Friday 30 August 2019

I hate DnD Dolphins

Dolphins firstly according to pre modern scholars are fish. Live in the sea = fish. Thus they should be in monster books in a entry under fish. Even if they are known to breast feed and breathe air as sailors observed they are fish. 2nd ed MM had a page on them with facts I could get from a children's book that could have had some proper monster. If anyone reading this ever battled dolphins in a dnd game please tell me how awesome it was if possible.

So here are EMO dolphins inspired by stuff like this 
http://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast284.htm
Also many people living near river dolphins (or cocktail dolphins as a friend calls them) had interesting myths like they were sleazy shape shifting seducers.
Dolphin 2-4 d8 HD AC as leather Att 2d4 ram MOV 24 swim

d20 Dolphin Rumours
1 Attracted by music and singing
2 Warn sailors of storms out of helpfulness
3 Save and help sailors and protect from dogfish (sharks)
4 If you kill them you will be cursed by the sea gods and spirit folk of the deep
5 Dolphins are the knights of the undersea world serve the king of the sea
6 Dolphins are playful enjoying dancing around ships and racing them
7 Dolphins can leap over a ships sails
8 Dolphins know by smell if you have ever eaten one
9 Dolphins are noble mounts of all kinds of sea beings
10 Many sea spirits and gods take form of a dolphin so take care
11 Dolphins were once humans transformed by the gods so don't murder them
12 Dolphins beach themselves to be buried by humans on land when sick
13 Dolphins carry the souls of good sailors to the Island of the blessed
14 Sea bards can attract dolphins who may even aid a skilled performer
15 A boat accompanied by dolphins will find a safe harbour
16 Dolphins might carry children swimming alone to the undersea paradise forever
17 Dolphins protect manatees, sea cows and dugongs from harm
18 Dolphins are intelligent and speak to each other and some understand human speech
19 Dolphins in places guide ships through rocks and reefs, some favour only local boats
20 Dolphins can detect alignment and may take mercy on the good


d12 Dolphin Varieties
1 Serrated Dolphin has a saw blade fin that does a d12 used to kill crocodiles
2 Armoured Dolphin has carapace armour as chain and a d10 ram
3 Were Dolphin can adopt human form to seduce human lovers by night
4 Divine Dolphins can cast curse with a glance per round
5 Magi Dolphins can cast spells as a priest or sorcerer or sea druid or psionicistand can talk as a human

6 Jewelled Dolphins have a large gem in their foreheads that grant them telepathy and is worth d6x100gp, taking a gem from a murdered dolphin curses who touches it 
7 Ichthyosaur is a reptilian prehistoric dolphin allied to reptilian creatures and is less friendly to humans
8 Necro dolphins are undead who are mounts of evil sea creatures
9 Rogue dolphin jump on ship decks and steal things they use to decorate their nests
10 Aero dolphins fly in the air or sea and are used by sea races to visit the surface or cloudland 
11 Chaos dolphins have 4x twenty foot tentacles that latch onto a target for a d6 and grapple them, then drag into the water to drown, they bite with fanged teeth not butt and may have mutations
12 Demon dolphins are from a abyssal demonic oceanic plane. They require +2 magic weapons to hit and have a 2d6 bite instead of butt and a razor fin attack. They can shape shift into humans to infiltrate but the disguises are often flawed and behaviour odd and cruel. They often stink of fish even in human form. They can speak and often allow sea demons to ride them. They breathe air or water and have green tinge and fish scales. When killed they crumble into salt 

Also noteworthy is fishfolk might hybridise with dolphins that makes them more fishlike and able to breathe air or water. Hybrids are more green blue and scaly with more fishlike fins and monsterous tooth filled beaks. often intelligent and some cast spells. 


https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/whales/man/myth.html
https://www.savacations.com/myths-legends-amazons-pink-river-dolphin/

1 comment:

  1. Last I checked dolphins in D&D are telepathic to a range of 50 miles, can detect magic in the same vicinity, and wear war harness "a rig that contains a long wicked spear that protrudes in front".

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