Sharkfolk

Often slow-thinking, and more likely quick to anger, the sharkfolk are only one of innumerable strange mutations. When the titan was imprisoned beneath the waves, regular sharks were tainted and twisted by the corruption of the titan’s blood, giving them forms that were more humanoid than seafarer, and a twinkling of increased intelligence and cunning.

Physical Description: Sharks that were reformed to be bipedal creatures with arms instead of fins, shark-folk are a strange sight to behold. On land, they lumber about, their forms still awkward moving out of water. In water, however, they are still lithe and dangerous. Despite their strangeness being out of water, they are deadly in any environment.

Small, vestigial fins stick out from a shark-folk’s arms and legs, and a dorsal fin runs from the base of their head to mid-back. They have a tail similar to a regular shark, and their skin is smooth and rubbery, ranging in tones of blues and grays with white. Large, dead black eyes stare out of an oversized head, the perfect place for a shark-folks massive maw of dagger-like teeth.

Society: Shark-folk have not yet developed what other races may consider a society. Many of the shark people are loners, coming together only to mate, then go their separate ways. A baby shark-folk, called a pup, is capable of survival immediately after birth. Indeed, a pup’s instinct is to swim away from its mother immediately to begin its own hunt for food. As the race matures and becomes comfortable with its newfound intelligence, members of the shark-folk are beginning to remain together, however. These small tribes are made up of only a few to a dozen members and seem to be an attempt by the shark-folk to emulate mannerisms they have seen made by other humanoids as the shark-folk explore the new world (to them) of land. The shark-folk’s existence has expanded, and they struggle to understand their place in it.

Relations: In the sea, sharks are near the top of the food chain. Predators by nature, it was only larger predators that caused any sense of worry to them. The shark-folk are coming to realize they are no longer alpha predators, or what that even means. They now have to contend with the understanding of existing as a humanoid race, in a world full of other alpha predators. Because of this, and their natural tendency to frenzy when they haven’t eaten, other races often steer clear of shark-folk. Considered savages of the sea, land-dwellers are often tense and afraid in the presence of shark-folk, a reaction that often only causes the shark-folk to be more aggressive. There are those, however, who have reached out to help the shark-folk with their strange transition into full-blown sentience. Clerics and druids along coastlines are often seen working with shark-folk to build small villages near the water, steppingstones for the shark-folk’s introduction to land-living societies.

Alignment and Religion: Used to being the dominant force in their environment, shark-folk tend to be lawless, chaotic people. Unused to concepts like ethics and morality, they are just beginning to learn what is considered good and evil in the world. Shark-folk that are encountered often have idealisms similar to those of the person or persons who they spend most of their time around, such as the land-dweller who took time to teach them a skill or history lesson, or the small-tribe of shark-folk that raised it. Shark-folk tend to have no interest in praying to gods or titans, and often are flustered by the priests who attempt to explain why they should.

Male Names: Chutrox, Drokkuut, Jeqitec, Kraukzokken, Nagruk, Tezug, Uqra, Zudrukex

Female Names: Chaohra, Govra, Jetruz, Onneth, Qaengic, Rhuakni, Thagninzi, Xunzurra

Racial Traits

Their nature and the strange corruption that warped them grants shark-folk the following traits:

  • Ability Score Increase. Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 2, and your Intelligence score decreases by 1. When on land or another terrain that isn’t water, your Dexterity score decreases by 2.
  • Age. While many shark-folk do not live to be older than 30 due to their dangerous environment, some have lived to be just over 100.
  • Languages. You know Titan Speech and one other common language.
  • Senses. While underwater, you can sense creatures within a 30-foot radius.
  • Size. Shark-folk average just over 8 feet long from nose to tail, standing around 6 feet tall on their legs. Bulky and cumbersome on land, they weigh an average of 250 pounds. Your size is Medium.
  • Speed. Your base walking speed on land is 30 feet, and you have a swim speed of 40 feet.
  • Amphibious. You can breathe air and water. However, you must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 10 + 1 per hour spent out of water) each hour that you remain out of water. On a failed save, you suffer 1d8 nonlethal damage from dehydration.
  • Bite. Your large mouth is filled with dagger-like teeth and is a natural weapon which you can use to make unarmed attacks. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. In addition, a target you successfully hit with your bite attack is grappled. If a creature is still grappled at the start of your next turn, you automatically deal your bite damage to it.
  • Frenzy. When a shark-folk has not fed for at least one hour and smells fresh blood, it enters a killing frenzy, attacking the nearest foe. If an enemy is not within 30 feet, the shark-folk attacks the nearest creature. While in a frenzy, the sharkfolk has advantage on attacks and Wisdom and Charisma saving throws, but attacks against the shark-folk are made at advantage. The frenzy lasts until the shark-folk has fed, or a number of rounds equal to 3 + the shark-folk’s Constitution modifier (minimum of 3 rounds). If the shark-folk kills its opponent during a frenzy, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC 15 + 1 per hour since its last meal). On a failed save, the shark-folk ignores everything else and feeds upon the corpse for a number of rounds equal to 1 + the amount by which it failed its Wisdom save. While feeding in this way, attacks against it have advantage.
  • Keen Senses. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. In addition, you can smell blood within 180 feet when out of water. While in water, this distance increases to 1 mile. You can track bleeding creatures within this range by scent.
Section 15: Copyright Notice

Scarred Races. © 2019, Wanderer's Haven Publications; Author: Jeremy Hochhalter

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