HGd10PHB - Naiad (Water)

Naiad (Water)
Naiad are shy, quiet, and wise fey of the rivers, lakes, and seas.

Description
Somewhat taller than Sylph, Naiad's may appear to be Paidion playing in the water at first glance. Upon closer inspection, the differences become clear. They have webbed toes and fingers, gills under their arms, and fins on their backs that can act as wings. Naiad skin is porcelain white, sea green, or deep blue and all the colors in between. Their hair tends toward darker shades of green, blue, and black. Part of their cellular makeup is chlorophyll which contributes largely to their coloring and often dominates the melanin. In rare instances, however, a chlorophyll-reduced gene expresses and a Naiad might have coloring more akin to a land dweller. Their wing-fins are see-through but are not clear white. They have the same green or blue tint but very light. These fins are very strong and capable of propelling Naiad's through the water faster than most predators. They can also sustain flight out of the water as any other Primal Fey though not as fast or as long.

Young naiads, called finlings, are born without feet and live their first two years underwater. During this time they are no larger than a common freshwater fish and often play with them. Two years after their conception, the finling will secrete a mucus membrane that expands into a sack that completely surrounds them. Their tail is the last thing to enter the sac and they will swim lazily in the river until it does. Once the whole finling is enclosed, the sac goes from transparent to translucent and sinks to the bottom of the body of water if shallow enough or within tide pools near the seas. For two weeks, the finlings undergo the transformation into a full naiad. The outer tail falls off to reveal legs and feet underneath while the body undergoes a rapid growth. When the naiad emerges, it is at least two feet tall and much less fish-like in appearance.

After the two week period, the naiad will convert the amniotic fluid in the sac into a gas, inhaling it through their mouth and exhaling through their gills. This causes the sac to increase in volume and float to the surface. Once there, it continues to fill until it bursts, usually within a few minutes to an hour after reaching the surface. When the sac bursts, the naiad takes their first few gulps of air and then breathes normally while above the water.

On rare occasions, a puncture or other minor hole penetrates the sac allowing amniotic fluid to escape. When the rising happens, not enough fluid is there to convert to gas and the sac will not rise to the surface or burst. Instead, the naiad will rip the fluid-filled sac apart and continue to breathe as a fish. It may take days, weeks, or even years before a naiad ever surfaces to breathe air. The longer they take, the less likely they are to spend much time above the water. The frequency of this happening varies with location, but is not more than 1 in a 1000.

Society
Fey are natives of Loar, but their divergence into the various separate cultures did not occur until after the Sundering. This was largely due to the divergent associations of the elemancers.

Male naiads are called naiadon while female are called naiadei. Males and females both tend toward short to no hair, though this is not always the case. Hair tends to drag in the water and slow their swimming.

Naiad families are matriarchal communities where the women stay in a settled location to run the day to day affairs while the men are only responsible for hunting. Naiad subsist on a diet of fish, marine plantlife, kelp, and insects. The matriarch of a community is typically the wisest of the women and is often responsible for choosing and grooming her successor. The other women may cast out a failed matriarch in favor of another, if she brings shame or ruin to a community.

Naiads are some of the most exotic and beautiful of the fey and often unintentionally naturally enchant humanoids they interact with. Sometimes this results in offspring with wildly divergent traits harkening back to when the fey were united as a singular kind. Whatever the primal result, the humanoid parent often dominates in the offspring's features.

Character Creation
 Key Characteristic:  Wisdom

 Base Characteristics:  +4 WIS; +1 AGL; +3 BEA; +1 PRC; -1 CON; -1 STR

 Skill Bonuses (Misc): 

+1 free BP to the following skills:  Traits & Foibles:  The following are granted to Naiad without using Trait Slots:
 * Craft (Water-related material such as pearl jewelry).
 * Fly
 * Sing
 * Swim
 * Sense of Duty to Fey - all Fey feel a sense of family and duty to help other Fey. This sense of duty tends to cause them to hesitate or make different choices than others might make if they know a fellow Fey, especially another Sylph is in trouble.  Attempts to take actions contrary to this Sense of Duty suffer a -5 to their roll.  Attempts to harm another Fey suffer a -10. (+2)
 * Opposing Spectrum - Ice [Voidfire] (+6): Ice-based attacks, particularly those created as an inversion of Fire magic (Voidfire), do not do double damage, however, they cause the Naiad to reduce their Speed (SPD) by half for one complete Round or until warmed by sufficient heat.
 * Inner Compass (1)
 * Immunity to Water (6)
 * Spectrum Affinity - Water (1)

As Heroes
Naiad do not particularly like to adventure and will only do so when there is a threat to their community or dire threat to the surrounding area or world. When in a party, they tend to act as healers or hydromancers and prefer not to get into physically violent situations if at all possible. They are solid diplomats and often will rise to the top of an adventuring party as an advisor to the leader or even leader themselves if other candidates seem impetuous or foolish.

Navigation

 * Hero's Guild Players Handbook Home
 * Chapter 1 - Creature Kinds
 * Chapter 2 - Primary Characteristics
 * Chapter 3 - Skills
 * Chapter 4 - Traits and Foibles
 * Chapter 5 - Physical Combat Skills 
 * Chapter 6 - Mystical Skills
 * Chapter 7 - Equipment
 * Chapter 8 - Crafting
 * Chapter 9 - Knowledge Social and Movement Skills
 * Chapter 10 - Optional Classes
 * Chapter 11 - Rules of Engagement