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Merrenoloth

Medium Fiend (Yugoloth), Neutral Evil

Deva Movanic Male-turnaround.gif

Description

(from Planescape Campaign Setting Monstrous Supplement - 1994):


The marraenoloths are a special type of yugoloth. The thin, gray, pale-eyed humanoids are easily identified by their skeletal faces, somber hooded robes, and eyes that glow red when they are angry. They are a cold species, mercenary at heart, like all yugoloths. They are telepathic and, in addition to speaking all languages, maintain mental contact with others of their race at all times.


Combat: Marraenoloths have all the standard powers of tho yugoloths, but also use the following powers at will: alter self, animate dead, cause disease, charm person, improved phantasmal force, produce flame, and teleport without error. In addition, marraenoloths can gate in 1d6 hydroloths (75% chance), should the need arise.


These yugololhs are not great warriors, attacking only with tiheir bony fangs. When angered, a marraenoloth’s eyes glow fiery red, and anyone confronted by this horrifying gaze must successfully save vs. spell or be affected as by a fear spell. The marraenoloth will then summon hydroloths to fight for it.


Marraenoloths have 80% magic resistance to 1st-level spells. This resistance decreases by 5% for each higher level of spell. (Thus, a marraenoloth’s resistance to 7th-level spells is only 50%.) They are immune to acid, fire, and poison, and they suffer only half damage from gases. Their greatest weakness is cold-based attacks, which inflict double damage upon them.


Habitat/Society: Marraenoloths are unique among the yugoloths in that they havy an established task: They are boatmen who pilot small skiffs on the black waters of the River Styx. Unlike many other fiends, the marraenoloths can pass from plane to plane without arousing suspicion in the minds of others. They are ferrymen and ferrymen only. Other fiends would love to subvert the marraenoloths to spy on their Blood War enemies, but these creatures are only concerned with their passengers.


Marraenoloths have an innate understanding of the twists and bends of the River Styx’s channels, so they never get lost (unless it’s convenient to do so). These creatures also can pilot their crafts through the Astral Plane and to the boundary of the Prime Material Plane. They can actually enter the Prime Material, too, but they must leave their skiffs behind. A marraenoloth without a vessel is lost and useless, so they are naturally reluctant to venture far from their crafts. Occasionally they are summoned or sent to the Prime, anyway, to transport some being to or from the Lower Planes (using a special plane shift ability that work for this task only).


Marraenoloths carry passengers but never cargo, always demanding immediate payment for their servixes. (Greater fiends may ignore this, forcing the marraenoloth to serve them.) The may demand a magical item, a bag of 10 platinum coins, or two gems of 50 gp value (or more). If not paid, the marraenoloth will seek to prevent the would-be passenger from entering its boat, and it will teleport itself and its craft away at the first opportunity.


Even if a marraenoloth is paid (as opposed to being sent by a higher evil force), there is still a 15% chance that the creature will betray the passenger, either by delivering him to the incorrect destination or plane (85% chance) or by leading the summoner into an ambush (15% chance). This chance of betrayal can be reduced by making additional contributions to the marraenoloth’s hoard (-5% per additional payment listed above).


Since all marraenoloths are aware of each other, all know of any person who cheats or harms anyone of their kind. They won’t come to each other’s aid (that would indicate concern for their fellows), but the identity of the transgressor is noted, and future services from any of these yugoloths will require greater payments and incur a significantly higher risk of treachery. The cheater can return to the good graces of the boatmen only by making a suitable sacrifice to all their kind. The nature of this tribute is left to the DM, but a typical one would be the surrender of rare gems or several unique magical items, presented with due ceeremony and contrition.


Ecology: There are among the most neutral of the evil yugoloths, existing to collect their fares and nothing else. They stay clear of the politics of the Blood War. Because their skills are valuable to tanar’ri and baatezu alike, the other fiends tolerate this neutrality. As much as some infernal lord might like to subjugate them, it’s understood they would no longer function properly if that happened.


As a marraenoloth without its sailing duties is fairly worthless, even as a lowly foot soldier in the Blood War, no one has attempted to take control of them. However, they may unwittingly play pawns in the subtle plottings of some baatezu or tanar’ri.



(from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes - 2014):


The grim, gaunt captains of the ferries on the River Styx, merrenoloths have total command of their vessels, ensuring that their passengers reach their destinations safely. Sometimes merrenoloths can be coaxed away from the Lower Planes to captain other vessels, affording those ships and crews the same protection.


Whenever a merrenoloth takes on a contract to captain a ship, it bonds with the vehicle to make sure nothing goes awry with it during the journey. A merrenoloth can navigate its ship safely through the worst storms, always stays on course, and never runs afoul of the myriad hazards that can thwart lesser captains.


A merrenoloth can hold its own in a fight, but it prefers to avoid combat when possible. In fact, it typically specifies in its contracts that it is under no obligation to fight. A merrenoloth’s first duty is always to its vessel.


Lair Actions:

Any ship a merrenoloth is contracted to captain becomes the creature’s lair. When fighting on the ship, the merrenoloth can invoke its ability to take lair actions. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the merrenoloth can take one lair action to cause one of the following effects; it can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:

  • The ship regains 22 ((4d10)) hit points.

  • A strong wind propels the ship, increasing its speed by 30 feet until initiative count 20 on the next round.

  • The air within 60 feet of the ship is filled with howling wind. Until initiative count 20 on the next round, that area is difficult terrain, and when a Medium or smaller creature flies into that area or starts its turn flying there, it must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Regional Effects:

A merrenoloth imbues its vessel with powerful magic that creates one or more of the following effects:

  • The ship doesn’t sink even if its hull is breached.

  • The ship always stays on course to the destination the merrenoloth names.

  • Creatures the merrenoloth chooses to take on the ship aren’t discomfited by wind or weather, though this effect doesn’t protect against damage.

If the merrenoloth dies, these effects fade over the course of (4d10) hours.

Alternate Versions

Size

Hero Forge: 10'1" (XL)
Lore: Medium
Suggested: Medium to Large

Other Monikers

Marraenoloths, charonadaemons, he in-between

Abilities

- Fear Gaze
- Innate Spellcasting
- Immune to acid, poison
- Magic Resistance
- Resistant to Cold, Fire, Lightning; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
- Teleport
- Blindsight, telepathy

Appearance

The thin, gray, pale-eyed humanoids are easily identified by their skeletal faces, somber hooded robes, and eyes that glow red when they are angry.

Home Plane

Gray Waste & Gehenna

Stat Block

5th Edition:

- Angry Golem Games

- DnDBeyond

- Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes (2018)

2nd Edition:

- Mojobob's Website

Sources

- Forgotten Realms Wiki

- Angry Golem Games

- DnDBeyond

- Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes (2018)

- Planescape Campaign Setting Monstrous Supplement (1994)

- Mojobob's Website

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