Selkie

Description

Selkies are fey beings able to shift between their native humanoid form, and that of a sleek seal. Their native humanoid form, resembles an elf, though their skin retains a faint shimmer, as if still touched by the sea, and their fingers and toes are webbed. Selkies unique ability comes from the magical seal skin they all carry, usually worn like a cloak, when a selkie wraps itself in this seal skin they (or anyone who steals their skin) transforms into its a seal in but a single round. Remaining in that form until they remove the skin. Selkie guard their sealskins with their very lives, for without it, they cannot return to their seal form.

In their seal form, selkies may only attack with their bite, but in their humanoid form, they use weapons, favouring daggers, spears or shortbows.

Selkies have a deep connection to the sea, which once a day allows them to summon a tidal wave that crashes over a 20-foot wide area. Creatures within the area must make a saving throw or be knocked prone and take 2d6 damage. Those who succeed at the saving throw take half damage and remain standing.

Three times a day a selkie beneath the waters surface may become invisible (as the spell) for up to 1 minute as long as they stay submerged. Additionally, the Selkie can summon small sea creatures, such as fish or crabs, to assist with minor tasks (like gathering objects or disarming traps) for up to 10 minutes at will, as long as there is at least an hour between calls.

Finally, selkies may sing haunting, magical melodies that cause creatures within 60 feet (except other fey) to make a saving throw against magic or become charmed (as per the spell Charm Person), entranced (as if affected by Hold Person), or fall into a deep Sleep (as if affected by the Sleep spell). The Selkie chooses the effect of its song, and creatures who successfully save against it cannot be affected by the same selkies song, in any of its forms, for the next 24 hours. Like other fey, selkies are vulnerable to cold iron. Weapons made of iron or steel deal an extra +1 damage, and disrupt their magic, halting all of the selkies magical abilities for the remainder of the round.

Selkies are difficult to surprise at sea, only being surprised on a 1 on 1d6, though they can surprise enemies at sea on a roll of 1-4 on 1d6.

A selkies skin if stolen, or removed from a defeated selkie allows anyone who wraps themselves in it to transform into a seal just like a selkie. However once the skin is removed from the selkies possesion the enchantment on it will fade within a year and a day leaving the skin nothing but a normal seal skin.

Source note: This creature is converted from The Basic Fantasy Field Guide of Creatures Malevolent and Benign – Omnibus Edition, 1st Edition Release 4, © 2010–2025 Chris Gonnerman, R. Kevin Smoot, James Lemon, Matt Sluis, and Contributors. The Basic Fantasy Field Guide textual material is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International; this page adapts that creature to White Box.

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