"Ah, the tritons. Imagine if the elves spent a few centuries far beneath The Sea, where their arrogance and pretension could grow undisturbed. At least the tritons spent that time Fighting Sahuagin and worse, so you know you can count on them in a fight." —Brego Stoneheart, sea captain

Tritons guard the ocean depths, building small settlements beside deep trenches, portals to the elemental planes, and other dangerous spots far from the eyes of land-bound folk. Long-established guardians of the deep ocean floor, in recent years the noble tritons have become increasingly active in the world above.

Aquatic Crusaders

Centuries ago, tritons entered the world in response to the growing threat of evil Elementals. Tritons waged many wars against their enemies on the Plane of Water, driving them into the Darkened Depths where they escaped into the crushing pressure and utter darkness. In time, the tritons noticed that their ancient elemental foes had grown quiet. Expeditions to the depths revealed that krakens, Sahuagin, and far worse foes had fled the Plane of Water for the Material Plane.

The tritons, driven by a sense of duty and responsibility, would not allow their foes to escape so easily. A great conclave of tritons chose volunteers skilled in weapons and magic as part of an expeditionary force to enter the Material Plane and seek out their enemies.

Those tritons spread across the world’s oceans and established protectorates to watch over deep sea trenches, portals, undersea caves, and other locations where their enemies might lurk. They defeated their foes when they found them and drove the rest into hiding.

With their foes banished to the deepest reaches of the sea, tritons settled in to watch for any sign of their return. Over time, the tritons extended their stewardship over the sea floor from their initial settlements and built outposts to create trade with other races. Despite this expansion, few folk know of them. Their settlements are so remote even Merfolk and sea elves rarely encounter them.

Appearance

Tritons are powerfully built humanoids with features that reflect their aquatic origins. Their skin typically ranges from sea green to deep blue, often marked with intricate patterns that mimic the currents and eddies of the ocean depths with patches of scales being somewhat common. Tritons possess dark, soulful eyes that reflect the vastness and mystery of the sea. A defining feature of Tritons is their webbed hands and feet, which grant them exceptional swimming capabilities. They also possess a ridge of dorsal fins along their spine and often sport fin-like extensions from their elbows, ankles, and head, adding to their distinctive aquatic silhouette. Tritons commonly adorn themselves with jewelry and armor crafted from shells, coral, and polished stones found in the deepest reaches of the ocean.

Haughty Nobles

As a result of their isolation and limited understanding of the Material Plane, tritons can come across as haughty and arrogant. They see themselves as caretakers of the sea, and they expect other creatures to pay them deep respect, if not complete deference.

This attitude might grate on others, but it arises from a seed of truth. Few know of the tritons’ great victories over dreadful undersea threats. The tritons make little allowance for such ignorance and are delighted to expound upon the great debt others owe them.

Tritons also have a tendency to emerge from their isolation under the assumption that other folk will welcome them as respected allies and mentors. Again, distance drives much of this attitude. The tritons’ limited view of the world leaves them ignorant of the kingdoms, wars, and other struggles of the surface world. Tritons readily see such concerns as minor events, a sideshow to the tritons’ role as the world’s true protectors.

Staunch Champions

Despite their off-putting manners, tritons are benevolent creatures at heart, convinced that other civilized races deserve their protection. Their attitude might grate, but when pirate fleets prowl the waves or a kraken awakens from its slumber, they are among the first to take up arms to protect others.

Tritons readily sacrifice themselves for the common good. They will fight and die for humans, merfolk, and other creatures without question. Their self-absorbed nature makes them overlook the history of other creatures, but they also endure a sense of guilt over allowing the evils of the Plane of Water to enter the Material Plane and threaten its inhabitants. The tritons believe they owe a debt of honor to the world, and they will fight and die to pay it.

At times their fervor and ignorance of the world can lead them astray. Tritons encountering other creatures for the first time can underestimate them, leaving the tritons vulnerable to deception. With their strong martial tradition, tritons can sometimes be too eager to leap into a fight.

Strangers to the Surface

Given their isolation, most tritons have never been to the surface world. They struggle with the idea that they can’t easily move up and down out of water, and the changing of the seasons mystifies them.

Tritons also find the variety of social institutions, kingdoms, and other customs bewildering. For all their proud culture, they remain innocent of the surface world. The typical triton protectorate is tightly regimented, organized, and unified around a common cause. A triton on the surface becomes easily confused by the bewildering array of alliances, rivalries, and petty grievances that prevent the surface folk from truly unifying.

At its worst, a triton’s arrogance compounds the tendency for the triton not to understand the ways of the surface world. It’s easy for a triton to blame baffling social practices on what the triton perceives as the barbarism, weakness, or cowardice of surface folk.

Triton Personality

Far from flawless, these champions of good mean well, but they are easily frustrated by others. You can select, roll, or adapt a triton-specific quirk from the Triton Quirks table. Use the quirk to inform how you portray your character.

Triton Quirks

Triton Names

Most triton names have two or three syllables. Male names typically end with a vowel and the letter s, and female names traditionally end with an n. Tritons use their home protectorate as a surname, with the name formed by adding a vowel followed by a “th” to the end of the protectorate’s name.

Female Triton Names: Aryn, Belthyn, Duthyn, Feloren, Otanyn, Shalryn, Vlaryn, Wolyn

Male Triton Names: Corus, Delnis, Jhimas, Keros, Molos, Nalos, Vodos, Zunis

Triton Surnames: Ahlorsath, Pumanath, Vuuvaxath

Triton Traits

Your Triton character has the following racial Traits.

Creature Type. You are a Humanoid.

Age. Tritons reach maturity around age 15 and can live up to 200 years.

Size. Tritons are slightly shorter than Humans, averaging about 5 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Amphibious. You can breathe air and water. In addition you have a Swimming speed of 30 feet.

Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Guardians of the Depths. Adapted to the frigid ocean depths, you have resistance to Cold damage.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Primordial.

Subrace. A few subraces of triton exist below. Choose one of them for your character.

Random Height and Weight

You may roll for your character’s height and weight. The roll in the Height Modifier column adds a number (in inches) to the character’s base height. To get a weight, multiply the number you rolled for height by the roll in the Weight Modifier column and add the result (in pounds) to the base weight.

Inhabiting the lowest parts of the seas within deep trenches and sunken caves, these tritons are secluded and secretive, even amongst other tritons. Most have connected with something else during their seclusion, opening their minds to things beyond our realities and places even colder and more inhospitable than the deep seas that they live in. Whilst most still ward against the evils that lurk within the seas, there are whole collectives who are rumored to have become cultists and zealous followers of the very creatures they fend against…

Their foray into this eldritch knowledge, along with their dark environment, has altered their physiology. Unlike their more common brethren, Deep Tritons skins are gray and sallow, with slightly bulbous and pale eyes. Some even sport small tentacles at the base of their skulls that wrap around and rest upon their shoulders.

Speech of the Deep. Thanks to your eldritch connection to alien beings from beyond the stars, you speak Deep Speech.

Eldritch Gibbering. As an action, you can magically gibber in your deep language. A number of creatures equal to your Proficiency bonus, within 30 feet of you and that can hear you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your Proficiency bonus + your Constitution Modifier) or roll a d6 and consult the following results. Once you use this trait, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

1–2. It has disadvantage on attack rolls until the end of its next turn.

3–4. Its speed becomes 0 until the end of its next turn.

5–6. It can’t take reactions until the end of its next turn.

The Mercursed are a unique, and often misunderstood, subrace of Triton, distinguished by a transformative ability that manifests when half-submerged in water. While their upper bodies resemble that of typical Tritons, the lower half transforms into a powerful, scaled mermaid tail when immersed in water beyond their waist. This striking transformation, though granting them unparalleled aquatic mobility, is often seen as a mark of shame or impurity by other Tritons.

Appearance-wise, Mercursed Tritons may exhibit scales that are more iridescent or uniquely colored than those of their kin, sometimes displaying vibrant blues, greens, or even silvers and yellows or oranges. Their eyes, likewise tend to be more colorful, taking on hues that match their homeland best such as coral or tropical fish or ice blue of the chilled depths. However, their most defining trait is their mermaid tail, which can range wildly in colors and patterns, either taking on traits of their homeland, the appearance of other fish fins, or manifesting in colors and patterns personal to themselves. Given the stigma surrounding their transformation, many Mercursed Tritons attempt to conceal their legs with clothing or intricate body paint when among other Tritons, emphasizing their upper bodies and minimizing the visibility of their legs.

Merfolk's Movement. Your mercurse manifests whenever you are at least half-submerged in water, giving you a long fishlike mermaid tail. This transformation is not optional. This tail increases your swim speed to 60 ft, or equal to your movement speed, whichever is faster. Any gear worn on your feet or legs is either absorbed into your form or falls to a space within 5 feet, your choice. In addition, once per long rest, when your speed is affected while your tail is active through non-magical means such as a grapple, you can slip free from the affect.

Siren's Call. As an action, emit a mesmerizing song that affects up to three creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you that can hear you. Each affected creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your Charisma modifier + your Proficiency bonus) or be charmed by you until the end of your next turn. You can use this trait once, and it resets after a short or long rest.

The Tideborn, often considered the most common Triton, are the embodiment of their race's noble purpose and dedication to safeguarding the seas. These Tritons are the steadfast protectors of the ocean's depths, standing as a bulwark against the forces of darkness that threaten the underwater realms. They are the most common of their kind, representing the core values and traditions of Triton society.

Tideborn Tritons typically possess skin tones ranging from vibrant blues and greens to deep turquoise, often adorned with intricate patterns that resemble the ocean's currents. Their eyes are usually a dark hue of blue, green, or even black.

Emissary of The Sea. You can communicate simple ideas to any Beast, Elemental, or Monstrosity that has a Swimming speed granting advantage on charisma checks when communicating to them⁠. It can understand your words, though you have no special ability to understand it in return.

Control Air and Water. You can cast Fog Cloud with this trait. Starting at 3rd Level, you can cast the Gust of Wind spell with this trait. Starting at 5th Level, you can also cast the Water Walk spell with it. Once you cast any of these spells with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast these spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells.