Undersea Campaign: How many race options are there really?

[Urpriest]

I've been strongly considering starting a game set in an undersea kingdom. All the PCs would have to have ways of breathing water for extended periods of time, preferably natively, and preferably because they're native to aquatic environments (so while I'd be ok with a Warforged character, it doesn't really fit what I'm asking about).

Even allowing LA buyoff, though, it seems like the race options are underwhelming. Core has Merfolk (with LA buyoff, natch) and Aquatic Elves. Locathah and Sahuagin (and to a greater extent Kuo Toa and Tritons) have those awkward piles of RHD to deal with, in particular the humanoid HD of Locathah aren't that great. Stormwrack adds Aventi, Shoal Halflings...and that's pretty much it (ok, and Darfellans, but while being able to hold your breath ten minutes is good for the typical adventuring day, it seems like it would pose problems for exploring an undersea kingdom. Where would they sleep?).

So I've got four decently viable race options. That feels a little limited. I'd rather not just tack Amphibious onto a bunch of Core races and call it good. Are there any races I'm missing?

[Xerinous]

If you allow Pathfinder material, there's the Gillman (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/humanoids/gillman).

[TurtleKing]

Unearthed Arcana has races for an aquatic setting.

[ericgrau]

Nixies are pretty sweet. I've been itching to use them due to +8 cha on only 3 LA. Good for UMD rogues/bards, decent dex, and +5 to hide. Ok DR and high SR too. SLA charm person is nice because there's no verbal or somatic component to give you away. Or the race can make you think twice about taking high LA on a caster: the save DC on your lower level spells becomes higher than 0 LA higher level spells. Half-fey or draconic are good to take that further, for more cha-based SLAs and charisma, but the LA may be too much to handle.

I wouldn't underestimate triton. Their racial HD are outsider HD, which grant full BAB, 3 good saves and 8+int skill points per level. They overcome the low level LA slump with a summon that's beyond their level. They have a huge natural bonus and they have martial weapon proficiency from being outsiders (but they can be raised normally because they're native).

[flabort]

Unearthed Arcana has races for an aquatic setting.

Yep, and since all (or most, I'm pretty sure all) the UA races are on the SRD, you can look 'em up easy.

[Suichimo]

:P

I missed that last line. Uh... magic items that grant water breathing super cheap? A DFA in the party has an invocation that it can get at 1st level, IIRC, that gives Waterbreathing.

As for races, can't think of much off the top of my head.

[Quietus]

I'd consider letting players lower either racial hit dice or LA by 1, with veto rights. By doing that, you can have merfolk that are standard races, and a locathah player can drop one human HD, and the 1 remaining would become a class level instead, so they'd only have the +1 LA.

[Zaq]

Air goblins (and, presumably, other air races) don't breathe. Necropolitans also don't breathe. Neither of these really fit your "native to undersea environments" criterion, but they're there.

If you can snag the Elemental type somehow, they don't breathe. Can't think of any playable ones off the top of my head, though.

[shadow_archmagi]

I'd go ahead and toss "Spend a point, get water breathing for 24 hours" onto the long list of things Elans already get

[Igneel]

I am getting ready for a aquatic campaign, and for the sake of my comrades I started [read as not sure if I got everything] a list of as many official book races/templates just so those that were having a hard time finding some could have something to go by.

Some of these listed have HD/LA [thusly playable] so I can't say they are perfect, but one never knows what some people find interesting.



Aventi [Stormwrack]
Aquatic Human [UA]
Sea Kin [Races of Destiny]
Aquatic Half-Elf [UA]
Aquatic Half-Elf [Stormwrack]
Aquatic Half-Orc [UA]
Water Half-Orc [UA]
Aquatic Dwarf [UA]
Seacliff Dwarf [Stormwrack]
Aquatic Elf [UA/Stormwrack/MM1]
Air Gnome [UA]
Aquatic Gnome [UA]
Wavecrest Gnome [Stormwrack]
Aquatic Halfling [UA]
Shoal Halfling [Stormwrack]
Water Halfling [UA]
Air Goblin [UA]
Aquatic Goblin [UA]
Aquatic Kobold [UA]
Lizardfolk [MM]
Poison Dusk Lizardfolk [MM3]
Viletooth Lizardfolk [Dragon Magic]
Aquatic Orc [UA]
Water Orc [UA]
Water Mephling [Planar Handbook]
Darfellan [Stormwrack]
Warforged [Races of Eberron]
Warforged Scout [MM3]
Kuo-Toa [Underdark]
Toglodyte [MM]
Sahuagin [MM]
Merfolk [MM]
Triton [MM/Savage Species]
Green Hag [Savage Species]
Nixie [Savage Species]
Sea Hag [Savage Species]
Water Elemental [Savage Species]
Water Genasi [Races of Faerun]
River/Ocean Spirit Folk [Oriental Adventures]
Carp/Crab Hengeyokai [Oriental Adventures]
Amphibious Creature Template [Stormwrack]
Nereid [Stormwrack]
Seawolf [Stormwrack]
Selkie [FF]
Necropolitian [Libris Mortis]

===
Anthromorphic Animals [Savage Species]

Crocodile
Giant Crocodile
Octopus
Giant Octopus
Porpoise
Med. Shark
Large Shark
Huge Shark
Squid
Giant Squid
Baleen Whale
Cachalot Whale
Orca Whale

[Hazzardevil]

All of them, there's the amphibious template in stormwrack.

[Little Brother]

Air races, from UA? Don't need to breathe, ever. Won't help pressure, though, but eh.

[Gerrtt]

Somewhere there's a race of killer whale people, but I can't remember what they are called or what book they are in.

Cloak of the Manta Ray (it's in the SRD) is a great option though at only 7,200 gold. Breathing, swim speed of 60, +3 natural armor, and a functional tail spine that lets you do 1d6 damage to creatures behind you!

[hamishspence]

Darfellans (Stormwrack) are killer whale people. (MM2 has the Ocean Strider- massive sea fey- more orcalike than Darfellans, and the merfolk-ish Ocean Giant.)

Dragonlance Campaign Setting has walrus-people.

And Monsters of Faerun has sharlarin (another slightly fishy-looking humanoid race).

[CTrees]

Necropolitans are obvious and have been mentioned, but really, nearly any undead will work.

[TurtleKing]

Benefit of being undead is only have to worry about the scavengers of the local fishlife.

Edit: On another note DFA's have aquatic adaptation that lasts 24 hours. So even a regular human can stay down there so long as he puts it on him before the last expires from level one.

[Urpriest]

Darfellans (Stormwrack) are killer whale people. (MM2 has the Ocean Strider- massive sea fey- more orcalike than Darfellans, and the merfolk-ish Ocean Giant.)

Dragonlance Campaign Setting has walrus-people.

And Monsters of Faerun has sharlarin (another slightly fishy-looking humanoid race).

Did the Sharlarins ever get an update? Unfortunately the statblock says the example character is a warrior, so any attempt to reverse-engineer their stat bonuses will lead to some ambiguities.

As for the various UA aquatic races, they feel about as cheap as just slapping Aquatic on some core races (mentioned as something I'd rather avoid in the OP). People play aquatic games because they want to adventure in an alien world, and that alien world is somewhat lessened if everybody is just an undersea mirror of a core race.

The mention of Viletooth Lizardfolk is helpful, though. While regular Lizardfolk wouldn't be very useful in this environment, Viletooths are about as viable as Locathah.

[Aeolius]

...that alien world is somewhat lessened if everybody is just an undersea mirror of a core race.

I disagree. Take the core race and add a bit of real world marine biology... Inspirations (http://web.me.com/aeolius/turucambi/Inspirations.html)

[hushblade]

All of them, there's the amphibious template in stormwrack.

What he said. Page 136

[Gotterdammerung]

You pretty much listed them all.

I've only had the chance to play 3 waterworld campaigns and they all were a lot of fun, so do it if you can.

I played a ship's wizard during one, and it was very fun to look at magic spells in a whole new light. Spells that you would never prep on land end up making you an invaluable crew member on the open ocean.

I played an aventi Leviathan hunter in a solo campaign. It was a lot of fun dealing with the 3d aspect of underwater combat. One would think that it would be complicated like flying combat, but it really isn't. Plus the terrain is wonderful to play with. You get dynamic rounds of combat where you dart down cave holes to small for the monster to follow, or full out swim for a grove of kelp to hide in. I recommend getting some depth counters and multi colored markers. As a character it was neat to see my strength grow with each amulet i claimed of a fallen foe.

I ran the third campaign. The requirement was that everyone play a lvl 10 greenstar adept. I fixed the class to full spell casting progression since the class was forced and underwater high CR monsters are pretty raunchy. They could prerequ for the class anyway they wanted too, but they only had 15 lvls to work with total. The premise of the campaign was that a group of spellcasters had searched, quested, bought, begged, and borrowed for enough starmetal to make all of them immortal green star living constructs. But after all the trouble of reaching their goal, the group had burned many bridges around the world and still owed some powerful people money. So as a group they decided to dissapear into the mysterious deep of the ocean. They figured with their immortality they could carve out a seat of power in the dark depths. Each player got their starmetal for free and had WBL for a 15th to start with. They had a lot of fun. Everyone sort of encompassed a different roll. 1 player went healer/support using repair spells for healing and various spells for support/control. 1 player went gish for melee/magic. 1 player went straight mage. 1 player went an interesting summoning route. 1player did a sort of loremaster diviner route. And 1 player went a sort of teleporty night crawler route.


So in closing, the options on races might seem limited but as GM you can play around with creating races or altering races. And it is totally worth it. Because Underwater campaigns are always memorable.

[Andion Isurand]

River spirit folk from Unapproachable East are pretty decent. Fully amphibious without penalty on land or in the water, 30 ft speed on land and in the water, no ability score adjustments, life span of an elf, and any favored class IIRC.

[AmberVael]

I thought I had found a few that no one else had, but then I saw Igneel's giant spoilered list. I think he's pretty much found them all.

I do have one thing to suggest though: Half-Dragons! Specifically of the various Lung Dragon varieties. Stats for them can be found in the Draconomicon (page 166-167). A number of them gain water breathing.

[Coidzor]

Cloak of the Manta Ray (it's in the SRD) is a great option though at only 7,200 gold. Breathing, swim speed of 60, +3 natural armor, and a functional tail spine that lets you do 1d6 damage to creatures behind you!

Oh 12 gods. How does that work with 3.5 not having facing? :smallconfused:
As for the various UA aquatic races, they feel about as cheap as just slapping Aquatic on some core races (mentioned as something I'd rather avoid in the OP). People play aquatic games because they want to adventure in an alien world, and that alien world is somewhat lessened if everybody is just an undersea mirror of a core race.

Problem is, that's... kinda just what the way it's presented as. :/

You'll probably need to really go to homebrew for a proper alien world... Beyond Aboleths anyway.

[Hague]

Maybe try a land-dwellers vs. sea-dwellers campaign. Watch the war grow as both sides develop new and unique ways to fight each other.

[Tar Palantir]

Oh 12 gods. How does that work with 3.5 not having facing? :smallconfused:


Poorly, one would imagine :smallwink:.

[Dr_S]

weresharks...
+2(3) LA for acquired(inherited) template
+3 shark hit dice for hybrid/shark form.

(rinse and repeat for any undersea animal that eats meat and is within 1 size category of chosen base race)

[Aeolius]

You'll probably need to really go to homebrew for a proper alien world... Beyond Aboleths anyway.

Again, I disagree. For the sake of believability, one needs to work within the boundaries of “willing suspension of disbelief”. That being said, there are analogs that are not alien at all. Envision fields of seagrass, forests of mangrove roots draping down or stalks of giant kelp growing upward, dead coral deserts and lifeless urchin barrens, brambles of living sea stars, sargassum seaweed swamps, undersea mountains, or cold seep lakes of thickened brine. Reefs become subaqueous rain forests with a diversity of life like no other.

Add to this the realm of liquid space - life in three dimensions. There are the Drylanders who live atop the surface, the amphibious folk who dwell in both worlds, the races that dwell in the shallows, the pelagic people that live neither near the surface no the depths, and the abyssal folk that never venture into the light.


Because Underwater campaigns are always memorable.

And that is why I have been running undersea games for over a decade. Dissatisfied with dungeon crawls, I sought a realm that both worked within the rules yet allowed me to freely create as I saw fit. Making things up is half the fun, after all.

[Gotterdammerung]

Yes that is another great aspect of ocean adventures. Even in a highly flushed out world like faerun where its hard to find an inch of a map that doesn't hold some epic hero, the oceans are fairly undocumented. There are some loose hints at a few underwater organizations but there is vast amounts of space to create your own underwater worlds without fear of being contradicted by some published works. Another cool aspect is due to the limited nature of the underwater denizens, and the constrictions on spellcasting, and the troublesome nature of water there really isn't a whole lot of insane magic going on under water. Most of the ancient or epic wizardry is notably left to landlubbers. There is still magic underwater just not as much. Mostly from clerics, druids, sorcerers, aberrations, dragons, and outsiders.

[ericgrau]

Oh 12 gods. How does that work with 3.5 not having facing? :smallconfused:
Simple solution: Anybody at least 90 degrees from the guy you are attacking with your main weapon is behind you. If the tail is your only weapon, then behind you is whatever direction you want.

[Tvtyrant]

You know what did an awesome and weird job with aquatic races? One Piece. And using the Anthropomorphic and (a slightly modded) Tauric templates you can make interesting undersea individuals! Have them be Merrows as kids and then pick a final form as adults?

[Thurbane]

Has anyone mentioned Ixitxachitl? If LA buyoff is allowed, they have fairly decent modifiers, especially for a caster:

Ixitxachitl – small aberration (aquatic) (MM2) 0 ft move, Swim 30 ft, Str +2, Dex +6, Con +2, Int +2, Wis +2, Cha -4, Bite, Cleric

[Gotterdammerung]

Simple solution: Anybody at least 90 degrees from the guy you are attacking with your main weapon is behind you. If the tail is your only weapon, then behind you is whatever direction you want.

Or you handle it like the crocodile MM entry. If you attack with your tail then you can't attack with your normal weapons and vice-verse.

and @ tvtyrant lol fishmen. I could totally see a new school of combat manuevers for ToB classes. Fishman Karate school of manuevers. lol. Somebody has to homebrew this now lol.

[The Gilded Duke]

A little high level for a PC character but flavorful as hell. The dual mind thing is awesome, as is the lure. Anthropomorphic joined Anglerfish.
Ceratioidi (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/monstrous-humanoids/ceratioidi)

[Urpriest]

Has anyone mentioned Ixitxachitl? If LA buyoff is allowed, they have fairly decent modifiers, especially for a caster:

Ixitxachitl – small aberration (aquatic) (MM2) 0 ft move, Swim 30 ft, Str +2, Dex +6, Con +2, Int +2, Wis +2, Cha -4, Bite, Cleric

Ooh, I hadn't noticed that they were 1HD and had LA listed. With the rule suggested earlier in the thread to lower LA or RHD by 1 this makes them quite a powerful race actually, though I'm a little worried about the apparent lack of arms.

[Aeolius]

...though I'm a little worried about the apparent lack of arms.
In my game, the vampiric ixitxachitl are capable of creating undead juju zombie slaves, thus acting as their "hands". Perhaps a slight modification of the tail to make it prehensile might work in a pinch?

[Tvtyrant]

They can use mouthpicks!

[Urpriest]

They can use mouthpicks!

Inability to wield weapons is not quite the only consequence of lacking opposable thumbs. :smalltongue:

[Tvtyrant]

Inability to wield weapons is not quite the only consequence of lacking opposable thumbs. :smalltongue:

Add a wand chamber to the weapon! Crafting rules don't involve hands! Abandon logic and drift into the warm embrace of madness!

[Aeolius]

Tool Use by Fish (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUs6HfsojPo)

[Tvtyrant]

...I just suddenly had the urge to use Neolithids in an undersea campaign where they are tube worms that have age categories. Staying out of their reach isn't hard normally, but there are all sorts of mindless crustaceans that live just outside of their physical reach that eat travelers by pulling them within mindblast range.

[Aeolius]

Kind of off-topic, but I just lost a player in my undersea game. If anyone is free on Sunday nights (9pm-Midnight Eastern) and would be interested in a mid-level undersea 3.5e game, just let me know! :)

[Zaq]

Regarding ixitxachitls and hands, a Hand of the Mage is only 900 gp, which is possible even with level 3 WBL. By level 4, it's pocket change. (You could technically buy one with level 2 WBL, but it'd be everything you owned, which isn't practical even if your GM allows it.)

[Aeolius]

an ixitxachitl challenge for my L9-10 game might be interesting...

Now... what shall I do to said beastie, to advance him?

[Urpriest]

an ixitxachitl challenge for my L9-10 game might be interesting...

Now... what shall I do to said beastie, to advance him?

Class levels! Ardent would be cool. Or Totemist.

[The Gilded Duke]

This thread has me so tempted to run an underwater game.
That or an apparatus of Kwalesh game.

Have there be some sort of holy grove/coral important to the players that they use as their home base. With some wise guardian of the coral, being some kind of druid with amazing powers to defend it.

Have the Coral actually turn out to be a Genious Loci (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/geniusLoci.htm)

With the wise druid sage person being its mind slave. Then at some plot important point, the wise druid is killed, and the Loci selects its murderer instead.

[Aeolius]

This thread has me so tempted to run an underwater game. That or an apparatus of Kwalesh game.
In my last undersea game (a play-by-post) I introduced the Spawn of Kwalish - aquatic warforged. If you are free on Sunday nights and would like to lurk in my current undersea game (chat-based), you'd be more than welcome.


Have the Coral actually turn out to be a Genius Loci
I once placed a dead coral "desert", a field of bleached stony corals that had returned as a ghost brute.

[Little Brother]

Class levels! Ardent would be cool. Or Totemist.Being a totemist also gives it arms, something quite important I think.