Many people in a 5e world might be suspicious of a single owl or raven, but a couple of owls, hawks or ravens, perhaps not so much.
Many people in a 5e world might be suspicious if that single owl, hawk or raven flew into their area and just disappeared, but if an identical owl or raven continued to perch in a visible location, perhaps not so much.
Disguise Self says: You make yourself--including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person--look different until the spell ends or until you use your action to dismiss it. You can seem 1 foot shorter or taller and can appear thin, fat, or in between. You can't change your body type, so you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs. Otherwise, the extent of the illusion is up to you. ...
It's that same basic arrangement of limbs bit that could be a problem but, if you kept your hands to your sides or if you were just another distantish object in the sky, perhaps not so much.
So, a fairy has traits as a small creature though further details of size are not given. Of other small creatures, Gnomes and Goblins are both between 3 and 4 feet tall, Halflings average about 3 feet tall while Kobolds are between 2 and 3 feet tall. Media star fairies like Tinkerbell can be portrayed as tiny so, perhaps a 5e fairy might be similarly able to fit into the smaller end of small.
5e owls and hawks aren't given a size other than tiny though, in the real world, some of these birds can commonly achieve 2 ft lengths.
The 5e fairy is a cop-out IMO. It really shouldn't have been released unless they were willing to make a Tiny race and deal with all the consequences of that, because as you point out the images we get in our heads are things like Tinkerbell. This thing can wield a longsword. Tinkerbell could probably barely get her arms around the hilt of a longsword, much less use it with proficiency. The designers decided to just give you Reduce so you could be the proper size for at least a minute each day.
Anyway, it's certainly reasonable to put them at the smaller end of Small, and presumably there are owls that exist on the size spectrum between between the tiny Owl and the Giant Owl. It's up for your DM to decide because the designers just weren't willing to commit to making a real fairy.
The 5e fairy is a cop-out IMO. It really shouldn't have been released unless they were willing to make a Tiny race and deal with all the consequences of that, because as you point out the images we get in our heads are things like Tinkerbell. This thing can wield a longsword. Tinkerbell could probably barely get her arms around the hilt of a longsword, much less use it with proficiency. The designers decided to just give you Reduce so you could be the proper size for at least a minute each day.
Anyway, it's certainly reasonable to put them at the smaller end of Small, and presumably there are owls that exist on the size spectrum between between the tiny Owl and the Giant Owl. It's up for your DM to decide because the designers just weren't willing to commit to making a real fairy.
Some fairies are big (at least for faeries) while others, like Tinker Bell, are portrayed as very small. Titania queen of the faeries is not typically portrayed as small and has titan in her name. Morgan Le Fay was portrayed as around human size. Other fairy folk, such as pixies and sprites, can be tiny.
Wikipedia articles include one on Little people (mythology) and I certainly agree on the cop-out. If you're going to have fairies, why not go down to the size of pixies or sprites (more commonly appearing races in d&d)? If you're going to have Firbolgs and Goliaths, why not go up to the size of giants?
If you're going to have fairies, why not go down to the size of pixies or sprites (more commonly appearing races in d&d)? If you're going to have Firbolgs and Goliaths, why not go up to the size of giants?
Large and Tiny player characters creates a host of issues. Each would need supplemental rules to handle that default rules don't.
Large size, for example, is anywhere from 8+ to 16 ft tall. If you took the physique of a 6' 200lb man and scaled him up to 16 ft tall you're looking at almost 4 thousand pound guy.
Other characters couldn't move him, he'd break basically any and all furniture, and he'd need a pretty insane amount of food and water to keep him fed, you'd be liable to go bankrupt on just food. He'd need to eat something like 20 rations a day.
And then you get into other equipment issues. A backpack isn't going to fit this guy, neither are anything else designed to be worn, you'd need a whole new set of equipment built for a larger character. How much is that going to cost? Do we just settle on some fixed multiplier or are we going to write up a whole section for getting gear tailored to your dimensions? Do container for large creature still carry the same amounts as listed or, are they larger too?
We haven't even touched on weapons and armor. Does a large character need specially built weapons? or, do they have some sort of sliding scale function like small does, when they can like hold a greatsword in one hand. And how much do these weapons weight? We sticking with the square-cube law and dramatically up-scaling their weight by a multiple of 8+?
Okay so we've finally worked through equipment, but not magical equipment and consumables. Can a large size creature even open the stopper of a tiny vial for a regular healing potion? Can they squeeze ring of protection onto their massive hands? Their fingers are, remember, now the size of wrists...
We have a ton to work through and we're still talking gear. But what about game balance? If we give a race access to being Large size that might very well soon become the defacto-best battlefield controller. Because now they're a simple Enlarge spell away from becoming Huge size. That means reach and the ability to control a massive area of the battlemap. Throw a halberd on them and we're talking controlling 72 grid spaces. For reference a normal medium creature without reach controls 8. One with reach, 24, and one with reach and enlarged to Large controls 32. So our Large race gives the ability to more than double the area control of the field. That's... not nothing.
And if they're getting increased damage dice from that oversized gear we're now also talking the high potential melee damage dealer too. So more than double ar area of battlefield control and also the best damage? Sounds mandatory.
How are we going to balance this so that it isn't strictly the only serious option?
Tiny sized races have a whole host of issues all of their own, each would also need to get worked out. Equipment, consumables, etc as well. And, depending on how you plan to balance large to from being too powerful, might need to work in how tiny isn't too weak.
All I'm saying, really, is aside from power balance you've got a whole host of logistical questions to explain too. Its a lot.
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I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
Many people in a 5e world might be suspicious of a single owl or raven, but a couple of owls, hawks or ravens, perhaps not so much.
Many people in a 5e world might be suspicious if that single owl, hawk or raven flew into their area and just disappeared, but if an identical owl or raven continued to perch in a visible location, perhaps not so much.
Disguise Self says: You make yourself--including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person--look different until the spell ends or until you use your action to dismiss it. You can seem 1 foot shorter or taller and can appear thin, fat, or in between. You can't change your body type, so you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs. Otherwise, the extent of the illusion is up to you. ...
It's that same basic arrangement of limbs bit that could be a problem but, if you kept your hands to your sides or if you were just another distantish object in the sky, perhaps not so much.
So, a fairy has traits as a small creature though further details of size are not given. Of other small creatures, Gnomes and Goblins are both between 3 and 4 feet tall, Halflings average about 3 feet tall while Kobolds are between 2 and 3 feet tall. Media star fairies like Tinkerbell can be portrayed as tiny so, perhaps a 5e fairy might be similarly able to fit into the smaller end of small.
5e owls and hawks aren't given a size other than tiny though, in the real world, some of these birds can commonly achieve 2 ft lengths.
Personally, I think this would work.
You might be able to look like an owl, but you would look like an unusually large owl with arms that it is trying to keep close to its sides. So, it might work from a distance, but close enough for anyone to look at you and you would be even more suss than a regular familiar is when it's trying to spy on an enemy camp.
Many people in a 5e world might be suspicious of a single owl or raven, but a couple of owls, hawks or ravens, perhaps not so much.
Many people in a 5e world might be suspicious if that single owl, hawk or raven flew into their area and just disappeared, but if an identical owl or raven continued to perch in a visible location, perhaps not so much.
Disguise Self says: You make yourself--including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person--look different until the spell ends or until you use your action to dismiss it. You can seem 1 foot shorter or taller and can appear thin, fat, or in between. You can't change your body type, so you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs. Otherwise, the extent of the illusion is up to you. ...
It's that same basic arrangement of limbs bit that could be a problem but, if you kept your hands to your sides or if you were just another distantish object in the sky, perhaps not so much.
So, a fairy has traits as a small creature though further details of size are not given. Of other small creatures, Gnomes and Goblins are both between 3 and 4 feet tall, Halflings average about 3 feet tall while Kobolds are between 2 and 3 feet tall. Media star fairies like Tinkerbell can be portrayed as tiny so, perhaps a 5e fairy might be similarly able to fit into the smaller end of small.
5e owls and hawks aren't given a size other than tiny though, in the real world, some of these birds can commonly achieve 2 ft lengths.
Personally, I think this would work.
You might be able to look like an owl, but you would look like an unusually large owl with arms that it is trying to keep close to its sides. So, it might work from a distance, but close enough for anyone to look at you and you would be even more suss than a regular familiar is when it's trying to spy on an enemy camp.
Which, if you could choose for your familiar to be large, wouldn't be a problem. It may not even seem so strange to see two birds of marginally different sizes. If a watcher turned back to see a distant bird of an identical appearance but of a marginally different size they may not give it a second thought. But many DMs just let you choose the appearance of familiars so this may not be a problem. A skinny perhaps low str fairy (as many a wizard might be) might easily fit within the appearance of a large feathery owl.
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Many people in a 5e world might be suspicious of a single owl or raven, but a couple of owls, hawks or ravens, perhaps not so much.
Many people in a 5e world might be suspicious if that single owl, hawk or raven flew into their area and just disappeared, but if an identical owl or raven continued to perch in a visible location, perhaps not so much.
Disguise Self says: You make yourself--including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person--look different until the spell ends or until you use your action to dismiss it. You can seem 1 foot shorter or taller and can appear thin, fat, or in between. You can't change your body type, so you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs. Otherwise, the extent of the illusion is up to you. ...
It's that same basic arrangement of limbs bit that could be a problem but, if you kept your hands to your sides or if you were just another distantish object in the sky, perhaps not so much.
So, a fairy has traits as a small creature though further details of size are not given. Of other small creatures, Gnomes and Goblins are both between 3 and 4 feet tall, Halflings average about 3 feet tall while Kobolds are between 2 and 3 feet tall. Media star fairies like Tinkerbell can be portrayed as tiny so, perhaps a 5e fairy might be similarly able to fit into the smaller end of small.
5e owls and hawks aren't given a size other than tiny though, in the real world, some of these birds can commonly achieve 2 ft lengths.
Personally, I think this would work.
The 5e fairy is a cop-out IMO. It really shouldn't have been released unless they were willing to make a Tiny race and deal with all the consequences of that, because as you point out the images we get in our heads are things like Tinkerbell. This thing can wield a longsword. Tinkerbell could probably barely get her arms around the hilt of a longsword, much less use it with proficiency. The designers decided to just give you Reduce so you could be the proper size for at least a minute each day.
Anyway, it's certainly reasonable to put them at the smaller end of Small, and presumably there are owls that exist on the size spectrum between between the tiny Owl and the Giant Owl. It's up for your DM to decide because the designers just weren't willing to commit to making a real fairy.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
Some fairies are big (at least for faeries) while others, like Tinker Bell, are portrayed as very small. Titania queen of the faeries is not typically portrayed as small and has titan in her name. Morgan Le Fay was portrayed as around human size. Other fairy folk, such as pixies and sprites, can be tiny.
Wikipedia articles include one on Little people (mythology) and I certainly agree on the cop-out. If you're going to have fairies, why not go down to the size of pixies or sprites (more commonly appearing races in d&d)? If you're going to have Firbolgs and Goliaths, why not go up to the size of giants?
Large and Tiny player characters creates a host of issues. Each would need supplemental rules to handle that default rules don't.
Large size, for example, is anywhere from 8+ to 16 ft tall. If you took the physique of a 6' 200lb man and scaled him up to 16 ft tall you're looking at almost 4 thousand pound guy.
Other characters couldn't move him, he'd break basically any and all furniture, and he'd need a pretty insane amount of food and water to keep him fed, you'd be liable to go bankrupt on just food. He'd need to eat something like 20 rations a day.
And then you get into other equipment issues. A backpack isn't going to fit this guy, neither are anything else designed to be worn, you'd need a whole new set of equipment built for a larger character. How much is that going to cost? Do we just settle on some fixed multiplier or are we going to write up a whole section for getting gear tailored to your dimensions? Do container for large creature still carry the same amounts as listed or, are they larger too?
We haven't even touched on weapons and armor. Does a large character need specially built weapons? or, do they have some sort of sliding scale function like small does, when they can like hold a greatsword in one hand. And how much do these weapons weight? We sticking with the square-cube law and dramatically up-scaling their weight by a multiple of 8+?
Okay so we've finally worked through equipment, but not magical equipment and consumables. Can a large size creature even open the stopper of a tiny vial for a regular healing potion? Can they squeeze ring of protection onto their massive hands? Their fingers are, remember, now the size of wrists...
We have a ton to work through and we're still talking gear. But what about game balance? If we give a race access to being Large size that might very well soon become the defacto-best battlefield controller. Because now they're a simple Enlarge spell away from becoming Huge size. That means reach and the ability to control a massive area of the battlemap. Throw a halberd on them and we're talking controlling 72 grid spaces. For reference a normal medium creature without reach controls 8. One with reach, 24, and one with reach and enlarged to Large controls 32. So our Large race gives the ability to more than double the area control of the field. That's... not nothing.
And if they're getting increased damage dice from that oversized gear we're now also talking the high potential melee damage dealer too. So more than double ar area of battlefield control and also the best damage? Sounds mandatory.
How are we going to balance this so that it isn't strictly the only serious option?
Tiny sized races have a whole host of issues all of their own, each would also need to get worked out. Equipment, consumables, etc as well. And, depending on how you plan to balance large to from being too powerful, might need to work in how tiny isn't too weak.
All I'm saying, really, is aside from power balance you've got a whole host of logistical questions to explain too. Its a lot.
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
You might be able to look like an owl, but you would look like an unusually large owl with arms that it is trying to keep close to its sides. So, it might work from a distance, but close enough for anyone to look at you and you would be even more suss than a regular familiar is when it's trying to spy on an enemy camp.
Which, if you could choose for your familiar to be large, wouldn't be a problem.
It may not even seem so strange to see two birds of marginally different sizes.
If a watcher turned back to see a distant bird of an identical appearance but of a marginally different size they may not give it a second thought.
But many DMs just let you choose the appearance of familiars so this may not be a problem.
A skinny perhaps low str fairy (as many a wizard might be) might easily fit within the appearance of a large feathery owl.