The merfolk are human-looking creatures who have the lower half of a fish instead of legs. They generally have fair skin on their top halves and blue-green scales along their bottom halves. They have richly colored hair that resists tangling and frizzing to a nearly supernatural degree, and nearly all merfolk style it long and free. Their bodies are genrally well-toned and hairless, though some males can grow thick beards that tend to turn silvery gray at an early age.
Merfolk tend to measure 6 to 7 feet long, with a majority of this length coming from the tail. They range from 150 to 250 pounds, with males genrally being significantly heavier than females. Merfolk reach adulthood at 15 years and live to about 80 years, though some live as long as 150 years.
Merfolk primarily hail from Synan or Lyder, often inhabiting coastal areas where they build their underwater towns. Merfolk are a passionate people who greatly value freedom and self-determination, which leads them to simple tribal governments that often migrate between physical towns. Of course, these qualities also earn them a reputation as tricksters and flirts, a title they embrace. They have historically been close friends of the halfings and of the fey, both of whom understand their lighthearted and impulsive natures.
Merfolk are monstrous humanoids. Spells that target only humanoids, such as Enlarge Person, do not work on merfolk.
Merfolk have the aquatic subtype, granting them the ability to move in water without making swim checks and the ability to breathe underwater. Merfolk are also amphibious, meaning they can breathe both air and water.
A merfolk can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Merfolk may choose to ignore any mind-affecting spell or effect that is either sonic or language dependant, such as a harpy's song. Merfolk can instinctively tell that such an effect is not a normal sound. Merfolk gain a +2 racial bonus to saving throws against enchantment spells and effects.
Sirens are a vicious-looking offshoot of the merfolk with bodies covered in sleek, shark-like scales. Their frames tend to be slender and bony with little to no fat, showing naturally dense muscles. Instead of hair, their heads are adorned with fin-like or anemone-like growths that some sirens keep braided, and their arms, spines, and tails have blade-like fins. Their eyes tend towards reflective reds and yellows, and their scales range from blue-green to grey.
Sirens measure a little over 7 feet long on average and weigh around 200 pounds, with females often being slightly larger than males. Sirens reach adulthood at 12 years old and live to about 60 years old.
Sirens are nomadic hunters who travel in packs in the Abyss, though some reside in the depths of Lake Nautilus in Lyder. Little is known about their culture, as sirens are notoriously hostile to the outside world and the extremely rare examples of sirens who leave their tribes tend to speak little of their pasts. Sirens are naturally reclusive and goal-oriented, with little concern for the traditions and opinions of others - though most outsiders are surprised to learn that they are also quite patient and cool-headed.
Sirens are monstrous humanoids. Spells that target only humanoids, such as Enlarge Person, do not work on sirens.
Sirens have the aquatic subtype, granting them the ability to move in water without making swim checks and the ability to breathe underwater. Sirens cannot breathe air. A siren can survive out of the water for 1 hour per point of Constitution, after which the siren begins to suffocate.
Sirens have the Shadowborn subtype. This grants the following traits:
Sirens can detect vibrations and electrical impulses from a distance, allowing them to precisely detect creatures and objects out to a range of 30 feet without light. Invisibility, concealment, and magical darkness do not thwart this ability, though it still can't see ethereal creatures and must have line of effect to a creature or object to detect it.
This ability is disabled if the siren is in direct sunlight.
Sirens gain a +1 racial bonus on melee attack rolls. This bonus increases to +2 if both the siren and the target are underwater.
Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight) blinds sirens for 1 round. On subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the lit area.
Sirens gain a +2 racial bonus on will saving throws.
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