Once upon a time...
You were a human being. An everyday person. You lived your life the way everyday people do. Then, one day, something happened. An otherworldly being took notice. There are many such beings, and they go by many names and descriptions. Others, True Fae, Gentry, to name but a few.
They come from a place called Arcadia, from where they watch mortals with a deep interest. Some select their victims carefully and meticulously, others are governed only by their whims but either way, the results are the same.
The end of your everyday human life, and the beginning of a new life in Arcadia.
Arcadia is a parallel world of wonder and dread, eternal pleasure and never-ending pain. The Gentry rule here, and even nature is bent to their wills. Without permission from a Fae Lord, fire will not warm you, and food will provide no nourishment. Thankfully, those who find themselves the prisoners of the True Fae are spared from at least that miserable death, but in return they are transformed, reshaped to suit the designs of their masters.
And masters they are, for even a Fae who pretends to be a devoted lover truly cares little for their partner, and will eventually discard them without a second glance.
Those who are chosen by the Gentry and changed by the forces which constitute Arcadia are known as Changeling. Half-human, half-fairie, countless many of them populate the realms of the True Fae.
Occasionally, however, there comes a chance. A Changeling may lift their head, look around and see a thin opening for escape, discover a loophole in the promises which bind them, or simply end up abandoned by their owners. Whichever way it occurs, and for whatever reason, they brave dangers untold and hardships unumbered to make their way through the Hedge, the barrier between the realities, and find their way back to Earth.
In Changeling: The Lost, you play a member of a group of escapees trying to patch their lives they once had back together. On one hand, the mortal world no longer suits or understands you, and on the other, Arcadia beckons you to return.
THE SETTING
This game will take place mostly in the W.N.Y. freehold. A freehold is a large number of Changelings who have banded together to make life better for all. There are only four major freeholds on the east coast of the North American continent. These can be found in Toronto, Western New York, Washington, and Miami. Smaller freeholds do exist, but in population they total anywhere from 7 (Blue Ball, PA- Intercourse, PA) to 78 (Savannah, GA).
THE COURTS
With a higher population came a need to organize, and while many different methods to do so have a risen, the most popular is the European Seasonal Court system. A Court serves many functions. They are a political party, support group, ruling body, and method of protection. Some Freeholds have a, "join or die," mentality, but the W.N.Y. freehold is much more open to the possibility of Courtless occupants than others.
Spring Court: other Courts often joke that all you need to get into the Spring Court is a cold six-pack and a quick tumble. After being twisted and stunted by the Gentry for so long, Changelings should have the ability to grow again. The Antler Crown is all about growth, healing, and rejuvenation. They dive into life, often developing a strong presence in the mortal world. The emotion from which this Court draw their power is Desire.
Spring Affinity Contracts: Eternal Spring, Fleeting Spring, Verdant Spring
Spring King: Cesare Verdania (Fairest Flowering
Spring Duchess: Ruby Aves (Beast Windwing)
Summer Court: if the Gentry return, we'll be ready. The Iron Spear is focussed on martial prowess and strength (or skill) in general, and often stands as the freehold's army. The ranks of Summer also include generals, scouts, and the occasional diplomat or lawyer. The emotion from which this Court draw their power is Wrath.
Summer Affinity Contracts: Eternal Summer, Fleeting Summer, Punishing Summer
Summer King: Jack Gibson (Ogre Bloodbrute/Smith)
Summer Duchess: Felena Robbins (Fairest Dancer/Metalflesh)
Autumn Court: the best way to beat the Gentry is to understand how they work. The Leaden Mirror consists of occultists, Hedge wanderers, and sorcerers. They learn and develop powerful Contracts, catalogue the weaknesses of the True Fae, and even study the other strange denizens of the New World of Darkness. The emotion from which this Court draw their power is Fear.
Autumn Affinity Contracts: Eternal Autumn, Fleeting Autumn, Spellbound Autumn
Autumn King: Isaac McCoy (Darkling Antiquarian/Brewer)
Autumn Duke: Criswald Moirai (Wizened Oracle)
Winter Court: we drew the attention of the Gentry once, and we sure as hell won't do it again. The Silent Arrow deals in stealth, secrets, and obfuscation, with the main goal of keeping the Lost safe by keeping them secret. Members serve as spies or scouts and often create safe houses for others of their Court or Freehold. The emotion from which this Court draw their power is Sorrow.
Winter Affinity Contracts: Eternal Winter, Fleeting Winter, Sorrow-Frozen Heart
Winter Queen: Mary Noct (Darkling Nightsinger/?????)
Winter Duke: Oscar Hensen (Elemental Blightbent)
In the W.N.Y. freehold, Winter and Summer have the strongest presence, and the temperature of the region reflects this, however that does not mean Spring and Autumn are weak. Befitting Buffalo’s title of, “The City of Good Neighbors,” these four courts work together in relative harmony and you get the odd sight of Changelings from different courts freely mingling. Unfortunately, this is undercut by a sense of distrust that for newcomers might be difficult to place.
Character Creation and XP key
Character Creation
Seemings [HIDE]
Seemings and Kiths: as part of character creation, players pick both a seeming and a kith. These partly define what your character has gone through and what they can do, although they do not limit you by any means. Each provides unique blessings as well as weaknesses, and below are full lists and descriptions of both seemings and kiths.
Included here is some information about the different Seemings in Changeling: the Lost we will have kiths a bit further down the page.
Beasts
The ecology of Faerie makes little sense. Plants grow where they shouldn’t; things subsist on less food than is logical. Faerie is not a world that has evolved in accordance with how the mortal chain of life works. Yet, Arcadia has its rule of nature, even warped. Tooth and claw are still red here. Predator still hunts prey, though both may take strange forms and be born of mad origins. The Beasts were once lost to that cycle, their minds subsumed entirely by the animal instinct that was the only thing keeping them alive. Even upon their return, the savage time of Faerie has left its mark on them, body and soul.
Blessing: the wildness that infuses a Beast gives her a supernatural affinity with animals. A Beast gains the benefit of the 8-again rule when using the Animal Ken Skill, and receives a free Specialty for the one animal that most reflects the Beast’s seeming. The same wild nature gives a Beast a powerful personal magnetism. A Beast’s player can spend points of Glamour to add to dice pools involving Presence and Composure. Each point of Glamour spent adds one die to one dice pool.
Curse: although the Beasts regained their consciousness when they came through the Hedge, their time as beings of thoughtless instinct has taken its toll on each of them, and most find it very hard to make use of academic or trained skills. A Beast’s player suffers a -4 dice untrained penalty when trying to use a Mental skill in which the character has no dots. Further, although Beasts can be very clever indeed, they’re out of practise making those leaps of ingenuity that so characterize human genius. A Beast’s player doesn’t re-roll 10s when using a dice pool involving Intelligence.
Seeming Contracts: Fang and Talon, Den, Wild
Concepts: horse-whisperer, cat burglar, animal rights activist, ox-sized college jock, homeless sewer rat king, man-eating loan shark, reptilian lawyer, grizzly man with a clue, hare-like professional athlete, dog soldier, queen bee of the sorority, eagle-eyed detective, penniless frog prince.
Darklings
The darkness of Arcadia is not simple absence of light. It is nights that have hungers all their own, shadows cast in the bowels of impossible castles, the grasping fingers of carnivorous forests. The Darklings are changed by the living shadows of Faerie — indeed, Darklings have entered into Contracts with darkness itself. This bond with darkness can’t help but change them. Some become entirely comfortable with fear and loneliness, and discover that they dislike forging social bonds with all but a select few. Others fight against the shadows that fall over their souls, searching out pleasure and companionship. But no Darkling can shun the darkness entirely. Even if Darklings suffered torments in absolute blackness in Arcadia, the dark is still comforting to them. It hides them from sight, and perhaps aided their escape. It’s something that few other Lost can completely understand.
Blessing: just as the shadows that infect them, the Darklings are ephemeral and flighty as the dark itself. A player can spend Glamour to increase dice pools that include Wits, Subterfuge and Stealth – each point of Glamour increases one dice pool by one point. The character also gains the benefit of the 9-again rule on Stealth dice pools.
Curse: darkness and twilight so define these Changelings that their magic falters somewhat when the sun is in the sky (that is, not at night, or at twilight). Darklings suffer a -1 die penalty to all rolls to enact Contracts during daylight hours. The penalty increases to -2 dice if the sun is directly visible to them.
Seeming Contracts: Darkness, Shade & Spirit
Concepts: parapsychologist, nocturnal building superintendent, night-shift call center worker, chimney sweep, professional spelunker, lab assistant, amateur night-time naturalist, night refuge manager.
Elementals
Elementals are the most diverse of any of the seemings and also, on average, the one least connected to the human world. Other than this lack of connection, it is difficult to make generalizations about Elementals, because they can be so different from one another. Elementals associated with radically different elements often have radically different physical and mental traits and similarly divergent attitudes about the world and their places in it. The only thing they all share is the profound and deeply alien experience of being an intelligent force of nature. While the Beasts had the minds of animals in Arcadia, almost all Elementals retained their thoughts and consciousness, but temporarily lost their humanity, and in some cases, all traces of their physical forms, as they became living lightning bolts, contemplative boulders or excitable and talkative brooks and streams. Many had the experience of completely losing themselves in these experiences and temporarily becoming utterly inhuman animate elemental manifestations. However, all of those who escaped Arcadia managed to retain their awareness and spent most of their time as living elements who knew they had once been human.
Blessing: Elementals, touched as they are by the stuff of the world, are able to channel the forces and materials that define them into their bodies, giving them an uncanny ability to shrug off punishment. Once per day, the player can spend one point of Glamour to add the character’s Wyrd rating to his Health dots for the rest of the scene.
Curse: the Elementals are further removed from humanity than other Changelings, and find humans harder to understand and to influence. An Elemental doesn’t get the benefit of the 10-again rule on any dice pools involving the Manipulation Attribute and the Skills Empathy, Expression, Persuasion or Socialize.
Seeming Contracts: Elements, Communion, Wild
Concepts: secretly incompetent fire-fighter, landscape gardener, logging saboteur, clockwork secretary, workaholic steelworker, tornado chaser, model with flawless skin, all-weather surfer, competitive mountaineer, deep-sea diver, extreme sports fanatic.
Fairest
For the Fairest, one of the most difficult things about their mangled memories of Arcadia is the illicit pleasure of some of them. They were rewarded with ecstasy beyond mortal comprehension when they pleased their masters or mistresses and punished with ghastly torments when their efforts were considered less than satisfactory.The life of a Fairest is often a mixture of pride and regret. Most suspect that the reason they were abducted by the Fae is that they had some especially impressive quality or talent. For most Fairest, their abduction and transformation served to enhance these talents, and now they take pride in being the most beautiful and talented of the Lost. However, this pride is mixed with an awareness that they would not have been ripped away from their lives and their loved ones and subjected to various horrors if they had not been as special or perhaps as prideful as they were. Also, for some the fact that they now have more talent or beauty than before their abduction means that their talents or beauty are no longer truly part of them. Balancing the natural joy and pride in being accomplished and acclaimed for their skill and beauty with the awareness of what these talents cost them is one of the central paradoxes of the lives of many Fairest.
Blessing: these Changelings really are the Fairest of Them All, and their magic only emphasizes this. The player can spend Glamour to improve dice pools that include Presence, Manipulation and Persuasion. Each point spent increases one dice pool by one point. A Changeling counted among the Fairest also suffers no untrained penalty for using Social Skills in which she has no dots.
Curse: the Fairest, similar to the creatures who stole them, can be callous and unfeeling, vicious and prone to toy with others, even people who love them. Their inner balance suffers for this. One of the Fairest suffers a -1 die penalty on dice pools to avoid losing Clarity (for example, the player of a Fairest with Clarity 5 who kills another Changeling rolls two dice to avoid losing Clarity, rather than three).
Seeming Contracts: Vainglory, Seperation, Reflection
Concepts: charismatic but incompetent executive, professional athlete, lead singer in a band, amiable politician, catalog model, aging heartthrob, two-glamorous gangbanger, out-of-work actor waiting tables, high school beauty queen, low-table professional footballer, late night torch singer.
Ogres
Not all fairy tales are things of delicacy. Some are downright brutal. The Ogres mirror that brutality, and indeed inspire it from time to time. Though they may be handsome or hideous, kindly or cruel, the Ogres embody a single unfailing precept: hard places breed hard people.They enjoy a reputation as stalwart friends and monstrous enemies, and it’s not undeserved. No Ogre managed to become what he is without having to face violence. And it’s a rare Ogre who isn’t willing to face — or embrace — violence again to get what he thinks is important.
Blessing: Ogres are mostly big, often ugly and always capable of frightening displays of brute force. The player can spend points of Glamour to improve dice pools involving Strength, Brawl and Intimidate. Each point of Glamour spent adds one die to one dice pool.
Curse: not all Ogres are necessarily stupid, but most are fairly gullible, weak-willed and prone to impulsive, thoughtless actions. An Ogre doesn’t get the benefit of the 10-again rule on dice pools using Composure (with the exception of Perception rolls using Wits + Composure, which suffer no penalty). The character also suffers a -1 die penalty to Composure when using it as a Defense Trait (that is, when subtracting it from another character’ dice pool).
Seeming Contracts: Stone, Oath & Punishment
Concepts: working-class Red Cap hard-man, arrogant giant C.E.O., shrill political activist, gung-ho Marine grunt, nightclub bouncer, understanding but no-nonsense bar manager, Bigfoot hunter, belligerent redneck, prizefighter, long-distance truck driver, deep sea fisherman.
Wizened
The Wizened are often believed to be the least fortunate of the Lost; their time in Arcadia was a period of loss and malice ranging from backbreaking labor at best to unending, maddeningly pointless tortures at worst. For some of the Lost, the mere presence of one of the Wizened can serve as a disturbing reminder of events they would far rather forget. However, the Wizened’s various abilities make them much in demand in various freeholds and Courts. Often, the Wizened end up being the ones who keep a Court or freehold running smoothly, even if others do not always notice the Wizened’s efforts. Much as it was in Faerie, the Wizened get the toil and others reap the glory.
Blessing: the Wizened are extraordinarily nimble. The player can spend one point of Glamour to gain the benefit of the 9-again rule on all dice pools involving Dexterity for the rest of the scene. The same nimbleness enables the Wizened to avoid harm in ways other beings can’t imagine. The player can also spend one point of Glamour to add the character’s Wyrd dots to his Dodge total (normally calculated as double Defense), for the rest of the scene. This only applies when the character is dodging.
Curse: spite infects the Wizened. It comes out in their appearance, and in their manner. Their appearance, which is rarely attractive, and their general tendency not to be approachable means that the Wizened don’t benefit from the 10-again rule on dice pools involving Presence. For the same reason, while Social Skills aren’t completely barred to them, the Wizened suffer a -2 dice untrained penalty when trying to use a Social Skill in which they have no dots rather than the usual -1.
Seeming Contracts: Artifice, Animation
Concepts: creepy backstreet surgeon, paranoid U.F.O. enthusiast, faithful laconic manservant, snooty maître d’, footpad for hire, reclusive artist, socially inept radio technician, antisocial Nethead, pawnbroker.
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Kiths
[hide]Kiths: Like Seemings Kiths further refine what your character is and gives them access to another natural abillity but remember how you make your character is up to you.
BEAST KITHS
Broadback – Changelings who are attuned to animals that are renowned for their endurance or stubbornness, such as camels, elephants, horses, mules, goats and the like. Their blessing is Stoic Forbearance: the Changeling’s player can spend one point of Glamour to add two to all dice pools involving Stamina, for the rest of the scene.
Hunterheart – Often, but not always, those Changelings who have something of the predator about them: wolves, bears, cats, crocodiles, snakes and birds of prey, but also those that embody the hunter in a more conceptual sense. The Hunterheart’s blessing is Tooth and Claw: the Changeling can inflict lethal damage instead of bashing damage when fighting unarmed.
Runnerswift – Changelings who move like the wind, reflecting hares, rabbits, antelopes and the like. The Runnerswift’s blessing is Runs Like the Wind: the Changeling adds two points to Speed (cumulative with the Fleet of Foot Merit, if the Changeling possesses it).
Skitterskulk – Changelings who have an affinity with flies, spiders, beetles, centipedes and other creepy crawlies. The Skitterskulk has the Impossible Counterpose blessing: just as an insect, her sense of timing and reactions are second to none. When Dodging, the character triples her Defense Trait rather than doubling it.
Steepscrambler – Changelings who are at home in high places, and who are attuned to animals such as monkeys, raccoons, squirrels, some insects and some lizards. The Steepscrambler’s blessing is Gifted Climber: she finds climbing easy, no matter how sheer the ascent. The character gains a +3 dice pool bonus when trying to climb any surface, and may attempt to climb even surfaces as slick as wet glass if they will support her weight.
Swimmerskin – Changelings who draw affinities with aquatic or amphibious creatures: seals, otters, ducks, salmon and the like; mermaids, too. The Swimmerskin’s blessing is Natural Swimmer: he can hold his breath underwater for thirty minutes, as if he had a Stamina of 7. He can’t, however, hold his breath any longer than his Stamina score allows if he’s out of water. He may also swim at his full Speed, just as if he were running.
Venombite – Changelings who have an affinity with poisonous creatures, such as poisonous spiders and insects, or poisonous reptiles. Every Venombite has the Poisonous Bite blessing: once per scene, the Changeling’s player may spend a point of Glamour and roll a normal brawling attack (Strength + Brawl – Defence + Armour). The attack causes no damage, but does deliver a lethal poison with a Toxicity equal to the Changeling’s Wyrd. The victim can’t avoid taking the damage with a Stamina + Resolve roll.
Windwing – Changelings who are confined to the earth, with their hearts to the skies, drawing affinity with birds, butterflies and bats. The Windwing bears the blessing Gift of the Sky: although he can’t fly, the air bears him up. A Windwing may spend a point of Glamour to glide in the air for up to one minute per point of Wyrd; he cannot gain altitude without appropriate updrafts, but may move at his normal Speed. In addition, a Windwing takes only one point of bashing damage for every 15 yards fallen, and begins to take lethal damage only if he falls more than 150 yards.
Cleareyes – These Beasts have been granted exemplary senses akin to an animal’s. Theirs are the eagle’s eyes, the bat’s ears, the hound’s nose, the raccoon’s elegant sense of touch. Cleareyes were kept as lookouts and hunters for their Keepers, charged with discovering a scent for the Hunterhearts to follow or spying an aerial intruder for the Windwings to bring down. However, Cleareyes’ keen senses also allowed them to spy a way free of their master. The Cleareyes benefit from Primal Senses: they add +2 to Wits + Composure rolls made to perceive things involving the specific sense that is their hallmark (sight, hearing, touch or taste/smell). In addition, the Cleareyes may spend one Glamour to heighten that sense to truly remarkable levels for a turn – an eagle-eyed Beast may be able to read a license plate from a mile away, or a fox-woman may be able to catch the scent of her enemy in a crowded nightclub.
Coldscale – Kin to reptiles both mundane and mythical, the Coldscale has inherited the nature of serpents, lizards, crocodiles, basilisks, wyverns and the like. Coldscales are a phlegmatic kith, given to sullen and brooding anger rather than hasty wrath and prone to cool contentedness rather than exultant joy. They are marked by scales, reptilian eyes and sometimes cool blood. The Coldscale’s blessing is Reptilian Blood: the character gains a +1 bonus to any Composure rolls made to resist emotional manipulation and a +2 bonus to any Stamina rolls made to resist damage from biological venoms and poisons.
Roteater – Fed on carrion and offal, the Roteater is akin to the vulture and the hyena, the crow and the worm. As a tamed Beast, the Roteater may have followed at the end of his Keeper’s war processions, left to feed himself on corpses. If wild or ungoverned, he may have fallen into a scavenger’s ways simply to survive. The Roteater enjoys the benefits of the Scavenger’s Nature: the Changeling gains two extra dice to roll when resisting poison or disease; the bonus rises to three dice to resist any poison or disease that stems from something the Changeling ingested. The character also benefits from the 9-again rule on perception rolls made to scrounge up useful items from an area.
Truefriend – These Beasts learned not savagery, but loyalty. They are infused with the nature of animals who have accepted humans as their own. Truefriends are hunting hounds, loyal cats, favored horses, beloved parakeets, animals valued for the companionship they offer. Escaping Faerie was a matter of realizing that whatever fealties they may have been conditioned to show their Keepers, the changelings owed even greater loyalties to the loved ones they’d left behind. The Truefriend can give her allies the Companion’s Boon: by spending one Glamour, the character may grant an ally of her choice three additional dice on any roll. Invoking this blessing is a standard action that requires the Truefriend to be able to see her friend and speak so that he may hear her.
Riddleseeker – Truly unusual among Beasts, Riddleseekers hone their seemingly natural cunning and curiosity to a razor’s edge. These Changelings exercise an Inquisitive Instinct: the Riddleseeker’s player may spend a point of Glamour to add two to all Wits-based dice pools – other than Wits + Composure perception checks – for the remainder of the scene. Further, the character gains a free Investigation specialty in “Riddles.” The mien of such a changeling usually reflects animals noted for especial wisdom or cunning: snakes, owls, cats or foxes, for instance. In some cases, however, these Beasts are attuned to more fanciful composite forms, legendary creatures associated with riddles (such as the sphinx) or with great knowledge (like the Iranian Angha).
Chimera – Homer’s Iliad was pretty clear about the creature known as the Chimera: “A thing of immortal make, not human, lion-fronted and snake behind, a goat in the middle.” The Chimera kith is not necessarily these constituent parts, but it does represent a Changeling who bears parts and limbs from not just one beast but many. A Chimera might result from imprisonment by a chaotic Fae shapeshifter, whose many forms bleed into its Lost captives. The many dreams that seem to comprise a Chimera’s flesh grant them the Goblin’s Tongue: by spending a Glamour point, the Chimera gains a +3 on any Social rolls made against any kind of hobgoblin in or out of the Hedge. This bonus lasts for one full scene.
Coyote – It’s curious, perhaps, that most of the Beasts reflecting this rare kith seem to bear only one true physical change to their mien, and that is the head. Human features are often entirely gone (with the eyes being the only exception) as the head and face become that of a coyote borne upon human shoulders. Some, of course, manifest different coyote physiology – a tail, perhaps, or claws with which to dig or strike. Of course, in the folktales of old America, what’s significant about Coyote is not how he looks but how he acts. Perhaps the predominant trickster figure in mythology, Coyote is the master of manipulating circumstances to obtain what are often the simplest of desires. He often achieves profound effects through even the simplest of deceptions. Those Changelings who reflect his spirit in this kith possess the “inventiveness” of truth known as The Trickster’s Truth: spending Willpower to gain dice on a Persuasion or Subterfuge roll nets the character +5 instead of the usual +3 bonus. In addition, if the character possesses the Vice of Gluttony, Greed or Lust, the character may then buy Manipulation dots at a reduced experience point rate (new dots x 4).
Nix – The nix, or nixie, is a river mermaid from Germanic lore. One often possesses the features of a snake and a fish in some amalgamation (fish eyes, snake fangs, skin spotted with reptile scales and shark cartilage). Some legends posit that the nix are truly beautiful, while other tales suggest that the nix are actually quite hideous to behold, but possess golden voices. In the old tales, the nix would confound fishermen with beautiful voices, causing them confusion and leading their boats astray – often right into the rocks. Such is the power of the Consumptive Voice: by expending one Glamour, the Nix’s voice will muddy the thoughts of any who listen to her speak. They don’t notice that her voice has changed, but it causes a slowing, almost narcotic effect. For the remainder of the scene, any who hear her voice in casual conversation find their Social rolls hampered by a penalty equal to half the Nix’s Wyrd score (round down). This ability can be used only once per day.
DARKLING KITHS
Antiquarian – Those Darklings who surround themselves with dusty tomes of lore and the artefacts of long-dead lands and peoples. Dusty, quiet and diligent, they hold the Keys to Knowledge: the Antiquarians know where to find lore ancient and modern, and have a near-flawless memory for facts, trivial and not so trivial. Every Antiquarian receives the benefit of the 9-again rule on dice pools including Academics and Investigation. They may also spend a point of Glamour to gain the benefits of the Encyclopaedic Knowledge Merit for one question. If the Antiquarian already possesses this Merit, he may spend one Glamour to add three dice to the roll.
Gravewight – Cold-skinned Darklings who draw comfort from consorting with the dead, both restless and in repose. The Gravewight possesses the Charnel Sight: the Changeling can see ghosts for the rest of the scene. The power doesn’t extend to any other invisible beings that may or may not be present, and doesn’t allow the Changeling to touch the ghost or compel it to answer her unless the ghost chooses to allow that.
Leechfinger – The faeries who steal life from humans, grain by grain, drop by drop, with just a touch. Every Leechfinger knows how to Sap the Vital Spark: with a touch, he can steal the health of another to heal his own injuries. The character needs to touch the target, and the player spends a point of Glamour. The victim takes one point of lethal damage, and the Changeling heals one point of lethal or bashing damage, or downgrades one point of aggravated damage to lethal. This blessing can be used once per scene per point of the Darkling’s Wyrd.
Mirrorskin – Darklings who hide in plain sight from the eyes of humankind. Their bones are malleable, their faces like flowing quicksilver. The Mirrorskin’s blessing is The Mercurial Visage: he can change the cast of his features to resemble (if not completely mimic) anyone he has met. The player may do this at will, gaining a +3 dice bonus to Wits + Subterfuge disguise attempts. This bonus applies to both mien and Mask.
Tunnelgrub – Those of the Darkling faeries who slide and slither through tunnels and sewers and chimneys, the better to do terrible things in the night. The Tunnelgrub has the ability to Slither and Squirm: she slips and slides and wriggles through tight spaces and out of handcuffs and other bonds. The player spends a point of Glamour. The Changeling can get through spaces that are only just too narrow for her to get through, spaces that would otherwise leave her completely stuck. The Changeling gets to roll Dexterity + Athletics to wriggle out of ropes or handcuffs. If it’s a long distance, such as a chimney or a sewage pipe, the player needs to make an extended roll, earning at least three successes, perhaps more, depending on the length of the tunnel. A dramatic failure means that the character is stuck and can’t escape on her own or try again using this talent (if the Changeling is caught in the middle of a tunnel, this could be disastrous, because she can’t get out on her own).
Illes – In Iceland, the Illes (pronounced eels) are troll-like under-folk who linger beneath the surface of the earth and only come out at night. They’re said to lure humans away from the surface and into the darkness below where the Illes either breed with the humans or suffocate them (depending on which legend you care to believe). The Illes of the Darklings are similar, to a point, though they needn’t be as clearly malevolent. They do tend to be tremendously ugly in the mask and mien. Still, they gain the blessing of their Shadow Beauty: once per day, by spending a Glamour point, the Illes can appear beautiful for one hour (equivalent to the Striking Looks Merit at four dots). This also gives the Illes an additional benefit of +2 Social dice when dealing with characters of the opposite sex.
Pishacha – In Hindu myth, the Pishachas are demons, gaunt and strange with bulging bloodshot eyes and skin as dark as midnight. Pishachas were said to speak in their own strange language, haunting graveyards and cremation grounds with all the other ghosts. Changelings of the Pishacha kith share the terrifying red eyes and obsidian skin of their folktale analogs, but also have the addition of some manner of odd tongue – often forked, sometimes barbed or simply over-long. The Pishacha, often associated with madness, can afflict a victim with a Taste of Madness: by spending a point of Glamour and performing a successful touch attack, the Changeling licks the exposed flesh of an opponent. The opponent takes a mild derangement of the Changeling’s choosing (or a severe version if the mild version is already possessed) and suffers from the derangement for the next week. The Pishacha can perform this attack only once per week (i.e., when the last victim’s madness finally fades).
Skogsra – This Darkling-of-the-wood kith stems from old Swedish and Scandinavian folklore. In these fairy tales, the skogsra are vicious trolls protecting the dark forests, leading travelers astray and either killing them or stealing their goods. Other tales have the skogsra luring wanderers off the trails where they are enslaved, certainly speaking to legends of the True Fae who have done that very thing. The Changelings known as the Skogsra are Darklings in appearance, but often possess miens adorned with dark vines and leaves (sometimes growing beneath the surface of the flesh where the veins should be) or have eyes like black pools of water. These forest Darklings are Keepers of the Feral Heart: the Changeling must look into the eyes of a single animal (bird or mammal), and by spending a Glamour point, enslaves the beast to be his “pet” until the next sunrise or sundown (whichever occurs first). The animal will do whatever it is that the Changeling demands, even to its own detriment. The animal must of course be capable of doing the thing asked of it.
Lurkglider – Raised among the twisted treetops of Arcadian forests or the spires of palaces lost in dark storm clouds, the Lurkgliders are at home watching from the shadows far above. They may be tied to legends of creatures that swooped down to carry off the unwary, or Lurkgliders may have been kept as grotesque sentinels to watch over their Keepers’ holdings. A Lurkglider enjoys the blessing of the Gargoyle’s Grace: by spending a point of Glamour, the Changeling may dive from up to 100 yards without taking any damage whatsoever. In addition, he receives a +2 bonus to all rolls for the purpose of keeping his balance on small ledges, outcroppings or other small footholds.
Moonborn – The lunatic children of the moon, those who dance by their mother’s pale light. They are sometimes insightful, sometimes foolish, sometimes calm and sometimes wrathful. Their moods wax and wane with the moon, their humours affected by its tides. The Moonborn’s blessing is the Lunatic’s Kiss: once in any 24-hour period, the Moonborn may afflict both himself and a person he touches with a derangement. The player must spend a point of Glamour and roll Intelligence + Wyrd, contested by the victim’s Resolve + Wyrd (or other Supernatural Tolerance trait). Success gives the Moonborn a mild derangement, and the victim the severe version of the same derangement. An exceptional success means the Moonborn suffers no derangement at all. The madness lasts until the next sunrise in the case of supernatural beings; humans must bear the madness for a lunar month.
Nightsinger – The Darklings are not without their music. Darkling music, however, is largely heard without ever catching a glimpse of the musician. Nightsingers compose operas of wolf howls and owl cries, sing banshee songs and play hauntingly devilish tunes on fiddles strung with unwholesome gut. Nightsingers may set aside their instruments and strive to escape for home, but the music stays with them. The Nightsingers enjoy the favor of the Haunting Nocturne: by playing an instrument or singing, they may lull listeners into a hypnotic state. The player spends a point of Glamour and makes a Performance + Wyrd roll; listeners may contest the roll with Composure + Wyrd. Success makes the affected listeners more suggestible; such listeners suffer a –2 penalty to Resolve, Empathy and Subterfuge rolls for the duration of the scene. A Nightsinger also gains a free Performance Specialty.
Palewraith – Many Darklings are pallid, but the Palewraiths are colorless to the point of partial translucence. Their flesh is hazy and partly indistinct; some look spectral, others smoky. In some cases, their bones are still visible through their skin. The Palewraiths gained this remarkable trait by being kept so far from natural light that they began to become partly immune to the light. The kith’s blessing is Light’s Aversion: the character may spend one Glamour to receive +1 to Defense when within sufficient shadows. This bonus also applies against firearms. The blessing’s effects last for the duration of the scene, or until the character enters a brightly lit area.
Razorhand – Some Darklings are embodiments of the promise of nighttime violence. They are the sudden slash in the darkest alleys, the gleam of metal under a flickering streetlamp. They may come silently, or whistle tuneless little ditties learned in Arcadia. Some even become skilled practitioners of medicine, though their ministrations are often too unnerving for all but the boldest Lost to seek out. A Razorhand may invoke the Ripper’s Gift:/ by spending one Glamour, her hand becomes as a knife’s blade for the duration of the scene, allowing her unarmed strikes to inflict +1 lethal damage. In addition, she gains a bonus Melee Specialty (Knives).
Whisperwisp – Spies flourish in the dark, hiding from their false allies and whispering to their true friends. Some have achieved an artful perfection in the trade. Whisperwisps flit from alcove to alcove in the grand halls of the Gentry, worming their way into the confidences of servants and eavesdropping on the masters. The Whisperwisp’s blessing is the Turncoat’s Tongue: he benefits from the 9-again roll on Empathy and Subterfuge rolls involving conversation or gathering information. The player may also spend one Glamour to whisper a message to anyone within earshot, whether the Darkling can see the target or not. The target hears the message as if the Whisperwisp were standing beside her, murmuring into her ear.
ELEMENTAL KITHS
Airtouched – The Elementals of wind, cloud, smoke and sky, who can be as healthy as a fresh breeze or as pestilent as the miasma that surrounds the dead. Their blessing is Velocity of the Zephyr: the player can spend one point of Glamour to add the character’s Wyrd to her Speed or Initiative (player’s choice) for the rest of the scene. This blessing can be invoked once for each Trait per scene.
Earthbones – Changelings who have the mark of earth and stone: lumpen Paracelsian Gnomes, sand spirits, dour men of peat and dwarfs made of mountain granite. Their blessing is Terrestrial Might: the Earthbones has shoulders that could bear the world. The player can spend Glamour to add to non-combat Strength-based dice pools, on a one-for-one basis (one point of Glamour adds one die to one dice pool, two points add two dice to the dice pool, and so on).
Fireheart – Elementals marked with fire, heat or electricity. Their blessing is Flickering Acumen: like a flame, the Fireheart’s faculties are bright and constantly on the move. The player can spend points of Glamour to add to Wits-based dice pools, on a one-for-one basis.
Manikin – Changelings who have the character of human-made objects, such as caryatids, mannequins and other, stranger things, such as enchanted beings powered by clockwork or steam or living bodies made of mercury or glass. The Manikin’s talent is the Artificer’s Enchantment: the Manikin can learn Contracts of Artifice for (new dots x5 experience points) rather than the usual cost. The Manikin also may make untrained Crafts rolls at a -1 die penalty rather than the standard -3 dice.
Snowskin – The children of the cold, who can be as powerful as the Arctic ice or as delicate as a snowflake. The Snow-marked’s blessing is The Voice of Ice: the Changeling can imbue her voice with terrible cold, inspiring terror in those who hear. She is also a master at concealing her own emotions and goals under a cool veneer. The Elemental gains the benefit of the 9-again rule on Intimidation and Subterfuge rolls, and can spend a point of Glamour to re-roll a failed Intimidation roll.
Waterborn – Changelings who are imbued with the nature of the waters, soft and brutal, gentle and mighty: undines and nymphs, man-eating river demons, water babies, ladies of the lake. Their blessing is The Gift of Waters: the player can spend one point of Glamour to allow the Changeling to breathe underwater and swim at a terrific rate (equal to twice the character’s Speed rating) for the rest of the scene. The catch is that the Changeling cannot leave the water or breathe air until the power wears off or until he spends another Glamour point to cancel the blessing. The Changeling has to hold his breath if he sticks his head out of the water. If the Changeling is made to leave the water completely before the scene is over, he begins to drown, automatically taking one point of lethal damage each turn until he is either returned to the water or he dies.
Woodblood – The children of plants: Green Men, flower faeries, spirits of mandrake, rose, thorns, and all manner of medicinal herbs, fair and foul. The Woodblood’s blessing is the ability to Fade into the Foliage: in any outdoors area where there are plants growing from the earth (in a garden, for example, but not in a concrete yard with a couple of shrubs in pots), the character gains the benefit of a 9-again rule on dice pools involving Stealth and Survival. The player can also spend a point of Glamour to hide in a place where he couldn’t normally hide, making a Stealth roll as usual. There has to be a reasonable amount of foliage there. The character couldn’t hide using a small patch of moss or a single dandelion, but could use a flowerbed, a lawn or a sapling.
Blightbent – Some of the most tragic of Elementals, the Blightbent are children of pollution. They were altered by choking smogs, toxic waters, blighted land, diseased forests and chemical fire. Upon their return to the mortal world, the Blightbent are the most comfortable in areas where humanity has tainted the elements in turn. Some Blighbent hate themselves for it. The Blightbent’s blessing is the Caustic Caress: once per day, the Changeling may spend one Glamour to inflict a polluted touch on an opponent – breathing a puff of toxic smog into his face, marking him with acidic fingertips or the like. The player rolls Dexterity + Wyrd – the target’s Stamina; the victim takes one point of lethal damage per success. Defense and armor can affect this roll if the target is free to defend himself; otherwise, they do not apply. The Blightbent are also resistant to toxins and poisons of manmade origin, and gains +3 on rolls to resist their effects.
Levinquick – Electricity has caught in the heart and blood of these Changelings; their flesh is as a lightning rod that calls down the levin bolts into their bodies. Where some Firehearts have had their wits honed by the lightning, the Levinquick are more bodily affected. They are often violent Elementals, quick to strike out at anything that offends them. The Levinquick are gifted with the Fireflaught’s Vigor: the player may spend one Glamour to add two points to both Speed and Initiative. The blessing lasts for one turn per dot of the character’s Wyrd.
Metalflesh – Changelings who were remade in Arcadia’s foundries, the Metalflesh are infused with bronze or copper, gold or silver or brass – but never pure iron. They are obdurate of mind and body, resistant to any attempts to casually manipulate them. They were prized creations of the Gentry, as decorative as the Metalflesh were resilient. But for those who actually escaped, that same hardiness helped them force their way back through the Thorns to the world of chrome and iron. The Metalflesh may invoke the Forge’s Endurance blessing: once per day, the player may spend one Glamour to add one die to Stamina, Resolve and Composure rolls for the duration of the scene.
Sandharrowed – The howling deserts of Faerie produce their own children. The Sandharrowed are embodied with the merciless grace and power of the shifting sands. Those who escape the blasted wastes of Arcadia can make homes anywhere, though they seem happiest in warm cities surrounded by the desert. The Sandharrowed benefit from the blessing of the Enveloping Sands: they gain a +2 bonus to all rolls made to grapple an opponent, or to escape from a grapple.
Apsaras – These Elementals of cloud and fog are spoken of in Hindu myth. These nymphs, ostensibly female (though the kith doesn’t require it), were said to tempt ascetics with their beauty and seductive dances. Those within this kith tend to give off a kind of mist or fog – sometimes warm, sometimes cool – that drifts in languid wisps from their oft-unblemished flesh. Many Apsarases are able to stir one’s lusty humours through use of the Enthralling Mist: the tongues of water vapor (air and water) that drift from the skin can be made to target an individual. By spending a Glamour point, the Apsaras is able to change this individual’s Vice to Lust for the next 24 hours. In addition, the Apsaras can add her Wyrd score to any Manipulation rolls made to affect that individual during that timeframe.
Ask-wee-da-eed – The Abenaki people of the north-eastern United States tell stories of a will-o’-the-wisp-type creature formed of fickle fire. This creature, the Ask-wee-da-eed, is tied to meteors and comets and is said to bring bad luck and death by its presence. Those of this kith in some way embody the meteoric fire, but are also able to foretell the misfortune of others, in a way, with their Taste of Ill Luck: once per day, by spending a Glamour point, the Abenaki can force another to re-roll a successful roll at –1 die in the hopes that the re-roll fails (the original roll therefore never occurs). The Changeling also gains the additional benefit of a +1 bonus on any rolls to activate clauses within the Hearth Contract.
Di-cang – In Buddhist lore, his name means “Womb of the Earth.” As one of the bodhisattvas, he was said to calm the suffering of those poor souls lost in the many hells. Born of the earth, one might suggest that Di-cang is a kind of “jewel elemental,” for in his hand he usually holds a precious gem that salves the pain of others. The Elementals of this kith tend to possess mostly human features, but have skin or extremities studded with various jewels (some might even have multi-faceted eyes such as rubies, sapphires or emeralds). The Di-cang can provide others with the Peace of Suffering: by spending a Glamour point, those in the presence of the Di-cang (within 10 yards) suffer no penalties from existing wounds, as they feel no physical pain. This lasts for one scene. In addition, the Di-cang can purchase Larceny dots at half the normal experience cost, since it was said that the original bodhisattva was able to unlock all the gates of the many hells to gain entrance.
FAIREST KITHS
Bright One – Changelings who came from light: will-o’-the-wisps, bright elves, White Ladies and other beings of light and fire and ice from all over the world. Their blessing is Goblin Illumination: the player can, at will, illuminate an area the size of a smallish room (about 15’ x 15’ x 10’ high) with a soft, pale light for the rest of the scene. Although the light centers on the Changeling’s left hand, it doesn’t have the Changeling as its source, seemingly coming from the air itself. The light doesn’t move. If the Changeling leaves the radius of the light, he leaves it behind. With the expenditure of a Glamour point, the light becomes painfully intense; anyone trying to target the Bright One treats him as partially concealed and suffers a -2 dice penalty (-1 die if the attacker is wearing sunglasses).
Dancer – Those among the Fairest blessed of particular agility and grace, for whom motion is itself beauty and art. Whether entertainer, courtesan, artist or murderer, the Dancer is happiest when moving to the sound of her inner rhythm. The Dancer’s blessing is Fae Grace: she benefits from the 9-again rule on any Expression or Socialize rolls involving agility (such as juggling or dancing in a performance or social setting), and always adds one to her Dodge total when dodging attacks.
Draconic – Changelings who hear within them the blood of dragons or other Great Beasts of Faerie, including celestial bureaucrats and tithe-players to Satan alike. Haughty and possessing a robust physicality, the Draconic Fairest have the secret of the Dragon’s Talon: a Draconic Changeling gains an extra die on Brawl rolls, striking with the power of a chimera’s claw or manticore’s sting. His player can also spend one point of Glamour to re-take one failed Brawl roll, once per scene.
Flowering – Flowers blossom on bare earth where these Changelings have stood (although they take months to appear in the human world rather than seconds, as they did in Faerie). Their skin is soft like the petal of a rose or a chrysanthemum and bright with a bloom of health. The Flowering Fairest has a Seductive Fragrance: her skin, hair and breath carry the aroma of unknown blossoms from places unseen, the promise of pleasures unknown. Her bouquet seduces and lulls in equal measure. She gains the benefit of the 9-again rule on dice pools including Persuasion, Socialize and Subterfuge.
Muse – Their beauty inspires the arts. Whether a Rubenesque beauty, a sedate and delicate daughter of the Heavenly Ministry, a grotesquely beautiful masquer garbed in yellow tatters, or a Dark Lady who drives her beloved to destruction, the Muse inspires the creation of things of beauty and horror and love and hate and fear. The growth of confidence can precipitate a headlong rush to doom, and the Muse knows how to make it happen. The Muse’s talent is The Tyranny of Ideas: the Changeling’s presence can give a human the confidence and talent to do things that he otherwise would not be able to do. For every point of Glamour the Changeling spends, the human subject (and it must be human: it can’t be another Changeling or another supernatural being) gains a +2 on one dice pool involving Expression, Persuasion, Socialize or Subterfuge.
Gandharva – In Hindu lore, these often androgynous messengers of the gods were beautiful and strange, sometimes having animal or plant parts as part of their heavenly flesh. The Changelings of this kith are similar, often pale or golden-fleshed, equally androgynous (leaning toward the feminine, even when male).They are, just as their mythic counterparts, said to be beautiful speakers and musicians. They speak and sing with Heavenly Articulation: by spending a point of Glamour, the Changeling gains an exceptional success on an Expression or Persuasion roll at three successes, not the normal five. This lasts for the remainder of the scene.
Succubus / Incubus – Whether the Jewish Lilitu or the Arab [um al duwayce, the core idea of the succubus or incubus is the same: a demon or spirit possessed of beauty that is used for malevolent purposes. Their beauty is darkened inevitably by something that happened to them in Faerie, and this hangs upon them in some way that colors their splendor with hints of the diabolical (blood-red eyes, bat wings, black nails, teeth filed to points or other demonic characteristics). These Changelings are temptresses, creatures who are imprisoned by lust but can also wield it like a weapon. The Succubus and Incubus gain advantages from Vice to Vice: if another character has the same Vice as the Succubus, the Succubus gains a +1 to all Social rolls when dealing with that target. If the Vice shared is Lust, then that bonus is doubled, becoming +2. The Succubus and Incubus also gain the Striking Looks Merit for free at two dots; if the Succubus and Incubus already possess the two-dot version, then it increases to the full four-dot version.
Weisse Frau – The Weisse Frau (“White Lady”) in German lore is a beautiful matron said to protect children. Wearing all white, she is thought to be benevolent and sad (compared quite often to the Mexican La Llorona, the “weeping woman” who waits by the river-side crying for the children she has lost). It’s said that a kiss from the Weisse Frau confers protection, and this is true for those of the kith. With the Kiss of Life: the character can, once per chapter, kiss another and spend a point of Glamour. In doing so, she grants that person two points of armor that is invisible and without substance, but works to protect the individual just the same. This armor does not stack with mundane or magical armor. Perhaps more importantly, in kissing a child (under the age of 13), this armor increases from two to three.
Flamesiren – These burning Fairest represents the entrancement of flame – when people stare at a flickering candle or gaze into a crackling bonfire, the force that holds their attention is the essence of the Flamesiren’s appeal. It’s the beauty of danger and destruction, together in one sinuous, lambent package. The Flamesiren may invoke the blessing of Burning Hypnotism: once per scene, the player may spend one Glamour to surround the Flamesiren with a blazing flame-like aura. Anyone looking at the Flamesiren must make a successful Resolve + Composure roll, or suffer a two-dice penalty to all actions until the character decides to douse the aura or the scene ends, thanks to the distraction.
Larcenist – The Larcenist kith is very close to the Fairest’s Dancer kith, except here, the alien grace of the Wyrd is applied in part to one’s ability to pilfer and plunder. The same lissome form and magical poise are present in Thievery’s Grace: where the Changeling benefits from the 9-again rule on any Larceny or Socialize rolls involving agility, and always adds one to her Dodge total when dodging attacks.
Minstrel – The Gentry love to be entertained and moved, especially by music. Fairest trained as Minstrels spend their durance serenading their Keepers, sometimes with an instrument, sometimes using only their voices. The Minstrel’s blessing is Perfect Pitch: a Minstrel Changeling can spend a point of Glamour to re-roll any failed dice on one Expression roll (so if, for example, a Minstrel who rolls six dice and gets 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 can spend a point of Glamour to re-roll the 2, 5, 6 and 7). They also excel at soaking up the adulation of a crowd when performing, enjoying the benefit of the 8-again rule for any attempt to harvest Glamour from the emotions of the spectators during their own performance.
Playmate – A Changeling taken by a Keeper who just wants someone to play with might become a member of the Playmate kith. Their blessing is The Circle of Friends: the Changeling gains a +2 to any teamwork roll when he is the primary actor. When he is a secondary actor, he can forgo making a roll to add dice to the primary actor’s roll and instead grant the primary actor 9-again (or 8-again, if the roll already has the 9-again benefit).
Polychromatic – They are the sons and daughters of the rainbow, fae who are living embodiments of color itself. Their hair and eyes flash all number of vibrant colors, sometimes shifting to match the Fairest’s temper. In a world of leaden skies and rain-slick gray concrete, the Polychromatics are a form of beauty that can never be dimmed. These Fairest enjoy the benefits of the Prismatic Heart: the character can change her mood as if moving from color to color. By spending one Glamour point as a reflexive action, the character may add two dice to any rolls made to resist emotional manipulation for the duration of the scene. In addition, all Empathy rolls made against the Polychromatic suffer a penalty of one die, as her prismatic moods are difficult to read.
Romancer – Some Keepers recognize that a Gentry’s greatest and most enduring love is itself. Lost who become Romancers were taken to act as a form of mirror, reflecting things not as they were but as the Gentry wished them to be. Romancers gain Narcissus’s Blessing: Others viewing her are subject to a subtle illusion that emphasizes those aspects of the Changeling that the subject find most appealing, sometimes going so far as to convince the subject that small aspects of the Changeling are utterly different than they really are. (An observer who finds bright green eyes particularly appealing may believe that a blue-eyed Romancer has emerald eyes instead.) This manifests as a –3 to all characters’ subsequent attempts to accurately describe her to others, including characters attempting to create police sketches. The blessing applies to clothing as well, but a sufficiently extraordinary trinket might grant a bonus to the roll. This is not a disguise, however, and unless the subject’s standard of beauty has changed significantly between one meeting of the Romancer and the next, he recognizes her without any difficulty. Recording devices, which have no preconceived notions of beauty and no expectations, are affected by the Wyrd’s magic as well, recording the individual as remarkably average. The –3 penalty applies to attempts to identify the character based on recorded footage or photographs as well.
Shadowsoul – The antithesis of the Bright Ones, these fae are the most beautiful chosen of the night. Their beauty comes from the darkness they swathe themselves in rather than the light they radiate. They were the favored concubines, adornments and handmaidens to nocturnal Keepers, and are distant cousins to the Darklings. The Shadowsoul’s blessing is the Unnatural Chill: the player gains a bonus to Intimidation rolls equal to her Wyrd, and receives the benefit of the 9-again rule to Subterfuge rolls. In addition, she may purchase Contracts of Darkness as affinity Contracts.
Telluric – Those who walk the skybridges in the vaults of Faerie heaven, the stars in their hair and comets in their eyes. Tellurics are Fairest imbued with the essence and spirit of celestial planet – the red skin and fiery temper of Mars, the quicksilver wit and quicksilver hair of Mercury, the pale beauty of the moon. Telluric Fairest are guided by the Music of the Spheres: Tellurics have an absolute knowledge of exactly what time it is as measured locally, even if they’ve spent the last day unconscious in a barren room. They can count down ticking seconds as accurately as a stopwatch, which gives them a +3 bonus to any actions that might require precise timing (such as disarming a time bomb or attempting to drive across town while hitting all green lights) In addition, Tellurics gain the free Specialties of Astronomy and Astrology to Academics and Occult, respectively.
Treasured – Far more than any other Fairest, the Treasured were treated as nothing more than prized objects for display. They spent their durance in golden cages or atop cold stone pedestals, with no greater hope than to please the eye of a passing Gentry. Treasured are jeweled, gilded, alabaster, like Michelangelo’s David given the faintest hint of color or a figure that has stepped away from Alma-Tadema’s The Roses of Heliogabalus. Countless hours upon a pedestal have given the Treasured the blessing of Alabaster Fortitude: once per scene, the player may spend one Glamour to retake any one failed Stamina, Resolve or Composure roll. The only exception is a roll made to avoid gaining a derangement through Clarity loss.
OGRE KITHS
Cyclopean – The Cyclopeans are like the ancient hunters and herdsmen of legend who sought men for their cooking pots: Changelings who resemble Cyclops of Archaic Greece, the one-legged Fachan of Scots legend, the three-eyed oni of Japan, the elephant-eared rakshas of India or the wind-borne footless Wendigo of North America. Although many are crippled in some ways, they have profound senses to make up for it. The Cyclopeans can Smell the Blood: the character gains the benefit of the 8-again rule on Wits-based Perception rolls. He can smell things that can’t normally be smelled, meaning that even if some of his senses are deficient, his sense of smell makes up for it. Many Cyclopeans have Physical Flaws such as One Eye, Lame, One Arm or Hard of Hearing.
Farwalker – Changelings who resemble the abominable men of mystery, the possibly savage hairy creatures of the wilds whose existence straddles the divide between folklore and cryptozoology: the Sasquatch, the yeti, the Russian Alma, the Australian yowie and dozens of other wild men. Farwalkers have The Elusive Gift: the character gains the benefit of the 9-again rule on Stealth and Survival dice pools. Also, the player can spend a point of Glamour to retake a failed Stealth or Survival roll.
Gargantuan – Captured by giants, these Changelings had to grow to greater stature, perhaps being stretched on racks or forced to drink noxious potions. As humans, they appear less freakish, though many purchase the Giant Merit. Their blessing is Spurious Stature: once a day, the Changeling can grow to colossal size. The player spends a point of Glamour and adds the Changeling’s Wyrd score to her size for the rest of the scene. This supplies temporary Health dots. Returning to normal size is painful, as if the Changeling’s skin is unable to contain the character’s stature, and when she regains her normal height, the character takes one point of lethal damage.
Gristlegrinder – Man-eaters and gluttons, taking their cue from the English Black Annis, Scottish Red Caps or the rakshas of India, but also sometimes resembling more modern Ogres, such as the masked unstoppable lunatics of slash-and-stalk horror movies. Every Gristlegrinder has Terrible Teeth in his jaws: the character’s bite is a two lethal attack, though it does require him to grapple the opponent first.
Stonebones – Changelings who resemble the rocky giants of folklore, Nordic trolls, Native American mountain spirits and the like. The Stonebones are blessed with Obdurate Skin: once per day as an instant action, the player can spend one point of Glamour to harden the character’s skin, making it like rock. The character uses his Wyrd as his armour rating for the rest of the scene. The character’s rocky carapace does mean, however, that the character isn’t as nimble as he was: the Changeling suffers a -1 die penalty to all Dexterity-based dice pools while this power is active. In addition, his Defense is reduced by one for every two points of Wyrd past the first; -1 Defense at 3 Wyrd, -2 Defense at 5 Wyrd and so on. This blessing doesn’t stack with mundane forms of armour.
Water-Dweller – Changelings who resemble the legendary water-demons of many cultures, from life-demanding river spirits through to the trolls of coastal caves and under-bridge shadows. The Water-Dweller can Lie Under the Waves: the character can hold her breath for 30 minutes, as if she had a Stamina of 7. She is also accustomed to murk and darkness, and suffers no penalties to sight-based Perception rolls when underwater.
Bloodbrute – Veterans of the fighting pits frequented by jaded Gentry, the Bloodbrutes were kept for one purpose only: to fight for their Keepers’ enjoyment. In some cases, the battles were simple matters of survival, but too many others came with extra rules and conditions born of a fickle Other’s imagination. The Bloodbrute is a master of Improvised Mayhem: by spending a Glamour point, he may rip a suitably sizable object free from its moorings and fashion it into a crude but effective weapon as a standard action. The character can create the equivalent of any weapon from the Melee Weapons Chart, given appropriate materials at hand. For example, he could craft the equivalent of a great ax by uprooting a stop sign and hastily wrapping the sign into a more effective ax head, but he couldn’t make a spear out of a small nightstand. The item does not suffer any penalties for its improvised nature as long as the Bloodbrute wields it; others suffer a –1 equipment penalty if attempting to use the impromptu implement of destruction.
Corpsegrinder – Some Ogres are fed upon death. The Corpsegrinders are survivors of massive charnel pits, brutes maintained on a diet of bones and carrion, the hulking guardians of burial grounds. They gnawed like Nidhogg at the roots of great dead trees, or tunneled into graves like ghuls to search out the freshest corpses.The Corpsegrinder’s gift is Sepulchral Hunger: the character gains a +1 bonus to any attack roll made against an enemy who has already been reduced to half his Health. In addition, the Corpsegrinder gains an additional die to attack rolls made against undead creatures such as vampires.
Render – The Renders were kept as living engines of destruction. They may have been used as shock troops in a besieging army, charged with ripping open the gates and tearing down the enemy’s towers. They may have been woodsmen without axes, quarry-workers reliant on their talons rather than chisel and mattock. The Render’s gift is the Sundering Talons: when damaging an object with his bare hands, the Render may ignore up to three points of Durability. His claws count as a tool created to bypass Durability.
Witchtooth – The embodiment of the cruel, man-eating hag and the selfish, mystical monster, the Witchtooth is among the wisest and most cunning of Ogres. The Witchtooth have a penchant for dark magic, particularly curses. While many of the most famous examples of this monster are female – Baba Yaga, Spearfinger, Black Annis – male changelings can learn the ugly secrets of Witchtooth wisdom as well. The Witchtooth has learned the secrets of the Black Hex: the character may spend Glamour to increase Occult rolls, and gains a one-die bonus to activate any Contracts that involve cursing another person (such as Fickle Fate).
Daitya – In Hindu myth, the Daityas are giants and ogres who opposed the gods and reviled those sacrifices given to the gods. They went to war against the heavens and, for a cycle of history, remained victorious. The kith associated with this legend is said to be composed of those Hindu Ogres who went against their Keepers – some stories even suggest that a great battle was fought in Faerie, with a passel of Daityas bringing down a pair of callous and mighty Fae. Many Daityas are large and reptilian in features, inheriting the serpent’s flesh from their Keepers (who in turn plunder said flesh from the old legends of the dragon-serpent Vritra, the demon who was said to have spawned the Daityas in the first place). The Daityas were apparently potent warriors who could topple pillars and cut the gods’ weapons in twain with a single blow. This gives the kith the benefit of the Cutting Might: by spending a point of Glamour, the Daitya can ignore the Durability of a single object for one turn’s attack, doing damage straight to the object’s Structure. Moreover, the Daitya’s gain a free Weaponry Specialty upon creation.
Oni – Japanese legend speaks of the oni, vicious red-skinned ogres with hirsute bodies, horns upon their head and many eyes. The oni came to represent sin as demons, and in many stories were responsible for visiting the wicked upon their deathbeds and consuming their souls. The Oni kith visibly resemble their fairy-tale counterparts, though many have skin colors other than red: blue, jaundiced, green, black and so forth. The Oni can take advantage of what many call A Mouthful of Sin: by spending one Glamour point and making a successful bite attack, the Oni consumes a number of gulps of the victim’s blood equal to damage caused. Each “gulp” or mouthful of blood swallowed heals either one lethal point of damage or two bashing points (aggravated cannot be healed in this way). This can only be done once per chapter. Curiously, this also works only when attacking a creature somehow possessed of sin – the target must be of Morality (or its equivalent, such as Harmony, Humanity, Wisdom or Clarity) 6 or below.
Troll – In Nordic myths and fairy tales, trolls are certainly ogrish – tall, featuring exaggerated and grotesque features, sharp teeth and cruel hunters. But trolls are more than that. They’re not hunters, instead choosing to wait and hide in places (in barrow mounds, deep inside caverns, beneath bridges) and then trick victims with riddles and double-talk. While many trolls are strong, they’re often savvy, capricious, consumed of a kind of subterranean cunning. The Troll kith gains the benefit of the Unyielding Voice: by spending a point of Glamour, the Troll can add his dots in the Strength Attribute to any Social roll involving Manipulation.
WIZENED KITHS
Artists – The Wizened who create startling works of art and craft: seamsters, sculptors, painters and builders. The Artist’s blessing is Impeccable Craftmanship: the Changeling enjoys the benefit of the 8-again rule on any dice pool using Crafts, and can choose to spend a point of Glamour to re-roll any failed dice on one Crafts roll (so if, for example, an Artist who rolls five dice and gets 1, 4, 6, 8 and 9 can spend a point of Glamour and re-roll the 1, 4 and 6). This blessing can be used only once per roll.
Brewer – Changelings who spent their durance in Faerie learning how to create mind-bendingly potent drinks or peculiar alchemies. Due to long exposure and gradual immunity, a Brewer gains four bonus dice to any Stamina roll made to resist poisons or intoxication. In addition, the Brewers know the recipe for The Inebriating Elixir: once per scene, the Changeling can instantly ferment one pint of any drink with Glamour, turning it into a powerfully intoxicating brew. The Changeling needs to be able to touch the container holding the drink to do this. The Changeling’s player rolls Wits + Crafts. If the roll is successful, the player may spend one Glamour point to invest the drink with a Potency rating equal to the Changeling’s Wyrd rating, plus the number of successes the player rolled. If the Potency of the brew is higher than the Health of the person drinking the brew, the person gets very drunk, and in five turns falls unconscious. If the Potency doesn’t exceed the drinker’s Health, the drinker must roll Stamina + Resolve, or suffer the effects of having drunk one more drink than her Stamina. The brew’s effects last for the rest of the scene.
Chatelaine – Preternaturally skilled manservants, organizers and house-managers. The Chatelaine’s talent is Perfect Protocol: the Changeling gains the benefit of the 9-again rule on all Social Skill rolls which depend on manners, etiquette or proper social practise (such as in a formal ball, a business meeting or a Changeling Court), even when using Presence. Further, the player can spend a point of Glamour to gain a +2 dice bonus to Manipulation and Presence dice pools for the rest of the scene.
Chirurgeon – Changelings who master surgery and pharmacy, sometimes from altruism, and sometimes simply because they can, ranging from scary back-street surgeons to strangely alien experimenters. The Chirurgeon’s blessing is The Analeptic Charm: able to perform medical miracles, the Changeling gains the benefit of the 9-again rule on Medicine dice pools. The Chirurgeon can also use the humblest tools well, and never suffers from penalties for poor equipment as long as at least something can be jury-rigged as a medical tool. Finally, anyone whom the Changeling tends to for any length of time receives the benefit of the Chirurgeon’s skills as if they were in a hospital intensive care unit.
Oracle – Changelings who, like many imps and goblins, can, in a limited way, see the future. The Oracle’s blessing is Panomancy: the Changeling can, once per chapter, tell fortunes using any method she wants – tea-leves, cards, bones, a crystal ball or anything else. The effect works the same as the Common Sense Merit (although the character can buy the Merit as well, if the player wishes).
Smiths – Changelings who were forced to labor under the watchful eye of the most unimpeachable Faerie blacksmiths, tinkers and toolmakers. Their blessing is Steel Mastery: the Changeling can use his supernatural skill with metallurgy to alter metal objects, improving them, even if improving them would normally be impossible. The player spends one Glamour and makes an extended roll of Dexterity + Crafts, with each roll representing half an hour of tinkering, polishing and hammering. If the Changeling manages to gather four successes, he can alter a tool so that it gives him a +1 equipment bonus. The item has to mostly be made of metal. The magic wears off after a day. No object this way can be improved more than three times. If the Changeling tries to alter an object a fourth time, he destroys the tool, and it can never be used again.
Soldiers – Members of the vast goblin hosts of the Fae, the Soldiers fought strange, inconclusive battles and now find that fighting comes easier to them. The Soldier’s talent is Blade Lore: living and breathing the lore of the blade, the Soldiers of the goblin hosts find it easy to master any weapon that carries an edge. A Soldier is considered to have a Weaponry specialization with any weapon that carries an edge, no matter what it is. This can’t stack with other specializations the Changeling may learn.
Woodwalker – The Wizened who, like their captors, live within and protect the wilds, sometimes jealously, sometimes violently. Their talent is Wildcraft: the Changeling gets the benefit of the 8-again rule on Survival rolls. Also, the Woodwalker can survive by eating any plant, no matter how poisonous (although poisons that are isolated and distilled from plant sources are still dangerous to him, because they’re not strictly plant matter anymore).
Pamarindo – Italian folklore makes fearful mention of the Pamarindo, the shriveled pot-bellied faeries with salacious appetites. Legend has them often covered in slick fats, guts, blood and greases associated with the butchering of their prey. Their appearance as a kith among the Wizened sees the Pamarindo manifesting similar physical traits: their cheeks are often smeared with red, their teeth sharp and serrated, their flesh glossy and oily. The Pamarindo are foul epicures, possessing the Gourmand’s Grotesquerie: by spending a Glamour point and touching a piece of raw meat (which can be as small as a single pound of flesh), the Wizened can use that meat to safely feed a number of individuals equal to his Wyrd score. This food nourishes for a full 24 hours, and no other food needs to be eaten during this time (and often can’t be eaten, for one feels so full on that meal).
Gremlin – Gremlins are born more of modern folktales than anything, with their first official entrance into the lore appearing during World War I. Malevolent little gremlins were said to tinker with planes, causing them to malfunction and potentially crash. Many such malfunctions were blamed on gremlins (as a joke and,for some, a very real fear), and they entered the modern canon as any kind of faerie-like creature said to disrupt the workings of machines. (Worth noting is that the term may come from the Irish Gaelic, gruaimin, meaning “ill-humored little man.”) Wizened who assume the Gremlin kith are particularly good at damaging items temporarily with the Gremlinizing Touch: by touching a device and spending a Glamour point, the Gremlin negates any equipment bonuses associated with the device for the remainder of the scene. This applies to the damage bonuses associated with any weapon, as well (guns in particular). The character can only do this once a day.
Thusser – In Norway, they speak of the Thussers (known as Vardogls in Iceland) that come out of their faerie hills beneath the full moon and sing, dance, and fiddle away the night. Humans seem compelled to try to join in with the Thussers’ carousing, though no mortal has ever been able to truly dance or sing with the diminutive strange-bodied creatures. The Thusser kith is similar to those wee-humans of folklore, often small and moon-eyed, and blessed, too, with the Fiddler’s Delight: by spending a Glamour point and either singing or playing some manner of instrument (which does require a successful Expression roll), the Thusser can hypnotize one targeted individual. This individual cannot do anything for as long as the Thusser is able to keep up his music. The spell is only broken once the Thusser ceases the music or until the person is forced to defend himself from incoming danger.
Author – In Faerie, these changelings composed words of all kinds for their masters, from poetry to plays to nonfiction. Authors may even have been their Keepers’ only connection with mortal language, having to explain precisely what words are and how they held power. Authors still see things in terms of words – ideal nouns and adverbs swim unasked through their minds. The Author has mastered the Polyglot’s Riddle: he gains the 8-again rule to all Expression rolls dealing with writing or wordy endeavors. With a successful Wits + Academics roll, he can also deduce the meaning of written text in any mortal language.
Drudge – The lowest and most menial of Wizened, Drudges were given the most unpleasant tasks to perform. They suffered all the privations and modifications of their fellow Wizened, and did not even learn a faerie trade in return. Drudges are the long-suffering inheritors of house elves, domovoi and other such faeries. However, not all had their spirits broken in Arcadia, and some managed to slip away through the Thorns before their negligent Keepers noticed their absence. The Drudge was designed to provide Unseen Labor: by spending a Glamour point, the character may complete any relatively simple task in a fraction of the time, as long as no mortal watches her do so. The task cannot require more than five successes on an extended roll to complete; the Drudge could fix something simple quickly, but not repair a badly damaged car. The time required for the task is equal to the original time required divided by the character’s Wyrd +1; even the weakest Drudge can cut a field or clean a house in half the time it would normally take. In addition, the Drudge gains the benefit of the 9-again rule to Stealth rolls; she is easily overlooked.
Gameplayer — The True Fae adore games, even if they despise the possibility of losing. Some Wizened were kept precisely to empower the Gentry’s love of games. The Changeling was forced to play against her Keeper, or against canny goblins and cheating imps; or she was made a part of the games, a chess piece in a game that repeated over and over again, or the queen of spades in a long poker game. She mastered many games during her durance, but cannot remember them all; some operated by rules that made no sense in Arcadia, much less in the more solid reality of the mortal world. The Gameplayer’s blessing is the Grandmaster’s Stratagem: by spending a Glamour point, she can win any purely mental-based game she plays (such as chess or checkers). She also gains a bonus three dice to any rolls made to gamble with games that involve a mixture of mental acuity and random chance (poker and sports betting, for instance, but not craps).
Miner – These Changelings are the knockers and kobolds, the Coblynau and Telchines. Miners labored in deep mines to extract rare and precious metals, and perhaps other things – chipping out veins of fossilized blood from the rotting gut of a mountain-sized great beast, or tunneling for the root of all evil. The Miner’s gift is the Tappingspeak: by spending one Glamour, the Changeling may tap out a coded message on a nearby surface. The message (which cannot be longer than three sentences) travels like vibrations to the intended recipient, as long as there’s a sufficient medium between the two to carry it all the distance (thus, a recipient currently in an aeroplane could not receive the missive). The range is one mile per point of the Miner’s Wyrd. The recipient automatically understands the meaning of the Tappingspeak, thanks to the Glamour imbedded in the message. [/hide]
Determinate Advantages as follows:
Virtues: select one.
Vices: select one.
Experience (X.P.) Costs
Character Template
[HIDE]
Name:
Aliases:
Age before Durance:
Current Age:
Seeming:
Kith:
Blessing(s):
•
Curse(s):
•
Virtue:
Vice:
Mask Description:
Mien Description:
History:
ADVANTAGES
Health:
Glamour:
Willpower:
Wyrd:
Clarity:
Size:
Speed:
Defence:
Initiative Modifier:
ATTRIBUTES
Attribute Priority:
Mental Attributes
Intelligence:
Wits:
Resolve:
Physical Attributes
Strength:
Dexterity:
Stamina:
Social Attributes
Presence:
Manipulation:
Composure:
SKILLS
Skill Priority:
Mental Skills
Academics:
Computers:
Crafts:
Investigation:
Medicine:
Occult:
Politics:
Science:
Physical Skills
Athletics:
Brawl:
Drive:
Firearms:
Larceny:
Stealth:
Survival:
Weaponry:
Social Skills
Animal Ken:
Empathy:
Expression:
Intimidation:
Persuasion:
Socialise:
Streetwise:
Subterfuge:
SKILL SPECIALTIES
•
ABILITIES
Contracts
•
Merits
[/HIDE]
Okay everyone I am looking for 5 player Scott and myself have the books available (which I highly recommend)
House Rules:
1) You may notice Manikin’s have had an ability change go with the one seen here
2) There is a 100 year rule floating around but i am willing to waive that, you can have changelings who have been in Arcadia since before 1913
3) You can not lower clarity for more XP
You were a human being. An everyday person. You lived your life the way everyday people do. Then, one day, something happened. An otherworldly being took notice. There are many such beings, and they go by many names and descriptions. Others, True Fae, Gentry, to name but a few.
They come from a place called Arcadia, from where they watch mortals with a deep interest. Some select their victims carefully and meticulously, others are governed only by their whims but either way, the results are the same.
The end of your everyday human life, and the beginning of a new life in Arcadia.
Arcadia is a parallel world of wonder and dread, eternal pleasure and never-ending pain. The Gentry rule here, and even nature is bent to their wills. Without permission from a Fae Lord, fire will not warm you, and food will provide no nourishment. Thankfully, those who find themselves the prisoners of the True Fae are spared from at least that miserable death, but in return they are transformed, reshaped to suit the designs of their masters.
And masters they are, for even a Fae who pretends to be a devoted lover truly cares little for their partner, and will eventually discard them without a second glance.
Those who are chosen by the Gentry and changed by the forces which constitute Arcadia are known as Changeling. Half-human, half-fairie, countless many of them populate the realms of the True Fae.
Occasionally, however, there comes a chance. A Changeling may lift their head, look around and see a thin opening for escape, discover a loophole in the promises which bind them, or simply end up abandoned by their owners. Whichever way it occurs, and for whatever reason, they brave dangers untold and hardships unumbered to make their way through the Hedge, the barrier between the realities, and find their way back to Earth.
In Changeling: The Lost, you play a member of a group of escapees trying to patch their lives they once had back together. On one hand, the mortal world no longer suits or understands you, and on the other, Arcadia beckons you to return.
THE SETTING
This game will take place mostly in the W.N.Y. freehold. A freehold is a large number of Changelings who have banded together to make life better for all. There are only four major freeholds on the east coast of the North American continent. These can be found in Toronto, Western New York, Washington, and Miami. Smaller freeholds do exist, but in population they total anywhere from 7 (Blue Ball, PA- Intercourse, PA) to 78 (Savannah, GA).
THE COURTS
With a higher population came a need to organize, and while many different methods to do so have a risen, the most popular is the European Seasonal Court system. A Court serves many functions. They are a political party, support group, ruling body, and method of protection. Some Freeholds have a, "join or die," mentality, but the W.N.Y. freehold is much more open to the possibility of Courtless occupants than others.
Spring Court: other Courts often joke that all you need to get into the Spring Court is a cold six-pack and a quick tumble. After being twisted and stunted by the Gentry for so long, Changelings should have the ability to grow again. The Antler Crown is all about growth, healing, and rejuvenation. They dive into life, often developing a strong presence in the mortal world. The emotion from which this Court draw their power is Desire.
Spring Affinity Contracts: Eternal Spring, Fleeting Spring, Verdant Spring
Spring King: Cesare Verdania (Fairest Flowering
Spring Duchess: Ruby Aves (Beast Windwing)
Summer Court: if the Gentry return, we'll be ready. The Iron Spear is focussed on martial prowess and strength (or skill) in general, and often stands as the freehold's army. The ranks of Summer also include generals, scouts, and the occasional diplomat or lawyer. The emotion from which this Court draw their power is Wrath.
Summer Affinity Contracts: Eternal Summer, Fleeting Summer, Punishing Summer
Summer King: Jack Gibson (Ogre Bloodbrute/Smith)
Summer Duchess: Felena Robbins (Fairest Dancer/Metalflesh)
Autumn Court: the best way to beat the Gentry is to understand how they work. The Leaden Mirror consists of occultists, Hedge wanderers, and sorcerers. They learn and develop powerful Contracts, catalogue the weaknesses of the True Fae, and even study the other strange denizens of the New World of Darkness. The emotion from which this Court draw their power is Fear.
Autumn Affinity Contracts: Eternal Autumn, Fleeting Autumn, Spellbound Autumn
Autumn King: Isaac McCoy (Darkling Antiquarian/Brewer)
Autumn Duke: Criswald Moirai (Wizened Oracle)
Winter Court: we drew the attention of the Gentry once, and we sure as hell won't do it again. The Silent Arrow deals in stealth, secrets, and obfuscation, with the main goal of keeping the Lost safe by keeping them secret. Members serve as spies or scouts and often create safe houses for others of their Court or Freehold. The emotion from which this Court draw their power is Sorrow.
Winter Affinity Contracts: Eternal Winter, Fleeting Winter, Sorrow-Frozen Heart
Winter Queen: Mary Noct (Darkling Nightsinger/?????)
Winter Duke: Oscar Hensen (Elemental Blightbent)
In the W.N.Y. freehold, Winter and Summer have the strongest presence, and the temperature of the region reflects this, however that does not mean Spring and Autumn are weak. Befitting Buffalo’s title of, “The City of Good Neighbors,” these four courts work together in relative harmony and you get the odd sight of Changelings from different courts freely mingling. Unfortunately, this is undercut by a sense of distrust that for newcomers might be difficult to place.
Character Creation and XP key
Character Creation
- Decide on a character concept.
- Prioritize Physical, Mental and Social Attributes. All Attributes start at 1 dot. Primary has 5 dots to dispense, secondary has 4, tertiary has 3.
- Prioritize Physical, Mental and Social Skills. All Skills start at 0. Primary has 11 dots to dispense, secondary has 7, tertiary has 4.
- Select three Skill Specialties (e.g. Expression: 3 (Dance))
- Choose seeming and kith, detailed below:
Seemings [HIDE]
Seemings and Kiths: as part of character creation, players pick both a seeming and a kith. These partly define what your character has gone through and what they can do, although they do not limit you by any means. Each provides unique blessings as well as weaknesses, and below are full lists and descriptions of both seemings and kiths.
Included here is some information about the different Seemings in Changeling: the Lost we will have kiths a bit further down the page.
Beasts
The ecology of Faerie makes little sense. Plants grow where they shouldn’t; things subsist on less food than is logical. Faerie is not a world that has evolved in accordance with how the mortal chain of life works. Yet, Arcadia has its rule of nature, even warped. Tooth and claw are still red here. Predator still hunts prey, though both may take strange forms and be born of mad origins. The Beasts were once lost to that cycle, their minds subsumed entirely by the animal instinct that was the only thing keeping them alive. Even upon their return, the savage time of Faerie has left its mark on them, body and soul.
Blessing: the wildness that infuses a Beast gives her a supernatural affinity with animals. A Beast gains the benefit of the 8-again rule when using the Animal Ken Skill, and receives a free Specialty for the one animal that most reflects the Beast’s seeming. The same wild nature gives a Beast a powerful personal magnetism. A Beast’s player can spend points of Glamour to add to dice pools involving Presence and Composure. Each point of Glamour spent adds one die to one dice pool.
Curse: although the Beasts regained their consciousness when they came through the Hedge, their time as beings of thoughtless instinct has taken its toll on each of them, and most find it very hard to make use of academic or trained skills. A Beast’s player suffers a -4 dice untrained penalty when trying to use a Mental skill in which the character has no dots. Further, although Beasts can be very clever indeed, they’re out of practise making those leaps of ingenuity that so characterize human genius. A Beast’s player doesn’t re-roll 10s when using a dice pool involving Intelligence.
Seeming Contracts: Fang and Talon, Den, Wild
Concepts: horse-whisperer, cat burglar, animal rights activist, ox-sized college jock, homeless sewer rat king, man-eating loan shark, reptilian lawyer, grizzly man with a clue, hare-like professional athlete, dog soldier, queen bee of the sorority, eagle-eyed detective, penniless frog prince.
Darklings
The darkness of Arcadia is not simple absence of light. It is nights that have hungers all their own, shadows cast in the bowels of impossible castles, the grasping fingers of carnivorous forests. The Darklings are changed by the living shadows of Faerie — indeed, Darklings have entered into Contracts with darkness itself. This bond with darkness can’t help but change them. Some become entirely comfortable with fear and loneliness, and discover that they dislike forging social bonds with all but a select few. Others fight against the shadows that fall over their souls, searching out pleasure and companionship. But no Darkling can shun the darkness entirely. Even if Darklings suffered torments in absolute blackness in Arcadia, the dark is still comforting to them. It hides them from sight, and perhaps aided their escape. It’s something that few other Lost can completely understand.
Blessing: just as the shadows that infect them, the Darklings are ephemeral and flighty as the dark itself. A player can spend Glamour to increase dice pools that include Wits, Subterfuge and Stealth – each point of Glamour increases one dice pool by one point. The character also gains the benefit of the 9-again rule on Stealth dice pools.
Curse: darkness and twilight so define these Changelings that their magic falters somewhat when the sun is in the sky (that is, not at night, or at twilight). Darklings suffer a -1 die penalty to all rolls to enact Contracts during daylight hours. The penalty increases to -2 dice if the sun is directly visible to them.
Seeming Contracts: Darkness, Shade & Spirit
Concepts: parapsychologist, nocturnal building superintendent, night-shift call center worker, chimney sweep, professional spelunker, lab assistant, amateur night-time naturalist, night refuge manager.
Elementals
Elementals are the most diverse of any of the seemings and also, on average, the one least connected to the human world. Other than this lack of connection, it is difficult to make generalizations about Elementals, because they can be so different from one another. Elementals associated with radically different elements often have radically different physical and mental traits and similarly divergent attitudes about the world and their places in it. The only thing they all share is the profound and deeply alien experience of being an intelligent force of nature. While the Beasts had the minds of animals in Arcadia, almost all Elementals retained their thoughts and consciousness, but temporarily lost their humanity, and in some cases, all traces of their physical forms, as they became living lightning bolts, contemplative boulders or excitable and talkative brooks and streams. Many had the experience of completely losing themselves in these experiences and temporarily becoming utterly inhuman animate elemental manifestations. However, all of those who escaped Arcadia managed to retain their awareness and spent most of their time as living elements who knew they had once been human.
Blessing: Elementals, touched as they are by the stuff of the world, are able to channel the forces and materials that define them into their bodies, giving them an uncanny ability to shrug off punishment. Once per day, the player can spend one point of Glamour to add the character’s Wyrd rating to his Health dots for the rest of the scene.
Curse: the Elementals are further removed from humanity than other Changelings, and find humans harder to understand and to influence. An Elemental doesn’t get the benefit of the 10-again rule on any dice pools involving the Manipulation Attribute and the Skills Empathy, Expression, Persuasion or Socialize.
Seeming Contracts: Elements, Communion, Wild
Concepts: secretly incompetent fire-fighter, landscape gardener, logging saboteur, clockwork secretary, workaholic steelworker, tornado chaser, model with flawless skin, all-weather surfer, competitive mountaineer, deep-sea diver, extreme sports fanatic.
Fairest
For the Fairest, one of the most difficult things about their mangled memories of Arcadia is the illicit pleasure of some of them. They were rewarded with ecstasy beyond mortal comprehension when they pleased their masters or mistresses and punished with ghastly torments when their efforts were considered less than satisfactory.The life of a Fairest is often a mixture of pride and regret. Most suspect that the reason they were abducted by the Fae is that they had some especially impressive quality or talent. For most Fairest, their abduction and transformation served to enhance these talents, and now they take pride in being the most beautiful and talented of the Lost. However, this pride is mixed with an awareness that they would not have been ripped away from their lives and their loved ones and subjected to various horrors if they had not been as special or perhaps as prideful as they were. Also, for some the fact that they now have more talent or beauty than before their abduction means that their talents or beauty are no longer truly part of them. Balancing the natural joy and pride in being accomplished and acclaimed for their skill and beauty with the awareness of what these talents cost them is one of the central paradoxes of the lives of many Fairest.
Blessing: these Changelings really are the Fairest of Them All, and their magic only emphasizes this. The player can spend Glamour to improve dice pools that include Presence, Manipulation and Persuasion. Each point spent increases one dice pool by one point. A Changeling counted among the Fairest also suffers no untrained penalty for using Social Skills in which she has no dots.
Curse: the Fairest, similar to the creatures who stole them, can be callous and unfeeling, vicious and prone to toy with others, even people who love them. Their inner balance suffers for this. One of the Fairest suffers a -1 die penalty on dice pools to avoid losing Clarity (for example, the player of a Fairest with Clarity 5 who kills another Changeling rolls two dice to avoid losing Clarity, rather than three).
Seeming Contracts: Vainglory, Seperation, Reflection
Concepts: charismatic but incompetent executive, professional athlete, lead singer in a band, amiable politician, catalog model, aging heartthrob, two-glamorous gangbanger, out-of-work actor waiting tables, high school beauty queen, low-table professional footballer, late night torch singer.
Ogres
Not all fairy tales are things of delicacy. Some are downright brutal. The Ogres mirror that brutality, and indeed inspire it from time to time. Though they may be handsome or hideous, kindly or cruel, the Ogres embody a single unfailing precept: hard places breed hard people.They enjoy a reputation as stalwart friends and monstrous enemies, and it’s not undeserved. No Ogre managed to become what he is without having to face violence. And it’s a rare Ogre who isn’t willing to face — or embrace — violence again to get what he thinks is important.
Blessing: Ogres are mostly big, often ugly and always capable of frightening displays of brute force. The player can spend points of Glamour to improve dice pools involving Strength, Brawl and Intimidate. Each point of Glamour spent adds one die to one dice pool.
Curse: not all Ogres are necessarily stupid, but most are fairly gullible, weak-willed and prone to impulsive, thoughtless actions. An Ogre doesn’t get the benefit of the 10-again rule on dice pools using Composure (with the exception of Perception rolls using Wits + Composure, which suffer no penalty). The character also suffers a -1 die penalty to Composure when using it as a Defense Trait (that is, when subtracting it from another character’ dice pool).
Seeming Contracts: Stone, Oath & Punishment
Concepts: working-class Red Cap hard-man, arrogant giant C.E.O., shrill political activist, gung-ho Marine grunt, nightclub bouncer, understanding but no-nonsense bar manager, Bigfoot hunter, belligerent redneck, prizefighter, long-distance truck driver, deep sea fisherman.
Wizened
The Wizened are often believed to be the least fortunate of the Lost; their time in Arcadia was a period of loss and malice ranging from backbreaking labor at best to unending, maddeningly pointless tortures at worst. For some of the Lost, the mere presence of one of the Wizened can serve as a disturbing reminder of events they would far rather forget. However, the Wizened’s various abilities make them much in demand in various freeholds and Courts. Often, the Wizened end up being the ones who keep a Court or freehold running smoothly, even if others do not always notice the Wizened’s efforts. Much as it was in Faerie, the Wizened get the toil and others reap the glory.
Blessing: the Wizened are extraordinarily nimble. The player can spend one point of Glamour to gain the benefit of the 9-again rule on all dice pools involving Dexterity for the rest of the scene. The same nimbleness enables the Wizened to avoid harm in ways other beings can’t imagine. The player can also spend one point of Glamour to add the character’s Wyrd dots to his Dodge total (normally calculated as double Defense), for the rest of the scene. This only applies when the character is dodging.
Curse: spite infects the Wizened. It comes out in their appearance, and in their manner. Their appearance, which is rarely attractive, and their general tendency not to be approachable means that the Wizened don’t benefit from the 10-again rule on dice pools involving Presence. For the same reason, while Social Skills aren’t completely barred to them, the Wizened suffer a -2 dice untrained penalty when trying to use a Social Skill in which they have no dots rather than the usual -1.
Seeming Contracts: Artifice, Animation
Concepts: creepy backstreet surgeon, paranoid U.F.O. enthusiast, faithful laconic manservant, snooty maître d’, footpad for hire, reclusive artist, socially inept radio technician, antisocial Nethead, pawnbroker.
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Kiths
[hide]Kiths: Like Seemings Kiths further refine what your character is and gives them access to another natural abillity but remember how you make your character is up to you.
BEAST KITHS
Broadback – Changelings who are attuned to animals that are renowned for their endurance or stubbornness, such as camels, elephants, horses, mules, goats and the like. Their blessing is Stoic Forbearance: the Changeling’s player can spend one point of Glamour to add two to all dice pools involving Stamina, for the rest of the scene.
Hunterheart – Often, but not always, those Changelings who have something of the predator about them: wolves, bears, cats, crocodiles, snakes and birds of prey, but also those that embody the hunter in a more conceptual sense. The Hunterheart’s blessing is Tooth and Claw: the Changeling can inflict lethal damage instead of bashing damage when fighting unarmed.
Runnerswift – Changelings who move like the wind, reflecting hares, rabbits, antelopes and the like. The Runnerswift’s blessing is Runs Like the Wind: the Changeling adds two points to Speed (cumulative with the Fleet of Foot Merit, if the Changeling possesses it).
Skitterskulk – Changelings who have an affinity with flies, spiders, beetles, centipedes and other creepy crawlies. The Skitterskulk has the Impossible Counterpose blessing: just as an insect, her sense of timing and reactions are second to none. When Dodging, the character triples her Defense Trait rather than doubling it.
Steepscrambler – Changelings who are at home in high places, and who are attuned to animals such as monkeys, raccoons, squirrels, some insects and some lizards. The Steepscrambler’s blessing is Gifted Climber: she finds climbing easy, no matter how sheer the ascent. The character gains a +3 dice pool bonus when trying to climb any surface, and may attempt to climb even surfaces as slick as wet glass if they will support her weight.
Swimmerskin – Changelings who draw affinities with aquatic or amphibious creatures: seals, otters, ducks, salmon and the like; mermaids, too. The Swimmerskin’s blessing is Natural Swimmer: he can hold his breath underwater for thirty minutes, as if he had a Stamina of 7. He can’t, however, hold his breath any longer than his Stamina score allows if he’s out of water. He may also swim at his full Speed, just as if he were running.
Venombite – Changelings who have an affinity with poisonous creatures, such as poisonous spiders and insects, or poisonous reptiles. Every Venombite has the Poisonous Bite blessing: once per scene, the Changeling’s player may spend a point of Glamour and roll a normal brawling attack (Strength + Brawl – Defence + Armour). The attack causes no damage, but does deliver a lethal poison with a Toxicity equal to the Changeling’s Wyrd. The victim can’t avoid taking the damage with a Stamina + Resolve roll.
Windwing – Changelings who are confined to the earth, with their hearts to the skies, drawing affinity with birds, butterflies and bats. The Windwing bears the blessing Gift of the Sky: although he can’t fly, the air bears him up. A Windwing may spend a point of Glamour to glide in the air for up to one minute per point of Wyrd; he cannot gain altitude without appropriate updrafts, but may move at his normal Speed. In addition, a Windwing takes only one point of bashing damage for every 15 yards fallen, and begins to take lethal damage only if he falls more than 150 yards.
Cleareyes – These Beasts have been granted exemplary senses akin to an animal’s. Theirs are the eagle’s eyes, the bat’s ears, the hound’s nose, the raccoon’s elegant sense of touch. Cleareyes were kept as lookouts and hunters for their Keepers, charged with discovering a scent for the Hunterhearts to follow or spying an aerial intruder for the Windwings to bring down. However, Cleareyes’ keen senses also allowed them to spy a way free of their master. The Cleareyes benefit from Primal Senses: they add +2 to Wits + Composure rolls made to perceive things involving the specific sense that is their hallmark (sight, hearing, touch or taste/smell). In addition, the Cleareyes may spend one Glamour to heighten that sense to truly remarkable levels for a turn – an eagle-eyed Beast may be able to read a license plate from a mile away, or a fox-woman may be able to catch the scent of her enemy in a crowded nightclub.
Coldscale – Kin to reptiles both mundane and mythical, the Coldscale has inherited the nature of serpents, lizards, crocodiles, basilisks, wyverns and the like. Coldscales are a phlegmatic kith, given to sullen and brooding anger rather than hasty wrath and prone to cool contentedness rather than exultant joy. They are marked by scales, reptilian eyes and sometimes cool blood. The Coldscale’s blessing is Reptilian Blood: the character gains a +1 bonus to any Composure rolls made to resist emotional manipulation and a +2 bonus to any Stamina rolls made to resist damage from biological venoms and poisons.
Roteater – Fed on carrion and offal, the Roteater is akin to the vulture and the hyena, the crow and the worm. As a tamed Beast, the Roteater may have followed at the end of his Keeper’s war processions, left to feed himself on corpses. If wild or ungoverned, he may have fallen into a scavenger’s ways simply to survive. The Roteater enjoys the benefits of the Scavenger’s Nature: the Changeling gains two extra dice to roll when resisting poison or disease; the bonus rises to three dice to resist any poison or disease that stems from something the Changeling ingested. The character also benefits from the 9-again rule on perception rolls made to scrounge up useful items from an area.
Truefriend – These Beasts learned not savagery, but loyalty. They are infused with the nature of animals who have accepted humans as their own. Truefriends are hunting hounds, loyal cats, favored horses, beloved parakeets, animals valued for the companionship they offer. Escaping Faerie was a matter of realizing that whatever fealties they may have been conditioned to show their Keepers, the changelings owed even greater loyalties to the loved ones they’d left behind. The Truefriend can give her allies the Companion’s Boon: by spending one Glamour, the character may grant an ally of her choice three additional dice on any roll. Invoking this blessing is a standard action that requires the Truefriend to be able to see her friend and speak so that he may hear her.
Riddleseeker – Truly unusual among Beasts, Riddleseekers hone their seemingly natural cunning and curiosity to a razor’s edge. These Changelings exercise an Inquisitive Instinct: the Riddleseeker’s player may spend a point of Glamour to add two to all Wits-based dice pools – other than Wits + Composure perception checks – for the remainder of the scene. Further, the character gains a free Investigation specialty in “Riddles.” The mien of such a changeling usually reflects animals noted for especial wisdom or cunning: snakes, owls, cats or foxes, for instance. In some cases, however, these Beasts are attuned to more fanciful composite forms, legendary creatures associated with riddles (such as the sphinx) or with great knowledge (like the Iranian Angha).
Chimera – Homer’s Iliad was pretty clear about the creature known as the Chimera: “A thing of immortal make, not human, lion-fronted and snake behind, a goat in the middle.” The Chimera kith is not necessarily these constituent parts, but it does represent a Changeling who bears parts and limbs from not just one beast but many. A Chimera might result from imprisonment by a chaotic Fae shapeshifter, whose many forms bleed into its Lost captives. The many dreams that seem to comprise a Chimera’s flesh grant them the Goblin’s Tongue: by spending a Glamour point, the Chimera gains a +3 on any Social rolls made against any kind of hobgoblin in or out of the Hedge. This bonus lasts for one full scene.
Coyote – It’s curious, perhaps, that most of the Beasts reflecting this rare kith seem to bear only one true physical change to their mien, and that is the head. Human features are often entirely gone (with the eyes being the only exception) as the head and face become that of a coyote borne upon human shoulders. Some, of course, manifest different coyote physiology – a tail, perhaps, or claws with which to dig or strike. Of course, in the folktales of old America, what’s significant about Coyote is not how he looks but how he acts. Perhaps the predominant trickster figure in mythology, Coyote is the master of manipulating circumstances to obtain what are often the simplest of desires. He often achieves profound effects through even the simplest of deceptions. Those Changelings who reflect his spirit in this kith possess the “inventiveness” of truth known as The Trickster’s Truth: spending Willpower to gain dice on a Persuasion or Subterfuge roll nets the character +5 instead of the usual +3 bonus. In addition, if the character possesses the Vice of Gluttony, Greed or Lust, the character may then buy Manipulation dots at a reduced experience point rate (new dots x 4).
Nix – The nix, or nixie, is a river mermaid from Germanic lore. One often possesses the features of a snake and a fish in some amalgamation (fish eyes, snake fangs, skin spotted with reptile scales and shark cartilage). Some legends posit that the nix are truly beautiful, while other tales suggest that the nix are actually quite hideous to behold, but possess golden voices. In the old tales, the nix would confound fishermen with beautiful voices, causing them confusion and leading their boats astray – often right into the rocks. Such is the power of the Consumptive Voice: by expending one Glamour, the Nix’s voice will muddy the thoughts of any who listen to her speak. They don’t notice that her voice has changed, but it causes a slowing, almost narcotic effect. For the remainder of the scene, any who hear her voice in casual conversation find their Social rolls hampered by a penalty equal to half the Nix’s Wyrd score (round down). This ability can be used only once per day.
DARKLING KITHS
Antiquarian – Those Darklings who surround themselves with dusty tomes of lore and the artefacts of long-dead lands and peoples. Dusty, quiet and diligent, they hold the Keys to Knowledge: the Antiquarians know where to find lore ancient and modern, and have a near-flawless memory for facts, trivial and not so trivial. Every Antiquarian receives the benefit of the 9-again rule on dice pools including Academics and Investigation. They may also spend a point of Glamour to gain the benefits of the Encyclopaedic Knowledge Merit for one question. If the Antiquarian already possesses this Merit, he may spend one Glamour to add three dice to the roll.
Gravewight – Cold-skinned Darklings who draw comfort from consorting with the dead, both restless and in repose. The Gravewight possesses the Charnel Sight: the Changeling can see ghosts for the rest of the scene. The power doesn’t extend to any other invisible beings that may or may not be present, and doesn’t allow the Changeling to touch the ghost or compel it to answer her unless the ghost chooses to allow that.
Leechfinger – The faeries who steal life from humans, grain by grain, drop by drop, with just a touch. Every Leechfinger knows how to Sap the Vital Spark: with a touch, he can steal the health of another to heal his own injuries. The character needs to touch the target, and the player spends a point of Glamour. The victim takes one point of lethal damage, and the Changeling heals one point of lethal or bashing damage, or downgrades one point of aggravated damage to lethal. This blessing can be used once per scene per point of the Darkling’s Wyrd.
Mirrorskin – Darklings who hide in plain sight from the eyes of humankind. Their bones are malleable, their faces like flowing quicksilver. The Mirrorskin’s blessing is The Mercurial Visage: he can change the cast of his features to resemble (if not completely mimic) anyone he has met. The player may do this at will, gaining a +3 dice bonus to Wits + Subterfuge disguise attempts. This bonus applies to both mien and Mask.
Tunnelgrub – Those of the Darkling faeries who slide and slither through tunnels and sewers and chimneys, the better to do terrible things in the night. The Tunnelgrub has the ability to Slither and Squirm: she slips and slides and wriggles through tight spaces and out of handcuffs and other bonds. The player spends a point of Glamour. The Changeling can get through spaces that are only just too narrow for her to get through, spaces that would otherwise leave her completely stuck. The Changeling gets to roll Dexterity + Athletics to wriggle out of ropes or handcuffs. If it’s a long distance, such as a chimney or a sewage pipe, the player needs to make an extended roll, earning at least three successes, perhaps more, depending on the length of the tunnel. A dramatic failure means that the character is stuck and can’t escape on her own or try again using this talent (if the Changeling is caught in the middle of a tunnel, this could be disastrous, because she can’t get out on her own).
Illes – In Iceland, the Illes (pronounced eels) are troll-like under-folk who linger beneath the surface of the earth and only come out at night. They’re said to lure humans away from the surface and into the darkness below where the Illes either breed with the humans or suffocate them (depending on which legend you care to believe). The Illes of the Darklings are similar, to a point, though they needn’t be as clearly malevolent. They do tend to be tremendously ugly in the mask and mien. Still, they gain the blessing of their Shadow Beauty: once per day, by spending a Glamour point, the Illes can appear beautiful for one hour (equivalent to the Striking Looks Merit at four dots). This also gives the Illes an additional benefit of +2 Social dice when dealing with characters of the opposite sex.
Pishacha – In Hindu myth, the Pishachas are demons, gaunt and strange with bulging bloodshot eyes and skin as dark as midnight. Pishachas were said to speak in their own strange language, haunting graveyards and cremation grounds with all the other ghosts. Changelings of the Pishacha kith share the terrifying red eyes and obsidian skin of their folktale analogs, but also have the addition of some manner of odd tongue – often forked, sometimes barbed or simply over-long. The Pishacha, often associated with madness, can afflict a victim with a Taste of Madness: by spending a point of Glamour and performing a successful touch attack, the Changeling licks the exposed flesh of an opponent. The opponent takes a mild derangement of the Changeling’s choosing (or a severe version if the mild version is already possessed) and suffers from the derangement for the next week. The Pishacha can perform this attack only once per week (i.e., when the last victim’s madness finally fades).
Skogsra – This Darkling-of-the-wood kith stems from old Swedish and Scandinavian folklore. In these fairy tales, the skogsra are vicious trolls protecting the dark forests, leading travelers astray and either killing them or stealing their goods. Other tales have the skogsra luring wanderers off the trails where they are enslaved, certainly speaking to legends of the True Fae who have done that very thing. The Changelings known as the Skogsra are Darklings in appearance, but often possess miens adorned with dark vines and leaves (sometimes growing beneath the surface of the flesh where the veins should be) or have eyes like black pools of water. These forest Darklings are Keepers of the Feral Heart: the Changeling must look into the eyes of a single animal (bird or mammal), and by spending a Glamour point, enslaves the beast to be his “pet” until the next sunrise or sundown (whichever occurs first). The animal will do whatever it is that the Changeling demands, even to its own detriment. The animal must of course be capable of doing the thing asked of it.
Lurkglider – Raised among the twisted treetops of Arcadian forests or the spires of palaces lost in dark storm clouds, the Lurkgliders are at home watching from the shadows far above. They may be tied to legends of creatures that swooped down to carry off the unwary, or Lurkgliders may have been kept as grotesque sentinels to watch over their Keepers’ holdings. A Lurkglider enjoys the blessing of the Gargoyle’s Grace: by spending a point of Glamour, the Changeling may dive from up to 100 yards without taking any damage whatsoever. In addition, he receives a +2 bonus to all rolls for the purpose of keeping his balance on small ledges, outcroppings or other small footholds.
Moonborn – The lunatic children of the moon, those who dance by their mother’s pale light. They are sometimes insightful, sometimes foolish, sometimes calm and sometimes wrathful. Their moods wax and wane with the moon, their humours affected by its tides. The Moonborn’s blessing is the Lunatic’s Kiss: once in any 24-hour period, the Moonborn may afflict both himself and a person he touches with a derangement. The player must spend a point of Glamour and roll Intelligence + Wyrd, contested by the victim’s Resolve + Wyrd (or other Supernatural Tolerance trait). Success gives the Moonborn a mild derangement, and the victim the severe version of the same derangement. An exceptional success means the Moonborn suffers no derangement at all. The madness lasts until the next sunrise in the case of supernatural beings; humans must bear the madness for a lunar month.
Nightsinger – The Darklings are not without their music. Darkling music, however, is largely heard without ever catching a glimpse of the musician. Nightsingers compose operas of wolf howls and owl cries, sing banshee songs and play hauntingly devilish tunes on fiddles strung with unwholesome gut. Nightsingers may set aside their instruments and strive to escape for home, but the music stays with them. The Nightsingers enjoy the favor of the Haunting Nocturne: by playing an instrument or singing, they may lull listeners into a hypnotic state. The player spends a point of Glamour and makes a Performance + Wyrd roll; listeners may contest the roll with Composure + Wyrd. Success makes the affected listeners more suggestible; such listeners suffer a –2 penalty to Resolve, Empathy and Subterfuge rolls for the duration of the scene. A Nightsinger also gains a free Performance Specialty.
Palewraith – Many Darklings are pallid, but the Palewraiths are colorless to the point of partial translucence. Their flesh is hazy and partly indistinct; some look spectral, others smoky. In some cases, their bones are still visible through their skin. The Palewraiths gained this remarkable trait by being kept so far from natural light that they began to become partly immune to the light. The kith’s blessing is Light’s Aversion: the character may spend one Glamour to receive +1 to Defense when within sufficient shadows. This bonus also applies against firearms. The blessing’s effects last for the duration of the scene, or until the character enters a brightly lit area.
Razorhand – Some Darklings are embodiments of the promise of nighttime violence. They are the sudden slash in the darkest alleys, the gleam of metal under a flickering streetlamp. They may come silently, or whistle tuneless little ditties learned in Arcadia. Some even become skilled practitioners of medicine, though their ministrations are often too unnerving for all but the boldest Lost to seek out. A Razorhand may invoke the Ripper’s Gift:/ by spending one Glamour, her hand becomes as a knife’s blade for the duration of the scene, allowing her unarmed strikes to inflict +1 lethal damage. In addition, she gains a bonus Melee Specialty (Knives).
Whisperwisp – Spies flourish in the dark, hiding from their false allies and whispering to their true friends. Some have achieved an artful perfection in the trade. Whisperwisps flit from alcove to alcove in the grand halls of the Gentry, worming their way into the confidences of servants and eavesdropping on the masters. The Whisperwisp’s blessing is the Turncoat’s Tongue: he benefits from the 9-again roll on Empathy and Subterfuge rolls involving conversation or gathering information. The player may also spend one Glamour to whisper a message to anyone within earshot, whether the Darkling can see the target or not. The target hears the message as if the Whisperwisp were standing beside her, murmuring into her ear.
ELEMENTAL KITHS
Airtouched – The Elementals of wind, cloud, smoke and sky, who can be as healthy as a fresh breeze or as pestilent as the miasma that surrounds the dead. Their blessing is Velocity of the Zephyr: the player can spend one point of Glamour to add the character’s Wyrd to her Speed or Initiative (player’s choice) for the rest of the scene. This blessing can be invoked once for each Trait per scene.
Earthbones – Changelings who have the mark of earth and stone: lumpen Paracelsian Gnomes, sand spirits, dour men of peat and dwarfs made of mountain granite. Their blessing is Terrestrial Might: the Earthbones has shoulders that could bear the world. The player can spend Glamour to add to non-combat Strength-based dice pools, on a one-for-one basis (one point of Glamour adds one die to one dice pool, two points add two dice to the dice pool, and so on).
Fireheart – Elementals marked with fire, heat or electricity. Their blessing is Flickering Acumen: like a flame, the Fireheart’s faculties are bright and constantly on the move. The player can spend points of Glamour to add to Wits-based dice pools, on a one-for-one basis.
Manikin – Changelings who have the character of human-made objects, such as caryatids, mannequins and other, stranger things, such as enchanted beings powered by clockwork or steam or living bodies made of mercury or glass. The Manikin’s talent is the Artificer’s Enchantment: the Manikin can learn Contracts of Artifice for (new dots x5 experience points) rather than the usual cost. The Manikin also may make untrained Crafts rolls at a -1 die penalty rather than the standard -3 dice.
Snowskin – The children of the cold, who can be as powerful as the Arctic ice or as delicate as a snowflake. The Snow-marked’s blessing is The Voice of Ice: the Changeling can imbue her voice with terrible cold, inspiring terror in those who hear. She is also a master at concealing her own emotions and goals under a cool veneer. The Elemental gains the benefit of the 9-again rule on Intimidation and Subterfuge rolls, and can spend a point of Glamour to re-roll a failed Intimidation roll.
Waterborn – Changelings who are imbued with the nature of the waters, soft and brutal, gentle and mighty: undines and nymphs, man-eating river demons, water babies, ladies of the lake. Their blessing is The Gift of Waters: the player can spend one point of Glamour to allow the Changeling to breathe underwater and swim at a terrific rate (equal to twice the character’s Speed rating) for the rest of the scene. The catch is that the Changeling cannot leave the water or breathe air until the power wears off or until he spends another Glamour point to cancel the blessing. The Changeling has to hold his breath if he sticks his head out of the water. If the Changeling is made to leave the water completely before the scene is over, he begins to drown, automatically taking one point of lethal damage each turn until he is either returned to the water or he dies.
Woodblood – The children of plants: Green Men, flower faeries, spirits of mandrake, rose, thorns, and all manner of medicinal herbs, fair and foul. The Woodblood’s blessing is the ability to Fade into the Foliage: in any outdoors area where there are plants growing from the earth (in a garden, for example, but not in a concrete yard with a couple of shrubs in pots), the character gains the benefit of a 9-again rule on dice pools involving Stealth and Survival. The player can also spend a point of Glamour to hide in a place where he couldn’t normally hide, making a Stealth roll as usual. There has to be a reasonable amount of foliage there. The character couldn’t hide using a small patch of moss or a single dandelion, but could use a flowerbed, a lawn or a sapling.
Blightbent – Some of the most tragic of Elementals, the Blightbent are children of pollution. They were altered by choking smogs, toxic waters, blighted land, diseased forests and chemical fire. Upon their return to the mortal world, the Blightbent are the most comfortable in areas where humanity has tainted the elements in turn. Some Blighbent hate themselves for it. The Blightbent’s blessing is the Caustic Caress: once per day, the Changeling may spend one Glamour to inflict a polluted touch on an opponent – breathing a puff of toxic smog into his face, marking him with acidic fingertips or the like. The player rolls Dexterity + Wyrd – the target’s Stamina; the victim takes one point of lethal damage per success. Defense and armor can affect this roll if the target is free to defend himself; otherwise, they do not apply. The Blightbent are also resistant to toxins and poisons of manmade origin, and gains +3 on rolls to resist their effects.
Levinquick – Electricity has caught in the heart and blood of these Changelings; their flesh is as a lightning rod that calls down the levin bolts into their bodies. Where some Firehearts have had their wits honed by the lightning, the Levinquick are more bodily affected. They are often violent Elementals, quick to strike out at anything that offends them. The Levinquick are gifted with the Fireflaught’s Vigor: the player may spend one Glamour to add two points to both Speed and Initiative. The blessing lasts for one turn per dot of the character’s Wyrd.
Metalflesh – Changelings who were remade in Arcadia’s foundries, the Metalflesh are infused with bronze or copper, gold or silver or brass – but never pure iron. They are obdurate of mind and body, resistant to any attempts to casually manipulate them. They were prized creations of the Gentry, as decorative as the Metalflesh were resilient. But for those who actually escaped, that same hardiness helped them force their way back through the Thorns to the world of chrome and iron. The Metalflesh may invoke the Forge’s Endurance blessing: once per day, the player may spend one Glamour to add one die to Stamina, Resolve and Composure rolls for the duration of the scene.
Sandharrowed – The howling deserts of Faerie produce their own children. The Sandharrowed are embodied with the merciless grace and power of the shifting sands. Those who escape the blasted wastes of Arcadia can make homes anywhere, though they seem happiest in warm cities surrounded by the desert. The Sandharrowed benefit from the blessing of the Enveloping Sands: they gain a +2 bonus to all rolls made to grapple an opponent, or to escape from a grapple.
Apsaras – These Elementals of cloud and fog are spoken of in Hindu myth. These nymphs, ostensibly female (though the kith doesn’t require it), were said to tempt ascetics with their beauty and seductive dances. Those within this kith tend to give off a kind of mist or fog – sometimes warm, sometimes cool – that drifts in languid wisps from their oft-unblemished flesh. Many Apsarases are able to stir one’s lusty humours through use of the Enthralling Mist: the tongues of water vapor (air and water) that drift from the skin can be made to target an individual. By spending a Glamour point, the Apsaras is able to change this individual’s Vice to Lust for the next 24 hours. In addition, the Apsaras can add her Wyrd score to any Manipulation rolls made to affect that individual during that timeframe.
Ask-wee-da-eed – The Abenaki people of the north-eastern United States tell stories of a will-o’-the-wisp-type creature formed of fickle fire. This creature, the Ask-wee-da-eed, is tied to meteors and comets and is said to bring bad luck and death by its presence. Those of this kith in some way embody the meteoric fire, but are also able to foretell the misfortune of others, in a way, with their Taste of Ill Luck: once per day, by spending a Glamour point, the Abenaki can force another to re-roll a successful roll at –1 die in the hopes that the re-roll fails (the original roll therefore never occurs). The Changeling also gains the additional benefit of a +1 bonus on any rolls to activate clauses within the Hearth Contract.
Di-cang – In Buddhist lore, his name means “Womb of the Earth.” As one of the bodhisattvas, he was said to calm the suffering of those poor souls lost in the many hells. Born of the earth, one might suggest that Di-cang is a kind of “jewel elemental,” for in his hand he usually holds a precious gem that salves the pain of others. The Elementals of this kith tend to possess mostly human features, but have skin or extremities studded with various jewels (some might even have multi-faceted eyes such as rubies, sapphires or emeralds). The Di-cang can provide others with the Peace of Suffering: by spending a Glamour point, those in the presence of the Di-cang (within 10 yards) suffer no penalties from existing wounds, as they feel no physical pain. This lasts for one scene. In addition, the Di-cang can purchase Larceny dots at half the normal experience cost, since it was said that the original bodhisattva was able to unlock all the gates of the many hells to gain entrance.
FAIREST KITHS
Bright One – Changelings who came from light: will-o’-the-wisps, bright elves, White Ladies and other beings of light and fire and ice from all over the world. Their blessing is Goblin Illumination: the player can, at will, illuminate an area the size of a smallish room (about 15’ x 15’ x 10’ high) with a soft, pale light for the rest of the scene. Although the light centers on the Changeling’s left hand, it doesn’t have the Changeling as its source, seemingly coming from the air itself. The light doesn’t move. If the Changeling leaves the radius of the light, he leaves it behind. With the expenditure of a Glamour point, the light becomes painfully intense; anyone trying to target the Bright One treats him as partially concealed and suffers a -2 dice penalty (-1 die if the attacker is wearing sunglasses).
Dancer – Those among the Fairest blessed of particular agility and grace, for whom motion is itself beauty and art. Whether entertainer, courtesan, artist or murderer, the Dancer is happiest when moving to the sound of her inner rhythm. The Dancer’s blessing is Fae Grace: she benefits from the 9-again rule on any Expression or Socialize rolls involving agility (such as juggling or dancing in a performance or social setting), and always adds one to her Dodge total when dodging attacks.
Draconic – Changelings who hear within them the blood of dragons or other Great Beasts of Faerie, including celestial bureaucrats and tithe-players to Satan alike. Haughty and possessing a robust physicality, the Draconic Fairest have the secret of the Dragon’s Talon: a Draconic Changeling gains an extra die on Brawl rolls, striking with the power of a chimera’s claw or manticore’s sting. His player can also spend one point of Glamour to re-take one failed Brawl roll, once per scene.
Flowering – Flowers blossom on bare earth where these Changelings have stood (although they take months to appear in the human world rather than seconds, as they did in Faerie). Their skin is soft like the petal of a rose or a chrysanthemum and bright with a bloom of health. The Flowering Fairest has a Seductive Fragrance: her skin, hair and breath carry the aroma of unknown blossoms from places unseen, the promise of pleasures unknown. Her bouquet seduces and lulls in equal measure. She gains the benefit of the 9-again rule on dice pools including Persuasion, Socialize and Subterfuge.
Muse – Their beauty inspires the arts. Whether a Rubenesque beauty, a sedate and delicate daughter of the Heavenly Ministry, a grotesquely beautiful masquer garbed in yellow tatters, or a Dark Lady who drives her beloved to destruction, the Muse inspires the creation of things of beauty and horror and love and hate and fear. The growth of confidence can precipitate a headlong rush to doom, and the Muse knows how to make it happen. The Muse’s talent is The Tyranny of Ideas: the Changeling’s presence can give a human the confidence and talent to do things that he otherwise would not be able to do. For every point of Glamour the Changeling spends, the human subject (and it must be human: it can’t be another Changeling or another supernatural being) gains a +2 on one dice pool involving Expression, Persuasion, Socialize or Subterfuge.
Gandharva – In Hindu lore, these often androgynous messengers of the gods were beautiful and strange, sometimes having animal or plant parts as part of their heavenly flesh. The Changelings of this kith are similar, often pale or golden-fleshed, equally androgynous (leaning toward the feminine, even when male).They are, just as their mythic counterparts, said to be beautiful speakers and musicians. They speak and sing with Heavenly Articulation: by spending a point of Glamour, the Changeling gains an exceptional success on an Expression or Persuasion roll at three successes, not the normal five. This lasts for the remainder of the scene.
Succubus / Incubus – Whether the Jewish Lilitu or the Arab [um al duwayce, the core idea of the succubus or incubus is the same: a demon or spirit possessed of beauty that is used for malevolent purposes. Their beauty is darkened inevitably by something that happened to them in Faerie, and this hangs upon them in some way that colors their splendor with hints of the diabolical (blood-red eyes, bat wings, black nails, teeth filed to points or other demonic characteristics). These Changelings are temptresses, creatures who are imprisoned by lust but can also wield it like a weapon. The Succubus and Incubus gain advantages from Vice to Vice: if another character has the same Vice as the Succubus, the Succubus gains a +1 to all Social rolls when dealing with that target. If the Vice shared is Lust, then that bonus is doubled, becoming +2. The Succubus and Incubus also gain the Striking Looks Merit for free at two dots; if the Succubus and Incubus already possess the two-dot version, then it increases to the full four-dot version.
Weisse Frau – The Weisse Frau (“White Lady”) in German lore is a beautiful matron said to protect children. Wearing all white, she is thought to be benevolent and sad (compared quite often to the Mexican La Llorona, the “weeping woman” who waits by the river-side crying for the children she has lost). It’s said that a kiss from the Weisse Frau confers protection, and this is true for those of the kith. With the Kiss of Life: the character can, once per chapter, kiss another and spend a point of Glamour. In doing so, she grants that person two points of armor that is invisible and without substance, but works to protect the individual just the same. This armor does not stack with mundane or magical armor. Perhaps more importantly, in kissing a child (under the age of 13), this armor increases from two to three.
Flamesiren – These burning Fairest represents the entrancement of flame – when people stare at a flickering candle or gaze into a crackling bonfire, the force that holds their attention is the essence of the Flamesiren’s appeal. It’s the beauty of danger and destruction, together in one sinuous, lambent package. The Flamesiren may invoke the blessing of Burning Hypnotism: once per scene, the player may spend one Glamour to surround the Flamesiren with a blazing flame-like aura. Anyone looking at the Flamesiren must make a successful Resolve + Composure roll, or suffer a two-dice penalty to all actions until the character decides to douse the aura or the scene ends, thanks to the distraction.
Larcenist – The Larcenist kith is very close to the Fairest’s Dancer kith, except here, the alien grace of the Wyrd is applied in part to one’s ability to pilfer and plunder. The same lissome form and magical poise are present in Thievery’s Grace: where the Changeling benefits from the 9-again rule on any Larceny or Socialize rolls involving agility, and always adds one to her Dodge total when dodging attacks.
Minstrel – The Gentry love to be entertained and moved, especially by music. Fairest trained as Minstrels spend their durance serenading their Keepers, sometimes with an instrument, sometimes using only their voices. The Minstrel’s blessing is Perfect Pitch: a Minstrel Changeling can spend a point of Glamour to re-roll any failed dice on one Expression roll (so if, for example, a Minstrel who rolls six dice and gets 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 can spend a point of Glamour to re-roll the 2, 5, 6 and 7). They also excel at soaking up the adulation of a crowd when performing, enjoying the benefit of the 8-again rule for any attempt to harvest Glamour from the emotions of the spectators during their own performance.
Playmate – A Changeling taken by a Keeper who just wants someone to play with might become a member of the Playmate kith. Their blessing is The Circle of Friends: the Changeling gains a +2 to any teamwork roll when he is the primary actor. When he is a secondary actor, he can forgo making a roll to add dice to the primary actor’s roll and instead grant the primary actor 9-again (or 8-again, if the roll already has the 9-again benefit).
Polychromatic – They are the sons and daughters of the rainbow, fae who are living embodiments of color itself. Their hair and eyes flash all number of vibrant colors, sometimes shifting to match the Fairest’s temper. In a world of leaden skies and rain-slick gray concrete, the Polychromatics are a form of beauty that can never be dimmed. These Fairest enjoy the benefits of the Prismatic Heart: the character can change her mood as if moving from color to color. By spending one Glamour point as a reflexive action, the character may add two dice to any rolls made to resist emotional manipulation for the duration of the scene. In addition, all Empathy rolls made against the Polychromatic suffer a penalty of one die, as her prismatic moods are difficult to read.
Romancer – Some Keepers recognize that a Gentry’s greatest and most enduring love is itself. Lost who become Romancers were taken to act as a form of mirror, reflecting things not as they were but as the Gentry wished them to be. Romancers gain Narcissus’s Blessing: Others viewing her are subject to a subtle illusion that emphasizes those aspects of the Changeling that the subject find most appealing, sometimes going so far as to convince the subject that small aspects of the Changeling are utterly different than they really are. (An observer who finds bright green eyes particularly appealing may believe that a blue-eyed Romancer has emerald eyes instead.) This manifests as a –3 to all characters’ subsequent attempts to accurately describe her to others, including characters attempting to create police sketches. The blessing applies to clothing as well, but a sufficiently extraordinary trinket might grant a bonus to the roll. This is not a disguise, however, and unless the subject’s standard of beauty has changed significantly between one meeting of the Romancer and the next, he recognizes her without any difficulty. Recording devices, which have no preconceived notions of beauty and no expectations, are affected by the Wyrd’s magic as well, recording the individual as remarkably average. The –3 penalty applies to attempts to identify the character based on recorded footage or photographs as well.
Shadowsoul – The antithesis of the Bright Ones, these fae are the most beautiful chosen of the night. Their beauty comes from the darkness they swathe themselves in rather than the light they radiate. They were the favored concubines, adornments and handmaidens to nocturnal Keepers, and are distant cousins to the Darklings. The Shadowsoul’s blessing is the Unnatural Chill: the player gains a bonus to Intimidation rolls equal to her Wyrd, and receives the benefit of the 9-again rule to Subterfuge rolls. In addition, she may purchase Contracts of Darkness as affinity Contracts.
Telluric – Those who walk the skybridges in the vaults of Faerie heaven, the stars in their hair and comets in their eyes. Tellurics are Fairest imbued with the essence and spirit of celestial planet – the red skin and fiery temper of Mars, the quicksilver wit and quicksilver hair of Mercury, the pale beauty of the moon. Telluric Fairest are guided by the Music of the Spheres: Tellurics have an absolute knowledge of exactly what time it is as measured locally, even if they’ve spent the last day unconscious in a barren room. They can count down ticking seconds as accurately as a stopwatch, which gives them a +3 bonus to any actions that might require precise timing (such as disarming a time bomb or attempting to drive across town while hitting all green lights) In addition, Tellurics gain the free Specialties of Astronomy and Astrology to Academics and Occult, respectively.
Treasured – Far more than any other Fairest, the Treasured were treated as nothing more than prized objects for display. They spent their durance in golden cages or atop cold stone pedestals, with no greater hope than to please the eye of a passing Gentry. Treasured are jeweled, gilded, alabaster, like Michelangelo’s David given the faintest hint of color or a figure that has stepped away from Alma-Tadema’s The Roses of Heliogabalus. Countless hours upon a pedestal have given the Treasured the blessing of Alabaster Fortitude: once per scene, the player may spend one Glamour to retake any one failed Stamina, Resolve or Composure roll. The only exception is a roll made to avoid gaining a derangement through Clarity loss.
OGRE KITHS
Cyclopean – The Cyclopeans are like the ancient hunters and herdsmen of legend who sought men for their cooking pots: Changelings who resemble Cyclops of Archaic Greece, the one-legged Fachan of Scots legend, the three-eyed oni of Japan, the elephant-eared rakshas of India or the wind-borne footless Wendigo of North America. Although many are crippled in some ways, they have profound senses to make up for it. The Cyclopeans can Smell the Blood: the character gains the benefit of the 8-again rule on Wits-based Perception rolls. He can smell things that can’t normally be smelled, meaning that even if some of his senses are deficient, his sense of smell makes up for it. Many Cyclopeans have Physical Flaws such as One Eye, Lame, One Arm or Hard of Hearing.
Farwalker – Changelings who resemble the abominable men of mystery, the possibly savage hairy creatures of the wilds whose existence straddles the divide between folklore and cryptozoology: the Sasquatch, the yeti, the Russian Alma, the Australian yowie and dozens of other wild men. Farwalkers have The Elusive Gift: the character gains the benefit of the 9-again rule on Stealth and Survival dice pools. Also, the player can spend a point of Glamour to retake a failed Stealth or Survival roll.
Gargantuan – Captured by giants, these Changelings had to grow to greater stature, perhaps being stretched on racks or forced to drink noxious potions. As humans, they appear less freakish, though many purchase the Giant Merit. Their blessing is Spurious Stature: once a day, the Changeling can grow to colossal size. The player spends a point of Glamour and adds the Changeling’s Wyrd score to her size for the rest of the scene. This supplies temporary Health dots. Returning to normal size is painful, as if the Changeling’s skin is unable to contain the character’s stature, and when she regains her normal height, the character takes one point of lethal damage.
Gristlegrinder – Man-eaters and gluttons, taking their cue from the English Black Annis, Scottish Red Caps or the rakshas of India, but also sometimes resembling more modern Ogres, such as the masked unstoppable lunatics of slash-and-stalk horror movies. Every Gristlegrinder has Terrible Teeth in his jaws: the character’s bite is a two lethal attack, though it does require him to grapple the opponent first.
Stonebones – Changelings who resemble the rocky giants of folklore, Nordic trolls, Native American mountain spirits and the like. The Stonebones are blessed with Obdurate Skin: once per day as an instant action, the player can spend one point of Glamour to harden the character’s skin, making it like rock. The character uses his Wyrd as his armour rating for the rest of the scene. The character’s rocky carapace does mean, however, that the character isn’t as nimble as he was: the Changeling suffers a -1 die penalty to all Dexterity-based dice pools while this power is active. In addition, his Defense is reduced by one for every two points of Wyrd past the first; -1 Defense at 3 Wyrd, -2 Defense at 5 Wyrd and so on. This blessing doesn’t stack with mundane forms of armour.
Water-Dweller – Changelings who resemble the legendary water-demons of many cultures, from life-demanding river spirits through to the trolls of coastal caves and under-bridge shadows. The Water-Dweller can Lie Under the Waves: the character can hold her breath for 30 minutes, as if she had a Stamina of 7. She is also accustomed to murk and darkness, and suffers no penalties to sight-based Perception rolls when underwater.
Bloodbrute – Veterans of the fighting pits frequented by jaded Gentry, the Bloodbrutes were kept for one purpose only: to fight for their Keepers’ enjoyment. In some cases, the battles were simple matters of survival, but too many others came with extra rules and conditions born of a fickle Other’s imagination. The Bloodbrute is a master of Improvised Mayhem: by spending a Glamour point, he may rip a suitably sizable object free from its moorings and fashion it into a crude but effective weapon as a standard action. The character can create the equivalent of any weapon from the Melee Weapons Chart, given appropriate materials at hand. For example, he could craft the equivalent of a great ax by uprooting a stop sign and hastily wrapping the sign into a more effective ax head, but he couldn’t make a spear out of a small nightstand. The item does not suffer any penalties for its improvised nature as long as the Bloodbrute wields it; others suffer a –1 equipment penalty if attempting to use the impromptu implement of destruction.
Corpsegrinder – Some Ogres are fed upon death. The Corpsegrinders are survivors of massive charnel pits, brutes maintained on a diet of bones and carrion, the hulking guardians of burial grounds. They gnawed like Nidhogg at the roots of great dead trees, or tunneled into graves like ghuls to search out the freshest corpses.The Corpsegrinder’s gift is Sepulchral Hunger: the character gains a +1 bonus to any attack roll made against an enemy who has already been reduced to half his Health. In addition, the Corpsegrinder gains an additional die to attack rolls made against undead creatures such as vampires.
Render – The Renders were kept as living engines of destruction. They may have been used as shock troops in a besieging army, charged with ripping open the gates and tearing down the enemy’s towers. They may have been woodsmen without axes, quarry-workers reliant on their talons rather than chisel and mattock. The Render’s gift is the Sundering Talons: when damaging an object with his bare hands, the Render may ignore up to three points of Durability. His claws count as a tool created to bypass Durability.
Witchtooth – The embodiment of the cruel, man-eating hag and the selfish, mystical monster, the Witchtooth is among the wisest and most cunning of Ogres. The Witchtooth have a penchant for dark magic, particularly curses. While many of the most famous examples of this monster are female – Baba Yaga, Spearfinger, Black Annis – male changelings can learn the ugly secrets of Witchtooth wisdom as well. The Witchtooth has learned the secrets of the Black Hex: the character may spend Glamour to increase Occult rolls, and gains a one-die bonus to activate any Contracts that involve cursing another person (such as Fickle Fate).
Daitya – In Hindu myth, the Daityas are giants and ogres who opposed the gods and reviled those sacrifices given to the gods. They went to war against the heavens and, for a cycle of history, remained victorious. The kith associated with this legend is said to be composed of those Hindu Ogres who went against their Keepers – some stories even suggest that a great battle was fought in Faerie, with a passel of Daityas bringing down a pair of callous and mighty Fae. Many Daityas are large and reptilian in features, inheriting the serpent’s flesh from their Keepers (who in turn plunder said flesh from the old legends of the dragon-serpent Vritra, the demon who was said to have spawned the Daityas in the first place). The Daityas were apparently potent warriors who could topple pillars and cut the gods’ weapons in twain with a single blow. This gives the kith the benefit of the Cutting Might: by spending a point of Glamour, the Daitya can ignore the Durability of a single object for one turn’s attack, doing damage straight to the object’s Structure. Moreover, the Daitya’s gain a free Weaponry Specialty upon creation.
Oni – Japanese legend speaks of the oni, vicious red-skinned ogres with hirsute bodies, horns upon their head and many eyes. The oni came to represent sin as demons, and in many stories were responsible for visiting the wicked upon their deathbeds and consuming their souls. The Oni kith visibly resemble their fairy-tale counterparts, though many have skin colors other than red: blue, jaundiced, green, black and so forth. The Oni can take advantage of what many call A Mouthful of Sin: by spending one Glamour point and making a successful bite attack, the Oni consumes a number of gulps of the victim’s blood equal to damage caused. Each “gulp” or mouthful of blood swallowed heals either one lethal point of damage or two bashing points (aggravated cannot be healed in this way). This can only be done once per chapter. Curiously, this also works only when attacking a creature somehow possessed of sin – the target must be of Morality (or its equivalent, such as Harmony, Humanity, Wisdom or Clarity) 6 or below.
Troll – In Nordic myths and fairy tales, trolls are certainly ogrish – tall, featuring exaggerated and grotesque features, sharp teeth and cruel hunters. But trolls are more than that. They’re not hunters, instead choosing to wait and hide in places (in barrow mounds, deep inside caverns, beneath bridges) and then trick victims with riddles and double-talk. While many trolls are strong, they’re often savvy, capricious, consumed of a kind of subterranean cunning. The Troll kith gains the benefit of the Unyielding Voice: by spending a point of Glamour, the Troll can add his dots in the Strength Attribute to any Social roll involving Manipulation.
WIZENED KITHS
Artists – The Wizened who create startling works of art and craft: seamsters, sculptors, painters and builders. The Artist’s blessing is Impeccable Craftmanship: the Changeling enjoys the benefit of the 8-again rule on any dice pool using Crafts, and can choose to spend a point of Glamour to re-roll any failed dice on one Crafts roll (so if, for example, an Artist who rolls five dice and gets 1, 4, 6, 8 and 9 can spend a point of Glamour and re-roll the 1, 4 and 6). This blessing can be used only once per roll.
Brewer – Changelings who spent their durance in Faerie learning how to create mind-bendingly potent drinks or peculiar alchemies. Due to long exposure and gradual immunity, a Brewer gains four bonus dice to any Stamina roll made to resist poisons or intoxication. In addition, the Brewers know the recipe for The Inebriating Elixir: once per scene, the Changeling can instantly ferment one pint of any drink with Glamour, turning it into a powerfully intoxicating brew. The Changeling needs to be able to touch the container holding the drink to do this. The Changeling’s player rolls Wits + Crafts. If the roll is successful, the player may spend one Glamour point to invest the drink with a Potency rating equal to the Changeling’s Wyrd rating, plus the number of successes the player rolled. If the Potency of the brew is higher than the Health of the person drinking the brew, the person gets very drunk, and in five turns falls unconscious. If the Potency doesn’t exceed the drinker’s Health, the drinker must roll Stamina + Resolve, or suffer the effects of having drunk one more drink than her Stamina. The brew’s effects last for the rest of the scene.
Chatelaine – Preternaturally skilled manservants, organizers and house-managers. The Chatelaine’s talent is Perfect Protocol: the Changeling gains the benefit of the 9-again rule on all Social Skill rolls which depend on manners, etiquette or proper social practise (such as in a formal ball, a business meeting or a Changeling Court), even when using Presence. Further, the player can spend a point of Glamour to gain a +2 dice bonus to Manipulation and Presence dice pools for the rest of the scene.
Chirurgeon – Changelings who master surgery and pharmacy, sometimes from altruism, and sometimes simply because they can, ranging from scary back-street surgeons to strangely alien experimenters. The Chirurgeon’s blessing is The Analeptic Charm: able to perform medical miracles, the Changeling gains the benefit of the 9-again rule on Medicine dice pools. The Chirurgeon can also use the humblest tools well, and never suffers from penalties for poor equipment as long as at least something can be jury-rigged as a medical tool. Finally, anyone whom the Changeling tends to for any length of time receives the benefit of the Chirurgeon’s skills as if they were in a hospital intensive care unit.
Oracle – Changelings who, like many imps and goblins, can, in a limited way, see the future. The Oracle’s blessing is Panomancy: the Changeling can, once per chapter, tell fortunes using any method she wants – tea-leves, cards, bones, a crystal ball or anything else. The effect works the same as the Common Sense Merit (although the character can buy the Merit as well, if the player wishes).
Smiths – Changelings who were forced to labor under the watchful eye of the most unimpeachable Faerie blacksmiths, tinkers and toolmakers. Their blessing is Steel Mastery: the Changeling can use his supernatural skill with metallurgy to alter metal objects, improving them, even if improving them would normally be impossible. The player spends one Glamour and makes an extended roll of Dexterity + Crafts, with each roll representing half an hour of tinkering, polishing and hammering. If the Changeling manages to gather four successes, he can alter a tool so that it gives him a +1 equipment bonus. The item has to mostly be made of metal. The magic wears off after a day. No object this way can be improved more than three times. If the Changeling tries to alter an object a fourth time, he destroys the tool, and it can never be used again.
Soldiers – Members of the vast goblin hosts of the Fae, the Soldiers fought strange, inconclusive battles and now find that fighting comes easier to them. The Soldier’s talent is Blade Lore: living and breathing the lore of the blade, the Soldiers of the goblin hosts find it easy to master any weapon that carries an edge. A Soldier is considered to have a Weaponry specialization with any weapon that carries an edge, no matter what it is. This can’t stack with other specializations the Changeling may learn.
Woodwalker – The Wizened who, like their captors, live within and protect the wilds, sometimes jealously, sometimes violently. Their talent is Wildcraft: the Changeling gets the benefit of the 8-again rule on Survival rolls. Also, the Woodwalker can survive by eating any plant, no matter how poisonous (although poisons that are isolated and distilled from plant sources are still dangerous to him, because they’re not strictly plant matter anymore).
Pamarindo – Italian folklore makes fearful mention of the Pamarindo, the shriveled pot-bellied faeries with salacious appetites. Legend has them often covered in slick fats, guts, blood and greases associated with the butchering of their prey. Their appearance as a kith among the Wizened sees the Pamarindo manifesting similar physical traits: their cheeks are often smeared with red, their teeth sharp and serrated, their flesh glossy and oily. The Pamarindo are foul epicures, possessing the Gourmand’s Grotesquerie: by spending a Glamour point and touching a piece of raw meat (which can be as small as a single pound of flesh), the Wizened can use that meat to safely feed a number of individuals equal to his Wyrd score. This food nourishes for a full 24 hours, and no other food needs to be eaten during this time (and often can’t be eaten, for one feels so full on that meal).
Gremlin – Gremlins are born more of modern folktales than anything, with their first official entrance into the lore appearing during World War I. Malevolent little gremlins were said to tinker with planes, causing them to malfunction and potentially crash. Many such malfunctions were blamed on gremlins (as a joke and,for some, a very real fear), and they entered the modern canon as any kind of faerie-like creature said to disrupt the workings of machines. (Worth noting is that the term may come from the Irish Gaelic, gruaimin, meaning “ill-humored little man.”) Wizened who assume the Gremlin kith are particularly good at damaging items temporarily with the Gremlinizing Touch: by touching a device and spending a Glamour point, the Gremlin negates any equipment bonuses associated with the device for the remainder of the scene. This applies to the damage bonuses associated with any weapon, as well (guns in particular). The character can only do this once a day.
Thusser – In Norway, they speak of the Thussers (known as Vardogls in Iceland) that come out of their faerie hills beneath the full moon and sing, dance, and fiddle away the night. Humans seem compelled to try to join in with the Thussers’ carousing, though no mortal has ever been able to truly dance or sing with the diminutive strange-bodied creatures. The Thusser kith is similar to those wee-humans of folklore, often small and moon-eyed, and blessed, too, with the Fiddler’s Delight: by spending a Glamour point and either singing or playing some manner of instrument (which does require a successful Expression roll), the Thusser can hypnotize one targeted individual. This individual cannot do anything for as long as the Thusser is able to keep up his music. The spell is only broken once the Thusser ceases the music or until the person is forced to defend himself from incoming danger.
Author – In Faerie, these changelings composed words of all kinds for their masters, from poetry to plays to nonfiction. Authors may even have been their Keepers’ only connection with mortal language, having to explain precisely what words are and how they held power. Authors still see things in terms of words – ideal nouns and adverbs swim unasked through their minds. The Author has mastered the Polyglot’s Riddle: he gains the 8-again rule to all Expression rolls dealing with writing or wordy endeavors. With a successful Wits + Academics roll, he can also deduce the meaning of written text in any mortal language.
Drudge – The lowest and most menial of Wizened, Drudges were given the most unpleasant tasks to perform. They suffered all the privations and modifications of their fellow Wizened, and did not even learn a faerie trade in return. Drudges are the long-suffering inheritors of house elves, domovoi and other such faeries. However, not all had their spirits broken in Arcadia, and some managed to slip away through the Thorns before their negligent Keepers noticed their absence. The Drudge was designed to provide Unseen Labor: by spending a Glamour point, the character may complete any relatively simple task in a fraction of the time, as long as no mortal watches her do so. The task cannot require more than five successes on an extended roll to complete; the Drudge could fix something simple quickly, but not repair a badly damaged car. The time required for the task is equal to the original time required divided by the character’s Wyrd +1; even the weakest Drudge can cut a field or clean a house in half the time it would normally take. In addition, the Drudge gains the benefit of the 9-again rule to Stealth rolls; she is easily overlooked.
Gameplayer — The True Fae adore games, even if they despise the possibility of losing. Some Wizened were kept precisely to empower the Gentry’s love of games. The Changeling was forced to play against her Keeper, or against canny goblins and cheating imps; or she was made a part of the games, a chess piece in a game that repeated over and over again, or the queen of spades in a long poker game. She mastered many games during her durance, but cannot remember them all; some operated by rules that made no sense in Arcadia, much less in the more solid reality of the mortal world. The Gameplayer’s blessing is the Grandmaster’s Stratagem: by spending a Glamour point, she can win any purely mental-based game she plays (such as chess or checkers). She also gains a bonus three dice to any rolls made to gamble with games that involve a mixture of mental acuity and random chance (poker and sports betting, for instance, but not craps).
Miner – These Changelings are the knockers and kobolds, the Coblynau and Telchines. Miners labored in deep mines to extract rare and precious metals, and perhaps other things – chipping out veins of fossilized blood from the rotting gut of a mountain-sized great beast, or tunneling for the root of all evil. The Miner’s gift is the Tappingspeak: by spending one Glamour, the Changeling may tap out a coded message on a nearby surface. The message (which cannot be longer than three sentences) travels like vibrations to the intended recipient, as long as there’s a sufficient medium between the two to carry it all the distance (thus, a recipient currently in an aeroplane could not receive the missive). The range is one mile per point of the Miner’s Wyrd. The recipient automatically understands the meaning of the Tappingspeak, thanks to the Glamour imbedded in the message. [/hide]
- Gain 1 dot of Wyrd. Clarity at 7 by default.
- Gain a bonus Skill Specialty in Brawl, Athletics or Stealth.
- 5 dots to be spent on Contracts– at least 2 of these dots must be spent on Affinity Contracts, which are detailed in your chosen seeming/kith description.
- Calculate maximum Glamour, start with half of your maximum (rounded down in case of an odd number).
- 7 dots to spend on Merits
Determinate Advantages as follows:
- Defense = lowest of Wit or Dexterity.
- Health = Stamina + Size (average character size is 5).
- Initiative Modifier = Dexterity + Composure.
- Speed = Strength + Dexterity + Speed Factor (average human character speed is 5).
- Willpower = Resolve + Composure.
Virtues: select one.
- Hope
- Faith
- Charity
- Temperance
- Prudence
- Justice
- Fortitude
Vices: select one.
- Gluttony
- Sloth
- Wrath
- Envy
- Pride
- Lust
- Greed
Experience (X.P.) Costs
- Attribute = 5 points per dot
- Skill = 3 points per dot
- Skill Specialty = 3 per new specialty
- Merit = 2 points per dot; multiple dot merits must have each dot bought sequentially, so buying a 2 dot merit wholesale is 6 points (2 for dot one + 4 for dot two).
- Clarity = 3 points per dot; requires role-playing of the character trying to improve this Advantage in-universe.
- Affinity Contract = 4 points per dot
- Non-Affinity Contract = 6 points per dot
- Wyrd = 8 points per dot
Character Template
[HIDE]
Name:
Aliases:
Age before Durance:
Current Age:
Seeming:
Kith:
Blessing(s):
•
Curse(s):
•
Virtue:
Vice:
Mask Description:
Mien Description:
History:
ADVANTAGES
Health:
Glamour:
Willpower:
Wyrd:
Clarity:
Size:
Speed:
Defence:
Initiative Modifier:
ATTRIBUTES
Attribute Priority:
Mental Attributes
Intelligence:
Wits:
Resolve:
Physical Attributes
Strength:
Dexterity:
Stamina:
Social Attributes
Presence:
Manipulation:
Composure:
SKILLS
Skill Priority:
Mental Skills
Academics:
Computers:
Crafts:
Investigation:
Medicine:
Occult:
Politics:
Science:
Physical Skills
Athletics:
Brawl:
Drive:
Firearms:
Larceny:
Stealth:
Survival:
Weaponry:
Social Skills
Animal Ken:
Empathy:
Expression:
Intimidation:
Persuasion:
Socialise:
Streetwise:
Subterfuge:
SKILL SPECIALTIES
•
ABILITIES
Contracts
•
Merits
[/HIDE]
Okay everyone I am looking for 5 player Scott and myself have the books available (which I highly recommend)
House Rules:
1) You may notice Manikin’s have had an ability change go with the one seen here
2) There is a 100 year rule floating around but i am willing to waive that, you can have changelings who have been in Arcadia since before 1913
3) You can not lower clarity for more XP
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