Sea Life (sage study)

From The Authentic D&D Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search

Sea life is a sage study in the field of Animal Life, examining marine creatures and animals dwelling in both salt and fresh water environments, characterized by their ability to swim and breathe underwater. Knowledge of sea life includes most forms of underwater creature, including giants and humanoids such as locathah, mermen, sahuagin, tritons and so on.

Initial knowledge points must be assigned by choice to the specific order of sea life to be studied. There are three orders:

  • Crustaceans & Gastropods: clams, crabs, crayfish, leviathans, lobsters, muscles, octopus, oysters, shrimp, slugs, snails, squid
  • Fish: bony fish, gars, lampreys, rays, sea dragons, sea horses, sharks
  • Sea Mammals: dolphins, elephant seals, hippocampus, manatees, porpoises, sea cows, sea lions, walruses, whales

Note that amphibians or reptiles are not included in this knowledge study. Examples for the above orders are not complete.

Each time the character rolls for more knowledge points in this study, the new roll may be applied to a different order from that already chosen. The character has no meaningful knowledge whatsoever of any sea life order outside their assigned knowledge points.

Sage Abilities

The sage abilities below are those acquired by a character through the study, according to status.

Amateur Status

  • Identify Sea Life: grants knowledge of the creatures within a chosen sea life order, enabling them to recognize and understand the behaviours, characteristics and potential dangers of these marine beings. This skill extends to identifying specific species by appearance, size, colouration and movement patterns, even at a distance or under less-than-ideal conditions such as murky water or dim light. The character can discern whether a creature is likely to attack, flee or remain indifferent, and they know the environmental factors that might influence a creature’s behaviour, such as tides, water temperature or proximity to spawning grounds.
  • Predict Emergence: ability to foresee the imminent appearance of a creature swimming up through the water and preparing to break the surface. This skill allows the character to detect subtle signs in the water's movement, light refraction, or other environmental cues, providing them with critical warning moments before the creature becomes visible. Particularly valuable in combat or tense situations, giving the character and their allies the chance to prepare, react or avoid potential danger.
  • Swimming: grants the character the fundamental ability to navigate through water effectively. This skill allows the character to stay afloat, propel themselves forward, and manoeuvre in calm or moderately turbulent waters. A character with this ability can cross rivers, traverse lakes or swim in coastal seas without undue risk, provided the conditions are not extreme.

Authority Status

  • Free-diving: provides the character with the ability to hold their breath for extended periods, enabling them to perform deep dives and explore underwater environments, including the physical and mental control necessary to conserve oxygen, allowing the character to descend into depths that would otherwise be inaccessible. Also involves basic techniques to equalise pressure during descent and maintain orientation while submerged. While the duration of a dive is limited by natural endurance, the character is capable of reaching significant depths, depending on their physical conditioning and water conditions.
  • Harpooning: practised skill of hunting and capturing large sea creatures using a barbed spear or harpoon, an ability that requires precision, strength and an understanding of the behaviour and anatomy of the target. This skill is essential for hunting whales, sharks or large fish such as tuna or swordfish, often employed by seafarers and coastal communities for sustenance, trade or resources. Can extend beyond mundane sea creatures to fantastical beasts like krakens, sea serpents or aquatic drakes. A skilled harpooner would understand not only how to hunt such creatures but also how to anticipate their unique behaviours, ensuring the safety of the party while pursuing their quarry.
  • Sea Harvesting: encompasses the practical skills and knowledge required to gather resources from the ocean, including fish, shellfish, large marine creatures and plant life, combining hunting, gathering and processing the bounty of the sea, ensuring survival and trade opportunities for coastal communities and seafarers. Relies on an intimate knowledge of the ocean’s rhythms. Understanding tides, migration patterns and the behaviour of marine life allows the character to identify the best locations and times for harvesting.

Expert Status

  • Oceanborne Resilience: combines an extraordinary affinity for swimming and breath control, making the character a natural master of aquatic movement and endurance. They glide through water with effortless speed and precision, moving in harmony with currents rather than struggling against them. This fluidity doubles their swimming speed when aligned with the flow of the water and allows for precise manoeuvring in turbulent or confined spaces. The character can remain calm and focused while submerged, holding their breath for up to ten minutes without strain.
  • Storm Caller: grants the character an extraordinary ability to interpret the subtle signs of the ocean and sky so that they can sense incoming changes in the weather, such as storms, calm seas, or shifts in wind patterns, up to an hour before they occur, even in the absence of visible signs. This intuition is so precise that they can prepare for sudden squalls or adjust their course to avoid dangerous conditions.
  • Wayfinder: Allows feeling for the shift of currents through their body, interpret the direction of the wind without visible cues, and sense the pull of distant land or islands. Even under cloudy skies or without stars for guidance, the character knows their direction with uncanny precision.


See Druid Sage Abilities