Undine
Undine is the name that Paracelsus gave to his definition of the Water Elemental, alongside of its companions the Gnome, Salamander and Sylph. The term has since been used repeatedly in fantasy media for various water-related elementals.
Pathfinder[edit | edit source]
Sadly, Undine has long gone unused as a concept in Dungeons & Dragons - unless one considers the Nereid to be drawing from its concept (which is fair, Undine was inspired by the Nereid and her fellow water nymphs). But, Pathfinder rescued the name for /tg/ by using as its own depiction of the water genasi.
Pathfinder's undines trace their ancestry to denizens of the Elemental Planes associated with Water. This gives these planetouched skin in various bluish-green hues, pronounced "fin-like" ears, and webbed digits. Like all planetouched, they are an extremely mutable species, displaying a wide variety of forms and mutations, all ultimately harkening back to the sea. They typically live in coastal or floating communities, usually supporting themselves through trade, and as such have no particular biases against most races. Indeed, they often form an important link in the chain of society between land-dwellers and aquatic races. Sadly all of Pathfinder's gensai are, by it's own system for measuring race power, very underpowered.
- +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Strength
- Native Outsider
- Medium
- Base speed 30 feet
- Swim Speed 30 feet
- Don't require Swim checks to move in water, and always treat Swim as a class skill.
- Darkvision 60 feet
- Spell-like Ability: Hydraulic Push 1/day with a caster level equal to character level.
- Energy Resistance: Cold Resistance 5
- Water Affinity: Undine Sorcerers with the Water bloodline treat their Charisma as being +2 points higher for all sorcerer spells and class abilities, whilst undine Clerics with the Water domain use its domain power and domain spells at +1 caster level.
Variant Racial Abilities:
- Acid Breath: Replaces Spell-like Ability with a breath weapon usable once per day. 5ft cone that inflicts 1d8 Acid damage per 2 character levelss (maximum 5d8 damage), Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 Undine's level + Undine's Con modifier) for half damage.
- Amphibious: Replaces Spell-Like Ability with Aquatic Subtype and Amphibious.
- Deepsight: Replaces Darkvision; undine has Darkvision 120ft underwater and no darkvision above-water.
- Flesh Chameleon: Replaces Energy Resistance with the ability to shift colors to a human skin tone as an action, gaining +4 to Disguise checks to pass as a human whilst the color is shifted.
- Hydrated Vitality: Replaces Water Affinity with the ability to gain Fast Healing 2 for 1 round when submerged complete in natural water that is salty, fresh or brackish. An undine can use this ability to regain 2HP per level per day.
- Nereid Fascination: Replaces Spell-like Ability with the ability to activate a fascination aura as a standard action 1/day. All humanoids in a 20ft radius must pass a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 Undine's level + Undine's Cha modifier) or be Fascinated for rounds equal to half the undine's character level (minimum of 1).
- Ooze Breath: Replaces Spell-like Ability with a breath weapon usable once per day. 5ft cone that inflicts 1d4 Acid damage per 2 character levels (maximum 5d4 damage) and Sickens the target for 3 rounds, Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 Undine's level + Undine's Con modifier) for half damage and negate the sickened effect.
- Terrain Chameleon: Replaces Energy Resistance with the ability to change color to blend into an underwater environment as a standard action, gaining a +4 bonus to Stealth checks in that terrain whilst disguised.
- Water Sense: Replaces Energy Resistance with Water Sense 30 feet; this functions as blindsense, but only functions when the undine is in water and only against creatures touching the same body of water that the undine is in.
Unfortunately not a single class in the game really uses dex and wis but not strength. Late in the system's life two variants were added. Mistsoul has +2 con, +2 wis and -2 int and Obscuring Mist as an SLA. Rimesoul has +2 dex, +2 int and -2 cha with chill touch as an SLA.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
| The Races of Pathfinder | |
|---|---|
| Player's Handbook: | Dwarf - Elf - Gnome - Half-Elf - Half-Orc - Halfling - Human |
| Advanced Race Guide: |
Aasimar - Catfolk - Changeling - Dhampir - Duergar Drow - Fetchling - Gillman - Goblin - Grippli - Hobgoblin Ifrit - Kitsune - Kobold - Merfolk - Nagaji - Orc - Oread Ratfolk - Samsaran - Strix - Suli - Svirfneblin - Sylph Tengu - Tiefling - Undine - Vanara - Vishkanya - Wayang |
| Bestiaries: | Android - Astomoi - Caligni - Deep One Hybrid - Gathlain Gnoll - Kasatha - Munavri - Naiad - Orang-Pendak Reptoid - Rougarou - Shabti - Trox - Yaddithian |
| Adventure Paths: | Being of Ib - Kuru |
| Inner Sea Races: | Ghoran - Monkey Goblin - Lashunta - Skinwalker Syrinx - Triaxian - Wyrwood - Wyvaran |
| Ultimate Wilderness: | Vine Leshy |
| Blood of the Sea: | Adaro - Cecaelia - Grindylow - Locathah - Sahuagin - Triton |
| Planar Adventures: | Aphorite - Duskwalker - Ganzi |