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View Full Version : 1001 fairy tale style encounters and monsters!



Dr paradox
2011-08-08, 02:55 AM
This has a bit of ulterioir motive, I must confess. In my D&D game, there's a valley that has a notoriously thin connection between the "Real" world, and the realm of the fey. as such, a lot of strange things go on there, and strage creatures arise. I'm looking for possible things to add in, as the roots of existing legend in the capaign world, and the seeds for new ones spread by the party Bard when they encounter them.

I'll kick things off!

1. The party comes across a crude sign carved into a tree, reading "Beware The Heligans!!!!" next to the sign is a muskrat skull. eventually, they hear the sounds of running feet, and into view come sprinting the Heligans, a tribe of Lost Boy style children, always on the move with innefective weapons, just running for the sake of it. if they see the party, they'll try to get them into their big, canibal style cooking pot before losing interest. Logically, they shouldn't even be able to survive out here.

2. The party finds the abandoned remains of a library of some sort, infested with strange hunched over goblinoids with unusually long arms. as near as they can tell, the creatures eat books, and when they do, they learn everything inside them. the leader is he who has eaten the most, and as such is wisest, in a hodgepodge sort of way.

NikitaDarkstar
2011-08-08, 07:28 AM
Depending on tech level you could always add gremlins, they're statted up and ready to go in d20 Modern - Menace Manual, complete with fluff.

Random merry faeries out riding their corgis and accidentally wandered a bit to far. Or just a corgi or two with faerie saddles and such but without riders that come running. They could also work as a plot hook that the party needs to return them to the faeries/find the faeries they belong to. (The myth about the origins of the welsh corgi's states that they were the mounts of the faeries and a human shepard got a couple of puppies as gifts after his kids helped the fairy queen that had gotten into trouble. Pretty cool myth really.)

Serpentine
2011-08-08, 07:34 AM
I still like my idea for a giant advanced Mimic that looks like a tall tower with a cascade of golden hair (/tongue) trailing from its gaping window (/mouth)...

Totally Guy
2011-08-08, 02:28 PM
I got the players to assemble a gingerbread cottage when their characters met a witch whose house had been damaged by a gingerbread loving ogre.

Dr paradox
2011-08-08, 06:17 PM
7. A pack of house-hunter mimics who have developed a symbiosis with a group of humans, providing them food and shelter in exchange for the humans providing the mobile hamlet with the appearance of a real town. The pack moves from outskirt to outskirt, bit by bit moving in and eating the townsfolk until the town is either abandoned or the natives start attacking.

(and as A side note, I'd prefer something that's not a parody of an existing fairy tale. more like some vaguely threatening, kind of cool Grimm fairy tales.)

Acanous
2011-08-08, 10:21 PM
Hmm... Well, not ripping off any faerie tale in specific, the party could stumble across a talking animal caught in a hunter's trap.
There's three fun solutions for this:

1: the trap is, in itself, a fae trap for adventurers. They're waiting in ambush, and the animal is a magical trap covered by an illusion (Maybe Deep Slumber?) The fae themselves are slavers, and would abduct anyone foolhardy enough to approach an obviously magical animal.

2: The animal is a polymorphed fae creature, and would grant a boon to anyone who aids it, or subsequently curse anyone who tried taking advantage of it.

3: The animal is an awakened animal, the hunter is a Troll Hunter, and it's a round away when the animal is released.

4: The animal is Baba Yaga. The party is getting cursed no matter what they do.

Niek
2011-08-08, 10:28 PM
12. The party is forcibly invited to take part in a fairy celebration, where the hosts expect impeccable manners but fails to explain exactly what their standards and customs actually are.

rayne_dragon
2011-08-08, 11:06 PM
The party is attacked by a dire wolf with a tattered red cape in its mouth.

An unscupulous merchant offers to sell the party a magical cloak of white feathers that will allow the character to fly (by turning into a swan) for an extremely low price... later a flock of swan maidens show up looking for their sister's stolen cloak....

The party comes across a saddled horse wandering around riderless. It's an impressive specimen as well as both tame and friendly. When a character tries to ride the horse the saddle sticks to the rider and it rapidly become ferociously ill-tempered, running into a nearby lake where it transforms into a strangling mass of seaweed and tries to drown the would-be rider.

A talking frog confronts the party claiming to be a beautiful prince/princess who will be restored to his/her true form if kissed. The twist here is that they're an ogre prince/princess.

The party, travelling across an inhospitable swampy area, come across a small, but comfortable looking hut. The hut is occupied by a hideous old woman who will agree to let the characters stay if they help her out with some chores such as chopping firewood or mucking out her goat's pen. When the characters go to do the chores they find that the firewood is so hard it breaks the axe or that no matter how much manure they shovel out of the goat's pen there's always more....

GoblinArchmage
2011-08-09, 01:12 AM
18. The party encounters a strange mounted human who claims to be a legendary figure. If the PCs bring up the fact that this particular character died centuries ago, the man dismisses this as nonsence and claims that the events of a particular legend involving this character (which he still claims to be) happened just last week. Should the man dismount his horse, he rapidly ages until his body disintegrates, which takes no more than ten seconds.

Sleepy Shade
2011-08-09, 02:05 AM
19. On a cliff over looking a ocean strange creatures that look like white seals have created a colony. They are not aggressive and mostly eat fish.The creatures whenever they hear music sigh in contentment releasing a harmless fog cloud. The cloud is so thick that nobody can see through the cloud and are highly likely to fall off the cliff face. Fae have discovered these creatures so they play music to lure lost travelers over the cliff face and to keep the cloud creatures sighing. The fae then loot the travelers corpse and dispose of the bodies.

20. A convenient road side Inn is offering free meals with any room rental. The food is spiced with shrinking and growth potions. When the unfortunate traveler goes to bed that night the owner an insane Human decides whether to stretch shrunken people until they fit the bed or chop off body parts of the now tall people. The bed are enchanted to hold down and restrain any character that comes in contact with them. Any person that perfectly fits the bed he tries to make his slave.

Hope it helps:smallsmile:

Gnaeus
2011-08-09, 10:00 AM
4: The animal is Baba Yaga. The party is getting cursed no matter what they do.

Baba Yaga, as I recall, was often sympathetic to those who were very polite to her. This could be an object lesson in courtesy towards NPCs. :smallbiggrin:

Calmar
2011-08-09, 07:13 PM
Baba Yaga, as I recall, was often sympathetic to those who were very polite to her. This could be an object lesson in courtesy towards NPCs. :smallbiggrin:

I agree, (assuming the classic Russian fairy-tale movies depict her correctly,) she often aids the heroine or hero against the villains and generally rewards good behaviour. :smallsmile:

Dr.Epic
2011-08-09, 07:43 PM
3 bears! 3 bears!

Acanous
2011-08-09, 08:42 PM
I agree, (assuming the classic Russian fairy-tale movies depict her correctly,) she often aids the heroine or hero against the villains and generally rewards good behaviour. :smallsmile:

She HAS been known to curse people who offered her food or shelter, though. Lady's got whimsy.

Pokonic
2011-08-09, 10:18 PM
Ah, nothing would be more epic than being captured by a bunch of powerful Unseele fey, ready to kill them, before they show the sign that old women showed them a few encounters ago to ward off fey and they all run off screaming " Baba Yaga please dont kill us!" .:smallbiggrin:

Now, to add to the list

21. They are split between two paths in the forest. One is rather overgrown, while the other is well-kept and clean. If the party goes into the overgrown path, they will find it rough but safe. If they take the well kept path they will hear a little voice wisper in there ear saying " You shouldnt have done that."

22. The party finds a large hole in which is a rough, unkept home with large piles of shoes everywhere, ranging from small booties to adult sized boots. Only when the homes owner arives do they relize the danger they are in: a legendary half-fey ogre named Griselgrind that has terroised the outling communitys for generations and is far out of the PCs abilitys to deal with.

23. The players and a minor NPC stumble apon what seems to be a party in the middle of the woods. The hosts usher the players to eat,drink,and be merry. After the players eat and drink the party ranger relises that the food is making them drowsy, and ushers the PCs to come with him back to the inn they where staying in. The NPC stays, and tells the PCs that he will meet up with them tomorow. After resting and digesting there meal, the PCs come back to where the party was. They would find rotten meat, maggoty bread, blood in glasses, whats left of a human child cut into chunks and a apple in its mouth much like the fantastic pig they had last night, and the whole wet skin of there NPC companion, completly hollow and with out a bit of meat in him.

Acanous
2011-08-09, 11:51 PM
people really seem to like the Baba Yaga idea XD I'm surprised she doesn't see more play in sessions, really. Being a folk character, I'm pretty sure nobody owns the rights to her. Therin, no setting can claim her, and she can be used anywhere from Eberron to Ravenloft (Oh man, that would be EPIC)

Archpaladin Zousha
2011-08-10, 12:12 AM
She shows up in Pathfinder. She singlehandedly conquered a kingdom and then installed her daughter witches to rule it while she went off and had all sorts of crazy extraplanar adventures.

Jay R
2011-08-10, 02:57 PM
1. Deep in the forest, upon a rock, a beautiful young maiden lies motionless.

(She is neither dead nor a princess. She is taking a nap, and her jealous woodcutter boyfriend is nearby.)

2. A small goblin is seen alone, crying inconsolably. It is nearly impossible to get him to speak, and even then, it will be unconnected phrases in between sobs. "A failure!" "Outcast from the tribe!" After much slow work, it might be possible to piece together the problem - his tribe doesn't think he's worth anything as a warrior, so his job is decoy - getting travelers to drop their guard while the rest of the tribes prepares to attack.

3. A leprechaun is seen, with an over-sized pouch. He is quick, nimble and slippery, and no attempts to capture him will succeed, but he seems almost in range at all times. But nothing works, because he isn't real - he's an illusion, recast continually, by the intelligent flowers. PCs must make a saving throw against Charm every five rounds spent near the flowers (pollen). If a PC fails the roll, he just wants to sit and smell the flowers. After an hour, he will fall asleep. The flowers are carnivorous.

4. An ordinary-looking child comes up to them and says, "What fairy tale are you from? And what's the point of all these stories coming to life?" He will continue trying to identify the story the PCs came from, and will not believe that they are travelers like himself. That's because he isn't - he's a wizard who decided that the safest way through a land of make-believe is to look like a child.

Dr paradox
2011-08-10, 07:23 PM
nice ideas. just a note, Jay R, it's not that the fairy tales have come to life, it's that people's experiences in the valley end up becoming stories that they tell other people. Also, love the goblin idea. and the sleeping woman idea.

28. In the dead of night, one of the characters catches a hobgoblin trying to rob them, but he's slippery as an eel and manages to evade capture, climbing up a tree. once the party tries talking to him, they find his name is Puck, and he indignantly claims to be a consort of the king of the fairies (He's not, he just uses that story to intimidate supersticious travellers. He is, however, Shakespeare's puck, and he'll mention running into some bard a few weeks ago, named Will or somesuch.)

Pokonic
2011-08-10, 09:32 PM
29. While the charecters are traviling through a Greek-themed country, they see a strange sight: two archfey inexpicably away from the local middle ages themed continent bickering over relationship issues. Expect confused players wondering why they are there. If they are asked why they are even there ,the male will mumble about owing a Bard something.

Dr paradox
2011-08-10, 09:55 PM
30. The players run into a treacherous series of chasms and cliffs, cloaked in fog, and there's a non-negligible chance that if they were to try navigating it, one or more of them could fall. However, on the outskirts, they meet a talking crow, who offers to guide them through the treacherous area in exchange for some food. Unfortunately for the party, the crow is trying to trick them into falling off the cliffs so that his flock can feast on their remains. if the party looks like it's going to make it all the way through, then the crow will call down it's murder to swarm the party, trying to push it off the edges or peck out their eyes.

Yukitsu
2011-08-10, 10:04 PM
31: Well, I lead a rather macabre character who would not be out of place in a fairy tale. She as a pale, black haired young girl dressed in black lace that went through the forests at night, followed by a band of silent, bloodied puppets. She would visit houses of cruel parents at night, and by morning they would be dead. You could see snatches of her through the woods or streets at night, with a glowing ball of light about her before she would look at you and disappear.

Jay R
2011-08-11, 04:30 PM
32. They meet a dark and stormy knight....

Calmar
2011-08-12, 08:53 AM
32. They meet a dark and stormy knight....

.... a headless, undead rider who haunts the road through a deep forest and only appears during horrible thunderstorms, attacking and slaying travellers. :smallwink:

Balain
2011-08-13, 01:52 AM
I still like my idea for a giant advanced Mimic that looks like a tall tower with a cascade of golden hair (/tongue) trailing from its gaping window (/mouth)...

I so love this lol

Doorhandle
2011-08-14, 07:29 AM
ALL of these ideas are great. It's like the brothers Grimm traveled through time to write encounters for D&D.

While I know you're not supposed to crib off modern fairy-tales in this thread, I think there should be some sort of dire wolf with a breath weapon that blows the protagonists away.

crazywolf
2011-08-26, 07:14 PM
As the party travels through a dense part of a forrest they hear child- like singing not far from them. If they follow it they find large mushrooms and as they get closer they find more and more mushrooms. when they find the source they are spotted and ambushed by a coloney of blue skinned goblins dressed in white hoods. the goblins are also lead by a shaman wearing a red robe and hood with a beard. :smallbiggrin:

randomhero00
2011-08-26, 07:28 PM
So are we talking current fairytales or REAL fairlytales?

lerg2
2011-08-26, 09:28 PM
As the party travels through a dense part of a forrest they hear child- like singing not far from them. If they follow it they find large mushrooms and as they get closer they find more and more mushrooms. when they find the source they are spotted and ambushed by a coloney of blue skinned goblins dressed in white hoods. the goblins are also lead by a shaman wearing a red robe and hood with a beard. :smallbiggrin:

Is their song composed of a single word, repeated endlessly? Is there a pathetic lvl 1 wizard who bothers them? Is there a ogre infestation in the woods? Sounds oddly familiar.........

Aside from that, I have a book of Grimm's and I found a good tale that fits right in with D&D.
A rare species of animal thats claws are valuable is in a tree, by a thicket. The PCs see it and identify it, but no matter how hard they try, they can't catch/kill it. A traveller walks by with a crossbow and a fiddle, and asks if they want help. Regardless, he shoots it, and it falls into the thicket. He then tells them to get it if they want it so much, but as they try to get it, he gets out the fiddle and begins to play (masterwork fiddle of Otto's irresistable dance) They can't resist it and they dance until they all become exhausted, upon which the trickster makes his getaway.

unosarta
2011-08-26, 11:09 PM
ALL of these ideas are great. It's like the brothers Grimm traveled through time to write encounters for D&D.

While I know you're not supposed to crib off modern fairy-tales in this thread, I think there should be some sort of dire wolf with a breath weapon that blows the protagonists away.

Sonic cone? I bet there's a feat for that.

hamishspence
2011-08-29, 04:35 AM
She shows up in Pathfinder. She singlehandedly conquered a kingdom and then installed her daughter witches to rule it while she went off and had all sorts of crazy extraplanar adventures.

In Greyhawk, the Witch Queen Iggwilv is hinted to be her adoptive daughter.

drakir_nosslin
2011-08-30, 02:28 PM
Not sure what number we're on, but here's a suggestion.

The party stumbles upon a dead baby within a mushroom ring. The baby cannot be removed, it seems stuck to the ground and if anyone steps inside the ring the become stuck as well. Str check or escape artist to get free.
When the party leaves the place they are followed by the faint sound of a baby screaming for hours after.