Fey Invasion

[Dr. Cliché]

I'm toying with some ideas for a campaign with Fey creatures as the main villains.

A key point, though, is that I don't want to just transport the PCs to the Feywilds. Insofar as possible, I'd like the majority of the campaign to take place on the material plane. Ideally, I'd quite like to have Fey creatures invade the material plane in some manner, bringing strange denizens with them and twisting local creatures and people to their cause.

The thing is, whilst I've had some ideas, I'm not very familiar with Fey lore or creatures in D&D, so I'm hoping to get some help with a few things:

1) Can anyone suggest some reasons for a significant Fey incursion into the material plane? I was wondering if they could be working to resurrect a defeated Fey Lord, or something along those lines. But I'm open to any other ideas.

2) I've seen occasional references to 'Shadow Fey', which piqued my interest, but I've struggled to find much information on them. Does anyone know much about them and, if so, whether they'd be suitable for this sort of thing?

3) How do Fey courts and alliances usually work? I ask because the Fey seem pretty diverse but I'm not sure whether that diversity would be represented in the same court. Ideally, I'd like to have my villains be something of a menagerie of different Fey species, rather than all of them being dryads or all of them being elves or any such. Would that sort of alliance be reasonable in terms of Fey lore?

4) Any ideas for Fey villains/monsters? Also, if anyone remembers interesting Fey (or Fey-ish) creatures from past editions that didn't make it into 5e I'd appreciate being told anyway as I might try and convert some of them.

5) Any other suggestions - either in terms of reading material or just other ideas - are more than welcome.

[Nagog]

If you're looking for Shadow Fey, I can only assume you mean the Unseelie. So in the OG canon (not D&D), the Seelie and Unseelie fey are neither good nor evil, rather representative of different aspects of life. The Seelie court are often seen as representative of life and growth, and are typically as chaotic as you can be when you're magically compelled to tell the truth and keep your word. Imagine Trickster Lawyers if you will. Unseelie are similarly bound to their word, but are typically more transparent with their desires, as they personify death and decay. In D&D, there are simply good and evil fey, from the Feywild and Shadowfell respectively.

As for reasons to have Fey invading the Material Plane, in a campaign I'm in the Feywild is spilling into the Material Plane due to a planar tremor that occurred towards the end of a previous campaign. It's created an interesting dynamic in that the Feywild is actively growing and invading the material plane without any action on anybody's part. It's caused some alarm to nearby nations, and those at the edge who may defend their land by cutting, burning, or otherwise fighting it's expansion are met with the Fey's ire. Perhaps something similar happens for this campaign, but the Fey are somehow responsible for the expansion?

[Speely]

Sort of off-topic aside: You should call it the "Infeysion."

[Chaosmancer]

When I run the Fey, I typically start from the idea of "The Three Laws"


Do not speak that which is not true.
Always return kindness, and ill-will in kind, but never leave a debt unpaid.
Honor the Laws of Hospitality.


I also generally use "fairy tale" or "storybook" logic when working with them.

So, an invasion could have a few different reasons, depending on the tone you want. For example, you could have had some king say something like "I invite you and your court to join us on this happy occasion." It would be rude to refuse, so the entire Summer Court (which is like half of all fey depending on your lore) shows up in this kingdom. Or, maybe an insult was given and they are seeking revenge on the one who insulted the Queen. I like the idea of finding a dead lord. Maybe this is an occurrence that happens every so often, and the Fey head out to seek this Grave, which changes locations. Some to pay honor, some to try and bring the individual back, others to desecrate or prevent.

I think the more child-like the logic is of the initial reason, the better it will be.


I think Shadow Fey were a 4e thing? Fey who came from the Shadowfell. Or maybe a 3,5 thing with the Shadow Weave? I honestly don't know.


For Villains, Hags are big. So are Giants, Ogres, and maybe even Trolls. Whatever shows up in fairy tales generally. Goblins were original a type of fey. But Hags and anything "natural". Centaurs, swamp monsters, shapeshifters.

If you decide to use the Eladrin from Mordenkainen's watch out for the fact that the Winter Eladrin is full of typos (only explanation for them being so pathetic comparably) but they are a good Fey enemy.

If you want to go outside of combat though, you'll probably have to homebrew "puzzle encounters" A figure like Puck is really memorable to encounter, but not the type you can stab to death. But, you can beat him by winning a contest or presenting him with a horseshoe made of ivy. Something off the wall, but that makes internal sense. Riddle games almost never work at the table, but if you can get some puzzle encounters it feels very fey-esque.


As for the Courts and Alliances. It is hard to say. The Lore in DnD is all vague. Generally you have the Summer Court, who are all generally "nice" they will grant you a gift of shoes that help your dream of dancing come true, but you might never be able to stop dancing. They don't understand human limits generally, but they aren't trying to hurt you. They are ruled by Titania. Sometimes she has her consort Oberon the Green Lord, sometimes he is also connected with the Wild Hunt. But, specifics start getting fuzzy.

The second court is the Winter Court. These are the evil fey. They are the fey that drink blood and cause suffering because they enjoy hurting things. Not all Winter fey are like this, some are simply "cold" but they are far more malicious than the Summer. They are ruled by The Queen of Air and Darkness (Mab, though I've never understood why DnD couldn't use her name) and they are generally opposed to the Summer Court.

Sometimes the opposition is more Cold War style, sometimes it is more bloody war style, sometimes they are just like the seasons, just not happening at the same time. It depends on who is telling the story.

I also tend to have "wild fey" who are not part of either court, which is sometimes a third court just because of course it would be.

Oh, and importantly for ally's. Fey LOVE mortals, generally via tricking us, enslaving us, or just possessing us, but mortals tend to fascinate Fey. So if you have a fey noble, they might have mortals as retainers, so you can make a lot of fun NPCs who serve the fey but are not fey themselves.

[JoeJ]

I think Shadow Fey were a 4e thing? Fey who came from the Shadowfell. Or maybe a 3,5 thing with the Shadow Weave? I honestly don't know.

Shadow fey come from the Midgard campaign setting (by Kobold Press).

[DMJosh]

I don't know if it's a helpful idea, but I read your post and can't get out of my head the idea of a mid-campaign plot twist.

It looks like an invasion of the material plane, but at some point the PCs realize that their reason for "invading" is actually just self-preservation. They're refugees, fleeing something horrendous that is invading the Feywild, and the only way to stop the fey from overrunning the material plane is to help them solve the crisis in their homeland.

Perhaps more helpful...
Believe it or not, most of the faerie lore that I look to was printed in Rifts: Conversion Book One. Bogies, brownies, leprechauns, nymphs, pucks, spriggans, sprites, toadstools... plus fairie mounds, fairie rings, fairie circles, a dozen or so magical faerie foods, and more. A lot is recognizable, but different enough to keep your players on their toes. There's probably more in a Palladium Fantasy supplement somewhere, but I only played Rifts, so I don't know exactly which book.

[Alexwellace]

Fey have little reason to actively 'invade' the material plane, because the prime movers of the Fey are the Archfey who already have their own realms they can shape how they like. They don't need territory, and they don't need materials. So you'll need to come up with something else that's driving this InFeysion.

So here I can think of a few reasons. 1) Fun, or rather...sport. The Wilde Hunt is a Fey/Celtic/Pagan idea that on certain nights of the year, Fey spirits ride through the air making sport of mortals, chasing them like dogs and hunting them down. I've done this for a few groups, since it's quite nice to throw the full 'nastiness' of the Fey out in this case. They are merciless and cruel, even normally gentle Fey are swept up in it, like an infectious magic. Are your players predators, or prey? Will they fight the Wild Hunt, Join it, or simply survive it?

2) An ArchFey wants something. Either on a whim, on a long forgotten tradition, or they are actively seeking an artifact of power. Something to remember about Fey is that their logic is completely alien to a human brain. Perhaps an ancient king promised his bloodline to an Archfey in exchange for help to conquor the kingdom. But the Archfey forgot about the promise. Until now, thousands of years later, 1/4 of the population of a Kingdom are somehow related to that King, and the Archfey has came to claim his debt. I have played a campaign where the Fey have been trying to invade a wizard city for thousands of years, but the wizards always beat them back, until us (the characters) where tricked into taking down the wizards power source. This power source turned out to be a trapped ArchFey, who then began enacted vengence on the kingdom for their slavery.

3) Just things to think about. The Summer and Winter Court are always in opposition to each other. If the Unseelie Fey are making a move to invade the material plane, unless something strange has happened, the Summer Court will have agents in play to prevent it. If the Summer Court Fey are trying to uncover a powerful artifact, Winter Court agents will be working against it. <-- A great buy in for your characters, is for the opposing Fey faction to be aiding/manipulating them into working against the invaders.

[Chaosmancer]

Shadow fey come from the Midgard campaign setting (by Kobold Press).

Oh duh, I forgot about that. I saw them while reading the Book of Beasts.



So here I can think of a few reasons. 1) Fun, or rather...sport. The Wilde Hunt is a Fey/Celtic/Pagan idea that on certain nights of the year, Fey spirits ride through the air making sport of mortals, chasing them like dogs and hunting them down. I've done this for a few groups, since it's quite nice to throw the full 'nastiness' of the Fey out in this case. They are merciless and cruel, even normally gentle Fey are swept up in it, like an infectious magic. Are your players predators, or prey? Will they fight the Wild Hunt, Join it, or simply survive it?

Oh, a Wild Hunt lasting for an extended period. Like a Grand Hunt, once a millenium the Fey have a Hunt that lasts one year.

Another thing to remember is that nothing is stable in the Feywild. Time, casuality, it all shifts and is a bit fluid. Since a mortal entering the Faerie might exit in the past or future, it is important to remember that the Fey's sense of time is warped. They could be leaving now, because a King from 500 years ago will insult them next month. The flow is strange and warped, and can be an interesting challenge if the entire campaign is focused on the Fey.

Personally, I normally hate altering time like that for the players, because then allies and NPCs the players were interacting with are going to be swept off the board, but if everything is a bit topsy-turvy, then it can add some fun.

Like, an NPC who calls you all their hero, because you saved their life in an adventure none of you remember, but you left a token with them that is undeniably true (ie, don't use this to plant a traitor who is trying to trick the party)

[Magicspook]

I support the idea of a wild hunt blasting its way through the countryside. Realease the yeth hounds/blink dogs!

[MrStabby]

They Fey have come to steal summer.

They have come to steal youth.

They have come to take laughter.



Finding something a bit strange and alien but in an odd way a bit relatable is, to me, the key thing with Fey.


I think the best source for me on Fey, that really exemplifies the feeling I want is not D&D but the novel Lords and Ladies, it captures this feeling well whilst also working in a lot of folklore in a neat way.

[Brookshw]

Shadow fey come from the Midgard campaign setting (by Kobold Press).

Not sure that's exclusive, but since you brought up KP I'll mention that the Tome of Beasts has tons of new and interesting fey creatures in it, including many of the shadow/evil variety. I highly recommend it for a fey heavy campaign. It also includes a number of fey lords & courts and info on their politics.

[Dr. Cliché]

Thanks for all the replies so far, guys. You've given me a great deal to work with.



As for reasons to have Fey invading the Material Plane, in a campaign I'm in the Feywild is spilling into the Material Plane due to a planar tremor that occurred towards the end of a previous campaign. It's created an interesting dynamic in that the Feywild is actively growing and invading the material plane without any action on anybody's part. It's caused some alarm to nearby nations, and those at the edge who may defend their land by cutting, burning, or otherwise fighting it's expansion are met with the Fey's ire. Perhaps something similar happens for this campaign, but the Fey are somehow responsible for the expansion?

Ooh, that's an interesting idea.



Sort of off-topic aside: You should call it the "Infeysion."

xD



When I run the Fey, I typically start from the idea of "The Three Laws"


Do not speak that which is not true.
Always return kindness, and ill-will in kind, but never leave a debt unpaid.
Honor the Laws of Hospitality.



Ah, those are good. I think I'll pin them to the top of my campaign notes.


I also generally use "fairy tale" or "storybook" logic when working with them.

So, an invasion could have a few different reasons, depending on the tone you want. For example, you could have had some king say something like "I invite you and your court to join us on this happy occasion." It would be rude to refuse, so the entire Summer Court (which is like half of all fey depending on your lore) shows up in this kingdom. Or, maybe an insult was given and they are seeking revenge on the one who insulted the Queen. I like the idea of finding a dead lord. Maybe this is an occurrence that happens every so often, and the Fey head out to seek this Grave, which changes locations. Some to pay honor, some to try and bring the individual back, others to desecrate or prevent.

I think the more child-like the logic is of the initial reason, the better it will be.

Heh, I love the first idea - with a king accidentally inviting half of all Fey into his kingdom.



For Villains, Hags are big. So are Giants, Ogres, and maybe even Trolls. Whatever shows up in fairy tales generally. Goblins were original a type of fey. But Hags and anything "natural". Centaurs, swamp monsters, shapeshifters.

Shapeshifters are always fun. I can't remember if it's represented in D&D lore but I know in old myths Changelings were what happened when the Fey stole a human child and left one of their own behind. I was also wondering about including some Fey-ish shapeshifters from older editions. Wolfweres come to mind.

If I was to include Goblins, do you think I should just use them as-is, or should I try to tweak them to make them more Fey-like somehow?



If you want to go outside of combat though, you'll probably have to homebrew "puzzle encounters" A figure like Puck is really memorable to encounter, but not the type you can stab to death. But, you can beat him by winning a contest or presenting him with a horseshoe made of ivy. Something off the wall, but that makes internal sense. Riddle games almost never work at the table, but if you can get some puzzle encounters it feels very fey-esque.

Ah, that's also a very good point. Yeah, it could be fun to have at least some foes who have to be defeated by beating them at games or other such, rather than in physical combat.




As for the Courts and Alliances. It is hard to say. The Lore in DnD is all vague. Generally you have the Summer Court, who are all generally "nice" they will grant you a gift of shoes that help your dream of dancing come true, but you might never be able to stop dancing. They don't understand human limits generally, but they aren't trying to hurt you. They are ruled by Titania. Sometimes she has her consort Oberon the Green Lord, sometimes he is also connected with the Wild Hunt. But, specifics start getting fuzzy.

The second court is the Winter Court. These are the evil fey. They are the fey that drink blood and cause suffering because they enjoy hurting things. Not all Winter fey are like this, some are simply "cold" but they are far more malicious than the Summer. They are ruled by The Queen of Air and Darkness (Mab, though I've never understood why DnD couldn't use her name) and they are generally opposed to the Summer Court.

Sometimes the opposition is more Cold War style, sometimes it is more bloody war style, sometimes they are just like the seasons, just not happening at the same time. It depends on who is telling the story.

I also tend to have "wild fey" who are not part of either court, which is sometimes a third court just because of course it would be.

Hmm, sounds like the Winter Court is what I'm looking for. Though I'll definitely keep the idea of 'wild Fey' in mind, too.

Out of interest, regarding the Summer and Winter Courts, is it possible for one Court to somehow 'win' and become dominant? Or am I being too human in my thinking? :smallwink:



Oh, and importantly for ally's. Fey LOVE mortals, generally via tricking us, enslaving us, or just possessing us, but mortals tend to fascinate Fey. So if you have a fey noble, they might have mortals as retainers, so you can make a lot of fun NPCs who serve the fey but are not fey themselves.

Oh, that's an excellent idea. Thank you very much.

Incidentally, it reminds me of a Dragon in BG2 who refers to his 'pet wizard'. I like the idea of Fey having that sort of attitude to their human followers.




Perhaps more helpful...
Believe it or not, most of the faerie lore that I look to was printed in Rifts: Conversion Book One.

Hmm, I'll have to see if I can find that book. Cheers.



Fey have little reason to actively 'invade' the material plane, because the prime movers of the Fey are the Archfey who already have their own realms they can shape how they like. They don't need territory, and they don't need materials. So you'll need to come up with something else that's driving this InFeysion.

So here I can think of a few reasons. 1) Fun, or rather...sport. The Wilde Hunt is a Fey/Celtic/Pagan idea that on certain nights of the year, Fey spirits ride through the air making sport of mortals, chasing them like dogs and hunting them down. I've done this for a few groups, since it's quite nice to throw the full 'nastiness' of the Fey out in this case. They are merciless and cruel, even normally gentle Fey are swept up in it, like an infectious magic. Are your players predators, or prey? Will they fight the Wild Hunt, Join it, or simply survive it?

Ooh, a Wilde Hunt could be fun.



2) An ArchFey wants something. Either on a whim, on a long forgotten tradition, or they are actively seeking an artifact of power. Something to remember about Fey is that their logic is completely alien to a human brain. Perhaps an ancient king promised his bloodline to an Archfey in exchange for help to conquor the kingdom. But the Archfey forgot about the promise. Until now, thousands of years later, 1/4 of the population of a Kingdom are somehow related to that King, and the Archfey has came to claim his debt. I have played a campaign where the Fey have been trying to invade a wizard city for thousands of years, but the wizards always beat them back, until us (the characters) where tricked into taking down the wizards power source. This power source turned out to be a trapped ArchFey, who then began enacted vengence on the kingdom for their slavery.

Heh. Yeah, this is the sort of logic I'll need to get to grips with for playing Fey. :smallbiggrin:



3) Just things to think about. The Summer and Winter Court are always in opposition to each other. If the Unseelie Fey are making a move to invade the material plane, unless something strange has happened, the Summer Court will have agents in play to prevent it. If the Summer Court Fey are trying to uncover a powerful artifact, Winter Court agents will be working against it. <-- A great buy in for your characters, is for the opposing Fey faction to be aiding/manipulating them into working against the invaders.

Ah, that's useful to bear in mind. Thanks.




Oh, a Wild Hunt lasting for an extended period. Like a Grand Hunt, once a millenium the Fey have a Hunt that lasts one year.

So long as I can work it into a full campaign, a protracted Wilde Hunt seems like it could be a lot of fun.

As a question, what might the PCs have to do to try and bring the Wilde Hunt to an early end?



Another thing to remember is that nothing is stable in the Feywild. Time, casuality, it all shifts and is a bit fluid. Since a mortal entering the Faerie might exit in the past or future, it is important to remember that the Fey's sense of time is warped. They could be leaving now, because a King from 500 years ago will insult them next month. The flow is strange and warped, and can be an interesting challenge if the entire campaign is focused on the Fey.

Personally, I normally hate altering time like that for the players, because then allies and NPCs the players were interacting with are going to be swept off the board, but if everything is a bit topsy-turvy, then it can add some fun.

Like, an NPC who calls you all their hero, because you saved their life in an adventure none of you remember, but you left a token with them that is undeniably true (ie, don't use this to plant a traitor who is trying to trick the party)

Yeah, I try to avoid time-manipulation wherever possible. Still, something to keep in mind as it could affect denizens/NPCs (e.g. a human thought long dead could be still alive in the Feywild, having been there only a few years from his perspective).



They Fey have come to steal summer.

They have come to steal youth.

They have come to take laughter.



Finding something a bit strange and alien but in an odd way a bit relatable is, to me, the key thing with Fey.


I think the best source for me on Fey, that really exemplifies the feeling I want is not D&D but the novel Lords and Ladies, it captures this feeling well whilst also working in a lot of folklore in a neat way.

Well, I can hardly turn down an excuse to reread a Pratchett book. xD


Phew, thanks again for all your help so far, everyone. You've already given me some fantastic ideas and inspiration. :smallsmile:

[Chaosmancer]

If I was to include Goblins, do you think I should just use them as-is, or should I try to tweak them to make them more Fey-like somehow?

When I decided to upgrade goblins, all I did was boost their mental stats and not make them cowardly. Other than that, maybe giving them slightly better armor and maxing hp if you want to make them truly the stuff of nightmares.

Because, especially when dealing with human, Goblins can see in the dark while you can't. Goblins can shoot you with arrows then disappear into the shadows. You charge them, and they slip away from you cackling as their friends continue to shoot you.

Cunning Action is a powerful tool with their +6 stealth, and in a place like a warehouse that is full of nooks and crannies a small figure can hide in? Devastating for a party, and adding the dialogue makes them fey.



Hmm, sounds like the Winter Court is what I'm looking for. Though I'll definitely keep the idea of 'wild Fey' in mind, too.

Out of interest, regarding the Summer and Winter Courts, is it possible for one Court to somehow 'win' and become dominant? Or am I being too human in my thinking? :smallwink:

Hmmm, I would say it is possible, in the same way it is possible for eternal winter and the death of summer in the real-world. It would take a fundamental shift in the multiverse or feywild itself that grants one side tremendous power over the other, where the decline is simply inevitable. I can't imagine it, but I also can't deny it could happen.




So long as I can work it into a full campaign, a protracted Wilde Hunt seems like it could be a lot of fun.

As a question, what might the PCs have to do to try and bring the Wilde Hunt to an early end?

Two thoughts come to mind.

1) Hunter becomes the Hunted. If the players were able to get the Hunt to act as prey instead of predators the magic of the Hunt will be broken and they will flee back to the Feywild.

2) The Hunt ends when the Stag Horn of Gaeleli is blown. It is in the possession of a high-ranking Fey. Players acquire the horn, or convince the Fey to blow it, and the Hunt ends. Of course, there is probably a trick to blowing the horn as well.

[Monster Manuel]

Hmmm, I would say it is possible, in the same way it is possible for eternal winter and the death of summer in the real-world. It would take a fundamental shift in the multiverse or feywild itself that grants one side tremendous power over the other, where the decline is simply inevitable. I can't imagine it, but I also can't deny it could happen.


Mythologically speaking, it's the sort of thing that should never happen; one exists to balance out the other. If one court was to find a way to "win" over the other, though? It certainly could go a long way to explaining why the fey are suddenly invading the material plane...

[jjordan]

In one of my settings the Fey are colonists/conquerors. They lost a political struggle and, rather than integrating back into society, have chosen to move to new lands, invading the prime material plane.

[Dr. Cliché]

When I decided to upgrade goblins, all I did was boost their mental stats and not make them cowardly. Other than that, maybe giving them slightly better armor and maxing hp if you want to make them truly the stuff of nightmares.

Because, especially when dealing with human, Goblins can see in the dark while you can't. Goblins can shoot you with arrows then disappear into the shadows. You charge them, and they slip away from you cackling as their friends continue to shoot you.

Cunning Action is a powerful tool with their +6 stealth, and in a place like a warehouse that is full of nooks and crannies a small figure can hide in? Devastating for a party, and adding the dialogue makes them fey.

You make a good point. :smallbiggrin:

Could be fun to have goblins be seen as more dangerous/scary, rather than just being throwaway mooks.

That brings me to another point, actually - how structured would a Fey army be? Would it actually be organised to take advantage of the strengths of all the different Fey creatures, or would it be a lot more chaotic with lots of mini-factions, each with their own goals and methods?



Hmmm, I would say it is possible, in the same way it is possible for eternal winter and the death of summer in the real-world. It would take a fundamental shift in the multiverse or feywild itself that grants one side tremendous power over the other, where the decline is simply inevitable. I can't imagine it, but I also can't deny it could happen.

Fair enough. I asked because it made me think of the Blood War, albeit on a smaller scale.



Two thoughts come to mind.

1) Hunter becomes the Hunted. If the players were able to get the Hunt to act as prey instead of predators the magic of the Hunt will be broken and they will flee back to the Feywild.

2) The Hunt ends when the Stag Horn of Gaeleli is blown. It is in the possession of a high-ranking Fey. Players acquire the horn, or convince the Fey to blow it, and the Hunt ends. Of course, there is probably a trick to blowing the horn as well.

Ah, interesting. Okay, thanks.



Mythologically speaking, it's the sort of thing that should never happen; one exists to balance out the other. If one court was to find a way to "win" over the other, though? It certainly could go a long way to explaining why the fey are suddenly invading the material plane...

Yeah, it didn't seem like the sort of conflict that would realistically end. I was just curious as to whether it theoretically could or whether, if that ever happened, the winners would just split into two diametrically-opposed factions again.

[xroads]

If you listen to podcasts, you might want to check out "The Dungeoncast." They did a good job explaining both the feywild & shadowfell realms.

[Finback]

Others have suggested a displacement - maybe something far worse is pushing them out of their lands - or more precisely, consuming their lands (which gets around the idea of the Arch Fey being able to expand their realms at their whim - something is preventing it, or actively working against them). This sets up longer term goals if the campaign is working, where there's a bigger threat.

On a short-scale, you have PCs having to deal with both friendly-fey who are trying to fit in (perhaps badly) and are seen as the Enemy by the natives of the region, leading to political/peacekeeping scenarios, and also hostile fey who don't really care about living in peace, and just want to take over.

Additionally, the Arch Fey can alter environments to fit (I believe), similar to lairs.. so what happens if the Queen of Winter moves into a lush, warm region? Is there a region where it used to be quite plain, simple farmland, and within a few days, a huge forest has erupted within it?

as to more creatures, Kobold Press has Tome of Beasts and Creature Codex, which have many to use.

[Chaosmancer]

You make a good point. :smallbiggrin:

Could be fun to have goblins be seen as more dangerous/scary, rather than just being throwaway mooks.

That brings me to another point, actually - how structured would a Fey army be? Would it actually be organised to take advantage of the strengths of all the different Fey creatures, or would it be a lot more chaotic with lots of mini-factions, each with their own goals and methods?

I would say as structured as you want it to be.

The Court imagery of Ladies and Knights lends itself to proper armies, and there is precedent in stories for a Fey-esque entity like the Queen of Hearts or others to have armies of faceless minions (card soldiers, statue soldiers, ect).

Alternatively, you could have an "army" that is a bunch of dryads, Treants, and summoned animals/elementals charging across a battlefield. Each individual is a powerful and dangerous enough threat that they aren't going to work together especially well. They might do some small group tactics, but large formations is against their nature.

On the thought of armies, potential to remember are the Quicklings from Volo's guide. Twice as fast as a horse and four times faster than a person, they can cover miles on foot in only a few hours (officially humans can travel 3 miles per hour, quicklings would be able to do 12 by this metric). This means word can spread much faster if you are trying to coordinate an army

[Ninja_Prawn]

4) Any ideas for Fey villains/monsters? Also, if anyone remembers interesting Fey (or Fey-ish) creatures from past editions that didn't make it into 5e I'd appreciate being told anyway as I might try and convert some of them.

5) Any other suggestions - either in terms of reading material or just other ideas - are more than welcome.

Just on these two points: we have a book (https://store.magehandpress.com/products/fey-folio) that you might be interested in. It's got some ideas about how to characterise fey courts and stat blocks for tasloi, which we've basically rebranded as Feywild goblins. In terms of free content, I've published quite a few fey monsters on my tumblr (https://nailsofvecna.tumblr.com/tagged/fey) that you're welcome to use. Several of them are in the mid-high CR range and would make decent boss monsters. I'm also in the process of writing up stats for some archfey (non-canon ones obviously, for copyright reasons): the first three are here (https://mfov.magehandpress.com/2019/06/the-rose-court-into-wilds.html).

[Chaosmancer]

Just on these two points: we have a book (https://store.magehandpress.com/products/fey-folio) that you might be interested in. It's got some ideas about how to characterise fey courts and stat blocks for tasloi, which we've basically rebranded as Feywild goblins. In terms of free content, I've published quite a few fey monsters on my tumblr (https://nailsofvecna.tumblr.com/tagged/fey) that you're welcome to use. Several of them are in the mid-high CR range and would make decent boss monsters. I'm also in the process of writing up stats from some archfey (non-canon ones obviously, for copyright reasons): the first three are here (https://mfov.magehandpress.com/2019/06/the-rose-court-into-wilds.html).

Yoinking links for my own interest in Fey stuff

[Dr. Cliché]

So, I've been thinking about the various suggestions and one idea I've had is that a human has interfered with the Fey world and has upset the balance. My thought is that an ageing emperor sought to use magic to extend his lifespan and restore his failing strength. To that end, he stole something of great importance to the Fey (not sure what exactly - whether his mages somehow captured the soul of a powerful Fey Lord/Lady or something else both important and vital to such). Whatever the case, he succeeded in making himself nigh-immortal (at least for as long as he possesses the stolen item), but his theft has now led to an ever-growing Fey incursion into his realm. Naturally, the emperor has no intention of returning what he stole, so instead his men have been instructed to hire hunters to deal with the Fey invaders, which is where the PCs come in...

Obviously a lot of details to work out but I'd be open to any thoughts or suggestions on this potential plotline (don't be afraid to tell me if it's rubbish :smallwink:).





Just on these two points: we have a book (https://store.magehandpress.com/products/fey-folio) that you might be interested in. It's got some ideas about how to characterise fey courts and stat blocks for tasloi, which we've basically rebranded as Feywild goblins. In terms of free content, I've published quite a few fey monsters on my tumblr (https://nailsofvecna.tumblr.com/tagged/fey) that you're welcome to use. Several of them are in the mid-high CR range and would make decent boss monsters. I'm also in the process of writing up stats from some archfey (non-canon ones obviously, for copyright reasons): the first three are here (https://mfov.magehandpress.com/2019/06/the-rose-court-into-wilds.html).

Ah, those are some useful resources. Thank you very much.

[Finback]

Obviously a lot of details to work out but I'd be open to any thoughts or suggestions on this potential plotline

You may want to take a look at the overarching story arc for the Kamigawa block of Magic: the Gathering, in which an emperor started a war with the spirit realm by stealing the "daughter" spirit of one of the most powerful deities as a means of extending his power and lifespan. In short, the spirit realm rose up as one, although not all were "conscious" entities (simply coming along for the ride) and throwing the entire world into a chaotic war.

(more on this here https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Kamigawa)

So perhaps a king has done the same, stolen the essence of one of the Arch Fey, leaving them powerless which a) causes them to retaliate and send their own troops into the mortal realm to recover it by any means b) causes an instability in the Feywild, where others seek to usurp that Arch Fey, meaning it's in THEIR vested interest to stop the other fey from recovering it - be that by causing their skirmishes to occur in the mortal realm or by actively seeking to claim the stolen essence themselves. It also allows you to have other non-involved fey coming through, as they're just incidental wanderers through whatever gateways exist to allow incursions.

As to what essence, perhaps the soul of the Summer King, as the king wants to create a realm with high crop yields and improve his own longevity and vitality - this would give the Winter Queen motivation to displace him and extend her icy grip over the Feywild.

[Dr. Cliché]

You may want to take a look at the overarching story arc for the Kamigawa block of Magic: the Gathering, in which an emperor started a war with the spirit realm by stealing the "daughter" spirit of one of the most powerful deities as a means of extending his power and lifespan. In short, the spirit realm rose up as one, although not all were "conscious" entities (simply coming along for the ride) and throwing the entire world into a chaotic war.

(more on this here https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Kamigawa)

Oh, interesting. I remember the Kamigawa set but I don't think I ever delved much into the actual story behind it.

I'll have to see if I can find it.




So perhaps a king has done the same, stolen the essence of one of the Arch Fey, leaving them powerless which a) causes them to retaliate and send their own troops into the mortal realm to recover it by any means b) causes an instability in the Feywild, where others seek to usurp that Arch Fey, meaning it's in THEIR vested interest to stop the other fey from recovering it - be that by causing their skirmishes to occur in the mortal realm or by actively seeking to claim the stolen essence themselves. It also allows you to have other non-involved fey coming through, as they're just incidental wanderers through whatever gateways exist to allow incursions.

As to what essence, perhaps the soul of the Summer King, as the king wants to create a realm with high crop yields and improve his own longevity and vitality - this would give the Winter Queen motivation to displace him and extend her icy grip over the Feywild.

Ooh, that's also interesting. I like the idea of the emperor not only wanting to extend his lifespan but also make his empire a land of perpetual summer.

Given that his act will tip the balance strongly in their favour, I wonder if the emperor should have some allies from the Winter Queen's court? They could have planted the seed for this idea in his head or they could have come after the fact to help protect him and ensure that any attempts to recover the stolen soul failed. Of course, they're still fey at heart and might well use their time in the materlal realm to have some fun with other, less-important mortals...

[Chaosmancer]

I like this idea.

If it was power, I don't think the Winter Court helped him steal it. Simply because if the Winter Court knew how to steal Summer's power they would have done so before now. I like the Kamigawa idea of them stealing a person, maybe a young princess?

I specify young, because Fey do not lie. But mortals do. Older Fey would be on guard against the honey sweet words of a master diplomat, or a cunning bard, but a young princess unschooled in dealing with mortals could be charmed and spirited away.

Now, when the players go to break the Emperor/King's power and start setting things right, it isn't a mcguffin they have to deal with, but a naive child who they can potentially reveal was tricked and lied to by a man she thought was her friend.

Of course, that could come with its own dangers. After all, if her power is strong enough to bring eternal summer and bring the King eternal youth, in her childish rage over being lied to, she might cause untold damage to the countryside. Plus, while it gets her to stop trusting her good friend, she now realizes mortals can lie, so why would she trust the party to do what they say they are going to do?

[Finback]

I like this idea.

If it was power, I don't think the Winter Court helped him steal it. Simply because if the Winter Court knew how to steal Summer's power they would have done so before now. I like the Kamigawa idea of them stealing a person, maybe a young princess?

I specify young, because Fey do not lie. But mortals do. Older Fey would be on guard against the honey sweet words of a master diplomat, or a cunning bard, but a young princess unschooled in dealing with mortals could be charmed and spirited away.

Dare I say it, could her name be Summer's Eve? Perhaps she's the embodiment of the summer solstice, and without her, there cannot be a turning of the seasons, which means summer never ends - which in turn upsets the Winter realms. Excellent point about being naive and misled - and what would happen when an embodiment of summer gets angry? On a locality basis, fires would start, weather would remain hot and dry which would fray tempers (leading to violent outbursts), crops would die eventually without a season of harvest or rebirth...

[Chaosmancer]

Dare I say it, could her name be Summer's Eve? Perhaps she's the embodiment of the summer solstice, and without her, there cannot be a turning of the seasons, which means summer never ends - which in turn upsets the Winter realms. Excellent point about being naive and misled - and what would happen when an embodiment of summer gets angry? On a locality basis, fires would start, weather would remain hot and dry which would fray tempers (leading to violent outbursts), crops would die eventually without a season of harvest or rebirth...

I was thinking more summer storms, which tend to be large and violent, but that is probably an locale thing.

[Dr. Cliché]

I like the idea of the emperor stealing the daughter of an Archfey, who is still powerful and has to be placated.

One thing I'm wondering - from a narrative perspective, might it actually be better if he stole the daughter of the Queen of Winter, rather than the daughter of the Lord of Summer?

This way, it would be the more evil Fey besieging the empire, initially lending more credence to the emperor's claims that the Fey are the evil aggressors.

What's more, it could also make the emperor's actions a little more justifiable. After all, surely an act that weakens the evil Fey can't be an evil one? Granted, it's brought about attacks by those Fey and the current winter seems to be lasting a little longer than normal, but that's all just temporary. Soon the empire's hunters will have dealt with the remaining leaders on the material plane. And once the Lord of Summer is is victorious within the Feywild, he's promised that the empire will know summer everlasting...

[Chaosmancer]

I like the idea of the emperor stealing the daughter of an Archfey, who is still powerful and has to be placated.

One thing I'm wondering - from a narrative perspective, might it actually be better if he stole the daughter of the Queen of Winter, rather than the daughter of the Lord of Summer?

This way, it would be the more evil Fey besieging the empire, initially lending more credence to the emperor's claims that the Fey are the evil aggressors.

What's more, it could also make the emperor's actions a little more justifiable. After all, surely an act that weakens the evil Fey can't be an evil one? Granted, it's brought about attacks by those Fey and the current winter seems to be lasting a little longer than normal, but that's all just temporary. Soon the empire's hunters will have dealt with the remaining leaders on the material plane. And once the Lord of Summer is is victorious within the Feywild, he's promised that the empire will know summer everlasting...


I like that, you just have to figure out how the power of the Daughter expresses itself in the kingdom. If he is using her power, that should show up somehow.

[redwizard007]

Some great thoughts already.

For fey. True fey, right out of the feywyld, you don't need a reason for them to do something. Their minds dont work like ours. Think of them as forces of nature. At least the big ones. Why does winter kill the plants and freeze the water? Why does the wind blow your hat off? Why does the darkness creep into every corner and only retreat when you bring a light? Just because it does. The drive to do these things is not something we can understand, so don't try. Now, lesser fey... they are more human. Their motivations will echo your own. They seek survival. Comfort. Prestige. Growth.

So why the invasion? I'd go with a change in the high court. The Lord of Light and Illusions has fallen I'll (or died, or been exiled, or imprisoned, or poisoned, etc.) Now the forces that naturally kept the Queen of Air and Darkness in check are gone and her power fills the vacuum. Its not intentional or malicious, but this has made life difficult for many minor fey. They flee as refugees, but are not without their own power. The power to displace or eradicate mortals on the prime material as they carve out new homes. That's round one. Round two is the fey still in the Feywyld. The fey that thrive in the cold, concealing shadows. To get to the root of the problem the PCs must face these dark dark redcaps and worse horrors. Fey that look surprisingly like aberrations from the far realms.

There's your campaign.
Act 1: monsters from the wild encroaching on civilization as they are displaced by refugees.
Act 2: deal with refugees fleeing the dark.
Act 3: invade the dark feywyld and seek the court.
Act 4: restore balance (not like Anakin)

[Temperjoke]

You know, for ideas you could look at MToF's description of what happens when a portal to the Abyss forms. According to him, it's like an infection, where demons trickle in and gradually escalates until a demon lord gets involved and invades the place. Maybe a crack to the Feywild opened, and creatures from the feywild have begun moving in, and the energies from the portal are twisting things.

Maybe a new Archfey wants to carve out a new territory for themself, and decides pulling a large chunk of the player's world into the Feywild is the most creative way to do it?

What if it seems like an invasion, but it's actually the return of a mortal human who fled to the Feywild in exile centuries ago from the player's perspective, made a bargain for an army to retake their home, and is only now returning due to the shenanigans that can happen when traveling to and from the Feywild?

[redwizard007]

You know, for ideas you could look at MToF's description of what happens when a portal to the Abyss forms. According to him, it's like an infection, where demons trickle in and gradually escalates until a demon lord gets involved and invades the place. Maybe a crack to the Feywild opened, and creatures from the feywild have begun moving in, and the energies from the portal are twisting things.

Maybe a new Archfey wants to carve out a new territory for themself, and decides pulling a large chunk of the player's world into the Feywild is the most creative way to do it?

What if it seems like an invasion, but it's actually the return of a mortal human who fled to the Feywild in exile centuries ago from the player's perspective, made a bargain for an army to retake their home, and is only now returning due to the shenanigans that can happen when traveling to and from the Feywild?

Please run a Roll20 campaign!

[Dr. Cliché]

The one thing that saddens me about this thread is that there are far more great ideas than I can hope to fit into a single campaign.

[Lord of Shadows]

The one thing that saddens me about this thread is that there are far more great ideas than I can hope to fit into a single campaign.

In our Universe, the Fey are divided into A Thousand Courts, fractured and broken, but there are a few Feycourts more powerful than the others. One of these is the Twilight Court, denizens of a forested land in continual twilight with occasional brightly lit clearings known as the Twilight Realm.

The Twilight Court is closely associated with the natural mortal functions of sleep and dream. It straddles the line between Reality and Fantasy, sleeping and waking, night and day, sun and moons. It blurs line between chaos and law, between good and evil. All that fascinates - and terrifies - the Fey is at its strangest here.

Though there are no true rulers of the Twilight Court, if any could be named it would be The Beast and Mother Whimsy.

The Beast is all dark desire and exquisite fear, stalking the horrific, most perilous locales of the Twilight Realm. He usually appears as a great shaggy, silver-furred creature, only vaguely mannish, as often upon all fours as bipedal, and bulging with muscle. His eyes are frighteningly large and depthless, like two bottomless pits. Those who peer within see their own primal lusts and will often destroy themselves trying to flee them.

Mother Whimsy, the Twilight Mother, sails the sky in a great tower upon the keel of the mighty Faerie galleon “Fancy.” She seems hardly more than a girl, eyes wide with rapturous fascination, though her other features change randomly. Tended by many, she gives frequent birth to daydreams, desire and other intangible things. Only when romantic desires fill her does she descend to the forest to find The Beast, allowing her to give birth to a Prince of Twilight. Of all the Fey of this Court, the Princes of Twilight are the most fearsome. As ruthless in battle as they are deceptive in speech, they are best avoided.

The Fey have a prophecy that a child would be born that would lead them back to their “rightful” place as Overlords of the Universe. Some Fey, and especially the Twilight Court, believe that this child has already been born, but was stolen by a Coven of Witches as an infant and was hidden away. Due to the strange way that Fey age, the infant will remain ageless as long as it is kept away from the Faerie Realm.

One day, the Twilight Court was contacted by a strange being who claimed to represent "the Others" and who offered help in locating their lost child. These Fey agreed to the assistance of "the Others" and a campaign was begun to seek and find their long lost Fey heir. Only a few of the Fey questioned who these "Others" were and what bargain was struck, and they were quickly silenced by the Twilight Court.

The world of mortals is doomed...

[Chaosmancer]

The one thing that saddens me about this thread is that there are far more great ideas than I can hope to fit into a single campaign.

Quoted for Truth


The one thing that saddens me about this thread is that there are far more great ideas than I can hope to fit into a single campaign.

Twice

[sabelo2000]

I love this topic! I've toyed with Fae for a long time, but only ran two adventures with them.

First: Enemies.
Fae are tricky. They don't need to have huge, skull-smashing monsters (although see the Tane from Pathfinder, i.e. the Jabberwocky, JubJub Bird, etc.) because they can make you disbelieve your own senses and stumble into deadly situations. A simple Grig with a couple levels of Sorcerer and/or Rogue can become a mortal enemy to PCs several levels above himself, if played right.

Second: Motivation.
What if this "invasion" is not malicious in nature? To further invoke Sir Terry Pratchett, check out Wintersmith, in which the spirit of Winter brings untold suffering and death to the land because he has a crush on a girl and he's trying to impress her! He just doesn't understand that mortals don't like miles-thick glaciers of ice and snow.

Alternately: Check out Simon R. Green's Nightside novels, which feature Unseelie fae later in the series. They mostly concern the return of Queene Mab, who was banished/dead for millenia and has now returned to reclaim her domains.

Also remember the Medieval superstition that the Faerie owed a tithe of souls to Hell periodically (who knows why.) Maybe one of the Faerie Lords has realized that it doesn't necessarily have to be a Faerie soul that is damned? Maybe this Lord has decided to set up a Mortal soul farm and quit condemning his own people.

[Chaosmancer]

.

Also remember the Medieval superstition that the Faerie owed a tithe of souls to Hell periodically (who knows why.) Maybe one of the Faerie Lords has realized that it doesn't necessarily have to be a Faerie soul that is damned? Maybe this Lord has decided to set up a Mortal soul farm and quit condemning his own people.

There were lots of different versions of "medieval thought" on the fey.

There was a line of belief about them being angels who did not choose a side in the war between Heaven and Hell.

Another that they were the secret children of Eve that were cursed to be hidden from her other children (read that a year or so ago, don't remember the details.)

[Kurt Kurageous]

They Fey have come to steal summer.

They have come to steal youth.

They have come to take laughter.


Does anyone remember laughter?



No? I'm too old for you, then.

For inspiration, the Dresden files novels (not the TV show) does excellent exposition on what is effectively the feywild.