Fey-proofing your home

[unimaginable]

Eladrin NPC has a lair in the Beastlands, wants to keep the plane's many fey, animals and vermin the hell out, but isn't terribly adverse to, say, mortals entering.

What defences would be in place that a humanoid would be able to pass but a fey would not?

[Yukitsu]

This mostly relies on things that aren't in the D&D games. For instance, no still water or mirrors in or around your house, don't accept strangers at night, keep your shutters closed, sprinkle shaved iron around the doors. However, in D&D, protection from chaos will generally help.

[Reynard]

^ In the same vein, salt and silver also fight off spirits, and iron is generally held to be proof against them, with magnetic iron being particularly good. Or, at least, in the original folklore.


Alternatively, and assuming 4e (Eladrin, after all), the Magic Circle ritual.

[Greenish]

Borrow the shoes of Death's Horse, Binky. I hear they keep the fair folk at bay rather nicely.

[Warpwolf16]

salt, iron, silver, wrought iron will do. If your worrying about redcaps go with moving water. They do not like moving water! They believe water spirits will get them and drag them below to drown.

[ClockworkKnight]

Salt
cold iron
wrought iron
Silver
Iron horse shoes hung above doors
A loaf of bread with blood in it
cover up or get rid of mirrors
Don't answer the door at night
Don't let strangers in after sun down

[OldTrees]

Spilled jar of X for them to count
Riddle game till dawn

[Yukitsu]

Spilled jar of X for them to count
Riddle game till dawn

That's vampires.

[ClockworkKnight]

Scattering rice, grains of wheat, salt or other very small objects over the porch to hold off some fey and in some campaign worlds, young vampires that would have a hard tome fighting off the compulsion to stop and count all the grains of rice\salt\tacks\ect.

With Knockers (Home Brew) you simply don't let them in no matter what but the more advanced version, the Tommy Knocker, can freely enter buildings by finding an opening big enough to squeeze into and terrorize the occupants.

[ericgrau]

What defences would be in place that a humanoid would be able to pass but a fey would not?
Shiny baubles to fascinate them long enough until you employ a second tactic.

Or cold iron horseshoes hung on the door are the traditional defense.

[Mikeavelli]

Leave warm milk and honey outside, and none of this other nonsense.

It won't force them out, but might make them like you, which is somewhat better.

[ClockworkKnight]

wont work on more foul tempered and just out right mean fey like the Nakkna Rakhna. They raid kitchens and take what ever they want, woe be it to any one who tries to thwart their invasion.

There is at least one tell of a farmer that put chains and locks on all his cabinets and stood in a night long vigil in the kitchen. In the morning, he found in the bed of his two children empty except for a handful of bloody napkins and a pair of forks.