Fishlike Fanatics of the Deep
Habitat: Coastal, Underdark; Treasure: Relics
The servants of kuo-toa archpriests, kuo-toa whips—so named for their role in enforcing order among other kuo-toa—lead war bands in carrying out the commands of their superiors. In return for their zeal, these kuo-toa are granted minor magical abilities and pincerlike weapons for subduing foes. In battle, whips drive on other kuo-toa with threats of violence and burbling chants.
When the Corpse Moon rises and the Chum-Tide washes in, up rise the Gogglers from their pits beneath the waves. Burbling and noisome they come, fishing night’s shores as we do dawn’s waves.
—Tak Merakin,
harbor master of the Styes
Kuo-toa have slimy, humanoid bodies and the heads of goggle-eyed deep-sea fish. They claim they once dominated whole worlds, their empires spanning land and sea under the blessings of piscine gods. The kuo-toa can’t say what disaster brought their glorious civilization to an end, but elves, humans, mind flayers, and the kuo-toan gods bear the brunt of their blame. From the lands and seas of the surface, the kuo-toa retreated into cavernous trenches and Underdark seas. In these hidden realms, kuo-toa brood over all they’ve lost and forgotten, nursing plots to avenge themselves for slights that might never have occurred.
Kuo-toa hate the civilizations of the surface and the Underdark, believing themselves to be victims of age-old slights and ongoing conspiracies. Kuo-toa undertake contrived plots to propel themselves to dominance, often kidnapping people to learn their secrets or making dubious sacrifices to bizarre gods. To facilitate such plots, kuo-toa try to capture creatures alive using nets or strange weapons. Drow, dwarves, and gnomes dwelling in the Underdark, as well as surface communities near submerged subterranean passages, are frequent targets for kuo-toa raids and other plots.
Kuo-toa frequently serve depraved masterminds such as aboleths and krakens. Such kuo-toa believe these powerful creatures are avatars of kuo-toan deities or gods in their own right. Kuo-toa might temporarily ally with other evil creatures, but these alliances shift as kuo-toa leaders interpret omens from their unpredictable deities.
Kuo-toa ever seek to placate their inscrutable deities. However, few kuo-toa can agree on the identities of their gods, and little consistency exists between kuo-toa communities. Only Blibdoolpoolp the Sea Mother, a figure with a human body but the head and claws of a crayfish, sees broad worship.
Lacking information about what their other gods look like, kuo-toa priests invent new forms for them, creating divine idols with whatever objects are at hand. But whether these kuo-toa priests draw power from belief or delusion, aberrant talent, or a stranger supernatural source, some power answers their petitions. Roll twice on or choose results from the Kuo-toa Deity Features table to inspire how kuo-toa represent a deity.
| 1d10 |
The Deity's Head Is Like A ... |
The Deity's Body Is Like A ... |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Barnacle |
Hermit crab |
| 2 |
Crab claw |
Jellyfish |
| 3 |
Hagfish |
Kuo-toa |
| 4 |
Moray eel |
Mantis shrimp |
| 5 |
Sea anemone |
Merfolk |
| 6 |
Shark |
Plesiosaurus |
| 7 |
Sunfish |
Sea cucumber |
| 8 |
Tentacle |
Ship's figurehead |
| 9 |
Treasure chest |
Squid |
| 10 |
Viperfish |
Whale |
Kuo-toa typically organize their communities around sites they believe to be important to their deities. These might be structures or series of caverns, and most feature both air-filled and submerged chambers. Important places within these sites suggest the rituals of kuo-toa faiths, the demands of kuo-toa deities, or the whims of omen-seeking archpriests. As with kuo-toa deities, the features of these locations vary between communities. Roll on or choose a result from the Kuo-toa Ritual Sites table to inspire features and suggest adventures within a kuo-toa community.
| 1d8 |
The Kuo-toa Community Features ... |
|---|---|
| 1 |
An arena scattered with weapons made from crustacean shells. |
| 2 |
A gallery of hibernating chuuls. |
| 3 |
A garden of mussels and tide pool creatures that whisper secrets. |
| 4 |
A hidden shrine with a patchwork depiction of a new kuo-toa deity. |
| 5 |
The lavish chamber of an animal or monster said to be prophetic, lucky, or literate. |
| 6 |
A pool filled with jellyfish, eels, or fish roe that glow in organized patterns. |
| 7 |
A punishment chamber exposed to the light of the surface. |
| 8 |
A towering statue of a kuo-toa deity. |
They came here from somewhere else and brought with them all the rank and dank of the sunless sea. No one knows what they want, and seems to me, neither do they.
—Trosli Garnetgetter, gnome explorer
Amphibious. The kuo-toa can breathe air and water.
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the kuo-toa has Disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls.
Pincer Staff. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 10 ft. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) Piercing damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it has the Grappled condition (escape DC 12). Until the grapple ends, the kuo-toa can’t make Pincer Staff attacks.
Conjure Slimy Glob. Ranged Attack Roll: +4, range 60 ft. Hit: 9 (3d4 + 2) Acid damage.
Shield of Faith (2/Day). The kuo-toa casts Shield of Faith, using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability.
