Undines are the mixture of elves and
marid. Even at first glance, one notices the potency of their ancestry, for an undine’s very flesh mimics the color of lakes, seas, and oceans. The undines are a proud race and show little outward fear. While good-natured and somewhat playful among their own kind, they behave with slightly more reserve and seriousness in the company of non-undines. They have excellent emotional control, and can edge their tempers from calm to raging and back again within but a few minutes. While some might dub their behavior erratic, undines are simply a bit more outwardly melodramatic than most races. As close friends, some find them overly possessive, though they are also extremely protective of those they care about.
Physical Description:
Undines display a wide variation of skin tones, ranging from pale turquoise to deep blue to sea green. An undine’s straight, thick hair tends to be of a similar, yet slightly darker color than her skin. All have limpid blue eyes. Physically, undines most resemble as elves, and their physiques show human diversity in regard to overall height and body type. Aside from their coloration, their most racially defining traits remain their fin-like or elven ears and webbed hands and feet.
Society:
Undines define themselves as a unique race and are capable of producing undine offspring. While they remain able to interbreed with elves, they tend to keep to themselves, and form small, reclusive communities near bodies of water. A fair amount of regional diversity exists in undine culture, as influenced by the specific ancestry of independent settlements. Those who come from the Blue Haven experienced the bustling trade hub between those below and above the water, ruled by a fair but stern king.
Relations:
Undines hold no biases or prejudices toward any particular races. Their communities rely primarily on trade, giving them ample opportunity to interact with a diverse range of outsiders and foreigners. They have no qualms about establishing neighborhoods within the settlements of other races, provided adequate respect is given to both the undines and any nearby bodies of water. Undines even get along well with Imperial Elves, accepting their egotism with careful grace. Similarly, they interact favorably with good or neutral aquatic humanoids, sharing many common interests.
Alignment and Religion:
Most undines are neutral. Their principle interests lie in the welfare of their people, and thus their moral concerns focus upon the community and upon themselves. This neutral view also allows them to interact with a broad scope of non-undine races with whom they trade. While not deeply religious, undines possess a strong spiritual connection to both their supernatural ancestors and to water itself. Those who pursue nonsecular paths almost always worship the gods of their ancestors or gods whose portfolios feature some aspect of water.
Adventurers:
On occasion, an undine leaves her people to seek out a life of adventure. Like water itself, some undines simply feel compelled to move, and adventuring gives them an ample excuse for living on the road. Others adventure for less wholesome reasons, and exile is a common punishment for crimes within undine society. With few other options, most exiles turn to adventuring hoping to find a new place in the world. Undines’ affinity toward water makes them particularly good druids, while undine sorcerers usually have aquatic bloodlines.
Stats Block
Ability Score: (+2 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 Str) Undines are both perceptive and agile, but tend to adapt rather than match force with force.
Type: Undines are outsiders with the native subtype.
Size: Undines are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Base Speed: Undines have a base speed of 30 feet on land. They also have a swim speed of 30 feet, can move in water without making Swim checks, and always treat Swim as a class skill.
Languages: Undines begin play speaking Common and Aquan. Undines with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Auran, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Halfling, Ignan, and Terran. See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages.
Energy Resistance: Undines have cold resistance 5.
Water Affinity: undine sorcerers with the elemental (water) bloodline treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer spells and class abilities. undine clerics with the Water domain cast their Water domain powers and spells at +1 caster level.
Darkvision: Undines can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.
Water Sense: Undines with this racial trait can sense vibrations in water, granting them blindsense 30 feet against creatures in contact with the same body of water.
Hydrated Vitality: An undine with this racial trait gains fast healing 2 for 1 round anytime she submerges completely within a body of natural salt water, fresh water, or brackish water. Stagnant, poisoned, or trapped water (such as an artificial pit or a bag of holding) does not activate this ability. The undine can heal up to 2 hit points per level per day with this ability, after which it ceases to function.
Flesh Chameleon: Some undines can change their coloration to match human skin tones. As a standard action, an undine with this racial trait can change her natural blue hue to match any normal human skin tone, and can revert to normal as a free action. This grants a +4 racial bonus on Disguise checks to appear human or elven.
Amphibious: Undines are amphibious and can breathe both air and water.
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