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| Sea Devil |
The Sea Devils are one of several allied races of intelligent reptilian bipedal marine creatures. Like their close relatives the Deep Ones, the Sea Devils worship an other-planar entity: a fertility god associated with agriculture, fish, and rain. This piscine or mer-humanoid deity is known as Dagon.
But let's not orientalize them. Mieville's account in The Scar underscores the particular dangers of doing so.
The Sea Devils have numerous deep sea sanctuaries and habitations - many are ancient, and home to millions of their species in suspended animation. An offshoot or close kindred of the Silurian race, Sea Devils were among the first intelligent creatures to evolve on Earth (although genetic ties to races such as the Chelonians cannot be ruled out). They feel a strong sense of affinity, responsibility, and ownership of our planet, will respond with violence to intrusions or perceived threats to either the habitability of the seas or to their deep sea havens.
They have undersea vessels capable of moving great distances, and some have hypothesized that Sea Devil communities are also linked by a network of tubecar systems buried deep within the ocean's bedrock. Another formidable Sea Devil technology is their heat ray weaponry, which is effective both on land and underwater. They have great aptitude for genetic engineering, which they have often used to create monstrosities to disrupt shipping in the sea lanes as well as to attack coastal settlements.
Persistent rumors also point to human-Sea Devil hybrid populations, which have mixed with small maritime human populations in the coastal areas of Northeastern North America, as well as with more isolated human groups around the globe.
Freshwater populations of Sea Devils may also exist in North America. Over the last century and a half, there have been numerous reports of Sea Devil sightings in and around Cayuga Lake (NY). Nearby Ithaca has a well-deserved reputation as a haven for Dagon worshippers, with many different signs of cultic activity (e.g., Dagon graffiti, fish-fetish vandalism, and the founding of a "House of the Star" society at Cornell University in 1868).
OGL MECHANICS
Sea Devil/Deep One
Reptilian Marine Humanoid
ASPECTS:
- High Concept: Humanoid Horror from the Seas
- Trouble: We are Dagon's Children
- Aspect: The sound of flapping feet
- Aspect: If there's one of us, there's a colony!
- Aspect: We stopped evolving millions of years ago but we're still more evolved than you primates!
- Careful: +2
- Clever: +3
- Flashy: 0
- Forceful: +2
- Quick: +1
- Sneaky: +1
STUNTS:
- Heat Ray - +2 to Forceful Approach when using a hand-held heat ray gun in an Attack
- Suitable for Hybridization - +2 to Clever Approach when attempting to Create an Advantage by genetically modifying another living creature
- Swim Like the Devil - When swimming, a Sea Devil can always get somewhere first
- The Ocean is a Very Big - Once per session, a Sea Devil may make a successful getaway from enemies by swimming away
Nice connecting of the dots here.
ReplyDeleteArchaeology of the present.
DeleteBut what about Sea Monkeys? Also what about those Gill-beings spotted around the notorious Black Lagoon? ...and have you seen Shock Waves? There's a lot going on down under the sea...
ReplyDeleteI think someone else may be doing a post on the Gill-Man for FAE in October. The Gill-Man was always my favorite movie monster. If not, I will probably add him. I think this may be Greg Ketter's favorite monster too, as his Dream Haven imprint has published the novel and the screenplay for Creature From the Black Lagoon.
DeleteI think your Heat Ray stunt might be a little too generous, using that same rubric of "When is the character NOT going to be using his go-to weapon on attacks", even in the broader context of FAE. One easy fix would be to determine if heat rays grant +2 on attacks only against certain targets (living things? inanimate objects?). It's been way too long since I've seen classic Sea Devil episodes to remember what they end up shooting at most often, though.
ReplyDeleteHi Josh: Thanks for stopping by and thanks for your feedback. I'm pretty comfortable with this kind of stunt,. I think it passes the "good enough" test with respect to the FAE rules, and the creature as statted feels in the same league with most other humanoid creations in the FATE Bestiary (and is actually significantly less combat oriented than many). The heat ray is a distinctive feature of our Sea Devil friends, and there are some kinds of adversaries where a Compel might be offered to not use the weapon (such as energy beings).
Delete