Most refer to these aquatic peoples as gillmen, though they typically refer to themselves as azarketi, a word that translates roughly to “people of the seas.” These proud humans were mutated into aquatic servants by their alghollthu foes long ago. Feeling like they don't fully belong with their human brethren nor with the sea that binds them, many azarketis struggle for a sense of identity and purpose. Though they remain distrusted by the surface dwellers, azarketis celebrate their unique lineage.
Physical Description
Azarketis appear as regal, athletic humans. Their soft, hydrophilic skin ranges in tones from pearlescent white to pinkish, greenish, or brown tones reminiscent of coral. Azarketis with hair are somewhat rare; many sport fins or scaled ridges on their heads instead. They often have violet eyes. Their aquatic lineage is obvious thanks to the sets of three gills on either side of their necks, as well as their webbed hands and feet. Azarketis have been known to live longer than humans, although they mature at about the same rate.
Society
Azarketis lack the center for combined culture that helps other groups maintain a cohesive identity. The vastness of the oceans and waterways spread these swift-swimming people across the seas. Many azarketis rely only on the small familial groups in their immediate community and prefer smaller populations with comrades they trust and know intimately.
Some azarketis prefer to foster connections with their surface-dwelling brethren. Living in ports, river towns and along the shore allows azarketis a greater scope of opportunities not afforded to exclusively land or sea peoples. Although integrating with land society can be difficult, azarketis manage by forming bonded communities. Members will often have fond familial names for one another, regardless of actual relation.
If they have the means, some azarketis dress in attire reflecting various surface styles. More commonly, azarketis do their best to remain inconspicuous when they emerge from the water. Many will wear shemaghs or other head wrappings, which both hide their gills and provide a few extra comfortable hours out of water if soaked before donning.
Religion
As they are typically outsiders to the domains of surface life, azarketis tend toward deities with an affinity for the ocean or other forms of water and nature, the most popular being The Hunter or The Dread Wolf. They are also likely to give reverence to The Traveler, with it's sphere of influence covering travel and navigation.
Some azarketis are tempted toward the call of the deep and serve their old alghollthu masters as gods. These individuals are enticed by eldritch entities such as the mysterious veiled masters—powerful beings of the deep ocean responsible for both uplifting and destroying the old humans to their current state.
Adventurers
With their affinity to water, nautical navigation skills, and athletic capabilities, azarketis make ideal rangers. Azarketis' versatility both on land and in water make them particularly formidable fighters, while their direct connection to the sea leads many others to become druids. As many azarketis have a connection to alghollthus' occult magic, it's not uncommon for azarketis to be sorcerers, though studious individuals sometimes become bards or wizards instead.
Names
Azarketis often take the names of nautical, weather, or geographical features important to the azarketi's family. Other azarketi groups will choose human names in order to encourage conformity with surface cultures. Some azarketi names have been passed down through so many generations that they still use ancient roots or refer to bodies of water that no longer exist.
Sample Names
Azarketi Mechanics
Traits
Hit Points
8
Size
Medium
Speed
20 feet, Swim 30 feet
Ability Boosts
Constitution, Charisma, Free
Ability Flaw(s)
Wisdom
Languages
Common
Additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if it's positive). Choose from Elemental, Old Tongue, Undercommon, and any other languages to which you have access (such as the languages prevalent in your region).
Low-Light Vision
You can see in dim light as though it were bright light and you ignore the concealed condition due to dim light.
Hydration
While you are an amphibious being equally as capable on land as in the water, your body requires you to return to aquatic environments at least once in a 24-hour period. You must submerge in water in order to rehydrate your water-acclimated skin. If you fail to do this, your skin begins to crack and your gills become painful. After the first 24 hours outside of water, you take a –1 status penalty to Fortitude saves. After 48 hours, you struggle to breathe air and begin to suffocate until returned to water.
Azarketi Heritages
Versatile Heritages
You select a heritage at 1st level to reflect abilities passed down to you from your ancestors or common among those of your ancestry in the environment where you were born or grew up. You have only one heritage and can’t change it later. A heritage is not the same as a culture or ethnicity, though some cultures or ethnicities might have more or fewer members from a particular heritage.
Ancient Scale Azarketi
Your lineage stems from azarketis who remain dedicated to their deep-sea roots. Divorced from land society, you're a foreigner to any world above a thousand fathoms deep. You gain darkvision. Your body is dotted with phosphorescent spots that emit a guiding light and help you communicate. The spots—located primarily on your face, arms, and hands—illuminate a 10-foot radius around you with dim light. You can activate, deactivate, or change the arrangement of lights as an action, which has the concentration trait.
Benthic Azarketi
Your heritage traces to azarketis living deep beneath the sea, and you can handle the chilling depths more easily than most. You gain resistance to cold equal to half your level, and you don't treat environmental cold as one degree more severe when you are wet. You adapt to pressure changes from being deep underwater automatically without ill effect.
Inured Azarketi
Your ancestors had to survive in polluted water that made every breath noxious. You gain poison resistance equal to half your level (minimum 1). Furthermore, you can survive outside of water for 72 hours before you begin to suffocate.
Mistbreath Azarketi
You descend from azarketis who migrated to land environments that could support their need for water. Over time, your people adapted to life on land culturally and physically, even resulting in azarketis born with human hair like their ancestors. You no longer need to be immersed in water every 24 hours to maintain your skin and can instead mist or wipe your skin with water to live comfortably. Your land Speed is 25 feet, but your swim Speed is only 15 feet.
Murkeyed Azarketi
You live in murky waters and have grown accustomed to life in a low-visibility environment. You need only a successful DC 3 flat check when targeting a concealed creature and a successful DC 9 flat check when targeting a hidden creature.
Spined Azarketi
Your fins conceal launchable toxic spines. You have a spine ranged unarmed attack with the unarmed trait that deals 1d4 poison damage, has a range increment of 10 feet, and is in the dart weapon group.
Azarketi Feats
At 1st level, you gain one ancestry feat.
Alghollthu Bound (Feat 1)
Azarketi |
Although you may not even be aware, the alghollthus your ancestors once served maintain a stranglehold on the deepest, tethered parts of your mind. You receive a +2 circumstance bonus to Will saves against mental effects that would make you controlled, and if you roll a success against such an effect, you get a critical success instead. However, you gain none of these benefits against effects originating from alghollthus and instead take a –2 circumstance penalty against mental effects from alghollthus.
Aquatic Conversationalist (Feat 1)
Azarketi |
You can ask questions of, receive answers from, and use the Diplomacy skill with animals with the amphibious or aquatic traits. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Make an Impression on such animals.
Azarketi Lore (Feat 1)
Azarketi |
You have learned the history and origins of your people and how to connect to both your land and sea heritage. You become trained in Athletics and Nature. If you would automatically become trained in one of those skills (from your background or class, for example), you instead become trained in a skill of your choice. You also become trained in Azarketi Lore.
Azarketi Weapon Familiarity (Feat 1)
Azarketi |
You are familiar with weapons that excel underwater. You are trained with crossbows, hand crossbows, longspears, spears, and tridents. In addition, you gain access to all uncommon azarketi weapons. For the purpose of determining your proficiency, martial azarketi weapons are simple weapons and advanced azarketi weapons are martial weapons.
Whenever you gain a class feature that grants you expert or greater proficiency in certain weapons, you also gain that proficiency for crossbows, hand crossbows, longspears, spears, and tridents, and all azarketi weapons in which you are trained.
At 5th level, whenever you critically hit using a crossbow, hand crossbow, longspear, spear, trident, or a azarketi weapon, you apply the weapon's critical specialization effect.
Cynical (Feat 1)
Azarketi |
You've been approached with suspicion and distrust throughout your life and return these sentiments back to the strangers you encounter. As a result, you are difficult to deceive. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to your Perception DC against Lies and Impersonations.
Hydraulic Deflection [A] (Feat 1)
Abjuration | Azarketi | Concentrate | Primal | Water |
Drawing moisture from the atmosphere, you create a disc of hovering water that deflects attacks. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to AC until the start of your next turn.
Marine Ally (Feat 1)
Azarketi |
You've befriended a sea creature, which becomes magically bonded to you. You gain a familiar. The type of creature is up to you, but one of its abilities must always be a swim Speed or the amphibious familiar ability.
Pelagic Aptitude (Feat 1)
Azarketi |
You've learned special tricks to survive underwater. You gain the trained proficiency rank in Survival. When in an aquatic environment, if you roll a critical failure on a Survival skill check to Sense Direction or Subsist, you get a failure instead.
Water Conjuration (Feat 1)
Azarketi |
You carry the ocean with you wherever you go. You can cast create water as a primal innate spell once per day. Each time you cast create water, you choose if you create fresh water or salt water.
Water Dancer (Feat 1)
Azarketi |
You glide through the water with graceful ease. When in an aquatic or swamp environment, you ignore the effects of non-magical difficult terrain. In addition, swimming up or down isn't difficult terrain for you.
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