New Rules
The following section details rules to help represent a wide range of sahuagin.
Sahuagin Mutants
Inherent instability in sahuagin genes makes them susceptible to mutations. Not all these mutations are beneficial, and defective sahuagin rarely survive long after hatching. Sahuagin mutants that do survive and grow to adulthood command the respect and admiration of their peers, quickly rising to positions of power. Four-armed sahuagin and malenti are the most common forms of mutated sahuagin.
Four-Armed Sahuagin
These mutants have four arms, giving them two additional claw attacks. Four-armed sahuagin gain Multiattack and Toughness as bonus feats, and gain the multiweapon mastery ability. They have a base CR of 3. Four-armed sahuagin excel as barbarians, fighters, and rangers.
Malenti
A malenti resembles an aquatic elf, and receives a +4 bonus to Dexterity and Charisma, gains Deceitful and Skill Focus (Bluff) as bonus feats, and can use command as a spell-like ability three times per day (this ability works only on creatures with the aquatic subtype, representing increased telepathic influence over aquatic creatures). Additionally, a malenti's natural armor bonus decreases to +2 and the malenti loses its light blindness and natural weapons. Malenti excel as bards, oracles, rogues, and wizards.
Prehistoric Sahuagin
Also known as adacthys, these sahuagin mutants are throwbacks to a more savage epoch; they're Large, have a +7 natural armor bonus, and can speak with aquatic dinosaurs and aquatic megafauna in addition to sharks. Adacthys are usually found in the same waters as prehistoric creatures.
These sahuagin mutants have overly large maws filled with rows of shark-like teeth, as well as the fins and tail of an oversized shark. These abnormalities give them the appearance of monstrous merfolk, a base speed of 5 feet, a swim speed of 80 feet, a bite attack that deals 1d6 points of damage, and immunity to trip attempts. Shark-blooded sahuagin are typically found in sahuagin communities with an unusually high number of shark guardians or near shark breeding grounds.
These pallid, sickly looking sahuagin lack eyes, but their blindsense increases to 90 feet and they gain Blind Fight as a bonus feat. A glowing tendril protruding from a sightless sahuagin causes all sighted creatures to be dazzled while within 10 feet of the sahuagin, and allows it to use animal trance once per day as a spell-like ability. This animal trance effect is entirely visual, so it doesn't have the sonic descriptor or work on blind creatures. As sightless sahuagin are blind, they are immune to all sight-based effects and attacks, including gaze attacks. Isolated sightless sahuagin mutants arise near sites of ancient evil, and make even other sahuagin uneasy. Whole tribes of such mutants dwell in deep underwater trenches and caves, lost cities at the bottom of oceans, and cursed aquatic temples.
Spined Sahuagin
Covered in hundreds of needlelike spines, spined sahuagin can raise their piercing protrusions to impale creatures that touch them. Any creature that successfully grapples or is grappled by a spined sahuagin, or hits one with an unarmed strike or natural weapon, takes 1d4 points of piercing damage. Additionally, these mutants gain Defensive Combat Training and Improved Grapple as bonus feats. Spined sahuagin most commonly appear in depths that also serve as the hunting grounds of sea serpents, thalassic behemoths, or other massive aquatic predators.
Sahuagin Feats
The following feats are common among sahuagin.
Aquatic Advantage
Foes without a swim speed provoke attacks of opportunity from you underwater.
Prerequisites
Combat Reflexes, must have a natural swim speed.
Benefits
A creature that lacks a swim speed provokes an attack of opportunity from you when it attacks you underwater. You don't get an attack of opportunity if the attacker is under the effects of freedom of movement .
Blood Tide
In the throes of blood frenzy, you can unleash a whirlwind of claws and teeth against your foes.
Prerequisites
Combat Expertise, Greater Blood Frenzy*, base attack bonus +6, blood frenzy ability, sahuagin.
Benefits
When you make a full attack while in a blood frenzy, you can give up your regular attacks to instead make one melee attack at your highest base attack bonus against each bleeding or wounded opponent within reach. You must use a natural weapon with these attacks, and you must make a separate attack roll against each opponent. You do not need to use the same natural weapon against each opponent.
When you use Blood Tide, you also forfeit any extra attacks granted by other feats, spells, or abilities.
Greater Blood Frenzy
Your wounds move you into a deeper frenzy.
Prerequisites
Blood frenzy ability, sahuagin.
Benefits
You no longer take a penalty to AC while in a blood frenzy. In addition, if you strike an enemy with both of your claw attacks—or two or more claw attacks if you have extra limbs—while in a blood frenzy, you can rend (as the special attack), dealing an amount of additional damage equal to your claw damage plus 1-1/2 times your Strength bonus (minimum 0).
Sahuagin Spells
Sahuagin choose spells that improve their natural gifts.
Air Breathing
School: transmutation [] ()Domain:
Level: alchemist: 3; investigator: 3; bloodrager: 3; cleric: 3; oracle: 3; warpriest: 3; druid: 3; magus: 3; shaman: 3; sorcerer: 3; wizard: 3; arcanist: 3; summoner: 3; hunter: 3
Components: V, S, M/DF (flower or piece of grass)
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: touch
Duration: 2 hours/level; see text
Saving Throws: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: yes (harmless)
Target: living aquatic creatures touched
The transmuted creatures can breathe air freely. Divide the duration evenly among all the creatures you touch. The spell doesn't make creatures unable to breathe water.
School: necromancy [emotion] ()Domain:
Level: cleric: 2; oracle: 2; warpriest: 2; sorcerer: 2; wizard: 2; arcanist: 2
Components: V, S, DF
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: 20 ft.
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throws: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: yes (harmless)
Area: 20-ft.-radius emanation centered on you
As part of the casting of this spell, you must deal 1 point of piercing or slashing damage to yourself to release your blood. This causes you to take 1 point of bleed damage. While the spell is in effect, all sharks, feeders in the depths, and creatures with the blood frenzy ability in the area gain a +2 bonus to Strength and Constitution and take a –2 penalty to AC. This is treated as blood frenzy for the purposes of other feats and effects, and doesn't stack with the effects of actual blood frenzy. If you cease bleeding, the spell immediately ends.
Gift of the Deep
School: transmutation [polymorph] ()Domain:
Level: cleric: 4; oracle: 4; warpriest: 4; sorcerer: 5; wizard: 5; arcanist: 5
Components: V, S, DF
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Duration: 1 minute/level (D)
Saving Throws: Fortitude negate (harmless)
Spell Resistance: yes (harmless)
Target: one non-mutated sahuagin/level, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart
You give the targets the appearance and many of the abilities of sahuagin mutants, with effects as described below. Choose one benefit for all targets of this spell. This spell has no effect on sahuagin that are already mutants or already under the effects of gift of the deep .
Four-Armed
: The sahuagin sprouts an extra pair of arms—which can be used to make claw attacks (dealing 1d4 points of damage), or to wield weapons or hold items. It gains the benefits of the Multiattack and Multiweapon Fighting feats.
Malenti
: The sahuagin's features shift to resemble those of an aquatic elf. It loses its light blindness as well as its claw and bite attacks. The sahuagin gains a +4 enhancement bonus to Dexterity and Charisma, and a +10 circumstance bonus on Disguise checks to appear to be an aquatic elf.
Prehistoric
: The sahuagin grows in size, as enlarge person . It also gains a +2 enhancement bonus to its natural armor.
Shark-Blooded
: The sahuagin's tail elongates and melds with its legs. Its mouth enlarges, increasing its bite damage by one size category (to 1d6 for a typical sahuagin). Its swim speed increases by 20 feet, but its land speed is reduced to 5 feet. The sahuagin can't be tripped.
: The sahuagin is blinded, but gains the benefits of the Blind Fight feat and blindsense with a range of 90 feet.
Spined
: Spines grow on the sahuagin's scales. Any creature that successfully grapples with it, is grappled by it, or hits it with an unarmed strike or natural weapon takes 1d4 points of piercing damage. The sahuagin also gains the benefits of the Improved Grapple feat.