Would playing a fairy be lasting fun for a long campaign? Or might it be something that the novelty might wear off on quickly? Also, mechanical, would it be a decision that I would likely appreciate later on, or regret?
Faires seem cute and fun, but I'm not sure how long I, or especially the rest of the party, might feel that way. I think there might be some temptation to make "being a fairy " a big part of a fairy character's personality, and maybe that wouldn't seem like enough, for very long (obviously, would try not to make that mistake).
I've never played a small creature before. I think there are a few disadvantages that come with being small: walking speed (but maybe not in this case . . seems to be 30, could have sworn it was 25 ), disadvantage on attack rolls using heavy weapons, not being able to initiate a shove or grapple against a creature more than one size larger (and not sure what happens if a larger creature tries to shove or grapple a "small" but it's probably not ideal).
*** CORRECTION *** re: diminished carrying capacity (and also push, drag, lift capacity, that seems to apply only to TINY characters, not small characters (see https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/using-ability-scores) **** re: walking speed, a CLASS FEATURE , not a function of being small (even though some classes of small creatures have a 25 instead of a 30 ***
Other than those specific things, I don't think that there is any mechanical disadvantage to being small, related to Strength, or other Ability Scores (is that correct?). And there are a couple of advantages to being small, re: movement and slipping through tight spaces. Not mechanically but maybe thematically, a small creature might be more given to stealth, if it DM also interprets things that way.
Fairies have reduced flying speed ifwearing medium or heavy armor (but, if I understand, aren’t specifically forbidden from wearing it, if the armor fits, and hopefully they also have proficency in it, as not to incure other disadvantages). I also take this to mean that Faires in medium or heavy armor could still fly, just not at full speed.
Being able to fly seems like it would be neat (neat, maybe broken neat), but I guess it also comes with a risk of subtaining damage from falling, if hit by weapons, projectiles or certain spells. I guess being a flying creature would require thinking about 3 deminions instead of (usually) just 2 and might otherwise affect strategy (maybe upping the difficulty level a bit, if making good use out of it).
.
Are threre any other considerations I might have missed? And does this seem like fun for the longhaul (and good for relations with other players)?
Being small effects grappling/shoving, moving in other creatures spaces, squeezing, and using heavy weapons. I think that is it. Carry weight is the same for medium and small creatures (I know, but it is), and movement speed is determined by race not size.
Fairies can't fly in medium or heavy armor. Period. Light armor or you walk. Flying is extremely useful for ranged builds especially in early game, and even useful for melee builds later game.
Its a fine race. I don't like the way they decided they have the same lifespan as humans and had to have wings like sprites instead of being able to represent all the other fae, but flavor fail aside it is a fine playable race.
Oh, wow, you're right about carrying weight (also push, drag, lift), that rule only applies to tiny not small. And also walking speed, it seems to be a class trait, (some classes of small creatures have slower walking speeds, but not all).
re: "Flying is extremely useful"
So, it would be reasonable to make a fairy that was one of the Martial classes? Like a Barbarian (rage-filled fairy) or a fighter? I keep thinking that fairy must be too delicate, (gossamer-like wings and all) and too small to deal a lot of damage physically, but perhaps not, depending on the build.
Fairies were published in the Wild Beyond the Witchlight, and in Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Universe. They have a 30ft movement speed and a flying speed equal to their walking speed when not wearing medium or heavy armor (no flight, not reduced flight speed in those armors).
If you're not going for heavy weapons or grappling, then mechanical drawbacks are virtually non-existent, since even your ability score increases go in whichever abilities you want. Your creature type is Fey, which gives you immunity to several magical effects that explicitly affect Humanoids.
Playing up the fey nature could give you some interesting roleplay situations (like maybe as a fey, your character never lies, but is always deceptive in how it tells the truth).
There are plenty of classes that work perfectly with the fairy. Bard, druid, or sorcerer are great spellcasters, or a fighter, ranger, or rogue could be a great martial option, though you'd likely want to focus on ranged combat to make the best use of your flight. A Sunsoul monk would be god-tier, giving you an unprecedented fly speed, and a ranged attack you can replace your unarmed attacks that deal radiant damage, a rarely resisted damage type. I personally prefer the Coast variant of the Circle of Land Druid, because of the nature themed magic, the broad list of spells prepared each day, and access to Misty Step, which most Druids don't get.
Keep in mind, if you're being useful to the party (healing, buffs, or your own ranged attacks), you'll typically not be too far from them in combat, meaning you'll likely be taking ranged attacks from enemies.
Fairies ore one of my favorite races to play, along with Eladrin, Satyrs, and Aasimar.
You should talk to your DM about how fairies are in their world. If you’re playing in the FR, there’s probably a default way they act, though any DM can feel free to change that. In any other world, there may or may not be a default. And either way, your DM may or may not have strong opinions about how they work. If they aren’t already a part of the world, your DM may be willing to work with you to decide how they behave — the two of you can come up with something fun for you to play, and fun for your DM to work into the story.
My fairy I am playing right now is a gestalt build sorcerer warlock. Her back story is she's a daughter of Titania who was raised among humans but her mother revealed everything to her on her 13th birthday, leading to her magic surging and wiping out the town. Her only surviving friend from that time is a harengon investigator rogue who is trying to sort out all of the details about my fairy based on bits and pieces. This interaction works because it plays off of two characters interacting in character. It's only two of us running a total of 5 PCs, but it's a blast because the fairy uses her cantrips to manipulate the situation so she can hopefully be sneaky with her flying. When she walks, it's more of a hover barely off the ground and she makes it look like she's walking and still triggers traps (this she has hover but still isn't completely broken with flying everywhere).
It comes down to how you play it and are you willing to set up a story with the DM around the characters and their history and fun.
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Would playing a fairy be lasting fun for a long campaign? Or might it be something that the novelty might wear off on quickly? Also, mechanical, would it be a decision that I would likely appreciate later on, or regret?
Faires seem cute and fun, but I'm not sure how long I, or especially the rest of the party, might feel that way. I think there might be some temptation to make "being a fairy " a big part of a fairy character's personality, and maybe that wouldn't seem like enough, for very long (obviously, would try not to make that mistake).
I've never played a small creature before. I think there are a few disadvantages that come with being small: walking speed (but maybe not in this case . . seems to be 30, could have sworn it was 25 ), disadvantage on attack rolls using heavy weapons, not being able to initiate a shove or grapple against a creature more than one size larger (and not sure what happens if a larger creature tries to shove or grapple a "small" but it's probably not ideal).
*** CORRECTION *** re: diminished carrying capacity (and also push, drag, lift capacity, that seems to apply only to TINY characters, not small characters (see https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/using-ability-scores) **** re: walking speed, a CLASS FEATURE , not a function of being small (even though some classes of small creatures have a 25 instead of a 30 ***
Other than those specific things, I don't think that there is any mechanical disadvantage to being small, related to Strength, or other Ability Scores (is that correct?). And there are a couple of advantages to being small, re: movement and slipping through tight spaces. Not mechanically but maybe thematically, a small creature might be more given to stealth, if it DM also interprets things that way.
Fairies have reduced flying speed if wearing medium or heavy armor (but, if I understand, aren’t specifically forbidden from wearing it, if the armor fits, and hopefully they also have proficency in it, as not to incure other disadvantages). I also take this to mean that Faires in medium or heavy armor could still fly, just not at full speed.
Being able to fly seems like it would be neat (neat, maybe broken neat), but I guess it also comes with a risk of subtaining damage from falling, if hit by weapons, projectiles or certain spells. I guess being a flying creature would require thinking about 3 deminions instead of (usually) just 2 and might otherwise affect strategy (maybe upping the difficulty level a bit, if making good use out of it).
.
Are threre any other considerations I might have missed? And does this seem like fun for the longhaul (and good for relations with other players)?
Being small effects grappling/shoving, moving in other creatures spaces, squeezing, and using heavy weapons. I think that is it. Carry weight is the same for medium and small creatures (I know, but it is), and movement speed is determined by race not size.
Fairies can't fly in medium or heavy armor. Period. Light armor or you walk. Flying is extremely useful for ranged builds especially in early game, and even useful for melee builds later game.
Its a fine race. I don't like the way they decided they have the same lifespan as humans and had to have wings like sprites instead of being able to represent all the other fae, but flavor fail aside it is a fine playable race.
Oh, wow, you're right about carrying weight (also push, drag, lift), that rule only applies to tiny not small. And also walking speed, it seems to be a class trait, (some classes of small creatures have slower walking speeds, but not all).
re: "Flying is extremely useful"
So, it would be reasonable to make a fairy that was one of the Martial classes? Like a Barbarian (rage-filled fairy) or a fighter? I keep thinking that fairy must be too delicate, (gossamer-like wings and all) and too small to deal a lot of damage physically, but perhaps not, depending on the build.
Fairies were published in the Wild Beyond the Witchlight, and in Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Universe. They have a 30ft movement speed and a flying speed equal to their walking speed when not wearing medium or heavy armor (no flight, not reduced flight speed in those armors).
If you're not going for heavy weapons or grappling, then mechanical drawbacks are virtually non-existent, since even your ability score increases go in whichever abilities you want. Your creature type is Fey, which gives you immunity to several magical effects that explicitly affect Humanoids.
Playing up the fey nature could give you some interesting roleplay situations (like maybe as a fey, your character never lies, but is always deceptive in how it tells the truth).
There are plenty of classes that work perfectly with the fairy. Bard, druid, or sorcerer are great spellcasters, or a fighter, ranger, or rogue could be a great martial option, though you'd likely want to focus on ranged combat to make the best use of your flight. A Sunsoul monk would be god-tier, giving you an unprecedented fly speed, and a ranged attack you can replace your unarmed attacks that deal radiant damage, a rarely resisted damage type. I personally prefer the Coast variant of the Circle of Land Druid, because of the nature themed magic, the broad list of spells prepared each day, and access to Misty Step, which most Druids don't get.
Keep in mind, if you're being useful to the party (healing, buffs, or your own ranged attacks), you'll typically not be too far from them in combat, meaning you'll likely be taking ranged attacks from enemies.
Fairies ore one of my favorite races to play, along with Eladrin, Satyrs, and Aasimar.
You should talk to your DM about how fairies are in their world. If you’re playing in the FR, there’s probably a default way they act, though any DM can feel free to change that. In any other world, there may or may not be a default. And either way, your DM may or may not have strong opinions about how they work. If they aren’t already a part of the world, your DM may be willing to work with you to decide how they behave — the two of you can come up with something fun for you to play, and fun for your DM to work into the story.
Also, do not get caught up in the cute, disnified faeries.
Traditional faerie stories are very DARK. Faeries stole children and left changelings.
Consider being a dark, 'unseelie' faerie that is very blood thirsty.
My fairy I am playing right now is a gestalt build sorcerer warlock. Her back story is she's a daughter of Titania who was raised among humans but her mother revealed everything to her on her 13th birthday, leading to her magic surging and wiping out the town. Her only surviving friend from that time is a harengon investigator rogue who is trying to sort out all of the details about my fairy based on bits and pieces. This interaction works because it plays off of two characters interacting in character. It's only two of us running a total of 5 PCs, but it's a blast because the fairy uses her cantrips to manipulate the situation so she can hopefully be sneaky with her flying. When she walks, it's more of a hover barely off the ground and she makes it look like she's walking and still triggers traps (this she has hover but still isn't completely broken with flying everywhere).
It comes down to how you play it and are you willing to set up a story with the DM around the characters and their history and fun.