Praedaren

Praedaren come from the homebrew race of the same name by Anthony Vallozi, linked here. Some of the text used for flavor here is directly borrowed from that document.

Praedaren are shark humanoids from a distant system, where they control a late but still existent empire. They have a culture that relies on the growth of crews, families found not from blood but from crews, serving together on Space Galleons . They are sometimes considered one of The Hunter Races, but they're not officially, in part because of their lack of direct involvement with Aldyn and in part because of their still existant empire.

Shark Skin

Though their anatomy differs greatly amongst their differing blood-lines, all praedaren share a few characteristics. They wholeheartedly believe themselves superior to all other races. Moreover, they are inherently aggressive, and regularly flaunt this quality to a world which demands, and in their mind respects, complete dominance.
Muscled and cartilaginous terrors, the praedaren possess a shark-like humanoid figure, complete with dorsal fin, gils, and a large pair of beady, 'soulless' eyes. Their tails, which extend from their lower back, are powerful and used for propelling them quickly through the water, and their jaws are lined with rows of teeth that rapidly grow back when lost. Their placoid scaled skin is thick and textured like sandstone, but it is easily and often scarred. The praedaren's scars are worn with pride, and never hidden, for each tells a story of a battle that its bearer survived.

Variable Cartiledge

Praedaren vary a lot by their subraces. In the distant past, the five praedaren sub-species were at conflict, but as long as people can remember they have made perfect crews for galleons. Looters find materials, Seekers plot the course, Carvers serve as brawlers, Sinkers serve as gunners, and Haulers serve as the ultimate battering ram. They have all stayed largely seperated in culture with marriage, with intermarriage seen as largely taboo, and over time have become perfectly adapted specifically for their tasks.

Seafaring Pirates

The species all evolved in the same aquatic world, and their view of space is not nearly as broad as many space faring races, but they view it as a new ocean to explore. Their ships are filled with water to help them breathe and to give them the advantage on fights in their ships. Praedaren are known often as bloodthirsty killers, and it's not entirely a wrong guess. They treat power as force and only by taking from other nations can they find freedom within their own society. Their aquatic homeland has a caste system that can only be surpassed through discovering new places and finding new loot and often this comes with a heavy cost in blood.

DND Mechanics

• Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2.
• Age. A praedaren is fully grown and considered an "adult" at the age of 50, though most do not mature until their early hundreds. They generally live 300 or so years, withering with age, but only slightly, remaining strong and sharp until their very last days.
• Alignment. Most praedaren are chaotic neutral, due to their insatiable thirst for wealth and power.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
• Amphibious. You can breathe air and water.
• Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
• Abyssal Mariner. You ignore any of the drawbacks caused by a deep, underwater environment. Additionally, you gain proficiency with the Intimidation skill, and vehicles (water).
• Bite. You have a mouth rowed with jagged, razor like, teeth, and it is a natural weapon which you can make attacks with. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier.
• Water Dependency. If you fail to immerse yourself in water for at least 1 hour during a day, you suffer 1 level of exhaustion at the end of that day. You can recover from this exhaustion only through magic or by immersing yourself in water for at least 1 hour.
• Blood in the Water. You can sense the general direction of a creature below half of its maximum hit points that is within 100 feet of you.
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Praedar.
• Subrace. There are a vast variety of praedaren bloodlines, including; Carvers, Haulers, Looters, Seekers, and Sinkers. Each of these subraces play a vital role within a crew and its fleet. Choose one of these subraces.

Looters

Looters are much smaller than the other praedaren bloodlines. They utilize their size to maneuver through the tight confines present once in shipwrecks and undersea caverns, where they're often tasked with retrieving treasure from. Besides their small size, looters also have protruding nostrils, sunken eyes, and a menacing grin.

• Size. Looter praedaren stand roughly 4 feet tall and weigh about 140 pounds. Your size is Small.
• Blood and Plunder. When you successfully hit a creature with a melee attack, you can use your bonus action to make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check to plant something on someone else, conceal an object on a creature, lift a purse, or take something from a pocket.
• Trap Finder. You have advantage on Perception and Investigation checks made to detect the presence of traps.

Seekers

This subset of praedaren have a distinguishing head shaped like that of a hammer. Seekers have retained much of their ancestor's sensory capabilities, and because of their usefulness in finding hidden treasures and tracking through dense space field, they are treated like kings by their crew mates.

• Size. Seeker praedaren average about 6 feet tall and weigh about 400 pounds. Your size is Medium.
• Eyes of the Deep. Your eyes are well attuned to the dark, watery, depths. Whenever you make a Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) check to see or find something while fully submerged under water, you have advantage on the roll.
• Electroreception. You are aware of the presence of living creatures and metal objects within 30 feet of yourself but not their exact location. You can use your bonus action to identify their current location and track their movement until the start of your next turn.

Carvers

Carvers are most notably defined by their blade-tipped tail, which is twice the length of their entire body. As a carver, you will use your tail masterfully both in combat as a weapon to flay scale from flesh, and out of combat to cut through water at remarkable speeds.

• Size. Carver praedaren average about 5 feet tall and weigh about 300 pounds. Your size is Medium.
• Tail Whip. Much like the blade of an urumi, your lengthy tail fin is hard, pliant, and razor sharp, allowing you to use it as a natural weapon which you can make attacks out to 10 feet with. You use your choice of your Strength or Dexterity modifier for the attack and damage rolls. You must use the same modifier for both rolls. If you hit with it, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d6 + your chosen modifier.
• Cutthroat. When you roll an 18 or 19 with an attack using your tail whip, you can choose to score a critical hit. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
• Improved Swim Speed. You have a swimming speed of 40 feet instead.

Sinkers

Known for their superior jaw strength, muscular build, and all around combat prowess, praedaren of the sinker type are considered the most fearsome foe to have on the sea. Sinkers get their name from their ability to rip holes in the haul of a ship using nothing but their own teeth. In the space age, they're often the gunners and demolitionists of their flights as well as very capable boarding attacker.

• Size. Sinker praedaren average about 7 feet tall and weigh about 440 pounds. Your size is Medium.
• Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
• Improved Bite. You posses a maw capable of tearing through metal as if it's meat. Your bite attack deals 2d4 + your Strength modifier instead. Furthermore, the damage from your bite attack is doubled and maximized when attacking objects and structures.
• Sink or Swim. You have an indomitable attitude, which drives you to succeed in dire straits. Whenever you have below half of your maximum hit points remaining, and roll damage for your bite attack, make a Strength check, or a Strength saving throw, you may roll 1d4 and add it to the result.

Haulers

Haulers are often involved the protection and transportation of important objects. They're are the largest of all the praedaren subraces. They have huge bellies that are surrounded by thick layers of fat. They use their large stomach and wide gaping mouths to swallow precious loot and store it for safe keeping. They've also been been known to repair metal objects using a salivary gland unique to their kind.

• Size. Hauler praedaren average about 8 feet tall and weigh about 560 pounds. Your size is Medium.
• Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
• Devour. As an action, you can make a bite attack against a creature of a smaller size than yourself that you are grappling in an attempt to swallow it whole. If the attack hits, the target is swallowed, and the grapple ends. The swallowed target is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside of you, and it takes 2d4 acid damage at the start of each of your turns. You can have only one target swallowed at a time. Your armor class when targeted by an attack made by a creature that is swallowed is 10. If you become incapacitated the swallowed creature is no longer restrained and can escape using 5 feet of movement, exiting prone. Otherwise the creature can attempt to escape by using it's action as if attempting to escape a grapple. As an action, you can regurgitate a swallowed creature into an adjacent unoccupied space.
Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
• Store the Hoard. As an action, you can store metallic items in your gut for safe keeping. The space in your gut is equivalent to that of a large burlap sack. To retrieve an item from your stomach also requires an action.
• Amending Acids. The acids in your belly have restorative properties for metallic materials. A metallic item stored in your gut for 1 hour is repaired as if effected by the mending cantrip.
• Slowed Swim Speed. You have a swimming speed of 20 feet instead.