#5e fey

[vivi-the-goblin]

Mr Rime's buttons blink when attacking or being attacked, his "eyes" never do, and one of the cards imply it breathes from the chest. That outfit is the actual face, it has a false head. That's why I'm posting this one out of order, it's the next spooky pokemon in line. Nothing with a false head trying to lure children to it is good. Mime Jr and Mr Mime are fine though, honestly Legends Arceus warmed me up to them. Apparently fear of clowns is near unheard of in Japan. Guess they don't have an uprising clowns every couple years, like the East Coast USA has for the past half century. Seriously, every few years for the past 60 we've had waves of people in clown costumes with machetes start appear. Rarely ends in any death, they're generally just trying to terrify people. Anyway, these clowns are here to make a fool out of wizards, so time for encounter ideas!

-Mime Jr are rascally but typically harmless, just following children around to play and harmless pranks. Lately things have been going missing from those it interacts with. (the townsfolk think it's mime jr, but it's actually a thief/monster taking advantage of the distraction) -Mr Mime are the jesters of the archfey courts. When the townspeople stopped leaving out offerings for her pixies, the jester was sent to make fools out of the town. Make this a mystery, the players have to figure it's a fey and how to contact/appease them. Or just fight the Mr Mime, but it will definitely retreat and keep coming back to harrass the town, good luck with that. And with retribution should they kill the court's jester. - Galarian Mr Mime have taken up residence in the local lake, kicking anyone more focused on ice fishing than their performance. The locals need help driving them off, either by appeasing them or attack. (bonus points- the Mr Mime becaomes a Mr Rime when they reach low health, refilling health like a Mythic Trait or a video game boss) - Mr Rime has been entertaining the village with its antics. People chalk up the frozen body appearing to yetis or winter wolves, relying on the entertainer for joy in this trying time. The Mr Rime is behind these disappearances, occasionally following the last member of its audience home to launch a cone of cold.

[vivi-the-goblin]

Fun fact- thematic background music helps with most projects, but not when working with galarian ponyta. Too much 2012 nostalgia, lost the whole day on a rabbit trail. Anyway, ponyta and rapidash, the classic flaming steeds! Terrifying too, as flame charge will have it constantly bouncing around the battlefield in hit-and-run tactics. The galarian unicor- sorry, "Unique Horn" version is definitely more of a support, with fairy wind making it difficult to chase through the forest. With rapidash, smart strike is weak but a good finisher for a weakened PC. Galarian form however will just knock someone down as a reaction to get advantage and retaliate by goring them. Take note that either of these can hold their own in a fight, but are definitely designed to have a companion. Both forms of ponyta will see weaker creatures like halflings or pixies riding them to provide fire support, things that appreciate a hit-and-get-out sort of strategy. The rapidash are suited for high level cavaliers/paladins, ancient elves and fey, and maybe a party member for the final battle. Speaking of battles, here are a few encounter ideas. - A rancher wants to break into the big leagues by raising Ponyta for noble mounts, but needs to capture a colt first. Thankfully random adventurers will do all sorts of things for the right price. - Locals swear there's a young unicorn in the woods. A small group are loyal to it, leaving it offerings and swearing that its mere companionship is sorcery of the highest caliber. The local priest thinks it's witchcraft, as nobody else has seen it and a celestial would obviously show itself to him. He offers the party a reward for proving they're enthralled by some fiend.

- There is a single Rapidash in the area, a stallion known as The Lord of the Dale. Locals give him offerings, hoping for his continued protection after it slew a chimera. Today it has appeared in town. Wounded. It cannot speak, but it appears to be asking for help. A roar sounds in the distance. (whatever it is, if healed the rapidash will willingly carry party members into battle.) -Did you know that spells like Revivify are necromancy? It can tell there's a necromancy, but Blight and Spare the Dying all feel the same to its ability. You have entered the rapidash's glade, and the forest will heed its call.

[vivi-the-goblin]

Drowzee and Hypno, based on the mythical Baku. So I thought these things were creepy enough growing up, then sun/moon has to let us know they hang around rec centers (playgrounds, summercamps, etc) so they can make sure thier victims are ones with good dreams. They'll regurgitate those dreams and show you if they like you. And hypno will just grab and sample random people off the street, hauling them away if they're tasty. The last few I was struggling for a good encounter, these thing are boogeymen that write themselves! -The fair's in town! but creatures lurk in the wake of this carnival. The sweet dreams of children are those most savory, and nothing creates them quite like a celebration. The fair has passed, but not all the beasties left with it... -When a little girl makes gifts for her dream friends, that's cute! When you find an inhuman footstep on the windowsill, it's time to call an adventurer. (bonus idea! It escaped from a wizard who swapped its tastes, it actually only eats bad dreams! It can be convinced to come with the party, the warlock's dreams alone are enough incentive) -The first parent was dragged to jail. No sign of a break in, child gone, nobody believed they father had just "blacked out" unless it was from drink. Then it happened again. and again. Then a hunter finally spotted it. Parents instantly knocked out, then the kid, then the strange yellow man hauling his catch back to whatever cave it lurks in. The party might fine a terrible little dream ranch when they track him down... -The villiage drove off the local Hypno, but the children's dreams have soured even further. It turns out the Hypno had been doing them a favor. A coven of Night Hags had been attempting to corrupt the town for months, but it's dangerous to enter dreams with a Hypno around. Hunting down a Coven in their lair would be dangerous, but who knows what the Hypno might demand for its help...

[vivi-the-goblin]

Vulpix and Ninetales were ones I was really able to have some fun with recreating. Vulpix are going to be found in small groups. The Kantonian ones are sometimes solo but typically in pairs or trios. Having no treasure and not being territorial towards humanoids means it has little reasons to fight a party. They're very renowned for thier fur and being companions, so the party could easily find themselves sent out to hunt or capture these. They also make perfect companions for enemy rangers, druids, fey. They fight rather straightforwardly, relying on that lingering fire. Alolan varients will stay in thier family skulk of 7, often headed by a parental Ninetales, until the day they find a mate themselves. I'd recommend using them as companions for enemies immune to cold, using Aurora beam to punish a party trying to flank. Alternatively, have capturing one be a fun stealth segment for parties of level 7 or so, trying to capture/befriend one before the mother finds them. Either Ninetales CAN be played as a straight monster, and a rather brutal one for an unprepared party. The Kantonian one will use its AoEs and lingering fire to keep the whole party damaged and burning. The Alolan Ninetales will dance out of reach, and control weather will make sure Snow Cloak stays up. To quote PMD, "We Ninetales are known to be vengeful in the extreme," meaning it will NOT let them run. If it's losing, it will escape and attack again later. If they try to run, mind spike will let it follow. However, I'd argue its better to use it as the intelligent fey it is. For instance, the Kantonian form left its usual savannas for a new region, the party must convince it to stop using Control Weather to dry the area out. A ranger or a local leader wants an alolan vulpix, the party must convince the Ninetales it they're worthy of one of its kits.

The Golden and Platinum versions are 900 year old Ninetales, and are the versions that the legends speak of. They're approaching the level of a minor archfey, and can be used in an adventure as such. Perhaps the party is vying for forgiveness of a cursed creature, perhaps the Ninetales sent a fey courtier to summon the party for a quest of its own. A Ninetales of this caliber will consider its region as under protection, and determine any corruption or slight against it as a personal attack. If the party does fight, it will act much like its previous versions. The Kantonian's mental prison will likely be its leading move unless presented with a good target for Immolation, while the Alolan will prioritize trying to line up a Synaptic Static. Spite is brutal against casters and make drawn-out fights dangerous, as the Ninetales quickly steals their ability to target its vulnerability or even thier healing. However, don't undervalue that extra damage, the best defense is having fewer people damaging you. A downed party member right now is more valuable than a lost spell in the future.

[vivi-the-goblin]

Igglybuff are mostly useable as familiars and setdressing, a trend among baby pokemon. That's fine, there's always a nice early journey to be found in wrangling a floating swarm of good-aligned yet mischievous fey. Jigglypuff are chaotic good, but that doesn't necessarily make them NICE. Anyone who has seen the old anime will attest to it. A disruptive choir of jigglypuff vandalizing anyone who doesn't resist thier sleep spell lullabies makes for a great low-level adventure. As long as the party isn't trying to kill them, they aren't going to try to kill either, so as long as that's clear feel free to up the difficulty. They fight fairly straightforward, casting sleep then slapping down anything still awake.

Wigglytuff is again straightforward. It tries to put everything to sleep, then slaps everything still standing and wake-up slaps everything that isn't. Even more straightforward is the Grandmaster of All Things Bad, who as we all know is most definitely not a Wigglytuff, but somehow got put on this sheet so I guess I'll roll with it. The Grandmaster is thankfully as simple and effective as a battleaxe. He can put things to sleep, he hits like a truck, and can tank a lot of damage. What's dangerous is that neither of these are likely to be alone, as they get along with beasts and other chaotic fey like pixies and sprites. When their pranking goes awry and adventurers don't care for the joke, there's a fluffy pink friend willing to wreck anything that's threatening its posse. Feel free to call on Wigglytuff for a lower level party if you'd just like to slap some sense into them, as it will just knock them out instead of killing them if possible.

[vivi-the-goblin]

Fey in general embody the emotion, feeling, and wonder of the natural world. In that way, you could say that clefairy in all forms embody the stars. They survive on moonlight trapped in morning dew, thier spells are powered by gathered starlight, and of course they are typically found dancing around meteors. They live in remote caves and crater lakes, and are rarely seen. Unless they REALLY need to be somewhere, like a freshly fallen meteorite, they keep to themselves and demand others do the same.

Cleffa will definitely not fight unless absolutely necessary, and generally just be found in a swarm singing and dancing. They will friend guard each other until they can pull off enough sleep spells to disable the party, then run. They're flighty, but if a single party member approaches slowly they may be able to find a whimsical ally for the evening. They're essentially fey children, so wrangling your new ally will be a continuous task. Still, they're only a threat alongside the few clefairy they're likely guarded by.

Clefairy are a different sort. They're rare and desirable, so the party may be sent to capture one for a collection or for ingredients. Alternately, if a town has a nearby meteor strike or a villager brings back a cool rock that turns out to be a meteor shard, you could have the place be overrun with chaotic fey causing a mess. Either way, on the rare occasion they're found its almost always going to have backup. If not other clefairy, at least other fey like Satyr and Pixies. In combat, they will lock down an area with moonbeam and try to kite the party through and around it, putting party members to sleep and blasting with chaos bolt. If they start getting hurt, they'll cast fly and try to run for it at around half health if they can't heal. Unless a real meteor is on the line of course, then all bets are off.

Clefable HATE noises of any sort and try to avoid most humanoids. If the party finds one, they were looking for it. Have it be chased back to its grove, likely ringed in fog. Things will get trickier than the party might anticipate. Fog makes it even harder to land damage and spells, and the entangling vines make sun/moonbeam a lot more dangerous. If it isn't able to get to the grove it will at least try to find a body of water to stand on, or find something to perch on out of reach. Unless it has a good reason to target a particular creature, Clefable will default to whoever's the loudest or most talkative opponent. These are social creatures, so I wouldn't suggest having it be alone. If your party isn't strong enough to handle this having backup, I would recommend having it act as a guardian, holding the party off while its friends run. Between all the effects, the healing, and how difficult it is to land a solid hit through all those resistances, the party will find this thing punching above its weight class if they're unprepared. If they don't stumble into its basic strategy however, they'll find it rather manageable.