[DF] Mermaid racial template?

[Dalin]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Thought it might need more explaining (that or everyone ignored the link). Switchable is cheaper and simpler than Alternate Form in this case, I got the idea from the suggestion of switchable body parts like claws.

Your template is also pricey at 69 points. I might drop the chameleon idea (though it sounds cool), and the skills. I don't understand the implication of "Water Move (8 top speed) [0]." Why is it zero points? Does it derive from another advantage?

Thanks for sharing this!

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Thought it might need more explaining (that or everyone ignored the link). Switchable is cheaper and simpler than Alternate Form in this case, I got the idea from the suggestion of switchable body parts like claws.

Switchable means you can turn being amphibious on and off, which is unnecessary since amphibious just works as needed. I would call it cosmetic if changing happens automatically and instantly on entering water, add a small limitation if switching between water mode and land mode takes time.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Dalin

Your template is also pricey at 69 points. I might drop the chameleon idea (though it sounds cool), and the skills. I don't understand the implication of "Water Move (8 top speed) [0]." Why is it zero points? Does it derive from another advantage?

Thanks for sharing this!

Feel free to change anything you want, the main thing I wanted to share was switchable as an option and how I handled gills. The description mainly addresses that. I built them to be useful in the setting and work with the other water types. I think that top speed is from sprinting and I just included it for comparison to the other water types.

Originally Posted by Anthony

Switchable means you can turn being amphibious on and off, which is unnecessary since amphibious just works as needed. I would call it cosmetic if changing happens automatically and instantly on entering water, add a small limitation if switching between water mode and land mode takes time.

Your right but switching between tails and legs should cost something IMO and that was a simple way to do it.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Your right but switching between tails and legs should cost something IMO.

Why? Explain to me the benefit it gives? It's mostly an annoyance because you suddenly don't fit your clothes any more.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Why? Explain to me the benefit it gives? It's mostly an annoyance because you suddenly don't fit your clothes any more.

It is mostly cosmetic in that you could have Amphibious with normal legs.
But basically its costing 1 point to swap between the two modes which I think is fair and has precedent with claws being a prior example.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Why? Explain to me the benefit it gives? It's mostly an annoyance because you suddenly don't fit your clothes any more.

Mortals might give a negative reaction to fish tails.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Even if it looks totally normal in-setting, an at-will leg/tail switch is worth a point even if it's a perk independent of water movement. Should be good for a decent bonus to Escape in certain situations, plus the ability to wear either kind of lower body gear, when you need to.

[Dalin]

Originally Posted by Varyon

I'd be inclined to have them with . . . Musical Ability of some level (mermaids are often associated with sirens, and tend to have music-based magic of some flavor).

With or without musical ability on the template, the idea of a merbard is appealing. I was musing last night over whether there are any musical instruments that can function in both air and water. Singing could work, and might sound closer to a whale song than an aria. Percussion?

Obvious answer: magic. Which I’ll probably go with, but I’m curious...

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Dalin

With or without musical ability on the template, the idea of a merbard is appealing. I was musing last night over whether there are any musical instruments that can function in both air and water. Singing could work, and might sound closer to a whale song than an aria. Percussion?

Obvious answer: magic. Which I’ll probably go with, but I’m curious...

First off, my assumption about merfolk would be that they are actually able to fill their lungs with air they get through their gills, like a swim bladder (which it's believed lungs evolved from in the first place, so huzzah). This lets them do the whole tropey "kiss of life" thing to save a drowning sailor (not sure how to build that, maybe a highly-limited version of Affects Others on their Gills?*), but more importantly here would allow them to sing or use a wind instrument underwater (although the submarine versions of wind instruments would be designed quite differently from the open air versions). Percussion could probably work as well, although water resistance to the striking hands/drumsticks might be problematic. Interestingly, because they are essentially breathing in through their gills and then pushing air out through their mouths, merfolk could sing or play wind instruments without need to pause for breaths (or they could talk unceasingly). I personally feel this is one of the advantages of putting their gills on their torsos, since it lets them sing indefinitely with their heads out of the water.

*EDIT: Doesn't Breathe (Gills -50%; Affects Others (Kissing -50%) +25%) [15], instead of Doesn't Breathe (Gills -50%) [10]. Kissing is based on Blood Agent -40%, but Blood Agent allows a lot more types of contact (such as biting, or as GURPS Powers tactfully put it "more intimate contact"), so I felt a further -10% was warranted.

[WingedKagouti]

Originally Posted by Dalin

With or without musical ability on the template, the idea of a merbard is appealing. I was musing last night over whether there are any musical instruments that can function in both air and water. Singing could work, and might sound closer to a whale song than an aria. Percussion?

Obvious answer: magic. Which I’ll probably go with, but I’m curious...

A quick google search gave me this discussion:
https://worldbuilding.stackexchange....lop-underwater

The TL;DR is "Instruments simply can't work the same way underwater as they do in air due to the density of the medium" and "Music itself will be treated differently due to the medium in which the sounds travel".