Art by Daniel Lopez-Melville

Profile originally written for the Grim and Deliberate Beast in the Tome of Lore on behalf of Dubious Merit Games.

Merfolk Culture, Psychology, & Lore

by Rett Weissenfels

“Gone are the days of our forebears’ bounty. Gone are the days when Mer ruled the seas. But an east wind blows. It will be cold. It will be bitter. And the enemies of Mer will wither before its blast.”

– Zar’jir, Angler of Deepsurge, addressing the first Congress of The Sa’jiryan Sea.

Culture and Psychology

“Aye, the Merfolk are damned cunning. They’ve a memory as rich and sharp as any book, and will cut you the same as a crisp page should you lose your wits. I’ve seen their ancient palaces and their grand temples, built out of living coral; untold secrets and riches just out of reach. And I’ve seen the Mer bred to protect them; Guardians so savage and powerful, their tridents pierced plated steel like it was a canvas sack. They suffer not trespassers and thieves alike, and care little for the distinction.”

Baelen the Burglar, in a letter to Giles Atwood, Principle Archeologist at the College of Silvercoast.

Merfolk are an amphibious people. Born in the water, most feature fins or fin-like legs, but humanoid legs are not all that uncommon and seem to have little effect on their swimming. Their flesh is scaly throughout and varies in color from place to place. Hues of blue are most common, but the subtropical Merfolk of Ta’Zo, for example, are often a clay-like red, while those of the northern Deepsurge region verge on black or grey.

Merfolk are a proud people. Descended from powerful kings and warriors, tales of their long lost kingdoms stir the hearts of each Mer – tales of their eternal empires reaching across the ocean floor from one shore to the next, when kings wielded their power openly and commanded the bounty of the sea, consolidating their strength and crushing their enemies. This well-rehearsed and ancient pride still moves even the most cautious of Mer to violence.

During this golden age of Mer, the Seaborn revered the Deep One openly, and enjoyed his many blessings. Kings were touched by his gift, and warriors carried his steel. Temples to his wisdom were littered across the sea floor. The Tide Touched were those Mer said to be born with his favor: submerged sorcerers who manipulated elemental water with ease. They were the mightiest of Merfolk magicians, whose power came as second nature.

But the golden age of Mer could never last. Men’s hunger and greed was insatiable, and the sea’s harvest was depleted. The Deep One’s eye had turned away, or so they believed. Slowly, their kingdoms crumbled, and what was left were many fractured nations and tribes, each specialized to their corners of the ocean.

Merfolk have since adapted themselves comfortably to all manner of climate and habitat. The clans of Ta’zo, for instance, make their cities amongst the subtropical coral and feast on the highly armored Tigercrab, while the Deepsurge tribes warm their icy hearts near thermal vents and hunt deadly Sitherian Eels in near total darkness.

Eons ago, Merfolk males raised their young, fiercely protecting eggs and rearing offspring. Now, Merfolk spawn fend for themselves from the very start, feeding off the scraps of mature hunters until such a time they join their people as contributing members. By time Merfolk mature, they are swift swimmers, and deadly hunters. There is little to no concept of “mother” or “father”. Each Mer’s fortunes rest entirely on their own merits. The cold and primitive nature of their upbringing reflects perfectly in those Mer most savage and uncompromising.

Merfolk society is not complicated, but varies from place to place. The pitch black waters of Deepsurge rely solely on the guidance of an Angler, a peerless hunter, who defends his position in ritual combat, while the Free Cities of Riveline are led by a council of thirteen elders who endlessly deliberate. And only recently has the Sa’jiryan Congress convened for the first time in an effort to emulate the success of their ancestors. Each body of Mer sends representatives to coordinate their resistance to inlanders. How representatives are appointed is left completely to Mer to decide themselves. The Angler of Deepsurge will always speak on their behalf, while Ta’zo rotates the responsibility amongst able females.

While a single Merfolk may make contact with the outside world as a matter of routine, collective contact is rare. Bitterness and resentment blinds them, staining any attempt at large scale trade with humans. The occasional exception is made for non-human races, specifically Elves, but many Mer don’t care to make the distinction. It is the common belief of most Mer that inlanders destroyed their heritage and sacked the seas of its natural riches.

Tribal and violent, Merfolk do not suffer trespassers lightly. Their hunting and fishing grounds are fiercely guarded secrets, and temples to their ancient gods contain near limitless ancestral riches, those caught trespassing almost surely end up dead or worse. Humans who’ve filched food or riches from Merfolk territory have found themselves endlessly hunted, almost supernaturally tracked.

Very few inlanders have true knowledge of Merfolk culture, but stories circulate widely. Everyone has heard tales of the Sirens, Merfolk whose song steers sailors to watery graves. But few, if any, know that a Siren’s supernatural gift of persuasion is born from beyond the material plane, originating from the Feywild.

It is this same mystique that makes Merfolk so dangerous and unpredictable. Travellers can and have had fruitful relationships with Merfolk. But few will ever know exactly who or what it is they’re dealing with until it’s too late. A single misstep can cost your life, and with it, the knowledge and secrets of Merfolk life.

Special Tactics

Fierce hunters and cunning anglers, Merfolk can bait and trap like none other, making their traps and ambushes especially difficult to detect. Merfolk will rarely be caught empty handed on land, preferring to fight in the water, where their skill with nets and spears make them exceptionally dangerous. Specially crafted nets allow trained Merfolk to cast a net as a bonus action to attack their trapped foes with their spears.

Many Mer are solitary creatures and tend to avoid direct fights when they can, preferring the use of traps, nets, and spears to keep their foes at bay. But groups of Mer are not uncommon. They often engage in hit-and-run offensives, swimming past foes to create irresistible currents that dizzy and confuse their opponents by tossing and dragging them about.

They are no stranger to the practices of magic either. Aside from commanding the elements to directly attack opponents, Mer have been known to use illusions to protect their territory and lure sailors to tragic deaths. The Tide Touched are an especially dangerous caste of Mer who’s connection to an ancient god bolster their magical attacks and allow them to manipulate water almost as second nature.

Using their razor sharp fangs is considered taboo amongst Mer as a general rule, but when cornered and desperate, their fangs part flesh like paper.

Qualities

Predatory. Merfolk have the heightened senses of a hunter. They are sensitive to small temperature changes and fluctuations in current, and like a shark, they can sense blood in the water, giving them advantage on all perception checks when underwater.

Adaptable. Because they’ve been pushed from their ancestral homes, Merfolk have learned to adapt and thrive in many places considered hostile or dangerous. Mer from the frozen waters of the north may be resistant to cold damage, while a Ta’zoen Mer, learning to swim amongst the corals, may be resistant to poison.

Vengeful. Pride and resentment have driven the Mer to merciless lengths. If a Mer has reason to believe they’ve been slighted, they will extract recompense.

Vigilant. The water can be a dangerous place, and survival is not guaranteed. The Merfolk have learned to live under constant threat and therefore can rarely be surprised.

Weaponry

Melee 1. Spears and polearms. Merfolk are trained with a variety of spears and polearms. Often crafted from traditional materials like steel, more primitive merfolk might use the bones, teeth, spikes, and other remains of their prey to fashion weapons.

Melee 2. Teeth and spikes. Though taboo, a wounded or trapped Mer will bite and claw to survive. Their teeth are razor sharp for tearing flesh and as such do 1d4+STR

Ranged 1. Nets. Specially crafted merfolk nets allow trained merfolk to cast a net with one hand as a bonus action.

Ranged 2. Javelins. Ranged attacks can be difficult underwater, but mer have mastered casting javelins underwater as well as on land.

Special Units

Angler. Hunting and fishing is a way of life for Merfolk. Similar to the ranger on land, an angler must be stronger, faster, and smarter than his prey. And the oceans of the world are not without their share of dangerous and cunning creatures. Anglers are deadly with their nets and spears. They seem to be unaffected by difficult terrain, and can only become lost by magical means. Especially primitive Anglers have been seen hunting in tandem with animal familiars, like the Razorback Shark of Deepsurge.

Guardian. The ocean depths are littered with ancient treasures, long forgotten cities, and secrets of Mer long past. Zealous and vigilant, Guardians are trained from birth to protect their ancestral heritage from outsiders. Equipped with magical tridents, guardians are powerful melee fighters who easily overpower creatures larger than them both on land and underwater. Powerful, enchanted lanterns allow them to see invisible creatures within its light, and serve as both warning and bait to unsuspecting foes.

Deep One’s Trident: +3 to strike, 1d6 force on hit, on a crit, the target is overcome with the sensation of drowning unless they succeed on a DC 17 Constitution or Wisdom saving throw.
Deep Ward: Magical lantern that allows the attuned to see as though they have Truesight for 30ft.

Siren. Every sailor knows the stories. A siren’s song can lead sailors to their deaths; entire ships dashed to pieces on shallow rocks; entire crews vanished — but these are just stories; memories of a time long past. Sirens are touched by Fae and granted supernatural powers of persuasion, seemingly able to say just the right thing at all times. They magically enchant their foes with songs and spells, and use illusion to steer ships to their doom. The Fae gift has elevated them to esteemed status amongst Mer culture, but Sirens that tell outright lies have found themselves severed from their power, and often exiled and ostracized.

Tide Touched. The mightiest of ancient Mer kings were not warriors, but champions of The Deep One, a long forgotten god who’s very breath is said to move the tides. While many Mer studied magic for years of their life, the Tide Touched were born under the watchful eye of The Deep One. Said to be the living embodiment of the god himself, Tide Touched are gifted with powerful magics, able to manipulate the water with ease. Stories of the King, Tzarkath, tell of him calling storms to batter his foes, fashioning a frozen trident in the heat of battle, and boiling the very water from blood of servants that displeased him.

Special Abilities

Amphibious. Merfolk have a distinct advantage fighting in the water, but they can survive indefinitely on land under the right conditions.

Revenge. Ancestral pride has taken on an almost magical nature with Merfolk. Give a Mer reason to think you’ve slighted them – steal from their hunting grounds or ancient cities – and you’ll become marked as though under Hunter’s Mark.

Bait and Trap. For thousands of years traps and ambushes were the preferred hunting methods of the Merfolk. Any trap laid by a Merfolk is automatically a hard DC, beit a live trap (cage or restraint) or ambush.

Slippery. Masters of the net, Merfolk are hard to restrain and grapple, giving them advantage on Dexterity checks to avoid being grappled, and saving throws to avoid being restrained.

Movement

Run. Poor/Good. Most Mer can barely move 20ft in a given round. Anglers and Guardians are often much more experienced on land and suffer fewer penalties, if any.

Climb. Poor. Mer are not adept at climbing, even rocky shores pose a challenge to the strongest of Mer.

Swim. Excellent. Unmatched in the water, Mer are superior swimmers easily able to reach a speed of 40ft.

Burrow. Poor. Mer can cover themselves in the mud layer at the bottom of rivers and lakes quite easily. But digging into any hard surface presents an obstacle.

Fly. n/a

Grudges

Most Merfolk believe Men to be the source of their collective troubles. This resentment has grown beyond control over the centuries into an all out hatred. They no longer command the numbers to pose a significant threat to humankind, so their belief that Men pose an existential threat to their species drives them to absurd lengths to keep their settlements and hunting grounds secret. However, few Mer, if any, care to make the distinction between one inland species and another.