How to Make the Fey Less Twee

I debated whether to post this here or in the general forum, but since it's addressing the specific portrayal of fey in D&D, I figured I'd put it here.

I'd like to run a fey-themed adventure sometime, but I have players who regard anything lighter than Lord of the Rings as "kid stuff." (And even LOTR probably only gets a pass because of its dense vocabulary.) They're not going to enjoy a game full of trickster woodland sprites, even if the tricks are petty and vicious.

How can I make the fey into something they'd actually respect? Either as adversaries or as allies.

Fey are powerful, irresponsible, and unaccountable. Most common folk should be and would be terrified of them.

What level are your PCs? Tahsas Laughter and Otto's dance seem really goofy until you're the one laughing and dancing. And who knows what horrors the fey keep in check?

I’d go back to the folklore roots of the fey, before the Victorians made them so Twee. Give them Redcaps and Changelings. Trap them in the Feywild for eating and drinking the food at a Fey-hosted party.

Were I looking for literary inspiration, I’d go with Holly Black’s works, or the classic Froud/Alan Lee work, “Faeries.”

Ath-kethin said:

What level are your PCs?

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None, yet. I'm just in the basic "thinking about it" stage.

And who knows what horrors the fey keep in check?

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Like, for example--?

Ralif Redhammer said:

Give them Redcaps and Changelings.

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I thought about that, but even Redcaps and Changelings seem ... petty, somehow. Small-scale. Is there a way to make fey dignified, something that would make your first reaction not be to crack a joke about them?

Trap them in the Feywild for eating and drinking the food at a Fey-hosted party.

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Would be nice if I could pull that off, but I fear my players are too genre-savvy. Also, I'm afraid they'll hear that, think "Fairy tale, kid stuff!" and check out.

Like @Ralif Redhammer said, if you go back to actual mythology Fey are creepy as heck.

Some quick cut and pastes.

In Scottish stories, the Sluagh was composed of fairies who were thought to be the souls of evil people and those who died without being baptized. This malevolent swarm usually flew at night, fighting amongst themselves and hunting for victims. The unfortunate target would be lifted and dropped from great heights. The Sluagh also had a penchant for sadism, as they sometimes forced the victims to shoot at other people and animals with poisoned arrows.

To fend off the Sluagh, people closed their windows that faced west, as the swarm usually arrived from that direction. Their malodorous corpse-like stench also gave the people an advance notice of their impending arrival.

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Anthropophagi the Well-Adapted Cannibal


It's a little unsettling to think how many cannibal fairies there are, but this one really takes the cake. Or the human flesh, as the case may be. He's specially adapted to eating human flesh, since he doesn't have a head, and so has no eyes or ears to be swayed by cries from his victims. He has a gigantic mouth in the middle of his chest. It makes for easy passage to his stomach, I guess. He also lacks a nose, which is said to help him choke down human flesh without gagging. No word on whether or not he can just grow a nose and eat frozen dinners, but I'm guessing he won't.

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Bean-Fionn the Drowners


Creepy fact: there is an entire class of fairies called 'drowning fairies.' They aren't in any kids' books nowadays, but they used to be. Peg Powler, Jenny Greenteeth, and the Water Leaper, as well as a huge number of other creepily-named sprites were known as 'nursery bogles'. Officially, they would pull kids down to a watery death if they got too near different types of water. Unofficially, they would scare kids so much that they'd stay away from water and avoid a watery death, which is why they were in kids books in the first place. (Nowadays, kids can just watch Jaws.)

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Virikas, the Chattering Horde


There are a lot of fairies that are harbingers of doom. Mostly they're benign, showing up, wailing for a bit, and then going away. If anything, it might be nice to have a heads-up. But not if it comes in the form of these little guys. They're all about eighteen inches tall, and they gather outside a dying person's house, happily chattering to each other. That might not be so creepy, if their teeth and faces weren't stained with human blood. These are not fairies who are only going to load you onto a coach and escort you to heaven. They're hungry. Although they can be chased away, there are some people who spend their whole lives trying to appease them with flowers and small snacks, so they stand less of a chance of becoming a feast.

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Hope that gives you some ideas.

If you want to watch some movies to get ideas.

1. Troll Hunter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLEo7H9tqSM

2. Rare Exports
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RQlikX4vvw

jayoungr said:

None, yet. I'm just in the basic "thinking about it" stage.

Like, for example--?

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If you don't even have PCs yet, I wouldn't even worry about it unless you desperately want to use fey in your campaign for some reason. It's very simple to just leave them out.

What powers are held in check by the fey? What do you want to be? Maybe a demonic incursion in the far past was repelled by a long-fallen alliance between fey and orcs (or ogres or vampires or whatever) and the combined life forces of the few remaining get creatures are all the keeps a protective barrier intact.

Also, tricky and playful doesn't always mean harmless. After all, it's easy to bruise or damage or kill a creature smaller than yourself, especially if you have no real understanding of its biology or durability. Rebrand some hill giants as fey creatures and have them toss a PC around a bit.

Or just, you know, have the populace speak in terrified whispers about killler sprites in the woods. And hags are fey as well, don't forget. Hags can be nasty.

Take them back to their roots. There's a consistent archetype in myths and legends that pops up at different times and places with different names. They might be fairies or devils or jinn or kitsune, but the core remain the same.

They are Magic People from the Magic Realm. You can encounter them at natural boundaries where the worlds overlap, like crossroads and caves and forest clearings. Sometimes they're helpful, sometimes they're malicious, and sometimes their idea of fun is just harmful to mortals. They have to keep their word but they've very good at twisting the meaning. Speaking their name can both get their attention and give them power of you, so people use euphemisms like Fair Folk or Old Scratch. Most of the time they're tricksters and shapeshifters, but usually with a flaw to their illusions they can't cover up. Many will try to strike a deal with mortals, offering their heart's desire for a price. Beware, for few will deal fairly, and most mortals find themselves holding dross and owing a soul or a firstborn child. Sometimes a band will go hunting for two legged prey, and woe to any who find themselves without refuge before the Wild Hunt or Night Parade.

This isn't something you can do with a list of PHB spells at their command. You've got to free form it at least a bit, where they can make Magic Things happen as long as it's within their domain. Attending a party that lasts a night but ages you a decade? Granting a Wish that comes with an ironic price? That's the sort of thing we're talking about.

jayoungr said:

I debated whether to post this here or in the general forum, but since it's addressing the specific portrayal of fey in D&D, I figured I'd put it here.

I'd like to run a fey-themed adventure sometime, but I have players who regard anything lighter than Lord of the Rings as "kid stuff." (And even LOTR probably only gets a pass because of its dense vocabulary.) They're not going to enjoy a game full of trickster woodland sprites, even if the tricks are petty and vicious.

How can I make the fey into something they'd actually respect? Either as adversaries or as allies.

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Can you go into more detailed on what you mean by "fey-themed?" We're probably all coming at this with varied perspectives on what that means.

Oh this is an easy one.

Find some more flexible players, have a blast, then regale your narrow-minded players with tales of how much fun you're having with the other group.

Not to persuade them to lighten up, mind you. Just to rub it in.

jayoungr said:

I debated whether to post this here or in the general forum, but since it's addressing the specific portrayal of fey in D&D, I figured I'd put it here.

I'd like to run a fey-themed adventure sometime, but I have players who regard anything lighter than Lord of the Rings as "kid stuff." (And even LOTR probably only gets a pass because of its dense vocabulary.) They're not going to enjoy a game full of trickster woodland sprites, even if the tricks are petty and vicious.

How can I make the fey into something they'd actually respect? Either as adversaries or as allies.

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Yes, you need to start with the story, but there's totally a way.

Was there a particular fey monster you were looking at?

I used a fey version of trolls back in an old game, where the local kingdom referred to them as "treows" (always warding themselves superstitiously by biting an iron nail or rapping something iron when they said the name). The "treows" were said to grow from putrescent trees, a sort of evil version of dryads. Like most fey they put a big emphasis on maintaining oaths and promises, but were evil-minded, more interested in letter of law than the spirit.

In my game they were deal-brokers and mysterious horned-helmet-wearing “green knights”, emerging from the woods to offer a challenge to a warrior prince or sovereign. I had the troll king be a “throne taker and crown breaker”, an enemy of human kings who’d reneged on an ancient promise with the trolls.

I believe I gave them vastly enhanced regeneration when in touch with their linked tree / the foul waters feeding the tree.