Brownie

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The Brownie is a helpful house- and wilderness-dwelling fey from European mythology, usually described as resembling a tiny human with magical powers. They tend to do good deeds for good-hearted humans, trading supernatural assistance with household chores in exchange for gifts of food to satisfy themselves, so long as they are treated with respect. Humble by nature, they will abandon their former homes if they are given too great a payment or if their housemate boasts about their presence.

That's... basically it. They're the English version of the "house fairy" archetype found throughout Europe and neighboring areas. They're not hugely interesting.

In Dungeons & Dragons, brownies are reputed to be a fey relative of halflings. They have a very long history in the game: first appearing way back in the original Monster Manual for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition in 1977, they then made the jump to 2e in 1989 (Monstrous Compendium Volume 1) and the Monstrous Manual (1993). That last year also saw them make the jump to Basic D&D, in DMR2 Creature Catalog. After that, they went into obscurity; Wizards of the Coast didn't bring them back into 3rd edition until 2004, and even then only in their online article "Adventure Locales: The Silent Manse". Kingdoms of Kalamar, the Tome of Horrors, and Pathfinder also feature brownies as enemy creatures... if you can really call them "enemies".

The D&D brownie typically relies on a combination of keen senses, great agility, and a potent array of debilitating but non-lethal spells for protection. If really desperate, they can also stick you with their little swords, which is a really embarrassing way to die.

Brownies have actually also appeared as PC options in some supplements and publications. White Dwarf #29 was their first appearance in this format, way back in 1982, but they joined the ranks of many other playable fairies in Basic's "Tall Tales of the Wee Folk" (1989). A 3rd edition analogue can be found in the 3rd-party sourcebook "Celtic Age", by Avalanche Press.

Relatives of the Brownie include the Kilmoulis, the Dobie, the Quickling and the Buckawn.