Locathah

Though unsettling in appearance—at least to most surface races—locathahs are friendly and inquisitive. Unlike many aquatic denizens, locathahs have no inherent distrust of surfacers. In fact, most locathahs enjoy conversing with surface races and often hail passing ships to exchange goods or simply pass along news. Crews who sail in locathah territory know the piscine people as traders of both goods and information, trustworthy so long as they are dealt with fairly.

Locathahs also enjoy the company of aquatic animals, and they can often be found living alongside dolphins, giant eels, whales, and other such creatures. Many locathahs train as eel riders, and a band of locathahs atop giant eel mounts racing through the water is an impressive sight.

Locathahs are slender humanoids who have feathery fins running along the backs of their arms and legs, along the crown of their skulls, and down their spines.

They generally have protruding fishlike faces with large, round eyes. Locathahs exhibit a startling racial variety that runs in tribal lines based on the features of the tribe’s matriarch; in some tribes, locathahs might have fins that are rigid rather than feathery or inset eyes protected by a bony ridge.

Most locathahs are a dark salmon or ochre color, but their scales and fins can be almost any shade, from black to aquamarine, azure blue, teal, deep russet, vivid coral, or pale silver.

Locathahs emanate a strong fishy smell that is detectable underwater but more pronounced in the air. Most surfacers find this odor unpleasant, but locathahs consider their smell to be an integral quality of their race. Locathahs take great offense to jokes or insults regarding their natural scent. Locathahs rely on this smell to communicate subtly with one another, and they can even read basic emotions from other locathahs through their odor.

Adventurers: Locathahs enjoy meeting new people from all races, often hiring themselves out as laborers, mercenaries, or guides aboard ships. Though locathahs are slow and somewhat uncomfortable out of the water, they can breathe air and suffer no ill effects from traveling on land. Locathahs work for fair rates but are canny enough to charge more for the use of their aquatic expertise, such as helping a ship navigate dangerous reefs. Locathahs are usually willing to accept useful items as payment rather than coins or gems, so long as their value is commensurate. They prefer artwork, metal weapons, and surface food (especially tubers) as payment for their services.

Locathahs are fast and tireless swimmers, and they enjoy serving as messengers or scouts. They prefer to be at the forefront of a group, both because they can react quickly to danger and because it gives them the chance to encounter a new experience or new potential allies first.

Racial Traits

Ability Adjustments: +2 Wis, –2 Int.

Hit Points: 5

Size and Type: Locathahs are Medium monstrous humanoids with the aquatic and locathah subtypes.

Amphibious: Locathahs are able to breathe both water and air normally.

Darkvision: Locathahs tend to live in underwater environments and have eyes adapted to seeing in dim or even lightless environments. They have Darkvision out to 60 feet.

Subspecies: Locathah hail from one of the following subspecies:

Rainbow Locathah

Typically living on high gravity worlds, this subspecies is shorter and stockier than the typical locathah. They are known for vibrant scales and wickedly barbed fins, fangs, and claws.

Ability Adjustment: Locathahs of this subspecies gain an additional +2 Str bonus.

Locathah Movement: Locathahs of this subspecies have a base speed of 20 feet and a swim speed of 30 feet.

Natural Weapons: You are always considered armed. You can deal 1d3 lethal damage with unarmed strikes and the attack doesn’t count as archaic. You gain a unique weapon specialization with your natural weapons at 3rd level, allowing you to add 1–1/2 × your character level to your damage rolls for your natural weapons (instead of just adding your character level, as usual).

Firstblood Locathah

Typically living on wet and tropical worlds, this subspecies maintains many of the traits that developed on their homeworld’s ancient past.

Ability Adjustment: You gain an additional +2 Dex bonus.

Locathah Movement: Locathahs of this subspecies have a base speed of 20 feet and a swim speed of 40 feet.

Skilled Swimmer: You gain a +2 racial bonus to Athletics checks when swimming. Athletics is a class skill for you.

Lung Fish Locathah

Typically living on hot or arid worlds, this subspecies is not as skilled at swimming, but can handle drier climates with greater ease. They have a pronounced set of webbed fins that run down their spine which helps to regulate their body temperature in hot environments.

Ability Adjustment: Locathahs of this subspecies gain an additional +2 Con bonus.

Cooling Fins: You gain a +4 racial bonus to Fortitude saving throws to avoid taking damage from hot environments.

Locathah Movement: Locathahs of this subspecies have a base speed of 30 feet and a swim speed of 20 feet.

Locathah Subtype Graft

This subtype is applied to locathah and creatures who are related to locathah.

Traits: Amphibious or water-breathing; darkvision 60 ft.; if the NPC is of the locathah race, it also gains either speed 20 ft., swim speed 30 ft. and natural weapons; speed 20 ft. and swim speed 40 ft. and Athletics as a good or master skill; or speed 30 ft. and swim speed 20 ft. and a +4 racial bonus to saving throws to avoid taking damage from the effects of hot environments.