Homebrew Selkie Species Details

Selkie are a secretive, quiet race of coastal Shape-shifters, found in cold and craggy waters across the multiverse. They resemble human women, with pale skin covered in fine, clear hairs; on their head, they have long, wavy black hair; their faces are small, with a sharply pointed chin, large dark eyes, slightly pointed ears, and sharp canine teeth; their hands and feet are slightly webbed, and tipped with small claws; they are short, with a swimmer's build.

They can transform into a seal, with the help of a special Seal-Skin; each Selkie has their own Seal-Skin, which is attuned to them. This is done by donning the Skin, which, when not in use, takes the form of a cloak; when worn, the Selkie transforms into a Seal over the course of 5-10 seconds. When in SealForm, the Selkie's walking speed is reduced to 15, while their swimming speed is increased to 40. In both forms, Selkies are amphibious, allowing them to breathe in air and water; LandForm has half-resistance to cold damage, while SealForm has full resistance. 

The SealForm's Ability Scores are adjusted thusly: Strength -2, Dexterity +2, Constitution +1, Intelligence +1, Wisdom -1, Charisma -1. Advantage on Ability Checks requiring Sight, Sound, or Smell underwater, but Disadvantage on Ability Checks requiring hands. 

All Selkies start knowing the Shape Water Cantrip. At level 3, they learn Wall of Water, which they can cast once per long rest. 

Anyone possessing a Selkie's Skin gains Immunity to all spells or attacks from it's owner. The Skins are extremely difficult to destroy, only achievable by dousing it in Green Dragon's Blood before placing it in a fire that has had Water Elemental Remains added to it. However, if this occurs, the attuned Selkie immediately knows it, and suffers 2 levels of exhaustion, regardless of their proximity to the Skin when it was destroyed; this effects extends across planes and multiverses. Attunement is broken upon death, unless Gentle Repose is cast on the body; in this case, the Skin can be used as a material component for a subsequent Raise Dead spell, in place of a diamond. If the spell is cast, the Skin is destroyed, but does not deal exhaustion to the Selkie. Despite whispered rumors of a favor from the Selkie Goddess, there is no known way for a Selkie to acquire a Skin once it has been destroyed.

Oftentimes, men will steal a Selkie's Skin as she lays on the beach; if he is successful, she must obey his every command, for fear of him destroying the Skin. In this way, many Selkie's are forced into domestic servitude. She will fulfill her "duties" well, but is forever longing for her home, the sea; if she is able to find of steal back her skin, she will immediately run off to the ocean. That is not to say that healthy Human-Selkie relationships don't exist; those, as all relationships, stem from mutual attraction and respect. Humans and Selkies can mate, and produce offspring. Female children of a Selkie are, themselves, Selkies; however, unlike pure-bred Selkies, they will have some characteristics of their father's. This is most commonly hair or eye color. Male children of Selkies are very rare, a result in one in 1,000 Selkie births; these sons are Half-Selkies, possessing some Selkie abilities and features without the most important one: the ability to transform into a seal. They are able to hold their breath for extended periods of time, up to ten minutes; they have half-resistance to cold; and are more agile swimmers than pure humans. They have black hair like their mothers, and slightly more pronounced canines than humans; their eyes resemble their fathers'; their hands and feet are not webbed, but their fingernails are harder and more pointed than humans'; and they may have fine hairs all over their body, like their mother. Half-Selkies (as well as Selkies who fall in love with Humans) are shunned from Selkie Society, and seen as dirty and disgraceful. However, were a Half-Selkie and a Selkie to mate, there is a slim possibility that they could create a Male Full-Selkie. 

Selkie Traits

Selkies all share similar traits

Song of the Sea

You know the Shape Water cantrip starting from level 1. At level 3, you can cast Wall of Water once per long rest. Every 3 levels, the duration of Wall of water increases by 10 minutes. 

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2. 

Ability Score Decrease

Strength Score Reduced by 2

Age

Selkies age at nearly half the rate that humans do, reaching adulthood in their late 20's to early 30's. They live upwards of 100 years, but do not visibly age past around 70 years old; at this point, they resemble a human in their late 50's. 

Alignment

Independent and self-reliant, Selkies tend toward a neutral alignment. 

Size

Selkies are generally on the shorter side, standing anywhere from 4 feet to 5.5 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Your base Swimming Speed is 30 feet.

 

Speed

While in SealForm, your walking speed is reduced to 15 feet, while your Swimming Speed is increased to 40 feet. 

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Aquan.  

Aquan is the he Language spoken by Sea-Beings, mostly of Northern Origin. These include Selkies, Merfolk, Kelpies, Finfolk, Undine, Merrow, Nereides, Limnads, Naiades, Potamides, and other water beings. There are few hard consonants, and a wide array of vowel-like sounds. The language is very melodic, with few consonant sounds to break up the speech. There are no hard "G", "K," or "T" sounds (all "T"s sound like either a "th" or "d"); there a great many different variations off of "C", "CH", "S", "SH", and "ST" sounds, which to the untrained ear sound almost identical. Aquan is very difficult to shout, as it relies heavily on vocal-subtleties; that said, it excels when whispered, as the many "S" type phonemes lend themselves to being whispered. Some say the rhythm, cadence, and word-emphasis resembles gentle waves crashing on a beach; words in a sentence are emphasized in a wave-like pattern that ebbs and flows.