Freshwater
Tied closely to home waters; intimate, steady, and enduring.
Merfolk lineage
Tideborn
Every Current returns to the sea
The sea remembers every shore it has ever touched.
Overview
What it means
to be Tideborn
The Tideborn are an ancient aquatic lineage shaped by the world’s rivers, lakes, glaciers, seas, and oceans. Their bodies and customs differ by Current, but every Tideborn remains connected to water through an awareness known as the Pull.
Tideborn move between legged and tailed forms, thrive beneath cold water and pressure, and awaken Current-based Gifts. Most are born to the lineage, while rare individuals may be Called or Claimed by the Current under extraordinary circumstances.
Defining strengths
What they carry
- Legged and tailed forms
- Aquatic adaptation and exceptional swimming
- Current-based Gifts and weather awareness
Roleplay considerations
What they must face
- Natural water sustains body and spirit
- Strong emotion may expose the tail
- The Current cannot be manipulated for power
Tideborn reference
All waters meet.
None move alike.
The many Currents
One force. Five waters.
No Current is a separate lineage or superior path. Each is the character of the water that first shaped its Tideborn.
Saltwater
Vast, restless, far-traveled, and comfortable with distant shores.
Arctic
Patient, blunt, calm under pressure, and built for endurance.
Tropical
Expressive, social, vivid, and quick to move.
Abyssal
Rare, still, distant, and adapted to darkness few Tideborn ever visit.
“We do not follow the Current. We simply learn to listen.”
Paths into the Current
Birthright, calling, or mercy
Only one path is common. The other two remain rare enough to inspire reverence, caution, and debate.
Born
Recognized by the Current before first breath and carried through lineage.
Called
Dreams, longing, and an unmistakable Pull build over months or years until finally answered.
Claimed
A sudden transformation during genuine sacrifice, desperate necessity, or a dying request made in truth.
Age and natural lifespan
Age Categories
Tideborn may live for approximately 950 to 2,000 years. The oldest reliably confirmed Tideborn reached roughly 950 years of age, while historical accounts claim that rare Ancients survived for nearly 2,000 years. No confirmed Ancient has been encountered in more than 500 years, so the lineage's true maximum lifespan remains uncertain. Some Tideborn believe the oldest among them die normally, while others believe they eventually dissolve into the Current and cease to exist as separate individuals.
Guppy
The youngest Tideborn, marked by poor impulse control, minimal command over Gifts, and an instinctive, often reckless draw toward water. Guppies are watched closely by family or School alike, both for their own safety and everyone else's.
Tideling
Adolescence. The tail begins to respond more reliably to will rather than pure emotion, and early Gifts start to surface, usually clumsily. Tidelings are old enough to be trusted with real responsibility but young enough that elders rarely let them forget it.
Adult
Full command of instincts, Gifts, and both forms. The overwhelming majority of active, socially established Tideborn—including Pool Wardens, School Speakers, shopkeepers, and travelers—fall within this range.
Most Tideborn society, culture, and daily life is built around and by Adults.
Elder
Deep familiarity with the Current, often accompanied—though never guaranteed—by the kind of wisdom that leads a community to name someone a Tidekeeper. Elders are relatively rare, and their perspective carries real weight in matters affecting an entire Pool, School, or gathering of both.
Because player-created Tideborn may be no older than 300, a player character at the maximum permitted age has only just entered the Elder category.
Ancient
Ancients exist in Tideborn culture primarily through history, myth, and cautionary reverence. The oldest reliably confirmed Tideborn reached approximately 950 years, while older accounts claim that rare individuals approached 2,000 years.
No confirmed Ancient has been encountered in more than 500 years. Whether they died out, entered deliberate seclusion, or dissolved so completely into the Current that they ceased to remain recognizable as individuals is unknown.
Ancient Tideborn are not available as player-created characters.
Nature
Two forms.
One honest mirror.
Most Tideborn live openly in a legged form indistinguishable from other residents. Their tail is not a costume, but a truer aquatic shape returned to through water, will, or instinct.
Submersion makes transformation easiest. Strong emotion, exhaustion, or proximity to the Current can reveal the tail involuntarily, especially among young or newly Called Tideborn.
Abilities
What the water answers
Every Tideborn learns universal Abilities and one consistent Current-specific path. Mixed heritage never stacks two mechanical Ability sets.
All Tideborn Abilities follow the universal Ability maximum.
When more than one Ability could reasonably apply, use the single most relevant Ability for the check.
Tideborn are naturally adapted to aquatic environments. Environmental advantages and hindrances are handled separately from Ability Rank.
A Tideborn remains naturally aquatic in other waters, but a Current-specific Ability only functions where its stated conditions are met.
Low-Level Abilities
Universal — All Tideborn
Water's DiscernmentLow · All Tideborn+
Type: Passive
Usage: Always ON
Effect: By touching or tasting water, the Tideborn can recognize whether it is naturally safe, polluted, contaminated, or carrying an unusual biological presence. They may recognize broad disturbances such as blood, decay, industrial pollution, disease, poison, or an unnatural alteration in the water.
Limitations: Does not identify exact chemicals, diseases, poisons, individuals, or events. It cannot replace scientific testing, reveal who contaminated the water, or detect substances too faint to meaningfully alter it. Magically concealed contamination may require an appropriate check.
Governing Attribute: Intelligence
Current SenseLow · All Tideborn+
Type: Passive
Usage: Always ON
Effect: Instinctive awareness of nearby bodies of water, even ones out of sight.
Limitations: Only detects natural water, not magically concealed or artificial sources.
Governing Attribute: Intelligence
Aquatic GraceLow · All Tideborn+
Type: Passive
Usage: Always ON
Effect: Movement through water is effortless and near-silent compared to a non-Tideborn.
Limitations: Does not grant speed beyond a strong swimmer; efficiency and quiet only.
Governing Attribute: Dexterity
Current-Specific
River’s MemoryLow · Freshwater+
Type: Passive
Usage: Always ON
Effect: Can recall the layout of any freshwater body they’ve swum through before, even years later.
Limitations: Only applies to freshwater, and only places personally visited.
Governing Attribute: Intelligence
Open Water EnduranceLow · Saltwater+
Type: Passive
Usage: Always ON
Effect: Can hold breath and withstand pressure far longer than a non-Tideborn, even at depth.
Limitations: Does not grant unlimited air, only significantly extended limits.
Governing Attribute: Constitution
Cold WardLow · Arctic+
Type: Passive
Usage: Always ON
Effect: Naturally resistant to cold and ice, both in and out of water.
Limitations: Does not grant immunity to extreme cold, only meaningfully raised tolerance.
Governing Attribute: Constitution
Vivid BloomLow · Tropical+
Type: Active
Usage: Limited Use
Effect: Can briefly cause bioluminescent or color-shifting patterns to ripple across their tail or scales, used for communication, distraction, or display.
Limitations: No offensive use; purely visual.
Governing Attribute: Constitution
Depth SightLow · Abyssal+
Type: Passive
Usage: Always ON
Effect: Can see clearly in total darkness underwater, where even other Tideborn would be blind.
Limitations: Does not extend to darkness outside of water.
Governing Attribute: Intelligence
Medium-Level Abilities
Universal — All Tideborn
Siren's CallMedium · All Tideborn+
Type: Active
Usage: Once per Scene
Effect: The Tideborn places supernatural emotional weight behind their natural voice or song, drawing the attention of one nearby character who can clearly hear them. The Tideborn may attempt to soothe the target, distract them, awaken curiosity, or encourage them to approach the source of the voice. Resolve resistance through an opposed check: Tideborn: 1d20 + Charisma + Siren's Call Target: 1d20 + Wisdom A willing target may accept the influence without rolling. If the Tideborn succeeds, the target becomes emotionally focused upon the voice for no more than one turn. They may hesitate, briefly lower their guard, stop to listen, or feel a strong desire to approach. The affected player decides how that influence appears in their character's response.
Limitations: - The target must be able to hear the Tideborn clearly. - Recordings and electronic transmissions carry no supernatural influence. - Cannot manufacture love, loyalty, trust, or sexual attraction. - Cannot command a specific action. - Cannot force someone to enter obvious danger. - Cannot make a character harm themselves or another person. - Cannot prevent someone from defending themselves during an immediate attack. - Cannot override deeply held convictions or remove player agency. - Ends immediately if the Tideborn attacks the target. - Repeated use cannot keep someone continuously influenced. - Ear protection, overwhelming noise, or magical silence may prevent its use.
Governing Attribute: Charisma
Mending WatersMedium · All Tideborn+
Type: Active
Usage: Limited Use
Effect: The Tideborn channels the Current through natural water and into themselves or one willing nearby character. The ability may close minor wounds, slow serious bleeding, ease pain, stabilize a deteriorating patient, or encourage the natural repair of moderate injuries. When the outcome is uncertain: 1d20 + Wisdom + Mending Waters
Limitations: The Tideborn and recipient must both be touching the same natural water, or the Tideborn must apply natural water directly to the injury. Mending Waters cannot: - Revive the dead. - Regrow limbs. - Restore destroyed organs. - Instantly repair severe trauma. - Remove established scars or permanent consequences without consent. - Cure every disease, poison, or supernatural condition. - Replace necessary medical treatment. Using it upon a serious injury leaves the Tideborn physically exhausted.
Governing Attribute: Wisdom
Current CallMedium · All Tideborn+
Type: Active
Usage: Limited Use
Effect: Can send a wordless pulse of intent through connected water to alert or summon nearby Tideborn.
Limitations: Only works through natural, connected waterways; cannot reach isolated bodies of water.
Governing Attribute: Charisma
Pressure SenseMedium · All Tideborn+
Type: Passive
Usage: Always ON
Effect: An intuitive read on the emotional “weight” of a room or gathering, similar to sensing an undertow before it’s visible.
Limitations: Reads general emotional tone, not specific thoughts.
Governing Attribute: Charisma
Current-Specific
Steady CurrentMedium · Freshwater+
Type: Active
Usage: Limited Use
Effect: Can calm turbulent water in their immediate vicinity, useful for protecting others during floods or storms.
Limitations: Small radius; does not work on ocean-scale water.
Governing Attribute: Constitution
Tidal PullMedium · Saltwater+
Type: Active
Usage: Limited Use
Effect: Can create a brief, localized pull in water, enough to slow a swimmer or nudge a small boat off course.
Limitations: Not strong enough to overpower a determined swimmer or large vessel.
Governing Attribute: Constitution
Frost SkinMedium · Arctic+
Type: Active
Usage: Limited Use
Effect: Can temporarily harden their skin or scales into an icy, armor-like layer for brief protection.
Limitations: Short duration; does not stop severe trauma.
Governing Attribute: Constitution
Coral BloomMedium · Tropical+
Type: Active
Usage: Limited Use
Effect: Can rapidly encourage nearby aquatic plant or coral growth, useful for cover or barriers.
Limitations: Only works in appropriate warm-water environments.
Governing Attribute: Intelligence
Silent DepthsMedium · Abyssal+
Type: Active
Usage: Limited Use
Effect: Can create a small pocket of total silence and near-invisibility in dark water, making them almost undetectable.
Limitations: Only functions in sufficiently dark or deep water, not shallow or lit areas.
Governing Attribute: Charisma
High-Level Abilities
Universal — All Tideborn
Tide's PassageHigh · All Tideborn+
Type: Active
Usage: Limited Use
Effect: The Tideborn enters a natural body of water and allows the Current to carry them rapidly to another point within the same connected waterway. The Tideborn disappears beneath the surface and emerges from a destination they can see, have personally visited, or can clearly sense through Current Sense.
Limitations: - The entrance and destination must belong to the same naturally connected body of water. - Cannot cross between isolated lakes, sealed reservoirs, swimming pools, or disconnected waterways. - Cannot transport an unwilling character. - May carry only one willing or incapacitated person. - Cannot bypass wards, secured roleplay scenes, or consent requirements. - The Tideborn cannot remain within the passage indefinitely. - Dangerous conditions at the destination still apply. - Long or difficult passages cause considerable exhaustion. Tide's Passage cannot be used to escape a scene automatically. An opposed or situational check may be required when the Tideborn is restrained, pursued, or attempting the passage under pressure.
Governing Attribute: Constitution
Voice of the CurrentHigh · All Tideborn+
Type: Active
Usage: Limited Use
Effect: Can briefly speak with unnatural clarity and weight, felt more than heard, capable of cutting through panic or chaos to be understood.
Limitations: Does not compel obedience, only ensures the words land.
Governing Attribute: Charisma
Current's FavorHigh · All Tideborn+
Type: Active
Usage: Once per Scene
Effect: The Tideborn calls upon a nearby natural body of water to intervene during a moment of genuine danger or urgent need. Roll: 1d20 + Charisma + Current's Favor On success, the Current produces one brief but meaningful environmental intervention. It may: - Carry a drowning or incapacitated person toward safety. - Keep a person or important object afloat. - Create a timely wave that separates someone from immediate danger. - Momentarily redirect a dangerous current. - Steady a small vessel at risk of capsizing. - Cushion someone falling into water. - Clear a temporary path through turbulent water. - Carry the Tideborn rapidly toward someone in need. The Tideborn describes what they ask of the Current, but the effect must come through water already present in the scene.
Limitations: - Requires contact with or immediate proximity to a natural body of water. - Cannot create water where none exists. - Cannot directly injure, drown, restrain, or capsize another character. - Cannot control an entire river, lake, storm, or ocean. - Cannot guarantee rescue when success would eliminate meaningful consequences. - Cannot retrieve someone from a location the water cannot naturally reach. - Cannot replace Tide's Passage or duplicate a Current-specific ability. - Cannot be used more than once during the same scene. - Permanent consequences and impossible rescues remain subject to normal consent and storyteller approval. Current's Favor provides one decisive intervention and then subsides. It does not place the surrounding water under the Tideborn's continuing control.
Governing Attribute: Charisma
Current-Specific
WellspringHigh · Freshwater+
Type: Active
Usage: Limited Use
Effect: Can draw clean, drinkable freshwater from nearly any source, even brackish or contaminated water.
Limitations: Quantity is limited; not instantaneous for large groups.
Governing Attribute: Constitution
RiptideHigh · Saltwater+
Type: Active
Usage: Limited Use
Effect: Can generate a genuinely dangerous current strong enough to overpower a struggling swimmer or small vessel.
Limitations: Significant exertion, short duration, and risky to use near allies.
Governing Attribute: Constitution
Glacier’s BreathHigh · Arctic+
Type: Active
Usage: Limited Use
Effect: Can chill the air or water around them enough to form thin ice or frost across a surface.
Limitations: Not instant, requires sustained concentration, and does not affect large areas quickly.
Governing Attribute: Intelligence
Reef’s CallHigh · Tropical+
Type: Active
Usage: Limited Use
Effect: Can briefly call small aquatic creatures, such as fish or crustaceans, to gather, distract, or assist.
Limitations: No control over predators or dangerous species; small, local fauna only.
Governing Attribute: Charisma
Devouring DarkHigh · Abyssal+
Type: Active
Usage: Limited Use
Effect: Can extend the darkness around them into a disorienting, near-total blackout in a small radius, even outside water.
Limitations: High exertion, leaves them momentarily vulnerable afterward, and cannot be sustained long.
Governing Attribute: Intelligence
Mixed Heritage Abilities
Temperament and community
Predator and School
Predator Tideborn
Descended from solitary or apex species. Patient and territorial, with small family structures and fierce devotion to those considered their own.
School Tideborn
Descended from cooperative species. Hospitable and adaptable, with communal mentorship, responsibility, and child-rearing.
Every Tideborn belongs to a Pool. Pools preserve community and tradition; they are not competing political factions. No wave reaches the shore alone.
Traditions and rites
Each water marks time differently
First Thaw
Gratitude for returning movement after winter stillness.
The Long Tide
A season honoring distance, travel, departure, and safe return.
The Deep Dark
Shared food, stories, scarcity, patience, and emergence from the longest night.
Bloom Tide
Music, food, vivid display, communal celebration, and courtship announcements.
The Hollow Hour
Private reflection beneath a moonless sky, rarely witnessed by outsiders.
Sanctuary and devotion
A basin of natural water is enough.
Every Tideborn keeps a shrine to the Current with water and objects tied to home waters. Sanctuary is declared neutral ground where feuds and Current business are left outside.
Frequently asked questions
Playing a Tideborn
How old can my Tideborn character be?+
A player-created Tideborn may be no older than 300 years when introduced to Opaline. Tideborn can naturally live much longer, with a presumed lifespan reaching approximately 950 to 2,000 years, but those greater ages are reserved for lineage history and Storyteller-controlled characters. Natural lifespan does not determine the permitted starting age.
Are all Tideborn born into the lineage?+
Nearly all are Born. The far rarer Called and Current-Claimed are accepted by the Current through circumstances no ritual can manufacture.
Can someone deliberately become Tideborn?+
No. Desire, study, violence, sacrifice, or staged danger cannot manipulate the Current.
What are the Called?+
People drawn toward water through a growing pull over months or years until the Current finally accepts them.
What are the Current-Claimed?+
Exceptionally rare people transformed during a genuine crisis, sacrifice, or dying request answered by the Current's Mercy.
Can a Claiming be reversed?+
Sometimes. A sincere Releasing may return the Current-Claimed to their former nature; the Current may also withdraw its Mercy.
What are Current-Touched?+
Members of another lineage carrying minor echoes of water after an extraordinary encounter. They remain their original lineage.
Do Tideborn always have tails?+
No. They move between legged and tailed forms. Water, emotion, exhaustion, or a strong Pull can make the tail surface unexpectedly.
Can mixed-Current Tideborn use two Ability sets?+
No. One dominant Current supplies tiered Abilities; the secondary Current influences appearance, instinct, and character flavor.
What is the maximum Ability Rank?+
All Tideborn Abilities have a maximum Rank of 3. A character may never apply more than one Ability Rank bonus to the same check.
Is the Current a god?+
Tideborn do not worship or command it. The Current simply exists, connecting them through natural waters.
Can Tideborn blood be taken for magic or feeding?+
Physically, yes—but taking it without consent is a severe violation. Tideborn regard blood as a living thread to the Current.
Continue exploring
Does Tideborn feel like your path?
Compare all seven lineages, or continue to Lyra when you are ready to begin creating the character.