Maidmer (5e Race)

Maidmer

“	For the good of the race, we will fight, kill, and conquer all who wish to overpower us.	”
—Sir Draco Grey Spring McOlan

Physical Description

By Roon

The maidmer is like a mermaid, being half fish and half humanoid. However, they are piscine from the waist up and humanoid waist down. They are thus sometimes called "reverse mermaids" since their bottom half is usually something non-amphibious like a human. They have arms, unlike what one may expect, which are scaled like a fish and humanoid in shape and function, with opposable thumbs.

History

The maidmer were originally seen as horrific deformed merfolk and were usually thrown out of their homes in mer-cities. They were referred to as mudmaids. Sometimes merfolk families that lived outside the mainstream communities would take these abandoned children and raise them as maids and helping hands, not as a family. As time went on, the mudmaids would be allowed to live with their kind and later allowed to reproduce with other mudmaids. This started the first clan of the maidmers, the mudmaid clan. Having a community of their own, the started venturing away from working as servants of other merfolk, and started creating their own jobs. Years later the merfolk tried to pull back on the rights they have given the maidmers by setting rules stating that half of the maidmer population were required to be servants of higher class merfolk. This did not sit well with the mudmaid clan, and they carefully planned attacks on certain "purists". They were able to get help from merfolk families, like the ones from long ago. The mudmaids were able to hold their standing after years of fighting in the streets and some diplomatic stances. Soon after gaining some equality, they moved their community far away from the common and high class merfolk. They built the city of Wakestone, a city that rose from the waters to become an island.

Society

Being an amphibious type of merfolk, maidmers are very accustomed to land duelling. They reside in clans and subclans. The three main clans are the original Mudmaids, which formed before the maidmer revolution, the McOlan clan, formed during the revolution under famed general McOlan of the maidmers, and lastly, the Sunseekers, formed after the revolution with a purpose of bringing the maidmers to the surface. Under each main clan is another subclan.

The Mudmaids, McOlans, and Sunseekers are the governing body of the greater maidmer population. Most of the clans live in peace, but some deserters left the central maidmer city of Wakestone to make their own clans, dissatisfied with the main rule. They usually settle away and do not get along with the main or subclans.

The young maidmers are taught that one should always be prepared to protect what is valuable to the individual, meaning that they are trained in most fighting styles, and with weaponry including, small blades, all non-two handed swords, shields, spears, glaives, tridents, bows, and staffs. Maidmers love to spar, but try to avoid actual fighting where maiming and killing are objectives.

Maidmer Names

In tradition, full maidmer names consisted of four names. They were named in accordance with a strict formula. The first name is the constellation first seen by the parents after the child's birth. The second name is the color of the eyes. Time of year born in the third, and the father's surname is the last name. Maidmer full names were thus very odd and lengthy, like "Aquarius Green Fall Gnori." If this kind of naming is used, the child is usually just called by a nickname. Male maidmers are called "Mer" usually. Surnames are connected to the clan that the father has been accepted or born into. Maidmers that have no surname are thus labeled as "unaccepted." They are typically referred to as a "star-wanderer." This rarely happens unless the maidmer is believed to be born under an unlucky star.

Nowadays, maidmers sometimes take the human tradition of letting the mother name the child immediately after birth with whatever she can think of. Thus, maidmers no longer always have lengthy traditional names.

Maidmer Traits

A reverse mermaid.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age. Maidmer age fairly quick from birth to around 20. This is considered their youth. They then slow down aging drastically after. They don't reach full maturity until around 35, which is the prime years for reproduction. They are then ready to start a family. The average life span is around 230 years, but some have lived twice that. One year to a maidmer is two to a human.
Alignment. Maidmer are usually neutral, but they can be loyal to a lawful standard.
Size. No maidmer is shorter than 5'6", and none are taller than 6'3". Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You also have a base swimming speed of 40 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.
Amphibious. You can breathe both air and water.
Water Need. Your daily water requirement is doubled.
Spar Training. You are proficient in any two weapons of your choice.
Inspire. The maidmers proved their battle prowess as leaders and a shoal of one when they overpowered their tyrannical mermaid masters. You may use a bonus action to grant yourself or any creature you can see within 30 feet of you advantage in the next attack roll. You must finish a short or long rest before using this trait again.
Languages. You can read, write and speak in Common and Aquan.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
5′ 6''	+2d4	210 lb.	× (1d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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