Sorrowfish

Sorrowfish
Depiction of a swarm of sorrowfish, by Jim Nelson.
Biological Information
Type	Aberration
Alignment	Unaligned
Vision	Blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond that range)
Movement	0 ft., swim 30 ft.
Abilities	Swarm Virulent Sorrow Desolate Drain Water Breathing
Diet	Meat, including sharks
Physical Characteristics
Size	Tiny (a swarm is Medium)
Distinctions	Sharp teeth
Sociocultural Information
Planes	Netherdeep Material Plane (Exandria)
Locations	Cael Morrow
Environment	Underwater

Sorrowfish are tiny, deep-water aberrations that are dangerous when gathered in swarms.

Description

Appearance and behavior

Sorrowfish are predatory creatures native to deep ocean trenches and altered by the evil forces dwelling there. They have sharp teeth and are considered ugly and unappetizing. Alone, they are scarcely more dangerous than an individual quipper, though they are immune to psychic damage. When they swarm, however, they are ferocious and seemingly fearless, though they will flee from larger unwounded predators. They are drawn to blood, though, and will attack any wounded creature.

Depiction of a swarm of sorrowfish sheltering in a death embrace's tentacles, by Jessica Nguyen.

Swarms of sorrowfish, naturally immune to petrification and being restrained, sometimes seek protection among a death embrace's tendrils and feed on creatures caught there.

Nevertheless, sorrowfish are essentially the bottom of the food chain in the Netherdeep.

Swarm abilities

The following is all taken from Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep, p. 210.

• Damage resistances: bludgeoning, piercing, slashing
• Damage immunities: psychic
• Condition immunities: charmed, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, prone, restrained, stunned
• Swarm: Cannot regain hit points or gain temporary hit points. Can occupy another creature's space and vice versa; can move through openings only 1 foot wide.
• Virulent Sorrow: When the swarm takes damage, creatures within 5 feet must succeed at a Wisdom saving throw or be subjected to multiple effects: can't take reactions, speed is halved, disadvantage on attack rolls
• Water Breathing: Can breathe only while underwater
• Actions
  • Swarm of Bites: Deals piercing damage (half as much if the swarm is at or below half its hit points)
  • Desolate Drain (recharges on 5 or 6): Each creature in the swarm's space takes psychic damage and must make a Wisdom saving throw; on a failure, the creature is stunned. This effect ends only when the creature is no longer in the swarm's space; another creature can use an action to try to pull the creature out of the swarm's space with a Strength check.

Known sorrowfish swarms

Depiction of a slithering bloodfin and some sorrowfish, by Minttu Hynninen from Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep, p. 209.

• Sorrowfish can be encountered in Cael Morrow swarming around a dead shark and in the submerged royal study chamber. They can also be found sheltering in the tendrils of a ruidium-corrupted death embrace that lairs in a ruined villa.
• In the Netherdeep, a swarm of sorrowfish can be seen being chased by a slithering bloodfin. Another swarm hides in another death embrace's tentacles and attacks only in self-defense.
• Sorrowfish appear in one of Alyxian's visions, bursting from an owlbear's corpse and swimming through the air; Alyxian has difficulty keeping the Netherdeep from seeping into his memories.

Trivia

• James Haeck, who contributed to the monsters of the Netherdeep, compared the relationship between sorrowfish and death embraces to that of clownfish hiding in sea anemones.

References

Art: