So, I am attempting to implement a new race into my homebrew campaign. A dark fey/sprite/faerie type creature. Basically a cursed/fallen fey the got banished to the shadowfell and lost its wings, but in place grew a tail and obtained darkvision. I already have the appearance and abilities worked out, just need a lore/background for it. I know it sounds very Maleficent, but im leaning more towards the differences between drow/surface elf..grey dwarf/surface dwarf…deep gnome/surface gnome, etc. However, I am trying to come up with something that differs from the lore of underdark vs surface world races. This is where im getting stuck and need help.
So it's kind of like Dark Faeries? the concept being thsat some power cast them from the feywild and into the underdark, and took their wings, by the sound of it.
I would have the faeries make a pact with a dark god to give them their ability to fly back. That's the sort of thing I would expect this sort of plot line to flow towards. Usually it goes that one side got banished, so said "Fine, I don't need you anyway", and then found someone who offered them their powers back, in exchange for servitude.
Creepy idea: they were banished, and found a power who sought to use them to gain their powers. They are a bizarre evil creature who offers them the ability to travel by darkness, but they must perform a task for them; they must gather the teeth of any children of the world, which gives this strange deity power. Yep, they're tooth faeries which can travel from one patch of darkness to the next, hence only coming out at night. Effectively, this means they can fly in darkness. Take it or leave it, I don't mind ;)
- Banishment to the Shadowfell is easily the sort of thing the Winter court/Unseelie fey (being the "dark" half of the feywild itself) would be entirely capable of, so there's a potential culprit for who did the banishing
- The Shadowfell is NOT a nice place to live; indeed, just survive; so, with that in mind: the "adapt or die" backstory element, or finding a power willing to help them survive there is a good one.
- Rather like ThoruDuckSLayer's idea of replacing their ability to fly with teh ability to move through shadows; that seems pretty thematic and a nice trade-off. Thoughw ith the tails element does make me think of Nightcrawler from the X-men.
A: you can edit it to live in the astral plane or ethereal, subtly editing the features and traits to better fit the environment.
B: you can choose not to edit the race and just make up a story such as ‘enslaved by shadow dragons and somehow escaped’ or something like that.
C: you can just get rid of the race altogether and choose not to incorporate it into ur world. I know that this seems the worst option but in my experience less is more.
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I would start by looking at the defining traits of sprites/pixies/etc.--their lack of forethought and considering consequences combined with their curiosity and childlike delight in playing pranks. Pixies are fairly dangerous creatures--they would not really see much problem accidently transforming someone to satisfy their curiosity or in a prank gone disastrously wrong (or right in the pixie's mind), and would probably giggle about it.
Most of the time, this works out well for the pixies--in the feywild, the land is generally as chaotic and whimsical as the pixie, and, while the Feywild is dangerous, the pixie's childlike foolhardiness synergizes well with the land and ensures their survival. But now we are casting them out, in droves, to a land that is antithetical and opposed to their very nature.
There likely was a mass extinction event in the early days of the exile. Curious to discover the new land, the pixie race would have sustained massive casualties investigating the dangers of their new home. Many of these events would have occurred from the same danger--pixies are not ones to learn from the experiences of others, so it would likely have been fairly common for some pixie to investigate a patch of shadow, get killed by it, and for a half dozen more to wonder "I wonder if that happens every time?" and all perish the same way.
Pranks would also have remained common--but the results would have been far worse. Where a traditional fey prank might result in someone turning into a donkey or permanently becoming purple, pranks in the cruel, inhospitable land likely would result in their pranks being rather fatal.
These things would likely have had an effect on their general nature. The survivors would still be curious creatures--but they would be much more likely to trick others into being the Guinea pig to satisfy their curiosity. This would likely give them fairly high charisma scores, as they try to lead others into potential folly just to see what might happen. Likewise, the race likely would retain its whimsical love of pranks--but likely would be less upset with fatal outcomes than their Feywild brethren might be.
So, I am attempting to implement a new race into my homebrew campaign. A dark fey/sprite/faerie type creature. Basically a cursed/fallen fey the got banished to the shadowfell and lost its wings, but in place grew a tail and obtained darkvision. I already have the appearance and abilities worked out, just need a lore/background for it. I know it sounds very Maleficent, but im leaning more towards the differences between drow/surface elf..grey dwarf/surface dwarf…deep gnome/surface gnome, etc. However, I am trying to come up with something that differs from the lore of underdark vs surface world races. This is where im getting stuck and need help.
You are describing the Shadar-kai. They are elves that live in Shadowfell and serve the Raven Queen. They are in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes.
So, I am attempting to implement a new race into my homebrew campaign. A dark fey/sprite/faerie type creature. Basically a cursed/fallen fey the got banished to the shadowfell and lost its wings, but in place grew a tail and obtained darkvision. I already have the appearance and abilities worked out, just need a lore/background for it. I know it sounds very Maleficent, but im leaning more towards the differences between drow/surface elf..grey dwarf/surface dwarf…deep gnome/surface gnome, etc. However, I am trying to come up with something that differs from the lore of underdark vs surface world races. This is where im getting stuck and need help.
That’s actually right. Little exposition on the shader Kai.
Shadar Kai are exactly as Portential said, dark elves from the shadowfell. But some of them moved to the planet and took over numerous small towns over the world.
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So, I am attempting to implement a new race into my homebrew campaign. A dark fey/sprite/faerie type creature. Basically a cursed/fallen fey the got banished to the shadowfell and lost its wings, but in place grew a tail and obtained darkvision. I already have the appearance and abilities worked out, just need a lore/background for it. I know it sounds very Maleficent, but im leaning more towards the differences between drow/surface elf..grey dwarf/surface dwarf…deep gnome/surface gnome, etc. However, I am trying to come up with something that differs from the lore of underdark vs surface world races. This is where im getting stuck and need help.
So it's kind of like Dark Faeries? the concept being thsat some power cast them from the feywild and into the underdark, and took their wings, by the sound of it.
I would have the faeries make a pact with a dark god to give them their ability to fly back. That's the sort of thing I would expect this sort of plot line to flow towards. Usually it goes that one side got banished, so said "Fine, I don't need you anyway", and then found someone who offered them their powers back, in exchange for servitude.
Creepy idea: they were banished, and found a power who sought to use them to gain their powers. They are a bizarre evil creature who offers them the ability to travel by darkness, but they must perform a task for them; they must gather the teeth of any children of the world, which gives this strange deity power. Yep, they're tooth faeries which can travel from one patch of darkness to the next, hence only coming out at night. Effectively, this means they can fly in darkness. Take it or leave it, I don't mind ;)
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Some thoughts that spring to mind immediately:
- Banishment to the Shadowfell is easily the sort of thing the Winter court/Unseelie fey (being the "dark" half of the feywild itself) would be entirely capable of, so there's a potential culprit for who did the banishing
- The Shadowfell is NOT a nice place to live; indeed, just survive; so, with that in mind: the "adapt or die" backstory element, or finding a power willing to help them survive there is a good one.
- Rather like ThoruDuckSLayer's idea of replacing their ability to fly with teh ability to move through shadows; that seems pretty thematic and a nice trade-off. Thoughw ith the tails element does make me think of Nightcrawler from the X-men.
You have 3 options:
A: you can edit it to live in the astral plane or ethereal, subtly editing the features and traits to better fit the environment.
B: you can choose not to edit the race and just make up a story such as ‘enslaved by shadow dragons and somehow escaped’ or something like that.
C: you can just get rid of the race altogether and choose not to incorporate it into ur world. I know that this seems the worst option but in my experience less is more.
I would start by looking at the defining traits of sprites/pixies/etc.--their lack of forethought and considering consequences combined with their curiosity and childlike delight in playing pranks. Pixies are fairly dangerous creatures--they would not really see much problem accidently transforming someone to satisfy their curiosity or in a prank gone disastrously wrong (or right in the pixie's mind), and would probably giggle about it.
Most of the time, this works out well for the pixies--in the feywild, the land is generally as chaotic and whimsical as the pixie, and, while the Feywild is dangerous, the pixie's childlike foolhardiness synergizes well with the land and ensures their survival. But now we are casting them out, in droves, to a land that is antithetical and opposed to their very nature.
There likely was a mass extinction event in the early days of the exile. Curious to discover the new land, the pixie race would have sustained massive casualties investigating the dangers of their new home. Many of these events would have occurred from the same danger--pixies are not ones to learn from the experiences of others, so it would likely have been fairly common for some pixie to investigate a patch of shadow, get killed by it, and for a half dozen more to wonder "I wonder if that happens every time?" and all perish the same way.
Pranks would also have remained common--but the results would have been far worse. Where a traditional fey prank might result in someone turning into a donkey or permanently becoming purple, pranks in the cruel, inhospitable land likely would result in their pranks being rather fatal.
These things would likely have had an effect on their general nature. The survivors would still be curious creatures--but they would be much more likely to trick others into being the Guinea pig to satisfy their curiosity. This would likely give them fairly high charisma scores, as they try to lead others into potential folly just to see what might happen. Likewise, the race likely would retain its whimsical love of pranks--but likely would be less upset with fatal outcomes than their Feywild brethren might be.
You are describing the Shadar-kai. They are elves that live in Shadowfell and serve the Raven Queen. They are in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes.
That’s actually right. Little exposition on the shader Kai.
Shadar Kai are exactly as Portential said, dark elves from the shadowfell. But some of them moved to the planet and took over numerous small towns over the world.