Merfolk

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Race Guide

+2 Dex, +2 Con, +2 Cha; humanoid (aquatic); Medium

Merfolk have the upper torsos of well-built and attractive humans and lower halves consisting of the tail and fins of a great fish. Their hair and scales span a wide range of hues, with merfolk in a given region closely resembling each other. Merfolk can breathe air freely but move on dry land only with difficulty, and rarely spend long periods out of water. As a race, merfolk are insular and distrustful of strangers, but individuals, especially adventuring merfolk, break the mold and can be quite garrulous. Merfolk concern themselves more with nature and the arts than with morality and ethical debates, and have a strong inclination toward neutral alignments.

Merfolk Racial Traits

+2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +2 Charisma: Merfolk are graceful, hale, and beautiful.
Medium: Merfolk are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Slow Speed: Merfolk have a base speed of 5 feet. They have a swim speed of 50 feet.
Aquatic: Merfolk are humanoids with the aquatic subtype.
Amphibious: Merfolk are amphibious, but prefer not to spend long periods out of the water.
Low-Light Vision: Merfolk have low-light vision.
Armor: Merfolk have a +2 natural armor bonus.
Legless: Merfolk have no legs, and cannot be tripped.
Languages: Merfolk begin play speaking Common and Aquan. Merfolk with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aboleth, Aklo, Draconic, Elven, and Sylvan.

Alternate Racial Traits

The following racial traits may be selected instead of existing merfolk racial traits. Consult your GM before selecting any of these new options.

Darkvision: Some merfolk favor the lightless depths over shallower waters. Merfolk with this racial trait gain darkvision with a range of 60 feet and light sensitivity. This racial trait replaces low-light vision.

Seasinger: The beautiful voices of the merfolk are legendary. A seasinger gains a +2 racial bonus on Perform (sing) checks and a +1 racial bonus to the save DC of language-dependent spells. This racial trait replaces low-light vision.

Strongtail: A few merfolk have broad, strong tails that are more suited for land travel than the typical merfolk tail. Merfolk with this racial trait have a land speed of 15 feet and a swim speed of 30 feet.

Favored Class Options

The following options are available to all merfolk who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward.

Druid: Add +1 hit point to the druid’s animal companion. If the merfolk ever replaces her animal companion, the new animal companion gains these bonus hit points.

Ranger: Add +1 hit point to the ranger’s animal companion. If the ranger ever replaces his animal companion, the new animal companion gains these bonus hit points.

Sorcerer: Add +1/2 to the sorcerer’s caster level when determining the range of any spells with the water descriptor.

Background

Random Heights and Weights
Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
male	5'10"	+2d10	145 lb.	×5
female	5'8"	+2d10	135 lb.	×5

Random Starting Ages
Adulthood	Intuitive	Self-Taught	Trained
15 years	+1d4 years	+1d6 years	+2d6 years

Aging Effects
Middle Age	Old	Venerable	Maximum Age
35 years	52 years	70 years	+2d20 years

- At middle age, --1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. - At old age, --2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. - At venerable age, --3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

The text on this page is Open Game Content, and is licensed for public use under the terms of the Open Game License v1.0a.

Sources:

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Race Guide

SECTION 15

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Race Guide, Copyright 2012, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Dennis Baker, Jesse Benner, Benjamin Bruck, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Jim Groves, Tim Hitchcock, Hal MacLean, Jason Nelson, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Owen K.C. Stephens, Todd Stewart, and Russ Taylor.
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