Homebrew Selkie Species Details
Selkies are a kind of Mermaid, but more fit for life near the coast. Selkies look like normal humans, but always seem to be wearing a sealskin cloak. In fact, this cloak is a part of their bodies, and when they pull the hood over their heads, they can transform into seals!
Selkies are friendly, but they are natural born hunters. They can eat anything a human can eat, but mostly stick to fish. They are great at swimming in frigid cold water, and can withstand great underwater pressures.They are great fishermen, and tend to share their surplus with their friends.
Selkie Traits
Selkies are built for cold, underwater climates, making them tough and resourceful.Ability Score Increase
Selkies are quite charming and pretty tough, as well. Selkies gain +2 Charisma and +1 Constitution.
Seal Form
Selkies are most famous for their ability to transform into their seal form. As a bonus action, they can transform into a seal as many times a day as they like. While in this form, Selkies gain a swimming speed of 50 instead of 30, can hold their breath for up to 2 hours, and can dive as deep as 5,000 feet. However, their walking speed is halved rounded down, their items disappear in seal form and reappear when they turn back to human form, and they cannot hold most items well. Once a Selkie transforms, they must stay in this new form until at least the beginning of their next turn.
Frigid Waters
Selkie's are used to freezing cold water temperatures, and can survive in them for short periods of time. You are acclimated to cold climates, and have resistance to cold damage.
Aquatic hunter
Selkies tend to eat fish and other seafood more than anything else. For this reason, Selkie's gain +2 to any kind of attack roll if the target is in water.
Darkvision
As a Selkie, you have spent a lot of time deep underwater where sunlight doesn't reach. You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Age
Selkies mature at about the same rate as humans, but afterwards age much slower, and can live to be about 200 years old.
Alignment
Selkies can be any alignment, but lean a little more towards the Good alignments.
Languages
Selkies usually spend some time interacting with both humans and seals. They know Common and can speak to seals.
Comments
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Posted Aug 20, 2018I would have expected to them speking Aquan.
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Posted Jan 9, 2019What is the speed?
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Posted Jan 10, 2019Thanks for asking, in humanoid form the base walking speed is 30 and (also in humanoid form) the swimming speed is half the character's as normal. There's a mistake in there implying that the humanoid form has 30 swimming speed, but this is not the case.
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Posted Sep 24, 2019Actually, since Selkies are classified as fey in the lore they are derived from (Irish) it would make more sense for them to know Sylvan.
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Posted Sep 24, 2019I noticed you are missing a few aspects of the Selkie, namely their powerful natural magics (often associated with their voices) and the fact that they become similar to an average human when separated from their seal skin
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Posted Sep 24, 2019I suggest you take a look at the lore they come from (Irish) and reevaluate some of the stuff you have here. In Irish lore, the Selkie has immensely powerful magical abilities, even when compared to other Fey, but most of that usually tends to be caught up in their voice. It is said that the song of the Selkie can enthrall mortal, heal the land, open gateways to the fey realm that had been dead for ages, and basically work miracles. My point is, you aren't quite looking at selkies the proper way. Yes, you have few of right things here but ascribing them a bit different than the real-world lore regarding them shows.
I recommend you see Song of the Sea, it does a pretty good job showing off Irish lore, especially regarding that of the Selkie.