Gens d'Eau (5e Race)

Gens d'Eau

After sailing the oceans for a long time, a storm changed the fate of a group of voyagers.

Physical Description

Gens d'eau closely resemble normal humans in shape. They tend to be somewhat taller than normal humans and very lithe in body, able to glide through waters with ease. Their hair and eyes tend to reflect the waves of the sea in a variety of ways. For example, their hair will often roil like the waves in motion even if no wind is present. Their eyes may reflect a stormy sea when their mood is sour. Their eyes and hair are almost always shades of blue like the clearest of beaches. Another way to tell if someone is a gens d'eau is to tell them to wash their hair. No matter what, their hair will not get wet and clump. It always stays pristine as through dry.

History

A long time ago, there was a group of voyagers. They had been roaming the seas for centuries when one night they got stuck into a heavy storm. The storm had destroyed most of their ships, and only a handful of voyagers were left. These voyagers had managed to get onto a raft and were drifting around in the ocean, no land in sight. Each day, they prayed to the god of the seas to help them. After three days, another storm blew up. The raft sunk, and the voyagers drowned. The god saw this and felt pity for the poor voyagers. And thus, he decided he would give them another chance at life. The voyagers washed up on a shore of a tiny island a few days later, but they felt different. They collected food and started building a new ship on the island. When the ship was ready, they went back to the sea, with a new life and a divine blessing.

Society

The gens d'eau originally lived as voyagers in a group, but as time passed, some of them left the group and started living in towns and villages working at the docks or became sailors. The groups themselves also split off, living in certain climates. Those in the arctic areas tend to develop paler complexions, blending in with ice and snow. Tropical ones claim to be the closest to whatever the original ancestor of their race was. Storm and urban gens d'eau share dark, grey-blue hair, but urban ones lack the charges of electricity that course through the storm subrace.

Gens d'Eau Names

Gens d'eau are born of voyagers and seafarers. They tend to have the names same as such.

Male: Piet , John, Smee, Hook

Female: Anne, Mary, Alice, Faris

Gens d'Eau Traits

Voyagers blessed by the god of the sea
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution and Wisdom score each increase by 1.
Age. Gens d'eau age just like normal humans, maturing around 18 and dying at around 100.
Alignment. Gens d'eau that have been brought up by the group almost always have a good or neutral alignment. In very rare cases though, they can be of evil alignment, due to things that happened in their past.
Size. Gens d'eau tend to be taller and more slender than humans with the average female height being 5'10" and the average male height being 6'5". Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You have a swimming speed of 40 feet.
Damp Skin. Thanks to your perpetually damp skin, you have resistance to fire damage.
Iron Lung. You can hold your breath for up to 30 minutes at a time.
North Star. As a seafaring race you learned to use the stars as your guide. You never get lost at sea.
Voyager. You are proficient in water vehicles.
Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and Aquan.
Subrace. Pick one from the artic, tropical, storm, and urban subraces.

Artic

You dwell in the frigid wastelands near ice floes with fjords. The cold has ceased to bother you.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Cold Acclimation. You are unaffected by the effects of Extreme Cold.
Cold Magic. You know the cantrips chill touch and shape water and you can cast them without material components. You can cast the spell ice knife as a 1st level-spell once, without material components. You can use it again after you complete a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Tropical

The tropics are believed to be where the gens d'eau originated. They retain a close bond with the wildlife on both land and water nearby.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Biodiversity. You are proficient in the Nature skill.
Nature Magic. You know the cantrips thorn whip and shape water and you can cast them without material components.You can cast the spell entangle as a 1st level spell once, without material components. You can use it again once you complete a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Storm

Storm gens d'eau are prone to travel, never staying put, and having a capricious nature. They rely on striking quick, like lightning.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Booming Voice. You are proficient in the Intimidation skill.
Fomenting Magic. You know the cantrips gust and shape water and you can cast them without material components. You can cast the spell thunderwave as a 1st level spell once, without material components. You can use it again after a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Urban

Urban gens d'eau do not have vibrant connections with the natural world much anymore, being more worldly. They are sometimes considered by other gens d'eau to be tainted by pollution.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Barterer. You are proficient in the Persuasion skill.
Polluted Water. You know the cantrips acid splash and shape water and you can cast them without material components. You can cast the spell comprehend languages as a 1st level spell once, without material components. You can use it again once you complete a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
5′ 10''	+3d6	110 lb.	× (2d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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