Many heroes find that their journeys and quests lead them into a maelstrom adventure at some point in their careers. A charismatic rogue might find himself at the helm of a pirate ship, fighting against the tyranny of an evil empire; a bold paladin might confront a sea monster terrorizing a coastal town; a learned wizard could discover stories of a magical treasure hidden on a remote sunken island and organize an expedition to recover the prize. Many a dungeon delver finds that the most challenging and difficult dungeons to explore are those with substantial water hazards. Some heroes spend the great majority of their careers adventuring on or under the sea; characters of this sort often possess unique talents that suit them for their chosen environment.
Although there are no unique character classes native to the seas, rivers or subterranean waters of the world, a marine environment imposes distinct requirements on the standard character classes. Some classes adapt readily to a life on or under the waves with few changes, while others have new options to choose from. This section includes information on adapting the eleven classes from the Player’s Handbook, as well as a handful of classes from other sources.
Barbarians often inhabit wild coasts or travel the open seas. They dwell in regions inhospitable to most humanoids, whether these are fetid jungle isles or the gloomy shores of arctic seas. Barbaric human tribes can be found almost anywhere, and some of them take to a life at sea. Aquatic elves and coastal clans of land-dwelling elves might also be barbarians, while darfellans favour the barbarian class above all others.
Barbarians of the waters and shores are expert in fishing and in following the seasonal movements of marine animals. They might follow migrating whales, taking to skin boats to harpoon the leviathans, or move up and down rivers with the salmon. On outriggers they pursue aquatic monsters, while others line a tidal flat with nets to trap fish when the waters flood in. Such barbarians are always adept swimmers and able to tolerate extended periods in cold water or heavy rain.
Maelstrom barbarians often take to raiding, descending in war canoes or longboats to ravage the shorelines of civilized lands. These reavers are widely feared and form the basis of many terrifying tales.
Fast Movement (Ex): Barbarians who possess a racial swim speed can choose to apply their fast movement bonus to their swim speed instead of their land speed. The choice must be made when the character gains the class feature and cannot be changed later. This benefit still applies only when the barbarian is wearing no armour, light armour or medium armour and not carrying a heavy load.
Among seafaring societies, the opportunity for travel is ever-present, and the distances potentially great. Strange lore and tales of fabulous places are the currency of bards who take to the sea, who find ways to trade this knowledge for their own benefit.
Bardic Music: A bard performing underwater is restricted in what sorts of Perform checks she can make. Perform (sing) is impossible unless the bard can breathe water, whether naturally or by virtue of a spell. Oratory is similarly ineffective. Likewise, wind instruments, pipes, accordions, bagpipes and similar instruments do not function underwater. Percussion instruments such as bells work well underwater, as do string instruments that use metal rather than gut strings.
Clerics of the sea and shore honour those deities with dominion over the hazards of these environments — storms, floods and the like. Their roles are usually to propitiate these wild and often hostile gods so that they will not visit destruction on the community, the ship’s crew, or the fishers’ boats. Some, particularly non-human aquatic races, serve the tutelary deities of underwater life. Other clerics venerate instead the elemental forces of water and air without dedicating themselves to a specific patron — though they are careful to respect the gods who govern those domains. Deities of travel also have sway over those who make their living from the seas but are not identified primarily with water. Finally, many of the marine races revere particular racial patron deities, such as the Whale Mother of the darfellans or Eadro of the merfolk and locathah.
The names, alignments, domains granted and the favoured weapon of various aquatic deities are summarized on the table below.
Several of the following deities come from specific campaign worlds; if the DM wishes to incorporate any of them into a different world, he can rename the deity and retain its characteristics and interests, or he can assume that the deity’s relationship to lakes, rivers and seas extends throughout many realms.
| Deity | Alignment | Domains | Favoured Weapon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aventernus | LG | Good, Law, Ocean, Seafolk, Strength | Spear |
| Blibdoolpoolp | NE | Blackwater, Destruction, Evil, Water | Pincer staff1 |
| Deep Sashelas | CG | Chaos, Good, Knowledge, Ocean, Water, Elf2 | Trident |
| Eadro | N | Protection, Seafolk, Water | Longspear |
| Geshtai | N | Plant, Travel, Water | Spear |
| Ishtishia | N | Destruction, Ocean, Storm, Travel, Water | Warhammer |
| The Mockery | NE | Destruction, Evil, Storm, Water | Trident |
| Procan | CN | Chaos, Storm, Travel, Water | Longspear |
| Sekolah | LE | Blackwater, Evil, Law, Strength, War | Trident |
| Umberlee | CE | Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Ocean, Storm | Dagger |
| Valkur | CG | Air, Chaos, Good, Ocean, Protection | Cutlass3 |
| Whale Mother | LG | Animal, Good, Law, Ocean, Seafolk | Paddle (greatclub) |
| Yeathan | NE | Blackwater, Destruction, Evil | Trident |
1 See the kuo-toa entry, page 164 of the Monster Manual.
2 Add Elf domain if you use the Forgotten Realms setting.
Aventernus is a sea god whose nature has changed along with the lives of his favoured people. Once a human deity of maritime concerns such as naval endeavours and fair mercantile work, Aventernus was the patron of an island nation of powerful magicians and skilled sailors. Aventernus’s priesthood played an important part in the daily workings of the city. All that changed, however, when a mighty catastrophe sank the nation into the waters of the sea. He transformed the humans loyal to him into the aventi.
Aventernus is a stern god of justice and fair practices, and the honourable nature of the aventi can be traced back to the influence of his precepts on the lives of his people. Aventernus’s symbol is a white spear striking and parting water on a diamond. Aventernus’s creed is the application of strength in the assistance of the weak. Every aventi king has some training as a cleric of Aventernus, and each is served by the knights of the pearl.
Blibdoolpoolp is the deity of the kuo-toas. Her bloodthirsty worship demands frequent sacrifice of sentient beings. Her symbols are a lobster’s head and a black pearl. She takes the form of a naked human woman with the head and pincers of a lobster. Blibdoolpoolp’s temples have a lobster motif.
Deep Sashelas is the patron of sea elves. He also represents the forces of creation and knowledge. In addition to aquatic elves, this deity receives the veneration of darfellans. Deep Sashelas’s symbol is a dolphin. He often appears as a dolphin but has a tendency to tarry in humanoid form with various female beings. His worshippers offer artistic works and songs of praise at the highest and lowest tides of the year, and they are fearsome enemies of sahuagin. Deep Sashelas is detailed in Faiths and Pantheons.
Eadro is the patron deity of locathah, merfolk and tritons. All three races claim him as their creator, each pointing to itself as the most perfect example of sea folk. His symbol is a spiral or whirlpool. He appears as a tall and perfect specimen of his worshippers’ race.
Geshtai is a lesser deity of lakes, rivers, wells and streams. She appears as a young woman standing in a pool of water, holding a clay jug. Her worshippers protect sources of water and guide the lost to safety. Geshtai’s symbol is a waterspout. Geshtai is detailed in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer.
Ishtishia is the elemental embodiment of water. He is an enigmatic and changeable deity with a small following. Like water itself, smaller groups within the religious hierarchy form, pool and re-form. Ishtishia’s temples are built beside water, and his clergy protects and purifies water sources. His symbol is a cresting wave. Ishtishia is detailed in Faiths and Pantheons.
The Mockery, one of the Dark Six, embodies the ferocity of the sea. He is patron to Eberron’s sahuagin and worshipped out of fear by all who must ply the seas. His symbol is a dragon turtle. He is said to appear usually as a human or merfolk with seaweed entwined in hair and beard. The Mockery is detailed in the Eberron Campaign Setting.
Procan is the wild deity of ocean storms, winds, and waves, as well as of sea life. He is as tempestuous as his domain and can be greedy or cruel. His clerics make holy water from brine and travel aboard ships to placate the god’s wild moods. Procan’s symbol is a trident piercing a cresting wave. Procan is detailed in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer.
Sekolah is a powerful devil and patron of the sahuagin. He appears as a giant great white shark. Sahuagin priestesses offer sacrifices of conquered enemies and dedicate vast wealth in gems and jewellery. Sekolah does not otherwise interact much with his worshippers. His symbol is a shark’s dorsal fin cutting the water.
Umberlee is capricious and ill-tempered, and her worship consists mainly of turning aside her anger (which manifests in storms and tidal waves). Her symbol is a blue-green wave curling to both left and right. She appears as a blue-skinned humanoid woman with taloned fingers, finned elbows, pearly eyes and hair of kelp. Umberlee is detailed in Faiths and Pantheons.
Valkur is the patron of sailors both mercantile and naval, as well as the god of favourable winds and storms. He appears as a jolly sea captain who can pilot any vessel. Changeable as the winds, the Captain of the Waves is a fiercely loyal leader. His worship is conducted on the decks of ships, and many of his clerics serve at sea. His symbol is a shield with a cloud and three lightning bolts. Valkur is detailed in Faiths and Pantheons.
The Whale Mother is the patron deity of darfellans, honoured as the creator of sea creatures and especially of porpoises, whales, seals and other marine mammals. Her symbol is a leaping whale. She is depicted as a delicate, pale-skinned woman, surrounded by currents of light and vitality, who rides a vast whale the size of a large island. Its spoutings produce the rainstorms that frequently lash the darfellans’ chill coasts, and the waving of its flukes stirs the ocean currents. Her followers do not build temples but conduct community ceremonies at important times of the year.
Yeathan is the god of the evil depths, master of the gasping last breath and lord of the deep darkness below. He is the patron of all things foul and malevolent about the sea. His temples are always submerged and unlighted, filled with things found only in the deepest blackwater trenches. His symbol is a dark bluegreen spiral with a black centre.
Druids of the waters are not as common as those inhabiting forests and wild lands. Much of the ocean’s expanse is beyond the reach of humanoids, other than the aquatic varieties, so there is a less pressing need to protect it. However, druids do tend sacred pools and streams and work with the fey that inhabit them. Among fishing peoples, druids tend the harvest and work to ensure that waters are clean and fish plentiful.
Peaceful aquatic peoples such as tritons, merfolk, and sea elves have a larger proportion of druids in their midst than air-breathing humanoids. These worshippers of nature tend coral reefs, kelp forests, and deep places of mystery, and they guard against wanton hunting other or depredations. Druids of ferocious aquatic tribes might lead sacred underwater hunts or battles against air-breathing intruders in their territory.
Animal Companion (Ex): If a campaign takes place wholly or partly in an aquatic environment, the DM can add aquatic creatures to the druid’s list of animal companion options.
Woodland Stride (Ex): A druid who has a racial swim speed can choose to apply this ability to difficult aquatic terrain (shallow coral, kelp beds, ice-choked waters, sargasso and similar obstacles), rather than woodland terrain. This choice is made when the class feature is gained.
Fighters in a seafaring setting are as likely to be marines (shipborne combat specialist) as sailors (characters expert in handling a ship). Their chief role is to board and occupy enemy vessels, especially pirate ships — if they aren’t pirates themselves — and to defend their own ship against all attacks. These fighters specialize in agile, lightly armoured combat (which is well suited to a ship’s deck, since heavy armour is a death trap if you’re knocked overboard). Nautical fighters often use rapiers and daggers in hand-to-hand fighting and exploit the rigging of ships to maneuver in combat. Fighters also guard mercantile riverboats; some are themselves tough skippers of their own craft.
Among aquatic peoples, fighters serve the same roles as they would on land: soldiers, city guards, private bodyguards, and so on. Since many familiar weapons are of little use underwater, such characters rely mainly on piercing weapons or aquatic crossbows. Hand-to-hand (or fin) combat is also popular for underwater fighting: Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Grapple and Improved Natural Attack are common feat choices. Armour is not favoured underwater, since even light armour can interfere with movement; magical protection from rings and bracers (not to mention devices that boost Dexterity) is much more common.
The unarmed combat traditions of monks are especially useful in an environment that impedes most weapon use. Claws, teeth and tails are equally deadly underwater as on land, making sahuagin monks especially dangerous. Even those without a native swimming ability can grapple as effectively as aquatic creatures. Monks whose unarmed strikes normally deal bludgeoning damage either arm themselves with appropriate piercing weapons such as the dagger and siangham or take feats such as Toothed Blow to make their underwater attacks more effective. Faster movement allows even an air-breathing monk to move more quickly in the water, while his adroitness at Balance, Climb, Jump and Tumble let him move like a squirrel through ships’ riggings or keep his feet on the most violently storm-tossed ship.
Fast Movement (Ex): Monks who possess a racial swim speed can choose to apply their fast movement bonus to their swim speed instead of their land speed. The choice must be made when the character gains the class feature and cannot be changed later. This benefit still applies only when the monk is wearing no armour and not carrying a medium or heavy load.
Alternate Class Feature (Water Step): A monk can choose to forego his slow fall class feature and instead choose the following class feature.
Water Step (Ex): At 4th level, a monk can move with a step so quick and light that he can walk across short distances of water. The maximum distance across which the monk can move is equal to the slow fall distance he otherwise would have (20 feet at 4th level, 30 feet at 6th level, 40 feet at 8th level, and so on up to a maximum of 90 feet at 18th level). He can divide his water-step movement between two consecutive turns, as long as he begins or ends every turn on solid ground. If the monk exceeds his water step distance without setting foot on land (or some other solid footing), or stops moving while still on water, he immediately falls in. He can use water step as part of a move action, including charging or running, and can even make Tumble checks while using water step.
Rivers and oceans don’t seem at first to be typical environments for paladins. An armoured knight just doesn’t go to sea: Most mounts do not swim with a rider, nor do they tolerate the shipboard life well. However, a paladin might be in the service of a water deity’s temple, and sea-dwelling races have their own champions of justice (the aventi in particular have a long, honourable paladin tradition). For example, the triton Order of the Crimson Shell is dedicated to eradicating the sahuagin and opposing the dreaded sahuagin cult known as the Jaws of Sekolah, which spreads terror and blood across the seas.
Special Mount (Sp): An aquatic paladin can choose to call a hippocampus as her special mount instead of a horse. Small paladins can call a porpoise instead of a pony.
Rangers of the rivers and seas are often master sailors, expert in the use of watercraft both large and small. They paddle canoes through wild canyons, sail outriggers amid coral reefs or pilot skiffs along rocky coasts. Among aquatic folk, rangers are hunters and trackers who have become specialized in following their prey through the challenging medium of water. Sahuagin in particular make dangerous aquatic rangers.
Track in Water: An aquatic ranger can follow a trail even across streams or underwater. Such terrain cannot hold tracks, but the ranger uses faint scent traces and lingering disturbances in the water to follow the recent passage of his quarry. Since water (especially if moving) quickly washes away the trail, the Survival DC modifier for tracking in water is +10. For each minute that passes since the trail was made, the DC also increases by 1 (or by 5 in flowing water). Tracking through rushing or stormy water is impossible, except to a character under the effect of a wake trailing spell.
Woodland Stride (Ex): A ranger who has a racial swim speed can choose to apply this ability to difficult aquatic terrain (shallow coral, kelp beds, ice-choked waters, sargasso and similar obstacles), rather than woodland terrain. This choice is made when the class feature is gained.
The classic image of a seafaring rogue is, of course, the pirate. Buccaneers and freebooters of all stripes rove the oceans and even large rivers. Some are bloodthirsty and cruel, many simply in it for the profit, and a few honourable privateers take a freelance naval war to their nation’s foes.
Rogues are also expert treasure hunters, whether seeking for wealth in sunken wrecks or looting a trove of giant pearls from a locathah city. Of course, the need for spies is just as great in an aquatic setting as any other, and rogues of underwater races are experts in wriggling through the deep crevices of an ixitxachitl maze or evading pursuit by a crowd of angry merfolk.
The quick, nimble scout makes an excellent aquatic adventurer, both above and below the waves. In fact, in most aquatic-themed campaigns, the scout is almost certainly better suited for inclusion in an adventuring party than the rogue. Fast movement allows the scout to move more quickly through the water, while a scout who focuses on Balance, Climb, Jump and Tumble can get along well aboard any ship. Flawless stride applies equally well in underwater conditions, though it doesn’t change the normal distance covered by a Swim check. At 18th level, a scout can function underwater as if affected by freedom of movement — a great boon to underwater combatants.
Fast Movement (Ex): Scouts who possess a racial swim speed can choose to apply their fast movement bonus to their swim speed instead of their land speed. The choice must be made when the character gains the class feature, and cannot be changed later. This benefit still applies only when the scout is wearing no armour or light armour and not carrying a medium or heavy load.
Sorcerers in watery settings are often multi-class sorcerer/fighters or sorcerer/rogues, who provide valuable weather magic or offensive capability to boost the crews they serve with. Among underwater peoples, sorcerers obviously do not use much (if any) fire magic. Instead, they concentrate on sonic or electricity effects, direct-damage effects such as magic missile or elemental magic dealing with water and cold.
Familiar: Sorcerers and wizards in aquatic regions can obtain a familiar appropriate to that environment; see Table: Aquatic Familiars.
Treat each familiar as the kind of animal indicated in the “Monster” column for the purpose of HD, attacks and other basic statistics. Costs and effort involved in obtaining aquatic familiars are identical to those required for other familiars.
| Familiar | Monster | Special |
|---|---|---|
| Albatross | Albatross | Master gains a +1 bonus on Spot checks |
| Eel | Eel | Master gains a +3 bonus on Escape Artist checks |
| Fish Owl | Owl | Master gains a +3 bonus on Spot checks in shadows |
| Octopus | Octopus | Master gains a +3 bonus on grapple checks |
| Parrot1 | Raven | Master gains a +3 bonus on Appraise checks |
| Sea Snake | Sea Snake | Master gains a +3 bonus on Bluff checks |
1 A parrot familiar can speak a language of its master’s choice as a supernatural ability.
The spirit shaman, a divine mediator between the natural and spirit worlds, can exist just as comfortably in an aquatic environment as on land. Spirit shamans are particularly talented at dealing with the hazards created by unfriendly fey or elementals native to the oceans. A spirit shaman in an aquatic setting usually chooses a spirit guide appropriate to that environment, such as albatross, sea snake or turtle, though some specifically select land-bound creatures to reaffirm their terrestrial origin.
The swashbuckler makes a natural seagoing warrior, favouring the light armour and weapons appropriate for shipboard life. Acrobatic charge and acrobatic skill mastery are immensely useful on the crowded deck of a ship, and the lucky class feature might well make the difference between swimming that extra few yards or sinking to the bottom of the sea.
Swashbucklers make fine pirate captains and take to the life of a buccaneer (including the scarlet corsair prestige class) as if born to it. Seafaring swashbucklers typically wield the cutlass and can wear cord armour or sharkskin armour.
Warmages make excellent shipboard artillerists, launching deadly evocations at enemy vessels. This arcane caster is also well equipped to defend herself in the event of a boarding party attacking her ship, thanks to her armour and shield proficiencies.
Though none of the spells in this book are automatically available to the warmage, she can use her advanced learning class feature to add evocation spells from the new arcane spells, such as pressure sphere. Many warmages select the Ship’s Mage feat to make their spells simultaneously more potent against foes and less dangerous to their own ship.
Wizards in aquatic environments might specialize in magic of winds and waters, or in abjuration magic to protect those who dare the waves. They are slightly less likely to found on board ships than sorcerers, being more inclined to study and not wishing to risk their precious books. Some wizards make a career of creating magic items to assist with life on or under the water, such as everfull sails, magically enhanced vessels, devices for breathing underwater, and so on.
Familiar: As described above for sorcerers, seafaring wizards have a different selection of familiars available to them.
Source: Stormwrack (Page 47)