Changeling Creation Rules

All Changelings and Kinain are to be created by standard rules found in Changeling: The Dreaming Second Edition and The Enchanted. A history/background is required for all Changelings before sanctioning and should be placed on the Changeling Scene, XP and EQ Requests Thread on the Forums. The more thorough and detailed, the less questions you shall be asked. Things to keep in mind when you write your character background:

• 1. How did this character chrysalize? What was their mortal life and upbringing like before their chrysalis and how did it change after it?
• 2. How did they learn the arts and realms they know?
• 3. Explain any treasures or chimerical companions - how the character came to acquire them, what significance they have in the character’s life.
• 4. What is their mortal life like now?
• 5. What are their goals, motivations and aspirations? What spurs them on? What’s their greatest weakness? What is their strengths.
• 6. An explanation/justification of where they got their knowledges, talents and skills if it’s not common sense. If statistics are high, be thorough and interesting.

Notice we put up Background first. We want you to think about the concept you want to play and make sure you understand the details that come with playing that particular character. It also gives us plot hooks. Yes! We do look at your history and come up with ideas from there. Revolutionary, no?

Also, paragraphs are your friends. Brick walls of text=annoyed presanctioning ST.

And now on to the Sheet:

Step One: Concept

The following Kiths, Houses and Seemings are available:

Kiths

Kinain bloodlines should stay close to this same list

• Boggan: Allowed.
• Eshu: Allowed.
• Nockers: Allowed.
• Pooka: Allowed.
• Redcaps: Allowed.
• Satyrs: Allowed.
• Sidhe: Restricted, concepts accepted only during open call.
• Sluagh: Allowed.
• Trolls: Allowed.
• Kinain: Allowed.
• Autumn People: Banned.
• Nunnehi: Banned.
• Inanimae: Banned
• Thallain: Banned
• Mer: Banned

Houses

House, like the background "title", can be gained in game by Commoners. All Sidhe must have a House at creation.

Allowed:

• Dougal
• Eiluned
• Fiona
• Gwydion
• Liam
• Scathach (Autumn)

Restricted:

• Aesin
• Ailil
• Balor
• Beaumayn
• Daireann
• Leanhaun
• Scathach (Arcadian)
• Varich

Seemings

• Childling: Banned
• Wilder: Age 18+ Allowed
• Grump: Allowed

Step Two: Attributes

Attributes are the most useful things in the game. They are broader than Abilities, and more representative of a character's strength and weaknesses. As such, realistically, you should not spend more than 10 freebies on them. Also, make sure they are appropriate to the Concept. No 5's will be sanctioned at creation. Also, we prefer no more than two 4's, and no more than a single 1. Failure to comply to this will result in an Asst or ST believing that you are min-maxing. Appearance is restricted to 3 or lower without prior approval of Changeling STs; good reasoning is required for high Appearance.

Step Three: Abilities

Abilities must be appropriate to the Concept. Again, there will be no 5s and any 4s must be bought up to that level with freebies. Please note: Any and all 4s will be heavily scrutinized and should have a strong background explaining them. 3’s will also be scrutinized: These are also strengths of a character and should be explainable in the concept. Remember, this is a starting character; you want to leave room for them to grow! All characters gain Changeling Lore 1 free at creation. Linguistics uses the Vampire: The Masquerade Revised rules.

Academics 1 is a requirement for anyone with a high school education (those who graduated from college should have Academics 2), Intelligence 3 or more, or anyone over the age of 25, with rare exceptions, such as those with Homeless Concepts. This is basic knowledge that you pick up over time, such as who led the Nazi's and the current President of the USA. It also covers basic mathematics, native linguistics, and stuff like that. This is not considered a secondary skill - Academics may be bought like any other primary ability.

Finance is also required for anyone who owns a business, has "family money" (though inheritance and such is unlikely to be allowed), or Resources 3. This is considered a primary knowledge skill.

Combat Abilities (Brawl, Dodge, Melee, Firearms, Archery, etc.) are restricted to 7 total combat dots for Grumps, 5 for Wilders and will be scrutinized carefully. Have good justification and make sure it fits the Concept of the Character.

Step Four: Advantages

As a general rule, Backgrounds are capped at 3 at creation. As always, good justification is required for high backgrounds.

- Chimera: Use the optional rules on p.221 of Changeling: The Dreaming Second Edition for creating companions with this background. Please have the stats for your companion done and listed in the 'notes' section of your sheet and with your background at time of sanctioning. This speeds up the process for everyone.

- Contacts/Allies: No cap at creation but please be conservative with your selections, and they must be specific. Job descriptions are the best way to put it. We don't want Contacts 2 (Street) or Contacts 1 (Jim, a retired bank manager now working for the IRS as an auditor. Born in... etc.). We want Contacts 2 (Street Snitch, Shelter Worker) or Contacts 1 (IRS Auditor), things like that. They make everyone's life easier.

- Holdings: All Holdings must be earned in-game.

- Mentor: Must be a PC or regular NPC. Consult the ST before submitting a character with this background.

- Title: All titles must be earned in-game.

- Treasures: These are handled on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Changeling ST. Please detail how these were obtained and their significance to the character in your background. In regards to the Arts used for them, please stick to the list of available Arts as reference.

Available Arts are as follows, all capped at level 2 for character creation:

Chicanery: Allowed.

Legerdemain: Allowed.

Primal: Allowed.

Pyretics: Allowed.

Soothsay: Allowed.

Sovereign: Restricted, Sidhe only

Wayfare: Allowed

Talecraft: Allowed, Eshu only

Infusion: Allowed, Nocker only

Step Five: Finishing Touches

Willpower and Glamour are capped at 2 greater than starting level.

Choose Musing and Ravaging Thresholds. Merits and Flaws are handled at the discretion of the Changeling ST and must have strong reasoning outlined in the character background. Below are a list of restricted/banned merits and flaws*:

Banned - Don't try. No means NO.

All Aptitude Merits (this includes difficulty lowering kith-specific merits such as Passion and Speedy Hammer)

Blood of Rivers

Blood of the Wolf

Boon

Cleared Mists

Crack Shot

Danger Sense

Daredevil

Dead Friends

Divided Loyalties

Echoes (4-5pt)

Enchanted Blood

Faerie Eternity

Fast Learner

Goblin Magnet

Guardian Angel

Gut Instinct

Hag Ridden

Haunted

Hibernation

Hostage

Iron Resistance

Jack of All Trades

Knows Too Much

Luck

Mansion/Nightclub/CEO/Media Ties/Black Market Ties etc.

Medium

Oathtaken

Regeneration

Second Sight

Seeming’s Blessing

Sex Appeal

Sexual Reverie

Spirit Mentor

Unbondable

Venomous Attack

Werewolf/Vampire Companion

Work with Iron

Restricted: (Please provide strong background justification.)

Any House-Specific merit and flaw. (Ask an ST first)

Ambidextrous

Amnesia

Animal Magnetism

Bard’s Tongue

Blessing of Atlas

Changeling Eyes

Chicken Feet

Curiosity

Dark Fate

Echoes (2-3)

Eidetic Memory

Faster

Fly Fingers

Granite Skin

Higher Purpose

Huge Size

Iron will

Living Legend

Lost Tooth

Overconfident

Natural Linguist

Nemesis

Nightmares

Past Life

Poetic Heart

Prestigious Mentor

Reputation/Notoriety

Slipped Seeming

Surreal Quality

Throwback

True Love

Wings

Just because a merit or flaw is not listed on either of these lists does not mean it will not be given a thorough look over in sanctioning. These are merely the banned ones or the ones that will need the most justification. Merits and flaws add extra color and flavor to a character, they are not, after all, entirely necessary and up to Storyteller discretion. Use them carefully.

Creation Note: Listing where Freebie points are spent is very helpful and can speed along the sanctioning process, plus it can help you as a player track the math of what’s been spent and needs spending.

Kinain Creation Guidelines

Kinain should be created via the rules laid out in the book "The Enchanted". Gifts, Merits and Flaws are Restricted as follows:

Fae Gifts

You cannot have more Fae Gifts than you have a Fae Blood rating. For example, if you have Fae Blood of 3, you cannot have 4 Fae Gifts to spread your points across, just to clarify how that works.

The only Fae Gift that is currently Banned is: Nine Lives.

Taighairm and Taibhsear are both heavily restricted. If the character is not a Sluagh Kinain, it is very unlikely they would receive these gifts.

All Kinain, just like Kithain, require a background to be placed on the Changeling Scene, XP and EQ Requests Thread on the Forums. Please note that the higher the Fae Blood and the more Fae Gifts taken, the stronger the BG needs to be.

As for Merits and Flaws, these fall under the same restrictions as the Kithain Merits and Flaws(see above), also take note that Enchanted Blood is banned up there.

Sidhe Character Creation

The requirements for playing a Sidhe will be as follows, in addition to the standard Character Creation guidelines:

Houses - All Sidhe must have a House at creation.

Allowed:

Dougal

Eiluned

Fiona

Gwydion

Liam

Scathach (Autumn)

Restricted:

Aesin

Ailil

Balor

Beaumayn

Daireann

Leanhaun

Scathach (Arcadian)

Varich

• 1. The concept must clearly embody not only the influence of their kith, but the influence of their house as well. The sidhe are the Shining Host, those born with the inherent thought that in some way, they are meant to rule amongst Fae. They chrysalize differently, they interact with the world differently, they remember things differently than most commoners save for possibly the autumn members of house Scathach. Each house espouses it's own views on ruling, other kiths, et cetera as well as is outlined in their sections of various house books.

• 2. There should be a clear understanding of how the liege to vassal relationship works. While this is not a form of slavery, at points it cannot be too far off. Consider how the PC will react to being asked to do things that they may object to by the person to whom they are sworn because chances are, it will come up IC.

• 3. The player should also have been or be an established player in the Changeling venue at the time they submit their concept. This is not required, but you find it much easier.

• 4. Sidhe are restricted for a reason. They are rare and require a concerted effort on both the part of the player and the ST. Not only will a good concept and background be required, but a proven dedication as well. Sidhe will be required to be active on a regular basis. This does not mean every day, but this also does not mean just show up once or twice a week, look pretty and do nothing. There will be tasks to do as provided by the Count or other story lines. Sidhe are leaders and will be held to a higher standard.

Character Questions:

These are the questions that all Sidhe backgrounds should cover:

• 1. How did the character chrysalize? When and where? What was there mortal life like before this point?

• 2. What are their views on the liege/vassal relationship?

• 3. How do they feel about the Seelie Court? The Unseelie Court? Why are they affiliated with the court they are?

• 4. What does your character view as their role in Fae society?

• 5. How does your character embody the beliefs of their house? How will they further them?

• 6. How was your character raised? Where were they fostered and how did they learn the arts and realms that they did?

• 7. Please explain how they view the mundane world now and what their role is there.

• 8. What are the characters goals and motivations? Why are they coming to Secluded Mists as opposed to any other demesne? Was it voluntary or are they being sent for some reason?

• 9. Please explain any treasures, dreamers or companions.

• 10. An explanation/justification of where they got their knowledges, talents and skills, especially 2+, if it’s not common sense in the character background. It will likely be asked during sanctioning.

A background story is encouraged but not required. But a background in general is

Sidhe FAQ

Do I need to own any of the Book of Houses to play a sidhe?

It is strongly advised that for whatever house you are applying for, you also have access to the corresponding Book of Houses. This is not required, but it offers some handy background. "Nobles: The Shining Host" is also recommended but not required.

Can my PC be a member of a secret society? (I.E. Cat's Cradle, etc.)

For beginning PC's, no. This will be considered strictly on a case by case basis and only earned in game.

What if I find I am not happy with my Sidhe after I start playing? Can I delete and create a new one immediately?

Due to the very few number of Sidhe slots, this will not be possible. You would be welcome to submit a concept again but you would go back to waiting behind the concepts that have come in while you were trying out the original PC. Please be sure when you submit your PC that it is something you'd be comfortable playing. While things don't always work out... We would like to avoid the revolving door policy with people hanging onto slots yet switching out the Sidhe.

Can I start with Title or a Holding?

No. Any Titles or Holdings must be earned in game.

When a Sidhe spot is opened up, we will post on the Forums and background submissions may be forum pm'd to the Changeling Storytellers for approval.

Current Sidhe Spots open: 1

If you are thinking about creating a sidhe read this first

While commoners may or may not follow the whims of politics, sidhe are embroiled in them. They have pressures from their house, their peers and the lieges they were sained under. The decision to move to a new county is not one taken lightly; and in this Secluded Mists has several drawbacks:

• 1. The current leader of the county is Dante Pyreen. Count Pyreen is a famous (some might same infamous) name among the courts of Pacifica. He was publicly chastised –and humiliated- for his failure in leading troops verses the noctinista invasion of 2004; and later exiled under the charge of cowardice. (Now some argue that his political adversaries falsely created all of these charges – but the popular belief doesn’t swing that way). Many say that his peers and superiors allowed him back in to Pacifica as a test – one that he is not expected to overcome. Despite the high opinion the fae of Burning Sands have for Pyreen, the popular belief in Pacifica is that his attempts to establish himself in Secluded Mists will fall somewhere between laughable and suicidal. This is all common knowledge.
• 2. Those sidhe coming to Seattle for mortal reasons are quickly recruited by one of the two surrounding counties: Forged Dusk or Verdant Hills. These counties are well established and prestigious. The make great pains to catch up promising young sidhe before they can even hear about Secluded Mists. Even sidhe who travel from other places in Concordia.
• 3. Secluded Mists is considered a very dangerous country to live in. Going there is popularly considered both politically and literally suicidal.

To be considered a sidhe background must address why a sidhe would look past these drawbacks and seek out an unpopular count to serve under.

If your background does not address this we will ask you to rewrite it.

FAQs, Errata, House Rules

What Changelings are allowed?

All the kiths from the core book and Kinain, though currently Sidhe are currently limited as is noted in the Char Creation Guidelines. Nunnehi, Autumn People, Thallain, Inanimae and Mer are not allowed at the moment. That doesn't mean we won't use them as NPC's if a storyline deems one necessary.

How do I earn a Title?

You can earn a Title by proving that you deserve one or doing something very outstanding for the Kithain society. Please remember that Titles can be removed if you betray oaths or do other wrongs.

How do I earn a Holding?

Holdings are a rare thing to see handed out, and can only be earned ICly. Those with holdings shall be watching them for the main NPC who granted them said holding (the NPC still has the right to come visit the holding if they desire/need, also to check up on their vassal). This is a heavy responsibility for a PC, and holdings will not be handed out lightly, if at all.

How many of the kiths are allowed?

Currently the only kith limited is Sidhe. When a slot opens up, we will post it on the forums.

How are the Courts handled?

Both Unseelie and Seelie Court characters are welcome in the venue, just keep in mind for the time being that the lands are held by a Seelie Regent and the major freehold belongs to them. Currently, Shadow Court will not be allowed for starting characters.

What do you want in the history/background?

Give a strong sense of who your character is, who they want to be, what their goals and motivations are as well as what their weaknesses are. You want to explain what their life was like pre and post chrysalis and explain their upbringing into Fae society, whether it was good or bad. Also please explain any dreamers, treasures, chimerical companions along with any high attributes/abilities. See the Character Creation Guidelines for suggested questions that should be answered. Justify, justify, justify.

How does combat work?

Because Changeling is 2nd edition and the rest of the chat uses 3rd edition, use the Vampire: The Masquerade Revised edition combat rules for splitting actions and the actions themselves. Weapons in the off hand do not reduce difficulty to hit like a shield would.

Any restrictions on Pooka?

Please make your Pooka interesting. Keep in mind that this is the Northwest and certain animals will work better than others. Strong backgrounds will be required for characters with rare animal affinity (ie. tiger, insects, etc.)

Any restrictions on Houses?

Currently, no commoner may start with a House affiliation. Should a House affiliation be sought ICly, it will be handled on a case-by-case basis. When sidhe become available as PC, the Houses will be restricted as outlined in the Character Creation Guidelines

Any restrictions on Arts?

Chicanery, Legerdemain, Primal, Pyretics, Soothsay, Sovereign (Sidhe only), Wayfare, Infusion (only Nockers), and Talecraft (only Eshu) are currently the only arts allowed for PCs.

How does enchanting someone work?

First of all, all starting characters with their Changeling Lore 1 know that this is an Escheat Breach. It breaks the right of Ignorance and thusly can put Fae in a whole lot of danger. That said, sometimes situations do come up where enchantment is done for some reason. This should come after careful consideration and after knowing the target for a long period of time. You don't just go enchant the random person because it's a process that will yield unexpected results - you want to trust the target.

To enchant, you roll your glamour versus the difficulty of the target's banality and spend one point of glamour to enchant them. This glamour must be placed into either a token for the target to carry or something they can ingest (drinks and snacks are popular and easy items for this purpose). One success is needed on the roll in order to enchant the target.

If a supernatural wishes to resist the enchantment, they may roll their willpower at diff 6 and if they get enough successes to overcome the successes on the enchantment roll, they're successfully resisted. Supernatural Enchantment is highly discouraged. IC Consequences will meet IC Actions. We do not want a cross-venue war to start because someone thought it'd be cute to enchant the werewolf or vampire. It causes major headaches and we're all here to have fun, ST's included. Crossover has a separate forum post for reference.

Please note: Mortals do not get this WP roll. It is for supernaturals only.

Enchantments for Kinain: Enchanting a Kinain is far easier than enchanting any other being - the glamour can be exchanged easily, usually a point at a time, and must be given by a Kithain. Kinain cannot enchant themselves via dross. For Kinain to figure out how long they remain enchanted, use the following formula:

1 week per point of Glamour + Fae Blood - Banality = Length of Enchantment.

Sometimes this will take the enchantment under a week - the number you have after doing the math is the number you should observe for the number of real life days you are enchanted. If the PC spends 24 hours in a freehold during their enchantment or similar time in the Dreaming, add 1 day to the length of time they are enchanted.

How do I know what the banality of a Mage/Vampire/Garou/Mortal/Wraith is?

A chart has been posted under Changeling Venue Information.

You may also refer to the charts in Changeling: the Dreaming 2nd Ed on page 287 for everyone. Please note that for the ease of common understanding, we use the middle number when there's a range indicated. For example, if you're a Tradition Mage, your banality will be at 6, not 5 or 7. If you feel your character merits a lower or higher banality than what they'd be rated at by that chart, please feel free to email the Changeling ST with your concept and why you think this. Any lowered or heightened banality ratings will be noted in character's profiles. The Book of Lost Dreams, page 34 describes banality 5-7 excellently.

For Demon characters, their banality is 6. Hunters are considered vanilla mortals when deciding Banality.

How do Lores work?

All Changeling chars, at creation, get one free dot of Changeling Lore. What's that mean? Each character knows, right off the bat, a rough idea of how Fae society works, they know how to identify all the major kiths and a few houses, and know a very sketchy little bit about them all. Essentially... You passed "How to Be Fae 101". Any further detailed lore will have to be bought for more in depth knowledge of a specific aspect of the game (kith, dreaming, etc.) or Fae life in general.

Note: We do not use Kith Lores. Your rating in Changeling Lore is assumed to cover your Kith knowledge as well. Supernatural Lores are restricted. It must make sense for the character to be requesting the Lore and screen shots must be present. In the event of Venue vs. Venue situations, an ST from each venue must be notified of the conflict so a fair way of managing it can occur.

Are Kinain Supernaturals allowed?

The short answer to this is: No. The explanation: Yes, there are some groups of supernaturals that have some link to Fae, somewhere in their history. But, for the ease of all STs and players involved, it's easiest for us to disallow this straight off the bat rather than open the door for potentially messy and confusing crossover. It may sound harsh, but we have to think of the chat as a whole here.

How does my character garner dross? How do I spend XP?

Every Fae in game automatically earns 1 glamour /week which is on the assumption that in some way they are contributing to the Dreaming in their own way during down time. This can change, due to ongoing Story lines. Should your character have the Dreamer background, you gain .5 Glamour more for each level dreamer. If none of this glamour is spent to replenish any glamour the Kithain may have lost or counteract any banality incurred, you may submit a request once a month to collect the dross. The most that can be accrued each month is your permanent Glamour +1, so keep this in mind. The most you can hold at any time is Permanent Glamour x 7 When you request the dross, also put in how much Glamour your char has otherwise spent and any banality incurred. Backlogging for Dross because you forgot to put in the request is not permitted. It is your responsibility to remember to submit your requests in a timely manner.

Please keep up with your Dross and XP requests. XP is spent by using the chart on page 276 of C:tD 2nd Edition. We use Current Level for all purchases. For buying up backgrounds, it's 3 x current level. Justification for all expenditures is mandatory. We need to know how your character is accomplishing their goals. Think of it as an update so we can make the game better for you. The higher the level, the higher the reasoning we need to allow you to gain that dot.

Experience with what expenditures your characters are making that month as well as what the tentative plan is for the next month. Justify your expenditures, please, a simple statement of "Alertness 2: 2 xp" doesn't really work with us. It doesn't have to be long and drawn out, but how your character changes and evolves as it pertains to the sheet should have some merit and a modicum of explanation. To be honest, knowing what your characters are trying to improve can turn your character's learning into a role-playing experience with an NPC or another PC. Don't forget about that when it comes for justification. (and plot hooks)

What to Ponder in a Request

Glamour: How much Glamour your character has expended, either from enchanting, spending it casting cantrips, or from dispelling banality on their character in that month. For ease of use, each month is a 4 week period. If you use less than what you receive from Dreamers, time spent in the Dreaming, or from being able to sleep near a balefire (with the Freeholder's permission) then you may receive up to your permanent Glamour rating+ 1 in dross, depending on how much Glamour you have left. If you learn a Wyrd cantrip that month, you will have no leftover Glamour put into dross. It is assumed you were practicing that cantrip with your "extra" Glamour.

Banality: How much banality your character gained during the month. Be honest.

Equipment: Whatever your character has gained in equipment or changes to Equipment or Gear Carried fields or you want to have added. This may be sent in more often to meet the needs of what they have acquired. If it's something your character would use every day, ask for it. It helps alleviate issues that arise to important situations.

Errata, Clarifications:

Legerdemain 2: Ensnare does 3 dice of bashing damage, rather than 3 bashing health levels per success if used to smash an object to another object. Everything else remains the same.

Fear Rede: The Chimera rolls a die. The target rolls their Willpower dice at diff 6. This is subtracted from the number (1-10) the Chimera rolled on the die. The result, possibly 0, is the number of rounds the target is subjected to the effects of the rede.

Redcap Swallowing Whole: It is a combat maneuver, and like all normal combat attacks it can be dodged or even parried. You need 3 net successes, those being successes above and beyond what the defender rolled, for the maneuver to work. (Kithbook Redcap, p 32)

Fly Fingers: This works only in the Sluagh’s Fae seeming so the PC either has to be unobserved by mortals or wyrded for it to work.

Granite Skin: This is “Armor” meaning, while it stacks with other armor, the dexterity penalties for stacking armor will occur.