Fey BoonSource Pathfinder #119: Prisoners of the Blight pg. 73
School transmutationCastingCasting Time 1 standard action
Components VEffectRange touch
Target one living non-fey creature
Duration see below (D)
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)DescriptionThe target gains the boon of the caster’s fey race (see below for details on each specific fey race’s boon and duration).
Atomie Among the smallest fey, atomies are nevertheless obsessed with martial deeds. They often follow adventuring parties traveling through their lands, listening in on campfire tales and occasionally challenging proud warriors to duels. A warrior who claims victory with honor (while enduring the little fey’s attempts to even the odds) might earn the atomie’s boon. In other cases, a storyteller who enraptures the atomie with tales of glory might be granted this gift, especially if she strokes the little warrior’s ego in the process.
Atomies liberally use their bane in order to gain an edge in their duels or to hinder attackers. Fortunately for their targets, the curse is as short-lived as the atomie’s attention span.
Boon: You treat any weapon you wield as though it were masterwork, gaining a +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls. If you wield a weapon that is already masterwork, you instead gain a +1 enhancement bonus on damage rolls. This boon has a duration of 1 hour per caster level (6 hours for a typical atomie).
Bane: You treat any weapon you wield as though it were sized for a wielder one size category smaller than you. This reduces the weapon’s damage die type appropriately and causes you to take a –2 penalty on attack rolls. The weapon’s actual size and amount of effort required to use it (light, one-handed, or two-handed) do not change. This bane has a duration of 24 hours.
Dryad When a dryad’s tree comes under threat from lumberhungry settlements or bands of evil humanoids, the treebound fey might seek aid from kindly heroes. A dryad might offer her boon as an incentive, as it allows these protectors to retreat to her side to regroup if necessary. Even when no threat is present, a dryad might become infatuated with a comely humanoid who stumbles upon her isolated grove, granting her boon to her lover so that they can reunite with ease.
The fastest way to rouse a dryad’s anger is to threaten her tree or the trees of her forest (although some dryads permit limited woodcutting of nearby trees, if performed respectfully), yet the good-hearted fey rarely curse those who are not obviously malicious. On occasion, those transformed into trees by the dryad’s bane are reborn as dryads themselves; such fey combine most of their former skills with a dryad’s heart, making them fierce protectors of their tree’s domain.
Boon: You gain the druid’s woodland stride ability. If you already have that ability, you instead move normally through magically manipulated terrain effects and gain a +10-foot bonus to your land speed while in forest terrain. This boon has a duration of 1 day per caster level (6 days for a typical dryad). You can step into any tree with a girth at least equal to yours and transport yourself to the dryad’s tree, as per tree stride, but doing so immediately ends the boon’s effects.
Bane: You take 1d2 points of Dexterity drain each morning as your flesh slowly transforms into wood. If this bane is removed, all Dexterity drain you have accumulated from this bane immediately disappears. If this bane reduces your Dexterity score to 0, you transform into a full-grown, mundane oak tree, taking root in your present location and potentially damaging structures or floors in the process. This bane is permanent.
Huldra Fox-tailed huldras are wild and impulsive, but their boon is not lightly granted. Aiding a huldra against hostile foes might earn her favor, but opportunities to do so are uncommon; the deceptively strong fey are no damsels in distress. An amorous huldra might offer her boon to her lover while her passions are high, but woe betide the paramour who behaves as though entitled to her gifts. More thoughtful huldras, aware of the transformation their boon causes and their own shyness regarding their tails, consult with potential recipients before granting a boon; most, though, grant it without a second thought.
The easiest way to anger a huldra is to draw attention to her tail or mention her race’s rumored links to trollkind—most huldras consider their bane perfect for punishing such impropriety. Huldras are capricious, however, and a heartfelt apology might persuade a huldra to undo her fey curse. A huldra resents attempts made to constrain her travels, and may bestow her bane upon any who impinge upon her inviolable right to wander the land. Huldras rarely curse foes during combat, save as a final act of vengeance when the battle is lost.
Boon: You grow a foxlike tail like that which a huldra has. This tail is infused with supernatural strength and you can use it as a primary natural weapon that deals 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage (1d4 for a Small creature). This boon has a duration of 1 day per caster level (4 days for a typical huldra).
Bane: Your body warps into a troll-like appearance, becoming rangy, potbellied, and profoundly ugly. At the same time, your personality becomes oafish and dull. Your Charisma score is reduced by an amount equal to the bane’s caster level (to a minimum of 6). This bane is permanent.
Lampad Due to their sullen, moody demeanors and their general perception of surface races as greed-driven strip miners, lampads rarely grant their gifts to others. A lampad’s boon is most often granted to those miners who graciously ask the cave-maid’s permission to mine the earth, and who further promise to honor the stone by leaving carvings and artful designs in exchange for its bounty of jewels and metal. Additionally, those who defend the sanctity of the lampad’s caves might earn her boon. In any case, though, demanding a reward from the lampad elicits only a sulky refusal.
A lampad does not hesitate to use her bane in combat against those undeterred by her insane beauty or supernatural weeping. Those who flagrantly disrespect the cave-maid or her home might suffer her curse as well. Lampads rarely inflict their bane upon otherwiseinnocent miners or adventurers, but the fickle fey have little patience for those who insist on outstaying their welcome. When a lampad has acted hastily in cursing an interloper due to some misunderstanding, she can be convinced to revoke her bane, although respect and diplomacy are key.
Boon: You gain darkvision with a range of 60 feet and the dwarf ’s stonecunning racial trait. In addition, when you’re underground in unworked caverns, the stone around you speaks to you, warning you of danger and granting you a +1 insight bonus to AC and on Reflex saving throws. This boon has a duration of 1 day per caster level (7 days for a typical lampad).
Bane: You constantly weep streams of thick tears, impairing your vision. You treat all other creatures as if they had concealment, and spells you cast that require line of sight have a 20% spell failure chance. This bane is permanent. Leprechaun Leprechauns love mischief in all its forms. A leprechaun who crosses paths with a fellow trickster may grant his boon, hoping to spread mischief without having to do the legwork or put his own neck on the line. In such cases, the leprechaun often follows the boon’s recipient invisibly for a time, hoping for a demonstration of tomfoolery; failure to provide a good show might force the leprechaun to make his own fun at the recipient’s expense. While rumor suggests that capturing a leprechaun might earn its boon, the fey is more likely to secretly curse his captor instead.
Much like atomies, leprechauns make liberal use of their bane to embarrass or frustrate their targets. A leprechaun might even offer a “solution” to remove the curse it inflicted, usually something embarrassing, such as bathing naked in the town fountain at noon. Of course, the supposed solution does nothing about the curse unless the leprechaun is sufficiently amused to remove it.
Boon: The First World’s illusions are at your command. You can use the following spell-like abilities three times each: dancing lights, disguise self, ghost sound, major image (visual and auditory elements only), and ventriloquism. Their caster level is equal to your Hit Dice. This boon lasts until you have expended all the spell-like abilities or after 1 week, whichever is sooner.
Bane: Your mundane possessions crumble in times of stress or need. Whenever you roll initiative, you must succeed at a Fortitude save (with a DC equal to the DC of the fey blight spell-like ability) or one of your nonmagical possessions degrades, gaining the broken condition. A broken item affected this way is destroyed. The affected item is chosen by the GM, but the curse tends to affect items that are particularly precious to the victim. All mundane clothing is considered to be a single item for this bane, as are all carried coins. This bane has a duration of 1 week.
Nereid Sailors and other seafarers prize the favor of a nereid, though nereids are unpredictable creatures and what earns a specific nereid’s boon may vary wildly. A lustful nereid might grant her boon to attractive humanoids, encouraging them to keep her company in her watery home. Such lovers must be careful not to anger their fey host, or risk being stripped of this gift at an inopportune time. Performing a great service for the nereid, such as reclaiming her stolen shawl, is likely to earn her favor. While some thieves have stolen a nereid’s shawl in hopes of demanding her boon, the cunning fey usually inflicts her bane upon the thief as soon as her shawl is safely back in her possession.
A nereid often uses her bane to complement her beguiling aura, especially against lone foes. The nereid may also curse creatures on a whim, delighting in stupefied fools obeying everything they hear. In cases where an nereid’s shawl has fallen into enemy hands, she may attempt to surreptitiously curse whoever has it, hoping to force him to return the precious item.
Boon: You grow gills, allowing you to breathe water as well as air. This boon is permanent.
Bane: Whenever someone speaks to you, you must succeed at a Will save (with a DC equal to the DC of the fey blight spell-like ability) or treat their words as a suggestion (as per the spell). This effect only applies if the words could logically be obeyed, at the GM’s discretion. This bane is permanent.
Norn Norns are among the most powerful fey creatures, with potent knowledge of the future and supernatural control over the fate of mortals. As norns are able to peer into futures yet unwoven, the actions to earn their gifts can seem incomprehensible to all but the norns themselves. On rare occasions, a norn appears before heroes or adventurers—even those that may be lacking in experience or power—and imparts her boon; often, the recipients then become enmeshed in worldshaking events, driven by the supernatural foresight of the fey gift.
A norn’s bane is similarly employed in service of her enigmatic goals. A norn might linger on the edge of a great and portentous battle, imparting her bane to those whose death is decreed by fate, or cursing a leader to ensure that an assassin’s blade finds its mark.
Boon: You gain a +2 insight bonus to AC and on saving throws. In addition, you occasionally (at the GM’s discretion) gain cryptic flashes of insight into the future, or even visions of events to come. This boon has a duration of 9 months.
Bane: The norn exposes the thread of your fate for others to cut. Melee and ranged attacks against you have their critical threat ranges and multipliers increased to 16–20/×3. In addition, you take a –5 penalty on saving throws against spells. This bane is permanent and much more tenacious than most curses; it can be removed by only a miracle or wish spell, or by the norn herself.
Nymph While not bound to locations as literally as dryads, nymphs protect their pure and unspoiled homes to the end. Heroes who defend the nymph’s abode—or any other site of natural beauty—might earn the nymph’s boon. Additionally, nymphs are more willing to interact with mortals than most other fey, and those who perform a great service for a region’s reclusive fey might receive a nymph’s boon. This boon always enhances the recipient’s physical attractiveness in such a way that reflects the nymph’s own appearance, such as changes to match the nymph’s skin or hair color, enlarged or almondshaped eyes, or pointed ears. This manifestation might be due to the nymph’s infusion of her own essence into the recipient, or might simply reflect the fey maiden’s intense narcissism.
Nymphs are easily angered, and consider their bane to be yet another tool for punishing interlopers. A nymph most often inflicts her bane upon those who rudely disrespect her beauty. Nymphs can inadvertently curse their lovers in the throes of passion without realizing that they have done so, leading to rumors that sharing a nymph’s bed brings madness.
Boon: Your appearance changes to become more physically attractive for your race and gender; this change always causes you to partly resemble the nymph who granted it. In addition, you are beloved by nature itself; animals and plants have a starting attitude of friendly toward you, and such creatures never attack you unless provoked, compelled, or directed by a bonded master (such as a druid directing her animal companion). This boon has a duration of 1 day per caster level (8 days for a typical nymph), although the enhancements to the recipient’s appearance are usually permanent.
Bane: You are haunted by the nymph’s loveliness, before which all other beauty is dross. You no longer benefit from morale bonuses or bardic performances. In addition, memories of the nymph’s beauty slowly drive you mad. Once per month, you must succeed at a Will save (with a DC equal to the DC of the fey blight spell-like ability) or take 1d4 points of Wisdom drain. This bane is permanent. Oceanid Vain and unpredictable, oceanids grant their boon most often to those seafarers who honor them as the beautiful queens of the sea that they believe themselves to be. Heroes who dispatch mighty threats to the oceanid’s realm, such as aboleths or scrag tribes, might also earn the fey’s gift. What is granted can be revoked, however, and the wise recipient remains respectful to the ocean queen lest the fickle oceanid remove her favor.
Despite their quick tempers, oceanids save their bane only for those who particularly displease them. Directly insulting the oceanid, polluting her home, or refusing to acknowledge her dominion over her realm might provoke an oceanid to inflict her curse. Oceanids travel far and communicate often with sea creatures; a vengeful oceanid might easily track down despoilers and butchers that believe themselves too distant for retribution. Oceanids prefer to curse bards, sea captains, spellcasters, and others who rely on their voices.
Boon: You can summon a shroud of the oceanid’s water to protect and serve you. You gain the kineticist’s basic hydrokinesis wild talent and shroud of water defense wild talent, as a kineticist with a level equal to your Hit Dice. You cannot accept burn when using these talents unless you have the burn class feature. If you are a hydrokineticist, you instead gain a +2 enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls with water-based kinetic blasts. This boon has a duration of 1 day per caster level (9 days for a typical oceanid).
Bane: Your body becomes extremely withered and dehydrated, and no amount of water can restore you. You are exhausted and cannot recover from the exhausted condition while this curse is in effect. In addition, your dry tongue and cracked lips impose a 20% spell failure chance on any spell with verbal components that you attempt to cast. This bane is permanent.
Quickling Among the cruelest fey, quicklings rarely grant their boon. The primary exceptions are when coerced by a greater force, such as a more powerful fey or one of Irrisen’s winter witches, or when they find someone as bitter and wicked as themselves. A quickling might grant its boon under direct duress, but is more likely to attempt to curse its captor instead. When a quickling grants a boon, the treacherous creature revokes it at the earliest opportunity.
Given the long-term nature of the quickling’s bane, the sadistic fey save it for those targets they do not immediately kill, allowing them to savor the torment they inflict. They are quite fond of cursing children, stealing their youth and thrusting them into adulthood. A quickling with no chance of escape might spitefully curse a foe, relying on the bane to punish its killer even after its death. Under almost no circumstances will a quickling revoke its bane, even under threat of death— the hateful creatures would rather die than undo the suffering they’ve caused.
Boon: The quickling’s boon lets you muster bursts of incredible speed. Once per minute as a swift action, you can gain the benefits of haste for 1 round. This boon has a duration of 1 hour per caster level (6 hours for a typical quickling).
Bane: The quickling’s bane accelerates your body’s aging, causing you to physically age 1 year for every week that passes. Although your physical ability scores are reduced as normal for your body’s age, your mental ability scores do not improve. This bane is permanent; even if removed, any aging that occurred while this bane was in effect can be undone by only greater restoration, miracle, or wish. Satyr The easiest way to court a satyr’s favor is to join in his revels, whether wild hedonism or open-minded enjoyment of new experiences. A satyr most often grants his boon to those who entertain the satyr in novel and exciting ways, whether by talented artistic performances, bold tales, or—of course—lusty demonstrations. Satyrs love freedom for themselves and others and might grant their boon to champions of liberty.
Although satyrs are famously ardent in their attempts to persuade others to join their revelry, the vast majority of satyrs will respect refusal—although they are hardly shy about their disappointment. However, merely rejecting a satyr’s advances is usually insufficient to earn his bane; a satyr instead inflicts his bane on those who are particularly cruel or prideful in how they reject his advances or company. In addition, threatening a female fey provokes the wrath of any satyr who learns of such deeds.
Boon: You take on physical characteristics that the satyr believes will make you more attractive (whether or not his aesthetic preferences match your own). If you are male, you become tall and ruggedly handsome, with a sculpted physique; if you are female, you become beautiful and curvaceous, with long, luxurious hair; if you are agender or nonbinary, you become slender and androgynously beautiful. In addition, you gain powerful sexual magnetism, granting you a +4 enhancement bonus on all Charisma-based skill and ability checks against creatures that could be sexually attracted to you. This boon lasts for 1 day per caster level (8 days for a typical satyr).
Bane: Your mindset becomes coarse and brutish, and your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores are reduced by 2 each (to a minimum of 3). In addition, whenever presented with the opportunity to indulge in hedonistic pleasures such as revelry, food and drink, or sexual pleasure, you must succeed at a Will save (with a DC equal to the DC of the fey blight spell-like ability) or be compelled to ecstatically indulge yourself to the fullest. This bane is permanent.Fey BlightSource Pathfinder #119: Prisoners of the Blight pg. 73
School transmutation [curse, ruse]CastingCasting Time 1 minute
Components VEffectRange touch or close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one living non-fey, non-plant creature
Duration see below (D)
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)DescriptionThe target is cursed, gaining the bane of the caster’s fey race (see below for details on each specific fey race’s bane and duration). A creature that succeeds at its saving throw is immune to further castings of fey blight from the same type of fey for 24 hours. Fey blight cannot be dispelled, but effects that remove curses function against it.
Attempts to identify fey blight with a skill check incorrectly identify it as fey boon (see the ruse descriptor on page 192 of Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Intrigue).
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