The Tooth Fairy

[pennywit]

For next session, I'd like to put together a fun/creepy encounter for my players. They're all level 3 and 4 now, so it wouldn't be incredibly challenging, but I'd like it to be memorable and fun, and remind players that not all fey are fun little critters like Perlivash and Tyg-Titter-Tut.

I really want to incorporate tooth fairies. One character's family has moved into one of the kingdom's farm hexes, and I'm thinking of having a nest of the little buggers infest the farm and steal teeth from the barbarian's family.

But I'd like to give them a leader and possibly a motivation. What would be good? I was thinking of making their ringleader a redcap who likes the teeth. Or maybe a tooth fairy with sorcerer levels?

I think I might tie this to a repurposed Forgotten Keep with a slightly more active Rigg and Dancing Lady.

[Captain Sakhbet "The Sandman"]

Being fey means having no motivation beyond fun!

[Cpt_kirstov]

also what if someone transplanted them there... maybe he's having them collect gold teeth first.... maybe he's using the teeth as material components for spell research. Maybe its a minor outsider of about the same size trying to hide in the commotion.

[Spastic Puma]

Maybe he plants the teeth to grow more followers...

[Talking Skull]

An tooth fairy alchemist trying to spin the teeth into gold!

He claims to already have results of the process, but it's basically just a gold tooth-cap.

[pennywit]

Talking Skull wrote:

An tooth fairy alchemist trying to spin the teeth into gold!

A teeny-tiny tooth fairy tossing bombs at my players.

This .... has potential.

[pennywit]

Eureka! I figured it out.

Tooth Fairy Motivations:

I think I'm going to run the Dancing Lady as a sort of indifferent faerie noble. Basically, she doesn't really care about the faeries and whatnot in her corner of the Greenbelt, but they still suck up to her (offer gifts, etc.) because she's powerful.

I really like the image of a faerie court meeting in the ruins of the Forgotten Keep, the little faeries politicking ... and the Dancing Lady in the middle of it, not caring unless somebody gives her a sacrifice.

Where do the tooth faeries come in? They're general-purpose domestics at the Forgotten Keep. Their leader, a rather low-level (3-4) sorceress, is the Mistress of Domestics. She's stealing teeth so she can make new tooth faeries to serve at the Forgotten Keep.

She and her minions, honestly, won't be much of a challenge to my players. But this ought to put them on notice that not all of the fae are benevolent little critters like Perlivash and Tyg-Titter-Tutt.

[Talking Skull]

Doesn't matter if they're a challenge or not. In this case, they're really part of an adventure hook leading back to the Dancing Lady, who should be quite the challenge(maybe too strong for the group right now, actually). And, as you've mentioned, they don't need to be strong to be scary or malicious.

Still like the idea of a tooth fairy alchemist bombing players, though. I'll have to stat that up myself.

[pennywit]

The tooth fairy alchemist is a good idea, but my players already faced a mite alchemist on a giant wasp.

Your point about a "hook" is well-taken. My players are just in the opening act of RRR, and I'm planning to put out a lot of these hooks at our next session.

[Talking Skull]

A mite.

On a giant wasp.

Oh god, it's like chocolate and pretzels. They shouldn't go together this well...but they DO.

Consider this idea stolen.

[pennywit]

Here's the context. Excuse the cheap plug. When I ran it, instead of an air force mounted on giant flies, I paired the giant-wasp-mounted alchemist with two swarms of wasps.

Mites are really fun to run once you realize one of their abilities is vermin empathy.

PS. Play "Ride of the Valkyries" when you introduce it.

[pennywit]

Follow up ... in the wake of the tooth fairy scenario, my players really hate the little buggers. In a later session, I put together a quick encounter involving a skin stealer, a hunter, and some little tooth fairies. The witch immediately pulled a fireball off her necklace and threw it. The player said, "I'm not messing around with tooth fairies."

[kadance]

Quote:

That night, [the player on watch] sees a strange fairy flitting through the trees. The light of the fire reflects off the glittering dust that falls from its wings as it winds its way closer to the camp.

It hovers at eye level a few feet away from you, hands clasped behind its back, clumsy feet crossed below it, almost shy looking. Its mouth opens in a wide, friendly smile displaying a large mouth full of gnarled, crooked teeth.

(A pause, perhaps the player smiles back)

Quote:

Suddenly, a GIANT PAIR OF RUSTY PLIERS appear in its possession, its genial smiles takes on a psychotic twist and its eyes quiver with mad focus as it darts for your mouth!

(Character promptly swats the CR 1/4 fairy)

Quote:

It explodes in a puff of sparkling fairy dust with the stench of a fish market covered in cat urine, leaving you to wonder just what was that horrible thing... Amid the coughing and retching you hear a rustling in the surrounding forest and the buzzing of countless tiny wings. Within the darkness a thousand eyes reflect your campfire and the fairy dust falls like a diamond rain.

Release the Toothfairy Swarm!

Yeah, I made the toothfairies into a swarm type creature, and it works beautifully

Since they're not out to actually kill the players (unless you want) you don't have to hold back. They do Dex and Cha damage, and a bit of bleed, but they should mostly leave your group sick, bruised, and toothless, which puts a dent in the hero reputation.

[kadance]

Tooth Fairy Swarm:

Tooth Fairy Swarm CR 5
CE Diminutive fey (extraplanar, swarm)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +7

DEFENSE
[b]AC 16, touch 16, flat-footed 14 (+2 Dex, +4 size)
hp 17 (7d6–7)
Fort +1, Ref +7, Will +7
DR 2/cold iron

OFFENSE
Speed 15 ft., fly 60 ft. (perfect)
Melee Swarm (2d6/19–20/×2 plus paralysis)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks death throes, paralysis (1d3 rounds, DC 11), pliers, tricky

thief
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th; concentration +7)
At will—mage hand, open/close
1/day—invisibility (self only), sleep (DC 13)

STATISTICS
Str 5, Dex 14, Con 9, Int 8, Wis 15, Cha 14
Base Atk +3; CMB +1 (+7 dirty trick, +9 steal); CMD 8 (10 vs. steal)
Feats Weapon Finesse, Improved Steal, Greater Steal, Greater Dirty Trick
Skills Acrobatics +7 (+3 when jumping), Escape Artist +7, Fly +16, Perception +7, Sense Motive +7, Stealth +19; Racial Modifiers –4 Acrobatics when jumping
Languages Sylvan

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Death Throes (Su): When the swarm takes damage, any creature occupying the

same space or within 5 feet is subjected to a cloud of sparkling white fairy dust.

This clinging, glittery substance has a stench so foul that it sickens any creature

coated by it for 1d4 rounds (Fortitude DC 10 negates). This is a poison effect. The

save DC is Constitution-based.

Pliers (Su): Each tooth fairy in the swarm wields a pair of pliers it uses

to torment its victims. The pliers make the swarm attack count as magical. If the

tooth fairy swarm is killed, the pliers rust away into worthless splinters 1d4

rounds later. The pliers grant the tooth fairy swarm the Greater Dirty Trick feat

and a +4 bonus on dirty trick and steal combat maneuvers.

Tricky Thief (Su): At the end of the swarm's turn each round, creatures in

the swarm's space are subject a dirty trick combat maneuver with its pliers (to

pinch an opponent's fingers), and a steal combat maneuver (to steal an opponent's

tooth). A finger pinch deals 1 point of Dexterity damage. Stealing a tooth deals 1

point of Charisma damage and 1 point of bleed damage. If the stolen tooth is

reattached within 10 minutes and the character receives any amount of magical

healing, the tooth reattaches, the bleed damage ends, and the Charisma damage is

cured.

Distraction (Ex): Any living creature vulnerable to the swarm’s damage that

begins its turn with a creature swarm in its square is nauseated for 1 round. A

Fortitude saving throw (DC 15) negates the effect. Even with a successful save,

spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a creature swarm

requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills requiring

patience and concentration requires a Will save (DC 20).

[kadance]

No love for toothless heroes?

[Nique29]

kadance wrote:

No love for toothless heroes?

Oh. Oh Gods. I love this. I've totally stolen this for my campaign. They're going to encounter a few swarms of Tooth Fairies and a "Leader" in the form of an Alchemist Tooth Fairy.

[Philip Knowsley]

I like the idea, but have some questions... e.g.
When in a swarm, the damage is automatic - so how do you get:-
2d6/19–20/×2 plus paralysis when you aren't rolling to hit...?

[kadance]

As I ran it, the hit is automatic, but I still roll a d20 for the crit chance.