So... what do you do with fairies?

[pawsplay]

What do fairies, pixies and satyr's want anyway?

In D&D, satyrs are probably one of the more human-like fairy types, in my view. They basically like cheer and good times. However, they are CN, and they could give a damn about most humans one way or the other. They are likely to do whatever they please, and will manipulate humanoids to get what they want. They are likely to consider charming a woodcutter's wife and talking her into a tryst a good joke with nice fringe benefits. They manage to encompass much of what is good and bad about fey; wildness, freedom, callousness. They are short-sighted in that they are rustic creatures with little use for things beyond their daily concerns, but at the same time, are long-lived and shrug of adversity with ease, and can harbor grudges or retain gratitude for a long time, even if it doesn't enter their chaotic minds all that often.

Pixies, in D&D, are nice. Mischievous, yes. Uncivilized, judgmental, impulsive, definitely. But NG, and opposed to evil. They are full of compassion and mirth. What makes them interesting, I think, is that humans, who are often Neutral, would be seen as more evil creatures, and consequently, would be subject to pixie harassment or attack from time to time, depending on the offense. Pixies I see as earnest proponents of Good, with a bias toward good that favors the natural world, beauty, and pleasure. They aren't Chaotic, but at the same time, they're not beholden to human morality, either. Although they may be laughing sprites, I like to emphasize their role as tiny, magical warriors with a stern alignment. If they witness a PC, say, putting hirelings at risk for their own purposes, pixies might play a prank which deprives the PC of this equipment and further leads him into the very dangerous situation he was trying to avoid. However, in general, pixies are a helpful, if annoying folk. They might protect wounded PCs from monsters, help the lost, rescue children, and so forth.

Now, keep in mind, there are evil fey. And any nongood fey can acquire the Fiendish template.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Read up on the "Lost Colony" of Virginia. Now recreate that same scenario, with the explanation that the fey took the colony into Faerie, because, well, that was their hill.

Some of them survived (the ones stolen by the seelie fey), some of them not so much (the ones stolen by the unseelie). All of them need rescue.

 

[Storyteller01]

The Complete Guide to Fey (Goodman Games) has an interesting take on fairies. They believe in the idea that a single being dreams everything up. If this being forgets them they cease to be. If they get others to remember them, they're more likely to remain in the dreams of this Ultimate Being.


This is an extremely simplified explaination of the book, but it might help.

 

[woodelf]

I have a druid who is immune to "nature's lure", and a bard who needs to do some counter -songing. I'd like to have some sort of encounter with a fey who uses music to enchant the party, but I don't know WHY the fey would do that.

What do fairies, pixies and satyr's want anyway? As far as I can tell, if they get their hands on some adventurers, they'll make them cavort and frolic with them. With just about any other creature I can figure out some need that pushes the beast into interacting with a party (creature needs food, needs habitat, is competing for something, needs the party to do something for it etc.), but since fairies and what not spend their whole lives dancing in faerie rings or having tea parties or whatever, they don't seem to have any real needs that would make them DO anything.

Is there any way to make these creatures interesting?

Traditionally, the fae need one or both of two things from humanity: creativity, entertainment. Fae are usually looking to mortals for entertainment--it's like the best live TV, except it's literally live. Or, frequently, court intrigue and duels and stuff with live playing pieces. Depending on the version, faeries may also need mortals for creativity. They are often depicted as incapable of creation, in the inspirational sense--they may have phenomenal powers to create things, but don't know what to create without mortal inspiration. Beings that live forever and have no mortal needs (don't actually need food or sleep) get bored. And, in the case of faeries, can't entertain themselves, except by imitation. They live out others' fantasies because they have none of their own.

Of course, to what degree that applies to D&D faeries, most of whom are decidedly mortal, is hard to say.

 

[Banshee16]

I have a druid who is immune to "nature's lure", and a bard who needs to do some counter -songing. I'd like to have some sort of encounter with a fey who uses music to enchant the party, but I don't know WHY the fey would do that.

What do fairies, pixies and satyr's want anyway? As far as I can tell, if they get their hands on some adventurers, they'll make them cavort and frolic with them. With just about any other creature I can figure out some need that pushes the beast into interacting with a party (creature needs food, needs habitat, is competing for something, needs the party to do something for it etc.), but since fairies and what not spend their whole lives dancing in faerie rings or having tea parties or whatever, they don't seem to have any real needs that would make them DO anything.

Is there any way to make these creatures interesting?

Some, like satyrs, might want to charm females in the group into amorous encounters. Others, like pixies, might simply want to play pranks. Some of the higher-ranked ones like Sidhe or Feeorin might want to take the PCs to the plane of Faerie, and involve them in intrigues in the court of faerie.

All kinds of stuff you can do with them...

Banshee

 

[Aus_Snow]

The Complete Guide to Fey (Goodman Games) has an interesting take on fairies.

Yep. And if you're looking for books on the fey for d20 fantasy, here's a list:

Complete Guide to the Fey (Goodman Games)
Faeries (Bastion Press)
Celtic Age: The Little People (Avalanche Press)
Encyclopedia Divine: Fey Magic -- Dreaming the Reverie (Mongoose Publishing)
The Iconic Bestiary: Classic Fey (Lion's Den Press)


Any others?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

What tradition, other than Changeling: The Dreaming, says that the fey are interested in mortals' creativity?

 

[pawsplay]

What tradition, other than Changeling: The Dreaming, says that the fey are interested in mortals' creativity?

It's actually an element of many folk tales, the fey creatures love and imitate human songs, but are incapable of producing something original of value. One story pits a human fiddler against a sprite on a dare, and the human wins by playing with spirit against the dextrous and skilled, but heartless, fey. The story has been adapted in many ways, notably, Devil Went Down to Georgia.

 

[Aus_Snow]

It's actually an element of many folk tales, the fey creatures love and imitate human songs, but are incapable of producing something original of value.

Yes.

In fact, it seems to be common to many mythological beings. . . and others. Whether it's demons, 'the Devil', angels, faeries, aliens or a number of other fantastical folk, creativity (presumably courtesy of 'the human soul' -- allegedly a unique thing) appears to be lacking in anything that isn't um. . . human.

Arrogant much?


edit --- and @ me: oblivious much? I didn't even see the "Devil went down to Georgia" section of the post I snipped a quote from, before launching into more or less the same thing. Doh.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Ministrels and bards could sometimes pass peacefully through faerie lands by fascinating the faerie with their music (and it doesn't always have to be the "Stick-and-Bucket Dance" ). On the other hand, sometimes faeries abducted these people so that they could be entertained by them.