A review copy of “Away with the Faeries” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.
Support my work by using affiliate links for shopping and pledging via Patreon.
Designed by: Baden White
While we’ve yet to see a proper published 5e adventure starring faeries and the Feywild, plenty of excellent DMs Guild adventures and supplements have picked up the slack. Designed for level two parties, Away with the Faeries is easily my new favorite Feywild adventure.
At 40 pages, Away with the Faeris is a bit longer than a one-shot, and shorter than a full campaign. The adventure begins as our heroes arrive in the town of Stonebridge to help save missing townsfolk.
The townsmaster slightly exaggerated the problem: it’s not the people who’ve gone missing, but all their animals, including livestock and pets. The first chapter is pure exploration and role-playing as the players speak to townsfolk, follow clues, and discover the fey shenanigans that lead to a mushroom ring in the nearby forest, and a teleport to the Feywild.
The adventure is particularly well-organized, with a perfect one-page Introduction that includes background information, adventure summary, and multiple adventure hooks. Each scene or area is broken down into a separate chapter, and each chapter includes an introductory paragraph that summarizes the events, and their focus, such as dungeon-crawling, or social role-playing.
Most of the chapters also include some helpful tips and advice aimed at new DMs and new players, including scenes designed to encourage role-playing, and putting everyone into initiative order during the big skill challenge travel montage in chapter three.
The adventure does a fantastic job showing off the Feywild and its unique denizens and eccentricities, such as re-theming healing magic as tiny faeries repairing wounds, or saving a talking bunny (who turns out to be an important party NPC) from a group of nasty gremlin-like creatures called Bogeys.
When the players reach the Pixie King, they realize the kidnapped animals hadn’t been captured but enchanted. They were given intelligence via the Awaken spell and told they must help defend the faerie village as per a pact made with Stonebridge.
Of course, time flows much slower in the Feywild, and the villagers have long since forgotten their Defensive Pact. The Pixie King isn’t evil, however, and opted to take the animals as conscripts first, which features a funny sequences of armed faeries riding chickens, and turning sheep into siege weapons – wait for it – BATTERING RAMS!
Depending on how nicely the players play with the Pixie King, including addressing him by his lengthy name and titles, reveals the cost of the boons he offers for the players to deal with the invading faerie army. It’s a fun reward for proper role-playing, and the boons (and their associated permanent curses) could lead to some really interesting risks and role-playing – such as forgetting your own name, and never being able to get one!
The subsequent dungeon crawl into a forest maze is also enjoyable, with classic faerie scenes and creatures like a bridge troll and duplicitous dryads. Each area is connected via tunnels that feature elvish rhymes and riddles, instructing the PCs how they must walk through them, such as singing, walking backwards, or in traveling in descending height order.
The finale features a showdown with the androgynous, friendly fey invader, who tests the PCs in a game of wits and morality, or, if they desire, a boss fight with a unique CR 3 Rose Dragon.
Away with the Faeries expertly showcases the whimsical, fickle, and magical world of the Feywild within the structure of a well-balanced D&D adventure. There’s something for everyone here. I would absolutely recommend this adventure to anyone who wants their first intoxicating taste of a Feywild adventure.
Pros:
- Extremely well organized.
- Balances role-playing, world-building, dungeon-crawling, and a travel skill challenge.
- The Pixie King’s Gifts offer interesting boons with drawbacks, as a reward for a pivotal social encounter.
- Helpful tips and advice for new DMs and parties.
Cons:
- Jarringly different art styles for each map.
The Verdict: With boons and bargains, pompous faerie kings, talking animals, and riddle-filled mazes, Away with the Faeries is a wonderfully thematic adventure in the Feywild.
A review copy of “Away with the Faeries” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.
Support my work by using affiliate links for shopping and pledging via Patreon.
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