Merfolk Tidecaller
Small or Medium • Humanoid (Merfolk) • Any Alignment
Armor Class 14
Hit Points 66 (12d8 + 12)
Speed 10 ft., swim 40 ft.
Initiative +2 (12)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 (+0) | 14 (+2) | 12 (+1) | 12 (+1) | 16 (+3) | 12 (+1) |
Saving Throws Wis +5
Skills Arcana +3, Religion +3
Gear holy symbol
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages Common, Primordial (Aquan)
CR 3 (XP 700; PB +2)
Amphibious. The merfolk can breathe air and water.
Flowing Movement. While submerged in water, the merfolk doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks.
Water-Coated Skin. The merfolk has advantage on checks to avoid and escape grapples or restraints.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The merfolk makes two Water Blast attacks. It can replace one of those attacks with an Aqua Bomb or Create Rapid.
Water Blast. Melee or Ranged Spell Attack: +5, reach 5 ft. or range 120 ft. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
Aqua Bomb (2/Day). Constitution Saving Throw: DC 13, each creature in a 15-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the merfolk can see within 60 feet. Failure: 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage, and the target is pushed 10 feet away from the point. Success: Half damage.
Create Rapid (2/Day). The merfolk creates a 5-foot-wide and 5-foot-high rapid. It chooses a starting point it can see within 30 feet of it and an end point within 30 feet of the start point. Strength Saving Throw: DC 13, each creature in that line (a creature can voluntarily fail the save). Failure: The target is pushed as close to the endpoint as possible.
REACTIONS
Deflecting Flow. Trigger: The merfolk or a creature within 10 feet of it is hit by a ranged attack roll while being submerged in water. Response: The merfolk adds 2 to its or the target’s AC against that attack, possibly causing it to miss.
Merfolk Tidecaller
Small or Medium • Humanoid (Merfolk) • Any Alignment
Armor Class 13
Hit Points 27 (6d8)
Speed 10 ft., swim 40 ft.
Initiative +1 (11)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 (+0) | 12 (+1) | 10 (+0) | 11 (+0) | 14 (+2) | 12 (+1) |
Skills Arcana +2, Religion +2
Gear holy symbol
Senses passive Perception 11
Languages Common, Primordial (Aquan)
CR 1/2 (XP 100; PB +2)
Amphibious. The merfolk can breathe air and water.
Flowing Movement. While submerged in water, the merfolk doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks.
Water-Coated Skin. The merfolk has advantage on checks to avoid and escape grapples or restraints.
ACTIONS
Water Blast. Melee or Ranged Spell Attack: +4, reach 5 ft. or range 90 ft. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
Aqua Bomb (1/Day). Constitution Saving Throw: DC 12, each creature in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the merfolk can see within 60 feet. Failure: 4 (1d8) bludgeoning damage, and the target is pushed 10 feet away from the point. Success: Half damage.
REACTIONS
Deflecting Flow. Trigger: The merfolk or a creature within 10 feet of it is hit by a ranged attack roll while being submerged in water. Response: The merfolk adds 2 to its or the target’s AC against that attack, possibly causing it to miss.
Merfolk Tidecaller
Small or Medium • Humanoid (Merfolk) • Any Alignment
Armor Class 16
Hit Points 110 (17d8 + 34)
Speed 10 ft., swim 40 ft.
Initiative +3 (13)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 (+0) | 16 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 14 (+2) | 18 (+4) | 14 (+2) |
Saving Throws Dex +6, Int +5, Wis +7
Skills Arcana +5, Religion +5
Gear holy symbol
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages Common, Primordial (Aquan)
CR 6 (XP 2,300; PB +3)
Amphibious. The merfolk can breathe air and water.
Flowing Movement. While submerged in water, the merfolk doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks.
Water-Coated Skin. The merfolk has advantage on checks to avoid and escape grapples or restraints.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The merfolk makes two Water Blast attacks. It can replace one of those attacks with an Aqua Bomb or Create Rapid.
Water Blast. Melee or Ranged Spell Attack: +7, reach 5 ft. or range 120 ft. Hit: 17 (3d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
Aqua Bomb (2/Day). Constitution Saving Throw: DC 15, each creature in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the merfolk can see within 60 feet. Failure: 18 (4d8) bludgeoning damage, and the target is pushed 10 feet away from the point. Success: Half damage.
Create Rapid (2/Day). The merfolk creates a 5-foot-wide and 5-foot-high rapid. It chooses a starting point it can see within 30 feet of it and an end point within 30 feet of the start point. Strength Saving Throw: DC 15, each creature in that line (a creature can voluntarily fail the save). Failure: The target is pushed as close to the endpoint as possible.
REACTIONS
Deflecting Flow. Trigger: The merfolk or a creature within 10 feet of it is hit by a ranged attack roll while being submerged in water. Response: The merfolk adds 3 to its or the target’s AC against that attack, possibly causing it to miss.
QUICK REFERENCE
USING MONSTER VARIANTS
Monster variants allow the GM to adjust encounters to better match the party’s strength, narrative needs, or world-building logic. A weaker variant may represent a juvenile, wounded, or lesser specimen, while a stronger variant can serve as a leader, champion, ancient creature, or apex predator.
Variants can be used to fine-tune difficulty without changing the core identity of the monster, making them ideal for scaling encounters, reinforcing hierarchy within a faction, or creating memorable boss-style enemies. You can even use the same stat block but different variants in the same encounter if you want.
Design Note. Each monster is primarily balanced around its normal version. Weaker and stronger variants are derived adjustments and may not always preserve every tactical nuance or “feel” of the original creature. GMs are encouraged to review variants carefully and adjust abilities or tactics as needed to best suit their table.