Monday Monster: Mewlips

Mewlips are described by Tolkien in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, in which they are mentioned in a hobbit nursery rhyme. The poem sounds a bit like they’re a race of Gollums, or perhaps just a particularly damp race of goblins. In any case, in the Dawn Reaches, there exist creatures which the humans call “water babies” and the hauflin call “mewlips” which fit the same mold. Small, pasty, wretched amphibian humanoids wrapped in oily rags, mewlips lurk under the water’s surface, preferring to ambush their prey with surprise. They only venture forth at night (or in the sheltering dark of caves), and rise out of the water silently, looking disconcertingly like drowned children, wielding a spear in one hand and a net which they use to trip their prey in the other.

The Mewlips Count Their Gold by ~Loneanimator on deviantART

Mewlip (CR ½, XP 200)

CE Small humanoid (aquatic)

Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +4

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AC 15, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size)

hp 5 (1d8+1)

Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +2

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Speed 15 ft., swim 30 ft.

Melee spear +2 (1d6+1/×3), bite -2 (1d3)

Ranged spear +3 (1d6+1/×3)

Special attack nets

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Abilities Str 12/+1, Dex 14/+2, Con 13/+1, Int 9/-1, Wis 10/+0, Cha 9/-1

Base Atk +0; CMB +0 (+4 trip); CMD 12 (18 vs. trip)

Feats Weapon Finesse

Skills Perception +4, Stealth +14, Swim +13; Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth, +8 Swim

SQ amphibious

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Nets (Ex) Although a mewlip can’t attack to cause damage with its net, it is very skilled at using the net to trip adjacent foes. During the mewlip’s turn, it can make a single trip attack against any adjacent foe as a swift action. It gains a +4 racial bonus on trip attacks made with its tangling tentacles, and if it fails to trip a foe, that creature can’t attempt to trip the mewlip in retaliation.

A greater and larger form of mewlip, the “mewlip lord,” stays in their cave lairs and does not venture out except under the most extreme duress. Within their lair, however, they will fight to the death. They sometimes keep giant frogs or slurks as pets.

Mewlip Lord (CR 2, XP 600)

NE Medium Humanoid (aquatic)

Init +6; Senses Low-Light Vision; Perception +5

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AC 18, touch 16, flat-footed 12 (+6 Dex, +2 natural)

hp 22 (4d8+4)

Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +3

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Speed 40 ft., Swimming (40 feet)

Melee Claw +5/+5 (1d4+2 plus grab/x2)

Ranged Javelin +7 (1d8+2/x2)

Special Attacks Grab

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Abilities Str 15/+2, Dex 22/+6, Con 13/+1, Int 6-2, Wis 10/+0, Cha 7/-2

Base Atk +3; CMB +5 (+9 Grappling); CMD 21

Feats Iron Will, Power Attack -1/+2

Skills Acrobatics +6 (+10 jump), Perception +5, Stealth +8 (+12 in water), Swim +10 Modifiers +4 Stealth in water

SQ Amphibious

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+4 Stealth in water (Ex) You gain a bonus to Stealth Checks under the listed conditions.

Amphibious (Ex) You can survive indefinitely on land.

Grab (Medium) (Ex) You can start a grapple as a free action if you hit with the designated weapon.

Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.

Designer’s Note: On Reskinning

These critters are actually reskins of existing creatures. The base mewlip was created from the stats of a grindylow, just changing the tentacle attack to a carried net, and the type from aberration to humanoid. The mewlip lord, on the other hand, is a merrow with the “young” template. Reskinning! It’s the GM’s second-best friend.

-The Gneech

The stat blocks in this post are open content; mewlips and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil are the property of J.R.R. Tolkien and his heirs. Artwork by LoneAnimator.

Originally published at gneech.com. You can comment here or there.