Mythic Seafolk

The Mythic Seafolk
The Omphalos was crafted from the most splendid admixture of those inner planes, tempestuous though they were, they formed an unmatched harmony. Firstly was water, the source for which all life thrived, whose soothing waves and ferocious storms taught both tranquility and rage. Next was the air, and with it weather, winds, speech, and change. Then came the earth, the stone and dirt on which life could flourish, whose unwavering fortitude against the elements made it perfect for protecting the frailness of the living. And last was fire, the scale tipper, the blaze that destroyed without prejudice, but who also ignited in the living their passion and desire. Made up of four chaotic parts was born one perfect whole, the world which we now know.

But even an incomplete world, life found a way. Before the cleansing fires was uncontrolled growth and untamed wilds. Before the earth was a sky full of creatures without rest or purpose. And before the air filled the skies, the sea was filled to the brim with potential. Creatures small and large, wise and foolish, violent and peaceful, all who would grow and develop into the creatures of the future. With a single constant, the Ben-Varrey.

Before the plane of water was poured into the mold of the Omphalos, it had its own keepers and scale balancers. Water is the blood of life, so it only followed reason that the plane of water of overwhelmed with life. Among those were some who naturally faster, stronger, smarter, and more beautiful. The lords and ladies of the plane, born from the flesh of the titans who were unmade into the Plane of Water. With nary a God or King to contain them, the Ben-Varrey spread across the plane with unmatchable speeds. Not all children were born Ben-Varrey, and not all common born were so common. Ben-Varrey was not just a name or a string of genetics, it was a destiny. A path of being better than those of the plane of water. And they languished in their superiority.

But when the plane of water found a basin in the Omphalos, some such royalty found a new kingdom. There numbers were far lesser, but their glory was not. They commanded those lesser life forms to build for them, to serve them, to die for them. The ocean ran red with their anger, and grew shimmering foam with their happiness. And then the Gods continued building.

With the air, the Ben-Varrey looked up with disdain at those creatures who escaped their rule in true and absolute freedom, and some were so jealous they adopted to the environment. When the earth came, they looked out with wonder, at an entire world they could not reach. So determined were some to rule this new world that they fled to the land. But when the fires swept the earth and sky, those who remained in the seas looked upon them and laughed, for they maintained their integrity.

Those who escaped the aquatic kingdom looked back at their old home, their ancestry, with anger at their peace. Ben-Varrey of the sky and of the land launched a great and terrible war against the ocean born. But invariably, it was the ocean born who succeeded, grounding the skyfolk and drowning the landborn. It was the will of the water that only his purest children were survive, and so it came to be.

Over the innumerous centuries, some Ben-Varrey did return to the land, curious and suspicious of the land dwellers and their happiness away from the sea and its bounty. The still beating heart of the plane of water pines for them. Some of his descendents can feel that ancient heatbeat, can feel their manifest destiny to the water. No matter how far you have come, or how buried their legacy, your noble heart will always be of the waters, and your grandeur will be as vast as the ocean itself.

NEW FEAT: Natatory Kingship Legacy
Prerequisites: A Racial Bonus to Swim and/or A Swim Speed, One Mythos

Benefit: You gain the Aquatic Type and the Amphibious special quality (If you did not already have them). You gain a swim speed equal to your land speed, or improve your existing swim speed by ten feet. In addition, you gain Aquan as a bonus language.

Choose one Mythos-granting class that you have levels in. You may treat the following Mythos as if they belonged to that class.

Blueblood Sea-Song Allurement
Prerequisites: -

You gain the Bardic Music class feature. Your effective Bard level for the purposes of determining the types of music you can perform is 1 (this stacks with other sources of bardic music, such as the Bard class itself), and your effective bard level for all other purposes is equal to your class level (this does not stack with other sources of Bard level). The sound of your Perform checks is not diminished for being under water.

As a swift action, and costing a use of Bardic music, you can force one creature who hears your performance to make a will save. If they fail, they must move (your class level) feet towards you. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Lastly, you gain a +2 Racial Bonus to Perform (Sing)

Advanced

Endearing Merfolks Charm: Once a creature has been fascinated by your Fascinate bardic music ability, you can maintain the effect simply by being in their sight, though they gain a +3 to the save to break free of the fascination.

Lungs for the Sea: You gain Extra Music as a bonus feat

Waves-Splitting Subaquatic Chant: While both you and the targets of your Inspire Courage abilities are underwater, the morale bonus granted to them by the effect doubles.

Habitually-Appropriate Acquaintance Procurement
Prerequisites: -

You gain an animal companion as a druid of your level. You may speak with your animal companion as if you were on dry land even when completely underwater at no penalty, and if your animal companion is of the appropriate size, you may consider it properly trained to be a mount. However, you may only select animal companions from the following list.

Splashy Companions:
 * 1st Level: Barracuda, Eel, Porpoise, Sea Lion, Seal, Medium Shark, Squid, Stingray, Snapping Turtle
 * 4th Level: Dire Eel, Large Shark, Large Sea Snake
 * 7th Level: Elasmosaurus, Dire Barracuda, Huge Sea Snake
 * 10th Level: Sea Tiger, Huge Shark, Orca Whale
 * 13th Level: Giant Octopus
 * 16th Level: Dire Shark, Giant Squid
 * 19th Level: Mosasaur, Horrid Dire Shark

Homeworld Encompassing Innovation
Prerequisites: -

Select one racial adaption, listed below, made to better serve you in traversing the sea you were born to. For each such adaption, your swim sweep improves by ten feet and you gain a +4 racial bonus to swim checks.

Arm Fins: You gain a pair of long, edged fins running from your wrist to your elbows. These fins can be used as primary natural weapons, dealing 1d6+Strength Modifier damage for a medium sized creature, and allow you to move through difficult underwater terrain (such as thick algae) at no penalty. You take no penalties for using these weapons in or out of water.

Dorsal Fin: You gain one long, sharply angular fin along from the base of your neck to your waist. This fin gives you far more precise momentum, allowing you to make one 90 degree turn as part of a charge, and may make a charge attack while swimming. You gain Swim-By Attack as a bonus feat.

Scaled Physique: Your body becomes lightly, almost unnoticeably scaly, thin, and limber. You gain a natural armor bonus equal to your constitution modifier, and a +5 bonus to strength and dexterity skill checks. This becomes +10 while in water.

Unified Tail: Your legs (and tail, if you possessed one), fuse into one long, scaled fish tail. The tail is surprisingly stable and heavy, giving you a +10 on checks to avoid being tripped or forcibly moved in anyway. While in water, this tail can be used to make a tail slap as a natural attack, dealing 1d8+1.5 Strength Modifier damage for a medium sized aquatic.

Webbed Hands (And Feet): You develop excess skin connecting your fingers and toes, and strengthening your hands. You gain a climb speed equal to half your base land speed, as well as Improved Unarmed Strike as a Bonus Feat. You take no penalties for making Unarmed Strikes underwater.

Advanced

Answering the Ocean’s Call: You gain an additional racial adaption, as well as Skill Focus (Swim) as a bonus feat.

Cutting Through Aquatic Barriers: You take no penalties to movement for changing between land and water while charging. This can include water you dive into to begin swimming, water you tread through while running, or leaping out of the water onto land.

Nature-Rewriting Arsenal Augments: Any natural attack you possess can be used underwater at no penalty.

Pelagic Predatory Instinct-Enrichment
Prerequisites: -

You gain Favored Environment (Aquatic) as a ranger of your class level. The Bonuses provided by your Favored Environment apply to Attack and Damage Rolls made in your Favored Environment as well as its usual effects. Decrease any armor check penalties you are under by your Favored Environment bonus while Underwater.

You gain the Low-Light Vision and Darkvision (60 feet) racial traits. If you already had them, improve them to double their effectiveness. You take no penalties for spot and listen checks made while underwater, even to hear creatures outside of the water.

Finally, you take no cold or pressure damage for exceptional underwater depths. Some Mythic Seafolk who spend extended time in the deep dark waters develop in unnatural or unorthodox ways.

Advanced

Murk-Utilizing Hunters Aptitude: You gain Darkstalker as a bonus feat. So long as you benefit from your Favored Environment, you are considered to have the Hide in Plain Sight Ability.

“Water-is-Wet” Apprehension: You need not be fully submerged in water to benefit from your favored environment, merely in an exceptionally wet environment. Knee-High Swamp Water, A Rainy Day, or a Kathados’ Shield of Water ability are all applicable.

Tide-Calling Hydrophilic Precept
Prerequisites: One Mythos granted by “Natatory Kingship Legacy”

You gain the ability to impose your will into any form of pure or semi-pure water, such as ocean water, rain, or even sweat, within (Your level x 5) feet and manipulate it as you wish. At one time, you may manipulate (Your class level) in cubic feet of water.

With a single standard action, you may move the water in your control up to 30 feet, but you may not move material beyond (class level x 5) feet from yourself; water somehow brought beyond this area is removed from your control. You may spend your move action simultaneously with your standard action to move along with the water you're controlling. Alternatively, if you are within the water you are moving, you have no problem being carried along with it.

Each turn, you may concentrate on maintaining your control, using your standard action for the round. If you take damage while concentrating, you must make a DC (10 + damage taken) Concentration check, or lose control over your manipulated element, at which point it resumes acting as you would expect.

As a free action, you may voluntarily release your control.

Water moved with this mythos is not usually moved quick enough to be usable as a weapon, but Water moved with this Mythos can generate 'Rough Water' for Swim checks, and can be used to make trip or bullrush attempts, using your highest mental ability score in place of your strength to determine your bonuses on the attempt.

Advanced

Crys of the Trapped Aqua: You can use the effects of this mythos to control plant life as wel as free water. You may manipulate a heavy load of plant life in the same way as you control water, save that appropriate viney plants can be used to make grapple attempts rather than bullrush attempts.

Genetic Water-Blessed Companionship: Any animal companion, familiar, or special mount you have gained through a mythos effect gains the Water Element Template, considering both this and the plane of water as their home planes.

Inheritor Heralding Ritual: You gain the Summon Elemental feat as a bonus feat. It’s duration is increased to ten times the normal duration. You are treated as having a conjuration spell of a level equal to half your level, rounded up, but you may only choose to Summon the Water Elemental option.

Ocean-Spanning Warlords Cognizance
Prerequisite: One Mythos granted by the “Natatory Kingship Legacy”

You gain Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Net) and Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Harpoon) as bonus feats. You take no penalties for using any manufactured weapons you are proficient with while underwater, including ranged and thrown weapons. You also gain Net and Trident as a bonus feat. While you are underwater, you may treat any manufactured melee weapon as a trident for purposes of Net and Trident.

While you are in the water, you are considered to have Superior Cover against the attacks of any creature not at least knee-deep in the same water, as well as the Evasion class feature.

While you are underwater, you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and dodge armor class for every ten feet your swim speed is higher than your opponents. You also gain a bonus to grapple attempts made while in water equal to half your class level. This bonus doubles if you and your target are both underwater.

While at least waist-high in water, and a creature attempts a melee attack against you or an adjacent ally, you may make an attack of opportunity against them. If this attack connects, they take a penalty on their attack equal to half the damage dealt. This can only be performed once per round.

Advanced

Aquatic Arsenal Supremacy: You gain the Weapon Focus for all of the following weapons: Trident, Spear, Long Spear, Halberd, Net, Harpoon, Light Crossbow, and Heavy Crossbow. Any time a feat would be applied to one of these weapons (Such as Weapon Specialization), you may instead apply it to all of them. Your fighter level is equal to your level for purposes of what fighter feats you qualify for.

Discipline of the Riding Waves: When a creature attempts a melee attack against you or an ally adjacent to you, you may make a five foot step as an immediate action.

Submerged Pugilists Wrath: Your natural weapons damage is increased by one die size when utilizing them underwater.

High-Born- Living Maelstrom Apothesis
Prerequisites: Two Mythos granted by “Natatory Kingship Legacy”

You are as much a part of the water as the water is a part of you. It is your home, your weapon, your armor, and your friend. It would never betray you.

You are immune to any spell that manipulates water (Including mists, storms, or fogs), has the water descriptor, or come from the Blackwater, Water, or Seafolk Domain. In fact, any time you are struck with an offensive [Water] Spell, you heal an amount of hitpoints equal to the spell’s level multiplied by your constitution modifier.

You also take on a portion of your true home as your own. You gain a special otherworldly chamber used to store water. Every hour, this chamber gains (Your Level x 2) gallons of water. This amount doubles if you spend at least half the hour in some body of water. As a full round action, you can call out to this chamber, flooding the area you are now in with that same water. How this water arrives, whether it be through torrential rain, springing forth from your tears, or merely sprays forth from your hands, is irrelevant, as any amount of water you wish fills the area by the time your next turn comes around. However, this water is special.

No matter where you have been, what the environment was like before it had your water, or any outside tampering, this water is crystal clear, and nigh impossible to dirty or pollute. Your swim speed is improved by half its original amount while you are within this water, and your enemies swim speed is halved. Your body will never dissolve or breakdown while in this water, resting peacefully upon the bottom.

Lastly, even if it would be impossible, you may trip, bullrush, or overrun creatures within your special water as if they stood on land, inflicting all normal penalties.

Basic

Crest-and-Trough Cooperation (Requires “Habitually-Appropriate Acquaintance Procurement”): You animal companions gain Improved Natural Attack and Swim-By Attack as bonus feats. Their swim speed becomes equal to (your swim speed - 10 feet) if it was not already faster.

When you summon your special waters down, you may chooose to also summon your animal companion, if he was not already present, as well as an identical version of your companion, come from the elemental plane of water. This companion can only exist in your special water, and you may only have one clone companion at a time, but it is otherwise a perfect copy of your original companion.

Irrefutable Sirens Temptations (Requires “Bloodblood Sea-Song Alurement”): You gain Epic of the Lost King and Haunting Melody as a bonus feat.

Enemies standing within your special water who hear your bardic music (including Haunting Melody or Inspire Courage) must make will saves or be afflicted by your fascination ability. This fascination is especially potent, and will not end when a threatening action occurs, only when they are directly damaged. Your bardic music also ignores immunity to [Sonic], [Enchantment], [Compulsion], or Mind Affecting effects.

You also gain a +20 Racial Bonus to Perform (Sing)

Subaqueous Phyletic Predominance (Requires “Homeworld Encompassing Innovation”): You gain an additional racial adaption from “Homeworld Encompassing Innovation”.

Any numerical effects granted by your racial adaptions (other than increased swim speed) are doubled when in your special waters. Any natural weapons gained through your racial adaptions deal damage as though they were one size larger.

Undersea Domineering Executioner (Requires “Pelagic Predatory Instinct-Enrichment”): You gain Improved Favored Terrain and Nemesis as bonus feats. Any creature native to your Favored Terrain is affected by your Nemesis Feat.

Any creature within your special waters immediately turns to ashes when slain by you.

Advanced

As Waves Break upon Shores (Requires “Ocean-Spanning Warlords Cognizance”): You gain Combat Reflexes as a bonus feat.

So long as you are within your special water, you may launch your counter attack any number of times in a round as you are allowed by your combat reflexes feat. In addition, once per encounter, as a free action that can be taken outside of your turn, select one creature standing within your special water. You may make an immediate attack of opportunity against them. If this attack is successful, the afflicted creature cannot take any actions this turn.

Indisputable Wave-Mastering Champion (Requires “Tide-Calling Hydrophilic Precept”): So pure and devoted is your water to you that it becomes greater by being yours. Your level is considered (Your Highest Mental Ability Modifier) higher for purposes of the amount of your special water you can control. No creature other than yourself can command, manipulate, or otherwise utilize your water for anything more than swimming or drinking, unless you allow it.

While commanding your special water, you may use the water to make attacks, geysering jets of water upon your foes. Treat these attacks as unarmed strikes of three sizes larger than your natural size, save that these attacks always deal lethal bludgeoning damage, and your reach is considered the entire area of your special water for purposes of making attack rolls. Any special effect you have based on unarmed strikes (Such as Stunning Fist or Snap Kick) may be utilized with these Geyser Strikes.