Beastfolk, Bloodseekers (3.5e Race)

Bloodseekers

In the chill blue waters of the briny deep can be found many horrors as well as wonders. Bloodseekers fall into the former category. While it is fairly certain that they are related to the sahuagin, the bloodseekers are a race in their own right, the solitary sharkfolk patrolling the endless waves as their instinct directs. There are rumors that the sharkfolk originated in the depths of the river Styx, and were stranded on the Prime Material Plane many aeons past and forced to adapt, much like the lutrin who swam the River Oceanus before being transported to the Prime Material Plane, but nothing can be said about this for certain because of the solitary nature of the bloodseekers and their unwillingness to share details about their ways with non-bloodseekers. Despite their terrifying appearance, bloodseekers are not a malicious people. Rather, they are an instinctive one, given over to primitive impulses as old as the sea itself, with a thin veneer of rational intelligence to give their actions some stability.

Personality

As a rule bloodseekers are astonishingly methodical in their manner of behavior. Their actions are guided by an instinctive certainty that carries over into almost everything they do. If a bloodseeker decides to do something, then that is what the bloodseeker will do, so long as it is possible, with no remorse, and no regrets. The sharkfolk also live for the thrill of bloodshed. This can be the challenge of the hunt or the chaos of combat, both feeling about the same for a bloodseeker, so long as they have the chance to scent blood in the water or air around them, and to sink their jaws into something that spurts hot and red.

Physical Description

Bloodseekers are humanoid sharks. They can take their general appearance from just about any of the many dangerous, sharp-toothed shark species in the water, the most common being makos, hammerheads, bull sharks, great whites and tiger sharks, though a host of others are equally possible. A bloodseeker can range in height from a lithe 4’10” to a truly massive 10” tall, with a prominent dorsal fin, large webbed hands and feet, dark eyes as deep and black as the lightless depths of the sea itself, and a set of jaws that are the stuff of nightmares.

Relations

The reaction that comes most easily to those who meet a bloodseeker is stark, primal terror. Because of this, bloodseekers are not a very popular race. For their own part, the bloodseekers could not care less, preferring lives of near-solitude. It is not uncommon for bloodseekers to hire themselves out as mercenaries to aquatic and maritime communities in need of protection, or to join pirate crews, but these are usually the limits of their interactions with other races. Surprisingly, though they are related to the sahuagin, and sahuagin do not mind the presence of bloodseekers, bloodseekers are indifferent towards the sahuagin, regarding them as troublemakers that disturb the placid calm of the sea, making it harder to hunt.

Note: Bloodseekers can interbreed with sahuagin, with the offspring taking after the mother.

Alignment

Solitary and lethal, but not needlessly malicious, living by the mindless dictates of instinct, bloodseekers are often a cold and deadly calm Chaotic Neutral, reveling in those time when the blood hits the water, but most of the time merely surviving, doing as their nature directs.

Lands

Nomadic and free-swimming, bloodseekers do not have any racial lands of their own. Individual bloodseekers might have property, either below or above the water, but this is the extent of their landholding. Bloodseekers prefer to live near coasts and reefs, where there is lots of food and chance for bloodshed, though a few also take to the open ocean, following the warm-water currents many prey animals use to migrate.

Religion

Bloodseekers are almost completely arelgious. They do not care about the dealings of the gods, and prefer instead to focus upon their own lives, and surviving through the quite significant physical might that they have been given. On those rare occasions when they do worship a deity, bloodseekers find gods of strength, combat, and raw physical might such as Kord and Erythnuul to best suit their needs, with gods of the deep coming second.

Language

Aquan is the native language of the bloodseekers, as the common language of the sea, and they also speak Common for those times when they need to deal with surface dwellers. Bloodseekers can also choose bonus languages from Avian, Draconic, Elven, Hobgoblin, Kuo-Toa, Merfolk, and Sahuagin.

Names

Bloodseekers seldom make any distinction between males and females, not even in their naming conventions. As deadly and often solitary hunters, a name is usually the only gift given to a young bloodseeker before being turned out by its mother to the mercies of the eternal seas. These names are intended to convey images of strength, ferocity, and intimidation to all those that a bloodseeker might meet. Crimsoncold, Last Scream, and Reefkiller are all common names, shared by males and females alike.

Adventurers

The nomadic lifestyle of bloodseekers is highly demanding, and often takes most of a bloodseekers time and efforts, just trying to stay alive in the cold reaches of the endless sea. Most bloodseekers are also relatively solitary, though a few might form small bands for mutual protection, and this creates difficulties in forming a party, as does the preference for underwater actions that attends a bloodseekers life. However, bloodseekers might be convinced to engage in adventuring if they owe their life to another member of a party, or if they can be convinced of the greater opportunity for bloodshed and savage combat that comes with the adventuring lifestyle, coupled with the added likelihood of surviving that bloodshed that comes with cooperating with a group.

Racial Traits

• +4 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma
• Monstrous Humanoid
• Medium-size
• Bloodseeker base land speed is 30 feet: Swim speed 30 feet
• Low-light Vision
• Aquatic: Bloodseekers can breath water as well as air, and can descend up to four times the depth a human can without taking pressure damage.
• Blindsense: When underwater, a bloodseeker has blindsense out 60 feet.
• Natural Weapon: Bite attack (1d6 piercing, slashing, and bludgeoning damage)
• Thick Hide: +3 natural armor bonus to AC
• Keen Scent: Scent is an automatic racial Feat. This works underwater as well as on land.
• Megalosaur’s Soul: Bloodseekers can take the Gigantism racial Feat (described in the “Feats of the Beastfolk” document) at 1st level without restriction.
• +2 racial bonus to Move Silent and Survival checks, +4 when underwater.
• Terrifying Visage: +4 to Intimidate checks
• Blood Frenzy: If a bloodseeker senses blood in the water, then they may fly into a cold-blooded killing frenzy. This frenzy is identical to the Rage ability of a 1st level barbarian. If a bloodseeker is a barbarian, it adds an additional use of that ability per day.
• Automatic Languages: Aquan, Common. Bonus Languages: Avian, Draconic, Elven, Hobgoblin, Kuo-Toa, Merfolk, Sahuagin.
• Favored Class: Barbarian.
• Level Adjustment: +1

Vital Statistics

Table: Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
years	+	+	+

Table: Aging Effects

Middle Age^1	Old^2	Venerable^3	Maximum Age
years	years	years	+ 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.

Table: Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	' "	+	lb.	× () lb.
Female	' "	+	lb.	× () lb.

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