5th Edition Aquatic Builds (Sea Elf)

Original Artwork

As a sea elf, your body is both lithe and strong. Adapted for underwater living through magic, your people guide the growth of coral reefs into complex fortresses of both air and water, and cultivate massive beds of giant kelp for both food and protection.

Sea elves have spent generations building relationships with a variety of marine mammals native to their territories, including orcas, dolphins and otters, as well as honoring trade and political ties to the varied cultures of merfolk. Though sea elves commonly find themselves in conflict with both the merrow and sahuagin (races known for their partnership with sharks), less aggressive species of reef and benthic sharks are also common in and around sea elf settlements.

The sea elves ability to live on both land and in water gives them certain advantages over other aquatic races. Sea elves not only trade with coastal human, halfling and elven villages for forged weapons, magic items and supplies, they are well known for their adaptation of these items for underwater use.

Sea elves skin and hair color varies depending on their home territories; darker grey and silver hair for tribes inhabiting the deep oceans, blue-green and copper for tropical and coastal tribes, pale white and balding in arctic areas.

5th Edition Aquatic Builds (Cleric)

The only domain available to clerics that most closely duplicates worship of sea gods is the Tempest domain. Gods of storms and seas are common across pantheons, though the Tempest domain leans far more toward gods like Thor than they do Poseidon.

Below you will find a variant of the Tempest domain that grants the cleric power over marine creatures as well as the ocean and weather.

Oceanic Domain

Oceanic Domain Spells

1st: fog cloud, speak with animals

3rd: alter self, gust of wind
5th: call lightning, water breathing
7th: control water, dominate beast
9th: conjure elemental, destructive wave

5th Edition: Aquatic Builds (Barbarian)

In this series, we will be presenting archetypes applicable to 5th edition D&D games set in coastal or entirely aquatic settings.

Barbarian

Barbarians from coastal and island cultures often draw on the spirit of the ocean's greatest hunters to inspire them in battle. Barbarians who choose an aquatic hunter as their spirit animal take the aquatic hunter class feature in place of the spirit seeker feature. Aquatic totems include killer whales (orcas) and sharks. As with the standard barbarian build, an aquatic barbarian may select from different animal totems at 3rd, 6th and 14th levels.

Path of the Totem Warrior

Aquatic Hunter
Yours is a path that seeks a connection to the greatest hunters in the aquatic world. At 3rd level when you adopt this path, you gain the ability to cast water breathing on yourself at-will. You may also choose one of the following spells to cast as indicated: hunter's mark (once per day as a 1st level spell) or speak with animals (as a ritual).

5th Edition D&D Subraces: Human

In the early editions of D&D, humans were the foundation on which other races were compared. In other words, they were bland. Humans had no advantages or penalties (with the exception of being able to rise to any level in any class). Starting with 3rd edition, humans were instead described as the most flexible and adaptable of races, granting them a choice of ability scores increases, bonus feats, and training in a choice of skills. Humans went from the least played race to one of my favorites.

Humans in the 5th edition Player's Handbook continue what 3rd edition started, providing two options for your human characters.

1. Gain +1 to all ability scores (as opposed to the standard +2 to one and +1 to a second of other races).
2. Gain a +1 to two ability scores, proficiency in a skill of your choice, and a free feat at 1st level.

Using the second option gives you quite a few choices when creating characters from specific cultures. For example, if you want your human to have come from a race born on the open plains and commonly using mounts for transport and war, you could put your skill bonuses in Strength, Constitution and/or Wisdom, select proficiency in Animal Handling and take the Mounted Combatant feat. A human from a country bordering on demonic invasion, such as the Worldwound from Pathfinder's Golarion, may put their bonuses in Constitution, Intelligence and/or Wisdom, select proficiency in Arcana or Religion, and take the Mage Slayer, Magic Initiate or Ritual Caster feats. However, these options aren't limitless due to the small number of feats*.

Below you will find a variety of human subraces who hail from specific environments or countries with particular cultural or political leanings. These subraces are built using the half-elf as a guide, and the following abilities replace those of a standard human. Each subrace gains +2 to one ability score and +1 to two others. They also gain proficiency in one or two skills and one special ability, such as Darkvision 60 feet, Advantage on specific saving throws, etc.

Thank you, Emily Kubisz

The "Thank You" series was inspired by my post to the late Aaron Allston, as well as the passing of industry greats Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. There were many things I needed to say to these men and never got the chance. I don't intend to let that happen again.

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"Learn a little bit about everything, and a lot about what you love."--my father, James F. Howard, Ph.D.

It's a truism that writers are interested in everything. Whether writers become writers because they are born with a need to collect as much knowledge as they can and they need to get it out, or writers learn to appreciate things because they're compelled to write, I don't know.

I was a junior in high school when I first read an article about a marine biologist named Ken Norris, a professor in the far-off land of UC Santa Cruz. I was still figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, but working with animals had always been top on the list. Something about that article made me realize that marine biology offered something that no other branch of biology did; the opportunity to study aliens.

Thank You, Brian Phillips

The "Thank You" series was inspired by my post to the late Aaron Allston, as well as the passing of industry greats Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. There were many things I needed to say to these men and never got the chance. I don't intend to let that happen again.

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Though every post in this series is about people whose writing and art have touched me deeply, this particular thank you is very special to me.

I was, and am, a comic geek. Superheroes are my Greek myths. I learned to read on Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes. Batman and the Dick Grayson Robin helped shape my morality. I was there when Charles, Logan, Piotr and Ororo showed up on the Pryde's doorstep to recruit their daughter, Kitty, into the "School for Gifted Youngsters". Clark, Bruce, Diana, Barry, Hal, Arthur, J'onn, Dick, Ollie, Peter Parker, Steve Rogers, the Legion, the X-Men, they were more than simple pre-teen soap operas, they were family.

Gaming with your Kids

Gamemaster and Awesome Dad, James Walls and family

When both I and the roleplaying industry were young, the world, particularly the religious world, fought against the emerging industry for a variety of reasons, all of which were born out of ignorance. I was first introduced to gaming at 8-years-old and by 14 my reading and math skills were at the high school, and in some cases college, levels. Gaming encouraged us to do what every teacher wanted us to do--read more, read broadly, and solve math problems, and it did it by making them fun.