D&D General How to design fairies without them looking like tiny humans with bug wings?

[TheSword]

Those don't open for me for some reason.

I’ve changed the picture format.

It’s actually a Doxy from Harry Potter. But you could use a grindylow as well for water faeries.

What I will say is that humanoid is a very large category that includes lots of things that aren’t human. If we’re looking at animals there are a lot of things that have two eyes, a nose and a mouth.

 

[Yaarel]

@Bird Of Play

It occurs to me. Do you mean "fairie" as a specific kind of fey, or do you mean fey as any denizen of fairieland?

The fairie is humanoid. But fey can be any magical creature, even a sphynx or a unicorn or a roc.

 

[MarkB]

Aside from insects, fairies as plant-creatures that look like flowers until they move can work pretty well. I know I've seen this done well in a couple of films, coming off as creepily non-human, but I can't remember titles right now.

Ah, I remembered - sprites from The Spiderwick Chronicles.

 

[Bird Of Play]

@Bird Of Play

It occurs to me. Do you mean "fairie" as a specific kind of fey, or do you mean fey as any denizen of fairieland?

The fairie is humanoid. But fey can be any magical creature, even a sphynx or a unicorn or a roc.

I mean like, tiny forest creatures/spirits. The ones that my 2nd edition DnD manual shows like this:

https://monstersc1.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/sprite2.gif?w=300

Which by the way would be a perfect approach to fairies.... I like them.... anthropomorphic insects. Perfect. It's just that there's already been enough bugs and insects so far in the campaign. Unless maybe I postpone to fairy encounter to much later on so it doesn't feel like they keep meeting bug humans.

 

[Yaarel]

I mean like, tiny forest creatures/spirits. The ones that my 2nd edition DnD manual shows like this:

https://monstersc1.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/sprite2.gif?w=300

Which by the way would be a perfect approach to fairies.... I like them.... anthropomorphic insects. Perfect. It's just that there's already been enough bugs and insects so far in the campaign. Unless maybe I postpone to fairy encounter to much later on so it doesn't feel like they keep meeting bug humans.

How about hummingbirds?

They can be brightly colorful and stunningly beautiful.

I had never seen one before in person, and I was surrounded by a swarm of them who were greeting me. It is hard to put the experience into words. Mystical.



Also flying fish. I went with friends on a boat to see the Gulf Stream off of Florida. I had no idea that the Stream is a different color from the rest of the ocean. It is a vivid turquoise river flowing thru the middle of the dark ocean. Then came a school of brilliant sapphire blue flying fish soaring over the Stream, gleaming like blue gems in the sun. It was like being in a fairie land.



In both cases, the living gemmy colors were stunning.

 

[Fanaelialae]

You could use spren (look under Known Subtypes for descriptions) as an inspiration (from Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archives series - fair warning, that link might contain some spoilers).

They have a variety of different appearances, like ribbons of light for windspren, or little green motes for lifespren. Some can also assume more humanoid forms.

 

[Blue Orange]

One thing I was thinking about is the square-cube law; the strength of a creature is proportional to the square of its length, whereas its weight is proportional to the cube. So big creatures should be short and squat. Look at an elephant. The usual description of fire giants as 'huge dwarves' makes sense in this regard. So maybe giants are elephant-people, evolved from elephants the way humans evolved from (other) apes. They carry weapons in their trunks, allowing them a third attack, live in matrilineal family groups, go berserk in musth, and get really angry if they see you carrying ivory items. Elephants are intelligent creatures with social behavior, so it's not nuts to imagine them evolving tool use and complex societies.

 

[Baron Opal II]

You can look at the works of Brian Froud for inspiration. He has a number of flowery mini-human faeries, but many more styles as well.

 

[jayoungr]

The kodama from Princess Mononoke (and broader Japanese mythology) might be a good reference point for a different take on "fairies" and forest spirits.

This. Kappas, for example, are "water fairies" that are sort of turtle/frog-like.

 

[aco175]

You can have them more like animal spirits, like in the Golden Compass movie/show. Have several forms they can change into and 1 that is their favorite. You can even have the forms tied to elements and that only certain fairies can be certain forms