Homebrew Merfolk Species Details

Ah, the Merfolk. Imagine if the elves spent a few centuries far beneath the sea, where their arrogance and pretension could grow undisturbed. At least the Merfolks spent that time fighting Sahuagin and worse, so you know you can count on them in a fight.

— Victor Salt, sea captain

Merfolk guard the ocean depths, building small settlements beside deep trenches, portals to the elemental planes, and other dangerous spots far from the eyes of land-bound folk. Long-established guardians of the deep ocean floor, in recent years the noble Merfolk have become increasingly active in the world above.

Aquatic Crusaders

Centuries ago, Merfolk entered the world in response to the growing threat of evil elementals. Merfolk waged many wars against their enemies on the Plane of Water, driving them into the Darkened Depths where they escaped into the crushing pressure and utter darkness. In time, the Merfolk noticed that their ancient elemental foes had grown quiet. Expeditions to the depths revealed that krakens, sahuagin, and far worse foes had fled the Plane of Water for the Material Plane.

The Merfolk, driven by a sense of duty and responsibility, would not allow their foes to escape so easily. A great conclave of Merfolk chose volunteers skilled in weapons and magic as part of an expeditionary force to enter the Material Plane and seek out their enemies.

Those Merfolk spread across the world’s oceans and established protectorates to watch over deep sea trenches, portals, undersea caves, and other locations where their enemies might lurk. They defeated their foes when they found them and drove the rest into hiding.

With their foes banished to the deepest reaches of the sea, Merfolk settled in to watch for any sign of their return. Over time, the tritons extended their stewardship over the sea floor from their initial settlements and built outposts to create trade with other races. 

 

 

Merfolk Personality

Far from flawless, these champions of good mean well, but they are easily frustrated by others. You can select, roll, or adapt a Merfolk-specific quirk from the Merfolk Quirks table. Use the quirk to inform how you portray your character.

Merfolk Quirks

d6	Quirk
1	You phrase requests as orders that you expect to be obeyed.
2	You are quick to boast of the greatness of your civilization.
3	You learned an antiquated version of Common and drop “thee” and “thou” into your speech.
4	You assume that people are telling you the truth about local customs and expectations.
5	The surface world is a wondrous place, and you catalog all its details in a journal.
6	You mistakenly assume that surface folk know about and are impressed by your people’s history.

Merfolk Names

Most Merfolk names have two or three syllables. Male names typically end with a vowel and the letter s, and female names traditionally end with an n. Merfolk use their home protectorate as a surname, with the name formed by adding a vowel followed by a “th” to the end of the protectorate’s name.

Female Merfolk Names: Aryn, Belthyn, Duthyn, Feloren, Otanyn, Shalryn, Vlaryn, Wolyn

Male Merfolk Names: Corus, Delnis, Jhimas, Keros, Molos, Nalos, Vodos, Zunis

Merfolk Surnames: Ahlorsath, Pumanath, Vuuvaxath

Merfolk Traits

Your Merfolk character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Age

Merfolks reach maturity around age 15 and can live up to 500 years.

Alignment

Merfolk society exists within a very rigid caste system. Birthright and education together determine one’s station and responsibilities. Almost all merfolk are lawful good, but some trend closer to lawful evil.

Size

Merfolk are slightly shorter than humans, averaging about 5 feet tall on land. However, this varies when in deep waters. Your size is Medium.

Amphibious

You can breathe air and water.

Amphibious Shifters

Merfolk have bipedal legs when on land, but morph into a snake‐like finned tail in deep water. They can transform themselves as a reaction whenever they enter aquatic terrain. While in this form, your swim speed is 60ft and walk speed is 5ft. You can use your bonus action to transform back. This ability can be used a number of times equal to your characters level.

Underwater Darkvision

While underwater you have darkvision, you can see in dim light within 120 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 grey.

Gift of Thassa

You imbue your weapon with the sacred waters of your homeland  for 1 hour causing your weapon to do additional 1d6 cold damage. You can use this ability once per long rest.