Merrow: Angrier Mermaids

Wait, didn’t we just do this?

Lore: Aquatic Servants of the Demon Prince

Merrow are savage hunters that will eat just about anything edible, from fishermen to merfolk. Long ago, they were themselves merfolk, but that all changed when one tribe found an idol of a Demogorgon. All in the tribe touched it and went mad, then performed a ritual to open a gateway towards the Demogorgon’s domain. They remained there for generations, eventually becoming the savage merrow.

The Prince of Demons often sends them to the Material Plane to essentially bully those on the ocean. Anyone or anything smaller and weaker than them is a target. They’ll fill their undersea caverns with trophies taken from these victims, then tie the rotting corpses of their dead foes to mark their territory.

This is some pretty versatile lore! Maybe the party comes across a merrow domain in an underwater adventure and have to rescue some fishermen or a cute aquatic creature. Perhaps they’ve pissed off the Demogorgon and he sends the merrow to assault them on the sea. You could put them together with the merfolk to create a war between pure and corrupted fish people. It isn’t whole campaign worthy, but it can serve as a nice spice to one or as a cool side quest.

Design: A Familiar Song and Dance

Before reading the lore, I really wasn’t much a fan of this design. “Oh, look. Another fish person. If only we hadn’t just done that!”

At its core, that’s what it is. But the lore does make it a bit more interesting. The fact that it looks like the merfolk, just darker, angrier, and more evil is the whole point. And in that regard, the artists absolutely nailed this design.

Is it creative or interesting? No, not on its own. But it does a great job of communicating the lore behind the design. So at least it has that going for it.

Stats: Merfolk, but… More

Well, this is disappointing.

This is as basic a low-level enemy as you can get. Neither its HP nor AC are all that high, it has no special abilities, and all of its melee attacks are really simple. The most interesting thing these guys have is that they can pull enemies closer to them with the harpoon.

That’s it. It’s another slugfest monster. Boring.

Placement

Overall, this is a fairly weak monster. Its lore is decent and its design, while unoriginal, does fit it well. If it had an interesting fight attached to it all, it would have climbed a bit higher. As it stands, though, it won’t go all that high at all.

With all that in mind, let’s put the Merrow on the Best of the Bestiary!

1. Beholder
2. Death Tyrant
3. Dragon Turtle
4. Green Dragons
5. Red Dragons
6. Blue Dragons
7. Black Dragons
8. White Dragons
9. Silver Dragons
10. Couatl
11. Behir
12. Aboleth
13. Sea Hag
14. Lamia
15. Bronze Dragons
16. Brass Dragons
17. Copper Dragons
18. Gold Dragons
19. Chuul
20. Kuo-Toa
21. Gibbering Mouther
22. Kraken
23. Intellect Devourer
24. Chimera
25. Death Knight
26. Fomorian
27. Bone Devil
28. Dracolich
29. Faerie Dragon
30. Lich
31. Magmin
32. Kobold
33. Kenku
34. Hobgoblins
35. Night Hag
36. Green Hag
37. Ankheg
38. Hook Horror
39. Storm Giant
40. Hill Giant
41. Empyrean
42. Efreeti
43. Grimlock
44. Dao
45. Cloud Giant
46. Manticore
47. Drow (all four of ’em)
48. Shadow Demon
49. Marilith
50. Drider
51. Aarackockra
52. Azer
53. Demilich
54. Spectator
55. Hydra
56. Marid
57. Harpy
58. Werejackal
59. Half-Dragon
60. Cambion
61. Fire Giant
62. Animated Armor
63. Banshee
64. Basilisk
65. Yochlol
66. Bulette
67. Cloaker
68. Darkmantle
69. Doppelganger
70. Ghoul and Ghast
71. Ettin
72. Medusa
73. Pit Fiend
74. Erinyes
75. Chain Devil
76. Bearded Devil
77. Barbed Devil
78. Spined Devil
79. Ice Devil
80. Djinni
81. Merrow <——————–
82. Nalfeshnee
83. Glabrezu
84. Chasme
85. Grell
86. Barlgura
87. Horned Devil
88. Balor
89. Shadow Dragon
90. Werebear
91. Lizardfolk
92. Vrock
93. Dretch
94. Gnolls (all three)
95. Goristro
96. Hezrou
97. Manes
98. Frost Giant
99. Weretiger
100. Werewolf
101. Duergar
102. Quasit
103. Dryad
104. Flumph
105. Goblin
106. Wereboar
107. Wererat
108. Githyanki
109. Planetar
110. Imp
111. Clay Golem
112. Flameskull
113. Displacer Beast
114. Carrion Crawler
115. Githzerai
116. Grick
117. Invisible Stalker
118. Rug of Smothering
119. Bugbear Chief
120. Bugbear
121. Flesh Golem
122. Vine Blight
123. Twig Blight
124. Needle Blight
125. Mephits (all six of ’em)
126. Bullywug
127. Hellhound
128. Ettercap
129. Gas Spore
130. Cockatrice
131. Lemure
132. Homonculus
133. Merfolk
134. Solar
135. Deva
136. Gorgon
137. Hippogriff
138. Griffon
139. Cyclops
140. Centaur
141. Ghost
142. Fire Elemental
143. Water Elemental
144. Air Elemental
145. Stone Giant
146. Deep Gnome
147. Dinosaurs (All six of them)
148. Iron Golem
149. Stone Golem
150. Earth Elemental
151. Galeb Duhr
152. Helmed Horror
153. Flying Sword
154. Crawling Claw
155. Violet Fungus
156. Shrieker
157. Gargoyle