Author Archives: Elemental Knight

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.

Using the Rebuild the Wild supplement, Heroes can gain homes or become business-owners. But there are more ways to gain property than just planting a flag in the ground and deciding to construct a building! In fact, Heroes might prefer to own property in a cozy village or a bustling city – places where you can’t just claim a plot of land willy-nilly. And where there are NPCs, and rewards to be earned, there’s opportunity for adventure.

• The Heroes have been tasked by the Rowen Trading Guild to remove a corrupt member of theirs, Gesimund, who owns the only Weapon Shop for miles. Gesimund controls a band of back-alley brigands, preventing others from buying or selling weapons in his territory (and also, unbeknownst to the bandits, ensuring there’s always a demand). The Guild is sick of the complaints from other merchants, but can’t afford the fallout or the risk of directly acting against him. The Heroes could deal with him by roughing up his ruffians, cutting off his supply chain, or even buying him out. Once Gesimund is gone, the Rowan Trading Guild might decide to give his old shop’s license to the Heroes – not just to reward them, but to keep them close at-hand.
• Clearing an Inn of unwanted monsters is a rite of passage for many novice Heroes. In this case, the Inn has been abandoned for more than a year because of those fiends. They might simply be an infestation of rats, a group of bandits who’ve set up a hideout in the Inn’s forgotten basement, or ghosts who need to be put to rest. Whatever the cause of the Inn’s abandonment, once it’s cleared up… well, if nobody is able or willing to claim the Inn, maybe the Heroes can take it for themselves.
• Old Man MacGregor was a farmer with the heart of an adventurer. Before he passed away, he created a scavenger hunt, and hid the deed to his farm as the prize at the end of it, in the hopes that at least one of his children would feel the call to adventure… But whether for lack of interest, lack of skill, or lack of love for the old man, all of his children failed, and the farm fell into disrepair. But the tale of Old Man Macgregor’s trail of clues is still told in pubs and inns for miles around – and if some enterprising Heroes were to come along and follow those clues, they could claim the farm’s deed for themselves.