The Little People: A d20 Guide To Fairies (A Celtic Age Guide) - Softcover

Phythyon, John R.

9781932091069: The Little People: A d20 Guide To Fairies (A Celtic Age Guide)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1932091068 ISBN 13: 9781932091069

Publisher: Avalanche Press, 2002

Between gods and mortals stands a famous race of magical beings. The first supplement for CELTIC AGE examines one of the most beloved and revered classes of creatures in Western culture: the fairy. THE LITTLE PEOPLE breaks them down by region, offering a unique perspective on how fairies differed from place to place. Stats for all the famous ones you know such as Oberon, Puck, and the Leprechaun are included, as well as a system for creating original fairies of your own. Not some "bold, new vision" of the fey, these are the legends as they were perceived by the people who thought fairies to be real.

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About the Author:

John R. Phythyon, Jr. is an award-winning game designer. He has been designing games and writing professionally since 1996. He writes a monthly column for COMICS & GAMES RETAILER magazine and is the Vice President of the Game Manufacturers Association. He lives in Lawrence KS with his wife, Jennifer, and his dog, Brittany.

Excerpted from "Part 1: Fairy Tales"

Somewhere between the gods and human beings lie fairies. They are magical, they are immortal, and they are somehow more than human. But they are not quite gods. They are not worshipped even though some of them do offer aid and succor to mortals. They cannot be appealed to for help, though, and their powers are not sufficient to hold nations in their sway. In fact, only the most evil of them (and such beings are rare) are interested in bringing permanent and serious harm to humanity even after their anger has been roused.

Most mortals fear fairies. They have a reputation for mischief and other trouble, and they wield strange magic. And yet, these diminutive beings are willing to coexist peaceably with humanity (most of the time, anyway). With the exception of the dreaded Unseelie Court in Scotland and the fiendish Gwyllion in Wales, most fairies can be seen as charming. They have a character all of their own, and they have fascinated human imagination for millennia.

Origins

The term, "fairy" derives from the Old French word, "fay," meaning "fates." Fairies were originally associated with the Three Fates (Latin, "fata"), and later came to mean all such magical creatures.

Fairies have been associated with spirits of the dead. Some legends tie them to humanity more firmly in this fashion: occasionally a fairy funeral might be seen by a human onlooker. The person would see a miniature version of himself or herself in the casket. This typically presaged the individual’s own death. Thus, it is possible that the fairy spirit was a little ahead of the soul of the person in question.

Early Christians believed them to be Fallen Angels. Sometimes they were rebels who had defied the will of God and been cast out, and at other times, they were seen simply as bad angels who were deemed too villainous to remain in Heaven but not vile enough to be condemned to Hell.

Over time, however, they came to be seen as a magical race of little people with special powers of their own. They were frequently troublesome, mischievous, and occasionally helpful. They lived apart from humanity but still took an interest in human affairs.

This book most closely follows this last approach. However, there are a great number of spirits and other nature forces that fall into the fairy category, and they are treated here as well. Fairies are best defined as supernatural, usually immortal beings that are both a help and a hindrance to humanity. They sometimes mean well and other times don’t, but they live in our world or adjacent to it. They are more than humans but less than gods.

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