Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Goken100 May 28, 2010 11:55:38	I love all of the Feywild stuff that's been created for 4E, so I'm thinking of running with it.  I'm thinking of creating a campaign inspired by classic fairy tales and modern fairy tales like Stardust or Terry Pratchett's witch novels.  I'd have a human world that's very similar to medieval Europe, and lots of magic existing in nature and in the Feywild.  It wouldn't be a low-magic campaign, as the characters will be immersed in the wonder of that world throughout. So one of the things I would love is to involve fairies in addition to elves, eladrin, gnomes, and their ilk.  But I haven't found any fairies in any Monster Manuals.  I'd even like to consider how to do a fairy as a player race, even though I know there isn't anything like it right now. What got me thinking was the Practical Guide to Faeries (which I don't have, but I thought looked like fun).  Does that or any other product contain information about fairies and other Fey subjects? Does anyone have any thoughts on how a PC might be a fairy?  I was thinking of re-skinning the Wilden as a type of fairy.   The connection to nature and plants fits in with the fairy tradition, though the size is all wrong.  Any thoughts about that?
#2 sanityfaerie May 28, 2010 12:16:24	In one way of thinking, eladrin and gnomes are already faeries, wilden could be easily, and even half-orcs could work in decently as one fo the more vicious kinds.  Thinking about the tiny flying pixie type, though - there are real difficulties with making that a PC. - too small for most gear, and cannot make meaningful weapon attacks - At-will flight at level 1 is deeply game-breaking. - Doesn't have the capacity to actually carry anything. ...those are just starters.  Actually statting one out in a way that would seem realistic would bring you a whole host of other problems (too good at stealth, etc).  It's not that it's nto doable - it's just that it breaks a lot of the assumptions that 4th ed is built on.
#3 Goken100 May 28, 2010 13:02:49	I was thinking of ignoring common sense for most issues and treating the fairy race as just small.  It could glow or something to make it more visible and fill up a space and have normal reach because it just moves around frantically during combat.  Thus being tiny would be more for flavor and role playing than mechanics. The biggest issue would definitely be equipment, which is a huge part of the game.  Not sure how to rationalize that. One thing I thought of was some sort of Fern Gully type of size transformation, making elves and company one and the same with fairies.  Maybe being "in the Feywild" involves becoming tiny. I also like the idea of having little fairy assistants like in the movie Willow, which could potentially be NPCs.  But I'd like to stat them out somehow.  How would that work?
#4 calm May 28, 2010 15:52:09	It's your game. You could make the fairies lean toward magic and stealth, but thanks to magic powers and "fairy dust" who knows what sorts of strength and defense a fairy could have, right? But it seems like innate magical powers should be a heavy part of the race. Dex, Int, and Chr would be abilities for the bonus. Wilden and Eladrin might be a good way to mix it. FYI, a friend ran a great fairy NPC. She was basically a goth fairy and he played up that aspect quite a bit. It was fun.
#5 Fireclave May 28, 2010 15:56:50	Thus being tiny would be more for flavor and role playing than mechanics. The biggest issue would definitely be equipment, which is a huge part of the game.  Not sure how to rationalize that. If being Tiny is only for flavor, then making them Tiny in description only craft their PC mechanics with the same balance considerations as any other race.  My race creation guide might help you with that (see sig).  Specifically in this case, make them Small or Medium, and don't give them at-will flight*.  The result would definitely require more abstraction and suspension of disbelief than most races, but it would still work. *Though restricting flight mostly matters if you are trying to balance a race by normal balance standards.  If you are willing to make allowances for flight in your games, it's really not that big of deal. One thing I thought of was some sort of Fern Gully type of size transformation, making elves and company one and the same with fairies.  Maybe being "in the Feywild" involves becoming tiny. That's also a interesting idea, but it poses two problems.  If the fairies adventure in anyplace but the fey wild, their tiny size will never come up.  On the other hand, if an adventure leads the part to the fey wild, the faeries PCs get hit hard with the Nerf bat, losing access to pretty much all of their equipment, and more melee characters, normal reach. I also like the idea of having little fairy assistants like in the movie Willow, which could potentially be NPCs.  But I'd like to stat them out somehow.  How would that work? First, I would like to stress that if you decide to limit your faeries to NPC's and you don't ever intend on making them combat able, you don't need to stat them.  Otherwise you're just doing extra work for a result that will never get used.  Disclaimer over. I'm not familiar with the movie but, most likely, you would stat them out in the same way as any creature in the monster manual.  The DMG has guidelines to help with that.  And from the sounds of it, treating them as familiars might also work.  Familiar rules are in Arcane power, and it would be pretty easy to adapt existing familiars or make new ones.
#6 mieorabloodsong May 30, 2010 10:27:38	fairies could be a name for the Fair Folk.  Myths twist reality, fairy godmothers are really just Eladrin who meddle with mortals, perhaps powerful wizards who have spells to change size, perhaps the first one wore gossamer wings as a fashion statement and now everyone thinks they have wings.
#7 novatack May 31, 2010 17:21:26	I was thinking of ignoring common sense for most issues and treating the fairy race as just small.  It could glow or something to make it more visible and fill up a space and have normal reach because it just moves around frantically during combat.  Thus being tiny would be more for flavor and role playing than mechanics. The biggest issue would definitely be equipment, which is a huge part of the game.  Not sure how to rationalize that. One thing I thought of was some sort of Fern Gully type of size transformation, making elves and company one and the same with fairies.  Maybe being "in the Feywild" involves becoming tiny. I also like the idea of having little fairy assistants like in the movie Willow, which could potentially be NPCs.  But I'd like to stat them out somehow.  How would that work? You could always make fairies small-ish. Make them child-sized instead of pixie-sized. They'd be smaller than normal, but still be big enough to do stuff. Or, if you're doing a size-change thing, you could have PCs AND their gear shrink in the Feywild. In game terms, they would still be medium- but everything else would be massive. That could make for some interesting scenery and terrain, and some interesting monsters (Have insects be the same size. Have the tiny fairies they were dealing with be the same size as them now. And the goblins the group was fighting? Well now the medium-sized leader looks like a Gargantuan sized Solo monster.).
#8 Nightforme Jun 05, 2010 22:32:51	In one of my games, I created a sort of "greater fairy", which was medium-sized and possessed innate magical abilities. It wouldn't make for a very good player race, but you could modify the concept as much as you want. The great thing about fairies is that they could look like anything you want. Maybe they have an encounter or daily power that lets them do something supernatural, like fly or change size. Maybe you could make "Fairy" a character class! It could allow the character to gain access to strange and mystical abilities, until at higher levels, they are similar to typical mythical fairies.
#9 xiahouxu Jun 06, 2010 10:52:36	I think it might be really interesting to put some fairies in, tiny little motes of light as they are, as items, equivalent to divine boons. Little helpful or mishievous fey who fly off and maybe notice things the PCs don't, or whisper little things they pick up on in their ear(Skill bonus), or distract the foes by whizzing around them or flying p their nose (Attack bonus) Then save 'high fairy' as an extra PC race that could run.... Something like this. (I used 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' for the fairy types, and doing so could also allow you to slide in goblinoids or half orcs as Puck's and things. Might be worth reading through.). Honestly, I just cooked these up as I was posting on a whim, so they might need balancing. High Fairy +2 Cha, +2 special Size: Small Speed: 6 squares Vision: Low Light Skills: +2 Bluff, +2 Nature Languages: Common, Elven Fey Origin It's easier than it looks!: You take no penalty to attack rolls and do not grant combat advantage when squeezing Manifestation: Pick one manifestation, you gain the following ability bonus, racial trait, and racial power. Peaseblossom: Peaseblossoms are the most in touch with nature of the High fairies... +2 Wis Hardy Plants: Gain a +1 bonus to fortitude, and a +5 bonus to saves against poison Gain the 'Talk with the plants' Racial Power Talk with the plants Encounter- Minor Action Area Burst 1 within 5 Effect: All squares in this area become difficult terrain until the start of your next turn. Cobweb: Cobweb lingers in the old forests, hanging off trees and cackling as tricks are layed upon unsettled travellers... +2 Int Never held: Gain a +2 bonus to saving throws against immobilised, slowed or restrained Gain the 'Webs of the old forests' power Webs of the old forests Encounter- Minor Action Close Blast 3 Charisma, Intelligence or Dexterity +3/6/9 (Depending on tier) vs Reflex Effect: The opponent is slowed until the end of your next turn. Moth: Moth often get themselves in scrapes, but they are easily the most sociable of the High fairies,  giving off a light that attracts great groups of lesser fey to play with. +2 Con Shrug it off: Gain a +2 bonus to saving throws against ongoing damage Gain the 'Motes of friends' power Motes of friends Encounter- Minor Action Close blast 3 Charisma, Constitution or dexterity+3/6/9 vs. Will Effect: The target takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls until the end of its next turn. Mustardseed: Rash and irritable, Mustardseed is often known as one of the less welcome member of the High fairies, but they are loyal friends, if odd sorts, all the same. +2 Dexterity Hot temper: You gain resistance to fire damage equal to 5+1/2 level Gain 'The itch' power. The Itch Encounter- Minor action Close burst 2 Charisma, Strength or dexterity +3/6/9 vs. Will Effect: The target grants combat advantage until the end of your next turn. Would that fit any ideas you were having, perhaps?
#10 Kaganfindel Jun 10, 2010 14:43:13	I'd use more than one source to simulate fairies in the game.  For player character fairy races, I'd use gnomes, halflings, eladrin and elves.  A druid character could very easily be reflavored to be some sort of fairy friend, who calls on the fairies to harry and fight her opponents.  A shaman or an illusionist or summoner wizard might also work, and a fey pact warlock is practically doing it right out of the box.  The familiar rules in Arcane Power might also give you a framework for a persistant NPC fairy that accompanies a character everywhere. You could also add fey influence outside of character creation.  Potions could instead be tokens of favor the players could call in, rather than flasks of liquid they drink.  Rituals could be one-time bargains struck with the fairies for their help, with the component costs representing rare items you offered as tribute (just because feylocks do it vocationally doesn't mean you can't have dabblers as well).
#11 DerelictDroid Jun 11, 2010 1:56:40	I love all of the Feywild stuff that's been created for 4E, so I'm thinking of running with it.  I'm thinking of creating a campaign inspired by classic fairy tales and modern fairy tales like Stardust or Terry Pratchett's witch novels.  I'd have a human world that's very similar to medieval Europe, and lots of magic existing in nature and in the Feywild.  It wouldn't be a low-magic campaign, as the characters will be immersed in the wonder of that world throughout. So one of the things I would love is to involve fairies in addition to elves, eladrin, gnomes, and their ilk.  But I haven't found any fairies in any Monster Manuals.  I'd even like to consider how to do a fairy as a player race, even though I know there isn't anything like it right now. What got me thinking was the Practical Guide to Faeries (which I don't have, but I thought looked like fun).  Does that or any other product contain information about fairies and other Fey subjects? Does anyone have any thoughts on how a PC might be a fairy?  I was thinking of re-skinning the Wilden as a type of fairy.   The connection to nature and plants fits in with the fairy tradition, though the size is all wrong.  Any thoughts about that? As for sources of inspiration, you could check out White Wolf's "Changling". I bought all the books for that system, but never convinced anyone to play it -- they were all fixated with vampires and werewolves. For a scholarly reference, check out "The Encyclopedia of Fairies" by Kathrine Briggs. It is often THEE prime source for many scholarly works, and is cited often in bibliographies. Finally, since you'll be doing a lot of original work anyway, you could always adapt 3.5 fey to 4e.
#12 Pyrate_Jib Jun 18, 2010 14:13:25	I will second the suggestion for "Changling" but go further and push for the 1st edition rules. Remember the fey aren't always nice.  You can have fun with the Seelie and Unseelie courts.  In my home campaign the Drow are members of the Unseelie court and Queenship of Sorrow.
#13 gruph Jun 18, 2010 15:43:06	This might have been said already but if your looking for good inspiration look to Niel Gaiman, I saw you already have stardust on the list. What I was thinking though was the faeries from the Sandman series of comics, they are quite interesting.
#14 TV_Casualty Jun 23, 2010 13:26:31	If you're looking for some interesting art for more unaligned or evil fairies, I'd suggest checking out some of the art for fairies from the Lorwyn block of Magic: The Gathering. gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.... gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.... gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.... They incorporate a lot of insect parts that make them appear both elegant and deadly at the same time.
#15 Pyrate_Jib Jun 24, 2010 11:52:47	I will second the Sandman comic series.  The image of the fey is very well done! Book of Magic has some similar tales.
#16 ravel8 Jun 24, 2010 15:18:06	I second looking at the 2nd edition of wite wolf's changling . The whole deal making for power is well tricky .  O and the books of magic series well that one is just cool . Something that is over looked in fairly myths is the irish version of them . Where the fey , espally the silithine well there monsters ; child stealing, soul  ripping , enslave you with a gift , monsters . As the mythos goes people would call them "kind ones" to try not to get eaten  body or soul .