Homebrew Arodonians Species Details
When thorned crown lies shattered, she comes. Born of coral, of life-in-death, of long prayer. Shake the sea floor with her power, shall she, shake the destiny of all beneath the waves..."
Arodonians 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 temple of an ocean deity, in recent years the noble Arodonians have become increasingly active in the world above. Arodonians were a shark-like monstrous humanoid species that lived in oceans, seas, underground lakes, and underwater caves. Arodonians spoke the language of Sahuagin, though some were known to also speak Common and Aquan.
Guardians of the Sea
Centuries ago, Arodonians entered the world to serve the desires of Sekolah. Arodonians 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 Arodonians noticed that their ancient elemental foes had grown quiet.
The Arodonians, driven by a sense of duty and responsibility, would not allow their foes to escape so easily. A great conclave of Arodonians chose volunteers skilled in weapons and magic as part of an expeditionary force to safeguard the Temple and Burial Grounds of Sekolah and fend off their enemies. The very few Arodonians 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.
Savage fighters, Arodonians asked for and gave no quarter; not even to children or babies. They had powerful jaws filled with long, sharp teeth, which they often used in battle. Spears and tridents were their favored weapons, which they often coated in a poison they prepared. About half of any group of Arodonians were also armed with nets that were laced with barbs. Especially when in groups, they rode mantas as a means of transport to assault ships and other vessels. They also used sharks as allies in battle, but the number of sharks they could control was limited to an unknown amount.
Although they excelled in physical prowess, they greatly feared magic, so they never tried developing or studying it for any purpose. Only priestesses of Sekolah used clerical magic granted by the god and even that magic was regarded with fear and as a necessary evil.
Haughty Nobles
As a result of their isolation and limited understanding of the Material Plane, Arodonians can come across as haughty and arrogant. They see themselves as caretakers of a great sea god, and they expect other creatures to pay them deep respect, if not complete deference. This attitude might grate on others, but it arises from a seed of truth. Few know of the Arodonians’ great victories over dreadful undersea threats. The Arodonians make little allowance for such ignorance and are delighted to expound upon the great debt others owe them.
Arodonians also have a tendency to emerge from their isolation under the assumption that other folk will welcome them as respected allies and mentors. Again, distance drives much of this attitude. The Arodonians’ limited view of the world leaves them ignorant of the kingdoms, wars, and other struggles of the surface world. Arodonians readily see such concerns as minor events, a sideshow to the tritons’ role as the world’s true protectors.
Arodonians were the natural enemies of aquatic elves and lizardfolk. Elves and Arodonians could not co-exist peacefully, and wars between them were often prolonged, bloody affairs that occasionally even interfered with shipping and maritime trade. Arodonians tolerated the lizardfolk much more than they did the elves. Arodonians had an only slightly less hatred for tritons. Exactly why the two races hated each other so much was unknown.
They also hated the kuo-toa and the morkoth, though it was not unheard of for these races to ally on occasion.
They lived in underwater settlements that also had underground passages and tunnels, which connected the houses above the floor. The palace of the high priest was always much bigger than any of the other buildings in the area. Multiple births were frequent among Arodonian and they dealt very harshly with offspring who were not robust or aggressive enough, eliminating them through compulsory fights to the death between the young. Arodonians seemed fixated on all aspects of consumption and were eager to weed out anything they saw as weak or unworthy to compete for resources.
When going to war, Arodonians followed a certain protocol called the Laws of Battle. Sometimes however, a group of the king sharks would form a so-called Wild Hunt, which went on a frenzied rampage ignoring all rules.
Strangers to the Surface
Given their isolation, most Arodonians have never been to the surface world. They struggle with the idea that they can’t easily move up and down out of water, and the changing of the seasons mystifies them.
Arodonians also find the variety of social institutions, kingdoms, and other customs bewildering. For all their proud culture, they remain innocent of the surface world. The typical Arodonian protectorate is tightly regimented, organized, and unified around a common cause. An Arodonian on the surface becomes easily confused by the bewildering array of alliances, rivalries, and petty grievances that prevent the surface folk from truly unifying.
At its worst, Arodonians’ arrogance compounds the tendency for the Arodonians not to understand the ways of the surface world. It’s easy for an Arodonian to blame baffling social practices on what the Arodonian perceives as the barbarism, weakness, or cowardice of surface folk., Molos, Nalos, Vodos, Zunis.
Sekolah, the Caller from the Depths
Arodonians worshiped Sekolah, god of sharks, as their patron deity and the father of their race. They also perceived him as the ultimate adjudicator and incarnation of punishment, officiating over an endless struggle between mythic figures. These figures were the hunter: "He Who Eats", and the hated: "It That Is Eaten", with the struggle between them reflected in every aspect of life. Because of this, sharks were seen as holy creatures to them, and dolphins were hated for their friendship with aquatic elves. The Arodonians made regular, living sacrifices to Sekolah by feeding beings to the sharks that followed every Arodonian priest.
Arodonians Traits
Your Arodonian character has the following racial traits.Crushing Jaw
Your teeth are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strikes.
Age
Arodonians reach maturity around age 15 and can live up to 100 years.
Alignment
Arodonians are fundamentally selfish, making them evil, but their reliance on the strength of their group makes them trend toward law.
Size
Arodonians range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have muscular builds. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 60 feet.
Ability Score Increase
Your Strength is increased by 1, and your Constitution is increased by 2.
Amphibious
You can breathe air and water.
Emissary of the Sea
Aquatic beasts have an extraordinary affinity with your people. You can communicate simple ideas with beasts that can breathe water. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return.
Guardians 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.
Pack Tactics
Arodonians 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 Primordial.
Taste of Blood
The Arodonians has advantage on attack rolls against any creature that is below half hit points.
Natural Armor
You have thick, leathery skin. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 12 + your Constitution modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
The Waves Blessing
At 10th level, your Swimming speed is doubled while you are not wearing armor or wielding a shield.
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