In a recent Pathfinder game, one of the key aspects of fey was their fascination for nickel — they carried coins of nickel, they hoarded it when they could, and we even baited them with it.
I’d never heard this about fey before, and I haven’t been able to find anything in Pathfinder sources or real-world folktales to support it. Our GM for that game was quite inventive, and built out the campaign far beyond the framework of the original AP, so it wouldn’t surprise me if this was his own invention.
Does anyone know if this is mentioned anywhere in Pathfinder lore? Or did our GM come up with this on his own?
Pretty sure it's homemade, but that's fine.
It's wholly plausible that nickel is just less common in the First World than platinum, gold, silver, and copper. We already know that iron is less common there, so why not some other "less showy" metals.
I assume they like it more than cold iron at least. Though I wonder: are fey fine with using cold iron weapons against each other? Or do at least some have some kind of gentleman's agreement not to do so?
I assume they like it more than cold iron at least. Though I wonder: are fey fine with using cold iron weapons against each other? Or do at least some have some kind of gentleman's agreement not to do so?
From what I've read, carrying cold iron is at best a threat and more likely to be seen as an act of aggression.
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I think the thing about cold iron is that it literally does not exist in the First World, it's anathema to the place. Since iron thematically represents "stability" and the nature of the First World is to be mutable, fae are allergic to the stuff.
So you'd only get cold iron on the First World if you leave and get it from somewhere else. But bringing it back is kind of pointless since the natives of the first world don't stay dead even if you kill them on the First World (their essence just reforms in a different place at a later time.) So you have to come up with more poetic ways to defeat your enemies than "stab them a lot."
Iron and nickel ores may be found together, and they're both magnetic metals, but it sounds like your GMs invention rather than Paizo's.
Check and see if it's a magnet thing- offer them some Cobalt or Gadolinium.
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I think the thing about cold iron is that it literally does not exist in the First World, it's anathema to the place. Since iron thematically represents "stability" and the nature of the First World is to be mutable, fae are allergic to the stuff.
This actually makes a lot of sense, and would also explain why demons are vulnerable to it (they are creatures of chaos so they don't like stability either.)
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It'd be pretty strange if the fae used the same currency as everyone else. Canonically, the Witchmarket charges prices like "your third most cherished childhood memory". But as the GM you want to be able to give out loot, and "take the armor and weapons from everyone you kill and sell them" isn't always a great approach. So making there be some kind of tangible faerie currency makes sense.
Leprechauns love gold, of course, but they may not view it as money, but just want it for itself.
I read somewhere that faeries like copper.
Something about its earthiness and ability to be easily formed into leaves and petals.
That doesn't really answer your question, but it's the only thing I can remember that mentioned any Fae/Fey having a particular liking to any particular metal other than the obvious Leprechaun.
Upon searching for the answer to your question, Archives of Nethys came up with nothing. I was surprised. I figured it might be a spellcasting material for some obscure spell or ritual that the GM might be planning to use.
Turning to Google, I came across some Nickel Elves in a media completely unrelated to Pathfinder. Apparently they are Elves that are specifically tied to the element Nickel.
As for why the Fey in your Kingmaker campaign have a particular interest in Nickel, I don't know. It's possible to find/form mines that collect precious minerals and metals in that campaign, so he may have something in mind for the bigger picture.
I, however, cannot find any Pathfinder related dogma that suggests the Fey are particularly fond of Nickel.
Leprechauns love gold, of course, but they may not view it as money, but just want it for itself.
Dragons love their gold too, so maybe it's more than just accumulating material wealth? Maybe gold can act as a battery for magic, or it can alter the natural path & flow of ley lines, or something similar?
Sounds like the fey version of Bitcoin.