Player Wanting To Play A Fairy

[Afgncaap5]

So, a friend's wife is wanting to play as a fairy (think Pixies) and he started off using the Monster Manual pixie as a guide, but he doesn't know how he feels about the -1 to Strength scores. He also said that there are some helpful guides in Volo's Guide To Monsters that use similar negatives, but he's hesitant. Which, you know, I totally get.

I'm less familiar with 5e than I am with 3.5 (where ability score negatives are all over the place) but it seemed to me like if Volo's Guide recommends something then its probably not a bad starting point. However, I also thought that I'd ask around here for a bit, see if anyone has some other thoughts.

[Xihirli]

Well, if you want some more inspiration there is a pixie race here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/djoe8axkkk8w5se/Fey%20Creatures%20Part%201.pdf?dl=0) (Ninja Prawn) and one here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?490657-5E-Pixie-Race&p=20868898#post20868898) (JNAProductions) that doesn't have a strength penalty.

[Ventruenox]

Why not just refluff an existing race, such as the Eladrin (Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes)? Aside from the complications that could result from PC size, it should be balanced for play and have enough thematic abilities. Be careful about granting flight from first level.

[JeffreyGator]

I definitely would strongly point toward Ninja Prawn's iteration of the pixie.

I'm not sure why someone should be objecting to a penalty to a dump stat? Other than not likely penalties in general.

Having gotten to play fey characters before and enjoyed it, I would want to find a way to encourage this while also being balanced.

Pixie Chainlock with a human familiar? :)


You could also look at musicus' homebrew-races (http://zappyman2.wixsite.com/musicushomebrew/homebrew-races)

[etrpgb]

I bought this cheap book for this cases: Monstrous Races (https://www.dmsguild.com/product/230312/Monstrous-Races) of Tyler Kamstra.
I am fairly happy with it as the author try to keep the same balance of vanilla races, but giving a strong flavor for each race.

[Afgncaap5]

Ooh... lots of good thoughts here, guys. Thanks!

[Segev]

I'll just toss this idea out there: You could try playing a fae-pact chainlock (on paper) and have the sprite familiar be both the patron and the "actual" PC.

That is, you play the familiar as the character, and the warlock as the "assisting" NPC-type. Mechanically sound, as you're only shifting the perspective of who "you" are in the game. There's still a warlock built by the rules associated with a familiar he can legally have.

Making the warlock a child or something would also explain the warlock being the sidelined one. Maybe the Urchin background, and the little fairy has adopted him, and is trying to keep him safe in a dangerous world. They adventure because it keeps being thrust upon the duo, with no home of their own. At least until they get so embroiled in it that it is just their livelihood and the young warlock is powerful enough that the world isn't QUITE so dangerous to him as it looks.

[MarkVIIIMarc]

-1 to strength is no big deal in this edition. I would happily trade -1 strength for flight if I had the chance as a player.

[Unoriginal]

You could also let him play the NPC statblock of a Fey.

It's not meant to be played like PC, but it should be a fun experience none the less.

[Segev]

Looking more deeply at a Fey Chainlock -> play the familiar build, you could fake it for the first two levels by having mage hand and eldritch blast as your Cantrips. The former is you, invisible, moving things about, and the latter is you, invisible, shooting your bow. Though admittedly, your bow does less damage by far. So maybe go for minor illusion, instead, so your warlock can have "you" speaking in "your" voice.

When your assistant reaches level 2, you can pick up Misty Visions to have "you" be visible as an illusion of a sprite while "you" talk via the audible portion of minor illusion. At third level, he finally pulls you fully into the world from the feywild via your Pact of the Chain you've given him.

[Afgncaap5]

I don't think the "play the familiar" thing'll really work for her. She's already planned on riding a dog as a mount, so there's kind of already a non-familiar pet in the mix.

Having said that, I might personally try playing it that way some day. It's a fun idea. :smallcool:

[Rebonack]

I actually did the 'play as the familiar' bit before with GOO Chainlock. The humanoid was an anchor that a small fragment of a Far Realm critter used to cement itself in reality.

It had a tentative grasp (At best) of how physical universes worked, so it was pretty funny and an absolute blast to RP.

More to the topic at hand, if you multiply the CR of a monster by 1.5 that gives you a pretty solid idea of what a monster's effective PC level is. So a CR 2 monster is roughly equivalent in power to a level 3 PC. Not exact, but a good place to start.