So from what I can gather, PF elves are not considered Fey like I believe they are in DnD, why is that in general? Why do they have "Fey Magic" as a racial trait?
(Primary reason to ask involves intertwining homebrewed Saint Nick with Bestiary 6's Krampus origin story, but curiosity and clarity are reasons enough)
With the Krampus backstory, Santa could be either summoned through an untainted portal to the First World (thus Fey) or a Material Plane Human with Human Heritage (Elf) for Elven racial feats (or perhaps some other method of having elf racial traits) or a Round Ears Half-Elf who is only semi-aware of his elven blood (somehow a being that aesthetically is Human but qualifies as a "jolly old elf" by word of mouth) perhaps destined to either fulfill the original purpose of the Krampus, (if a unique humanoid brought through an untainted portal) or to follow in the footsteps of the druids whom had summoned Krampus (if some sort of Mythic mortal human/half-elf who made it his duty to combat the Krampus and keep the winter festivities festive and promote Good)
One reason is because making them Fey (by Creature Type) would give elves immunity to several spells, such as Charm Person.
This is also why Catfolk and Ratfolk aren't Monsterous Humanoids like they really ought to be.
Another reason being that although Elves are one of they many kinds of Fairy-Folk in their original myths, in D&D/PF, the origins of elves are usually more mundane and generic.
On Golarion, elves aren't from the First World that predated the current prime material plane. That's all there is to it.
I feel like, partially, they shifted the Fey focus to the Gnomes, which is more appropriate. They still have ties to nature, though, which is why they get an optional Fey stuff.
Reasonable explanations, though then I wonder how to balance the connection to PF-canon Krampus (Fey Portal) with being known as an elf of some kind. Perhaps a lifetime of being well-known as a *honorary* elf and/or being elf-blooded. Also the idea of Santa's elf workers; simple homebrew of a subrace of Elves with the Small size category, or group of Gnomes who are *somehow* canonically misidentified as Elves?
Reasonable explanations, though then I wonder how to balance the connection to PF-canon Krampus (Fey Portal) with being known as an elf of some kind. Perhaps a lifetime of being well-known as a *honorary* elf and/or being elf-blooded. Also the idea of Santa's elf workers; simple homebrew of a subrace of Elves with the Small size category, or group of Gnomes who are *somehow* canonically misidentified as Elves?
I think a race of small elf-like fey would be best. There are plenty of fey that look like small elves already, so there's plenty of precedent.
Reasonable explanations, though then I wonder how to balance the connection to PF-canon Krampus (Fey Portal) with being known as an elf of some kind. Perhaps a lifetime of being well-known as a *honorary* elf and/or being elf-blooded. Also the idea of Santa's elf workers; simple homebrew of a subrace of Elves with the Small size category, or group of Gnomes who are *somehow* canonically misidentified as Elves?
I think you are just conflating real world and Pathfinder definitions.
In the real world, "Elf" is a really broad label, and is used to describe everything from the Tolkien style elves found in DnD, to more generic nature spirits, to folks that make cookies for Keebler and toys for Santa.
In Pathfinder, Elves are very narrowly defined as a humanoid race that takes its main inspiration from DnD, which in turn takes there elves from Lord of the Rings.
If Santa's elves were statted in Pathfinder, they would probably get some other nordic style name and be there own unique fey creature. If I wanted Santa's elves, that is pretty much what I would do.
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We deliberately made elves have no ties to the fey in Pathfinder as a way to help separate them from other RPG games that DID make this choice or at least imply this choice. Having elves be aliens is actually a lift from my homebrew game; I've always thought elves make a great fit for being alien visitors to a world. This also allowed us to shift that role over to gnomes to help make them feel unique to Golarion as well and to get them out of the shadow of "They're just shorter, kinda more magic dwarves" rut they'd been in until then.
That said, I suppose the idea of elves being fey is so deeply ingrained in the minds of all of us that now and then, fey elf flavor sneaks into the game accidentally. We try to not do that, but it happens now and then.
But just like they didn't stat up a unique creature to be the Krampus in all but name, I think dropping the label of "elf" doesn't do it justice. I think it better for them to perhaps be an even more dwindling division of elves OR at least a fey race that has become synonymous with elves (even if incorrectly so) in-story. Technically it seems Gnomes fit the bill better as is, as they are actually (or at least supposedly) descended from fey, but IIRC have a tinker-y racial trait available to them. However, they have no reason to be known as "elves". If they shouldn't be elves, then a similar misunderstanding should happen between elves & gnomes in a given story they are set to appear.
Oh, hope there's no misunderstanding, I love how Elves are in PF, just trying to see how connected they might BE to fey, and why/why not. (Hope there are elves in Starfinder)
Are there Fey that are especially talented at taking the form of humanoids for long periods of time?
Perhaps what would be suitable is a homebrewed listing of a unique species of Fey creatures that have varying subspecies (kinda like the Wild Hunts) where each one is Type:Fey;Subtype:(insert humanoid racial subtype here) with the condition of being Small (or at least one size category smaller) compared to the true humanoid race. Some sort of infiltrating race of Fey that adopt the identity of said race, so in this case there could be Fey that are Elves for all intents and purposes but are Small instead of Medium. (Versions of other races aren't necessary, but I feel if it were a canon creature found in a Bestiary, there would be more than one entry, similar to Dragons. Can't atm see a purpose for Small Fey Dwarves or Small Fey Orcs for example.
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Perhaps there is some first world power that abducts children of all races and they become ageless fey thereafter. The clauses just tend to like ageless elven child slaves more than boring humans or dwarves. Maybe gnomes who've not yet crossed into the material spend time trying to free these "kids" so they can turn them back to humanoids.
Perhaps there is some first world power that abducts children of all races and they become ageless fey thereafter. The clauses just tend to like ageless elven child slaves more than boring humans or dwarves. Maybe gnomes who've not yet crossed into the material spend time trying to free these "kids" so they can turn them back to humanoids.
OHHH, that's not a bad take on it. Nice. How do Fey *commonly* transport from the First World to the Material Plane?
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Bad dreams on stormy nights. When the wind blows hard enough for the tree limb to obscure the light outside and create a creepy shadow across the floor. On midsummer's day as a group of children play hide and go-seek near the brook. When a kid looks into a mirror and chants the name of a spook three times then turns off the candle. They do so at the speed of plot.
I can imagine hags and bogeymen trading stories about snatching kids in creative ways to peddle them to the wintertime fairies for their toy making schemes.