20 Magical Fish Species

 

"Fish cannot be caricatured. Nature has already imagined every funny-looking personality. The skate family, for example, anticipated Picasso by millions of years." - Chuck Jones

     Fish have an inherently exotic feel to them. They live in a completely different environment than us, one that is completely inimical to our own survival. Unlike other animals they cannot be held, cuddled or even really be interacted with much at all. This is to say that fish and other aquatic animals already have a touch of the surreal to them. The names for all of these creatures are sourced from my personal setting, Volmusia, but they can be changed easily enough. This is the fourth article of this series, previously we went over Dogs, Cats and Rodents.

Thanks a ton for reading!

d20	Name	Description
1	Porthas' Inkgill	An ugly and relatively rare creature from the Bay of Doru. Inkgills are typically nearly a meter long, with a dark-colored cylindrical body. Though unpalatable, the fish is valued for the dark, viscous fluid that its gills produce while under stress. Ink from the fish is considered by the literate to be of stupendous quality.
2	Dolchean Steamfish	Endemic to the hot springs and calderas that dot the area around the Dolchean range, the Steamfish is most notable for the armored plates that cover their bodies and render them immune to the heat of their homes. Steamfish are hated as pests by dwarven city planners, who loathe how often they become stuck in the turbines that power many of their cities.
3	Cernunnokian Caveskipper	A menace to any underground denizens that live near sources of water, Caveskippers travel in massive schools. Squat and half-meter long creatures covered in poisonous spines, these blind grey fish are amphibious and can crawl for miles in search of fodder.
4	Jokorian Dire Catfish	Making their homes in the rivers and lakes of tropical Jokor, the Dire Catfish never stops growing throughout its lifetime. Effectively immortal, titanic individuals upwards of 20 meters have been observed by visiting sages. Some of the largest specimens are worshipped and given tribute to by local tribes, occasionally producing Clerics.
5	Saoghalian Plunder Crab	A common sight in the shipwrecks that cover the seafloor around the Saoghalian islands; plunder crabs are attracted to shiny objects, especially jewels and precious metals. The crabs will find these objects and then attach them to their shells with a resin that they can excrete. The dinner plate sized crustaceans will sometimes gather into a mob and attack passing vessels.
6	Ymirian Iceskate	Widely feared by northern sailors, the Iceskate feeds on warmth and are a dire threat to any ship trying to ford through winter ice floes. Only about the size of a man's palm, Iceskates are nearly transparent. The creatures swarm the stranded vessel, pressing their bodies against the hull and pulling the heat from whatever is inside. Stricken crews will be frozen solid unless they dislodge the skates or free the ship.
7	Ingram's Floating Piranha	Presumed to be yet another example of magical research gone wrong, these small fish are sources of dread for the inhabitants of Ingram's tangle. A school of them will wait along the edge of the swamp, using some devilish intrinsic ability to launch themselves at blinding speed towards any who draw too close. Working in tandem, dozens of the fish can strip a cow down to bones within minutes.
8	Kaidan Widow Whale	Considered to be an ill-omen of the most dire sort, Ghost Whales are rarely glimpsed cetaceans that surface only at night. Named for their loud and mournful cries, the calls can drive sailors to leap overboard to let the sea claim them. Anyone foolish enough to catch and kill a widow whale is thought to be surely doomed by the Kaidanians.
9	Auyyuahian Acidfish	Common in the rivers of Auyyuah, acidfish are lazy and torpid creatures that trust in their natural abilities to catch their prey. Able to exude a highly caustic fluid, acid will slowly fill a body of water with patches of the stuff. Over time they are capable of turning it into a deadly morass for anything that lands or swims in it.
10	Selkirk Lighthouse Shark	Exclusively nocturnal, these unusual sharks lurk near busy shipping lanes in order to hunt their favored prey: mariners. Possessing a pair of massive eyes that produce an effect similar to the Continual Light spell, the lighthouse shark lives near reefs and lures unwary ships close to wreck upon them. Their eyes stay active for weeks after their deaths, making them useful as lanterns.
11	Tueh's Missile Shrimp	Smaller than a pair of fingers and with a wildly colorful rainbow shell, the Missile shrimp is as gorgeous as it is dangerous. Dwelling in reefs, this aggressive shrimp is able to draw latent magical energies from the area and use it to fire off Magic Missile as a 1st level Magic-user 3/day. The shrimp are completely fearless.
12	Southern Vanisher Squid	Named for the disconcerting ability that a graze from their tentacles brings, a touch from one of these cephalopods teleports the victim 30ft in a random direction. Given that they travel in packs, this can lead to entire schools of fish or crews of small vessels being thrown about wildly. The agile little squids then sweep in and devour their still bewildered prey.
13	Ceirwannian Dream Char	Descended from fish spawned near an oneiromancer's river lodge, these fish quickly spread throughout the elven highlands. Treasured by sages, spies and mystics alike, biting into one of these fish gives glimpses into the dreams of those who were living nearby where the fish dwelled. While often an abstract guide, the dreams of others can lead to important clues or revelations.
14	Yvonne's Eldritch Clams	More of a phenomenon than a distinct species, eldritch clams are the result of magical pollution. This sort of taint can come from numerous sources; improperly disposed spell components, a relic or artifact embedded in the region, or even multiple spells being cast repeatedly in the same area. Whatever the cause, this latent magical energy slowly concentrates within the clams, steadily forming into a Pearl of Power.
15	Annihilator Anemone	Reefs, empty of anything besides albino clownfish and coral. These eerie dead zones are the grim result of the creatures known as Annihilator Anemone. Able to murder with a touch, these polyps are able to cast Disintegrate 1/week.
16	Nessah's Grasping Minnows	While alone, grasping minnows are unremarkable. Tiny and defenseless, the creatures are easy prey on their own and are indistinguishable from their average cousins. In the dozens they are able to cause mild ripples within the water. In the hundreds they can unleash telekinetic slams capable of punching a hole through the side of a ship.
17	Adamantine Urchin	Virtually unbreakable and worth an admiral's ransom. Adamantine Urchins are highly sought after and highly poisonous creatures found only in tropical climates. Heavier than an anchor, the urchins are almost more trouble than they are worth to harvest.
18	Chardonian Ætherfish	Covered in pearlescent scales and the length of a human's forearm, the Ætherfish is beautiful, but widely regarded as uncatchable. They are only glance fleetingly on our plane, where they wink into existence only to feed. The rest of their time is spent swimming through the Æther.
19	Kaidan Splitting Eel	A common site in the reefs of Kaidan, the Splitting Eel is similar to a hydra: when cut apart or in twain, they regrow themselves into a whole. These eels do not spawn or breed, they merely tear into themselves when they desire companionship. It is unwise to eat splitting eels.
20	Zelazian Island Whale	Central to the lives of the local pirates, Island Whales are seen so named for the fact that entire ecologies can exist upon their backs—sandbars, grass, trees, birds and insects. The whales rarely dive, but when they do it allows the pirates the opportunity to occasionally move the location of their strongholds.

All art is the property of its respective owners, and will be taken down at their request.