Whimsical Fey?

[Palanan]

What fey creatures would be best suited for a more whimsical encounter?

I’ve been hitting my PCs with some darker fey here lately, including the lamp blighter, which managed to really disturb my players, not to mention take a total of three eyes from the party.

So, I’d like a lighter fey encounter to balance that out. I’m open to all official Paizo content, but with a strong preference for fey that are less cruel and more amusing, exasperating, or just plain odd.

[stack]

Kingmaker uses grigs, sprites, brownies, and fairy dragons in that role.

Not sure what level critters you are looking for; my impression of more powerful fey is that they tend to get less silly. Nymphs and satyrs could work?

[Kurald Galain]

Pookas and Satyrs.

Also, see if you can borrow a Changeling: The Dreaming sourcebook, and read a few pages on their description of pookas and satyrs.

Also, although not technically fey, Faerie Dragons.

[Palanan]

Is there a way to search the monster listings by type on Archives of Nethys?

I can see the overall monster list, and I can see the description of the fey type, but can't see how to filter the monsters by type.

[stack]

I didn't see the option in the monster list for PF1, though PF2 has it built in. Maybe in the search options? The pfsrd has a good list of creatures by type.

[vasilidor]

please note that whimsical does not, in any case, mean harmless. whimsical is a behavior type, prone to flights of fancy, being arbitrary, sometimes prone to song or dance. so any fey could be whimsical and it may just vary by degrees.

[Albions_Angel]

I use petals for this. Its kinda a set piece. I know you said pathfinder but Petals are easy to port over (they are in MMIII if you are interested).

Party settles down for lunch, or wanders into a grove, or whatever. A group of petals flies overhead, laughing, dancing, calling out to them. Start with lullaby, and follow up instantly with all of them singing their sleep song. You want enough petals to pretty much ensure that one or 2 party members go down, but not all of them (unless the party is super unlucky).

Then the petals swarm down and start stealing things. Coins from coin pouches, amulets, anything shiny.

At this point, you should be in initiative and the still standing party members should be itching to stab something. But wait, the petals havnt actually attacked anyone.

Should the party attack the petals, then retaliate. Play them super smart, keep them out of range, give them poisoned bows and arrows. Feel free to roll up a homebrew petal swarm too.

But the goal isnt actually combat. The goal is to get your party members to do something clever. Scare them off. Befriend them. Toss coins into the air to turn it into a game until they get bored and go away.

Basically, its a trixy fay encounter that is not much of a combat threat, but that provides a different kind of encounter if they engage with it. You can even have it so that they lead the party to some other friendly fey if they are befriended. Or they lead the party to a nasty fey if attacked.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

3.5's Fey Feature (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fey/20031121a) might have some options. Sleeping Blossom Sprites are similar to the Petals mentioned above. Stormriders are less whimsical and more aloof and mysterious, but could still make for a nice break from disturbing fey (and of course you can always refluff them as whimsical as you want, since nobody knows much about them anyway, not even other fey). Forestfolk could also work.

[vasilidor]

it should be noted that alignment may affect how one is whimsical. evil faeries are likely to torture/murder when bored. good and neutral may break into song. I can imagine a group of evil faeries using running humans as part of a target practice game of sorts.

[Pugwampy]

Gee I dunno , let's see ,hmmm , how about

...........Pugwampy,s

[Albions_Angel]

it should be noted that alignment may affect how one is whimsical. evil faeries are likely to torture/murder when bored. good and neutral may break into song. I can imagine a group of evil faeries using running humans as part of a target practice game of sorts.

Thats what evil and good MORTALS do. Fey might do that. Or they might not. They simply dont understand morality like we do (at least, thats the way most of them are written). Which is half the fun. They are impulsive (chaotic) and totally off the scale when it comes to good and evil (despite what their alignment says).

I love playing around with that. The "good" fey in my worlds regularly kidnap children who wander into the woods, and charm them to dance and laugh and no need food or sleep... forever. Adventurers wandering through the court of my Summer Lady will find rooms full of emaciated dancing children, fear in their eyes and a grin stretched across their faces. Horrific? Absolutely. Evil? Not from the fey's point of view. The children are kept alive and free from harm and the are doing fun things. Is ensuring children have that not the definition of good?

Of course, thats an extreme, homebrew example, but plenty of good fey will steal, cheat, lie, all for personal pleasure as written in their entries, just as soon as they will mend shoes or sing to people. They are immortal beings who exist to experience emotion. We cannot comprehend them on the same axis as we ourselves are on.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Albions_Angel
Adventurers wandering through the court of my Summer Lady will find rooms full of emaciated dancing children, fear in their eyes and a grin stretched across their faces.

That is decidedly unsettling.

Do you have any other examples along these lines?

[Angrith]

Honestly, i would treat is as something like Tolkien's wood elves in Fellowship. Have your party stumble across some good fey, who offer food and song to the party. Roleplay a fun social encounter then give the party some temporary morale bonuses as they deal with the conveniently nearby dungeon.

[stack]

Honestly, i would treat is as something like Tolkien's wood elves in Fellowship. Have your party stumble across some good fey, who offer food and song to the party. Roleplay a fun social encounter then give the party some temporary morale bonuses as they deal with the conveniently nearby dungeon.

Tolkien's elves got rather upset when some bumbling adventurers kept interrupting their dinner party, as I recall. Took them prisoner and questioned them.

[Angrith]

Tolkien's elves got rather upset when some bumbling adventurers kept interrupting their dinner party, as I recall. Took them prisoner and questioned them.

In the Hobbit, true. There are cases with Bilbo and Frodo both though near the Shire where they just party.