General RPG DiscussionDiscussion of all RPGs and non-system-specific topics. DM/GM/player issues, settings, etc. Rules discussion belongs in one the forums below.
Also check out the works of Brian Froud, although they do relate more to the boggart-y, pexyish, mischievous side of fae than the more aloof and mysterious elements. They are great to drop in though!
Brian Froud is an artist, by the way. He has drawn hundreds of faeries of all kinds.
Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, of course.
Just keep in mind while you are reading/watching it that, in the original production, Shakespeare's faeries were almost certainly double-cast with the same actors who played the burly carpenters. Shakespearian faeries are closer to bugbears and trolls than pixies.
You know. Just for those of us who don't have the buckets of time, or want something a little sooner...
I think that it might be useful if we started a project on fleshing out the Feywild, or brainstorming pulling in information from all these sources + D&Dfying it.
If we're including artwork, Stephanie Law's stuff is absolutely exquisite.
__________________ Psionics are too sci-fi, not like the traditional method of spell casting that has existed only in D&D, involves research, laboratory work, and formulas, and was cribbed directly from a series of science fiction novels. I mean, come on, calling forth the power to alter the world from your own center of will? That's not magical in the slightest! Not at all like my wizard's spell "Telepathy!"
Another resource on fairies is the Arcana Wiki entry on them. Granted, it's not very long yet - but hey, you could add your own information to it!
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Originally Posted by Fallen Seraph
While they aren't novels the Changeling: The Lost books have amazing fluff in it for the Fey and Feywild (Arcadia in Changeling).
If we are talking game supplements, there's also the Fair Folk from Exalted to consider. They are rather scary - they see the whole of existence as a story with them as the protagonists, and others are only as important as their parts in their story. In their native realm, they actually shape the environment to suit their stories, and thus there is nothing of true permanence there.
I recommend getting the Wyld sourcebook for Exalted, as well as the upcoming "Graceful Wicked Masques.
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I really liked Faery Tale too, very nice dark faerie mood.
Another roleplaying book is Faeries (Revised) for Ars Magica. It isn't ArM's best book, and doesn't give much D&D stats, but is roleplaying-oriented and presents an interesting take on faeriland and the nature of faeries based on real-world faerie tales and flavor. I especially liked the Laws presented there - things like "What's Mine is Mine; What's Yours is Mine Too"... (The book is for Fourth Edition; a Fifth Edition book will come out soonish, and I expcet it to be great - but it ain't out yet.)
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GURPS Faeries has an extensive amount of information on Faerie myths of all sorts, from the possible origin of faeries, to nearly every type of fae, to the interactions between Fae and Mortals.
Sure, there's GURPS stats, but you can ignore them and focus on the fluff, or use them for guidelines to determine D&D stats...
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I know a lot of people don't seem to like them (although they are some of my favorites), but George Lucas' and Chris Claremonts' Chronicles of the Shadow War Trilogy (the sequels to Willow) did a good job of showing how other races and people might view the Fey Realms. Most people in Willows world aren't even aware these realms exist, but those that do are usually scared of them, even going as far as seeing any creature from any realm as some kind of demon or evil spirit. Willows' spells (or Thorns', as he is renamed by Sorsha) in the books could even be good ideas for envisioning the magic of the Shadowfell. They seem to be very dark and always have a price for using them.
Although Elves or Eladrin like creatures aren't specifically mentioned or described, it's implied that they exist in these other Realms (and I think they do appear a bit in the first book, during Elora Danans birthday). However, the books are replete with Faery like creatures (especially Brownies).
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Lords and Ladies is excellent, as is Jonathan Strange. Gaiman's work is very very good, especially Stardust.
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