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What the hell is a Mephit, and why has Dungeons & Dragons spent more than 40 years filling the multiverse with these annoying little elemental gremlins?
In this episode of Roll For Lore, we dig into the surprisingly weird history of Mephits in D&D. They started life as reader-submitted “Imps of the Flame” in a 1979 issue of White Dwarf before making the jump into the Fiend Folio as evil messengers and errand boys for the Lower Planes. From there, Planescape went completely overboard and gave us sixteen different varieties, including fire, smoke, magma, lightning, salt, mineral, radiance, and more.
We trace Mephits through AD&D, Planescape, 3rd Edition, 4th Edition, and 5th Edition to see how they transformed from disposable fiendish servants into the elemental tricksters we know today. Along the way we get into their bizarre personalities, their constantly changing alignments, the elemental planes they call home, why fiends absolutely hated working with them, and the wonderful Planescape tradition of sending someone a live Mephit as an insult.
We also go way further back to uncover where the word “Mephit” actually comes from, involving ancient Roman sulfur vents, a goddess named Mefitis, Renaissance elemental spirits, WWII gremlins, and one extremely appropriately named skunk.
If you love D&D lore, Planescape, Forgotten Realms, the Elemental Planes, weird monsters, and the strange history buried in old Dungeons & Dragons sourcebooks, this episode is for you.
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