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

[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?

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[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.