Homebrew Deep Locathah Species Details
Hard Fought Survivors
Far below the sun-kissed waves of the surface, the vibrant corals and sandy shores, lie the depths of the bottomless sea. Here where the barriers between the Material Plane and the once Plane of Water were thinned is the domain of Leviathans. Behemoths that slipped through the cracks in the world drift silently in the twilit currents, colossal looming shapes in the darkness. The seemingly endless sea stretches out in all directions, and the seafloor is nowhere to be seen. The brief and violent clashes of titanic creatures stir not a ripple on the surface. To venture here is the quiet death of the mortal races, beyond the reach of the sun.
And yet, as with all places, there lives a people. The Deep Locathah are far removed from their cousins in the sparkling waters above, having traded their legs and sparkling scales for a sinuous body of inky black. Patches of bioluminescence in colors ranging from aqua green to crimson stretch from the tips of their tails up to behind their shoulders, casting their long eel-like bodies in an eerie light. Giant distended mouths hang below beady eyes of jet, the Deep Locathah is a disturbing and alien sight to the other races. For the few to venture to the surface world the sealess earth is a harsh land. Missing legs they must drag themselves or slither, and cannot survive without water for long. Most who venture to the burning lands seek magical items or spells to make their time above more tolerable.
Society
Deep Locathah lead nomadic lives in close-knit pods of under fifty individuals, to gather in greater numbers is to attract the attention of a hungry leviathan. Pods of Deep Locathah are always on the move, prowling the inky waters of the abyss. Most will go their entire lives without seeing a solid surface, for the depths of the bottomless sea crush to paste any who stray too deep.
Materials are scarce in their mutable world, with most tools made of knitted fish skins and carved bone. Stone, metal, and wood are all but unheard of, making them extraordinarily valuable treasures to the deep folk. Most Deep Locathah have no possessions whatsoever, using their wits and magic to survive their unforgiving home. Quick and cunning use anything and everything to survive, picking their battles and fleeing all but the surest of victories. Pods of Deep Locathah are scavengers, often found around whale falls buoyed by hydromancy. When driven to starvation however they prove themselves adept hunters capable of taking down the lesser leviathans of the deep through careful planning and strategy.
Deep Magics
Deep Locathah are natural casters, talented in the ways of magic to fill the shortcomings of their home. Their ingenuity and cunning are brought to full effect through their magic, with spells to confuse or distract the denizens of the deep, or the mighty workings of a pod in tandem to bring low one of the behemoths which rule their waters.
Their innate hydromancy allows the Deep Folk increased speed and maneuverability when swimming, and many material functions of society are replaced with cleverly bewitched water.
Deep Locathah Traits
Quick in mind, Slow in walking.Ability Score Increase
Your heritage has gifted you with quick wit and a sharp mind. Choose to increase your Intelligence Score or your Wisdom Score by 2. Your sinuous body is strong and dexterous. Choose to increase your Strength Score or Dexterity Score by 1.
Age
Deep Locathah live the patient lives of those in the depths, they grow and mature more slowly than most species, but their measured heartbeat and metabolism allow them to outlive many other races. Deep Locathah mature to adulthood at the age of 50, and can live to be as old as 300.
Alignment
Pods of Deep Locathah are tight-knit communities who live and die on the actions of their podmates. They have rigid law unique to each pod, and deal with infractions on a case by case basis. While pragmatic, there is no room for error or selfishness in their society. Social people by nature the Deep Locathah work for the betterment of their people even at expense to themselves, and conflict between meeting pods is all but unheard of.
Natural Casters
The Deep Folk are limited by the empty nature of their home. What rare materials they can scavenge and craft from corpses is shabby and unreliable. To combat this the Deep Locatha people have developed an innate magical potential, allowing them to control a limited amount of water in their surroundings from birth and rendering them talented spellcasters.
You gain access to the Shape Water cantrip and proficiency in Arcana. In addition, any water which you have magically summoned which you effect with Shape Water becomes nonmagical seawater and will not dissipate when the spell which summoned it ends.
Swift Waters
Using the latent magic you were born with you can move nearby water at high speeds. As an action, you may select an amount of water that fits within a 5ft cube that you can see within 40ft. You may move this water up to 30ft in a straight line. Water which is under the effect of Shape Water maintains its properties at its destination. The water will bring any creature which was submerged in it as it begins moving to its destination.
Any creature that is in the water's path must succeed a DC 10 Dex saving throw or be knocked prone.
After using this ability your movement speed is reduced to 0ft until the beginning of your next turn.
Limited Amphibiousness
You can breathe air and water, but you need to be submerged at least once every 4 hours to avoid suffocating.
Leviathan Will
You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, stunned, or put to sleep.
Size
Your body is long and thin, on average a Deep Locathah stretches from 10 to 12 feet end to end and weighs an average of 200 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your body is optimized for the deep. Lacking legs you must drag yourself or slither across dry land, however, you are a powerful swimmer and navigate aquatic environments with ease. You have a Walking speed of 15ft and a Swimming speed of 50ft.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Aquan and Common.
Comments