The Fey | D&D Monster Lore | The Dungeoncast Ep.33

Will and Brian are back in the Fey on this week's episode of the Dungeoncast! This alien area articulates hypnotizing hues, illustrious illusions, and baffling behavior beyond common conception. It's better to know the lay of the land if one decides to wander through this hazardous expanse of mysterious beings.
Talking Points: Old Timey Celtic, Mundane Weaknesses, A Slow Slide Into #feybullshit, The Fluff Is Real, Fey-lien, Inherent Magics, Behaviorism Breakdown.
Reddit Thread on Fey Morality and Behavior: / blueorange_morality_an...
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The Dungeoncast is a D&D podcast where co-hosts Will and Brian talk about everything Dungeons & Dragons. Everything is up for discussion from Gods and Demon Lords to being a dungeon master and even building characters while keeping the conversational atmosphere lighthearted and friendly. Tune in as they explore the Dragon's Hoard of topics available from #5E, 4E, and all other editions of the world's most popular #ttrpg! Thanks for watching! #dungeonsanddragons

[@lewisdischneriv5765]

I like to think of the time dilation as a river split in two, running parallel. The segment of the river on the left runs slowly because the terrain is fairly flat; the river segment on the right runs faster and more erratically than its counterpart because of the sloping terrain. Both rivers converge on the same spot, but the river on the left, at its end when it reunites with its counterpart, has a waterfall. It’s an abrupt reemergence to the river, but they both end up at the same spot. As a DM it’s up to you whether or not the Feywilds are a calm, wandering timeline or a river of rapids and jutting rocks. As chaotic as the Feywilds can be, I like to think it’s the more stable of the 3 (I include the Shadowfell when factoring the time dilation).

[@Eruvadhril]

A cool play I've seen on elves being sensitive to iron turns up in the Discworld and in Catherine Webb's Horatio Lyle books, where the elves are extremely sensitive to magnetic fields, and iron affects or disrupts the way their body works on some fundamental level. A neat detail from both series is that the elves don't have red blood, because their blood isn't iron-based like ours is. Speaking of Discworld, I like this quote exploring #feybullshit: “Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder. Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels. Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies. Elves are glamorous. They project glamour. Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment. Elves are terrific. They beget terror. The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning. No one ever said elves are nice. Elves are bad.”

[@Thedungeoncast]

One of my favorite quotes on things from the fey!

[@sammyrobbins6848]

A big one in my group is that you should be very carful when thanking a Fey. Saying “Thank you” is to acknowledge a debt more or less or that you were done a favor. Though this can be done in wholesome ways like we had a player thank a baby dryad for an apple and the small girl says with a wide sweet smile “Now you owe me a favor! You have to come back one day to play!” Fey in our group tend to introduce themselves saying “You may call me... and what may I call you?” And your characters are either scrambling for a fake name or just one of their nicknames would do. Asking a Fey what their name is would likely be fairly rude. And even when you see that they are obfuscating it is almost impossible to see what they are hiding. Fey are like my favorite topic

[@chrisbolducrowan5110]

“Since he’s always plugging us”. Sorry, I’m 12...I laughed harder than I should have. Another awesome video. You guys are making it really hard to not change my character concept every time I watch one of these.

[@jacobfreeman5444]

My take on the different courts are they're alignment to basic concepts of the world. Life and death. Heat and cold. Growth and decay. Joy and sadness. Hope and despair. Where that fey falls on the scale between these concepts and more decides what court they belong to. But in general the fey are the fey. Despite their drastic differences they may have from each other they are one people. Each is just fulfilling their role. They are more like sentient embodiments of the preditor/prey relationship then individuals.

[@jacobfreeman5444]

FlyingAxblade I see what you did there. I applaud.

[@almisami]

I actually play the Unsealie like Maleficent from the live adaptation and the Sealie like the insane people from Alice in Wonderland.

[@jameslightfoot1872]

The fey vulnerability to iron, in some way explains why the fey are largely relegated to the ancient world. In the age of stone, copper and bronze, the fey were all powerful and untouchable. But when man mastered iron, the fey were suddenly vulnerable. They faded from the world and took the ancient magic with them.

[@OldThomMerton]

Dennis McKiernan .. outstanding, I've been reading his stuff since the mid-80s, before I played my 1st RPG. He hasn't published anything in about ten years, but most of his stuff is worth picking up!

[@tanyajackson3734]

Thank you for this. I am playing a solo player exploration campaign that is set in the Feywild... this is super helpful. New Subscriber, and hope you guys explode with popularity because you are amazing!

[@theinvisiblewoman6783]

Salt is also a common thing to hurt or get rid of fey because salting the earth makes it unable to grow.

[@trailzilla5934]

Wow..this was tremendously informative...thanks

[@ethan4475]

First, the best inspiration for writing fey speaking in trickery is to use words with double and triple meanings, the best example I suggest is "Not Afraid" by Eminem, watch the video then just read the lyrics and look through his songs. I have yet to come across another lyricist who applies it as smoothly. Second, a very simple but effect beginners source material for Fey logic is "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" books or movies. Third, the conversation between pixie/fairy and their human friend about the peach, remove the bit about the fairy, and have this conversation with a child or children that you have/know, no older then 3rd grade *don't remember age to level* and you'll have pages of conversations for your fey to have. Especially if the children have creative imaginations that run wild.

[@ARreckless14]

The feywild is so awesome. Great job guys.

[@religionintherealms]

Gentlemen, one of your best episodes yet. I learned a lot of new things about the Fey from this episode, and feel more confident about bringing them into my games. #feybullshit

[@Thedungeoncast]

Thank you DM Diggy!

[@baffledrascal9386]

fun fact we get the English word " silly" from seele

[@Thedungeoncast]

This is a fun fact! I actually brought this up in our episode on The Feywild :)

[@baffledrascal9386]

Ah right on, I'll check it out too. I hope y'all continue to put out great content and grow. I dig it.

[@chrisbolducrowan5110]

Wait what!?!? Awesome.

[@goblinb]

St. Johnswort is, according to folklore, used to ward off the fey. Brownies were traditionally considered a house fey, supposedly helping around the house (the stories of the shoemaker and the elves seems more of like what brownies are supposed to do). The time Kvothe spent with Felurian was one of my favorite parts of the book. I like how magic was so easy for her to do, because it was so much a part of her being, while Kvothe had to work for it.

[@sagesheahan6732]

"GET ME A PEEEEACH!!!!" 🤣🤣🤣

[@LittleCrowYT]

The Fey are so cool. One of the best aspects of fantasy

[@elfmageking2005]

I would say archfey are almost incarnations of magic and nature them selves maybe fey that are old enough and powerful enough might go through a transformation into a new archefey like a butterfly

[@00ValiantFay]

I loved this, so much good info and ideas!!!

[@andrewbennett1062]

The epic level handbook of 3rd edition has the LeShay in the monsters section. I always considered the members of this race to be a good basis for the nobles of the Seelie and UnSeelie courts

[@ymbriafiona]

He tries so hard not to fanboy too much over the 'kingkiller chronicles'. Which I get. It's freaking awesome xD

[@oielvert]

People would use rowan and sage to ward off evil spirits. Anne Rice used to write about that in her Mayfair Witches series.

[@paulcoy9060]

32:00 that story just reminded me of "IT", where the kid says, "This is battery acid", and it affects Pennywise --- does that mean Pennywise is Fey ?

[@Thedungeoncast]

Mayhap he is.

[@mosshivenetwork117]

He's more eldritch though.

[@symbiotestrength7058]

@Jerry Dove look up Pennywise build on Tulok

[@jjspeeddemon]

late to the party, but thoroughly enjoying the show. very helpful and inspiring to a fledgling DM

[@michaellaborn7068]

So I'm trying to make a comprehensive setting for the future of people dming after me and this has been really helpful when I dive too deep into monster lore

[@neuroinsect1944]

I think a better reason in regards to why iron would harm them could be that pure iron may represent something very material to the mortal and fey may be something less material, as such steel does not work because it is partially carbon.

[@beauberry6179]

I think it's natural metal turn into something unnatural but still close to nature. Steel is purer and so far away from nature, it doesn't affect Fairies as much.

[@calebwilliams586]

Faerie Haven is an excellent Fae related series. In modern times, magical creatures are confined to secret national park type places. This doesn't do it justice though, highly, highly recommend.

[@mileslugo6430]

An extreme allergic reaction to iron

[@symbiotestrength7058]

Life goal. Become Feylock. True Polymorph into Faerie Dragon.

[@icare8899]

The Dresdin Files is all about the Fey and Feywild

[@bonzwah1]

jim butcher's got a unique take on it for sure. its really cool for sure, and I love it in universe. but if you are running a game for a table that's looking to play some traditional dnd and the players at the table already have some familiarity with dnd fey, butcher's take on the fey might be a bit off putting to them.

[@tishabyte]

I'm on a lot of acid so here's this fruit lolol

[@thevoidcritter]

I always had this idea for an archfey warlock who was bound to servitude of their patron because of something they did as a child that they now barely remember. Like, "I let you do a thing, now you work for me" except fey bullshit.

[@InquisitorThomas]

I want to have an Archfey as the main antagonist of my D&D campaign, does anyone have any suggestions for how to stat them out? I was thinking of making use of a combination of the Feylock spell list and a bit of the Druid spell list, and having borderline god tier stats like high twenties for charisma and wisdom but I’m not sure if that’s grossly overpowered (I’m a New GM).

[@Thedungeoncast]

If you are looking to stat out your own I would look at the most similar official monsters at the appropriate challenge rating. Maybe a Solar Angel? and reflavoring it with features and spells from fey monsters, but keeping the relative same power level of the Solar Angel. If you can get your hands on the Tome of Beasts though, it has a section of fully stated out Archfey. The Lord of the Hunt, The Snow Queen, The River Lord and a lot more. Great stuff.

[@aurinsaint9058]

What a nice concept. ...It would mean they were not necessarily EVIL! But that they were just very foreign/alien. That produces a lot of different thoughts, possibly, amongst your players. Very nice thought.

[@jakemccarty2425]

There are some really cool Archfey that are Evil, but you might have to take a stat block for something else and altar it to fit the flavor of the creature. I find that easier than doing the chart in one of the books to map out the proper challenge rating, especially since you are newer to creating monsters. Perhaps pull a Demon Lord or Archdevil, and swap some of their spells/abilities to fit the Fey rather than whatever you chose.

[@almisami]

Whenever I RP the fey, I usually make them absolute extremists, such as the Sealie court being kill-lycanthropes-on-sight and our werebear paladin having to get help from the Unsealie (usually seen as the more malevolent fey, I play them like the live-action Maleficent) court to fend them off.

[@MrDemonWorm]

If fae love the mundane things of the Prime Material, wouldn't they hate aberrations even more than undead or fiends? "That's my lake! I don't know you!"

[@Ghorda9]

they're only interested in the mundane because it's very different from the fey wild.

[@epiccthulu]

I just use the Dresden files as inspiration for the fey and their behavior

[@impartialthrone2097]

The real world explanation for why fey are weak to iron is the same reason why vampires are weak to garlic and can't enter your home without being invited. The tales were designed so that your average person has what they need to avoid the danger by default. The average person back then would have had iron tools in the home, so they were set.

[@philiphamel8504]

In terms of more of the malicious fey, and Neil Gaiman, what about the Beldame of Coraline? Would she a fey-esque villain?

[@andrewhazlewood4569]

Faerie Tale by Raymond E Feist is an interesting take on the powerful, sensual, alien, terrifying fey

[@blarg2402]

i’m new to dungeons & dragons and i’m obsessed with the fairy race but idk if i have to talents to role play a traditional one lol

[@ahsidodna3355]

Circle of dreams is a fey themed druid

[@level9ing635]

I would suggest looking up Eddie Lenihan. He has spent decades gathering Irish folk tales.

[@Killhunter1996]

In my Campain i have the Lady of the Lake as an Archfey and queen of the Water Nymphs. She tends too give people magical artefacts that always come with a Drawback, for example a Smithing hammer that lets you smith nagicall eqjipment and better overall, but at the same rime tells you that nobody besides you is worthy of this equipment and it is too perfect too get used. So slowly the smith will stop making money and he doesnt let anyone use it. So it is Useless equipment if you dont use it. The influence is slow and subtile. What do you guys think about that?

[@theinvisiblewoman6783]

This mindset is what my fiancé and I are doing with our campaign. He’s a Eladrin Prince with an arrogant attitude and I’m a commoner wood elf who’s fairly pacifistic.

[@thorkveld]

@w@ what's this? A Dungeoncast episode I haven't seen yet? Looks like I missed a few in my binge watch.

[@nihilistic6746]

Perhaps each being a side of the same and also the same face of a different coin could be illustrating an objective shared but differ in methodology and/or loyalties, much like star wars with the jedi and sith communing with the force as a shared objective but their loyalties and methodologies separating them.

[@seanvigil2899]

Thanks for all the info, it will be helpful if my players end up in #feybullshit.

[@Thedungeoncast]

Happy to be helpful!

[@dreadmorg]

Just stumbled onto your channel and must say, this is a very well done video with solid content! My question is: "is all this lore discussed a collection from all editions, or just your personal take on the combined editions lore?" In any case, it's good!

[@Thedungeoncast]

Generally, we try and talk about all editions lore on a subject. Mostly 5e and 4e lore is covered since it is what I am most versed in. We also try and introduce various unique takes on lore we have experienced and of course, the influence of general pop culture. Thanks!

[@rclark2129]

Cold rot iron was a weakness in fey mythos

[@wyvernfallgaming]

If I was to make a d&d campaign where the setting started in faerun had a lot of stuff happen there went to the shadowfell quickly went back out and Into the underdark then the feydark then feywild then maztica then the ocean followed by several elemental planes followed by going to baator then gehenna then celestia then kara tur followed by the abyss finishing at a final boss fight with the demogorgon and a celebration in kara tur then do you have any advice on how to not drag out a plane of the adventure too long but dont have anything in the setting become too short for the campaign.

[@lodenfire1107]

I think I just thought of the perfect way to understand the power the fey has in there world. The fey world is the looney toon world. Physics don’t work in the cartoon world and that is the perfect way to explain how much BS can be done. For example painting a picture of a tunnel on a boulder = real tunnel you can use in their realm.

[@TheElvenWitch]

I think they hate iron because it's been around a lot longer than Steele and most fae lore from the real world is extremely ancient. Personally Steele makes more sense to me and I think they'd definitely hate it. But also because iron is in blood and a Lot of real world fae lore actually involves very bloody, scary types of fae creatures. They're also associated with the dead, or spirits who've never had bodies so one would imagine, if our ancestors had known iron was in our blood the myths might have been different... But maybe the fae just wanted us to think they're allergic. Maybe it actually makes us easier for them to find when we get lost in the wilds... Just a fun thought train y'all inspired.

[@yavidennomounir7763]

yess Finally :) excited

[@cephyn11]

Can you post somewhere the list of how to play the fey? or a link to it?

[@Thedungeoncast]

Here is a link to the Reddit thread I mention that lists the role play statements on The Fey and the Blue/Orange Alignment chart. I will also leave it in the details above :) www.reddit.com/r/DnDBehindTheScreen/comments/383xim/blueorange_morality_and_rpgs_thoughts_on_the/

[@cephyn11]

Thank you! I've never been much of a fan of Fey, or really understood what makes them tick - but I have some Fey hooks popping up in my game and I want to be able to give my players a good experience!

[@danorris5235]

Love the Fey stuff, but iron is indeed a naturally occurring element.

[@hamstsorkxxor]

Yes, but except for in meteorites, iron does not occur as a metal in nature, rather it's always in solution, in a salt, an oxide, a sulfide or an alloy.

[@danorris5235]

What do you mean? It's on our planet, our planet's core is filled with it, iron is listed on the periodic table of elements, and found almost everywhere on the surface. If it's about whether or not it's refined out of an ore, why doesn't aluminum (one of the costliest metals to refine) work on Fey?

[@hamstsorkxxor]

@@danorris5235 Can't say anything about Fey, since they are made up fantasy beings, who totally can be destroyed by aluminium if I want to. However, what I meant is that there is a huge difference between the pure metal iron which does not occur naturally, and compounds containing iron. Same way there is huge difference between sodium metal and sodium chloride. And except for in meteorites and the earth's core, and the core isn't really all that accessible, and also might be alloyed, iron is not found as a metal.

[@danorris5235]

Our core is molten. It can't be an alloy regardless of how many metals it's comprised of. The logic still doesn't hold up, though. Carbon, oxygen, and mercury are all naturally occurring too. Just because your understanding of it means it must be melted, broken, etc. to somehow be brought into existence doesn't make it so. The point is I haven't heard a rational "makes sense" argument as to why Fey are hurt by iron in folklore, but not other metals worked by humans. I couldn't care less about what another DM, creator, author, or whomever does with it in their world, I want to know the actual history of it. People were telling this to other people for a reason. I'd love to know why, and the logic of it.

[@hamstsorkxxor]

@@danorris5235 The outer core is molten, the inner is not. Regardless, a mixed melt has different properties than a pure. And you are unlikely to ever find a singular logical reason for why Fey would be hurt by iron. It's like looking for singular logical reasons in religion. A lot of the stuff just plain lack even internal logic, so demanding logic from a mythology might often be pointless. The closest thing I've heard is that Iron represents civilisation, because as far as they knew back then, all iron was man-made. Yet again, almost nothing naturally occurring on earth has the properties of iron. It's not like iron age people knew of the earth's inner core, or the periodic table.

[@3vilTeddybear]

Rowen is for witches too

[@mileslugo6430]

Check out Holly Black books, they're kinda young teen fiction, filled with angsty girls and misunderstood monsters and sex. But she dives alot into seelie and unseelie courts

[@southernknight9983]

Iron (Fe: www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/scientists-say-periodic-table) is a natural element on Earth. It is steel that is man made. It would make more sense that Fey are weak against steel, rather than Iron.

[@Ghorda9]

not really, cold iron is a term used for cast iron which isn't steel, this isn't really something that you could use science to explain, elemental composition doesn't have any meaning here.

[@katecollyns8397]

Velurian is just a plot device so Rothfus's Mary Sue protagonist can lose his virginity to a sex goddess. Giving her any more relevance than this is giving Rothfus waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more respect as a writer than he deserves

[@phreak373]

Need a Maleficent archfey...

[@symbiotestrength7058]

Tulok the Barbarian build Maleficicent look it up its rad

[@bian789]

Are you going to have more hero forge minie's give away?

[@Thedungeoncast]

Probably not for a while. We will have another giveaway in the coming months, but we might not do Heroforge Minis again for quite some time.

[@Wintermist-SWE]

Love these videos but jesus christ the music is so loud xD

[@Fraser-369]

Iron is a pure element…steel is not.

[@Terragen]

If you want a great inspiration for the Fey and their realms, please do yourself a favor and read "Phantastes" by George Mac Donald. It is the book that woke C.S. Lewis as a child, and it's utterly perfect.

[@Anthony-qz7yg]

But steel is an alloy of iron...

[@carlosgmartins96]

Then how do you "beat" a fae exactly.. Given there are lowers ranks of Fae's and imagining you're engaged with combat with a Fae, as a male character, do you only go about it by the "make believe" mundane acts? Theres really not a way to make an action with a second agenda. I'm asking this cause one of the late DM's of mine seems to think Fae are OP/Very hard to beat and that everthing you do against it, given you have the intention itself, they'll know it so you cant do it exactly anymore.

[@Excrumphnix]

puckwudgies

[@ZyroKool]

Steel is iron. Please inform yourself.

[@JV-ic6to]

34:30

[@I..cast..fireball]

steel is 95+% iron.

[@Ghorda9]

there's no science in the reasoning, it's just forged iron(steel) vs cast iron. a cast iron pot would hurt them on contact but not a forged hilt of a dagger.