Review: In the Company of Fae

So after adding First Folk to my list of playable classes I wanted to revisit this product and add some more detail to my review.  

So here's a look at In the Company of Fey

My general impression of the First Folk was ‘other elves’. Not necessarily in a bad way though. They’re a medium race with +2 to Dex and Cha with a -2 penalty to Wis. They get some defenses against illusions. When healed they get some extra HP, even when healing naturally, barring damage from cold iron. They can pass as humans much like Kitsune and can see through other hidden forms. They also get effectively low-light vision. This seems flavorful but unexciting but their alternate racial traits are very interesting making them basically a totally different race. This means that they are very variable.

The race comes with a racial archetype for Rite Publishing’s Taskshaper (appropriate) and Witch, some racial feats and also it’s own racial paragon class. The paragon class feels like a more streamlined Taskshaper in the sense that it’s a non wildshape shapeshifter. It does quite a few things but how well it stands up being a ½ BAB class with a lot of combat options and no spellcasting. Not that I don’t appreciate that it’s not a spellcaster, instead having its own slew of abilities. The abilities themselves feel like witch hexes. In fact a number of them could have been witch hexes. But keeping to themselves they serve to generate a fae flavor

Given that elves in Pathfinder and Dungeons and Dragons are very Tolkienized I have a hard time envisioning them as they are often described or relating them to elf lore I’ve read. I guess overall they’ve been demystified by being a core race. If I were to replace elves I’d replace them with the first folk here. They are variable and mysterious as elves seem. I am somewhat disappointed that they aren’t the tiny winged fairy type of fae but I am digging the more elvish  type flavor. Although calling them ‘other elves’ is a bit unfair. Unlike the Eladrin in recent D&D publications these aren’t just a mere palette swap because they come from the faewild, they are oozing with flavor and mechanical diversity and like always with Rite Publishing the first person fluff brings things out and makes you really feel the race while keeping them mystical and mysterious.

Since I was compelled to use this in a recent campaign because they fit way more than elves do, both mechanically and flavorfully, I feel good about this product. I’ll give it 5 stars out of 5. Rite Publishing always puts so much care into their race books making them instantly mean something to a setting and make them capable of being unique voices that can be put in any world and this product is no different.