Teuthling
"MerMay 2020/02" © Sergey Klyuchnikov, accessed at his ArtStation here
[Sponsored by Alexandre Coene. This concept started as an inkling from Splatoon, but rapidly went from "straight adaptation" to "homage". Splatoon is Nintendo's way of having their cake and eating it too, doing a shooter game without lethal violence. All of the different ink weapons would be a lot of work to stat up, and in canon only harm other inklings, and only then impermanently. And violence in Pathfinder RPG is decidedly lethal. So this is a playable squid person with ink themed powers and an inkling-like culture, but written to exist in a more typical fantasy world.
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Teuthling CR ½ CN Humanoid (aquatic) This small person has the face and upper body of a human, but a fleshy conical head with four tentacles instead of hair, and another four tentacles where her legs should be.
Teuthlings are small amphibious humanoids with squid-like features. They live in coastal settlements that extend above and below the water line, which they value as hubs of gossip, culture and trade. Teuthlings are wildly curious about other cultures and peoples, and have a passion for trends. Common trends include fashion, music, visual art and firearms. Gunpowder is unheard of below the waves, and firearms are loud and flashy and valuable. Many of the most “fresh” teuthlings train in gun use. This trend-seeking behavior leads to cliquishness, and teuthlings who disagree on the most fashionable trends often compete in order to prove their side’s superiority.
Small and quick, teuthlings tend toward ranged weaponry even if they eschew firearms. They use their four rear tentacles like legs when on land, but are faster in the water. Their hair tentacles may be of varying lengths depending on how they’re styled and are not strong enough to wield weapons, but are useful for drawing just the right item at a moment’s notice. Like the squid they resemble, teuthlings can eject ink, which expands into a concealing cloud below the waves but is incredibly slippery above water. Some teuthlings eat particular invertebrates and seaweeds to dye their ink a favored color and use these colored “splats” as a calling card.
Teuthlings as Player Characters Teuthlings do not have racial Hit Dice, and advance by character class. Bard, gunslinger and rogue are common classes for teuthling characters. A teuthling character has the following racial traits Small size -2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Cha Teuthlings are nimble and charming, but physically weak Amphibious A teuthling has the aquatic subtype, and can breathe both water and air Low-light vision 20 ft. speed, swim 30 ft. Teuthlings are faster below water than above Quadrupedal A teuthling’s four walking tentacles grant it a +4 racial bonus to CMD to avoid being tripped. A teuthling’s carrying capacity is not affected by their quadrupedal stance. Ink (Ex) As a standard action, a teuthling can spit ink. Underwater, this creates an area total concealment in a 5 foot radius around the teuthling. On land, this functions as a non-magical grease spell (DC equals 10 + 1/2 character level + Constitution modifier) that only fills a 5 foot square adjacent to the teuthling. A teuthling can use this ability a number of times per day equal to its Hit Dice plus its Constitution modifier, and effects created by teuthling ink last for 1d4+1 rounds. Tentacles (Ex) A teuthling’s hair tentacles cannot wield weapons, but can store or retrieve small items carried on their person as a swift action.
