#malenti

Maybe she’ll realize she has a crush when she stops being so mean all the time and goes through character development

A woman washes up on shore, bleeding badly from her head, and is nursed back to health in a nearby town. She has no memory of who she was or what happened, but she instinctively hides the gills on her torso. Little does she know she’s a sahuagin Malenti -- but when she remembers this, will she decide to stay with the adventuring party she’s come to know as family, or will she complete her mission?

A changeling lived as a servant to a noble for years, until one day, the noble suddenly died of a heart attack in the privacy of her chambers, and the changeling took their chance to assume her identity and live a life much better than the servant’s life they had eked out prior. Their deception was flawless, and they only ever told one other person about it -- their brother. However, years later when they had a falling out, their brother fled, and swore to get revenge on his sibling. The changeling now adventures in search of their brother, determined to tie up the one loose thread that could unravel their entire life.

A girl once dreamed of becoming a paladin of Dol Arrah, until one day, a thief killed both her parents while invading her home. In that vulnerable moment, the Shadow reached out to her and offered her power, and she accepted. She killed the thief and started her career as a dark vigilante. Now, years later as a young woman, she tracks down and kills criminals with shadowy magic all across Khorvaire.

Drew up a lovely damp bog girl. Shes completely trustworthy armed with her beloved Tetanus Stick. Do not believe the rumors that she is a Malenti, she is 100% Sea Elf through and through. Just ask the record keeper. Oh he died of Tetanus? How tragic.

(art by StylishChocobutt on DeviantArt)

Another druid archetype from the early days of the blog, and kinda-sorta also of a series. Terrain druids are just that, those that specialize in a particular sort of terrain and the natural creatures and phenomena found there. Unlike animal shamans, however, these druids were a bit more loose with how they handled powers, not following such a strict template.

In any case, aquatic druids are exactly what they sound like, having a mastery over the waves be they the endless depths of the ocean or the much shallower but equally mysterious lakes and rivers. While they are not the only druids to boast such powers, they were the first, and the most general in their mastery of the waves, having no great specialization like tempest druids or river druids.

Oceans, lakes, rivers, and other such bodies of water are remarkable in the amount of wondrous life they can foster within them, but can also be dangerous and tempestuous at times. Anything that can be said about water as an element and as an environment applies here, and these druids venerate those aspects above all else.

Some may be druids of various aquatic peoples, who may very well think of their abilities as the “standard” druidic set, but they also include air-breathers that live on or alongside the water. Coastal, lakeside, and river communities may very well have some of these druids within them, while others might prefer to spend most of their time out on a vessel as navigators and magical support, spending as much time below the waves as above.

Either way, there are few who can match these druids in their preferred element.

As one might expect, the empathic powers of these druids only apply to aquatic creatures.

Not only do these mystics know a lot about watery environments, but they also are keen to recognize and react to the dangers of them as well.

Naturally, they are also powerful swimmers, able to move quickly in the water.

As masters of the depths, these druids apply the mystical resistances of druidcraft against aquatic magic and creatures, rather than against fey and plants.

With their specialization into the secrets of water, they learn the art of wild shaping a bit later than other druids.

However, by doing so, they eventually transform their bodies to adapt to the waves, breathing water and air freely, swimming faster, and becoming resistant to cold environments such as the dark depths.

More powerful druids of this calling become totally immune to the effects of pressure, and this resistance carries over into combat, their bodies resisting any sort of blunt-force or crushing damage to an extent, though naturally cutting or piercing weapons bypass this.

Whether you’re on the sea or just a watery region, this archetype can be perfect if you wanna play a druid in such games. Getting wild shape later makes a melee build less appealing, but it is still possible with an animal companion, though you’ll naturally want to pick up such a companion based on how much time you spend on land vs in the water. Otherwise, you’ll probably want to play for a back line support and control mage, particularly when in a watery environment. Flooding areas with control water is a good way to turn the tables if your party isn’t similarly hampered, but other water spells are also useful.

Aquatic druids may come to reflect the nature of their preferred body of water in their personalities, the tranquility of a lake, the steadiness of the river, the tempestuousness of the sea, and so on. However, while they are devoted to the watery environments, it might be difficult for them to convince terrestrial folk of dangers or risks to the sea and it’s ecology. Out of sight, and out of mind, as they say.

Grodair usually have horrible memories, but Inland Tide is an exception. The strange druid delights in manipulating water, summoning a host of swimming terrors into regions he floods to hunt. The fey lords do not appreciate his tendency of devouring their subjects, however, and will pay handsomely to have the dangerous beast removed. So desperate are they that they might even uphold their end of the bargain.

No one in the drow city of Vulz Vernaan stopped to consider the underground sea their city was suspended above. As long as one were careful not to fall in, or be pushed by a rival, the water was harmless… until the water rose up, allowing a blind whale to destroy the royal palace and the entire royal hierarchy to boot. Now the city is ruled by the flood’s perpetrator: a blind, half-malenti drow, who is currently setting her sights on the surface world.

My "for fun" D&D pirate crew, they don't have names or classes :0)

“Drywalkers never seen a fish before?”

She has him run some tests to try and figure out what’s going on with her. But she starts picking up on maybe something supernatural. She makes a comment, and says she’s now going crazy, and Kyle knows what she says is true. He tries to help Mimi in other ways— Maria finds out and he tells her that her mom is right about aliens. He lets her in. They grow closer and help Mimi in the process.

(Art by Azurasstarr on Artstation)

 The ability to communicate.

The word.

It’s easy to forget the power that this has, since most days, we communicate all the time. We share information, and it affects us, whether it be a rousing speech, a moving passage in a book, or malicious words spread online.

In a world of fantasy, words can go beyond being metaphorically magical to literally magical, and not just in the “I said a funny-sounding word and that affected reality” sense. The idea of words of power, that not only describe, but literally invoke a concept into being, is a common thread. (Heck, Pathfinder both has Power Word spells and an entire alternate magic system based around combining words, as well as guidelines for spontaneous curses placed by non-casters who feel strong enough negative feelings to invoke the forces of magic without realizing it.)

Today, we’re looking at a bardic tradition that revolves around using magic with a particularly vicious vocabulary, using magic to invoke curses, as well as bringing doubt, fear, and otherwise tear down their foes emotionally, or even twist their behavior to darker ends.

These are your cunning manipulators that sow dissent to bring their enemies low, often while presenting themselves as an ally to them, but they can also be found among insult comics, particularly vicious satirists, and instigators that either rile the rabble up against the leaders, or turn them against each other.

This archetype, commonly associated with vishkanya, but not necessarily exclusive to them, is by nature amoral, but not necessarily evil. Regardless, their power to cripple their foes emotionally, or even semi-permanently with magic, cannot be denied.

 These disciples gain two new performances, both of which replace more benevolent ones. The first sows discord into the thoughts of their foes, causing their defenses against mental and curse-related effects to weaken, as well as disrupting their concentration.

The second allows them to sow discord and doubt into the mind of an individual, causing them to choose to not provide said allies with access to their beneficial abilities, and to resist the beneficial abilities of their own allies for fear of them being disguised treachery.

In addition to this, they also can learn curse spells from any tradition, not just those common to bards, giving them an arsenal of powerful and often hard to remove magic to debilitate their foes.

This archetype makes a great villain, but also can be useful to a player that wants to debuff and debilitate foes all day. In particular, they prove strong against spellcasters due to their performances that disrupt concentration or cripple their foes’ ability to work together. With that in mind, you can go with a build that focuses on debuffing and disrupting foes, or mix that with some more general-purpose abilities as well.

 I feel like this archetype neatly straddles the line between “These bards could be actual performers” and “These are magically gifted individuals that just happen to use a similar power set to a bard” quite nicely, but it does beg the question: is there an actual group or following that these individuals are disciples of? If so, do members interact as an organization, or simply on a teacher/student basis, and in that case, do those that use it to perform interact with those that use it for political or power-focused machinations?

  After centuries of dealing with malenti infiltrators, the aquatic elves of Shora’s Gulf have learned a thing or two about deceptive magics. Their Murkwater Cabal specializes in pinpointing potential spies and saboteurs, and using their magic to cut them off from their support networks in all manner of ways, even if said allies are right next to them. Just don’t ask them to go on a diplomatic assignment.

 When the king learned that the infamous assassin called The Isolator would come after him, rather than despair, he commissioned the crafting of an animate waxwork body double, not only to throw the magical killer, but also surprise them with a target immune to his mental predations, hopefully just long enough to capture the killer. However, in a shocking turn of events, the king is injured in the process… and also revealed to be made of wax!