Acorn of Far Travel and Dryads

[Gromnar]

Hi Enworld!

I've got a question about the Acorn of Far Travel spell. I'm aware of its abuse potential as per this thread.

One of the PC's in the campaign I'm running has the Nymph Kissed feat, and I've been wondering how to introduce their fey lover without them becoming a central aspect to the game. Essentially, I'd like them (or the dryad itself) to be able to appear randomly over a long distance and then disappear again. This is not supposed to have combat use (but I suppose it could be used that way) and I'm wondering exactly how I can get the dryad to the PC.

After reading the spell and the thread, the acorn would essentially be good for one use, if the dryad cast the spell and gave it to the PC, and only for a few days. I'm not sure how it could be in effect longer, unless one uses the thread's suggestion of making a permanent acorn of far travel magic item.

Might anyone have suggestions, using this spell or something else?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Grogg of the North]

Ignore the spell entirely.

Maybe your fey lover arrived because she traveled through the planes. Does the fey wild or some other wilderness plane overlap with the prime at all? Is she an accomplished mage in her own right? Maybe the power of friendship/love is all that it takes. Maybe she's been living in the hood of the PC's cloak all this time? (They do check your clothing for fairy dust right?) Maybe every new moon they're allowed to leave their groves and wander the world. Maybe she shows up late at night to visit her lover and "maintain their relationship". Maybe she's tied to one of his items and can appear whenever.

You're the DM. She can show up at your whim. Tacking a spell onto it kinda ruins the mystery of it all.

 

[Dozen]

You're the DM. She can show up at your whim. Tacking a spell onto it kinda ruins the mystery of it all.

Yeah, if the player's new. If he isn't, he'll just call out on the DM for cheating. Magical travel in a world stuffed with magic is not 'Mysterious'; it happens dayly. And what if one of the players would like to figure out how she does it? Give them no answer? These sort of personally induced sidequests pop up all the time.

Why a Dryad though? There are other kinds of Fey around the globe, most of which are not tied to a tree each for all eternity. Was it the player's choice?

 

[Gromnar]

The player is certainly open to ideas. They'd like a female fey of some type that meets the feats requirements - a good aligned fey. A Petal came to mind, but they are certainly too small and that seems...weird.

As the DM, I'd like a fey creature that generally won't impact the story too much; I don't want them to simply call the fey to start fighting in a battle or go and always pick a lock. I'd also like there to be some plauisable way for the fey to come and go.

 

[Gromnar]

After going through some sources, I found a Vila from Dragon 290. The description in the magazine indicates they are fey battle maidens, aiding chosen warriors. They sometimes fall in love with the warrior, but they seldom stay. In their "off time" they dance with their sisters in secluded glades. They can polymorph into a wolf, horse or hawk.

The character that is using the Nymph Kissed feat is a Celebrant of Sharess. They are somewhat warriors (their description says "Celebrants of Sharess are seducers and warriors, hedonists and pious champions of good.")

This fey might work, if I adjust the animal form to a cat. What do you guys think? Or should she stick with the dryad or something common like a pixie?

 

[Dozen]

We are looking for a Medium Fey race with good travelling capabilities then. What about a gloura? They have wings and can cast bard spells; she wouldn't have a hard time following the party from a safe distance. Glouras also hate fighting, which would be a good excuse as to why she doesn't actively help the party. They are a little creepy, but cute compared to what you'd expect from moth people. A girl with a Cha score of 17 is a nice party, bug eyes be damned.

I have already mentioned satyrs regarding this exact same feat. If your player can get over hairy legs, why not? Satyr women are the exact opposite of satyr guys: shy, cute, withrawn... b'aawww. They don't have fancy moves, but I guess they can... run fast? That has to count for something.

Then there are the killoren. This choice might be the most convenient. Whack some druid levels at her and she'll be justified to show up just about anywhere, and even if she helps on the occassion, the last thing she is going to ask for is share of the loot. On the bad side, their hippy shtick can be disturbing, if your player doesn't like that.

A vila is as good a choice as any, IMO. Though they supposed to travel along with the warriors, not behind them except when they are in the mood for some. And cats? Come on, I know Sharess is all about that sort of thing, but cats? I can take a cliché if it's the base of the character, but I wouldn't retcon rules merely for irony. They obviously turn into beasts of war to be of assistance, not to fullfill a weirdness quota.

 

[Gromnar]

After talking again with the player, one of the reasons they wanted a dryad is because apparently Sharess displays her favor through dryads at times (go figure). I'll look into your suggestions though, thank you!