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Okay, this is likely to get all long and rambly-like, so I'll state my purpose before I begin. I'm desigining a new homebrew world. I have a concept I'm toying with, and that I really like, but I want to toss it out here for the Lords of the Boards (tm) to check out and critique, give me your thoughts on, etc.
When working out the concept of the world, I knew I wanted a Realm of Faerie. Not a kingdom on the Prime MAterial, but an actual other plane (or dimension, if you will) that holds the denizens of Faerie, the Fae Courts, all that. But i knew I did NOT want it to be "just another" plane, so I was kinda stumped.
Along came Dragon Magazine for inspiration.
I dont remember what issues it was, but there was a pair of articles on the "elemental archons" or something of the sort. Basically they are super-powerful elementals who rule over their lesser counterparts and war continually amongst one another. This nugget stuck in my head and merged with the Realm of Faerie idea, and the following was concept was born.
The Elemental Planes do not exist like they do in TWMPFRPG. All four of them exist simultaneously in separate areas of the Realm of Faerie. Each element is bound up in the kingdoms of one of the four Faerie Courts, ruled by the Spring Prince, the Summer Queen, the Autumn King and the Winter Queen, and each has control over and responsibility for one of the primal elements of creation: air, fire, earth, and water, respectively. What mortals refer to as "elementals" are actually spirits of Faerie called to the Mortal Realm for some reason or another. Each of the Fae Courts scheme, plot and machinate against each other constantly, though each is doomed to rise and fall in influence with the seasons of the Mortal Realm.
True Fae, meaning those native to the Faerie Realm, are primal beings, spirits representing the building blocks of Creation, and as such are almost completely alien to mortal minds. Their minds literally do not work like ours, and though they may seem mortal at times, they are foreign beings inherently. Lesser Fae are those who exist in the Mortal Realm, and are far more familiar to denizens of that plane: dryads, satyrs, pixies, etc. They are fae, but mere shadows of their Greater kin.
Elves were once Greater Fae, denizens of Faerie, but for some reason lost to the mists of time were exiled from that realm as a race, stripped of their fae status and exist now as shells of what they once were, though they show some of the grace and abilities of their ancestors.
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Alright. Now that the fluff is explained, here's what I am considering doing, crunch-wise.
4 "subraces" of elves: fire, earth, air, water. Elementally-attuned, maybe genasi-like. Likely LA +1.
I'm limiting planar travel severely, but Faerie is going to be one of the main ones with access to the world.
All elementals have a humanoid (or mythical of some type, if larger) form, so instead of calling an amorphous "creature of fire", you're calling a specific Fae, though stats will likely be unchanged. I am almost certainly going to use the Summoning a Specific Creature rules from UA.
Eladrin=Sidhe, though with alignment and ability tweaks to reflect their elemental attunement.
K. thats about all I can think of for now. Let'er rip!!
Sounds great. Will the greater fae be "fey", outsiders, or deifically unstatted?
Will each element have a different alignment associated with it, or will they remain true neutral in essence?
This fae realm of yours also sounds like a great source of vestiges.
What exactly did the elves do to earn exile to the mortal realm?
Very interesting and appealing concept. I don't have too much to offer at the moment, except a possible comment on the elves. If you want to go with the exiled route, that's all fine and dandy with plenty of flavor and story options in its own right.
IMC, however, elves were once either celestials or fey (the elves blur the line between the two, and seem to refer to both interchangeably) that lived in the realm of Faerie (mine is quite different than the one you describe). The elves lost their immortality not through exile, but through choice. The descended as spirits from the stars to fight a great evil (the ilithids, whose planar empire had attempted to consume Faerie). In order to bind the darkness away in the depths of the earth, they collectively sacrificed their innate magic and immortality and became the "mortal" elves now known.
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Very interesting and appealing concept. I don't have too much to offer at the moment, except a possible comment on the elves. If you want to go with the exiled route, that's all fine and dandy with plenty of flavor and story options in its own right.
IMC, however, elves were once either celestials or fey (the elves blur the line between the two, and seem to refer to both interchangeably) that lived in the realm of Faerie (mine is quite different than the one you describe). The elves lost their immortality not through exile, but through choice. The descended as spirits from the stars to fight a great evil (the ilithids, whose planar empire had attempted to consume Faerie). In order to bind the darkness away in the depths of the earth, they collectively sacrificed their innate magic and immortality and became the "mortal" elves now known.
It could very well be something like that. In fact, having the "exile" not actually be the elves getting kicked out but a great sacrifice on the part of the ancient elves would be a very cool secret for the PCs to eventually have a chance to find out. Somehow the elves were convinced they were kicked out when in fact they "took one for the team" on a celestial scale.
I had decided the True Fae would be VERY antagonistic of the elves because they were exiled. Maybe its actually because the elves did a very heroic and noble thing and then promptly forgot about it and the Sidhe think its pathetic they have forgotten where their true origing lie.