Homebrew Half-Merfolk Species Details

When the woman entered the town, many dismissed her as just another visitor. From a distance, she looked human, just one with strange features, such as bright blue hair and strange-looking shoes. However, any who got closer to her would notice those weren't shoes, but rather patches of scales on her feet, ones that extended over the rest of her legs too, just covered by her armor now. But what really ensured that she was most certainly not human were the openings on her neck, not unlike gills on a fish. Clearly, for the first time in a thousand years, a Half-Mermaid had entered the town.

 

Rarer than rare, some see the appearance of a Half-Merfolk as an omen of good or bad things to come, depending on who is asked. They tend to be broader of build and physically stronger than both their merfolk brethren, but far more beautiful than their human heritage would seem to allow, giving them a twinge of fey charm. From the waist up, they seem almost entirely human. They have hair instead of fins, and human facial features. They have slightly webbed hands, and fins on their forearms, allowing for better aquatic locomotion. Unlike their merfolk brethren, they possess innate magic that allows them to transform their lower bodies from a large fish-like tail into bipedal humanoid legs. Half-Merfolk are known to be excellent leaders or group workers and are often asked to help wherever possible, as long as they aren't feared and excluded. A Half-Merfolk's life can be one of great friendship and love... or one of loneliness and fear, depending on the people she meets.

Children of Two Worlds

Due to the complexity of the nature of physical relations between humans and merfolk, half-mer are exceedingly rare, almost to the point of being considered mythical by humans. Most merfolk civilizations keep records of the existence of half-mer and make them publicly available to their kind, partially so that they are not carefree in their dealings with humans, and partially so that merfolk that have fallen in love with humans can warn them of the possible consequences. This knowledge does not typically have bearing on the path of a relationship between humans and merfolk. The question being asked of whether such a relationship can exist at all is proof enough of that.

Those that participate in the birth of a half-mer almost invariably live by the sea, and more often than not the pairings are between a human man and a mermaid, though there have been cases of a human woman falling deeply in love with a merman. Much to the sorrow of a human woman who gives birth to a half-mer, the baby will invariably spend the first 10 years of its life in the seas with its merfolk parent. Though people who know of half-mer know that they can transform their fish-like tails into legs and venture onto land, this innate magical power does not emerge until they are close to adulthood. It is not uncommon for mothers of half-mer to spend years learning how to craft potions of water-breathing, or attempting to study magic in order to learn the alter self spell purely for the purpose of seeing their baby as frequently as possible.

Regardless of whether or not they ever meet their human parent, half-mer are not blind to their human blood. Even if they've never seen a human before, due to living far from the coast in areas where ships rarely travel, the differences between a half-mer and merfolk are as plain as day. Where merfolk have cranial fins, half-mer have beautiful silken hair. Where merfolk have blue skin, half-mer share the skin color of their human parent, though the complexions of pale-skinned half-mer are usually tinged with blue. Half-mer are not entirely human-like from the waist up, however. They possess a set of fins on each forearm and webbed hands for better control of their movements in the water, and their ears are almost elven in the sense that they are elongated and pointed, but the shape is due to small, rigid fins that run along the outer edge of their otherwise human-like ears. Their eyes are most commonly a deep blue, but occasionally they can be gold, silver, and (very rarely) coral colored. 

Defenders of the Sea

Almost all half-mer, like all merfolk, hold the safety of all of the denizens of the deep and the sea itself in high regard, however, half-mer are relentlessly vicious. Half-mer are just as aware of evil sea creatures as normal merfolk, but the sahuagin are proactive in their evildoing, wishing to death to anyone not of their race. Half-mer are proof that beings from worlds apart can find peace with one another, and love one another. The behavior and beliefs of sahuagin strike an almost universal sour note among half-mer because of this.

Half-Merfolk Names

Half-Mermaids have two names: one Merfolk one, written in Aquan, and one human one, written in Common. They generally change between which one they introduce themselves by depending on who they're speaking to.

Half-Merfolk Traits

Your Half-Merfolk character has a variety of natural abilities due to their unique heritage

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma and Wisdom scores increase by 2.

Age

Half-Mermaids mature much faster than humans do, reaching maturity at around 10 years of age, and can live to be as old as 150.

Alignment

Most half-mer are neutral, like their merfolk brethren, but take serious offense to any slight against either of their parent races. A sufficient threat to either could cause a half-mer to take up arms in the name of good. Half-mer, however, have also inherited human pride, and can be quite vindictive when wronged, leading some to take less than savory measures to have their revenge.

Size

Half-mer in their terrestrial forms they are around 6-7-feet tall and weigh up to 190 pounds. In their aquatic form Half-Mer add an extra 2 feet to their height and can weigh 50 to 100 pounds more. In both instances your size is medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Your base swimming speed is 40 feet.

Darkvision

Accustomed to the dark depths of the sea, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.

Merfolk Weapons Training

You have proficiency with the spear, trident, light crossbow, and net.

Aquatic Empathy

Just as tritons have the limited capacity to control water and weather, so do the half-mer possess the innate magical ability to influence sea-life. You have advantage on Animal Handling checks involving aquatic animals, and starting at first level, you can cast speak with animals and animal friendship on aquatic animals at will. Any aquatic animal you target with this spell has disadvantage on the saving throw.

Amphibious

you can breathe air and water.

Form Change

As a half-merfolk, you can use your action to transform your lower body into a merfolk tail. In your humanoid form, you have webbed fingers and fins on your forearms. You can change form at will and stay in either form indefinitely however transforming takes 1 action. Your movement speed on land in your merfolk form is 10 feet. 

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Aquan. Aquan is a flowing, musical language that carries well underwater. When it has a written form, the Elvish script is usually used.