Mershifter
“Riposa, where are the others?” Lucais asked desperately, his voice barely carrying through the howling winds and crashing waves even while yelling. He was holding onto his much lighter companion, securing them with one arm around their lithe waist.
“I don't know yet, but I’ll find-” they began to answer, but their voice was drowned out by the storm before they could finish when yet another wave pummeled into the side of The Swallow.
For a split second, they were airborne, then they were tumbling against the slippery wooden deck. Were it not for the rope around Lucais’ waist right then the two would've been thrown off for sure; he was thanking the gods for Riposa thinking ahead and telling him to secure himself just before.
Unfortunately, not everyone was as lucky.
A scream broke through the turmoil, and their gazes fell upon Nai’avain who for but a split second met their eyes. Then she’s gone in a blink. The railing she had been hanging onto in those final moments breaking and falling with her into the depth and they scream. As does someone else.
“NAI! NAI I GOT YOU!” Ezra yells out, the small human woman running across the boards and diving without hesitation to their fear and disbelief.
But she is no human.
The moment Ezra hits the surface, her legs begin to change, melding together and growing into a long flaming orange and black fishtail and she takes a deep breath through the gills now showing upon her neck and ribs. Even if she hadn't taken this form in a long time, it felt natural, like coming home, and was it not for the situation maybe she’d even enjoy it, but only one thing was on her mind; to save her friend.
— Taima, The Dawnchasers and The Swallow
Humans have always been fascinated by the beauty and mysteries of the reclusive Merfolk, and Merfolk by those who wander the surface. The stories told by bards of the forbidden love between the two are sung far and wide across the world, though what not many know is of the truth behind some of them. Mershifters are a direct result of unions like these, a love letter between two very different races. While most unions result in either a human or a merperson with some vague traits of the other, a rare gene sometimes results in the human descendants of such unions giving birth to a child whose a mershifter. A humanoid who can choose between two worlds or decide to be part of them both.
Call of The Sea
Already from a young age, mershifters are drawn to the seas of their merfolk ancestors. They can be hard to keep out of the water, and are often found longingly staring out over the water, at times even talking of strange dreams that might worry their parents.
While this pull to the sea shows early in life, it’s not until puberty their shifting ability begins to set in. Often it takes the mershifter by surprise one day when they are out swimming or even just taking a bath. It can be a confusing and often scary experience that is hard to quite control at first, but for many, swimming down into the depths of the seas for the first time feels a bit like coming home.
Between Two Worlds
Being born to human parents, mershifters have no world of their own but are put between the one of their parental guardians and their merfolk ancestors at sea. It can be a hard balance to find as often they feel a bit like outsiders. Land dwellers might not fear them the way some fears shifters, hexlings and tieflings, for they can more easily blend in, but it’s not unusual for them to be grouped together with sirens at sea either; to become the scapegoat when someone in town drowns mysteriously one day.
Because of this, many mershifters choose to keep their dual nature a secret only to be shared with family and close friends.
Some mershifters, albeit rare, embrace their shifted form and leave their human homes to instead spend their life at sea, maybe seeking up a merfolk settlement instead. There they are welcome, but no less strangers than on land, and might find that their longing to the sea is slowly replaced by a longing to stretch their legs, run across the beach and feel the sand between their toes.
By nature, mershifters will always live in duality, a life where balance and belonging is hard to find. Maybe because of this, it's not very surprising that many Mershifters end up adventuring.
Mershifter Names
Mershifters typically have human names fitting the culture they were born into, but some choose another separate name as adults for their shifted form. A name of merfolk origin to honour that part of their heritage.
Male Merfolk names: Hodatar, Eathelan, Kyron, Aldem, Kran, Kosul, Vhaemas, Delian, Dorian, Asteorephis
Female Merfolk names: Ningyo, Sirine, Kelanoire, Haithe, Oranna, Thalava, Loreria, Animine, Sereirinda, Nainara
Neutral Merfolk names: Hyley, Laopé, Coro, Lino, Avalle, Anashi, Sera, Tale, Kalip, Cheirip
Mershifter Traits
It’s almost as hard to make generalizations
about Mershifters as it is about humans, but
they also share traits with their Merfolk ancestors and some unique. Your mershifter character has the following traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and two other Ability Scores of your choice increase by 1.
Age. Mershifters mature at the same rate humans do and reach adulthood around the age of 20. They live considerably longer than humans, though, often reaching well over 100 years.
Alignment. Many mershifters lean towards neutral alignments, but are otherwise varied in nature. The best and the worst are found among them.
Size. Mershifters are about as varied as humans in size and weight, albeit their aquatic form often appear both taller and heavier because of the fishtail. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Aquatic Form. When in contact with water, you can as a bonus action shift into your aquatic form, changing your legs into a fishtail and growing gills. This transformation last until you use a bonus action to return to your human shape.
In your aquatic form you have a swimming speed of 40 feet and you can breathe both water and air. Your walking speed is 10 feet, and you're considered prone while on land.
Keen Senses. You are proficient in the Perception skill.
Languages. You can read, speak and write Common, Aquan and one language of your choice.
Mershifter Variant
There is one rare type of Mershifter hailing from the more reclusive Polar Merfolk living in the icy waters around the south and north poles. If you choose to play a Polar Mershifter the following traits changes:
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increase by 2 instead of your Dexterity score.
Aquatic Form. Your swimming speed changes from 40 feet to 30 feet.
Of Cold Waters. You are naturally adept to cold climates, as described in Chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide.
Homebrew: Mershifter V. 1.0 - 2020
This D&D 5E race was designed by Taima.
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Credits & Thanks
- Thank you to my Patreons and friends for support and feedback.
- Rosy who inspired me to create a race based of mermaids.
- Emilija who once again made some lovely illustrations. Check out more of her work at https://www.artstation.com/emikl
Special thanks to my $10+ Patrons at the time of creating this subclass:
- Patrick Feeney - https://threetrollsandadryad.tumblr.com
- Egg Infinitum
(Note: my patreon has since been disabled as of 2023 due to lack of time)