Sisterhood of the Waves

[Thrythlind]

Partially to help me develop an idea, partially to practice with a system....you know, as much as I love this little group, I should probably eventually do a story with them...eh...other things first


Sisterhood of the Waves

There is a small woman's martial arts/health and fitness group that meets somewhere on the East Coast (haven't decided where yet) known as the sisterhood of the waves that primarily is known for picking up water-related sports as a lifestyle choice.  Swimming, especially endurance swimming, is one of their particular interests.  For the most part, these are entirely normal women, though more dedicated than most toward the ideas of making health and fitness a lifestyle they choose to follow.  However, at their core is a small knot of women that have successfully learned or started to learn to become wereforms.

Specifically sharks.

For the most part, the Sisterhood of the Waves tends to have little to no impact on the area they are in.  They are, mostly, not true magi.  Their wereform is limited to the ocean and they have shown little to no interest in terrorizing the surf.  About the only impact they have is that beaches frequented by one of the core sisters tend to be remarkably free of dangerous fish compared to neighboring regions.  Whether this is because the Sisterhood hunts such fish or simply convinces them to go away is unknown.  For the most part, they simply use the magic because they enjoy using the magic.  For all intents and purposes, they're mostly kitchen witches.

Full wereforms of the Sisterhood can sometimes be characterized by a calm or even serene attitude and slow, energy efficient motion.  This can switch to a flash of sudden and violent motion at anytime that they perceive the need.  It is uncertain whether such an attitude is necessary to learn the magical skills involved or if the practice of becoming a shark eventually hones such personality traits.  Likely, it is a combination of the two.

All in all, these would be minor-league players in the Dresdenverse.

Their shark forms do not neatly fit in with specific species.  The original Sister and most of her first students prefer a sleek mako-ish form.  Colorations are usually mirrored by the individuals skin and hair colors.  Tattoos and hair-dye (for some reason) can affect the shark form's color patterns.  However, clothes and jewelry do not shift with the shark.

****************

Initiate in the Waves

These women have accomplished some minimal change in themselves but are not yet full wereforms.  Of those that do reach some of level of ability, most don't seem to get past this point.  Usually by this point, a woman will have stopped swimming in chlorinated pools and have started eating larger amounts of meat, often less cooked.  Their health is definitely better on average than most women their age, and they tend to be attractive.

Musts: Aquatic(-1), Echoes of the Beast(-1)

Options: Some few may have already developed a variation of the Wizard's Constitution by this point.  Call it Shark's Fortitude.

Shark's Fortitude (-1) - a Sister with this power does not sleep (though can be knocked unconscious or sedated), in addition, like wizards they will eventually heal up from most injuries.  However, while they heal completely, they do acquire scars (can be quite proud of them actually). (increased to -1 because of the no need to sleep thing...think that is day-to-day important)

Important Skills: varies, but most have high scores in Athletics and Endurance with fair to decent levels of Conviction and Discipline.

Minimum Refresh Cost: -2, these are not exactly magical heavyweights

*************

Sister of the Waves

At this point they have become full wereforms.  Most acquire scars of a sort not long after becoming wereforms, these are usually acquired from instances of hunting in the waves.  The bites of other sharks are not uncommon, nor are harpoon scars or injuries from other such devices or animals.  Sisters are usually blithely unconcerned with displaying their scars and often maintain a instinctual level of attraction in spite (or perhaps) because of the injuries.

Musts:

Aquatic (-1)
Echoes of the Beast (-1)
Shark's Fortitude (-1)
Beast's Change (-1)

Human Form (+1) affecting the following:
Claws (-1)

and choose at least one:
Inhuman Speed (-2)
Inhuman Recovery (-2)
Inhuman Strength (-2)
Inhuman Toughness (-2)

Options: Some of the original Sisters also take Pack(School?) Instincts (-1) due to emulating sharks with cooperative hunting habits.

Important Skills: Varies, but most hit higher levels of Athletics, Endurance, Conviction and Discipline

Minimum Refresh: -6

**********************

Other options: Maybe one or more of the packs has more diverse powers?  However I doubt this.

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Lt Kuwiko Schmidt
High Concept: Wereshark Sensai
Trouble: Military Career
Background Aspect: Ringing Neptune's Doorbell
Rising Conflict: Self-Taught Shapeshifter
Story Aspect: Anybody's Pheromones Will Do

Powers:
Aquatic (-1)
Echoes of the Beast (-1)
Shark's Constitution (-1)
Beast Change (-1)
Pack Instincts (-1)
Human Form (+1)
Claws/Bite (-1)
Inhuman Speed (-2)

Skills:
Superb: Conviction, Presence
Great: Discipline, Fists
Good: Athletics, Alertness
Fair: Scholarship, Survival
Average: Stealth, Endurance

(note, if the beast change skill shift allows you to change skills completely, then Kuwiko's human form would look like this)
Skills:
Superb: Conviction
Great: Presence, Discipline
Good:  Weapons, Athletics
Fair: Scholarship, Survival, Fists
Average: Stealth, Endurance, Rapport, Driving, Lore


As Shark:

Superb: Endurance, Fists
Great: Conviction, Alertness
Good: Athletics, Survival
Fair: Stealth, Discipline
Average: Scholarship, Presence

Refresh: 1

The first of the Sisters, and the one that taught the others, Kuwiko has been learning since before the double digits to become a shapeshifter.  Ever since a shark pulled her out of an undertow and saved her life (apparently inadvertently).  She has a large bite-scar on her torso that has stretched and smoothed over time and aging to look something like a large birthmark on first glance.

Do have Kuwi's origin story:

http://thrythlind.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d14cagk

[Deadmanwalking]

Looks very good indeed to me. Though if the Shark-like form is limited to only being available in water, there'd be some additional Drawbacks.

(note, if the beast change skill shift allows you to change skills completely, then Kuwiko's human form would look like this)

That's precisely what it does. So the second pair of Skill pyramids is correct.

[Thrythlind]

cool, the reason is that Kuwi would prefer to use weapons in an actual fight with people so as to maintain a more objective view on matters...and less prone to shark-responses

granted...she tends to use knives and swords...but she's not drawing the blood by hand.

[Thrythlind]

Looks very good indeed to me. Though if the Shark-like form is limited to only being available in water, there'd be some additional Drawbacks.

Such as making the Human Form +2 instead of +1?

[Doc Nova]

That is very cool!  Nice concept and I dig the story behind her.  It's one you can really sink your teeth into. (Wow!  I could not help but use that pun...never fear, though, I took damage from it, too.)

I wonder if there could be a feeding frenzy added, maybe not unlike a vampire's Feeding Dependency?

[Thrythlind]

hmmm...perhaps...go far enough back and the original concept is that they have to maintain a balance between the shark and human...can be balanced heavily to human but can't ignore the shark without...problems

then could make story hook be a student that lost the balance one way or another

most of these women I see as mostly very nice people day to day and only violent when hunting or riled

[Deadmanwalking]

Such as making the Human Form +2 instead of +1?

That sounds about right, yeah.

[Baron Hazard]

also, I have created this for my Hexensharks in my game.
AQUATIC [-1]
See YS162
Not Amphibious [+1]. You can't survive outside of the water; when taken from the water, (say on to dry land in the middle of a city) The environment makes a Fantastic (+6) maneuver on you, resisted by Endurance; if successful, you gain a Suffocating aspect.
     In each subsequent exchange, you must roll Endurance to defend against a Fantastic (+6) Environmental attack. Once you concede or are taken out (falling unconscious), the attacks stop. However, the damage is already done; without medical attention and re-introduction into your necessary environment, a taken out victim will soon die (within a a score of minutes, an hour at most.)
     Re-introduction into the water, will end the effect and remove the aspect.

[Thrythlind]

cool, though the Sisterhood can breathe water without changing shape, it's actually one of the first things they learn prior to shapeshifting...