Undine

Undine

(Creature)

Common

Amphibious

Undine

Level

Varies

Adjective

Undine

Images of undines

Source: Ancestry Guide, pg(s). 116–119

Undines are Common creatures but an

Uncommon

heritage.

Type

Outsider
(native)

CR

By character level

Environment

Any land

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Adjective

Undine

Images of undines

Source: Bestiary 2, pg(s). 275

Ⅰ

Ⅱ

More information about this subject might be available on StarfinderWiki.

Undines are geniekin related to creatures from the Plane of Water.

Appearance

Senethar, an undine summoner.

Undines have distinctive colorations that resembles local bodies of deep water, including pale blue, sea green, and navy. Some born near desert oases might also have sandy skin. They more rarely might also have fin-like ears, webbed hands and feet, coral growths, fish scales, a tail with caudal fins, bioluminescence reminiscent of deep-sea fish, or seashell-like hues. Some undines can change their skin to blend with humans or underwater terrain.

Human undines have diverse expressions of their aquatic natures, though common traits tend to be passed down over familial generations. Among elves, mistsouls and rimesouls both manifest most frequently among the Ilverani people in the Crown of the World, where they share their elven parents' white skin and hair.

Among gnomes, undines most often have bright blue and green eyes and hair. Undines born to goblins often have grindylow-like suckers on their lower body, while frost goblin undines lack the light fur of their snow goblin heritage to instead bear thin coats of frost or prickly icicles.

Abilities

Undines are naturally excellent swimmers who can breathe both air and water. Some have superior eyesight in low light or darkness, and some express deep connections to specific types or manifestations of water in their essential aquatic nature, such as brackish blood or abilities related to glaciers, mists, or tides.

Adventurers

Undines become adventurers for various reasons: some wish to defend their community's body of water, others seek to learn about their ancestors, and still others are simply possessed of a wanderlust or forced to take up adventuring after being exiled from their home.

Those raised on the Plane of Water in their ancestor's courts often develop their skills as bards. Undine clerics usually serve water deities, while most undine sorcerers possess the elemental or genie bloodlines.

Ecology

Undines result from the influence of a water elemental or related being on a mortal's ancestry. Most descend from faydhaans, who are known for consorting with mortals, while others descend from elemental scamps of water, ice, or salt, as well as from brine dragons.

An undine's lineage is most often determined by ancestral connections to elemental water or creatures, particularly when strongly influenced by a specific subtype of elemental water, and can be passed from parent to child. For example, descendants of brine dragons are most often brinesoul undines. However, a lineage can also manifest spontaneously and might be connected environmental factors rather than relations with elementals.

Society

An undine's nature is fluid not only in their origins but also their personality, often identifying with certain (or all) aspects of water. Their interests and pursuits change in phases, and many seek structure and focus to avoid stagnation.

Undines and are instinctively driven to seek bodies of water from a young age and are the most common geniekin to found communities of their own, and do so on both Golarion and the Plane of Water. Since such communities are formed and sought by undines, they are often relatively harmonious homes for planar scions compared to other communities, where scions are often treated like outsiders. Children in undine settlements likewise often have relatively healthy childhoods.

Most undine settlements are built on shore or consist of ships bound together into a haphazard floating town informally known as a flotilla, and many work as fishers, sailors, and other jobs that benefit from their proximity to water.

Most undines gravitate to neutrality and tend to value their community's and society's collective health over any individual's. Each community is governed by an elected council whose members can hold their position indefinitely, but are often pressured to resign when people are unhappy. Undines consider themselves protectors of their habitat and work with their neighbours to watch over the water's health.

Undine communities sometimes establish their own semi-autonomous quarters within other beings' settlements as long as they and the water are respected. They often become anxious when separated from bodies of water for long durations.

On Golarion

An undine pirate.

Undines can be born anywhere, and to people of any person of any ancestry or culture who deals with elemental beings of water. On Golarion, undines are most common in Kelesh, Vudra (particularly Jalmeray), around the Inner Sea, and to a lesser extent along the eastern coast of the Arcadian Ocean.

In the Inner Sea region, most live near major anomalies, such as Irrisen's permanent winter and the neighboring Crown of the World, or the Shackles and Sodden Lands near the perpetual hurricane of the Eye of Abendego. In the deserts of Thuvia and Rahadoum in northern Garund, they are often accepted by villages who believe that they can bring water to oases and wells. Undines are also adept to working on the River Sphinx, where they can make an easy living.

Undines live in Outsea, a River Kingdom connected to elemental water, and undines from there have more prominently aquatic physical features. They serve as liaisons between the ruling aquatic peoples and land-dwelling commoners.

They are also common in Druma, and the authorities of Detmer prefer them as dockworkers due to their efficiency in servicing ships. Due to the high wages, some undines invest in their own businesses after leaving the job.

Among dwarves, the Taralu people in the Mwangi Expanse sometimes bear mistsoul children, while in Rahadoum, the Vahrid people near the Eternal Oasis's marshes bear undine children with sand-colored skin and gently flowing blue or green hair.

In Tian Xia, undines are also born to families in the storm-struck flooded nation of Wanshou. It is unknown if these undines owe their existence to the kraken overlord Zhanagorr or to celestial benefactors who can intervene only by sending these undine heroes to undermine Zhanagorr's influence.

In Casmaron, an unusually large number of undines live in the Karazh city of Ular Kel near the vast reserves of the Water Houses. For unknown reasons they are particularly common in the Songsouk district.

On the Plane of Water

Undines are the most common mortals who migrate from the Universe to the Plane of Water. These undines are often magic users or descended from such ancestors. They either live in small, insular communities scattered across the plane or become ferry operators, travel guides, merchants, or diplomats.

The undines of Vialesk, who call themselves maridar, are an exception who maintain their city as a neutral trading outpost. Due to their mercurial nature, undines are often distrusted by the Plane of Water's natives. They are rumoured to be planning to band together to become a planar power in their own right.

Religion

Undines are naturally spiritual, but for most religion is at most a minor part of their lives. Instead, many have deep spiritual connections to either water or their elemental ancestors. Those who worship deities gravitate to water deities like Gozreh and Hei Feng, or Lysianassa, elemental lord of water.

Undines also worship Hanspur in the River Kingdoms, or Desna and Besmara in western Avistan. Those who seek strength and revenge on judgemental societies are drawn to Kelizandri, and another subset venerate Ragadahn, but only the most depraved undines can stomach him.

Languages

Most undines on Golarion speak Common tongues as well as Thalassic.

Lineages

A brinesoul undine.

Brinesouls are undines with a strong connection to salt water, and are most often the result of having a brine dragon as an ancestor. Such undines have blood so salty that it can sicken others whose wounds become exposed to them.

Mistsouls, or vapor undines, look ephemeral and vaporous, have rounded features, move deliberately and gracefully, and prefer soft, high-quality, neutrally-toned clothing and simple jewellery. Gentle and contemplative, yet resilient and earnest, they are drawn to water's mystical aspects and often seek out politically fractured places like Brevoy.

Rimesouls, or frost undines, are usually pale, with translucent or blue-tinged skin, and prefer austere, crisp clothing. Representing the solidification of change, they are usually ordered, conservative, imperious and aloof, and take well to individual pursuits. They prefer sparsely populated areas or disciplined cities.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.