There are many places in Forgotten Realms or other Dungeons & Dragons settings to run a classic adventure in, but if you want to add a little whimsy and chaos to your campaign, you can take your players on an unpredictable journey through The Feywild.
Running an adventure in other planes of existence can be a challenging and rewarding experience for Dungeon Masters and an unforgettable memory for the players. By knowing some of the denizens and environments of Feywild and the challenges your players might face, you can better prepare for the journey.
7 First Impressions
When you introduce your players to the Feywild, highlighting the contrasts between the environment and their previous experiences can help set the tone and prepare them for the uniqueness of the realm. Unless they have been in the Feywild before, their first impressions will be like nothing they have seen before.
The vivid and colorful scenery, the strange aromas, and the enchanting voices of the Feywild are exaggerated even more by the heightened senses that creatures possess within the fantastical lands of the fey. The perpetual sunset and the mysterious flora and fauna make navigating the land extremely challenging, and unless your players are prepared or come upon a guide, they are likely to be completely lost in the first stages of their journey.
6 A Dark Fairytale
Feywild looks like a fantastical land full of wonders and mysteries, and it might give the unprepared adventurer a false sense of safety and trust. There are many fey creatures with evil intent, and even those who are not purely evil, are chaotic and selfish. They view outsiders as an opportunity to have fun with. They manipulate and prank mortals, without caring about the consequences that might befall them.
Even the landscape itself is untrustworthy. Plants and wildlife might move and change to misdirect adventurers, and the land itself might react violently to aggression and strong emotions. You can slowly show the dark side of this fairytale to your players, or warn them beforehand through research and NPCs about the dangers of the Feywild.
5 Unpredictable Time Flow
Unless the entirety of your campaign takes place in the Feywild, traveling to and from the realm would be a challenge in itself. The flow of time is different from the material plane, and while your party might spend a few weeks in the Feywild, when they return to their home plane time might have passed much slower or quicker in comparison.
You can either roll to see how time has passed in their absence or come up with your narrative reason for it to have passed differently in a direction. If the characters know about this phenomenon, they can even ask for a favor from an archfey to control the flow of time between the planes to align with their goals. This, of course, would require a favor in return from the archfey, and send them on various quests, so they can return to their home safely and without missing months, years, or even decades while they were in the Feywild.
4 Notable Locations
The Feywild is a mirror plane to the Prime Material plane. The geography and the landmasses are similar, but it is still significantly different in how it looks and where important landscapes and settlements are located. There are many points of interest in the realm for your players to visit, and you can design your locations and make the adventure unique to yourself.
You can use some of the most well-known locations or get inspiration from them in your design. Brokenstone Vale is the kingdom of lycanthropes founded by a powerful werewolf. Iliyanbruen is the kingdom of ancient elves who have escaped their destruction from the material plane and now reside in the Feywild. Nachturis is the most powerful goblin kingdom across the realm, ruled by Great Galk, lord of all goblins. And Feydark, the plane’s mirror to the Underdark, is even more dangerous and mysterious than its counterpart.
3 The Inhabitants
In addition to various types of fey creatures, the Feywild is home to many types of monsters, goblinoids, and humanoids as well. There are many threats if your players wander off of the beaten path. Pixies and hags, monstrous plant creatures, and nymphs and redcaps are some of the more common threats to traveling adventurers.
But there are also multiple settlements and civilizations that your players might come across in the Feywild. Leshay, Fomorians and Eladrin elves are some of the most civilized and powerful populations of the land, and goblins, giants, ogres, and lycanthropes also have various settlements across the Feywild.
2 Power Structures
The powers across the Feywild are as chaotic as its nature. There are many archfeys who have dominion over their surroundings and can have dealings with the players. Archfeys are some of the most powerful entities in the Feywild, and can be a great ally, a manipulative trickster, or even a dangerous enemy to the characters.
In addition to the localized powers and influence of the archfeys, there are two major power structures in the Feywild known as the Seelie Court and the Unseelie Court. Seelie and Unseelie fey follow one of two godlike archfeys, known as Titania the Summer Queen, and the Queen of Air and Darkness. These groups have a bitter rivalry and are always working against each other, creating a constant power struggle in the Feywild.
1 The Villains
While you can create your own villain for your Feywild adventures, there are also many characters in various campaign books and resources that you can utilize in your game. Great Galk, the goblin king that was mentioned before is a powerful boss that can challenge mid-level adventurers. Some of the other powerful evil beings in the Feywild are the eladrin vampire Lord Kannoth, the Fomorian king Malabog, and the Fomorian queen Connomae. Hag covens and Lycanthropes can also pose a decent challenge for lower-level adventures in the realm.
If you decide to design your own villain for such an adventure, consider how the chaotic and selfish nature of the fey impacts their intent and decisions. What evil or dangerous goal would make them stand out compared to the rest of the inhabitants in the Feywild?
#Run #Adventure #Feywild
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