Piscean Heritage

Also known as tritons and sea elves

Tritons are (c) Wizards of the Coast

Tritons guard the ocean depths, building small settlements beside deep trenches, portals to the elemental planes, and other dangerous spots far from the eyes of land-bound folk. Long-established guardians of the deep ocean floor, in recent years the noble tritons have become increasingly active in the world above.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Tritons have blue or green skin which is somewhat rubbery, like cephalopod skin. They generally have fins along their forearms and calves, and sometimes along the neck. Otherwise they are built similar to humans.

Genetics and Reproduction

Tritons have humanoid dimorphic sexes and procreate identically to humans.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Because of their native habitat, triton diets are pretty much exclusively raw seafood and kelp. Tritons do not drink water, but rather stay hydrated through consumption of water-rich foods.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Most triton names have two or three syllables. Male names typically end with a vowel and the letter s, and female names traditionally end with an n. Tritons use their home protectorate as a surname, with the name formed by adding a vowel followed by a “th” to the end of the protectorate’s name.
Female Triton Names: Aryn, Belthyn, Duthyn, Feloren, Otanyn, Shalryn, Vlaryn, Wolyn
Male Triton Names: Corus, Delnis, Jhimas, Keros, Molos, Nalos, Vodos, Zunis
Triton Surnames: Ahlorsath, Pumanath, Vuuvaxath

Beauty Ideals

Contrast is the name of the game for triton beauty. Tritons favor attractive skin patterns, especially against lighter-toned skin so they stand out more.

Gender Ideals

Triton men and women both tend to be valiant and brave and noble. Triton women are most often the tactical thinkers and generals, while the men are the explorers and commanders.

Courtship Ideals

Triton courtship draws many similarities from tales of mythical Camelot. Valiant knights and canny ladies courting amidst intrigue in the middle of a great conflict is par for the course for triton romances.

Common Etiquette Rules

As a result of their isolation and limited understanding of the surface world, tritons can come across as haughty and arrogant. They see themselves as caretakers of the sea, and they expect other creatures to pay them deep respect, if not complete deference.
This attitude might grate on others, but it arises from a seed of truth. Few know of the tritons’ great victories over dreadful undersea threats. The tritons make little allowance for such ignorance and are delighted to expound upon the great debt others owe them.
Tritons also have a tendency to emerge from their isolation under the assumption that other folk will welcome them as respected allies and mentors. Again, distance drives much of this attitude. The tritons’ limited view of the world leaves them ignorant of the kingdoms, wars, and other struggles of the surface world. Tritons readily see such concerns as minor events, a sideshow to the tritons’ role as the world’s true protectors.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Given their isolation, most tritons have never been to the surface world. They struggle with the idea that they can’t easily move up and down out of water, and the changing of the seasons mystifies them.
Tritons also find the variety of social institutions, kingdoms, and other customs bewildering. For all their proud culture, they remain innocent of the surface world. The typical triton protectorate is tightly regimented, organized, and unified around a common cause. A triton on the surface becomes easily confused by the bewildering array of alliances, rivalries, and petty grievances that prevent the surface folk from truly unifying.
At its worst, a triton’s arrogance compounds the tendency for the triton not to understand the ways of the surface world. It’s easy for a triton to blame baffling social practices on what the triton perceives as the barbarism, weakness, or cowardice of surface folk.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Despite their off-putting manners, tritons are benevolent creatures at heart, convinced that other civilized races deserve their protection. Their attitude might grate, but when pirate fleets prowl the waves or a kraken awakens from its slumber, they are among the first to take up arms to protect others.
Tritons readily sacrifice themselves for the common good. They will fight and die for humans, merfolk, and other creatures without question. Their self-absorbed nature makes them overlook the history of other creatures, but they also endure a sense of guilt over allowing the evils of the Plane of Water to enter the Material Plane and threaten its inhabitants. The tritons believe they owe a debt of honor to the world, and they will fight and die to pay it.
At times their fervor and ignorance of the world can lead them astray. Tritons encountering other creatures for the first time can underestimate them, leaving the tritons vulnerable to deception. With their strong martial tradition, tritons can sometimes be too eager to leap into a fight.

History

The tritons were the Elder Things' other intentional genetic creation using the habilis people as a base. These were granted many of the advantages of marine creatures, of which the Elder Things had the most finesse and experience with, and thus made the most effectively. This group of experiments were designed as a defense force against the deep one forces of Cthulhu, and were deployed to fulfill this duty immediately. The other habilis never even knew they existed.
For eons the tritons have been in the world's oceans fighting an ongoing battle against the forces of evil constantly threatening to bubble up to and terrorize the surface world. Now that they are finally breaking the stalemate and pushing back the deep ones and their ilk, a few tritons have come to the surface looking to provide their services in the fight against evil in the overworld.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Gaian

Scientific Name

Homo farrago aquaticus

Lifespan

Tritons reach maturity around age 15 and can live up to 200 years.

Average Height

4.5 to 5.5 feet

Average Weight

100 to 200 lbs

Piscean Heritage Traits

Ability Score Increase Your Strength score increases by 1, and your Constitution score increases by 1.

Size Medium

Speed Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet.

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Your triton character has the following racial traits.
Alignment. Tritons tend toward lawful good. As guardians of the darkest reaches of the sea, their culture pushes them toward order and benevolence.
Amphibious. You can breathe air and water.
Control Air and Water. A child of the sea, you can call on the magic of elemental air and water. You can cast fog cloud with this trait. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast gust of wind with it, and starting at 5th level, you can also cast wall of water with it. Once you cast a spell with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Emissary of the Sea. Aquatic beasts have an extraordinary affinity with your people. You can communicate simple ideas with beasts that can breathe water. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return.
Seafloor Diet. You are able to eat raw food without worry of food poisoning, though unnaturally occurring poison and rotten food affect you like normal. You also do not need to, and in fact cannot, drink water to stay hydrated. Your hydration needs are met by the water in the raw foods you eat. If you are unable to eat fresh, raw foods for 24 hours you begin to suffer exhaustion as if in an extreme heat environment, as described in the Dungeon Master's Guide on page 110.
Guardians of the Depths. Adapted to even the most extreme ocean depths, you have resistance to cold damage, and you ignore any of the drawbacks caused by a deep, underwater environment.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Aquan.