An idea for the first iteration of the menacing mermaids!
Recreating the tale of the siren who lured ships into the rocks and to their doom.
A rare spawn, the red eyed trident wielding mermaid will rise above the waves in a similar fashion the friendly ones do.
You can find them spawning near some of the rocks that poke out of the sea. A rare spawn, they serve as a new threat but attack you in a way you havent been attacked before.
They will begin singing their heart out in their own language.
Male merman sound quite powerful with booming voices but strange voices. Female Mermaids do the softer equivilent that you’d expect would draw sailors to their doom.
As the mermaid sings there is a red aura around them.
If you look at the mermaid too long you freeze in a trance like you have been hit with a jigg ball but slightly longer effect.
If you are on the helm however you are most as risk, if tranced you will steer towards the mermaid automatically and the mermaid will always spawn near the rocks causing a crash likely. (Which overall isnt too bad, one hole maybe two?)
To stop your ship meeting this fate, look away quick enough and you can avoid its affects.
If you need to look in that direction whilst the mermaid is singing then you must get out your instrument straight away. The music you make nulls out their voice for you giving you immunity the creatures singing so long as you keep playing music to drown out their voice.
Do this for all the mermaid types and unlock a new mermaid shanty that gets added to the collection of songs you know. A new title too showing your musical triumphs over the sirens.
You can snap pirates out of the trance too by going right up to them and playing an instrument too or you can throw a bucket of water on them which will be quicker, but just dont look at the mermaid with your instrument down or you will freeze too!
A rare spawn, but no doubt would make for some epic moments.
Especially when you have other pirates, skelly ships and krackens in the mix.
As a little easter egg, if you manage to play the mermaid shanty to a siren mermaid thats attempting to make your ship crash, you will actually do it in tune with the mermaid and they become a temporary band member whilst within the radius. They also may start dancing.
It wont change the actual mechanics but it just basically, well impressed the heck out of them. I mean who wouldnt be impressed if a creature of a totally different species starts playing an instrument thats of your own peoples culture.
But dont be fooled, it will still try to lure you to crash if you stop playing and stare too long.
You cant hurt them. Your goal is to simply sail past them until they grow bored of you and go back below.
