Core Races | Other Races


Tritons

Source Blood of the Sea pg. 14
Monster Entry Link
Tritons first came to Golarion centuries ago from the Plane of Water, but most of them now consider the Material Plane their home. They live in many of the oceans, seas, and even rivers of Golarion, though they dislike settling in lightless oceanic depths. They are kind and good-natured creatures who maintain distant but cordial relations with others. Tritons have a reputation for fairness and honesty that endears them to coastal communities and undersea settlements of aquatic elves, locathahs, and merfolk. Although tritons are social creatures—building large communities and grand structures below the waves—they prefer to interact with their own kind, and non-triton visitors in these communities are rare.

Tritons have sharp, symmetrical features and vivid blue eyes, with hair color ranging among white, silver, aqua, or pale green. Their upper bodies are muscled humanoid forms, but for lower limbs, tritons have a split tail resembling two finned legs. Tritons have skin that ranges in tone from dark green to pale blue and gleams with a silvery sheen. Their scales tend to iridescence, but rare tritons with purely silver or gold scales are considered destined for particular virtue. Tritons have a strong morality that often drives them into conflict with evil creatures. Tritons despise cruelty and corruption, and few matters can unite tritons like the presence of powerful evil in the area.

Tritons train conscientiously, refining their tactics and learning to work as a team. They diligently tame aquatic animals such as dolphins and giant seahorses to act as mounts. While tritons hate all evil creatures, they have a particular enmity for aboleths and krakens. Undersea communities plagued by these horrors sometimes send word to triton bands for help, and triton kraken slayers respond as quickly as possible.

Triton Adventurers: Upon reaching maturity, tritons typically embark on a journey of a year or longer, exploring their region and researching the threats within it. Tritons consider this experience important for personal development and preparation for service to their community, and in some cases, the journey is a prerequisite to joining an organized military group. Tritons may work together with other travelers they meet along the way, and they eagerly summon allies from the sea with their summon nature’s ally spell-like ability when needed, but they refuse aid from their home—part of the purpose of their journey is to learn to get along without relying on the strong bonds of familyhood and friendship which they have always drawn on for support.

Tritons who don’t join a specific organized military group often join instead with like-minded individuals in small militia bands that train and patrol their region for dangers. Tritons residing far from the cities and villages of their kind might establish a band with other good-aligned undersea creatures; this experience leads naturally into the life of an adventurer.

While all tritons despise evil creatures, some develop a personal hatred for a specific enemy. Tritons who have tried and failed to take down an adversary may swear an oath to end the creature’s life. Most often, tritons take this oath against aboleths, krakens, or powerful sahuagin. This oath can lead tritons away from their community to hunt for information and to seek support in destroying their enemy and its minions.

Tritons have a reputation as honorable, law-abiding people. On occasion, neighboring communities may call on them to act as arbiters or mediators. While it’s understood that a triton’s decision is not lawfully binding, some settlements— including those of cecaelias, gnomes, half-elves, humans, and locathahs—agree to abide by a triton’s ruling in advance. Tritons are asked to perform in this capacity when traditional law has failed the community or when the dispute involves both land-dwelling and aquatic individuals. In their travels, triton adventurers may find themselves asked to arbitrate, even—or perhaps particularly—in remote areas where tritons are known only by their reputation as being wise and just.

Some tritons lack the innate disgust their race feels for evil and embrace a wicked lifestyle. These immoral few might have developed their apathy over time or eschewed moral virtue in the face of a single monumental tragedy, but they find life among virtuous tritons trying at best. These social misfits often leave their homes as soon as they can, taking advantage of trusting folk who believe the race to be unreservedly good. As the actions of these evil tritons can damage the reputation of the race as a whole, perhaps irreparably, benign tritons quietly and quickly hunt down their wicked kin.

Triton Racial Traits

Tritons are unusual characters and should be played only with the GM’s permission. Tritons normally have racial Hit Dice, skills, and other abilities. PC tritons, however, calculate these benefits based solely on their class. Note that these abilities are only an approximation of the triton’s entry in Bestiary 2 and may not match exactly. PC tritons have the following racial traits.
+2 Strength, +2 Charisma, –2 Dexterity: Tritons are strong and have forceful personalities, but they are not very nimble.
Outsider: Tritons are native outsiders with the water subtype.
Medium: Tritons are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Darkvision: Tritons have darkvision with a range of 60 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Tritons have low-light vision.
Natural Armor: Tritons have a +2 natural armor bonus.
Slow Speed: Tritons are ungainly out of the water and have a base speed of only 5 feet.
Swim Speed: Tritons have a swim speed of 40 feet.
Spell-Like Ability: Tritons can cast summon nature’s ally II once per day to summon either a Small water elemental or 1d3 dolphins only.
Languages: Tritons begin play speaking Aquan and Common. Tritons with a high Intelligence score can choose from the following: Aboleth, Aklo, Celestial, Draconic, Elven, Gnome, and Sylvan.