Selkie Lineage
There are countless creatures in the sea, some strange and alien, some inevitably fascinated with life on land. Selkies are members of the latter group.
Sometimes called were-seals or sealfolk, selkies in fact have no connection to lycanthropy and no relationship to any merfolk of the deep ocean. Their origins are uncertain, though some scholars believe they were once the favored of a lost tide goddess. What defines a selkie is its magic sealskin - a tight-fitting cape of seal fur, which enables them to transform fully into seals when cinched tight. Every selkie possesses one, and would die before surrendering it. When in humanoid form, selkies have visible webbing on their hands and feet. Beyond those common features, though, selkies are as varied as the landbound species they encounter.
Coastal Creatures
Selkies are fascinated by land-dwellers, often emerging from the sea to visit seaside communities in secret. And that fascination is integral, because the selkie lifecycle cannot exist without them.
Selkies are unable to reproduce amongst themselves, or with other aquatic species. Instead, they go ashore and conceive children with landbound creatures there. Sometimes a selkie stays ashore with their land-family for years, even decades; other times they return to the sea as soon as the child is born, an absent parent. But as the child grows, its selkie parent coaxes them into the ocean, where they are presented with their own magic sealskin to complete their transformation.
Some communities welcome selkies, seeing them as oceanic allies or symbols of luck. Others regard them as terrible child-stealers and drive them off when discovered. Accordingly, selkies tend to be cautious and reclusive. Their curiosity always wins in the end, but their steps ashore are hesitant and carefully-judged. Some selkies live solitary lives, while others form clans or extended families, roaming up and down the coast depending on where they find safe harbor.
Creating Your Character
When you create a Selkie character, select an existing species in your campaign world as your parent species. You have that species's size, speed, and superficial physical traits.
Ability Score Increase
You use your parent species's Ability Score Increases, but may freely move 1 point of those increases to another score of your choice, as long as that does not push an Ability Score Increase above a +2.
Type
You are a Humanoid.
Age
You have the same lifespan as your parent species.
Alignment
Selkies tend toward neutrality, more inclined towards a seal's playful curiosity than consideration of weighty moral questions. They can fall anywhere on the balance between law and chaos; a lawful mindset helps them maintain the discipline that protects themselves, but a selkie adventurer is apt to break the mold.
Size
Your size is the same as your parent species (either Medium or Small).
Speed
Your base walking speed is the same as your parent species (either 30 or 25 feet). You have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and 1 other language of your choice.
Sealskin Cloak
You possess a magic sealskin, which controls your transformation to and from your seal form. While you possess your sealskin, you can transform as an action. You choose whether your equipment melds into your new form; you can only keep wearing items that you could logically use after transforming. If an effect forces you into your true form, it is your seal form.
While in seal form, you gain the following traits:
- Your swim speed increases by 10 feet.
- You gain resistance to cold damage.
- You can hold your breath for up to 1 hour at a time.
- You have no hands. You cannot wield weapons or perform the somatic components of spells, except for spells gained through your Selkie Magic feature.
- You gain a powerful jaw that you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you bite with it, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier piercing damage.
If your sealskin cloak is lost, you immediately gain one level of exhaustion. If it is destroyed, you immediately gain one level of exhaustion, and must succeed on a DC 5 Constitution saving throw after every long rest or gain another level of exhaustion.
Exhaustion gained while you do not have your sealskin cannot be cured by any means until you regain or replace it. Your DM determines how the sealskin may be replaced - it should generally require significant effort and investment.
Selkie Magic
Selkies have innate abilities to manipulate water, wind, and the minds of others. You know the manipulate waterK cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the charm person spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the gust of wind spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Littoral Talents
Due to the demands of your coastal habitat, you gain proficiency with one of the following skills of your choice: Nature, Perception, or Survival.
Species Feats
The following are options for feats which can be selected only by Selkie characters.
Sealshape Mastery
You attain complete control of your Sealskin Cloak. You can shift between forms as a bonus action, and the first two times each day you do so, you gain temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus.
In addition, you gain the following benefits while in humanoid form:
- You have resistance to cold damage.
- You can hold your breath for up to 1 hour at a time.
You gain the following benefits while in seal form:
- Your swim speed increases an additional 10 feet.
- You are immune to the prone condition while underwater.
Appendix 1: Spells
Manipulate Water
Transmutation cantrip
- Classes: Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 30 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Special
- Replaces: Shape Water
You shape water you can see within range, causing it to move and shape at to your command, selecting one of the following effects:
- You can move or direct the flow of a 5-foot cube of water in direction, but the water will collapse back to following the flow of gravity at the start of your next turn unless you concentrate on keeping it in place.
- You can form the water into shapes or cause it to animate. This change lasts for 1 minute.
- You can change the color or opacity of water in a 5-foot cube. This change lasts for 1 hour.
- You can freeze up to a 5-foot cube of water or thaw up to a 5-foot cube of ice. The water unfreezes or refreezes naturally based on the environmental conditions (usually taking an hour or more to melt or freeze, unless in extreme conditions).
Changelog
v1.0
- Updated art
v0.1
- Rough Draft
Credits
Selkie Lineage created by somanyrobots Discord | Patreon
Spells
- Manipulate Water by KibblesTasty
Art
- Selkie Cleric, by Alifka Hammam Nugroho
Background Stains
License
© 2023 somanyrobots, CC BY-NC 4.0
Includes spells from Kibbles' Casting Compendium 2.0 by KibblesTasty Homebrew LLC, which is licensed CC-BY and available here.
5E SRD Content
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available here.
The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available here.