The waveriders of the Water Ashari are aquatic empaths and healers, usually dedicated to rescuing survivors of disasters on the open seas.
Description[]
Waveriders patrol the ocean on personal waveboards with foldable sails, protecting peaceable seafaring people from monsters, storms, and pirates. They only use violence as a last resort, and in those cases typically prefer to fight as a camouflaged giant octopus or a quick hunter shark rather than as a humanoid with their harpoon. They sometimes bring survivors in critical condition back to Vesrah, to the chagrin of more insular Ashari.[1]
History[]
Given Vesrah's dependence on lodestones to stay afloat, waveriders were often sent to the Elemental Plane of Water to retrieve the lodestones, which were usually found where kraken lived.[2] This, however, led to them encountering Ulugrah (a particularly aggressive kraken) at some point in or before 806 PD, causing the death of many Water Ashari, even though the ones sent to those missions were the most skilled waverunners.[3] In 811 PD, after Keyleth of the Air Ashari and Vox Machina retrieved lodestones themselves and faced the kraken, they complained about the difficulty of the task, and Uvenda, the Heart of the Tides, agreed with them, presumably preventing more risky missions without taking Ulugrah into account.[4]
At some point in or before 836 PD a cruel waverider called Galessi joined the Myriad in Stilben, using her powers against their enemies, and staying in a secret base in the swamp with a charmed giant crocodile and putrid water elementals. She has become an enemy of the local authorities, the Clasp, and even the Air Ashari of Zephrah, and they all want her neutralized.[5]
Abilities[]
The following is taken from Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 230. It is slightly altered from the original Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 129.
The typical waverider wears hide armor of cold resistance, mitigating that damage type.
- Saving throw proficiencies: CON, WIS.
- Skill proficiencies: Athletics (expertise), Nature.
- Healing Tides: Any spell of 1st-level or higher that affects a non-hostile creature also heals 3 hit points (in addition to any healing the spell ordinarily does).
- Marine Empathy: Can speak with and understand aquatic plants and animals.
- Spellcasting (as 7th-level spellcaster):
Spell level Spell Cantrip Druidcraft Cantrip Poison Spray Cantrip Resistance 1st Create or Destroy Water 1st Cure Wounds 1st Healing Word 2nd Animal Messenger 2nd Lesser Restoration 2nd Moonbeam[6] 3rd Conjure Animals (aquatic beasts only) 3rd Water Breathing 3rd Water Walk 4th Control Water
Official art of a waverider, by Biagio D'Alessandro from Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting p. 127.[art 2]
- Harpoon (action): melee or range 20/60 ft., piercing damage; on a hit, a Large or smaller creature must succeed on a STR saving throw or be pulled up to 20 feet toward the waverider. The waverider can attack with the weapon without the disadvantage of underwater combat.
- Fishform (reaction, recharges on any rest): Transforms into a giant octopus or hunter shark, retaining the waverider's personality, alignment, mental ability scores, and skill proficiencies, while also gaining the animal's skill proficiencies. Reverts to humanoid form with a bonus action, or after 3 hours, or when rendered unconscious or dead.
Known waveriders[]
- Durent: Dwarf who escorted Vox Machina to and from the rift to the Elemental Plane of Water to collect lodestones
- Galessi: Joined the Myriad in Stilben and their turf war against the Clasp; her secret base is in the K'Tawl Swamp[5]
References[]
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 228.
- ↑ See "Onward to Vesrah" (1x87) at 3:24:00.
- ↑ See "Tangled Depths" (1x88) at 1:58:18. Entering the rift, Vox Machina found "hundreds of bones and various other chunks of flesh" behind.
- ↑ See "Curious Tides" (1x89) at 1:06:26.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 69.
- ↑ This spell takes the place of Enhance Ability, which appeared in the previous version of the waverider.
Art:
- ↑ Official art of an Ashari waverider on a personal waveboard, by Anna Grinenko from Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 230. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Official art of a waverider, by Biagio D'Alessandro from Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting p. 127. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.