IX Mythos Bestiary Languages Common SQ final change, hold breath, trapfinding +1 ECO LO GY Environment any coastal Organization solitary, pair, or mob (3–16) Treasure NPC gear (leather armor, short sword, other treasure) Deep ones are synonymous with H.P Lovecraft’s work and are minions of the Great Cthulhu himself A deep one is a repulsive amphibian hybrid with a vaguely humanoid form They sometimes shamble upon two limbs, and sometimes four They can leap or hop as well as walk or swim with natural grace For more detail on the culture of these aquatic creatures, see page 195 Deep ones not have a fixed size When starved, they shrink to tiny size When overfed, they can grow truly huge: 50-60 feet tall or more The average deep one is a little larger than a human, weighing some 300 lbs., and standing around feet tall if not for its Conquest through Breeding To some, the deep ones’ ability to breed with any creature implies they are not necessarily from the sea (or, at least, don't have to permanently be sea dwellers) It occasionally happens that a group of deep ones break away from the normal sea habitat and live in a freshwater environment, or even become wholly terrestrial for a time They can crossbreed with elves, orcs, or even less savory creatures, and their dark culture can infest any land When a deep one mates with a non-deep one creature, the offspring initially appears to be a typical specimen of the non-deep one parent Typically, such children are raised in secrecy away from society so that they can grow up and complete their change In some cases, particularly those involving children who are orphaned at young age, deep one young normally hunched, almost crouched posture Deep ones are able to interbreed with any vertebrate being The offspring look like the non-deep one parent, but over the years they gradually mutate to deep one form Humanoids are shaped much like deep ones (two arms, two legs, etc.), so the mutation process is comparatively short for them, requiring no more than a few decades Less humanoid creatures, such as dolphins or alligators, may take longer Of course, the deep ones can also spawn amongst their own kind Deep ones’ offspring ultimately combine aspects of both parents 313