Jinei (5e Race)

Jinei

“

There were strange children we found on that island, seemingly gifts from god. Just as we left and sailed away, the island was alive! It sank deep below the sea. We were lucky not to be sucked with it. But then... where did these children come from?

”

Physical Description

By Void-Shark

An average jinei is, in a nutshell, a humanoid stingray. They have smooth, waterproof skin and gills, as well as flaps under their arms which aid with their swimming. Their heads are often linked to the flaps beneath their necks by a hood-like skin. The tail of their spines extends out into a long tail with a barbed and poisoned point. They usually have three to four toes and fingers. The head of a jinei is usually smooth, but some have two appendages sticking out that resemble either ears or antennae. Their eyes are commonly black, and they have mouths without teeth located near the underside of their face with small nostrils right above. The color and pattern of a jinei's skin is often varied between hues of dark blues, blacks and greys, but their belly underside is always white.

History

The jinei are said to be children of the sea. Their name means "human stingray" in the language of Wa. According to legend, a cult somewhere in the east had roped together a boatful of people who were barren and infertile, yet wanted children. They all supposedly had the same strange dream where they were told to go out to sea by a mysterious voice. Out at sea, they came upon a strange island, not on any maps. When they came ashore, they found odd critters and plants on the otherwise flat and barren island. It smelled of fish and had deep-sea mollusks clinging to it. The people heard a cry and followed it towards the island center. At the center, they came upon a pool of seawater. Half-submerged in the pool were several newborns who appeared like human babies. The boat people were overjoyed and took the children with them as they left the island, sure that the gods had heard their prayers. As these children matured in their new homes, their nonhuman nature came to be apparent as they grew gills and fins. It is believed that the island where they were found was a giant stingray and they were in fact related to its brood.

Society

Jinei live in close proximity to the sea and bodies of water. They believe that when they are of age, they will have to return to the ocean before they die or they will cease to be forever. Small villages of them dot coastlines primarily in the east. They are never situated in or near fishing villages of other races, preferring to fish on their own terms. They are known to be excellent deep fishermen who go with spears rather than nets. Thanks to their amphibious nature, they can bring up treasures like oysters and pearls from the deep. Unlike the triton, they are thus very active in life above the water.

Jinei Names

Names for the jinei are commonly taken from humans. In the east, they copy the orient traditions, but they will change these accordingly if they travel to somewhere with different naming customs for their children. They will try to keep a bit of the ocean within their names as a theme.

Male Names: Toku, Kaisen, Oceanus, Haidi

Female Names: Umi, Suira, Oceania, Nautica

Jinei Traits

Human stingrays
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Age. Jinei mature quickly at the age of 15. They are said to be able to live up to 1000 years. After this, they either return to the sea and turn back into a stingray, or turn into a pile of seafoam on land.
Alignment. They are rarely evil, though they can be misguided. Jinei prefer to be self-invested but are very protective of those they consider family and friends.
Size. The height of a jinei can range from just under 5 feet to over 6 feet. They tend to be rather light in weight. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You also have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Stinger. You have a long poisonous tail that can pierce armor as a natural weapon, which you can make unarmed strikes with. If you hit with it, you deal poison damage equal to 1d6 + your Dexterity modifier.
Amphibious. You can breathe both air and water.
Deep Sea Skulker. You have advantage in Wisdom (Perception) and Dexterity (Stealth) checks underwater.
Fisherman's Training. You are proficient with the spear, pike, war pick and javelin.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
4′ 8''	+2d8	90 lb.	× (1d6) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

5.00

(one vote)

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