Appropriate vulnerability for Fey?

msherman · May 14, 2009

I'm creating a Fey monster with regeneration for my game. What's an appropriate vulnerability to give a fey to turn off the regeneration?

LostSoul · May 14, 2009

Cold iron or silver.

"Cold iron" is just iron. I wouldn't let steel work. Something like an iron spike improvised into a weapon would be cool.

AbdulAlhazred · May 14, 2009

Interesting question. It could be fire and/or acid of course, but maybe you'd rather make it a bit more interesting....

Necrotic might be kind of fun and sort of makes sense for a Fey I suppose. Not too many PCs bother to have a way to deal necrotic damage, so it could create a pretty decent problem for them. hehe. Radiant seems a bit too easy. Any of the other types would work though. Most parties can manage to deal out at least some nominal amount of lightning, thunder, cold, etc. even at lower levels.

Ryujin · May 14, 2009

I agree with Lost Soul regarding "cauld iron", as it was referred to in the old stories. It would give reason for all the black iron weapons of the goblins and orcs.

fba827 · May 14, 2009

as mentioned above, legends with fey do mention cold iron as a weakness for fey creatures.

in 4e there isn't weapon material type so that would be something difficult to track.

What if you expanded it to be "weapon damage" (and if you want to get really specific, "except quarterstaff and club" as the chances of those being made of metal is slim, though not impossible).

So it actually gives a reason to have untyped weapon damage (since all other creatures who do have a vulnerability have it for some specific damage type - so melee basic attacks and martial PCs get to shine)

(okay, not the greatest idea, but it's an idea

)

LostSoul · May 14, 2009

There is precedent: Lycanthropes in the MM have their regen stop working if they're hit with a silvered weapon.

edit: You don't need to make a rule about any more "damage types". Is the weapon silver or not? Then it negates regen. Simple. The same thing goes with normal weapons (made from steel). Steel is not cold iron so it doesn't negate the regen.

Ryujin · May 14, 2009

If you want to supplement the idea of cold iron, then also saying that enchantment makes the weapon more compatible with the Fey metabolism would make things interesting. Sure your +3 sword hits better, but your regular dagger does +10 damage. Which do you use?

chronoplasm · May 14, 2009

I'm going to be the odd-man-out here and suggest poison.
Why?
Because poison needs some love.
Tons of monsters are immune to it, but almost nothing is weak against it.

msherman · May 14, 2009

Ryujin said:
If you want to supplement the idea of cold iron, then also saying that enchantment makes the weapon more compatible with the Fey metabolism would make things interesting. Sure your +3 sword hits better, but your regular dagger does +10 damage. Which do you use?

Ooh, I like that. So "cold iron" is any kind of non-magical metal weapon. Magic weapons, non-magical wood weapons, and claws etc don't work.

Of course, the Cold Iron Weapon enchantment from AV is the exception that proves the rule.

Ryujin · May 14, 2009

msherman said:
Ooh, I like that. So "cold iron" is any kind of non-magical metal weapon. Magic weapons, non-magical wood weapons, and claws etc don't work.

Of course, the Cold Iron Weapon enchantment from AV is the exception that proves the rule.

As Christianity rose The Fey were more and more seen as little more than demons, rather than creatures from The Other Side. Perhaps arcane magic is in their blood, but divine magic is anathema?