Sea Cow

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The term "sea cow", often used interchangeably with either "manatee" or "dugong," is also used to describe a specific magically-
enhanced offshoot of the manatee species. These look very much like normal manatees, having two front flippers and a single-edged horizontal tail fin. An extremely thick upper lip hangs down over the lower lip, much like a walrus without the tusks. The sea cows's coloration ranges from brown to gray.
==Combat==
Sea cows aren't very efficient at combat. They are slow-moving, slow-witted creatures with no natural weapons and little combat inclination. They have several blunt teeth, but these are used for chewing aquatic vegetation, not for biting at enemies. The creatures' rather high Morale rating shows not their battle prowess but rather their inability to discern that combat is occurring: many instances have been documented where hunters have waded into a small herd of sea cows and speared one, pulling it up onto shore and gutting it, without discomfiting the other members of the herd in the least. 
Once they realize that danger is present, most sea cows simply try to flee to safety. During mating season, though, a male might take offense at anyone coming too close, lunging at the intruder to crush him with its own huge body. Since sea cows
are not speedy, crushing damage is limited to 1d6 hp damage.
==Habitat/Society==
Sea cows in the wild are most often found in the waters along warm coastal areas. They stay close to shore, where the aquatic plants on which they feed are found, and often feed at night when it's safer. Sea cows stick to small family groups, usually a mated pair and their offspring. During mating season, larger groups of sea cows often congregate together. As mammals, sea cows give live birth (a single young is born at a time), and the females produce milk. It is this milk for which the sea cow is prized (see "Ecology," below).
Many coastal cities have begun the practice of farming sea cows, keeping herds of the creatures penned in an area using vast undersea fences and nets. As long as there is plenty of food, the sea cows don't mind the corrals, as the barriers keep out many of the aquatic predators that feed on them.
==Ecology==
The sea cow is a source of many useful materials, the greatest being its milk. Sea cow milk is perfectly palatable (imbibers claim it tastes somewhat like goat's milk), and has the added benefit of allowing water breathing as per the third level wizard spell. People drinking sea cow milk can breathe either air or water for the duration of the magical effect, which lasts a little less than an hour (1d4+1 turns). 
For obvious reasons, this milk is highly prized along coastal cities, allowing air-breathing races to hunt, fish, and explore underwater for extended periods of time. Many coastal cities that have trading industries with nearby merman or locathah settlements make use of sea cow farms, so that they may visit these oceanic cities. 
The growing use of sea cow milk has angered those wizards who make and sell potions of water breathing, for sea cow milk provides all of the benefits of such potions (with only a slight reduction in duration) at a fraction of the cost. On the down side, sea cow milk spoils quickly and loses its magical properties after a day. One scheme growing in practice is the selling of sea cow milk as a potion of water breathing, charging the full price of a magical potion for something that can be purchased elsewhere much cheaper. 
In addition, the sea cow is a good source of meat and blubber. The meat is very tasty, and the blubber is useful in the making of candles and lamp oils.
Category:Creatures
Category:Dragon Magazine Creatures