Dungeons and Dragons Lore: Meenlock

[@justinbaskall8291]

Timestamps, spoilers, and some weird noises below 0:06 Intro, Subscribe and become a member! 0:49 Meenlocks and a note on the Fey Wild 2:24 Spawned by Fear and their burrows 3:40 Intelligence, Favors Dark Places, and more on their Lairs 5:36 Telepathic terror, saving those who are transformed, and the transformation 7:31 Daytime Activity, lone Meenlocks, and where to find them 9:26 Vermin in the burrows, escape from meenlock prison, and working for Hags 11:28 Stats and Combat 14:24 Physiological trauma incarnate and dont use it at a convention Like, Share, Comment, Subscribe, Hit the Bell Icon, check out Teespring for Merch! First came across one of these in a top 10 video by Esper the Bard, another good KZbin channel and have wanted to run it ever since. the adventure he mentioned in this video, Escape from Meenlock Prison, is really well written and i could easily imagine putting it in just about any campaign setting. Definately check it out. Looking for more spooky monsters? Check out some of these other videos from AJ and stay tuned for more classic monsters. Sletch: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZDbep93iNZ8nac Nuckalevee: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWjKZGuGmbeGeMU Scarecrow: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHjbdKWnm5lni8U

[@sangheilijedi]

Using their shadow teleport is great, once i had a bunch hiding in sealed wine barrels to spread themselves on a trade route bursting out and making new nests in wine cellars all over a city

[@AJPickett]

That is fiendishly clever!

[@Greenscyth22]

Monsters like this automatically make me think of creature combos. The simplest is the best. Have a group of Meenlocks lair near a giant slug, utilizing their fear ability to creep adventurers out until the slug can melt them with acid. Or perhaps a Lich who has several “pet” Meenlocks who have been trained to act as a prelude to the appearance of their master. Making the first encounter with the undead that much more terrifying.

[@victorvaldez8869]

I can see a variant of the Meenlock where the Shadowfell comes dangerously close to the Feywild where they take the form of dolls. Picture a few dozen Annabelles & Chuckles creeping around your characters in a dark Gothic mansion. Perhaps with a home brew Child Hag in the attic controlling them. I'll let that nightmare stew in your brain for a bit.

[@AJPickett]

Yep! Suitably horrible.

[@ShadowMage]

The first and last time I used meenlocks in a campaign, the party was almost completely slaughtered. The party was comprised of a level 6 barbarian, a level 8 barbarian, a level 7 rogue, and a level 9 paladin. All of them had darkvision, except the level 6 barbarian. The level 8 barbarian had decent wisdom, while the level 6 barbarian didn't. The party only had to fight two meenlocks (at least, that was the plan). The party was hired by a dwarven village to rescue two of their miners from some creature (a meenlock) (the event spawned a second meenlock). The party went into the cave system that the dwarves dug into and were immediately spooked by telepathic sounds permeating through their minds (a third meenlock came into existence). The party explored through the cave system, jumping at every other shadow, eventually encountering a meenlock covered in tattered dwarven garments (the original third meenlock and one of the dwarves). During the fight, the party was attacked by a second meenlock. The level 6 barbarian failed his wisdom saving throw and became full of fear, which led to more meenlocks spawning. This one encounter went on for about 48 minutes. When the first encounter ended, the players had killed a total of 36 meenlocks. All of this caused by two meenlocks and a barbarian without darkvision almost consistantly rolling low on wisdom saves and becoming terrified. The party gained the upper hand when the barbarian started rolling really well. After the encounter the party came across the two remaining meenlocks (two of the three original ones) telepathically torturing a single dwarf miner. The party quickly disposed of the meenlocks while they were preoccupied with the dwarf. They never did realize that the other dwarf was turned into a meenlock.

[@AJPickett]

Sounds like a pretty good time :)

[@goshohgosh4568]

Im excited to see the mouther re-done. The talking at the camera format is charming but i appreciate how far your content has come

[@That80sGuy1972]

Encounters, where you can get mobbed by attacks that potentially paralyze you with every hit, is dangerous enough but when you put those on cunning, cruel, psychic, terror eating, teleporting monsters that can transform your corpse into one of them... even as low-level creatures you are in danger no matter what level you have attained. Great video, AJ.

[@paledrake3298]

This gave me an idea for a dungeon/adventure. An ambitious necromancer causes great fear in the local farmers and village and meenlocks burst forth inside his lair. Instead of exterminating this vermin he instead strikes a deal with them. They go about their business while also living in the necromancer’s dilapidated fort and all he asks for in return is the corpses left. He also supplies them with potions and poisons. Imagine a meenlock(or two) hastily downing a potion that was previously wrapped around its neck via leather pouch and spitting out a cone of fire or growing a size larger.

[@zacharyweaver276]

Meenlocks wouldn't leave corpses though they'd transform people into more of them.

[@paledrake3298]

Zachary Weaver Yeah I realized that after watching the video again :(

[@zacharyweaver276]

@@paledrake3298 doesn't mean they can't kill the necromancer and take his stuff though

[@paledrake3298]

Zachary Weaver lol yeah true, one moment you’re fighting a meenlock the next you’re fighting a meenlock with a staff of frost.

[@That80sGuy1972]

@@zacharyweaver276 Yep. They are like evil little parasites that slurp all the person's vital insides and have that "corpse" contort and twist into a new Meenlock. Modern zombie horror entertainment got nothing on these guys.

[@jerodak6462]

I'm imagining a coven of hags commanding a bunch of scarecrows to spawn droves of these things to unleash on some poor villagers. Sounds like a pretty easy set up for a witch hunter inquisition style campaign.

[@chriscalvin5083]

great video AJ I think of all the youtuber I'm subscribed to your the most interactive with your comment sections

[@AJPickett]

Well, I really do enjoy it. :)

[@chriscalvin5083]

@@AJPickett it shows and thank to you and your channel's my skill at my hobby of writing fantasy stories as gotten better

[@strangent404a7]

Here's an idea: what if there was a creature that farms meenlocks? I like the idea of a entity that exploits the fear attracting properties of a meenlocks by inducing fear on a group of sentient beings to summon meenlocks, then taking those meenlocks to have their souls (or other rare resources) extracted, I mean, you would surely fear a being that farms such terrible creatures like pigs.

[@AJPickett]

Horrific... I like it.

[@robertwilson2516]

From an absolutely adorable death to a fate worse than death good job AJ.

[@BoojumFed]

For everyone who thinks that the Feywild is all nymphs, fawns, and evenings at Titania's court...

[@diegodankquixote-wry3242]

That's a little unfair to Fey. Meenlocks used to be aberrations. There are definitely some spooky scary beings that were Fey originally

[@draxthemsklonst]

Hags freak me out.

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

The Feywild is Peter Pan mixed with Pan’s Labyrinth, Alice in Wonderland mixed with Silent Hill, a child’s fantasies mixed with a psychopath’s nightmares. Meenlocks are perfect for the Land of Faerie. For every fantastic beast, there is a horrific monster.

[@misterbadguy7325]

An important thing about the meenlock is that, like a lot of D&D monsters, it seems to be a very direct lift of a creature from an older story: specifically, the TV movie Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. The film is about a woman being psychologically tortured by a group of strange creatures living inside her house, who have the goal of ensnaring her and turning her into one of them. Nearly all of the meenlock's abilities can be traced directly to those creatures: the teleportation, the telepathy, the instilling of fear, the transformation of others, it's all there.

[@Breakfst4dinner]

AJ would love to see you continue your class series, monster ecology is exciting but your warlock spitballing was great fun.

[@AJPickett]

It is time for another one, true. Hmmm Clerics?

[@That80sGuy1972]

@@AJPickett Clerics are awesome, well... I never updated past 2nd Ed. You could play as any othe priest but they are better for role-playing, Clerics are still better all-round. I'd like for you to share your insight as to what Clerics became, AJ... like perhaps thousands of your fans. ;)

[@Breakfst4dinner]

Cleric is my other favourite class! My goliath war cleric recently died, got ressurected, lost faith in assuran (vengeance deity) due to him not answering her plea. Now she's following Marlar after seeking out the werewolf curse and has become this campaigns big bad.. controlled by our DM

[@That80sGuy1972]

@@Breakfst4dinner That sounds fun!

[@seamusfish7009]

Seamus wuz here! Seamus got off work early today! Seamus got attack and was nearly....injured at work! It was very frightening...seamus thinks he needs a new job...seamus is gonna try and find work in voice acting. This is what makes Seamus happy. Seamus will never stop using the third person!

[@AJPickett]

I wonder how one gets into that industry?

[@seamusfish7009]

@@AJPickett seamus will find a way.

[@bumblingbureaucrat6110]

Good luck with that Seamus. I hope you get your job. What kind of job do you have that gets you attacked?

[@seamusfish7009]

@@bumblingbureaucrat6110many thanks! And i'm an officer in a prison

[@bumblingbureaucrat6110]

@@seamusfish7009 Oh yeah, that's a rough job. Good luck with finding a new one!

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

Now that we’ve seen the Meenlock, can we get a video on the Nicelock?

[@tatsusama3192]

P-please?

[@SpidermanandhisAmazingFriends]

Wait, is that a thing?

[@AJPickett]

@@SpidermanandhisAmazingFriends it can be..

[@thehillz726]

You used an umberhulk pic so that gives me a theory. Perhaps the first of there kind may have came from the umberhulks and neogie. The umberhulks have a supressed resentment and fear of there Masters that is pushed out with mental conditioning, and the neogie fear that they're powers might fail and their slaves wreak a sadistic revenge, it's what the neogie would do after all. Then these little buggers decided that bullying soft humans and hobbits was more fun and less work. Also would Darklings, fumorions, goblinoids and Gremlins be alies to meenlocks? Or are they to sadistic for that and just be adjacent to other sadistic monster ?

[@davidscott4919]

I love all the editions just chillin in your intro image :D

[@jacobfreeman5444]

AJ, I had a an idea while rewatching this. Why not have the Feywyld and Shadowfell be one place of the fey where the positive or negative alignment is dependant of the lord or lady who rules there? A place where the lands of a feylord are constantly shifting in size and location with the shifts in allegiance and power. Thus no need or ability to map the place as it is never quite the same each visit. What you think?

[@krispalermo8133]

3.5e system, game shop house rules, .. any creature with a charisma high enough to cast sorcerer spells .. has at least four class levels in sorcerer. As for 3.5e " Manual of the Planes," creatures in the Feywild have the half celestial or half fiend template. The Demi Plane of Shadow also touches onto the darkest parts of the Feywild so you can have a monster with both the shadow plane template and half fiend temple giving it a +4CR, +5ECL without adding any extra hit points.

[@nicholasschoonbeck6866]

This reminds me again of Ed McDonald's Crowfall books again - the Deep Kings have these little semi alive creatures that agents sneak into the living space of humans, its more like a mandrake root than a meenlock, but while it remains hidden, it saps all the energy & motivation of the people near it. They get sick & depressed & sink.

[@backroomgaming3305]

I have actually used meenlocks in my games, and plan to use them against my level 16 group as secondary monsters to a modified yeti. Meenlocks are amazing and fun to use, cant say I learned a lot of them here because I have run escape from meenlock prison and read so much on them. But amazing video like always and sorry for missing the stream. Good luck and always remember This is the way

[@AJPickett]

This is the way.

[@mikepoulos1323]

AJ love the videos. Is there any chance you will be doing any more crafting videos in the future?

[@AJPickett]

Never say never, but I doubt many of my existing subscribers would be overly interested in my little sculptures :)

[@matrimalviarin5043]

@@AJPickett If you were to describe a creature as you are crafting a sculpture of it, I'd be more inclined to watch these videos than to listen to them, as I have been. I love hearing about all the interesting dark and lighthearted facets in D&D that we don't usually see in the more vanilla campaigns

[@justinbaskall8291]

Definitely do if you would like to. I think there was an idea to do some drawings of the creatures you describe in the videos a while ago, I remember some drawings you showed the gluminati

[@AJPickett]

@@justinbaskall8291 I can draw, it is true.

[@kannathraymaker]

AJ Pickett I would bet folks would enjoy seeing you build a model or draw a picture of the current creature now and again while you do a voice over of the creature as you normally do. The difference would just be that the background would be you crafting. Then you could drop a how to for the craft project - maybe in Patreon, even though I couldn’t get it there - or the finished picture alone in the final frames of video. Just a 💭 thought. Don’t even mention the craft in the video, do that in the video information in the dubleydue.

[@anthonyromasco3528]

I'm back with another story seed! In the one campaign where i dabbled with the spelljamming thing, i pulled from magical based advanced tech from my 1st ed universe (was spelljamming in 2nd ed). The party stumbles upon a relic of a pre-universe spelljamming race. It has abilities unseen in known spelljamming ships. It can dimension-door 4/day It can teleport, even through crystal spheres 1/month It's alive, and sentient. (Int 21 wis 15 cha 14) It can provide for its crew all basic necessities. It just wants a crew to come with it while it explores. It has floated through wildspace for eons, unconscious. The universe is new to it, and your players can join it on it's adventure. The ship's name is unpronounceable,, but it says the closest word you have is Dragonfly. The Dragonfly campaign lasted through 2 years worth of biweekly sessions.

[@parkerdixon-word6295]

Here after the adventure in Candlekeep Mysteries about these bad boys. I've been sleeping on Meenlocks for years before that adventure finally got me to put together what fantastic Horror monster they are.

[@richardofarms]

Do you have a video about inevitables?

[@michaelkelligan7931]

He just did one about a month or so ago! 😁

[@UNSCMarine117]

They seem a bit *crabby* :D

[@That80sGuy1972]

So much so that they *bug* people to death. ;D

[@kailasmenon2068]

They sound awfully Meen.

[@dragonballtalk8527]

Heavy on the hssss again in the microphone.but I love ya

[@SpitfiretheCat16]

I feel like I'm at a music concert at the front row and one of the band members has reached down to personally shake and kiss my hand

[@michaelkelligan7931]

Great video AJ! I love the Meenlock....nasty little buggers. Have you ever used a creature in your campaigns called a Render?

[@AJPickett]

Gray Render? Yes I have.

[@michaelkelligan7931]

@@AJPickett no actually its just called a Render 9+4HD VERY long claws and teeth. Its roughly 9 ft tall and lives for murder! I think the gray render might be a differant creature,i'll have to look and make sure. 😊

[@Demonica2539]

Hmmmm, so I wonder how they'd be around undead? They cause fear, and I wonder how a lich who made an accord with the local hag would go? Maybe trading spooky purpose built for fear style undead for insaine hag trinkets or inside tips on the soul trade so the lich doesn't get scammed again

[@EarlZetland]

Thanks for this. Just come across meenlock in my looking for an encounter for next week. The last survivor on a spider farm is held captive by a meenlock summoned by his own fear. Gonna ramp up its spidery characteristics as an epitome of fear might look like.

[@theHedgex1]

I seen the thumbnail with started thinking Fallout.

[@kannathraymaker]

Interesting 🤔. Have theses beasties always been classified as fey? Makes a fascinating glimpse into the Feydark - that region of the Feywilde that is like the underdark of the prime plane.

[@draxthemsklonst]

Duuuude, if you haven't, check out the nuckelavee, as well!

[@kannathraymaker]

Matt Lynn what is that? (The nucklelavee)... cancel, I found them from last June. I also watched the video last June. ❤️

[@draxthemsklonst]

@@kannathraymaker Here you go: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWjKZGuGmbeGeMU It's like someone was trying to make a centaur, and they read the instructions incorrectly.

[@zacharyweaver276]

@@kannathraymaker they used to be abberations

[@OakenTome]

Just as an aside, I had a very hard time connecting their lore to the art in Volo’s Guide. They don’t look like fey creatures at all to me, and appear more like dumb brutes than intelligent, sadistic creatures. It is what it is.

[@theatheistbear3117]

That’s because they were Aberrations until 5e.

[@shmootube5000]

just ran into some in BG3, good thing I watched this, the cleric will be casting daylight, and I’ll have protection from good and evil on. Phew!

[@Mr_Maiq_The_Liar]

5th edition may have gotten rid of the meanlocks corruption. But I get around this by saying it’s telepathy is indistinguishable from your own thought

[@eablount0]

Good video. Interesting about them.

[@namelesshate2181]

Nm figured it out... I am a fairly new DM dealing with lvl 10 players and they are getting cocky about being able to survive any monster and need a way to murder them in a "fun" way

[@AJPickett]

Groups of monsters, difficult terrain, things that are about to alter the encounter and make it much worse unless the characters break from combat to try and prevent the triggering event. This is how you challenge them. Keep them in a state of being hectored and overrun with things to deal with.

[@namelesshate2181]

@@AJPickett please explain "things that makes combat much harder unless they break from combat to stop the triggering event" what could be the triggering event?

[@zacharyweaver276]

@@namelesshate2181 a wagon with explosive cargo catches fire

[@namelesshate2181]

@@zacharyweaver276 tyvm

[@Ragitsu]

Mr. Pickett, have you considered creating videos centered around broad groups of somewhat poorly defined or barely described monsters? Two examples that come to mind are from the AD&D 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual: the entries "Bird" and "Plant, Dangerous". URLs to the relevant entries are featured below -> tinyurl.com/w85g8er tinyurl.com/wazkn6y One advantage of such a project is that you would not have to focus too heavily on each individual creature. However, I am eager to see your perspective on how these foes would influence a world they inhabit. For example: how does everyday life change for farmers and foresters (now *there's* a game...) when some of the flora are ambulatory, carnivorous and/or semi-intelligent? Anyhow, this is merely my food for thought.

[@jameswilliams2075]

Can you do more spider like creatures I realy want to use them in depth

[@kal-el702]

hey AJ pickett is it ok if I ask you in valentine's day to do the fomorain video? I think it will be funny since you are doing giants and fomorains were once beautiful creatures.

[@AJPickett]

That's my birthday, normally I take the day off and watch the movie Dune, but I'll see what I can do.

[@kannathraymaker]

AJ Pickett happy birthday, dude! Wave at young Sting for me! 👋

[@christophershrimplin1849]

OMG, thank you so so so much Aj, today is my birthday and my favorite D&D monster has always been the Meanlocke. This is the best birthday present I could have gotten you made my birthday week thank you so so much.

[@AJPickett]

Happy birthday!

[@blancasantiago922]

The look like human verion zebezians space pirates from metroid

[@namelesshate2181]

Is the meanlock in 5E??? I would love to use this in my campaign

[@Alpha115-YT]

namelesshate2181 yep they are in volo’s

[@kendrickrochelanzot2053]

I think I lost a bet. I always said that annis hags were the ugliest fey

[@MFewwy]

Pretty cool. Where could I find this music?

[@AJPickett]

Epidemic sound.

[@pennybottoms268]

Any chance of a fiendwurm ecology vid?

[@AJPickett]

Added it to my list!

[@eyedee-10-teeerror29]

What happens when they try to use their psychic torment ability on someone or something that finds what the show/inflict to be funny or joyful, like a person that thinks like a masochist?

[@AJPickett]

I leave that in the hands of the Dungeon Master.

[@Scortch-lo3xy]

very cool

[@ironkeepgaming1936]

They remind me of the movie “Grimlins”

[@krispalermo8133]

Meenlock, lock in a room with Meenlocks .. .. feeding the algorthym ..

[@mytzyxptlyx]

Fing Glorious

[@dracorex426]

More like Meanlock

[@hexchad765]

The Fay wild is featured in the movie never ending story.

[@Aquamentus11]

I'm fairly sure these were inspired by Tolkien's "The Mewlips"

[@tie-dyedracinomicon7627]

Your labors please me

[@lanterns_glow]

They're best as abberations

[@AJPickett]

They would fit that category quite well also, I agree.

[@joemerino3243]

Yes! They're strongly reminiscent of the Kaorti. They ought to be related somehow.

[@TheCubecrafer]

I think if you ever attend IRL Magic school they would teach the the dnd lore but without the plotholes dnd has. the real stuff

[@bigsarge2085]

🤜🤛

[@thatswinelord9155]

I think 5th edition really ruined meenlocks design and lore turining them into fey from abberstions i think it was a really stupid decision

[@AJPickett]

Your views are entirely valid.

[@off6848]

I like that they’re fey spawned from raw fear in the shadow fey. Aberrations are things you can’t even begin to comprehend reserved for the truly bizarre creatures

[@floppa2154]

и снова накрутка просмотра и комментария для алгоритмов ;) ! лайк прилагается 3

[@floppa2154]

мне понравилось ! накрутка лайка и комментарий , для алгоритмов ютуба =)

[@floppa2154]

мне понравилось ! накрутка лайка и комментарий , для алгоритмов ютуба =)