[template]Do you fear death?

[Kevka Palazzo]

Do you fear death? Do you fear that dark abyss? All your deeds laid bare...all your sins punished? I can offer you an escape. Life is cruel, why should the afterlife be any different? I offer you a choice! Join my crew, and postpone your judgment. One-hundred years before the mast, will ye serve?

"Davy Jones" is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid, monstrous humanoid, giant, animal or dragon type, hereafter known as the base creature. Unlike other templates, the Davy Jones template is varied in its effects, and takes time to take effect. Depending on the source, either the base creature or the source of the curse that generates the template chooses up to three different sea animals from the list below. Each animal causes a physical change which is easily discernible on the base creature. These changes take place over time or HD advancement, DM's discretion. Each change is individual per creature chosen, and only one change may occur at a time. Changes can be made every 1d4+1 days. All changes cease once the base creature has experienced 6 total changes.

Size and Type: Creature type changes to Aberration with the aquatic subtype. Size remains the same.

Challenge Rating: Same as base creature +3.

Alignment: The creature's alignment does not change immediately. However, each time the creature experiences a "drift" it must make a DC 15 Will save or experience a chaotic alignment change. If the creature was already chaotic, this save is unnecessary.

Abilities, Skills and Special Qualities: The base creature gains water breathing and a default swim speed equal to its land speed. The base creature gains a +8 bonus to Swim checks and can take 10 even when rushed or threatened on any Swim check. Creature can breathe underwater as if it were breathing air. Ability score changes are dependent on the type of sea animals chosen. If a special ability or special quality overlap, use the better of the two.

Angler fish: Traits include an oversized lower jaw, glowing spots appearing up the sides of the base creature, blackened eyes and the growth of a dangling, glowing antennae from the forehead.
1st change: Creature gains 1d6 bite attack.
2nd change: Creature receives a +2 bonus to Dexterity.
3rd change: Creature grows an antenna. Every 1d6 rounds, the creature can attempt to fascinate any target within 15 ft. (3 squares) that can see the antenna (Spell-like ability, Caster level 4, DCs are Charisma based.) Produces dim light in a 15 ft. radius.

Barracuda: Traits include an elongated, enlarged jaw, slimy skin and very flexible body parts.
1st change: Creature receives +2 bonus to Dexterity.
2nd change: Creature gains 1d6 bite attack.

Blowfish: Traits include elastic skin, small spines and blackened eyes.
1st change: Creature receives a +2 bonus to grapple checks made to pin an opponent.
2nd change: Creature gains a 1d6 piercing damage bonus to grapple checks or to unarmed attacks.

Coral/Barnacles: Traits include either a growth of barnacles over the skin or the replacement of skin with a coral-like substance.
1st change: Creature receives a -2 penalty to Dexterity but a +2 bonus to Constitution.
2nd change: Creature no longer needs to breathe.
3rd change: Creature gains +3 to natural armor.

Crab/Lobster: Traits include hard, rough shell-like skin, a claw replacing one or both of the hands and crab or lobster legs.
1st change: Creature gains a 1d4 slam attack and a 1d6 crush attack when grappling an enemy. Whichever hand the claw grows on cannot perform subtle functions that require the use of several fingers and opposable thumbs, but still can grab and twist objects. As such, the DM may bestow penalties on various skill checks.
2nd change: Creature receives a -2 penalty to Dexterity but a +2 bonus to Constitution.
3rd change: Creature gains +2 natural armor.

Dolphin: Traits include gray, rubbery skin, an elongated, widened snout and the formation of a vestigial blowhole at the base of the snout.
1st change: Creature's swim speed increases by 5 ft.
2nd change: Creature receives a +2 Constitution bonus.
3rd change: Creature receives a 1d8 underwater charge slam attack and a 1d6 bite attack.

Electric Eel: Traits include slimy skin and a narrowed, elongated jaw.
1st change: Creature gains a +4 bonus to grapple checks.
2nd change: Creature receives a -2 penalty to constitution but a +2 bonus to dexterity.
3rd change: Creature deals 1d6 points of electricity damage on a successful touch attack (or if it attacks with natural weapons, if any). If it grapples, the electricity damage is dealt every turn.

Great White Shark: Traits include the growth of a dorsal fin, dentricled skin and several rows of jagged teeth.
1st change: Creature gains immunity to poison and disease.
2nd change: Creature receives a +2 bonus to Strength but a -2 penalty to Dexterity.
3rd change: Creature gains a 1d10 bite attack.
4th change: Creature gains Fast Healing 5.

Hammerhead Shark: Traits include a hammer-shaped head, a dorsal fin, dentricled skin and several rows of jagged teeth.
1st change: Creature gains immunity to poison and disease.
2nd change: Creature gains a 1d8 bite attack.
3rd change: Creature gains limited regenerative abilities (same as Great White Shark.)

Jellyfish/Anemones: Traits include growth of furlike tentacles on the body and faintly glowing, translucent skin or a similar growth of furlike tentacles and a rubbery, reddish skin.
1st change: Creature receives a -2 penalty to Constitution.
2nd change: Creature secretes a poisonous coating from its skin. On a successful attack, the defender must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or be stunned for 1d3 rounds. This ability can only be used every 1d4+1 rounds.

Manatee: Traits include blubbery skin and widened facial features.
1st change: Creature gains resistances against extreme cold environments.
2nd change: Creature receives a -2 penalty to Dexterity but a +2 bonus to Constitution.
3rd change: Creature gains +2 natural armor and a 1d4 slam attack.

Manta Ray: Traits include slick skin and flaps between the creature's arms and legs.
1st change: Creature gains a swim speed increase of 10 ft.
2nd change: Creature gains a glide speed of 20 ft. per 10 ft. of descent.

Octopus: Traits include slippery, squishy skin and the growth of thick tentacles either under the face or on the hands.
1st change: Creature gains a +2 on grapple checks.
2nd change: Creature receives a -2 penalty to Constitution but a +2 bonus to Dexterity.
3rd change: Creature can squeeze through spaces designed for creatures up to two sizes smaller than it.
4th change: Creature gains a ranged ink ability that can blind a creature for 1d4 rounds. Range increment is 5 ft. with a maximum of 15 ft. Ability can only be used once every 1d4+1 rounds.

Sargasso: Traits include wet, green, leafy skin.
1st change: Creature gains +1 natural armor.
2nd change: Creature can photosynthesize (1 hour of sunlight will "feed" the creature for the entire day).
3rd change: Creature no longer needs to breathe.

Ship: Traits include skin becoming wood-like and growths of standard ship accessories, such as a steering wheel out of the back or ropes out of the arms.
1st change: Creature no longer needs to breathe.
2nd change: Creature receives a -2 penalty to Dexterity.
3rd change: Creature gains damage reduction 5/magic.

Snapping turtle: Traits include a shell growing over the creature's torso and green, scaly skin.
1st change: Creature gains +2 natural armor.
2nd change: Creature receives a -2 penalty to Dexterity but a +2 bonus to Constitution.
3rd change: Creature gains a 1d8 bite attack.

Squid: Traits include an elongated skull, large, black eyes, the growth of small tentacles around the mouth, the eventual replacement of the mouth with a beak and the replacement of arms with large tentacles.
1st change: Creature gains a -2 penalty to Constitution but a +2 bonus to Dexterity.
2nd change: Creature gains a 1d6 bite attack.
3rd change: Creature receives a +4 bonus to grapple checks.
4th change: Creature can use an ink ability similar to the octopus' ink ability.
5th change: One or two of the creature's arms grows into two long tentacles. These tentacles allow the creature to deal crushing damage to grappled enemies. It can grapple as many opponents as it has tentacles, and the number of tentacles determines the damage that the creature can do with its crush attack. One tentacle deals 1d4 damage (for medium creatures), two tentacles deals 1d6 damage, three tentacles deals 1d8 damage and four tentacles deals 1d10 damage. However, its tentacles cannot perform actions or skill checks that require fingers. Much like the crab, however, they are still able to perform many shipboard duties.

Starfish: Traits include an easily dried skin and the formation of bumps all over the skin.
1st change: Creature receives a -2 penalty to Dexterity.
2nd change: Creature cannot spend more than 48 hours in a dry environment. If it does, it must make a Fortitude save (DC 15 + consecutive hours passed) every hour until it gets back into a relatively wet, moist, humid or damp environment or it will take 1 Dexterity damage that cannot be healed until it gets wet. If its Dexterity falls to 0, the creature hardens and dies.
3rd change: Creature gains fast healing 5.

Stingray: Traits include a slick skin, flaps growing out of the sides of its body and a long tail with a stinger.
1st change: Creature's swim speed increases by 5 ft.
2nd change: Creature receives a -2 penalty to Strength but a +2 bonus to Dexterity.
3rd change: Creature receives a 1d4 piercing tail attack that deals 1 point of Constitution damage on a successful hit. Constitution damage may only be dealt once every 1d3+1 rounds.

Tiger shark: Traits include a dorsal fin, dentricled skin and rows of sharp, jagged teeth.
1st change: Creatures gains immunity to poison and disease.
2nd change: Creature receives a +2 bonus to Dexterity.
3rd change: Creature's swim speed increases by 10 ft.
4th change: Creature gains a 1d6 bite attack.

I made this last year when I saw the second Pirates movie. Seeing somebody make a PrC based on the third movie reminded me of it so here it is. Hope ya'll enjoy it.

EDIT: Made some of the changes ya'll pointed out and got rid of the crocodile. While there are salt-water crocodiles, there aren't a lot.

[Poppatomus]

That is quite awsome.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Hmm, I'm not sure if monstrous humanoid is appropriate but I think it's on the top of the list. I think it's rather a toss-up between aberration, undead and monstrous humanoid, all with the aquatic and augmented subtypes. Perhaps something about being able to move through objects, though perhaps only on their ship. I'm not sure if the fish-men ever did that anywhere else.

[Ceres]

Poor Steve Erwin. His costitution can't have been too high.

[Korias]

Aye, that would be the Pirate Lord PRC.

Anyway You need a CR? Try +4.

Also, make each change have a bonus. If you need to, keep things the same way but add something. Remember that templates change and improve a creature.

[DracoDei]

@Korias: Why should a template ALWAYS be an improvement? My Empty Skin template (see my signature for link) always lowers the CR of the creature(although a GM should overrule this in certain cases). The RAW zombie and skeleton templates will lower the CR of many creatures, including anything with enough class levels. None of the templates I mentioned would be anything that anyone would ever WANT, since they lack true free will and in the cases of the zombie and skeleton even true cognition. I do agree however that this may be a situation where GM discresion is necessary in setting CR's.

@Ceres: Real life uses some pretty harsh rules for extended critical hits...

@Kevka Palazzo: These are my thoughts the first time though it:
-The entry for 'Great White' seem pretty messed up... SLOWER swim speed? Where are you getting THAT? Also the healing thing doesn't work mathematically. Three periods of 8 hours of rest are better than 24 hours continuous rest the way you have it.
-I don't THINK electric eels have to grapple to shock, I think just a touch is enough.
-Manatees don't strike me as particularly tough, although I guess if the blubber soaks up damage really well...
-Fire damage already gets around DR, so saying 'magic and fire' for the 'ship' entry doesn't make sense... perhaps if you explained more explicitly...

[Icewalker]

I like it. Can I use this for my seabased campaign world? I'm considering stealing the whole Davy Jones thing.

Got a couple of issues, primarily involving stats:
Why does dolphin get -2 dex?
Octopus = squeezing? I dunno...
Dunno bout the snapping turtle dex minus either, those things are fast with their bite.
Rephrase the squid arm replacement, it doesn't really make sense...
Lastly, the starfish shouldn't die on a failed save. It should start losing dex and taking damage that can't be healed by it's FH.

Lastly, it'd be excellent if you could get rid of one, or add a load more. Then you could roll (there are currently 21) to choose.

Here's my idea for rolls:
1dWhatever to choose which is your first change. After that, the second change has a 75% chance to be the next in the tree for that animal. If you get the other 25%, roll for a new one.

75% of being the same as the previous change.

[Behold_the_Void]

Aberration is probably what you want for creature type.

[Kevka Palazzo]

Well I wrote this a year ago, before I had much of a chance to really know D&D. When I look at it now it feels underpowered, and I wouldn't assign more than a +2 LA.

@Icewalker: Sure, I put it up here for people to steal and use as they wish.

@More than one person: Aberration is a better choice, yes, I'll change it.

@DracoDei: I remember my friends telling me that only the first 8 hours of rest restore your HP. You get double back if you rest for 24 hours. Originally I gave the sharks fast healing, but that seemed a bit overpowered to me. Maybe regeneration 5? No that's stronger...What about fast healing 5 and I give the starfish regeneration?

[Netherwood]

Monstrous humanoids are similar to humanoids, but with monstrous or animalistic features. They often have magical abilities as well.
(my emphasis)

Monstrous humanoid sounds like it fits to me....

Anyway, this is very nice stuff.

[Kevka Palazzo]

Monstrous humanoids are similar to humanoids, but with monstrous or animalistic features. They often have magical abilities as well.
(my emphasis)

Monstrous humanoid sounds like it fits to me....

Anyway, this is very nice stuff.

...*sigh*

This is what happens when I've never read the creature types. If that's Monstrous humanoid, then it fits perfectly.

And thanks, it's always nice to hear one's work appreciated.

[DracoDei]

No that's stronger...What about fast healing 5 and I give the starfish regeneration?

Well, healing at say... tripple the normal rate for both might work as a limited thing. If you want to make it pretty nifty make it fast healing 1 for the shark and MAYBE Regeneration 1 for the Starfish. The problem with Regeneration is that it requires you to pick a damage type or more than one that are the ONLY things that can kill the creature apart from instant death spell. Something between fast healing and regeneration is probably the best for the starfish. Basically do it as fast healing, except they are able to grow limbs back as long as they are still alive. If you want to be closer to the way real starfish work (but just at a VERY accelerated pace) and get really weird, make them immune to critical hits and allow severed limbs etc to grow a duplicate of the original creature as long as the chunk is above a certain size(and perhaps require that it must contain part of the torso).