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Aeolius
2010-07-01, 06:13 PM
I am cross-posting this here and in a handful of other D&D boards, across the web.

I have been running undersea D&D campaigns since 1998; first with “Beneath the Pinnacles of Azor’alq” (play-by-post) followed by “Heirs of Turucambi” (chat-based). The campaigns draw from my interests in marine biology and my hobby of keeping saltwater aquariums, coupled with my fascination with various mythological creatures such as hags, dragons, and demons. I started my current game 3 years ago. While I have a stable following of devoted players (thank you, folks!), I occasionally get the urge to step back, look at my game from a distance, and reinvent my approach as Master Storyteller for my players.

If your current DM approached you with the idea of starting a new campaign set primarily beneath the surface of the sea, what would be your first reaction? Suppose the “core races” were replaced with the likes of sea elves, locathah, and merfolk (or any race that that has a swim speed and the aquatic subtype). Would that be enough to alienate you?

I set my games on Oerth, the world of Greyhawk. Prior knowledge of the campaign setting is not required. I also tend to scale back on the use of dragons, while overpopulating the world with hags. Again, this is simply my personal signature in my games. Is that the killing blow that distances potential players?

My games tend to be role-play heavy and combat light. Rolling lots of dice tends to break my “willing suspension of disbelief”. Spending hours speaking in character as a room full of NPCs is my bread and butter. Again, I know this does not appeal to everyone.

I am aware that life underwater has its limitations; typical potions are all but impossible to imbibe, paper scrolls will quickly disintegrate, and typical metal items are subject to corrosion. Many typical spells may not suitable for underwater casting. Treasure may be similarly altered, as many undersea races value rare corals, pearls, and shells far more than coins and gemstones. This is one of my most enjoyable aspects of the game - creation.

Some of the best inspiration for an underwater campaign can come from the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, visiting a local aquarium or fish store, and perusing ocean-related materials in a bookstore. Discovery’s “Blue Planet” series and Penguin Book’s “OCEAN” are as invaluable to me as “Stormwrack”.

With that in mind, what are your preferences, for such an adventure? What would you expect to see, in an undersea game? What would make the campaign memorable, enjoyable, and enduring? What would make you want to spend years exploring the realm of liquid space?

Debihuman
2010-07-02, 05:34 AM
I want a cool setting, with interesting NPCs, cool critters to defeat and a sense of wonder as only living the ocean can do. Seriously, the biggest drawback to underwater campaigns has been a lack of source material. Most water-based campaigns deal with shipboard rules and ship-to-ship combat but not much has dealt with underwater survival. Ever since The Deep by Mystic Eye Games has been out of print, there's been no good campaign setting for underwater adventures. I hope that Sunken Empires fills that niche. I've just picked up a pdf from Paizo so we'll see.

Debby

hamishspence
2010-07-02, 05:40 AM
I like the concept of undersea adventures.

One way of making typical potions easily consumable- the bottles come with a straw, which itself has a cap. Might take a bit longer to consume though.

A simpler way is to replace them with other edibles.

I like the traditional undersea monsters- kraken, sahuagin, kuo-toa (if using that Dragon Magazine "Demonomicon: Dagon" article. Maybe expand on those?

Also- maybe think a lot on the implications of being underwater- sound travels easier, seeing long distances is harder, you can feel somebody else moving nearby by the water movement, even if you can't see them, and so on.

That plus the three-dimensional movement can make things feel very different.

Icedaemon
2010-07-02, 06:39 AM
...Suppose the “core races” were replaced with the likes of sea elves, locathah, and merfolk (or any race that that has a swim speed and the aquatic subtype). Would that be enough to alienate you?
Of course not.

...I also tend to scale back on the use of dragons, while overpopulating the world with hags. Again, this is simply my personal signature in my games. Is that the killing blow that distances potential players?
What? Who'd be irked by this? I am more likely to be annoyed by seeing dragons played completely straight.

My games tend to be role-play heavy and combat light. Excellent. Rolling lots of dice tends to break my “willing suspension of disbelief”. Ditto. Spending hours speaking in character as a room full of NPCs is my bread and butter. Again, I know this does not appeal to everyone. Sod those people. If one thinks that play by post should concentrate on dice, one is a loon.

I am aware that life underwater has its limitations; typical potions are all but impossible to imbibe, paper scrolls will quickly disintegrate, and typical metal items are subject to corrosion. Many typical spells may not suitable for underwater casting. Treasure may be similarly altered, as many undersea races value rare corals, pearls, and shells far more than coins and gemstones. This is one of my most enjoyable aspects of the game - creation.
I once tried to co-create an aquatic setting with a focus on Sahuagin. We never quite got far, but stone tablets being the best replacement of scrolls and the sahuagin eagerly trading with dwarves were planned.

With that in mind, what are your preferences, for such an adventure? What would you expect to see, in an undersea game? What would make the campaign memorable, enjoyable, and enduring? What would make you want to spend years exploring the realm of liquid space?

As was stated before: Interesting characters to interact with, riveting and twisting plot lines. I personally also love vague, grey and grey morality and situations where the right choice is far from clear. Allowing for multiple ways to solve a problem are a must-have. If the players pick a laughably inefficient method which takes several times as long, or have one startling leap of genius and solve what was supposed to be a major villainous plot in minutes, if it should work logically, it should be possible in-game.

Aeolius
2010-07-02, 08:53 PM
Seriously, the biggest drawback to underwater campaigns has been a lack of source material

You really need to add the Blue Planet (http://store.discovery.com/detail.php?p=85139&v=discovery) DVDs (also available on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewTVSeason?id=308833888&s=143441) ) and DK Books OCEAN (http://www.amazon.com/Ocean-American-Museum-Natural-History/dp/0756636922/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b) to your reference library. :)


A simpler way is to replace them with other edibles.

I use soft corals (mushroom, etc) as the basis for infusions.

Debihuman
2010-07-03, 07:06 PM
I finally got to take a look at Sunken Empires. I'm quite impressed with it. I'm sure it will give you ideas.

Aeolius, I meant D&D sources -- not dvds about oceans, though those are nice too.

Here is a magic item that I considered submitting to Paizo's contest but I chickened out. It doesn't have the "wow" factor that a real wondrous item needs. Also, I'm not that good with making magic items so if you see a mistake in it, let me know.


Waterproof Parchment
Aura: Faint conjuration CL: 1
Slot: None, Price: 26 gp (for 5 sheets), Weight: —

DESCRIPTION
These sheets of parchment closely resemble mottled waxed paper. They maintain their integrity even if submerged in saltwater. Waterproof parchment is frequently used when scrolls are needed in watery environments or in severe weather. Writing on waterproof parchment requires no special inks though waterproof inks are necessary for making underwater scrolls. Waterproof parchment dissolves into pulpy goop if it comes into contact with acid (DC 13 Fortitude save negates).

CONSTRUCTION
Requirements: Craft Wondrous Item, grease, parchment Cost: 13 gp (includes the cost of 5 sheets of parchment).

Debby

Aeolius
2010-07-03, 07:17 PM
Waterproof Parchment

I have something similar, with a Sand to Stone spell... "sandstone" tablets are quite common, in my game, as are sandstone castles and the like. One storm giant lived in a massive "drip castle" made permanent by multiple uses of the spell.

Debihuman
2010-07-03, 07:47 PM
Aeolius, you've mentioned before that you haven't actually statted out a lot of stuff for your campaign. I suspect that is the reason why your campaigns tend to be heavy on role-play and light on combat. I try to balance both.

My major concern is that I've seen many threads on an underwater campaign but very little actual homebrewing for one. Hence, most threads die from sheer apathy. I saw it happen on the WotC's website and this is not the first thread on this topic.

Debby

Aeolius
2010-07-03, 08:06 PM
My major concern is that I've seen many threads on an underwater campaign but very little actual homebrewing for one. Hence, most threads die from sheer apathy. I saw it happen on the WotC's website and this is not the first thread on this topic.

Like This WotC Thread (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19557726/Underwater_Campaign) that effectively died out years ago? It wasn't the first, nor will it be the last. I am nothing, if not persistent. :smallwink:

Feel free to peruse the library at my website, for other particulars: Heirs of Turucambi (http://web.mac.com/aeolius/turucambi/)

Debihuman
2010-07-04, 11:31 AM
Threads die out because most gamers have plenty of real world ideas but lack the mechanics for implementing those ideas in game.

For an underwater game, you need a way to deal with breathing and pressure. Sound underwater travels much farther but sight is more limited unless you have alternative light sources. The solutions for these can be either mechanical or magical in nature.

Many resources are already available just not in one place. The gnomish submersible from Arms and Equipment is an example. You can also find the stats for the hippocampus and zataran, which is a turtle so big that it can be mistaken for an island. Unfortunately, none of that book is open content.

I've often thought that having a series of zatarans rather than islands would be interesting. The zatarans would migrate seasonally so you have islands that aren't in the same places. It also gives the PCs something to do since the native inhabitants on the zataran would bestow the honor of steering the zataran on them. That could be an adventure all by itself.

Imagine if you find the time when the giant seahorses are giving birth. It would be an underwater rodeo as the PCs try to capture the offspring as giant seahorses aren't particularly paternal.

I also recommend looking at EnWorld's Creature Catalogue website as many creatures in 3.5 format can be found there. http://www.enworld.org/cc/. If you look under converted monsters, these are monsters that have all been updated to 3.5. They've recently updated 10 new aquatic creatures so it's quite relevant to this topic.

If you ever wanted the stats for a sea unicorn, now's your chance.

Debby

Aeolius
2010-07-04, 11:51 AM
You can also find the stats for the hippocampus and zataran, which is a turtle so big that it can be mistaken for an island. Unfortunately, none of that book is open content. I've often thought that having a series of zatarans rather than islands would be interesting.

Granted, the zaratan and hippocampus are not WotC's intellectual property. They are mythological creatures that far predate D&D.

I have a zaratan in my game, though it has been dead for centuries. Its shell serves as a floating prison for the krampus, the male offspring of a night hag and second night hag shapechanged into male form.

Debihuman
2010-07-04, 12:07 PM
Gaming books published under the open game license let you which information is open content and which isn't. The names do not have to be product identity for a book to contain no open game content. Most of WotC's books contain no open game content and state so clearly.

Debby

Aeolius
2010-07-04, 12:26 PM
True... but one need not use WotC's stats, to make a hippocampus or zaratan. Even the term "blackwater" is open for use (blackwater, graywater, etc), so long as you don't steer too close to WotC's wordage.

One of these days I will stat out my blackwater ninjas, phosphyre witches, deepsong bards, etc etc....

Thomar_of_Uointer
2010-07-04, 02:11 PM
More than anything, I would like to see a SETTING. Something like the set of Eberron chapters which outline organizations, how classes fit into the setting, and describe the places PCs come from. Eberron even includes an adventure in the last chapter to kick off your campaign.

The biggest problem with an aquatic campaign would be the lack of firm footing for players. If you're playing D&D, you know you're usually in a half-Tolkienesque universe where dwarves drink beer, elves are annoying, and you have to save the populace from raiding orcs and goblins. There are tons of literature, movies, and video games which explore exactly what a generic fantasy setting is.

If you're in an aquatic setting, then the only media you might be familiar with is The Little Mermaid.

If you can sit down and concretely define races, cultures, nations, organizations, professions, and a little bit of history, then you have a setting where a player can say, "oh, cool, I'd like my character to be affiliated with these groups" and suddenly you have involvement and fun.

I also think that merfolk, aquatic elves, sahaguin, and the other D&D aquatic monsters are terrible player races. They're bland caricatures, and nobody knows where to start when playing them. (That's why I started on this, and I'll start working on it again if anyone manifests interest. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8483381#post8483381))

Race doesn't have to be integral to a setting (you could say that the only sentient race is merfolk, I'm fine with that,) but if it gets used, it must be well-defined and it must help players create characters that they want to play.

Aeolius
2010-07-04, 02:48 PM
If you're in an aquatic setting, then the only media you might be familiar with is The Little Mermaid.

Which is why I always try to steer my players towards "Blue Planet" and "OCEAN".


I also think that merfolk, aquatic elves, sahaguin, and the other D&D aquatic monsters are terrible player races. They're bland caricatures, and nobody knows where to start when playing them.

I do tend to keep sea elves, merfolk, and locathah as the "core" races for my game, but by no means do I limit it to that. I have a few inspirations (http://web.me.com/aeolius/turucambi/Inspirations.html) that I tend to reference often. I also tend to change races around a bit. My locathah, for example, are a hermaphroditic race (happens with fish quite often) born into a caste system based on their coloration (they are colored like larger angelfish (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=15+18) .


a half-Tolkienesque universe where dwarves drink beer....

Sweetsponge soaked with inkwine is the libation of choice, in the local waters.

Icedaemon
2010-07-04, 03:03 PM
I also think that merfolk, aquatic elves, sahaguin, and the other D&D aquatic monsters are terrible player races. They're bland caricatures, and nobody knows where to start when playing them.


That's why any good world-building should start with designing the culture and history of the nations. This is my opinion, at least.

Then again, as pointed out above, in this case even designing the biology of the races and nations might be necessary to get a good start.

Come to think of it, designing humanoid aquatic races is actually not mandatory, even pointless. Merfolk, fish-like people who are essentially smart fishies with hands, will swim far faster than a humanoid which after all has a shape designed for land. I would like to play an octopus-based species. Imagine for instance gentle druidic people based on this. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire_squid) Under the sea, who needs antropomorphism when you have tentacles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2csnVNai-o)?

hamishspence
2010-07-05, 12:53 PM
I wonder how undersea adventuring might mesh with the 4E rules?

Racial paragon paths for each of the common undersea races, some powers and weapons designed specifically for the underwater setting, hazards, magic items, artifacts, Feywild and Shadowfell material (the "Seawild", and the "Shadowsea" might be good names) and so on.

Throw in some archfey, maybe refluff the Dark Pact to represent pacts with forces that can only be contacted in the deepest ocean trenches, and so on.

Aeolius
2010-07-05, 01:20 PM
I wonder how undersea adventuring might mesh with the 4E rules?

Dedicated undersea rules might be the only way I would touch 4e with a 10-meter cattle prod.

hamishspence
2010-07-05, 02:26 PM
A few monsters ideal for undersea adventures have made it into 4E (water elementals, krakens, sahuagin, kuo-toa, an aquatic demon in MM2, sharks, Dagon, etc) but at the moment it would need a lot of homebrewing to be a filled out campaign.

Still, if one's fellow players are using the 4E ruleset, a 4E game with lots of extra homebrew aquatic content might be quite fun.

Debihuman
2010-07-05, 03:18 PM
One thing I''ve noticed is that despite the fact this is a homebrewer's forum, many people still prefer "official" rules. Unearthed Arcana has rules for Aquatic Races, which is one place to start. That information is also available in the online SRD: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#aquaticRaces

You can find other aquatic monsters using this: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/lists/monsters&tablefilter=Aquatic. Obviously, not all are suitable as player character races but it gives you more options. I rather like the malenti version of the sahuagin in aquatic campaigns. People tend to forget about them.

The bigger question is how many races do you really need or want?

You can always play an awakened animal such as an awakened dolphin or awakened shark and play it with class levels. An awakened shark 1st level Barbarian could be fun. Of course, not having hands is a problem but it isn't insurmountable.

Here's a free web enhancement for Stormwrack from WotC called Korpru Ruins: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060306a.

This forum also has a bunch of races that would suitable for an underwater campaign:

The Ocun by ErictheRed http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8585872&postcount=51.

My Cecaelia http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4216596

Here is my favorite wiki: it has open game content from published sources: http://grandwiki.wikidot.com/publication-list.

I highly recommend that everyone take a look at this one!

Debby

Aeolius
2010-07-05, 06:09 PM
One thing I''ve noticed is that despite the fact this is a homebrewer's forum, many people still prefer "official" rules.

I suppose it's easier to persuade players to use alternate rules, if they have a common frame of reference, thus my use of aquatic goblins, orcs, gnolls, kobolds, etc. To some, it may look like re-skinning. But there is something to be said for being able to grab some stats from d20srd.org and and go.

In my current game, the PC roster includes a sea elf ninja, merfolk shugenja, viletooth lizardfolk druid, and oceanid monk/wizard/oneiromancer. We had an awakened octopus psion, but that player disappeared.

Icedaemon
2010-07-06, 03:26 AM
Such races might be allowed ones, but antropomorphism underwater is still something which strikes me as counter-intuitive, especially as you claim to be very interested in marine biology.

I frankly propose we start making a new undersea campaign setting. I would probably try to handle the squiddly species.

hamishspence
2010-07-06, 03:29 AM
Maybe play up the fact that just because it looks like something mammalian, doesn't mean it is.

Take merfolk- they have hair. What if their hair is actually not keratinous at all- but akin to the tendrils of the Hairy Frog- a way of getting a lot of surface area for cells to absorb oxygen through the water?

In effect, the creature is wearing its lungs/gills, on top of its head.

Or they could be an electrosensory organ, or some other exotic thing.

Debihuman
2010-07-06, 04:20 AM
I rather liked the look of mer-people from the Harry Potter movies as an example of what they should look like.


http://gallery.awn.com/data/667/08_hp-mermaid.jpg
and
http://www.vfxtalk.com/feature/framestore/trial_by_water/framestore_potter_03.jpg

Debby

Icedaemon
2010-07-06, 04:22 AM
I was talking about humanoid shape in general actually. Arms are useful, but unless you dwell on the bottom and can only swim only in short bursts like lobsters with their hydrojet-power, legs are worthless to a sea creature.

hamishspence
2010-07-06, 04:23 AM
I noticed that they dropped the "horizontal fish tails" concept that's common in depictions of merfolk- and gave them vertical tails instead.

The back half of the Potter merfolk looks very much like a shark.

Debihuman
2010-07-06, 04:33 AM
So how would they [meaning the HP merfolk} be statted up? I particularly liked the bug-eyed, sharp fanged look. Added another picture and posted my aquatic race as well just to add more stuff to this thread.

Debby

hamishspence
2010-07-06, 04:36 AM
I'd probably use the same stats as ordinary merfolk- treat the fangs as not big enough to give the creature a bite attack.

Possibly remove the "amphibious" property and give them something nice to compensate, if the campaign involves almost no surface activity.

Aeolius
2010-07-06, 08:49 AM
Take merfolk- they have hair. What if their hair is actually not keratinous at all- but akin to the tendrils of the Hairy Frog- a way of getting a lot of surface area for cells to absorb oxygen through the water? In effect, the creature is wearing its lungs/gills, on top of its head.

When I was making the gnass, an undersea analog of the gnoll, I picked the hairy frogfish for my inspiration:
http://www.underwater.com.au/content/8918/antennarius_striatus.jpg

Granted, some fish, like the stonefish, have a notable growth of algae:
http://a.abcnews.com/images/Technology/nm_stonefish_080409_ssh.jpg
(My inspiration for the hair triggerfish. Yes, I also have mighrain haddock and limpet minds, as well ;) )

Of course there is always the fur-bearing trout (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fur-bearing_trout)

hamishspence
2010-07-06, 09:01 AM
Merfolk "regional differences" could be accounted for by making their fishy parts resemble different kinds of fish.

You could meet sharkfolk, pufferfolk, barracudafolk, and many others.

Maybe throw in some feats to play to the various types- like one that allows the merfolk to puff themselves up and gain a bonus on Intimidate checks, or maybe skin that counts as spiked armour.

(Of course, I'm pinching this idea off Serpent Kingdoms, which does this with yuan-ti- which can resemble different kinds of snake and have feats to reflect this. Still, I like the idea.)

Aeolius
2010-07-06, 09:17 AM
Merfolk "regional differences" could be accounted for by making their fishy parts resemble different kinds of fish.

An older mermaid model for Poser had a variety of tail textures you might use for inspiration. You can find them here (http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/-/ss-v3-mertail?item=1176&_m=d) , here (http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/-/ss-v3-mertail?item=1174&_m=d) , and here (http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/-/ss-v3-mertail?item=1175&_m=d) . The newer mermaid model can be seen here (http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/-/lostrealms-for-v4?item=4932&_m=d) and here (http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/-/merbabies?item=10697&_m=d).
http://www-cache.daz3d.com/store/item_file/4932/med_popup_1.jpg

hamishspence
2010-07-06, 09:19 AM
How about the idea of fishy feats?

Debihuman
2010-07-06, 12:31 PM
I was thinking along the lines of creating the Melusine, a variant merfolk race with two tails rather than just one. Variants could have the Shapechanger Subtype which would allow them to take Human form.

Racial feats could be interesting too.

Debby

Aeolius
2010-07-06, 12:44 PM
I was thinking along the lines of creating the Melusine, a variant merfolk race with two tails rather than just one.

Sounds a bit like the triton (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/triton.htm) :
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35_gallery/MM35_PG246a.jpg

Debihuman
2010-07-06, 01:28 PM
Except that Tritons are Outsiders even though they are Native. Melusines would be Humanoids.

Debby

hamishspence
2010-07-06, 01:32 PM
They do have the native subtype though- more like genasi- so while originally from the Plane of Water, they aren't as tied to it as Marids (water genies) are.

Maybe they're like water genasi- but the offspring of merfolk/marid hybridization, rather than human/marid?

Or just maridlike entities that migrated to the Material Plane so long ago that they have gained the Native subtype and lost the Extraplanar one.

The Tygre
2010-07-06, 01:51 PM
I always saw Tritons as immigrants from the Plane of Water. There are some natives back home, but most of them have moved to the oceans of the material plane for one reason or another.

Aeolius
2010-07-06, 02:26 PM
For better or for worse I tied tritons into the bloodline of one of my PCs, back when I was running my undersea play-by-post game. The character is an oceanid, daughter of salt hag and triton. Salt hags are the offspring of sea elves and night hags. Granted, the currently PC is a simulacrum of that character, made with blackwater - thus allowing her to gain experience and levels.

Icedaemon
2010-07-06, 04:20 PM
What about the Ixitxachitl (Monster Manual II)? By turning the 'always chaotic evil' tag into the 'usually chaotic evil' one, which makes more sense for non-outsiders anyway, you get an interesting species which must cope with lacking traditional hands or any form of replacement. The Korpu in the same book are also nice, if seem to be strictly NPC races by virtue of high HD.

Aboleths, who deem themselves the rightful rulers of the entire world, but tend to work together with other aquatic folk to bring down surface civilizations are an interesting type of character.

hamishspence
2010-07-06, 04:32 PM
Their mutant Underdark counterparts the Ixzans (in Lost Empires of Faerun) do have the "Usually CE" tag rather than "Always CE"

Aboleths in the ocean trenches rather than the Underdark could be interesting power centres. Possibly allied with the kuo-toa.

Aeolius
2010-07-06, 05:09 PM
What about the Ixitxachitl (Monster Manual II)? By turning the 'always chaotic evil' tag into the 'usually chaotic evil' one, which makes more sense for non-outsiders anyway, you get an interesting species which must cope with lacking traditional hands or any form of replacement.

In addition to allowing the vampiric ixitxachitl the ability to create juju zombie spawn with their energy drain (thus gaining a pair of enslaved hands with their undead servants), I also added an "electric" variety inspired by the electric ray.

My ibishi (sea kobolds) are ray-like, in that they have wing-flaps and no legs. It didn't occur to me until afterwards, that I may have been inspired by this:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_n4FJQx0nz2g/Stnjv2qwBdI/AAAAAAAAA4U/rSmRnmPVtME/s400/Evil+Manta+The+Little+Mermaid.jpg

Icedaemon
2010-07-06, 06:01 PM
Hmm... On a rayfish, arms might make more sense than on others. They tend to be bottom-dwellers, so limbs to dig and crawl with are not uncalled for and on such a body shape probably fold away better than on most other kinds of fishy body, thus not diminishing swim speed quite as much. If a species of ray has digging-limbs, those evolving to shapes which can grasp items, rock and food are likewise a boon to a scavenger.

Makes a fair bit of sense, come to think of it...

hamishspence
2010-07-07, 07:25 AM
Apparently the guys on EN world are already creating their own "Pact of the Deep" as well as a sea race based on the Innsmouthers in Shadow Over Innsmouth.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-fan-creations-house-rules/280203-deep-project-deep-pact-warlocks-murr.html

Wouldn't mind seeing more of this kind of stuff for 4E.

hamishspence
2010-07-09, 04:07 AM
Maybe we should put links to all the interesting homebrew undersea stuff that's here- for the convenience of those who want all the best stuff close together?

Cecaelia:
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78370&highlight=undersea

Undersea Tome of Battle school:
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101214&highlight=ocean

Debihuman
2010-07-09, 10:23 AM
Advanced Giant Squid -- http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6465799&postcount=1

Advanced Monster of Legend Giant Squid -- http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6474477&postcount=7

Pearl dragon while not just undersea can be found there: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4574437&postcount=1

Coral dragon has the Aquatic subtype and amphibious special ability.
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5304401&postcount=1

Here's a picture of the coral dragon too: http://mistressofspam.deviantart.com/art/King-57050300

Debby

hamishspence
2010-07-09, 02:08 PM
In the Master DMs Set (Basic, Expert, Companion, Master), the Pearl Dragon (also called Moon Dragon) was the Ruler of All Chaotic Dragons.

Alongside the Opal Dragon (Sun Dragon): Ruler of all Neutral Dragons, and the Diamond Dragon (Star Dragon): Ruler of all Lawful Dragons.

The Great Dragon (Ruler of All Dragonkind) stood above these three.

Might be interesting to see D&D versions of those. That said, the current version of the Pearl Dragon looks ideal as an aquatic dragon.

Aeolius
2010-07-09, 02:30 PM
While I have yet to have the need to stat them out, my hagstone dragons have the following breath weapons:

Pearl - breathes a spray of sharpened oyster shells
Coral - breathes a mist of coralline algae, encrusting their opponent
Abalone - breathes a cloud of cyanide, paralyzing their prey

The Vorpal Tribble
2010-07-09, 02:42 PM
I wrote the entire underwater realm for a MUD game once. There are so many underwater environments it ain't funny.

Kelp forests, thermal vents, coral reefs, crystal badlands, you name it.

The creepiest of course would be the Trenches. You could also bring in the horror by having most aberrations be restricted to the water except for certain times of the year when 'the stars are right'. So aboleths in some 20 mile deep trench city would certainly be something to fear and avoid.

In arctic campaigns you could have an upside down world, civilization attached to the underside of permanent ice. Working on just that for my Dying Ember campaign.

Thomar_of_Uointer
2010-07-10, 12:01 AM
Merfolk "regional differences" could be accounted for by making their fishy parts resemble different kinds of fish.

You could meet sharkfolk, pufferfolk, barracudafolk, and many others.

Maybe throw in some feats to play to the various types- like one that allows the merfolk to puff themselves up and gain a bonus on Intimidate checks, or maybe skin that counts as spiked armour.

(Of course, I'm pinching this idea off Serpent Kingdoms, which does this with yuan-ti- which can resemble different kinds of snake and have feats to reflect this. Still, I like the idea.)

I think this is a great idea. You could make the basic merfolk race modular, and the baseline for more extreme and exotic races in your setting (if you make any non-merfolk playable races at all.)

The Tygre
2010-07-10, 02:45 AM
I've tossed around the idea of regional merfolk myself. The 'common' merfolk that we're all familiar are oceanic fish, like cod and mackerel. It would be interesting to see some deep sea merfolk, like anglerfish or hatchet fish. Or maybe freshwater; could you imagine catfish merfolk, or arapaima?

Aeolius
2010-07-10, 08:21 AM
...could you imagine catfish merfolk, or arapaima?

I have my psionic "jellyfolk", the ephyra (http://web.me.com/aeolius/turucambi/Ephyra.html) , inspired by this illustration:
http://images.elfwood.com/art/f/r/freyah/l_veileddeath.jpg

Aeolius
2010-07-10, 04:45 PM
My major concern is that I've seen many threads on an underwater campaign but very little actual homebrewing for one. Hence, most threads die from sheer apathy. I saw it happen on the WotC's website and this is not the first thread on this topic.

(Again this is cross-posted at EN World, wizards.com, Giants in the Playground, Pen and Paper Games, RPG.net., PhoenixLore, and Canonfire)

Apathy.

I suppose that’s what it boils down to. In a few weeks, this thread might be 6 or 7 pages back; buried beyond discovery, save for those searching for keywords. So, how do we prevent that? How do we keep a topical and current thread available, for those of us interested in either creating underwater encounters, running undersea games, devising an entire milieu in the realm of liquid space, or all of the above?

Some time ago, I started underwater-themed groups at EN World (http://www.enworld.org/forum/group.php?groupid=57) and wizards.com (http://community.wizards.com/underwater) , both entitled “Under the Sea”. Click on the links, to explore them. Yes, they seem to have fallen victim to apathy.

So, what would be the best course of action? Should I establish a message-board on a different site altogether, to prevent playing favorites with more established boards? Do we set up a Facebook group (alas, that requires using “real” names) or a Google Wave? Do we set up a weekly chat via IRC or mibbit? How about a merfolk Sim on Second Life? As an experiment, I set up an iWeb domain for my current game. Should I bite the bullet and work on one with Dreamweaver, for future endeavors? I’m open to a weekly offline chat, of course, though I cannot assume everyone is within driving distance of Greensboro, NC.

I have been running undersea D&D games since 1998. I have a passion for the sea. I keep saltwater aquariums as a hobby. This isn’t simply about my desire to find a new batch of players. I do not wish to see this topic get forgotten, buried, and die.

Yes, I always have my list of music, websites, books, and DVDs that I recommend, for inspirational purposes. How do we take it a step further? Mind you, some of my players seem to have technological barriers to the likes of MapTools, Second Life, and other CPU and Bandwidth-intensive activities. I would like the means to keep an open dialog, 24/7, for whatever subaqueous thoughts tickle our fancies. How shall we accomplish this?

hamishspence
2010-07-11, 11:30 AM
I like the psionic jellyfolk. I think it's a good idea to (wherever possible) make the race playable from first level, as this one is. Or at least- as low a level as can be managed- with no Racial Hit Dice if at all possible.

Maybe clarify how its "Arms attack" works- is it a touch attack using its BAB?

Maybe a 1st level version of the Cecaelia could be done? Possibly downsizing it to high end of medium.

On racial variance- even if all merfolk use a bony fish as the basis, there's still plenty of variety.

Shark styles could be given to the sahuagin. D20 Past uses a sahaugin (sea devil) which looks much more like a humanoid shark than the standard D&D one does.

You could have different groups of sahuagin living different lifestyles, and looking different. Peaceful ones resembling Zebra sharks or Port Jackson sharks, dwelling on reefs eating crabs, and aggressive, nomadic ones resembling white sharks, dwelling out in the ocean (but regularly coming into the shallows) eating various larger sea creatures- seals, whales, etc.

For more sea monsters posted on this forum:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127572&highlight=dunkleosteus

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146844&highlight=megalodon

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=151750&highlight=serpent

And, just for luck- Guppy folk:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8727708&postcount=1291

Debihuman
2010-07-12, 11:24 AM
I suppose that’s what it boils down to. In a few weeks, this thread might be 6 or 7 pages back; buried beyond discovery, save for those searching for keywords. So, how do we prevent that? How do we keep a topical and current thread available, for those of us interested in either creating underwater encounters, running undersea games, devising an entire milieu in the realm of liquid space, or all of the above?


This is a homebrew forum. We can't keep it relevant if there aren't homebrewed things to discuss. That said, I've posted my undersea homebrewed creatures. Who's next?

Debby

hamishspence
2010-07-12, 01:44 PM
I've been digging up old homebrew stuff- and if I can think of something new and good- I'll post it.

Maybe do some work on the cachalot whale, to produce a decent Leviathan melvillei statblock.

Thomar_of_Uointer
2010-07-12, 08:17 PM
Well, I'm no expert on marine biology, but I wouldn't mind working out a list of racial feats for various kinds of merfolk. Does anyone have a list of ideas for that?


As long as we're discussing this, here's a list of my notes on aquatic campaigns:

Reefs, and most land near the surface are very dense with flora and fauna. Bare ocean floor is desolate and barren.
Gods probably don't dwell above the surface in the local mythology. In face, it's probably best to make the gods in this sort of mythology CR 15-20 beings who dwell near the civilizations they created. This would put the gods on par with ancient dragons in terms of storytelling, and lead to... Meddling.
Most of the races prefer colder environments, and may even find the surface unbearably hot.
Maps would be drawn linear. Because most marine life lives on the shelf, everything follows the contours of the land, and it's hard to map things out underwater. So, everything interesting happens in this narrow band between dangerous deep ocean and uninhabitable land, and that band is what gets drawn on the maps.
Why build? It's dangerous if something with big teeth wanders into your home. In a city you can leave the doors and nice open architectural windows open, but at night or in a rural area you close your doors and windows and latch them shut. You can keep safe by living in a cave, but when your family gets too big there's no cave to hide in. This normally causes fighting over living space, but peaceful-minded races will solve the problem by building artificial caves, or homes. The basic home design is only one entrance, which can be in any direction (up, down, sideways, etc,) with the home built into a nook or existing cave.
Cement: Usually just mud. Fitted stonework is much more common.
Windows are common (built more like hatches, since there is little glass,) but you have to be able to close and latch them from the inside in case something wanders in.
Unlike standard generic fantasy settings like Greyhawk, D&D doesn't have a common resource to draw on: not everybody knows what the setting is supposed to be like. There's no Tolkien to refer to. To remedy this, you could tell a ten-minute story at the start of each session to highlight a point of the setting.

Aeolius
2010-07-12, 08:43 PM
Bare ocean floor is desolate and barren.

This came to mind: Life Under Arctic Ice (http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/07/06/greenpeace.arctic.trawling/?hpt=Sbin) and Deep Sea Atlantic Species (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/07/photogalleries/100707-new-species-weird-deep-sea-atlantic-ocean-science-pictures/#census-marine-life-aberdeen-basket-star_23054_600x450.jpg)


To remedy this, you could tell a ten-minute story at the start of each session to highlight a point of the setting.

An interesting idea. Many of the undersea supplements open with something similar, but something fairly generic could be of use to us all. I'll mull that over while I'm out of the country the next 10 days.

hamishspence
2010-07-13, 02:58 AM
Each of the major ecological zones (trench, abyssal plain, open ocean, deep ocean, coral reefs, near-shore shallows, under-ice zones, black-smoker type volcanic, and so on) could have its own dominant race who rules the region and trades (or fights) with the other regions.

Anguillans (wormfolk) for the abyssal plains, sahuagin for the open ocean, and so on.

hamishspence
2010-07-15, 06:19 AM
Intelligent, viciously predatory rays as antagonists have been done in sci-fi on occasion- the novel Natural Selection, by Dave Freedman, has a newly discovered species of ray that split of from the rest in prehistoric times.

It comes with the ability to fly, and hover, somehow, by "rippling its underside, generating lift"

While more than a little implausible- such a creature might make sense in a D&D game.

Debihuman
2010-07-18, 09:46 AM
There's also the possibility of constructing an Atlantean civilization where everything is powered by crystals. Of course, living under a bubble would be isolating unless there were alternative methods of entry and egress. Portals, magical or mechanical, would suffice. Harnessing the power of the tectonic plates, various currents, or even the deep sea vents would be interesting.

Debby

Peregrine
2010-07-18, 12:17 PM
I've been in one or two threads on this sort of topic in my time, though usually "how can the rules be adapted?" rather than outright homebrewing. And one thing always comes to my mind. This may be needless advice in this thread, but the Waterproof Parchment brought it back to my mind, so I'll offer it up for whatever it's worth.

Being underwater is normal for the underwater folk.

We humans are land-dwellers, and so the tendency to "waterise" (seaify? marinate?) our own experience -- which I see in many underwater adaptations and homebrew efforts -- is understandable. But it ought to be resisted.

Many of the D&D rules regarding being underwater can be ignored. They describe how land-dwellers and their equipment are affected by immersion. Sea-dwellers will have equipment that operates just fine underwater and is probably suboptimal above the surface. The sea folk really don't know or care that a sword is a poor underwater weapon; they just don't use swords as we know them. What slashing weapons they have are designed so as to work just fine. (Still, the basic principle behind that rule is still an applicable one: piercing weapons probably predominate.)

Items won't have been "adapted", they just are. One book -- Complete Arcane? -- discussed rules for alternative potions, giving the example of magic tiles that are snapped in two to release their magic. That's a nice idea; any item that is used once and discarded can perform the function of a potion. If you're set on consuming something, solids work fine. If you're set on imbibing something, liquids needn't be discarded; just as we use inhalable sprays here in the atmosphere, sea dwellers could crush small beads or squeeze out sacs or suck on sponges (which I think is the essence of what Aeolius said about sweetsponges and inkwine).

It was suggested earlier that scrolls could be replaced by carved stone tablets; that seems impractical to me, too tied to the notion that a scroll is a surface with writing on it. The essence of a scroll is "a representation of a spell (not necessarily writing), which vanishes from its medium when the spell is cast". An underwater scroll could be a woven and knotted mesh of sea grasses, and the knots come untied when the spell is cast. It could be sands glued to a shell, and the glue dissolves when the spell is cast.

Underwater wizards don't need to solve the problem of keeping spellbooks intact underwater. They will have a localised spellbook equivalent (perhaps relying on seaweed-derived pages, or something that's simply not a book) and will just see it as normal. They might worry about how to protect them from the air if they adventure near or beyond the surface, though.

Some of the variety of magic and metaphysics will be different underwater, and sea dwellers won't find this unusual. Our environment is at the meeting-point of massive domains of three of the four classical elements: earth, air and water. And fire readily exists in air, at least. But an underwater realm is very much embedded in water (obviously). Earth remains a significant presence. Fire, of course, is problematic; but while you might think it the least used element underwater, being so aligned against water and all, heated water works fine as an adaptation of fire spells and will be quite useful to sea dwellers. It is air that is probably the least important element underwater. Most air spells (e.g. winds) will probably have water equivalents (currents).

Just some thoughts that I hope are of use to someone. :smallsmile:

Debihuman
2010-07-19, 11:39 AM
Without writing, societies have to resort to memory and recitation.


The essence of a scroll is "a representation of a spell (not necessarily writing), which vanishes from its medium when the spell is cast".

The written spell vanishes but not the actual vellum when a spell is cast from a scroll. Why not substitute an algae-treated water-lily leaf as a replacement for the vellum? A variety of squid inks would be naturally able to adhere to the leaf.

Debby

Peregrine
2010-07-19, 11:52 AM
The written spell vanishes but not the actual vellum when a spell is cast from a scroll. Why not substitute an algae-treated water-lily leaf as a replacement for the vellum? A variety of squid inks would be naturally able to adhere to the leaf.

That'd work too, though I maintain that the scroll doesn't have to have "writing" on it as such; not because the societies don't have writing (they most likely do, in some form), but because the scroll only needs to be some sort of representation of the spell. I imagine that even scrolls are one part arcane writings to two parts bizarre diagrams and sigils. Something that's not "writing" in any normal sense could be fun and flavourful, and an underwater setting would be a good opportunity to try out such new things. :smallsmile:

Bacon Barbarian
2010-07-19, 05:18 PM
What about mounts? People always need a mode of faster transport. I suggest a War Turtle of some sort ...

Debihuman
2010-07-20, 05:24 PM
Peregrine: True it doesn't have to be writing, but that is practically standard for a scroll so most people would want writing. You could have magical tattoos, knots or etchings that serve the same function. However, I think it is easier to start with things that are more familiar to the players. A book made out of plant leaves written with squid ink has the right feel while braided knots feels less organic and more contrived.

Bacon: Mounts aren't as important for aquatic races as many will have a Swim speed already. Turtles breathe air so they aren't optimal mounts in a fully underwater campaign. You wouldn't want your turtle to drown.

Debby

Aeolius
2010-07-20, 08:06 PM
In "The Se Devils", it describes sahuagin "writing" as strands of seaweed with shells knotted into the lines. I did something similar with an undersea spellbook, in essence making it a dream-catcher with spell tokens knotted into the design. Another spellbook was a carved stone inspired by a Rubik's cube. The last was a pouch of glass tiles that had to be arranged in particular patterns and flipped one over another.

As for undersea mounts, for long distances underwater, it might be best to stick with creatures that do not require trips to the surface. Perhaps a manta ray with a woven harness of seaweed, a team of black marlins pulling a shell-chariot, or even a massive jellyfish carrying the PCs (wearing protective garb) in its tendrils.

I_Got_This_Name
2010-07-20, 09:51 PM
All you need for ink is something insoluble and heavier than water. Tar (from oil wells) will do, if you can mine it without it blowing up in your face. Or knots, or scar patterns.

Also, there's an interesting take on the plane of water (underwater with no gravity) here (http://dungeons.wikia.com/wiki/User:Quantumboost/Campaigning_on_the_Inner_Planes#High_Adventure_in. .._The_Plane_of_Water.21). Mentions things like audibility, and gives a bunch of underwater adventure ideas, some of which work on the material and others don't.

hamishspence
2010-07-29, 08:45 AM
For a 4E version of the Darfellan and the Ocean Strider, this EN World version seems like an interesting take:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-fan-creations-house-rules/257608-20th-level-monster-conversions.html

I wonder what a PC race version of the Darfellan would be like.

Demonomicon has also done ixitxachitls as monsters- starting as Level 3.

Aeolius
2010-07-29, 09:40 AM
For a 4E version of the Darfellan and the Ocean Strider, this EN World version seems like an interesting take...Demonomicon has also done ixitxachitls as monsters- starting as Level 3.

In my last game, the Ocean Strider was a sort of fey champion that appeared in times of need, transforming a worthy fey warrior into the massive hero.

As for ixitxachitls: flying mantas (http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/836438-flying-manta-ray-soars-high-to-find-mate)

hamishspence
2010-07-29, 10:22 AM
Yup- saw that article.

Demonomicon ixitixachitls are more like ixzans than previous iterations of them- they can fly, they're Medium rather than small.

In Demonomicon, Demogorgon created mantas when he was a primordial. When he went into the Abyss for the first time, he was accompanied by some- which, like him, were transformed, becoming demons.

Aeolius
2010-07-29, 11:28 AM
Thinking back on the sahuagin, for a moment, I have been contemplating their origins.

"The city is not of sahuagin manufacture, but it would not be amiss to suggest that the builders were the once-human ancestors of the sahuagin themselves. They were in any case an evil race toward the end." (Greyhawk Adventures)

"It is suggested that they were created from a nation of particularly evil humans by the most powerful of lawful evil gods... (The tritons) stated that sahuagin are distantly related to the sea elves, claiming that the drow spawned the sahuagin." (1e MM)

"Long ago, the anguiliians ruled a civilized empire beneath the sea. Their power was dependent on a half-living technology empowered by their patron god, Anguileusis... (a group of elves) transformed Anguileusis and the Deep Father into a serpentine sculpture...Some of the anguiliians, descended to savagery, were later adopted by the devil-shark Sekolah. These anguiliians became the sahuagin." (GH Wiki, "Seas of Blood" trilogy)

It definitely gets the brain juices flowing.

hamishspence
2010-07-29, 12:55 PM
The "related to the sea elves, created by the drow" origin is used in one of the short stories, in the Realms of the Arcane collection of Forgotten Realms short stories.

It actually took place before the drow became the drow- while they were still "The dark elves" and the person responsible is a very powerful dark elf archmage.

That particular story is called Secrets of Blood, Spirits of the Sea, and was written by Elaine Cunningham.

The Tygre
2010-07-30, 03:43 AM
Huh, I've always thought that drow would have their own aquatic sub-race, something like cave-fish sea elves or what not.

Violet Octopus
2010-07-30, 03:48 AM
I don't have crunch to link to (yet), but I made a couple of new aquatic races, and updated merfolk. Trouble is the crunch was written for campaigns using d20 Rebirth rules, so it'd need tweaking for a 3.5 homebrew project. Also my laptop with the most up-to-date version broke, so it'll be a while before I fix them up and post them.

I can post the fluff though.
Brief synopsis/design notes:
Gulyrrh are anthropomorphic octopuses. I avoided making them psionic or Cthulhu cultists, instead opting for solitary hunter-gatherers. I had also seen Avatar, and wanted fantasy hunter gatherers that weren't stereotypical Native Americans.
Undine are Small fey, made because it was easier to make something from scratch than adapt nixies. Their fluff ended up being like a weird mix of Warforged and Uldras.
The updated Merfolk trade more with surfacers than any other race, and are known for their capitalism and diplomacy as as much as for unwisely falling in love with surfacers. I'm giving them some spell-like abilities too.

Gulyrrh
Gulyrrh, or the octopus-kin, are eight-limbed humanlike creatures. They live as solitary hunters who rarely interact with other races, or even each other.

Personality: Gulyrrh are dispassionate, analytical, and capable of great cunning. They approach challenges as puzzles to be solved: how best to catch and kill their prey, deal with a threat to their hunting grounds, etc. When dealing with non-hostile members of their race discussion is quick and efficient, but devoid of pleasantries. Consequently, when they interact with other races, they come off as aloof, impertinent and tactless. This is mistaken for dislike, which is untrue; while the octopus-kin are never at ease around others, they enjoy intellectual stimulation of all sorts. Nor are they incapable of affection, though this is generally limited to their mates and offspring.

Physical Description: Gulyrrh have a vaguely humanoid upper body which descends into a mass of six suckered tentacles.Their arms are similar, but split into four thick opposable 'fingers'. Their fist-sized eyes are set into each side of their round heads, their humanoid bodies are slight, hairless and rubbery, and being non-mammalian, they have no breasts or nipples. Telling male from female is difficult for the untrained eye. On average they weigh about 120 pounds, stand 5 feet tall, and measure 6.5 feet from head to end of tentacles. They have green blood.
They have no internal bone structure, instead forming temporary joints by generating opposing waves of muscle contraction. Thus they make skilled contortionists, and unless they deliberately restrict their motion, move in a way faintly unsettling to bony humanoids.
Gulyrrh can change their skin colour to mimic their surroundings or to visually communicate, but when relaxed, an individual gulyrrh's skin colour tends to be orange-brown or a muted purple such as lavender or mauve, often with a subtle dotted pattern.
They can use this to visually communicate. Gulyrrh Sign Language is made of tentacle gestures and rippling changes of colour along their skin. Like human body language, most gulyrrh involuntarily give away cues about their state of mind.

Alignment: Most gulyrrh are True Neutral, though a small minority learn to relish hunting other sapient creatures, and are therefore Neutral Evil.

Gulyrrh In The World: Gulyrrh generally lead a solitary hunter-gatherer life near secluded reefs and shallows. Some dwell in the ocean depths, but this is uncommon as it limits their ability to communicate. Successful gulyrrh maintain a lair with a tight, convoluted entrance that few others can enter. They only meet other gulyrrh during territorial conflict, mating season or when confronted by a region-wide threat. However, occasionally gulyrrh make their home in the cities of aquatic elves or merfolk, or band together in small groups for some secret purpose.
There is no theoretical consensus among landdwellers as to the origins of the gulyrrh. The most popular posits they are offshoots of the mindflayers, but detractors point to their lack of psi-like abilities, and instead propose that their ancestors displeased a long-forgotten oceanic god, much like the driders. The gulyrrh themselves care little for such theorising - they find their bodies no more objectively unusual than that of a human, and they consider the study of the origins of the intelligent races to be an unimportant, ill-defined discipline full of unverifiable assertions.

Religion: Gulyrrh have no organised religion, and it appears to be a nonissue during their rare social interactions with each other. Each individual venerates certain deities (or not) as they see fit.

Language: Gulyrrh speak Gulyrrh Sign Language. Bonus Languages: Common, Undercommon, Aquan.
Gulyrrh Sign Language is not a secret language, but as gulyrrh are a race not prone to conquest or trade, few others have bothered to learn it. Non-gulyrrh can only read Gulyrrh Sign Language, though perhaps a changeling or talented illusionist could communicate through it with limited fluency.
Undine
Undine are fey created by a now-deceased minor water goddess to protect natural bodies of water. However, with no more oversight or external definition of their duties, each undine has developed a subjective interpretation of their role, or even abandoned it altogether.

Personality: Undine tend to be placid and reflective, but unpredictable when angered or threatened. Created to be solitary guardians, most undine are self-sufficient and have few emotional attachments. Their dominant personality feature is a drive to protect and nurture natural bodies of water. This desire is imprinted deeply in their souls, and is always present on the subconscious level. The way each undine interprets their duty depends on their temperament, philosophy and life experience. One undine might only raise their hand against corrupting influence from aberrant forces, another might act aggressively towards humans who deplete fish populations, while a third is outraged that a deity dare create an entire species as a mere tool and rebels from their intended purpose.

Physical Description: Undine have pale, translucent skin with a bluish tinge. Their blood is cloudy gray, and networks of blood vessels are visible under the skin. Apart from this, Undine generally resemble small replicas of their creator goddess Ylandra - female-bodied, slender, elongated features, wavy hair and a certain fluidity to their movement. However, this template becomes less precise with each new generation following Ylandra's death, and many undine are now voluptuous, androgynous or even male-bodied in appearance.

Alignment: Most undine are neutral good, but an increasing number are of other alignments, depending on how they execute their duties.

Undine Lands: Most undine maintain a territory of water to watch over and protect. Particularly large water bodies may contain multiple undine. Undine are drawn to water bodies that suit their temperament: conservatives occupy the same lake for centuries, while flighty or itinerant undine may sweep through rapids or ocean currents, solving problems as they go. This constant movement means that undine in the open ocean maintain an interconnected and evolving society. Note that not all or even most water bodies contain an undine - they are widespread but not particularly numerous.

Undine do not reproduce - they spontaneously generate within the right environment. When an aquatic area is in excellent health, a new undine will spawn, drawing energy from its environment to form its body. Since Ylandra's death this process is dependent on local undine's ideas of what 'excellent health' means. By convention, newly formed undine are cared for and educated by the nearest

Undine who have abandoned their responsibilities find homes among the other aquatic races - they provide a much-needed distraction from their ceaseless unfulfilled urge. Rumours persist of a city founded by rebellious undine where they collaborate to discover a way to free themselves from their compulsion.

Religion: Despite the death of their creator deity, most undine still worship her. Since clerics of Ylandra would gain no spells, undine with a religious calling tend to become enlightened devotees or druids. Some undine take up worship of other water deities, or even unrelated gods if they have strayed too far from their divine calling.

Languages: Undine speak Aquan and Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Common, Elven
Merfolk
With the body of a human and the tail of a fish, merfolk are the most well-known oceanic race among the surface dwellers. Their cities are rare ports of harbour in the oceanic expanse between the continents. However, for every rags-to-riches story of human merchants making deals with the graceful merfolk, there is a cautionary tale of sailors led to their doom, or of tragic love between merfolk and surfacers.

Personality: Merfolk tend towards to extremes: methodical and calculating, or romantic and impetuous. They often see themselves as the most advanced civilisation below (or above) the waves. Other races know them as pleasant but savvy traders and diplomats. However, they are infamous for falling in love with other races, using their magic either on their love interest or themselves to live together. Such relationships, while passionate, rarely last, as the transmuted lover longs to return to their home environment.

Physical Description: Merfolk have a humanlike head, arms and torso which descends just below the navel into a long fish tail. Their arms and torsoes are slightly longer and thinner than human average. Skin, hair and eye colour covers covers the full range of human variation, unsurprising given the extent of interbreeding throughout the ages. Their tail colours are similarly diverse, and are often the easiest way to distinguish between different merfolk families and houses. Merfolk are about 8 feet long from the top of the head to the end of the tail, and weigh about 400 pounds.

Alignment: Merfolk have no strong inclination towards Good or Evil. They tend towards True Neutral, with some bias towards Law or Chaos depending on their personality. However merfolk are nearly as diverse as humans, and can be of any alignment.

Merfolk Lands: Most merfolk live in impressive city-states carved out of rock and coral. Each city is ruled by a senate of magnates from noble houses and commerce. Many of these cities extend above the ocean surface, both for aesthetic variation and to facilitate trade with air-breathing races. Unlike the other major ocean-dwelling races, merfolk maintain large seaweed and mollusc farms in addition to catching fish. They instinctively avoid the dark ocean depths.

Religion: The merfolk, while not particularly devout, worship the gods of ocean, sky, commerce and travel.

Language: Merfolk speak Common and Aquan. Bonus Languages: Any. Merfolk often learn even obscure languages through trade.

hamishspence
2010-07-30, 03:51 AM
Mysteries of the Moonsea does have a race of evil sea elves nicknamed "sea drow" despite having no connection to the drow.

The creator of the sahuagin in that story, was a specialist in monster creation- though many of the more powerful mages of that surface dark elf city dabbled in it. Choosing sea elves as the basis for his new creature, might have been deliberate- to make it clear how much he despised them, or it might simply have been that they were the handiest material to start with.

This takes place over ten thousand years before the dark elves were transformed into drow and fled into the Underdark.

Debihuman
2010-08-03, 04:12 AM
I don't have crunch to link to (yet), but I made a couple of new aquatic races, and updated merfolk. Trouble is the crunch was written for campaigns using d20 Rebirth rules, so it'd need tweaking for a 3.5 homebrew project. Also my laptop with the most up-to-date version broke, so it'll be a while before I fix them up and post them.

I can post the fluff though.
Brief synopsis/design notes:
Gulyrrh are anthropomorphic octopuses.]

I had a similar idea to your Gulyrrh, the cecaelia that I created here:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4216596

hamishspence
2010-08-03, 04:30 AM
Similar- but caecila are more humanlike, being humanoid from the waist up.

Might do as a "counterpart" to the octofolk- just as merfolk could be said to be a more humanoid "counterpart" to creatures like the sahaugin.

Violet Octopus
2010-08-03, 06:02 AM
I had a similar idea to your Gulyrrh, the cecaelia that I created here:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4216596

They look cool, very Ursula, especially the bit about having eel familiars :D
Ursula was another of the starting points for the gulyrrh, but I ended up going for a ranger or rogue-ish ambush hunter instead.

edit:This picture is close to what I was envisaging for the Gulyrrh:
http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/2714/317062-405px_063_large.jpg

hamishspence
2010-08-03, 06:26 AM
I'd probably use that pic but downgrade them to Medium (maybe with Powerful Build) and trim the racial hit dice, if I wanted caecila in an ocean campaign.

as for the Gulyrrh, I was imagining them as Ursula from the waist down, (the movie version has six tentacles, which is ideal) but with a large octopus head sitting on top of a someone shapeless torso, and from this two tentacles ending in handlike appendages- a bit like those of Dagon in Fiendish Codex 2- symmetrical and almost like starfish on the ends of tentacles.

The mouth is underneath the main six tentacles.

Aeolius
2010-08-03, 06:52 AM
I have a few cephalopod-inspired NPCs swimming about in my game, currently.

Lusca the Bloodless is an albino sea hag /tauric octofolk. Her lower torso resembles the body of an octopus, save that the tentacles end in the heads of eels. She is currently imprisoned in Dream Lake, a "pocket dimension" within the Region of Dreams.

I also have an enclave of witches, ten mermaids whose lower torsos resemble a single tentacle. Each was a merfolk slave to a kraken and was mortally wounded, before being “saved” by a sea hag fleshwarper (Lords of Madness) who grafted each of the kraken’s tentacles onto the unwilling mermaids after the beast was slain. Now the mermaids have begun to manifest the kraken’s powers and share its memories.

In my last game I had a krakidan, a human/kraken hybrid (it's...complicated), and a sea flayer, an aquatic mind flayer whose skin resembles that of a blue-ring octopus.

Violet Octopus
2010-08-03, 07:21 AM
as for the Gulyrrh, I was imagining them as Ursula from the waist down, (the movie version has six tentacles, which is ideal) but with a large octopus head sitting on top of a someone shapeless torso, and from this two tentacles ending in handlike appendages- a bit like those of Dagon in Fiendish Codex 2- symmetrical and almost like starfish on the ends of tentacles.

The mouth is underneath the main six tentacles.

I'm open to moving the mouth, if other people think it'd be cool to further disassociate them from the more photogenic octofolk

hamishspence
2010-08-03, 07:27 AM
yes- something that's basically an octopus with a slightly more humanoid form, and with "hands" on the ends of two of it's tentacles, would definitely be less anthropomorphic. Boneless, multiple hearts, weird blood, and so on.

Aeolius
2010-08-03, 04:15 PM
I was playing with Poser and Bryce today and I think I may have discovered an issue with my tentacled mermaids:
http://web.mac.com/aeolius/turucambi/Library_files/octofolk.jpg
They have a VERY long reach!

Ugulu!!
2010-08-03, 04:17 PM
Have the tail not be able to grab stuff. Simple solution if'n you ask me

Aeolius
2010-08-03, 11:58 PM
Since I upgraded to Bryce 7 today, I thought I'd play for awhile:
http://web.mac.com/aeolius/turucambi/Library_files/octofolk2.jpg

hamishspence
2010-08-11, 04:45 AM
Another 3.5 take on octopusfolk:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=163543

The Tygre
2010-08-11, 04:12 PM
So me and the family were watching Blue Planet on Monday night. It's a household staple. It was the introductory episode, so lots of sea creatures running through my brain. Anyway, they start covering the sardine run, the big mass melee with dolphins, sharks, etc. They started talking about the Brass Whaler Sharks so my mind turned to Sahuagin and what they would be doing if they followed their little pets to the sardine run.

And then it hit me.

How awesome would the sardine run be as an encounter location?

Think about it. Maybe the aquatic party has to find one fish out of the hundreds of thousands, or maybe they're chasing something else through the swarm; Hell, maybe they're one being chased. Just imagine it; every round, the 'walls' change and push the party along like some kind of living maze. Sharks burst through, mad with hunger, biting whatever's in front of them. Dolphins shoot by like torpedoes. Sea birds plunge from the sky, dealing piercing damage with their beaks. And to top it all of, whales start coming up from the bottom, swallowing entire sections in one massive gulp. And what about bigger things? What if this much food attracts a black dragon, or a kraken or a sea serpent?

hamishspence
2010-08-11, 04:16 PM
Mmm, yes! That sounds like it would be a good encounter.

Might like to see some well done art based on this- maybe a photo of a particularly active scene in the sardine run, with D&D monsters very carefully photoshopped in so they look perfectly real.

Aeolius
2010-08-11, 04:57 PM
How awesome would the sardine run be as an encounter location?

I used a bait ball as a means of camouflage a few game sessions ago. Bait Ball Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzZhSl_00pI)

Just make sure it isn't a school of herring (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcwCYIfm6eA) ;)

hamishspence
2010-08-30, 04:16 PM
After watching the first half of Blue Planet (the series) the shrimp with bee-like social organization particularly caught my interest. Might be an interesting undersea counterpart to Giant Ants in the Monster Manual.

Aeolius
2010-08-30, 04:28 PM
Add this little tidbit, to your swarm of shrimp: "Some squid and shrimp produce a luminescent glowing cloud similar in function to the ink cloud of squid in daylight." Bioluminescence Q&A (http://siobiolum.ucsd.edu/Biolum_q&a.html)

Video: Edith Widder: Glowing life in an underwater world (http://www.ted.com/talks/edith_widder_glowing_life_in_an_underwater_world.h tml)

hamishspence
2010-09-19, 02:48 PM
What about deepwater rivers? The Amazon Abyss section of Blue Planet was pretty interesting- giant catfish, candiru acu (almost as scary as piranha), and others.

Maybe Locathah could be a major power centre in tropical rivers, as well as estuarine waters?

Aeolius
2010-09-19, 04:34 PM
What about deepwater rivers? The Amazon Abyss section of Blue Planet was pretty interesting- giant catfish, candiru acu (almost as scary as piranha), and others.

awww... c'mon... there's nothing in a river that can hurt you! ;)
http://www.mudvillegazette.com/milblogs/archives/tiger-fish-congo-river.jpg

Debihuman
2010-09-19, 09:27 PM
So does anyone have the stats for that thing?'

Debby

Aeolius
2010-12-16, 07:26 PM
Animal Planet is showing "Blue Planet" episodes from 8pm-2am (Eastern), tonight. Enjoy!

hamishspence
2010-12-17, 04:49 PM
I saw a programme about the Snakehead (Asian fish introduced to america- aggressive) recently - and thought larger ones might make for a good fish hazard.

Emberion
2010-12-18, 12:11 AM
Alluria Publishing has a 290 page undersea sourcebook (and aquatic campaign setting) that covers everything from aquatic PC races, aquatic classes, weapons, combat rules, spells, feats, 90 new monsters, ...everything you need for an undersea campaign. It is for the 3.5 d20 and Pathfinder RPG.

You can find it here: http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=86538

The Tygre
2010-12-18, 06:06 AM
I saw a programme about the Snakehead (Asian fish introduced to america- aggressive) recently - and thought larger ones might make for a good fish hazard.

SyFy did a cheesy movie on giant snakeheads. Was actually kind of fun in a 'so bad it's good' kind of way. Had swarms of lil' baby giant-snakeheads, too. Maybe we should commission Bhu for something?

Aeolius
2010-12-18, 10:14 AM
SyFy did a cheesy movie on giant snakeheads. Was actually kind of fun in a 'so bad it's good' kind of way.

In the same vein, you HAVE to watch Sharktopus! ;)

0tt3r
2010-12-18, 10:35 AM
Aeolius! I love your underwater stuff. This is otter, if you could not pick that up, from the #dnd3e room. I always thought it would be interesting to play in an underwater campaign.

Though you said it was combat lite, the first thing that crosses my mind is 3D combat. (This may have already been covered in this thread, but I only read snippets of it)

Emberion
2010-12-18, 10:58 AM
Though you said it was combat lite, the first thing that crosses my mind is 3D combat. (This may have already been covered in this thread, but I only read snippets of it)

Cerulean Seas has solutions for 3d combat, including full plans to build an affordable and easy-to-make miniature platform that lets you move your minis in 3d dimensions to-scale. Follow this link to get a discount on this product:

http://www.rpgnow.com/index.php?discount=8192

See you at 50 fathoms!

Aeolius
2010-12-18, 12:03 PM
Cerulean Seas has solutions for 3d combat, including full plans to build an affordable and easy-to-make miniature platform that lets you move your minis in 3d dimensions to-scale.

I have been known to put minis in one of my aquariums, just for the effect. ;) If only some of the free VTTs like MapTool handled 3D movement/combat a bit more graphically, I might give those a shot.

0tt3r
2010-12-19, 10:20 PM
On the river front (haha), there are several river monster shows that could give ideas. Also, if river creatures are used, there should be some magic for not dieing from the change in saltiness of the water.

hamishspence
2010-12-20, 09:03 AM
Possibly "Salt Poisoning" and "Freshwater Poisoning" rules- that creatures can resist with the appropriate spells or templates.

Maybe a special ability- "adaptable" for creatures like the bull shark, the salmon, and various other creatures that cope with the change.

Debihuman
2010-12-20, 10:28 AM
Thanks for the head's up regarding the Cerulean Seas Campaign Setting by Alluria Publishing. I picked it up and read through it yesterday. It compares quite favorably to The Deep by Mystic Eye Games.

Debby

Emberion
2010-12-21, 11:48 PM
I worked closely with Mystic Eye Games when it began (you'll see my name in many of their early titles including Mystic Warriors, Nightmares & Dreams 1&2, etc). The first draft of Cerulean Seas actually came before the Deep was released, and both titles had influence on one another during their formation. The Deep was actually one reason that Cerulean Seas did not see the light of day until recently.

The Tygre
2010-12-22, 12:04 AM
Can we ever expect to see a print version of Cerulean Seas?

BarroomBard
2010-12-22, 11:06 PM
Aeolius, I was wondering how you tend to handle spell casting in your campaign. Do you reskin all the spells to make them more suitable for the environment?

Debihuman
2010-12-23, 03:32 AM
I worked closely with Mystic Eye Games when it began (you'll see my name in many of their early titles including Mystic Warriors, Nightmares & Dreams 1&2, etc). The first draft of Cerulean Seas actually came before the Deep was released, and both titles had influence on one another during their formation. The Deep was actually one reason that Cerulean Seas did not see the light of day until recently.

It's a shame the errata never came out for the The Deep. There were a lot of critters that were supposed to be included but were left out (probably cut for length). At least, I never found any errata :-( Sadly, I suppose this means I'll never know what a slitherscum is.

The other problem with the The Deep is that it doesn't state whether it contains any open content. One of the things I appreciate in Cerulean Seas is that the game mechanics (other than what is covered by IP) are open content.

Debby

akma
2010-12-23, 01:23 PM
What about freshwater underwater campaigns?
Besides the fish being diffrent fish (if you don`t want to ignore that certain fish are saltwater fish), what other changes are needed to be made to the "standerd" saltwater underwater camapaign?

Debihuman
2010-12-23, 01:50 PM
Aboleths could be encountered in a freshwater campaign (assuming there is underground access).

Sahuagin have freshwater vulnerability and so wouldn't likely be encountered. Of course, you could have a variant creature with saltwater vulnerability.

Merrow dwell in freshwater lakes and rivers.

Scrags seem to live in any body of water, so it wouldn't matter if it was freshwater or not.

The PCs might not have to deal with risks of dehydration and thirst from a freshwater environment but that doesn't mean it isn't risky. How cold or hot is still a factor.

Speaking of Sharktopus--did you see the stats for it by Michael Tresca here: http://www.examiner.com/rpg-in-national/monster-madness-sharktopus.

Debby

GodGoblin
2010-12-24, 08:47 AM
Ah I have always wanted to play in an under water campaign and this thread has really got me wanting to play one! Im thinking of starting an thread in Recruitment looking for a DM and some other players for a Pbp game, thought you guys would want to know first :smallwink:

Aeolius
2010-12-24, 11:16 AM
And now for something completely different:

Christmas Tree Worm:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+504+541&pcatid=541

Christmas Wrasse:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1379+2675&pcatid=2675

Christmas Tree Coral:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=597+600+639&pcatid=639

(searches for Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Festivus, and Kwanzaa had 0 results)

Deep-Sea News Holiday Gift Giving Guide:
http://deepseanews.com/2010/12/dsn-holiday-gift-giving-guide/

Thomar_of_Uointer
2010-12-27, 11:54 AM
What about freshwater underwater campaigns?
Besides the fish being diffrent fish (if you don`t want to ignore that certain fish are saltwater fish), what other changes are needed to be made to the "standerd" saltwater underwater camapaign?

Rivers are treated like roads, with all the usual trade, banditry, etc etc.

There's also a lot more interaction with air-breathing and amphibious creatures.

Aeolius
2010-12-29, 01:51 PM
For a freshwater campaign I would take a bit of inspiration from the Amazon (and "River Monsters"), liberally mixed with "Creature From the Black Lagoon". Catfish mermaids, half-dragon (black) alligators, and the obligatory swamp witch might all make for an interesting adventure.

akma
2010-12-29, 04:27 PM
I want to make a monstrous frog that would have multiple tounges with which to hold opponents (the explanation for it to exist, in short, is a cleric did it). Is there stats ready for monstrous frogs? Becuse I don`t feel like making a monster from scratch, and I feel like there is somewhere a monstrous frog that with slight modifications would fit perfectly.

Debihuman
2010-12-29, 06:25 PM
Giant Monstrous Frogs were statted out in the Tome of Horros by Sword & Sorcery under the permission of WotC. I'm not sure if WotC made use of these stats or not in any of their products.

Debby

bondpirate
2010-12-29, 09:37 PM
Ah I have always wanted to play in an under water campaign and this thread has really got me wanting to play one!

Ditto. Even though I'm not an aquatic buff like others posting, I still find it amazing in what it can offer to the depths (no pun intended) of the imagination.

You can easily have multiple locations and aquatic types if you include an underwater jet stream, using underwater sailboats to easily zip from place to place.

I'd also break it up or make a mini-campaign to get the party enchanted to survive the pressures of the deep or even the ability to have a swim speed and water breathing. Sometimes losing your landlubber status to the unknowns of the sea in search of exploration is half the adventure.

Using psionics underwater, or a variation with sound (instead of astral shaper you have a sound shaper), would give quite a few ease of use abilities at your disposal. Especially for limbless races.

Having stone tablets that when activated impart a memory or display an image could be pretty cool. Or a stone that's blank, but where touched, glows and reveals hidden text.

Since sound is an important part of detection, having a sound elemental or construct luring potential prey to itself to... do something to it. I think it would at least look cool. Think any invisible man in the rain, but as an elemental. Or an earth elemental or demon that has magnesium as nails where it claws against itself or nearby stone to ignite itself and you have a nasty, but cool, creature (I really wish I could draw so I could show what's in my mind right now, arg).

As for fire as the least element, I think it's probably more likely converted or thought of as steam in terms of mechanics if I recall Stormwrack properly (afb for a while). Actual fire is either misunderstood, unknown, sacrosanct or something else depending on the the creature/culture/environment. Beholders with ears and uses it's main mouth to jet along through the water, possibly crashing into the PCs.

I'm probably rambling now, so I'll think up some locations and stat some monsters later and see what people think.

Aeolius
2010-12-29, 09:56 PM
A recap of last Sunday's game session, just to set the mood:

In the last session (12/26), the party arrived at the site known as the Chamber of Dissolution. Charged with the task of inspecting and preparing the ancient clockwork mechanisms within four sites, they recalled freeing the hivemind witch Guri from the Grail of Impurities but leaving the site without attending to the musical machine within. At the second site, known only as the Orb of Purification, the party encountered the spectral kraken Mikrokosmus. One site, the Deadwater Fountain, remained undiscovered.

It was the undead kraken that shared the means of destroying the enclave of mermaid witches which now wore his tentacles, grafted in place of their tails. The four sites must be prepared with care and a sacrifice must be placed upon the altar hidden beneath the isle, causing the Sinking Isle to rise once more. Then ancient gears would spring into motion, acting in unison to forge a weapon of the mysterious metal known as Oerthblood.

The tsantsa Meir, once a shellycoat of great power but now an unliving shrunken head slain by her own daughter, reflected upon the party’s predicament. Having visited Turucambi Reef, the party collected the first of three tomes which outlined the means by which her mother Xaetra might be restored to life. With the knowledge gleaned from the first tome, they collected Xaetra’s soul within an artifact known as the Lazarus.

Transported from Turucambi to the waters near the Sinking Isle, in the realm of the Sea Barons, the party recovered the second tome which trapped the hag’s soul within a magical construct, an eidolon, fashioned from ambergris. The third tome, which would restore the hag to life, was supposedly lost within a region known as the Jungle of Lost Ships.

Upon Xaetra’s resurrection, the evils of the blackwater hag Diadema would be undone, for her unliving form incorporated the mortal remains of Xaetra herself, as well as Xaetra’s sea hag granddaughter Tempest and daughter Salkt, a salt hag. Xaetra had learned that, upon her return to life she would embrace the path of the Chronomancer. She would travel to far future to witness the destruction of Oerth, before being trapped in the distant past. Upon her temporal travels, she would leave clues to her future self, in the form of the three tomes.

The viletooth lizardman Dorman was the first to see that, standing atop the remains of the tower walls which held the Chamber of Dissolution, were six skeletal forms. NeeKaa, the oceanid, spied gears turning beneath the bony ribcages of the strange creatures and plates of opalescent pearlsteel bolted to their bones. The sea elf Sakura watched as the skeletons ascended the tower walls to throw the bones they had collected into its hollow interior.

Wielding spears seemingly fashioned from the spines of dolphins, the clockwork skeletons closed upon the party. The diminutive anemoid known as Knot, member of a race of intelligent anemones, divined that their opponents were not creatures of the undead. Dorman was the first to discover that the bony spears held electrical magics.

As Sakura’s young ward Reiko watched two of the skeletons fighting one another, the party’s locathah companion Canthus used his magical cuttlefish quill to coat the gears of one skeleton with viscous ink. The skeleton turned upon the unwary artisan and unleashed the fury of its spear upon him. Canthus noted the spears were actually the skeletons of eels, coated similarly with pearlsteel.

Sakura felt her own powers of stealth and darkness grow, in part due to her growing attraction to the unusual blackwater currents within a shallow trench upon the isle. Her ward Reiko, however, had been dealt a crippling blow during her recent abduction by the mermaid witches and their benefactor, a sea hag fleshwarper known only as Purl. Purl removed Reiko’s legs and grafted in their place the body of a water naga, while simultaneously grafting two tentacles from a giant squid and an eye from a powerful beast known as the eye of the deep.

Reiko’s fragile sanity had been saved, in party due to her timely bonding with Shadow, a ghostly visage. Dorman had previously bonded with the living tattoo Echo, another of the soul shards cast off by Xaetra before her murder at the hands of a covey of hags led by Tempest. The third shard, known simply as Me, remains undiscovered.

During the ensuing battle, NeeKaa, Canthus, and Dorman were injured by the magical spears. One of the skeletal assailants was destroyed in a cloud of bubbles spewing from the base of the tower, while another was destroyed by one of its own. The part noted that each skeleton seemed to have one component which was made entirely of metal and enshrouded in eldritch fire of azure hue.

In due time, the battle was won, in part due to the aid of the party’s many companions, including the amphisbaena eel Jur, hatchling coral dragon Gobble, and Hasu the half-dragon sea cat. The locathah Canthus, struck twice by the electrical spears, was slain in the course of the combat. Removed from the innate abilities she once held in life, Xaetra relied upon the components held within her mystic apothecary. Using an arcane infusion, she transformed the corpse of Canthus into a statue of stone.

Examining the base of the tower in closer detail, the party noted it was ringed by a circle of statues, each of an unknown humanoid that seemed both reptilian and fish-like. One statue stood out from the rest, however, as it appeared as a concave depression instead of a sculpture.


DM’S NOTES: To be honest, I wasn’t sure if anyone was going to show up on the day after Christmas. We gamed an extra hour, so I was more than pleased. The players of Ryllis the shoal halfling, Junae the mermaid, and Sir Boral the aventi did not attend tonight’s game.

The four sites of ancient clockwork mechanisms were inspired by equipment used to keep saltwater reef aquariums. The Grail of Impurities, Orb of Purification, Chamber of Dissolution, and Deadwater Fountain were simply a protein skimmer, ultraviolet sterilizer, calcium reactor, and reverse osmosis/deionization filter, albeit in a grand scale with some magics thrown in.

The clockwork skeletons, inspired by the Antikythera Mechanism, were actually gold clockwork horrors.

hamishspence
2010-12-30, 01:32 PM
Giant Monstrous Frogs were statted out in the Tome of Horros by Sword & Sorcery under the permission of WotC. I'm not sure if WotC made use of these stats or not in any of their products.

Debby


There's a Dire Toad in Monster Manual 2.
Oriental Adventures also has Giant Toad stats (2 are Beasts, 2 are Magical Beasts. The 3.5 update might covert the Beasts to animals).

And I think at least one of the adventures had a Giant Frog- the Miniatures game had one in at least one of the boxes (Deathknell?)- and on the card was D&D stats as well.

akma
2011-01-04, 02:16 PM
I made the giant frog. I would have made a seperate thread, but I think I`ll get more feedback here.

**************

How I would describe the frog to players:
Infornt of you a giant frog appears, it`s skin shining bright green.
The giant frog opens his mouth, and from which many tounges come out and attack you. The tounges slap some, and wrap around the others. Besides the crushing pain of the tounge slaps and wrapings, you feel an acidic burn.

Those frogs are the product of a simple question.
How could a frog be used?

There is a god called Ranvar, god of exploitation (Usage would actully be more accurate, but will make him sound less evil). He and his clerics believe that anything is a resource that can be used – that includes people. His clerics use him for power, while he uses them to expand his faith and therefore gain more power.

One day while a cleric of exploitation guided initiates, one of them doubted the fact that anything can be used. As an exemple, he asked the cleric how a frog that passed by could be used. The cleric answered that even that he can`t find a use for the frog, he might simply not be able to think about one, or maybe he will find one in the future.

But the question bugged him. How could a frog be used?
After much thought, he had to go to a battle. During that battle, he realised the answer, and afterwards captured a frog. After some failed attempts, he managed to create the frog stated here, and after a few years those frogs became common among clerics of exploitation. To add to their motivation to fight, they eat people.

Eventully, other magic users found out how to make and control such frogs.

Large magical beast
Hit Dice: 8d10+48 (56-92-128)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares); same underwater and on ground
Armor Class: 13 (+5 dex, -3 size), touch 13, flat-footed 10
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+16
Attack: Tounge slap 1d8 +4 crushing damage +1d6 acid +13 to attack damage crit X2
Full Attack: Up to 10 Tounge slaps 1d8 +4 crushing damage +1d6 acid +13 to attack damage crit X2, can`t use two or more tounge attacks against the same target.
Space/Reach: 10/40
Special Attacks: Tounge push, tounge grapple.
Special Qualities: Amphibious, immunity to acid.
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +11, Will +6
Abilities Str 18, Dex 20, Con 22, Int 2, Wis 10, Cha 1
Skills: Jump +23 (+8 raciel).
Feats: I got no idea what to put here.
Environment: Around freshwater sources.
Organization: Solitary, solitary with a level 5+ cleric or druid.
Challenge Rating: I don`t know.
Treasure: None.
Alignment: Netural.
Advancement: By size, I don`t realy remmember the rules for that.
Level Adjustment: -

Combat
The giant frogs slap quickely everyone. If the battle is hard, the frog will grapple those who do the most damage to it.
If ordered, the frog could fight diffrently.

Ability descriptions
Amphibious: They can breathe underwater as well as in the air.
Tounge push: They can use their tounges to push creatures aside. The attack deals damage normally and can move the target up to 20 feet. If the attack hits, then to avoid being pushed an opposed strength check must be won.
Tounge grapple: The frog takes -5 to hit, but if the attack hits the tounge wraps around the target and grapples it, as long as the target is no more then 30 feet from the frog. For each round the creature is held (=fails an opposed grapple check), it takes damage as if it was slapped. The frog can`t tounge grapple creatures who are size big or bigger.

Things you can do with it
1. The frog is called, then jumps out of a lake, catch with it`s tounges as many player characters as possible, then jumps back to the water to drown them. Much more deadly if you replace lake with an acid container.
2. Frog riders. Possibly frog-men riding giant frogs with frogs familiers.

Debihuman
2011-01-04, 02:52 PM
Does this creature have a name or is it just a Man-eating frog.

Usually advancement is a creature increases in size when it double its hit points.

It needs skills and feats. Only mindless creatures don't get skills and feats. Creatures with Int 2 get them normally.


Debby

akma
2011-01-04, 03:49 PM
Does this creature have a name or is it just a Man-eating frog.


I thought for a second to call it frog of exploitation, but it`s abilities don`t got anything to do with exploitation. I`ll call them simply giant frogs, as I am not planing on making more giant frog monsters anyways. Since I like that monster (becuse of the tounges gimmick) I`ll do a proper introduction to make it seem cooler then it is.

The man eating is a last second addition. It could also add problams when the corpses of enemies won`t be enough to feed the frogs, with some effort I think I could base an adventure on that (defending a village against clerics riding frogs).



It needs skills and feats. Only mindless creatures don't get skills and feats. Creatures with Int 2 get them normally.


Then I`ll guess I`ll increase the int to 3 and work on it tommorow.

Aeolius
2011-01-08, 03:12 PM
I posted last week's recap in this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10120998#post10120998) , for a bit of variety.

Aeolius
2011-02-13, 10:02 AM
I just noticed that Cerulean Seas now has s a softcover print-to-order option, over at RPGNow; $20 for the PDF, $40 for the hardcopy, $50 for both.

Aeolius
2011-03-27, 11:53 AM
It's been awhile since I posted a recap of a Game Session.

In the last session (03/20) the party spoke with Scia, the elderly shaman who seemed to lead the remaining slaves abandoned by the kraken Mikros, in a subterranean passage deep within the Sinking Isle itself. Concerned by the appearance of the child Reiko and her well-being in the face of the grafts she unwillingly received, Scia slowly approached the girl and revealed grafts of her own.

"These..." she touched the green scaly skin around her gills "Were once part of Shulshalus, a mighty sahuagin warrior. He speaks to me, from time to time." she smiled "At first I was afraid. But soon I understood that I honored him, by keeping even this small part of him alive."

In time, Scia led the party to a rectangular chamber filled with massive intersecting metal pipes. Between the pipes, hammocks fashioned of netting and seaweed were seen. Along the wall, enormous barnacle shells seemed to grow in a cluster.

As the shaman continued to interrogate the party, regarding their knowledge of the sea hag fleshwarper Purl, NeeKaa recalled the words of the hivemind witch known as Guri. "Purl's weakness is blackwater, as I have told your companion." she had spoken "Aiptasia is a seahorse of a different color. In her madness, she fears her own reflection". The topic turned to talks of the unliving hag Diadema and the mysterious substance known as Blackwater. When NeeKaa revealed what she had learned, Scia’s interest was obviously piqued.

"Covey?" Scia questioned "Purl spoke of a Blue Coven, when she thought she was alone. Three hags in the service of Olhydra. I believe she worshipped them. Does this help, in any way?"

When reprimanded by Xaetra, for mentioning the name of the Elemental Princess aloud, Scia shrugged off the warning.

"Did you ever wonder, eidolon?" Scia turned to face the ambergris hag "Why? Why does she seek to drain the sea? Malice? Chaos? A dire untoward plan? What does she stand to gain?"

This spurred Xaetra into further debate.

"And you, druidess." Xaetra retorted "What do you stand to gain, waiting here countless centuries? Aye. I can sense both your time upon this Oerth and your calling."

"I... I cannot leave." Scia stammered "To leave is certain death. The forge forestalls aging, but its effects do not carry beyond these walls. Suffice to say that the Hearth of Hearts has prolonged our lives, here. But if we leave these caves, our years return." slowly, Scia added "I admit that I am over three hundred years of age."

Leaving the party to their rest and slumber, Scia returned to her people. Those who slept once again found themselves sharing a communal dreamscape. Emerging within a dimly-lit oubliette, each party member beheld phosphorescent etchings depicting several sea creatures commonly found in the shallows. Those who had visited the spherical chamber once before recalled the tattoos, bearing the likeness of a single etching they had chosen on their prior journey, now illustrated upon their skin.

Within the tide pool, Xaetra appeared as a hagfish, Jaena manifest as a silver shelled hermit crab with Jariah fastened to her shell as a barnacle. The reef hag Ciliaris emerged as a blue-eyed scallop, while Meir had chosen a humble chiton. Beside the sea urchin Reiko, a sea snake, puffer fish, and striped shrimp manifested.

"Do you remember me, young one?" the sea snake asked "I am Jade."
"And I am Pin'clarr" the puffer added
"What... what is this place?" the shrimp asked with the voice of Scia "Am I dreaming?"

"Scia, is it?" Meir asked "What do you know of this Blue Coven? What do you know of the Princess of Elemental Evil... Olhydra?"

The naming of the Elemental Princess invoked a trance within the shellycoat.

"The elemental princess bore the offspring of the demon lord."Meir began, her voice monotonous and distant. "Twin daughters ostracized by their father. Imprisoned, in distant lakes, far from impending waters."

Aware that Eyebite, the hag’s tooth artifact seemingly responsible for both her unliving animation and her unbidden prophesies, had spoken through her once more Meir recalled the second artifact, a hag’s tooth, was now in the possession of the insane shellycoat Aiptasia.

Aeolius
2011-05-01, 04:26 PM
My game has been between session for a few weeks, which leads my mind to wander...

Secure in the knowledge that her companions were safe, Xaetra took a moment to herself, before the hours of slumber marked the time of dreams. Unrolling her burlap apothecary, the medicine bag that had stayed with her even beyond death itself, she inspected the hundreds of small pockets sewn into its surface. Shards of stone, dried herbs, and stoppered vials all seemed in order.

Turning the unrolled bundle, the ambergris eidolon exposed the crudely-stitched door upon the opposite side. Knocking gently in a deliberate pattern, she steadied herself against the flow of warm waters as the apothecary stiffened and and the door slowly opened.

Swimming swiftly beyond the doorway, Xaetra emerged into a water-filled stairwell. Along the stone walls of the passage grew a variety of corals and seaweed. Several small wooden traps held crabs which seem to be unmoving. The mortar between the stones illuminated the stairwell with a pale blue phosphorescence.

Slowly drifting past traps of wood and wire which held their captives in unwaking sleep, the hag encountered the barrier of shimmering mucus which divided the stairwell. Xaetra steadied herself, as she entered the portion of her root cellar filled with breathable air. Shielding her eyes from the golden light cast by the stones set in the ceiling above, she inspected the growth of her garden. An abundance of tubers; potatoes, carrots, turnips, and radishes grew within decorative urns, while flowering vines clung to the walls themselves.

Walking further upward, Xaetra felt the vines beneath her toes as pumpkins, melons, and gourds enveloped the stairs below. Clinging to trellises secured to the stonework walls, herbs and spices filled the air with a cacophony of pungent aromas. An earthen layer upon the stairwell served to nourish a variety of vegetables, while fruit trees grew within soil prepared with care within receptacles seemingly shaped in the likeness of massive conch shells, skulls, and geodes.

Pausing by an an unassuming section of stone, Xaetra traced her fingertip in a peculiar pattern atop the mortar. In response, a hidden chamber was revealed. In the passage beyond, resting upon a bed of ferns and wildflowers, Anasta slept. The alu-demon, restored by a single drop of blood protected by her sacred amulet, silently awaited the time of awakening.

Glaucus held the key. The scarab beetle, seemingly fashioned of glass and roughly the size of a man’s fist, had once served as Anasta’s own amulet, the sanctuary for her soul. Having attained sentience after the demon’s death, Glaucus now served as caretaker for Xaetra’s magical cellar.

“Greetings, my granddaughter.” she whispered in quiet reverence “Our last story explored the origins of the Devils’ Purse; the shard of the sea between Turucambi Reef, the Sinking Isle, and the Jungle of Lost Ships. Marked by ancient altars, each capable of unleashing maelstroms of unfathomable strength, the angles of the Devils’ Purse should be well remembered, as they define the birthplace of the Leviathan - guardian of the Solnor.

But one Leviathan may dwell within the waters of the Solnor, though many have assumed the mantle of power granted by the Devils’ Purse. In bygone ages, the Leviathan was borne from the stock of a nautilus and zaratan. Aye, the Chamber of Reflection within Turucambi Reef marks the remains of the nautilus. The hollow shell of the zaratan is ensnared in the waters to the north. The last Leviathan was fashioned from the form of a kraken.

Do not say it aloud. I know what you must be thinking. In life, the spectral kraken known as Mikros served as the Leviathan.

Within the currents of current days, the hydrimera retains the right to the title of Leviathan. Once banished from the Solnor into the Dramidj Ocean in western waters, the beast was fated to return to the Devils’ Purse.

I am loathe to speak of this to the others, but I bear responsibility for the beast’s return. My beloved Zander, in what surely must have been an epic battle, captured the hydrimera and imprisoned it within a magical pearl. The beast had vexed me in days long passed, so he wished to assure that such tidings would never again come to fruition.

It was this pearl that brought life to the iron hag, the construct I once called Grandmother Clock. It was this pearl, which Jaenan inadvertently carried through the Underflow, when the construct was destroyed. It was this pearl, which Jaenan unintentionally awakened, to avoid capture by Tempest and Salkt.

The rebirth of the hydrimera marked the deaths of the blood hag Tempest and salt hag Salkt, though heralding the birth of the blackwater hag Diadema. Their fates are intertwined in a manner I cannot fully fathom.

Of one thing am I certain. The Leviathan of future days will arise from the form of the amphisbaena.”

Silently, Glaucus crept from the concealed chamber, up the stairwell, and out of the magical root cellar. Without remorse, he shared the secret knowledge of Xaetra’s confession with all who would listen.

Aeolius
2011-07-08, 07:52 PM
A recap of last week's game, to tide you over, as there is no game this week.

In the last session (07/03/11) the party*explored the site of a seeming cemetery; a bed of giant clams arranged conspicuously in rows. Their appearance not unlike unkempt tombstones, the clams held a sinister secret. Each contained a blackwater wraith, a spirit given substance by the unnatural waters below. As the party noted the wraiths’ affinity for the sea elf Sakura and her blackwater-infused weaponry and cape, a school of bony blackskates formed overhead.

One wraith in particular seemed most interested in Sakura, pointing to her with a whiplike arm before retreating within the clam shell from which he arose. As he did so, the blackskates above formed into a larger amalgamated shape, that of a manta ray. Sakura discovered, within the clam, a massive black pearl etched with golden runes. As the pearl grew inexplicably larger, the blackskates formed into the likeness of a massive jellyfish.

Drawing closer, Sakura watched as the golden runes lifted from the black pearl. As they slowly swirled, they approached the cautious sea elf. Two writhing black tentacles rose from nearby clams and seemed to attack the drifting runes; tearing them to shreds and reforming the wayward light into words familiar to all.

“Free us;” the words read, as they drifted freely in the surrounding sea “the pearl is our prison. Our ship, entrapped above. Our lives, forfeit. We are the Pirates of the Black Tide, held fast to our graves by the power of the pearl placed here by one who dwells below.

The Pearl steals from us. It grows stronger. We do not. The Pirates of the Black Tide must endure!”

Grasping the pearl, Sakura flinched as the golden runes exploded in a shower of sparks. The blackwater, freed from its bond, flowed over Sakura's hands and seemed to disappear beneath her skin. The pearl that remains does not resemble the one first seen. It now appeared as a crystalline egg of azure hue, etched with a delicate spiral encircling its surface. Sakura was similarly affected, for the darkness of her eyes now swirled with the essence of blackwater.

As if summoned, the massive bone jellyfish rose slightly, before moving to the north. There it began to sink into the depths. Acting on impulse, the triton called Current swam swiftly to the surface of Synsaal, the Barrier Between Worlds. There he searched for the ship mentioned by the umbral wraiths, yet he found only overgrown mounds of seaweed, writhing vines that moved of their own accord, and groves of trees growing upon the mats of seaweed that comprised the Weed-Sea.

The aventi Noie was the first to see the approaching form to the north. Humanoid in form and stature, the creature seemed to be made of stone entrusted with coralline algae, soft corals, and sponges. Sea fans, stony corals, barnacles, and seaweed grew upon its stout frame, like badges of honor upon a tattered uniform.

"You have destroyed the pearl. Why?" it asked, a crimson-hued crab crawling from between its lips as it spoke. "Now the cloud pearl is exposed. Now they will return for it, the storm hags, as they seek control of Cloudsea.

The covey wreaks havoc upon the waters of the Devil's Purse." the form continued “ for they control terrible waterspouts, but do not yet control the cloud itself. The pearl must be concealed. It must be contained within a natural sheath, or one of magical origins, to mask its location."

When the party retold the events leading to the cloud pearl’s exposure, the man of liverock seemed unconcerned.

"Unfortunate... and unintentional." it began "Many pirates have met their fate in the weed-sea, it is said. Pirates, treasure fleets, fishermen, and crafts from unknown waters.

The pearl gathered blackwater. I assumed it was from a natural source. Rest assured if the blackwater nacre is gone, the souls will be as they were.

How do you intend to cloak the pearl? If they sense it, if they scry it, they will come."

After a brief exchange, the ambergris hag Xaetra procured her daughter Jariah from within her magical apothecary. Conceived from the stuff of dreams while the hag was imprisoned within Dream Lake, Jariah appeared as a human infant with skin of pearlescent hue. When the stone-man saw Jariah, he held his arms across his chest.

"A child? A child of pearl?" he stammered “They will want to know. The whitebeards are the keepers of the forges. They tell of one with skin of pearl."

As the party spoke with the unnamed newcomer, they sensed movement in the waters above. An unmoving form, entangled in a fishing net, fell from the shallows. Several small sharks, their underbellies glowing with bioluminescence, took advantage of easy prey, ripping bits of flesh from the body.

The corpse appeared to be that of the lizardman Rikas, the lycanthrope who had assisted them upon their arrival to the Jungle of Lost Ships.

Thomar_of_Uointer
2011-07-08, 09:35 PM
Aeolius, do you have chat transcripts from these?

Aeolius
2011-07-08, 09:37 PM
Aeolius, do you have chat transcripts from these?

recaps are at http://web.mac.com/aeolius/turucambi/Blog/Blog.html ... for now

Aeolius
2011-10-23, 12:34 PM
a recap of last week's game session:

In the last session (10/16/11) the party found themselves within the rusted remains of a metal ship. The iron vessel, wedged within the Weed-Sea, was home to a company of sea ghouls and their captive yet reluctant guardian, the pink coral princess Millepora.

Once they had deciphered the means to free Millepora, the party looked to the metal ship made of metal, with no mast or oars. The third of three “twice-named” ships, the Enora Norray reportedly held the final volumes of the Dreamer’s Journal and the Tome of Apotheosis. With the first, the oceanid NeeKaa hoped to hone her skills as Oneiromancer and strengthen her hold upon the Region of Dreams. With the latter, the party hoped to restore the spirit hag Xaetra to life and thus either weaken or destroy their nemesis, the blackwater hag Diadema, by severing her bond with Xaeta’s unliving corpse.

Diadema, an undead amalgamation of three hags reanimated by the mysterious powers of blackwater, sought to awaken three magical maelstroms. In so doing, the waters of the Solnor Ocean would be siphoned through a planar portal into the hollowed caverns of the lesser moon Celene. There, the twin daughters of the demon lord Dagon and elemental princess Olhydra were imprisoned in separate cells by their father. Diadema, instructed by the hags known as the Blue Coven who in turn were directed by Olhydra, sought to free the sisters from their father’s tyrannical imprisonment.

Two of the portals, one within Turucambi Reef and the other beneath the Sinking Isle, had been found by the party. The third, they had learned, rested atop an undersea mountain beneath the Jungle of Lost Ships. The portal, awaked through the act of sacrifice upon an alter ringed by stone monoliths, was guarded by a being known as the Olio.

Through their council with a circle of fey, the party had learned there were two ways to defeat the Olio.

“What do you know of the Olio?” the sirene Gemmifera had spoken “The Olio is a monstrous creature composed of the dead. Perhaps you are familiar with salp, massive rope-like creatures made from masses of jellyfish? Together, they act as one. Such a creature now envelops the ruins below. It grows stronger, from the offerings of the dead. The golden jellies, fashioned from the flesh of the dead, all find their way to the Olio.”
*
“The prophesy and omen pertain to the means by which the Olio might be destroyed, freeing these waters from its grasp.” the nereid Coerulea continued “By the prophesy of the Leviathan, the Olio will meet its end in a battle of beasts. By the omen of euphony, the Olio will be broken like the links of a rusted chain, bested by fugitives imprisoned unjustly, now acting as one. We no not which path will come to pass.”

Once they had freed a metal-skinned captive from beneath coils of rusted anchor chain, the party examined a metal chest filled with silver coins, the spoils of their combat with two lacedon sentries.

The aventi Noi, in pursuit of the lone sea ghoul which fled the scene of melee, discovered that the door through which the undead creature had found egress now warmed the surrounding waters and clouded his vision with boiling bubbles.

His attention drawn to the silver treasure, the viletooth lizardman Dorman was taken aback, when he found that many of the coins became incorporeal, slipping through his fingertips.Those coins that remained held an electrical charge. The shock was uncomfortable, but did no apparent damage. Examining the chest in closer detail, Dorman found a false bottom concealing a pair of gloves, some scraps of parchment, and an unusual metal wand.

“Seek the golden tome and the pouch shaped in the form of a hand” the undead shrunken head Meir had whispered, echoing the words of the coral princess.

Both gloves, NeeKaa discovered, were fashioned of pale skin and contained drawstrings in the manner of a pouch. Within one glove, an assortment of glass tiles were found. Each tile was colored either red, yellow, or blue and held a unique rune. Touching but a single tile, NeeKaa knew the tiles, used together, comprised the third Dreamer’s Journal.

Biding his time as NeeKaa examined the tiles, Noi examined six glass globes floating in a darkened corner of the rust-streaked chamber. The glass globes appear mundane in nature, save for one which seemed hollow and held a sprig of seaweed and a small red shrimp within crystal waters.

Without warning, a lone lacedon entered through the sole metal door, which Sakura noticed no longer radiated heat. Without speaking a word and uninterested in the party, the sea ghoul made fast for the pile of silver coins. Grasping a handful of coins in its withered grip, the creature vanished without a trace.

As if prompted by the strange disappearance, dozens of golden jellyfish swarmed through the open hatchway, forcing the party to retreat into the second chamber. The ephyra Phreb found their melodious droning made concentration difficult. When a single jellyfish brushed against him, the jellyfish merman heard their shared song, saw the image of a city with towering spires in his mind, and felt a warmth within.

Unleashing her blackwater weaponry, the sea elf ninja Sakura was satisfied when the blackskate chain whip responded eagerly. At that moment a voice audible to only Sakura and Neekaa whispered "Find me”. Sakura felt the disorienting pull of blackwater towards the center of the vessel.

The second chamber was rectangular in shape and roughly half the size of the previous room. There were several white fish, here, each with a whip-like tail. Serpent sea stars clung to the rusted walls. Bits of metal littered the floor. There are doors on either side of the far walls. A rectangular section, also holding a door, protruded from the far wall.