Sahuagin, Variant (5e Race)

Sahuagin

Sea Devils

A sahuagin warrior at the ready, source

Sahuagin are usually green-skinned humaoids with scales like those of a fish covering their body. Like fish scale colors, it is darker colored on the back and lighter on the belly. Many sahuagin have dark markings early on, but these generally fade with age. Sahuagin are highly piscine, with webbed feet and hands, gills, a finned tail, and egg-laying procreation. They also have webbing where ears would be on most humanoids as well as down their spine. Their eyes are said to glow in the murk of the deep where they lurk and hunt.

Sahuagin are uniquely prone to mutations, and while most mutants are shunned at birth, two notable mutations are preserved: barons and malenti. Sahuagin barons are hulking sahuagin with four arms rather than the usual two, though this second pair can sometimes be unusable in their early life. Due to their immense combat prowess, barons typically lead sahuagin invasions from the front and sahuagin society from the top. Unlike that of a baron, the birth of a malenti is considered a matter of great shame and disgust, as they look almost exactly like a sea elf. Many clan leaders recognize the potential of a sea elf spy, however, and take them under their wing. These mutations are not necessarily incompatible with each other, but the benefits of one are often lessened by the other.

Water Hunters

Sahuagin are creatures as old as time, existing from when the ocean was a primordial place alongside proto-merfolk. Of the mortal creatures of this era, none were so vicious as the sahuagin, who were the hyenas of the deep. A swarm of sahuagin could easily bring down giants like plesiosaurs in a matter of minutes like a colony of giant piranhas. They dominated even large enemies, knowing no fear of death. Eventually, they carved out their own place in the ocean's depths, a place where no other creature dare treads for fear of these pack hunters.

It wasn't until the coming of the sea elves that the sahuagin's control was threatened, leading to a lengthy war that ended with a fragmented, wild sea. To this day, skirmishes between sahuagin and sea elves are incredibly common.

Packs for Blood

Strength in numbers applies best for sahuagin. This is, however, a foil for their inherent selfishness. Each sahuagin acts on their own self-interest, though this communal selfishness can often result in incidental coordination as organized as a school of fish, allowing a pack to easily take down an entire ship. Each pack of sahuagin can consist of as many as fifty individuals.

When not on the hunt or warpath, sahuagin packs typically occupy underwater grottos that they have already picked clean of edible life. It is rare for sahuagin to ever cohabit, even as mates. As sahuagin society carries no faux pas toward cannibalism, an egg-bound sahuagin typically seeks out an underwater cavern with sufficient space to deter others from possibly eating her eggs. Once they are laid and safe, eggs are left alone until they hatch only a few weeks later, by which point their mother has typically left a corpse or for the newborns to consume. If no food is left, the guppies engage in mass combat, typically reducing the clutch from roughly a dozen to five or fewer, cannibalizing the corpses shortly after.

Sahuagin have a unique connection to the shark god Sekolah, and while the nature of this connection is unknown to this day, it's possible that their common nickname of "sea devil" could be an indication, much like the nature of gnolls. Due to this connection, many sahuagin are able to command sharks with their psionic power, while others are even allowed to act as clerics. These priestesses typically lead a pack of sahuagin alongside or in the absence of a barons.

Sahuagin Names

Sahuagin speak an old lost dialect called Mermish, which is full of gibbering sounds like one is blowing bubbles. This is often mixed with Aquan to make nonsensical names, as they do not care for this.

Male: Xidobloblo, Hijigololo, Fandoblolo

Female: Sareloblub, Glubae, Maglug

Sahuagin Traits

A fish-like monstrous humanoid species that lives in oceans, seas, underground lakes, and underwater caves
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2 and Wisdom score each increases by 1.
Age. The adult age and lifespan of Sahuagin is not widely known, but many speculate that they live to be slightly older than humans, about 100-120 years at most. Sahuagin reach maturity at 22 years old.
Alignment. Sahuagin tend towards chaotic and mainly evil alignments due to their viciousness and innate savagery.
Size. Sahuagin stand 5 to 6 feet tall and average about 200 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 40 feet.
Superior Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 120 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.
Bite. Your piranha-like mouth is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. You may only make one bite attack on each of your turns.
Limited Amphibiousness. You can breathe air and water. If you have not been submerged at least once for at least 4 hours, you begin suffocating until you are submerged.
Limited Shark Telepathy. You can communicate simple ideas telepathically with sharks within 120 feet of you. They can understand your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Sahuagin.

Race Variant: Malenti

Melenti are sahuagin born near sea elf communities, and bear a greater resemblance to their eternal enemy than their own parents. While typically hated by most sahuagin, malenti are often protected by high-ranking members of a clan to be used as spies and assassins prior to a full-scale sahuagin attack. The following traits replace your Limited Amphibiousness and Bite traits.

Child of the Sea. You can breathe air and water, and you have resistance to cold damage.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
5′ 0''	+2d6	140 lb.	× (2d6) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

See Also

• Sahuagin Raider (5e Class)

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