Nature spirits

[Fallen Seraph]

I agree with Rechan, I love those kinds of spirits, especially ones that are brought into being because of a concept, energy of a place (like a city), etc.

I suspect though we won't see many spirits in the first MM. Probably the second to tie into the PHB2 which has Primal, and from R&C we know Barbarians have totemic powers. So there is some kind of spirit-connection there.

Most likely it will be a nature-based spirit. But be interesting to create a urban-Barbarian who's totemic spirit is the city or another aspect of the urban environment.

There will also be of course the Shamans which will be tied directly with spirits as well. Which would also be fun to see a urban version of. I could see houses being abandoned because Shamans have used spirits to make it haunted as a base of operations within a city. Or a Shaman who causes (this is more modern) the spirits that reside within electricity to become enraged and cause blackouts, jolts of electricity, etc.

 

[Wulfram]

Spirits of alive nature, like plants and animals, would be either feywild or not extra-planar at all.

Spirits of lifeless nature, like volcanoes, mountains, oceans and storms would be elemental

That's what would make sense to me, at least.

 

[Klaus]

I think it's a matter of terminology for me. "Nature spirits" really does feel Feywild. It's hard to divorce the concept from Dryads, Neriads, etc.

If they called them, I dunno, "essences of earth" or whatnot, I could definately see a tie to the elemental chaos.

I dunno, "Elemental Chaos" to me would be the Primal spirits of the land, the ones that echo Earth 4 billion years ago.

"Nature Spirits" to me are more geared towards animals and plants.

 

[Rechan]

I dunno, "Elemental Chaos" to me would be the Primal spirits of the land, the ones that echo Earth 4 billion years ago.

"Nature Spirits" to me are more geared towards animals and plants.

I guess it just depends on what you quantify as "Nature".

The heart and soul of a forest (see: Princess Mononoke) vs. the God of Trees. The spirit that holds dominion over all the local farmland vs. the entity responsible for All Soil.

I expect the thing responsible for Making mountains, sure, the EC. But whatever local spiritual whatsit is responsible for the low crop yield this year? That one's the Feywild. One is sort've localized, a small fry, and may not have been the one to create the field, but he's responsible for it now.

(Funny story- the Mayor of Chinese towns can fire the local spirit and appoint a new one if he's not satisfied with the local spirit).

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

The way I'm thinking it works/I'm making it work is as follows:

First, there is the Elemental Chaos.

From that comes Creation.

From that comes the Feywyld and the Shadowfell.

On top of all of that exists the Astral Sea.

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The great tension is that the Primordials are amused by creation but want it more tied to Elemental Chaos even though that may undo it. The gods disagree and want it tied more to the Astral Sea. Conflict results.

All of which is to say that I think that though Nature comes the Elemental Chaos the Elemental Chaos is distinct and different from Nature in the same way the Astral Sea and the Dominions of the Divine would be.

The Feywyld, on the other hand, is inherently of Creation even if it is Otherworldly. So that's where I would put nature spirits.

Though my other inclination would be to say that the Feywyld is really more Arcane than primordial and say that Nature Spirits actually live in the world they just don't normally do too much unless they're pushed by influx from either the Astral Sea or the Elemental Chaos.

That would contradict the Cannon saying that Dryads have a strong presence in the Feywyld, but I could establish that there are nature spirits who have become seduced by either the Feywyld or the Shadowfell and more or less live their permanently now.

 

[VannATLC]

I think this is best handled if you regress the different spirt types to their roots.

The new 4e setting is a somewhat ecletic mix of Greek/Welsh/Norse mythologies, and I think it has worked quite well.

In that regard, I think Hong is 100% correct.. Dryads, Naids, etc, are *elemental spirits* Not nature spirits. They are greek/mediterrian in origin, and more heavily focused on embodying the elements.

The Welsh Fey, Seelie and Unseelie, suit Pixes and Gnomes and Sprites.. certain types of spirits, etc.
*shrug* It works for me.

As mentioned, the Feywild, for me, embodies a place of magic and wonder, both dark and light.

The shadowfell is despair, and emptiness, but also something else.

The Astral is order, the Primal is (obviously) chaotic.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

It's true there are alchemical/elemental interpretations of the Greek lesser deities, but in the mythology they always seemed pretty natural.

When the river gets out of its bed to strangle Achilles it certainly seems more like a god of place thing than an elemental force thing.