Selkie

Selkies (also known as Silkies or Selchies) are mythological creatures found in Scottish, Irish, and Faroese folklore. Similar creatures are described in the Icelandic traditions. The word derives from earlier Scots selich, (from Old English Seolh meaning seal). Selkies are said to live as seals in the sea but shed their skin to become human on land. The legend is apparently most common in Orkney and Shetland and is very similar to those of swan maidens. Male Selkies are described as being very handsome in their human form, and having great seductive powers over human women. They typically seek those who are dissatisfied with their life, such as married women waiting for their fishermen husbands. If a woman wishes to make contact with a Selkie male, she must shed seven tears into the sea. If a man steals a female Selkie's skin she is in his power and is forced to become his wife. Female Selkies are said to make excellent wives, but because their true home is the sea, they will often be seen gazing longingly at the ocean. If she finds her skin she will immediately return to her true home, and sometimes to her Selkie husband, in the sea. Sometimes, a Selkie maiden is taken as a wife by a human man and she has several children by him. In these stories, it is one of her children who discovers her sealskin (often unwitting of its significance) and she soon returns to the sea. The Selkie woman usually avoids seeing her human husband again but is sometimes shown visiting her children and playing with them in the waves.

 

 

Species Name: Selkie, Silkie, Selchie

Selkies are seal-like beings that have the ability to change into human form. When in their true, seal like forms, they are nearly indistinguishable from normal seals. Selkies live in the water, but their intense curiosity towards land-dwellers leads them to explore life on the surface.

Type: Humanoid

Physical Traits: Selkies have slightly webbed hands instead of fore flippers and legs instead of a tapering body and rear flippers. Selkies are able to assume human form. Usually Selkies prefer to briefly visit the realm of men (which they call the “overworld”) out of curiosity, but sometimes they are ordered to go forth and purchase desperately needed supplies or information. When in human form, Selkies are very attractive indeed and their fine looks have broken more than a few overworlders’ hearts. Their eyes are particularly noticeable as they are always either a bright emerald green or startling light blue. In seal form, Selkies are not quite entirely seal-like. They have actual legs, rather than the flippers that most seals have, and instead of flippers, they have webbed, humanoid hands. When they transform into a humanoid, they "shed" their seal skin, revealing their alternate form underneath. In this form, they strongly resemble humans. The only clue to their ancestry is their eyes -- in humanoid or seal form, their eyes remain the same colour of striking green or pale blue.

Height: 5-6 ft

Weight: 150-200 lbs

Abilities: Nightvision up to 60 metres, hidden gills allowing breathing underwater. They are able to dive down to a maximum depth of 15 metres per CON.

Mobility: Legs

Sensory Organs: Visual

Communication: Vocal

Reproduction: Sexual

INT: 3D6, WIS: 3D6, STR: 3D6, DEX: 3D6 +3, CON: 3D6, CHA: 3D6, MR: 3D6/9D6 swim, HPs: CON +D12

Orbit/Climate: See Earth

Feeding Habits: Selkies are omnivorous, preferring to eat fish, shellfish, crustaceans, and various forms of seaweed. Those that have visited the surface are often partial to human fare as well. Selkies are particularly susceptible to fine wine, which is to be expected since these intoxicants are unknown below the seas.

Lifespan: 500 years

Technology: 2

Culture: Standard. Diversified mix of kind and evil people. Selkies are known to fall in love easily and quickly, and even to be loyal for many years, but they will abandon their families sooner or later, and, if kept against their will, can turn dangerously violent. Selkies will socialize and cavort with normal seals regularly. Selkies in humanoid form are often playing at a long bluff, pretending to be human, living as a human, and befriending others in the seaside communities they frequent, but to call these creatures "allies" is something of a stretch: the Selkie may rely on them for help and companionship, but they are rarely aware of the creature's true nature. Rarely, a Selkie community stranded on the mortal world will become normalized, adopting human form to deal with the humans, and adopting seal form to live their lives in the sea, with the human communities fully aware of what they are, without deception. They may do this as a form of protection: without interaction with human fur trappers and the like, many Selkies may loose their lives. Selkies and Seawolves have a well-known animosity, as they often inhabit each others' terrain, and Seawolves can give Selkies a bad name, or take advantage of the Seklies' good name.

Selkie communities are divided between male and female, with females usually outnumbering males, as male Selkies are the hunter/gatherers throughout the often dangerous waters nearby. However, both aspects of Selkie “community” (domestic and provider) are equally respected within the lair, and no sex is accorded undue privileges.
Selkies inhabit only colder waters and there are both saltwater and freshwater varieties. Selkies almost always build their lairs in huge, underwater caverns and grottos containing both air and water-filled regions – Selkie young must be raised in an air-filled environment for about their first year. As mentioned earlier, Selkies often find and explore wrecks of sunken treasure. Most Selkie communities have hoarded at least some booty (especially pearls), keeping those otherwise useless trinkets only for purposes of trade with the overworld. Only Selkies who have visited the overworld many times have ever acquired a taste for ornamenting themselves like overworlders, and can be distinguished from more traditional Selkies immediately. For obvious reasons, these more experienced Selkies are often the best representatives to deal with if one is an overworlder. Selkies can be hired and have a limited knowledge of overworlder customs. All magical treasure recovered by Selkies is immediately commandeered for the good of the community and the lair’s defense.

Selkies are sensitive about their environment and harvest only what they need to survive. It is worth noting that Selkie representatives lobby heavily whenever local overworlder environmental issues threaten Selkie existence. Most Selkie communities have learned the value of dropping a few pearls here and there in order to get what they want from men. While Selkies in human form are quite beautiful, they are fortunate indeed that their pelts have little value in overworlder markets. They are, therefore, without any special enemies besides those common to seals and all ocean dwelling beings. Selkies hate Sahuagin because of the latter's universally aggressive and imperialistic tendencies. Aquatic elves' relationship with Selkies is not well known.

Government: Tribal

Population: 4,500,000

 


 

Creating a Selkie character

Step 1: Attributes
Roll attributes as normal but DEX +3. Mana = INT + WIS x3. Mana is recovered at a rate of 10 per hour if remain active (but not using magic) and 20 per hour if asleep. Mana can however be permanently traded for HPs at a rate of 1 for 1. Hit points = CON +12, +12 per level.
Step 3: Skills

Choose skills in the normal manner according to the character's class.
Step 4: Abilities

All Selkies gain all the following free;

Night Vision - The character can see in absolute darkness at a distance equal to his normal sight.

Shapechange - Selkies can change into the form of a seal or human while retaining one's own memories, powers and attributes. Requires 1 action to transform. 

Additionally Selkies start with 35 Points to spend on any of the following abilities. As they earns more experience they may buy or rebuy more abilities.
Ability Cost Notes
Animal Empathy 5 Selkies can establish telepathic communication with any normal or giant aquatic animal within line of sight if he does nothing else in the round. The animal must have a minimum INT of 1. This has the following benefits:
He can communicate to the creature that he desires its friendship. If the offer is sincere (and the animal will be able to sense if it isn't), the creature can be calmed and will not attack or flee unless it is attacked. It will answer any of his questions.

Further he can then recruit this animal as an ally. Once he does so he permanently psionically links with the animal turning it into a familiar. At any point he may see through the familiar's eyes, smell through its nose, hear with its ears, taste with its mouth or link with any of its other senses (including supernatural ones). The two are always in constant telepathic contact.

Enhanced Taste 5 Can identify the specific ingredients of anything that have previously eaten, drunk or sample tasted. This includes chemicals, animals, plants, toxins and poisons.
Increased Thac0 10 +1 Thac0 with ranged weapons at levels 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19.
Natural Chameleon 5 Using this ability the Selkie can blend into and render himself nearly invisible in coral areas, kelp forests, clumps of seaweed, or any other area with dark or shaded terrain. When hiding he can conceal himself from attackers and eavesdrop on his enemies. He can hide near a well travelled area and secretly observe passersby, or conceal himself near an enemy campsite waiting for an opportune moment to steal their supplies. 

He may also move with a minimum of sound, almost as if he's walking on air. Even creatures with the sharpest ears are no more likely to detect his presence than they are to hear a feather drop.
Natural Mana 10 +10 Mana at levels 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20.
Nature Heal 5

Only ocean terrain maybe selected for healing at phenomenal rates. He must concentrate for 1 minute uninterrupted to perform the following healing; restore 1 HP per INT, +1 per level per 10 minutes; reduce the damage and duration of drugs, toxins and poisons by 4% per INT, +1% per level and gives +1 to save per 4 INT; negate all pain for 1 minute per INT, +1 minute per level; or stabilize his condition (stops bleeding, binds wounds, etc.) for 15 minutes per level.

Nature Survival 5 Due to a Selkie's extensive experience and training in the ocean they gain +1 to any physical, combat and survival rolls made while within that environment. Each time this ability is rebought he may take an additional +1.
Sonar 5 The character can sense objects in total darkness including shape, distance, direction and speed while in a liquid environment. It has a radius of 10 metres per WIS, +10 metres per level radius. +1 Initiative. 
Willpower Bonus 10 +1 Willpower save at levels 1, 4, 8, 12, 14, 16 and 20.
Witch Sight 10 The character can see the true image of any person or object regardless of any form of concealment, disguise, illusion or invisibility. This also includes the ability to detect whether it is magical, and whether it is harmful or helpful.
Step 5: Classes

Any.

 

 

Races