MERPERSON

[ryslighelpers]

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MERPERSON

BASIC INFO Merpeople are hybrid creatures with the elements of both human and fish. They thrive in both fresh and salt water, and have different forms in deep water than they do on land. Merfolk have been known to lure sailors and beach-goers to their deaths using various methods. MANDATORY CHANGES ● Gills on the side of their neck, along the rib cage, or near the tail, although they are still capable of breathing outside of water. ● Scales (or fur, in cases of seals, etc.) on their arms and legs that can come in a wide variety of colors and patterns. ● Fins behind their ears and on their forearms. ● Webbing between their fingers. ● Out of water: Fins on their legs (or frog-like legs) and webbing between their toes. ● Reacting to water: Their legs will form a tail that can be any length and resemble pretty much any aquatic creature. This change is uncontrollable, though what level of water it takes to cause this change is up to the player. ● Movement on land in this form requires puddles of water at the very least. The deeper the water, the faster a Mer can travel, but they are able to skim and slide across even a wet street. ● In order to change back from their aquatic form, they must be out of the water source that caused it for a few minutes. ● Sharpened senses, especially underwater. Their senses of hearing, sight, and smell will increase greatly and function the same underwater as on land. ● Resistance to water pressure. Merpeople can dive as deep as they like. ● A need for water. While Merfolk can survive on land, they'll get thirsty quicker than normal and begin to weaken if they are out of water for more than a few days. Taking a short shower or a bath will satisfy this need and allow them to prolong their stay. ● A preference for colder weather. Mer are not as weak to fire and heat as certain other monsters, but as it evaporates their water supply faster, they begin to feel thirsty and uncomfortable a lot more quickly. ● A need to feed on human energy. The Merperson accomplishes this by holding a human underwater until they drown. [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 take the form of the aquatic creature their monster form is based on. In this form, the character will look like a normal aquatic creature and will be able to travel faster in water. However, they will not have access to any of their powers in this form, and will also be more vulnerable. ● Scales (or fur, in the case of seals, etc.) on any other part of the body. ● A dorsal fin on their back that may or may not disappear in their land form. ● Bioluminescent spots or patterns on any part of the body. ● Retractable claws on their hands that can be used to ensnare humans once they are captured. ● Venomous barbs, claws or spines in their fins that can cause pain and paralysis in humans. ● The ability to drain water from their targets, effectively removing their energy as well as feeding themselves. Merfolk can do this in a few ways, either by giving them a "kiss", or by first making a cut on a part of their victim's body and then leeching the water out. The target will become shriveled up as a result. ● A Merperson may gain the ability to conjure and control water. This does not extend to water-based substances (paint, coffee, bodily fluids, ect.) ● A soothing singing voice that can charm humans, making them vulnerable to being lured. ● An immunity to cold. ● An instinct to hoard any sort of gem or other shiny trinket underwater, and to act extremely aggressively towards thieves. [back to top] ALLOWED SPECIES Most type of fish life, including jellyfish, octopus, squids, whales, seahorses, turtles, seals, walruses, crocodiles, alligators, axolotls are acceptable. [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 Cielo Normal form by Jesii Fiora Underwater form by Groove Land form by Groove Lucy Heartfilia Normal form by omixgirl10 Fog form by omixgirl10 Nagito Komaeda Normal form by Morgane Trish Una Normal form (land) by Pinch Normal form (water/night) by Pinch Yuya Sakaki Normal form (land) by 1Apple-fox1 Normal form (water) by 1Apple-fox1 Yuzu Hiragi Normal form (water) by 1Apple-fox1 Zelgadis Greywords Normal form by Elle Normal form by Elle [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!

FEEDING:

Does the optional feeding method of draining water from their prey mean that Merpeople can feed on land?
Yes it does!

Does the fact that they're draining water specifically mean that this is a way of countering their need to be in water?
Yes. Any source of water can extend the time they stay away from sources of water. You can have their need for water be as strong as you'd like, meaning if you don't want this to completely satisfy them, or to satisfy them noticeably less, that would be fine.


MONSTER ABILITIES:

What happens to a Merperson's clothes when they transform?
The way a Merperson handles their clothes during and after their transformations is up to player discretion. Clothes could magically vanish and reappear during transformations, or a Merperson might need to carry them or store them in a hiding place.

What do you mean by 'the level of water it takes to cause the aquatic change is up to the player'?
Some Mers change in the rain, while others may require shallow water like a puddle, and others still require deep water.

And changing back?
This generally takes a few minutes, but the specific amount of time it takes for a Mer to change back into their land form once they're away from the water is up to the player as well. A Mer caught in the rain may retreat indoors and return to their legs in the span of two minutes, or it may take five minutes, or even twenty.

Does the water have to be liquid in order to trigger the aquatic form? Could snow/ice/steam/FOG cause a reaction?
The water has to be liquid for a Merperson to change forms. Steam wouldn't affect a Mer, snow and ice will only affect the Mer when it melts on their skin, and fog would merely trigger a fog form at the player's discretion.

Can a Merperson stop their change back into land form, and just keep their aquatic form while on land?
Yes, if they don't mind being at an extreme disadvantage, it's possible. Once the change is stopped, it cannot be started up again until the Merperson re-enters water to 'reset' their body's adjustment to their surroundings, so to speak.

Does control of water allow for freezing it?
No, that's an ability that would need to be purchased.

Would it be considered a power to produce ink, if it's not used in a combat context?
If not used in a combat context, and in small amounts, yes it's fine.

Can Merpeople communicate with sea life?
Mers cannot communicate with or control sea life, though most fish won't harm them due to not wanting to mess with the creatures at the top of the food chain. In general, the sea life would treat them as a creature of the sea: certain fish will try to clean them, jellyfish monsters might find certain types of fish hiding inside their stingers for protection, etc. Seals already act like dogs but would be a bit more docile with Merfolk in water.

What about communicating with other Mers?
This would be up to the player! Mers could use nonverbal speech to have full communication under water, fail completely, or find any level of success in between.

What do you mean when you say a Mer's senses 'function the same underwater as on land'?
When a Mer is underwater, their senses won't be impaired. They'll be able to see, smell, and hear just as well as they would be able to when on land.

As part of a Mer's underwater senses, would this potentially extend to electro-receptors in their skin, similar to the lateral lines on most fish?
Mers can absolutely use the principles of the lateral line organ with a few caveats. One, Merpeople must be underwater, with their humanoid appendages fused into a tail (or tentacles, or whatever sea creature they choose) for their lateral line to function. This ability cannot be used on land. Two, ‘schools’ (or groups) of people or objects will confuse the Mer's perception similarly to the jumbled network predatory fish sense in the presence of schooling fish. Basically, groups of moving objects will end up feeling like a big massive singular thing instead of a lot of a tinier individuals. Your Mer is welcome to develop migraines from landlubbing habits if you'd like. The transition from one sensory system to another wouldn't be kind to your nerves!

Can an electric eel Mer have electric shocks instead of venom?
Unfortunately, we would not allow venom to be swapped out for electric shocks, since other monsters have specific electricity weaknesses. Sorry!

My character likes to explore and would go very deep into these lakes and caves I see on the Underwater map. What will happen?
More than a share of caves seem to lead downwards, but the longer the Merfolk go in, the more they'll feel uncomfortable and want to get out. Lake Dala is the sort of place where they can feel much more at peace, and Lake Fors has some rather dangerous sawblade fish patrolling near the bottom.


MONSTER BODIES AND CHANGES:

Can a Merperson be cold-blooded?
Yes! As there are sea creatures with warm blood, cold blood, and natural antifreeze any of those options are fine. This will not affect their preference for cold weather.

Are Mers allowed to have prehensile tentacles?
Yes they are, if those tentacles replace the hands. If they replace the legs, the tentacles are only semi-prehensile, and it'll be about as clumsy as trying to pick something up with your toes.

Can a Merperson have a tail on land? Not to replace their legs, but to sort of dangle behind the legs?
Yes, but it cannot be prehensile. The same counts for a tentacle-based tail; it would be about as weak as a finger and is meant to be purely cosmetic.

If we want to go a shark route with Merperson, can we play around with sharper teeth and blood frenzy instincts? And rows of teeth?
Sharp teeth (either in several rows or just one row) would be fine, and so long as the instincts wouldn't make them stronger and would be purely psychological, they would also be a-okay!

If a Mer's lower half is based on a sea-walking creature, like a shrimp, would that mean their legs function just fine as legs when they're caught out in the rain on land?
Assuming that the Merperson's aquatic form has some method of locomotion, it generally should be fine for their aquatic form to 'walk' on land! We're not particularly worried about a power imbalance or anything like that in this case. One thing to consider (for personal flavor, not as a requirement!) would be how strong the creature's legs are.

My Mer is based on a creature that doesn't have fins (like a turtle), how does that work with the fin requirement?
Fins or fin-like limbs are mandatory. You can either slap fish-like fins on your turtle Mer, or go full turtle and make his arms wider and fully paddle-like to replace the arm fins.

Is chlorine in pool water bad for Merpeople? How about similar additions to water to keep it clean?
This is up to player discretion. We certainly wouldn't want to prevent Merpeople from enjoying a day at the pool, but if you'd like it to affect them negatively, go for it.

Is it okay to assume that Mers produce a mucous coating that allows them to withstand mundane parasites and bacteria in the water?
Yes! It wouldn't confer any special abilities (except to make them feel gross and slimy to anyone touching them) and wouldn't allow them any advantages in battle.