Deep Dive - The Mercane (Arcane)
With the latest release of Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, we decided to take a look at a race that everyone in Wildspace has dealings with at one point or another, the Arcane. These passive giants aren’t someone you’ll be fighting, which is a pleasant change from most everything else in the dangerous void. The Arcane are purveyors of all things Spelljammer, specializing in Spelljammer helms, making them the go-to merchants when you need that hard-to-find piece of equipment for your ship. Where they find, or build, all their merchandise is a mystery, and some questions are better left unasked. Make sure you come with your coffers filled with gold because the Arcane don’t believe in discounts.
2e - Arcane
Climate/Terrain: Any space
Frequency: Very rare
Organization: Bands
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Omnivore
Intelligence: Genius (17-18)
Treasure: R
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
No. Appearing: 1 (1-6)
Armor Class: 5 (3)
Movement: 12
Hit Dice: 10
THAC0: 11
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: 1-8 (weapon)
Special Attacks: Nil
Special Defenses: Invisibility, dimension door
Magic Resistance: 40%
Size: L (12' tall)
Morale: Champion (15)
XP Value: 3,000
Adventures in Space: Lorebook of the Void, 1989 TSR Inc.
The Arcane appear in the Adventures in Space Boxset: Lorebook of the Void (1989) and are reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993). They are known as the master merchants of space, though just who they are is a mystery. Suppose you need a ship, a helm, or any other item found in the Spelljammer setting. The Arcane are the people you want to see.
If you are wondering how you’ll recognize the Arcane when you go out looking for one, they aren’t too hard to spot. They have blue-hued skin and are as gaunt as they are tall, and with them being about 12 feet tall, they are pretty gaunt. Their faces are stretched long, giving the Arcane a creepy appearance, which is further highlighted by their very long and thin fingers that each have an extra joint. The Arcane appear to be a non-binary and androgynous race, though little is known of their race and their societal structures and maybe they just haven’t bothered to tell anyone about how they get dirty.
The Arcane can be found anywhere that space travel takes place. If you live in some remote corner of the multiverse where you can’t fly on mentally controlled ships, you will be out of luck when searching for the Arcane as you just aren’t of interest to them. The Arcane speak Common, which makes sense since selling all their shiny stuff would be problematic if they couldn’t communicate with a prospective buyer. Some think they have their language, but no one knows if this is truth or myth.
Monstrous Manual, 1993 TSR Inc.
If you get upset with an Arcane, as the Arcane do not haggle and will walk out of a negotiation, you might kill one and hope that the next Arcane will be more willing to haggle. Unfortunately, you are probably now blacklisted from all Arcane dealings as they have a unique telepathic ability that alerts all other Arcane when one is attacked or killed. While no one will show up for an Arcane being attacked, you can forget about doing business with the entirety of the Arcane race once the signal has gone out. Defending the honor of the entire race by not engaging in good old capitalism with you is admirable unless you’re the dead Arcane.
As we said before, your encounters with the Arcane will most likely not revolve around combat. It’s not that they are afraid or unwilling to fight, but they lack the desire to do so. They would rather do business, make some gold and be on their way. The Arcane profit from fighting, just not when it involves them. Of course, they know that the multiverse is teeming with creatures looking to harm them and so the Arcane will hire bodyguards to protect them when traveling and doing business. Considering the cost of Spelljammer helms are astronomical, be sure to charge your Arcane employer a pretty penny. In addition, if the Arcane asks you to negotiate for them, that means you are probably about to walk into a trap or deal with some very hostile negotiations. You may want to ask for all of your payment upfront so you can enjoy it before you get killed in place of the Arcane.
Despite an entire multiverse that doesn’t like them, the Arcane don’t discriminate. They will do business with anyone that can afford their wares, which as we already said, are expensive. This means that the Arcane have dealings with almost everyone you can think of, including such family-friendly races as beholders, giff, and everyone’s favorite, mind flayers. It is worth noting that there is a single race that the Arcane don’t deal with, the neogi, instead they will use the mind flayers as an intermediary between the two. We suppose everyone has a line and their line is not dealing with vicious spider creatures that want to fill you up with eggs.
Of course, even the best plans fall apart occasionally, and all the talking in the world won’t prevent swords from being unsheathed. In this case, the Arcane will begrudgingly fight. They have access to all weapons and armor and can use whatever magical items they can find without limitation. At the first opportunity, the Arcane will attempt to extract themselves from the bloodshed and have two natural abilities that make it relatively easy for them to do so. The Arcane can turn invisible at will, and you can bet your last dollar they will do just that when arrows start flying. If that doesn’t work, the Arcane can cast dimension door three times a day, meaning they will leave you behind to face off against an angry horde of gun-toting giff the first chance they get. If you’re lucky, you may see them reappear 150 feet away, waving to you as they trot off in the opposite direction.
The Arcane are mentioned in most of the other Spelljammer books. Whenever a Spelljammer helm or ship is needed, you can be sure the Arcane are called upon. The Arcane appears differently in the sourcebook Legend of Spelljammer (1991) by Jeff Grubb. The accessory is all about the Spelljammer, the white whale of all the Spelljammer ships in existence. On this legendary ship lives the Mad Arcane. He knows all the secrets held by the ship, but unfortunately, this knowledge has driven him insane and, therefore, unreliable and a bit dangerous. His nemesis on the vessel is the Fool, the former captain of the Spelljammer who is now a powerful lich. The Mad Arcane is biding his time, with plans on eventually escaping the Spelljammer, gathering a massive armada, and returning to destroy both the Spelljammer and the Fool.
Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix II, 1995 TSR Inc.
The Arcane gets a slight touch-up in the Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix II (1995). Much of the information remains the same, and the majority of the text attempts to make the Arcane seem more mysterious. They have no cities or planets they call home, always wandering the universe in search of the next sale. Rumor has it that the Arcane suffer from a compulsion to make money, making deals with the intensity that dwarves mine for gold. People also say that the Arcane will avoid entering Sigil at all costs and, if they find themselves there, will exit as quickly as possible. There's no reason provided, but we hope the Arcane didn’t enter into a bad business deal with the Lady of Pain.
The Arcane do have a type of home base, as we find out in Dragon #159 (July 1990). In the article Rough Time on Refuge, we learn that the Arcane built Refuge, a city where anything and everything can be bought, from worldly pleasures to a safe haven. Located on a moon, also named Refuge, in a small crystal sphere near realmspace, the Arcane operate a spaceport where they build and repair ships. Refuge is also a great vacation spot for the spacefaring adventurer, a wonderful place to put your feet up while your spelljammer gets fixed up after all those long months amongst the stars and fighting off gith pirates.
A ring of 24 stone golems protects Refuge, and the Arcane maintains law and order based on loose rules and regulations. They act as on-the-spot judges and juries, with most punishments being economical. Jail isn’t great, but getting your spelljammer impounded is much worse, in our opinion. The planet below, aptly named Below, is a lush garden where one can stock up on fresh water and air, but it also houses a secret base under the surface. There is also a salvage ring orbiting Below, a space junkyard filled with all sorts of spare and replacement parts for your ship. If you are hoping to do some adventuring, Refuge is featured in the adventure Sea of Sorrow from Dungeon #36 (July/Aug. 1992).
3e/3.5e - Mercane (Arcane)
Large Outsider (Lawful)
Hit Dice: 7d8+21 (52 hp)
Initiative: +2 (Dex)
Speed: 30 ft.
Armor Class: 15 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +4 natural)
Attacks: Masterwork falchion +9/+4 melee
Damage: Falchion 2d4+3
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./10 ft.
Special Qualities: SR 25, spell-like abilities, telepathy
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +8
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 20, Wis 17, Cha 15
Skills: Appraise +19, Bluff +12, Diplomacy +16, Gather Information +12, Innuendo +15, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (arcana) +15, Knowledge (the planes) +15, Sense Motive +13, Spot +9
Feats: Expertise, Improved Disarm
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Company (1–4 mercanes and 3–18 5th-level fighter bodyguards)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Always lawful neutral
Advancement: By character class
Manual of the Planes, 2001 Wizards of the Coast
The Arcane are renamed the Mercane in the Manual of the Planes (2001) and later in the Epic Level Handbook (2002). The Marcane still stands out in a crowd, which is easy to do when you’re blue, 12 feet tall, and move at a slow, almost flowing pace.
Your average Mercane is a wizard, although there are the occasional clerics to be found who will worship Boccob, the god of magic, arcane knowledge, balance, and foresight. The Mercane can still cast dimension door and invisibility three times a day, but they now also have the spell-like abilities Leomund’s secret chest and plane shift. Having a magic treasure chest at their disposal is handy when brokering a deal for a valuable item or being able to pull a magic wand out if a deal goes sour.
The Mercane wander through the known worlds, always on the hunt for a good deal. Settling down isn’t their thing, but if a locale is ripe with potential buyers, they have been known to make good rental property tenants. Since everyone knows the Mercane deal in expensive items, and always has a nice bit of gold on them, these blue merchants travel with a protective posse at all times. Fighters usually make up their regular security detail, but the Mercane are quite willing to spend the money to hire the best people for a more lucrative, therefore more dangerous, job.
5e - Mercane (Arcane)
Large Giant, Typically Lawful Neutral
Armor Class 13 (mage armor)
Hit Points 75 (10d10 + 20)
Speed 30 ft.
Str 16 (+3) Dex 10 (+0) Con 15 (+2) Int 18 (+4) Wis 16 (+3) Cha 15 (+2)
Saving Throws Int +7, Wis +6, Cha +5
Skills Insight +9, Perception +6, Persuasion +5
Senses passive Perception 16
Languages Common, Giant, telepathy 60 ft. (see also Mercane Telepathy)
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) / Proficiency Bonus +3
Mercane Telepathy. The mercane can communicate telepathically with any other mercane it knows, regardless of the distance between them.
Multiattack. The mercane makes three Psi-Imbued Blade attacks.
Psi-Imbued Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage, and if the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of the mercane until the end of the target’s next turn.
Spellcasting (Psionics). The mercane casts one of the following spells, requiring no spell components and using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 15):
At will: detect magic, light
1/day each: dimension door, invisibility, mage armor (self only)
Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, 2022 Wizards of the Coast
The Mercane land in Spelljammer: Adventures in Space (2022) with only a few short paragraphs about how awesome they are and how they are reliable traders. Like before, these tall, lanky giants like to dress in fancy robes and travel the Astral Sea and Wildspace, conducting their business with any who have the coin to pay them, no matter if that creature might decide to eat them or not.
They retain the same abilities they had before, though they have lost the ability to plane shift and to summon a magical chest, instead they get access to mage armor, detect magic, and light - which isn’t exactly a fair trade to us but the Mercane must’ve thought so. They also get a fancy new sword that causes creatures to be frightened of them when they whack the offending creature with it, which maybe is a better trade than we might’ve originally thought.
Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, 2022 Wizards of the Coast
Interestingly enough, they are now categorized as ‘giants’ when in the previous editions they were only kind of compared to them and remained as large humanoids or weird outsiders, like angels or devils. What this means for the Mercane is that they might not be as mysterious as we first thought, but rather they have spent a lot of money and a lot of time building up their mystique. It could be that these Mercane are just as flesh and blood as other giants, they just happen to have more money.
Oddly, there was an errata change for the Mercane shortly after their debut where they become celestials, instead of giants. They are also now created by a god focused on fair trades, though none are specified. We suppose this means they are divinely mandated to be merchants, instead of just being a culture focused on trade. We don't quite understand this change, but it's a change nonetheless.
The Mercane, or Arcane as they were originally known, are masters of trade and commerce, appearing where ever a deal could be struck and profit made. Of course, they do have standards. You need to have some capability of ferrying yourself out into space, and the moment you do, these tall, blue giants will be eagerly waiting, ready to make a deal that will profit them far more than it will for you and your kin.
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