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Morlamaw

Morlamaw CR 3

XP 800
LN Large monstrous humanoid (aquatic)
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +8

DEFENSE

HP 32
EAC 13; KAC 14
Fort +2; Ref +4; Will +8
Resistances cold 5

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft., swim 40 ft.
Melee tusk +8 (1d4+5 P plus skewer)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 3rd; ranged +6)

1/daymind thrust (1st level, DC 16), mystic cure (1st level)
At willtelekinetic projectile, telepathic message

STATISTICS

Str+2; Dex +0; Con +1; Int +0; Wis +4; Cha +1
Skills Athletics +13 (+21 to swim), Mysticism +13, Survival +8
Languages Common, Morlamaw
Other Abilities amphibious, water breathing
Gear casual stationwear

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Skewer (Ex)

When a morlamaw successfully deals damage with their tusk to a creature that isn’t adjacent to them, they can move that creature 5 feet into an adjacent square. This movement doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity.

ECOLOGY

Environment any water
Organization solitary, pair, or herd (3–12)

These creatures, whose imposing physical size belies their generally good-natured personalities, have round torsos that end in a single wide flipper. They can breathe both underwater and on land, perhaps indicating that their ancestors lived on the planet’s continents in eons past. Currently, only particularly brave morlamaws venture onto the land, though swimming up to the surface isn’t uncommon. A morlamaw’s side flippers allow a large degree of fine movement, enabling them to manipulate objects and use equipment. A morlamaw has four tusks that they decorate with patterns meaningful to them as an individual. Their coloration doesn’t necessarily correspond to that of their parents, and they are sometimes born with multiple colors, which is thought to be a sign of good luck for the family. Morlamaws are typically between 10 and 12 feet long and weigh between 1 to 1-1/2 tons.

Morlamaw society is concentrated in several dozen cities built into long undersea trenches. The largest settlements have extensive urban areas that effectively form small citystates.

Each city has a leader, though some inherit their titles while others are elected. Their buildings tend to be very regular, with morlamaws often digging straight lines into the trenches rather than following the natural curvature of the terrain. Many morlamaws take to engineering and have developed underwater versions of common technologies, though computers remain an engineering challenge. Travel between trenches is risky, resulting in de facto highways along the most efficient routes. Morlamaws who commit dangerous crimes are exiled, sentenced to fend for themselves in the underwater wilds.

Most eventually succumb to the dangers of the wilderness, but a few thrive, becoming even deadlier themselves.

Morlamaw society is extremely orderly, and most morlamaws prefer to follow others. Their daily lives are often defined by the numbers of lines they wait in. Their diet is primarily carnivorous, and many morlamaws are skilled hunters. While their ancestors speared fish directly with their tusks, modern morlamaws are more likely to use spears, nets, or traps. Other morlamaws cultivate or gather shellfish. Some adventurous morlamaws hunt on land, and the meat they find there is considered a great delicacy. Spellcasters are extremely common, and even morlamaws who can’t actually cast spells are knowledgeable about mystical topics. Most morlamaws are also fairly religious, worshiping a large number of their own deities and attending religious services regularly. Each trench city has its own patron deities.

The morlamaw language is based on gesture and expression as much as words. Gestures vary greatly between regions, and what is innocuous in one trench city could be insulting in another, making communication between the trench cities difficult. Music and dance also play a large role in morlamaw culture, and choirs and orchestras abound. Instruments are typically percussive or metal-stringed, since they must function underwater, and these are accompanied by vocals. Morlamaw music is very structured, with multipart harmonies. Their dances take full advantage of being performed underwater, as entertainers twirl with the currents.

Particularly adventurous morlamaws have taken to the stars in other ways, getting jobs with mining companies, trading consortiums, who find the orderly morlamaws to be excellent employees. Among other species, morlamaws have a reputation as friendly, good-natured, cooperative, and somewhat gullible.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Starfinder Alien Archive 3 © 2019, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Saif Ansari, Kate Baker, John Compton, Adam Daigle, Katina Davis, Eleanor Ferron, Crystal Frasier, Leo Glass, Sasha Lindley Hall, Amanda Hamon, Thurston Hillman, James Jacobs, Jenny Jarzabski, Virginia Jordan, Jason Keeley, Natalie Kertzner, Luis Loza, Lyz Liddell, Ron Lundeen, Crystal Malarsky, Robert G. McCreary, Hilary Moon Murphy, Adrian Ng, Joe Pasini, Lacy Pellazar, Samantha Phelan, Jessica Redekop, Simone D. Sallé, Michael Sayre, Owen K.C. Stephens, James L. Sutter, Jason Tondro, Diego Valdez, and Linda Zayas-Palmer.