The jermlaine is a fictional creature from the Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...

fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 role-playing game

Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

. They are evil and fiendish underground fey

Fey (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Fey is a type of creature, or "creature type". Fey are usually humanoid in form, and are typified as having supernatural abilities and a connection to nature or to some other force or place....

 who spend their days sneaking, hiding and plotting.

Publication history

The jermlaine first appeared in the first edition adventure module Descent into the Depths of the Earth

Descent into the Depths of the Earth

Descent Into the Depths of the Earth is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game coded D1–2. It was written by Gary Gygax, and combines two previously published modules from 1978, the original Descent into the Depths of the Earth and Shrine of the Kuo-Toa...

(1978), and was later featured in the original Fiend Folio

Fiend Folio

Fiend Folio is the title shared by three products published for successive editions of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...

(1981) as the jermlaine (jinxkins).

The jermlaine appears in second edition in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989), and appears in the Monstrous Manual (1993) under the "gremlin" entry. The jermlaine was further detailed in Dragon

Dragon (magazine)

Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...

#262 (August 1999).

The jermlaine appeared in the third edition Monster Manual II (2002).

Physical description

Jermlaine resemble small, mishappen, grey-skinned humanoids covered with warts, pimples and hair, and have grumpy, big-nosed faces. They are very thin-limbed, and have slightly rat-like traits.

Society

Jermlaine dwell underground in large groups, and live only to plot and scheme. With foul dispositions and evil designs, they are also extremely adept at hiding and sneaking. They also seem to have a kinship of sorts with rats; jermlaine groups are often accompanied by up to an entire plague of rats, including a few giant ones, and also, a jermlaine lurking in the shadows can be mistaken for an oddly shaped, vaguely humanoid rat.

Jermlaine are similar in nature to kobolds

Kobold (Dungeons & Dragons)

Kobolds are a fictional species featured in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Aggressive, xenophobic, yet industrious small humanoid creatures, kobolds are noted for their skill at building traps and preparing ambushes...

, goblins

Goblin (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, goblins are a very common and fairly weak race of evil humanoid monsters. Goblins and Kobolds are commonly non-human monsters that low-level player characters will face in combat. In D&D, goblins aren't smaller cousins of orcs, but are a part of...

 and troglodytes

Troglodyte (Dungeons & Dragons)

The troglodytes is a fictional race of primitive reptilian humanoids in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:The troglodyte was introduced to the D&D game in the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons....

.