Homebrew Selkie Species Details
A selkie is certainly a magnet for trouble. It's as if some wayward god decided to take the innate curiosity of humanity and make it far more intense, and then place it within a creature that has little to no knowledge of the world that exists above the waves. As fun-loving as they can be, it's not a bad idea to give any passing selkie a wide berth.
Selkies live and thrive in the waters of coastal towns and cities, moving from sea to land as they please. They form their own small communities beneath the waves, and generally don't stray too far from their native waters. In more recent years, however, more and more selkies have been wandering further than ever before, their curious nature guiding them to the wonders they could possibly discover on land.
Aquatic Allies
Selkies have existed within the world ever since the first of their kind were born from the foam of the seas. Over time, their existence has come to be largely accepted, especially in smaller coastal towns, where trading and interactions with selkies is commonplace. Selkies are known for their tendency to draw trouble to their doorsteps due to their overwhelming curiosities and lack of knowledge of the world of land, however, most people overlook such things in exchange for the generally kind and light-hearted friends that selkies tend to be.
Driven by a hope to learn and grow, selkies often walk among land dwellers, looking for any new knowledge they could possibly obtain. They do generally remain wary of land dwellers, however, as they know that if their pelt would ever be stolen, they would be unable to return home to the sea until they got it back.
Curious Creatures
Being able to leave the ocean to explore the wonders and discover friendships to be found on land due to their transformative abilities, selkies can often come across as nosy or abrasive. They are used to living in close-knit communities, where all families tend to share what most land-dwellers would keep private from their neighbors. Those who live in coastal towns near selkie communities are generally very familiar with the seal-people's brand of curiosity, but for those who are not so accustomed to it, a selkie's persistent questioning and endless curiosity could end in unpleasant social interactions.
Their inquisitive attitude might grate on some, but it arises from the selkies' deeply seated instinct to learn as much as they possibly can. Originally, this quest for knowledge was a desperate matter, one of life and death. Selkies needed to know their surroundings as well as they possibly could, or they could end up falling victim to predators, traps, or any number of horrific things. After generations of maturation for this race of merpeople, their curious nature has been able to expand outside of their need for survival. Now selkies are often known to be wonderful storytellers as well as vastly knowledgeable on a variety of subjects, as many of the creatures spend years roaming land and sea to pursue learning beyond their homes.
Hardy Survivors
Despite their seemingly soft and kind exteriors, selkies are quite hardy and easily able to defend themselves and their communites. Their usual attitude might seem calm and lackadaisical, but when pirate fleets prowl the waves or a kraken awakens from its slumber, they are among the first to take up arms to protect their homes and families.
Selkies never take a threat lightly, and can turn from an easy-going acquaintance to a fearsome warrior within moments at the first sign of aggression. They do not hesitate to defend themselves or their loved ones. Due to their lack of understanding of land conversation and candor, they can end up misinterpreting jokes or taking comical words far too seriously.
Part-Time Trust
Given their ability to spend time both on land and in the sea thanks to their pelts, most selkies have been to the surface world. Most selkie children have their first trip to land when they are about 10-12 years old, depending on what their parents wish for them. Many selkie communities will also spend time up on beaches and in shallow tide pools with their much younger children, helping the little ones learn how to transform between their different forms.
For all their time spent on land, selkies tend tend to find social institutions, kingdoms, and other customs bewildering. They are much more accustomed to their tight-knit community and family groups. Many selkie elders will have to tell young ones readying for their first trips to the surface that land-dwellers cannot be trusted the way that selkies trust others of their kind. Too many trusting selkie children had been spirited away by kidnappers and slavers without this warning. Elders always encourage the acquisition of new knowledge, but staunchly reiterate that trust is not to be given freely.
Selkie Names
Most selkie names are related to ocean and the vast amounts of flora and fauna that lie within it, but many parents also include the influence of names from land dwellers. Male and female names are not overly different. Surnames are commonly used to help identify what child belongs to which parent. Therefore, most children will be given their eldest parent's first name as their surname. Some selkies will abandon their surnames upon the death of their parent, and orphaned selkie children are given the surname Sea, as they are recognized as children of the ocean itself.
Female Selkie Names: Arrowana, Breeze, Minnow, Rain, Shell
Male Selkie Names: Current, Dart, Fin, Pod, Wind
Selkie Traits
Your selkie character has the following racial traits.Ability Score Increase
Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age
Selkies reach maturity around age 20 and can live up to 150 years.
Alignment
Selkies tend toward chaotic good and neutral alignments. As curious explorers that are unaccustomed to the world above the sea, they are often happy to bend and break rules in their search for new knowledge and fun.
Size
Selkies run from tall to short and many places in between, often averaging between 4' 8" and 6' 0". Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed in human form is 30 feet. Your alternate forms give you swimming speed (see "Selkie Pelt").
Selkie Pelt
When a selkie dons their pelt, they are able to transform using an action into the following three forms:
Seal - The selkie transforms into a magical seal (see statblock). They are unable to speak, but retain their INT, WIS, and CHA stats and are able to hold their breath for up to 15 minutes. Their swim speed is 50ft.
Merperson - The selkie appears as a merperson with the lower half of a seal. They are able to speak as normal above water and are able to hold their breath for up to 15 minutes. Their swim speed is 30ft. and they are not impeded by being submerged. Their walking speed is 5ft.
Human - The selkie appears as completely human. They may wear other clothes, but their pelt will always be a part of their ensemble. In this form, the selkie can only hold their breath for up to five minutes. They have the physical aspects of a human and are penalized as such when submerged.
Selkies can also cast Water Breathing once per long rest using their pelt as a focus.
A selkie pelt can be stolen! If a selkie loses their pelt, they lose access to this racial trait.
Fish are Friends
Aquatic beasts have an extraordinary affinity with your people. You can communicate simple ideas with beasts that can breathe water. They can understand the meaning of your words or gestures, though you have no special ability to understand them in return. You have advantage to any charisma checks concerning beasts of the sea.
Citizens of the Sea
Adapted to even the most extreme ocean environments, you have resistance to cold damage, and you ignore any of the drawbacks caused by a deep, underwater environment.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and Primordial.
Comments