Saturday, November 29, 2025

Minion Parade: Circle of Spring

 The Fey actually don't get a ton of exposure in the Draw Steel Monsters book, outside of a Wode Hag, but I think that's because most fairies are expected to be somewhat benevolent. The Circle of Spring, which summons fey creatures, is probably the "lightest" of the Summoner subclasses, tonally, summoning various fey beings as your minions, with a beautiful, pastoral aesthetic.

Nearly every Fey you summon is size 1T. As a reminder, in Draw Steel, there are several sizes that all occupy one square, going in the following order: T, or Tiny, S, or Small, M, or Medium, and L, or Large. These are separate sizes for rules about pushing enemies around or occupying the same space, but only when you get bigger than 1L do you actually start occupying more squares on the grid. While I don't think there are any creatures bigger than size 4, in theory you could have a staggeringly enormous size 10 creature, which would take up a 10x10 area (and be 10 squares tall).

So, the Fey you summon are going to be Tiny, but they're no less potent - they just might not be quite as good at blocking foes from moving around.

With the exception of the one minion that's actually a size 2 swarm, each has the Miniscule trait, which gives the fey cover while occupying the space of a larger creature, giving foes banes against them. As a reminder (I had to look this up) you can occupy the space of another creature if it's two or more sizes larger or smaller than you - so given that these guys are size IT, that means anything 1M or up (the size of a typical humanoid) is fair game. I think that means you can probably only have one of your minions in the space of an enemy, because the two 1T creatures can't share a space.

With that one exception, I won't bother describing the minion's size, as you can just assume it's 1T.

Signature Minions:

Nixie Soakreed:

This Controller can swim, and has very long hair like reeds, and they generate their own sticky water to swim around. Once per turn during their move, each nixie you control can teleport into a body of water within 5 squares, except that created by their own soaking bog feature. That feature causes the area within 1 square of the nixie to be filled with swampy water. An enemy that starts their turn within it and has lower Agility is slowed (EoT,) with the potency going up by 1 for each additional bog the target occupies (up to a bonus of 2). So, in other words, if there are more nixies around it. As a note, our summoned fortification as this subclass does create a pond for these to teleport into. Free Strike: 1.

Pixie Bellringer:

These Support minions are glowing pixies who can fly and hover. Their free strikes give an edge to the next strike made against a target, or a double edge if two more more pixies hit the same target. Each ally within 1 square of them has a +1 bonus to saving throws, while each enemy within 1 square has a -1 penalty to saving throws. Free Strike: 1.

Sprite Dandeknight:

These Harriers have dragonfly wings and can fly and wear tassels that change color. Their strikes can deal your choice of fire, lightning, poison, or sonic damage. They can also make two free strikes instead of one, adding the damage together as if it were a single strike if they hit the same target. Free Strike: 1.

3-Essence Fey:

Pixie Hydrain:

These Artillery have delicate flower-petals for wings and can fly and hover, whose color drains when they call forth acid rain. They have a signature ability that deals 5, 7, or 9 acid damage and weakens low-Might targets (EoT, or save ends on a tier 3). After the squad uses this ability, you or an ally within its range can spend a Recovery or end a condition. Free Strike: 5.

Pixie Loftlilly:

These Controllers float through the air in flower cups, sipping on toxic nectar. They can fly and hover, and the area within 1 square of them causes each enemy and object with a size equal to your Reason or smaller to float 1 square off the ground until they leave the area. Floating enemies that cannot fly are unable to shift, are moved an extra 2 squares when force-moved, and have a bane on strikes. Free Strike: 4.

Sprite Orchiguard:

These Defenders are sprites surrounded by a wheel of shields. They can fly, and each non-Orchiguard ally that is within 1 square of them takes half damage. When an Orchiguard reduces damage this way, they take damage equal to half their maximum stamina and their free strike damage increases by 1. Free Strike: 4.

5-Essence Minions:

Nixie Hemloche:

These Hexers have long, wavy hair that bobs and flows in the water surrounding them. They can swim, and once per turn during their move, they can teleport to a body of water other than the water created by their Whirling Waves within 6 of them. Whirling Waves fills water within 1 square of them with churning water that is difficult terrain (apparently for everyone - does this mean they're automatically moving at half speed?) At the end of the nixie's turn, they can choose to slide each enemy in an affected square up to 3 squares, and if they take damage from the forced movement and have lower Might, they are knocked prone.

Sprite Foxglow:

These Ambushers are masked sprites that leave a trail of evanescent orbs. They can fly. Their melee strikes inflict daze on low Intuition targets (EoT) if they were hidden when they make the strike. The area within 2 squares of the sprites is completely silent, and enemies have a bane on tests to make searches for the sprites in the affected area. Free Strike: 4.

Pixie Rosenthall:

This 2-Size swarm of blood-eyed pixies is a Harrier that can fly and hover. It has a signature ability that deals 3, 6, or 8 damage and can pull 2, 3, or 4 on a hit. If the target has lower Agility, they're bleeding (EoT). While bleeding, a target cannot shift. The swarm can move through squares as if they were size 1T and occupy other creatures' space (I assume regardless of size). At the start of their turn, any enemy sharing a space with them takes 2 damage. Free Strike: 3.

7-Essence Minions:

Nixie Corallia:

These Support minions have coral-like, coarse skin and curly, hooked hair. They can swim, and like other Nixies, they create an area of water around them. This Seafoam Pool fills the area within 2 squares of them with purifying water, which disables the effects of difficult terrain created by enemeis. At the end of the nixie's turn, they can scrub you or an ally in the area to end a condition. Like other nixies, they can teleport once per turn during their move into a body of water within 6 squares that isn't their Seafoam Pool. Free Strike: 7.

Pixie Belladonix:

These Artillery have moth-like wings with vibrant colors and have poison barbs. They can fly and hover. They have a signature ability that deals 8, 12, or 17 poison damage, and low-might targets are restrained (save ends). A restrained creature is trapped in a poisonous haze and considers each creature within 1 square of them to be an enemy until the condition ends. Free Strike: 8.

Sprite Olyender:

These brawny brutes wear beetle-chitin armor and have a halo that hovers over their back in place of wings, which lets them fly. Their melee strikes inflict push 4, and if a target is force-moved into an object, low might creatures are knocked prone and cannot stand (save ends). When an Olyender grabs a target, the olyender is considered one size larger than the target (meaning even this 1T little bug-fairy can grab a giant).

    And that's Fey minions.

Thematically and mechanically, the tiny size of most fey (even the one non-tiny one is actually a swarm of tiny fairies) lets them go places that larger minions couldn't. Notably, there's also something of a theme with them - Nixies all have this water area around them that can help control foes. Also, nearly all of them (other than the Nixies, I think) can fly, so your minions are going to be very good at reaching hard-to-reach foes (I think you still need to summon them on a solid surface, though). The Minuscule feature might give them slightly better longevity, as well (though even with a bane, it's probably not that hard to kill a signature minion with like 2 Stamina).

Many minions have typed damage - which I think might technically be a slight weakness as I think there's no immunity to just untyped damage, but you might be able to occasionally take advantage of some weaknesses.

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