curiosity in them. If they see something they have never seen before they must explore it, and figure it out. If they are puzzled by their discovery it excites them and delights them. If they quickly grasp their discovery, they shall likely make some sort of game using it.
This rapid life-cycle can leave them a little emotionally stunted. This rarely results in violence. Instead many impartial observers would call them "petty". They take revenge, but never by killing or maiming. They like to embarrass their enemies. One anthropologist thought it might have something to do with the very lightly poisonous ink they can squirt in emergencies.
Tricksters and Annoyances
Cephalod's will steal items they have never seen before. If they don't see an owner, or cannot tell it is an owned possession, they will just take it. If they do realize they are stealing, the will likely leave a large pile of kelp and mollusks behind. As disgusting as this sounds, this is actually the Cephalod's trying to reimburse the owner. This behavior is not done when trying to antagonize an individual.
If a ship's voyage undergoes a rash of minor bad luck, such as tools snapping, strange knocking sounds on the hull, small amounts of money disappearing, or other small annoyances, they have likely crossed an angry Cephalod. Calling an apology will likely placate the cephalod and even bring it out to greet you. Failure to do so will cause these minor accidents to become more focused and better timed to make one of the crew spectacularly embarrassed. Humiliation is their favorite form of retribution. A small comfort to their victims is that they torment will never be lethal, or even too violent.
Ponderous Explorers
They have adapted amphibious breathing apparatus, allowing their gills to absorb oxygen from the air or water. This, and a series of fluid sacs give them support and allow them to venture from the water. Not many Cephalods have chosen to venture from the oceans, but those that do are constantly flitting from one "Discovery" to the next, burbling their joy and excitement to any who will listen.
Triton Names
Most Cephalod names generally have popping sounds, with female names ending with an "S" or "Z", and male names ending in hard consonents
Female Triton Names: Pabutas, Hipobes, Gohaz
Male Triton Names: Bapudek, Hagudeet, Bupadaket
Cephalods Traits
Your Cephalod character has the following racial traits.Ability Score Increase
Your intelligence and dexterity scores are both +2
Your constitution score is -1
Age
Tritons reach maturity around 6 weeks of age, and can live to be 15 years old
Alignment
Cephalods are almost invariably Chaotic, though leaning toward Good or at least neutral.
Size
Cephalods can have a diameter of ten feet from the tip of one leg to the tip of the other, their "Trunk" which combines head and torso, is usually two feet across and three feet long, with all legs radiating out from the center mass. On land, they are effectively on average between 4 and 6 feet tall.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 25 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 40 feet and your suckered appendages give you a climb speed of 25 feet
Amphibious
You can breathe air and water.
Natural Advantages
Most Cephalods in when faced with real danger will run and hide. To accomplish this they learn two spells. Starting at level 1, they know poison spray and can use it once per short rest. Also, if their target fails the Con saving throw that is a part of Poison Spray, it is considered blinded until the end of the Cephalod's CURRENT turn.
At level 3 the Cephalod's camouflage ability is advanced enough to act as full invisibility once per short rest.
Natural Camouflage
A Cephalod's skin can take one a number of hues and textures. This gives you advantage when trying to hide.
Denizen of the Depths
Adapted to even the most extreme ocean depths, you have resistance to cold damage, and you ignore any of the drawbacks caused by a deep, underwater environment.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and Primordial.
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