Merfolk Races Merfolk Normally Live in Waters Shallow Enough to Permit Sunlight Through, and Only Rarely Venture Into the Lightless Merfolk Depths

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Deep Sea Merfolk Races Merfolk normally live in waters shallow enough to permit sunlight through, and only rarely venture into the lightless Merfolk depths. However, in the distant past, some merfolk took Merfolk Traits residence in the deep ocean, and over time were changed by As a merfolk, you have certain traits in common with your their harsh environment. people Female deep sea merfolk are in similar to common merfolk Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by in size and build, but their skin is slimy and scaleless, their 2 eyes are large and they have disproportionally large mouths Age. Merfolk age at a rate roughly similar to humans. filled with sharp needle-like teeth. They also have light- Alignment. Merfolk are more often than not neutral, but producing organs that they use to light their surroundings. don't truly tend toward any particular alignment. Male deep sea merfolk, on the other hand, are radically Size. Merfolk are 8 feet long from the top of the head to different from the females, being only a foot long and barely the end of the tail, and weight roughly 400 pounds. Your size humanoid. The male deep sea merfolk live solely to find and is Medium. mate with a female, which is not an easy task given the size Speed. Your base walking speed is 10 ft. You have a and emptiness of their habitat. swimming speed of 40 ft. The skin of deep sea merfolk is usually black, red or dark Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and brown, but some individuals are fully transparent. Aquan. Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases Amphibious. You can breathe air and water. by 1. Subrace. Choose one of these subraces, representing Bite. You are proficient with your unarmed strikes, which merfolk living in different habitats. deal 1d4 piercing damage on hit. Superior Darkvision. Accustomed to the darkness of the Oceanic Merfolk deep ocean, you have superior vision in dark and dim Oceanic merfolk are the most common type of merfolk. They conditions. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as are found in oceans around the world, building settlements in if in bright light, and in darkness as if in dim light. You can't the shallow seabed, coral reefs, and underwater caves. discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Appearance of merfolk varies depending on their Light Sensitivity You have disadvantage on attack rolls environment. Ones living in tropical waters and coral reefs and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when are as colorful as they fish that share their habitat, while ones you are exposed to bright light. from colder waters tend to be less striking in coloration. Photophores. You can use a bonus action emit dim light Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by within 40-feet radius around yourself. The light lasts for one 1. hour or until you use a bonus action to dismiss it. Merfolk Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the Swallow. You may use an action to make one unarmed spear, net, and trident. strike against a Large or smaller creature you are grappling. Siren Song. You have proficiency with the Performance If the attack hits, the target is swallowed and the grapple skill. In addition, you can may use this trait to gain advantage ends. on a single Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) roll against a The swallowed creature is blinded and restrained, it has creature that can hear you. total cover against attacks and other effects outside you, and After you use this trait, you can't use it again until after you it takes 1d6 + your Con modifier in acid damage at the start finish a short or long rest. of each of your turns. You can only have one creature swallowed at a time, and Freshwater Merfolk can't swallow another creature until after you finish a long Some merfolk communities are located near river deltas and rest. marshlands. Over time these merfolk have spread upstream If you take 1/4th of your maximum hit points (rounding and into the marshes, adapting to the different environment. down) or more damage in a single turn from the swallowed Due to often having to swim up rapids or move over land creature, you must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving from one body of water to another, the tails of freshwater throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate that creature, merfolk are broad and muscular, more suited for strength which falls prone in a space within 5 feet of you. If you die, a than speed. swallowed creature is no longer restrained and can escape Freshwater merfolk usually have silvery, brownish, or from the corpse using 5 feet of movement, exiting prone. greenish scales, like the fish that share their habitat. Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1. Darkvision.Accustomed to murky waters, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if in bright light, and in darkness as if in dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Strong Tail. Your base walking speed increases to 20 feet, but your swimming speed is reduced to 30 feet. Aquatic Elves Druid Level Circle Spells 3rd mirror image, misty step Aquatic elves, or sea elves, are an aquatic subrace of elves. They typically live either in nomadic clans or in cities built 5th water breathing, water walk from living coral in sunlit shallows. Aquatic elves are bitter 7th control water, freedom of movement enemies of the sahuagin, and have been at war with them throughout their history. 9th conjure elemental, scrying

Aquatic Elf Subrace Traits Sea Stride Aquatic elves have lustrous blue-grey skin, ranging from pale Starting at 6th level, you gain swimming speed equal to twice to dark. Their hair is typically green, silvery, pale blue or your base walking speed, and moving through nonmagical white. Their fingers and toes are webbed and they possess difficult terrain costs you no extra movement. You can also gills on their neck that let the breathe under water. pass through nonmagical aquatic growth (such as coral or Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases seaweed)without being slowed or taking damage. by 1. In addition, you have advantage on Strength (Athletics) Sea Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the checks related to swimming, such as attempting to escape longsword, shortsword, javelin and trident. the whirlpool created by the control water spell. Amphibious. You can breathe air and water. Swimming Speed. You have swimming speed of 40 feet. Nature's Ward When you reach 10th level, you can't be charmed or frightened by elementals or fey, and you are immune to Class Variants poison and disease. Druid Circle: Circle of the Sea Nature's Sanctuary This is intended to represent a variant of the Circle of the Starting at 14th level, when a beast or plant creature attacks Land druid that focuses specifically to the sea, with slightly you, that creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against different features to better suit that role. your druid spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature must choose a different target, or the attack automatically misses. Aquatic Wild Shape On a successful save, the creature is immune to this effect for Starting at 2nd level, You can use your Wild Shape to 24 hours. transform into a beast with swimming speed, but otherwise The creature is aware of this effect before it makes its must abide the limitations on the Beast Shape table. attack against you. In addition, you can can transform into a beast with a challenge rating as high as 1 (ignoring the max CR column of Cleric Divine Domain: Water the Beast Shape), but only if the beast has the Water This domain represents deities associated with water and the Breathing special trait. sea. Ocean deities will likely have this domain in addition to Starting at 6th level you can transform into a beast with the Tempest domain. Gods with this domain include, CR as high as your druid level divided by 3 (rounded down), Poseidon, Triton and Sedna, to name some. as long as the beast has the Water Breathing special trait. Water Domain Spells Natural Recovery Starting at 2nd level, you can regain some of your magical Cleric Level Spells energy by sitting in meditation and communing with the 1st create or destroy water, fog cloud, nature. During a short rest, you choose expended spell slots 3rd gust of wind, misty step to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less that half your druid level (rounded up), and 5th water breathing, water walk none of the slots can be 6th level or higher. You can't use this 7th control water, freedom of movement feature again until you finish a long rest. 9th destructive wave, conjure elemental Circle Spells At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to access to Bonus Proficiency circle spells. At 1st level, you gain proficiency with navigator's tools and Once you gain access to a circle spell, you always have it waterborne vehicles, as well as the trident and the net. prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that Ocean Guide doesn't appear on the druid spell list, the spell is nonetheless Starting at 1st level, you can perfectly recall the course you a druid spell for you. have taken while travelling on the sea or other large body of water, and you may use your action to alter the direction the Circle of the Sea Spells wind blows from within a 100-foot radius around yourself for one round. You can't alter the speed of the wind. In addition, if you are not wearing heavy armor or carrying a shield, you have swimming speed equal to your base walking speed. Channel Divinity: Tidal Surge Spell Level Spells Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to 1st create or destroy water, fog cloud conjure a mighty wave that slams into your foes. As an action, you present your holy symbol, and each 2nd darkvision, gust of wind hostile creature in a 30-foot cone in front of you must take a 3rd water walk, water breathing Constitution saving throw. A creature takes bludgeoning 4th control water, ice storm damage equal to 2d6 + your cleric level on a failed save, and half as much on a successful one. 5th cone of cold, destructive wave A creature that fails the save is also knocked prone, and if it Medium sized or smaller, pushed 10 feet away from you. Hunter of the Seas Creatures that have total cover from you are not affected. Starting at 1st level, you gain proficiency with navigator's tools and waterborne vehicles, and while on sea you are Bounty of the Ocean always aware of the general location of your destination, Starting at 6th level, you may use an action to reach into a whether it is a place you want to reach, or a person or object body of water deep enough for you to fully immerse yourself you are searching for. into, and pull out a piece of flotsam with a non-magical object In addition, you may use your action to spend one hour (such as adventuring gear, gemstones, a tool, or an art object) anointing one waterborne vehicle with the mark of your with maximum value of 4d6 x your cleric level gp entwined patron. Only one vehicle may bear the mark at a given time, with it. and anointing a new vehicle removes the mark from the If the object is a tool, it will be broken and must be fixed previous one. Once you anoint a vehicle, you may not do so before it can be used. again until you finish a long rest. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until after As long as you steer the marked vehicle, it can move twice you finish a long rest. as fast as normal, and may move at full speed regardless of currents or the strength or direction of the wind. If anybody Divine Strike else is steering it, the marked vehicle does not behave any At 8th level you gain the ability to infuse your weapon with differently from a normal one. divine energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to Ghostly Fog deal extra d8 cold or lightning damage (your choice) to the Starting at 6th level, you may use your action to conjure a target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage 100-foot-radius sphere of fog centered around yourself. The increases to 2d8. sphere spreads around corners its area is heavily obscured except for you and other creatures you wish to be exempt Command Aquatic Creatures from the effect. The fog will not be dispersed by wind, and Starting at 17th level, you may use an action to force each will last for an amount of minutes equal to your warlock level, beast or monstrosity with either the Amphibious or Water or until you use an action to dismiss it. Breathing special trait, that can see you and is within 30 feet Hostile creatures inside the fog sphere have disadvantage of you, to make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails on Wisdom (Perception) checks and on saving throws made the save, it is charmed by you for 1 minute or until it takes to resist being frightened, and you may use your movement to damage. teleport to any empty space within the radius of the sphere. While charmed by you, the creature is friendly to you and If you use this feature while steering your marked other creatures you designate, and you can take a bonus waterborne vehicle, the sphere will be centered on the action on your turn to direct what each of the creatures will vehicle, its radius is increased to 1000 feet, and you may use do on its next turn. your movement to teleport the entire vehicle to an empty space of water within the radius of the sphere. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you Warlock Patron: The Depths Below finish a short or long rest. Nautical folklore has many examples of sailors who struck a bargain with some kind of supernatural force. The nature of Chill of the Depths the deal may vary, but usually the price the sailor must pay is Beginning at 10th level, the cold darkness of the lightless being doomed to wander the seas forever, never truly dying depths permeates your body and soul. but being unable to set foot on land or enter the afterlife. You gain resistance to cold damage, and are immune to Your patron is some mysterious power associated with the being charmed. In addition, when you cast a spell that deals dark ocean depths. It may be a fiend, for example the demon cold damage, add your Charisma modifier to the damage. lord Dagon (also known as the Prince of Depths, who rules the layer of the Shadowsea in the Abyss), a Great Old One The Depths' Own sleeping in a sunken tomb deep in the blackest oceans At 14th level, you develop traits reminiscent of the creatures depths, a fey lord associated with the seas, or perhaps of the deep, such as a scaly, barnacle-covered skin, shark-like something completely different. teeth, black eyes, or a beard of writhing tentacles. Whatever the nature of your patron is, you have away You can no longer die of old age, are immune to cold bargained your soul to roam the seas forever, striking terror damage, gain swim speed equal to your movement speed, in the hearts of sailors and landlubbers alike. darkvision 120 ft., and can breathe air and water. However, if you spend more than 24 hours on land, you gain Depths Below Expanded Spells disadvantage on all your rolls until you return to the sea. Unsorted Stuff Fighting Style: Aquatic Fighting The following new option can be selected by fighters, paladins, and rangers for the Fighting Style class feature. You are considered to have swimming speed for the purposes of determining whether you have disadvantage on melee weapon attacks rolls underwater. In addition, when making ranged weapon attacks with a crossbow, a net or a weapon that is thrown like a javelin (including a spear, trident or dart), you no longer automatically miss a target beyond the weapon's normal range when underwater. Feat: Mariner You gain proficiency with navigator's tools and waterborne vehicles, and if you are not wearing heavy armor or using a shield, you have swimming speed equal to your base walking speed. Mosasaurs live near the ocean surface, where they prey on Sea Monsters anything smaller than themselves. They are ambush predators, laying in wait for passing prey, before pouncing on Mosasaur it. Some species have bony snouts used to ram their prey and stun it. Their jaws are double-hinged, like those of snakes, Mosasaurs are marine reptiles closely related to snakes and allowing them to swallow even large prey animals. monitor lizards. They have long, streamlined bodies, four Mosasaurs vary in size, with the smallest known species paddle-shaped limbs, and long tails with a large crescent- being around 3 feet long, and most growing longer than 13 shaped flukes on the end, similar to sharks. Mosasaurs feet. The largest known mosasaurs reach truly gargantuan breathe air, but live their whole life at sea, even giving birth to sizes, with the largest known species being almost 60 feet in live young instead of returning to the shore to lay eggs. long.

Giant Mosasaurus Actions Gargantuan beast, unaligned Multiattack. The mosasaurus makes two attacks: one with its ram and one with its bite. Armor Class 13 (natural armor) Hit Points 247(15d20 + 90) Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one Speed 0 ft., swim 50 ft. target. Hit: 22 (3d8 + 9) piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or be swallowed by the STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA mosasaurus. A swallowed creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other 28 (+9) 10 (+0) 22 (+6) 2 (-4) 10 (+0) 9 (-1) effects outside the mosasaurus, and it takes 21 (6d6) acid damage at the start of each of the mosasaurus's Skills Stealth +5 turn. Senses passive Perception 10 If the mosasaurus takes 30 damage or more on a single Languages - turn from a creature inside it, it must succeed on a DC Challenge 15 (13,000 XP) 21 Constitution save at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which falls prone Hold Breath. The mosasaurus can hold its breath for 1 within 10 feet of the mosasaurus. If the mosasaurus dies, hour. a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape the corpse by using 20 feet of movement, exiting Ramming Charge. If the mosasaurus moves at least 20 prone. feet straight towards a creature and then hits it with a ram attack on the same turn, the target must succeed on Ram. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one a DC 19 Strength saving throw or be stunned for 1 target. Hit: 27 (4d8 + 9) bludgeoning damage. round. The most notable feature of the gulper eel is its large Deep Sea Fish mouth, making up about a quarter of the eel's length. Despite Only the upper 650 feet or so of the ocean is fully illuminated the large size of its mouth, the gulper eel has only tiny teeth, by the sun. Below around 3,300 feet no sunlight at all can and generally feeds on creatures much smaller than itself. reach, and the ocean in pitch black, apart from the light The eel can swim into a large groups of shrimp or other small produced by the occasional bioluminescent creatures. creatures with its mouth wide open, scooping them up as it Strange creatures live here, adapted for living in the goes. However, if the opportunity presents itself, the gulper eternal cold and darkness. Because of the near-complete eel's hinged jaws and elastic stomach allow it to swallow darkness, they are either blind and rely on other senses, such creatures much larger than its body. as sensitivity to changes in pressure, or have extremely sensitive eyes that can detect even the weakest light. Many of Viperfish them are also bioluminescent, capable of producing their Viperfish are characterized by a long, thin body and long, own light, which they use to search for food and attract prey, needle-like teeth and hinged lower jaws. The teeth of the communicate and find a mate, or distract predators. viperfish are so long that it would not be able to close its Animals in the deep sea environment are sparse and food mouth, if it were not able to fold and curve them behind its doesn’t come along frequently. Because of this, fish living in head. Like other deep sea fish, viperfish are ambush the deep sea have specialized adaption that result in a predators, remaining motionless for hours until unsuspecting strange and disturbing appearance. Great sharp teeth, hinged prey wanders within striking range. Prey is captured and jaws, disproportionately large mouths, and expandable killed by being pierced by the viperfish's long teeth. Subdued bodies that allow them to swallow prey their own size or prey is then swallowed whole. larger are a few of the common characteristics that deep sea Viperfish vary in color from green, silver, to black. Although fishes possess. it may look like it is covered in scales, it in fact is covered by a thick, transparent coating of unknown substance. Viperfish Anglerfish possess several different types of light-producing organs that may be used to lure in prey. Anglerfish are predatory fish that have huge heads that bear enormous, crescent-shaped mouths full of long, fang-like teeth angled inward for efficient prey grabbing. They are named for their characteristic method of hunting, in which they use a glowing organ at the tip of a long filament sprouting from their head, which is used to lure the anglerfish's prey close enough for the anglerfish to devour them whole. Anflerfish come in a variety of different species, although most tend to have roughly similarly shaped spherical bodies and black or brown skin, and are among the most common deep sea predators. Black Swallower The black swallower is a common and widespread deep sea fish. Compared to many other creatures that share its environment, it is a comparatively ordinary-looking fish. Its body is elongated and scaleless, and is a uniform brownish- black in color. Its head is long, with a blunt snout, moderately sized eyes, and a large mouth lined with sharp teeth. However, as the name implies, the black swallower is equipped with articulated jaws and a greatly distensible stomach, which allow it to swallow prey over twice its size and ten times its mass. Black swallowers have been known to swallow fish so large that they could not be digested before decomposition set in (one individual was found having swallowed a fish over four times its own length), and the resulting release of gases forced the swallower to the ocean surface. This is, in fact, how most known specimens of the fish came to be collected. Gulper Eel Gulper eels are unusual fish that are superficially similar to eels. What makes the gulper eel so different from other fish, is not so much what it has, but what it doesn't have. They lack pelvic fins, swim bladders, and scales. They have very small eyes and a long, thin tail. Water Breathing. The anglerfish can breathe only Giant Anglerfish underwater. Medium beast, unaligned Actions Armor Class 11 Hypnotic Lure. The anglerfish's lure emits pulses of light Hit Points 45(10d8) with hypnotic effect. Creatures within 60 feet of the Speed 0 ft., swim 20 ft. anglerfish that can see the light it emits must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed for 1 minute. While charmed, the creature must move toward STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA the anglerfish, if possible. If the anglerfish attacks the 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 2 (-4) 12 (+1) 3 (-4) creature, the charm effect ends immediately Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one Skills Stealth +5, Perception +3 target. Hit: 6 (1d10 + 1) piercing damage, and ff the Senses blindsight 120 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive target is Large or smaller, and the anglerfish does not Perception 13 have another target swallowed, the target must succeed Languages - on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or be swallowed. A Challenge 1 (200 XP) swallowed target is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the Darkness Camouflage. The Anglerfish has advantage on anglerfish, and it takes 10 (3d6) acid damage at the start Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in dim light or of each of the anglerfish's turns. If the anglerfish dies, a darkness. swallowed creature is no longer restrained and can escape from the corpse using 5 feet of movement, exiting prone.

Giant Black Swallower Actions Small beast, unaligned Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage, and the target Armor Class 12 is grappled (escape DC 13) if the black swallower Hit Points 10 (3d6) doesn't already have a creature grappled. Speed 0 ft., swim 30 ft. Swallow. The black swallower makes one bite attack against a Huge or smaller target it is grappling. If the STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA attack hits, the target is swallowed and the grapple ends. If the target is Huge, the black swallower must 7 (-2) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 2 (-4) 10 (+0) 4 (-3) immediately make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. If the save is failed, the black swallower takes 7 (2d6) Skills Stealth +6, Perception +2 slashing damage and regurgitates the target, which falls Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive prone in a space within 5 foot of the black swallower. Perception 12 The swallowed target is blinded and restrained, it has Languages - total cover against attacks and other effects outside the Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) black swallower, and it takes 7 (2d6) acid damage at the start of each of the black swallower's turn. The black Darkness Camouflage. The black swallower has advantage swallower can only have one target swallowed at a time. on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in dim light If the black swallower dies, a swallowed creature is no or darkness. longer restrained by it and can escape the corpse by using 1 foot of movement, exiting prone. Water Breathing. The black swallower can breathe only underwater. Giant Gulper Eel Large beast, unaligned

Armor Class 12 Hit Points 82 (11d10 + 22) Speed 0 ft., swim 20 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 1 (-5) 13 (+1) 3 (-4)

Skills Stealth +6, Perception +3 Senses blindsight 120 ft., passive Perception 13 Languages - Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Darkness Camouflage. The gulper eel has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in dim light or darkness. Water Breathing. The gulper eel can breathe only underwater. Actions Gulp. A Huge or smaller target within 5 feet of the gulper eel that it can see must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or be swallowed by the gulper eel. A swallowed target is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the gulper eel, and it takes 17 (5d6) acid damage at the start of each of the gulper eel's turn. If the gulper eel dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape the corpse by using 5 feet of movement, exiting prone.

Water Breathing. The viperfish can breathe only Giant Viperfish underwater. Large beast, unaligned Actions Armor Class 13 Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one Hit Points 39(6d10 + 6) target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) piercing damage and the target Speed 0 ft., swim 40 ft. is grappled (escape DC 13). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the viperfish can't bite another target. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 13 (+1) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 2 (-4) 14 (+2) 4 (-3) Swallow. The viperfish makes one bite attack against a Large or smaller target it is grappling. If the attack hits, the target is swallowed and the grapple ends. The Skills Stealth +7, Perception +4 swallowed target is blinded and restrained, it has total Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive cover against attacks and other effects outside the Perception 14 viperfish, and it takes 10 (3d6) acid damage at the start Languages - of each of the viperfish's turn. The viperfish can only Challenge 2 (450 XP) have one target swallowed at a time. If the viperfish dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can Darkness Camouflage. The viperfish has advantage on escape the corpse by using 5 feet of movement, exiting Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in dim light or prone. darkness. Extreme dimorphism. Male deep sea merfolk are Deep Sea Merfolk radically different from the females, being only a foot long Merfolk normally live in waters shallow enough to permit and barely humanoid. The male deep sea merfolk live solely sunlight through, and only rarely venture into the lightless to find and mate with a female, which is not an easy task depths. However, in the distant past, some merfolk took given the size and emptiness of their habitat. Their jaws are residence in the deep ocean, and over time were changed by underdeveloped and they lack a functional digestive system, their harsh environment. Deep sea merfolk are merfolk but they have extremely well developed senses that assists adapted to living in the cold darkness below the sunlit them in locating a female of the race, to whom they attach surface waters. While they can survive closer to surface, they themselves and fuse themselves to her. The male then very rarely venture out of their habitat as most of them are becomes dependent on the female host for survival by only dimly aware of the existence of the surface world and receiving nutrients via their shared circulatory system. In the journey from the depths to the surface would be return, the female will always have a mate immediately extremely long and dangerous. available when she is ready to spawn. Adapted to the Depths. Deep sea merfolk have numerous Deep Sea Merfolk Society. Deep sea merfolk are solitary specialized adaptions that allow them to survive in the empty or live in small groups, very rarely composed of more than 10 and lightless depths. The females are in similar to common females. They roam the deep sea and the abyssal plains merfolk in size and build, but their skin is slimy and scaleless, looking for food, and fashion tools from material found in the their eyes are large and they have disproportionally large ocean floor, such as shipwrecks and whale skeletons. They mouths filled with sharp needle-like teeth. They also have lack a complex society as their harsh environment means light-producing organs called photophores, that they use to they lack the resources to sustain large groups of individuals light their surroundings, communicate with each other, and have little time for things not directly related to survival. attract prey and scare off predators. Due to the scarcity of food in the deep sea they have adapted to be able consume even prey that is the same size or larger than themselves. They have hinged jaws and highly elastic stomachs, which allow them to easily swallow whole creatures over twice their size.

Darkness Camouflage. The deep sea merfolk has Deep Sea Merfolk advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in (female) dim light or darkness. Medium humanoid (merfolk), neutral Actions Armor Class 11 Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5ft., one Hit Points 45 (6d10 + 12) target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage and the target is Speed 10 ft. swim 40 ft. grappled (escape DC 13). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the deep sea merfolk can't bite another target. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Swallow. The deep sea merfolk makes one bite attack 10 (+0) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 8 (-1) 12 (+1) 9 (-1) against a Large or smaller target it is grappling. If the attack hits, the target is swallowed and the grapple ends. The swallowed target is blinded and restrained, it has Skills Perception +3, Stealth +5 total cover against attacks and other effects outside the Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 13 deep sea merfolk, and it takes 10 (3d6) acid damage at Languages Aquan the start of each of the deep sea merfolk's turn. The deep Challenge 1 (200 XP) sea merfolk can only have one target swallowed at a time. If the deep sea merfolk dies, a swallowed creature Amphibious. Deep sea merfolk can breathe air and water. is no longer restrained by it and can escape the corpse by using 5 feet of movement, exiting prone.