What would you want in a Mer Role-Playing Game?

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This board is intended for all of you to suggest ideas for what would appeal to you in a mer role-playing game. Role playing games are group make-believe sessions that enable several people to construct a world and adventures and characters. The purpose of the game isn't to win, but to have fun. Unlike childhood roleplaying games (which had a tendency to devolve into "I do this" and "No, you can't do that!" "Oh yeah?" "YEAH!") role playing games (RPGs) tend to have rules to determine what a character can and can't do, how luck and chance work in a given situation, etc). Those rules vary from very loose ("Whatever makes the story cool") to the very intricate with scores for personal abilities, skills, spells, powers, species, chance, equipment, environmental situations, health, healing, death, supernatural energy, currencies, languages, calendars, atlases, cultural discussions, and personal growth. Sometimes RPGs are played on message boards, via chat sessions, in person (unlikely for our situation), or over group conference calls and the like. Clearly, given the reputation RPGs have, the same level of complexity (or lack thereof) is not for everyone, and I can vouch that it can be difficult to find even a small group of friends able to get together in the same time for a game, though meeting online instead of in person adds greater flexibility. However, with as many disparate people as we have in the mernetwork, I think it is more than possible to have a semiregular game to play for those who are interested.

After my attempt at a message board rpg (Aegir's Cove, available here http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?1101-The-Merfolk-of-Aegir-s-Cove-%28the-RPG%29) flopped with no one joining, and courtneymermaid's Underwater Tales (http://underwatertales.proboards.com/) collapsed due to confusion back in December, and Raina's efforts have been lost in the sea of the data that is the internet, some discussion was raised on the Mer RPGs thread (which was primarily posted to discuss existing role playing games with the capability for or focus on mermaid or merman-esque characters) about making a new game... but how to make it, that was the question.

What would draw you to an RPG about merfolk?

Specific species of merfolk (yes, I'm talking to you "Orca School" mers)? Exploration of the ocean depths? Environmentalist adventures (fighting pollution monsters, uncovering crimes by big anti-eco businesses, rescuing stranded sealife from oil spills, etc)? Shapeshifting to humans or being mers full time? Wild and mysterious sea creatures, or threats from humanity? Conflict among different factions of merfolk (the disney-esque versus the wildly exotic, etc)? Different game systems (Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, World of Darkness, Scion: Hero, Exalted, True20, Mutants & Masterminds, FATE, something of our own creation, etc)? Adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, Romance, Noir, etc? Few rules, many rules, moderate rules? Chat rooms, message boards, webcam sessions, etc? What would draw you to the game, and what would you most want to contribute or be a part of? The more people who contribute their ideas here, the more we can discuss them and sculpt an ideal game, which everyone can feel a part of, and see which are the most popular.

[merpirate]

OH I like this, I think the first thing you would have to do is find as many stories about mers as you could or merlike creatures (Selkies and the like) much like white wolf did with Vampire when it came out. but as for playing it I would like to see several different types or sub races of mers.

[Alveric]

I favor full-time Mers and Pathfinder rules. Other than that=all of the above sounds good.

Alveric

[merpirate]

What would the conflict be though, why would you play, now that's the question

[Mermaid Sirena]

WHITE WOLF'S WORLD OF DARKNESS HECK YEAH!

Webcam

Dark and Alluring

Pirates?

Part time?

Part time mers during the 16 century during the reign of pirates and the East Trading Company? Perhaps we could be trying to negotiate treaties or we are spies for the mortals we deem worthy? Or maybe we war amongst ourselves in a battle to destroy these humans who sail our seas or save these brave souls?

I would like to be able to play a version I read once in a myth where mermaids are the souls of women drowned at sea who have been trapped or blessed (depending on your opinion) to wander the oceans for eternity. How they died could also determine what side of the war they are on and mermen could be their lovers who they drowned either on purpose or by accident.

[Alveric]

Conflict would be up to what the game master wants to put together.

Alveric

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Ooh, thanks for pointing some of these out, Mermaid Sirena! I had forgotten about the possibility of time periods. We definitely could work something out that was modern, the Age of Sail (and Pirates), the Dawn of Civilization (the sinking of Atlantis, or Ancient Greece), Mermaids in the time of the legendary Invasions of Ireland or ambassadors of the Lady of the Lake at Camelot, Ningyo and the children of the Ryujin the sea dragon king in feudal Japan, medieval or Renaissance Merfolk, Sirens and Nereids in the age of the Roman Empire, Victorian Era mermaids working to try and prevent WWI and the machinations of the Seelie and Unseelie Fairy court, and plenty of other settings might be worth exploring, as well as stories that take place in the far (perhaps post-apocalyptic) future might work as well.

Also, another question might be: would you want to play your mersona, or would you want to make a new character for the game?

And yes, conflict can really come to depend on the characters as much as (if not more than) the setting.

[Mermaid Sirena]

I would do my mersona most likely as I don't think I'll get to accurately portray her but once a year at best.

[Mermaid Jewel]

i think it'd be cool to be able to do either your persona or a new one! And I like the idea of subgroups, most successful RPG games have that. Other than that, the wild possibilities seem awesome. Maybe have like different regions or worlds for each time period?

[Princess Kae-Leah]

I would love to see an MMOG similar to Disney's Pixie Hollow, but with a mermaid theme. Y'know swimming around, socializing with other mers, decorating your coral reef or cavern home with undersea treasures, playing mer-themed mini-games, dressing up your mer-avatar in mer-fashion, I think it would be really fun and addictive!

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

@merpirate: Vampire: The Masquerade had some brilliant ideas, especially when it came to distinguishing vampires according to style, culture, and abilities. Choosing several different types and sub-races of mers does ask a couple questions, though, including: "are the types factions and chosen by the characters, such as liberal/conservative, camarilla/sabbat/anarchs, religions, or occupations; or are they genetic/physical/chosen at birth/transformation into a mer, such as the different clans/bloodlines in vampire, traditional fantasy races, and the like; or both together (i.e. one chosen type and one "birth/genetic/family" type)?" and "would the types be distinguished by culture, species of fish, color of scales, homeland/homewaters, mythical progenitors, abilities, and/or physical features?" and "would these types grant powers and abilities such as All Sirens can enchant people with song, All Melusine have flying-fish "wings" and can fly, All Tritons can control weather, All Nereids can turn themselves into water, All Ningyo can live forever, All Pahari can turn into humans or fish or mer forms, etc?" and "What do the different types think of each other (White Wolf's games are especially good at including this detail for its players, providing detailed descriptions in character voices of what each type thinks of the other types... sometimes admiration, sometimes confusion, sometimes mischief or revulsion or detestation)" and "Does the type influence the personality or beliefs of the character, like the Gangrel are partly feral, the Toreador are enamored with art, the Followers of Set claim to be descended from the Egyptian god rather than Caine, or would mers descended from Selkie/Scottish/Irish myth try to avoid humans for fear of being captured as brides/husbands, would Rusalka like to drown humans while the Blue Men of the Minch like to sink ships, would Japanese mermaids be allies with the Dragon King who ruled the sea, and would Arabian Mermaids like Julnar Sea-Born and her son, Badr Basim enjoy the company of humans, Would Hawaiian mers have shark jaw birthmarks on their backs in honor of their father, etc?" and "Would the types have a weakness, flaw, downside, or disadvantage to make up for any abilities they gain, such as selkies requiring their skin, Melusine needing one day a week to bathe in her natural form, Glaucus attracting romantic attentions from everyone around them, Ningyo being hunted in order to be cooked and eaten, etc." Finding stories about mers and merlike creatures isn't a problem for me... I have a lot of resources in that regard, and I'm happy to share, and I know there's several other people with an interest in mer mythology and fantasy on here who would no doubt be happy to share their knowledge and delve into their interests to uncover many kinds of merfolk.

As for conflict, such things could include environmental threats or accidents (such as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico), wars among the merfolk, wars with other non-mer denizens of the sea (such as the vicious Sahuagin of Dungeons & Dragons), disease infecting the mer population, young mers leaving the seas to find love and jobs and the like on land, humans warring with merfolk (or merfolk warring with humans), defense of important natural or magical features like the great barrier reef or Mako Island, search for greater magical reservoirs to sustain mers in an age of disbelief, missions from mer gods such as Neptune or La Sirene or Ryujin or Aegir & Ran, recovering treasures from (haunted) shipwrecks or lost Atlantis/Ys/Lyonnesse, uncovering the origins of merfolk (are they descended from Atlanteans, Sea Gods, evolved from humans or fish, aliens from a watery world or beings from another dimension, transformed/reincarnated humans who always longed for the sea, descendants of shapeshifting Sea Dragons, created as the chosen people of a sea god, etc?), fighting maritime crime/piracy, rescuing human victims of storms and shipwrecks that the coast guard can't reach, traveling through time to different ports in different time periods, mediating between humans and nature/sealife, preventing a sea god from destroying humanity with hurricanes and tsunamis, searching for other mythical creatures (fairies, centaurs, satyrs, etc) perhaps to combat the darker "gothic" monsters common in modern paranormal stories (vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, demons, etc), preparing humanity for the eventual receding coastline caused by global warming and the melting of the polar ice caps, studying humanity in secret (perhaps to learn how to get immortal souls), and many, many more possibilities. As for "why would you play", that's trickier... what would interest you enough to play, and what plot elements or character features or backstories might draw you and your character into an adventure (and what wouldn't... if character romance or tragedy is uncomfortable for you, monsters and gods stretch your suspension of disbelief, or sci-fi explanations for merfolk don't appeal, then clearly those features are to be avoided or tailored to make them more intriguing... and that's a big part of the reason for this thread.

@Alveric Full-time mers are a popular choice (and I agree the "mers turning human except when they are splashed by water" idea is overdone and not very well thought out, plus it subtracts from the time spent as mers, which is the point of the game). Pathfinder does offer a number of interesting options, including a number of watery class features (clerics, sorcerers, wizards, druids, oracles, summoners, bards, barbarians, monks, rangers, and witches have, to my memory, some options for watery origins and themes, and even rogues, cavaliers, magi, paladins, fighters, gunslingers, samurai, and alchemists might all make interesting mer characters... though the idea of mer-ninjas seems a bit forced, somehow). Have you read the Cerulean Seas: Undersea Campaign Setting for Pathfinder by Alluria Publishing? It features crabfolk, frogfolk, crocodilefolk, fishfolk, sea elves, seaweed naiads, deep nixies, and selkies in addition to at least four kinds of merfolk (the kai-lio, which are ichthyocentaurs, part human, part hippocamp; the tropical, lionfish-esque cindarians, the Nommos (who, like the fishfolk mentioned above, have fish-like faces and scales on their entire bodies, but also have an eel-like tail and a humanoid torso and clawed, webbed hands at the end of humanoid arms; and seafolk, who are classic merfolk, with tails and scales that end at their waist) as well as several mixed species (seafolk and the kai-lio produce seafolk with prehensile seahorse tails for inexplicable reasons, and there are various mixes of seafolk with sea elves, crabfolk, frogfolk, nommo, and many more as well).

@Mermaid Sirena: The old world of darkness (which seems to be making a comeback) has rules for merfolk in the Blood-Dimmed Tides book, as well as some suggestions for non-changeling versions in the Bygone Bestiary, not to mention the Rokea weresharks of Werewolf: The Apocalypse (and possibly fish versions of Pooka of mainstream Changeling: The Dreaming, especially in the Pooka Kithbook). The new world of darkness does have potential merfolk options in Vampire: The Requiem (vampires who use their ability to not breathe, have lairs in underwater grottos, worship a sea goddess, and drown their victims), The Changing Breeds (people who can turn into animals and were-animals of many different species thanks to a primal connection with nature), and Changeling: The Lost (people who were stolen away by living Dream and Nightmare "gods" posing as fairy or mer beings from myth and legend, who kept the former humans as their pets/slaves/decorations/lovers/toys/experiments, slowly transforming the person to fit their own portion of the maddening faerie dream/nightmare realm, becoming just as magical and inhuman as their former masters, but still possessed of a human spirit and drive to return home, where their forms appear human to everyone but themselves, with Beasts, Elementals, Ogres and possibly Fairest as options for mer characters). I really like your ideas for story plots, though historical settings can be tricky (particularly if certain players don't feel confident in their ability to make up believeable speech and details for the setting... getting through that one isn't going to be quizzed on this all is one of the odder parts of gamer psychology). The idea of merfolk being drowned humans could be an interesting idea... what if you drowned, but your lover, or your twin, or your child, or your mother, didn't? How would it feel to come back from the dead as something part of the natural world of the oceans, but also with a strong tie to a living human? It is rich with story ideas, and it is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping someone would come up with. The Geist: the Sin-Eaters book for new World of Darkness also features people who died and came back with a ghostly spirit embodying their manner of death inside their heads/souls, granting them a number of ghostly powers, including a selection of abilities for those who drowned and can manipulate dark and cold waters as a result (and who are distinguished by their manner of death, including violence, neglect/starvation/dehydration/exposure, being attacked/eaten by animals or victims of natural disasters, victims of disease, and victims of random chance, which could be reframed as you mentioned to determine outlooks and factions. Still, it does paint a darker image than some players might be used to (or maybe there's conflict between the more inhumanly feral/tribal "living" mers and those who rose from a watery grave and gained new life after their deaths, but retained human culture and memories). Remind me to add a link to the mersona thread on here later to get some ideas.

@MermaidJewel: Different time periods would be interesting, and different regional takes on merfolk from around the world and different time eras would certainly make for a rich game both in stories and character options, but it also might be a bit daunting for players.

@Princess Kae-Leah: There are a number of online games (check out teennick) for the H2O characters, as well as similar games for Ariel and Barbie and other Doll versions of mermaids, and graphics and game designs are probably outside our abilities, so that probably won't be what we're going for, instead focusing on character development, stories, and adventures. With a Mer Role-Playing Game, swimming around would be a given, socializing is expected because you're each playing your character working with others to promote your character's goals and avoid misfortunes, designing and decorating homes and treasures and spells/powers and appearances is certainly do-able, but often less appealing to the other players except in a purely descriptive, narrative manner; mini-games would likely appear as a side-quest or lesser mission to build the feeling that the characters have lives besides "saving the world/sea/town/humans/merfolk/artifact/sealife," mer-fashion would probably fall under character design and perhaps be influenced by your character's attitude and interests instead of a major theme of the RPG (kind of like how Rarity from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is more interested in clothes and fashion, while Twilight Sparkle prefers to read legends and study Magic, Rainbow Dash likes to practice flying and aerial manuevers, and Fluttershy likes to care for animals... and yes, I'll admit it, I'm a Brony). A character interested in fashion could still make an engaging RPG character (perhaps she tries to uncover hidden artifacts and jewelry to complete her wardrobe, or works as a sort of armorer or merchant who makes sure that her fellow characters are appropriately garbed and equipped for adventures that take them to icy northern waters, boiling vents, the dark reaches of the deep-sea trenches, and the tropical reefs).

Again, if you guys disagree with my estimations or ideas, I'm eager to hear what you think.

[malinghi]

I just added a poll for people to help everyone share their ideas on what they would like it to be like.

Personally, here are my preferences:
I prefer versions where merfolk don't transform when dry or at certain times or anything. I like full time merfolk.
I'd like it to have people that were born merfolk, and humans that have been permanently transformed that have joined their society.
I'd like it to accommodate science fiction and fantasy elements but use both sparingly to keep it grounded.
I'd like it to be very immersive and story driven, with a whole world of merfolk set underwater.
Like most depictions, merfolk keep their existence secret.
I imagine it taking place today, but I don't have a very strong preference on this.

[malinghi]

Oh, also I want to discuss how it would be played- I'd like it to be both a tabletop style role playing games with dice and a DM that people could play over group videochat occasionally, and as a forum RPG on a day to day basis.

Would it be possible to have most of the RPG unfold on a forum such as http://underwatertales.proboards.com (http://underwatertales.proboards.com/), and then have some of the people have side quests that are played live using videochat?

[malinghi]

Top

Would anyone else be interested in doing this with dice and everything via video chat? Also, I think after we get a little better idea of what this is going to be like, we can start a character creation thread where people can work on making their RPG characters and attributes.

[Mia]

Honestly, I would like a variety in merfolk as far as tone. I know some people for whom the light, innocent mermaid who wants nothing more than peace is the perfect character, while for others it would run more akin to the monstrous mermaids who sunk ships and killed sailors. I personally would like a POTC mermaid slant. I am all for the option of having both full and part time mermaids, and I love the idea of a video chat with the dice. Tabletop is another preference, only because it's something familliar; I used to play D&D and I made the minis for the entire campaign, not including the opponents. As a side note, I'm a pegasister. *brohoof*

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

@Malinghi: Thanks! I wasn't sure what options to include in a poll, so I didn't make one originally. Full-time merfolk do have more of a mythical feeling to them, and it keeps the focus on merfolk instead of "humans who can survive underwater if they want." A "science fiction element" could be as simple as evolution or genes, or devices (perhaps tridents or conch shells or mirrors or combs or sealskins) that combine magic with technology.

Group videochat sounds like a lot of fun, but I'm not sure which chat programs allow it, and we might need to see if mac and windows computers can use webcams for whichever method we choose, since some programs break down when chat for one or the other is attempted. Dice (or cards, depending on the method... regularly playing cards or tarot cards can be employed in some games to represent chance) are certainly do-able, but there are also programs out there that simulate dice rolling for gamers. I'm sure it would be possible to mix both live and message board rpg sessions as you describe, using a website and videochat, which would appeal to those who can write well and those who feel more comfortable speaking, alike. A character creation thread sounds like a lot of fun, too.

We'll also need to think about if there's going to be a main Narrator/Game Master/Storyteller, or if the role will be shared, either among several people at once (one person comes up with the physical threats, while another decides the social conflicts and a third plots mysteries, for instance, with each of them acting out different NPCs - Non-Player Characters) or shuffling through a number of different people (one narrator for one story arc, then another for the next, etc). Narrators aren't that important on message board rpgs, but they do speed things up on videochats.

@Mia, I have some experience with miniatures as well, though they might be difficult since all of us are in separate locations instead of meeting together at one table. And Mia, *brohoof* right back at you :)

[malinghi]

Group videochat sounds like a lot of fun, but I'm not sure which chat programs allow it, and we might need to see if mac and windows computers can use webcams for whichever method we choose, since some programs break down when chat for one or the other is attempted.

We'll also need to think about if there's going to be a main Narrator/Game Master/Storyteller, or if the role will be shared, either among several people at once (one person comes up with the physical threats, while another decides the social conflicts and a third plots mysteries, for instance, with each of them acting out different NPCs - Non-Player Characters) or shuffling through a number of different people (one narrator for one story arc, then another for the next, etc).


I think google+ hangouts should be able to handle it. In my experience its surprisingly un-buggy. And I've definitely chatted from my PC with people who have Macs. I haven't tried their videochat with more than two people, but google says it works with up to ten.
(click here for info on system requirements) (http://support.google.com/plus/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1216376&topic=1651552&ctx=topic)

As for the game master, I was hoping to have one for the videochats. All those ideas for how to pick one or how to share sound good. I think people who are interested in doing some of that should let everyone know. Personally, I'd be willing to be involved with one of those roles, but I think there are lots of people who would probably be qualified.

Also, the tarot cards sound like a really cool randomness generator for a fantasy RPG. Did you hear of that somewhere or did you come up with that just now?


Oh, also, lets keep brainstorming about the content. We can start discussing different species for the RPG.
1. For starters, I think there will be a kind of merfolk that is very traditional and does the whole sinking ships thing.
2. I also imagine there might be a more peaceful group that is more similar to TLM style, for people that want something less dark.
3. Also the world would feature humans, whether anyone chose to be one or not.
4. And I was thinking there might be a group of humans that have developed some kind of technology that lets them become mers, either permenantly or otherwise.

[Mermaid Sirena]

Oh my goodness so much text, my two cents.
Video chat = yes
GM = yes
Dice = yes
+ I would really enjoy the world of darkness system if not the world or game (I just find it's easier to understand for everyone involved. Also thank you J&R for the info I shall be sharing it with the current GM of my game ^_^

[Princess Kae-Leah]

An idea I have is for there to be a group of vegetarian mers, who TLM-style, can talk to fish and view other sea creatures as more or less equals, and there to be a group of carnivorous warrior/hunter-type merfolk, and the two groups may not for obvious reasons always get along. The former group would take issues with humans for killing and eating fish, like King Triton did, and the latter group may be more inclined to eat humans, POTC-style, as well as fish and other sealife.

[Mermaid Sirena]

Sounds like no matter what happens odds are humans will get very little love ^_^

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

@Malinghi: I know of at least two RPGs, The Everlasting (modern paranormal game about various immortal/undead/extremely-long-lived/reincarnating beings (including fairies, elves, dragons, vampires, angels, revenants, ghuls, questing knights, demigods, gargoyles, totem spirits, nightmares, and Egyptian wizards) who live alongside humans or in extradimensional realms, such as the dream plane, the spirit world, the land of the dead, Heaven, Hell, Faerieland, etc, and how they interact with each other over the centuries of their long lives) and Fortune's Fool, a renaissance game with elves, dwarves, and goblins living openly among humans. Each of them uses the tarot deck in different ways. There are other roleplaying games (such as Castle Falkenstein or Deliria) which use playing cards to determine fate and chance as well.

Keep in mind, when we design merfolk types, they don't have to be species-based. Ethnicity and inherited traits are but one aspect of a person's character, and it should be the same with mers. Keep in mind that differences could be political, religious (which brings up the questions of God/gods/philosophies that different merfolk groups might follow), cultural, genetic, training/education, occupation, temperamental, economic, or talents/flaws. Obviously, not every one of these traits needs to be considered when creating a character (in the same way that there are plenty of people who don't care about religion or politics, are orphaned/adopted or otherwise unfamiliar with their birth heritage, etc) but some of them might help us get a better idea of what we're looking for. The new World of Darkness games usually feature a faction (some group chosen by the character because it appeals to her, with its own activities or methods distinct from other factions), and a selection of "sub-races" within the family of creatures (different bloodlines of vampires, werewolves originally transformed under different phases of the moon, mages who draw their powers from different magical realms, changelings whose fae bodies have been changed in particular ways, etc), often with another, deeper level of high achievement and greater power for one or both of the previous categories, such as specific mystic orders mages can join, or rare bloodlines for vampires, or noble titles and duties and powers for changelings. The current version of dungeons and dragons features races (human, elf, eladrin, dragonborn, dwarf, tiefling, etc) and classes (fighter, mage, druid, cleric, paladin, warlock, warlord, ranger, rogue, shaman, psion, monk, sorcerer, barbarian, etc) as well as backgrounds (such as talents granted from having a particular family type or growing up in a certain environment) and additional qualities and roles added at higher levels. Deliria features modern character roles (such as child, detective, reporter, parent, police officer, etc) and fairytale archetypes that define the character's style and personality (Beast, Godmother, Muse, Princess, Knight, Waif, etc). Fireborn (a game about ancient dragons reincarnated in the modern world, and regaining their powers and memories as magic slowly returns) features two separate characters (the "Scion" in the modern world, who has an occupation that offers skills and talents and money, and a legendary "sire" - a dragon whose life forms a philosophy for this character (scions of Quetzalcoatl are often creative, while scions of Hydra are dangerous and volatile, for instance) and the Dragon character in the ancient world, who has a "role" based on his actions or attitude towards magic, conquest, treasure, and humans... hoarder, guardian, mystic, warrior, explorer, sage, etc... as well as a "breed" based on a mix of the dragon's body type (serpentine, hulking and bestial, or the the human/avian bodies of "drakes") with the habitat and qualities of the creature (such as a chimerical dragon, exotic dragon, noble dragon, many-headed dragon, sea dragon, spirit dragon, cthonic dragon, dire dragon, fire dragon, ice dragon, forest dragon, etc).

@Princess Kae-Leah: I am somewhat loathe to make stark definitions and tribal divisions for mers based on eating preferences, sexuality, politics, or other similar divisions, preferring to leave those up to individual mers and their characters (and not promoting stereotypes such as haughty vegetarians/vegans and warlike/cannibalistic carnivores) rather than suggesting that everyone in a particular group possess such traits (though religious sects/temples are perhaps an exception to this personal rule, and ones which can be interesting to explore). Not everyone has a strong stance on the issues of vegetarianism and eating meat, and so such a division might not appeal to everyone. It could, however, be part of your character's particular backstory... maybe she was part of a meat-eating clan in a distant realm, but came to empathize with the animals her family ate, and has come seeking friends and a new family to let her pursue vegetarianism as a way of life. Also, for all we know, human characters (especially, say, pirates) might be favored roles for some of the players, and therefore while suspicion and conflict between the people of the land and the sea might prove interesting story hooks, it probably wouldn't make for appealing characters... at least, not more than one or two people with such decided conflicts with each other.

On another note, communing with sea life might not be the best way to pursue vegetarianism, as a large number of sea creatures, including dolphins, bony fish, sharks, molluscs, cephalopods, sea stars and jellyfish eat meat/fish/other creatures in some fashion. Ensuring peace and harmony in the cycle of life, however, might very well lead one to follow a vegetarian diet, so as to limit the effect of their own needs on the environment and lifeforms around them... though, again, that has a ring of religion or philosophy (like Buddhism) to it, more than cultural distinction.

@ everyone:

I think, if we go this route, we should focus on...
1. tribes/clans/families (social status, groups and backgrounds)
2. homewaters (did they grow up in the untamed wilds, a vent, kelp forest, a trench, a reef, a cosmopolitan undersea metropolis, among humans, etc)
3. species/race (i.e. what type of fish/marine-life tail? or other distinguishing genetic features of merfolk, such as fin-ears, webbed fingers, dorsal fins, camouflage, venom, electric shocks, wing fins, tentacles, etc)
4. religions/gods (maybe construct a pantheon to encompass different beliefs about the sea, including atheism/agnosticism)
5. occupations/classes (what the mer learns to do with his life/skills/training, perhaps with some extra examples of focus and talents (a magic-using mermaid, for instance, could be a shipwreck necromancer or a pearl oracle or an water elementalist or a reef druid).

On the other hand, in order to keep characters as characters, we might want to focus more on their story. The Dresden Files rpg features this character-building series of questions:
What is your character's High Concept, a brief (generally 2-4 words) summary of what your character is and does, such as "Wizard Private Eye"
What is your character's Trouble, the thing in her life that causes her to struggle the most, such as "Can't say No" or "Stalked by Mermaid Hunters"
What is your character's Background, their parents and family, and how does it affect them today, such as "I always carry my mother's necklace" or "Heir to the throne of the Mediterranean Sea"?
What is your Rising Conflict, the part of your life where things start turning out unusual, such as "You killed my father, prepare to die!" or "My true love was taken by sirens and I want him back" or "I'm turning into a mermaid"?
What was your first adventure, such as "Rescued a prince who fell overboard in a storm" or "Fell in Love with Odysseus as he sailed past and heard my song, and vowed to leave my sisters to find him"?
Whose path have you crossed?
Who else's path have you crossed? (these last two are very good for giving your character history with the other players, especially if you work together to come up with interesting stories about how you met on adventures and helped/hindered each other).

In the Dresden Files RPG, the different questions (usually the high concept) must reveal what kind of character template (wizard, werewolf, white court vampire, changeling, pure mortal, etc) the character is, but actual abilities and powers and talents and skills are "paid for" from a pool of 9 points per character (at the most magical game settings, at least... less overtly magical settings provide fewer points), with more powerful abilities costing more points, and additional points gained through experience, but I thought it would be helpful to show you guys some more story-focused means of character creation as well.

[Princess Kae-Leah]

I already have a story and persona for my mer-self(posted on my mer-page and the "mermaid personas" thread), but I'm not sure how she would fit in an RPG context. I'll re-post it here, and you can tell me how you think she would work in the RPG:
Princess Kae-Leah is a gentle, compassionate, sensitive, and loving mermaid princess with a shimmery and shiny purple fishtail from the cool waters of the North Pacific Ocean. She is friends with each and every creature under the sea, and she subsists on a vegetarian diet made up of seaweed and kelp. The fact that leg-walkers are constantly killing her friends and stealing their food makes her very upset indeed, and she dreams of the day when humankind would stop treating her ocean home as a food bank and a sewer. She has a large collection of beautiful pearl necklaces and headdresses made for her by her oyster friends, but she is most commonly sighted wearing a floral lei given to her by the Prince of the South Pacific which matches her tail over a simple pink or lavender bra top.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Keep in mind that a role-playing game implies a few things, including 1. that this is a game you play with other people instead of a personal or computerized group of allies and opponents, and 2. that you play a ROLE within the game and have some strengths and qualities that you are very good at (whether those are physical, social, technical, magical, mental, larcenous, political, natural, spiritual, genetic, athletic, martial, inventive or creative strengths). This means that you're only one of the main characters, not THE main character, and that others have other strengths that can be used to ensure that the group's goals (saving the day, rescuing the prince, getting the lost artifact, uncovering a mystery, stopping a source of pollution, confronting sea monsters, or simply surviving) are met by working together, which might make mersonas as-is slightly unwieldy as rpg characters (since you as a performing mermaid are trying to keep the spotlight on yourself).

Being a princess implies political and leadership skills, plus duties to a kingdom of sorts, and being either part of a royal family or married to a royal. Being sensitive implies some very good social skills. Being friends with each and every creature of the sea sounds about as implausible as being friends with everyone one passes on the street. Also, does that really include every creature of the sea (sharks, anglerfish, barracuda, giant squid, etc... and how does one befriend a sea urchin... they're not very cuddly)? You might instead decide that you have a powerful empathy with marine life, one that lets you commune with them and perhaps have an animal companion (similar to traditional character classes such as paladin, druid, ranger, or shaman... maybe a hermit of some sort?). The vegetarian diet is fine (though it probably isn't likely to come up in an adventure). Leg-walkers are not constantly killing her friends (even creatures of the sea have good experiences with human sailors, fishermen who return fish to the sea to grow, explorers, divers, marine biologists, surfers, and environmentalists), thought it is hard to argue with the food bank and sewer analogy. You might also need some sort of plant or floral powers to explain why the lei hasn't wilted since the Prince of the South Pacific gave it to her, and you'd probably need some more useful equipment as well, though your clothes and jewelry are a nice touch.

[Princess Kae-Leah]

I think the thing is that my mersona is very Disney-esque, not really thought out with realism in mind. My mersona lives in an underwater world comparably to Disney's TLM or Finding Nemo, where the sea animals are pretty anthromorphosized, although the food chain still exists to some extent, as a natural and necessary part of the ocean ecosystem. I say she's friends with each and every creature of the sea, because my goal as a mermaid is to promote empathy toward marine life, even those who are NOT "cuddly", like sharks, but are very important to the health of the ecosystem. The whole "friends with every sea creature" thing is kind of a Disney Princess kinda thing(remember when Giselle from Enchanted befriended even decidedly uncuddly creatures like rats and cockroaches). I'm a BIG Disney fan, and I'd like to entertain and work with children as my mersona, so of course it's inspired by the type of cartoon underwater universe they are familiar with from films like TLM and Nemo, and NOT gritty reality, but, like you said, perhaps she isn't the best for a serious, adult-oriented RPG, because of that.
Actually if a mermaid is friends with lots of sea creatures, humans *would* constantly be killing their animal friends(although yes, I don't mean to imply that *all* humans are doing the killing), as overfishing is way out of hand. Nets don't discriminate. Did you know that by some estimates only 15% of what shrimp trawlers catch is shrimp, the rest is bycatch, and that 90% of large predatory fish are gone from the oceans? Many, many marine mammals, sharks, turtles, rays, sea birds, and other animals are killed every year by drift nets, long lines, and bottom trawlers.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

@Princess Kae-Leah: It's not that she isn't the best, Princess, it's just that we're trying to do worldbuilding for the game here (character building should come later) and I'm sharing with you some of the ideas to think about in order to convert your character into something that would fit in to the game. It's not even about "gritty reality," but about filling in the character so that she's more three-dimensional (kids are forgiving audiences, and ones not concerned with details, but details are useful when making a character), and disney can give you a number of ideas that you can make flourish.

Think about it: Giselle, Ariel, Tiana, Rapunzel, Belle, and Jasmine all change over the course of their adventures. Giselle goes from somewhat awkward girl crushing on someone she just met, certain that she know's what's best for people, to a repeated monster-slayer, a good mother figure, a businesswoman, and an inspiration to those around her. Ariel grows from a stubborn girl, frustrating Sebastian and infuriating her father by blowing both of them off to put herself in harm's way, and making dangerous bargains with Ursula for part of what makes her special, to saving Eric from Ursula's trident blast and killing Flotsam and Jetsam in one move and finally convincing her father of her true feelings not through foolish and risky behavior, but through giving Eric time to prove himself a hero and worthy of her in her father's eyes. Tiana goes from all work and no play, unable to stand frogs (and their mucus), to seeing the value of friends and love, and setting aside temptation to save the day. Rapunzel uncovers her hidden memories, grows a will to resist Mother Goethel's emotional bullying, saves Flynn's life with her tear, learns to defend herself (with frying pans and hair lasso), accomplishes her dream, and reunites with her family. Belle stops talking about being different from the townsfolk, tries to convince them of the Beast's good nature, opposes Gaston, breaks free of imprisonment (with Chip's assistance), returns to the castle, and admits her feelings for the Beast. Jasmine spends her time in the start of the movie terrorizing people with Rajah, angering her father, and sneaking out of the palace, before experiencing tragedy (the presumed death of Aladdin when his "sentence was already carried out"), wonder (the magic carpet ride), and tricks Jafar with her seduction act. All of them change over time. All of them have hidden depths, a drive to act when the time is right, courage and defiance and cleverness and perception. All of them have flaws (Jasmine isn't very social, Ariel can't talk and believes Scuttle about the uses of human inventions, Giselle takes awhile to understand the modern world, Tiana is blinded by her own worldview, Belle has trouble understanding people, and Rapunzel is painfully sheltered) and all of them have gifts (Ariel's voice and marine grace, Tiana's drive and willpower, Jasmine's cleverness and ferocity, Giselle's animal communication and luck, Belle's scholarly skills, Rapunzel's people skills and healing hair, etc). On the other hand, some aspects of their characters are a bit passe'... such as needing to be rescued, sacrificing themselves for a boy, being stuck in a tower for their entire lives, etc.

What you need to do is figure out what your character's strengths are, where she maybe needs help from her friends (whether animal or mer or human), why she acts the way she does, and what her beliefs are, and what she can contribute to the group. Maybe you can convert your mersona into a character, or maybe you'd be more interested in starting from scratch with an unrelated character (this isn't a failure on your part or the part of your mersona... think about it: why be one mermaid when you can be two of them, one in person to entertain your audience, and one in the game to have fun and go on adventures with the other mers here?)

@Everyone: Should we have a character class system? Should we just let them have jobs (even if they are mer-related jobs, such as dugong shepherd, dolphin wrangler, coral architect, pearl jeweler, shipwreck salvager, concert singer, etc)? Should they have both? Basically, character classes are legendary occupations that make one skilled at certain forms of challenges and combat. With them, mers become more legendary figures. Without them, mers become more "just plain folks". There are advantages to each style.

Traditional character classes include the following
Warrior/Fighter - A master of weapons and armor of all sorts
Priest/Cleric - A mystic who calls on holy power of one or more gods, often to heal or protect allies.
Mage/Wizard - A master of magic, who studies for long hours and many years to learn the secrets of reality and change it. They have a wide variety of flexibility and versatility in their powers, but need to study in order to use it.
Rogue - A thief, assassin, or other person who operates outside the laws, or who uses stealth, trickery, and other skills rather than brute force or supernatural power.
Druid - A mystic of nature, an animal shapeshifter, with animal allies, who can also call on the forces of nature itself in combat.
Ranger - A hunter, archer, swordsman, and survivalist, who focuses on slaying particular monsters or creatures, and who allies himself with animals.
Paladin - A holy warrior, blessed with miraculous powers like a priest, but with the armor and strength of a warrior.
Dark Knight - An unholy warrior, either cursed or claiming powers from demons or the undead, the opposite of a Paladin.
Warlock/Witch - A spellcaster who draws magic from outside sources, such as spirits, demons, certain gods, fey entities, aliens, etc, in exchange for service to that being. Depending on the being, Warlocks/Witches can have powers that differ wildly from one another's.
Sorcerer - A spellcaster whose magic, though more limited than that of a mage or warlock, draws power from herself, often from her own spirit or an inhuman bloodline (dragon or elemental ancestors are common) and her own will, manifesting as "superpowers" and abilities more than incantations.
Barbarian - A tribal warrior and champion, who is strong but avoids wearing armor, instead relying on survival skills, strength and berserk rage to keep them alive as they follow their people's traditions.
Warlord - A general or leader who guides others, enhances their own strategies with plans and allies and followers.
Bard - A creative, often musical figure, usually combining the skills of rogues with some magical spells that gain their powers from the Bard's song, instrument-playing, dance, storytelling, or other creative actions. These spells often have more effect on people and creatures than the environment around the bard, and include mental and emotional changes, supporting allies and weakening enemies.
Shaman - Able to see and speak with the spirits of the natural world, Shamans are mediators between the spirits and their tribes. Many have healing powers and psychic abilities and natural forces at their command, but must rely on spirits to carry out their will.
Psion - A "spellcaster" whose "spells" are actually the power and science of an extremely advanced mind exerting his or her will on the objects and people around the Psion. Manifests effects from emotional and mental changes, to hidden knowledge, to telekinetic and elemental powers.
Monk - A martial artist, who spent time in a monastery or shrine, mastering and exceeding the limits of their bodies, and channeling their life energy, ki, chi, or whatever you choose to call it, to manifest amazing feats of martial arts.
Specialist Wizard - A Mage who, instead of learning all kinds of spells, studies only a specific one (illusions, necromancy, water spells, etc).
Summoner - A spellcaster who specializes in summoning monsters and spirits and other beings to aid them.
Merchant - Part Rogue, Part Ranger, Merchants travel a great deal, seeking always to find new markets and make new profits. They need to be able to defend themselves on the road, and they need to be clever and resourceful in cities.
Noble - A leader of the people, either inherited or raised to that position through their deeds. They often have a wide variety of social skills, mixed with some combat and artistic abilities (dance, sculpture, painting, singing, writing, etc)
Oracle - A mystic who is devoted to exploring a mystery force, such as the sea, the sun, death, etc. Exploring this mystery grants them insight and a connection to that force, and enables them to serve as mouthpieces of the gods related to that ideal. Like Sorcerers, Oracles often end up being born with their roles, as they are chosen by the gods.
Cavalier - A mounted warrior who devotes himself to a cause, such as a lord, a temple, a city, knowledge, a code, the common people, a group of friends and allies, their own aggrandizement, etc.
Alchemist - A chemist who utilizes potions, oils, powders and other chemicals to change themselves and others.
Artificer - A creator of devices, artifacts, and even robotic creations.
Inquisitor - A defender of a religion who seeks out enemies of that temple, resists and dispels magic and corruption, and using cleverness and trickery when necessary, in search of greater justice.
Spellblade - A warrior who is equally skilled with magic, and channels spells through weapons.

Other options include Ninja, Samurai, Gunslinger, Corsair/Pirate, Mariner, and more specific classes for a particular setting.

Many games do not have classes, aside from broad strokes (Exalted, for instance, divides its blessed champions according to the particular blessing they've gained, and what skills they are good at; the World of Darkness relies on skills to indicate what occupation a character has; Deliria tries to focus on essential legend of the character and what traditional fairy tale role they fill; Mutants & Masterminds focuses on constructing an individual character through powers and skills and abilities).

[Mia]

Honestly I love classes. They make things so much easier to explain than saying "here's what all I can do", most characters eventually fall into one of the classes more than the others, and for people just getting into gaming they are good guidelines. Plus, for those who don't really fill a party role, it can help define the character as used in the game.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Good point, Mia. I wonder though... maybe classes should be optional... they grant benefits, but also limit the character, and they take a great deal of practice and devotion... maybe having a class sets one apart as a master (even if they're fairly young) while everyone else can be more open and generalize, developing their talents free-form?

[Taniwha]

Could use guilds instead of classes - so you can belong to a guild and gain experience etc towards that attribute/occupation, then change to another one etc. Works quite well in a lot of RPGs :) I like the class/guild/characteristics kind of structure, but then I'm a happy text based RPG playing geek!

[Alveric]

Most RPG's using traditional classes allow leveling up as a different class or other cross-class development.

Alveric

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

@Alveric: True, but those that don't use classes use experience points to improve or gain abilities bit by bit, instead of relying on a leveling structure to determine ability and strength.

@Taniwha: That is an interesting idea... maybe a guild, an order, or a school of some sort might provide different memberships and abilities as a possibility.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Religion and Politices: the two big conversations. How what aspects of each should mers have?

Being a mythology fan, I favor the idea of a pantheon of mer gods, but I can also see Buddhist Mers, Daoist Mers, Christian Mers (especially after the story of the mermaid and the priest that I mentioned on the other thread), Voodoo Mers, and more Native American spirit-revering Mers. Gods could be represented by different kinds of sea life (maybe, in a variant of Egyptian gods, they appear as mers with seahorse, orca, dolphin, shark, angelfish, anglerfish, octopus, and crab heads), or different parts of the ocean (the Arctic God, the Wave God, the Trench God, the Vent God, the Reef God, the Tempest God, the Doldrum God, the Tide God, the Monsoon God, the Tsunami God, the Current God, etc) or some emotional/ideological theme related to mers/the sea (Dreams, Love, Death, Life, Beauty, Magic, Mischief, Darkness, Fortune, War, Fear, etc) or some mix of them all (the God of the Waves and Mischief is also the god of Dolphins, the Angelfish goddess is also the goddess of Beauty and Reefs, etc). Or maybe the gods should be like saints or Buddhas or various Pharaohs or Roman Emperors, enlightened mer-figures who achieved so much and lived life according to their principles that they were apotheosised into gods? Or perhaps a mix, where maybe the gods representing different natural elements should have always been gods, but more human concepts arose to godhood? In my Aegir's Cove rpg, I have the elements according to their relation with the mers (Sea, Land, Sky, Sun, and Moon) as remote and powerful gods, while the children of the Sea god each represent a different kind of marine life (air-breathing marine mammals/reptiles/birds/amphibians, crustaceans/urchins/shellfish, jellyfish/nudibranchs/cephalopods, hunting sharks/skates/rays/barracuda/anglerfish/deep-sea fish, and often-tropical bony fish, respectively) and are more personal and approachable (every mer is chosen by one of the Children of the Sea in a rite of passage that makes them full members of society, depending on the creature they derive their tails from).

I know that mermaid princesses and princes and sea kings (and, I suppose, Sea Queens) are popular images in mer-lore, but I'm reticent to have a totalitarian monarch, and I don't think every character should be a member of the royal family. I think we probably should have different city-states for various mers, in order to allow for some form of constitutional monarchy, perhaps a theocracy (like the Vatican or Tibet), nomadic/barbarian mers ruled by various chieftains, maybe a university city (possibly a magocracy), a high council, an enemy totalitarian monarchy, etc. We might also have to come up with different cities... possibly Ancient Greek architecture, High-tech (maybe Atlantean), drifting cities carved from the undersides of icebergs, cities built from shipwrecks, or sunken human ruins, or carved from giant pearls, or constructed with shells or coral, or woven together in the Sargasso Sea, or built out of the bones of leviathans, or vent cities with tube-worm gardens, a realm in the far East with Japanese or Chinese or Malaysian architecture, an Arabian City with a lively bazaar and great onion towers, etc.

Should we use actual names of sunken realms? Guinee, Ville Au Camp, Lyonnesse, Ys, Atlantis, Lemuria, Mu, Tir fo Thuinn, Mag Mell, etc? Or shall we make up new ones?

[Alveric]

A population as thin and scattered as Mers would probably not have a powerful central government. Nomadic tribes or pods would be most likely.

Some times I think we're overthinking this. A game-master, a simple set of rules and a means of communicating together is what we need most. I'm willing to let the GM make up the religion and politics bits. :)

I like the idea of it being based on a pre-existing mythos, either fictional or legendary with the GM free to deal with the details.

Alveric

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

A population as thin and scattered as Mers would probably not have a powerful central government. Nomadic tribes or pods would be most likely.

Some times I think we're overthinking this. A game-master, a simple set of rules and a means of communicating together is what we need most. I'm willing to let the GM make up the religion and politics bits. :)

I like the idea of it being based on a pre-existing mythos, either fictional or legendary with the GM free to deal with the details.

Alveric

That begs the question of whether mers are actually a thin and scattered population... especially given the fact that the oceans cover more of Earth than land does, and there are depths and regions which even our technology can't reliable explore.

We probably ARE overthinking things, I agree, but a cooperatively-constructed game universe does have some benefits over a game designed by a single GM.

I am curious... for the four people who voted about the specific time period, what time periods would you want?

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Here are some ideas for organizations, complete with their full titles, nicknames (often mocking ones) from the rest of mer society, and a description. We can take and leave all of them, but I figured they were a good starting point.

The Figurehead Consorts – “Barnacles” - Surface-level mers who accompany (and act like) ships and seafarers, acting as part of the crew, whether naval, mercantile, or pirate. They get their nickname because other mers claim they latch onto the “scurvy sea dogs” like Barnacles in search of high adventure.


The Serene Cloister – “Hermit Crabs” - Deep-dwelling empaths who promote harmony between all creatures of the sea, but who are able to fight using a sort of martial arts that stimulate pain receptors, incapacitating without doing permanent harm. They get their nickname because of their habit of leading reclusive, peaceful lives, as well as their impregnable defenses and martial arts, much like being armed with claws and carrying a shell everywhere.

The Nautilus – “Shellshockers” - Sorcerers who explore the mysteries of innate magic, using the spiral of the nautilus as their analogy for the discovery and masteries of their own abilities.

The Furstriders – “Sea Liars” - Merfolk who master the painful art of shifting from human to mer form, often due to a mixed heritage or love of a human. They use a focus, such as a skin, hat, girdle, or shoes to enable their powers, but if that focus is lost, they are stranded in their current form. Their mer forms do not have to be seal-like, though. Their nickname is a play on “sea lions,” and the idea that a mer who believes (s)he can be or live among humans is deluding themselves.

The Order of the Seahorse – “Sea Dragons” - A noble order of knights, paladins, priests, and warrior-mystics who argue that just as male seahorses carry the young and grip on to the most fragile strands of seaweed, so too must this order defend the innocent and gentle and hold fast to their codes of honor and justice. Their nickname is a play on the traditional image of knights fighting dragons, as well as their seahorse rampant symbol on their banners and shields.

The Urchin Brigade – “Pufferfish” - Mers who practice self-reliance, favor the use of various armors and weapons (especially spiked armor and Morningstar flails). They are often found doing mercenary work. Because they tend to be huge, well-built, well-armored, and spiky, they’ve earned the nickname “pufferfish.”

The Sharkwardens – “Dogfish” - Mer rangers and hunters and scouts who live off the land, commune with the wild, and take down dangerous sea monsters before they even approach civilization, they also protect endangered species and ensure that predators don’t get out of control. They’ve earned their nickname for their excellent tracking skills, though it is also a mockery of their symbol, the Shark, arguing that the lands they watch over are shrinking rapidly thanks to encroachment by the city states and human interference.

The Starfish Magi – “Brittle Stars” - Wizards and scholars who pursue magical power and uncover the secrets of the reality. They have a duty to either accept any 1-3 apprentices who approach them, find another magus of the school to teach prospective students, or teach classes at the Serpent Star Academy… but are otherwise unrestricted by society or moral concerns. Their nickname comes from their reputation for being brilliant, but living scholarly lives, and therefore being rather fragile and physically weak.

The Wanderers of Pearls – “Sand Dollars” - A guild of travelers, merchants, mystics, and gypsies who wander the land, searching for and selling fortunes. Their rules and culture are intricate and varied, but they help them survive, and plentiful coins cover the rest. It is no secret where their name comes from… rumor has it “Sand Dollars” will do anything for coin, much less pearls.

The Anemone Ring – “Clownfish” – Druidic and shamanic kahunas and witches who draw their powers from natural sources in exchange for living in their chosen environment and worshipping the spirits (usually totemic animal spirits) of that region. They are able to take on animal forms, and summon animals to their aid, as well as manifesting spirits and raw elemental power. Nobody dares mention their nickname where they or their spirits could hear it, for though the residents of the City States might consider them colorful and amusing environmentalists and mystic nuts, they are very powerful, and few can survive the anemone’s sting.

The Church of Jonah Whaledancer – “Angelfish” – Worshippers of a Judeo-Christian religion they learned from mortals, these priests and priestesses possess access to many holy powers, but face opposition both from the faithless among their own ranks and the rest of merfolk society. Legend claims that they were founded when a beautiful, seductive mermaid approached a human priest, asking if it was possible that her soul could be saved as he had preached to his human flock. He claimed that it was more likely that his weathered old walking stick would take root and flower than a mermaid enter his religion’s heaven… and to his surprise, the staff did sprout new growth! The mermaid dove into the water at the sight of the miracle, taking one fruit from the staff with her, and founded the Church of Jonah Whaledancer. Their nickname comes from their belief that higher spirits watch over all life, and that faithful and charitable churchmembers will someday become these spirits… and rumors have it that some of them have managed to “evolve” into “angels” in their lifetime, before witnesses.

The Temple of Ten Thousand Tears – “Catfish” – An alliance of temples of the merfolk’s polytheistic deities. The tears of the name refer to tears of sorrow, anger, pain, joy, and the other emotions inspired by the gods. The Catfish are more accepting than the Angelfish, more relaxed than the Hermit Crabs, and more concerned with caring for and leading merfolk than with animals or spirits, unlike the Clownfish. Their powers are varied, depending on their specific god or goddess, but all of them have some measure of power for healing or harming, controlling or banishing abominations and undead in addition to the powers of their god/dess. They are referred to as “Catfish” because their goal, to make every mer religion to work together for the good of the mer (and their gods, of course), is about as likely as herding catfish.

The Stingray Guild – “Devilfish” – Every City State has at least one branch of this guild, and even the wilderness isn’t free of these scoundrels, thieves, assassins, bandits, and other ne’er-o-wells. The Devilfish, despite their nickname, aren’t (necessarily) evil, per se, but they do put themselves first, have little respect for any force of law or morality, conflict with the Barnacles for choice plunder, and generally make life miserable for the Sand Dollars. However, if you need something done, quickly, quietly, stealthily and right, or need something recovered, rescued, stolen, or de-trapped, the Stingray Guild is the go-to guild… if you can find them.


The Conch Minstels – A guild of bars, troubadors, storytellers, dancers, and other entertainers, they are united in their devotion to their arts, music, and getting the biggest audience. Rumor has it that sirens cannot outsing the “Noisemakers,” and immediately retreat in the presence of one of these minstrels bearing the mark of the conch shell.

The Cuttlefish Caliphate – A culture of storytellers, merchants, wizards and sorcerers, assassins and strange warriors from tropical waters, they are ruled by the great Caliph, Defender of the Faithful, May-She-Live-Forever, Badr-al-Budur, the Full Moon of Full Moons. Magic thrives in the Caliphate… like their imperial animal, the entire city’s streets, colors, and appearances change overnight, though whether this is actual transformation or illusion, none can say.



Here are some ideas for mer nations... I stuck to the idea of city-states, rather than countries, to keep with the adventuring mindset.

The Leatherback Nations – Eschewing the crowds and noise and restrictions of the City States, the Leatherback Nation are tribes that wander the wild lands between mer civilizations, living through strength, tradition, the guidance of the spirits, and through sheer defiance and rage.


Dreadnought – “Hagfish” – A vast city state constructed entirely of bones, it is home not only to merfolk, but to the restless dead, lost at sea, and ghosts and ghouls swim in its mazelike corridors alongside. Dark Nights, drawing on unholy powers, and malevolent witches and warlocks swim through the skeletal city as well.

The Dragon Empire of Black Jade – A city state in the far Eastern waters, it is home to many of the titular beasts, long serpentine monsters with whiskers and pearls in their foreheads. The dragons are shapeshifters, and have mixed their bloodlines with the people of their empires, and so the people of the Empire have a number of surprising abilities. The Serene Cloister has a number of connections with these merfolk.

Ville Au Camp – The colorful city of fishes that exists both above and below a chain of islands, there are no humans, but a class of sorcerers and wizards and witches shares power with the class of soldiers and merchants, each sending members to a council.

Etlontyss – The City State of Technology, it glows with lights, even in the darkest reaches of the ocean. Protected by force fields and automatons, defended by laser constructs and traveled by levitating platforms and teleportation gates, the Etlontyans are gifted with brilliant minds and powerful psychic talents, but their sense of fashion includes unusual uses of chemicals and body modifications to transform their features into outlandish colors and designs.

Poliahu – The wandering city of ice, each building is sculpted in the submerged sections of icebergs. The mers of Poliahu know that life is difficult, and that they must all work together to survive the bitter cold of their native waters, wasting nothing.

La Doge – A sunken mortal city, home to canals, strangely carved vessels, beautiful sculptures, arching bridges, and vast plazas. No mers live in La Doge full time, but several large “towns” live in the surrounding sea floor, and enter the city in masks and costumes for grand pageants and lavish celebrations on holy days. It is said that, when it was above the water, the humans of La Doge had made their city the most glorious on the planet, but that the sea fell in love with the city as it flowed through its canals, and embraced it, bringing La Doge to its current submerged location.

Tir fo Thuinn – The waters around Tir fo Thuinn are strange… the local corals and seaweed have some unusual chemicals in them that slow aging. Even the most ancient residents of Tir fo Thuinn appear extremely youthful.


Here are some ideas for other
Aegiea – A greco-roman mer city.

Tangaroa – A Hawaiian city state

Sargasso? - A city state suspended in a region like the sargasso sea.

Pearl City? - A City carved from enormous pearls.

Coral City? - A city grown and sculpted by coral artists.

Shipwreck City? - A city constructed entirely from sunken ships.

[Gem Stone]

Wow. That's a lot of information. But, from the sister of an avid game player (my lil bro), I don't really think you guys are OVER thinking it. The details are what makes it fun, the details are what bring people into the game. If star wars didn't have two trilogies and side stories along the way, it would be a bit boring mainly from the lack of detail. They have books about the species and droids and ships and people buy these books to help keep the details in place because it's the details that make it fun. Truthfully, I think I would love this game if you guys could make it. The classes thing? Totally awesome idea. With all the different types you listed, I don't see how anyone COULD feel restricted. The pods (which I merely skimmed through. Sorry) look really neat and I think it's really cool how you can think this up. I say go for it (whatever you plan on doing with these plans)

[Mermaid Sirena]

Epic is all I have to say. I hope we can start playing soon :)

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Hmm... ok, there is clearly interest in different origins for merfolk. Some people are interesting in merfolk who were born as such, while others are more interested in humans who become mers in some way. There is also interest in darker, more animalistic merfolk (particularly mermaids, for some reason... I'm not sure how much call there is for feral mermen). This gave me an idea... what if there are three main origins for merfolk:

1. Born Mers - With at least one mer parent, born mers grow up in merfolk society and are familiar with the different cultures there, but humanity has less meaning to them, except as an object of curiosity. They probably have more skills and training relating to merfolk society.

2. Transformed Humans - Whether they are actually transformed (underwent extreme plastic surgery or genetic manipulation to replace legs with a tail and add gills; experienced a magical ritual or object such as the shoes in Lighthouse Island or the pool in Mako Island in H2O: Just Add Water; were possessed by or bonded with a sea spirit; or transformed by a spell) or naturally metamorphosed (like in The Thirteenth Year, where the mer in question was born human-looking and only manifested fins, scales, water breathing, etc around puberty or some other milestone... this might be a genetic quirk of certain families of mers, a sign that merfolk and humans share a common evolutionary background, or an unusual and rare, but not unheard of genetic mutation), the character probably is "in over her head" when it comes to mer culture, relying on myths and legends instead of facts and etiquette, yet viewing the wonders of the undersea world with wide-open eyes (the way tourists to New York look up at the skyscrapers and other monuments, while New Yorkers turn evasion on crowded sidewalks and keeping their eyes down into an art form) and being more familiar with human culture and inventions. This category might also include mers who were enchanted in some way, and turned into humans to live life on land (for whatever reason... safety, cultural rapport, cruelty) but broke the spell, knowingly or unknowingly.

3. (This is a possibility... it is at once creepy and primal, which might be uncomfortable. Your thoughts would be appreciated) Transformed from fish. For a more alien mindset, better instincts and a dark attitude towards what constitutes "food," this is a possibility. An example of these kind of mers would be the ones from Peter and the Starcatchers (the first book). However, there is also the Chinese myth about how koi fish that leap up a waterfall in a suitably impressive way were transformed into Chinese Dragons, and I was thinking that a similar test of merit and ability might provide an origin for these mers.

Ideally, all three (or the first two, if the formerly fish merfolk idea is a bit too hard to swallow) origins should be possible as options, and each should provide different benefits in the forms of different skills, talents, and specialties, though probably not any different powers or tail designs. It might be necessary to make different backgrounds and "classes" for each of the three origins.

Which brings me to another question: what powers should different mers have? Traditional abilities include the power to turn into human form, the power to turn into the form of their species' tail, metamorphic powers (i.e. being able to change their appearance in a number of ways, usually remaining humanoid or sireniform, but excellent for disguise), healing, granting wishes, enchanting song, controlling water, controlling the winds, controlling weather, summoning and controlling and communicating with sea life, superstrength, incredible speed while swimming, merging with the water/assuming a watery form, granting good or bad luck (particularly at sea), casting spells, calling on spirits or gods of the sea, communing with nautical ghosts, telepathy (all the better for communicating without being able to speak conventionally underwater), seeing the future, sensing treasure, and other powers according to their "tail" (extra limbs and color changing for octopus mers, echolocation for dolphin/orca mers, hunting senses for shark mers, claws for lobster mers, electric shocks for eel mers, etc). Are there any abilities that people are particularly interested in featuring, or ones that you think are too outrageous to take seriously?

[Taniwha]

I think powers should increase with level (age/study maybe?) and should be tied to the organisations you mentioned above. And/or areas (Mers from certain areas have a particular set of talents) which I think could be easily worked in with the characteristics you have described for the nations above. Would probably end up tying area to classes (spellcasters, healers, warriors etc) but this could also be an advantage if there is any party play (quests etc) you would need to find members from areas other than your own. So some could be intrinsic to the area, and others could be gained in other ways maybe? Also some could possibly be incompatible

I do like the idea of fish/mers - as in something feral and dangerous that exists in this world. I don't know if I'd play one, but I like the darkness and realism it would bring. Everything having a flip side.

[NorthernPearl]

I do like the idea of fish/mers - as in something feral and dangerous that exists in this world. I don't know if I'd play one, but I like the darkness and realism it would bring. Everything having a flip side.

Ditto this.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Taking into account the three varieties of merfolk discussed above, I figured we'd need three categories of basic starting occupations, one for each. I tried to make these classes basic and open-ended, allowing a lot of customization and characterization, while summarizing their basic talents. In all cases, one can select multiple classes (indeed, some of the traditional fantasy roles include mixes of the ones described here, some fish use a mix of different feeding strategies, and plenty of people have different jobs/interests/hobbies/skills). Some starting character class ideas include the following...

CLASSES FOR FORMERLY-FISH MERFOLK: For these, I figured that their early lives would involve food and survival, and so I designed their classes accordingly.

*Lurer - Like the cuttlefish or anglerfish, this mermaid learned how to lure in other creatures in some way as fish, and have used that same strategy now that they're endowed with greater intelligence, communication, and humanoid features.

*Devourer - The most direct hunters, often larger fish and sea mammals which attack and eat their prey using strength and speed, now among the more combat-capable merfolk.

*Concealer - Like stonefish and flounder and eels, this kind of merman has learned to hide or camouflage himself, sneaking up on prey or waiting for them to come close, before striking from his concealment. Now that they can communicate, concealers have become just as deadly at politics as they are at hunting.

*Scavenger - Originally sea life which didn't hunt, but scavenged, they are capable, watchful, and alert... but they're also surprisingly interested in peacemaking. They are patient and can wait, and know not to play their hand (now that they have hands) too soon.

*Symbiont - Like Cleaner Wrasses and Remoras, Symbionts know how to work together with others for mutual benefit... they are also among the most well-groomed of the wild formerly fish merfolk.

*Gatherer - Herbivorous fish turned into merfolk, many of them stick to their dietary patterns, and focus on defense and escape from predators, and competition with other Gatherers for food.

*Manipulator - Not as bad as their title sounds... possibly... Manipulators were those creatures such as Sea Otters, Dolphins, and Octopi, who are familiar with the use of tools to achieve their ends... many have a reputation with being skilled with weapons or magic... or both.

*Strainer - Sea life such as baleen whales and whale sharks who eat plankton and other life by straining the water, strainers are hard workers with a good use of time, often with great strength and endurance.

---
CLASSES FOR BORN MERFOLK: For these, I wanted to take the traditional fantasy roles, but leave them open-ended and flexible, summed up with a flavor descriptor ending in -al for similarity.

Social - Social merfolk are masters of communication, conversation, and interaction. They know people, and often are in the know about much that goes on in the mer communities... they are also masters of getting their way through social interactions, and many social merfolk are among the most beautiful and seductive. Social mers can become diplomats, merchants, wanderers, bards, and tempters.

Regal - Aristocrats and nobles, commanders and leaders, these merfolk don't socialize per se, but they do command, using the force of their charisma and authority to get others to work together in a harmonious manner. Regal merfolk can become warlords, nobles, merchants, teachers, and religious figures.

Martial - The masters of combat, martial merfolk learn a variety of methods of attack and defense, and their bodies are fit and well-trained. Some master particular weapons and armor, performing impossible feats that make their weapons/armor seem like an extension of themselves, while others use a variety, becoming versatile juggernauts and capable soldiers. Martial merfolk can become warriors, monks, paladins, dark knights, barbarians, cavaliers, spellblades, gunslingers, pirates, samurai and more.

Magical - Magic is a mysterious force with many variations, and magical merfolk are the ones who truly explore it and seek to uncover its secrets, whether focusing on one path, or trying to take on them all. Magical merfolk can become magi, sorcerers, psions, druids, priests, oracles, spellblades, necromancers, shamans, warlock/witches, bards, summoners, alchemists, specialist wizards, illusionists, enchanters, elementalists, shapeshifters, and even inquisitors.

Environmental - Nature and the oceans are powerful, primordial forces, and the creatures that dwell in them have many abilities that make those of merfolk seem mundane. Environmental merfolk use their environment, animals, plants, and the elements to their advantage, communing with them and mediating between other mers and these primal forces. Some focus on a particular environment (including urban ones), or animal companion/type, or element, but others are adaptable and capable with all of them. Environmental merfolk can become rangers, scouts, hunters, druids, shamans, magi, elementalists, shapeshifters, priests and barbarians.

Intellectual - Those who turn to scholarly pursuits, Intellectuals are masters of learning. This can also extend to other areas, however, so it is not unusual for intellectual merfolk to become magi, priests, oracles, warlocks/witches, specialist wizards, alchemists, artificers, scribes, teachers, strategists, and warlords.

Criminal - Those merfolk who use trickery, grace, luck, stealth, assassination, acrobatics or larcenous talents for their own benefit... which might be a positive benefit for society, as many guards and investigators and officers are trained in these talents as well to uncover the truth behind crimes. Criminal merfolk might become thieves, rogues, bards, assassins, black knights, guards, investigators, inquisitors, sorcerers, warlocks/witches, warriors, rangers, barbarians, psions, monks, merchants, ninja, acrobats, and pirates.

Spiritual - Those merfolk who have faith... in something, and draw on that faith to grant them supernatural powers. Many of them differ according to what they are faithful in, but might become priests, druids, shamans, paladins, black knights, psions, monks, ninja, assassins, oracles, inquisitors, warlocks/witches, sorcerers, magi, specialist wizards, bards, cavaliers, artificers, alchemists, samurai and summoners.

Technological - The study and use of technology differs in various mer cultures, but it remains a fascinating and useful area of expertise. Whether building, repairing, designing, or channeling scientific concepts, the technologicals fit the bill. They might become artificers, alchemists, magi, specialist wizards, gunslingers, rogues, bards, oracles, merchants, psions and warriors.

Medicinal - Those merfolk who study the properties of different substances and their effects on the body, usually for healing purposes. Medicinal merfolk can become priests, magi, specialist wizards, elementalists, druids, assassins, rogues, alchemists, shamans, or warlocks/witches.

Musal - Those merfolk who follow the paths of the arts, whether visual, musical, dramatic, mystical, religious, emotional or scientific. Musal merfolk can become bards, monks, psions, sorcerers, magi, specialist wizards, shamans, priests, druids, warlocks/witches, alchemists, artificers, merchants, nobles, spellblades, rogues, and warriors.

---
CLASSES FOR FORMERLY-HUMAN MERFOLK: Really, I thought about coming up with different roles for people, but you all are more aware of the different jobs, fandoms, and interests out there than I am, most likely. Any possibility you can come up with, so long as it offers skills and training/passion should be sufficient, and some make for some very unlikely (but interesting) merfolk.

What do you all think?

[Mermaid Sirena]

Love <3 I adore the fish turned mer concept and classes and would happily play one (especially a Lurer, who was perhaps one of the deep sea fishes).

[Alveric]

Looks good to me.

Alveric

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

What is everyone's favorite pantheon and why (not your favorite gods, but favorite overall pantheon style): Greco-Roman, Egyptian, Norse, Japanese, Voodoo, Hindu, Chinese, Hawaiian, Aztec, Irish, Slavic, Inuit, Mesopotamian, Persian, Amazon, specific Native American tribes, Sub-Saharan African cultures, Malaysian, Incan, Finnish, Celtic, etc? I'm trying to get a feel for the mer gods and how they should appear and act.

I was also wondering... what creatures should be mers' implacable enemies? Paracelsian Salamanders (and possibly Sylphs and Gnomes)? Sahuagin? Creatures from the Black Lagoon? Vodyanoy? Sirens? Abyssal creatures like Fathom's The Black? In-the-know human hunters? Ningyo? Naga? Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, and other slightly more popular paranormal creatures? Everyday humans are not sufficiently opposed to merfolk (yes, humans cause devastation to the undersea environment, but the assumption seems to be that humans in the game world aren't any more aware that merfolk exist than humans in our world).

[malinghi]

I was also wondering... what creatures should be mers' implacable enemies? Paracelsian Salamanders (and possibly Sylphs and Gnomes)? Sahuagin? Creatures from the Black Lagoon? Vodyanoy? Sirens? Abyssal creatures like Fathom's The Black? In-the-know human hunters? Ningyo? Naga? Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, and other slightly more popular paranormal creatures? Everyday humans are not sufficiently opposed to merfolk (yes, humans cause devastation to the undersea environment, but the assumption seems to be that humans in the game world aren't any more aware that merfolk exist than humans in our world).

I imagine there may be multiple antagonists, especially if this is something that keeps being built upon with a forum and multiple group sessions. But for one to start with, any evil aquatic group would probably be fine. Basically something generic that fills the role orcs do in lots of land based RPGs.

[Alveric]

I agree with Malinghi. We could start with Sahuagin. They're pretty nasty.

Alveric

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Ok, and now for the origins of merfolk... I think they should be the result of some disparate sources... but here are some options, some of which can be mixed together.

ALIENS: Merfolk are actually aliens, evolved on a different planet that was almost entirely covered in water, or the result of some alien genes that somehow found their way to Earth millenia ago. Either way, the resulting creatures made Earth their home, maybe interbreeding with humans to develop the traditional human upper body and facial features. Powers that merfolk possess are therefore either advanced alien technological artifacts or natural alien abilities.

ELEMENTALS: Merfolk were elemental spirits (mostly undines) given physical form, either from possessing/merging with humans or with animals. Eventually, they began to breed true. Their powers are a result of their connection with nature... the good parts and the bad.

FAIRIES: Merfolk are a fae race (i.e. a "costume" identity that some fae wear) that dwells in the waters instead of the forests or underground. They are not actually nature spirits, however, because they are fascinated with and draw on the nature of humans to give themselves more meaning. Their powers are magical... but often play up the illusions and enchantment.

FALLEN ANGELS: The Merfolk are fallen angels, most likely ones which didn't take part in the war in heaven. Like the fairies, they fell to Earth instead of Hell, but unlike the fairies, they didn't fall to the land, but to the water. Their powers are similar to those of both angels and demons, though with a more watery theme.

MUTANTS: The merfolk are an evolutionary branch of humanity that evolved to be adapted to the sea. Perhaps more merfolk are joining the species constantly, as the gene continues to crop up in modern humans. Their powers tend to be more limited to direct physical mutations (and perhaps psychic powers).

ATLANTEANS: The merfolk are former Atlanteans who found a way to survive the cataclysm that destroyed their continent. Their powers are derived from advanced Atlantean technology or genetic abilities.

LESSER GODS: The merfolk are the children of the world's various sea gods and goddesses... they're essentially nymphs and demigods. Their powers are varied, but tend to be controlling ones (either controlling people through songs, controlling sea life, controlling the water or weather, etc) and transformative. They generally appreciate and aid humans, but demand worship and respect like their divine parents, and can be dangerous if crossed.

LILIM: The merfolk are the children of Lilith or some other primordial entity (maybe Tiamat). They dislike humans immensely and seek to get the upper hand on them. Their powers a mix of magic and genetics.

NEVERLAND REFUGEES: The merfolk are from Neverland. They are playful and childlike, without thinking of the consequences or the needs of others (such as the need to breathe air: "We were ONLY going to drown her.")

SEPARATE SPECIES: Merfolk are naturally evolved separate from humanity. The two species are unrelated and have had both positive and negative benefits in the past.

SPELLS: In this setting, magic apparently comes from the seas (like life itself), and human spellcasters who used magic gradually became more and more piscine. These changes remain even in their offspring, so today, even with the loss of magic, merfolk still breed true. Their powers vary, but are usually cast in the form of spells (requiring incantations/songs, material components or ritual sacrifices, specific gestures or dances, etc) or artifacts (amulets, hats, skins, belts, rings, chalices, tridents, etc).


Over all, I was considering a mixture of the alien genes, atlanteans, mutants, and one or two of the more magical options: In ages past, an alien device, containing life forms that could have been used to restore their species, crashed into Earth's waters, and was fished out by the Atlanteans to be studied. The Atlanteans were a more highly evolved branch of humanity, with the ichor of their gods mixed in their veins and a history of powerful mastery of magic, but even they couldn't safely unlock the alien device... it exploded, destroying and sinking Atlantis... but the survivors of the initial blast found that they could breathe the waters as they cascaded down upon the helpless population. While the cannister was their destruction, it was also their salvation, for the alien dna had been released, and merged with their own... and with the other lifeforms of the region... the fish and sea life, transforming both Atlanteans and Fish into merfolk. Traces of the container and its genes have spread across the world, and they retain the power to transform humans and fish into merfolk, but as yet, there is no permanent method of returning. Every so often, mers emerge who are differently evolved thanks to the unique mix of characteristics that created them in the beginning. The dominant mer culture has evolved to become more accepting of former fish and human mers as well as those who manifest unusual traits, seeing them as blessed.

[malinghi]

I like what you described as "mutant", or "species". I don't really see the difference.

Basically I like to imagine mermaids as something naturally occuring that exists within the realm of biology, rather than something magical or supernatural, or fantastic.

[Mermaid Sirena]

It's all the same to me though I like the description of the lesser gods and lilim,.

[Kanti]

I generally like to believe mermaids would be a natural occurance. If you've ever played Zelda, I picture
them to be exactly like Zoras (http://www.zeldawiki.org/Zora). They're just a typical race who can interact and speak with races but have
their own lifestyle that's centered around the water.
Obviously Zoras are more convenient since they have legs. In that sense I'd like to assume mermaids are
a bit different. They're restricted to water and possibly more hostile/interested with humans.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

@Malinghi: With the "Mutant" idea, Merfolk are a branch of humanity, similar to Neanderthals. With the "Species" idea, merfolk are evolved from a separate branch (probably a species of fish) of animal life than humans. I think that magic is more or less inescapable in this game and setting, though there are many definitions of what "magic" is that we'll have to explore as part of the setting.

@Kanti: I've been unable to figure out the origins of the Zoras by looking online, but many of the zelda races are magical in origin and nature (such as eternal children with fairy companions) so it seems likely that zoras are as well, particularly since the river Zoras at least were shown firing energy at Link. Zoras are also hybrid creatures, a mix of two species (humans and fish) blended together. Merfolk are tauric creatures... their body shape isn't really natural, it is supernatural. Tauric creatures (such as Minotaurs, Fauns, Sphinxes, Centaurs, and Harpies) represent not a blending of natural traits, but a crossing from one species to another, and therefore other crossings as well... water and land, physical and spiritual, magical and natural, etc.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Hey guys! It's been awhile since I posted on here. However, looking back at some of the discussions, I've been struck with how we should probably better define the magic and technology levels in the game. Malinghi, you've repeatedly mentioned wanting to keep magic mysterious and subtle and a bit hidden, only to be revealed later in the game, so I've come up with a bunch of possibilities, some of which satisfy that request, others of which defy it in certain ways. Similarly, the prevalent level of technology is important to decide on... this doesn't mean that exceptions don't exist (if we decide that merfolk have basic tools but not advanced technology, that doesn't mean that we won't discover a cache of or enemies using advanced technology in the game, possibly from Atlantis/Etlontyss or aliens)

Types of Magic:
Scholarly (not recommended): Although it doesn't seem to fit this setting, the traditional image of magic-users relies on a scholarly tradition, where spells are cast according to memorized and studied mystical chants, formulae, gestures, devices, and greater age infers greater power (more time to study and master the "art" of magic).

Romantic: Magic comes from within, as a natural gift and an aspect of the soul. It can be studied and mastered and trained, but doing so is more like mastering dance, and singing... training is important, talent and a gift matters just as much. Many young people can be extraordinarily gifted in magic, and emotion plays a heavy role as well... when despairing, angered, or betrayed, magical effects will be limited or tinged with that emotion, sometimes becoming weaker or causing greater, uncontrollable damage; love, courage, defiance, and hope have empowering effects.

Alchemy: Considering all the materials, liquids, oils, poisons, inks, and other concoctions available in the sea, oceanic potions, unugents, and the like might make some extremely interesting forms of alchemy. In the original Andersen version of the story, the Sea Witch gives the little mermaid a potion that she must drink to transform into a human. Alchemy is a bit less flashy than the normal image of a wizard, primarily involving a process of distilling the essences of materials (and creatures and people as well), so that their magical properties might become useful. A related field, Herbalism, might be derived from sea plants and other materials.

Astrology: The Sun, Moon, Stars, and Planets generate a powerful influence over the world and the people on it, much the same way that the moon causes the tides. In fact, the term "disaster" comes from "dis" meaning "negative or bad" and "aster" meaning star, because it was believed that a negative star had influenced the person or town that experienced the disaster. Accurate understanding of the principles of Astrology enables one to understand the future, because they can tell how those astral influences would affect an individual. Astrology has connections with the elements (Sagittarius for Fire, Aquarius for Air, Pisces for Water, etc), emotions (Venus for Desire, Mars for Conflict, etc), time, and navigation (particularly navigation at sea), and stargazing mermaids would certainly be interesting. Astrology is also one of the oldest and most widespread forms of magic... astrologers were particularly powerful in ancient Mesopotamian and MesoAmerican cultures. Typically, however, astrology takes a subtle approach, at least to begin with, only occasionally culminating in a great event (such as a disaster), and astrology is not typically the sort of magic one can control, though there might be means of softening or strengthening the effects of different stars, or focusing them in some way... still, the stars exert their power over all things, including the astrologer, and what is written in the stars cannot be unwritten. Related to astrology is numerology, the study of numbers and their influence on dates, times, words, and people.

Elementalism: The study of the elements (traditionally the four western elements of Fire, Water, Earth, and Air, though the Taoist concept of Fire, Water, Earth, Wood and Metal is also popular, as is the concept of the "fifth" element of Aether/Void/Spirit). Clearly, merfolk are tied to water, but secondary links to the other elements (or a greater talent than most mers for the power of water) could enable a number of different elemental mer-magi (there are ties with Poseidon to Earth, various stories of mermaids altering the weather and Air, Wood could manifest as control seaweed and ship lumber, and Fire as St. Elmo's Fire and Sunlight and Heat, and so forth). Elementalism is a fairly common magical concept (as everything from Captain Planet to the Legend of Korra will attest), though, so it might not work for everyone. Elementalism also tends to be EXTREMELY FLASHY magic... explosions, tidal waves, earthquakes, animated plants, vast storms, etc, and that might turn off certain gamers.

Rituals: Ritual magic is slower than most modern fantasy stories. Magic-users can't simply through bolts of lightning at people or wave a hand and turn the person into a toad. Instead, a ritualist must spend hours, days, or weeks pouring over atmospheric charts, wait for the proper storm to come along, garb herself in copper jewelry and draw down the lightning from the sky to launch at foes (and keep from being hit herself) or assemble a long ritual involving a number of materials, altars, and connections from both the unfortunate subject and the frog into which he will transform. Ritual magic is powerful, though, and lightning example above aside, fairly safe, but it also is slow... not exactly exciting adventure materials, since even the shortest of rituals will take several minutes to enact (and those spells tend to be much weaker and more fragile than ones that take more time).

Geomancy(sorta... maybe "Pontomancy" might be a better term): Drawing on the concepts like ley lines, dragon lines, sacred architecture, megaliths and feng shui, this type of magic deals with the study of magic's relationship to the land (and water). Geomantic power includes the ability to focus magical energies over an area through choices in location, shape, color, air or water flow, gateways, gardens, palaces and religious sites. As mentioned above with Astrology, though, Geomancy tends to be overarching and influential, but slow and subtle. Unlike Astrology, Geomancy has the concept of change built into it... by constructing or moving objects or buildings, the flow of energy can be altered completely. Excellent for binding, focusing (or banning) the use of magic in an area, Geomancy is still not really the classic image of a spellcaster... but their effects can cover a very large area.

Bardic Magical Arts: Magic works through song, dance, musical instruments, storytelling, poetry, and other forms of art (usually performance arts, though other forms of art are possible). Depending on the artistic medium, this style of magic is usually subtle (songs that raise spirits, induce slumber, heal minor wounds and exhaustion, or embarrass or terrify foes, for instance) and usually bent towards emotion and affecting people and animals, rather than physical or elemental forces. It is true that certain instruments would be limited underwater, but bells, harps, flutes, and drums might all be interesting choices, and dancing could be really explored and developed, to say nothing of storytelling and poetry.

Dream Magic: Also known as "oneiromancy," this magic might actually offer a convenient tie to bring various mer characters together. Exploring the symbolism and power of dreams, somewhere between illusion and reality, and swimming the ocean of the collective unconscious might be particularly interesting. Oneiromancy allows one to alter dreams through lucid dreaming methods, enter the dreams of others (and alter them as well), use dreams to view the future, lure others by inducing sleepwalking, and even bringing objects or creatures out of dreams and into the waking world. Dream magic can vary from being fairly limited (lucid dreamings, visions of others' dreams, wards against nightmares, etc) to being incredibly powerful, and over the course of the story, the things a dream-mage might be able to do could increase drastically... and then fade away the next night. Dreams are like that, after all.

Necromancy (an interesting idea, but probably not good for overall magic for mer-culture... better for a few users): Originally, to be a necromancer was essentially what we would consider a medium: someone who can speak with and channel the spirits of the dead. However, it was a popular term, and soon became nearly synonymous with "magician" or "sorcerer" (Merlin has been referred to as a necromancer), and was particularly associated with black magic (the "necro" was occasionally associated with nigromancy during the renaissance, and usually given a reputation as being forbidden). Recently, with popular culture's rising awareness of voodoo bokors (evil practitioners) and the dark legends of raising zombies, necromancy became any sort of magic associated with death or the undead, though a rising trend in games and movies is the idea that necromancy can be used to affect life and the living as well, used for healing purposes, exorcise, banish, and trap malevolent spirits, and other powers. Still, necromancy can also be used to reanimate dead bodies or bones, summon ghosts and wraiths, attack with bolts of dark energy, corruptive power, or abyssal cold, and cause illness and infection and even instant death. Even limiting necromancy to mediumistic powers still allows warnings of the future and visions of the past, cold effects, and telekinetic effects, as well as summoning ghostly entities. Mermaids especially have been associated with bad luck, the dead (particularly the drowned), cold, dead flesh ("fish belly" is the color usually used to describe dead skin), and in some mythologies (Voodoo and Celtic ones, particularly) the land of the dead is located under the sea. A dark, dangerous mermaid might make a talented necromancer, offering destruction or peace, depending on her style... but it seems unlikely to be the most common form of magic for a community of merfolk.

Religious Magic: Magic drawn from spirits or deities whom one must worship and revere in order to benefit from their blessings and spiritual gifts, animism is something like necromancy in that its powers depend on spirits, though these spirits are of nature, animals, and gods, not the dead. Note that religious magic isn't necessarily moral or ethical or "good"... gods can be powerful and inexplicable, spirits can be selfish and greedy, and a "religion" of demon lords could be downright horrific. Religious magic can be powerful (think of biblical miracles, the powers of high priestesses in stories, and those of avatars embodying or possessed by the gods in mythology), but even when you can summon, communicate with, and embody the gods (such as voodoo cheval or Hindu avatars), the gods and spirits and demons have restrictions and rules they must obey, and they are often unwilling to do EVERYTHING for their mortal servants and worshippers... "God helps those who help themselves" after all, and they are usually interested in teaching their followers some lesson about themselves and their faith. Also, depending on the god in question, subtlety might be just as prevalent in this kind of magic as it is in astrology and geomancy... it can be difficult to tell if a spirit or god has paid attention to one's prayers at all, and their responses can be even more frustrating to decipher.

Sympathetic Magic: Sympathetic mages believe that if an object looks similar to or is related or part of a spell's subject, then the object (in a mystical sense, at least) IS that subject for the intents and purposes of the spell. Using that principle, sympathetic magic is indirect but devastating... a spell can be cast on a person despite all mystical protections and distance, as long as the sympathetic mage has some clip of hair or drop of blood. "Voodoo dolls" are a good example of this property, as are some kinds of herbalism that use plants that resemble humanoid figures or the like. The more sympathies used in a spell to affect a target, the better and more powerful the spell... so a spell cast on that person's birthday, with a lock of that person's hair, a sculpture carved and painted to resemble the person, and knowledge of that person's true name adds up to at least 4 sympathies. Sympathetic magic is often associated with the Roma and witchcraft and voodoo, but it has a tradition going back at least all the way to Ancient Egypt and it can underscore a number of other magical traditions. It doesn't involve fireballs or other flashy effects, but few spells are as dramatic as completely controlling someone else. Sympathetic magic can also work on inanimate objects (having a pebble chipped from a mountain enables one to affect the entire mountain, walking through one mirror enables one to emerge from any mirror, etc) though those spells are more difficult to cast than ones affecting a person's health or sensations or thoughts (after all, people have health fluctuations, weird sensations, and unusual thoughts all the time... mountains rarely float or crumble into dust, and mirrors don't act like portals unless they are forced to do so).

Types of Technology:

Primitive: Stones, Wheels, Plinths, Weapons, Tools, possibly fire or some aquatic substitute.

Ancient: Metallurgy, Archery, Stoneworking, Pottery, Agriculture, Water management, Cooking, Musical Instruments.

Medieval/Renaissance/Industrial: Writing, Reading, Printing (or some aquatic substitute), common education, gunpowder (or some substitute), Mass Production of Items

Recent Historical: Electricity (or some substitute), Illumination, Accurate and detailed clocks, clockwork, etc.

Modern: Information technology, nuclear tech, fusion, fission, advanced medicine, genetics, etc.

Advanced Modern/Hard Sci-Fi: See sci-fi movies like the Avengers, where large organizations have a vast array of currently impossible tech... but that looks similar to our modern tech (genetic scanning security devices, unstable molecules for costumes, personal image inducers, ray guns, etc)

Sci-Fi/Space Opera (pushing it): Relatively common space travel, cyborgs, colonies, blasters, lightspeed travel, etc.

"Magical Technology": Could exist on any of the previous levels, but is essentially technology that resembles magic on almost all discernible levels, or that is a mix of magic and technology.

[Alveric]

Scholarly depends on written material, paper and parchment, which don't fare well in water, especially salt water. Perhaps alternative materials?

Alchemy would also be difficult to practice in water, due to dilution and diffusion of water soluble materials.

Astrology depends on a good view of the heavens for precise measurements. Water refraction and wave action would make that harder.

Romantic, elemental and Ritual would work best in the sea.

Of course an isolated island or underwater cave would solve many problems.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Good points, Alveric, but you're overlooking some potential solutions.

With Scholarly Magic, while it does depend on a library of preserved informative material, writing can be chiseled, sculpted, carved, woven, and stitched as well. Perhaps some sort of enchanted octopus or cuttlefish hide could be used to make a material that changes, the writing appearing on the hide itself and vanishing after being read, replaced by the next "page" in a manner not unlike an e-reader. Also, enchanted crystals, pearls, shells, mother-of-pearl, and sources of music might be used in a manner of projection to make the equivalent of DVDs, books on tape, and other media which we've invented through technology (the merfolk might have done so technologically as well, depending on the level of technology, but this is in response to your comments on the magic section). Information and education isn't dependent on paper... that's just the way we've found most convenient.

With Alchemy, dilution and diffusion might be a desired part of the required process, just like fermentation is part of the process of making wine. Concocting potions and chemicals (not to mention releasing them for use) in a submarine society would probably. Not all the materials used would be water soluble, either, and as modern chemistry takes care to set up situations where toxic gases or flammable substances don't escape controlled circumstances, presumably mer-alchemy would take similar precautions.

Merfolk are traditionally shown on the surface, usually sitting on rocks, sometimes dancing or swimming on the moonlight. One of the little mermaid posters showed Ariel looking up at the stars and framed by the moon. Viewing the heavens shouldn't be an issue (also, ancient astrologers constructed high towers and pyramids to better view the skies, and modern astronomers use telescopes and satellites to compensate for our own clouded vision of the stars... that's really not that different than the challenges mer-astrologers would face). Water refraction and wave action might even be compensated for with the proper calculations, or might alter the influence of the stars and planets.

[Merman Dan]

This has been an interesting read, to say the least, for you see I have been running undersea role-playing games since 1998. My first subaqueous campaign was “Beneath the Pinnacles of Azor’alq”, a Play-by-Post D&D game set in the World of Greyhawk. BPAA began as a first edition AD&D game bust switched to third edition when that ruleset was released. In 2007, I switched to a chat-based game with “Heirs of Turucambi”, a 3.5e D&D game run via IRC (chat room).


In addition to running my undersea games I also keep saltwater aquariums and have a couple of sea critter tattoos. As Mark Harris once said in Man From Atlantis “I am a citizen of the ocean.”


http://web.me.com/aeolius/turucambi/Library_files/octofolk2.jpg


A brief summary of the game thusfar: Having explored Turucambi Reef, the Sinking Isle, and the Jungle of Lost Ships the party acquired the third Tome of Apotheosis and a draught of Aqua Mortis, both required to restore life to the spirit hag Xaetra, who resided in an eidolon golem made of ambergris. In so doing, they hoped to weaken or destroy the blackwater hag Diadema, who held part of Xaetra's corpse in her amalgamated body.


Diadema sought to awaken three magical maelstroms, to drain the waters of the Solnor Ocean through a planar portal into a hollow cavern within the lesser moon Celene. There, the twin daughters of Dagon and Olhydra have been imprisoned by their father.


Moments after her restoration, Xaetra was called upon to ascend, to counter the influence of the Blue Coven, who in turn counseled Diadema at the bequest of Olhydra. Upon her resurrection, Xaetra’s unliving deathlock was pulled from the composite form of Diadema, leaving only the salt hag Salkt and sea hag blood magus Tempest behind.


The party learned of the covey of storm hags who sought control of the forgotten ruins and the altar upon which a sacrifice must be made, to awaken the maelstrom. The storm hags dwelt within the remains of a cloud giant’s palace on Cloudsea, a floating cloud island containing a stolen sea. WIthin the waters of Cloudsea, a leviathan known as the hydrimera had been imprisoned.


They also learned of the Ninety and Nine, a mysterious assemblage imprisoned upon a floating island, once home to the krampus, the male offspring of Xaetra. Though the krampus has recently abducted Xaetra’s last born child, the pearl-skinned Jariah, his whereabouts were unknown.


Through dreams and omens, the party learned of the Olio, a bizarre creature comprised of the dead, which now guarded the ruins below. Only the petrifying inks of the hydrimera or the killing song of the Ninety and Nine could defeat the beast.


In an epic battle, the party fought the Olio, with the aid of the hagshead eel. Though the melee was swift and fierce, they were then thrust into combat against the hydrimera, assisted by the amphisbaena eel that had assumed the mantle of Leviathan of the Devils’ Purse.


Having then faced the covey of storm hags, the party’s advance caused the stormfire hag and brimstone hag to retreat back to Cloudsea, after the death of the firewater hag at their hands.


More at http://www.squidieval.com (http://www.squidieval.com)


-=-=-= -=-=-= -=-=-= -=-=-=


I recently posted a recruiting notice on a forum for role-players:


“I now have two openings in “Heirs of Turucambi”, my 3.5e chat-based game, run Sunday nights via IRC from 9pm-Midnight Eastern.


PCs begin with 45,000 XP and must have a natural swim speed as well as the ability to breathe underwater without the use of magic. I allow the use of all WotC 3.5e books and supplements, so long as they are intended for the World of Greyhawk. No evil PCs, please.


My games tend to be role-play heavy and combat light, with an emphasis on story over stats. Entire game sessions may involve PC and NPC banter and exploration, without an instance of melee.


Set beneath the surface of the Solnor Ocean on Oerth, the World of Greyhawk, The campaign has visited many “Mysterious Places” of the region such as Turucambi, the Sinking Isle, and the Jungle of Lost Ships. Knowledge of the World of Greyhawk is not required, for participation in the campaign.


Be 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.


The main protagonist is Xaetra, a benevolent night hag who recently ascended to the ranks of godhood, with the help of the adventurers. The antagonist is Diadema, the blackwater hag, an undead amalgamation comprised of the corpses of a sea hag and salt hag, and once the deathlock remains of Xaetra herself.


Diadema seeks to drain the sea itself, awakening three magical maelstroms created to drain water through a planar portal into the hollowed caverns of the lesser moon, Celene. There, imprisoned by Dagon, are the daughters he sired by his union with Olhydra.”


More at: http://www.enworld.org/forum/gamers-seeking-gamers/324473-dm-seeks-new-blood-undersea-adventure-3-5e-irc.html (http://www.enworld.org/forum/gamers-seeking-gamers/324473-dm-seeks-new-blood-undersea-adventure-3-5e-irc.html)

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Interesting, Aeolius, though perhaps, as your message is about an existing roleplaying game, it might better fit in the Mer RPGs thread, which explores different already-existing RPGs that feature different sea people.

[Merman Dan]

Ah. I did not see the other thread, nor did I realize this thread was for creating an RPG from scratch. My apologies.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Ah. I did not see the other thread, nor did I realize this thread was for creating an RPG from scratch. My apologies.

An easy mistake to make. I probably should've titled them better.

[Merman Dan]

That being said, after "Mermaids: A Body Found" I did get the urge to design an aquatic ape/mammalian mermaid game with a more primitive/native american feel. Another idea to add to the queue.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

That being said, after "Mermaids: A Body Found" I did get the urge to design an aquatic ape/mammalian mermaid game with a more primitive/native american feel. Another idea to add to the queue.

They would probably fall under The Leatherback Nations... different tribes might have different features and different appearances, much like different tribes in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa have/had different features.

[Mermaid Annariea]

i love this whole idea. i just read this entire thread.

personally, part-time merfolk are alright if theyre played correctly, but it shouldnt be something everyone can do. i do agree with the magical idea of changing, though, through a spell, potion, etc. that sounds more likely.

for the genre... i do very much like fantasy. but too much fantasy and its just ridiculous. im not too keen on science-fiction, but thats probably just because im not crazy about technology in my rpgs. maybe its because were surrounded by it in real life, so its not as interesting to me. im not really sure, haha. but if there was a nice balance, it could be awesome.

as for the tone and time period, i think medium or dark would be fun. probably medium just in case some of the younger mers want to play, too. and time period... i like the suggestion from mermaid sirena on the first page; 16th century-ish, since i love pirates xD or maybe something more medieval would be interesting.

i love how theres mer/aquatic-based classes that are really similar to the traditional ones in dungeons & dragons. i like the idea of classes, although they can be used loosely, more as guidelines than anything. just makes it easier. plus, we can "multi-class". like, i cant really decide right now between something sorceress-ish, bardic/rogue-like, or more druidic. i might pick two and squish them together somehow, lol. also, the organizations and mer-nations are brilliant.

i definitely like a slightly more "mythical" type of religion. something similar to the greeks, perhaps, or maybe gods and goddesses based off of things in nature. i also rather like nordic or irish/celtic type religions. although, there doesnt have to be one specific religion. personally, id prefer something a bit more polytheistic and nature-based, but other people might be uncomfortable with that, so they might want their character to believe in only one god/goddess. but it doesnt really seem like youre going for one specific religion anyways, so...>.<

as for enemies of merfolk... sahuagin are pretty mean. i think sirens are rather close to merfolk (unless you view them as the bird-like creatures in some mythologies. then theyre not really...), so i dont think they would really be enemies, although some parts of their cultures could clash. vampires and werewolves are usually pretty mean, too, and maybe darker witches, though not all witches are bad.

for origins, i personally favor the elementals, faeries, lesser gods, spells, or lilim sounds cool, too. i suppose the mutants/seperate species could make sense too, but i like the idea that they were descended from gods/goddesses. that really only takes out half of the ideas... i guess im not too terribly picky, xD the mixture that joy&raptors thought of is interesting, as well.

types of magic... if we could get scholarly to work somehow, that would be cool. it sounds a lot like a wizard... i really like all the different magics. they all work for something different, and all are useful somehow.

i dont like getting too modern with technology... i personally wouldnt go past recent historical. and i like the magic technology.

as im typing all this, im realizing that i do tend to like it a little on the fantastical side... hopefully it isnt too much. -_-; but anyways. i went through almost the whole thread and typed up everything i felt i would personally enjoy most, i guess. im not 100% sure if ill be playing yet, but i thought id chip in anyways, just in case (:

also, as a current long-distance dungeons & dragons gamer-through-skype nerd, its really hard to get everyone together at the right times for a video chat game session, so sadly, we dont play much anymore. and im the only one not with my fellow gamers. my boyfriend and all his friends live around each other, whereas i live a few states away at the moment. so im not really sure how we would go about the video chat, especially since everyone who would be playing would have to video chat at the same time, and schedules dont always sync correctly :/

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Hmm... currently thinking there should be something like 9-15 different gods, and that my combined origins of merfolk scenario should both be neatened up (fewer random strings) and yet also provide some tie-in for the born-fish merfolk. People seem to like the biological origins (mutant, separate species), with some of the inherited magical qualities (lilim, lesser gods, elementals, faerie, spells, etc) the most. So we need an origin for fish, an origin for humans, and perhaps an origin that can be added to tie both of them together. Maybe mutant fish with a genetic gift for adaptation and interbreeding with anything, and mythical humanoid beings (lilim, lesser gods, demigods, etc) were both present at some sort of spell or artifact or ritual that combined them... and set the process in motion to have them continue to combine for all the centuries that follow.

Thanks for the advice on video chat, mermaid brianna! I'll have to consider that when I set this up. I do have experience with message board RPGs, so we could do the dominant amount of the story there instead.

[malinghi]

Hmm... currently thinking there should be something like 9-15 different gods, and that my combined origins of merfolk scenario should both be neatened up (fewer random strings) and yet also provide some tie-in for the born-fish merfolk. People seem to like the biological origins (mutant, separate species), with some of the inherited magical qualities (lilim, lesser gods, elementals, faerie, spells, etc) the most. So we need an origin for fish, an origin for humans, and perhaps an origin that can be added to tie both of them together. Maybe mutant fish with a genetic gift for adaptation and interbreeding with anything, and mythical humanoid beings (lilim, lesser gods, demigods, etc) were both present at some sort of spell or artifact or ritual that combined them... and set the process in motion to have them continue to combine for all the centuries that follow.

Thanks for the advice on video chat, mermaid brianna! I'll have to consider that when I set this up. I do have experience with message board RPGs, so we could do the dominant amount of the story there instead.


Awesome! So what's the next step?

Do we just need to agree on the rules and details of what the world is like, and then make character sheets and start doing this?

Can we use the RPG message board that Courtney made last year (http://underwatertales.proboards.com/)?

Can we start a thread on MerNetwork for making our characters?

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Awesome! So what's the next step?

Do we just need to agree on the rules and details of what the world is like, and then make character sheets and start doing this?

Can we use the RPG message board that Courtney made last year (http://underwatertales.proboards.com/)?

Can we start a thread on MerNetwork for making our characters?

Some people on here have made some suggestions for the rules (White Wolf, Fate system, True20, Mutants & Masterminds, Pathfinder, etc)... one of the reason it's taken me so long to get on this is because I've been reading through my rulebooks and trying to figure out what systems would provide significant detail to players to let them customize their characters, and which are good for beginners (without too much detail, with flexible, easy-to-remember rules, etc). I can't tell you how many books I've put aside because character creation involves getting out a calculator (and it's pretty apparent why such games are mostly no longer in print today). We'll need to design or select a rules system before we can start a character creation thread. I think we have a pretty good choice of setting (though time period might be a bit confusing... I like the modern idea, and that seems to be the most popular, but there's certainly some appeal for a game set in the Age of Sail/Pirates or a Medieval or Ancient Roman Empire setting... maybe we'll need to encounter either some sort of nautical ghosts or a manner of time travel (being sucked into a whirlpool? traveling through a forgotten crystal grotto? cursed by a sea witch?), so that we can visit those periods instead of being restricted to them. If anyone has any preferences for the setting or options, now is the time to bring them up.

We could possibly use the RPG message board Courtney set up, but I'm somewhat loathe to (that, after all, is her rpg, and it seems like it would be better to do this on either our own message board or on the mernetwork proper).

That said, I really, really wish Courtney would get back to reactivating her underwater tales rpg... I had a character made up and everything, and it just kinda died after I joined. And I really wouldn't be upset at all if people (particularly World of Darkness fans) tried out my Aegir's Cove rpg (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?1101-The-Merfolk-of-Aegir-s-Cove-%28the-RPG%29&highlight=aegir%27s+cove). But I think that as things stand, Underwater Tales was maybe more social, while this is more story/adventure based (at least at the moment).

[Merman Dan]

Cerulean Seas (PF) is wondrously detailed, but it does incur an additional investment on top of the Pathfinder ruleset.

I wish more Virtual Tabletop apps incorporated movement in three dimensions. Granted, one can use spells and weapon damage in Second Life, in some Sims.

As I have been running adventures in liquid space for years, my needs are somewhat particular. I enjoy having undersea analogs to traditional terrains; mountains, swamps, grasslands, deserts, and more become seamounts, floating "swamps" of sargassum, writhing sea star brambles, seagrass fields, urchin barrens, dead coral "deserts", black smokers, cold seeps, thermoclines, and forests of mangrove roots or massive stalks of coral. Add to that the phosphorescent realm of the depths and the interaction with drylanders in the shallows.

And I would like a magic system that was a bit more natural; a mix of Loom and Aquaria.

[malinghi]

I think the modern day setting is good for now. And there are still plenty of pirates around to act as antagonists (though they're more likely to wield kalashnikovs than cutlasses).


We could possibly use the RPG message board Courtney set up, but I'm somewhat loathe to (that, after all, is her rpg, and it seems like it would be better to do this on either our own message board or on the mernetwork proper).

That said, I really, really wish Courtney would get back to reactivating her underwater tales rpg... I had a character made up and everything, and it just kinda died after I joined. And I really wouldn't be upset at all if people (particularly World of Darkness fans) tried out my Aegir's Cove rpg (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthre...aegir%27s+cove (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?1101-The-Merfolk-of-Aegir-s-Cove-%28the-RPG%29&highlight=aegir%27s+cove)). But I think that as things stand, Underwater Tales was maybe more social, while this is more story/adventure based (at least at the moment).

As for where to have the rpg, I don't really know, since I don't know much about how these things work or whats best for them. I was kinda thinking a dedicated board might be nice since it would be weird having rpg threads mixed with everything else here. I don't really know.

Also, I wasn't sure if it would be disrespectful to use Courtney's rpg board because we'd kinda be hijacking it, or if it would be disrespectful to go and make another rpg board when she already went through the trouble to create one. Plus I thought hers looked nice.

[Alveric]

When you put it that way, it doesn't seem disrespectful to use it.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Courtney's board is beautiful, and her set up is a nice one... and I even remembered my screen name and password for it... but can any of us actually add characters or join without her? My impression is that even if she has more time now, she hasn't done anything with the site since January. Some of the advice for posting pictures and borders could use further information and walkthroughs

A dedicated board might be a good idea (or a separate group of threads on the message boards, like the Gender and Sexuality ones, so that people playing the rpg don't have to leave the forum), and it perhaps would be a good thing not to stress the mernetwork's server more than it already has been stressed (avoiding daily or hourly "Server is busy" messages would be nice, too especially while posting longer messages and descriptions of your actions).

[malinghi]

I think the deciding factor in whether we use Courtney's board or not is whether we can. I just sent her an e-mail asking if she would be able to moderate it or possibly give someone else moderator access. If we can use her board we should, and if we can't we'll probably have to make a new one.

Also, about the server problems, thank you for reminding me about that. Its a serious problem and I don't want to ignore it, though frankly I'm not sure what to do. But I need to do something.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

I think the deciding factor in whether we use Courtney's board or not is whether we can. I just sent her an e-mail asking if she would be able to moderate it or possibly give someone else moderator access. If we can use her board we should, and if we can't we'll probably have to make a new one.

Also, about the server problems, thank you for reminding me about that. Its a serious problem and I don't want to ignore it, though frankly I'm not sure what to do. But I need to do something.

It only is a minor annoyance unless it happens when you're in the middle of a conversation on the chatbox or if you're trying to post something on a thread (particularly if you've spent a longer time writing and researching it, as I tend to).

@ Aeolius - While I like Cerulean Seas' focus, I agree that it's probably not the game for most of us, if only because of Pathfinder's huge (and expensive) books. However, I do need to read through my copy (the online version) of Cerulean Seas and see how they do the 3-D movement system, and figure out how to take some of those elements and use it in a game of our own creation. For the main body of the game's rules, I am thinking a version of Green Ronin's work, either True20 (pretty simple, but flexible, rules) or Mutants & Masterminds (extremely flexible, creative power and character creation system, etc), with maybe a nod here or there to White Wolf.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Ugh... and I just got a message that the Mermaid Adventures RPG is finally available in pdf form... I'll have to see what they do as well. http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/103206/Mermaid-Adventures-RPG

[Merman Dan]

The cover reminds me a bit of Elfquest's WaveDancers:
http://theywerethefirst.namepad.net/graphic/wavedancers2.jpg

More HERE (http://www.elfquest.com/gallery/OnlineComics3.html)

Edit: apparently the Mermaid Adventures RPG was a Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/135802053/mermaid-adventures-an-rpg-of-undersea-fun) . Here's the PDF Character Sheet (http://www.thirdeyegames.net/sheets/ma/MACharacterSheet.pdf) , for the curious. Official info at Third Eye Games (http://thirdeyegames.net/mermaid-adventures/).

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Third Eye Games has made two particularly good product lines so far (Apocalypse Prevention Inc., which, by the way, does allow merfolk (Undine) characters in addition to Creatures from the Black Lagoon; and Part-Time Gods, which features Ningyo in the bestiary and probably would allow a fish or sea god/dess character... even turning into a mermaid might be possible, given the unusual character abilities featured therein), and "good for the whole family" games aren't bad starting points (as illustrated by Green Ronin's Faery Tale), so I'm inclined to find Mermaid Adventures interesting (even if I'm a little annoyed that Sea Urchin Mers somehow made the cut, but Seahorse ones apparently didn't).

[Merman Dan]

.. I'm a little annoyed that Sea Urchin Mers somehow made the cut, but Seahorse ones apparently didn't.

Pester them...errr... suggest an expansion pack, then. ;) I was pleased to see the rebirth of Alluria Publishing via Kickstarter. Here's hoping they get around to all of those expansions to Cerulean Seas they were cogitating (if you see "Waterscapes", that was my idea ;) ).

[malinghi]

I think the deciding factor in whether we use Courtney's board or not is whether we can. I just sent her an e-mail asking if she would be able to moderate it or possibly give someone else moderator access. If we can use her board we should, and if we can't we'll probably have to make a new one.

I e-mailed Courtney and she said we could use it. She said she can grant me moderator privileges. Joy&Raptors, should I ask her to make you a moderator too? I don't think I'm qualified to run the RPG.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Sure malinghi, that would help.

[Mermaid Cascada]

I think having the game in a time period with pirates would be cool. Or even having it being in modern times where you can create your own mer. Also there could be an evil scientist trying to proof that mers are real. It would be awesome if there were different cities for different tribes of mers and each of the mers should get their own place to stay and be able to decorate it to their liking. :D

[Alveric]

I just downloaded and looked at Mermaid Adventures. I think it would suit our purposes nicely. Simple rules, easy for the GM to deal with using a board, and easy to modify.

J&RU: Adding seahorse people would be simple.

[Merman Dan]

I would love to see an MMOG similar to Disney's Pixie Hollow, but with a mermaid theme. Y'know swimming around, socializing with other mers, decorating your coral reef or cavern home with undersea treasures, playing mer-themed mini-games, dressing up your mer-avatar in mer-fashion, I think it would be really fun and addictive!

You do know about the mer-community in Second Life, right? You can do all of those things and more, there.
So You Want to be a Mermaid? (http://shangreloo.wordpress.com/stuff-to-see/so-you-want-to-be-a-mer/)
Haven of Mermaids (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Haven%20of%20Mermaids/108/68/1)

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

You do know about the mer-community in Second Life, right? You can do all of those things and more, there.
So You Want to be a Mermaid? (http://shangreloo.wordpress.com/stuff-to-see/so-you-want-to-be-a-mer/)
Haven of Mermaids (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Haven%20of%20Mermaids/108/68/1)

Yes, I do... I even have a mer-tail and a flipping motion that I unlocked for free from one mermaid island. Unfortunately, second life really isn't going anywhere, and it lost the momentum it had earlier, it isn't very user friendly and the controls are awkward, also while it is possible to find free tails, true customization requires using L$, which requires having a source of L$ to begin with, and being able to navigate the teleport systems. It might make for an interesting occasional thing, but I don't think it is a practical option for the rpg.

[Merman Dan]

One option that has drawn my eye, of late is Roll20 (http://roll20.net/) , a virtual tabletop billed as an "easy-to-use virtual tabletop that brings pen and paper gaming to the web the right way. Built on a powerful platform of tools, yet elegantly simple, it focuses on enhancing what makes tabletop gaming great: storytelling and camaraderie." Mind you, as it does not currently work in Safari, I'm still waiting to try this one.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

One option that has drawn my eye, of late is Roll20 (http://roll20.net/) , a virtual tabletop billed as an "easy-to-use virtual tabletop that brings pen and paper gaming to the web the right way. Built on a powerful platform of tools, yet elegantly simple, it focuses on enhancing what makes tabletop gaming great: storytelling and camaraderie." Mind you, as it does not currently work in Safari, I'm still waiting to try this one.

I've encountered this, too... I need to do more research into it, and figure out what it offers that Skype doesn't, though. It does look pretty promising though. Aeolius, do you know of any online dice generators that you might recommend?

[Merman Dan]

I run my game via IRC. It has a built-in dicebot and can have custom die-rolling bots added.
IRC Server: irc.otherworlders.org, Channel: #turucambi

Some message-baords, such as those at EN World, also include die-rolling functions.

Some IM clients like AIM including AIM include die-rolling commands like //roll

[Merman Dan]

Apparently using WotC's VTT is no longer an option (http://www.enworld.org/forum/5965328-post1.html), as has been discontinued. Paizo, however, has announced one of their own (http://www.enworld.org/forum/5965355-post1.html). That makes the Pathfinder (http://paizo.com/pathfinder)/Cerulean Seas (http://paizo.com/products/btpy8i1m?Cerulean-Seas-Campaign-Setting) option a bit more attractive.

[Merman Craig (Delphinar)]

I would put in a combination of full time and part time mers. Mers can have tails permantly in the sea, but they can grow legs so they can walk on land. And maybe there can be sea serpents or monsters like Ursula. Humans can also have a role in it.

[malinghi]

I've encountered this, too... I need to do more research into it, and figure out what it offers that Skype doesn't, though. It does look pretty promising though. Aeolius, do you know of any online dice generators that you might recommend?

I like the possibility of using a videochat program, but I think google hangouts have skype beat hands down. it supports up to 10 people (last I checked you have to pay to videochat with more that one person on skype) and the call quality is way better. Plus its less buggy.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

I like the possibility of using a videochat program, but I think google hangouts have skype beat hands down. it supports up to 10 people (last I checked you have to pay to videochat with more that one person on skype) and the call quality is way better. Plus its less buggy.

Thanks Malinghi, here is one case where you have me beat in the familiarity with the subject area :) Again, videochat is unlikely to matter for all of the game (message boards should be fine for the majority of the interactions, though videochat will make things faster and more intimate when we set it up), but it's always good to know more.

Also, does anyone object to making a sort of co-operative brainstorming (rules-free) character creation thread on the mernetwork? It'll help us narrow down what sort of characters we'd like to play, and what sort of options (powers, features, qualities, backgrounds, occupations/classes) we'd like to use.

[Merman Dan]

If you need a live chat option, for brainstorming, other than the MerNetwork ChatBox, feel free to borrow #turucambi (linked above)

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Hey guys, after a looooooooong time of thinking about this, I've begun to design a mer-pantheon for our characters to worship. Let me know what you think! The majority are styled after gods from Egyptian Mythology (animal heads) with a few designed after Greek, Norse, Hindu, Mesopotamian, Far Eastern, or even Lovecraftian gods.

COSMOLOGY:

*Eleuthyria - The realm of the gods, its waters are actually amrit, the essence of immortality and empowerment. The realm's name derives from the word for "Freedom" or "Liberty," as it is believed that the Gods and the spirits of merfolk called to join the gods after death are gifted with true freedom from all the restrictions on their full potential. Eleuthyria is beyond the reach of living mer, though some blessed priests, priestesses, and mystics claim to have visited or foreseen images of the blessed waters. Eleuthyria is supposed to be a bottomless, shoreless ocean, and each god has his or her own sea.

*Duat - The realm of the dead, Duat is an eternal twisting sea, said to be a mix of the nine rivers: the binding Styx, memory-filled (and memory-erasing) Lethe, burning Phlegethon, misty Eridanos, cleansing Alpheus, painful Acheron, freezing Cocytus, stormy Rasa, and swift Nu. Souls find themselves naturally carried by the river whose waters they most need to experience to be purified, though those most worthy are carried by the Nu the entire way. In each of the rivers are scattered bubbles and debris-like islands, often resembling a place or time in the waking world that no longer exists, or depicting scenes from the life of one of the shades. The rivers eventually swirl together into a towering vortex, though it can take years or centuries or even eternity for some of the more damaged souls to reach, and then the soul is usually drained from Duat and into either Eleuthyria or a new life on Earth. Rumor persists that there is a tenth river, the Bimini, the river of Vitality, which can immediately restore the dead to life and bring youth to the ancient, but if that is the case, it would be very difficult to find, not the least because of the perils of Duat, including some of the more vicious souls and the monsters trapped in the Underwaters. It is possible for the living to enter Duat, mainly through magic and ritual, though some claim that particular areas on Earth are closer to Duat than the rest of the world.

*Raqia - The starry ocean, this is the realm of magic and elementals. Its waters are actually purely what modern gamers would call "mana"... the fuel of magic, and are a royal blue color with sparks of light and glitter within. Normal laws of physics and existence don't function the same way in Raqia, which is also the realm of dreams and thought, and is extremely reactive to the emotional and mental state of the visitor. Raqia can be visited through magic rituals (indeed, all magic rituals and spells essentially open a tiny gate between the physical world and Raqia, in order to cast the spell), though it can take an experienced and intuitive traveler to figure out the strange geography of the realm. There are some places in the physical world where Raqia can "leak through", resulting in some strange and enchanted locales.


Gods according to rank:

Greater Gods: Maerael, Hapi, Eosaere, Qualumbral, Nephrod, Monceros, Balaeph, Syngnath, Carcharao, Orcael

Middle Gods: Polypo, Alaeym, Yuvriel, Kthal, Jyrlyaia, Enteroct, Njorrir, Shénlóng, Nagaraja/Sampa, Lophiss, Cnidare, Asterozus, Diomedes, Resona

Lesser Gods: Thressis, Zaruna, Graldont, Falekki, Dermachelle, Batoiden, Pomacae, Istiara

Demigods: Lille Havfrue, Xakch'k, Phinilay

GODS:
*Istiara - Goddess of Mirth, her head and tail are those of a sailfish, and she frequently carries a tambourine made out of a stretched sand dollar and clam shells in one hand and a veil of woven bubbles in the other. Her symbol is a dancing sailfish, or her unusual tambourine. She teaches that mers should not only seek out pleasant experiences, but that they should also work to make the lives of others as joyous as possible. Her priesthood works to comfort those who have suffered from tragedy, and they are great community leaders. Many pray to Istiara for good luck and happiness, healing, and guidance. Her realm in Eleuthyria is near the surface, consisting of a countless expanse of gleaming bubbles and foam, each sphere containing a perfectly happy, ideal world suited for one of her worshipers in the afterlife.

*Pomacae - God/dess of Beauty, his head and tail are those of a Queen Angelfish, and she carries a mirror made of mother-of-pearl and gleaming surface water, so that he might show everyone their true beauty. As you might have noticed, she is referred to with pronouns of both genders... this is because, while all gods can change their appearance, gender, species, and so forth, Pomacae appears as male and female equally... sometimes at the same time! However, Pomacae is ALWAYS stunningly beautiful in some way. His symbols are her mirror and two angelfish appearing to kiss each other. He teaches that mers should work to make the world a more beautiful place, whether that involves improving one's own appearance, making beautiful works of art and architecture, or restoring the natural world to its pristine beauty. Another lesson that Pomacae endorses is that all things are beautiful, and that one must always seek to discover that beauty. Her priesthood include patrons of the art, relationship counselors, artists, animal breeders, however, Pomacae is not the god/dess of marriage or devotion or love, though he is the god/dess of beauty and attraction. Pomacae is often prayed to by artists, designers, teachers, and the young. Her realm in Eleuthyria is located in a vast and dazzling coral reef, with blindingly beautiful attractions at every turn.

*Diomedes - God of Weather, has the head and wings of an albatross, and instead of scales, his tail has feathers, ending in flukes that are actually a second pair of wings. He swims through the sky raising or calming storms with a beat of his vast wings and a piercing cry of exultation. When he sheds a feather (something he only does willingly) it turns into a bolt of lightning, and the clap of his wings at that moment can be heard as thunder. His symbol is a soaring albatross or a feathery lightning bolt. He teaches that the storms of life are to be treasured times of celebration and that times of difficulty can be overcome by drawing on inner power. His priesthood include weather forecasters, elementalists (focusing on surface conditions, weather, storms, and air), storytellers, monster-hunters and guides. Legend has it that the sky gods of humanity once tried to conquer the seas, but that Diomedes drove them off, and remains ever vigilant against incursions of foreign gods and spirits, which is why he spends so much time on the surface of the sea instead of beneath it, and why storms themselves rarely have much effect far below the surface. Diomedes is prayed to during storms and difficult times in a mer's life, so that he might provide guidance on how to conquer or sooth difficulties, but he is also prayed to by mers who spend a great deal of time on the surface. His realm in Eleuthyria exists above the surface, in an immense storm cloud one can swim in, illuminated by harnessed lightning.

*Asterozus - God? of Hope, Healing, the Heavens, and the Stars, does not resemble a mer in any way, instead appearing as an enormous, glowing sea star or brittle star. Legend has it that, in the times before the merfolk dwelled in the ocean, darker, more twisted things from beyond the world's edges inhabited the waters instead, lurking and plotting to invade. Asterozus was one of these creatures, but It (Asterozus is most likely neither male nor female), encountered the ancestors of the merfolk, and felt something stirring in its heart at the sight of them... a feeling of promise, succor, and strength that would one day be called Hope. Asterozus then joined the side of the merfolk, and began empowering them with Its chosen quality, healing them and granting them the power to overcome Its former brethren in the deep. When the last monster was driven from the world, it lashed out with hooklike claws, and tore Asterozus to countless pieces before being slain by the armies of mer warriors arrayed against it. Sorrowfully, they picked up the fragments of Asterozus, and with heavy hearts, rose to the surface to sing out their dirges in honor of their fallen ally... only to find that that the pieces began to grow into new sea stars, each one a mirror of Asterozus, and each one lighter than air. The fragments rose into the sky, forming a net of stars to keep out the creatures from beyond, and to shine down with hope to the brave watchers below. Asterozus' symbol is a sea star superimposed over a brittle star, so that it appears to have ten legs, five of which are thick and strong, and five of which are skinny and serpentine, with a star at the center. Asterozus' teachings are that working together brings greater gains than working alone, and that hopes should be nurtured and encouraged, while evils are fought back or offered the chance for redemption. Its priesthood includes healers, holy warriors, teachers, navigators, guides, and ambassadors. Asterozus is prayed to for protection from evil, hope in difficult times, guidance, and healing. Its realm in Eleuthyria is a rippling galaxy far above the waters of that realm, where each worshiper's soul forms its own stellar paradise, further strengthening and healing the world.

*Lille Havfrue - Demigoddess of Transformation, Dreams and Souls, is a beautiful, youthful maiden who appears as a mermaid, human, or spirit of the air, alternatively. Her voice is incredibly beautiful, and her wisdom is profound. She was once a princess of one of the northern kingdoms of merfolk, who turned to magic and, through great sacrifice, sought to become human and find love with a human prince, therefore achieving an immortal soul. When he married another, she nearly gave into despair, but refused to sacrifice another's happiness for her own continued existence, and died, only to become a spirit of the air and being given a new chance. When she finally gained a soul, it was a semi-divine one, and she has since appeared to many merfolk throughout the world offering guidance and strength through dreams, or enabling them to change shapes in order to better reach their goals. It is also said that it is she who allowed the souls of the merfolk to reach Eleuthyria after all this time. Her symbol is a pattern of sea foam that suggest the image of a mermaid or a human girl. Her teachings are that change is rarely easy or pleasant, but that our actions shape whether or not the change is a positive or negative one, and that devotion, even if seemingly misplaced, offers its own rewards. She also suggests that followers trust in their dreams. Lille Havfrue has few priests, and no temples... just shrines. Many of her devoted followers are also worshipers of another god or goddess, or simply worshipers of the gods as a whole. She has no realm in Eleuthyria, instead she maintains an ever-shifting domain in Raqia that appears to be beneath the sea, on land, or in the sky at different moments.

*Orcael - God of Doorways, Thresholds, Boundaries, Beginnings, and Endings, has the head and tail of a killer whale. He is a god of adventure and crossing over, of strategy and triumph... but also of risk. He patrols the surface and the depths, looking for lines to cross and places to explore. He teaches that true learning, growth, and power come from experience and, to some extent, trial-and-error, and that greater risks bring greater rewards. Orcael is prayed to for courage and direction, understanding and luck. His priesthood are often battle-scarred or experienced in some way, and each of them can offer a wealth understanding of new cultures, environments, and even social realms. Orcael's priesthood is also responsible for many of the rites of passage in mer societies. It is said that Orcael's realm somehow exists simultaneously in Eleuthyria, Raqia, Duat, and the physical world... as well as the realms beyond, and it is a place of strange contrasts and endless adventure.

*Carcharao - God of Danger, Life, and the Hunt, has the head and tail of a Great White Shark, and is known to be feared as much as he is worshipped. However, Carcharao's goals are to provide for, support, guide, and teach the merfolk to survive. Instead of giving mers a fish, he teaches them to fish... by hunting them, so that they might experience the cycle of predator and prey. Carcharao guides schools of souls into the world, and he salutes them as they depart, but in between, he watches over them. He is the ultimate hunter, but also protective, and he expects his followers to learn the lessons he teaches them. Every danger in their lives is a message from Carcharao on how to avoid or overcome that danger next time, and while he is not a comfortable deity, which god or goddess really IS comfortable? His attacks and lessons will make them stronger and enable them to survive... for there are far greater threats than he in the waters. Priests and priestesses of Carcharao are just as dangerous, but also just as capable... they can survive away from civilization for years at a time, and they know much. Carcharao's realm in Eleuthyria is a vast world within the great shark, where one is simultaneously safe... and also part of the greatest apex predator alive. His symbol is a white diamond split in half by a horizontal line of waves... a stereotypical fin rising above the surface that turns into a daggerlike tooth below the surface.

[SeaGlass Siren]

I personally would love to see some sort or plot and an end goal. And a few more goals in between.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

I personally would love to see some sort or plot and an end goal. And a few more goals in between.

Yeah, except for two problems with that statement. Number 1 is that this is a worldbuilding thread, primarily. Plots and end goals (not to mention middle goals) derive largely from the characters and what they can do (if everyone wants to be princesses, palace guards, courtiers and court magicians, it really doesn't make sense for one of the goals to be "protect the sea caravan by acting as guards" and nobody wants magic to play a major part in the story, a major goal of "unlock the secrets of ancient etlontyan sorcery before the city erodes completely" isn't going to be possible). Since we don't have a world built just yet, we can't populate it or change it with our characters. Think about it: a runaway princess character has very different goals and outlook compared to a mystic, an assassin, a feral mermaid, a healer, or a seductive merman singer. Only when we have a setting narrowed down can character creation (including goals) begin.

Problem Number 2 is that roleplaying games are continuous storytelling efforts, not games with a final goal or winning solution. The characters and their story evolve over time, new goals replace old ones, some old goals fail, others are completed, and so forth. Plot is different for each "chapter" or "session" of the story. I have deliberately kept the structure open and free-form so that we can sort through the ideas and pull out the threads to the story tapestry when we're ready, though I think we could use more of it... what are some kind of plots and goals you'd like to see in the game?

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

MORE GODS:

*Batoiden - God of the Sun, Heat, Fire, and Poison, has the head and "wings" of a manta ray, and a second pair of wings and stinger where the tail flukes would be on a normal mermaid. She is proud and beautiful, and very protective of the merfolk who join her, so much so that she has joined the Asterozus and Diomedes in the sky in order to defend the seas below from threats. That is one of the reasons why the surface is relatively safe for merfolk, compared to the depths where great monsters lurk... Batoiden and her heavenly warriors are fierce combatants. However, like fire itself, Batoiden is dangerous to merfolk as well... her presence dries out and blisters their skin and scales, or burns them, and so Batoiden's residence in the sky is also a self-imposed exile. Her lover, Cnidare, is the only one who can withstand the blazing presence of the Sun Goddess for long. Batoiden's symbol is a manta ray surrounded by the ring and rays of the sun, or a burning stinger needle. She teaches that passion and emotion are powerful forces, and should be given free reign... and that if one's passions are dangerous to others, it is the responsibility of someone truly passionate to seek out a place and situation where his or her spirit can burn brightly without causing harm. Batoiden's priests and priestesses eagerly combat the forces that threaten mers, and provide wisdom and training in achieving goals and seeking out solutions. They believe that volcanoes and deep sea vents, as well as sunny days, are manifestations of the goddess' pleasure, and that poisonous creatures have been blessed by Batoiden with the burning protection of their lady. Merfolk worship Batoiden in thanks for her protection, but also in thanks for sparing them from her wrath and fires and searing heat for another day, and some suggest that the fondness for carrying mirrors while sunning oneself on the rocks is a remnant of an ancient ritual of reflecting Batoiden's glory back at the goddess as a way of honoring her sacrifice and exile from the oceans. Batoiden's realm in Eleuthyria, is appropriately, far above the surface of the water, in a sea of flame and golden paradise, where all her worshipers live happily in celestial splendor, driving back the darkness with their newly gilded spirit-forms.

*Cnidare - Goddess of the Moon, the Tides, and the Unseen World, has glowing but translucent skin, and the tendrils of a jellyfish instead of hair and a tail. Despite that, she is one of the most beautiful goddesses, and all are drawn to her, including the waters of the world. It is she who sets the tides in motion, and she who dances, each spin and twirl showing a new phase of the moon. Despite her inhuman allure, Cnidare is faithful always to her lover, Batoiden, goddess of the sun, and the moon goddess chose to join her burning spouse in exile rather than pine for her in the sea. Despite this, Cnidare descends into the waters to visit the others on a regular, cycling basis, resulting in moondowns and new moons. Legend has it that it was Cnidare who first gave in to curiosity and rose from the sea, seeking out the surface when the other gods remained in the deeps at the creation of the world, and that the merfolk have inherited the moon maiden's curiosity with each trip above the waters. The symbol of Cnidare is a moon jelly seen from above, with four crescent moons on the mantle. The moon goddess teaches that exploration is natural and important, but that in life, choices are necessary, and it takes strength to resist being pulled into difficulty by sticking to your choices with conviction. The priesthood of Cnidare consists of teachers, guides, wanderers, mystics, and marriage counselors, as well as hunters and guardians against supernatural threats, most often revealed by the soft light of the moon. Merfolk pray to Cnidare when they are threatened by magic or the supernatural, when they need to make difficult choices, and when they seek direction in life. Her realm in Eleuthyria is, like Batoiden's, floating far above the surface of the water, and forms a remarkably open and airy silvery city of gardens, parks, fountains, and gleaming pastel coral reefs.

*Syngnath - God of love, fertility, children, and devotion, Syngnath has bony plates like armor, a long prehensile tail, and a fluttering dorsal fin, along with the head of a seahorse. He wields a spear of intertwined coral, whose slightest touch can make any mer fall in love with any other(s). Syngnath sees finding appropriate couples (or more, if necessary... his philosophies on relationships are remarkably open) and helping them meet and form lasting relationships as his great quest in life, though it is often a challenge. Syngnath is still looked upon by the other gods with suspicion because of his assistance in Batoiden and Cnidare's love, and some have accused him of being involved with the tragic life of Lille Havfrue as well. Syngnath persists in his duty, however, while wooing Pomacae in hopes that (s)he'll eventually decide to devote him/herself to something more than transitory beauty. He is also very popular among the merchildren, because once a year he is supposed to ride a chariot pulled by seahorses across the sea and deliver presents to the good little merboys and mermaids. His symbol is the seahorse pulling a seashell chariot. He teaches that everyone should treat others as they would want to be treated, and that good deeds are rewarded, and that devotion can change the world again and again, whether it is devotion to a goal, to a lover, or to oneself. His priesthood run orphanages, act as relationship counselors, and are surprisingly good with their hands, as they make a number of toys and gifts, and are expected to show their devotion to a particular craft throughout their careers. They are also fierce protectors of children and loved ones, and most weddings are performed at temples of the God of Love. His realm in Eleuthyria is a blissful, brightly-colored, childlike sea, where loved ones, parents and children, and even star-crossed lovers are reunited joyfully.

*Balaeph - God of Fate, Destiny, and Chance, is also perhaps the largest of the gods... a vast entity with the tail and head of a blue whale. He is deeply concerned with his duty... so much so that he rarely seems to notice anything else. His perspective is so very different, even from the other gods, that even they cannot truly relate to him, and what seems desperately important to a whole kingdom of merfolk is completely ignored, while the god of fate tries to alter the life of a single mermaid. Dealing with Balaeph is confusing, but when he does speak, his words do provide clues to the future and prove to be very relevant, but only at some distant point in time. He spends much of his time straining the oceans with his baleen, invisibly altering the fates of everyone he passes in the process. His symbol is a vast, gentle eye. His priesthood are often oracles, seers, and mystics, but just as often problem-solvers and adventurers and even some tricksters and rogues... most often a mer feels called to his priesthood simply by ending up at the door to the temple haphazardly... or seemingly haphazardly, at least... and can come from any walk of life. He is often prayed for by mers seeking good luck, guidance, or blessings, or, more commonly, to thank him for recent good fortune. He has no specific domain in Eleuthyria... instead, he leads his rare followers throughout Eleuthyria, Raqia, Duat, and Earth, and each of them experiences what it is to be as vast as the god of Destiny, seeing the worlds clearly for the first time and understanding the reasons behind the seeming randomness.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Even MORE Gods...

*Dermachelle - Goddess of the Land, Stone, and Sea Floor, Dermachelle has the head of a sea turtle and a long mermaidlike tail ending in a leatherback turtle's body, complete with four flippers where the flukes would normally be. Legend has it that Dermachelle only appears as in this form to be more relate-able to merfolk, and that she is actually an older being, like Asterozus. She is supportive of the few merfolk who worship her, but envious of their residence in the sea, rather than on land. She tried to make her own followers, the Kappa, humanoid turtle beings with dangerous attitudes, but many of them have since gone wild and attacked merfolk communities. Sculpture and architecture appease her tastes, but she can cause earthquakes (and therefore tsunamis) and raise or lower land from the sea. Her wrath is dangerous, even more so than Batoiden's, because it can strike without warning and the results are catastrophic. Her symbol is a sea turtle with a landmass rising from its back, and her priesthood is divided between the dark side (which praises Dermachelle for her power and seeks to gain that elemental force for themselves, relying on prayers from the populace that wishes to avoid the Earth Goddess' wrath) and the light (which constructs, builds, and supports the communities, encourages communication with the humans and the kappa, among other creatures, and patronizes the arts). Her realm in Raqia is a vast unexplored continent, that somehow enables merfolk to swim a short distance off the ground, though her dark side reigns from an archipelago of debris and flotsam in Duat.

*Typus - God of Agreements, Vows, Justice, and Rulership, he appears either as a salt-and-pepper bearded merman with the tail of a whale shark, or a whale shark larger than a megalodon. He is thorough, cautious, and wise, deliberating over a proper course of action while being determined and just. He is supposedly the ultimate ancestor of each of the major noble houses in all the merfolk cities, though this is probably a legend, and nobles with spots similar to a whale shark are considered blessed with wisdom and strength as a result. His symbol is a spotted crown floating on the waves. His priests are often nobles, judges, or merchants themselves, and it is his temple that crowns most of the rulers of the city states. Typus is worshiped by those embarking on trade agreements, rulers and aristocrats, leaders of people, and those making deals with one another. It is believed that an oath sworn to Typus is unbreakable. His realm in Eleuthyria is a magnificent palace that stretches on infinitely in all directions.

*Monceros - God of Magic, has the tail of a narwhal, as well as the tusk of one extending from his forhead. It is said that he created Raqia from his own tears when he realized that the merfolk on Earth could only reach the gods in Eleuthyria by dying, and therefore he created a way for mers to connect to the divine through the power of magic. His symbol is a narwhal with a sparkling tusk, and his priests are often teachers, mystics, oracles, and magic-users of varying sorts. He is worshiped by spellcasters and those who work with magic items, and many merfolk nations credit him with enabling the other gods to create mers in the first place, so many revere him on their birthdays, and ask for wishes at that time. His domain is in Raqia, and it is constantly changing, but always intensely magical, and the spirits of his followers have eternity to delve into the mysteries of magic.

*Lophiss - Goddess of secrets, dark magic, and hidden things, she has the head and tail of an anglerfish. Whereas Monceros created and maintains the energies of Raqia, Lophiss offers dark powers from Duat, the Land, and the maddening realms beyond. A scavenger and a dealer in darkness, Lophiss lures merfolk to her, offering them what they want or need, in exchange for favors and secrets and sacrifices. Lophiss is the patron of sea witches and the guardian of the creatures that lurk in the darkness, and she is apparently the child of a primordial monster-god and a mermaid, raised as a mortal, until she learned enough dark power to seize the rank of a new goddess... possibly by slaying and sacrificing her horrendous father and taking his place. That, however, is the reason the rest of the mer pantheon tolerates Lophiss... she defeated a deadly enemy through cunning and power, in exchange for her own continued existence, place among the gods, and realm in the most stagnant reaches of Duat. Lophiss isn't evil... she doesn't force others to obey her, and she rarely kills. Instead, she offers choices. It is possible, though rare, to pick and choose which of Lophiss' deals to accept and which to refuse, such that one remains "good," but it is a slippery slope to even consider trying. Lophiss offers great powers, however, and though her appearance is strange and dark, her words are so very sweet. Her priesthood is actually more of a cult of sorcerers and sea witches, though every so often, a strong-willed, heroic follower of Lophiss appears, shocking everyone. Lophiss loves these kinds of followers, because they make her temples more popular, drawing in new faithful willing to take whatever she offers. Her symbol is a light in the darkness. She is prayed to for reasons of vengeance, envy, greed, and desire. Her realm is haunted by grim spirits and fearful creatures, many of whom were once merfolk.

*Nagaraja/Sampa - God/dess of the Sand, Salt, Silt, Wisdom, and Preservation, and creator/monarch of the Naga, this being appears as a manyheaded snake with features of both a cobra and a sea snake, but Sampa is unique among the gods in that s/he is always incarnated in avatar form, as the Nagaraja, temporal and religious leader of the Naga. As god of the sand, Nagaraja is an intermediary between the sea gods and Dermachelle. As ruler of the Naga, he or she is terrifying to oppose, though he is also wise. At will, the gaze of the Nagaraja can bless an individual with great power... or disintegrate the poor mortal in pure rage. The symbol of the Nagaraja is a spiral with a wavy tail descending from the bottom. Merfolk priests of Sampa teach moderation and control, and are capable of amazing feats through mastery of their bodies and the world around them. The naga and the merfolk are on relatively good terms with one another, and mixed marriages are not uncommon, though the naga prefer to remain near or on the shore and in freshwater, and deltas, while the merfolk tend to dwell in saltwater habitats. Sampa's home in the Eleuthyria is ever shifting, reconstructing itself into a palace of gleaming copper sands that changes at the whim of the wise god.

*Nephrod - God of the Dead, Spirits, and Duat, has the head and tail and armor and claws of a lobster, as well as a humanoid torso and arms. He is calculating and watchful, always alert and aware, and possibly as wise as Sampa. His symbol is a lobster shell with claws and head facing towards the viewer. He teaches that all things, even gods, die at some point, and that life is precious because of its fragility... and that the dead deserve respect and filial piety. His priesthood have a number of funerary duties, and guide merfolk communities in the reverence of their ancestors. Nephrod also opens the gates to Duat once a year, allowing the spirits of the departed to return to walk among the living. However, he is greatly opposed to the undead, and his followers destroy those kinds of monsters immediately. He is respected by the merfolk, if considered somewhat morbid, because he is also considered gentle and understanding. His realm is the entirety of Duat, but his followers see that domain as a place of wonders and mysteries and adventure, not the terrifying realm others perceive.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Yeah, except for two problems with that statement. Number 1 is that this is a worldbuilding thread, primarily. Plots and end goals (not to mention middle goals) derive largely from the characters and what they can do (if everyone wants to be princesses, palace guards, courtiers and court magicians, it really doesn't make sense for one of the goals to be "protect the sea caravan by acting as guards" and nobody wants magic to play a major part in the story, a major goal of "unlock the secrets of ancient etlontyan sorcery before the city erodes completely" isn't going to be possible). Since we don't have a world built just yet, we can't populate it or change it with our characters. Think about it: a runaway princess character has very different goals and outlook compared to a mystic, an assassin, a feral mermaid, a healer, or a seductive merman singer. Only when we have a setting narrowed down can character creation (including goals) begin.

Problem Number 2 is that roleplaying games are continuous storytelling efforts, not games with a final goal or winning solution. The characters and their story evolve over time, new goals replace old ones, some old goals fail, others are completed, and so forth. Plot is different for each "chapter" or "session" of the story. I have deliberately kept the structure open and free-form so that we can sort through the ideas and pull out the threads to the story tapestry when we're ready, though I think we could use more of it... what are some kind of plots and goals you'd like to see in the game?

well, open ended plots are always fun. normally when i did RPGs they kind of ended up nowhere. a lot of it was really just improv.

goals, i mean like "quests". i dont know if you've ever played any of the Fable games or not, but in those kinds of games there's always a quest. something like those. I'd like for there to be a main quest, with mini quests in between ^o^ i'd love to see someone play a villain.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

More MORE Gods:

*Maerael- The actual creator god of the merfolk, there are many myths about Maerael, who is most often depicted as a powerfully built merman with lionfish fins as wings sprouting from his back and a glowing trident. In fact, Maerael's entire body shines with an inner light, and he is also a god of craftsmanship, invention, science, writing, and art. It is from his name that "merfolk" is derived, as "The People of Maerael." Maerael is believed to have a number of unnamed siblings, one who went to the upper atmosphere, one who went to live on the land, one who went to live on the earth, one who went to live beyond the world and so forth... but it was Maerael who had the vision to create and make his home in the sea, and to create the first living things in the waters, sculpting them over centuries until they evolved into all the different creatures of the sea and land... and then he began to work on his masterpiece, the first merfolk, made in his image. He is also a god of destruction, however, since in order to create, he must sometimes destroy, much like the waves crumble stone and carry away portions of the beach, only to deposit strange new things with each low tide. His symbol is a trident constructed of many kinds of seashells, and his priesthood are known for their skills and inventiveness, as well as their use of technology. Tools, weapons, and buildings constructed by the Temple of Maerael are known for their intricate qualities and subtle features, including enchantments and advanced tech. Maerael is also believed to have created each mer's soul before life by giving them a fraction of his own life, and during their lifetime he sculpts their bodies to fulfill his dream of their true nature. He is the most powerful god of the entire pantheon, though he prefers to let the gods do as they will unless all of Creation is threatened. His realm in Eleuthyria is a vast sea that is part art studio and part workshop and part museum, where a version of everything Maerael has ever created is saved for all time, and where his followers can happily create their own inventions forever.

*Resona - The only goddess who is never depicted in physical form, Resona manifests as a deep and beautiful music that surrounds the listener and somehow intuitively provides the answers to any of her follower's needs/questions. As goddess of music, Resona is extremely powerful in mer society, and her presence and guiding hand can be felt throughout mer culture. Resona provides comfort, sorrow, love, anger, worry and humor, along with the other emotions and sensations that shape the mer psyche. Her symbol is rippling music score, and her priests and priestesses are renowned for their choirs and composers, dirges and battle songs, ballads and requiems and lullabyes. Each devotee of Resona is expected to make, perform, or write at least one masterpiece of music in some fashion throughout his or her life, and many take part in the creation of far more. Resona's realm in Eleuthyria is a vast sea of icebergs and crystals, from which impossibly beautiful instruments can be fashioned, all providing an echoing resonance that enhances and weaves together in harmony every tune performed in the realm.

*Shénlóng - God of Order, Balance, Peace, and Intermingling, Shénlóng appears as a vast sea dragon, with catfish whiskers, and a pearl of many colors set in his forehead. His symbol is a stylized dragon. He teaches that the path to true peace is not simply being pacifistic (though that is a respectable quality to have) but to practice inner peace and serenity, linking and harmonizing the mind, body, spirit and community. He is prayed to in times of stress and conflict, and his priesthood is a haven for martial arts and seekers of peace. His realm isn't strictly in Eleuthyria, Raqia, or Duat... but in all three at once, somehow, and consists of a balanced and organized undersea garden.

*Hapi - God/dess of Elemental Water, Hapi is more primordial and unknowable than most of the other gods, and when s/he manifests, it is often as a water elemental (a creature made of living water) with features of both men and women. His/her symbol is a crystalline globe of water, and Hapi's efforts to maintain the purity of the world's waters (salt AND fresh) have actually prevented some of the greater excesses of humanity. Fighting pollution is a common effort of Hapi's priesthood, though they are often considered a bit aloof (as they give greater value to the water itself, rather than the creatures or plants that live in the water or need it to survive). Still, Hapi is considered the most powerful of the different elemental/nature gods worshiped by the merfolk, and the most necessary. Hapi teaches that modelling oneself after the qualities of water... adaptivity, going with the flow, tempestuousness, clarity, and inexorability, among others. Hapi's realm in Raqia is a vast, crystal-clear sea, and the spirits of his followers become water elementals.

*Njorrir - God of the Wind, Waves, Ice and War, is also, after a fashion, the god of breath. He appears as a warrior merman in scale mail, with ice blue skin and scales, and wide flying fish fins. Unlike Diomedes or Hapi, Njorrir is the God of the surf and spray, where water meets air... and where it freezes. Existing in this constant clash between two elements, Njorrir is appropriately enough, one of the primary war gods of the merfolk, and his domain also encompasses the conflict between the human and piscine nature of his people. He teaches that strength and strategy are available to all, even the least likely, and that knowing how to use each determines whether an individual survives and transforms to diamond-like perfection, or is washed away to be replaced by the next. He is also a god of travel and journeys, personal transformation and experiences, and his priests and priestesses are often itinerant, though many are stationed in various city-states militaries, particularly in the northern waters. Still, the Temples of Njorrir are also patrons of the arts, notably sculpture and storytelling and song (there are warrior monks capable of striking an iceberg with such force and precision that it shatters into a perfect statue of their choice, and of soprano priestesses whose songs are so high and pure that they can do the same with a single piercing note). Armies blessed by Njorrir have been known to ride the waves across vast distances, and to have their weapons coated with frost. His symbol is a frozen wave, and his realm in Raqia is a sea of icy glaciers, which constantly echo from the winds howling through the tunnels in a form of strange music, and where great mer warriors feast and hone their skills.

*Falekki - The divine guardian and protector, she appears as a sleek mermaid with dolphin features and flukes, and who never speaks... what needs to be said, other than that her children, the merfolk, are protected? Many legends tell of her tireless devotion and the way she fiercely defends the merfolk against monsters and environmental dangers and even the threat posed by humans. Her constant smile, even in the face of danger, is comforting, and her strength and defiant spirit is empowering. Her symbol is a curved row of shields, resembling a smile. The clergy of Falekki are great prtectors and nurturers of the community though many of them take a vow of silence or sacrifice some other part of their lives as a sign of their devotion to those they protect. Falekki's realm in Eleuthyria is a sea of peaceful, temperate waters home to a seemingly endless pod of dolphins, Falekki's other children.

*Enteroct - The Trickster God of Mischief and Chaos, is appropriately enough, a mystery. He (we assume Enteroct is male, though he has appeared in female and genderless forms as well) usually appears as some mix of humanoid or merman and octopus or squid (or even cuttlefish). Rumor has it that Enteroct is everything from the first mer god, to a hybrid of mer god and primordial monster, to a human who ascended to immortality, to a kraken's ghost, to an elaborate hoax played on the merfolk by some other species. If he exists, Enteroct is not actually cruel or evil or even particularly dangerous (aside from being a god), but he is a meddler, certain he can change things for the "better"... even if "things" are quite happy being the way they are. Sometimes the result is great conflict and devastation, sometimes it ends in wisdom and positive change, but Enteroct, at least, is always amused. His symbol is a set of spiralling, rotating octopus tentacles. His priests tend to be looked down upon, but they do make great storytellers and jokers. Usually, they work together to pull off some fantastic trick or prank. His realm in Eleuthyria is a vast and changing maze of scenery and props, costumes, and audiences, all seemlessly falling together into the perfect joke or entertainment. Rumor has it that Enteroct grants those faithful spirits who entertain him repeatedly some random gift... some have even ended up with new life (though often as the opposite gender, or some other twist to entertain the Trickster).

*Graldont - The God of Hunger and Force resembles a cross between a merman and a Hammerhead Shark, with the oddly split head and sideways-facing eyes, and the great jaws in the middle of his "face", and the powerful dark tail fins of a shark. His musculature is an odd mix of bulky and skinny, as if he is at once starving and well fed. Graldont is a very direct god, seeking out whatever he hungers for at that moment and not letting anything get in his way. Graldont feels the hungers (and desires and thirsts and lusts and greeds) of every creature in the sea, and the rare priests and priestesses of Graldont claim that offerings to their god help satisfy the hungers in all things. Consequently, Graldont isn't a particularly beloved god (except among those merfolk who began their lives as sea creatures and those who really want to achieve their goals), but he is one that is worshipped pre-emptively... especially by travelers about to swim through dangerous waters. His symbol is a ring of teeth facing outwards like a sunburst, and his domain is a particularly fearsome sea in Duat full of enormous, half-eaten bodies of monsters and giants and shipwrecks.

*Jyrlyaia - The goddess of the home and family, Jyrlyaia has the lower body of a seal, and soft fur covering even her torso, along with deep dark phocine eyes. Jyrlyaia teaches that strength and immortality come from caring for and being among your family, whether that family is blood or the deepest of friends. Jyrlaia's priesthood is full of mermaids and mermen who offer guidance and an attentive ear to members of families, in hopes of strengthening them, and for sponsoring communal gatherings that encourage the feeling of kinship. Her symbol is a pair of seal-esque eyes staring out at the viewer, and her domain in Eleuthyria is a vast colony of gathered merfolk followers and their families, eternally celebrating as if at some big party or gathering.

*Kthal - The goddess of death (as in the act and instance of death, not the Dead or the Afterlife) and the psychopomp of the merfolk, is stunningly, dazzlingly, heartbreakingly beautiful, with long, flowing hair that caresses and carries off the dying to their home in the afterlife. Everyone who sees her describes her tail differently, but it is always their ideal of beauty. Her symbol is a slender hand gently reaching out from an arm coiled in dark hair. Her priests are, interestingly, surprisingly militant, ready to face death in a cause that they (individually) deem worthy. They also are rather philosophical, and provide comfort to the bereaved. She does have a realm in Duat, and it, like the Death Goddess herself, is heartrendingly beautiful, but it is also completely empty, noteworthy for being one of the few places where the living (if they survive the trip through Duat) can gain an audience with Kthal. What happens to the spirits of her own followers is a mystery, but Kthal herself spreads her essence across the many worlds, in order to be there for each dying mer. Rumor has it that both Carcharao and Nephrod has wooed Kthal, but that she is as elusive as she is omnipresent.

*Qualumbral - The deity of darkness takes many forms, often appearing as a vague, shadowy figure, often with the tail of a coelacanth. However, Qualumbral actually has three main avatars: The Night Maiden, The Deep Lord, and The Twin, each embodying a different kind of darkness. The Night Maiden represents the cycle of darkness that comes to the surface and shallow waters with the arrival of each night, and often exists in a state of rivalry with Batoiden, Cnidare and Asterozus. She is, however primarily concerned with romance and wonder as well as rest and security, and has alliances with similar gods. The Deep Lord is perhaps the most powerful aspect of Qualumbral, as the vast majority of the sea never sees the light of the sun, and is therefore his domain. He is closely aligned with Lophiss, and embraces a survival of the fittest philosophy. The Twin, however, looks like a shadowy version of whomever sees him, and represents the shadows and shadowy sides of all things, including individual merfolk. In this form, Qualumbral acts as a sort of devil's advocate, testing merfolk and their convictions. His worshippers typically only encounter one of the three, unless they are of sufficient rank in his priesthood to experience all three shades of darkness and truly understand how they interact. The temples of Qualumbral offer introspection and are places of meditation, but there are rumors that more than a few merfolk who follow any of the three aspects of Qualumbral turn evil (adherents of the darkness god point out that more than a few turn good or neutral as well, but it is still a troubling statistic). Rumor also speaks of a fourth aspect of Qualumbral, the Unseen, representing the darkness of stealth, and a secret branch of the temple housing an order of assassins devoted to this forgotten aspect. The symbols of Qualumbral are all solid black silhouettes... of feminine lips (The Night Maiden), a fish (The Deep Lord), and a pair of shadowy merfolk swimming opposite one another (the Twin). The Unseen, if it truly exists, has no symbol that merfolk anywhere would recognize. The realms of Qualumbral appear to be split, one for each aspect. The Night Maiden's realm is a dark expanse in Raqia, while the Deep Lord's Realm is near the bottom of Eleuthyria. The Twin's realm is in Duat, a shadowy version of everything the visitor has ever experienced. It is suspected that if the Unseen exists, it's realm would be in Duat as well, though merfolk who do travel between realms hope they never visit it, and some fear that this deadly domain houses the slain souls of all the assassins' victims.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

*Xakch'k - The demigod of undeath, unrest, hauntings, and indecision, this nightmarish entity is of indistinguishable gender, appearing as a skeletal, six-armed mer with bony spikes emerging from the top of its skull down its shoulders and back and all the way to the tip of its fleshless tail. Xalch'k was originally mortal, the child of another god and a mer, but his or her corrupt path turned into a undying devotion to the destruction of the cycle of life and death. Xalch'k doesn't have an open church or temple, but instead has several cults of followers who likewise seek dark powers and undead servants and an escape from death. Xalch'k's symbol is a fractured humanoid skull with an eel skeleton coiled around it, the undead god's domain in Duat is a chilled sea of stagnant, clotted blood and reefs of tangled, warped bones.

*Yuvriel - The goddess of conflict, battle, bloodshed, glory and anger, Yuvriel appears as a graceful scarlet mermaid with platelike scales covering her body and armed with daggers, a serated falchion, and sea-urchin spear, as well as tail flukes sharp as axe blades. Yuvriel teaches that conflict is inevitable, and that while peace might be comforting, no stories and legends come during peacetime. Her symbol is a crimson whirlpool, as if a funnel and a red tide had spun together. Her temple and priesthood are actually fairly popular, and responsible for the reverence of warriors in mer culture. That said, Yuvriel has no patience for abusers of power and rapine or pillaging are considered stains upon her honor... and that she deals with those who commit such acts viciously. Legend has it that Yuvriel constantly plans to spar with and outmaneuver Njorrir and Falekki and Orcael, but that she bows before the will of Kthal. The conflicts she cherishes aren't even necessarily violent... arguments, rebellions, defiance, stress, drama, and lovers' quarrels are also "blessed" by the scarlet goddess. Her realm in Eleuthyria is a vermillion sea, where her followers debate, battle, and spar constantly, in preparation for the day when their goddess calls on them to bring their millenia-honed skills to bear on enemies.

*Zaruna - The god of sorrow and pain, Zaruna is neither male nor female, but appears as an androgynous mer with long, straight hair, gray scales, and deep blue eyes that constantly shed tears. The symbol of Zaruna is a rain of tears that sends out ripples into the water, and priesthood of Zaruna goes through a great deal of upheaval, since many are drawn to the engaging power of mourning, sorrow, and pain, but few can stand its full force for long. The Zarunan teachings say that sorrow strengthens the merfolk, and that tragedy teaches more about how to live and who one really is deep inside than triumph ever will. Zarunan clergy care for the poor, sick, and injured, but they also encourage mournful songs and poems, conflict and battle and personal pain. Zaruna's domain is in Duat, a sea of sharp, jagged rocks that cut but cause no visible wounds, instead filling a person with memories and experiences of pain and loss.

*Phinilay - Demigod/dess of illusion, mirages, and glamour, Phinilay can look like ANYTHING, so very little is known about him/her. Some mer theologians have suggested that Phinilay's relatively recent appearance on the divine scene indicates that she's a demigod of some sort who apotheosized. Some, however, believe that Phinilay was actually just a rumor or a hypothetical thought... an illusion who became so real that he became a god. Phinilay's symbol is a mask of seashells, and the temples of Phinilay are known for their ability to decorate and disguise. Many magicians visit them for practice at creating elaborate magical or illusory effects. The realm of Phinilay is unknown... but presumed to be somewhere in Raqia. Attempts to scry into that realm tend to backfire spectacularly.

*Thressis - The god of fear and creator of nightmares, Thressis is neither male nor female, but appears as something mind-numbingly terrifying for everyone who views It. Thressis is almost certainly one of the primordial sea monsters, but unlike Asterozus, It is inimical to all life. Batoiden has long struggled to banish Thressis, but the nightmare-maker is clever and resilient. Thressis' symbol is a silvery sea anemone with talons at the ends of its tentacles. Thressis' cult is, like Xakch'k's, underground and widely despised by most of mer society. Thressis draws worship out of fear and occasionally insanity as well. The realm of Thressis is a deep sea cavern system in Duat, echoing with horrid sounds that play at your most terrifying memories.

*Alaeym - The god/s of co-operation, community, schools and learning, seem to be a sort of compound being powerful enough to count as a god... the spirit of community and learning appears as a school of countless, pixie-sized merfolk, all shaped into a giant mermaid or merman, and talking with one choral voice. Alaeym's symbol is a star formed of five webbed hands. The church of Alaeym is usually a major part of whatever community it finds itself in... they offer counseling and intermediary services, but their greatest contribution is probably to the training and education of the merfolk in the community. In fact, Alaeymites take a special interest in feral merfolk (those who were originally fish) and former humans (those that were born or raised among humans) because of the opportunity to teach these mers the skills and information they need as mermaids and mermen. Alaeym's realm in Eleuthyria is a crystal clear sea... utterly packed with swimming, talking, listening, and very communicative merfolk. It is said that the secrets of all four realms and beyond are shared in this domain.

*Polypo - The god/dess of seaweed (and all plants), coral, and agriculture, this god appears as a mermaid or merman sculpted from a living reef (or, in deeper waters, some other sort of marine wildlife, such as the inhabitants of a vent, or a cloud of plankton). Polypo has two main aspects... the Wild One, and the Provider. The Wild One is the embodiment of untamed sea life (though usually more stationary sea life), and in this form, Polypo works closely with Carcharao, Graldont, the elemental gods, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, Shénlóng. The Provider, however, focuses on the aspect of agriculture and those animals and plants raised and tamed and grown by merfolk, and therefore is allied with Alaeym, Jyrlyaia, Falekki, Typus, Dermachelle, and Syngnath. While both aspects are important to mer culture and society, individuals tend to lean towards reverence of one or the other, and only the temple of Polypo has worshippers that praise both the Wild One and the Provider. The symbol of the Wild One is a delicate fan coral, reacting and swaying to the currents around it, while the symbol of the Provider is a ring of woven staghorn coral. Polypo is often prayed to for good harvests and healing (herbalists often revere Polypo as much as Asterozus), though there are some mystics who have turned the miracles of Polypo to more combattive ends (cages of coral grown in instants, entangling seaweed, giant anemone stings, etc). Polypo's two aspects have their own realms, which are linked to each other... The Wild One's realm is a tangled coral and waterweed sea in Raqia, home to some very elaborate elementals; the Provider's realm in Eleuthyria is a lush and colorful realm of prosperity and growth, where living plants and corals form vast, growing farm-cities.

*Eosaere - The Queen of the Gods and the mother of merfolk, Eosaere is Maerael's equal and counterpart. But unlike the creative and destructive King of the Mer Gods, Eosaere is more of a guiding and compelling goddess, taking the creations of her divine "husband" (or brother according to some legends) and giving them new life, or helping them find their own way in the world. Like Nagaraja/Sampa, she is always being reborn as an avatar and living countless lifetimes among mortal merfolk. Unlike Nagaraja/Sampa, she is always incarnated as a mermaid (not a merman) and her identity and existence are hidden from knowledge. Mer legends are full of stories of mysterious and beautiful mermaids who arrive unexpectedly and change the situation for the better, before disappearing, leaving behind some token bearing the symbol of Eosaere: a pearl resting in an open shell. Eosaere's realm in Eleuthyria is a beautiful sea, home to all of the goddess' past incarnations, and bearing many scenes from her past lives, some beautiful, some tumultuous, some both.

Male: 12 (Maerael, Shenlong, Njorrir, Graldont, Nephrod, Monceros, Typus, Baleaph, Syngnath, Carcharao, Orcael, Diomedes)
Female: 12 (Eosaere, Kthal, Jyrlyaia, Falekki, Resona, Lophiss, Dermachelle, Cnidare, Batoiden, Istiara, Lille Havfrue, Yuvriel)
Neither/Both: 12 (Alaeym, Qualumbral, Enteroct, Hapi, Nagaraja/Sampa, Asterozus, Pomacae, Xakch'k, Zaruna, Phinilay, Thressis, Polypo)

[OceanicStory]

A touch of transformation is what I'd enjoy best. Really, what better way to convey the magic and awesomeness of merfolk than to enjoy the moment in which you become one? :D Not to mention, a scene or two in which we come to terms with our changes, and learn how to handle them, would be good fun.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Hmm... the World of Darkness games (particularly the New World of Darkness) tend to suggest starting out with your character's "Prelude"... before they become a Vampire, awaken to magic, are stolen away by fairies to become a changeling, turn into a wolf for the first time, discover that there are monsters out there to hunt, or become possessed by a ghost (none for the new Mummy game, though). Something like that might be a good suggestion to start with, OceanicStory, though only for those merfolk who were born human or fish. Those born as merfolk would be kinda left out, unless we could put some sort of similar transitional experience for them as well. Maybe a ceremony or encounter that awakens their full potential as merfolk, making them stand out from other mers, or some sort of coming of age thing (like the Little Mermaid's birthday visit to the surface in Andersen's story)?

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Ok, what main attributes should merfolk have?

I figure arguments could be made for the following, but probably not ALL of the following:

*Strength: (Rating of your mer's physical strength, used for lifting, carrying capacity, melee attacks, etc)

*Speed: (Rating of how fast your character can swim, also a measurement of your ability to jump or "breach" out of the water like whales, dolphins, flying fish, manta rays, etc)

*Agility/Dexterity/Grace: (Rating of your character's physical control, movement, and fine motor skills, as well as dodging ability, and possibly some forms of attack and many forms of thief skills)

*Constitution: (Rating of your character's resistance to poisons, disease, exhaustion, also your endurance and regenerative ability)

*Breath: (Rating of your character's ability to hold his or her breath in specific environments... cetacean merfolk use it to measure how long they can stay underwater, piscine merfolk measure how long they can sun themselves on the rocks without dehydrating, etc)

*Intelligence: (Rating of your character's critical thinking, intellect, memory, and learning power. Useful in certain kinds of magic, as well as solving puzzles and conundrums)

*Wisdom: (Rating of your character's spirituality and connection to the world around her, as well as to the power of the spirit and the heart, useful in certain kinds of magic, also helpful in healing actions and understanding supernatural effects)

*Charisma: (Rating of your character's leadership ability and people skills, ability to inspire and gather allies)

*Attractiveness: (Rating of your character's physical appearance, looks, and seductive capabilities, useful for gathering information and making allies of people who find you attractive, also has some dazzling potential at higher ranks.)

*Unattractiveness/Hideousness/Alienness: (Rating of your character's unattractive appearance, whether ugly, unnerving, alien, or monstrous. This might seem like a disadvantage, but it is useful in intimidation attempts, some information-gathering, and can be helpful in combat as a way of startling opponents)

*Manipulation: (Your ability to convince people to do what you want them to do, lying ability, etc)

*Perception: (Your awareness of your surroundings, ability to notice and comprehend details, range of vision/hearing/scent, and tracking ability, useful for finding clues, hunting, increasing your accuracy with ranged weapons and powers, etc)

*Wits: (Your awareness of your surroundings, ability to keep your cool in a dramatic situations, and spatial awareness in combat, helps maintain focus for spells and abilities in distracting situations, also allows you to detect sneak attacks or the presence of traps)

[Alveric]

A good list. Here are some suggestions:

Some of these stats could actually be derivatives of other stats, instead of stats themselves.

For mers speed could be the average of strength and agility
Attractiveness could be the average of charisma and constitution
Instead of being a separate stat, attractiveness could be just a low attractiveness rating
Manipulation could be the average of Charisma and wisdom
Perception the average of agility and intelligence
wits the average of intelligence and wisdom

Of course, it doesn't have to be the average. It could be some other formula.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Alveric, its true that several of the stats could be linked or derived from the others (I was considering Breath as a branch of Constitution, for instance, but ultimately decided it deserved special mention). However, the list was neither exhaustive (I can think of several additional magic-related stats as well) nor meant to be "Core" stats, but merely to discuss what traits are important to a mer game.

On the other hand, I strongly disagree with your estimation of positive versus negative appearance traits. In Scion: Hero, Appearance could have positive or negative effects, but otherwise worked like two different (if related) traits. It was even possible to be able to switch between a high positive appearance and a high negative one. I like the idea of terrifying mermaids utilizing their looks the same way beautiful ones do, but with different results.

Also, Attractiveness is in no way related to either charisma or constitution. Charisma is force of personality, truth, and leadership (compared to manipulation, which is less noble and murkier). Constitution is healthiness and hardiness. Just think of how many beautiful people there are out there who are neither healthy nor charismatic. Finally, consider how important attractiveness would be to several of the potential players on here... "beautiful" and "mermaid" are practically considered synonymous.

You are correct in stating that all of the listed stats won't work or will be too complicated for play, but they do need to be considered and pondered.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Ok, I just drew out rough images of the gods' holy symbols on a single lined sheet of paper. Now to go through and actually work on them as something easily visible on here.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Does light violence means killing dragons and getting loot?

Other than that, all of the above!

[malinghi]

J&R, I'd love to see the symbols you drew.

ireneho, I'm not sure what light violence would mean. J&R, you know more about RPGs- couldn't a given world be a bloodbath or candyland depending on how the players and the dm choose for it to be?

[Mermaid Jaffa]

I don't know about violence ratings in countries other than Australia. The stuff I can't stand is shows, games etc that have too much blood, gore and swearing.

Would love to play something that was more open ended and not too heavily reliant on quests to progress your character. Where I can go off road and explore the hills and the lands beyond it. Or swim in deep oceans. Or collect lanterns, candles and blue cloth to light up my house (like in the Oblivion mod!).

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Yeah, I think I'd like to draw out the holy symbols of the mer-pantheon on something other than lined paper... this was just my attempt to see if I could sketch them and if some needed modification. I really liked Maerael's symbol (a trident formed out of seashells) and most of Qualumbral's were easy (though I want to make the Twin more dynamic... maybe have the shadows twined around each other) but Pomacae's symbol needs work, and Shenlong's needs to stand out from every other dragon symbol out there.

It's important to remember that while role-playing games did originally evolve from wargaming (like Warhammer), and therefore can be combat-heavy, the genre has transformed significantly over the past several years. There are some games (such as Numenera) where one only gets experience for making significant discoveries to bring back to civilization, while others (such as Mutant City Blues) put a profound emphasis on information-gathering and clue-decoding skills and powers over more combat-ready abilities. Still other systems allow problems to be solved not just by combat, but by various forms of persuasion (rhetoric, seduction, manipulation, bribery, leadership, charisma, bargaining, political connections to more powerful individuals, handy followers/assistants/allies, etc), mental activities (designing a tool, device, or strategy to overcome the problem; use of willpower and courage to break through it; clever moves, disguises, plots, and accumulated knowledge to find a solution, etc), larcenous acts (stealth, assassination, abduction, pickpocketing, picking locks, theft, criminal contacts, etc) or supernatural powers (mental control or illusion effects, powerful protective spells, summoning creatures to aid you, divining appropriate information from people's thoughts or the future, clever transformations or physical traits such as the octopus' camouflage and ability to squeeze through tight openings, teleporting or phasing powers, or even creative use of more destructive powers... few things are as compelling distractions as a fire, earthquake or explosion, after all). My impression of what the majority of people have voted for is something closer to that third "multiple solutions" method, which is further helped by having a number of characters with different foci in their skills, powers, etc. If you don't want to focus on violence, create a character who is more social, stealthy, cerebral, healing, or mystical instead of commanding, deadly, calculating, poisonous, or powerful, and trust that your character will get just as much a chance to shine in the story as a more brutal one... and step up and offer solutions using your character's talents rather than expecting someone playing a stormcalling sorcerer or a howling barbarian of the deep to know your character's full use in a situation.

Also, if gore bothers you (and I'm not a fan of zombie or slasher movies, so it bothers me), then simply let everyone know you prefer combat or killing descriptions to be vague. An assassination can be described as the flutter of a silken garrote or a quick twist of a knife with far more ease than it would take to detail a Death by a Thousand Cuts or detailing the precise discoloration of the skin and flow of the blood. And a huge fight scene could be described as a flurry of punches, kicks, body slams, sword swings, trident jabs, colorful spells and claw slashes and result in a brief note of where the bodies have fallen and what "loot" can be scavenged from them rather than going into more gory detail.

I'm not familiar with Australia's violence ratings, but I'm pretty confident that if you can stomach the average fantasy blockbuster or fantasy adventure novel or superhero comic book (and no, I'm not talking about the 80s-90s "Iron Age"... those things just went for shock value as far as I'm concerned), the gore rating should not go beyond that.

As far as blood is concerned, in a game involving sharks and other predators (and possibly merfolk with those traits), there's likely to be some blood in the water. It's not my favorite thing, and it can be avoided sometimes, but other times (when used sparingly) it makes a great thematic element, at the very least, and it can make the story more interesting and exciting (for instance, if our characters have to help a wounded mermaid reach a healer before she bleeds out while they're stranded in shark-infested waters and human whale-hunting ships are above them on the lookout for a whale that escaped).

Gore has less appeal over all, and is mainly used for shock and horror value. As this game is unlikely to be primarily a horror game, it's far less likely to come up. Gore also lacks the emotional and primal power on our souls that blood possesses (which explains why vampires are so prevalent and take so many different forms and powers, but zombies are essentially the same no matter how they appear).

Swearing is more an individual character's concern. Some people seem to use swearing as punctuation. Others avoid it entirely. Still others only swear in comical or colorful ways ("God's Thumbs!" "Zounds!" "You Mealy-Mouthed Bottom-Feeder!" "You don't frighten us, English pig dogs. Go and boil your bottoms, you sons of a silly person. I blow my nose at you, so-called "Arthur King," you and all your silly English K-nig-hts." etc). While it is conceivable that someone might play a mermaid who can make a sailor blush, I personally agree that profuse swearing (except for the more goofy kinds illustrated above) makes a character's speech tiresome and unoriginal. I doubt player characters will use too much of it (especially given the range of ages on the mernetwork) and it seems unlikely than non-player characters would use too much of it either (unless they're supposed to be thoroughly unlikeable types being set up for a bad end, or as a villain, perhaps).

About "open-ended" stuff... I'm honestly not sure people really understand what a role-playing game is and is not. This is an attempt at communal storytelling, acting, etc. That means everyone gets some spotlight (perhaps at different times) and it requires conflict, plot, and raison d'etre. A lot of that comes from your characters, their backstories, and how they intersect. Decorating houses can be done and it can be part of the story, but most elder scrolls games are single-player... here you need to share the spotlight, and honestly, how one's house is decorated only really matters to that person, not to the other players. Exploration, on the other hand, can be interesting... but it still requires some story to determine what's actually discovered.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

You ask how were merfolk made, child?
Our people are derived from three separate species, combined through an odd conjunction of fate and divine intervention.

The first ancestors of the merfolk are now known only through legend as The Marooned. These creatures were refugee aliens from an aquatic world, each resembling a pair of portuguese man-o-war's merged together (with sail-fins both above and below the body, and an array of tendrils extending to either side. The Marooned had advanced technology (including interstellar travel, heat-producing devices, an unparalleled information system, and so forth) and tremendous psychic powers, which they used for communication (telepathy), mobility (levitation), manipulation (telekinesis), and combat (mesmeric vibration "songs"). However, their planet had long been destroyed, though there is a great disagreement about how. Some records say it was undone through war, others through pollution, and still others claim it was sheer chance that eradicated the entire world, save only a few satellites and traveling ships with a fraction of the Marooned's original population. Desperate for survival, the Marooned headed to the only planet nearby that might support their species... Earth. Their damaged ships managed to make it to our world, crashing and becoming unsuitable for further space travel, only for the Marooned to discover that there was a chemical in our water and air that was dangerous to their survival (in much the same way that chemicals in chocolate are dangerous to dogs, though human bodies can process those chemicals easily). Faced with certain annihilation, the Marooned chose to place their entire remaining population in stasis, hoping for a miracle. Fortunately, one was on its way.

The second ancestors of our people had no name for themselves, but we call them The Starving Ones, for they were ever hungry for new food, new waters, new mates, and new strengths. These fishlike creatures arose amongst the other species of sea life in the distant past, when the long-necked water orms and flipper-crocodiles and dolphin-lizards and giant-sharks and armor-fish rode the waves. Unlike those other creatures, however, the Starving Ones possessed a unique ability: each individual looked wildly different than its parents, and could manifest unusual adaptations. Because of this, the Starving Ones were extremely successful in surviving, as each generation could deal with new threats in ways completely different from their parents. Soon, they spread throughout the seas, and all was well for thousands of years... until their way of life was threatened by a force to which they could not adapt: infertility. Perhaps due to disease, or inbreeding, or some new quality in their food, fewer and fewer of the Starving Ones' eggs would hatch. Soon, a population of sea creatures that had reigned supreme became more and more rare, until only a few small remnants survived, gathering together in chimerical schools and seeking a haven where they could rebuild their numbers... only to find none existed... yet.

The third ancestors of modern merfolk are now known only as The Pythians. These people were actually the earliest human civilizations, having emerged from Africa to colonize far-flung reaches of the world with the aid of powerful magic that drew on the patterns of a mystical world-serpent. They resembled humans, save that each of their bodies was marked in glowing ink with the zig-zagging spiral symbol of their serpentine guardian. Each of their major cities (and their trade routes, ley lines, and so forth) followed the swaying pattern of this serpent's body, and each was constructed in a location that was impossible to survive in without mastery of the elements. The Northernmost city was constructed out of ice and built into a vast glacier, glittering in the cold. There was a city constructed high in the clouds, in which all of the residents could fly and sculpt vapor into solid matter. Next came a city built in the burning heart of an ancient volcano, the heat and flames tamed by the pure power of the Pythians. Then came a city built around a tremendous mountain, a city of minerals and metals constructed deep beneath the planet's surface, a city constructed from nothing but sand in an otherwise empty desert, a city built on the alien landscape of the moon, and a city built in the tangled jungles where every animal and plant was poisonous. Last, but certainly not least, was a city constructed on the sea floor, with all the water pushed away by great walls of force. For a time, the Pythians ruled unsurpassed in their Nine Cities, studying the secrets of the universe and forging magical artifacts unlike any the world would ever see again. As with the Marooned, however, something went wrong, for whether by treachery or by cosmic conflict or by the exhaustion of it's energies by nine metropolises, the mystical serpent that had so long empowered the magic of the Pythians died. The first, but not the most noticeable, sign of the impending catastrophe was that glow of the creature's mark on its followers faded. Shortly afterwards, the snake's death-spasms wiped out each of the cities, one by one, over a matter of months. First to fall was the beautiful Lunar realm, crushed to powder by the pressure caused by the sudden loss of their enchanted atmosphere and warmth! The great volcano, its flow controlled and interrupted for centuries, erupted with such force that, like Vesuvius, the entire mountain was torn asunder! The aerial city fell from the sky, the underground city collapsed under the pressure, the glacial realm was crushed by the sudden avalanche-like drift of the ice, the mountain realm was torn to pieces by an unprecedented earthquake, the desert city dissolved in a terrifying sandstorm, and the jungle realm's population lost their immunity to the venom of the realm's other residents and their city was reclaimed by the forest. The marine city, however, was the last to remain, and many survivors of the more accessible cities (jungle, ice, desert, mountain) flocked to this forgotten oceanic realm to try and stem the destruction before it was too late! Alas, the greatest minds of a truly great culture were able to divine when the end would come, but not any solution. With heavy hearts, the great magi of the Pythian civilization ordered their realm evacuated before the destruction could strike, traveling to try and rebuild their civilizations in realms such as Iram of the Pillars and Shambhala and Thule and Mesopotamia, though only a few of these were ultimately successful. However, as the last great magi were about to leave the city in their ships woven from tapestries of spells, they found that a significant portion of the population, untrained in advanced magic, could not afford to leave the doomed realm in time... and so these magicians chose to stay with their people and try to find one other solution. With their spells unraveling, and the walls of force that held back the waves beginning to crack, the Pythians gave up hope, holding their loved ones close.

Then, not far from the doomed cities, something unlocked the stasis pods of the Marooned, jolting them awake, and forcing them to emerge into the waters that were still toxic to their people. Confused, the Marooned drifted free, using their psychic powers to learn from the panicked minds of the Pythians of the great distaster that would doom the humans' civilization, while a stray current and the scent of food drew the last schools of Starving Ones to the same spot. Near the fading walls of force, our three ancestral peoples met for the first time, and thanks to the telepathy of the Marooned, were able to communicate. The leaders of the three peoples agreed that all were in need of help, but found that even though they urgently desired to grant aid to these strange creatures, their own kind were likely to die out regardless.

Stuck at such a terrible impasse, they were surprised to see a regal figure, with a human torso, a piscine tail, and an odd frill like a portuguese man-o-war's sail-fin around his waist where the two halves met, emerge from the darkness of the sea. His lionfish fins unfurled, this being introduced himself as the god, Maerael, and drew forth a strange weapon: a trident formed from countless sea-shells. "Look, O Scattered Children, how alone each of the tines would be far less powerful than the whole trident. If you would survive, you cannot be three people any more, but one. If you would accept my blessing, I shall make this possible."

"Powerful Spirit," began Ere, a lovely green-eyed lady-mage of the Pythians. "With your patronage, would we be able to restore our lost glories and rebuild the homes of our friends and relatives? Will you replace the Great Serpent, May He Return To Us, as our guide and the source of our magic?"

Maerael shook his head, but smiled at her. "No, Clever Student, I am not a beast of burden to yoke with spells, nor does your people's future lie above the surface of the sea. However, I may tell you that the Great Serpent had many eggs, each of which might someday hatch and provide new magics. And I shall give the most faithful of you the power of my brethren, to act as your gods."

At that, the veiled mage, Ere, nodded her acceptance, but Eos, one of the more colorful of the Marooned, with golden flecks trailing down her tendrils, drifted forward. *Strange Benefactor*, she said, in a voice powered by her thoughts. *My people's home was destroyed, and we cannot survive in these waters for long. Will the children of our joining with these others have a home where they can be safe and thrive, and where they will not forget the lessons we learned through such hardship?*

Maerael held her bioluminescent gaze, and in utter seriousness, replied, in similar thought-speech, *Wise Wanderer, by joining these others you will no longer need to fear the chemicals that make up these waters. Through the technology and the wisdom that you will pass down to them, your offspring will build too many realms to describe, where they can be safe and share the teachings of the past. They will never forget to cherish this world and keep it safe and healthy, even when other species forget that need, and though there may come times when they must fight, so there will come times of peace and understanding.*

Eos inclined her mantle in gratitude, and drifted slowly backwards to join her people, but Sae, an accomplished Starving One Hunter, shaped like a koi, but with lobster-blue scales and antennae, swam forward with her own concern, spoken in the instinctive language of fish, though all there understood her meaning. Roughly translated, Sae asked, //"Not-Food-But-Not-Starving-One-Who-Might-Be-Useful, my people can overcome any problem, so long as we have children to follow us. Lately, we have lacked that gift. If we are to thrive, even with these others as part of our school, we must never experience this threat again. Can you assure us of this?//

With a sorrowful gaze, Maerael used the instinctive language of fish, which all there somehow understood, to regretfully deny Sae's request. //"I wish I could, Courageous Warrior, but birth and death are ever to be powerful forces, in which I shall not meddle. The immediate problem of your lack of offspring can be solved by becoming one school with these other Not-Food-But-Not-Starving-Ones-Who-Are-Useful, but that is no guarantee that bloodlines, families, and whole subspecies will not one day die out. However, I promise you that the gift I offer will not only come to those present here, but to others on the land and in the sea who are destined to join your numbers, so that your new people will never completely lose hope. Your gift to adapt will serve those who are to come well, since each one will have features like those of different people and animals, and many physical traits that will help them survive in a changing world."//

Sae considered this for long moments, while the walls of force cracked, and then signaled her acceptance of those terms. Maerael swung his trident above the heads of all those gathered at the edge of the city... and as the walls went down and the waters descended on the home of a people who no longer existed, a cascade of glittering light fell over those who were once Marooned, Pythians and Starving Ones. The Marooned sprouted humanoid torsos above their mantle, and marine tails below. The Pythians' legs were turned into tails, while marooned fins formed around their waists and maroon tendrils merged with human hair to make the latter flowing and glorious. The Starving Ones' heads and upper fins began to change into the bodies of humans, sealed with alien frills to their original tails. When the waters settled peacefully over the ruins of the city, the first merfolk stood.

However, they were two short. While the other Pythians, Marooned, and Starving Ones had been transformed, Eos, Sae, and Ere were fused into one being with the memory, vision, and spirit of all three: a beautiful mermaid with a koi tail of lobster-blue scales, hiding her lovely human features with a veil, but unable to cover long flowing tendrils of hair that glittered with gold, or to obscure the eyes as green as the sea. Maerael swam to the new mermaid, and said to her, in a voice that was spoken word, instinctive signals, and pure thoughts, *//"Three had the courage to cross boundaries and ensure their people's happiness and survival, and none could choose between the three. Would you be my bride, the connection between the gods and these new people, the merfolk, my Clever, Courageous, and Wise Eosaere?"//*

Legend has it that all Eosaere did was smile whimsically at him, and toss her gleaming hair, before leading her people to recover the technology of the Marooned and the artifacts of the Pythians, using all the gifts of the Starving Ones to build new homes for her people. It would be a long time before Eosaere at last consented to marry Maerael, filled with adventures and trials and great magic and lost secrets.

But that is a story for another time.
- story told by The Great Sage Ondara, Priestess of Maerael, to one of her students.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Hey guys: Here is a basic ability score list. It uses thematic descriptions taken from different forms of water or marine existence, but mechanically it works with an offensive/defensive stance in a variety of situations: physical, mental, social, mystical, and speed. One would use the Steam score to throw a punch at an opponent, but would use the Ice score to block it (or the Tide score to dodge it), while one would use the Plasma score to blast a foe with energy from his trident or the Trench score to resist that same energy. I am not sure how many points it would be fair to give all players to allocate between the scores, however, in order to maintain a balanced game... any suggestions?

Steam - As steam bursts from vents and boils those that get in its path, powers machines, and is heated, aggressive, and explosive, this is your Physical Offensive score, used for tasks such as breaking down a door, lifting a shipwreck's planks, and most hand-to-hand combat. Warrior mermen and amazonian mermaids benefit from a high score in Steam.

Ice - As ice is hard, solid, enduring, and preserving, this is your Physical Defensive score, used for tasks such as surviving taking a hit, resisting poison or disease, continuing a long, repetitive feat, and going with little rest or food. This is a popular score for many adventurers, travelers, explorers, as well as bodyguards, many of whom have a high score in Ice.

Vapor - As water vapor is invisible, lofty, and present, moving through the upper reaches of the world unseen, this is the Mental Offensive score, used for such tasks as learning new skills, coming up with strategies and plots, using the powers of the mind, and understanding different languages. Scholars, wizards, scientists, psychics, masterminds, spies, and inventors all benefit from a high Vapor score.

Mist - unlike the boiling power of Steam or the lofty presence of Vapor, Mist hangs low, near the water, and is cool, concealing, ethereal, and stealthy, making it the Mental Defensive score. It is used for tasks like hiding your presence, resisting psychic attacks, exercising self-control and restraint, seeing through tricks or deception, and solving puzzles. High Mist scores are popular among merfolk with a criminal bent, as well as those more philosophical and meditative mers with tremendous willpower, and even finds its place in more social fields as well.

Wave - Waves rush forward, spreading across the surface, causing great upheaval and disarray on land, while being nearly unnoticed in deeper waters. This rippling power is the Social Offensive score, used for tasks involving the manipulation of others, leadership, charisma, seduction, and other forms of "making waves." Any attempt to persuade, inspire, intimidate, anger, blackmail, or otherwise influence people is a function of the Wave score. Those with high Wave scores include especially attractive mers, leaders, socialites, team players, and the like.

Reef - Abundant, beautiful, sheltering, and often dangerous, Reef is the Social Defensive score. While Wave is used for active social interactions, Reef is more passive... it includes everything from a beneficial (not necessarily "good") reputation, to physical attractiveness (an engaging and attractive personality or attitude falls under "Wave") to a certainty of one's place in the world and the support of friends, family, and allies. It is used to resist social attacks or manipulation, and someone who has a high Reef score is beyond reproach. This is therefore a popular score for merchants, nobility, team players, models, and in any sort of social situation.

Plasma - When water is heated beyond normal means, such as on the edges of lightning bolts or across the surface of the sun, it goes beyond steam and becomes plasma, making this the Mystical Offensive score. Plasma is used when casting spells or wielding artifacts, when constructing or creating works of art or invention, when using special powers, or calling on the power of spirits or gods or nature itself. While jets of water, explosions of steam, rays of light, and whips of lightning are the most iconic images of the use of this score, it actually powers any sort of active spell or magical effect, including summoning elementals, healing an injured companion, or reading an opponent's thoughts. High scores in Plasma are common among magic-users, this ability is also useful in artistic, scholarly, healing and technological fields even if those merfolk do not specifically rely on magic. Plasma is creative, empowering, and insightful in ways that go beyond mere intelligence.

Trench - The depths of the ocean are mysterious, dark, disorienting, and sometimes terrifying, making this the Mystical Defensive score. Whereas Plasma is used to actively cast a spell or use a power on someone else, Trench is used to resist that magic, generate protective wards and force shields, negate magical energies, and hide from mystical scrying or other means of sensing your presence. Popular among magic-using merfolk, high Trench scores are also useful to adventurers and warriors who want to resist magical effects, rogues who seek to evade magical senses or undo mystical traps, and social figures who prefer that they be beyond the reach of magical influences. Many inventors also have high Trench scores, since the dangers of malfunctioning experiments can be mitigated by a strong ability here.

Current - As currents rush all over the world, this is the Offensive Speed score, used to determine how fast a mermaid can swim, how agile and dextrous she is, how high she can breach the surface, as well as her ability to ride various mounts and pilot unusual watercraft. This is a popular score for explorers, messengers, scouts, and criminals, though warriors and magic-users and social merfolk can also benefit from a high score in Current.

Tide - Tides are caused by the forces exerted by the moon on the sea, making this score the one for Reactive Speed. Tide involves responding quickly to stimulus, reaction time, and sensing your surroundings. High scores in Tide are common among scouts, spies, martial artists, dancers, rogues, and those attuned to nature. Tide is also the score used to survive and maneuver when one is forced out of the water (such as being held prisoner by humans, caught on the beach in low tide, or deliberately traveling over land for some reason).

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Magic:

Ok, let's just clear this out of the way.

Merfolk traditionally lack the powers that other mythical creatures have... we relate to the little mermaid, perhaps because she accomplishes so much with abilities that we would possess in reverse (we can't speak underwater, even if we find methods of breathing via scuba equipment, etc, if we lived in an environment that we were radically unused to we would also develop some sort of pain or sores or conditions as we tried to adapt much like her "walking on sharp knives," and we rely on the aid of others... witches, our family members, friends, etc... to help us get things done while ultimately accepting the rewards and consequences of our own actions).

That said, modern fantasy has a way of blending in ideas from a variety of sources, and so there are now merfolk with pyrokinesis (H2O), mesmerizing songs (the sirens of Greek mythology), the ability to turn human when out of water (Splash), and telepathy (Aquaman). Different abilities are a way for different characters to stand out and provide unique benefits to a group and a specific playing style, even if they tend to complicate things more, so the topic of "magic" needs to be addressed.

For the most part, stories that involve what we commonly consider "SPELLS" involve wizards, witches/warlocks, fairies/elves/leprechauns/other fair folk, demons/djinn, ghosts/vampires/liches/other undead, or (rarely) dragons and gods/demigods. Merfolk, mostly, are not described as having the power to cast spells. That said, spellcasting is a common and easy to comprehend power that could be adapted for merfolk (perhaps playing on the vocal talents of sirens or the spells of sea witches), so it probably deserves some mention, but should, at best, be extremely rare... you probably would find a spellcasting mermaid (i.e. one who uses vocal cues, gestures, and will to cause a usually temporary or conditional effect) about as often as you find martial artists who can actually do those Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon moves. It might be possible, under specific circumstances, but it wouldn't be easy or common at all (note how much difficulty the little mermaid had to get through just to find the sea witch, after all).

Next come natural talents. These are abilities some merfolk are capable of performing, perhaps due to a trick of birth or extensive practice, that mainly derive from their bodies or minds. An exceptionally sensitive merman might be able to predict the weather simply because his fins and gills detect trace patterns and elements in the water and air that indicate an approaching storm or doldrums. A siren with a beautiful voice might be able to entice sailors into her clutches. A disney-style mermaid might be able to communicate with sea animals as if they were people just because of her own quality of being a princess of the seas. A merman with an eel-like tail might be able to produce an electric pulse or shock, while a mermaid with a clownfish tail might be resistant to poisons. All of these abilities, while naturally outside the bare minimum of what it would take to be a mermaid or merman (i.e. human arms and torso and face, tail for faster than human swimming and either extended breath-holding or water-breathing abilities) could easily be considered supernatural, even though they derive from some aspect of the character's physical, mental, or social qualities.

In many roleplaying games and fantasy, devotion to a god or pantheon, or patronage of a spirit, or divine blood, often provides some powers derived either from the character's faith or the god/spirit's own energy and background. Usually, these Miracles, though they seem to come from the individual and have tremendous power (there's nothing quite like saying "I have a god on my side"), come with some sort of restrictions (for example, a character whose connection to miracles depends on faith needs to ensure that he or she never loses that faith, or goes against its teachings; a descendant of a god can only access powers in unusual circumstances that the god usually approves of; devotion to a god might require extensive prayers or rituals on a regular basis; gods can usually only directly intervene in desperate circumstances; and most gods have a limited range of powers (a sea god is unlikely to summon fire, while a war god isn't likely to make someone fall in love).

Psychic powers derive from the character's mind and the nature of their brain and spirit. This usually results in a different perspective from other people, with thoughts that are appropriate for someone who can read the minds of others or make objects move through sheer force of will. This often makes such characters seem a bit crazy. In a culture where psychic powers are common, their ideas about other cultures (such as humanity) who lack those abilities would probably be dismissive at best.

Advanced technology is supposed to be the equivalent of magic in some cases, and with examples like Atlantis, there are certainly cases where merfolk might have access to such technology. After all, in the Bible, a Burning Blade is the favorite weapon of angels, while in Star Wars, it is a device of the Jedi and Sith. How might magic tridents, voice-stealing nautilus shells, sealskins, belts, red caps, mirrors, combs, and conch shells work? For all we know, they're magic, but they could simply be the products of an advanced civilization.

Which brings us to a final point... most of the more overt magic in merfolk stories comes from beautiful creative artifacts... so maybe the act of forging a magic trident allows the wielder of that trident to access the power to command the storms? Maybe a song composed for a siren has the power to enchant minds woven into its lyrics and rhythm? Does the act of brewing a potion imbue it with the power to turn a mermaid who drinks it into a human? If this is the case, both the act of creating such artifacts (physical or ephemeral) and the act of using them have creative connotations, where the real magic comes not from the item or words, but from the creative spirit of the maker and the performer. This power would seem to be the most well-known and most potent supernatural abilities among merfolk.

Of course, there are other forms of magic... the ability to resist spells and abilities cast at you, for instance, or the ability to recognize and define supernatural effects. While important, these are less-common usages of magic.

All of the abilities above would probably rely on Plasma or Trench scores, though Atlantech might instead work with Vapor and personal abilities might instead fall under other scores.

[SeaGlass Siren]

i love this thread :3 joy youre super creative!

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Mermaids live in water, so I'd expect their magic to be water based, depending too on the terrain around them, if its endless ocean then the magic would be tidal waves, sea storms, lightning, with assisting sea monsters like the kraken, megladon. Or an inland based merfolk's magic is more earth based, like rock fall, meteors, lava rain because their terrain is land and not ocean.

[Genevieve]

Would love to play something that was more open ended and not too heavily reliant on quests to progress your character. Where I can go off road and explore the hills and the lands beyond it. Or swim in deep oceans.

That is what I would want in a MeRPG. That and starting an underwater empire and determining what the culture will be like.

[SeaGlass Siren]

what about underwater volcanoes? theres underwater earthquakes as well

[Mermaid Jaffa]

what about underwater volcanoes? theres underwater earthquakes as well

Then they'll be a different look to the merfolk, not fish scale tail but maybe using magic to create their own lava tails or earth powered merfolk!

After I posted that I thought of the Tranformers franchise...

TRANSFORMERS: MERMAIDS IN DISGUISE!

[Merman Dan]

I don't know about violence ratings in countries other than Australia. The stuff I can't stand is shows, games etc that have too much blood, gore and swearing. Would love to play something that was more open ended and not too heavily reliant on quests to progress your character. Where I can go off road and explore the hills and the lands beyond it. Or swim in deep oceans. Or collect lanterns, candles and blue cloth to light up my house (like in the Oblivion mod!).

That's one reason my current undersea game has been down to three players, for the past year. I run my game loosey-goosey, role-play heavy and combat light with an emphasis on story over stats. That style isn't for everyone, it seems.

[Mermaid Melusine]

I'm actually working on a game about merfolk! I don't have a name for it yet, but the story is for the most part completed! I'm kind of being pulled in two different directions by my team about the engine to make it with, but so far everything else is going swimmingly ...(badum tsssssssss) Anyway, I was wondering if you guys would be interested if I were to post my progress with the game on this website. I feel like this community really understands my mermaid enthusiasm more than most.

[Kelby The Mermaid]

Is the game still veing worked on?

Sent from my SPH-L300 using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Melusine]

yes it is! work has been slow during the holidays but we're getting back into the swing of things.

[Merman Dylan]

I have to catch up with reading every detail before I share my thoughts. I just want to say that I've been looking for a game with merfolk. I hope I'm in the right area.

[Mermaid Autumn Bells]

Lately I have really liked the idea of a little fishing town/beach town full of odd locals set in modern times. It doesn't get many visitors, and it kind of empties in the summer and other warm-water months, but is full of occupants in the fall and winter. The reason being, the town is secretly full of mermaids and selkies and other mer-creatures. Some humans live there too, but unaware of why so many people leave in the summer (they assume they are on vacation and such) The mers follow this schedule in order to avoid migrating to warmer waters. In the water there is a sort of kingdom that acts as a "summer home".

But that's just me.

I think that the roleplay, however it ends of looking, should be modern (OR sert in pirate-popular eras, or before/during the fall of Atlantis), that it should not exceed roughly the level of PG-13, semi-literate to literate, and it should be plot-driven, or at least have events here and there to keep it alive. Video chatting would be awesome, but maybe not a constant or a requirement.

Hope this helps! :)

[Khaleesi Daenerys]

Lately I have really liked the idea of a little fishing town/beach town full of odd locals set in modern times. It doesn't get many visitors, and it kind of empties in the summer and other warm-water months, but is full of occupants in the fall and winter. The reason being, the town is secretly full of mermaids and selkies and other mer-creatures. Some humans live there too, but unaware of why so many people leave in the summer (they assume they are on vacation and such) The mers follow this schedule in order to avoid migrating to warmer waters. In the water there is a sort of kingdom that acts as a "summer home".

But that's just me.

I think that the roleplay, however it ends of looking, should be modern (OR sert in pirate-popular eras, or before/during the fall of Atlantis), that it should not exceed roughly the level of PG-13, semi-literate to literate, and it should be plot-driven, or at least have events here and there to keep it alive. Video chatting would be awesome, but maybe not a constant or a requirement.

Hope this helps! :)
Ooh I would LOVE something that took place during or sometime after the fall of Atlantis. That would be awesome. They could also put one of those short background intro videos that show Atlantis decending into the sea ect.