Commonly considered the subject of fairytale, an encounter with a mermaid is easily dismissed as a sailor mistaking a sahuagin, merrow, or even a seal for a beautiful woman. In truth, mermaids are more common, and more complicated, than most would assume.
Though most at home beneath the waves, mermaids possess a natural wanderlust that often compels them to leave their birthplace and wander the wider world. Gifted with the ability to transform their tail into a pair of legs, mermaids can find themselves torn between land and sea, with friends in both that can’t cross so easily to the other.
Few can truly claim to know how mermaids came to possess this gift. Some legends say that it was a blessing from Xarthea, the Goddess of Change. Others, that it came from a bargain with a witch. No matter the truth, mermaids—though most comfortable in the water—can always find a place on land.
Mermaids make no distinction based on gender, and male mermaids, more androgynous than humans, are often mistaken for women on the rare occasions they’re seen. More important than gender is a mermaid’s school, the family and tribe they were raised with. No school stays in the same place for long, and a mermaid who leaves home rarely knows when they’ll see their family again. Many wandering mermaids hold the name of their school close to their heart, waiting for the day they meet again.
- Age. A mermaid matures slightly faster than a human. They reach adulthood in their mid teens, and their lifespans are shorter by a handful of years.
- Size. Starting at the hips and tapering towards their tailfin, a mermaid’s tail is at least twice as long as their upper body. Without their tails, mermaids are about same size and build as a human. Your size is Medium.
- Speed. Your base walking speed is 10 feet. Because of your tail, you also have a swimming speed of 50 feet.
- Amphibious. You can breathe air and water.
- Land and Sea. While you aren’t submerged in water, you can use an action to transform your lower body. Your tail becomes a pair of legs, your base walking speed becomes 30 feet, your swimming speed become 10 feet, and you appear to be human. This transformation lasts until you use an action while submerged in water to revert to your true form.
- Natural Wanderer. You have proficiency in the Survival skill, and you always know which way is north.
- Water Shaper. You know the shape water cantrip.
- Voice of the Ocean. You can comprehend and verbally communicate with any creature that has an innate swimming speed. You can speak with the creature whether or not it understands a language, though any information it can give you might be limited by its intelligence.
3rd level
- Controller of Water. You know the Create or Destroy Water spell, and can cast it without a spell slot a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. You can also cast it using your spell slots.
5th level
- Tidecaller. You know the Wall of Water spell once with this trait without any material components, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. You can also cast it using your spell slots.
Credits
Created By: u/NotTheSmoooze. You can find more of their work here, and support them here Artwork By: Livia Prima