The name of the Feywild and Shadowfel are relatively irrelevant. Can you talk about something besides the name?
D&D 5E What exactly is Feywild in your campaigns?
Weiley31
Legend
I mean, one could say the Shadowfell IS the Plane of Shadows just like how, before 4E, the Feywild was just "The Faerie Realm" from all the other editions prior. Its just that perhaps some in the Material Plane just don't know that the real name is the Shadowfell and vice versa.(outside of exceptions like the Elves and(or not) Shadar-Kai.
Well for starters, the Feywild is the opposite of the Shadowfell in the way in which emotions are felt. The Fae, especially Archfey, can feel much stronger or almost obsess over their Emotions/Passions. But because time is ultimately irrelevant within the Feywild, said feelings can pass in the span of a flicker of time. And then the Archfey are "over" whatever it was they were intrigued in until something else comes along and is equally tossed aside.
As the polar opposite, the Shadowfell is the opposite of that: the Emotions/Passions are much more diluted/withdrawn because of the Negative Energy aspects of it. Such beings, like the Shadar-Kai, experience this effect and at the same time, strive to push themselves/rebuke the aspect of ennui that is infused within the very place they call home/hail from. In a way, it is reflective of their Fae nature as shown within 3E, where they were just shadow fae essentially, and how 5E makes them an Elf Subrace. And yet, their 4E aspect has them embracing the intense passion/emotions that the Archfey are known for.
The Feywild is vibrant with life and its heavy closeness with primeval nature. The Shadowfell is the twisted/lifeless drained reflection of it/the material plane. This is clearly shown in the way in which there is a Neverwinter on the Material Plane and its Shadowfell reflection double, Evernight.
In a way both of them are the Positive/Negative Energy Plane of 5E. Except minus their extreme aspects of exploding you(Positive) or devouring your life(Negative). The icy chill of the Shadowfell and the vibrant life of the Feywild are opposites/contrasts with each other.
Well for starters, the Feywild is the opposite of the Shadowfell in the way in which emotions are felt. The Fae, especially Archfey, can feel much stronger or almost obsess over their Emotions/Passions. But because time is ultimately irrelevant within the Feywild, said feelings can pass in the span of a flicker of time. And then the Archfey are "over" whatever it was they were intrigued in until something else comes along and is equally tossed aside.
As the polar opposite, the Shadowfell is the opposite of that: the Emotions/Passions are much more diluted/withdrawn because of the Negative Energy aspects of it. Such beings, like the Shadar-Kai, experience this effect and at the same time, strive to push themselves/rebuke the aspect of ennui that is infused within the very place they call home/hail from. In a way, it is reflective of their Fae nature as shown within 3E, where they were just shadow fae essentially, and how 5E makes them an Elf Subrace. And yet, their 4E aspect has them embracing the intense passion/emotions that the Archfey are known for.
The Feywild is vibrant with life and its heavy closeness with primeval nature. The Shadowfell is the twisted/lifeless drained reflection of it/the material plane. This is clearly shown in the way in which there is a Neverwinter on the Material Plane and its Shadowfell reflection double, Evernight.
In a way both of them are the Positive/Negative Energy Plane of 5E. Except minus their extreme aspects of exploding you(Positive) or devouring your life(Negative). The icy chill of the Shadowfell and the vibrant life of the Feywild are opposites/contrasts with each other.
Ath-kethin
Elder Thing
I thought I was.
The names are irrelevant, and for that matter the planes themselves are mostly irrelevant to my games. When I use them they are the planes of Faerie and Shadow, respectively. And I once played a fey pact warlock who was a blast.
jgsugden
Legend
In my setting: 4500 years ago the Far Realm collided with the Cosmology of the Known Universe. This had many impacts, but one of them was to shatter the boundaries between planes and create three transitive planes: The Feywild (which exists between the Positive Energy Plane and the Prime Material Plane), the Shadowfell (between the Negative Energy Plane and the Prime), and the Ethereal (between the Far Realm and the Prime).
The Feywild is a reflective plane, meaning that it naturally tends to change to reflect a vivid and vivacious version of the Prime Material Plane. Being there fills you with life, giving you an euphoric feeling - a slight buzz. Those that travel there tend to not want to leave, and tend to give into their urges and develop very reckless personalities. Fey creatures, in particular, tend to thrive in this environment and have taken control of the plane.
The Lords of the Plane are the Seelie and Unseelie courts, but the most powerful creatures residing there are Oberon and Titania, who share one of the 12 Wells of Power in my universe (making them amongst the most powerful greater gods). They were once Eladrin elves, created by the Gods to serve their interests on the mortal planes, but rose above that by claiming the Well of Power. The leader of the Unseelie Court, the Queen of Air and Darkness, is the Goddess of Curses - the source of all Supernatural Magic (which is different than the magic of wizards, druids or clerics) that curses creatures. I have dozens of members of the Courts that I've used over the years, but for the most part I do not reuse them as the members of the courts tend to treat their responsibilities and obligations as jokes, rather than respecting them.
The Feywild world is not always in Twilight in my setting. However, twilight and dawns last hundreds of hours (never exactly the same length) while days and nights are generally only a few hours long - but tend to be when important events within the Feywild occur.
I use a lot of chaotic magics with the Feywild. Time Warp and Memory Loss are amongst them. Charms and illusion run wild in the realm in general, resulting in a lot of misdirection and chaos - primarily for the sake of chaos. The plane itself is addictive, and players may have to make saving throws to be willing to leave, and might face withdrawl after leaving.
The powerful residents of the realm do not concern themselves with the ideas of Good and Evil, and tend to all be capable of doing horrific things if it amuses them. I had one player argue that the entire place was Neutral Evil - and I can't say he was wrong. I think of there being a lot of Neutral Evil and Chaotic Neutral influences, but I do not hold any creature to their written alignment, but allow the personalities to govern their actions (essentially, alignment doesn't really matter in my game mechanically).
Finally, I use a lot of homebrew creatures in general, but especially in the Feywild. I want very little of it to be familiar or understood by the players. The constant barrage of lifeforce mutates creatures over time, resulting in most creatures in the realm being quite unique.
There is a massive 'Preserve' in the Feywild tended by an order of druids. It is a place where the Seelie and Unseelie do not go, and the other residents of the plane are influenced away. It is a place of Joy and Love, where fey versions of real world creatures live blissful lives. Often, it is from here that a Fey Familiar will originate. Such creatures always choose to serve (that is the short version of the lore - there is a lot more to it).
The Feywild is a reflective plane, meaning that it naturally tends to change to reflect a vivid and vivacious version of the Prime Material Plane. Being there fills you with life, giving you an euphoric feeling - a slight buzz. Those that travel there tend to not want to leave, and tend to give into their urges and develop very reckless personalities. Fey creatures, in particular, tend to thrive in this environment and have taken control of the plane.
The Lords of the Plane are the Seelie and Unseelie courts, but the most powerful creatures residing there are Oberon and Titania, who share one of the 12 Wells of Power in my universe (making them amongst the most powerful greater gods). They were once Eladrin elves, created by the Gods to serve their interests on the mortal planes, but rose above that by claiming the Well of Power. The leader of the Unseelie Court, the Queen of Air and Darkness, is the Goddess of Curses - the source of all Supernatural Magic (which is different than the magic of wizards, druids or clerics) that curses creatures. I have dozens of members of the Courts that I've used over the years, but for the most part I do not reuse them as the members of the courts tend to treat their responsibilities and obligations as jokes, rather than respecting them.
The Feywild world is not always in Twilight in my setting. However, twilight and dawns last hundreds of hours (never exactly the same length) while days and nights are generally only a few hours long - but tend to be when important events within the Feywild occur.
I use a lot of chaotic magics with the Feywild. Time Warp and Memory Loss are amongst them. Charms and illusion run wild in the realm in general, resulting in a lot of misdirection and chaos - primarily for the sake of chaos. The plane itself is addictive, and players may have to make saving throws to be willing to leave, and might face withdrawl after leaving.
The powerful residents of the realm do not concern themselves with the ideas of Good and Evil, and tend to all be capable of doing horrific things if it amuses them. I had one player argue that the entire place was Neutral Evil - and I can't say he was wrong. I think of there being a lot of Neutral Evil and Chaotic Neutral influences, but I do not hold any creature to their written alignment, but allow the personalities to govern their actions (essentially, alignment doesn't really matter in my game mechanically).
Finally, I use a lot of homebrew creatures in general, but especially in the Feywild. I want very little of it to be familiar or understood by the players. The constant barrage of lifeforce mutates creatures over time, resulting in most creatures in the realm being quite unique.
There is a massive 'Preserve' in the Feywild tended by an order of druids. It is a place where the Seelie and Unseelie do not go, and the other residents of the plane are influenced away. It is a place of Joy and Love, where fey versions of real world creatures live blissful lives. Often, it is from here that a Fey Familiar will originate. Such creatures always choose to serve (that is the short version of the lore - there is a lot more to it).
TheSword
Legend
For me the feywild is the First World, where the creators practiced laying the building blocks of creation, often tearing up their works and starting again, or letting things fade away.
It’s a place of whimsy and ever changing reality, where powerful creatures can mold the world around them to their will. Things are possible in the first world, that would never be possible in the material realm. Curses are stronger, magic is more extreme, and thoughts carry weight.
The feywild protoplasmic nature of the plane can be dangerous and in several places where changes have become too extreme whole realms have collapsed into swirling chaos that can suck a person into Limbo if they don’t have a strong enough view of themselves.
Think Tel’Aran’Rhiod from the Wheel of Time.
Think the First World from Golarion.
Or Pratchett’s parasitic Fairyland.
It’s a place of whimsy and ever changing reality, where powerful creatures can mold the world around them to their will. Things are possible in the first world, that would never be possible in the material realm. Curses are stronger, magic is more extreme, and thoughts carry weight.
The feywild protoplasmic nature of the plane can be dangerous and in several places where changes have become too extreme whole realms have collapsed into swirling chaos that can suck a person into Limbo if they don’t have a strong enough view of themselves.
Think Tel’Aran’Rhiod from the Wheel of Time.
Think the First World from Golarion.
Or Pratchett’s parasitic Fairyland.
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So, are the planes of Faerie and Shadow just the Feywild and Shadowfel, but with a different name, right? Or are they extremely different?
When you do use them, what are they like?
jgsugden
Legend
You ... might want to look at some examples of Fey in use. They're powerful, and often incredibly irresponsible and selfish. They're the bright and cheery version of Hellraiser.
Ath-kethin
Elder Thing
Generally, I adhere to the Primeval Thule approach of other planes as sources, not destinations. It doesn't matter what the planes are like because you aren't going to go there.
When necessary (i.e. if a creature summoned from or native to a given plane is asked to describe its homeland), I use the descriptions from the 3.0 Manual of the Planes. The only real exceptions to that is with the Elemental Planes, in which case I use the descriptions from the 2nd Edition Al-Qadim stuff.
As far as I can tell, the Feywild and Shadowfell are literally just rebrands of the planes of Faerie and Shadow. As far as I'm concerned they are the same thing(s) and the term(s) are interchangeable. As locations I don't find them particularly compelling, but if somehow I had characters that ended up there both would be terrifying places to be and innately hostile to visitors - as opposed to, say, the Ethereal and Astral planes which are indifferent to visitors. Faerie and Shadow might not be as environmentally dangerous as, say, the Plane of Fire, but their residents have little patience for mortals who wander in thinking they're all big and bad.
When necessary (i.e. if a creature summoned from or native to a given plane is asked to describe its homeland), I use the descriptions from the 3.0 Manual of the Planes. The only real exceptions to that is with the Elemental Planes, in which case I use the descriptions from the 2nd Edition Al-Qadim stuff.
As far as I can tell, the Feywild and Shadowfell are literally just rebrands of the planes of Faerie and Shadow. As far as I'm concerned they are the same thing(s) and the term(s) are interchangeable. As locations I don't find them particularly compelling, but if somehow I had characters that ended up there both would be terrifying places to be and innately hostile to visitors - as opposed to, say, the Ethereal and Astral planes which are indifferent to visitors. Faerie and Shadow might not be as environmentally dangerous as, say, the Plane of Fire, but their residents have little patience for mortals who wander in thinking they're all big and bad.
The planes being discussing are not "echos" of the Prime Material Plane. But more akin to "reflections"...or perhaps, more accurately, "distillations." They are places of existence that are being shown through by their corresponding energetic neighbors.
The Land of Faerie (something of a redundancy as "-rie" is "land." And, of course, "fae" being fae/faye/fay/fey, a.k.a. the "Fair Folk," the Alfar, and many others) if a realm shone through by the Positive Energy Plane. Light, Force, "Radiance" and/or, to some, "Vivomantic" energies.
It is, quite literally, a land infused with Energy, the energy that facilitates (though is not the sole "source") Magic, and the energy of Renewal and Growth.
It is, in every way -physical, visual, magical, spiritual- a place "super-charged" with Vibrance...a heightened quintessence that is, if anything, MORE real than the Prime Planes. Its proximity to the positive energies of life also lend to the fact that creatures of the Faerie Plane seem to be immortal and/or unaging. Quite literally, it is Super-Nature. A plane where all things, from the stones to the snowflakes to the rivers to the trees, the field mice to the dragons, the "peasant" woodcutter or weaver to the splendid noble courts of faer peoples, are super-natural.
Both goodly and decidedly NOT goodly peoples and creatures inhabit this place. The energy, the "Light," of the Land of Fae is neither Good nor Evil, neither Law nor Chaos. It is Magic and Force, vibrant colors and intense emotions, pure sensations and sincere actions, every moment, at all times. The Dark Fae realms, the Land of Endless Winter, dense forests of horrors, and beasts of pure terror all still exist within/on the Plane of Faerie. Though, admittedly, proximity to the Plane of Shadow, other inner [elemental] planes or the Material plane (whence most Evil stems) may blend and blur and bleed into their landscapes and influence that existence.
Conversely, the mirrored level of existence (as all things in the multitudes of multiverses of realities must) balances all of this frenzied, unhampered, energy with a direct and commensurate opposite. The Plane of Shadow, a.k.a Umbral Plane, a.k.a. Land of Shades, the Gloom, is in proximity to the Negative Energy Plane.
The Shadow Plane is a place of slowing -but not absence!- of Life. A dimming -but not extinguishing- of Light. Shadow is Light "blocked" -but not entirely consumed- by Darkness. Stagnation in place of Force. The empty chill of Entropy, "Umbral" and "Necrotic" [sometimes mistakenly called "Necromantic"] energies instead of the vibrant existence of Growth and Vivomancy.
It is, unsurprisingly, a realm of shadows and gloom. A place whence the "unpassing" dead -those that refuse as well as those who are not allowed to move on to their final rest- wander. The Plane itself does not "create" life so much as "consume" and "mask" what life passes into it in folds of greys and tendrils of blackness. Its landscapes do not renew or grow. Nor does it, necessarily (though areas certainly can) actively destroy or lessen. It simply is.
So, no creatures that are thought of as "native" to the Plane of Shadow, are actually "native" to it. Beings, creatures, and spirits have found their way to it -intentionally or not- and become "stuck" (for lack of a better term) there. Coccooned in the umbral energy. Not dying, and not really "alive" in the sense they were when entering.
Some exist in a kind of unconscious disbelief, a kind of catatonia, directed like puppets by the Shadow Lords who know how to control the shadow encasing the "empty" spirits/creatures. Some are perpetually stuck in a lethargy or reflexive action -Shadow hounds that endlessly hunt, endlessly starving regardless of how much they consume. The Undead Shadows that seek only and always to warm themselves by absorbing the Light of the living, to no avail, never gaining warmth. Some in wailing despair, some in wrathful anger (thankfully, these last infrequently have the wherewithall to act upon it). There are both dangerous and harmless creatures, just eking out an existence, neither happy nor sad...just there. Some few beings of that plane struggle against the gloom, fighting to keep (and find) every shred of energy and light they can (the brighter the light, the deeper/starker the shadow!). Some embrace the gloom and have learned to draw power -and even a mocking sort of "creation"- from the "shadow-stuff" (some parts aether, some ectoplasm, tiny motes of light, good chunks of darkness) that makes up the malleable "physicality" of the plane.
While that sounds like a lot of kinds of creatures and goings on, the Shadow Plane is decidedly less inhabited than the Faerie Plane. There are broad expanses of emptiness, deep dark forests of foreboding terrors, landscapes of naught but woe. Grey plains of black stone. Grey deserts of white sand. Grey sluggish rivers, choked with black reeds along banks of pale ashen clay.
It is not a place of any color (outside of shades of grey, black, or white). No supernatural delights. No unbounded exuberance. Where the Land of Fae is "Super-Nature," the Land of Shade can be thought of as "Counter-Nature"...a kind of "Nature-Denied."
The Land of Faerie (something of a redundancy as "-rie" is "land." And, of course, "fae" being fae/faye/fay/fey, a.k.a. the "Fair Folk," the Alfar, and many others) if a realm shone through by the Positive Energy Plane. Light, Force, "Radiance" and/or, to some, "Vivomantic" energies.
It is, quite literally, a land infused with Energy, the energy that facilitates (though is not the sole "source") Magic, and the energy of Renewal and Growth.
It is, in every way -physical, visual, magical, spiritual- a place "super-charged" with Vibrance...a heightened quintessence that is, if anything, MORE real than the Prime Planes. Its proximity to the positive energies of life also lend to the fact that creatures of the Faerie Plane seem to be immortal and/or unaging. Quite literally, it is Super-Nature. A plane where all things, from the stones to the snowflakes to the rivers to the trees, the field mice to the dragons, the "peasant" woodcutter or weaver to the splendid noble courts of faer peoples, are super-natural.
Both goodly and decidedly NOT goodly peoples and creatures inhabit this place. The energy, the "Light," of the Land of Fae is neither Good nor Evil, neither Law nor Chaos. It is Magic and Force, vibrant colors and intense emotions, pure sensations and sincere actions, every moment, at all times. The Dark Fae realms, the Land of Endless Winter, dense forests of horrors, and beasts of pure terror all still exist within/on the Plane of Faerie. Though, admittedly, proximity to the Plane of Shadow, other inner [elemental] planes or the Material plane (whence most Evil stems) may blend and blur and bleed into their landscapes and influence that existence.
Conversely, the mirrored level of existence (as all things in the multitudes of multiverses of realities must) balances all of this frenzied, unhampered, energy with a direct and commensurate opposite. The Plane of Shadow, a.k.a Umbral Plane, a.k.a. Land of Shades, the Gloom, is in proximity to the Negative Energy Plane.
The Shadow Plane is a place of slowing -but not absence!- of Life. A dimming -but not extinguishing- of Light. Shadow is Light "blocked" -but not entirely consumed- by Darkness. Stagnation in place of Force. The empty chill of Entropy, "Umbral" and "Necrotic" [sometimes mistakenly called "Necromantic"] energies instead of the vibrant existence of Growth and Vivomancy.
It is, unsurprisingly, a realm of shadows and gloom. A place whence the "unpassing" dead -those that refuse as well as those who are not allowed to move on to their final rest- wander. The Plane itself does not "create" life so much as "consume" and "mask" what life passes into it in folds of greys and tendrils of blackness. Its landscapes do not renew or grow. Nor does it, necessarily (though areas certainly can) actively destroy or lessen. It simply is.
So, no creatures that are thought of as "native" to the Plane of Shadow, are actually "native" to it. Beings, creatures, and spirits have found their way to it -intentionally or not- and become "stuck" (for lack of a better term) there. Coccooned in the umbral energy. Not dying, and not really "alive" in the sense they were when entering.
Some exist in a kind of unconscious disbelief, a kind of catatonia, directed like puppets by the Shadow Lords who know how to control the shadow encasing the "empty" spirits/creatures. Some are perpetually stuck in a lethargy or reflexive action -Shadow hounds that endlessly hunt, endlessly starving regardless of how much they consume. The Undead Shadows that seek only and always to warm themselves by absorbing the Light of the living, to no avail, never gaining warmth. Some in wailing despair, some in wrathful anger (thankfully, these last infrequently have the wherewithall to act upon it). There are both dangerous and harmless creatures, just eking out an existence, neither happy nor sad...just there. Some few beings of that plane struggle against the gloom, fighting to keep (and find) every shred of energy and light they can (the brighter the light, the deeper/starker the shadow!). Some embrace the gloom and have learned to draw power -and even a mocking sort of "creation"- from the "shadow-stuff" (some parts aether, some ectoplasm, tiny motes of light, good chunks of darkness) that makes up the malleable "physicality" of the plane.
While that sounds like a lot of kinds of creatures and goings on, the Shadow Plane is decidedly less inhabited than the Faerie Plane. There are broad expanses of emptiness, deep dark forests of foreboding terrors, landscapes of naught but woe. Grey plains of black stone. Grey deserts of white sand. Grey sluggish rivers, choked with black reeds along banks of pale ashen clay.
It is not a place of any color (outside of shades of grey, black, or white). No supernatural delights. No unbounded exuberance. Where the Land of Fae is "Super-Nature," the Land of Shade can be thought of as "Counter-Nature"...a kind of "Nature-Denied."
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