Seaborn (5e Race)

Seaborn

“

They say the dead of the sea never are able to leave. The waters churn with their souls and they wish to feel warmth once more.

”

Physical Description

By Yanied

Seaborn are created from humanoids who died at sea, usually humans and usually by drowning. As such, their bodies show obvious signs of their ordeal, like kelp and algae mixed in their hair, as well as a pale and clammy complexion. Some seaborn may have slightly bloated bodies, and others may carry the constant smell of lake or seawater. It is also notable that seaborn are typically always chilled to the touch and have constantly wet skin. Their eyes are usually described by many to be sunken, with a white light in the middle. While they are capable of making expressions, most people associate them with that of a haggard, moaning face that looks like a tired zombie. Many seaborn still will wear clothes that they may have drowned in, if they have them. Otherwise, they may wear something similar. Since their bodies are always wet, these clothes will also eventually turn wet. So, it is very uncomfortable to share a bed with a seaborn.

History

Like in the legends of funa-yurei, those swallowed by the sea are never truly gone. Sometimes, the soup of life strangely foments from death new and strange forms of animus. Such are the seaborn. They are the remnants of those who drowned at sea who have returned to walk among the living. It suffices to say they are a type of undead, and yet also have a slight more semblance of life than your average shambling walker. The theory among necromancers is that certain seas in the world are so rife with life that even those who die in them can "live" once more. Seaborn have typically appeared as sailors that drowned and were risen, having washed ashore weeks or months after having initially died. The races they are usually risen of tend to be humanoid, for reasons left up to imagination. They often have amnesia and have been mistaken to be kelpies or even each uisges. It is said that seaborn carry with them a unique mark of the sea upon returning. Sometimes called a "gift," this mark manifests in various forms for seaborn, sometimes augmenting their bodies or minds.

Attitudes and Beliefs

Seaborn lack a cohesive society due to being literal waterlogged bodies that washed ashore with a bad case of amnesia. They are also not that common an occurrence in terms of raising up from the sea unannounced. Seaborn are subject to being seen as abominations by creatures of water, like tritons, and are of course seen as potential threats by those on land. In and of themselves, seaborn may lack memory and the same personality they had before they died. However, they experience flashes of clarity, like recalling where they may have come from or a face from their life. These small gems of clarity are fiercely pursued by seaborn, and they will seek experiences to awaken these. Their undying desire to find more fragments of themselves makes them appear brazen and filled with wanderlust when they are, in fact, mostly just driven and desperate.

In addition to the fragments of their past lives they cling to, seaborn also have been reported to hear a voice purported to be "the voice of the deep." This usually comes in tandem with their moments of enlightenment. Many times, seaborn may claim to hear singing or other sounds from the oceans and large bodies of water around them. Because this voice sometimes surfaces with their momentary memories, seaborn often interpret this voice as a potential guide for their actions to discover themselves. Some say it is the cruel trick of marids from the Elemental Plane of Water that perpetuate this manipulation. It is a theory among necromancers that it is a possible vestige connected with the domain of water that reanimated the seaborn and thus speaks to them in this inchoate fashion. To what end, is unknown.

Seaborn Names

Since seaborn usually don't have the complete memory of who they were before, they don't really keep the names of who they were before they died. They might have an inkling of something that sounds vaguely like it, or has a similar meaning. However, they usually come to choose a name that might sound a bit like syllables in the "voice of the deep" that they are familiar with.

Male: Chonathon, Haile'h, Shalehn, Othirl

Female: Sithrea, Chaunelle, Undir, Kureel

Seaborn Traits

Those who drowned at sea that came back, with some of the sea's influence
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1, and another ability score of your choice increases by 2.
Age. Seaborn are ageless, but stay at whatever maturity they were before they returned to life.
Alignment. Most seaborn are wandering souls. They can tend towards evil due to frustrations with their current situation, and many are chaotic, seeking to fulfill their goals at any cost. However, this does not preclude them from being good or well-intentioned.
Size. Mainly being of the humanoid sort, seaborn are about the height and weight of humans. Some might appear thinner or others more saggy and bloated. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet, having a bit of a slowed gait, particularly on land.
Undead Nature. Your creature type is undead instead of humanoid. As such, spells like cure wounds don't affect you, and you are immune to spells like crown of madness or dominate person because they specifically target humanoids. You also don't need to eat, sleep, or breathe, though you may do so if you wish.
Undead Fortitude. When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Gift of the Sea. You have been touched by the essence of the sea in some way that remains with you. Choose one trait from the Gift of the Sea list. You can choose one additional gift at 5th level.
Cold Blood. Your body is in a state of arrested development post-mortem, making you difficult to poison or infect with biological diseases since your metabolism is no longer normally functioning. You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned and diseases.
Aquatic Absorbance. You cannot heal normally as others do, being undead. However, that doesn't mean you're totally helpless in that department. You can spend 1 hour submerged in water and roll a number of hit dice equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining hit points equal to the total result. This is representative of you channeling the second life that water imbued into you to heal, meaning it is strenuous. You must finish a long rest before using this trait again.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language appropriate to your former race.

Gift of the Sea

The following are options for your Gift of the Sea trait.

Davy Jones' Embrace

The cold depths where you lost your life remains a part of you, colder than any frost. You are resistant to cold damage.

Kraken's Jettison

Waters do not inhibit you in the slightest. You have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed. Also, you suffer no penalties to movement in environments of water, like turgid waves or swampy lagoons.

Sea Asp's Protection

Your body's lack of proper circulation makes you resistant to poison damage.

Starry Sea Reflection

You have a natural knack for finding your way in water and to water. You are proficient in the Survival and Nature skills. Whenever you make an ability roll to find water, you can roll with advantage.

Echinoderm Recovery

While healing spells do not really affect you since you are undead, the essence of the sea tethers you to some form of life nonetheless and reacts to it to allow you to heal yourself in a pinch. When a spell that restores hit points targets you, you do not gain the benefits of the spell. Instead, you can expend one hit dice to regain hit points in the same way you would if you took a short rest. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all uses when you finish a long rest

Pearl Cover Hardening

You can draw on the essence of the sea in your skin to nullify damage to a degree. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to roll a d12. Add your Constitution modifier to the number rolled and reduce the damage by that total. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Holothuroid Armor

The sea grants you the ability to use some magic from its depths to resist assault. You can cast the shield spell without material components. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Deep Sea Chill

The cold element residing in you quashes even blistering fires. You are resistant to fire damage. Also, your clothes are always wet and not able to be ignited.

Variant Background Feature: Voice of the Deep

When you choose this race, you can choose this background feature instead of one in another background. Be sure to discuss this with your DM beforehand, as you will basically be replacing the feature of your chosen background with this instead.

Coming back from the sea, you become partially possessed by a voice that emanates from its deeps. This voice guided you back from watery doom and it is your guide, your Virgil in your new lease on life. When you are near natural bodies of water like rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans, you can beseech the waters to grant you aid or guidance, which will also come in the form of some omen. There is a 25 percent chance that the water will produce some sort of an omen for you, either to tell you what you must do or where you must go next. The DM chooses what the sign is, but does not have to tell you what it means. It can be as simple as a fish skeleton washing up ashore to mean ill-tidings, or a wave leaving a strange pattern of Aquan letters on the sandy shore before your very eyes that spell the name of a town.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
4′ 11''	+2d12	120 lb.	× (2d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

5.00

(one vote)

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