Merfolk Guardian

Family: Merfolk

Medium humanoid (merfolk), neutral

Armor Class 11
Hit Points 44 (8d8+8)
Speed 10 ft., swim 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
14 (+2)	13 (+1)	12 (+1)	11 (+0)	11 (+0)	12 (+1)

Skills Perception +3
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages Aquan, Common
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)

Special Traits

• Amphibious. The merfolk can breathe air and water.
• Aquatic Telepathy. The merfolk can communicate with aquatic beasts within 100 feet using telepathy. The merfolk can comprehend and verbally communicate with aquatic beasts. The knowledge and awareness of many beasts is limited by their intelligence, but at minimum, beasts can give information about nearby locations and monsters, including whatever they can perceive or have perceived within the past day.
• Eel Strike. When the merfolk takes the Disengage action, it may make a single weapon attack as a bonus action at any time during its turn.
• Innate Spellcasting. The merfolk’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 11). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components.
  • 1/day: animal friendship, dominate beast (aquatic beasts only), hold monster (aquatic beasts only), message, sending (only through water)

Actions

• Multiattack. The merfolk makes two spear attacks.
• Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage, or 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack.
• Share Breath. The merfolk touches one creature, and that creatures magically gains the Amphibious feature for 10 minutes.

About

Merfolk guardians are the chosen of nature and its divine protectors. They are more mystical than other merfolk, and also more savage, mysterious, and close to nature. Sometimes, they live among other merfolk as special protectors, but there are entire tribes of merfolk guardians as well. Tribes of these merfolk seem forbidding even to other merfolk.