Tritons

**Tritons** are a race of scaled humanoids that guard the ocean depths, building small settlements and magnificent domed cities far from the eyes of land-bound folk. They are no strangers to conquest, and harbour a belief that surface dwellers are generally inferior. They often raid and harass seaside settlements on the shores of oceans, and claim entire swathes of territory in rare cases.

## Description

Tritons have humanoid form, that is typically stocky and muscled, with broad shoulders, and powerful arms and legs built for swimming. Their skin is made of a thin protective layer of shimmering scales, and their hands and feet are webbed.

## Culture & Society

As a result of their isolation and limited understanding of the cultures of land folk, tritons can come across as haughty and arrogant. They see themselves as caretakers of the sea, and they expect other creatures to pay them deep respect, if not complete deference. This attitude might grate on others, but it arises from a seed of truth. Few know of the their great victories over dreadful undersea threats. Tritons make little allowance for such ignorance and are delighted to expound upon the great debt others owe them.

Tritons also have a tendency to emerge from their isolation under the assumption that other folk will welcome them as respected leaders to be offered tribute and immediate aid . Again, distance drives much of this attitude. Their limited view of the world leaves them ignorant of the kingdoms, wars, and other struggles of the surface world. Tritons readily see such concerns as minor events, a sideshow to their role as the world's true protectors.

Given their isolation, most tritons have never been to the surface world. They struggle with the idea that they can't easily move up and down out of water, and the changing of the seasons mystifies them. They also find the variety of social institutions, kingdoms, and other customs bewildering.

The typical triton society is tightly regimented, organised, and unified around a common cause. A triton on the surface becomes easily confused by the bewildering array of alliances, rivalries, and petty grievances that prevent the surface folk from truly unifying. At its worst, their arrogance compounds the tendency for them not to try and understand the ways of the surface world. It's easy for a triton to blame baffling social practices on what they perceive as the barbarism, weakness, or cowardice of surface folk.

## Properties

* ***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Strength, Constitution, and Charisma scores each increase by 1.
* ***Size.*** Your size is Medium.
* ***Speed.*** Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
* ***Darkvision***. 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 colour in darkness, only shades of grey.
* ***Amphibious.*** You can breathe air and water.
* ***Emissary of the Sea.*** Aquatic beasts have an extraordinary affinity with your people. You can communicate simple ideas with beasts that can breathe water. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return.
* ***Guardians of the Depths.*** Adapted to even the most extreme ocean depths, you have resistance to cold damage, and you ignore any of the drawbacks caused by a deep, underwater environment.
* ***Control Air and Water.*** You can cast *fog cloud* with this trait. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the *gust of wind* spell with this trait. Starting at 5th level, you can also cast the *water walk* spell with it. Once you cast any of these spells with this trait, you can't cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast these spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait.