Dungeons and Dragons Lore : Merfolk

A merfolk has the upper body, arms, and head of a fair-featured human, and instead of legs, it has the scaled tail of a great fish.
Marine, but amphibious, they prefer to avoid combat, sending trained sea creatures to subdue enemies before moving in to finish them with spears and tridents.
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[@35november]

One of the things I noticed is when people have merfolk spawned from eggs, but their common depictions still show them with belly buttons. Does such a thing ever bother anyone? If my point doesn't make sense, it is that a belly button only exists due to the umbilical cord, and anything hatched from a egg wouldn't have one.

[@DCdabest]

Could always make it so that what appears to be a belly button fulfills a different function

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

Actually, there is a structure similar to the umbilical cord in an egg. I'm not sure it leaves a scar on fish, but it's there. My question is about the boobs. If they lay eggs, they don't nurse, so why boobs?

[@adamwelch4336]

Yeah I wondered that too I like the more fish like merfolk for that reason

[@adamwelch4336]

@@johntheherbalistg8756 there are mammals today that lay eggs platypus, echinnnas , premin synapsids were the ancestors of mammals they layed eggs but don't sucrecte milk or lactate

[@Randomdudefromtheinternet]

@@johntheherbalistg8756 I don't think it does, the belly button is an exclusively placental mammalian thing.

[@matthill5426]

I disagree with the Cthulhu idea. Just because he rises *out* of the sea, doesn't mean he's *of* the sea. Cthulhu is a Horror from the Outer Realms, plain and simple. I would think he would be as much an abomination to merfolk of the waters, as he is to people of the land.

[@tonydanatop4912]

I think he just meant on a shallow visual level On a similar note my merfolk have a symbiotic relationship with a dwindling tribe of illithids. they exchange criminal brains and spirit energy in exchange for the secrets of biomancy (which allowed them to become a world power despite the other difficulties of under water life)

[@ernestlam5632]

I disrespectfully agree

[@jaymevosburgh3660]

As a fan ov the Mythos, yes I agree. He is not a being ov the oceans. He is simply a cosmic horror that can thrive in any environment including the voids ov space. But I guess His squid head makes most folk associate Him with oceans. They should delve deeper into the works ov HPL and his friends in their Mythos works. HorrorBabble has a great list to start, just going to throw that out there ;) (And they do a damn fine job, if I may be so bold to say)

[@nicegoatdoctor8224]

@@jaymevosburgh3660 Cthulhu is a public domain character with many different interpretations and his lore has been changed and altered several times. He was a physical being in Lovecraft’s original vision with minor influence on the laws of physics and would drive people insane from revealing the true nature of his mind and thoughts (he was even canonically part of the Conan the Barbarian universe). Nowadays, modern authors have elevated him to being of a higher level of existence that can just mend reality like clay and makes people go insane just by having his avatar be in their presence.

[@nicegoatdoctor8224]

@@jaymevosburgh3660 Aslo, *of

[@AnonymousAlcoholic772]

A merman with a shellfish allergy would be hilarious

[@gloodgy2774]

Gold actually doesn't deteriorate in water so yeah!

[@tonydanatop4912]

Noted

[@markblakey3456]

Normally yes but in this universe all metal has its roots in iron. So all but magical metals deteriorate in sea water.

[@AJPickett]

Just been playing around with recording my voice via Audible and using all the tools it has and Oh My... next video is going to sound SO much better. Big thanks to Jared for his excellent advice!

[@dragonballtalk8527]

Use a sock watch out for the ssss ssss hssssss

[@skylermaves7272]

I keep suggesting to my d&d group that we do an aquatic campaign, just so I can play a merfolk, triton, darfellan, or a burchyah (Not sure if that's how you spell it) but alas not yet.

[@LibrarianOfLeng]

Skyler Maves Add homarids mtg.gamepedia.com/Homarid

[@kevingluys3063]

I'm gonna be playing a Plains Druid Merfolk in my PF server. Basically fixes the speed issues.

[@NodDisciple1]

I bet this vid would be very useful when combined with Shadiversity's vid on what would be the best gear for mermaids to use in a fight.

[@DCdabest]

Maybe they have developed a kinda of "spear gun" that fires a barb based on the torsion stored in a fibrous cable? So a lone stick that they wind up rope into and then shoot foot long dart say 15 feet away from them. The distance need not be far as they could hit and run the target by swimming up; firing the dart; then swimming away

[@DCdabest]

Amd then there is always magic laser trident weapons haha

[@DCdabest]

@Brian Hensley I reckon any sufficently tough underwater plant could do it. If dried out and made more water proof it's pretty handy stuff. Also; they might trade the surface dwellers for stuff like that. Things they need down below that have to be made first in a dry environment; like metal working or glassware. Swapped for pearls, molluscs and coral carvinhs and other treasures and foodstuffs of the deep

[@DCdabest]

@Brian Hensley Yeah but this is dnd so ya know. Magic and shit.

[@ChasoGod]

I would have had it that they would have a tradition that on their 16th year they can take on a human appearance and live on land for a full year before returning to the water. During this time the young adults would go around and explore the surface world, while staying safe, and learn what the surfacers are up to. Not exactly spying but more figuring out what the surfacers are generally up to, and to see how their cultures are doing. Sometimes this can result in a merfolk falling in love with a surfacer and if that happens they can give up returning to the water to spend their lives with them. Or the young merfolk may become so attached to their lives on the surface they may just not wish to return. Those that do return to the water after the year is up are rewarded with an upgrade to their appearance, where they started looking plain and simple in design they would gain new colorations and fins or spines. Basically going from stereotypical merfolk appearance to looking like they have lionfish or other type of fish traits now. Those that don't want to return to the watery life can still turn back into merfolk form but don't receive the special upgrades to their appearance. They would also have to take on their merfolk form by swimming in sea water once a month.

[@ernestlam5632]

Does the cantrip mending or cantrip presitidigitation remove and repair corrosion on metal? If so merfolk could have salvaged metal equipment and keep it.

[@dvklaveren]

One encounter with merfolk that I have planned is merfolk beaching with fast moving amphibous creatures pulling amphibious chariots. Through the chariots, the merfolk are much faster than they would have been otherwise and this way, they can lay an ambush from the water and drag creatures into the waters to drown.

[@AJPickett]

Giant crabs!

[@dvklaveren]

Perfect!

[@GnarledStaff]

That’s beautiful! Provides great opportunity for interesting role play/conflict if you knock one off. I might borrow aspects of this...

[@Mr_Maiq_The_Liar]

Mer folk is a people not a monster that Cr 1/8th is the commoner of their species, merfolk danger come from those that train martially or magically Take any humanoid stat block, make it’s speed 10 40 foot swim, make it speak Aquan, give it perception proficiency, up its dex and charisma by 1 each, give it the amphibious trait and if it has any weapons trade them out for something that works underwater. Merfolk bards or merfolk knights or a merfolk champion or an arch mage who travels via a broom of flying or a combat wheel chair

[@adamwelch4336]

This is proof Aj works hard I been watching his channel for almost two years and I just now past over this video oh well it was a happy accident!

[@anathema1828]

Excellent lore between this video, the marrow & sahuagin videos - so much fodder!

[@purplehaze2358]

The new microphone made the audio quieter in this video than the video before it. By now that doesn’t matter, but still worth noting.

[@mattnerdy9430]

Hello AJ, great show as always. You said merfolk where introduced in the 90's. I remember them from back in the day. I believe they where introduced probably through a module in the early 80's. Thanks again AJ for your M.E. series. You make want to DM again. Your shows really get the creative juices following.

[@AJPickett]

Oh I was just talking about the name merfolk, rather than being called Mermen. Matt, go run some games man!

[@frostdragonking5336]

I am quite unlucky with the merfolk since they became a playable race. "We aren't near waters" and i get disappointed.

[@That80sGuy1972]

A minority of merfolk in my campaigns have the ability to transform their fish part to human legs when they are mostly dry. Players who pick merfolk are part of that minority. And yes, I saw Splash when I was a kid and loved it. My campaigns had merfolk (mermen at the time) as a playable race before the current AD&D incarnations did. I suggest getting a copy of the 80s movie Splash and having your DM watch it. ;)

[@gfggism]

What book would I find them in?

[@nvfury13]

That80sGuy1972 I use that same kind of solution, along with them needing to immerse themselves in salt water daily to avoid becoming progressively weaker, mostly because of Splash as well, heh.

[@nvfury13]

Frost Dragon King I have some campaign worlds you’d love, heh. One of my worlds was *heavily* inspired by Pirates of Darkwater, and several are mostly “high seas” type settings. Aquatic/amphibious races are the default on those worlds (outnumbering the basic races), and magical/alchemical/weird gnomish contraptions to allow underwater travel for those that can’t are common. Gorbesh is one of those worlds: The largest (surface) landmass on the entire world is the size of Japan, the rest of the land consisting of small islands and island chains. The major (political) powers in the world are: Oceanus, the Sea Elf Empire (undersea Rome); Aquar, the Merfolk Empire (undersea Ancient Greece, but united under a ruling council); Over-On-Under Sea aka OOUS, the Gnomish nation (picture America, but with an Australia size landmass in the sky, island states, ship-City States, and underwater states full of aquatic Gnomes and Bioshock style undersea cities [I did that before the game...half the reason I loved it] that *aren’t* full of doom); Hulandia, the human federation of island/ship-city kingdoms overseen by the Emperor of Planta(the Japan sized landmass); Black-Deep, the evil fish folk Empire; and the various pirate kingdoms.

[@tonydanatop4912]

I based mine off of eels ( many species of which can slither on land and survive out of water for several hours due to thicc mucus) mostly cuz I have a plot piont of them being ingaged in land based politics and trade but still having to be recognized as merfolk

[@WoM]

Great addition of the new mic AJ and excellent info as usual

[@AJPickett]

Thanks Arthur!

[@mal35m]

I wonder how the merfolk would deal with HP Lovecraft's deep ones. I would think that they would be at war all the time. The deep ones would always be trying to sacrifice them.

[@deadmeme8973]

Kuo-toa though. Already a thing.

[@AJPickett]

Yeah, Kuo-toa, Sahuagin, weresharks, Evil Tritons, storm giants, Aboleth and scum, the sea is full of dangers.

[@mal35m]

+Dud Mc.Duderson +A.J Pickett Interesting, I would like to see a D&D PC. game based on dungeons and dragons undersea world and H.P. Lovecraft.

[@Slechy_Lesh]

mal35m Just a supplement for Shadows of Amn. I always wanted the Underdark extended

[@opalthediloalt9595]

Koa toa, the deep ones, mermaids and mermen, and other species of merfolk are there.

[@loganphillips2166]

Makes me want to dig out my Magic the Gathering decks. The second deck I made was merfolk and loved it. I would turn their mana into an island until I could exploit islandwalk while crippling their options.

[@miamars3563]

Thanks for making this video!

[@chrisnichols9014]

That thumbnail...That mermaid is stacked! Damn!

[@AJPickett]

Thirsty mermaid

[@harmony1454]

Thanks AJ great info as always!

[@AJPickett]

Most welcome, thanks for the comment!

[@1lastlaugh593]

I wonder what their relationship with the water genasi might be like

[@AJPickett]

Probably pretty good.

[@MARSHOMEWORLD]

Loved it! Thanks so much. Off to watch my copy of "Mermaid In A Manhole"...

[@AJPickett]

Watching your comic-con panel on lovecraft and greatly enjoying it :)

[@MARSHOMEWORLD]

I enjoyed that particular year's panel greatly. Got to yap about Lovecraft AND music...I mostly get my word on in Part 3, about 7 minutes in.

[@tatsusama3192]

Rewatching this after just having rewatched the 5th Pirates of The Caribbean movie, haha

[@MARSHOMEWORLD]

Audio is indeed cleaner. Little thin sounding, but level is solid and articulation is improved. Now then...on to the rest of this vid. Looking forward to it.

[@AJPickett]

Thank you, great to get feedback on the technical side of things :)

[@MARSHOMEWORLD]

You're welcome. Maybe I should have written this in a PM, but I don't know that those always get thru. Maybe I can offer a few tips - Being as the majority of your current vids are images with a voice-over (as in not showing your face)...you could build a cheap little desktop "Soundbooth" (using a small box and some foam to line it with...lots of tutorials online) and get that voice audio even sharper, with a bit more low-end happening. My guess is your mic is a cardioid; which means it is designed to reject noise coming from behind it. Mics like this have what is known as a "Proximity effect" and tend to enhance bass frequencies the closer you get to them. SO, you can use a simple D.I.Y. pop filter (plenty of YT and/or online tutorials out there) to allow you to get a bit closer without blowing on the mic (causing boomy sounding distortion ,etc) Ok, hope this may help. Your vids are fantastic; and great audio always helps. M

[@AJPickett]

Crafting stuff? I'm on it!

[@kingstewy]

How do you feel about different subspecies of Merfolk with lower halves of other creatures like octopuses, squids, crabs, lobsters, eels, and such?

[@harmony1454]

cool idea!

[@AJPickett]

I think it is worthy of a big blog post about how they could all be represented in stat blocks, for sure. Would an Octopus tailed Merfolk have some sort of Roper ability to ensnare enemies, or get extra attacks with simple weapons, or a bludgeoning attack? Would they share other traits with Octopi, such as the ability to blend with their environment or mimic other creatures, such as holding four tentacles together on either side of their waist to form the equivalent of humanoid legs? Could a Merfolk with the forelegs of a horse and the fish tail behind, with human upper torso, make their way with more speed on the land, like some sort of mudskipper? What about Merfolk that have the prehensile tail and upright, regal posture of the Seahorse, would the males gestate the young in a marsupial-like pouch? What sort of Armor Class would a Merfolk with the hard exoskeleton of a crustacean have? Would they give up the use of one hand in exchange for a snapping pincher of enormous size? Would they gain resistance to being knocked back as those tenacious crab legs clamp onto the ground? Would they walk sideways? Could there be some sort of Flying Merfolk, much like the flying fish, which reach high speed and leap from the surface, gliding on great, extended wing fins? Could there be dark and torpid Eel Merfolk, who dwell in murky rivers and have a powerful electrical shock? Or pale, fresh water Merfolk who have the lower body almost like a snake, and are much more adapted to moving on the land, able to curl their tail and hold themselves upright? All of these are exciting possibilities!

[@kingstewy]

+AJ Pickett (The Mighty Gluestick) I'd say they would have whatever abilities the animal has in real life. I see different ones being different in personality as well. Crustaceans are rather cantankerous aka I could see them actually being aggressors on coastal communities. Raiding sea villages for supplies and women. Octopuses are relatively elusive, so I could see them trying to hide from human civilization as well as very other Merfolk communities. I could see them being very wise and shamanistic except for an Illithid sect which want to rule the ocean. Those would be the squids and are connected to krackens. That is one reason they hide. They are ashamed of their fallen brethren. Lamprey Merfolk I see as Merfolk that have been cursed and are like vampires of the sea. The eel variety I could see as nomadic harvesters that drain other Merfolk settlements dry of resources and move on. Flying fish Merfolk I could see as more peaceful nomads and trade with other communities when passing through other's territories. Snake Merfolk I see as more solitary creatures and out for themselves. Predators by their very nature and more animilistic. Merfolk tell stories about them to their children at night aka The Boogeyman. Hippocampus Merfolk? I got nothing on that except they might be more regal and martial than normal Merfolk. Aristocratic in nature. Think Romans where normal Merfolk are more greek. The crustaceans would be like Vikings. The octopuses I could see being very Romanian gypsy like. Eels would be more Mongolian Barbarian esque. Flying fish would be more like Native Americans. More peaceful and wise. Embracing art, stories, and craftsmanship. Snakes would be more ninja and Asian in flair. Those are my ideas at least.

[@AJPickett]

We do put some epic stuff in these comment threads, don't we? :) great stuff Kingstewy!

[@kingstewy]

+AJ Pickett (The Mighty Gluestick) We sure do. You might be hearing less of me. I might be homeless soon. Just letting you know if you don't hear from me.

[@opalthediloalt9595]

I speak common exclusively. Lol

[@gregkisinger4183]

Can a merfolk go onto land? I thought I read that with the help of a talisman, they can almost be indistinguishable on land for spying purposes or whatnot.

[@AJPickett]

Through magic, all things are possible.

[@Timetraveler2411]

DAMNIT TIMMY I SAID REEL THE FISH IN NOT FILL THE FISH IN, for Christ sake I can’t afford this child support!

[@zmishiymishi5349]

I wonder what instruments could be played underwater

[@hippopotomify]

new mic is great!

[@AJPickett]

Thank you, should get better from here onwards :)

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

I just made myself laugh thinking about a merdude using a Moray eel as a whip to go all “Indiana Jones” on someone......or should I say Oceania Jones?

[@MsGhoulz]

Wait a damn minute. How in the Nine Hells do they even ride sharks and other creatures with no legs? Do they tie themselves up? I'd imagine they would break their wrist holding on with just one hand.

[@gregkisinger4183]

Perhaps by wrapping their tails snugly, not too constricting, around the swimming animal?

[@LibrarianOfLeng]

Empire's fall but tides rise again

[@dragonballtalk8527]

Merfolk of the pearl trident

[@CuteKitty-tx6sv]

Thanks you

[@Rookzer0]

Hey AJ I dig your videos, I'm doing something similar but with my own artwork, Let me know if you need art for future videos!

[@AJPickett]

How about artwork for future books Nicholas? :)

[@wayneshasmith7924]

How do merfolk breed

[@AJPickett]

Same way dolphins do.

[@wayneshasmith7924]

@@AJPickett what are the mating rituals or romance that they do. I love lore and kind of want to know the culture aspect of things

[@loum153]

Liked old microphone more

[@Deathwalker01st]

:-)

[@NodDisciple1]

No offense, but I hope your realize your intros and outros tend to be way louder than your speaking voice. The sudden transition kind of hurts the ears. :'(

[@mynameluvsdragonscancelled6759]

I’m the 659th person to like

[@jasonsantos3037]

Yeah I just fish people mermaids wherever wear fancy University will take place

[@shingoji524]

.......what?

[@Scortch-lo3xy]

that makes very little sense