#dnd idea

Bardic magic can only be achieved through a deep appreciation and understanding of that art. Anyone can be a minstrel and play a tavern, but few have the heart to truly be a bard. Bardic magic is difficult to teach but easy to learn if you’re already inclined to it.

The arts are about the heart and soul of people. Of cultures and history. Because of this sagely understanding required for bardic magic, very few bards end up as villains (though never impossible).

The source of musical bardic magic is the universal rhythm at the core of the world, a well with channels through the heartbeat of every living thing.

"Sweety, can you get me some groceries from the store"

"Please Mima, give me some strength for this upcoming battle!"

Probably not.

Will I do it anyway?

One party plays the heroes, the other the villains. You can either tell them outright ‘you’re the bad guys’ or let them both think they’re good.

The parties grow and chase down their goals slowly narrowing in on each other while the other groups actions effect them in world.

I always find it weird how merfolk are not written the way that they deserve. The ocean is the most dangerous place in the world, other than space. You have to be built to survive. And yet, in writing, mermaids are whimsical and beautiful and bright and colorful, but also dainty. Which is… weird. 

So, in a realistic setting, merfolk would either be timid and hide much, cunning and using their environment to their advantage, or dangerous hunters. 

So.. why not all 3? 

Introducing the 3 races of merfolk (these don’t have names, so if you come up with anything, please share!)

1). The timid

These guys are frail as hell. With very pale, almost see through skin, they’ve learned to adapt to live within dangerous plants. Since they have a resistance to anemone, like clownfish, they bred anemone to become much larger, for them to have a safe place to live. Evolution also made it to where they are the smallest of the merfolk, the tallest recorded merperson from this species coming in at 4’8. Being small and frail has its benefits. But while being so frail and timid, they are also very poisonous. They are extremely bright and shiny and use their poison as a defense mechanism. They have small, pufferfish like spikes that go down their neck to their backs, when threatened, these spikes bristles out and excrete poison. They live the closest to the surface. These guys tend to eat crustaceans and plants.

2). The cunning

These guys resemble average mermaids the most. Except for the fact that they have much darker scales for camouflage reasons, and their swordfish like horn sticking from their heads. These guys follow whales and sharks for safety reasons. They know a shark is never going to try and eat them, since they’re not worth the effort. However, to remain on the shark’s good side, they have a symbiotic relationship with them. Because sharks always to move in the water, these merfolk are nomads and never stay in one place for too long. They are the fastest of the merfolk, their average speed coming in at 80 miles per hour when they reach full maturity. They live moderately deep in the ocean. These guys tend to eat smaller fish, but never try going too dangerous, knowing it’s not worth it. They stay in their lane and hide behind the real terrifier.

3). The Dangerous

These guys have tough as hell blubber, rather than scales, coming in much more muted colors, like gray, slate, and chill blue. Being the tallest of the species, their average height comes in at 6’0. They have shark like teeth and huge hands. They’re heavy hitters too, their tails able to weigh in at 140 pounds alone. They can withstand freezing water, which is why they live so deep in the ocean. Their eyes are pitch black for night vision purposes and live in underwater caves. They only need around 3 hours of sleep every 24 hours. Unlike the other merfolk, these guys actually have a system where they mate for life, seeing it as beneficial for raising offspring. However, some are so dedicated to this that they refuse to mate, even after their lover has died. These guys tend to eat larger, meatier animals, sometimes even whales. Despite all this, they have an intense rivalry with orcas, as they tend to have much of the same diet. This rivalry is part of the reason why these guys decided to move down deeper.