Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #3: Ascension

It is a widely known fact that life comes in many shapes, forms and varieties. The lifeforms in fantasy add to this melange. However, we tend to see those fantasy creatures as certain “accepted” forms. The mythologies of the world, too, add to this list of accepted forms. Nearly all ancient races had some form of a giant, dragon, vampire and ghost. Some of those forms have made it into Dungeons & Dragons nomenclature. Modern movies, comics, and other fiction have certainly gone to some length to further break the back of this limitation, but there are still many more steps to walk on that journey.

What I would like to do here is take something from mythology and the D&D universe and further alter it, to expand its range and variety within the game. Not only that, but I would like to add an element back from earlier fantasy that seems to only exist in the realms of horror now. There was a time when Fey were feared as they might abduct children and place changelings in their place. Elves were notorious for that. Redcaps were more common (now introduced in Volo’s) and were murderous little cretins. Sprites, Pixies and Brownies (no, not made of chocolate) were dangerous little tricksters. The Feywild was a dangerous place where time is fluid and unpredictable, as were its residents. Their motivations were (and still are) alien to mortals.

by Mike Gould

June 9, 2017

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