Eternal Dominion

Source: Exploring Eberron

Life is conflict. All things must eat or be eaten. Flee if victory is impossible in the moment, but never surrender.

Sahuagin culture is deeply aggressive; in any situation, they look to see how they can win. This combines with a deep sense of cultural unity; what matters isn’t that I defeat the foe, it’s that we defeat it. So while sahuagin frequently compete with other sahuagin, seeking to advance in rank and earn evolution into a higher form, this is about strengthening the Dominion, not simply personal pride. Sahuagin don’t seek to cheat their way into positions they believe they don’t deserve. Similarly, weakness can’t be tolerated, and they spare no time on sentimentality. The sahuagin are children of the Devourer: the point of storm and sickness is to cleanse weakness and strengthen those who survive. Anyone who grows too old or infirm should be challenged by those below them—but this is rare in practice, for a sahuagin who realizes they can no longer perform their role will usually abdicate before they’re challenged. It’s common practice for a respected retiring leader to be consumed by their subordinates, so their spirit and skills will remain part of the Dominion. The sahuagin warrior who has grown too old to serve has no regrets about being consumed; they lived well, and now they give what strength they have left to nourish those who will come after them. A single life is fleeting; the Dominion is eternal, and your spirit lives on in your comrades who consume you. On the other hand, those seen as having no value—who are best excised from the Dominion—will simply be fed to the sharks.

Stemming from this, the people of the Eternal Dominion are extremely industrious. Sahuagin never relax, and don’t understand why anyone would—if you stop moving, you’re dead. They’re always looking for something to do, a challenge to overcome. However, this leaves them little time for abstract reflection, romance, or whimsy; life is war, and there’s no time for poetry. Some would also say this limits innovation, and the Dominion is indeed slow to change its methods. Sahuagin are austere in their needs and desires, and don’t seek comfort, luxury, or personal wealth. This isn’t to say the sahuagin don’t enjoy life or seek entertainment—but rather, what drives the sahuagin is victory. They don’t care for music or theater, but they enjoy gladiatorial combat and other forms of aggressive sport, such as public debates and arcane duels. They also love to eat, as this is a symbolic victory over whatever they’re eating. Symbols of all kinds are important in sahuagin culture. Their armor, weapons, and architecture are designed to intimidate enemies and show off one’s rank and status.

Sahuagin have no families nor concept of personal property. Your loyalty is to your city, and then to the Dominion as a whole. You were born in the spawning pools of your city and assigned a purpose and a shiver—the group of sahuagin you trained with as a child, to whom you may have a personal attachment. From there, you worked your way up to prove your value and earn a higher rank. All positions are based on merit; while the title of a military leader is often translated as “baron,” the position is earned, not inherited. The city gives you equipment and lodging based on your position, though you can earn trophy items through sporting victories. Sahuagin always look for ways to prove themselves and earn advancement, but never at the expense of your shiver, your city, or the Dominion. Sahuagin find criminal behavior and those who betray their people for personal gain to be repulsive, a sign of an inferior species.

The society of the Eternal Dominion is split into three primary forces:

The Ra’har (“body”) is the military. The sahuagin view life as conflict, and are zealous about maintaining a strong military. When there is no active conflict, they engage in war games and engage in gladiatorial combat—both locally, and in a league against the other cities—to entertain the people.

The Ta’har (“mind”) are the scholars, scientists, and priests— which, among the sahuagin, are all branches of a single path. Alchemy and sorcery are core sciences in the Dominion. The sahuagin recognize divine magic as a resource, and excel at the aggressive cultivation of the faith required to channel it. Ta’har scholars advise the Ra’har, using the lessons of history to drive military strategy, while Ta’har artificers work with the Su’har to maintain the infrastructure of the cities.

The Su’har (“heart”) maintain the civic infrastructure. They maintain and expand the cities, ensure the steady flow of supplies, and organize the spawning pools and the education and evolution of the young. The Ta’har develop new techniques, but it’s the Su’har who turn the wheels of industry

Each city is governed by a Sha’rei—Council of Three—with a leader from each force. Councilors add the prefix “kar” to their force, so the Kar’ra’har is the military leader of a sahuagin city. Cities coordinate through the Sha’lassa—Council of Dreams— as described in the “Harvesting the Dreamers” section. The priesthood of the Eternal Dominion follows one of two paths. The razh’ash—storm priests—are devoted to Sha’argon, and serve as the primary spiritual guides of the people. They teach the harsh lessons of the Devourer, while also wielding his might in battle when needed. The second path is that of the lass’ash, “dream priests”; their work is important and they support the Su’har, but they don’t preach to the people.

The Eternal Dominion claims the entirety of the Thunder Sea as its territory, and maintains outposts across the sea, often carved into stone spires that rise up to the surface. However, most of their population is concentrated in the great cities of the Dominion. These lie on the seafloor, thousands of feet below the surface, far beyond the reach of sunlight—yet illuminated by sahuagin-engineered bioluminescent coral. Each city is named after the kar’lassa it’s built around, and the kar’lassa in turn are in turn named for the plane they’re bound to.

Hal’daan (Daanvi). The city of Hal’daan is the administrative heart of the Dominion. Here, the leaders of the Su’har develop the civic models used throughout the Dominion. This city also holds the bureaucratic archives of the Dominion.

Hal’dol (Dolurrh). The smallest of the great cities, Hal’dol is a center for necromantic research. The skulls of great leaders and priests from across the Dominion are preserved in the Bone Library, where sahuagin mediums can use speak with dead to consult with them.

Hal’fer (Fernia). This region has an abundance of geothermal vents, and due to Fernia’s influence, it’s also a source of pure elemental flame that burns underwater. Hal’fer is an industrial center working with heat and steam; it’s the primary source of metal goods, and mints the currency used with surface dwellers.

Hal’iri (Irian). This is a stronghold of the Ta’har, driving mystical research and holding the largest temples in the Dominion—both in reality and in the kar’lassa’s dream. Many priests train in Hal’iri, and its people have grand dreams of what the Dominion can become. It’s a center for exploring lofty goals, such as defeating the Valraean Protectorate, consuming the overlords to gain their power, and perhaps even conquering the planes (as discussed in the “Story Hooks” section).

Hal’kyth (Kythri). The influence of Kythri supports magic tied to change and transmutation, and these are vital to the society of the Dominion. Hal’kyth is the heart of the alchemical industry. While all great cities harvest the blood of the kar’lassa (as discussed in the next section), it is Hal’kyth that has the greatest capacity for refining it. Though the Dominion is slow to innovate, the artificers of Hal’kyth are an exception, and they continue to develop new techniques; the plasmidsdiscussed in chapter 8 were first magebred in Hal’kyth.

Hal’laman (Lamannia). The flora and fauna of this region are unnaturally fertile. Hal’laman is a center for all forms of animal husbandry, and also holds the largest spawning pools of the Dominion. When Lamannia is coterminous, growth rates spike dramatically; it’s always a struggle to keep the city safe during these times, with aggressive beasts swept into frenzies and vegetation becoming shambling mounds.

Hal’shavar (Shavarath). This is the military seat of the Dominion, where the finest barons and strategists are trained. Here, the Ra’har of Hal’shavar establish the military traditions used throughout the Dominion. Mock battles and other grand spectacles are carried out in the grand arena of Hal’shavar.

Hal’syra (Syrania). This is the center for commerce and trade with other cultures. Hal’syra even has a rarely-used quadrant enchanted so surface dwellers can breathe within it. This city is the source of the ambassadors, envoys, and merchants who deal with surface dwellers and other cultures, and it’s here that the scholars of the Ta’har study surface dwellers and debate the best ways to deal with them.

These major cities are each home to hundreds of thousands of sahuagin, and the total population of the Dominion is well into the millions. Farms and other small communities scattered between the great cities are often largely inhabited by locathah, with a core group of sahuagin overlords. In between, there are large stretches with no humanoid population; here, ruins of the giants and remnants of other fallen civilizations might be found.

The eight greatest cities of the Eternal Dominion are built around kar’lassa, each tied to a different plane. The sahuagin harvest biomatter from the slumbering behemoths, and this is the driving fuel of the Eternal Dominion. Pipelines channel the blood of the beasts, and workers dig muscle and bone out of mines carved into their flesh. The eldritch energies sustaining the kar’lassa regenerate damage at a remarkable rate; the Dominion has been harvesting them for over a thousand years, and so far, they haven’t come close to taxing these resources.

All biomatter from the kar’lassa is infused with arcane energy, and the sahuagin use these substances in the same way the Five Nations rely on dragonshards. In addition, the biomatter of each kar’lassa has unique properties and potential due to the plane it’s tied to. The scales of Hal’shavar can be forged into powerful armor and weapons. The steam-breath of Hal’fer is an extremely powerful catalyst for evocation magic. The blood of Hal’kyth is an exceptional conduit for transmutation. These are just a few examples of the potential of the kar’lassa, and the Dominion itself is still discovering new uses for these resources. The Five Nations have never had an opportunity to work with this biomatter and know nothing of the kar’lassa. If a group of adventurers recovered a significant amount of biomatter—or secured a trade deal with the Dominion—House Cannith could produce strange new wonders.

So the kar’lassa are priceless resources and sources of power for the sahuagin; their biomatter drives Dominion industry, and cities benefit from the effects of their manifest zones. Only eight of the twelve kar’lassa have cities built around them, due to the dangers of the manifest zones extending from the kar’lassa tied to Mabar, Xoriat, Thelanis, and Risia. But even in the cities of the “safer” kar’lassa, the sahuagin pay a price for the power they’ve harnessed. When the people of these cities sleep, their spirits are drawn into the dream of the local kar’lassa—a vast alien dream that takes place in its bound plane, rather than Dal Quor. Most sahuagin aren’t lucid dreamers, and don’t remember their dreams with any more accuracy than most humans do. But this experience has a notable impact on the personality and aptitudes of the people of each city; the people of Hal’shavar are the most aggressive of the sahuagin, while the people of Hal’syra are the most conciliatory.

The lass’ash—the “dream priests”—are an arm of the Ta’har devoted to the kar’lassa of their cities. These priests treat the kar’lassa both as divine beings and as servants; they believe that it’s their rituals and devotions that keep the dreamers safely asleep, allowing the Dominion to continue to harvest their biomatter. At the heart of each temple lies the Or’lassa, the First Dreamer—a sahuagin priest sustained by direct infusions of kar’lassa blood. These infusions cause physical mutations that often reflect the shape of the kar’lassa and the plane it is tied to, as well as keep the First Dreamer in comatose state. Their spirit permanently resides in the kar’lassa dream, where they anchor a temple formed from their pure will. Dream priests are trained in lucid dreaming, and they use these temples as a base both for planar research and to maintain communication across the Dominion. While they reside in different planes, the temples are mystically linked through the kar’lassa, and rituals allow the priests to spiritually travel between the dream-temples, carrying messages to the other cities. And it’s in the dream of Hal’iri that the spirits of the Or’lassa meet to coordinate the actions of the Dominion; this is the Sha’lassa, the Council of Dreams.

The Eternal Dominion is an advanced civilization that employs both arcane and divine magic as part of everyday life. It’s generally more sophisticated than the Five Nations, but less advanced than Aerenal. Though the Dominion possesses capabilities beyond the Five Nations, its approaches can vary dramatically; for example, while the Dominion could generate continual flame, light is largely provided by engineered bioluminescent coral. While the sahuagin employ all schools of magic—generally influenced by the resources of that city’s kar’lassa—the Dominion’s greatest advances are in alchemy, transmutation, and magebreeding.

The Dominion has an exceptional talent for producing potions, allowing Dominion forces to temporarily boost their capabilities. But their technologies go far beyond temporary alterations, as the Dominion specializes in magebreeding all manner of creatures. The sahuagin themselves are carefully engineered to excel at the tasks chosen for them. In particular, the Dominion creates magewrights and sorcerers. This process isn’t quick, taking place over the course of a sahuagin childhood, and including training as well as ongoing rituals and an unusual diet. The blood of the kar’lassa is used as a transformative catalyst, combined with the sahuagin principle, “If you consume a thing you gain its power.” As a result, creating a Draconic Bloodline sorcerer requires a young sahuagin to consume the flesh of a dragon—so there’s a concrete limit on how many of these sorcerers the sahuagin can create.

In addition to these basic techniques that guide the evolution of a young sahuagin, the Dominion can also induce dramatic secondary mutations; many sahuagin are highly motivated by this prospect of attaining a higher form. The malenti and the four-armed barons are the best known of these, but they represent just a fraction of the Dominion’s magebreeding abilities, and the DM can create additional mutants to suit the story. For example, the Claw of Sha’argon (presented in chapter 8) possesses a secondary mutation that’s granted to powerful priests. These forms of ascension require rare resources and a significant amount of kar’lassa blood (drawn from a particular dreamer based on the type of transformation sought), and are only granted to sahuagin who prove themselves worthy.

In addition to altering themselves, the sahuagin put many enhanced beasts to good use. Enhanced mantas are a common mount, possessing a swim speed of 90 feet. Mutated giant sharks and eels are used as larger vehicles, sometimes with seating areas formed upon their backs, other times with bony handles protruding from the beast’s hide, allowing multiple riders to cling to the side. In place of warships, the Dominion fields dragon turtles with siege staffs embedded into their shells. The sahuagin have also created entirely new forms of life. The alchemists of Hal’kyth used the blood and biomatter of the kar’lassa to create plasmids: protean creatures similar to mimics, but capable of replicating the texture of inanimate objects as well as shape. Plasmids can be guards—often serving as living doors to secure chambers—but they’re also a useful tool of industry, as a trained plasmid can itself become the tools a sahuagin artisan needs to perform its work.

Skilled Dominion magewrights can cast fabricate as a ritual, shaping raw materials into their desired form through magic. The Dominion also uses a substance called korlass (“dream stone”), formed from dreamer biomass, as an industrial material; it can be sculpted like clay, then fixed in its shape by a magewright ritual. Korlass has the strength of steel, with a texture similar to shell, though its appearance varies depending on which kar’lassa it’s drawn from.

When considering the abilities of Dominion sahuagin, it’s likely that storm priests are Tempest clerics or Conquest paladins, while dream priests are Knowledge clerics. Sahuagin artificers are usually Alchemists, and the most common forms of arcane spellcasters are sorcerers (either Storm Sorcery or Draconic Bloodline) and magewrights. Sahaugin warriors are typically Battle Masters or Champions, but some embrace the blood frenzy of barbarians. Bards, druids, wizards, and warlocks aren’t supported by the traditions of the Dominion and are rarely encountered.

Source: Exploring Eberron

“Dominion” isn’t just a title; the sahuagin dominate other creatures, from other aquatic humanoids to mighty dragon turtles. Before the rise of the Eternal Dominion, there were six locathah nations spread across the Thunder Sea; in the last thousand years, these have all been conquered and assimilated by the Dominion. Locathah laborers are now found in all of the great cities, and there are farming communities across the seafloor where locathah are ruled by sahuagin overseers.

The locathah are the most widespread subjects of the Dominion, but other creatures have been forced into servitude as well. The sahuagin of Hal’laman may have merfolk subjects. There could be a small population of subjugated koalinth near the coast of Darguun, or a city where there are still a few storm giants compelled into service. Typically, creatures that are Dominion subjects know the Sahuagin language, either instead of Common, or in addition to it (if they have regular contact with dryskins).

The Kalamer merfolk of the Thunder Sea (discussed later in this section) have largely been allowed to remain independent, as long as they continue to serve the needs of the Dominion. The Kalamer provide a valuable service, containing the impact of dangerous manifest zones and serving as intermediaries between the Dominion and the Valraean Protectorate.

The people of the Five Nations know little about the Eternal Dominion. Ambassadors and envoys have visited Hal’syra, so there are stories drifting around that the sahuagin city is built around a massive, mysterious creature. This experience and the occasional clashes when people have challenged the territorial demands of the Dominion have taught the Five Nations and the houses to respect the Dominion, but they still know almost nothing about it, aside from the fact that they worship the Devourer. The Aereni have greater knowledge of the Dominion, and have seen its power in the long conflict with the Valraean Protectorate. They know about the kar’lassa, but because of the ongoing conflict, haven’t actually explored its lands or visited its cities. So any adventurers who venture into the Dominion are pioneers, exploring unknown realms; academic institutions and dragonmarked houses alike will surely want to hear about their exploits.

For their part, the sahuagin have little interest in the affairs of the dryskins. At this time, the Dominion has no interest in conquering the surface world, and they don’t believe the dryskins pose any threat to their rule of the sea. However, the proud sahuagin don’t want surface-dwellers bumbling through their territory or polluting their waters. They enforce their territorial waters as a show of strength, demanding that travelers pay tolls and follow the established trade routes.

The Dominion remained neutral in the Last War. Trade between the sea and the surface has been limited, but has expanded in recent years. In particular, Merrix d’Cannith has discovered that the sahuagin have a surplus of Siberys shards; the shards fall into the ocean, but the Dominion economy is based on the blood of the kar’lassa as opposed to dragonshards, and they have little use for them. As such, the Dominion has much to offer Cannith, and securing a steady supply of Siberys shards would strengthen Merrix’s position within his house. The trick is finding something the Dominion wants in return, and he’s currently pursuing this. Merrix (and other dryskins) are as yet unaware of the vast resources of the kar’lassa; if they were discovered, and Cannith found a way to harness them, it could change the face of industry in Khorvaire.

The Dominion despises the sea elves of the Valraean Protectorate, and in the past, they’ve launched full-scale campaigns against them, but the power of the Undying Court has thus far repelled all assaults. Currently, it’s a stalemate; the Protectorate can’t expand beyond the Undying Court’s sphere of influence (as discussed later in this section), and the Dominion can’t drive them back.

Source: Exploring Eberron

The sahuagin of the Eternal Dominion aren’t driven by the desire for gold that draws many humans to the path of adventure. Most are fiercely devoted to the Dominion—but what if your duty to the Dominion requires you to venture onto dry land? Perhaps you need to negotiate with the dryskins. Maybe you’re seeking information on a force that’s meddling with the Dominion—is it House Cannith or the Lords of Dust? Perhaps you’re pursuing your peoples’ goal of consuming an overlord or conquering the planes. Maybe you’ve been sent to study the dryskins themselves, to decide whether they’re worth conquering. Or you might just be an exile or a rebel, a rare outlier who opposes the ambitions and actions of your people.

While this book doesn’t include racial traits for sahuagin, you can use the locathah traits from Locathah Rising (available on the Dungeon Masters Guild), and simply describe the character as a sahuagin. The Blood Frenzy trait of sahuagin NPCs is a special feature magebred into sahuagin soldiers, and not possessed by the general population (though you could represent this trait by playing a sahuagin barbarian).

However, there are two significant challenges to adventuring as a sahuagin. The first is that you’re an alien, a creature with a face few recognize, and that those who do typically view with fear. The second is the Limited Amphibiousness trait possessed by both sahuagin and locathah—a need for regular immersion in water can be a crippling requirement when an adventure leads to the Blade Desert. However, the sahuagin have developed a solution that solves both of these problems. While most people of the Five Nations have never seen a sahuagin, that doesn’t mean they’ve never met one. Scholars who study the sahuagin know of malenti, sahuagin that are born indistinguishable from sea elves; the common belief is that this is a random mutation that occurs when sahuagin and sea elves live in close proximity. The sahuagin are happy to support this myth, because the truth is far more disturbing: Malenti aren’t born, they’re made. One of the sacred rituals of Sha’argon allows a sahuagin priest to guide a subject through ritually consuming a humanoid—and in consuming the creature, the sahuagin becomes that creature, taking both their form and their powers. People know about sea elf malenti, as they’ve been caught and exposed in the Dominion’s long war with the Protectorate. But unbeknownst to the Five Nations, there are human malenti in Sharn, dwarf malenti in Stormreach, malenti passing as many races and traveling the surface wherever the Dominion needs eyes and hands.

Chapter 6 provides a malenti background that could be coupled with any race, along with additional story hooks for malenti adventurers. Using this background, you can secretly play a sahuagin who’s assumed the identity of the person they appear to be. While the Dominion has carried out a few targeted replacements to get malenti into influential positions, often malenti are just replacing people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time: smugglers, fisherfolk, or pirates who strayed into Dominion territory. The purpose of this replacement isn’t to take advantage of the character’s previous life, but rather to place agents who can breathe on land and move freely without drawing attention. So as a malenti you might have been a sailor or a pirate—but now you’re an adventurer traveling the world!

Source: Exploring Eberron

The Eternal Dominion has no interest in conquering Khorvaire—at least for now. But the sahuagin believe life is conflict, and if you aren’t moving forward, you’ll wither away. This section contains story hooks and major aspirations of the sahuagin that might drive an encounter—or an entire campaign.

The Valraean Cold War. The sahuagin hate the sea elves and yearn to hold dominion over the entirety of the Thunder Sea. The power of the Undying Court protects the elves from any direct assault, so the sahuagin must find another answer. They’ve been embedding malenti agents into the Valraean Protectorate for years. What’s the next step? Will they launch a decisive first strike from within the Protectorate? Will they target Shae Mordai itself? Might they be willing to forge an alliance with a dragonmarked house or a dryskin nation to bring down the Protectorate?

Consume the Overlords. The sahuagin don’t need more land, but they’re always hungry for more power. The most powerful beings in Eberron are the overlords of the First Age. These archfiends have lingered in their prisons since the dawn of time—while they can’t be destroyed, could they be consumed? Could a sahuagin champion follow Sha’argon’s path to divinity by somehow devouring the essence of an overlord, thus taking its spirit and strength? This goal could bring sahuagin agents to the surface if they determine the most vulnerable overlords are imprisoned on land. This is no simple task; it could require eldritch machines, planar alignments, and a particular unfolding of the Prophecy. Rak Tulkhesh is bound to multiple shards; perhaps the sahuagin have found a way to consume these one at a time, and now seek each shard. What will happen if a sahuagin champion completes this ascension?

The Conquest of the Planes. The kar’lassa give the Eternal Dominion a foothold in eight planes, and they’ve been learning new ways to exploit this over the last century. Now, some among the Ta’har wonder if they could expand their influence, using the kar’lassa as an anchor from which to conquer a layer of a plane. This idea is unprecedented—is it even possible? Success could depend on recovering artifacts created by the Cul’sir giants during their war against the quori, and the sahuagin would need a way to bind the immortal spirits of that plane. Which plane will they try to conquer? What would happen to Eberron if they succeeded?

Strange Trade. A group of adventurers could accompany a Cannith delegation sent to Hal’syri to negotiate for Siberys shards. Or they could be sent to the ocean floor in search of kar’lassa blood or forgotten relics from ancient ruins. Deadly Shortcuts. A vessel could run afoul of Dominion forces when it strays into forbidden territory, adventurers finding themselves bound for Hal’shavar, compelled to battle in the great arena. Or perhaps a dragonmarked heir could change their fate, bargaining with the sea devils and initiating an alliance with their house.

The Lurker in Shadow. The schemes of the Lords of Dust threaten all people. When aboleths serving the Lurker in Shadow threaten a coastal community, the adventurers could end up working alongside Dominion champions to fight the archfiend. Perhaps an aboleth uses sahuagin thralls to try to start war between the surface and the sea; can the adventurers expose the plot?

Locathah Rising. The locathah were conquered long ago, and toil as subjects of the Eternal Dominion. But a resistance could be forming within the locathah, drawing adventurers into the conflict. Some locathah may possess the gift of lucid dreaming, allowing them to meet secretly within the dreams of the kar’lassa; they have no weapons in the waking world, but they could be building schemes and supplies in their dreams.

Source: ExE Chapter 6

You were born a sahuagin in the Eternal Dominion of the Thunder Sea, but ritual magic and the blood of the kar’lassa allowed you to consume and replace a surface dweller. You can never regain your original form; for all intents and purposes, you are who you appear to be. You’re physically indistinguishable from them, and you have enough of their memories to fool even their family and friends. But you have the mind of a sahuagin, and you’re loyal to the Dominion.

As a malenti, the first question is why the Dominion chose to replace this particular person, and how your mission relates to your activities as an adventurer. It’s possible that your only mission is to observe the dryskins and occasionally provide information to a sahuagin spymaster, or you might have a specific goal that drives your actions during your adventures. The Suggested Characteristics tables provide information about your mission. You’re physically identical to the creature you appear to be; you are an elf, or a kalashtar, or whatever race you replaced. It is up to you and your DM to decide how widespread malenti are in Khorvaire. It could be that the Dominion has placed many malenti in the Five Nations, or you might be one of the first. If this is the case, you may be the first malenti to duplicate a creature of this particular race or species. This could be particularly interesting with a kalashtar—you’ve inherited the spiritual bond with a quori, but what does that mean for you? Will the tie to the alien spirit change you? Similarly, if you possess a dragonmark, it seems to function normally, but will there be strange consequences in your future?

It’s possible that your abilities reflect additional Dominion magebreeding or skills from your sahuagin side. If you’re a barbarian, does your rage reflect the blood frenzy of the sahuagin? If you’re a sorcerer, is spellcasting a gift your victim already possessed, or is it the result of sahuagin modification? And how has the integration of the new personality affected you? Are you still a true sahuagin, devoted to the Dominion? Or are the victim’s memories and experiences causing you to question your mission?

Tour of Duty

As a malenti, you’ve stolen the identity of a surface dweller. But when did this occur? How long have you been playing this role, and how comfortable are you with it? 

Variant Feature: Aquatic Adaptation

If your character has the malenti background, your DM may allow you to select this background feature instead of Stolen Identity.

Your assumed form has no particular reputation or influence. But you were magebred to operate both above and below the water, and possess the ability to breathe underwater. This is granted by gills set along your ribs, which are clearly not normal for your apparent species. If your torso is exposed, this will certainly draw attention.

Suggested Characteristics

Malenti are deep cover spies. Becoming a malenti means sacrificing the sahuagin world you’ve known your whole life; it requires strong will and devotion. But malenti are a blend of sahuagin spy and the person they appear to be; they still have the memories and the mannerisms of the victim, and this can cause the sahuagin personality to erode or evolve.

Personality Traits

Ideals

Bonds

Flaws

The aboleths created the lobster-like chuuls as living weapons and unleashed them against the sahuagin. The high priests of the Eternal Dominion responded by consuming the chuuls and taking their power. A Claw of Sha’argon is a mighty sahuagin champion—an armored powerhouse possessing deep faith and wielding divine power. While barons lead sahuagin into battle, the Claws of Sha’argon are the spiritual leaders of the Eternal Dominion who lead its inquisitions and crush its enemies with claw and spell.

Claw and Tentacle. The powerful claws of a sahuagin priest are deadly weapons. It manipulates objects and casts spells using its facial tentacles. These tentacles are fully prehensile limbs capable of delicate work, but a Claw of Sha’argon has disadvantage on Strength checks made using its tentacles.

Devoted Priests. Only the greatest spiritual leaders of the sahuagin are nominated for the ritual that produces a Claw of Sha’argon, and only those possessing the most unshakable faith survive this agonizing process. The Claws of Sha’argon see themselves as chosen vessels of the Devourer, channeling the fury of the wild. A Claw of Sha’argon casts spells as an 11th-level spellcaster, and those spells listed are typical for a Claw of Sha’argon, but can be replaced with any spell available to a Tempest cleric.

Plasmids are shapeshifters, magebred by the sahuagin of the Thunder Sea using mimic stock infused with the ichor of the dreamers. Plasmids serve both as deadly guardians and living tools, reshaping their mutable bodies to serve the needs of their sahuagin masters.

Skin of Stone and Steel. A plasmid can change the texture of its flesh as well as its appearance. In addition to making the plasmid resistant to injury, this allows the creature to assume many functional forms. A plasmid can serve as a door with no lock or a chest with no lid, creating an obstacle that can only be opened by killing the plasmid. Plasmids can also be trained to assume shapes that serve as functional tools. A plasmid can become an alchemist’s lab or a smith’s forge, providing all the elements needed to pursue a trade. While this allows the plasmid to “serve as a tool,” the plasmid remains a Large creature; it essentially becomes a workbench, with individual smaller tools connected to the primary mass by fibrous strands.

Loyal Servants . . . For Now. Plasmids possess a passive form of telepathy that allows them to sense the commands of nearby sahuagin. While they are conscious, they have a limited sense of self and no desires beyond service. At least, that’s how they were designed and what the sahuagin believe. But it might be possible for a plasmid to develop greater intellect and independence—or for the plasmids of a city to be shaped by the desires of the local dreamer.