Locathah

Though unsettling in appearance—at least to most surface races—locathahs are friendly and inquisitive. Unlike many aquatic denizens, locathahs have no inherent distrust of surfacers. In fact, most locathahs enjoy conversing with surface races and often hail passing ships to exchange goods or simply pass along news. Crews who sail in locathah territory know the piscine people as traders of both goods and information, trustworthy so long as they are dealt with fairly.

Locathahs also enjoy the company of aquatic animals, and they can often be found living alongside dolphins, giant eels, whales, and other such creatures. Many locathahs train as eel riders, and a band of locathahs atop giant eel mounts racing through the water is an impressive sight.

Locathahs are slender humanoids who have feathery fins running along the backs of their arms and legs, along the crown of their skulls, and down their spines.

They generally have protruding fishlike faces with large, round eyes. Locathahs exhibit a startling racial variety that runs in tribal lines based on the features of the tribe’s matriarch; in some tribes, locathahs might have fins that are rigid rather than feathery or inset eyes protected by a bony ridge.

Most locathahs are a dark salmon or ochre color, but their scales and fins can be almost any shade, from black to aquamarine, azure blue, teal, deep russet, vivid coral, or pale silver.

Locathahs emanate a strong fishy smell that is detectable underwater but more pronounced in the air. Most surfacers find this odor unpleasant, but locathahs consider their smell to be an integral quality of their race. Locathahs take great offense to jokes or insults regarding their natural scent. Locathahs rely on this smell to communicate subtly with one another, and they can even read basic emotions from other locathahs through their odor.

Simple Folk. These creatures dislike combat and flee when disarmed or outnumbered. Locathahs hold community in the highest regard, never leaving a friend behind and often going to great lengths to retrieve a fallen companion. Among their own kind and races friendly toward them, locathahs are social creatures who live a very human-like, albeit simple, lifestyle. Locathahs work in stone, coral, and bone to produce the crude implements they use. Some take coral work to obsessive levels, with certain clans taking generations to grow their preferred medium in its desired form before carving it. They feed on crustaceans, undersea plants, and shellfish, and rarely on large fish that are caught during ritualized hunts.

Matriarchal. Locathah matriarchs serve their undersea tribes not only as chieftains, but also as the primary egg layers of the community. Each adult member of the tribe is responsible for raising a single young locathah as his or her own.

Attack Eels. Locathahs tame moray eels, keeping them near their lairs as humans keep dogs. Some locathah soldiers and hunting groups use giant moray eels as mounts, chasing down their quarry and attacking with narrow-tipped spears.

Thralls. More powerful aquatic races use locathahs as slaves, abducting breeding matriarchs to produce a constant wave of new workers.

Adventurers: Locathahs enjoy meeting new people from all races, often hiring themselves out as laborers, mercenaries, or guides aboard ships. Though locathahs are slow and somewhat uncomfortable out of the water, they can breathe air and suffer no ill effects from traveling on land. Locathahs work for fair rates but are canny enough to charge more for the use of their aquatic expertise, such as helping a ship navigate dangerous reefs. Locathahs are usually willing to accept useful items as payment rather than coins or gems, so long as their value is commensurate.

They prefer artwork, metal weapons, and surface food (especially tubers) as payment for their services.

Locathahs are fast and tireless swimmers, and they enjoy serving as messengers or scouts. They prefer to be at the forefront of a group, both because they can react quickly to danger and because it gives them the chance to encounter a new experience or new potential allies first.

Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2.

• Age. Locathah reach maturity about age 10, and live into their 60’s on average.
• Alignment. Locathah are friendly and inquisitive, with alignments tending towards good. With their matriarchal society, there is also a tendency towards lawful alignments.
• Size. Locathahs are slender humanoids ranging from 5 to 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
• Speed. Although amphibious, the locathah is much more at home in the water. You have a base walking speed of 10 feet, and a swim speed of 60 feet.
• Amphibious. You can breath both water and air.
• Scales. You have thick scales covering your body that provide a +1 bonus to armor class.
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Aquan.
• Subraces. Each locathah clan has differences which tend to follow the matriarch’s body form and abilities. Choose one of the following subraces.

Blunthead

Some locathahs develop blunt, flat heads with sharp, needlelike teeth and well-muscled jaws. This head shape reduces their swim speed but provides the locathah with a bite attack.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
• Bite. Your jaws are well-muscled, with sharp teeth that can be used in combat. You gain a Bite attack that does piercing damage equal to 1d4 + Strength modifier.
• Slow Swimmer. Your blunt head reduces your ability to slice through the water. Your swim speed is reduced to 40 feet.

Deep Sea

• Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
• 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.
• Stench. Although all locathahs have a distinctly fishy odor out of the water, some locathahs have slimier skin that exudes a strong scent both above and below the waves. You emit a terrible stench that nearly every other creature finds offensive. Any creature that starts its turn within 10 feet of you must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of its next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the locathah’s Stench for 24 hours.

Inshore

• Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
• Coastal Emissary. Locathahs who dwell in sunlit coastal waters develop close ties with surface dwellers and become skilled negotiators. Once per day you gain advantage on a Charisma-based check to deal with land-dwellers.
• Strong Limbs. Some locathahs have powerful legs that are very useful on land but limit their mobility underwater. Your base walking speed on land increases to 20 feet but your swim speed is reduced to 40 feet.