TikTok musician and creator Carter Vail struck inexplicable gold with his thirty-second ditty about the ominous Dirt Man, a cryptid-like figure that has permeated the lexicon of multiple online communities, including Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).
In a post shared on Instagram and X, Dungeons & Dragons Beyond went full Dirt & Dirt Beyond by decreeing that “a little dirt under your pillow is a material component for warding against the dirt man”. This piece of the Dirt Man’s lore was, of course, outlined in Vail’s song, alongside a warning that failing to leave a little dirt under one’s pillow may result in the Dirt Man bringing the offending party to his lair deep under the mountain in the event that he comes to town. D&D Beyond’s nod to the internet’s newest cryptid sensation speaks to the popularity the Tooth Fairy-esque figure has received in the tabletop scene.
Much like last year’s “Planet of the Bass”, the Dirt Man’s overture might not be in genuine competition for song of the summer, but it has nonetheless risen to acclaim in the most meme-able corners of the internet, particularly the D&D community. A sketch by TikTok creator willigansisland demonstrated one manner in which the Dirt Man’s mythos may be woven into a tabletop setting. Though comedic in nature, many commentors on both willigansisland and D&D Beyond’s posts expressed genuine interest in including the Dirt Man in their Dungeons & Dragons campaigns.
The Dirt Man is not the first example of a meme enthralling the Dungeons & Dragons community, with the Shaggy memes of 2019 resulting in an infamously overpowered 5th edition homebrew of the Scooby-Doo stoner. Vail’s song has inspired D&D homebrewers to once again work their meme magic, with TikTokers a.d20.every.day and superluigi64 both providing potential stat blocks for a fey interpretation of the Dirt Man. Superluigi64 has taken this pursuit a step further, crafting various homebrewed D&D non-player characters inspired by Vail’s unique musical stylings.
Vail was understandably tagged throughout the comment section of D&D Beyond’s Instagram post, but so was a notable fan of the song within the actual-play community. Dimension 20 and Critical Role‘s Aabria Iyengar expressed her personal admiration for Vail’s Dirt Man in a recent Worlds Beyond Number Fireside Chat, leading many to mention her in the post as well. Though Iyengar and D&D Beyond’s acknowledgment of the Dirt Man doesn’t necessarily canonize him, players can continue to dream (it’s just advised that they sprinkle a little bit of dirt under their pillow before they do).
