Credits
Lead Designer: Ryan Rose
- Managing Editor: Ryan Rose
- Content Development: Shiloh Berscheid, Miles Dávila, Rob Gunningham, Jake Hilton, Ryan Rose
- Editing: Miles Dávila
- Graphic Design: Brennan Sisson
- Art Director: Jake Hilton
- Cover Illustration: Gabor Szikszai
- Interior Illustration: Alex Stone, Brian Valeza, Caio Monteiro, Cristi Balanescu, Ilse Gort, Jason Rainville, Konstantin Porubov, Lie Setiawan, Magali Villeneuve, Mathias Kollros, Simon Dominic, Slawomir Maniak, Viktor Titov
Disclaimer: This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Open Gaming License. It is not approved/endorsed by Wizards of the Coast. Portions of the material used may be property of Wizards of the Coast. Copyright Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Benefactors
And a special thanks to our Diviner tier patrons! Your continued support is always be invaluable!
- KennedyBud
- VeryGreatFrog
- Christian D.
- Paul William Eachus
Table of Contents
What Lies Below
Adventuring is rarely static. Heroes, villains, and would-be legends range across the world to complete their adventures. What Lies Below explores the depths and the adventures that surround them. It offers character options for those whose origins and experiences are more suited to water than air, a species of peoples who call the depths their home, and spells that command the waters.
Beyond these, What Lies Below offers GMs creatures that will surely swim before they sink and magical environments to surprise players with as they explore the oceans.
Class Options
Both below and beside the water, there exist a multitude of adventurers who adapt themselves to the water's presence. Many of these styles and adaptations are chronicled here.
This section introduces optional class features that better suit classes to campaigns and adventures within and around water. It also introduces subclass options. At 1st level, a cleric chooses a Divine Domain. At 2nd level, a druid chooses a Druid Circle. At 3rd level, a bard chooses a Bard College and a rogue chooses a Roguish Archetype. This section offers the Sea Domain for the cleric, the Circle of Reefs for the druid, the College of Sirens for the bard, and the Angler Archetype for the rogue, expanding their options for those choices.
Optional Class Features
This section offers additional features that you can gain as a barbarian, fighter, monk, and ranger.
Unlike the features in the Basic Rules, you don’t gain the features here automatically. Consulting with your GM, you decide whether to gain a feature in this section if you meet the level requirement noted in the feature’s description. The features are presented alphabetically.
Fathom's Fury
5th-level barbarian feature, which replaces the Fast Movement feature
Your rage sustains you while submerged. While you are raging, you gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed and you can hold your breath twice as long.
Fighting Style Option
1st-level fighter feature, 2nd-level paladin feature, 2nd-level ranger feature
When you choose a fighting style, the following style is added to your list of options.
Mariner
You gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed, and when you hit with a melee weapon attack while underwater, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.
Friend of Nature
1st-level ranger feature, which replaces the Natural Explorer feature
When you call, nature's denizens answer and offer you aid. Over the course of 10 minutes, you can conduct a ritual that attracts the attention of a number of beasts within 1 mile of you. At the end of the ritual, a number of Medium beasts equal to 1 + your proficiency bonus gather within 10 feet of you. Your GM determines the beasts that appear, though they can be of a CR no greater than 1/4, and will provide their statistics if necessary.
These beasts are friendly to you and your companions, are considered trained mounts, and are considered to be Large beasts for the purposes of determining carrying capacity and what creatures are able to mount them. They can accompany you for 8 hours, until you dismiss them (no action required), or until your allies are attacked by hostile creatures, at which point they use their first turn in combat to buck their rider and take the Dash action to flee.
While they accompany you, you gain the following benefits:
- Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s travel.
- Your group can’t become lost except by magical means.
- You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to find shelter provided by natural structures.
At 6th level, the creatures no longer flee when you are attacked and can be used as trained mounts in combat. At 10th level, the maximum CR of these beasts increases to 1.
Ki Option
2nd-level monk feature
When you gain the ki feature, the following feature is added to your list of options.
Ki-Infused Breath
You can spend 1 ki point as an action to breathe underwater for 1 hour.
to ride along the currents with a dolphin.
College of Sirens
The song of the sea bewitches and mesmerizes. Its waves provide melody; its storms play torment upon its travelers. Bards of the College of Sirens harness the ancient wisdom of the seas and spin it into performances that captivate. They specialize in shanties and hypnotic stories of beauty and violence, charm and fear, depths and shallows.
Aquatic Acoustician
3rd-level College of Sirens feature
You gain proficiency with hand crossbows, nets, and tridents.
Additionally, you gain the following benefits while submerged in water:
- You can cast spells with verbal components, and doing so doesn't cause you to begin choking or suffocating or to lose your breath.
- Music and sounds you create, such as with musical instruments or your voice, are not distorted by passing through water.
- Your proficiency bonus is doubled for Dexterity (Acrobatics) and Charisma (Performance) checks.
Siren's Song
3rd-level College of Sirens feature
You learn to replicate the hypnotic temptation of the sea. As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration and choose a creature that can hear you within 60 feet of you to gain your choice of effect. This range is doubled if both you and the creature are submerged.
Call of the Sea. Roll your Bardic Inspiration die. The target gains a swimming speed equal to its walking speed and ignores the detriments of underwater visibility for a number of hours equal to your roll.
Siren's Charm. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be charmed by you for 1 minute. While charmed in this way, the creature must use its movement to move toward you. If you damage the creature or that movement would take it through obviously dangerous terrain, like lava or off a cliff, it must make an additional Wisdom saving throw. On a success, the creature is no longer charmed and is immune to this feature for 24 hours.
Secrets of the Deep
6th-level College of Sirens feature
You learn the water breathing spell if you don't already know it, and it counts as a bard spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of bard spells you know.
Siren's Echo
6th-level College of Sirens feature
When you use your action to cast a spell of 1st-level or higher that has a verbal component, you can choose a creature within 30 feet of you that can hear you. That creature immediately use its reaction to cast the same spell, even if it doesn't know it or have it prepared, provided it can expend a spell slot of the spell's level or higher and provide the spell's components. The triggering spell is considered to be on the creature's spell list for this casting.
Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
Shipwreck
14th-level College of Sirens feature
You can convince even the most careful creatures to throw themselves against the rocks. When you force any number of creatures to make an Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma saving throw, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration. Roll the Bardic Inspiration die and subtract the number rolled from each creature's saving throw.
uses an illusory duplicate to confuse
an enemy.
Sea Domain
The seas are the origin of life and continued sources of its survival. Clerics of the Sea Domain worship the way in which the waters and the moon that create tides bathe the land in life. They seek to protect its fragile reefs and revere its tempestuous nature. Following gods of water, the ocean, and the seas, such as Aegir, Brigantia, Manannan mac Lir, Njord, Poseidon, and Sobek, these clerics adventure on ships, below the waves, and across coasts in order to spread liveliness, find sunken artifacts, and see the vastness of the oceans to strengthen their worship.
Domain Spells
1st-level Sea Domain feature
You gain domain spells at the cleric levels listed in the Sea Domain Spells table. See the Divine Domain class feature for how domain spells work.
Sea Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Spell |
|---|---|
| 1st | create or destroy water, swimWLB |
| 3rd | moonbeam, water lashWLB |
| 5th | water breathing, water walk |
| 7th | control water, polymorph |
| 9th | commune with nature, hail of harpoonsWLB |
Bonus Proficiencies
1st-level Sea Domain feature
You gain proficiency with hand crossbows, nets, and tridents and your choice of the Nature or Survival skill.
Additionally, you gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.
Wide Net
1st-level Sea Domain feature
Your domain prepares you to cast a wide net. When you cast a spell with a range of touch that targets one creature within range, you can target any number of creatures within 10 feet.
Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest. At 14th level, you can do twice between long rests.
Channel Divinity: Life Raft
2nd-level Sea Domain feature
As an action, you can present your holy symbol and target a number of willing creatures up to your proficiency bonus within 30 feet of you. For the next hour, if a target is reduced to 0 hit points, it is automatically stabilized. In addition, if a stabilized target is submerged in a liquid and you can see it, you can use a bonus action to magically carry the target to the surface of the liquid at a rate of 60 feet per round. When it reaches the surface, the creature floats on the liquid for the remainder of the duration.
Channel Divinity: Spring Tide
6th-level Sea Domain feature
As an action, you can present your holy symbol and create a 5-foot-diameter moon 30 feet directly above you, which lasts for 1 minute and follows you. You choose the moon's color and phase, but it emits bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. Each creature other than you within the moon's light when you use this action must make a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC or be pulled to the nearest unoccupied space next to the moon, have its speed reduced to 0, and travel with the moon for the duration. A creature can choose to fail this saving throw. If the creature is in the moon's bright light, it makes its saving throw with disadvantage.
Potent Spellcasting
8th-level Sea Domain feature
You add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any cleric cantrip.
Oceanic
17th-level Sea Domain feature
You can cast control water at will, without expending a spell slot. You also learn the tsunami spell, it counts as a cleric spell for you, you always have it prepared, and any creature of your choice with a swimming speed is immune to the spell.
Additionally, when you cast tsunami as a 9th-level spell, the wave can be up to 500-feet-long, 500-feet-high, and 50 feet thick, the spell's damage increases by 1d10, and you can maintain concentration on the spell for up to 1 minute.
unmatched wrath of a tsunami.
Circle of Reefs
Druids of the Circle of Reefs swear loyalty to the coasts and their reefs. They adorn themselves with armor made of dead coral, driftwood, and sea shells in order to protect themselves in the never-ending battle against ocean pollution, overfishing, and beach erosion. In battle, they wield the tremendous druidic magic of the shallow seas and the interconnected strength of the reef.
Barrier Reef
2nd-level Circle of Reefs feature
You gain proficiency with hand crossbows, nets, and tridents, and you gain possession of a shield made of your choice of coral, driftwood, shells, or marine material.
While you wield a shield, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape as an action to plant your shield in the ground or float it before you while submerged. The shield immediately extends 5 feet to your left and right for every 2 levels you have in this class and remains immobile. If the wall cuts through a creature's space when it appears, the creature is pushed to one side of the wall (your choice), unless it uses its reaction to move 5 feet to either side of the wall.
The wall provides half cover to those behind it and prevents travel through it, though you gain no benefits of a shield if you wield another one while behind the wall.
While you remain within 5 feet of the wall, you gain the following benefits:
- You can see through the wall, though others can't.
- If the wall would grant you a bonus to your AC and Dexterity saving throws as a result of providing half cover, the bonus is equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of +3).
- Your druid spells can originate from any point along the wall, though you must use your own senses.
Your shield maintains this form for 1 minute or until you use a bonus action to revert it back to its original shape.
Sea Shape
2nd-level Circle of Reefs feature
When you enter your beast form, you can choose a
beast with a swimming speed, ignoring the limitations
in the Beast Shapes table. Also, the beasts you
transform into gain the following trait if they don't
have it already:
Amphibious
The creature can breathe both air and water.
Polyp Bloom
6th-level Circle of Reefs feature
Like the reefs, your shield can create a bloom of microscopic organisms to grow itself. As a bonus action while your shield is in its Barrier form, you can add a 5-foot-long panel to the wall. The panel can be in the same orientation as the wall or 90 degrees in another direction.
At 14th level, you can create up to three panels. Each of these panels much be adjacent to another.
Reef Walk
10th-level Circle of Reefs feature
You learn to combine your form with that of your Barrier Reef. On your turn, you can step into your Barrier Reef and exit it in an unoccupied space along it as if by the tree stride spell. If you use your movement this way immediately before making a melee attack against a creature that couldn't see you before you moved, you can do so with advantage.
Barbed Barrier
14th-level Circle of Reefs feature
You can expend two uses of your Wild Shape when you create your Barrier Reef to make it a Barbed Barrier. When this wall appears and when a creature starts its turn within 5 feet of the Barbed Barrier, a creature must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, the creature takes piercing damage equal to 2d6 + your Wisdom modifier and is poisoned while your Barrier Reef remains. On a success, a creature takes half as much damage and isn't poisoned.
to use an elemental gem of water.
Angler
As an archetypal angler, you are a rogue that excels at getting your hooks into your prey from a distance before reeling them to you for the kill. You rely on your trusty fishing pole, lures, and strong, nimble arms to defeat your enemies and to provide sustenance to your allies.
Bonus Proficiencies
3rd-level Angler feature
You gain proficiency with the Survival skill, if you don't have it already. In addition, for you, the Fishing Tackle kit (see chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook for information about this adventuring gear) is considered a tool, and you become proficient with its use, such as catching food.
Additionally, you can use the wooden rod, silken line, and a steel hook from your kit as a weapon called an Angler's Pole. The Angler's Pole has the following properties and you are considered proficient with it.
| Weapon Name | Damage | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angler's Pole | 1d4 piercing | 2 lb | Finesse, light, reach, versatile (1d6), special |
Special. While wielding it in two hands, the reach of the Angler's Pole is 30 feet instead of 10 feet.
Hook and Reel
3rd-level Angler feature
Your experience preparing hooks and reeling fish allows you additional uses of your Cunning Action. When you take the Attack action and hit a creature with an angler's pole, you can use your bonus action to attempt to grapple the creature, even if you don't have a free hand to do so. On a success, the creature is grappled by you. The grapple ends early for the creature if it is ever out of your reach, if you are no longer wielding your angler's pole or attack another creature with it, or if the restraints are dealt slashing or fire damage.
You can use your Sneak Attack against a target grappled in this way even if you don’t have advantage on the attack roll, but not if you have disadvantage on it, and on subsequent turns, you can use your bonus action to pull a grappled creature 5 feet toward you. If the creature is at least one size smaller than you, you can instead pull that creature 10 feet.
Tight Knots
9th-level Angler feature
You can tie just about any knot. You have advantage on Intelligence (Sleight of Hand) checks to tie and untie knots, and you can use an action to replace the steel hook on your angler's pole with a dagger that is knotted to the silken line. When you do so, your angler's pole gains any magical benefits that the dagger grants its wielder, taking on its attunement rules if it has any, and its damage becomes slashing instead of piercing. A dagger knotted in this way loses the thrown property and any magical benefits relating to its throwing. It can also be replaced with another dagger or a steel hook with an action.
Additionally, you can attempt to grapple a creature that is two sizes larger than you with your angler's pole.
Sea Legs
13th-level Angler feature
Your legs are used to the constant sway of the seas. You have advantage on saving throws against effects that would knock you prone.
Additionally, when you use your Uncanny Dodge feature against a melee attack, you can move up to half your speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Leviather
17th-level Angler feature
No fish is too big for you. You can grapple a creature of any size with your angler's pole, and when you pull a creature on your turn with Hook and Reel, you can pull it an additional 5 feet for every 10 feet you've moved since the end of your last turn.
Additionally, a creature you pull using your Angler's Pole takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage and 1d6 slashing damage for each 5 feet it is pulled by you.
rival of a lifetime: a kraken.
Race Option: Bettan
Bettan are militant guardians of the deepest rivers and lakes. They protect their territories against other bettan and against any who would dare assert claim over their homes, first by demonstrating their strength in ritual displays of their ribbons and then by taking up arms against any unintimidated by their presence.
Fierce Beauty
Bettan have powder-textured skin and long fins of every color that trail behind them in the water like ribbons. As they float among the aquamarine waters, their fins move in the waves like a motley of shimmering ribbons, but they bear a fanged jaw and often hide weapons within their ribbons, as they are always battle-ready.
Gladiators and Showmen
Being so essential to bettan upbringing, warrior training has developed beyond a skill and into an art among the bettan. Every year, a bettan community will host a grand festival for the others in the area, usually in a rotation that revolves year-to-year. These Aquariums attract eager young bettan, as well as the occasional surface dweller, to compete in one-on-one or group bouts of combat to earn respect, rewards, boons, or even the eye of a lover. In some areas of the world, these bouts may even be to the death, promising great riches to the winners or serving to prevent war.
Bettan Names
Most bettan names have one or two syllables. As a people, they make little distinction among genders, as
their features are often feminine in presentation
to those unfamiliar with their intricacies and as they
expect all to train as warriors.
Names: Acua, Cora, Ey, Kelpo, Ray, Rena, Shore, Siam,
Triden, Uloi, Yeye
Bettan Traits
Your bettan character has a number of traits in common with all other bettan.
Ability Score Increase. Typically, your Strength score increases by 2, and your Charisma scores increases by 1. Alternatively, you can increase any ability score by 2, and any other ability score by 1.
Age. Bettan reach maturity at around age 8 and can live up to 70 years.
Size. Bettan stand between 3 and 4 feet tall and average about 80 pounds. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 35 feet.
Amphibious. You can breathe air and water.
Bite. Your sharp teeth serve as a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Darkvision. Accustomed to the bottoms of rivers and oceans, your vision can cut through limited darkness. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Ribbons of the Fighting Folk. Your ribbons are both threatening and alluring. You have proficiency in the Intimidation and Persuasion skills.
Territorial. You can make an opportunity attack without using your reaction. Once you use this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
Undaunted Warriors. You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened and proficiency with hand crossbows, nets, and tridents.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Beta, the language of the bettan.
dancer performs for their audience.
Spells
The following spells are available.
Hail of Harpoons
5th-level Conjuration
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Self (30-foot-cone)
- Components: V, S, M (a spear or trident)
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Classes: Ranger
You thrust forth a spear or trident, causing dozens of duplicates to splinter from the weapon in a 30-foot cone originating from you. The cone's distance is doubled if the entirety of the cone would be submerged.
Each creature in the cone must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 10d6 piercing damage and, if it has a swimming speed, its speed is halved for 1 minute. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and doesn't have its swimming speed reduced.
Hydro Cannon
4th-level Evocation
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Self (60-foot-line)
- Components: V, S, M (a turtle shell)
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Classes: Sorcerer, Wizard
A pair of cannons sprout from your shoulders and release a torrent of water in a 10-foot-wide, 60-foot-long line. Each creature in the line must make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 6d8 bludgeoning damage, is pushed 30 feet away from you, and knocked prone. On a success, a creature takes half as much damage, is pushed 10 feet, and is not knocked prone.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th or higher level, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 4th.
Liquid Sculpture
2nd-level Illusion
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: S
- Duration: 10 minutes
- Classes: Bard, Druid, Wizard
You target a source of water within range and bend the water into an object or image of your choice, which can rotate or change its shape for the duration. The size of the sculpture is determined by the volume of water available to a maximum size equal to a 30-foot-cube.
While the sculpture is present, you can use an action to speak a series of words to a creature within range that can see the sculpture. The creature must make a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you for the duration or until it takes damage. A creature who succeeds on this saving throw is immune to the effect for the spell's duration.
Swim
1st-level Transmutation
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S, M (a handful of kelp)
- Duration: 1 hour
- Classes: Druid, Ranger, Wizard
You touch a creature and alter its body to adapt it to water. For the duration, the creature gains a swimming speed equal to its walking speed and the ability to breathe underwater.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can target an additional creature within range for each level above 1st.
Water Lash
2nd-level Conjuration
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Concentration, up 10 minutes
- Classes: Druid, Ranger
A pool of water appears on the ground in the shape of a 10-foot-radius, 5-foot-deep cylinder, centered on a point you can see within range.
When you cast the spell, choose a point you can see within 15 feet of the pool. A 5-foot-wide line of water lashes from the pool to that point. Each creature in that line must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 2d10 bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. On each of your turns until the spell ends, you can use your action to lash water in this way again, targeting the same point or a different one.
If you choose an existing source of water as the pool's origin point when you cast this spell, the lash can appear from any point you can see in that source of water within 60 feet of you.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd or higher level, the damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 2nd.
Monsters
The following section contains a number of undersea creatures, as well as several modular abilities that can be applied to pre-existing creatures to add variety and flavor.
Additional Abilities
The following abilities, presented alphabetically, can be applied to a creature in addition to its normal traits and actions. Keep in mind that some of these abilities can significantly alter the power of a creature, allowing it to perform higher than its CR would normally indicate.
Arctic
The creature gains the following trait:
Arctic. The creature gains immunity to cold damage and its weapon attacks deal an additional 9 (2d8) cold damage.
Leviathan
Requires a creature with the Gargantuan size
The creature gains the following trait:
Leviathan. The creature is immune magical effects that would reduce its size, and its maximum hit points increase by half.
Liquid Body
Requires a creature with a swimming speed
The creature gains the following trait:
Liquid Body. The creature is invisible while fully immersed in liquids of the same color and can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
Shipwrecker
The creature gains the following trait:
Shipwrecker. The creature's attacks deal maximum damage to sea vehicles.
Skyswimmer
Requires a creature with a swimming speed
The creature gains the following trait:
Skyswimmer. The creature gains a flying speed equal to its swimming speed and can hover. It can also breathe air and water.
Swallow and Expel
Requires a creature with the ability to swallow a target
The creature gains the following action:
Swallow and Expel (Recharge 5-6). The creature fills its throat or gullet with a volume of liquid equal to the volume of the number of creatures it can swallow (maximum of three) and spits the liquid into a 10-foot-wide, 30-foot-long line. Each creature in the line must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 6d8 bludgeoning (or 6d8 fire if it swallowed lava) for each creature the creature could normally swallow and is pushed 30 feet. On a success, a creature takes half as much damage and is not pushed.
next meal: a most unfortunate fish.
Equey
Sometimes called water horses or water dogs, equeys are four-legged water fey that blur the line between equine and canine. They have thin muscular frames and faces that resemble greyhounds, but the knees, hooves, and necks of horses. Of course, their most striking features are their antennae, which are constantly releasing droplets of water that subvert gravity as they ripple away from them.
Benevolent Tricksters. All equeys have the ability to change their shape to resemble that of humanoids or merfolk, and they've been known to take on these shapes to play pranks on the denizens of land. However, many that have been the subject of an equey prank have later found great fortune or opportunity as a result of the trick--wanderers may suddenly find themselves on the right path and the too-trusting may suddenly find great riches. Little is known as to how equeys choose their victims (or beneficiaries as some see it), but that doesn't stop the eager from searching for them.
Equey
Large Fey (Shapechanger), Typically Chaotic Good
- Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 82 (11d10 + 22)
- Speed 30 ft., swim 50 ft. (30 ft. in Humanoid form)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 19 (+4) 13 (+1) 15 (+2) 13 (+1) 15 (+2) 19 (+4)
- Skills Deception +6
- Damage Resistances Cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Senses Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 12
- Languages Common, Elvish, Sylvan
- Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Liquid Body (Equey Form Only). The equey is invisible while fully immersed in water and can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
Shapechanger. The equey can use its action to polymorph into a Small or Medium Humanoid it has seen or back into its true form. Other than its size, speed, and liquid body, its statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. The equey reverts to its true form if it dies.
Actions
Multiattack. The equey makes two attacks with its hooves or fist.
Hooves (or Fist in Humanoid Form). Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage and the target must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be pushed back 10 feet.
Spray of Inverted Luck (Recharge 5-6). The equey releases a torrent of fey spring water in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in the cone must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 14 (4d6) cold damage and has its luck inverted. While inverted, a creature
treats any roll of 20 on a d20 roll as a 1 for
1 minute. On a success, a creature takes
half as much damage and isn't inverted.
Frogmantis
Debates have raged for years on the origin of the frogmantis. Some blame transmutation wizards who enjoyed their frog familiars just a bit much. Others point to warlocks that struck pacts with fathomless entities. Optimists posit that perhaps a tadpole and a mantis shrimp ended up in some kind of arcane anomaly that merged the two. Regardless of the true culprit, the fact remains that somehow arcane magic transformed the fresh-water-bound frog into something else entirely, the frogmantis.
Arcane Eyes of the Mantis Shrimp. Frogmanti are unparalleled in their visual prowess. Where others see red, a frogmantis sees a hundred subhues of red. They see deep into the darkest seas without light and have uncanny abilities to detect magical light, an ability they use to hunt creatures that would hide within plumes of ink or use camouflage.
Frogmanti and Warlocks
At 3rd level, warlocks choose a pact boon, one of which is the Pact of the Chain. A warlock who chooses the Pact of the Chain may choose a frogmantis as the familiar granted through the feature.
Frogmantis
Tiny Monstrosity, Unaligned
- Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 10 (4d4)
- Speed 20 ft., swim 35 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 5 (-3) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 5 (-3) 15 (+2) 10 (+0)
- Skills Perception +4, Stealth +4
- Damage Resistances cold, fire, necrotic
- Damage Immunities poison
- Condition Immunities poisoned
- Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14
- Languages understands Aquan and Common but can't speak
- Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Amphibious. The frogmantis can breathe air and water.
Arcane Eyes. The frogmantis' proficiency bonus is doubled for Wisdom (Perception) checks it makes using sight, magical darkness doesn't impede its darkvision, and it is always under the effects of the see invisibility spell.
Standing Leap. The frogmantis' long jump is up to 10 feet and its high jump is up to 5 feet, with or without a running start.
Actions
Mandibles. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) slashing damage plus 1 poison damage.
Spellcasting. The frogmantis casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 12):
At will: light
1/day each: clairvoyance (as an action, seeing
only), color spray
Megalodon
No beast of the sea is as feared as the Megalodon. Growing over 60 feet in length, it makes even giant white sharks look measly. Ancient predators of the ocean depths, megalodons have existed unchanged for many ages as perfect hunters. They prey upon other large creatures of the deep, but when food is scarce, they swim up to the surface waters and feast upon all creatures unlucky enough to be in their path.
Megalodons are so large that as they swing their massive tails, the water around them becomes a turbulent undertow. As weaker swimmers struggle to move in the unstable water, megalodons make an easy meal of them. Even boats are not safe from their tails; with a well-placed swing these sharks can smash the hull of a vessel. These deadly predators almost always hunt alone, as they need to eat a lot to survive and do not share, but in an area scarce of food, blood in the water may attract multiple of these terrifying beasts.
Ancient Megalodon
There exists a rumor of a shark so old and so large that it can sink ships with a single bite. The most superstitious of sailors believe it to be a god; the most skeptical write off tales of such thing as the work of the kraken. But the rumors are founded, for lying in the deepest trenches of the oldest seas, the ancient megalodon continues its million-year hunt for food.
These tough terrors are believed to hunt dragon turtles and krakens. Legends say that they can smell a single drop of blood in the water from miles away, and that they are so large that they must constantly feed to survive. Should they go even hours without blood, their hearts can give out from the strain of their enormity. With jaws powerful enough to demolish boats and tails that rock navies, nothing is safe from an ancient megalodon, even other megalodons, who are often prey for the strongest among them.
Megalodon
Gargantuan Beast, Unaligned
- Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 247 (15d20 + 90)
- Speed 0 ft., swim 60 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 26 (+8) 13 (+1) 22 (+6) 1 (-5) 12 (+1) 5 (-3)
- Skills Perception +5
- Senses blindsight 120 ft., passive Perception 15
- Languages —
- Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +4
Blood Frenzy. The shark has advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn't have all its hit points.
Riptide. All water within 60 feet of the shark is difficult terrain for other creatures as an undertow forms around it as it moves.
Shipwrecker. The creature's attacks deal maximum damage to sea vehicles.
Strong Swimmer. The shark ignores all nonmagical difficult terrain.
Water Breathing. The shark can breathe only underwater.
Actions
Multiattack. The shark makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its tail.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 35 (5d10 + 8) piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw or be swallowed by the shark. A swallowed creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the shark, and it takes 21 (6d6) acid damage at the start of each of the shark's turns.
If the shark takes 30 damage or more on a
single turn from a creature inside it, the
shark must succeed on a DC 21 Constitution
saving throw at the end of that turn or
regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which
fall prone in a space within 10 feet of the
shark. If the shark dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 20 feet of movement, exiting prone.Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (4d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage, or 52 (8d8 + 16) bludgeoning damage if the target is an object.
Ancient Megalodon
Gargantuan Beast, Unaligned
- Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 350 (20d20 + 140)
- Speed 0 ft., swim 60 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 29 (+9) 14 (+2) 24 (+7) 1 (-5) 14 (+2) 5 (-3)
- Skills Perception +9
- Senses blindsight 300 ft., passive Perception 19
- Languages —
- Challenge 22 (41,000 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +7
Blood Frenzy. The shark has advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn't have all its hit points.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the shark fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Legendary Smell. The shark has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Wisdom (Survival) checks that rely on smell, and it can't have disadvantage on such checks.
Riptide. All water within 120 feet of the shark is difficult terrain for other creatures as an undertow forms around it as it moves.
Siege Monster. The shark deals double damage to objects and structures.
Shipwrecker. The creature's attacks deal maximum damage to sea vehicles.
Strong Swimmer. The shark ignores all nonmagical difficult terrain while submerged.
Water Breathing. The shark can breathe only underwater.
Actions
Multiattack. The shark makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its tail.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 36 (5d10 + 9) piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw or be swallowed by the shark. A swallowed creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the shark, and it takes 21 (6d6) acid damage at the start of each of the shark's turns.
If the shark takes 30 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the shark must succeed on a DC 21 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of the shark. If the shark dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 20 feet of movement, exiting prone.Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 27 (4d8 + 9) bludgeoning damage.
Legendary Actions
The shark can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The shark regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Burst of Speed. The shark moves up to its speed,
without provoking opportunity attacks.Tail Swipe. The shark makes one tail attack.
Ravaging Frenzy (Costs 2 Actions). The shark moves
up to half its speed without provoking
opportunity attacks and then lashes out at all
creatures nearby. Each creature within 15 feet of
it must make a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw,
taking 31 (4d10 + 9) piercing damage on a
failure, or half as much on a success.
Magical Phenomena
Tasha's Cauldron of Everything introduced a number of magical phenomena for Dungeon Masters to use, providing ways to make even the most serene natural settings unpredictable. Here are other such options well-suited for campaigns near or within the oceans.
Giant Storm
Though most storm giants live solitary lives, they do occasionally pass one another while traveling, gather together for mating rituals, or convene to divine the future. When they do so, their presence creates enormous storms that spiral away from the giants.
A giant storm is an intense thunderstorm that raises 30- to 60-foot waves over water and dumps enough rain to flood a square mile of flat ground. The area within the storm is heavily obscured and difficult terrain. A creature that starts its turn within the storm is deafened until the start of its next turn and must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d4 lightning damage and be pushed 20 feet in a random direction by wind. On initiative 20, losing initiative ties, unsecured objects in the area are pushed 20 feet in a random direction.
A successful DC 18 Intelligence (Nature) check or Wisdom (Survival) check allows a character to recognize a giant storm 1 minute before it strikes, allowing time to seek shelter. A giant storm typically lasts 2d4 x 8 hours.
Colossal Current
Enormous creatures make their homes in the depths, and many of these follow migratory patterns across the oceans. Occasionally, such creatures are forced to hasten through those patterns, quickly moving halfway or more across the world as they hunt or meet some mysterious need. When they do, they create a current like none other.
A colossal current is a horizontal cylinder that is a minimum of 10 feet in radius and 1 mile long but can be as large as a 120-foot-radius cylinder that is 250 miles long and must be submerged in a liquid such as water. The liquid within the cylinder flows in a direction you choose, and each creature that starts its turn in the cylinder must succeed on a DC 23 Strength saving throw or be pushed 60 feet in a direction of the flow. A creature in the cylinder must spend 2 feet of movement for every 1 foot it moves against the direction of the flow, or 4 feet of movement if it doesn't have a swimming speed.
A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check or Wisdom (Survival) check allows a character to recognize a colossal current 120 feet away. A colossal current typically lasts 2d4 x 2 days.
Variant: Krakenic Current
A krakenic current is a colossal current that is a minimum of 30 feet in radius and filled with ink, which heavily obscures the column to all creatures excluding krakens. In addition, a creature that starts its turn in the cylinder must make a DC 23 Constitution saving throw, taking 11 (2d10) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
A krakenic current can be recognized with a DC 12 Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom (Survival) check.
adventurers braving a storm of its making.