Monstrous Races – Mephits

Hello, everyone! This week’s article is going to be a little different – instead of writing this week’s playtest draft, I’ve put on the editing hat and taken the back seat to a skilled designer and good friend of mine, Weylin Etra. Weylin has been kind enough to draft up a monstrous race for your campaigns. Normally relegated to the role of familiars and minor interplanar nuisances, now you can bring playable mephit characters to the table, wielding volatile paraelemental powers and bringing an alien perspective to your game worlds!

This playtest draft is also available as a pay-what-you-want PDF on DriveThruRPG!

Mephits

The roaring of never-ending flames, the crashing of titanic waves, the howling of raging typhoons, the rumbling of moving earth, all of these are sounds familiar to mephits. But while their primordial cousins command the purest aspects of nature, these small imp-like creatures are little bits of elemental runoff fused together and given the breath of life.

Hordes of Chaos

Many see the nature of a mephit as erratic and bizarre, and while that isn’t incorrect, it is far from the full story. They are a type of creature known as Paraelementals, a fusion of two elements in a single creature. While the command over an additional domain would be a boon for more sophisticated entities, it can be a path to madness as the two elements and emotions associated with them vie for dominance. A powerful being might still be able to maintain itself, but mephits are created as mere motes of power.

This is often why mephits travel in large packs, despite not having a family or leadership structure of any kind. Merely being around like-minded creatures in a world mostly devoid of them affords them more focus, allowing them to take steps toward an intrinsic goal, entering the material plane.

Pets and Pests

Ultimately, there are two ways by which mephits make it to the material plane – either as a group who find an open rift, or as familiars summoned by arcane practitioners.

Those who find a rift wander the lands, seeking out a place suitable to their elemental combination. Those that are summoned, however, tend to be more individualist, picking up habits and mannerisms from their masters.

No matter how they ended up on the material plane, mephits are known for being both curious and unpredictable. Summoned mephits are often an endless font of questions and need to be reigned in lest they hurt themselves investigating. Groups of mephits are less lucky, and often find their numbers diminishing as they find themselves trouble trying to find a place to stay. Even once they manage to find permanent residences they will compulsively continue to investigate things that enter their homes, which can easily attract unwanted attention.

Mephit Adventurers

There are four kinds of mephit adventurers. The first is a mephit accompanying their master. As a frequent familiar, they can be found tagging along with exploring wizards and sorcerers, sometimes happily and sometimes unwillingly. These types of mephits are often sly scouts adept at spotting danger before it puts their master at risk, though sometimes they can act as additional bodyguards.

The second is a mephit who has escaped or lost their master. These mephit tend to have the largest variety of skills, some even having learned magic from their summoner. Like their skills, their motivations vary as well, from trying to find a new group of like minded individuals to enacting some plan for revenge. Ultimately, they are trying to find a way to fill the void of purpose left by separation from their master.

Thirdly, there are the mephits who have lost their group. It could have happened anywhere – perhaps a sudden storm forced the group to scatter, or a violent predator attacked and they separated in the escape. Whatever the reason, these mephits will do anything to reunite with their group, often finding danger along the way.

Finally, there are the mephit outcasts, those removed from their group after arrival. This banishment could be for many reasons, from acting aggressively towards another mephit to not sharing a secret they found. Whatever the cause, the forcefully removed mephit must survive on their own.

Mephit Names

Within their own groups, mephits don’t have names – they will use simple pronouns to speak about specific individuals. It is not that they don’t understand the concept, but they have such an innate understanding of other mephits that they consider it unnecessary. When speaking to outsiders, they will use pronouns until a name has been given freely, at which point they will exclusively use what was given to them.

Summoned mephits, on the other hand, are often given names by their masters, and thus could come from any origin. For those with good relations with their summoner, it is a mark of pride which they carry proudly. Those with bad relations, however, will actively hide their given name, or take on another, choosing random words which they think sound interesting.

Suggested Characteristics

As very social creatures, a mephit’s personality traits will often be colored by their relationships with creatures around them. A particularly kind or cruel master may leave a distinct impact on a mephit’s demeanor, or the characteristics of their pack may guide their behavior. Otherwise, the simple fact that they find themselves in such an alien world can lead a mephit to be generally bewildered or curious.

Mephit Bonds

d6

Bond

1

My master gave me their name – the last thing that remains of them.

2

I was separated from my group shortly after arrival on this plane. I must find them.

3

I have found an area of the world that suits me and aim to return there once I can.

4

My master mistreated me, and I intend to make them regret that.

5

My group left me after a disagreement. I would do anything to return.

6

Everything in this world is magical, and I aim to experience it all.

Mephit Quirks

d6

Quirk

1

You can’t help yourself from touching things, especially those you were told not to.

2

Since discovering food it has become your favorite thing, despite not needing to eat.

3

Money bewilders you – If you want something, why not just take it?

4

You have fallen in love with music and poetry.

5

Try as you might, you can never remember the names of your companions.

6

Being near your elements brings you great joy, and sorrow when you must leave.

Mephit Traits

A mephit has the following racial traits:

Creature Type. Your creature type is elemental.

Age. As elementals’ age is merely a measure of the time they have existed, you can live to any age. However, an adventuring career has the potential to cut this life short.

Alignment. Without outside interference, mephits tend to be Neutral Evil, though summoned mephits can inherit goodness from their master.

Size. Mephits stand a little less than 4 feet tall and weigh less than twenty pounds. Your size is small.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Wings. You were born with wings that grow in strength with experience. At 1st level, you can reduce an amount of fall damage by your Constitution modifier. At 6th level, you can fly as a speed of 30 feet for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution modifier per long rest. At 10th level, you gain a fly speed of 30 feet.

Elemental Body. Your body is not made of flesh and blood. You do not need to eat, sleep, or drink. At 1st level you have resistance to poison damage. At 6th level you are immune to the Poisoned condition. At 10th level you have immunity to poison damage.

Breath Weapon. You can use your action to exhale a 15 foot cone of elemental energy. Each creature within the cone must make a Dexterity saving throw. The DC of this saving throw is 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus.

The results of this saving throw are determined by your Subrace.

After you have used your Breath Weapon, you cannot use it again until you have completed a short or long rest.

Primordial Burst. When you are reduced to 0 Hit Points, your body exudes a burst of elemental energy. Each creature within 5 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw as though they were within the area of effect of your breath weapon.

After you have used your Primordial Burst, you cannot use it again until you have completed a short or long rest.

Subrace. There are several types of mephits, including Dust Mephits, Ice Mephits, Magma Mephits, and Steam Mephits. Choose one of the following Subraces.

Dust Mephit

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and your Wisdom score by 1.

Breath Weapon. You can use your action to exhale a cone of aggravating dust. Creatures who fail your Breath Weapon saving throw are blinded for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Ice Mephit

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2 and your Wisdom score by 1.

Breath Weapon. You can use your action to exhale a cone of jagged ice. Creatures who fail your Breath Weapon saving throw take 2d6 cold damage, or half as much damage on a successful save. The damage dealt by your Breath Weapon increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level.

Magma Mephit

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2 and your Constitution score increases by 1.

Breath Weapon. You can use your action to exhale a cone of molten sludge. Creatures who fail your Breath Weapon saving throw take 2d6 fire damage, or half as much damage on a successful save. The damage dealt by your Breath Weapon increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level.

Steam Mephit

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2 and your Charisma score increases by 1.

Breath Weapon. You can use your action to exhale a cone of burning steam. Creatures who fail your Breath Weapon saving throw are blinded for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Feats

If your campaign allows the use of feats, you may take any of the following feats.

Mephit Call

Prerequisite: Mephit

Some mephits have learned how to call upon of their kind from the elemental planes, though only for a short time. Once per long rest, you may conjure two mephits of your Subrace. The summoned mephits are friendly to you and your companions. Roll initiative for the summoned mephits as a group, which have their own turns. They obey any verbal commands that you issue to them (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any commands to them, they defend themselves from hostile creatures, but otherwise take no actions. They remain for one minute or until they have 0 hit points, at which point they return to their home plane.

As you advance in level you can bring forth more of your kin. At 8th level, double the number of number of mephits summoned. At 15th level you summon four times as many.

Arcane Breath

Prerequisite: Breath Weapon, Spellcasting or Pact Magic class feature

You have learned to harness your magic through your own breath, As an action, you can expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher to use your breath weapon, even if you have already expanded it. For each spell level higher than the first, the breath is enhanced. If your breath does damage, it does 1d6 extra damage per level above the first. Otherwise, increase the length of the breath by 5ft. per spell level.

Rage Within

Prerequisite: Breath Weapon, Rage class feature

The fury within you allows yourself to harness your elemental powers freely. While raging, you may use your breath weapon as an action, even if it has already been expended.

Credits

Playtest draft for TBM Games

Weylin Etra – Design

Christopher Knapp – Editing

Special Thanks

Connor Anderson

Matthew Frank

Kathryn Knapp

Jess Pendley

Keith Pendley

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