The first Aquatalis where violent, destructive humans, cursed by the ocean itself to take on the characteristics of the ocean creatures they had treated with such disrespect. Now the warped, broken bodies of their ancestors have become powerful boons, allowing them to rule the seas with unrivalled strength.
Cursed and Capable
The Aquatalis have taken what was intended as a curse and turned it into a tool for conquest. They come in innumerable forms, each warped with the features of aquatic faurna. This can manifest in various degrees of intensity. One Aquatalis may appear predominantly human aside from a large swordfish blade in place of their hand, another however may have lost its limbs entirely, instead sporting a hollow torso that houses a large eel.
Despite this variation, all Aquatalis can breath water and swim proficiently from birth.
Timeless Conflict
After being cursed, the Aquatalis retreated beneath the waves to hide in their shame. It is from this moment that a brutal war broke out between the widely spread Triton populace and the Aquatalis who were forced to settle on dangerous or inhospitable land.
The battles were extremely violent. The Triton feared this sudden invasion of an unknown monstrous race and the Aquatalis were fighting for their very ability to have a future. The curse that forced them into this conflict ended up being their salvation as they were equipped with the tools that allowed the beasts of the seas to master it. Now, many, many years later, the Triton are in a worrying decline and are struggling to hold fast against the unstoppable spread of the Aquatalis.
Aquatalis Names
Aquatalis still use the naming conventions of when they were human. As such they have outdated, historical names. You may choose one of the following names or come up with one for yourself.
| Male Names | Female Names |
|---|---|
| Achilles | Archippe |
| Diodoros | Eumelia |
| Eugenius | Gaiana |
| Ireneus | Heroidias |
| Leonidas | Ophelia |
| Meliton | Philomena |
Aquatalis Traits
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age. Aquatalis mature at the age of 5 and live to the age of 300.
Alignment. The Aquatalis all have very different upbringings which results in a chaotic nature.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet and a swim speed of 30 feet.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Primordial.
Aquatic Life. You gain a swim speed of 30ft. You can breathe air and water. In addition, you are not effected by the limitations of fighting underwater.
Subraces
Aquatalis come in a wide variety of forms, each taking elements from aquatic creatures. There are four subraces that you can choose from, detailed below.
Locusta
Locusta have been gifted the hardy, armoured body of a lobster. This may manifest in the form of a large claw in place of one of its arms, or a thick exoskeleton along their head and back. You may customise how this appears on your Locusta, but you gain the below features.
Locusta Traits
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by an additional 1 and your strength increases by 1.
Size. You grow to a height of 7ft. Your size is medium.
Claw. When you make an unarmed attack, after dealing damage, you may immediately roll a grapple check.
Regrow Limb. Once per long rest, when you are the target of a critical hit, after taking the damage you may immediately roll a hit dice. You must be conscious to do this.
Hard Shell. Your AC cannot fall below 17 unless by magic means.
Selachi
Selachi take on the partial form of a shark. Their head or mouth is typically replaced with the sharp-toothed maw of a shark and they begin to take on predatory instincts. You may customise how this appears on your Selachi, but you gain the below features.
Selachi Traits
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2.
Size. A Selachi’s height can widely vary from 3.5 to 8ft. Your size is medium.
Bite. You are proficient in your bite attack, which is a melee weapon that deals 1d10 piercing damage.
Natural Hunter. As a bonus action, you may cast the Hunters Mark spell without expending a spell slot. You can do this once before needing to take a short or long rest.
Scent of Blood. You gain blindsight at 120ft. This only reveals creatures that are below full hit points.
Polypus
Polypus have been gifted the soft form of an octopus as well as its defensive talents such as ink clouds. They may lose their hair or fingers to become tentacles or have suction cups scattered across their skin. You may customise how this appears on your Polypus, but you gain the below features.
Polypus Traits
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2.
Size. Polypus grow to a height of 5ft but their tentacles can make them seem bulky. Your size is medium.
Malleable Body. As an action, you can enter a more squishy state, allowing you to move through tight spaces as small as 1ft. This form lasts 1 minute and can be used an amount of times equal to your constitution modifier. After this you must take a long rest to regain this feature.
Ink Cloud. Once per long rest, upon being hit by an attack you may use your reaction to blind all creatures within 10ft until the end of your next turn.
Suction Cups. You gain a climb speed of 30ft. In addition, creatures you are grappling have disadvantage on checks to break free.
Scypho
Scypho take on the poisonous, tentacled form of a jellyfish. They often have stinging tendrils draped across their bodies, originating from their hair or shoulders. You may customise how this appears on your Scypho, but you gain the below features.
Scypho Traits
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increased by 2.
Size. Scypho grow to a height of 3ft. Your size is small.
Stinging Strike. Upon landing an attack or spell that deals damage to a creature within 20ft you can use your reaction to imbue the attack with your stingers. The target must succeed a constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + Pro bonus + Con modifier) or be Incapacitated until the end of its next turn. You can use this feature twice before needing to take a long rest.
Water Spout. As an action you can fire a blast of water. A target creature within 10ft must succeed a Strength saving throw (DC = 8 + Pro bonus + Con modifier) or be pushed 10ft and knocked prone.
Poisoned Barbs. When a creature hits you with a melee attack it takes 2 poison damage. This damage increases to a 4 at level 6 and 8 at level 14. In addition, whilst being grappled, the creature grappling you takes 1d4 poison damage at the end of its turn.
Final Thoughts
Thanks for reading! This is the first published race with subraces! I’m happy with where this race ended up and think they’ll be a fun racial choice that dramatically influences the playstyle of a character. If you have any further questions about this race or want clarification on any of the features, please leave a comment below and I’ll try and get back to you as soon as I’m able. Have a great day, and may your next session be filled with glory! You can join the community on Discord, where I’ll be running some community Oneshots soon. You can also find me on Twitch where we build a lot of these homebrews with the help of chat!
Have a great day and a may your next session be filled with glory!

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