HARPY

[ryslighelpers]

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HARPY

BASIC INFO Harpies are half-bird creatures with a strong connection to the wind and weather in general. They are said to be able to predict weather patterns, and are very fast and vicious hunters. MANDATORY CHANGES ● Bird-like wings that can resemble any species of bird, but will always be large enough to fly with. These wings can either be on their back, or the Harpy can have winged arms. ● Bird talons in place of feet, and talon-like claws instead of fingernails as well. ● Hair with a feathery texture. ● Hollow bones and increased lung capacity, allowing the character to fly more easily. ● Feathers on the shoulders and elbows. ● Extremely sharp eyesight. Harpies can make out small details and movements on the ground even from great heights. ● Ability to predict weather patterns. Harpies will be able to accurately predict the weather up to a week in advance. ● Weakness to electricity. Being electrocuted or struck by lightning can kill a Harpy. Better get to lower ground during thunderstorms! ● A nesting instinct. Harpies feel safest when able to make a shelter in a high place. ● The need to feed on human flesh. This need may be satiated by accepting it from others, but more often than not, the Harpy will be compelled to choose their own targets for a fresh kill. ● A strong hunting instinct. When Harpies are hungry, they will develop the urge to chase prey down. Harpies usually hunt by either directly attacking their prey or lifting them off the ground and dropping them from great heights. [back to top] OPTIONAL CHANGES ● Any psychological changes are welcome! Feel free to pull from real world myths, canon creatures of this variety, or any other source! ● A fog form. This is an exaggerated version of their monster form that appears only during the fog and is a chance to make your monster more "horrifying" during the fog. ● Travel form: the ability to change into a bird. In this form, the character will look like a normal bird and will be able to travel faster. However, they will also be more vulnerable. ● Feathers on any other part of the body. ● A bird-like tail. ● Pointed ears. ● Longer arms for the ability to run fast on all fours. ● Any number of bird-like facial features, ranging from mild to fully avian. ● The ability to call up fierce, tornado-like winds. ● Short bursts of speed. The Harpy will be able to move extremely fast for about a mile, but will be extremely exhausted afterwards. ● A soothing singing voice that can charm humans, making them vulnerable to being lured. [back to top] ALLOWED SPECIES Birds (including flightless birds such as Ostriches, Penguins and Dodos) are welcome. [back to top] ARTWORK Artwork generously donated and submitted by players as an example of this monster in various forms. This can give you an idea of what you can do with this monster. Want to donate? Submit your own Daylen Amell Normal form (with wing markings from event) by Luc Normal form (with wing markings from event) by Rachel Normal form by Rachel Fog form by Usagi Character sheet by Usagi Katsuki Bakugo Normal form by Luc Normal form by Ash Travel form (Mana purchase) by Maggie Neku "Blue" Sakuraba Normal form by Jesii Phoenix Wright Normal form by Carbon Riley Williams Fog form by Everett Star Butterfly Normal form by Groove Waldo Butters Normal form by Pythonmelon Normal form by Crescendoll Fog form by Nick Sanders Yuzu Hiiragi Normal form by AppleFox [back to top]

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(frozen comment) FAQ

[ryslighelpers]

Have a very specific question in mind? Here's some questions that have been asked in the past!

MONSTER ABILITIES:

Can the 'fierce, tornado-like winds' be toned down to a pleasant breeze?
Fledgling Harpies would lack the control required to say, blow dry their friend's hair versus blowing their friends clear into the next street, but it is possible to eventually master their powers enough to reduce the force to more tolerable levels with dedicated practice.

Can the 'soothing voice ability' be toned down with practice to use it as a sort of calming effect rather than outright luring?
With practice and effort it could be soothing, but the nature of monster magic is manipulative, not beneficial, and may occasionally backfire regardless.

Does humming/whistling also carry the same allure for this ability, or is it only if a Harpy outright uses their voice to sing?
A Harpy can stick to humming and whistling if they want, but it will lack some of the oomph singing would bring to it.

In some iterations, Harpies can imitate voices they've heard enough. Would this be considered an extra power in regards to Ryslig's Harpies?
Yes, that would be considered an extra power.

What's the range of a Harpy's weather sense? Can a Harpy living in Bavan predict the weather in Vandare/islands/Rota etc?
It depends largely on the intensity of the weather and the relation to their direct area! For example, normally a Harpy can only sense "normal" patterned weather in their immediate area. A Harpy in Vandare can only really sense the patterns of Vandare weather until they step out on the road. However, if there were a large storm further from Vandare, a Harpy could likely sense it from Vandare, whether or not it was going to hit there. We allow a little flexibility on this, but the limit is generally that only serious weather can be noticed outside of its immediate area. Otherwise, the Harpy will have to be in the range of about a city's length to sense it.

Would Harpies have some kind of cold resistance? Since some birds (particularly cold-weather ones, obviously) have some form of insulation—fat, fur, feathers, and so forth—to keep themselves warm.
Monsters are not allowed additional resistances other than the ones stated on their bestiary pages. Therefore, Harpies will not be allowed to have extra cold resistance. Sorry.


MONSTER BODIES AND CHANGES:

Are multiple pairs of wings allowed if they do not give any additional benefit to the Harpy?
No, Harpies can only have one pair of full sized wings, even when the desired other pairs are not capable of flight.

If a character has arm-wings, could they lack their regular hands and instead have wings that are more prehensile and hand-like?
Absolutely.

One of the mandatory changes is the feet become talons. Would the webbed feet of the waterfowl be allowed?
You can do a combination of both talon and webbed feet! Webbed Talons.

Do hollow bones make them more susceptible to breaking those bones?
That is up to you.

Is sharp eyesight something that can be "turned on/off" at will, or is it telescopic vision all the time?
This is up to you! It's very possible that the Harpy's extreme eyesight can be turned 'on' and 'off' with a nictitating membrane that could "de-enhance" the eyesight, making it more like a typical human's sight.

If one were to base a Harpy on a flightless bird, could they give them ridiculous, useless large wings?
Sure, but you could also make them fly if you want, despite being based on a flightless bird.

But we can also make them actually flightless with smaller wings?
Yes, you can.

If a character's Harpy form is based on owls, would it be acceptable to have them able to pivot and turn their head in the same manner as one?
Of course. They wouldn't be able to do a 360, but they would be able to turn it full to the back from one side or from the other side.

Can a Harpy be based on a dinosaur?
In most cases, no. Dinosaurs tend to fall under Gargoyle, and are a bit too far removed from the Harpy's aesthetic. The one exception is a Harpy's Fog form, which may take inspiration from dinosaurs of the Archaeopteryx genus.

Could a Harpy's Fog Form be that of a Hippogriff?
Unfortunately, Harpies can’t take a Hippogriff fog form, because horses are a Kelpie’s domain. You are welcome to purchase the Hippogriff fog form as a functional body modification for 80 coins from Mana, and it would include horse running speed while the character is using the fog form.