Adventure Ideas: Introducing Fairy Friends

Over the past year-and-some-change of developing Reclaim the Wild, I’ve run a number of one-shots and short campaigns. And while treasure, the fate of the world, or a hearty ‘thanks’ can be enough motivation to get Heroes moving, those might not be very rewarding when you know the game won’t last a long time – and you can get all of those playing other tabletop RPGs, anyway. But there’s one prize that feels incredibly unique to Zelda games, and really makes players sit up and pay attention: giving them a Fairy Friend.

Fairy Friends aren’t just a useful Feat, granting you a small bonus on To-Hit rolls. They also provide the GM a voice in interplayer conversations, and a conduit for players to ask in-character questions about the world they see without sounding strange. Further, the Fairy Friend’s potential to change into one of half a dozen colors, each with their own benefits, gives players a unique way to express their character, by choosing the color that’s right for them.

So one of the first pieces of advice I’d give to prospective Reclaim the Wild GMs, is to think of a way for their players to earn a Fairy Friend. Here are some options, from past games I’ve run:

• To prevent her from interfering with the evil warlock Karnyx’s plans, the Great Fairy Neirin has been sundered, her essence split into lesser Stray Fairies. Those Stray Fairies were then hidden throughout the land, entrusted to some of Karnyx’s most powerful minions. To revive Neirin and gain a powerful ally against Karnyx, the Heroes will need to find these Stray Fairies – and as they do, the individual Stray Fairies, each representing an aspect of Neirin’s spirit, can serve as a Hero’s Fairy Friend.
• Three hundred years ago, a group of Heroes set out to prevent Calamity Ganon’s resurrection – and failed. They left behind few traces of their journey, but a few souls still remember them: their Fairy Friends. Still heartbroken over the failed quest, these unfortunate Fairies could yet prove a boon to the Heroes of today: if they can be convinced to join the Heroes, they can provide invaluable information about the long-forgotten travels and travails of those forgotten Heroes of yore.
• Not all Fairies are above the fray of mortal machinations. When the Heroes visit the secluded kingdom of Ikana, they soon find themselves in the presence of the Great Fairy Shayal, who freely gifts them Fairy Friends to help them on their quests. However, Shayal has more in mind than simply helping itinerant adventurers: these Fairy Friends are her spies, her eyes and ears. Riding under a Hero’s cap, they can freely travel between nations, observe the actions of mortals, and report anything of interest back to Shayal. They may even influence the Heroes to Shayal’s own ends, turning them into her unwitting agents with only a few suggestions from their trusted voices.