Sea Dwellers

Much like the Fae, there are so many different possibilities for the underwater brigade, that we are only going to try and list out the main kinds of underwater creatures... but for the most part, the abilities, weaknesses, and talents will be pretty much shared across them all. 

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That doesn't mean you can't come up with your own twists and suggestions to make your character uniquely you.  In the spirit of full transparency, staff here do not have a huge Mer/Sea Dweller background in supernatural RP.  We are taking a lot of suggestions from seasoned Mer/Sea RPers and we're interested in hearing from you, too.

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So unsurprisingly, we'll start where we always do and ask that you balance out your character with abilities, talents and weaknesses.  Don't be a know it all, don't take all the plusses and no minuses.  No one likes a Mary Sue, even his name is Victor the Villainous. 

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1. All Sea Dwellers MUST spend a minimum amount of time in the water or their powers dry up. Nyuck Nyuck. Does that mean we're going to insist you spend X hours of your RP time in the water? No. You can off-screen it. Everyone's time is limited and we get that.

2. Being a hybrid Sea Dweller and something else does not negate rule #1. Even if you lose your ability to breathe underwater. Better find some tide pools. 

3. I don't care how many tentacles you have, you are not an Eldritch Horror, an old one, nor C'thulhu coming to collect. That isn't a spin of this particular supernatural wheel.

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Becoming a Sea Dweller: 95% of the sea dwellers will originate in the sea.  Mer-folks, Kraken, Sea based shifters (Really, any animal within reason we'd be down with entertaining as a shifting breed), Kelpies, Kappa, Sea Serpents / Monsters (Loch Ness, Mugwump, Makara, etc) Sirens. All of these are sea dwellers; born in the sea, live in the sea, and at some point, some of y'all managed a human form to walk on land. It could be a curse, a blessing, or the power of the sea itself.  The only landlubbers that end up sea dwellers are either bitten or attacked somehow by one of the Sea Dwellers, pulled to their 'death' by one, or again with the potential curse.  

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Time in the Water EVERY day? Seriously? : Yes, seriously.  Realistically, most of the sea dwellers wouldn't even come out of the water if they didn't have to do so. Humans are food, not friends. Its so dry and icky and hot and in the winter the water falls from the sky and stays frozen. It is absolutely horrid.  The quiet submersion of the caves and relaxation of the grotto is so much better. Of course, that's where the RP is so you've got a reason to leave the water. But its still not your favorite.

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Age, Abilities, and Talents: Most sea dwellers very long lives and are akin to the land walking shifters.  Like their dry-land kin, they could be potentially immortal but almost always run afoul of a witch, a storm, a larger predator, or a propeller.  The older the creature, the more you will have had time to perfect your abilities and talents, just like any other race.

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Local Collectives: The underground caverns and grotto are the home to all manner of sea dweller and all are welcome. There was a royalty system in place throughout most of the Pacific Ocean for centuries but as the tides shifted, the temperature rose, and the shipping lanes got more crowded, the northern coast of California has largely been cut off by the currents.  Left to their own devices, a new leader has not been crowned in the Thirteen Pines grottos for the last 50 years at least. In the last ten, as supernaturals came out on land, some of the more adventurous sea dwelling creatures have ventured out to see what all the fuss is about. It is rumored that the warehouse district, beach, and the entire harbor is under influence of the sea. For a smaller town, the import export market is pretty damned hopping. Lots move through that port... but not without the Harbor Master's awareness. Or is it control?

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Leadership: There is no single leader of the sea dwellers.  As mentioned above, there is rumor that the Harbor Master has their hands in many pies, and one of those pies is the sea and its inhabitants.  But a leader of all the sea creatures does not currently exist. In other areas of the world, it is still very much a Royalty system for the most part, lead by kings and queens who are usually the prettiest and the strongest. Rule by fear is prevalent. Not everywhere- you're welcome to come from any stripe you wish.

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General Abilities

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All of these are considered the Basics of being a sea dweller. You may be able to do all of these things simply by being under da sea.  You do not HAVE to be able to do them. If you want your character to be very young and still learning, or just not a very good feesh, or not be aware you can do some things by nature of how you came to be, you are not required to know how to do them. Have a question about something not listed? Ask!

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• Speed: Under water, you swim 10x faster than the fastest human.

• Strength: Under water, you are 10x stronger than the strongest human.

• Self-Healing: You heal 5x faster than humans. 10x faster if you stay in the water.

• Flight: Fish don't fly. Finned dwellers can, however, skim the top of the water in a way that mimics flight almost. Legged sea dwellers can run really fast and skim the top as well. This only works on the surface.

• Water Manipulation: As long as you have access to even the smallest amount of water, be it a glass of water, a fish tank, a bowl, a fountain, or the sea- lake- or river shoreline, you can generate more of it (e.g., a never ending glass of water), make it crest and wave like the ocean, of even allow you to breathe in it. Don't go crazy, but be creative.  No, you can't control a person because they're made of 80% water. Don't.

• Breathe Underwater: Unless you take a weakness that makes this not possible, all sea dwellers can breathe underwater.

• Land Body and Sea Body: All sea dwellers can have two forms; one their natural 'in the water' form, and their 'on land' form. There is no in between or 'war' form unless you take the talents.

• Echolocation / Sonar: All sea dwellers have a well developed sense under water. You can choose not to of course.

• Something Smells Fishy: You can scent your own kind very easily. You can also tell land/air shifters by scent if you are a sea shifting creature. The rest of the supernatural community is largely a mystery, though you would perhaps sense that they just don't smell 'human'.

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General Weaknesses

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Below are some general sea dweller specific weaknesses that you can chose from in our story world. You can also pick other more general human-like weaknesses like phobias, personality traits, or mental and physical conditions or ailments.  This is not an exhaustive list, but just some to give you a head start as you flesh out your character. It is a good idea to take a weakness for every talent you will pick from the talent list (or from your own list).  Again, we're not going to be policing and requiring an application- we're all adults- so please be reasonable.  Want some kind of weakness that isn't here? Ask!

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• What? No Gills? : You've lost the ability- or never developed the ability- to breathe under water.  You must rely on another Sea Dweller's Kiss, a charm, or a secret stash of O2 tanks. How embarrassing.

• Can't Swim: Like the lack of ability to breathe underwater, you can't swim. You never learned how. You sink like a rock and walk along the bottom. You're just not coordinated. This cuts your speed down to normal human speed.

• Dehydration: You can't spend more than an hour or two out of the water or you begin to dry up. And it is obvious and noticeable to everyone around you. Dry skin? Try no skin- it just flakes off. Bad look. Moisturize!

• No Landlegs: You have never figured out how to walk right and you have to use a cane, walker, crutch(es), or a wheelchair to get around. While this puts you at a disadvantage on land, other sea creatures look to this as a plus- that you are so tied to the sea that even your land form refuses to cooperate. Really, you probably just never learned. But enjoy the accolades. People have been crowned for less.

• Splash!: Oopse, you got wet and now you have fins. When it rains, if someone spills (...or throws) water at you, or you accidentally step in a puddle, you're going to grow gills, a tail, fins, scales, or seaweed for hair, tentacles, etc.  You will take on your sea-dwelling full form. This also means when you submerge, you immediately shift back into your sea dwelling form.  There's no "i'll just swim out and then change so they don't see me." Nope, you're Mr. Limpet, dude.

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Available Talents

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Below are some of the more common talents that sea dwellers have available to them.  You may choose a couple of these to have in addition to the abilities all sea dwellers are able to do.  Again- be reasonable. Don't take them all.   Also, if you think of a really cool talent that I didn't list, ask!

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• Ethereal Beauty: You are so intoxicatingly beautiful that even those who may not find you personally attractive are even given a slight pause to double take and appreciate. For those who do find you beautiful and attractive, you have learned how to manipulate them to get what you want.  We're still a consent sim,  so your victims can resist  your charms. Work it out together and woo them with your words!

• Horrifying Visage: Like the beautiful ones, your natural sea creature appearance is so hideous that you strike mortal terror into those who see your true form. Some are scared out of the water forever, some are plagued with nightmares for the rest of their lives, some pass out and merely block the image away and don't remember seeing it. Your victim may choose how they react.

• Song of the Siren: The classic melodies that have been luring sailors to their deaths for centuries. No longer the sole domain of the Mer-Folk and Sirens, many creatures of the sea have learned to mimic sounds which can lure others to their watery graves. Everything from shifting seagulls and whales and monsters can mimic a child's cry, a splashing 'man overboard', a howling wind with 'help' on it. The Siren Song is meant as a weapon against an enemy.  We're still a consent sim, your victim will have a chance to resist, but its best to work it out with the other player.

• Melody of the Mermaid: This is a variation of the Song of the Siren but is meant for general manipulation of emotions. It takes a little more work, but with the right melody, a talented vocalist can charm the dress off Mother Theresa herself.  This is similarly not limited to mer-folk and Sirens, however, its less likely a Shifter Seagull can figure out a tune sexy enough to get down with a sunbather, know what I'm sayin?  Be realistic.

• Echolocation / Radar: Even out of the water, you have perfected the ability- much like Bats- to use echolocation through the air as well to measure, see, and 'taste' the air around you to sense incoming danger.

• Kiss of the Sea: You may grant underwater breathing to a non sea dweller for a limited time by bestowing a kiss.  (The length of your scene- or less depending on what you're doing)

• War Form: Like the shifters of land and air, you have also developed an ability for a protective war form while on land.  The war form must adhere to your sea form attributes. For example, a mermaid isn't going to suddenly develop 10 tentacles with poisonous suckers in a land war form. An octopus shifter might, though. Be reasonable. 

• Partial Shift: Much like the shifters of the land and air, you can partially shift between the water and land forms.

• Poisonous Claws, Bite, or Stingers: Depending on the creature you are, you have developed appropriate defense mechanisms that are poisonous.  You only have them in the water unless you also take the talent 'Partial Shift'

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