Sahuagin (5e Race)

Sahuagin

The sahuagin, a wicked being with the the build of a human and the features and the savagery of a shark, live beneath the waves and defend their territory against anything that would get in their way.

Sea Devils

By Yoshitaka Amano, source

Sahuagin are piscine humanoids with scales like those of a fish covering their entire body. These scales tend to be a greenish color but can generally range from hues of blue to turquoise, and other colors found in bodies of water. Like how fish scales have gradients, sahuagin scales are darker colored on the back and lighter towards their belly. Many sahuagin have dark markings on their backs from birth, but these generally fade with age. Sahuagin have bodies well adapted to move in water, having webbed feet and hands, gills, and a finned tail. They also have webbing where ears would be on most humanoids, as well as down their spine. Their eyes are wide and globular, appearing moist in light. These eyes are said to glow in the murk of the deep where sahuagin like to lurk and hunt.

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 even dubbed "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.

Swarming for Blood

Strength in numbers applies as the best adage for sahuagin. Their swarms can be devastating even to enemies larger than themselves. This is, however, a foil for their inherent selfishness. Each sahuagin acts on their own self-interest. This communal selfishness can often result in coincidental coordination, much like how schools of fish organize. Each swarm of sahuagin can consist of as many as fifty individuals.

When not on the hunt or warpath, sahuagin swarms typically occupy underwater grottos that they have already picked clean of edible life. These grottoes are usually speckled with many caverns. It is rare for sahuagin to ever cohabit in the same dwelling, even as mates. There is a mating season for sahuagin, after which a female becomes laden with eggs. These are usually lain within the female's own abode. As sahuagin society carries no faux pas towards 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, the eggs are left alone until they hatch only a few weeks later. The female is usually not present but she will leave behind a corpse or something similar for the children to feed on. If no food is left, the newborn sahuagin guppies engage in mass combat, typically reducing the clutch from roughly a dozen to five or fewer, cannibalizing the corpses shortly after. They then leave to join the swarm, seeking the next kill.

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 20 feet, and you have a 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.
Bite. Your piranha-like mouth is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Limited Amphibiousness. You can breathe air and water, but need to be submerged at least once every 8 hours to avoid dehydration, suffering one level of exhaustion.
Shark Telepathy. You can communicate simple ideas with sharks. They may understand you, but you have no way of understanding them.
Blood in the Water. Your specialized sense of smell can detect blood. You are aware of creatures within 20 feet that have hit points below their maximum, and can bleed. When in water, this range extends to 60 feet.
Sharks Frenzy. You do not fear battle, for you can gorge on the flesh of enemies to stay prime. As a bonus action, you can make a special attack with your Bite. If the attack hits, it deals its normal damage, and you gain temporary hit points (minimum of 1) equal to your Constitution modifier, and you can't use this trait again until you finish a short or long rest. These temporary hit points disappear when you finish a long rest.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Aquan

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)

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