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Design: Mark ReinmHageru, Sam Chupp, Ian Lemke with Joshua Gabriel Timbrook Design Contributors: Deirdre Brooks, Earle (Glas) Duboraw, Rob Dixon, Robert Martin Development: Ian Lemke Storyteller System by: MarkRein. Hagen Development Contributors: Robert Hatch, Jennifer Hartshorn, Phil Brucato Words: Deirdre Brooks, Phil Brucato,JackieCassada, Sam Chupp, Richard Dansky, Jennifer Hartshorn, Robert Hatch, Ian Lemke, Robert Martin, Nicky Rea, Mark ReineHagen, Kathleen Ryan Editing: Robert Hatch, Ken Cliffe Proofreading: Ken Cliffe,Robert Hatch, Ian Lemke, Laura Perkinson, David Remy, Ethan Skemp, Cynthia Summers, Joshua Gabriel Timbrook Index: Ian Lemke, Ethan Skemp
Art Director: Richard Thomas Conceptual Designer: Joshua Gabriel Timbrook
Art: Stuart Beel, Mike Chaney, John Cobb, Brian
Ffont Cover
Art: Henry Higgenbotham
Cover Design: Ash Arnett Full-Page Art: Tony Diterlizzi
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6z Layout: Aileen E. Miles White Wolf Game Studio Playtesters:
Typesetting
Mark
Rein. Hagen,Samchupp , Ian Lede, Phi Brucato, Aileen
E. Mi le , Rob Hatc h, Joshua Gabriel Timbrook, Danny
Landers, Kathleen Ryan Playtesters: Christopher Gulledge, PaulStrack,Chris Danford, Arlene Medder, Norm Brown, Becky Kalowitz, Maura Bums, Corey Araujo, KevinM. Hudson, Michael M. Jones, Stephan Herman, Louis Puster, Robert Martin, Jackie Cassada,Nicky Rea, Carla Hollar, Tony Dills, John Baumgarten, Monica Gaudio, Kurt McCoy, Melissa Parsons,on Bahleda, Sheri Kaplowitz, Mark Arko, David Rourke, Laura Packer, Kyle Vogt, Deirdre Brooks, Timothy Toner, Andrew Lee, Jennifer Lindberg, Neil Sedlak, Sean McGraham, Cristopher Tanzos, Earle B. Dunbraw, David Hull, Scott Whitney, David San, imothy O'Neil, Jefiey Bolt,LeslieCleveland,LisaHickman,SteveHerman
Dugan, Jason Felix,Lee Fields, Mark Jackson, Brian Le Blanc, JeffMiracola, Nick Ruskin, Alex Sheikman, Richard Thomas, Joshua Gabriel Timbrook
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780 PARK NORTH BlVD. R SUITE100 CLARKSTON, GA 30021
STUDIO
0 1995 by White Wolf Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without written permissionof the publisher is expressly denied, except for the purpose of reviews. Changeling: Th e Dreaming" and all material contained herein are copyrightedby White Wolf Inc. The mention of or reference to any companies or products in these pages is no t a challenge to the trademarks or copyrightsconcerned. r
1 Printed in Canada
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Book One: Childling Chap-ceROne: lnmoduc-cion
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Chapax Truo: Sexing
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82 106 Chap-ceRSIT:TRaics
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Chap-ceRSeven: GlamouR Chap-ceR
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Chap-ceRNine: bama
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W h y do we grow up?W h y do we leave our childhood behind?These are questions we often ask ourselves,and yet there seem to be no answers.
tions wander, to explore our fantasies, to truly be free. Perhaps that is what we really seek in wanting to regain our childhood - reedom. Children are by their very nature more intui-
As children we are so eager to grow up. Yet tive, less cynical, somehow more pure, more free. as adults we yearn for the innocence and fantasy
of youth. A t some indecipherable moment we are separated from ouryouth, and it is gone forever. We constantly seekto recapture this lost
Many even have a peculiar wisdom that far outreaches their experience - nd we would often be wise to listen to them. They aren't bound by their experiencesand presuppositions
innocence, looking for something we have long left behind.
as we are, and so they are free to explore limitless
What is it we search for?To regain our innocence?To rediscover the wonder of imagination that comes so readily to children? N o matter what it is, it is gone. As adults so much of our time is consumed with day-to-day survival that we seldomhave the time to let our imagina-
As adults we no longer dream as w e once did. Sure, we can enjoy a good fantasy noveland we can get excited by the latest sci-fi thriller - ut we no longer believe!As children we believed we could fly like Peter Pan. We could build entire kingdoms in which we were the kingsand
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possibilities.
whGlll queens. We had imaginary friends with we could explore exotic new realms, discover fantastic treasures and fight great battles- ll just fantasy, bu t yet very real. Yet to changelings all this is very realwithout fantasy they are nothing.To changelings, the loss imagination is death. story is woven intoofthe fabricof their veryThe being they are a part of the storyand the storyis a part of them. The fear of growing up constantly gnaws at them, and they struggle to delay the process however they can. Yet paradoxically, it is often this maddening fear that harms them the most. Learning to fear is an important part of growing up.Onlya rare few ever accomplish this difficult feat. Our days are spent in the mundane. The changeling’s life is, in a fashion, a mirror reflec-
Y
tion of our own. Only rarely do we let down our guard and allow ourselves to slip into fantasy. They exist in a world of the fantastic, only occasionally emerging to ground themselves in the mundane. We dream of impossibilities. Changelings live the impossible every day. Roleplaying is apowerful means foexploring our dreams. Therefore, it is belittledby many adults as silly and frivolous. Still, fantasyis as important to our lives as it is to changelings. Never give up the search forthe wonder of your childhood. It’s there, if you look hard enough. Anything is possibl
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And pleasant is thefaery land For those that init dwell, By ay at end of seven years Theypay a tithe to hell; I am sa e fair and fu’0’ fks I’m fear’dtwill be mysell. -Traditional, “Ta
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Changeling is a storytelling game about the Dreaming. It’s about make-believecome o life,about imagination taking fruit. Changeling depicts the invisible world of fantasy that exists alongside our reality -a place of delight, mystery and enormous peril. The themes of this game are lost innocence and the cynicism of adulthood. When you play Changeling, you will come to understand that fairy tales aren’t just for children (not that they ever were) and that they don’t always have happy endings. You will discover what ti is like tobe exiled from your homeland, persecutedfor your true nature and unable to expressthe sublime beauty welling forth from your soul. You will know what it is like to be alone in a crowd, to be aware of the power of dreams and to be able to tap the power of magic.And you will learn what it is like to be helpless in the arms of fate and unable to stop the crushing weight of Banality from robbingyourmemory of all you have discovered.
Changelingisagame ofmake-believe,ofpretend. But it is not a “game” in the normal seme of the word; Changeling is more about storytellingthan it is about winning. If you’ve never played a storytellinggame before, YOU may be confusedby the whole premiseof such games. Once you grasp the basic concepts, however,.you’llfind storytelling games aren’t all that strange. You and your friends are going to tell stories ofwonder and delight. Tales of love and romance, tragedy and peril, lurking evil and heroic triumph. And at the heart of these stories are the lost fae.
These tories will capture your imagination far more readily than any play or movie. Likewise, they areof a darker tone than the children’s fairy tales you might remember (althoughthose, too, were rather grimin places). This is becauseyou are insidethe story,not just watching
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What you need to do now isreadthis book, a lime bit at a time, and enjoy it.You don’t have to study it likea textbook or devour it like a newspaper. Just browse. Later on,when you’re playing, you ca n consult and refer to whatever you need. You don’t need to memorize anythiig ust have an idea of what your character can do and understand the world in which she adventures. Don’t let anything in this book scareyou out of having agood time - torytellingis, first and foremost about fun.
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Changeling Kind -
When we can’t dream any longer,we die. - mma Goldman You ead a double life, alternating between qality and hmy. Caught in the middle ground between dreamand wakefulness, ou are neither wholly fae nor wholly mortal, but burdened with the cares of both. Finding a happy mediumbetween the wild and insane world of the fae and the deadening, banal worldof humanity is essential if you are to remain whole. Such a synthesisis by no meanseasy. Mortal & i seemso ephemeraland so trivial whenyou stand amid the ageless magnificence of the Seeliecourt. When you don garments spun of pure moonlight and drink wine distilled go back to polyester from mountain mists, how can you and soda pop? Alas, you have no choice. Although your faerie selfis agelessand eternal, your mortalbody and mind grow older and less resilientas you move through life.Sooner or later, nearly all changelings succumb to one of two equally terrifying conditions: Banality, the lossof their faerie magic; or Bedlam, the loss of their mortal reason.
Bu t is this fate inevitable?Can you retain your childlike wonder while fighting against the frigid Banality that seeks to numb your mind and steal your past?Can you ride the currents of the Dreaming without being swept away in the mae trom of Bedlam?
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Tragically,you are alone in the mundane world. N o mortal will ever understand the depth of your alienation, strangeness and uniqueness. Though you maytry to communicate your condition through art (and many have tried and failed), only those with faerie blood will see, understand and appreciate what you are. Anexile among exiles.Lost among the lost.A stranger in every crowd. Hail, fellow traveler- elcome to the Dreaming.
Changeling:The &earning
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Long ago, before movies, TV , radio and books,we told each other stories: storiesof the hunt, legendsof the gods and great heroes, bardic epics and talesf oravening monsters. We told these stories aloud,as part of an oral tradition of storytelling- tradition tha t we have virtu ally lost. Today we no longer tell stories- e listen to them. We wait to be picked up andcarried to prepackaged worlds. We have become slaves to our TV s and VCRs, permitting an oligarchy of mythmakers to dictate the
1 content of our imaginations. It need not be this way. Storytelling on a personal
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level can be returned to our culture. Thisis essentially what Changeling s about: not storiestold to us, but stories we tell others. Through the game andart of collaborative storytelling,we create new storiesand claim the ancient myths and legends for our own. Storytelling allows us to understand ourselves by givingus a medium to explain our triumphs and defeats.By looking at our culture, our family and ourselves in new contexts, we can understand things we never before realized.Storytellingis entertaining because it is sorevealing, exhilarating because it is so true. Our fascination with stories has a purpose to it - f that there is no doubt.
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Changeling is a storytelling game,but it is also a
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tell stories,but actually acthhgh hem by assuming the roles of the central characters. It's a lot like theatre, bu t you make up the lines.
Tounderstand roleplaying, you need only think back - - __ - - _ _ to your childhood and those wonderful afternoons spent playingCops n' Robbers, Cowboysand Indians, or Dressu p. Wh at you were doing was roleplaying, a sortof spontaneousand nat~ral cting that completely occupied your imagination. This play-acting helped yo u learn about life and what it meant to be agrown-up. It was an essential part of childhood, but just because you have grown up doesn't mean you have to stop. In Changeling, unlike pretend, there area fe d rules to help you roleplay. They are usedmainly to avoid a r p ments-"Bang! Bang!You'redead!" "No 'mnot !"-and to add a deeper senseof realismto the story. Rules direct ZLtbd guidethe story's progress and help define the characters' capacities and weaknesses. The essential rules of Changeling are described in Chapter Four.
Changeling can be playedwith nearly any numberof players, but roleplayinggames in general work bestwith six or fewer players. Mystery and flavor are diminished when players must compete for attention.
Changeling is structured a little differentlyfrom the games with which you might be familiar. Inthe first place, there is no board. Second,one player must assume the role of Storyteller- he person who cr ides the stories. Being the Storytelleris a bit like plaviw - . -the Banker in Mmp&", bu t bears greater responsibilities and rewards than control over a handful of play money. The Storyteller describes what happens to the charactersas a result of the players' words and actions. She decides fi the characters succeed or fail, sufferor prosper, live or die. Storytelling is a very demanding task, but it is equally rewarding, for the Storyteller is a weaver of legends. The Storyteller's primary dutyis to make sure the other playershave a good time. The way to do that is to tell a goodtale. Unlike traditional storytellers, however, the Storyteller doesn't simply tell the story. Instead she creates the skeleton of a storyand then lets the playersflesh it out
by assuming the roles ofits leading characters.
Storytelling in Changeling is a careful balance between narration and adjudication, between story and game. Sometimes the Storyteller must set the scene or describe what occurs, but mostly sh e must decide how the environment responds to the characters. She mustbe as realistic, impartial and creativeas possible.
As the Storyteller, you are in charge of interpreting and enforcingthe rules, yet you are also an entertainer you must struggle to balance your tworoles.This book was written to help you do just that. It won't make beinga Storyteller easy, because it never will be easy,bu t it will make you better at it. The role of the Storyteller is explained in much more detail in Chapter Three.
PIayeRs Most Changeling players will not be Storytellers. They will insteadassume therolesof the central characters in the story. Being a player does not requireas much responsibilityas being a Storyteller, bu t it does require just as much effort and concentration.
As a player in a Changelingchronicle,you m um e the persona and role of a changeling - faerie beingwhom you invent and then roleplay over the course of one 01 several stories. The lifeof your characteris in your hands, C~~I~KCR ne: lnmoducmon
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To some extent, each player is an assistant story. tor you decide what the character says and does. You teller. Playersshould feelfreeo add ideas and elements to or decline. Everything you say decide which risks to accept the story, although the Storyteller may accept or reject and do when you play your character has an effect on the them as she sees fit. In the end, a good story is the most world. important goal. Players and Storytellers work together to foryour c b c ou must a b e an actor. you make a story come to life. ter and act out whatever you want your character to do or say. Whatever you say, your charactersays,unless you are specificallyasking the Storyteller aquestionorare describing your actions. As a Player, You to do thiW that Your “Win the game.” ~ter o succeed and strategic element of the gameis essential, for it is what so often creates the thrill and excitement of a dramatic moment.
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ChuRaccelis Many different elements compose what we thinkof as the “self’: m y , n fact, to separateor identify. We really don’t b o w who or what we we. It is from essenrial diversity of self that our desite and ability to pretend to be someone srcinate.
Characters are the literary versionsof real peopleOften, afterdescribingtheactions“you”wanttotake, they are not real, but they do some aspectsof I* . 1 3. you may naveco maice aiceroils to see i’f your character reality. Only when you enter the world of the storycan with successfullyaccomplishes whatyou have your characters become complete. They are real only with words. Your character’s Traits-r---‘-lulllurrsquantifying er you as the animating force - he soul,f you wish. Treat how rrrlguw w~essw--ulcrate Your characA your as unique as ofm, r as _ _ . _ . 1 . ‘ of ter can ao certam rnmgs. Actions are D: fiagile expressionsof your poetic sensitivity. you must p1-l~’~ treasure the characters that you create. .....--u-C..Lthe world and affect the cuuLJF: l ul c stury. Changeling characters are easy to create.It takesess haracters are central to a story, for they alter and than halfan haur to choose all the Traits ha t ds~b . _ _ 8- L _..- .-,L - 1 WTZA _ _ -L .
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your character. It takes more time and effort totum hii collection of numbers into a living, - br e a t h i i charaster,
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You must reach deep inside yourself to produce a complete character.The Frankensteinmonster was easily assembled from available body parts; it was the breath of life that proved difficult. Chcter creation is discussedin detail in Chapter 3ve.
I uInneRs There is no single “winner”of Changeling, for the ,bject is not to defeat the other players. To “win” at all, players need to cooperate with each other. Because this is a storytellinggame, there is no way for one personto claim victory. Moreover,the Changeling world is fraught with danger: monstrous chimera, implacable Dauntain, everencroaching Banality, and, the machinations of the Unseelie Court. Players cannot afford to squabble with their brethren, for doing leads to death - nd the only true measure of successin Changeling is survival.
stories o their characters’advantage, they have“won,”at least for the moment. When a group of changelings manages to rescue a fellow changeling who has been captured by one ofthe Dauntain, thosechangelingscan be considered to have “won” a temporary victory. If the Dauntain has powerful friends amongthe occult underground, however, attackingthat individual may prove a dangerous exercise in the longrun. A ‘Gictory” under these circumstancescan become worse than defeat. To achieve even partial victory, characters must usually become friends,or at leastwatchout for an d have a modicum Of in each Other* The World Of Dadm~ is a dangerous place,so ~~0~~ allies are essential.A divided group not survive for long*
paging A d s Changeling was designed tobe played arounda table.
Though hegame does not require a bard, a numbr f
props require a table to use properly. Dice, pencils, paper and photocopies of the character sheet are the only other motivation (such as aneed for vengeance), accomplishing necessary item . n e ice requiredare lo-sided; theseyou this goal also becomes a measure of success. Stories and can store. toryteller y a b in m y extendedchroniclesoften cometo conclusions hat either want paper (to sketch out a ==ing, thusmaking it easier benefit or harm the c to describe to the players)and a few other props to show
If, however,a character has some Overwhelming
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ChapteROne: lnmoducnon
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he playerswhat the characters see (photographs, matches, scarves- nything to make the experience more vivid).
Live-Action roleplaying can be the most dynamic and fun part of playing Changelin g. Live-Acti on roleplaying is similar to improvisational theatre:ht e actors (the players) act through the scenes createdand introduced by the Storyteller. This createsa much more intense and immediate storytelling experience.
Make sure that everyone else in the area understands what you are doing. Never perform Live-Action if passersby may be confusedor frightened by the event. If you play outside, suchas n the woods behind your house, make sure privacy is maintained. Know When to Stop: When the Storyteller calls for a time-out, all action must immediately stop. Even during Live-Action (especially during Live -kct ion), the
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Storyteller's word is final.
Lepcon
Players in a roleplaying game generally describe what their characters do and even say. During Live-Action The fae have a dis tinct patois tha t draws on many roleplaying,however, players actually do whattheir chardifferent tonguesand givesmany new shades of meaning actersdo and say what their characters say (within imits). to mortal words. One can often identify a changeling's age They can stand up, walk around, hold up a letter, shake or station by listening to the parlance he uses. hands or rush to a window to see what is going on. Imagination isstill important, and the Storyteller may still interrupt the action to describe objects and specialsituaFollowingare the most common general terms in use tions. among changelings. No dice are usedduring Live-Action sessions;alter- he land of the fae; the home of all Arcadia nate rules, like those given in White Wolf s Mind's Eye faerieswithin the Dreaming. Theatre line of Live-Action products, takethe place of
Commonp d a n c e
dice whenneeded.For the most part, everything is decided throughacting.The Storyteller simply uses he characters' Traits to decide how well they manage to perform certain mechanical actions (such as picking a lock). The Storyteller alsodecides how the other Storyteller-runcharacters react to the players' characters.
Rules You must follow a fewbasic rules toensure that LiveAction roleplaying prog ressessmoothly andsafely.These if you intend to run any Live-Action rules must be obeyed roleplaying at all. Safety is always a primary concern. Don't Touch: A player shouldnever actuallystrike or grapple another member of the troupe. N o sort of combat should everbe performed- hat is one thing you should leave for the dice to decide. Ifplayers or Storyteller assistantsget too rambunctious in their roles, the Storyteller should call a time-out from the actingand remind everyoneof the rules of play. Repeat offendersshould be asked to leave,or the action should be returned to a table and conflicts resolved throughdice rolls. N o Weapons: No props can be used if they must touch ano ther player to be effective.No real weapons of any sort can ever be handled at any time during LiveAction roleplaying. Not even toyguns can be used. The "no touch" rules must alwaysbe in effect. Play Inside: Play inside your own home or in whatever private area the game normally takes place.
Arts- he ways of shaping Glamour. Autumn, he - he modem age.
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Banality ortal disbelief,as it affects changelings and their Glamour. Bedlam - kind of madness that falls upon changelings whostraytoo far from the mortal world.
Bunk - he price Glamour exacts for its power. Cantrip - spell created through Glamour. Champion - warrior chosen by one of higher rankto fight in his stead.A champion always wears the token of his patron, which he keepsif he wins the duel. Changeling- fae who spends mostor all of her existence in the physical world, apart from Arcadia and the Dreaming. Childling - child comefull into his changeling nature; this lasts until he becomes a wilder, around13 yearsof age.Childlingsare known or their innocenceand affinity with Glamour and are well protectedby other changelings. Chimera - A bit of dream made real; unseen by mortals, chimeraare part of the enchanted world. Chimera maybe objects or entities. Commoner - ny of the changeling kith who are not sidhe. Dauntainby Banality.
Human faeriehunters, deeply twisted
Dmambg,the-llecollectivedreamsofhumanity. f
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Changeling:Thc &earning
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and its surrounding realms. Enchant - o imbue a mortal with the power to see chimerical objects. Escheat - he highest faerie laws. Fae, Faerie- being indigenous to th e Dreaming (though not alwaysa current resident thereof). Fathom - deep-seeking,protracted use of the Soothsay.Also called “the Taghairm.” Ar t of Fior - contest, th e point of which is to determine justice. Fledge- newly awakened changelingof an y age. Freehold - place that is infusedwith Glamour. Important to all changelings, freeholds are p roof against Banality- or a time.
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Gallain - ) “The Outsiders,” those who may be Kithain but whosesrcins, customsand magical way s are not understood.2) A n y inscrutablecreatureof the Dreaming. Glamour - he living force of the Dreaming; changeling magic. Grump changeling of elder years, usually beginning at about th e age of 25. Very few changelings reach this age- ost succumb to Banalitylong before.
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Hu e and Cry - ) A hunt called out against a criminal. 2) Thecall of all changelings o come and defend a freehold. Kin- Human elatives of a changelingwho do not possess faerieblood. Kinain - uman kinfolk of a changeling who possess faerieblood an d frequently ge magical “gifts”because of it.
Kith - ll the changelings of a kind. One’s kith determines the nature of one’sfaerie guise and soul. Kithain - hangelings’self-referential term. Liege - ne’s sworn noble sovereign, whether baron, count, duke or king. Long Winter, the-the prophesied eradication of - all Glamour. Mists,he - Th e tendency for mortals to forget the effects of Glamour and the presence of changelings after a very short time. Th e Mists protect changelings rom being discovered.2) Th e tendency for Banality-tainted changelings to forget their faerie lives. Mongrel - changeling who grew up apart from other fae and without a patron or guardian ofan y sort. Mongrels are prime candidates for Bedlam. Motley - familyor gangof commoners.
ChapzreROne: lnnzoductlon
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Noble - ny changeling raised to noble title; although nobles are traditionally sidhe,lately commoners have begun receiving noble positions. Oathbond - he mystical bond created by the swearingof an oath. Realms-The five aspectsof the world with changelings have affinity. Retainers - ny servantsof a liege.
Saining - The Naming”; a ritual performed newly awakened changeling to determine his kith.
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Tam-Nar -The great freeholdcastleof High David. Beneath it is the Well of Fire, from which all balefire comes. Trods-Magical gateways,faerieroads;some lead to other freeholds, some to the Dreaming itself.They are opened only at prescribed times.
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Vellum - specially preserved chimerical hide on which changeling scribes write.
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Vassal - he sworn servant of a liege.
Wilder - changeling of adolescent years, mud ally from age 13 to age 25. Known for their wild undertakings and loose tempers, wildersare the most common changelings. Yeaming-Alsocalled“theGloomies,”theYem~ ing is the utter longing for Arcadia that overcomesgrumps as Banality encroaches upon them.
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These are the words most fiequentlyusedby commoners and have been picked up by wilderexiles (even those of the noble houses). They tend to be somewhat crude and abrupt and carrywith them a certain disregard for tradition and rank. Many of these terms are very ancie nt, others are quite new, but all of them are quite in vogue among wilder nobles. Duringthe Interregnummany commoners formed or joined circuses in order to escape the stupefyingBanality of mortal society, and much vulgar argot srcinatesfrom that culture. noble.
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- vassal; insulting if used to describea Codger - word for grump. - elf-absorbedfaerieswith no purpose Callowfae Churl
higher than that of play;often said inreference ochi ldli , insultingif usedto describean y other changelings.
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Chiven - raven, cowardly or wimpy. Chummery - particularly hospitable freehold
Cozen - o cheat someone or steal something. Fancypants- nickname for sidheor any sew. bsorbed noble.
Chanaelma:The hamintl
Foredoom - When a use of Soothsay prophesie very bad news. Jimp - o create a faerie tokenor charm.
A commoner reehold,typically controlle
Mewby a motley.
Mux - o really screw up something; o add ch; and disorganization o things. “Youreally muxed things this time!” Sots - Mundane peo le. “Snthend” an d brain” are popular epithets.
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These are the terms used by nobility (especiallysidhe) and more sophisticated grumps. These words are seldom usedby younger exiles, but are still fashionable ve among the older members. Burgess commoners.
mortal; sometimesused to r
Chrysalis - he dawn of fae consciousness, the great awakening into one’s changeling nature. Clarion vassals. Covey
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call to war made by a noble to his group of changelings united by an
oathbond. Crepusc -Th e period at the end of any faerie festival when activities have begun to die down, but the night is not yet over.It is saidto be a particularly mystical time, when the perceptive will discovermany secrets.
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ate: one’s destiny and karma.
Draocht - antrips and other changeling magic. Driabhar - treasure, usuallyone of great power. Entrant - worthy rival, one assumed to merit nged struggle and respect. Fuidir - he vassals to whom one owes fealty. Fychell- 1 ) A chesslikegameplayed by nobles.2) ized dance popular among grump nobles. Gloam, th e - Th e blackest part of th e night. 2) idwinter’sNight, also called “the Gloaming.” ilder changeling or very young Graybeard - grump; a term of respect. Grandame - powerfulfemale sidhe, often used when speakingof a queen. Knarl type of ward.
special magical knot that servesas a
Laud - o receive the glory of courtly acclaim. as well. Often some sort of token is bestowed Mot - n adage, maxim or saying.
PrivyCouncil - he inner council of a liege and Retrorse -
Trollop -
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revert to one’s mortal seeming. rendezvous, often a sec
promiscuous fae.
Voile - himerical clothing. garb. iewelrv.
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to
Mary C. G.Byron, "TheTryst of he Night'
the heart of the Dreaming. Ultimately, however, it is in Although it m a y be hauntingly familiar, the Worldof detail. It introduces you to a world ofmysterious revelations, hidden empires,black passionsand high fantasy. In this chapter you will discovera secret kingdom that lives and thrives in the shadows, theforgottenplaces, the n o0 and crannies of the World of Darknw. But this chapter serves a greater purposethan imply depicting the Kithain and thei r society. It also describes a state of mind, for that is what changelings really are. Their kingdoms, their freeholds, their monsters and their perils are bornof imagiition and nwturedon cteatilvky.
is not our world. It is the here and now, but Darkness blighted with age-old malignancies and lengthened,cteeping shadows.In the World of Darkness, nightma walk among us. Here rain, sharp with acid,
darkna drawsdeep around those who walk the crumbling streets of the cities. Here it is heroic (and perhaps futile)
the privilegeof being hurt or hurting others. Even the fae are affected by this tragic setting. Many changelings are born, ive and die without ever knowing what cries out from within them. They live their lives trapped in their mortality, bound to the world that they L
perceive around them. Worse still, many changelings awaken to their true natures only to be overcome by the sheer weightof Banality, the curse of the mundane. Some go mad looking for answers; others reject thelight and forever lock away the fae part of themselves.
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Yet despitethii, ll is not lost. A few changelingsstill believe - nd, more importantly, dream - hat things can be different. Wha t many humans lack, these dreamers -these creatures of the fae - till retain. They have not yet been irrevocably tainted by their environs. Though soiled with the world's ugliness, they also bearthe seeds of truth an d beauty.
Truthand huty In days goneby, truth was defined by the cycle of life, beautyby its diversity.Once upon a time, this world and its dreaming counterpart were one and the same:truth and beauty were two sides of t he same coin. But no more. Th e quest forbeauty has been usurped by self-pitying and self-servingartstha t glorify the darkness within us. O u r misguided eyessee little difference between the beautiful and the grotesque. Beauty is soughtby those who have no hope, for whom the mystery of death is a beautiful thing. Th e onlybeauty left here is that of despair.
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Truth is found in words spoken behind a gu n or a fist, uttered by nihilist punks who don't have anything to lose. Most in thii world do not want to hear truth, instead seeking escape in a cacophony of noiseand media. The only ones who speak the tru th are those who admit their
own despair. dark worldis Gothic-Punk. When Th e essence of thii we speakof it, we speakof the modem idealsof truth and beauty, according to which twisted beauty becomestruth and violent t ruth becomesbeauty. Such blurred lines and boundaries are what Gothic-Punkis all about. Into this chaos come the exiled children of dreamsto unravel t he lines and limits. They bear he marks ofthe Gothic-Punk ethos an d are as wistedand bent by it as any mortal. Indeed, even th e Seelie garb themselves in leather and hout their truths from the stage. However, what is but
philosophy, M i o n and atti tude among mortals is re them. These Kposers”ake their games most serious
kcadla
t what you want? Feller me
lad, hearyou not of the old Queen cursing youngThomas the Rhymerwith the knowing?Don’t as k fur such, unkss you be prepared fullytu receiveit!” -Justin Blacksoul,nockersmith(and former courtier)
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ong of Bran
Mists, lies the legendary landof Arcadia. This faerieland is the absolute opposite of the World of Darkness. In Arcadia hope,wonder, beauty, peace and oy reign- r so the legends say.Arcadia exists within th e Dreaming, though it is a realm in and of#tself.Within Arcadia lie all the ancientlands offaerie,where most h e still dwell.It is the place from whichall he srcinated.
T h e Sunderzing The world wasn’t alw ays brooding and clogged with Banality. Once it was as filled with light as it wa s with shadow. Death, pain and sadness still existed, but they were parts of a greater whole. Th e world of the Dreaming and the world of mortals were as one; there were no boundaries between them. Magic pervaded both lands.
Arcadia is the blessed land, for it is the font of Dreaming to which nearly all Kithain would like to return, Hihether they admit t or not. Thoughno one can
The natural order of things governed thecycleof life; all lived in harmony. The fae moved freely and lived largely unseen among the tribes of humans, carryingwith
truly say whatArcadia is Ue-changelingson Eanh lose all memory o f it - egends tell of its breathtaking beauty and magical majesty. For the Kithain it is an Eden, of wish fulfillment - nd as distant as any heave
them the song of the Dreaming. They danced, played and completelybeguiled humankind. The Dreamtricks ing was accessible from ever y place in the material world because it lay so c b e , and the fa e could move at will between both realms Then came the and the two worlds were ent apart. No one is e Sundering occurred, for it began in the re records were kept. For whatever reason e it fear of faerie poweror jealousy of faerie wealth- umanity gradually turned from truth and beauty and shut the Dreaming out of its heart. The physical world and the world ofdreamswere split apart. The Dreaming was broken and drifted. Although faeries could still travel back andforth between the
Sired by th thousandbards,
A
The followingis a summation of the history of the fae as it is sung by the bards ofHigh King David.
by the stoh& 2 a
They are creative imagination personified, stories come tolife. Whenever a new stoq is told, an other faerie is born.Faeries are the living embodiments of countless talesand are formed in their creators’images. Though they long ago freed themselvesfrom their creators, theyare still fascinatedby them -by US. Becausechangelings are born of myth, it is in their nature to fulfill their dreamroles.Such is their legacy. Theymust live out the dreams that might otherwise be crushed by the weight of reason. To keepGlamour alive, they must ensurethat their stories do not die. Storytellers must tell their tales for the Dreamingto have substance, to be spun.
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realms, the way was difficult and dangerous. Many faeries decided to live wholly in one world or the other, throwing in their lot with Earthor Dream. Mightily was the pain of the Sundering felt. Distrust, anger and fear sprang up between humans and faeries. Indeed, whenever humanitypushed the Dreaming farther from itself, and faeries grew more isolated, frustrated alienated. In like manner war, death,flood,amine and pain spread across Arcadia as humanity reeled from the backlash of b r e a k i i he union with the Dreaming. As humans
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the storiesof a reforged worl d, but those fae were cast in the mold of their tormented human dreamers. Arcadian kings, kingdoms, knights andlordsemerged.
The Sundering was like a tidal wave that washed across the world. SomeSay it began in Mesopotamiaand swept eastor west. Regardlessof where it began, by the time it reached what would become the lands of North and South America, it had dissipated. The Dreaming remained closer in these lands than n an y other. Because some bond remainedthere, the precursors of
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na-N’og sometimeseven performed ritualsof Glamour to bless humankind with children of the fae.
Though the Sundering separated the worlds, it did not entirely prohibit travel between them. Gradually the old “trods,”or walking paths, were rediscovered, makingit somewhat easier to travel to and from the Dreaming. These faerie gates became sourcesfomany legends and stories. The most powerful, called Silver’s Gate, was located in th e ancient (and now lost) Court of All Kings, a powerful faerie freehold.
the Americas became home to many beautiful fortresses Reawakenedwdswere hotly contested inbothworlds, and places of faerie power.They were built from thestuff but particularly among the faeries who lived on Earth,as of this world and Glamour, the magic of the Dreaming. they fought for congressand trade with their cousinsof the Indeed, fae built an empire in the New World. The fae Dreaming. Indeed, the ways between the worlds were called this place Tir-na-N’og, the SummerLands forcibly held open until disbelief became too strong to beautiful and peaceful place. maintain them. Banality, the anathema of the Dreaming, The mortals who lived in these “close” ands knew of was createdas a result of humankind’s tur ning from imagiTir-na-Nog and respected it; they did not war with it. nation to cold reason. Trods grew ever more difficultto Thus, denizens ofthe Dreaming were still able to walk traverse and eventually opened only on special days. close to humanity and could still impart some inkling of Ultimately, most nods closed permanently, and Kithaii wisdom and magic. In fact, the Kithain who resided in Tirleft on Earthwere forced to bide their time, awaiting an opportunity o return home.
beaming Changeling: Thc A
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Despite the Sundering’ssweeping impact, there were some lands beyond Tu-na-N’og in which mortals and the Kithain remained close. In Ireland and some partsof the BritishIsles,for example, the people of the land and the people of the Dreaming drew up pacts. They intermarried and continued to trade stories and cattle. Occasionally, faeries even took human infants and left fae in heir place; these faerie babies grew up, unmindful of heir true heritage, until their people came to claim them.
I T h e ShumeRing Of whichthat Bretons spoken grethonour AD was thislondoff&;
The elf-quene with hir joliecompanie Dancedfull oft in manya greneme&. - eoffrey Chaucer, Canterbury Tales The Shattering marked the culmination of the Sundering- it was the ultimatebreakingpoint betweenEarth , and Dream. The Shatterin goccurred around the eruption
of the Black Plague,just before the Renaissance, when the vestiges of rationality were born and began to spread throughout mortal Europe. This time marked afundamental change in human belief, one that wouldn’t have widespread effectsuntil the Age of Enlightenment, but its inception was enough to mark the end of faerie power on
Earth. ’
At the time of the Shatte ring all faeries faced a terrible choice:find one of the few faerie refugesand hide away in it indefinitely, embrace a material existence to survive on Earth, or flee to Arcadia. Most of the noble Kithain on Earth, fearing the corruption of Banality, fled to the faerielands. Meanwhile, common fae - uch as eshu, trolls andboggans-were trapped here and forced to adapt t o t he new scheme of things. The remaininggates to Arcadia, even those that would never open again anyway, shattered like fragile mirrors. Silver’s Gate was the last to fall. With the Shattering ,Banality swept across the land like a hungry wolf, devouring h i s of Glamour. The few faeries who were able to make it to heavily protected freeholds survived,but in isolation.All therest had to take refuge in mortal forms that would allow them to survive the icy winds of reason. With the noble sidhe gone and their kingdoms abandoned, the commoners were left to adapt as best they could.
The Interregnum is the name given to the period that followed the Shattering. Th e sidhe were gone, and commoner changelings hid fromthe world or clustered togethe r in tightly knit bands. Faced with isolationanddestruction, earthly changelings had no social structure. They concealed their true natures from Banality,the world and even each other.
Many commoners found it difficult to adapt to village and town life - he state of humanity at the time - nd became wanderers. Some joined or formed traveling circuses, finding refuge, disguise and home among the freaks ubiquitous to such shows. Many commoner traditions were born of those years on the road. In fact, those faerie circuseswere the first motleys-societies of common fae -and many of today’s motley traditions were established at tha t time. Meanwhile, in the fewfreeholds hat were left, a new class of nonsidhe noble arose. Commoner Kithain took over the mantles of authority that the sidhe had abandoned. To human perceptions, changelings who hadassumed physicalformppeared as freaks and madmen. The time may be considered the DarkAges of the fae,but it was a golden age for a bland humanity. Much ofour understandingof that time may betakenfromour history books; contemporary scientific understanding of the world was fairly accurate to the state of the human condition.
T he ConcoRd Whe n the Sha tterin g occurred, all that remained of past faerie glory wasan empire of exiles, expatriates and refugees. Survival was so difficult that Seelie and Unseelie - raditional rival faerie camps ame to an unprecedented agreement: a cessation of all hostilities. Seelie kingdoms allowed Unseelie to cross their borders, while Unseelie lordsgrantedSeelie leave to enter their fiefdoms. This truce, dubbed the Concord, has survived to the
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present day. The acceptance of trespassby rival Kithain eventually led to the earthly mingling of Seelie and Present-day Kithain societyis founded upon a mixture of Seelie and Unseelie concepts. La w and chaos, honor and madness, all exist within.
T h e &coRdance
(JJ~R
Trods closed by the coming of cold reason remained to the Dream@ was imPOS dorfnant for sible until human minds were once again open to wonder and curiosity. It was only in1969,when humanity first
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haptcR Tuo: Sercnvl
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landed on the moon (a powerful event that fueled the imagination of nearly every personon Earth),that an oped the ancient overwhelming stream of Glamour pathways and restored lost freeholds. This er birth of the old ways was called the Resurgence.
T he Rise of h g h king b i d
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The mace that came about after the Accordance War was achieved in part by the camps’ mutual tolerance of each other, bu t mainly by the rise of High King David,the embodiment of both sides’ causes.
With the sudden reopening of lostnods,long-absent Born nupstateNewYor kin the dy’ Mk, Davidwas noble faeries flooded back into thii world. “Something” Sained (put in touch with his faerie nature) when he was had happened in Arcadia to cause the exile of five of the very young. He grew up with his sister Morwen in the to Earth, 13 noble houses from the Dreaming. Cast out house of True Thomas, Grand Bard of the fae. Davidwas exiled nobles forgot the reasons for their actions or their one of a group of noble childlings under Thomas’wartime punishment (for loss of memory is the result of contact protection. withEarth), whichever it was. However, they did set out to make the best of their exile and moved to stake their Duringthe AccordanceWar,the warchief LordDafjll claimsto the reinvigorated material world. A clarion call ruled the returned nobility.Dafyll fought the commoners was sounded; earthbound Kithain of all stripeswere called in every part Qf the Americas, conquering region after forth from hiding to serve their “masters.” Formerly lost region, from west to east, in a methodical fashion. His freeholds were again claimed by nobility. Before long, the campaign reachedits climax on the island of Manhattan, ancient kingdoms of the fae fell back into place like the where the 4th TrollCommons Infantry made itslaststand. pieces ofa gigantic jigsaw puzz le. When a pitched battle on Central Pa rk‘s St ra wb eq Field degraded into street-to-street skirmishing,Lord Dafyll With th e reestablishment ofthe noble sidhe came the himselfwas forced to call a desperate retreatand fell back imposition of their law. The society of the Kithain who to the Times Square subway station. There hewas cut had remained on and adapted to post-Shattering Earth down with a blade of cold iron. was changed from one of nomadic, paranoid wandering to one of neofeudalism andi~!trigue.The fae society of Having held their ground and stalled furthersi& Arcadia, composed fo nobles jockeying forposition, imattacks, fae commoners were free tosearch the T m poseditself upon a commoner faerie society that had Square station for Dafyll’s prized sword Caliburn. They evolved along itsown lines.Indeed, o restore its authority hoped to use it as a rallying point for theira m y and a the returned nobility staged what becameknown as the weapon forthe cause. Whether Dafyllplaced a fith-fathon Beltaine Night of Iron Knives Massacre, during which the sword or otherwise hid it, the commoners’search was many commoner leaders were destroyed with cold iron. in vain. The Accordance War was the result. Commoners The death of Dafyll and the resulting power struggle rose up against their noble oppresso rs. Although many among the sidhe allowed the commoner army to make Kithain were destroyed in the war, the end result of the New York City its bastion. When itwas discovered that three-year “civil war” was the nobility’s recognition of many noble changelings were being hidden in upstate commoners’ rights. New Ymk, assassinswere sent to destroy them. True Thomas barely managed to escapewith his childling In return for many commoners’ aid in cementing heir hold on revealed freeholds, sidhe nobles were forced to charges. Theyfled to New York City on New Year’s Eve. recognizethe powerand influence of the commoners.An Wha t better place to hide, thought Thomas, than‘in he emancipation of sorts occurred. Kings were forced to heart of the enemy’s territory at a time of mortal chaos? appoint privy councils andgroupsof commoner advisors, But a redcap patrol recognized True Thomas among and nobles were required to appoint commonersto their the throng at Times Square and beset the aging bard, courts as representatives of theirfolk. forcing him to defend his charges with cantrip andstaff. Young David slipped away,beckoned by a call that he Today, following the traditions established by the sidhe who had been exiled toEarth, rule is determined by could not reh. A short time later he returned to the who swears fealty to whom. Commoners, however, are no scene of the battle - aliburn in hand - nd fought longer ignoredin the order ofthings;t is not unheard of valiantly in defense of his patron. Although hewas unfor a commoner torise abovehis station and join th e ranks skilled with the weapon, the sightof him wielding the of the nobility (even if those individuals are never completely treated as equals).
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huge sword,aglow in its glory,was enough to unnerve the hardened redcaps. Thomas called out to them, “Behold! Thou dost look upont h y king!” Exactly how David came upon the majestic sword is unknown to this day. Word that the long-prophesiedking had come spread among the nobility on the East Coast, including those ofthe Kingdom of Apples. Thomasbrought young David, sword in hand, to Queen Mab’s Court of Apples. She scoffed at first - ut when she ordered her servants to remove David from the throneroom, a great graygriffinmaterialized around him and cradled him in its wings. The sight of the griffin, also foretold, was proof enough for Mab to recognize David as high king. For the next several years David and his sister Morwen lived at Caer Loon in the Kingdom of Apples. Although he met much political and military resistance from other sidhe lords, David was eventually pronounced high king in accordance with royal lottery. He won the support of both nobility and commoner by appealing to the values of both. Many of the nobility he defeated in combat until the others could do nothing but respect his power, as was their way. His egalitarian attitudes won over the support of the commoners,to whomhe gave consideration and voice. His reign marked the embodiment of noble and commoner needs, leading to a tenuous peace that has lasted to this day. To mark his achievement, David named hisNorth American kingdom Concordia. Today, stories abound about High King David, who rules from Tara-Nar, a majestic fortressofhis own making. He is known as “the Lion of T a d and “the Commoner’s King” because of his fiercenessin battle and free thinking. His wisdom and honor are alreadylegendary.Caliburn is alwaysby his side, as is his sorceress sister Morwen, who rules when David is absent from court. Kithain in Concordia live under David’s benevolent rule. Though there are quiet voices of dissent,his subjects are for the most part content. In Concordia, fae thrive an d are afforded the opportunity to understand and live with one another.
ChaDceRTwo: Semina
Do you stillkeep paperflowers inthe bottom drawer with your Belgian lace to watchthe colorsfade Taking them out every year away Do you stiU believefairy in tales, n baukments of shining castles Safefromhe dragons thatlie beneaththe hiU by a gypsy Are y o u stiU a Russian princess rescued dancer To anyone who’U listeni s that a swry you stiUteU You live a life of fantasy, yourdiary rmntic iction Can’t yo u see it’s hard for me, an yousee what I’m cryingto say? - ish, “A Gentleman’s Excuse Me’’ Changelingsexist in a world created fromfilamentsof dream.Although they live among mortals,no human can ever truly understand what their secret lives- heir Dreaming lives- re like.
Like children on a playgFound, changelings livein a world of imagination. However, what they believecan become real. Their unconscious minds shapethe stuff of dreams into something that they and they alone can understand. Changelingscall these products fotheir imagination “chimera,” for they exist only to those of the Dreaming. Chimera can be objects (weaponsor magical treasures), creatures (often monstrous)and places (flying castlesor archways located in forests). Chimera can have a degree of intelligence, and some chimericalbeings can even speak. Thevery realityof the fae is composedalmost entirely of chimera.
The whole being of a changeling is suffused with a magical energy called Glamour. Glamour describesthe mystical, elemental power of what exists on th e Oth er Side, in the realmsof fantasy and fancy. While chimera are the “physical” embodimentsof dreams and imagination, Glamour is the “power source” that fuels and animates those chimera and the Dreaming as a whole. When a changeling draws upon Glamour, she draws upon the very energyof the Dreaming. That energycan be used to alter the Dreaming or change and modlfy material reality. Changelings can use Glamour to evoke their magicalarts and cast their mischievouscantrips.
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Though Glamour is generallyinvbible o mortal eyes (becausemottalsdonot believe init ),fa e have an intuitive ability to sense it - o see the truth offaerie things even when that truth is otherwise c o d e d . Known as faerie sight, or “kenning,” this ability to recognize the use of Glamour enables Kithainto recognizeeach othereven when they are in mortal form, to sensewhen Glamour is usedand to sensewhen powerful sources of Glamour are nearby. All changelings poss esssome instinctive degree of kenning, but only those who ractice the Kenning Talent (see Chapter s ix ) can employ it freely. Glamour is rare and precious in the Worldof Darkness. Changelingscovet it and ealously guardit.
The fool escaped from paradise wiU look over his shoulderand cry Sit and chew on daffodils nd sm& to answer why
As you grow up and leavethe phyground where you kissed you a prince and found your frog Remember the jester showed you tears, the scriptfor tears. -Marillion,
“Scriptfor a Jester’s Tear“
faerie natures are completely suppressed. Banality consumes them, and he y forget fhslt they were ever anything other than human. Known as he Undoing, thi scourge eradicates every facet of a changding’s true MW ,
In order ta wive
at all, the Kithaln
leemed how to
k
conceal them&m ftom Banality. The do so sort of mundaneform, be itaya to was to assume some tree, an animal or a human. By weavingObour into heir forms, or Mscemings,” changelings assumed the like, of mortalsand &by concealeddwtisd~ ver the years changelings pe dk te d these drsguiises and b e ecome very nearly indistinguishable from the motcaL they emulate.
By adoptingmarral seeimst changelings hav e learned to hi& h m Bamality as well as (albeit with difficulty) coexistwith it. Onlythm who find themselves on Earth for the first time have amble dealing with Banality fromday to day. Even well-adapted changelings fear prolonged contact, though. Changelings first discovered that they could escape Banality by assumbg the youths, taking the places physicalworld (replace Arcadia) By entering h lings grew upas mortals was (and stilt is) the most comm came to Earth.
When humanity turnedits collective back on the Dreaming, a terrible scourgeof disbelief and negation rust and imagination were desmote the world. Hope, reason,essimismand scrutiny. stroyed and replaced with Known, among other name, s the Endless Night, thii Commoners, on the other hand, who by and large is the antithesis of the adapted to existence in the mortal world following the Banality - he very Shattering, are reborn into m o d armlies (usually those energy of doubt and the oppositeof Glamour -causes the that carry faerie blood) when their former bodies pass further deadening of sensesnd minds, resulting in apathy, away. TheirWirits join with the soulsof unborn children callousness and close-mindedness. and the two become fused. Common changelings thereBanality is the curtain of th e mundane that humans fore grow upas humans, all their fae memories utterly create in order to survive in the World of Darkness. By forgotten. dismissinghope and faith, humanity avoids beinghurt by
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its failure. Shutting out mystery and dreams anesthetizes fear, but deadens beauty as well. Banality has largely blotted out faerie magic and to this day deters its return.Thoughit is a mindless force, Banality is fearedby the fae more than a n y monster or villain. It is an enemy unlikeanything the Kithain have ever encountered,and they are largely helplessin its grasp.
T h e Undoing Sometimes the pressure of Banality becomes so overwhelming that it completely smothers changeli ngs. They become so rooted in the world of humanity that their
Some mortals with faerie spirits live and die without ever discovering their true natures.The chains ofBanality forever bind them. Othersdiscover their fae sides durinn the Chrysalis,the event of self-revelation, recall their fae memories.
T h e CD~sts he Mists of Forgetfulnessare among the greatest cursesinflicted by Banality. TheMists cloud the minds of the Kithain on Earth, making it impossible for them to remember Arcadia, their past lives, and sometimes even their changeling nature. Because changelings assume
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those forms. Anything experienced outside mortalitybecomes nearly impossible to recall. Robbed of their memories, changelingswho assume mortal form understandably live frustrated, bitter lives. Awarethat they're different from other peo ple anddesperate to discover their true heritage, changelings in mortal form search constantly for clues to their true identities. Theirsis the hero's quest in its simplest form: thequest for self-discovery
Glamour.The resulting ma el str om of f, chaotic hallucinations is known s the Dream hce. The Dance is a visionquest in whichthe fledge confronts her deepest fears and highest aspirations.
Sometimes the Mists do part,f only slightly.On the rareoccasions when the fae dream,he y dream of the past. (Men, glimmersof their past livesmArcadiaare revealed. For he mostpart, however, little can be uncovered before close again. the Mists
In rare, tragic cases,he perceptual assault of the Chrysalis drives a changeling utterly mad. Others are frightened by whatthey experiencethat they retreat into the stability of Banality.A few becomeso twisted, caught betweenmadnessand hatred of their ne w selves, that they come to despise the Dreaming.These individuals often become Dauntain, seeking to destroy that which causes them so much pain.
For this reason, Arcadia is a mystery to earthbound fae. Even changelings who are somehow awareof it do not
FosceRage
.
After the onset of the Chrysalis, and sometimes before its completion, the new changeling is brought to the nearest freehold.There the process of explanationis True mortals are always blinded by the Mists. Their innate J3anality causes them to forget manifestations of continued, proof of her nature is provided,and the hapless ' fledge is counseled about her true existence- ssuming Glamour. that she has not retreated into Banality or responded violently to the Chrysalis. U At this time th e newcomer is "adopted"by an older, experienced Kithain, usually a grump. This faerieserves as the fledge's mentor and guardian. It is Changelings awaken from mortal existence on their to teach and guide his ward in the waysof ow n terms and in different phases of their mortal lives. Yet He is a combination of teacher, guardianang the stagesof awakening are the same for all changelings, godparent. Whether a changeling's guardian is a noble or regardless of age. Those stages are he t Chrysalis, Fosterage a commoner playsa vital role in how the wardfits into Kithain society. Typically the wardis adopted into the household or motley of her guardian (see below).
know for certain what Arcadia is stories about it are true or false.
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The trauma of the Chrysaliscan sometimes be too much for the awakened to handle. Many fledges experience deep delusions and emit wild, unconscious spurtsof
like or whether the
othe
Th e Chqml is
By ancient tradition, the lord of the freeholdchooses I have seen an wornbefore an oak, a nut before a the fledge's guardian. The lordcan assign whomeverhe hazel, but nevera changelingbefore ehe Chrysalis. wishes to the role, and may make the decision on hisown - ld Kithain saying or take the advice of advisors. However,if members of a Awakening to the Dreaming is a traumatic, life- motley - group of commoners- cquire a fledge, they altering event. An awakening changeling must undergo never take her to a noble-controlled reehold or awardher the Chrysalis, a transformation o f perception. It is at this to a noble mentor. point that a changeling discovers the Dreaming, his true Both ward and guardian swear Oathsof Fosterage. In nature and the Kithain as a whole. most casesthisisachangeli'sfirstoathbond (seebelow). A massive groundswellfoGlamour accompaniesthis In the absence of true faerie kin, one's guardiansandwards change. If any changelingis nearby, he immediatelykenns are considered one's family. the disturbance. Sometimes several changelingssense he A ward is often heir to her guardian's estate and titles. awakening and flock to the scene. In some cases this includes title over a freehold. Award Thoseattracted o he “fledge"-the newbornchangedoesn't necessarily end up in the same court (Seelieor ling - ave a duty to help him through the process of Unseelie)as her guardian. Indeed, if the ward isa childling, realizing and accepting who and what he is(as detailed the guardianis probably unsure whether his chargeis below under "Fosterage" and "Saining"). Seelie or Unseelie.
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Changeling:
After a fledge - pecifically a childlingor wilder fledge-has been assigned a mentor, that newborn must pass through a time of waiting. This periodtypically lasts for a year and a day, during which the fledge is fully educated about changeling society. During this period, after some months have passed by mortal reckoning, the fledge is allowed somefreedom in Kithain society, but is still protectedby her guardian. This portion of the fledge’s grooming is known s “the warding.” Finally, before the year and dayhas passed, the fledgegoesthrough a time of watching, during which sheis observed but not particularly guarded.She isallowed to make herown mistakes and takeher own lumps. Newly awakened grumpsare reated differently, since they have so much experience (and Banality). They are immediately taken into a specific houseor motley as a guest and are carefully taught about their faerie heritage until they are ready to join Kithain society. Obviously, some grumps are better prepared to accept their new realities than others are. When a changeling, whether childling, wilder or grump, is prepared to be fully initiated into Kithain society, seers performa ritual called the Saining. “Saining” literally means‘haming.’’Theeers’ nchantments enable the parting of th e Mists and the discoveryof the Kithain’s true name. The changeling is not supposed to share this name with anyone outside her household or motley. It has mysticalsignificance; he knowingof it providesan nemy with power over the changeling. The Sa in ii of the noble sidhe differs from that of commonen. It is a secret ritual attended only by members of the house that has taken in the fledge. The young sidhe undergoes an ordeal called the Fior-Righ to determine if she is truly of the sidhe and to which house she truly belongs. The initiateis also tested in a variety of ways to judge character, skill, physical ability and wits. I Sometimesnoble houses plant changelings in mortal 1
families and await their awakening. In such cases a house usually already knows what the fledge’sallegiance,character and abilities will be, even before the fledge’sChrysalis. Regardlessofsocialstanding, anewlyinitiatdchange-
ling typically swearsvassalage to her lordor motley,
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whichever is appropriate. If the fledgejoins a household, she m a y be retained in its lord’s service.
kith A changeling who awakens to theDreamingnot only iiscoven a new world and a new identity,but learns that ie belongs to an inhumanace.There are many different
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races among changeling k i d . These races are known as
kith. From kith is derived the term "Kithain," whichis what changelings call themselves as a people. Awakened changelings are often able to recognize the kith of dormant faeries;mortal seemingsoften reflect kith racial qualities. That's not an absolute rule, though; sometimes a changeling'skith is imperceptible until the changeling is infused with Glamour. A changeling's hparameters e essence ofofher self, kith is her true dream body. Kith determines the broad a changeling's appearance, though no two changelingshave identical features.
As a changeling's Banality grows, her kith more closely matches her mortal seeming until the two merge and the kith is undone, forever lost to the mundane. The nine most common Western kith are:
Boggan- uiet, practical homebodies, boggms cannot resist the urge to help others in need. By the same token, however, they feel that everyone's business is their own. They are known for their ability to accomplish ordinary tasksat incredible speeds. Eshu- Sharp-witted and crafty, eshu are renowne d travelers and storytellers.Plagued with an unquenchable wanderlust,they have a knack for being at the right place at the right time. Though the eshu srcinated in Africa, they have since traversed the globe.
Nocker-T he motesque and dour nockers are renownedsmithsand c&rs&~ There's not much that nockers can't fix.Unfortunately, hey tend to relate better to wc hi es than o people.
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Pooh coundrels of the worst sort, poo ka are clever and gregarious alkers. They are infamousfor never telling the complete truth.
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Redcap- rude, rude louts with a tasteforblood, redcaps are disliked by most. They hav e voracious appetites and are.able to devour virtually a ny th ig that they can sink their teeth into or fit into their maws. Satyr - atyrs are lusty, hedonistic party animals - ut, paradoxically, are sought after for their wisdom. Their music can be quite infectious and has been known to have powerful effects on its listeners. Sidhe - he high and noble race of the fae, the sidhe are tall and incredibly beautiful. They are naturalborn leaders, and know it.
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Ch angelinD :Th e be am in g
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Sluagh- The whisperers of secrets. These disturbing beings dwell in the forgotten places o f the world. Sluagh never speak above a whisper,so one should be certain to listen carefully. Troll- hese huge, amazinglystrong changelings are known for their honor and stubbornness. Almost
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A changeling who awakens from mundane life not only undergoes drastic personal changes, but is also thrust into a new social environment. There is a whole world of fae creatures out there to encounter, understand and become a part of, and these beings have their own social conventions and standards.
7 T h e Ties That
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Bind
The Kithain are a very socialpeople. They are seldom alone when they are filled withGlamour and have been known o pine awayinto Banality ifforced o remain apart. Thus,hangelings tend to belong to clans of one type or another. These clans are families of sorts:communitiesof Kithain whose members protect each other and work together toward common goals. The most common faerie groups are the noble household and the commQnermotley. Members of these groups are typically bound together by a varieq of oaths. and the newly awakened are constantly soughtafter for membership. pon the power Householdsand motleys and importance of freeholds. The ni fluence of each group
1.
stems from its control and dominance over such refuges.
'I households A household consists of a band of changelings who live together in the same freehold and serve the same noble lord, whether as vassalsor retainers. Members of noble households are by definition part of the feudal hierarchy and support the continued rule of noblekind. Each household has its own coat of arms (that belonging to its ruling lord) and its own battle standard. The lord of a household must be at least a knight in rank and is often status.
a baron or of higher Most Kithain have a great deal of pride in their nouseholds. If one member of a household succeeds, all members do. Most households have at least one rival household, for which no amount of enmity or scorn suffices. Open battles between households are common. Not all households are ruledby sidhe; these days, nobles derivefrom all the kith.
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A motley is a commoner society; it is run by and for commoner faeries. Motleys are radical and nonconform-
ii\l
ist, rejecting the elit ist feudal s a u c ~ ef the nobility. In fact, they present themselvesas Ita alternative. Motleys have no set leaders - heir membersdon’t believe in leadersand followers- ut work together or the common good. Motleys srcinated centuries ago,when many commoners grouped together after the Shattering and adapted mor& view by Glamour. Though mortals m&t passby a to life onEarthby forming circuses or freak shows. Indeed, faerie tavern every day,it looksso dusty, dilapidatedand many of their traditions derivefrom circus life. rundown to them that they never thinkof going in. Most motleys control freeholds of some khd. MemFreeholdsare so valuable tochangelings hat they are berswork together to maintain and protect th eir holdings the keystonesof he Kithain feudal system. Freeholdsare (mainly from rapacious nobles). Motley freeholds are sourcesof power and influence for nobles and commo ners known as mews and are opento all. Some motleys cling alie. tightly to circus traditions and wander about“takii over” Freeholds are the foci ofmany changelings’ secret, whatever freeholds prove handy, moving on just before faerie lives. Most consider one freehold or another to be they are forcibly evicted. their home, though they do not really live there. They The nobility consider motleys little more than gangs, have loyalty to and affixtion for their refuges, no matter albeit powerful ones.They wish they could rid themselves how small or humble.Wars have been fought over freeof motleys completely,but failing that, they attempt o use holds, sometimes over mattersas “insignificant” s where motleysas pawns in their intrigues and power struggles. to hangtapestries. “Home Sweet Home”isa serious matter Motleys were the dominantform of family among for the Kithain. Kithain during the Interregnum. Today they serveas the only influential counterwelght to the power of the nobility. Their influence gives commonersa voice in the affairs Trods are faerie roads- onnections not only beof the nobility,but motleys have very little sway overthe tweenfreeholds,butbetweenthemortalworldandArcadia.
TRods
conservative rulers of various kingdoms.
Trods are ied tothe waxing and waning of the seasons,he orbits of he planets and the positions of the stars. M e r the Shat tering, trods between Arcadia and Earthcould only be opened from the Dreaming side, and were always guarded there. Indeed, they are still guarded.
oachci Rcles The third type of faerie social group, called an oathcircle, usually consists of a groupof riends who swear oaths of friendship and loyalty to one another. Such groups tend to be based out of one or more freeholds, though some call no particular place home. Oathcircles can be formed by changelings, nobleor commoner, who simply enjoy each other’s companyor whom circumstances force into alliance. Changelings with a common enemyor in common trouble may band together and swear allegiance to each other. Some groups of changelings even form secret orders andsocieties. Those who swear to each other are considered
T h e SacRed Flames Most freeholds are lit with theflamesof the balefire, the Ignis Vesta. This chimerical fire is the literal heartof a freehold and the focus of its magic. Th e balefire is Glamour given form.
It is vital never to let the balefire of a freehold burno ut, lest th e site be lost to Banality. The source of allbalefiresis the Great Mefire that burns in the sacredwellunderTara-Nar, hecastleofHighKing David.
oathbound. Those who are oathbound can pool their Glamour and cantrips.
FReeholds
Balefires are connected obliquely to Beltaine, the nlght on which new life is celebrated. Indeed, the festival of Beltaine is named after Balor’s Fires. Fireslit from balefires serveas a focus for the night’s festivities.
There are very few places left in the world where the Kithain canhide from the menace OfBanality. Most of the ancient faerie glens, isles and hillocksare long gone, their pathways to Arcadia closed when the weight ofhurnanity’s disbelief became too heavy for them to remain open. Nonetheless, a few remain. Such places have close connections with the Dreaming (see “Trods,” below).
m.E
Changeling:Thc bming
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’
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Y
Tgpes of FReeholds Glade -
svlvan glen, typically located deep in a forest. Glades are Yfestivals.
Hearth A faerie tavernor bar, usually with an entrance in a back alley. Many speakeasiesfrom the 1920shave been turned int o hearths. All are
Changeling society is like a complex symphony of several movements, harmoniesand measures, throughout which run two distinct themes - he concepts of Seelie and Unseelie. The influence of these states reverberates
welcome in these establishments,as ong as one has something to trade.
on all levelsof social interaction, and they are as ubiquitous as light and darkness.
Lodge - ottages,houses and mansionscollectively consider ed lodges - an be freeholds. Lodgesare typically the strongholds of nobles, who spend much of their time within. Manor small faerie glen surrounding a cabin or other building, - usually located in the
More thansimply political afhliations, the states of Seelie and Unseelie are waysof being and philosophiesof existence. Each manifestsin a coutt, and all Kithain have qualities of bothSeelie and Unseelie, butone alwaysholds sway and is embraced over he t other. The nature of each or little-known court iswidelyknown; they are not secrets truths.
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tains, typically'the refuge of an outcast.
Grotto- Asylvancaveorabandonedmine. Sluagh often gather in such out-of-the-way freeholds, though others occasionallyseek the seclusion that grottoesoffer.
FaerieRing A very smallglen found deep in the forest. These naturally occurring freeholds as he wild places of the world grow increasingly rare dwindle. Isle - h&bench&td is1 ally be found on maps, nor have they been sulliedby mortal feet. The most prized of freeholds, isles are very private refuges and are closely guarded. Only six isles have ever been discovered. Thorpe- faerie town. Thorpes are rare these days. One of the most famous is a mining ghost town knownas Mother Lode, located somewheren Nevada.
One's court - he nature that geling has a predilection for- arks one in many ways. These marks are impossible to define, but are keenly felt and affect all Kithain social interaction, regardless of any rational thought. A Seelie always mistrustsan Unseelie. An Unseelie always holds a Seelie in contempt. They may mask these feelings, butsome small degre e of prejudice always exists. Such is the nature of the Kithain. At one time the Seelie and Unseelie fought incessantly, bu t this is no longer the case. While there are still some who mindlessly disparage or even war against their inimical court, members of the two generally tolerateeach other. Open bigotry is a thing of the past. Many changelings servelords who are not of their own court, and many count as friends those of the other court. Each court has a multitude of aspectsthat define it. There are no hard-and-fast rules to delineate whethera thing is Seelie or Unseelie; several factors decide. While somesay that the Seelie are of the day and summer and th e Unseelie are of the night and winter, this isnot alwaysthe case. All that canbe said for certain is that the courts are
Thefaeries of Arcadia,dreadfully afraidof Banality entering their realm, make certain that no one passes from the material world to theirs.
rivals and that they are different from one another. Individuals within the same court differ more courts as a whole.
Since he Resurgence somemods have opened of their own accord from Earth,but do so only when the time is right. Such times seldom come. Luc ky individuals do
In fact, it is not unknown for Kithai loyaltiesfrom one court to the other. Howe just an dle affectation. When a changeling embraces her opposite nature, she makes a tremendous choice that ters her very existence and place in Kithain society.
occasionally alight to Arcadia at these times. Othe ' ' is nearly impossiblefor the fae of the material wor travel back to the Dreaming, though that is the fonde hope of most.
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T h e Seek COURC The Seelie have alwaysbeen known s the guardians of radition. They keep the peace, foster love, protect the weakand maintain the ideals of chivalry. They are traditional and cautious, trusting the old over the new. Most Seelie desire to reunite themselves with the Dreaming,nd will do so at any cost. They believe the gathering of Glamour to be a sacred duty, a process of reuniting hams and dreamers.For them, Banality is the scourgeof disbelief, the rejection of the Dreaming and the bane of all faeries. the Seelie, thedishonor. worst crimes are own oathbreaking, For cowardic treason, e and In their eyes they are bringers of justice, providers of stability, keepersof tradition, paragons of chivalrya d isciples of truth. They hold beauty, true love and honor as their greatest virtues. Bards - ecorders of faerie way s - re frequently consulted by the Seelie to leam how thingsusedo be. The Seelie instinctivelytrust the old waysbecausethey revere the wisdom of the ancients. Some Seelie are so enamored of ancient imes that they affect the ressand speech ofthe mortal European Middle Ages. Even the most modem Seelieagree that tradition and the wisdomof the eldersare vitally important.
Changeling:The bmning .La-
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T h e Old uays In t he distant past, th e rulership of th e Dreaming was ordered. It changed seasonally and was balanced between light and darkness,summer and winter, Seelie and Unseelie. In those days the Seelie kw and queen ruled from Beltaine until Samhain. On Samhain, the Seelie Court gave up rulership to the Unseelie Court, and t he Unseelie king and queen ruled until the next Beltaine. During the Interregnum, after the Kithain nobility leftthe earth, the importance of th e courts diminished. Survival was more vital than games and pageantry. Seelie and Unseelie commoners adopted a laissez-faire code of conduct. Member of the courts learned to tolerate each anothe r and to recognize each otheras separate sides of the same coin. Court-based feuds and evenwars still occurred on Earth, but a process of accommodation began.
fll
T h e SeelieCode
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Death before dishonor. Chivalry is not dead. Ho tant virtue - t is the source honor must not be stained. Sometimesnothing but one's own death can cle
Love conquers all. Love is thesoul of transcends all and is the perfect expression fowhat it is to be Seelie. Courdyb romantic love is considered the highest formof lm,but familial love is pure as well. Anything is permitted in the name of true love. I
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:eautys life. that canBeautyis a timeless, objective quality not be described, but is recognized whenever it appears. Beautyis the muse of creation, th e tltti&te floweringof the Dreaming. Once found, it must be protected. Many heroeshepe died protecting beautifulplaces,peopleand hings.True Never forgeta debt. One gift deserves another. If you receive a gift,
then you should giveone. If you ace subjected to a curse, then you should+intonene. One oath of friendship deserves anqther. Never refuse to aid another to whom you are indebted. Never forget a kindness...or a slight.
T h e ChseelieCOURC. But such people!Ogreswith m a woh, and bull-men; spiritsof e poisonousplana ,. Gruels and Hags and lncubuses,
Wraiths, Horrms,Efieea, Sprites,orknies,Woos Ettim. - .S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch rmd the The Unseelie have always been knownas thosewho mocked tradition, brought war an d change, fosteredmadness and hatred, reviled the weak and upheld freedom and wildness over an y chivalric code. They see themselves as radical visionaries, changingwith the times and always looking toward the future. Members of today's Unseelie Court believe quite firmly that since the Dreaminghas abandoned them, no loyaltyis owedit. The Unseelie manipulate theDreaming fortheir ownpurposes, using Glamouras a means to glorify and further their Will. They see themselves as walk amongmindless ~es, nd feel free to
skim the cream off the top of the human an ithain culture's chum.ndeed, some Unseelie (redcaps 1 ~ 1 articular) still ptactice the ancient traditions of cannibalism and human sacrifice. Althootghsome Unseelie wish to return to the Dreaming, they do so only becauseit is M avenue to power. The Unseeliecomider Banality apowerlcll adversary,not to be feared but harnessed. Themoreradicalamong heUnseelie believe Banalityto be the synthesis of a€l reality, the natural successor to the falsehoodof the Dreaming. Ultimately, the Unseelie believe that their strengthof will can overcome Banality. Th e Unseelie hold stagnation,repression, narrowmindedness, censorship,w&es and traditionalism to be the worst of crimes. Theysee themselvesas champions of change, paragons of freedom, awakenersfothought and enemies of inhibition. The Unseelie are notoriouslycantmptuousofcourtly ways, pageantry and the pectaclepf Kithain society. They consider these Seelie traitssilly,dd-f.dshionedand boring. If they do attend a pageant or ball, itis usually to (openly or quietly) mock the proceedings.
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T he Shadow COURC Bornin the heart of the Interregnum was a tradition known as the Shadow Court. Initially established by the Unseelie as a lark, a mockeryof the old divisionof rule
The Unseelie"Code"
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Change s good. Security is a falsehood: itdoes not exist. One second you are cock-of-the-walk,the next you are a feather duster.Embracechangeor you will be lost in its dust.Chaos is the ruli orce of the universe; deal with it. Adapt or die. Glamour is free. Hoarding it Glamour is worthlessunlessused, does no good,M) fillthe air with its power. Therewill ah.ravs be moredreamersand more Glamour.If you are clever enough,you will always have your fill.
OHonorisalie. Honor is but a fairy tale, and abad one at that. It has no place in the modem world. Only through enlightened self-interest can any truthbe reached. Passion before duty. Passion is the truest state. Follow yourinstincts. Live life to the fullest. Haveas much fun as possible before youryouth is gone. Live well now tomo~ow ou may die.
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based on the seasons, the ShadowCourt became a means for the Unseelie to retain someof their former identity. The ShadowCourt is called together on the evening of every Samhain. During the festivities, honoraty titles are bestowed for the coming Unseelie part of the year. Although some hardcore Seelie frown on the festival, believing its increasing significance tobe too familiar of Seelie ways, most consider it a harmless celebration.
m all human cultures. They are
Celtic culture has the most far-reaching im-
Today the Shadow Court is relegated to the status of a Mardi Gras-likeholiday, a night when every changeling, even the Seelie, remembers that he has an Unseelie nature. It is anight for celebrating he dark half of the year, a memorial for fallen fae and a time to tell stories and drink.The Shadow Court also convenes at other times, but in secret, and only select Unseelie are invited to complain about or discuss policies there.) All changelingsknow about the ShadowCourt(but not about its clandestinemeetings). Even Seelie rulers see it as a means for their changeling populace to “letoff steam.” Although Unseelie rulers tend to be on friendly terms with the Shadow Court, courts are often called without the participation of those rulers, particularly in regard to secret meetings- he appearance of Unseelie lords would attract too much attention. Little does the general Kithain populace know that of late the ShadowCourt is being turned to a sinister purpose, one that remains secret for now.
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At one time the children of the Dreaming lived as equals and the structureof their society was no more complex that of humanity,s nibes. time passed
pact on Kithain ways, and those ways are sometimes imposed upon other faerie cultures. Certainly the Japanesemgu, the Australianmimi and the Hawaiian menehunedon’t stand for such foreign pressures , but for the most part changelings of different backgrounds live in peace. As the closest earthly land to the Dreaming, Concordia (North America) is culturally unique. It is something of a faerie melting pot, where changelings from across the world come to eke out an existence in hopes of one day returning o Arcadia.
WhenforeignchangelingsdojoinCelticcourts, houses and motleys, they tend to adopt titles from ir owncultures that approximate their newfound itions. Such faeries are often treated as visiting
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Even Unseelie lords require unstintingloyaltyfrom their lessers. Despite their advocation of freedom and chaos, those Unseelie who lust for power have need of loyal underlings justas their Seelie cousins do. As commoners erfs and peasants tood at the bottom of the social order during humanity’s medieval
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kom the beaming, humanity*s times, commoner fae stand at the bottom of today’sfaerie dreams grew twisted and warped by its bolation. order. At least that’s how the nobles perceive things. for their violent and black dreams fo a medieval age transformed Having survived the Interregnum and
and humanity
ne
the order of Arcadia: faerie kingsand queens emerged, and with them a feudal monarchy. when some nobles were cast out to Earthupon the Resurgence, that same feudal
freedom the to commoners have their own ideas about where they stand in Kithain society.
and Nobles CommoneRs Commoners, trapped o n Earth after the Shattering,
it is built on the bulwarks ofhonor and pride. Every noble swean loyalty to his respective lord andis expected to observe his vows. Those who do not are punished severely, not only by their lieges but by other noble Kithain. The
have come directlyfrom Arcadia - his is their one only time around the block.If they’re killed, their sp
are lost*
Noblesconsidercommonersbase and mundane. Come
nobility, but many more mistrust them and still others
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hold them in complete contempt. Generally speaking commoners do not play the games of nobles. They don’t fully respect the bond between vassal and lord, and they don’t consider themselves serfs, but separate from and equal to the nobility.
Liege and vassal
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Noble society is based on a complex hierarchy in which rank and title determine status. Respect and obedience are accorded one’s lordand expected from one’s vassals. Practically every noble is a vassal to another. The exceptions are kings and queens, but sometimes even they are subject to a higher power(as is the case in modem times, with the reign of High King David). Likewi se, practically everyone is someone else’s liege. Only the lowest of the faerie nobility (squires) are not liege lords, although they may have pages beneath them Commoners are not officially considered part of the ruling class; hardcore traditionalists among the nobility consider commoners to be subjectsand nothing more. Following the Accordance War, integration of commoner society into the noble order has led to some commoners becoming nobility, but nobles rarely considerthese “upstarts” equal. The acquisition of power is the goal of most nobility. Power is won through intrigue, political maneuvering and outright war. Nobles strive to have others swear fealty to them, collect vassals and seize new holdings. Winning power also wins favor with a noble’s own lords, further improving a changeling’sstatus. Those at the top of the order go to great lengths to expand and consolidatetheir power. Those at the bottom struggle to make names for themselves and retain their rightsand privileges. Rights and privileges are central to the relationship between lord and vassal. A lord does not have absolute power. Vassals have a number of traditional rights.If these rights are abrogated, vassals have, by custom and law, a right to band together and fight their lord or appeal o their lord’s liege.
Noble Ob lig mo ns A changeling noble has a number of obligationsto her vassals. A vassal cannot be treated as a thrall, servant or churl. It is a noble’sduty to protect a vassal fromoutside harm and violation of rights. A lord must provide safe haven to a vassal in times of need.A lord must provide fair judgment and cannot inflict punishment without just cause. A lord must administrate over the property of commoners who reside in the lord’s domain; no other justice may be applied.A lord must also provide for
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I olidays and festivals during which Glamourm a y be celebrated. If a lord’s rule is considered unfair, appeals may be made to a higher lord. A vassal may lawfully turn on her lord if her feudalrights or Rights of the Escheat- he very laws of the fae (see pg.73) - re violated. While vassals are not meant to be dominated, it does occasionally happen. Tyrants are stilltyrants.Vassals who are weak and self-serving will al ways allow themselvesand their fiefs to be abused by tyrannical lords.
As an aside, because many commoners do not believe
themselves subject to the feudal system, conflicts often arise over how commoners may behaveand who may punish them. If a commoner resides in a lord’s domain but does not feel responsible tothatlord,muchsocialstrifecan result. Sometimesonly the word of a mutually respected figure, such as High King David,can resolve disputes between nobles and comm oners. Painful memories of the Accordance War still linger.
Titles
Noble changelingspossess titles giving the m sovereignty over domains and the freeholds within. Indeed, holding title over freeholdsis at the core of what it is to be a noble. Nobles who lack titles desperately seek to gain them. A baron without a title is a baron bereft of respect. A knight without land is without honor.
Coats of A m s
Each noble household has itsow n coat of arms. Each noble of knightly rank or higher bears his own personalizedversion ofthe arms. This heraldic design, al so known as a crest, is commonly worn on he back of a cloakor on a shield. Sometimesthe crest is simplysewn onto a shirt. Crests are used to mark changelings, particularly nobles, making them easily recognizable in battle by bot h friend and foe.
When the Sunderingseparated Earth and Dreaming, and the Shattering severed them completely, most nobles fled to Arcadia or were lost to Banality. With the reopening of the trods centuries later, members of five noble houses were thrust uponEarthfrom Arcadia. There they imposed the political hierarchy theyhad forged inArcadia. The Resurgence occurred in 1969, so the Kithain of the five noble houses who arrived withit have only been on Earth for a few years. Though not all nobles onEarth belong to one of these fivehouses, the vast majority do and therefore keep a tight rein on power. (Though commoners
68
Channelinn: The &caminn
7
Ba~t-e~undboss
Barter is the chief form of exchange among
the Kithatn; money has no role. What need do faeries have of printed green paper? The Kithain do have a medium of exchange, though it is hardly asofficialasbillsorcoins. Ratesofexchangeforthe Kithain are measured in termsof “dross,”physical objects that contain the rawof essence of Glamour. These items have had a bit Glamour imparted into them by various means. Examplesof items tha t con tain Glamour and that can be considered dross are a handwritten poem by Edgar AllanPoe, a shirt worn by Elvis Presleyor a heretofore unh o w n sculpture by Michelangelo nything that has been exposed to powerful imaginationor is the object of a spectacle. When such rare items are discovered, the Glamour within them is seldom used (unless by radical Unseelie). Such items are more useful in trade. Changelings can use the Kenning Talent to judge ita’ worth.
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Additionally, all chimerical objects contain some smallamountof Glamour and can be considered dross. Chimerical coinshave been minted, I
are recognizedin theory, they have 1 and most know t.)
Membe~fromtheelghthousesthatremainin
rcadia
also occasionallyfindthemselves on Earth.These Kithain are generally adopted into one of the earthly houses, though theyare not alwayscompletely welcomedm rusted. The noble houses are named after their famous founders.The character of each housereflects he personality of its creator. Chapter Six:raits providesfull details on the houses. ouse Gwydion hctious, quarrelsome, in-
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trigue-ridden yet heroic house. More than any of the other nobility, nobles of Gwydion respect courage and demand it of their peers. Their fiery tempers are legendary, though members of the housevehemently deny any volatility.
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lso known as the House Houw Eiluned of Secrets, E i l d is stainedby the dark reputation of its founder, Lady Eiluned Eiluned’s sages areknown or their 1 talm at intrigue and their uncanny ability to ougal- ouse Dougal is known forits om and canny practicality. Memberstend to 1
House Fiona- hese nobles are known for their 1 passions and radical views. They love to challenge the status quo and are quite fond of food, drink and carnal pleasures. Indeed, they are often distracted from higher pursuits by appeals to their base needs. Fiona can be I contrary and arrogant, yet are generally tolerant of commoners and strangers. House Liam - iam is the most enigmatic of the houses; its membersconsider themselves the protectors of mortals. They are sagesand recordkeepers. Whole brigades 1 of these gentle-voicedwarriors have beenknown to appear without warning to defend the innocent and helpless.
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Runk an dp wi le ge
1
By the King's truth a land s justly &led B y the King's truth meat battles are diverted By the King's truth every right prevails and ev ery
I vessel is full I
By the King's truth air wearher comes as itting to the season, By the King's truth death s warded
1
And b y the King's falsehoods are dried up all the jkits
ofthe earth.
- ochlandra, The Proverb of- Kinns Rank is the core of the feudal system. A
e hierarchy is the king, at the bottom is the squire. In
, between thrive layers of ambition, deceitand greed. King or Queen - ecause of the nature of the Dreaming, sovereignty over aland is no simple matter.A reigning monarch has a relationship with the land and everyone who dwells in it. In many ways, the ruler of the land is the land. Everything that he or she does resonates amid the fae nature of the realm. The personality of the monarch ispersonified by theland (and by its freeholds in particular). If a king is affiliated with winter, darknessand storms, his land becomes dark, stormyand cold, especially
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in winter. If a king is gruff, cold and passionless, his an d chill. If a queen is kingdom become gloomy, craggy wild, excitable and full of energy, the land's freeholds become unrulyan d vibrant.
Royal Treasures:Kings and queens possess crowns that allow them to know the locations of all th e pennons in th e kingdom (the markers of th e monarchs' territories), scepters that allow them to draw Glamour from any hearths of balefire in the kingdom, seals that can countermand any ducalsignet's imprint, and (ofcourse) each ruler has a weapon that is considered an extension of the royal will.
e,,,
Y
David Ardry is theHigh King of Concordia, the vast kingdom coveringall of earthly North America. His fief extends from the southernmost border of Mexico to the northernmost reaches of Canada. David is a wilder,though an old one. His Saining, knighting, coronation and subsequent political battles have been a constant subject of interest for and speculation among nobles and commoners. Although h e cannot be compared to fabledKing Arthur, legendshave sprungup around thii dynamic young king. He is known as a m an of great fairness, passion, nobility and honor. He has created a parliament of sorts, a House ofCommonsin which all Kithain, noblean d commoner alike, are represented. Many different motleys send their representatives to this parliament when it meets, all of them seeking to gain the high king’s ear. Being honorable and just, and having given concessionsto many under his nile, David has created a land that personifiesh6 fairnessan d patience. David has high courtsn New York and California: one in Manhattan and the other in the redwood forestsnear San Francisco. He also maintains a ceremonialcourt that is secreted away in a glen in Washington, D.C., although the court is rarely used. H is home is Tara-Nar, an already renowned castlein the Catskill Mountains.
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When addressing a king or queen, one says,“Your Royal Highness”or “May it please-Your Majesty.” Duke or Duchess-The highest nobles under the king or queen are dukesor duchesses.They hold title to large numbers of freeholds, but operate from their own powerful freeholds . Their domains typicall y extend can have or expansive entire cities areas. They up to over five counts and baronsas vassalsand may enjoy special priviact as diplomats, leges from reigning monarchs. Some enabling them to travel far and wide on diplomatic missions. Dukesand duchessesowe fealty only to royal crowns. In wartime, dukes andduchesses have t he responsibility of generalshipand marshalry of armies, navies and air forces of their kingdoms. Although monarchs are the ultimatewarlords, dukes andduchessesserve ascommanders-in-chiefof specific armies andspecialmilitias. Ducal Treasures: Dukes and duchesses possess sig nets that allow them to sign treaties, assignlands, make
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Changeling: Th e &earning
proclamations and issue writs. These contracts are legalll binding only within ducal fiefs.In addition, dukes and duchessespossess pennons that allow them to establish I freeholds as their own personal fiefs, superseding any counts’ claims. They are also in possessionof hearthstones that allow them to draw Glamour from anyhearths in their fiefs. Finally, theycarryweapons that are often used while in command of royal armies. On e refers to a duke or duchessas “Your Grace.” Count or Countess - eneath dukes and duchesses are counts and countesses, who are powerful lords nonetheless. Their personal freeholds are somewhat le ss resplendent thanroyal or ducal holdings. Their collections of land areknownas counties. Countsandcountesses hold the fealty of one or two barons and sometimes afew powerful knights. They are known for their scheming natures anddark ambitions. They are high-ranking enough to taste ducal power, but lackthe support to seize it. Royal crowns must keep tabs on their counts and Countesses more than any other vassals.
In wartime, counts andcountessesare required to be subcommanders, organizing regiments and coordinating rear-support activities. They arerarely, if ever,seen on th e battlefield. Their duties usually require them to oversee auxiliaryfunctions and the defense of specific zones (particularly those near their freeholds). One refers to a count as “Your Excellency.” Counts areoccasionallycalled earls, although femalesholding this rank are still called countesses.
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County Treasures: Counts and countesses possess pennons that they use to identify their zones of control (their counties). Within their fiefdoms,counts are the law of the land, superseded only by dukesand kings. Counts use their barons to controlthe land and search forand claimnewfreeholds.Countsalsohave fairlypotent hearths and can demand tithes of dross fromtheir vassals to help feed those hearths. Each count or countess carries a weapon that is used in direct service to a superior. eneath counts and countBaron or Baroness - who generally have title an d baronesses, esses are barons to single freeholds. Barons often resent their immediate lords, holding in disdain most counts’ ambitions and greed. Barons and baronesses can cling to power for a long period of time; they are close enoughto their vassals to be supported through thick and thin. Baronies usually include threeor four knights who owetheir lord direct fealty. Some barons also play host to a number of knights-errant who have no other lieges.
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Baronial Treasures: Barons and baronesses have nothing more than their own hearths (which are potent nonetheless) an d knightly weapons. Still, thev have the
.d k
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t
to gad
0- A -
nour within their fieidoms ana may
smh.. of drossfrom their knights. e refersto a baron or baroness as “Lord” or “Lady.” cLcIILu
Knight - nighthood is both a title and a state of honor. Knights typically act in the serviceof higher lords and occasionallyhold small fiefdomsdirectly from barons. Nobles are usually knighted- t is the ceremony of acceptance into the nobility- o knights are among the lowest ofthat class. Knightly Treasures: A knight’s weapon is the symbol of his or her honor, an extension of personal will and protection. Itis said that if a knight is true, her sword never breaks. One refers to a knight as “Sir”or “Lady.”
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Squire - lthough squires are not noblesper se , they directly serve nobles (usuallyknights). They occasionally find fame in valiantstrugglesfought alongside their masters, but are supposed to stay out of combat and aid nobleson the battlefield onlyby retrieving lost weapons and gathering wayward chimera.
A squire receives a small allowance of drossfromhis or her knightly patron. There is no official means o f addressinga squire.
R e m n elis Nobles are accustomed to being taken care of and have retainers who perform their services. Retainers are treated as vassalsof a sort, but are not usually nobility; most are commoners. They are officially free of feudal obligation. Retainers are typically paid in some manner, sometimes with mere promisesof treasure. Some commoners are so eager to find refuge in a freehold that they are willing to serve any lord. Members of most motleys have complete and utter disdain for brethrenwho serve the nobility. Heralds - cting as common messengers, diplomats and courtiers, heralds enjoy a certain amount of “diplomatic immunity” a s long as they pay respect to thei r superiors.I t is not uncommon for them to be used as spies; their status allows them to hear much and move on without suspicion. Heralds are often awarded treasures that allow them to travel quickly fromplace to place. They are responsible for summoning up commoner levies when fiefdoms are endangered. Seers -Advisors to the lordsof freeholds,seers are often skilled enchanters. Their jobis to watch for magical attacks on their lords and fiefdoms,to conduct rituals and to advise their lords on the use o f lore and chimera.
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Jesters use both cantrips and treasures to perform their duties.
m u s e of their magical natures, seers distrusted. Occasionally the officesof seer combined.
Troubadours-
chancellors are expec
masters. Despitethis, chancellors are much respectas the lords they serve.
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Bards - hese are a court’s storytellers and mrdke epers. Thei r bodiesare held sacred. It is considered bad luck to strike abard, especially when one has been granted the hospitality of afiddom. ?he words of bards are tic; events rev ale d may not occur t they will at some point. Bards tend requested to perform or contribute. Otherwise it is impolite to encourage their input or conversation. JestersJesters entertain the nobility and usher in Glamour during certain festivals. They are also the
WatcMOgs of Banality. It is their duty to snoop out the mundane destroy it before it taintsor infects a fiefdom. and
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performersof a court. They charge of atfairsof he heart, an of star-crossed and would-be love integrate the details of secret songs). Troubadours are often c of loveaffairsthat exist in most performers,theydo not restrict th tive reporters. Many are paid patrons.
Scribes-Because lifeon to forget much of Arcadia andpast that acquired lore be written down This is always done in the olds made from the hides of griffins and responsiblefor such texts, which are a Occasionally these drawings come to life before readers, “illustrating” ecorded tales. Stewards
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esponsible for all the resources of
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court treasures. Stewards also emme that household are well trained and organized.
"ants
Reeves- ic ia1 representatives of nobles, reeves employed to work with and organize the commoners of 's fiefdom. The maintenance or absence of a reeve es a lord's opinion ofhis commoners.Reeves actas for commonersand appear in courts to bring up KS of importance to them. Reeves also take care of nobles' freeholds; a single reeve is typically assigne d to each. Though they are but caretakers, reeves come to regard their freeholdsas their own. Thanes - hanes are commoner warriors who are loyal to their lords. They have the responsibility of hunting for Glamour on their lords' behalf. Some lords (usually those not of sidhe kith) are famousfor their bands of which can prove tobe more effective n i warthan thanes, genuine knights. Many of today's thanes organizedthe commoner resistance during the Accordance War. The by rog nobility's acceptance of rebel leaders (induced pressure though it was) helped smooth postwar relations between noblesand commoners. Thoselords who treatr ' their thanes well discovered useful alli
T h e escheat The most ancient traditions of the fae,the Escheat, are said to havebeen handeddown from the wise ones of the Dreaming and recordedafter the Sundering. They have been passed down and enforced by the nobility ever since. Indeed, it is considered theduty of the nobility, Seelie or Unseelie, to enforce the Escheat, actingas judges, juries and executioners,As might be expected, the Seelie are more dedicated t o and forthright with their duties thanare the Unseelie.
we steal directly from the font. None is allowed tous( ' Glamour to manipulate the creative process. Althl you may inspire creativityin the mortal mind, it is fo-,, den to give direct instruction. lity: This is seenas a prohibition against Ra ing - he forcible taking of Glamour from beings u many do just that in order to scam quick and easy power Ravaging is always punished when discovered, for it kill. the goose that lays the golden egg.
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Th e Right of Ignorance - o not betray the Dreaming toBanality. Never revealyourself to humanity. Not only wilt humankind hunt us for our wisdom, it will bring Banality upon us and destroy our places of power. The more humanity knows, he moreit will seek wa nd the more Glamour it will destroy with its basilisk'sgaze. Reality: Actually, this ruleis largely respected, for easons. Besides,in this ageof dwindlingGlam-*-a
ifficult tofmd thestuff, let alone exposehumanity Th e Rightof Rescue - ll Kithain have the right gect rescue from the foul grip foBanality. We are %elher in danger. We must strive together to survive. ?ever eave anyone behind. Kithain arerequired to rescue other faeries who have been trapped by Banality. '
Reality: Thisule, too,is adheredto. It just seems like the right thing to do. Still, Unseelie changelingswho have tried to contro l Banality have been abandoned by more prudent Kithain.
The Right of Safe Haven - ll places of the Dreaming are sacred.Kithain cannot allow faerie places to be endangered. All those whoseek refuge in such places must be admitted. Freeholdsmust not only be kept free of Banality, bu t worldly violence. Reality: This is one of the most widely ignored tenets Although the authority of the Escheat si not backed of the Escheat. As oftenas not, changelings are barred Glamour, t is said to in Arcadia, the Escheat does by as be from entering freeholds for fear that greedyguests will carryhe force of law, tradition and custom. It is said that waste the refuge's Glamour. Worldly violence is interat times the Dreaming occasionally enforces the Escheat preted to mean actual physical violence; most changelings through its own subtle methods. feel that chimerical combatis acceptable. six basic rightsor tenets of Described below are the Th e Right of Life o Kithain shall spill the the Escheat. lifeblood of another Kithain. No Kithain shall bring salt Th e Rightof Demesne lord is the king of his domain. He is the judge and jury Over all crimes, large and tears unto the earth, No Kithain shall take from the small. His wordis law.A noble isto be obeyed by his vassals Dreaming one of its own.Death is anathema. Reality: For the most part this rightis obeyed, almost and respectedby all others. A noble is to respect his lords. to the letter. When changelings battle each other it is Reality: These daysthe concept of Divine Right has almost always done with chimerical weapons. No "real" by been pushed to the wayside. Most nobles rule either injury is infli cted. The worst tha t can happen is that the force, cunning or enforcement of custom.
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The Right to Dream- ortals have a right to will die if dreamunhindered by our needs. The Dreaming
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PIOR: kitham Justice 1
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Taken from an old word meaning “trial,” fior are ordeals and trials used by some noblesto determine guilt or innocence in crimes suchas oathbreakiig and treason. If performed properly, a fior is charged with Glam ourand thus has supernatural “validity.” There are several kinds o f fior.Some are medieval in srcii (such as trialby fire and dunking), some are practices
The Kithain are deeply enamoredof social interaction and etiquette. To them, such activities constitute a grand and glorious game, ever-changing yet always remaining the same. None is immuneto th e seductive calls of intrigue, manipulationand rumormongering. Each and every changeling is involved in the “game” in one form or another. The object is to play arole, such
common to several different cultures (trial by combat),and some are created imprompt u (trialby endurance of pain or trial by drawing lots). According tothe Right of Demesne, a lordhas the ability to choosethefiorto be used.
as a lover, hero or victim, completely and perfectly. Changelings seek to live out the paradigm of a story or concept in every detail, in word and deed.
hi~s
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Most lords have heirs apparent, who are usually their eldest wards, though an heir can be whomever a lord designatesas her successor.Typicallyan heir is a member of the lord’shouseholdand has been groomed for the role. If a title becomes vacant without an heir apparent, the seat is awarded based onan ancient fior called the Fior-Righ: a royallottery in which lots are thrown into a cauldron and one is drawn, designating the newlord.
oaths Oaths are sacred, profound promises made by Kithain
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to perform certain deeds, undertake specific journeys, fulfillcertain roles, uphold certain rightsand refrain from certain actions. SometimesKithain swear oaths that bind them for eternity. Oaths are enforced not onlyby the weight of societal pressures, but by the influence of the Dreaming itself. Glamouris woven into the sworn words of an oath; itis magically binding. Oathscan be broken with buta word or deed, but such actions alwaysbring withthem some sort of penalty,usually a curse (named during the oathmaking). Moreover, proven oathbreakersare shunnedby all those of the Seelie Court and are distrustedby the Unseelieas well.
A changeling’s sworn word is one of the few genuine, lasting giftsthat she can give. It is what makes a faerie trustworthyand worthy of respect. Becau se Kithain society itself (particularlythe Seeliecourt) s based on the bonds formed by oathtaking, hose who breaktheir word break the and can no longer be a part of it. values of society
Customs and Tmditlons Kithain culture has developed many unique aspects over the centuries. Many of these customs were born of ancient human traditions that were embracedand modified by the fae.
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Changeling:T he beaming
--e--
*
L
OVe Alas to one who gives love to another
COURtkJ
nd Succession
If it be not cherished It is betm to be c a t aside Than to be denied love in return. ncient ballad
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Courtly loveand th e rituals of amour are perhapsthe most common forms of relationshipbetween changelings. Love is one of their favorite games. The passion,drama an d intrigue of high romance are irresistible to faeries, both noble and commoner. It does not matter whether
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they’re participants or gossips; talk of love fills their days. As practiced by th e Kithain, romance is an elegant and rarefied skill, appreciated for itsartistryas well as ardor. It is asignificant tool in the manipulationof others and is used by both males and females. The participants in the rite of courtly love are the “ardent” suitor and “bashful” beloved. The suitor isn’t necessarily maleor the beloved female; a great var iety of combinations s possible.No matter what the participants’ gender, kith or background, it is considered impolite to reject a suitor out of hand. Potential changeling oversare nothing if not open-minded. However, if the beloved is cruel, he or she may send the suitor on a quest before allowingfurther contact. The courting process si essentially about flirting.The variety of forms that it can take is staggering. Flirtation usually involves the beloved alternately granting favors and rejecting the suitor’sefforts. The suitor has no rights other than what the beloved grants, and proof ofthe suitor’s ardencyis always required. Love poems, songs, heroic deedsand immortal patience for a smileor glance are allnecessities of wooing. Lovethat is not won through wit, cunning and charm isn’t worth having. Courting is usually staged in secret (supposedly),but can be staged openly. Politicalor well-known personal differences are often the basis for initial rejection and
cajoling. Disapproval of one’s motley, household orcourt is common, but is usually a front or ploy rather than the end of the game. Once the full passion of amour is achieved (though not necessarilysexually),a state of love is reached and the participants swearoaths of love to each another. Until the bond of amour is broken, thetwo are inexorably bound. Only Banality can tear them apart. Lovers assist each
II
otherother no matter the risk, and go to lengths to protect an yof each from harm. (See “The Oath Truehearts.” DP.
229.)
quescs
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One of the most compellingtraditions of the Kithain is that of the quest. It is the highest formof adventure that a group of heroes can embark upon,and a successfulquest reaps great rewards. Noble Seelie arenotoriously susceptible to the lure of the quest. Though the Unseelie deride such things, they are often caught up in th e excitement as well. of reasons, Quests are undertaken for a chief among them being innocents’ pleas for help, challenges, dares issued during festivals and the invocation of a Geas cantrip. Many questsare made to acquire talismans, chimera and freeholds describedin ancient legends. Noble Kithain must obtain leave from their liege lords to undertake quests. Unless a lord’s need is great, permission s almost alwaysgranted. However, a time limit is often imposed,depending on the scale of the quest.A week anda day, a month and a dayand a year and a day are common. Upon their return, questors must always report to their lordsabout the details of their journeys.If they have succeeded, heir exploits areimmortalizedby bards. Those who fail are mocked and shunned.If a failure issufficiently terrible, shamed faeries may even throw themselves into Banality.
Flesh farewell,the soul goes bare Your faceis just a mask you wear, but Masks are hidden faces.
- he Oyster Band, “The Road to Santiago” It should come as no surprise that the faerie calendar is markedby all sorts of festivals,feast days and celebrations both majorand minor. The Kithain use any excuse to celebrate. In some cases these days of celebration justify the gathering of Glamour from the minds of unwary humans. Other holidays are remnants of once-vital customs and astrologicalobservances. haprreitTwo: Settinu
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Duringmost festivals he influence of Banality wanes
Carnival, ebruary 28th Carnival has aken on
new prominence since the riseof High King David.It is at once a wake foran old age and a birthday party for a new. Dreaming, It is a celebration of the new unity between nobles and Imbolc, February 2nd - he balefire is the most commoners, a night when kingsand queens enchant entire cities into adaze of artistic exultationthat allowsfor important feature of afreehold.It keepsout the cold wind the plucking of succulent Glamour. Masked bythe human of Banality. Imbolcisa festivalcelebrating he balefireand celebrationof MardiGras,Carnivalcelebrationsare among its replenishment after thelong darknessof winter. Imbolc tic that the Kithain is also known as Bard’s Day, because it marks a great the wildest, most fre hold courtly competition among bards and other performers. Originally dedicatedto the Celtic goddess Brigid, patronamival, taken piecemeal ess of fire, smithcraftand poetry, Imbolc has come to bea from such diverse sourcesas English Boxing Day and the
ana the power of Glamour waxes. Festivals are sacred times when all Kithain come together to celebratethe
festival celebratingthe creative spirit. On Midwinter’sNight, special travelers called“firebrands” set out from the high king’s palace at Tara-Nar and journey overland in a relay much like the Pony Express of the mortal Old West. These firebrands carry speciallanterns that contain fire from the Well of Flame beneath Tara-Nar. The lanterns are used to replenishthe balefire of each freehold in special Imbolcceremonies. It is considered a ve ry bad omen if firebrandsfail to appear before Imbolc.
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ancient celebration of Lughnasa. For the single night of Carnival, a local monarch or lord becomesa jester, while a mortal overwhelmed by drugs or alcoholis plucked from the streets and crowned King or Queen of the Carnival. Th e new “monarch‘s” word is law for one night. Fortunately, most are too addled by their own substance abuse to issuecommands hat have a ny real repercussions. The “jester,” on the other hand, is open to all th e abuse normally heaped upon faeries of that position. As most rulers makepoor fools, they generally gamer morethan their fair share of harassment.
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Changeling:The C)Reaming
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There are only three laws of Carnival: There can be no retribution fora ny word spokenor deed done. A monarch cannot exact reven harassers. Carnival is sacrosanct; all are welcome and safe. Anyone found violating Carnivalis summarily subjected to the most heinous punishment that the bleary Carnival King or Queen can imagine. Let merriment reign! Carnival ends at sunrise on the followingday. In most cities, the Carnival King or Queen is released from duty and sent home. In certain Unseelie demesnes the person is ritually killed. Th e Greening, April 4th-Commonly celebrated in southern regions of Concordia, the Greening is a loose festivalheld in honor of the beginning of spring. It is also known as the Festival of Crocuses,as celebrants weave flowers nto their hair and clothes.A crown of wovengrass is presented to each childling, and morris dancingis held. It does not bode well for the coming year if no grasscan be found with which to weave crowns. Beltaine, May 2nd- Beltaineisa nightti fertility festival and celebration fo life. At one time, fae went out into the fieldsand formed tame chimerical beasts into a line between bonfires that were lit from the local freehold’sbalefire (it is from “balefire” hat Beltaine gets its name). Beltaine formerlymarked the beginning of the year’s reign by the Seelie Court, after Unseelie reign from Samhain until Beltaine.As such, Beltaine is traditionally a night of peace and amity, althougha few treacherieshave marred it; the Night of Iron Knives was one such incident. Beltaine is also a time that blossoms new romances, particularly between nobles andcommoners; its bonfires serve as festival sites where passions are letloose. Many childlings are conceived duringBeltaine festivities; conception is considered special during this celebration of birth and future. Highsummer Night,July taged to coin17th cide with summer’ sheat, Highsummer Night is the epitome of mirth and freedom. It is also an excuse to gather Glamour from the “heat dreams”of mortals. Changelings are free to toy with any mortals whom they find. This holidayis especiallydear to the pooka (who call it “Pranksgiving”).They hold a semiofficialcompetition to see who can play the most outrageouspractical joke on a human. The winner gains tremendousprestige, at least until the followingyear’s competition. Highsummerpranks have been known to turn malicious, even though jests involving loss of life are regardedas unartistic and crude.
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7 angled romances, mistaken identities,transformations and thefts of heroic proportions appealto the pooka.
A great many fae weddingsare also performed on HighsummerNight, though nowhere near so many as on Beltaine. Even those who are notmarried are expected to find a partner on this night.
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Pennons, October 4th ennons is a martial festival replete with jousts, mock combats, displays of weaponryand the slaying of chimerical beasts. The name of the festival comes from the tradition of bestowing a king’s pennons - lagsmarked with royal crests- pon the festival’schampions,who have the right to fly them for one year. Curiously,devotees of gentler artslock to Pennons’ tournaments. Some suppose that this is due to repressed atavistic streaksin the souls of weavers and craftsmen. n I truth, they come seeking patronage fromlords, who are likely to be generous on this day. Musicians iid Pennons particularlyrewarding.Songs composed about the moment’s heroes fly fast and furious, only to be abandoned as the crowds find new darlings. Indeed, minstrelsand storytellers stage theirown compe. titions, usingwords and notes rather than weapons. It isa common jest that there is more violence in the Singers’ Circle than on the jousting fields. Thisis only a slight exaggeration. Samhain, October 31st - n Samhain Eve, the veil between worlds growsthin. This is a solemn time for Kithain everywhere. It is a night to strain against the Mists,topart them and rememberfellowswho have fallen. It isa night to remember ancestorswho have been lostand mortals who have brought much Glamour. Many divinations are performed on Samhain Eve. In some courts soothsayersperform auguries to lear n where lost friendshave gone and where they may be looked for. In ancient times, Samhainmarked the time when the Seelie Court gave way to the Unseelie. Now it has also become a massive celebration for the Shadow Court, a chancefor the Unseelie to mock everythiig about Seelie society.Unseelie fae hold mock tournamentsand courts, mimicking the monarchy and its privy council. Even Seelie changelings are encouraged to let out their “Unseelie”natures, though not all do. Childlings often venture abroad in the spirit of this holiday, playing tricks, stealing treats and scaring young and old mortals alike.
CeRemonies Ceremonies are special holidays that are held only occasionally, and only whenthere is a need. Like festivals, these can be times of wild celebration and witnessto the
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release of much Glamour. However, they acn also be somber affairs in which Kithain are uncharacteristically grim and focused. Royal Lottery- hen a king or queen actively reigns,all within a kingdom pay fealty to their monarch on this day. If a monarch steps down and is replaced by an heir apparent, the rise of the newruler is celebrated.
nobles, Seelie with Unseelie.T h e deceased’s friends Loathmates are given placesof honor.
A wakeis a raucous party.At its end, the chimerical possessions of the deceasedare distributed o t her honored friends, who then take them and deposit them in the householdsof various kin. It is thought that this aids the spirit’s rebirth.It is up to SUrViVing friends to check on heirlooms, not to mention potential spiritual heirs. Some sidhe, unable to face the ceftainty of death, choose to ignore the deaths of other Kithain. They do not who have died. Sooner or later, these sidhe speakof others become candidates formadness.
monarch steps down or fallsvictim to Banality If a an without heir, the crown must be reappointed. Candidatesare acceptedor denied by the dukes andduchessesof che kingdom, and the high lords of noble houses cast lots for or against candidates. The royal lottery is a time of great celebration among far and wide to attend Kkhaiw changelings comefrom Changelings often become affiliatedwith a specific gatherings,which are usually staged in monarch’s glens art or arts,focusingheir Glamour-gatheringactivities on (hidden feerie strongholds). them. The art that a changeling choosesis called one’s Onthese days an entire empire pays fealty to reigning patronage. Childlings and wilders are known to change high kings and queens, although not all necessarily suptheir patronages; grumps almost neverdo. Wilders tend to port their reign. New high kings and queens are selected by revel in experimental, new patronages. Childlings are imperial lottery,a ceremony similarin many ways to the usually attracted to simplistic arts.Grumps often pursue royal lottery. arts of great sophistication. Marriage-Though it is relatively rare, Kithain do Most Kithain harbor passionate feelings fortheir
parnonage
Some marry for but alunaryear (13 full moons), marry. so while me wilders maintain strange oathbonds that resemble marriage (sometimes with multiple partners, although most favor m0n-m relationships). Children born of the union of Kithain do not alwaysbecome changelings. They do, however, tendot grow up enchanted and are consideredkin.Changelingsdo n ot look upon unwed mothers in anyill way,especially if they have children born of conceptionsstaged on Beltaine. A Kithain.lnarriageisa celebration of l i e as much as any Beltaineor Highsummer festivalis. In fact, many marriagesare scheduled on those days. Respective lieges traditionally give gifts to newl ywed couples. Wakes No changelingever dies without affecting all those who knew himor her. When a common
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changeling die s, her faerie spiritisand lostreincarnating to the Dreaming a time before returning to Earth intofoar new mortal body. Only the sidhe do not return in this ashion; it’s thought that they are forever lost to the Dreaming or Banality, or become reborn as commoner Kithain. The mcxt tragic way for a changelingto die is to fall to Banality. The loss must be addres sed in some fashion,or Banality will take hold in the hearts and minds of the Kithain community. To deny Banaiity, changelings hold wild celebrations calledwakes. There are no political distinctions at a wake ommoners rub shoulders with
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patronages, going to great lengths to visit placesand gather things and people that are significant to their arts. The acquisition of items and people is a source of much rivalry between changeling s, especiallyamong materialiitic ones.
Cliques A-hunting we wiU go, a-hunting we wiU go Heigh-hothe deny-oh, a-hunting we w i U go
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edcap hunting song
Many Kithain enjoy sharing their chosen patronages with others of l i e mind. While somechangelings vie wthe of act of appreciationas a solitary pursuit, perhaps worthy discussionbut ultimately performed alone, most see as it a group activity. The social groups that patrons formare known as cliques. They can be insular and gossipy- n a word, cliquish. Ever fickle, many Kithain belong to more than one clique. Those cliques associated with the medieval courtsof old are known as noble patronages. Modem ones are known as vulgar patronages. Noble patronages are typically composed of members of noble houses and are considered more sophisticateddan important than lesser”patronages. Indeed, ahighdegree of snobberyexists even among the various noble cliques.
Thoseof the so-calledvulgar patronages believe that pure emotion isthe driving force behind creation, and that
is th- ti v a ti o n of emclrlvri n wlldtever form gr akes. To members of these
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Galateans - his clique patronizes the visual am of painting and sculpture. Membersattend galleryopenings and sculpture unveilings, sign up for art classes, visit buildings designed by famous architectsan d our archaeological sites. Epicureans - his clique idolizes he art of preparing and enjoying food. Members frequentrestaurants, know cooks by name and occasionally frequent ice cream parlors and candy stores. Calliopians - he ain revere the written and spoken word. They attendpoetryreadings, listen to street preachers, rally for political speeches and revelin theatrical oratory. Some workin publishing or journalism. Others become literary agents.
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Terpsichorians hese changelings dedicate themselves to dance. While most wilders favor modem dance forms, most still patronize older formsof the art, such as ballet, tap, soft-shoeand ballroom dancing.
Olympians -Thiscliqueclaims he art of athletics and bodybuildingas ts patronage. Th egroup quests for the perfect body. Besides frequenting sporting events and competitions, members visit clubs and cultivate local talent. I
feciate the Groupies -Members ofth is cli young art of rockand roll. Theyattend concerts, serve as roadies, hang out at recording studios and direct rock videos.They compete to be th e first to discover new, hot bands. Anachronists - hese fae loye the crafts of the past, suchas blacksmithingand weavgg. They enjoy craft and Renaissance fairs and like to experiment with various craft techniques, often attending classesat folk art schools
and vocational colleges in order to master their chosen arts.
ZoetropeSociety-Those ofthis clique are quintessential film patrons who spend much of their time attending filmfestivals(particularly hose with old,littleknown but artistically significant films) and movie premieres. Mad Hatters - hese fae believe that insanity is the source of all art - ndeed, of the Dreaming itself! Inspiringmortals o greater and greater heights(or depths) of madness occupiesthe attention of this clique.
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ssange abilities CaaM fae mraolkd; somecan’t.
&.
Some of hesegdtscan be
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.’A, travel alone, especially throughwild areas wht,, fi~m=Gfial are particularly powerful.
It is said tha t nun nehi have tremendous strength and a hrm of magic all their own, but no changeling yet understands it. Changelings end to attractcertainmortals, enchan tand using them as gum& functionaries and Most commonchartgelings efuse to wait hand on the nobility, so enchanted mortals must and foot These suffice.) people occasionally become permanent servitors, and some are so beloved them from aging. Afew to faerie glens to serve their masters forever.
Some mortals unwittingly serveBanality, believing that they help others by freeing therh tom “delusions.” These people pride themselves on remaining rational and They are known as the Autumn People. calm.
female spirits of nature, nymphs are allied Mostly Withthelivingearthanditsenvironment‘Eachfocuseson one natural element: winds around a mountain, a river or other body of water, a landformation, atre e or other iving thing. Some nymphs focus on livinganimals, although
th~spiri~areveryrareandare~~mistakenforoth~ kindsof supernatural beings. Nymphs have long conflicted with changelings, but many ally with them, performing servicesas healers, guards and even advisors. Several infamous omances have arisen nobles between and beautiful nymphs. Suchromances generally result in the changelings’undoing, though. 1
Th~~~tsof litym+yfdbywe* hunt lings. Although the Autumn People rarely actively changelings (or even realize thatthey exist), they are a constantmenace. Typically ~ccupiedas-untants, bank-
lnanimae
ers,~brariansandother~~~vepions,Autumn
of faenature amimundane inanimation produces peculiat beings.Most legendsabout inanimaeconflict However, it doesseemthatthereareseveraldifferenstVpesodinanimae, each with its own set of cultural valuw and socialrules.
-le prevent the use of faerie magicby their very presence.
Thc Galluin Changelingsare not the only exiled faeries onmirth. Faeries derivefrom a h w t every mortal culture. Those who are neither traditional ch a n g e l i s nor play a part in changeling society are collectively called gallain.
Nunnehi
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Nymphs
Nunhehi are faerie spirits of the native peoples of They have become d America. y hangelings not by Some forceful ritual, but becausecertainspiritual people have agreed to be hosts for these powerful spirits.The nunnehi are angry that their once &e glenshave been turned into changeling freeholds by European beings. They wanttoreclaimand preserve heir freeholds. Nunnehi war with changelings whenever they encounter them. The only places sacrosanctfrom nunnehi assault are the iefdomsof faerierulers who hav ek+ef %ded or made treaties with the nunnehi. Even 80, raging d i ravel in nomadic packs,ookq for stray changelings to engage in battle. Obviously itis nor very safefor changelings to
Some faeries choose to bond with inanimateobjsctl). They are collectivelycalled inanimae and are consverystrange, evenby Kithain standards. Thecombination
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Threekinds of inanimae are currently r e c o g n id Mannequin People (who live in department-store quins), foobars (who live inside machines, particularly computets) and golems (who dwell within ancient statues). Although nymphs are,by definition, inanimae,they , are 50 weliho wn (an d so natural) that the twospecies are * not considered the same.
h e pixodigals The Kithain believe that there are a number of los changelingm w whosemembers have forgottenthat they have fae blood. These lost races are collectivelyknown as the Prodigals. Among them are t he immortalundead; allpowerful sorcerers;roaming spirits of the dead; and the close cousinsof th e fae, the Garou. There is much rumor and speculation about how thw creatures strayed from the Dreaming, orif they ever belongedto it. Most Kithain have little contact with such beings.
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A Linu~ eason
Though changelings ive in the present and strive to return to what was, they are also aware of time's passage and have a senseof the future. Unfortunately, the state of the world bodes ill for the fae. While mortals are only able to perceive time in a linear fashion, faeriesbelieve that time is cyclical- ver :::
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spinning, always curving upward and downward, moving away from what was, but always returning to what is and what will be. Spring passes into summer, summer into autumn, autumn into winter and winter into spring. The fae believe that Earth is in the autumn of its existence. Banality, like the changing color fothe leaves, is the surestsign of this -as Banality's power waxes, more leaves fall from the trees. Soon there will be nothing left but the bare branches of winter. Although they fear the coming winter, the Kithain have a bittersweet resignation that it is on its way. But this winter, say the prophets, seersand visionaries, will be the Long Winter, a time of great darkness and even greater cold. Imbolc, the mark of the new year, will not come, and the fires of Beltaine will forever flicker and die.
TL h~binge~s
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SpRlng Not willing to listen to doomsayers and prophets,A Harbingersof Spring claim that, although autumn wei upon all changelings and winter is coming, spri ng can be far behind. They claim that the darkness of winter1 only prepare the world for a great and glorious springtime when the Dreaming will return to Earth. These Kithain list signsand omens of their own,and tell of myths and legends such as thestory of the Court of All Kings and the Grand Trod. Because they are largely ridiculed (their membership consistsmainly of childlings and commoners), the Harbingers of Spring are not a powerful political force. They are, however, quiet voices raised against those who have given up on the Dreaming.
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dreamswere new, the border betweenmythand realltywas less clearlydrawn.Before the cold light of logic "explained" he universein rational,qws dl ab le terms, people stood awed and bewildered bythe natural world and its creatures. Instead of science, they used stories to explain thecyclesoftheseasons, healtematingrhythmofdayand night, the starkinality of death and he miracle of life.As
trap into the roots of wonder and rediscover the world &rough the eyes of legend. Changelings are creatures of ianaginationsw8ddledin cloaksof fleshand blood, trapped Arcadia, &e Kithain we only oc c~ ion al lyble to Glamour they Once knew the living embodiments of dreams. In many way s, the lost children of the fae
ate metaphors for our lost youth, and the World ofDarkness mirrors the heartless society to which we are all so resigned. By surrendering o the call of imagination,by daring to dream new stories, we can recapture someof our lost religious parables. We dreamed and lived out our stories hnocence. We can learn to laugh again, and to weepevery day. Cr not all storieshave happy endings- nd most of all we Later,as wegrewolderandleamedthefactsoflik, he can learn to remember. It is yourjob, as Storyteller, to world grew less magicaland wondrous. Darkness and guide the players along the path that lies between memory nightmares and thunderstorms last some of their terror and forgetfulness,between dreams and realitv. between
children, we sharedthis sense of wonder at the world
aroundus,makingupourown~forwhythunderand lightning happened, hy trees lost their leaves in the fall and why the moon nd stars ooicedso small. We elieved in the stories told to US, ~hether hey were h@ tales or
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Throughout the ages the storyteller has been one of the most respected members of human society. Serving as the repositoryfor tribal historyand wisdom, the storyteller rememberedand told tales of heroism and hardship that shaped the characterof the tribe. Creation myths, stories of t he gods and tales of great champions all served to instruct listeners n the values andpractices of the society. They also served as entertainment.
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Th e roleof a Changeling Storyteller s morecomplex, though less controlling. Today's Storyteller expresses her art through storytelling games. She must designthe plot, play the parts of others whom the characters meet and respond to whatever actions they take. However, the game's players also have a role in creating (and significantly changing the outcome of) the story. People have always responded well to stories that feature them as the heroes. They delight in hearing their names used and being asked what they want to d o in certain situations. In fact, Storyteller games take this one step beyond- nce the scene has been set and the basic plot set in motion, it is up to the players to resolve how events turnout. From
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the bare bones of a story, players and Storyteller work together to create something new and potentially wondrous.
Duincuining1nteResc
You must understand your playersas well as the characters they create. Some play to gain a sense of power; others game for the social aspectsof being with friends. Many players use roleplaying as a means of wish fulfi llment. Some prefer stories in which fighting deadlyfoes takes priority, while others like puzzles and riddles or the chance to use their wits to overcome tricky situations. Many players simply enjoy talking incharacter and engaging in political infighting or witty repartee. All of these different desires must be juggled and given some space in the game. Each player deservestime to do what she likes best. Luckily, it is fairlyasy e to accommodate all of these desires, and placing them at different points throughout the game strengthens the story and differentiatesbetween scenes,making them more than ongoing series of fightsor puzzles.
Fundamentally, it is your job as Storyteller tosee that each player gets his share of attention. While many players are vocal and aggressive, some are shy or have difficulty putting their ideas into words. You should know your players well enough to step in and ease wary ones into the action, either by having their characters notice things that
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Changeling: The be am in g
e busier characters missr by focusinga part of the story
Boredom is the real-world Banalitythat can spell
help create the story when
ou should have an overall idea of the story that to tell an d have several possiblewaysof respondSometimes- n fact, most of th e time - he players 1 decide to do something so extraordinary that you
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Further thinking may reveal tie-ins that you woul d never have conceived on your own, but that strengthen the overall story. Players like to feel that their actions and decisionshave a real impacton the game, and incorporating their ideas lets themknow ou are willing to give them control over their characters’ destinies. You alsoneed to prepare Storytellerecontrolledcharacters.Eachcharactershould be memorableforone reason or another - ne has hair like Little Orphan Annie, another smacksher gum nonstop, the bald guy has a liver spot on his forehead, the other has aftershave tha t smells like pine trees. Players should get a sense that these characters are more than just cardboard cutouts. Settings should be given as much life. Sayingthat the charactersenter adentist’swaitingroom is far lesseffective thandescribing he room’s broken-down couch, the smell of disinfectant lingering in the air, and the high-pitched buzzing of the dentist’s drill. The more evocative your descriptionsare, the more believable the scenesand characters will be to the players. Unless you are a whiz at extemporaneousdescriptions,this too takes preparation. It isn’tthat difficult,though it is best t o write everything down and keep it on file. There is nothing more frustrating
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it is justas easyto
can provide you with numerous storylines,plot twistsaim
it to power t hew r p idea. thatof the movie Cbfinger
subplots.
ties of the terrain and weather, while oneset cruiseship would raise proble the question of how to
obstacles to the
in g from the characters’
Conversely, themes that purposes mayoftenstreng juxtaposition. Changeling,as a ring themes: alienation fro noma1 humans,walking a
substance,and theerosion and eve innocence. These are but a few of
can create stories that ar
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and designed either to showcase their strong points or to play on their weaknesses. This can be one of the most rewardingsortsof stories,for it shows the players that you qpayi ngatt entio n o them. Ifonech in one story, however, subsequentstories someone else, thereby giving eve
So the darkness shaa be the light, and the stiIlness the dancing. Whisper of runningstreams,and winterb&tning. The wild thyme unseen and rhe urild straw*, The laughter in the garden, echoed ecstasy No t lost, but requiring,pointing tu the agony Of death and rebirth. - . S . Eliot, “EastCoker,” FourQuartets As in any of the Storytellergames, Changeling has story elements that help define and enhance it. Many of these elementsarewoven into he backgroundof the story being told, and often the players will not even realize consciously that these elements exist. Without them, however,the story lacks cohesionand direction,nomatter how cleverly the plot itself is constructed, and you will miss the grandeurand depth they evoke.
ITheme , 1
Themes are unifyingideasaroundwhich stories may be built. Whether they are simpleones suchas “we must all work together to wive” such as “rationalityhas killed the human soul,” themes provide touchstones for the characters. T h i i i n g about different waysto expressthe theme in setting, events andcharacters
other variants.
solanon/p\lienanon Changelingsareorphans, xilesfrom Arcadi born into human families, they are not human. beings of dreamand nightmare, each bom of invisible worldno human s them; many of them dont e lves. Under Banality’s relentless sault they gradualiy lose touch with
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ause they are touche lesser beings.
cause changelings do not remember their ties of kinship to other changelings, each is in some sensean orphan,without a true family.Each changeling must craft a family of kindred spirits. Fosterage- he adoption of a changeling nto a faeriehousehold- providesa substitute for a birth family, sometimes the only substitute. Other changelingsform close ties throughoathbonds. The question of family is the fundamental questionof childhood, thus it is a dominant theme of Changeling. How doesa changeling relate to his human family?What kinds ofproblemsarise among human familieswith changelings in their midst? It is possible that changelings may work evenharder to promote harmonywithin their mortal familiesbecause d their sense of “difference.” The dramas s of Shakespeareand many modem the dynamicsof the family- ne 1 and universal themes of all.
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Romance
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Fairy tales and troubadour ballads abound withtales of true love and unrequited love, princes who awaken princesseswith kisses, lovers who share enchanted fruit, and fairy queens who steal the heartsof mortal knights. Certainly Changeling reflects those stories.It is a worldof epic legends- omance is its lifeblood. Courtly lovehas its place in changeling society,and a hopeful suitor might be set to a series of seemingly impossibletasks that he and his friends (the troupe) must fulfill to win his love's affections. No changelig lover ever accepts a suitor without demanding proof of that suitor'slove. Great love stories have been interwoven through many of the most enduring tales (Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere, Tristan and Isolde), and including some aspect of these in a Changeling story may provide justthe background needed to set the tone.
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hen you begin to thinkof changelingsas children, everything begins to make sense. Children displaya wideeyed wonderand nonjudgmental acceptanceof the most unbelievable things. Anything and everything is possible to a child: Santa Claus and his reindeer fly through the
winter sky bringing presents togood boys and girls, daddy is going to win a kajillion dollars in the lottery, Bethie is really a princessin disguise,and that little brown acorn is actually a best friend named Terwillikin.All children share an innocent hope and belief that they are really immortal and that wishing on a star ca n make anything happen. Changelings do too. Their world is peopled with fantastic beings, whilethey themselves may be wondrous, strange faeries. They can create chimera out of their imagination, and their dreams take shape and become real. Changelingsare immortal, though their human bodies ageand die, and wishing on a star just to unlocking ever more fantastic deligh
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le foe or magicalbeast for the heroes to battle. Just as changeso can lings can create fabulous and marvelous chimera, their darker emotions and dreamsescapetheir control and run amok. Though these creations might have no substance in the real world, they can harm changelings and send them reeling back into the protective clutches of Banality.An d sometimesthe foe is not chimerical. Powerful changeling sorcerers may oppose the characters; No fairy tale would be complete wi
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worse, Banality may be creeping upon them in far less fantastic (but far moredeadly)forms suchas incarceration in a mental institution.
FReedom/ uildness Changelingsare spontaneousbeings.Many are primitive and wild. They are creative creatures, given tonew ideas (howcould they not be when each is to some degree the physical representation ofa dream?), but while they often promote beauty and freedom,they can as often be wildly destructiveand potentially harmful. Some changelingsdon’t know the differencebetween the two extremes, but like selfish children serve theirown whims at others’ expense.
madness
When changelingsforget what they are or fall so far into Banality tha t they have difficulty reasserting their faerie natures, madnesss a logicalexplanation to them. In a world where no one believes in the truth of their existence and where all the most wondrous things are ephemeral, howcan anyone retain her sanity?
hmOR Changeling stories should never be unrelentingly seriousand dark. Lusty satyrs, lying pooka and nasty little redcaps all haveas great a role to play as the most genteel sidhe, and interactions among commonersand noblescan lead to hours of amusement. Think of Shakespeare’sA Midsummer Night’sDream, with its gleeful pranks, and you have a prettygood idea of faerie humor. Of course,in the
hands of certain kinds of changelings, humor can be quite What happens to changelings who never discover vicious. ImagineKevin, the child fromHomeAlone, as a redcan their true heritage! Worse still, what fi they or someone close to them believes themmad?After all, nobody else can see the things they do; nobody else is chased from th e house by her own nightmares. How else ca n you define insanity?
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We’re the mystery ofthe lakewhen the water’s still. We’re the laughter in the twilight, You can hear behind the hill. We’ll stay around to watch you laugh, Destroy yourselves for fun. But yo u won’t see us, we’ve grown sideways to the sun. orslips, “Sideways to the Sun” The mood of a Changeling storyis a combination of
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setting, ambience,presentation and situation that evokes an emotional response in the players. It may be merry and carefree, dark and brooding,or ominousorbawdy. In many ways,the mood and theme work together, one servingto anchor the other.
The nature of the mood is Often subordinate to how it is used. A tale of whimsical tricks andpranks would be ill served by a mood of somber sadness, and a story of desperate pursuit racing againsta time limit would not work if setin a mood of mirthful slapstick. It is bestto set the mood from the very start, either through music, lighting, or tone of voice. Playing a lively song might cuethe playersthat thestory willbe fast-paced and light-hearted. Lighting a candleand incense, striking a bell and intoning a solemn chant could serve to begin the session and let the players know that the mood is serious and mystical.
mazing beasts bornof dreaming and shaped in fantastic and horrific ways. Faerie freeholds and chimera are places It is essential that you use and beings made from dreams. great care in describing these places, for dream creatures and dream weaponsare as real and solidto changelings as any car or skyscraper. Playersmust accept the reality of chimera and faerie Glamour in order to experience the full depth of fae existence.It is up to youto make it real to them.
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One of the best ways todo so is to use all th e senses when describing thescene. Though wetend to get most of our information through visual cues,other sensoryinput is crucial to making something feel real.Describethe warm, luxurious feel of a changeling’s finevelvet cloak; the cold, constricting touch of his chaiimail; or the icy chill of Banality pouring forth from a coldiron weapon. Emphasize the birdsongs on a lazy, sunny day or the strange rustling in the underbrush. Tempt the players with the thought of tasting lemon sherbet or the salt sprayfrom the ocean. Try to makethem smell freshly baked bread orthe stench of the wounded anddying. Better still, bring apiece of velvetor a feather to the game and pass it around, play an environmental tape softly in the background, light some incense or bring a carton of lemon sherbet to the
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gaming session.
Conflict
Maintaining the mood can be harder than establishing it. Some players invariablytr y to break a serious or scary mood by joking or talking out of character. Many such players are actually embarras sed at their own emotional responses and are trying to make light of them. Concentration on the mood and a refusal to break the tension can sometimes bring such players back into the story. If all else fails, just ignore the player’s outburst and keep going. Players who are involved in the story and mature enough to appreciate the power of mood will work to keep it intact.
The heart of any story is conflict.No one cares about a story in which a girl walks to the store and buys a loaf of bread. However, if she is astarving orphantrying to feed two younger siblingsand she makes her wa y through a snowstormdespite her broken leg, the story is more likely to hold our attention. Conflict does not necessarily imply combat; it simply means that there are obstacles to be overcome.In Changeling, many different kinds o f conflict are possible. Some fo these are:
Suspensionof OsbeIieF
might be between opposingcourts or an inner struggle to assert one’s dominant nature over one’ s unconscious nature. Changeling vs. Mortal:This conflict might be the battle between the changeling’sfaerie and human sides; alternatively, it might involve conflict with Banalityinfected mortals or hunters seeking fae trophies.
Players must immerse themselves inthe story without feeling foolishor self-conscious. They must also believe in the details of the story being told. This doesn’t mean they must literally believe that giants exist, but only that they must be willing tosuspendtheir disbelief for a time.Thus, you must create and evoke a believable world and then draw your players into it. Changelings do n ot exist purely in mundane reality - hey also exist in placesthat are free from the constraints of normalcy and Banality. They interact with
Seelie vs. URseelie:This is the classic dichotomy of the fae - he essential, fundamental battle. Th e conflict
Changeling vs. Vampire: Changelingsbelieve that vampires arethe descendants of a bloodthirsty,mad faerie. As half-living/half-dead beings, theyare repositories of Banality and have forgotten their faeriesrcins. They are seen as traitors and dangerous foes.
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Changeling a.Werewolf: Werewolvesare a race of changelings,and though they have left the company of of their brethren, they are always welcome back.Becaw their ferociousbattle againstdarkness, owever, they have beenstruck by Banalityan d are divorced fromthe Dreaming. Werewolvesand changelings occasionally compete for wild areas. Changeling vs. Mage: Mages were once Changelings themselves, but have become lostin their ow n paradqm. h e ages are friendlytoward changelings; others want to harm them, destroy themor experiment upon them. Once changelings could Changeling vs. Wraith: bring the soulsof dead artists tothe Dreamingand let them ' go on creating after death. Nowthe realm of the dead is a closedand errifyingplace.Who knowswhat strangeplans the legionsof the dead might have?
Grump vs. Wilder vs. Childling vs. Themselves: The generation gap is keenly felt even among the fae. Grumps are responsible and trusted, though filled with as rresponsible Banality.The$ see wildersand childlings and untrustworthy. Wilders havebegunto taste Banality and elt the beginningsof the agingprocess. They struggle to maintain their youth andbeauty,battling wildly against grumpdoman d resenting the freedomand innocence of childlings. Childlings resent th e control theirhuman (and
sometimesfaerie) parents exert over them.Each grouphad its goals and desires, and thesecan conflict sharply. Each group is also prone to internecine feuds. Some changelingsmay even be at war with themselves, hating their mortal seemingsor recessiveLegacies. House vs. House: Though the sidhe arepowerful, they donot alwaysgetalong. ManyresentHouseGwydion's arrogance, and some believe House Liam ought to be eradicated altogether. Lesser familieswith ties to the noble housessquabblemore than their patrons over rank and privilege. Noble vs. Commoner: Many commoners see the sidhe as outdated, unnecessary busybodies.For their part, the nobles hardly know what to do with common faeries who no longer know their proper place in society, but instead insiston som et hi icalled democracy!
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Ravagers vs. Muses: Many changelingsbelieve that there will alwaysbe more Glamour to be had. These changelings, known as Ravagers, are despised yb those who believe that Glamour is gradually disappearingfrom this world. At some point in their lives, however, most changelingsfind that they must Ravage in an emergency situation. Howdoesone deal with such need?
changelings vs. Banality: One of the main occupations of changelings is keeping Banality at bay. Autumn
People serve Banality without knowing t, while Dauntain actively hunt changelings (whether they recognize them as such or not).
changeling ChRonicles and t h e be~os ouRney In Changeling, you are telling agrand story, an epic story that should be filled with mythic resonanceand wild adventure. One way you can imbue your stories with this kind of epic feel is by understanding mythic structure. Although there are certainly many ways to put together a rousingstory, t isdifficulttodosounlessyouknowthe way that myths are usually constructed. One kind of myth structure is called “the Hero’s Journey” and is an archetype for many adventure and fantasy stories. Even if you don’t force a story through a specificsequence in the Hero’s Journey, you can pick and choose elementsfrom it and thus enrich your game. Th e Hero’s Journey is easier to understand if you think of it not as a single specificstory,but as an archetype for a story.If you are just startingout storytelling,you may want to try creating a very basic chronicle based very specifically on the Hero’s Joumey.A strict structure will keep you focusedand keep your players interested,as they feel the age-old excitementand power of the myth. The Hero’sJourneyhas 12 stages, which, though they traditionally fall in a specificorder, may be arrangeda n y way that seems appropriate to you as a Storyteller.
Our heroes (Elhum, Vtuianne and Gavin) are found in their ordinary World: bud bur. The nightis boring, things arestable, nothingmuchis goingon. Littledo they knowthat things are aboutto change. Thebar closes,and they make their wayhome. Description: Th e mundane world and Banality are perfect forhighlighting this stage.Certainly, changelings must regularlyreturn to the Ordinary World whether they like it or not. It is important to establish the Ordinary World, thus providing contrast to the magical worldof fae wonder in which changelings will be participating. Suggestions: Set this stage in a home, a workplace, anywhere that’s calm, boring, secure. Of course, if the character is strange, let his “Ordinary World” also be strange. A character’s prelude is very, very important when-establishing his Ordinary World.
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2. T h e Callt o AdventuRe S&nly , a group of Unseelieattack! Black arrows ly the everywhere, but bef ore the characters canespond, r Unseelieboevmen are gone.W h y did theyattack?What’s going on? Description: Suddenly, something happens to warr the characterstha t things will never be the same again. A new element enters the story,and the characters realize
that their Ordinary World is no longer insulatedfrom reality and change. The king orders them to investigate something; one of their friends is kidnapped; an ancien1 treasure is found. Suggestioos: A Call t o Adventure should be some. thing that very clearly and simplyinvolves the characters Thiss cr u c d if you want to get them into the story. Thc Call to Adventure can be subtle, but should alwaysbc noticeable.
3. T h e RefusuI o fthe Call “Shouldn’t wego tell the duke about this?”E
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. “Nah, let’s not getnvolv i ed. Besides , it’s dangerous,” avin says. “Let’sgetout of here!” Viviannesays, running. The charactersf i e back to the safety of their
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apartments. Description: Even though the Call to Adventure has beenmade, our heroes are reticent t o leave the Ordinary World. They refuse,turning away from their destiny. But only for a time. Their destiny awaits them in the form of a mentor. Suggestions: This stage largelydepends on the char acters’ own reactions. Still, you may voice the refusal through Storytellercharacters. Of course,another kind of Refusal of the Call is to denigrate what’s going on: “Gee, that’s not really too bad. What’s the problem?”
4. CZ)eetlngwith th emenc oR The old eshu Gregory waits for themin the darknessof their apartment, Though Unseelie, the wizen ed grumpi s highly respecred.“Youwilderdon‘t u & s d what you’re involved with, do you?” he says, movingthrough the roam, staring at the heroeson e by on e with his midnight eyes. “TheThunderLords have targeted you for destruction." “Whathave we done to them?”ivianneasks. Gregory’svoice roUsout of the darkness. “Why my finds, it is not what you have done .. .it’s what youwill do that concernsthe Lords,”Gregory says, pullinghis cloak tightly around d him. “They have foreseen your destiny, an itpleases themnot....” Description: A mentor appears to explain the Callto Adventure and set th e characters on their journey. T he mentor character is usually older and wiser or more pow-
erfulthan the characters, although this doesnot have to be the case.A mentor is someone who helps the characters learn their new standing now that the Call has taken place. A mentor may evenbe a thing: a book, a map, a treasure - nything tha t helps the characters along and sets them o n the path t o adventure. Suggestions: Fightthe urge to give away alot of the plot through the mentor. Mentors are their own characters -frequently they are heroes who have alreadymade their own personaljourney. Although mentors will occasionally accompany the heroes into the story, they will frequentlyvanish without warning.Do ot let the charac ters turn the mentor into a crutch. The character is a facilitator,but shouldn’t do the players’ hinking for them.
5. CRossingt h e FiRst ThReshold door to the It is lateat night. The chain on warehouseparts easilyto a pair of bolt-cutters . “Are you sure about this?” Gavin asks. “Sure aboutit ? Hell, I’m not sureI should even be here. But we have to find out whatthe ThunderLords have planned.. Vivianne whispers. Theystep quietly intotheold warehouse. Crossingto a them, ollowing stack of crates,they make their way around the dim light fotheEXIT sign in the far lej’icorner. A tiny penlightfZashes on in Gavin’shand. “Look at all these boxes of gardening equipment.1 thought yousaid...” Gavin , begins.Vivianne scoffs. “Heh. Garden equipment. Yah right. Look at this!” Vivianne placesthe Stone of Opening on the cratetop,and the wood creaksas the-nails loosenand the top comes free. “Justas I thought...” Vivianne says, barely suppressing ashiver as she senses whatis within. Gavin’s penlight shines downon he flinty refkction inthe box. Ehrn curses underhis breath. “Coldiron swords.. .thistime the Shadow Court’s gone too fm.” The lights in the warehouse suddenly flareon, iuuminating every shadow. A man. ..no, Kithain, definitely.. ina black trenchcoat stepsforward. As he does crossbows, trung so, the three heroeshearthe click of three and cocked,a second before three more Kithain surround
them onall sides. The Kithain inthe trenchcoat smiles. “Greetings Welcometo my humble abode. UnfortunatelyI cannot ask you to stay for hospitality,” he says, smilingwickedly at his captured prey, Description: Crossing the First Threshold is the entrance in to t he Special World, the part of the story where things start to get strangean d dangerousand remain that way until the characters leave the Special World in Stage 10, the Road Back. Clearly the characters can no
longer return to their quiet, private lives. Now they must confront the Guardian of the Threshold, a character who represents the danger they face. They must defeat the Guardian, or circumvent,him, to continue. For the first time the c h c t e r s must confront the fear they sensed in the Refusal of the Call an d move through tha t fear to the Special World. Suggestions: This is a stage wheremany Storytellers feel the needto threaten the characters. You should resist the urge to threaten them so much tha t they die! Still, you can go quite a fair way toward endangering hem and then offer an escape route should they near death. It is a good idea to use the First Thresholdas a means of introducing either the central antagonist or her plans - f nothing else, it should foreshadowthe kinds of conflict to come.
. Tests, Allies,(3mnies At the ToyboxCafe, the charactersrelax. “Good ob gettingus out of there, Viv,” Gavin says, s i8 rubbingthe wound wherethe cold iron bit him. Vivianne nods. “I’m tewifid thatthe ThunderLordsare going to cry to stage an assassination- hat if they go after Duke Aeon?’’she says quietly.“We eed to find m e bout them..I wish we couldget dataon hat truck they escaped in,” E h says quietly. “Youkids.. don‘t you know anythingabout operational security?” grumblesa troU in the corner. He is obviouslyM ld one, a grump, wearinga ratty old Army coat. Steppingover to their table,the immense Kithain extends his h a d to Ehm, who shakes it firmly. “M’name’s Tor. You m a y have heard ofme. You folks Shouldn’toughta be talkin’ ‘boutthe Lords here- his is near their turfand,weU...the w& have ears. W h y don’t you meet me inthe park in 20 minutes?Make sure you’re not followed Tor says, quietly and evenly. Hesmiles at EUurmand, without another word, exits the Toyboxas unobtrusivelyas he came in.
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Description: This phase sees the characters gaining new information about their journey, finding new friends, falling into crises and generally getting int o trouble. This is the longest stageof th e 12. Care should be taken to give tests, alliesand enemiesastructure of their own.It’s a good idea to set this phase in a bar or open area, because of th e wealth of character interaction opportunities. Your job as Storytellerin this phase is to educate the characters about the Special World they’ve entered, introduce them to the playersof the story (if that hasn’t yet happened) and give them an inklii of what’s to come. Suggestions: Thisis the stage where you can bring in the character’s Backgrounds, especially Ba ckgrounds like Contacts, Retinue, Dreamers, Resources, Mentor and
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btclImYre. You should urallenge th e cnaracters, present enemies an d give them the allies they need during this phase. The characters shouldobtain more and more information about the story and learn of the impending crisis.
7. bpRoach
t o h e Inmost Cave
‘‘I’ve got Gawin says quietly. a bad feelingaboutthis,” Viwianne scoffs,“Pkase, yousound likea bad pulp fiction novel.. .keep quiet. Remember what Tor said- his place is swarming with chimera!” The charactersmake their way throughthe dark redwood forest,towardthe hidden Unseeliefortress there. Littledo hey knowthat they are the
watchedby numerous darkeyes in trees, eyes ehat report backto the ThunderLords themselwes. “What’sthe name of thisUnseelie lor d who lives here?” Gavinasks. Ehrn rumbles, “Blackthonw. He is o serves him.”“A said to havea personalharpychimera wh harpy?” Gawin asks querJously. “Gee, are you sure we can’t justgo get somebeer instead?” Description: Your charactersfinally understand what they need to accomplish.They have found all the pieces of the puzzle during the previous stages (especially Stage Six); now they just need to put the puzzle together and act on it. In this stage, they prepare to descend into the
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Underwona, me miiy of the Beast, the Inmost Cave, where their very souls will be tested. Unlike the First Threshold, this is a very real danger that lies in front of them. Suggestions: This stage shouldn’tbe too foreboding or heavy-handed, or the tension you are trying to build will be lost. During thisphase, you play on the characters’fears once again, tryingto get them to realize that this is the major focusof all that has come before. If the characters aren’t concerned at this point, they are either foolish or you haven’t done your job building the tension.
h eshou SupReme ld’ve stayed in&deal youro w n fief, Sir Knight!” 8. T“You
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Blackthome exclaims from behind anony his mous hel mhis hand glows with an unearthly1 mask. The black sword in 1 will radiance. “My loyalty to Duke Aeon is unquestioned! not auoW omeone to plot his doom!”Ehrn says, ’ strugglingto parry the great Unseelielord’s blows. Viwiunne watches from the sidelines as, seeminglyin slow moti on, Blackthorne penetrates Elhurn’s defensesand thrusts five feet of black chimericalsteel intoElhum’s breastplate. “Foolishboy. Duke Aeon isas good as dead.AlreadyI hawe placed a daggerat his heart- urely you ’we methis
; newestpersonal gurrd!’ I t s nly a matter of time before coldiron piercesthat bastard Aeon’s heart,” Blackthome
crloats. Description: This stage is th e downbeat, depressing part. This is when the heroes have seeminglylostall.The characters face their greatest enemy, their worst failing, and do not succeed. They are struck down, cut off,lost. Even if it is only a symbolicdeath, the characters must “bottom out” and face thegreatest darkness. Suggestions: Thiscan be a very depressing time for your players. Make sure that you don’t torture them too . long with it. However, rememberthat the bleaker you makethe Supreme Ordeal, the more exciting and triumphant the last few phaseswill be.
9. T h e RerUuRd “Well, Blackthome.. .you’ve defeateda new knight. Are you ready to fight an old man-at-a m?” Tor asks, steppingfrom he shadows and bringinghis huge b a t t h e to bear. “Why Tor,ow fascinating.What brings you here?”Blackthorn says, his voice not atd leasant. “I am here as a witness.. .awitness to your treachery. You are undone, my deardark lord,” Tor says.“I’m afraidit is you who are undone, Tor,” Blackthome counters.“My crossbowmen are aimingat your heart even as we speak.” “Call them off, Blackthome.. Viviannegrowls, pressing a cold iron dagger to the knight’s back. She smiles as he freezes andlifts his hands slowly intothe air, motioning the black-liver ied crossbowme n to withdraw. Description: Your charactershave hunted the enemy into his lair, faced death, and lived to tell about it. They gain vital pieces of informationor actual treasuresthat will help them complete the story. Although th e heroes have not yet completelywon, all is not lost, an d they art: now closer than ever to achieving their goal. Suggestions: Don’t dawdle in thisstage;you want the playersto continue on to one of the most exciting stages: the Road Back. If you hang out in the rosy glowof the Reward for toolong, you will find your story ’s momentum slowing and your players becoming bored.
10.T h e Road Back
Description: The Road Back takesplace after the 1 characters’ central assault onthe antagonist. They still haven’t won - hey’re rushing toward the ultimate climax of the story. Usually the Road Back is fraught with danger. Suggestions: Keep the pace moving on this onemake it exciting. There shouldbe movement- stressful, adrenaline-filled chase. Don’t let this part get bogged down with combat - hat will kill your story’s momentum.
1 1. T h e Final ThReshold “And so y o u see, Your Grace,Lord Blackthomehas been plotting your demisefor many week s now,” Tor says, his newl y found charges stan ding nextto him. The duke leansforward, his blond lodrs &ng into his eyes. “Andhow was thisto tule place?”he says quietly. “If it please Your Grace,” Viviunnebeginsquietly, “thereis reason to suspectthe newestmember of your personalguard the “I see. Have Corain brought to me immediately!” duke orders. From above dre hall,on the balcony, comesa reply: “No need, Your Grace. I am already here. Now, if
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everyone would please step awayfiom His Grace.Therei s no need foranyone else to get hurt.” Asidhe by his look, Corain has the eyes ofa cold-blooded murderer. In his handsis a CarefuUy cradledthree-sh ot crossbow, its quarrels
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tippedwith cold iron. Description: Even though the charactershave come this farand are almostnear the end of their story, hey must once more come face-to-facewith death and overcome it. They must be threatened, purifiedby the final risk, the final danger. The “final scare” common to many horror movies exemplifiesthis stage. After this, they are ‘(resurrected’’- he changes that the story has wrought upon them become clear. Suggestions: This is the climax of t he story, soplay it up. Your players should be on the edge of their seats. You have worked hard to get here,an d you should enjoy the momentum of the story you’ve created.
12.T h e Rerum
“I can’t believehe let us get away,”Ehrn says. “He “Andso, in recognition of your protectionof the didn’tlet us get away...don‘tforgethis great ravens! They’re f His Graceu d the sn&ng outof the &ers of somewhereintheforest,”Gavinsays oniedly. “Take teasy, person o to this court,I am pleased darkness who would bring ruin Ehrn,” Vivbnne clucks. “Give the Heather-Balm time to to be initiated to announcethat all of you, all three, are into the Order of the Silver Lion, forconspicuous valor in “Mymkisparkedoverinthose trees, ifwecanmakeit,” the service ofDukeAeon. May he always have such Torsays, comingup behindthem. Then, suddenly,allaround protectors!” aims in M y Alyssa, the chamberlain, procl them, hundredsfocawingravens swoopdownn a swarm. open court. There is a great cheer, especially from the “Run!” Gavinye&, diving forsome underbrush.
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commoners,as the threego forward to accept theirtokeiu
of honor. Afterward,Lord Tor brings them d side. “The Shadow Courtis growing moreand more pow&. I had not understood this until today. Althwgh the duke stiU ridiculesit and thinksits members buffoons, I thinkwe ,” Tor sayssoftlr to them,est they be we do? Vivianneasks, ingeringthe silver s but one brooch that she nau wearsas a cloakpin. “There thingto do, miMyViuianne,”E h m grumbles,“We must clearlystand againstthis new threat. We must do whatever we can. We muststand fast againstthe Shadow Court, ”
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wherever its power grows strong.” “Justas longas we don’thave to go near those damn ravens again!Geez!” Gavin chimes in. The other three sharea quiet hughas the musiciansshikeup an air inthe
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adventure is over, and yet there must be a denouement. Rewards and recognition need to be given. Most importantly, however,the characters need to realize how they have changed and what they have accomplished.As well, you needto establish the foundation for another story in ending this one. s actuallya crucialpoint, so don’t Suggestions:This relax just yet. Enjoy the moment, but rememberthat you must tie up all of your plotlinesand resolution. Celebrations are common you can still have a downbeat endingif the story demands it. Let the story unfold naturally.
First of all, don’t cling to the structure. Don’tbe too vious when you’re us ing it. Mixit up a little,or a lot. Use y as a tool, not as a crutch. If you blindly e from point to point, your story seem hollowand unfulfilled. On the other hand, get to know the structure well. Look at popular movies an d analyze their structure in Journey.Movies ikeStarWms and The of Oz are very clearly modeledon this structure. recognize that all stories do have a re of one kind or another. When you stop just throwingtogether encounters and actually create a coherent story using a structure, you encourage your playersto respond emotionallyand build their expectationsfor the next story you tell.
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he’s been trying to answerfor years.Do you dare trust such an untrustworthy mentor?
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These are a few ideasforstories. Not all of them will suit every group, but feel freeto experiment with them to achieve the ends you desire. In The Shadow of the King Every noble has a “tail”:a retinue of courtiers,knights, servants and sycophants. This retinue is a hotbed of intrigue. In this story concept your characters become immersed in the backstabbingand social machinationsof the court. Is murder in the offing?Noble characters have an obvious edge,but commoners (becauseof their social invisibility) have a different sort of advantage.
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The Lost Ones
A communityof changelingshas not been heard from
in some time,and your lordrequests that you stopby to see what’s up. It may benothing - hey may just be busybut when has that ever been so?T heEscheatdemands hat changelingsbe retrieved if they are lost. What will your characters do t o get t he community back?
A Pmka’sRequest
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respectedpooka shows up at the characters’freehold, offering great treasureand glory to any who care to throw in with him. W hat follows is a far-rangingquest for a chimera the pooka swearsholds the answer to a riddle
Childling Found
A new changelinghas been found- a childlingborn to very strict parents. She may evenbe abused by her family.Is it right to take the child fnwnher kin - nd if she is taken,who will take careof her?And what of the giant paulag cat chimera who guards herand won’t let anyone come near?
A Sword of Ill Substance Th e characters stumble upon a shipment of cold iron in an Unseelie motley’s part of the city.Do hey steal the shipment, leave it where it is,or fetch one of the Seelie nobles? Th e Searchfor Inspiration Th e characters, on the lookout for new sources of Glamour, find an artist or performer to muse. Nurturing talent isn’t alwaysas easy as it sounds.Several problems could occur, fromdnig dependency to money problemsto marital strifeto falling prey to Ravagers. The characters must somehow preserve and inspire their artist, either directly or indirectly. A’RavagingWe
Will Go
Even the most SCNPUIOUSIY air and caring changeling occasionally finds herselfin need of a quick fixof
2 Changeling: T h e beaming
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Glamour. Ravaging is often the only answer. This can be aquick-and-dirty wipejob (leaving the characters feeling
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, guilty) or a joyous bust-out party where everyonehss a blast and the victims wake up with headaches and a temporary increase in Banality. Righting Wrongs, Battling Beasties
The quintessential fairy tale or hero’s quest may be unabashedly offered for an evening’s entertainment.
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Whether rescuing a damsel in distress (imagine combinor ing Change!ling with elements from the film Sped) rounding up stray chimerathathave broken loosefrom the characters’ dreams (oops!),his one is for action fans. Defendingthe Homefront In this story, the characters must defend a faerie freehold or trod from attackers. This could involve a straightforward battleor might become a battle of wits against city plannersbent on bulldozingthe area. For a true threat, have the usurpers be wily vampiresor mages.
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MysteriousHap#mings
The characters must invest igate a mysterious disappearance - ither of a person or object -and hopefully retrieve whoeveror whatever is lost. Another changeling may have taken the object of their quest; alternatively, a normal human may have made off w it h a powerful and potentially dangerous artifact rhat he thought was a mundane item. Dauntain may have kidnapped another changeling to questionher about her friends. The chamcters must recover the missing personor item before irreparable harm is done.
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Summoned o Court
The characters are summoned to a festival at Seelie (or Unseelie) court. Proper dress is expe though they are allowed to bring their Harleysfor the chimerical jousting. Naturally, none of them knew until this morning that t he festiva€ s a birthday celebration for the duke. Where do you get a present for agu y who can create whateverhe wants out of thin air?
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ChKonicles A chronicle is really nothing more than a series of
interconnected stories that tell a larger tale. Each story
withii the chronicle tells a part of the tale, but the stories
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all taken together make up the greater story.Just as with each story, the chronicle should have an overall theme and mood, the characters should remain consistent, the antagonists should be clearly defined(thoughnat W sarily obvious atfirst), the setting described and the projected beginning, middle and end outlined.
One of the most effectivemethods to make stories memorable si to create great villainsfor the characters to battle. But not all antagonists are villains, Manyare simplypeople who have differing goals or beliefs; some are misled by circumstancesor poor leaders. Real villains should be few and far between; even in fairy tales,which revel in symbolism and strict interpretations of goodand evil, things are not always putely black and white. When ou do create an actual dyed-inathewool, black-hearted scoundrel, you should remember that the best villains rarely think of themselves as such. They have reasons for what they do and are the heroes of their own stories (twisted as those might be). A madman bent on is not interworldwide destruction “just because” esting; a madman who wants todestroy the world because he believes it’s the onl y way tobring back the Dreaming is far more compelling and believable. He should alsobe quite cunning and operate logically (such as his logic may be) to achieve his goals and defeat his opponents.
It isn’t necessary toplot out every story in the chronicle or cover every eventuality. In fact, it is better to leave a lot of the middle ground fairly hazy,giving the playersroom to add their ideas and deviatefrom he plot. As the stories unfold, you can ncorporate new elements nto the overall design and strengthen the srcinal concept. Chronicles - ou can should allow for deviations from the course alwaysrope he characters back into the main tale during the next session.
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As the stories progress,however,it is important that they became broader and broader in scope,with tougher villains, more dastardly plots, grander settings and ever more vital goals.Each story should be more compelling than t he last, as the characters move toward solving the final puzzleor overcoming the final obstacle, and their e greater significance. The main issues raised by the chroniclemust be dealtwith in some fashion, though less immediately important subplots can be left unresolved to serve as starting places for new adventures.
ChRonicleconcepts
ity?What about the creepingtide of Banality that is slowly
Like the story concepts given above, these are just a few ideas to get the Storyteller started. They are broader categories because they represent ongoing stories rather than one- or two-session adventures. Each may suggest other ideas for variant chronicles. The Saining The characters discover that they are changelings. How does this affect their lives?What changes will they make? This kind of story is best for a first chronicle. It should begin with a prelude in which each character discovers (or at least suspects) her true nature. The chroniclemay follow the characters hrough he discovery of their true natures, the search for othersof their kind, and their tutelage under the local ruler’s watchful eye. Intrigue With so many possible factions (both at court and away fromit), there are numerous opportunities for intrigue. Intrigue need be neither epic nor villainous in nature; it might merely be the petty maneuverings of court toadies and flunkies. The characters mightbe used as pawnsin the schemesof one or more rival factions,or they might turn the tables on the ambitious courtiers and expose them for the plotters they are. Honoris very important in changelingsociety, and exposing a traitoror self-serving individual could also involve defending a lady’shonor, engaging in duelsor carrying sensitive documents from one location to another. Possibilities for stories abound. The Quest Many good tales are stories of epic quests- or a
I particular item or place, to discover a forgotten bit of knowledge,or to find a certain person. Usually, but not always, there is some sort of time limit involved (the heroes must makeit to the Armageddon Bell before the stroke of midnight on December 31st or all islost), and a number of obstaclesor conflicts are placed in the heroes’ way. The characters need not realize at th e start that they are engaged in an epic quesc many such stories start small (old Bilbo gets a trinket from Gollum and passes it on to
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Frodo). The Long Autumn This chronicle could evolve in a number of different ways. Perhaps thecharactersare older changelings,weighed down by Banality and longing for renewed vigor and innocence. Is there some substanceor magical item that can restore their Glamour and erasetheir acquired Banal-
Changeling:The ?hming
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eroding all Glamour in the world? Can the characters overcome their own slide into forgetfulness long enough to reverse the tide and bring real Glamour back into the world? Tending the Seeds
As crime increases, taxes inflate and welfare benefiw vanish, the characters’home city becomesa brutal hellhole of despair. Glamour begins todry up, and even the freeholds’balefiresflickerandebb. Banalityrises to an all-time high. Is this the Last Winter of the legends?Or is there hope for this Glamour-starvedcity?Your characters must rise above their apathy to help inspire creatio n, imagination and merriment, orriskosing their precious freeholds.
A Call to Armoe Peasants are Revolting This dual chronicle can be playedwith two groups. One group playsa band of commoners, the other a band of
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nobles. The commoners have decided that the nobles aren’t fit to rule the Kithain and must therefore be removedfrompower.Thenobles, verinterestedinretaining their rightful power and sovereignty,have decided to react with force. Both groups fall into open conflict, usually spilling over into physical violence. One Storyteller can coordinate hingsbetween he groups, although t’s best to have two or maybe even three Storytellers keeping track of events in bothchronicles. Is it possible to find some middle groundand thus reestablish peace?Or are the two sides going to bash it out to the de ath? Th e Court of Love It’s springtime and t he entire court is filled with the strains of romantic love. Love affairs form, resolve, are interrupted, broken and renewed. Soon politics are interwovenwithdesire and love, knotting into acomplicated tangle that no one fully understands. Th e Mirror Crack’d
A giant magic mirror hanging inthe liege’s treasure chamber has mysteriously shattered. All of the pieces of the mirror, except one, have disappeared. The court treasurer explains that th e mirror contained 100 special dream-worlds. After a little experimentation, he characters discover th at their mirror-shard enables them to travel into some of thesedream-realms to h unt for other uexits” -which should theoretically be located at places where other mirror-fragmentsexist. O f course, then the characters have to negotiate each shard’s return, but that’s up to them. Eachdream-realm s more exciting and strangethan the last.
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ending a Chrionick All stories must come to an end. Wrapping up a chronicle, particularly one that has lasted for months-or even years- equires a specialtouch to make it memorable and satisfyingfor all. The conclusion of a book or a film usually involves a significant confrontation (sometimes, but not always, a battle) with the fundamental source of conflict, resulting in either victory or defeat. Besides providing a convenient resolution, this “final conflict” also serves as a catharsis in which the emotions and tensions that have built up over the course of the chronicle are finally released.
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Unlike fairy tales, which end with the phrase “and they lived happily ever after,” a chronicle does notalways end so fortuitously. In the World of Darkness,there is always a sense that the enemy has not been entirely defeated. For changelings, he constant threat of Banality castsa pall on even the happiest occasion and dampens he greatest victory with its miasmic presence.
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Th e players should be left with a very real sense of accomplishmentand satisfaction while keeping open the possibility that some loose ends still exist. This can be done through a series of denouements, or winding-down sessions, in which characters finally have the leisure to consider their future. Will they stay in touch with the friends an d allies they have met during the chronicle? Have romances blossomed between characters, and will these liaisons wither when excitement no longer fuels their passions?Will some characters be lost toBanality for a time? Often, after a chronicle has ended, it is helpful for you to sit down with your players and discuss the aftermath. If the players wish to continue watching their characters develop, they may havesome ideas for new chronicles that can spring from the glowingembersof the old chronicle’s finale. You may wish to take your turn as a player, creating a character to fit in with t he troupe and giving another player the opportunity to ac t as Storyteller. Although melancholy always surroundsthe end of a chronicle, it helps t o remember that n o story ever truly ends. Each story simplyforms the background for a new story.Thestock ending for fairy tales should really be “they
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I b\ddvmcedTechniques Some people say that he’s a fiend,
A devil in disguise, He’U promise love and happiness, Bright lightsbefore your eyes, And still you know you can’ refuse, No matterwhat you think.
You justgot to taste the glamour, Ovations as you sink. - orslips, “Ride to Hell” The followingtechniques are for those troupes who enjoy more complex stories. They are particularly useful in Changeling,wheredreamsbecome ealityand otherworldly magics and fantastic beasts are the norm. If used correctly (and sparingly), these techniques allow the creation of storiesthat no participant will ever forget.
OReums When using this technique, you roleplay out a character’s dream. This dreamcan be specific to one character or shared by the troupe. With either option, th e characters take the roles of beingsin the dream - ither themselvesor other characters who might be symbolicor literal - nd act through the dream. The dream may be
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like a n y other dream - ith strange settings, illogical events and people coming and going at random - r ma y seem entirely straightforward.The characters inthe dream may not have as much control over eventsas they normally would,and m ay not even realize they are in a dream until thiig s become overtly bizarre. The truly wonderful thing, however, is that these dreams might come true (usually in chimerical form). What happens when every dream formschimerical beings or alters reality?Thisis a good way to shock the players and put them off their guard.
Flashbacks Flashbacksare a way to roleplay scenesin a character’s past and thereby present a new perspectiveon the current story. Thisisa particularly valuable technique forChangeling stories, because changelings are reborn again and again in different mortal guises. Characters may not remember their last incarnations or even that they are changelings. Flashbacksmay provide clues to the characters’truenatures,llow them to unravel plots against them by heretofore forgotten rivals,or givehintsto the location of an artifact hidden in a prior mortal life. Old loves, enemies, greatfriends and valued faerie companions can all be introduced through flashbacks. The events that occur must be controlled fairlystrictly by the Storyteller,
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making the characters' actionsand choices less free, but the flashback is primarily intended to provide the characters with information, not to let them change the past.
Parallel stories are stories unconnected t o t he main story being told, but which share a theme with the main tale, Players are asked to create a newset of charactersor are given Storyteller-created characters to play. Though the parallel story may be set in an entirely different environment or time (or even involve characters who are not changelings), some aspect of it will reflect upon the
main story, clarifyevents within it or emphasize its theme. Players get a break fromthe main story, getthe chance to play different characters for a while,and get a better grasp I on the srcinal story. Thistechnique should be used ' sparingly lest it become stale. 1
RivalFac-cions In this technique the
I acters-rivals
to one another, but with similaror identical goals- nd play throughtwo sidesof the same story.The twogroupsdon't necessarilyencounter the same events all the time (that would be boring), but occasionally cross
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with Storyteller characters to create problems forthe other group. Eventually,one groupor the other will win, or the two will learnto compromise(either with players handling two characters OP by combining , characters from the two groups into a third consensual group). Thisechnique is for advancedand mature Storytellersand players only; players must not utilize knowledge I gained by the rival group.
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play Uhthin @ag Utilizing elements from the parallel story, yet unique in that it takes place within the confines of the srcinal
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story, the play within a play is a short vignettethat obliquely commentson the action or interactions of the main tale. Shakespeare usedthe play within a play in Hamlet to ferret out a murderer and in A Midsummer Night's Beamto entrap the faerie queen Titania and comment upon the blindness of love. Storytellers could use this technique for similar effectsor simply to insert comic relief into a serious story.
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Particularly complex chronicles may benefit from troupe-style play, in which each player controls morethan : sco.oRycclil~ " "
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TRoupe-Style play
ChupceRT h
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er. Usually this involves creatine a Drimarv character and one or two secondary characters who are played in particular circumstances. Even so-calledsecondary characters may play major rolesin chronicles,for they are often chosen to accompanyprimarycharacters due to specificskillsthey alone have. The whole ideais to create a group that can work well together. Another reason for troupe-styleplay is to let the Storyteller have a breakand play a characterof her ow n in someone else’s chronicle (preferablyin a shared background). A
Changelings well suited to the idea of troupe play, since there are inherent classdifferencesamong he characters anyway. Changelingsociety s built upon a feudalistic model in which each personhas a hierarchical relationship (equal to, aboveor below)with each other person. In such a society, one character mightbe a sidhe baroness, two others mightbe redcap and pooka commoners,and a fourth might be an eshu in service to the baroness. The players ofthe pooka, redcap and eshu may have other characters who are nobles(or other commoners), while the baroness’player mayin tun) lay a nocker in service to some other player’s character.
R SuggesirnonBOF 1 TUROC Sometimes a plotcan be given a new twist through a randomizingagent. A Tarot card drawn at random from its deck may suggesta scene or symbolsto be inserted in th e story. Alternatively, the players may write out desired plot twists, story suggestionsor character developmentsand put them in‘ a suggestionbox from which the Storyteller may draw. Even flipping through children’s picturebooks, encyclopediasor comic books may suggesta new plotline or way of telling the story. Doingso on the fly is only for the very experiencedor those who feel very comfortable “wingingit,” but can be quite rewarding.
1
Changelingsare immortal, even though their mortal bodies ageand die. It is possible that a story begun when the characters are childlingsmay have elements that recur when they are wildersand are not fullyresolveduntil they are grumps. Naturally, dozensof other stories occur in between the recurring one. Alternatively, sincechangelings ncarnate morethan once, they may have begun the story long ago, gone
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Here are a few story ideas:
they would play through each different time period, haps even beginning before th e Shattering.
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2 Garou sept opens a caern in what is also a angeling holding. The two groups can either go to war learn to coexist, perhaps strengthening the Glamour/
space battling alien threats are no less believable than anywhere else. How would changelings have affected
herent in turning themselves into metallic samurai? t’s up
A Dreamspeaker findsher way into the Dreaming
A childling and a child-wraith become fast friends decide to go “adventuring” ogether - o th e consternation of everyone who knows eitherof th
ossibilities for chronicles and stories. Th e magickal
arou may be drawn to changelings because of
common psychological ground may creat
Never be afraid to experiment. Ther
experiment and experience the whole Dreamsong, not just a small part of it- nd remember tha t through your
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All games have rules.Some have only a fewand are fairly simple, suchas Chutes and Ladders. Others have manyand areextremelycomplicated, ike bridge.Changeling has something in common with bothtypes t has only a few simple rules, but these few rules have a large number of permutations. You need only learn the basic rules, but their permutations evoke the flavor of the game, allowing it to simulate the complexity of real life. This chapter provides the basic rules of Changeling; you decide which permutations you wish to use.
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Th e first thing you need to learn is how time passes in Changeling. There are five different ways to describe time, progressing fromthe smallest unit to the all-encompassing one.
Turn- ne unit of time within a scene, anywhere from three seconds to three minutes in length. Aturn is enough time to take on e action (discussed below). Scene - ne compact period of action and --'?playing that takes place in a single location. A scene .lade up of avariable numberofturnsas many as t takes to complete it); it can also be completed strictly through roleplaying, which requires no use of turns.
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Chapter - ne independent part of a story, almost always played in one game session. A chapter is made up of a number of scenes connectedby periods of downtime.
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Story complete tale, with an introduction, buildup and climax, th at often .takes several chapters to complete. Chronicle -A whole seriesof stories connectedby the lives of the characters and perhaps by a broadly conceived theme and plot. It is simply the ongoing story told by you and the players.
Actlons Besides acting outwill the.. .xters'characters speeches and conversations, players want--.their to perform (or at least attempt to perform) actions they describe to the Storyteller. An action can be anything from jumping over a gorge to glancing over one's shoulder to check for pursuers. The player tells the Storyteller what her character is doingand details the procedure she uses. Many actions are automatic- or instance, when a player tells the Storyteller that her character walks across the street toward a warehouse. All the Storyteller needs to do is keep track of where the character is and what she is doing. However,certain actions require dicerolls to determine successor failure.
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Whenever the success of an action is in doubt, or the Storyteller thinks there is a chance your character might fail, you will have to roll dice.Thii gives your character an opportunity to let weaknessesand strengthsexhibit hemselves, thereby revealing something fothe character’s true nature to bothyou and theother players. Changeling requires the of 10-sided dice, which useIf you are the Storyteller, you can buy in any game store. you will want a lot of dice, ta least 10, allto yourself4ASa player, you’ll also want dice, but you may share dice wit h other players.
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A character is described by her Traits he innate and learned abilitiesand aptitudes shepossesses. Traits are defined by numbers; each Trai t has a rating from 1 to 5 , whichdescribes the character’s ability in that particular Trait. A 1 s lousy, while a5 is superb.Thisscaleof 1 o 5 parallels the “star” rating system made famousby movie and restaurant critics. The normal human Trait range is from 1 o 3, with 2 can have being average. However, exceptional people Traits of 4 (exceptional) or 5 (superb),or even have a zero in a Trait (which is extremely rare, but not unheardof). X Abysmal 0 Poor
Average 0 .0 00 0 0
**
Good
,
Exceptional Superb
For each dot your character has in a particular Trait, you get to roll one die. Thus, if you had four dots in Strength, you would get to roll four dice. If you had one dot in Perception, you would only get toroll one die. However, you almost never simply roll the number of dice you have in an Attribute, which definesyour intrinsic capabilities. Usually you get to add the number of dice you have in an Attribute to the number of dice you have in an Abilitythings that you know and have learned. So if the Storyteller wants a player to roll to see if her character notices the redcapband creeping up behind her, he would have the player roll Perception+ Alertness- n Attribute + anAbility.Theplayerwouldpickup number of dice equal to her character’sdots in Perception. Then the player would add one die for each dot in Alertness. These dice are collectively called the Dice Pool. A character’s Dice Pool delineates the total number of dice a player may roll in a single turn- sually for a single
108
Changeling: The bmning
action, although a player can divide a Dice Pool inorder to allow her character to perform more than one action. When rol lig for a Trait such as Willpower, which has both a permanent and a temporaryscore,a player almost always rollsa number of dice equal to the Trait’s permanentrating(thecircles),not tscurrentscore (thesquares).
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Certain actions don’t requireor even have an appropriate Ability. An example of this is when a playersoaks damage froman attack. In such cases, the player onlyuses an Attribute, rolling the number of dice listed for that Attribute - n this case Stamina. There is absolutely no situation where morethan wo Traits can combine to form a Dice Pool. Only one Trait can be usedif it has a potential value of 10 (such as Willpower or Glamour).This means that a Trait like Willpowercan never be combined with another Trait. It is generally impossiblefor a normalhumanbeing to have more than10 dice in a Dice Pool.
hricultles Now you’vegot tofigureout what you need to lookfor when you roll the dice. The Storyteller assienseach taska difficulty rating, a number that quantifies the challenge
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posedby the task. A difficulty is always a number between 2 and 10.You need to roll that numberor higher on at least one of your dice in order to succeed. Each time you do SO, it’scalled a success. If you roll five dice against a difficulty of 6, and you roll2,3, 5, 6 and 9, you have scored two successes. Though you usually need only on e success to succeed, the more successesyou score, the better you perform. Scoring only one successis considered a marginal success , while scoring three is considered a complete success, and scoring fiveis a momentous event. ifficulties
3
h
4
Routine
5
Straightforward
6 7 8 9
Challenging Difficult Extremely Difficult
Y
Standard
Degreesof Success One Success
Marginal
Two Sudcesses
Moderate
Three Successes Four Successes Five Successes
Complete Exceptional Phenomenal
You can see that if the difficultyis lower, it becomes easier to scorea success, whileif it is higher, it becomes more difficult. Th e Storytellerwill assign high difficulties whenever the action you have decided to take is difficult, and will either let your character do something automatically (because her Attributes and Abilities are so high) or assigna bw difficulty ifthe desired action is particularly
.I._.
easy.
Though they are not on the list above, you, the Storyteller,canalsoassigndifficultiesof 2 or 10.However, these should almost never be used. Difficulty 2 is so pathetically easy that you might as well let the player succeed without wasting time on a roll. Difficulty10 is so difficult that there is an equalchanceto botch (described below) as here is to succeed,no matter how many dice the player rolls. A 10 is pretty near impossible.On the rare occasionswhen you do announce a difficulty of 10,be sure you realize how impossible you are makingthe chanceof success. If a player ever rolls a10, the result is automatically a success, no matter what.
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Unless the Storyteller says otherwise, the difficulty for a particular taskis always6. This is the standard difficulty;6 is assumed if a diffculty number is otherwise
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more successes.For very simpleand often-repeated actions, however, automaticsuccessescan eliminate a lot of wasted time. (Note that certain actions, suchas combat, are always problematican d should not be handled with this system.)
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Th e automatic successrulescan be used to eliminate dice completely. In such situations, automatic successes aren’t a matter of choice. Either you aregood enough to succeed or you are not. It is simple, butso was Cops ‘n’ Robbers,and we liked it just fine. The story was what was important; the rules didn’t matter. This simple system even has a twist, making it not quite so black-and-white. A Willpowerpoint (see pg. 179) canbe spent to earn an automatic success. You won’t want to do this often, but for certain actions it can be very advantageous o do so. Of ourse, the Willpower expenditure only counts for one successif multiple successes are required.
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CornpIicatlons P
You may have already realizedthat it is quite easy to score a single success, even when you roll only oneor two dice. You have a 75 % chance for a marginal successwhen you roll only two dicean d the difficultyis 6. While that may sound too easy , there are various ways to complicate matters, some of which are discussedbelow. For troupes heavily into roleplaying,simplerolls an d automatic successesare enough. Generally, complications are needed only if the playersor you want a break fromthe roleplaying, if you want a realistic result,or if you want to make a game out of the scene. Complications add drama to the story, evokingpassion and focusing events.
€Fended
&nons
In order to succeed fully, you will sometimesneed more than one success- ou will need to accumulate three, or seven, or even (rarely) 20 successes.An action that requires only one success s called a simpleaction.An action that requires more than one success is calledan extended action. An extended action allowsyou to roll over and over on subsequent tums in an attempt to collect enough successes o succeed.For instance, supposeyour character is climbing a tree. The Storyteller announces that when you roll a total of seven successes, your character has climbed to‘ the top. She’ll get there eventually, but the more times you roll, the more chances your character has to botch and injure herself. If she is attempting to climb
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6 he tree because it is on fire, the amount of time it takes becomes exceedingly important. During an extended action, youcan keep trying to obtain successesforas ong as you want, or at least until you fail to score even one success.If you botch, your character may have to startover from scratch, with no accumulated successes. The Storyteller may decide not to let the character try again at all.
This type of action is more complicatedthan a simple action and should not often be employed inthe middleof intense roleplaying. As the Storyteller, you decide what typeofaction is appropriate.A little bit of experience will serve you well when employingthese rules. I r
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Resisted &mons Sometimes you will act in opposition to another character. Both of you make rollsagainst a difficulty often indicatedby a Trait of the other character, and the person who scores the most successes suc ceeds. However, yo u are as the amount considered to score onlyas many successes by which you exceed your opponent’s successes. The opponent’s successes eliminate your own, just as “1s”do. Therefore, it is very difficult,and rare, to achieve an outstanding success on a resisted action. Even if your opponent cann ot beat you, she can diminish the effect of your efforts.During actions that aresboth extended and resisted, one of the opponentsmust collect a certain number of successesin order to succeed completely. Each success above the opponent’s total number of successesin a singleturnis added to a success total. The first opponent to collect the designated number of successeswins the contest.
TeamruoRk Sometimes characters can work together to collect iuccesses, most often during an extended action. At the Storyteller’sdiscretion, two or more characters can make -011sseparately and combine their successes (though they may never combine their separate Traits for one roll).
is effective in some circumstances, suchas I Teamwork vhen characters are engaging in combat, shadowing prey,
collecting information or repairing devices. During oth:IS, t can actually be a hindrance, such as in many social actions (whereit can confuse the subject).
It can often be annoying to fail. If you are having rouble with your computerand can’t figure out the source d a system error, then you’re in for a frustrating time.This s reflected in Changeling by increasing the difficult y of my action if it is tried again after it’s alreadybeen failed.
Whenever a character attemptsan action she has previouslyfailed, the Storyteller hasthe option of increasing the difficulty of the action. Consider a character who tries to intimidate someone.If the first attempt fails, it’s going be harder the second time around,so the difficulty isone greater.If tried a third time, then the difficulty s two greater. In cases like this, though, the Storyteller might simplyrule that the character cannot even make another try - ow do you intimidate someone whohas already called your bluff? Other examplesof when to use the rule are picking a lock (Security), scalinga wall (Athletics), and remembering a word in a foreign language (Linguistics). Sometimes he Storyteller shouldn’t invoke this rule. A notable example is during combat. Missing someone with a first gunshot doesn’t necessarily mean that the gunman is frustratedand has a better chance of missing again. Though after the gunman has missed a couple of times, especiallyfi they are easy, close-rangeshots.. Other examplesof when not to use the rule are seeing something out of the corner of the eye (Alertness) an d dodging an attack (Dodge).
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Changeling:The &keaming
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Rememberthat in the end there is only one real ule in Changeling:here are no rules. You should fashion this game into whatever you need it to be if the rules get in your w ay, then ignoreor change them. The true complexity an d beauty of the real world cannotbe captured by rules; itakes storytelling an d imagination to do that. Indeed, these rulesare not so muchrulesas hey are guidelines,and you are an d change them as you free to use, abuse, ignore wish.
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TRY t Our Well, that’s it. These are the rules. This system for dice is all you really need to know in order to play this game. All the other rules arejust clarificationsand exceptions. So long as you understand what’s been discussed here, you won’t havea n y difficulty understandinganything else. If you don’t think you’ve caught everything, just read this chapter again; you’llfind it makes more sens e the second time around.
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Now go ahead and make a few rolls, using the example characteron page 115.Jack is attempting toescape agroup of Unseelie redcaps. He crouches down behind a lowwall, hoping that they will run past without seeing her. The Storyteller assigns a difficulty of 7 to this feat and decides that the appropriate roll si Dexterity+ Stealth. Take four dice becauseof Jack‘s Dexterity Attribute of 4, and three extra dice because of Jack‘s Stealth Ability of 3. You should now have seven dice in your hand- fair number, reflecting Jack‘s aptitude for such feats.Go ahead and roll the dice. Look to see how many successes you have, making sure to subtract a successfor every “1”youroll. Did you make it, did you fail,or did you botch ? The more successes you get, the better you hide. Only one success might mean that you barely make it under cover in time. Two might mean tha t you manage tocrouch under a little overhang. Three might mean that you’re totally silent and quiet, and that the redcaps don’t even getan opposed Perception roll. B n. An Next, try our an extended and resis example of this is anarm wrestling match. It requires an indefinite seriesof rolls, each with a different difficulty. You need to accumulate five succes ses morethanyour opponent in order to win. A botch eliminates all of your accumulated successes. First roll Each playerrolls Strength; the difficulty
By demonstratingyourexpertisewith the saber, you hope to encourage your opponent to back off. Roll Manipulation + Melee (difficulty6). Three successes will cause him to back off for a turn, but you can only do this once. You atte
ince the seneschalthat you disbursed to you. Roll Manipulation+ Ity 8). Don’t get caught!
You desire the kingship of
Enigmas (difficulty7) t Th e dulre’s men
convince your captors.
A
troll in the car you
rred with a Glarnowinfused kn igmas (difficulty8) to pass. You extended test to uncbthe knot.
the difficultyis the opponent’s Strength + 3. Fourth roll (and all subsequent ones): Each player
You aremring to coaxa order to speak him. Roll Charisma + Mythlore ifficulty8).You need five successes o gain the unicorn’s
to
Following are mme examplesof rolls. Pleasenote that each Attribute can work with each Ability, so there are 270 potential types of simple rolls that ca n be made. Admittedly, you willnot often rollDexterity+ Occult, but it
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might come up. You attempt to impressHigh King David with your intricate wit. Roll Charisma + Enigmas (difficulty8). You threaten the redcapby attempting to lift him up by his collar. Roll Strength + Intimidation (difficulty
8). You thinkthere isa trod in the area. Roll Percention to locate it.
+ Kenning (difficulty7)
You are a bardat a festival, and you’re trying to impressthe audience. Roll Charisma+ Performance (difficulty 7) to do so. 0 You find yourself in the midst of a hail of amows . Roll Dexterity + Dodge (difficulty7 ) to avoid them. You are ding a crown forthe new king, nd you want it to be exquisitely beautiful. Roll Dexterity+ Crafts (difficulty9).Youneedatleast osuccesses nanextended test to pull it d . You thinkthe oerson you’respeaking o is a changelin~ ho is unaware of his true nature, but you want to for sure. Roll Percepti 0
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an n the next page we have provided you with example of a complete Changeling character sheet. The character, Jack, is based on the example character in 1 Chapter Five. Th e followingis a quick look at the Traits that describe him. Chronicle: The title of the series of storiesand the ’ world in which the character exists. Court: Indicates whether the character is of the Seelie or Unseelie Court. Legacies:A description of the character’s personality an d faerienature. Both the character’sUnseelie and Seelie Legacies are listed here. The character’sdominant Legacy should be listed first.
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House: The noble house with which the character is affiliated, if any. Seeming: The character’s mortal guise.
Kith: Th e particular “race”of faeries to which the
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Household/Motley: Any households or motleysof which the character is a member. Attributes:
The innate aptitude and potentials of
Abilities: Those aptitudes acharacter intuitively knows or which have been learned over the years. Advantages: This category is divided into three subcategories.Arts and Realms describe the magical powers that changelings possess. Backgrounds detail the character’s socialand material advantages. Glamour: The amount of magicalenergy at the disposalof a changeling,often used when casting a cantrip. Willpower: A measure of the character’s selfconfidence an d determination. Banality:A measure of the degree to which mortal rationality and disbelief has affectedthe character. Combat: This is a place to list the combat statistics for various weapons. Experience: Here you record the experience points awardedby the Storyteller, which you can later spend to improve your character.
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Health:This is a place to record wounds and the character’scurrent Health Level.
r A a
B:
Changeling: Th e be am in g
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fer's N orther n House:
physical 0.000 Strength Dexterity O .W Stamina -00
Social
Charisma Manipulation Appearance
CDental .0000
'
.OOOO ..OOO
Intelligence Wits
0.
00
00000
AMines Talents
Alertness Athletics Brawl Dodge Empathy Expression Intimidation
KenninStreetwise SubterfugeLittle
00000 00000 00000
..ooO
..OOO 00000 00000
..ooO
00000
Whit e Lies
00.00 -
Skills
Crafts Drive Etiquette Firearms Leadership Melee Performance
know edges 00000
00000
00000 00000 00000 00000
0.0 0 0
Security Stealth Survival
00000 00.00 .OOO
hdvanmges
Backgzounds
Computer Enigmas Investigation Law Linguistics Medicine Mythlore
00000
into a fox fo r 1 Glamaur,
0 0 0
e0
'
00000
OooO( 00000
.000 .0000
00000 00000
U
0 00 0 0
Hurt -- : -1 injureu Wounded Mauled , , Lrippiea
' '
0000000
n
.
Incanacitated
-1 -1
-2 -2 -5
-
-
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P P P
31915 Arts: 3 Realms: 5 Backgrounds: 5 Freebie Points: 15 (5/3/2/1) _I
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.
00000
-uldlp 0 .0
.0000
00000
u~D~Q~~~Q tellth e truth.
.0000
00000
Actor Fae Natu e
Ejoothsa+.0000 .0000 ooOo0
.0000
00000
Realms
ARCS
Resources.0000
.
Occult Politics Science
Chlcanerv~0.000
-m
00000
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Ability: A Trait that describes what a character knows and has learned rather than what she is. Examples are Intimidation, Firearms and Occult. Action: A n action is the performance o f a consciously willed physical, social or mental activity. When a player announces that his characteris doing something,
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he is taking an action. Advantages: This is a catch-all category describing the Arts,Realms and Backgrou nds of a character. Attribute: A Trai t that describesa character’s inherent aptitudes. Attributes are such thingsas Strength, Charisma and Intelligence. Botch: A disastrousfailure, indicatedby rolling more “1s” thansuccesses on the 10-sided dice rolled for an action.
Character: Each player creates a character, an individual she roleplays over the course of the chronicle. Though “character”could imply any individual, in Chang eling it is always used to describe the players’characters. Dice Pool: This describes the dice you havein your hand after combiningyour differentTraits. It is the maxican roll in one turn, althoughyou mu m number of dice you can divide these dice between(or even among) different actions.
K r
Difficulty: This is a number from 2 to 10 measuring the difficulty of an action a character takes. The player needs to roll that numberor higher on at least one of the dice rolled. Downtime: Th e time spent between scenes when no roleplayingis done and turns are not used. Actions might be taken, and the Storyteller might give some descriptions, but generally time passes quickly. Extended Action: An action th at requires a certain number of successesfor the character to succeed. Points: The temporary scores of Traits suchas Will-
power, Glamour and Banality. Rating: A number describing the permanent value of a Trait; usually a number from 1 o 5, though sometimes a number from 1 to 10. Resisted Action: An action that two different characterstake against eachother.Bothcompare their number of successes; the character with the most wins.
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' Scene: A single episodeof the story;a time whena place where actions and events take place moment 1 moment. A scene is often a dramatic high point of tl story. Simple Action: An action that requires the player to score only one success to succeed (though more successes indicate a better job or result).
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Storyteller: The person who creates and guides a Changeling story. The Storvteller assumes the roles of all - . . . the characters not run by the players an d determines all the events beyond the control of the players.
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System: A specific set of complications used in a certain situation; rules to help guide the rolling of dice to create dramatic action. Trait: A Trait is any Attribute, Ability, Advantage or other character index that can be describedas a number (in terms of dots). Troupe: The group of players, including the S t o y ller, who play Changeling- suallyon a regular basis. Willpower: Willpower measures the self-confidence 1 of a character. Willpower works Traits - t is often spent rather tha n
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T me tbeautiful a lady inthe meads, IFull faery’s child Her hair was long, her foot was light, And her eyes were wild. -John Keats, “La Belle DameSansMerci” Beforeyou begin to play Changeling, you must create a character. Changeling, however, is not like make-believe; you don’t just make up a character as you go along (though the Storyteller is regularly faced with th at challenge). A certain amount of workis involved-characters are built, not born. Building a compelling yet honest character is a creative struggle. This chapter describeshow to create a unique character, beginning with a general concept and translating this concept into numbers tha t can be used in the game. This process is very simple; playerscan easily figure it out for themselves. The Storyteller should have a good grasp of the process in order to answer the players’ questions accurately and succinctly. The numbers on the character sheet may not seem particularly evocative.It is hard to imagine a novelist describing a character by saying, “She has a Ch arisma of 4.” However, these ratings make it simple to describe the strengths and weaknesses of a character. More impor-
ta nt ly , these numbers allow the random fact or created
by
dice to be employedin relation t o th e character’s Traits. A
strong changeling has a better chance t o move a heavy boulder than a weak changelingdoes. Character creation usually followsa pattern from the general to the specific.First you develop ageneralconcept of who and what your character is - s she more socially or mentally developed?Then you selectthe specific ratings of yourTraits -how effectiveare your Charisma,Manipulation and Appearance?Do not use thisprocess to create the “best”p0ssiblecharacter; hat defeats thepurpose of making
up a genuinely interesting individual. These numbers are intended to enhance roleplaying,not to open an avenue to some mythical character Hall of Fame.
You start by deciding what kind of character you want. Are you going to play a street-hardened punk or a rich and somewhat spoileddebutante? Are you a precocious child prodigy, or did the secrets of life reveal themselves somewhere in th e Appalachian Mountains? The backgroundand personalityof your character are the ess Once youhave formulat tart t o work out details suc 9
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You need to be aware of five concepts before you begin to create your character: You can create a character of nearly any age, from a ny culture or nation; however, you begin the gameas a relatively inexperienced changeling whohas only recently become aware of hertrue nature. Your character probablyknows relatively little about changeling society unless she was instructed by a mentor. This process was designedas much to help you define your characteras t was to provide you witha means of interacting with the rules. Character creation is meant to help you more accuratelyfocus your initial concept. Rememberthat a character cannot exist only as numbers; your roleplaying must shapeand define an alter ego. This character creation system is a purchase system with absolutely no dice rolling involved.By choosing Traits from a variety of lists, you decide who your character is. Youwill receive extra points called “freebies” at the end of the process,and you can use these to add dots to any Trait, so do not agonize over all your choices. Most Traits are rated numerically from1 o 5 . This systemis similar to the “star” system used to rate movies, restaurantsand hotels. One dot i n a Trait indicatespooror novice ability in that Trait. Two dots indicate an average Trait, while a rating of 5 indicatesthat you are among the best in the world. Traits are based on a n average human range.
It is a good idea for players todiscuss whetheror not the chatacters will be oathbound. This is not necessary, though as a player it is your responsibility to create a character who fits into t he group. Characters who are part of an oathcircle should be bound togetherby more than happenstance. Although it is okay to have a pair of characters tied together by nothing more tha n the strings of fate, it’s more interesting toplay characters who know each other. Make sure your characterhas at least one feature in common with every one of her compatriots, whether this feature be a house, a mentoror a common enemy. If your character doesn’t fitin an d disrupts the storyas a result, the Storytellermay ask youto create a new character.
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As the Storyteller, your role is to guide the players through the character generation process. After your players arrivefor the game session, you need to introduce them to the basic premiseof t he game an d describe the
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Changeling:The &earning
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rules system. Your main goal should beto make.character creation as easy as possible. Pass out the character sheets and give the players a minute to look them over and ask questions. Then go through he character creation process step-by-step,filling in all the details of the characters’Traits
t is sometimes advisable to mend an ., session creating characters. k his ensures that the players don’t feel rushed andthat they take the time to create believable characters, not paper-thin stooges. In fact, you may encourage your players to come to the character generation session with fairly developed character concepts. Once you are done with the practical details, you can spend the test of the session running preludes for the characters.A prelude is a formof abbreviated storytelling in which you tell the storyof character’s faeawakening. Preludes are the players’ introductions to the chronicleas well as their characters, so make them memorable. Preludes are described at the end of this chapter.
felt. Further information on Legaciescan be found in the Traits Chapter (pg. 157). Seaning: Your seeming is your morta l guise and reflects the age at which you discover your true nature. Your seeminghasagreateffectupon your morralexistence and the way you fit into Kithain society. There are three different seemings, each of which encompasses a certain age bracket. Each seeming hasits own advantages and drawbacks.Further information on seemingscan be found in the Traits chap ter (pg. 133).
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You may choose from the seemings of childling, wilder or grump.
Kith: our kith is the faeriepartof your being and is how youare perceived by other Kithain. Your kith also provides certainntrinsic abilities. You may choose from one of th e nine kith described in Chapter Six. Further information on kith can be found in the Traits Chapter 135). If you have chosen to be a member of a noble house, u must choose the sidhe kith.
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House: A house is aparticular noble family of sidhe
with which you may be affiliated. Each house bestows a
Concept-
reputation on its members: Fionaare considered passionate and hedonistic, while Eiluned areknown s wise and
You begin by formulating a basic concept for your character. This-concept need only be a general idea of what your characterwill be me , something unique and interesting that will be enjoyable to play over the long term. For example, to describe your characterconcept you could say, “I’m a young street tough who likes to get into a lot of fights. I don’t really haveany respect for mortals and use my Glamour totake&antage of them whenever I can.” Next you need to make four or five specific choices to solidify your concept. You need to choose your court (whether you are Seelieor Unseelie), your Legacy (your personality and heritage), your house (only if you are sidhe) your seeming (your mortal age),and yourkith (your true faerie form). All of these may affect one another.
mysterious* Most nonsidhe characters simply write “commoner”
thii space-Hawever, =me commonershave an &iliation With One h w
r
mother; if YOU do, indicate Your
from a ny of the five houses. Further information on houses can
A character’sAttributesdefine his intrinsic makeup. are his reflexes?How attractive is he? How long How fast
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does it take him to understand ne w ideas? or Unseelie. Court: You may choose to be Seelie First, you must prioritize the three categoriesof AtThis choice expresses, in broad terms, your world view. tributes hysical, Mental and Social.Choosein which Your court also determines which of your Legacies is of these categories your character is good (primary), in
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PrimarV. Legacy: Your Legacies (Seelie and Unseelie) decribethe two undamental facets of your personality. One of yourtwo Legacies is dominant (indicate hisby underlining it on the character sheet). This Legacy determines how your character regains Willpower. The other Legacy s the less dominant one and is not as important -
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which he is average (secondary), and in which he is poor (tertiary). Isyour charactermore physicalthan social- s he more brawny than gregarious? PhysicalAttributes - he Physical Attributes describe how strong, nimble and sturdy your characteris. They are the primary Attributes o f an action-oriented character - he PhysicalAttributes define the strengths
lifting power and how much damage she can inflict in basichand-to-handcombat. Dexterityrates achangeling’s speed and agility. Staminameasures a character’sconstitution and resilience. -: Social Attributes - our character’s SocialAttributes measure her ability to relateto, motivate and manipulate others. Charisma indicatespersonalmagnetism and charm. Manipulation measures a character’s abilityto talk her way into and out of situations. Appearance describeshow the characterlooksnd carries herself.
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Mental Attributes - hese Traits represent your character’s thought capacity, including such thingsas memory, perception, learning potential and the ability to think quickly. Perception describesthe changeling’sobservationskills. Intelligence epresentsmemory,reasoning and learning potential. Wits measures a character’sreaction time and ability to think on her feet. Your character concept may help suggest Attribute priorities, but feel free to pick any scheme you please. For now, your character conception shouldbe verygeneralpaint a broad, sweeping outline insteadof concentrating on little details.
All characters start with one dot in each Attribute. Your priority selection determines howmany dots you get to spend in each category. You may divide seven dots among your character’s primary Attributes, five dots among her secondary Attributes, and three among her tertiary Attributes. Thus, you may choose o add sevendots to your changeling’sPhysical Attributes, five to her Mental Attributes, and only three dots to her Social Attributes. You may divide the dots among individualAttributes as you see fit -you may,for example,assignall three ofyour tertiary Social Attribute dots to Charisma, one dot to each of th e three Social Attributes,or two dots to one and one dot to another. Later in the character creation process you may increase someof these ratings,sodon’t worry too much about your choices. Let o yur intuition guide you. Note: Th e spaceafter each Attribute (andAbility) is for you to fill in a specialty,a subcategoryof the Trait in which the character excels. Specialtiesare fully explained in the Traits Chapter; for now, concentrate on choosing your ratings.
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Changeling:The beaming
Step T h m z Choosing
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Abilities delineate what your character knows rather than what he is; they describe the things he has learned rather thanthe things he can naturally do. Talents, Skills and Knowledges are Abilities. Each Ability your characterpossesses is assigned a numerical rating representing th e character’saptitude in that particular area. The number is usedto determine how many dice you roll when your character attemptsto use an Ability. Abilities are divided into three different categories: Talents, Skillsand Knowledges.Eachtypeof Ability has different characteristics. Talents describe intuitive Abilities. Talents do not need tobepracticedperseandcannotbe tudiedor learned from a book;they are most often gained through direct experience. Skills are Abilities learned through rigorous training of any sort. This category includesa n y Ability that must be learned step-by-stepthrough actual practice, but that can be taught or studied (unlike Talents). Knowledges include all the Abilities requiring the rigorous application of the mind. These Abilities are generally earned hrough school,classes,books nd teachers, but can also be picked up throughexperience.
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You prioritize these Abilities just like you prioritized the Attributes. You {ecide how to rank your Talents, Skills and Knowledges, choosing in which category your character will be above average (primary), in which she will be average (secondary),an d in which she will be below average (tertiary). You get13 dots to spend on your character’sprimary category, nine for the secondary category and only five dots for the tertiary category. There is one additional restriction: you cannot give your thanuse three dots ina npoints y one Ability (later,character however,more you can your “freebie” to gain four or even five dots inan Ability).
F
Beast: You mustbe obeyed.
ChaRacteR c~eu~ion~ocess
Fatalist: Nothing ever makes you happy.
Step One: Charac ter Concep t ' Choose concept,court, Legacy , house(if @pliable), seeming and kith Step Two:Select Attribu tes
Fool: Always the clown, yo u refuse to take anything seriously. Grotesque: You delight in disgustingothers.
Outlaw: You take what others work for.
Prioritizethe three cuteguries: Physical, Social, Mental ( 71513)
Choose PhysicalTraits:Strength, Dexterity, Stamina
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Peacock: You are the m a t wonderful creature in the world. Rake: Your greed es
Chse
Social Traits:Charisma,Manipulation, pearance Chse Mental Truits:Perception, Intelligence, Wits Step Three: Select Attributes Priuritizethe hree categories:alents,Skills,Knowledges ( 13/9/5 1 Choose Talents, Skills, Knowledges tep Four: Select Advantages Choose Backgrounds(5), Arts (3), Realms ( 5 ) Step Five: Finishing Touches Record beginning Glamour, Willpowerand Bana as determined by yourseeming
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Rogue: You foment chaos foryourown amusement.
e also Seeming, pg.
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Temwr Scores- larnom 4, Wilbower:2, Banality:3 A
Grump: You are a full-grown adult, seen by most changelings as "over the hill." Despite this, you are respected.
See also Legacies, pg. 157.
Bumpkin: Common s e w
a1 wisdom are
hmrt
er:5 , Banality: 5
Temper
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"IUC.
r Th e social whirl is botha battlefield and a workshop. (=rafter: YO U craft joy yourself, with yourOWII two hands. Hermit:Reclusive and forlorn, you avoid the coma pany of others.
than so
be pure is to
be
unsullied. Paladim Struggle and competition are your meat and drink. Regent: The weight of responsibility r shoulders. Sage: If knowledge is power, then kn ared is even better. Saint: You feel the pain of the world and yearn otfix it. Troubadour: Life is anart form, loveis its practice. Wayfarer: You wander free and confident,for the world is your playground.
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Wilder: You are a teenager in attitude and appear0 1 ance. Radical and e x p e r m ou chase afterh stuff of new dreams. 1
L E -gucies
Orchid: Better safe
133.
Childling: Though you are little more than a child in one can deny the wisdom behind
Recordkith birthrights and frailties Spend "freebie points"(15)
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etch: You are wonhle
Kith
p:
See also Kii, ,b.'i35 -:
Quiet, conservative themselvesin others' affairs.
Eshu: Wanderers, vagabonds and storytellers, they spend much of their time on the road, spreading the stories of the fae. Nocker: These dark and brooding creaturesare widely known or their smithingand craftsmanship.
Pooka: Tricksters and rapscallions to the last, thesshapeshifters neverpass up an opportunity iox~la~% PrankRedcap: Brave but brutal E rapacity.. and for the peculiar nature of their sustenance.
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Satyr: Though dri lings possess an
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kith of the fae.
dark secrets.
Troll: Huge and terribly strong, trollsare known nearly a~ much for their honor and steadfastnessas for their
See also House, g. 154. DougakPractical and straightforward,House Dougalis known for its skillwith machinery and knowledge of metalwork.
Eiluned: is known Mysterious and wise, House Eiluned for its knowledgeof the stars and understanding of Glamour. Fiana: Adventurous and unpredictable, House Fiona is known for its passion.
Gwydion: Noble and conservative, yet given to terrible tempers,HouseGwydion s known forits wise and fair rulers.
Liam: Brooding and dark,House Liam is known for its advocacy andguardianship ofhumanityand its deeply held moral and ethical ideals.
'Backg ~ounds
im
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See alsoBackgrounds, pg. 175. Chimera: Chimerical objects you own or chimerical reatures with which you are allied. Contacts Information sources availableto the character. Dreamers: Mortal artists whom you patronize. Gremyre: Your connection to the Dreaming and the unconscious knowledge fothe fae.
Holdings: Faerie freeholds you claimas your own. Mentor: Anotherchangeling who advi ses and supports you. Resources: Mortal wealth, belongings and monthly
d!
income. Retinue: Enchanted humans and retainers with whom you associate. Title: Your rankwithin t he nobility. Treasures: Glamour-imbued items that you possess.
ARCS See alsoAm, pg. 195. Chicanery: Allows the castingof cantrips associated with trickery and befuddlement.
Legerdemain: Allows the casting of cantrips involving pranks and illusion.
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Cha nge ling: Th e be am ing
I
-rimal: Allows the casting of cantrips involving healing and resilience. Soo~y: llows the casting of cantrips associatedwith luck and prophecy.
Allows the casting of cantrips associated Sovereign: with command and rulerslup. Allows the castingof cantrips involving move-Nayfare: ment and travel.
Realm See also Realms, pg. 209. Actor: Describes your affinity with people.
Fse: Describesyour affinity with fae and changelings. Nature: Describes youraffinity with things of the natural world: animab-nlants,air, water, fire, earth. Describes youra Prop:
ty with manmade things, s to computers. Scene: Describesyour affinitywith a particular location or setting.
from necklaces to mat
You do not prioritizeor rankthe different categories of Advantages. You instead hav e a designated number dots to assign within each one. Though this number of is fixed, you can purchase additional dots laterwith freebie points.
BackgRounds Each character gets five points to allocate among the
cep Five: Finishir I ouches
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ou tl In this step you gain 15 freebk pomts edli add moredots to any of the Traits on the character sheet. Before you spend these points, however, you must record the base scores for your character’s Glamour, Willpower,as well as her birthrights and hilti
qamouR Your Glamour rating mares he magical fo r a , A can evoke throqh your Arts and Realms. Your starting Glamour depends on your seeming. Yo ucanadd points to your starting total by spending freebie points. Your Glamour rating cannot exceed 10po
~111pOUleR The WillpowerTrait rates how much self-control and free will you have. Willpower is essential for controlling your actions, especially during timesof stress. A changeling’s Willpower depends on her seeming, though it can be increased with freebie points.As with Glamour, the Willpower rating cannot exceed 10 points.
QanaIicy The Banality Trait indicates howinfused you have becomeby the reality of humanity. The older a changeling’s seeming, he higherher Banalityrating s. Banality cannot be affectedbp- spending freebiepoints,
10 Background Traits. into the general sche The Storyteller may wish to restrict certain Background Traits, depending on the nature of her c h n ic l e . Conversely, the Storyteller may require that you take certain Background Traits to fit in with the chronicle.
ARCS Arts are special changeling secrets and powers allow ing the castingof cantrips. A character begins with three dots in Arts, hough he may purchase moreArtswith freebie points. A beginnii character cannot have more thanhree dots in any one A
Youcanspendfreebiepoints toraiseanyTraitonyo ur character sheet. Extra dots cost different amounts depend. ing on th e Trait in question (see the chart below). Freebie point expenditure may raise an Ability over3,but may not raise any Trait over5 .
All starting changelings have15 freebie points. You can spend them according to the following cha
Trait
cost
Arts
Realms
Attributes
5 points per dot 5 points per dot
These Traits describe the subjects a changeling may affect when casting a cantrip. Charactershave five dots to allocate among the Realm
Realms Glamour Willpower Abilities Backgrounds
3 points per dot 2 points per dot 2 points pe r dot 1 point per dot
3 points per dot
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The followingdetails will helpmakeyour character a completeand unique person. You do not necessarilyneed to write these things down,but you should certainlythink about them - ot only now but throughout the career of your character.
AppeaRance Your character’s appearance makes herTraits visible to other characters. You shouldturn the concept and relevant Traits of your characterinto aspects of her appearance. Certainly there willbe obvious differences between a childling and a grump, but it is up to you to describe those differences. High Dexterity can become a slender, agile frame.I t is much more evocative to say,“I move with catlike grace,” than to say,“I look very dexterous:,
What drives your character? What makes her laugh, makes her cry, makes herangry, makes her desirous,makes her afraid?What givesher hope?In what doesshebelieve? Onceyou knowhese things about your character, you can begin to structure her creation.
aoRtal
dentiq
A final thing you shouldconsider about your character ishis identity nnormal society, f any. Somechangelings completely remove themselves from society, spending most oftheirtimeinfieeholds.Otherstrytostrikeacarefu1 balance between their mundane and fae lives. If you are one of the latter, how do you manage to live this double life?
Spec1a1t es Each Trait with a rating of4 or higher can be given a specialty.Though most players select specialties for their Traits during play, youca n pick them immediately.Specialties describeyour area of expertisewith agiven Ability. Simply fill in the spacenext to t he Trait with an appropriate specialty; suggestions are made with each Trait in Chapter Six.
€quiprnent If there are any possessionsor pieces of equipment you want your character to have, you should work out the details now. Otherwise, you will have to acquire the equipment during the game. This can take time and is not automatically successful. Almost an y piece of mundane equipment that fits your concept can be obtained, provided your character has sufficient dotsin the Resources Background. Certain items, like treasures,can be gained only by possessing a particular Trait- n this case a Background.
By giving your character quirks, interestingpersonal details and anecdotes, you can add a great dealof depth and interest to him. Write a few sentencesdescribingthe strange and possibly interesting things that define your character. A quirk could be a twisted senseof humor, a gentleness toward animals,or a habit of grunting when answering yes to a question. Another important thing to consider, if your character is a commoner, is whether you are a servant of a noble house.
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Chanaelina:Thc &amma
Ben decides to make his first Changeling character. With a copy of the character creation outline in front of him, he sets to work.
St ep One: Conce pt Ben must develop a concept for his character.He
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talks a bit with Jennifer, who is goingto be the Storyteller for the group’sfirst Changeling chronicle. She has decided on a setting different from the city settings in which most of their other games have taken place,so she tells Ben to make up a character who couldfit into a chronicle set in 1 the northern Appalachians,in th e North Country of New I England.
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Ben wants to play a mischievouscharacter, but one who is (usually)not maliciousin his pranks. He chooses to be Seelie, because even though others might find his character annoying at times, he knows th at his heart is true.
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He chooses Troubadour as his dominant Legacy, reflecting his desireto make the most of what lifehands him and milk every moment for all the fun possible.As his Unseelie Legacy, Ben chooses the Fool, for heseesthat a character with such a wild nature could all too easilylose sight of what others think is important. His seemingis an easy choice, for he wants an even balance between the energy of youth and the wisdom of maturity. He chooses to be a wilder, a teenagernot ready to leave childhood behind but no t ready for the demands of the adult world either.
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When it comes time to choose kith, Ben considers
being an eshu or a satyr, but after a few moments fo
P-
consideration decides that he wants to be a pooka. That kith's trickster nature fits his character concept perfectly. As for the innate pooka ability to assume an animal form, Ben decides that the fox suitsthis character to a tee.
Ben decides against affiliation with a noble house,so he leaves that part of the character sheet blank. If he hisallegiance mind during prelude, he. can always add in tentative tothe a noble house g, ahanges What about a name? Ben wants a name that reflects
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the kind of character he wants to play. He decidesto call his pooka Jack, a name that harkens back to childhood fairy tales about mischievous youths who got into constant trouble but always seemed to make it through in the end.
The next step is to prioritizeJack's Attributes. Ben wants Jack tobe a charmer, so he chooses to make Social his primary Attribute category.Jack is a very active fellow with little love of school,so Ben decides to make Physical secondary, leaving Mental Attributesas the tertiary cat-
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egory. Ben divides the seven primary dots among Jack's SocialAttributes.Manip ulati onan dCha rimbothought to be strong for this sort of character, so Ben puts three points into each of those Attributes, allocating the last point to Appearance. Ben decides that while Jack is a wo odsykind of kid, he seems more given to short burstsof energythan any sort of sustained activity. He decides to allocate three of his Physical Attribute points t o Dexterity, placing a point into Strength and his last point into Stamina.
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In the tertiary category, Ben decides that Jack is intrinsically clever, buthas a tendency to get lost in his daydreams and not pay attention to what he's doing all the time. To reflect this, he puts two points into Intelligence and the final point into Wits. This leaves him with a Perception of1,but Bendecides hat this is appropriatefor the character.
scep ThRee:&dines Now Ben needs to prioritize Jack's Abilities. Rather
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thanassigning dots to each category immediately, Ben readsthroughthelistofAbilitiesafewtimesand otsdown which Abilities he thinks are most appropriate forJack to have. After looking at the list, it's clear that Talents will be his primary category. He also has quite a few Skills own, but few of the Knowledges seem appropriate. mak-
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Ben decides that Jack,natural eptertainer that he is, should have at least somelevel of Expressi on. He putstwo ofhis 13 points there. Anothe r two re assigned to Athletics:Jack'saprettyactiveguy, swingingbirchesand umping streams on the many days he cuts school.ThoughJack seemsmore the type to avoid afight thantart one, Ben decides to give him a point eachin Brawl and Dodge. Charmer that he is, it seems only appropriate that Jack should have somelevel of Empathy,and Kenning gives Jack a way to sense he things of fie around him. An other two points are assigned to eachof these.The Anal three points go into Subterfuge, and Ben makes a note that he may want to raise that Talent even M e r when he gets to the freebies stage.
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Skills are next o n th e list, and again Ben has a number of tough choices. He decides to go with only a point of Leadership;while Jack may be a charmer, he'snot the first person people turn to in a crisis. An other point goes nto Melee - hough, as previously mentioned, Jack tries to keep an y situation from comingto actual fisticuffs.Performance merits three points, because Jack has managed to raise bluffing to an art form. Ben decides to put two points into Stealth and two more into Survival, because Jack has a knack for being able to lose peoplein the woods. The fiil categoryis Knowledges.Ben decides to put two points into Enigmas; while Jack may not be one for book-learning, he does love agood riddle. A point goes into Investigation and another into Mythlore, because knowing where tostart ishalf the battle when concocting a plausible story. The final pointgoes into Linguistics, because Jack has learnedmore than just a few swear words from the French-Canadiankids who live over the hill.
-cepFoua b\dvan-cages Now Benmustdecidewhat ArtsandRealmsJackhas, determining what he can actuallydo as a changeling.But before starting on that, he needs to choose Backgrounds. First of all, he puts a point into Dreamers. Jack's brother Paul is the dreamer, and he often accompanies Jack on his trips to the woods, where they make up stories about walking trees and what might happen if it snowedso much that they had to cancel school for a whole month. Two points go into Gremayre, because manyof Jack's stories are based on hazymemories of another place and time. Ben decides that Jack would only have a point of Resources,as he's never been oneto pay much attention o money. The final point is spent on Chimera, giving Jack a chimerical Swiss army knife. Ben agonizesover his choice of Arts, ut eventually decides to put two pointsnto chicanery.The final point goes into Soothsay, because Jack seem s more likely touse
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Changeling: The beaming
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an Art relating to luckand fortunetellingthan one dealing 1 solely with illusion like Legerdemain. For Realms, Ben decides to put two points each into Nature and Actor, with his ast remaining point of Realms going into Fae. It seems only fitting that Jack would have an affinity for the mountains and trees where he spendsso much of his time, and his stories have away of catching the imaginationsof mortals and changelingsalike, indicating strengths in Actor and Fa
SrrepFive: FinishingTouches Ben recordsJack's initial Temper scores: Glamour4, Willpower 2 and Banality 3, which are the beginning levels for all wil ders. For his kith bonds, Ben ots down that Jack can shapeshift into a fox at the c a t of one Glamour. Ben also notes tha t Jack can't botch any Empathy or Subterfuge rolls-handy, givenJack's tendency to embellish his tales to make them more interesting! That also relates to his final kith bond: his inherent inability to tell the truth. Now it is time to spend his remaining 15 freebie points. Ben decides to add an additional point to Jack's Dodge, Subterfuge and Stealth Abilities, to give him that extra edge in his escapades.With seven points remaining, Ben chooses an extra point of Willpower (two freebies) and an extra point of Glamour (three freebies). The final two points are usedto raise his Dreamers and Gremayre Backgrounds by one point each. Jack's Subterfuge now stands at 4, high enough to merit a specialty. He decides that his area of specialty should dealwith making up plausible excuses (hecertainly gets enoughpractice at it!), so he writes down"litt1e white lies" in the space next to Subterfuge. He alsohas a 4 in Charisma, Manipulationand Dexterity, but he decides to wait until he has played through the prelude to choose specialtiesfor those Traits. Jack seems ready t o take his first tentativ e steps, so Ben sets up a time with Jennifer to roleplay out Jack's prelude. He doesn't want to plan out too much of Jack's background, preferring to letit evolve and grow like any good story.
Thepelude A prelude is a way to create character biographies before the chronicle actually begins. The purpose of a prelude is to give each character a past, thus allowing the future to be told.It is, in fact, a form of one-on-one storytellingin which the story of a character's life is told. A prelude is quite similarto normal play, except that
ma ny years are compresse d in to a series of rapid-fire
creates in the I decisions.The personal bi om - ph - v. a plaver , prelude will be relevant throughout the chronicle, and you may well refer to it frequently ~
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’ T h e Right Technique
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Each player undergoes he prelude alone. ft is one-onone unless two or more characters were friendsor spent a lot of time together before&E Storyteller, spend time with rest of the troupe can socialize and start to get excited about what lies ahead. Antiaatian can &,a mry blossom. During the prelude you need to direct the player muchmore thanusual. Give himlotsof decisions to make, but rush everything and don’t give him much time to think. You need to play through things quickly unlessyou are willing and ableto spend more time (which can enable the creation of very detailed characters). Characters almost never engagein combat during a prelude. Ifthey do, you simply describe theresults of a n y fights; you can’t have the character die before the game even begins! .
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Duringthe prelude, be sure to give the player achance to interact with both th e setting and the rules. If the player wants to change a few Traits during the prelude, you should et him, solong as t is done for arational reason and not as an attempt to create a super-character. There are many ways to progress through a character’s life; any way that helps mold a complete character is fine. During the prelude you will want to explain the full background of the character. Th e player should thoroughly understand the details of her BackgroundTraits. You should play through one or more typical scenes from the character’slife to give the player a sense of how the character lived. You can get the playerinto her life as a changeling by showing her the bland tedium of the character’sprior existence. Remember, it is the mundane tha t gives scope to th e magnificent.
A prelude can proceed something like this: “You’re walking home from the movies late one night. As you round a comer, three figures appear in frontof you. One of them draws a knife, an evil grin spreading across his face. Th e leader of th e group steps forward and demands your wallet. What do you do?“ deterThe previous example would be very mining how the character deals with stress and conflict. As you describe things, let the player interruptwith her own ideas and details. You are tellinga story together,so treat the player more like a partner. Yo u can also include details that provoke the player into feeling the emotions of the character - Your father is in a coma in the
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hospital.”If the character is arunaway who lives most of his life in a freehold, he can’t freelyvisit the hospital anymore.H is father may awakenor he may die.. .will the character be there?
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h e n did youme etth e otheR5 in yOUR oathcide?
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Are you all part of the same householdor motley?Did you all experience your Saining around the same time,or re some of you olderthanthers?Is one of you recognized as being a leader,or are you all basically equal? Described below are some questions that should be This is one question that will haveto be worked out answeredby the end of the prelude.If there is no time for Still, devoting SOmetime to I by the noupe as a af uu prelude, you should at least makean effort to answer out scenes in the past helps to establish the these questions.It often helps to write out the answers, relationshipsand personalitiesin the group. I even if you have undergonethe fullprelude.
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($J~s~(-J~s nd hs~e~s
With each question we list things the player should
ask himself, as well as some advice to th e Storyteller on how to run he prelude i n relationship to th e question.
b o w old a R e you? Your seeming provides astart, but there is sti rangewithin eachcategory. Is your lpump27 or (gasp!) over40? ow old are you now? Howmany yearshas it been since you experienced your Chrysalis? It’soften easier to assign dates toevents in the prelude after it is completed,but it is also worthwhileto establish some important dates duringthe prelude. It Is a good idea to establish what life was like before the Chrysalis and then discover how life changedas a result. One of the main purposes of the prelude is to put the character’s life in perspective, so setting dates and establishing characterage are very effective.
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h o mas youRmentoR?
Many changelings aretaken on by a mentor shortly after their Chrysalis.What was your mentor like?Did he give you a fairlyrealisticviewof changeling societyor did he teach you about the fae from a particularperspective? I Roleplayinga sceneor two with the character’smentor isan excellent way to introduce he basicsof changeling 1 society, particularly for beginning players.It can also heavily shape a character’s vie w of society.
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horudo you
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Are they blind fools, dangerousadversariesor ust fun playmates?Do ou feel left out, surrounded by people who can’t or won’t understand you? Mortals are a major partof every changeling’s life, even if they aren’t always the focusof the chronicle. The prelude isan ideal time to establish which mortals are a part of the character’s life, and what his attitudes art toward them.
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abmmoRtds?
Cha nge ling :The bea mi ng
e UheRe do you livenom?
Do you spendmost of your time at a nearby freehold1 or do you havean apartmentofyour om? Do ou livewith your parentsor with housemates?
Many stories can be based around a freeholdor even the mundane residenceof a character. Thus, it’s important to establish this residence. If a character lives at a M freehold, where si it located?
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ave you eveR encountelied
th ehxurnnpeop le? Whether it’s arun-in with a school psychologist or a journalist who wantsto explain away everytrace of magic left in the world, most changelingsencounter these champions of Banality at some pointin their lives.
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h a t s t h e mo st beautiful thing you haveeveRencounteRed? Beauty can be found in almost anything if you look hard enough.. .where do you findit ? n music, in dancing, in the delicate pink of a fragileblossom,in the rough angles of a sawbladesculpture?Was it the look on her face when you said you’d love herforeveror the poem scrawled on a brick wall next t o the drugstore? Changelingsexist in part by extracting Glamour from enjoyable things,so it is important to determine what the character thinksisbeautifulor fun.Thisquestion can elp focus what the character valuesas well as to what lengths she will go for something that is important to her.
63 uhat s t h e mos t fRightening thing yo u have eveR seen? Just as the world is full o f beauty, it is still the World of Darkness,and there are a lot of horrifyingthings out there. What scares you the most?Was it the time your parents burned all of your comic book s so that you would spend more time on schoolwork,or was it the brutal murder of the girl who lived down the hall? Different
people have different tolerance levels for violence and destruction. Where do you draw the line? Finding out what scares a character can give real insight into whatthat character s all about.While Changeling may not be as darkas some other White Wolf games, it has its terrors. Whichis more horrifying:the executionstyle killing of five gang members down the street, or the prospect of a completely cold and Banal world, utterly question can prove to be a good barometer of the direction in which the troupe wants to
ilicle
rounding it. Where you setyour chronicle has a powerful effect on the tone it will take, so the trou Storyteller should consider this care
b e s h e oathciRck FReehold? Is there a local freehold around which most group's activity is based?Do they hang out at a freehold
under the protection
local duke or do they haveone all their own?Having a central base (as wellas a common area to be protected) often holds a chronicle together. Is the freehold a forest glen, a mansionor a beatnik coffeehouse?
h
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help you focusand understand your charact
umber-crunchingpart - o you will not concentrate on the character sheet too much. What is only crudely established during character creation becomes fleshed out
Witch baby was a wild witchbaby. The name Lily neverstuck. As soon as she could walk, she would run all around the houselikea mad cat, playing torpedo games. As soon as she could dk , he woJd go around chanting, again... But that’s “Beasts, beasts, beasts,” overand how witch babies are. - rancesca Lia Block, “Weetzie Bat” Tom between two realities, changelings on earth have two forms-human seemingand fae kith. Changelings don’t actually shapeshift back and forth;it is more a
Autumn is for them all to reap. ld Kithain saying
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about her that is mu
plump. It is relatively easy for aware changelings o recog. nize the true formsof other faeries through their mortal seemings. Young changelings often consider their mortal seemingsto be their “true selves”;the more experienced perceive theirfaerie kith as their true selves. Thenature of a changeling’smortal seeming is determined by her mortal age. In most cases a changeling assumes a mortal seeming analogousto the age when she awakens to her fae nature. Though most changelings
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- he awakening into the fae Undergo the Chrysalis when they are young, some awakenwhen they are teenagers or even grandparents. The timeof the Chrysalisvaries with each individual and her experiences. Perhaps the only tragedy greater than awakening to the fae late in life is never awakeningto it at all. There are three seemings: childling,wilderand grump. Childlings-The youngestof the exiles,childlings are not nearly as innocentor naive as they seem. Although they are rarely over12 years of age, they are often wise beyond their years. Some have millennia of experience under their belts- hey just don’t remember much foit. In many ways, childlings act like mortal children. They tend to enjoy the pageantryand spectacle of faerie courts. Though some fae mistakenly believe childlings to be passive and peaceful, theycan be among the most feral and viciousof all the Kithain. Childlings are the least affectedby the weight of 1 Banality. The wonder and innocence associated with mortal childhood bring them close to the Dreaming. Nonetheless, they have trouble being taken seriouslyby other changelings (especially wilders), so they tend to band togetheror ally themselves with older changelings.
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Childlings must also dealwith the parents and adults in their mortal lives,people who think they know what is best. This annoyance causes many childlings o t run away from home. Childlings enjoy many special rights within Kithain society; t is hard for them todo wrong. They are protected, nurtured and taught. The downsideis that they are often excluded from “adult”activities. Even noble childlings are not always taken as seriously as Beginning Glamour:5
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Beginning Willpower:1 Beginning Banality:
Wilders - ilders form the most common seeming. Typically between th e mortal agesof 13 and 25, hey are the leaders of the Kithain. They tend to be rebellious,
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deviousand hedonistic. Though they have lost thenaivet6 common to childlings, hey have yet to adopt the cynicism (and Banality) of grumps. Arrogant and full of themselves, wilderslove to be young. They are the principal movers in Kithain society. Grumps just don’t have the energy anymore, while childlings are too young to lead. Wilders are known for their adventurous ways. They are interested in mortal culture, especially music and movies. They often patronize budding art forms.
More than any other Kithain, wildersfear Banality. They don’t want to lose a single moment of their en-
Changeling: T h e beaming
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This is not to say that every pooka or Unseelie (or hat everytroll or sidhewillb
Many wilders feel that d grump and forgetting. Wilden are sometimes ca
Beginning Banality:3
experience and creaky
form and now completely oblivious to
kith,it should e noted, nurturing childlings; wiiders certainly don’t to them. It is up to grumps to protect the yo the wheels of faerie custom and kingship turnin g.
Grumpsare the storehousesof Kithain they real m t hat much
tions, however, will
FQRmUC Each kith listing foll reference:
at for easy
tion giver:a Mef overview utl wk, personality and BeginningGlamour: BeginningWillpower: 5
Forldtakeye Dancingnoui withallmy brothers, I am eal, andlike the others.
- eg Davis,“Elf Glade” Legads say that the tias were m e a n of ancient dreamaandthatt ksse~~~shape d~~naturesof kith. Thaua;hthetruthhas btenost to time,he moa of the word (which include “kinship” and “howedge”) thisdea. support The fae cannot help but be hhfluencedby their kith; the distinctions amongsuch w e more than cos. metic. Like most dreams, faerie’skith carries with it a hint of the faerie’sme nature.
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Lifestyles describe the kith‘s preferred living arrangements and favored tasks. Most changelingsnaturally drift into these lifestylq before their Saining. Affinities are the Realms usually associated witha particularkith. The charactergains one additional success whenever a cantrip involving this Realmis cast. At leas€ one successmMt be acored forthis extra successto be gained; kith aiity does not grant an automatic success.
the
holds about the others. Quotes exemplify a givenkith’s
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The industriousbogganseem to derive their greatest pleasure from work. As a whole, thesekith prefer a simple, active life, with good company and a solid routine. Perhaps some early dreams fosecurity and comfortshaped their nature; they’re certainlyknown hroughout the fae for their unstinting integrity and devotion to their homes. A boggan,it is said,is as honest as the dirt on his hands. Rustic by nature, these changelingscan be clannish and disdainful of outsiders. Though they often devote themselves to another’s service, that“master“has another thing coming fi he expects to commandtheseproud folk. as master of the situation;by Indeed, a boggan sees himself rendering service to those & need,he elevates himsel f . abvehischarges. StatusamongtheseKithain is often measured by the amount of people
heir rightful due. Gossip is not a
le changelings often I
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boggans o get dirt, so to speak,on rivalsor targets. Given I the kith’s reputation for honesty, such gossipis rarely wrong. Handicraftsare boggans’pecialty; hey areespecially renowned for their carpentry, weaving and leatherwork. These folk consider “hands-on” work the only kind of honest labor, and this ethic extends to their Glamourgathering and cantrips. Boggans often touch or taste anything they work on - n unsettling habit to their companions! Many literally sniff things around them to get a feel for them. Ebggans are as hard-working as nockers - erhaps more so. Some have been known o work themselvesto death to do a job correctly. They take great pridein that work, too- uestioning the quality of a boggan’s workmanship is a sure way to send her into a rage. When rate, these hardy changelings also display a colorful knack for profanity. Though no wilder in recent memoryhas provoked aboggan nto stampinghimself to bits,many still ry I to test the folklore. Although the Unseelie variety are most infamous for their tempers, sensitive faeries wo uld do well to avoid irritating even the purest Seelieboggan. Boggansare essentiallyhomebodies; that home ma y belong to the changelingor to her beneficiary, but will be taken care of to the best of the changeling’sability. Small repairs will be made andtasksperformed, so long as the homeowner remains appreciative.If the home in question is the boggan’s own, it will be as comfortable as she can make it. These homes are typically rural, though some boggansprefer the city. Seelie boggans have great compassion for the downtrodden and lend assistance out of their own goodness. Unseelie types end to view serviceas a bargaining tool and a mark of distinction. Even Unseelieboggans, owever, find hemselves drawn to the truly needy.Boggans’ philosophy of noble service glorifies helping folks (especially humans)who just need a break to get back on their feet. Beneficiaries who grow complacent on aboggan’s labors, however, get cut off fast.
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The concept of debt is important when dealing with -ggans; though they consider volunteer service to be the greatest of honors, most would sooner die than owe someone else. Hence, they often refuse payment for their services and may actually be offended by theoffer. This fear of indebtedness keepsthese Kithain from establishing closeties; although they will cheerfullyworkwith others, boggansrarely enter i
Bomans -- are short
ith thick, downy hair and a tendency towardplumpness. They often have small eyes, emphasizingtheir large noses. Boggans' hands are fairly large andcallused, with agile fingers and gnarled knuckles. Boggans end to have extra eyebrows: two ufts of hair over their eyes. Theirskin is tanned and darkens and wrinkleswith age.Boggans'attire is simpleby changeling standards.
Seemings:
FRUlkleS: Call of th e Needy - ven Unseelie boggans cannot bear the sight of a being in anguish; when confronted with someone in legitimate need, a boggan character must make a Willpowerroll to avoid rendering mme sot" .J favor.
heh heh.. .goodlittle tidbit
Childliigs tend toward mischief, excelling at Legerdemainand crafts favoringhand-eye coordination. Even young boggans prefer to be left to their own devices;most run away from home before their Chrysalis. Wilder boggans set offin search of adventure,
)king for problems to solve - r create.
f
Grumps often settle into a permanent home full of small things to tinker with. Many set themselves up as advisorsto nobility or mentors to changeling (or human)
Boggansprefer comfomble homes in the city or country. They tend to work in blue-collar jobs suchas construction and emergency services.
Amni-cy:
Nockers - iligent craftsmen whotake everything a little too seriously. Pooka - ild and irresponsible, they have no t a care in t he world. Redcaps- hey in blood; one can't be certain, hough. Even their Seelie are best avoided. Satyrs - ustyan d hedonistic, these goats care for nothing save their base desires.
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Sidhe Misunderstood by most, they truly believe they are our saviors, having returnedto
Actor
B) BiRchRi(ghTs: Craftwork osgans
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are swift and supe craftspersons; funobserved,hey can accomplish any task involving simplephysical laborin less than a third of the time it would take a mortal. Because of their natural affinityfor their work,bocannot botch a ny roll involving Crafts.
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Eshu - eceitful vagabondswho'll cheat you out of your last penny.
us poor commoners nto the New Spring.Too guide bad. Sluagh- ark and mysterious creatures; they knowmuch that they aren't telling.
Trolls Strong and honorable - n many ways they are nobler than he sidhe.
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(ee-shoo) These restlessfolk embody the spirit of adventure. Originallyfrom Africa, eshunow wander the earth as hey will. Livingas they do by their wits, eshu value charm, flexibility, sharp eyes and a sharper mind. Trade and taletelling are an eshu’s strongpointq eshu have a voracious appetite for new songsand storiesand will go to a lot of trouble to try something new. Herein lies the kith’s weakness- shu can easily be tricked by appealsto their vanity and curiosity. For this reason, they often keep the ir own counsel and trust few “outsiders.” These charming rogues prize experience above all
else;they are consummate talespinners,bards, traders and con artists, with the wisdom of a thousand journeys to guidetheir arts. Anyone who providesan eshu with new tales,good songsand strongdrink is a valued friend - t least until the stories and boozerun dry. Other Kithain accuse these fae of fickleness,but eshu simplyrealize the value of a life lived for-all it isworth. If other changelingsprefer stability over adventure,so be it. Their loss. Th e open road is a dangerousplace;a wisetravelei always hasan angle and trustsno one. Most eshu live by a vagabond’s creed- unning a good scam is considered an honest way to make a living, though most Seelie prefer professional lorekeeping tofleecing the unwise. Crafty as they are, most eshu greatly respect anyone who puts one over on them; such
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tricksters are often rewarded,if hated, for their cleverness. This is not to say that the kith as a whole are dishonest(thoughtheunseelieonesbearwatching.. ), ’ but even the best of them consider pity and loyalty to be sucker’sgames.This attitude does not endear them to the other kith, but the eshu shrug heir shouldersand go their own way. Survivalbeatspopularity an y day! li Dignity is everything to an eshu; she will go without food and shelter if accepting them means giving up some pride. Whenever possible, thesekith dressin splendid garb and tasteful jewelry. Even eshu childlings have polished manners and glib tongues . Wherever these kith
-Chan
’T?.
go, they samplethe local artsand ashions and s a r d heir discoveries jealously. Impressing others is important to
Although eshu of all racial stoc dark complexions,black hair and deep blueor black eyes. In their fae forms they tend to be tall and muscular,with long limbs and longer features. Whatever fashion they follow, eshu are always dapper and charming, though they tend to favor tied scarves and silks.It is said that the beginning of time itself canbe seen by s eyes.
gambleor quest if there appears obe any way to accept and still come out alive.Eshuare not stupid - hey will not embark on suicide missions-but believe that fortune is on their side.
Seemings:
quote:
Childling eshu are attentive and polite, alwaysfull 1
of questions and observations. Wilders are oftencaught up in their own stories. Some act like African deities, Egyptianpharaohsor dashing, crafty heroes. a settle Grump eshu like to finda place t down. Once settled, they often hold a bard’s court and share stories arounda circie.
Eshu can be rarely stay for long. salespersons, dilettant
Wini-cy: Scene
’Bi~rh~ighm
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“You want me to telly o u a story ut experiences such as mine do not c
have yo u
to
e I shall, ly. What
trade?”
Outlook Boggans-All work and no play makesfor good gossip. Better them than us. Nockers reary smiths who would rather tinker with their machines thanenjoylife. Pooh - ntertaining company, but no manners at all. Redcap- ideous monsters,the lot of them, and rotten critics! Satyr - mart folks, fi a biq undisciplined. Sidhe - hey live in castles madeof dreams and glass and are doomed to learn hardlessons. Sluagh - hey have someof the most interesting tales, though itself.
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Talecraft ecauseof their storytellingmastery,
SpiritPathways -h hu have an unc direction, often arriving at just the right place at just the right time. The path an eshu walks follow the most interesting route possible, even ifthat exposesthe changeling and her companionsto danger. The stories are always worth the trouble!No matter where aneshu is, she willind her way to wherever she wants tovisit.. .eventually.
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Trolls-These stout warriorsare among the few of our kind who can truly be trusted.
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we Grim and obsessive, the sour nockers cast a critical eye on the courts. Nockers are the master artisans of the fae; their skill and inventiveness are legendary. Although sought after for their expertise, these Kithain are perhaps the ast popular of all fae dispositions. In lieuoffriends, most nockers surround themselves with treasures of art and ingenuity; things areso much more reliable (and easier to fix) than people. These .kith take their name from their habit of rapping on things to inspect the workmanship, often with tiny hammers carried for that purpose. The connotation of“knocking”
t
someone by insulting him, however, also applies; these changelings elevate ridicule to a high art form. Hence, nockers are rarely popular. Perfection is the ideal to which all nockers aspire; anything lessis a waste of time. Failing that, sarcasm si always an option. Eternally dissatisfied, nockers measure everythingby exacting standards that drive other changelings to distraction. Tinkering seems to be their only source of real joy. Surprisingly,nockers have a weakness for music, treasure and courtly love (though they vehemently deny the allure of all three); perhaps these things stir the passions they bury beneath their work. Nockers are fiercely individualistic; each selects her taste in music, clothing and workmanship and immediately condemns everyone else’s .Whenshe works, anocker chooses a “trademark”- style of craftsmanship that defines the work as hers- nd defends it against all imitators. Pride is very important to these kith; even a Seelie nocker will go to violent extremes toavenge a slight on her craft. Most other fae say it’s all nockers have- f their work‘s no good, they’re no good. Not all nockers are loners; some are quite social, seeing groups as one more thing to fix. As advisors, they followthe same high standardsmost use in more mechanical pursuits. Even Unseelie nockers are known fortheir loyalty- fter all, ajob‘s a job - nd those few willingto accept an advisor’s post are highly prized. More romantic changelings tend to pity nockers; behind the cynical facade they see obsessive soulswhose manners make them outcasts.A nocker in love, they point out, would follow his paramour into a hot iron furnace. Nockers claim disgust with the idea of love, but others wonder if the rant of dissatisfaction masks a true lover’s heart. There’s only one way to find out, however, and it isn’t pleasant!
AppeaRance: Although a far cry from the deformed stereotypeof legend, nockers are nonetheless grotesque in theirown
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ashion. They have thick reddish skin, pointy ears and knotty digits. Their faces look likemasksof overdonestage makeup: pasty white with red noses and cheeks. Their translucentwhite hair framesprominent brows thatcrown theirbeady, ratlikeeyes.Anocker’srarelyseengrinreveals rowsof tiny pointed teeth. Nockers’clothing is clean and smart, econd only to sidhe fashion in compley;-l spiralsand swirls are nocke
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performing. In practice, a nockercan fix nearly any me chanical device by makinga successful Intelligence + Crafts roll. The difficulty for this ranges from 5 (a simple, familiar problem) oashigh as 10 (adifficultproblem with a complex machine). Like the creation talent above,thisakestime. Becauseof thisnaturalaffinity, nocksns never botch Crafts
kith‘s stubbornness working against racingand hacking intoxicate them. A t his age, theirs
some degree of power and drive their underlings ins with perpetual criticism and interference.
cause, any-thing a nocker creates
of trivial but irreparableAaw.Thisis endless sourceof frustrationfor them, and they hate to Note that this does not prevent nockers from scoring or more successes ( a “completesuccess”)on acreation must adjudicate the intrinsic nocker r each item created.
s what you
favor programming, repairingand engineering jobs. -
think?what
the
YO U knowabout$##@?” *@!! would
Mniq;, Prop
e BiRcbRi@xs:
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Boggans - loppybasta
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Chimera Creation ockers are able to create simple, nonliving chimera (swords, armor, cards, etc.). Th e nocker must know ow to create the desired objectin the first place and needs some sortof raw chimerical materials.This requires a machine shopand orge of some sort. Created itemsmay not utilize electricity, radiationor active chemical reactions. Creation usually requires extendedIntelligence+ Craftsrolls;hedifficultyandnumber of successesneeded vary from difficulty5 and five successes for simple items (doors,p o ocues, business cards)to difficulty9 and 10+ successesfor large or highly complex objects (machine guns,siege engines). Fix-It-AllNockers are mastersof craftsin general, andevexytxxlyknowsit! Theveryactofanockermnhghis attention on a machine tends to “scare” hat machineinto
@
Satyrs
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waste of good Dreamingand a prime
Sidhe - heir sensibilitiesare as weak as their d something die in there? sheetrock and almost as
andmorethan deceitful, devious, slaphappy a little goofy. If eshu arereckless,pooh are demented. They mean well, but.. .you get theidea.Pranks,lies, wild stunts and
know we all must lose. You’d never know it to look at them, though; these changelings are a blur of happy haos, chasing away the ’ doldrumswith an almost desperate frivolity.N o joke (well, almost no joke)istoo lowif it gets
semble; these kith excel at shapechanging
seemings.Fae loreclaims hat pooh descend from dreams of
and wished they couldbe so free. The theory rings true - ven the worst Unseeliepooka is more careless than malicious- nd helps explain the deep depressions that pooka sometimes fall into for days at a time. Mundaneness disturbsthem, and they have an almost mortal terror of Banality. These changelings’ animal affinities often spring from their environment: those from the cities take the formof dogs, cats, rabbits and evenrats,while countrypooka become horses, wolves and wild hares. Most are mammals, but a fewavianandreptilianpookahave been met. The eshu claim to have met lion, kangarooand platypus pooka, but few believe them. Truth is an insult to thepooka; anything they say will be peppered with lies to make it more interesting. They delightin spreading misinforL mation and foolishness, then retreating to a safe vantage point to watch the fun.heir goalis rarely injury (just chaos),and they’re usually confused when the buttof their jokes of humor gets mad. Lack mystifies these kith and
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“cheerup”theirquarry with even more manic pranks..
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For all their mischief,pooka have a strong streak of to friends andcourageousin battle; real pain, most Seeliepooh will be e Unseelietypesare more dangerousof humor. Even they, however, are sense pretty decentas Unseeliego.
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s largerthan& for pooh; their sense of romances as overwhelmingas heir senseof humor.These kith, maleand female alike,are highly attractiveandfun o be with, so longas a paramour doesn’t mind a lot of gadnaturedribbing. They often travel about in bands, enacting plays and carnivalsfor fae and mortald i e .Whe rever hey go, theybmg aughter, deceitand a rolliclunggoodtime if only for hemselves.
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one Glamourpoint to transformnto the animal,but reversionisfree.Nomllisnecessary.Thesebeastformsincludeal1 of theanimals‘ speed,leaping, etc.); aturalabiliti ts are poesible. Tiger
as a rule, however, only
pookaarevittuauyunknown.
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hese changelings’ innate charm confidaat breaksdownmostpeople’sarriers.This,co\rpkdwithfaerie curiaity, malesthem very g a d isteners nd manipulators. During a given conversation, a pooh may roll Manipulation+ Subterfuge(or Empathy)to get a subject to spill hisguts; he difficultyis the “victim’s” Willpower. Each success all ows the pooh to obtain a tr uf fi l answer to one pers~nal uestion. Thisis not an instantaneous alent - t d e s ime and conversationand shouldbe played out in full.
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This affinity also means that pooka never botch Empathy or Subterfuge rolls. Whatever form thcydroose, pooh are unusually cute. Though their appearancesare manifold, heyare ohen urry, with elongated, animalisticfeaturesand actual animal ears.
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Seemings: Childlings are too cute f o r w s ; adults want to cuddle them and fee dy. This is useful when avoiding punishment. who’dseduceyourbest friend’sS.O. while planting a stink bomb in the school ventilation system. Their bestialnatures more obviousby now; they havesmall tailsand uminescent eyes. Grumpsdiffer ittle fromwilders. Theybarelyseem to age atall. Most settledownto comfortable lives as esters and jugglers. Though theyseem more mature,the aickster in them neverfides completely.Onunp pooh setup beautifully elaborate pranksthatmay take yearsto complete.No mortal iokercan rival an oldmica with her mindset on a aick
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circuses, while country folk trave l in troupesor stake out a village to haunt. Mortals toosad orunfortunate o enjoy life often meetpooh who try to cheer hem, while hosewith no
respectfornatureencount~kithofamoremenacingstripe..
minity Nature
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iRChRl@XS: shapechanging-Eachpookahas an
one animalof her choice.When totally akme change into that animal(orback from it)in on
e FRUlkKS:
Lies - eoplemay trust apooka,but noone in her rght mind will believe one. These kitharenotoriousiars. No matter how important a statement m a y be, a pooh must always mix in a lie. It’sin his nature. A pooh must make a Willpower roll (difficulty8) to tell the truthand nothing but the
quote:
“...andchen the
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Outlook
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---Nice enough, I guess,but their sense of humor is a little on the rusty side.
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Eshu mda weird, but they tell great stories. Oneofthemgavemesomegreatdirt! Wannahear it ? Nockera- itchy little whiners who wouldn‘t know a giggleif it bit them on t he bahoogies. Their humor isn’t wit, it’s acid.
.
Redcaps - rrr.. My cousin got skinned by one three years ago and it still wears his fur across its shoulders.Don’t want any part of ‘em!
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Satyrs bit randy, perhaps, but these guys know how to party! . Sidhe he emperors have no clothes.
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S I 4 - hey’re creepy and they’re kooky,
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mysterious and spooky..
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Hideousand vile, redcaps are the stuff of nightmares. ley are feared even among the Kithain for their vulgar
kith, but most . . ever changelings bother to look.
,
and disgusting wa ys. These changelings seem to revel in others’ terror; it is said that nightmares gave them form, and many bards believe it. Redcapsdelight in taunting, insulting and just plain abusing mortals and fae alike,knowing that others fear them too much to punish their deeds.
Redcaps’ determination may be their saving grace. Songs tell of redcaps slaying dragons and other threats to t he fae. They are prizedas bodyguards
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Originally known for their bloodstained wool cam these changelings I - are the infamous servants of th UnseelieCourt. Atone time, a horde of redcaps known as the Host terrorized the countrysideat night, particularly onAll Hallows Eve. Fortunately, most
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by masters whocanearn their respect and tolerate their antics. Such masters are advised to keep healers and custodians close athand. Redcaps’appetitesoften rival their ferocity; they are renowned for their eating prowess and often indulge ’ in gorging contests that . J would mL e a shark vomit. Fae lore calls them “bulldogs”and states that a redcap’swillis as strong as his bite. Those actually
[
bitten by redcaps shudder at that thought..
.
In bygone days these faeries bit the fingers from their victims and wore the bones for belts. Some L, Unseelie still practice this horror, and compound it by leaving the victims alive to boot. Sidhe knights consider killing redcaps an honor and a duty; this makes life difficult for those few who follow the Seelie Court instead of the dark one. s’
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Seelieredcapsdotheirbesttocontaintheirlnnate loodlust and channel it toward nobler ends - ike battlin g their ow n Unseelie kind.
Appeumnce:
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id their digestive system.1hough they prefer human animal) &eat, redcaps will eat anything. As longas a redcap’smouth fits around the object to be devoured,he can eat it. Large objects can be bitten into smaller pieces. Digesting something that no human can digest (wood, steel, toxic waste) require s a point of Glamour.
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Redcaps tend toward stocky builds, mottled skinand thick, bandy legs. Even have homd bloodshot eyes, skel&l noses and rubbe&, Bully Browbeat edcap can intimidate any wrinkled faces. Worst ofall are their ghoulish mouths, thing, even chimera. Difficulties ofdlIntimidation rolls filled with yellowed, crooked, flat teeth used for grinding are reduced by one, ifnot more. Dreamcreatureswill likely rheir prey to a pulp. do as the redcap commands,though a sentient one can resist by rolling its Glamour rating against a difficulty of the redcap’s Willpower. Childling redcaps are bullies- laygroundtyrants FRUlheS: and dog-maimerswhose activities are more sadistic than deadly. Bad Attitude - o o suffersa Wilders are worse; theseare he gangsters of the fae, difficulty penalty (+ 2 or more) in any social situation except browbeating. Some noble house. D vandalsnd malcontentswho despoilthis or fun. Many go in for body-piercingand take it one step beyond by or kill a redcap on general principle. adorning hemselveswith bolts and screwsbored through their flesh and into their bones.A redcap’s first such “What’re you dom’out so late, little boy?Don’ ’cha piercingis corkidered somethingof arite of passage among know it’s not safe...?” the kith.
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Grumpsare the Unseelie favored,dominating heir cousinswith might and reputation. Someyoungerredcaps make the mistake of challenging these“oldfogies”;a few even live to regretit. Seelie grumps are treasuredwarriors, like barbarian knights.
Lifes-cyles: 1
Redcaps prefer the cities, where their activities go unnoticed. Mostjoin gangs (or run hem) an d “work” as strikebreakers, ffraffiti artists,boxers and muggers.
1 wnw Nature
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Dark Appetite edcaps can literally eatany-
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thing; they’ve been knownto chew throughcars,bite safes in twoand eat their way out oflocked rooms. Bulldog teeth are brutally flatand had as steel;no one wants to under-
Outlook Bogsans -Wimps. Eshu - ood storytellers,but don’t let ‘em bet you anything. Nockers - heir bones break as easilyas their toys do. P& - ugs. Satyrs -Great drinking buddies and boon companions; if you wanna get laid, look upa satyr. Sidhe - eak, but powerful in their own mysterious way.If you can’tbreak ‘em, avoid ‘em. Sluagh- hese guys even creep me out. Trolls - ood and worthy opponents,or bud-
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dies if youcan befriend ‘em.
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(Siiy-tred If there is wisdom in madness, satyrs are the smartest of the fae. Wild and passionate, they speak in riddles and satisfy their every lust with abandon. Though oth er kith scowl at satyrs’earthy ways , they all come around sooneror later for advice, a support iveshoulder or a down-and-
To no one’s surprise, satyrs are the
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mostathletic, if not the strongest, Western Kithain. Whether it’s stamina for partying,tolerancefordrinkingorspeed for running away, satyrshave definite physical advantages over their kin. Though not nearlyso beautifulas the sidhe, the goats never lack for love rs; they claim it’s bec ause of their open minds and fun-loving ways, but many kith think that the Gift of Pan has more to do withit. Despiteappearances,ifeisnot aconstant party for satyrs. Most enjoy solitude and scholasticism and takea loyalinterest n 1 their friends’well-being. They make good 3 confidantsand excellent debaters; indeed, their mental contests rival drinking ones for sheer de1 and light. Satyrs prize kno wledgefor its own sake, those who can stand thei r companyfind poeticideal- 7 ism buried underhe t fur. Frequently, however, satyrs get ’ sickof the whole deal and embark on the carnal sprees they’re amo f us for. More often than not, they’ll dragtheir more intellectual friendsalongfor the ride. The goats have an eye for beauty and a soft spot for satyrslove to collect preciousthings. Though not material istic, things (and people) just to play with. This can be difficultfi a va ‘‘playmate’’ gets attached to th e changeling - or as goodas they are
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’ hearts (and sometimes bones) with gusto. These latter can kithbe dangerousto meet; when theSong of Pan is playing, anything can happ en and the aftermath can be fatal.
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Vanity is a hallmark of the kith; even sidhe admit that satyrs have a certain rugged beauty (though they’lldeny its attraction). Thisvanity often leads to an unpredictable competitiveness.An insulted satyr migh t challengean offenderto a head-buttingcontest or worse. Because goatscan ely last. be so temperamental, friendships rar
period of time (an hour ortwo), the local Banality a c t u a l 4 lowers;as longas he party continues, everyone involved, fae y one and acts out or mortal, lowers his or her Banality b repressed desires. Tragoscan combine their effortsto lower Banalit y even further;eachsatyrplaying alongowersthe vicinity’s Banality Despite their social ways, satyrs are clannish folk; their by an additionalpoint, to a minimum of 2. These two effects kith bands, called “tragos,” are ext ended families. Friends, last onlyas longas the party is in progressand leave physical lords, playmates and enemies will all pass by, satyr but bands and mystical “hangover s.”
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endure.If asatyrdiesor falls to Banality, her trago mourns her Physical Prowess to their t1 satyrs add one dot passingwith a wild wake, endless songs and frenzied dancing . Stamina, even if this increases the Trait above 5.Satyrs in Only the foulest crimes lead to exile. Goats stick together. their kith (goat-legged) orm can al so run25 yards+ 3 x their
Appemance: Satyrs are lean andfurry; both sexes wear their hair long and rarely shave. Go ats are shameless ly forward in their ways and prfe sensuality in all itsforms.They have furry legs, cloven hooves and small horn jutting from their forehead s.
botch an Athleticsr
Passion’s Curse -The Songof Pan has a nasty side; satyrsare prone to mood swings,especiallywhile drunk,and m a y explode nto weepingor fury with littleprovocation.The difficulties of all Willpower rollsto resist temptationor maintain self-control areincreasedby two (or even more if the satyris intoxicated).
have four tiny nubs for horns. They sing and play so beautifully hat they can drow n out an y mortal’s voice. Wilder satyrs are th e essence o f faerie chaos; they are “Only whenyouembrace~wigyouunderstand he rambunctiousand indiscriminately echerous. Their horns, a Dreaming.” source of prideamong males, gr ow to about sixinches (less for Ib women); each pair s together to become of smaller homs grow a single unit. Grumps are wise but often sad. Their best years are Boggans h y bother? Let ‘em stand in the behind them. Most tragos take old grumps out for one last fling to spare th em from Banality. comer and stare. A t the end of the fling, the grump dies. The homs ofgrumpmales gr ow large and im presEshu- Invite these guysoverfor some quiet time. sive, curvingback along thetop of the head. They’re not much for parties,but they’re intelligent
quote:
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as hell and can really broadenyour horizons.
Music is a goat’s great passion; almost all satyrs are musiciansof somesort,hough many pursue actingcareersas well. They love wild groves and wilder nightcl ub
n 1cy: Fae Affi
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Gift of Pan - atyrsset libidos free;by singing and playing (Charisma+ Empathyor Performance), satyrs can stir mortals and changelingsalike to carnal passions. Anyone who failsa Willpowerroll (diff\cultp7) will succumb.Over a
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Nockers - ringing nockers out of their funk takes patience, but they really let loosewhen they do decide to join in. Pooka-Kindred spirits.Expect pranks, though. Redcaps - ross.Who invited them? Sidhe - f they weren’t so pompous,they might admit how much they need us. SluaghY’know, these guys are all right. Don’t drop in without an invitation, though. 1with the sidhe - hese are the
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Exiled obility in a Banal world, the sidhe recall
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a time when they held undisputed sway overthe Dreaming. Once they wereknown nd feared astheGoodFolk, and theirwhimsenchanted and terrified mortalsfor millennia. Now the tales are cast aside, the gates closedand the songs gone old and stale. 1 For sidhe, the age of
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ing. Given the whims of these lords, it's no wonder few faeriestrust them.
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future all at once; fi there is truth to this, th e nobility will not confirm it. Banality is a deadly curse,an d sidhe suffer more from it than a n y other Kithain do. Death is likewisea terror, for sidhe are not reborn as other faeries are. While someconsent t o be given a wake, few of them do, for they willreincamate as commoners- literally a fate worse than death! Death and Banality weigh heavily on the sidhe, and they often resent the Arcadian faeriesfor locking them out of paradise.Many quest for a return to Arcadia
wonder has already died, 7 and they mourn its passing. This mourning, however, doesnotcripple the sidhe.Thoughtheyfear death and Banality ike few faeries ever could, they stare back in the face of oblivionand sneer. Other Kithain consider the sidhecold and arrogant,and they ate right; the triumph of the sidhe, however, is their refusal to lie dow and die. They are every inch nobility, as beautiful and terrible as a n y dream could be, and pursue a return to the Dreaming with fanatical dedication.
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There are, of course, exceptions; some sidhe growhopelessan d self-indulgent, etting their freeholds fall into disrepair. Others become Unseelie tyrants, ruling their demesnes through cruelty and intrigue. Still others drop out of the nobility game and go among the commoners, hough their true nature shinesthrough their disguises. Sidhe are also notorious for switching between the courts without warn-
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wakingdrearn-stategivesmostsidheaglazed
and unfocused air. Bards' songs say that the eldest sidhe live in the past, present and
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Whatever they choose to do,sidhealwaysdoitwithgrace refinement. Many seem ded, but those close to them at the blessing and curse of the sidhe is to live deeper in th e Dreaming worldthan most faeries ever will. This
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or throw themselves into orgies of Glamour-gath-
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I their continued health - hese vain fae cannot bear the thought of simply fading w a ay. These kith inspirea supernaturalawe,even in changelings with superiorstrength or skill. The very presenceof a sidhe in her true form capturesthe hearts of mortals and colors the Dreaming.An angry sidhe is a terrible thing; even redcaps hesitate to attack a raginghighborn knight. The noble ones may “cloak” their auras, butsome sign of their birthtight is always apparent. All sidhe are dignified, with courtly mannem and social graces.It is nearly impossible to make one look foolish-(though pooka keep trying). Their passionsrun vengeance is never forgotten. They are at romance and subterfugeand look with a on Kithain and mortal alike. Whatever course a sidhe ma y choose, he will follow it with a ruler’s power and a lion’s co
get two extra dots OfAppearance(even ifthis increaseshe m Trait above 5 ) and s&d out in a crowd (not always a good thing...). The difficulties of all Social rolls (especially Empathy or Intimidation rolls) made by an impassioned sidhe are reduced bytwo. Anyone who tries to attack an angry sidhe head-on must make a Willpower roll versus difficulty 6 (or even higher if facing a powerfullord or lady). ll sidhe arefoolish dignified; a n iy Bearing cantripNoble that would makea highborn look immed ately fails, and no sidhe will botchan Etiquette roll.
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RUlltleS: Banality’s Curse - his is the bane of the sidhe;
Banality affectsthese kith as if it were one point higher than it actually is. Additionally, each pointof Banalitya highborn earns becomes twopoints instead. Sidhe are also
Appeamnc All sidhe resembl bodies are perfect, their features pleasing and their hair rich and colorful. They are ethereal and carry ahint of sadness even when they laugh. Tall and lean, they are
wonderand takethe mortalswith us - ill they ur no.”
fierceand regal, with pointed angular features and a commandinggaze . Their eyes ears, areof odd yet striking colors: violet, silver, etc.They rarely wear anything but the finest clothing.
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Seemings: Childling h-
of
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onest, gentlefolk, but always check
them throw tantrums when thin& don’t go their way. Wilder sidhe are proud and spirited, indulging everywhim in youth and assuming knightly honors later.
Eshu - raggartsand beggars, butfull of wisdom. Show them in and drink of their lore.
Grump sidhe are sadly regal, often distractedby the weight of their positions. Many yearnto be young again.
Nockers - f it weren’t for their usefulness, ’d I toss them out of the Dreamingand let them bitch at
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Li fesqles: Sidhe blood is cobalt blue; they holdmost faelands through title and often hold influential positionsin the mortal world as well.
h E L g * e y have spent little time on sidhe have not developedan affinity.
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Pooka - t’s amazinghow much effort they still spend trying to make us look silly. You’d think they’d have given up by now. Redcaps - oul; even the best of them are no better than mortal thugs. Satyrs - un for a trystor two, ut ultimately a
Earth, the
iRthRightS:
Awe and Beauty- idhe radiate power with their simple presence and are remarkably attra
Sluagh - eware their ilk and curry their favor. The underfolk are our coffin-worms and we are buried with them. onest guardsand gracefullose
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Snakelike and profane, the-kith are the outcasts of the faeri, world, the nameless dispossessed whose burrows honeycomb the depths. Even redcaps fear their clammy touch, and with good
strange knickknacks and vulgar souvenirs are common trade items among the underfolk. The value these kith place on such things mystifies outsiders,but perversity is, of course, the sluagh's trademark. Through it issaid that all sluaghfollow Unseelie ways, they rarely throw in behind either court, eeping to themselves instead. Among their own kind, these kith are generousand almost painfully formal. They regard each otherwith deep respect and band togetheragainst outsiders f need be. Such teamwork makes trespa ssers
reason; sluagh, even the Seelie kind, prize their secrecy and do not view strangers kindly.Those I ' intruding on their home grouni often leave with nightmares. I
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luagh, of course, enjoy the effect they have on outsiders; there is powerand grim humor in another's disgust. These kith are unsettlingly po lite, but boggan rumors hint at
scarce- ntruders will be dogged, harassed by voices and shadows just out of sig ht, showered with.. .unthinkable things, and finally ambushed if they refuse to get the hint.
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secret rituals and wild carnage beneath the earth. Surface changelings call sluagh "underfolk" and speak fothem in whispers.Tales claim the kith srcinated in Russia long ago,as faeries who lived under mountainsand in mortal hearths. Now, however, they live out of sight in the cracks of the
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world, hidden until they choose to visit their cousins for inexplicable reasons.
Onoccasion,sluaghwill openly visit the surface courts, cultivate friendship, 1 an d enter into oathbonds with outsiders.
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This only causes more confusion among topsiders, which may be th e sluagh's sole purpose for doing it.
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Changeling:The ?beaming
them. These good deeds, however, are frequently misinterpretedby suspi cious changelings, so such relationships are often brief. 1 To sluagh, revelation is joy; the more unsettling the revelation, the greater the joy. They seem to use other changelings as social guinea pigs, toying with their expectations and studying their relationships.Per'-aps this stems from
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Like the boggans, the underfolk collect dirty secretsan d sometimessell them to interested parties. While some sluagh tr y to use their knowledge for noble ends, many make agood living through blackmail. Secretsare not their only tender; broken toys,
Sluagh speak in whispers - ndeed, they cannot speak any louder. Social interactions irritate themif they're forcedto participate (although they supposedly perform sinister rites in their retreats). Like most fae, sluagh are contraryany order theyare given is likelyto be ignored or perverted out of sheer spite. Despite the kith's reputation, however, the majority of sluagh are neither stupid nor evil. Strange as they are, sluagh often go out of thei r way to aid or protect an outsider who has been nice to
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simple curiosity;then again, such voyeurism may be the revenge of theoppressed,striking back at their “betters”by
unnatural ease. Doingso requires a Dexterity+ Athletics roll versus a difficulty ranging from6 (to shrug off rope bonds) to 10 (to escape from a barred cell). This usually takes a fewturns. Cold iron bonds negate this birthright.
Sharpened Senses- ifficultiesof all Perceptionbased rolls sluagh make areloweredby two (to a minimum They may also see through illusion magics by making rception + Alertness roll (difficulty 7 ) and cannot h Stealth or Alertness rolls.
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The downsideof this sensitivity s an aversionto light loud sounds; such sensory overload increases alldiffi. 1
decay ineither guise, asmell age. Sluagh favor archaic always intricate.
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udlings remde &owned rats. Skittish, wildeyed and awkward, theyare true street urchins.
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Wilder underfolk are pranksters and guardians hidden places. Slightly shorter th an the average hu they have dark, hollow eyesand elongated limbs,fi and toes.
Whisper - luagh cannot speakabove a whisper, no matter how hard they try. This makes it difficult to be heard or understood. They are agoraphobic as well, and dislike social situations. Add tw difficultiesof all Social rolls a sluagh makes.
“Goodevening, inmcder. You ar e WCU---
Grumps have papery skin tha t begins to peel frequently as they age. Their hair becomes streakedwith gray and their bodies become stooped and crooked.
L i ! ~ ~ ? ~ ~ e sewers, crawl spacesand access dors of the world. Though civil to each other, these Kithain are notoriouslyshy and erritorial. In their mortal seemings, he underfolk arehermits, street people and mad geniuses with hidden lab: Visitors had besthold invita-
t
- of course
your business s important,
Boggans - hey lick spittle and call it cham-
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shu -
ise ones,hac, but not so wiseas we.
Nockers - ine craftsmen, but desperate for praise, if only their own. Pooka - ntertaining sorts. Believethem not. Redcaps - hough in many ways ou r kin, these brutes need lessons in manners and fe
Satyrs - opelessly blind.Life is n Sidhe- If you knew what I know about them, you would kill them in their sleep. joints and squirrnor imprisonment. asic shapeor mass, can contort into disquieting shapes with
Trolls - heir integrity is commendable. Good soldiers,they kill and die on command.
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Duty, strength and honorare the hallmarks of a troll. Warriors without peer, these changelings revere the old waysof plain speakingand simple truths. Other kith say that these large folk areas patient as he mountains and reliable as spring snowmelt. Though most changelings consider trolls hopelessly naive, trolls themselves consider trust and dedication to be the measures of their worth. Guardians by destiny, trolls are the bedrock ofa n y as long as its faerie freehold; a kingdom is safe only trolls can be trusted. Honoris not merely a concept to them - t is a way of being. A troll who breaks a trust will weakenuntil the offending deed has been atoned for. Sadly, many trolls expect the same unstinting honesty from all fae, and are usually disappointed. eelie trolls, often called “giants,” have a Nordic look to them; they are ruggedly proudand often handsome. Unseelie types, sometimes called “ogres,)) esemble ma ssive cavemen,hairy and coarsefeatured. All trolls have rumbling voicesand great strength and size; they need not speak loudly to be obeyed. Fortunately, most trolls regard their strength as a divine gift and consider usi ng it without just cause unworthy of them. Pooka, eshu and satyrs have plenty of fun at trolls‘ expense, and it is a tribute to trolls’patience that t he offending parties are not regularly pounded into submission.If a troll’s patience finally does break, however, he flies into a monstrous rage, destroyingeverything andeveryone around him until he calms or is taken down. Even the most foolish pooka will watch very carefully for the darkening of a giant’s eyes and break off the fun before it goes too far. Trolls are a brave and stoic lot. Even their Unseelie display a steadfastcourage. Though not stupid, they are simple folk and trust n i others overmuch.Unlike the common mageof the troll, these changelings . are quite civilized;they use formal titles when addressin g other Kithain, hold doorsopen for ladiesand dedicate their souls to those theytreasure.These kith are ardent romantics and will go for all the courtly trimmings when wooing a lover. Ancient legends call trolls the first noble kith; when the sidhe appeared, some say, a great war began. The trolls lostand graciouslyswore loyalty tothe new rulers, an oath that binds many t o this day. Some Unseelie bards, seeking to stir
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up trouble, recount these tales in troll-run holdings,with not-so-subtle intimations tha t the giants take back their rightful place. To their credit, most trolls throw the offending bard out on her ear. Sometimes, however, the idea takes root and a troll band rebels. Even sidhe knights dread such insurrections... Trolls prefer a simple lifestyle. Their furnishings and dress are plain and practical. Unseelie trolls tend to be
slobs, leaving trash and remains wherever theygo, while their Seelie counterpartskeep clean and spartan quarters. It is a well-known danger sign when a giant’s home becomes messy; most Kithainwill avoid that troll until her Unseelie nature passes. By the darkening f her eyes,some say,a troll’s anger can be gauged.
Ari n cy: Fae
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Titan’sPower - ll trolls are large and stronk. Wilders gain an additional dot of Strength (even if it raises Health Level, while grumpsgainyet another S isndanother Bruised Health Level. Older difficultiesof all Dexterity-based
trolls in serviceto a cause
AppeaRance:
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Trolls are large,ranging from seven to nine feet tall, with thick bones and weightlifted muscles. Seelie giants carry an air of nobility; though many favor a Nordic look, they have slaty blue skinand thick black hair. All giants, however, have icy blueor pale green eyes. Trolls have jmh wolfiilce teeth and small ridged
Bond of Duty - his saute bond ties a troll’s ysicalhealthto her duty. A troll who reneges ona sworn contract or oath becomes sickly and loses her Titan’s Power. Only by atoning for her lapse of trust (often by ) can she regain her strength and
“No one hannsthe PrinCeJs while I still he.”
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assume an honorable ageand put childhood aside.
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WiMershave reached the
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Grumpsare slower
Boggans- olid folk, the very essenceof who we aspire to be. A bit gossipy, but no one’s perfect.
Eshu- neaky and dishonest, but snappy dressers, full of tales and spirit. Nockers - heir ingenuity is to be respected; their whining is to be ignored. Pooka - iars and thieves, the antithesis of our kind.
Redcaps- he only good ones whimper and bleed.
Satyrs - hiftless, worthless and hopeless. Ignore them and hey might go away. derness and dislike cities and machinery. In their mortal seemings, many are athletes, policemen, rangers and farmers. In any guise they are notoriously honest.
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Sidhe - hough they are arrogant, they ha cause for their pride. If they lead, we will supp them. If they falter, we will replace them. Sluagh- hisperers in darkness, not to be trusted.
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bouses These are descriptions of the five primary houses of the noble sidhe.
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Th e blazon of House Dougal is or, an arm embowed maintaining a hammer sable on a chief gules three cogwheels or. (Three gold gears on a red field above a black arm and hammer on a gold field.) Boon:House Dougal isknown or its members’ ability to invest Glamour into everything hey do. For this reason, once per story, members fo House Dougal can convert their temporary Glamour points into temporary Will-
power points, up to the limit of their current Willpower. This must be done during somesortof physical exertion on their part: working hard, exercising or participating in combat. Flaw: Sidhe of House Dougal alwayshave a physical handicap that must be compensatedfor, usually through the use of cunningly crafted smithw ork: a club foot, blindness, bad eyesight, poor hearing, a missing limb or some other physical limitation. This handicap extends to their mortai bodies as well.
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House Dougal is known for its members’ strength, wisdomand technical acumen. The house’s founder, Lord Dougal, was a great faerie smith who pioneered the weaving of Glamour into steel, thus making it safe for faeries to use. It is said that Dougal stayedbehind on Earth because of his fascination with metalworkand machines. Members of House Dougal tend to begruff, practical and good with theirhands. They are incrediblyorderly and often spend long hours making sure everything is inits proper place. They are very precise in their speech and aren’t givento poetry, but they love architecture, mechanics and smithwork. They oftenbecome so fascinated by a machine’s workings that they are unable to draw themselves from contemplating it. nown alsoas the House of Secrets, House Eiluned is ’ Because of their sharp minds and orderly dispositions, tainted by the dark reputationof its founder, Lady Eiluned. Dougal fae are often found as stewards, clerks and barristers in faerie circles. The rare member of House Dougal She is a sorceress who has dealt with many dark and mysterious beings and powers. Eiluned fae are valued, who becomes a rulerusually governs his fief ni a very however, for their vast knowledge, uncanny ability at matter-of-fact,practical manner. gathering d treme
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trigue. Faerie lords often employ Eiluned fae as counselors or advisors. Fiefs ruledbyHouse Eiluned areas mysteriousan d full of secretsas he house’s founder. It is rumored that House Eiluned voluntarily accepted exile on Earth as punishment for some forgotten crime againstthe Dreaming, tly denied by members of although this story is i the house. House Eiluned’s blazon isp er chevron, sable and argent, two decresents and a pentacle counterchanged. (Two silver crescent moonson black above a black pentacle on silver.)
Boon:The magic of HouseEiluned is always more potent than that of a n y other house.All cantrips cast by Eiluned fae automatically gain an additional success. Eiluned cannot seem to Flaw: Members of House prevent themselvesfrom investigatingmysteries, and they often display a treacherous streak. They are therefore roundly distrusted; the difficultiesof all Socialrolls made 1 by Eiluned fae are increasedby one. Furthermore, they must spend Willpower toavoid investigating a mysteryor involving themselves in a plot. 1
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Passionate to the extreme, Lady Fiona stayed on Earth for love of its pleasures (some sayfor the love of a mortal). Fae of House Fiona areknown or their skill in the arts, their tempestuous passions and their radical views. They love to challenge the status quo, often goingsofar as to aid the enemies of the fae in order to bring about change. They see themselvesas the necessary catalyst through which noble society comesto understand itself.
Because House Fiona has a legendary afftnity with as messenhorses and archery, its members are often used gers, scoutsand yeomen. Fiona knights are widely feared and respectedfor their prowess with the bladeand for their specially trained, Glamour-invested warhorses. Th e blazon of House Fiom is gules, a lion passant reguardant argent. (A silver lion walking on a red field, looking back over its shoulder.)
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Fiona fae are overly fond of food, drink,drugs and sex, and are often called away from higher pursuitsby appeals to their base needs. Still, when called upon to fight, those of House Fiona are fierce warriors, full of spit an d vinegar. Fiona is perhaps the most accommodatingof all
1
is y houses. its House Fiona also the most of all houses; members rarel “pull rank” on common faerie s. For this reason, its members are beloved by commoners, and fiefs ruled by House Fiona are usually happy ones, albeit a bit wild and disrespectful oward the more formal houses. House Fiona claimsto have hundreds of traditions an d customs hat are followed in a strict fashion,although no two members of the house can seem to agree on what they are. Usually this means that each individual member of House Fiona followsher own code of honor.
Boon:Sidhe of HouseFiona are renowned for their great courage. Although they understand the nature of fear, it does not seizecontrol of them, even in the face of death. Any attempt, natural or magical, to generate fear in them automatically ails. Th e only exception to this s that they can become deathly afraid if their lovers’lives are threatened. Flaw: Those of House Fiona are given over to epic and usually tragic romances. Because of their accepting dispositions, hey tend to fall in love with outlaws,strangers, mortalsand other “unacceptable” ypes. Often such loves become true and complete passions that cannot be denied. Luckily for Fiona fae, their beauty isas legendary as heir ardor. Somein this house overcome theirflaw, but do so only by becoming hateful toward all romance and obsessed with preventing it from occurring (especiallyto those in their own house).
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laissez-faire
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law: Although they are great warriors, sidheof House Gwydionare prone to great rages. Whenever they reach the Wounded Health Level (from either chimerical or real damage) or theirhQnor is insulted, they must make a Willpowerroll (difficulty5 ) . Those who failthe roll fly into a berserk rage and may well attack allies. During this
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house qruydion House Gwydion is perhaps themost “noble”of allthe houses. Lord Gwydion was a brave knight who stayed on Earth to defend the other houses from the incipient doom of Banality. He was supposedlyfriend to Charlemagne, Machiavellian d Napoleon. Members of House Gwydion tend ot be conservative, dutybound faeries who think more of the entire faerie nation than of themselves. However, their rule is often marked by extreme arrogance: they believe that only members of House Gwydion are fit to rule. uFrthermore, house members are prone to internecine feuds (although they will cease all quarrels when challenged from without). House Gwydion is known to have a bloodthirsty streak; many warriors of this house have beenknown to go berserk when angered. The blazon of House Gwydion si vert, a falcon maintaining an oak leaf or. (A gold falcon, facing left with a gold leaf in its beak, wings raised, legs splayed, against a green field.) Boon: By making a successful Perception + Kenning roll (difficulty of the target’s Willpower), members of House Gwydion are able to se nse if someone speaks the truth (as he knows it). For somemysteriousreason, members of House Eiluned are immune to this truthtelling.
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Changeling: The &earning
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house Lium he most quiet (and, some say, the most wise)of all the house founders, Lord Liamwas exiled to Earth because I of his love for mortal folk. For many years,Liam alone stood against those fae who wishe d to slaughter all mortals. Members of House Liam do not see their mortal chargesas being perfect -far from it. They do, however, feel that humanity has earned the right to exist. They are known for their hatred of Ravaging and Banality;even their normally peaceful demeanors can suddenly turn wrathful when presented with such. Faeries of House Liam do not usually advertise the ir allegiance; other houses tend to look down on Liam, although members of House Gwydionwill not allow those of House Liam to be mistre ated- xiles or not, they are still fae. House Liam isthe most widespread house: its members travel all over the world. Liam fae are sages,
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recordkeepers and rememberersof earthly fae society.For this reason, a wise faerie king will retain a member of HouseLiamas his archivist. House Liamis known farand wide for accepting just about a n y changeling, although even most common h e would never accept a title in the house. House Liam does holdsome fiefs;barren and despoiled urban fiefsare often given over to House Liam. Liam’s blazon was struck and discredited when the house was exiled. T he symbol has since been erased from all faerierecords,although certain membersof Liam still possesshieldsdisplaying he heraldry of the house: an oak tree blasted and eradicated, argent. (A silver oak tree with bare branches and exposedroots on a blue field.)
Boon:Those of House Liarnfind it easy to enchant mortals, spending one fewer Glamour point thannormal to do so. Even this, however,has a downside: members of House Liam begin with one extra point of Banality because of their mortal affiliations.
Flaw: Those of House Liam are considered oathbroken; no other changelingfeels obligated to honor oathbonds,hospitality and ustice insofaras House Liamis concerned. Liam fae are frequently discriminated against because of their house affiliation.
prepared for most eventualities and are always willing to help others. You love solving concrete problems and pointing out obvious solutions. While innovation for its own sake isn’t something you trust, it is acceptable as means to an end. Quest: Whenever you solution to any problem, y o
cticai
bove yourstation; never look down
COURzTleR The only really int action. You are a great student of etiquette, psychology and all the little details of how sentient beings relate to one another. You alsolove gossip and intrigue. Everything else interests you onlyas it canbe appliedto your social lie. This doesnot mean that youare a shallowperson;on he contrary, youaredeeplyconcemedwithpolitics,itual,customandthe preservation of order.Because of your acumen for negotiation, arbitration and compromi se, you are the gluethatholds a groupof people together. Harmonyis your purposein lif-
Quest: Whenever you manage to make your -fi1-,, more stable, you regain Willpower.
Ban:Never violate the prevd4u-q
social mores.
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All changelings must choose both a Seelie and an Unseelie Legacy.Thosewho wish to be consideredSeelie followtheir SeelieLegacy;tbe who are Unseelie follow their Unseelie Legacy. If at some point in the chronicle you discoverthat your characterhas hifted from Seelie to Unseelie or vice versa, you should point this out to your Storyteller. Occasionally your Legacy will change drastically becauseof someearthshaking dramatic event in your chronicle; this is natural and important to an interesting character. Listed beneath each Legacy’s description are the quest and ban of that Legacy. T he quest explains what you
The world isan imperfect place. It needs people like you to shape it into a more pleasing form, and you are happy to oblige. You have always loved uncovering patterns in the sea of experience,unveiling he statueshidden in blocks of marbleor unleashing the symphonies lying dormant in violins. You love order and meaning notas ends in themselves, butas ools, needed techniques in your workshop of life. The desired end productisa well-crafted whole, united in meaning, effectand form, shaped with unerring technique out of the crude raw material you started with. Quest: Your ife’s workis creation, whether material or social. Regain Willpower whenever yo u improve the
Legacies
must do toregainlost Willpowetpohts.YourLegacy’s an is just a roleplaying guide;although your Storytellerma y wish to enforce it in your game, it’s intendedas a guideline rather thana law.
value of something through hard work and effort, leaving it better than when you found it.
SeelieLegacies
heRrnlr:
Ban:Never leave a placeor situation
Bumpkin You are the solid, practical sortwho always has a solution for every problem. Without you around, others would be a&, for they have no real grounding in the commonsensicalways of solving simple problems. You are L.
without im-
proving it in some way. .
=
You are reclusive and ascetic by nature, preferring your owncompany to that of others. You tend to withdraw to solitary places and prefer to live a life of seclusionand quiet. YOU ikely have a retreat that only you and your closest fiends know about, where YO U can be still and contemplate life and reality.
Chapt-eRsijc: T~airrr
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Quest: Whenever youfind the solution to a problem through inner reflection ratherthan brash action, you regain Willpower.
Ban: Never reveal your inner spiritual life to anyone. Never grant a straight answerto an y question.
&chid
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You have lived a pampered life, but now circumstances have forced you into the big, wide, dangerous world. You ferventlywish someone would come along and rescue you, but it’s hard totell the heroes from the monsters. It’sprobably best to keep them all at a distance and protect yourself as well as you ca n - ntil you can get back to your safe towers and gla ss mountains. Quest: Whenever you manage to escapea dangerous or frightening situation with your sense of well-beingan d innocence intact, you regain Willpower.
Ban:Never trust a stranger; never reveal yourself to anyone.
paladin
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You are the quintessential competitor,and your story is that of the brave, stalwart athleteor hero. Constantly searching for new adversartoovercome, iesto wrestle with,challenges newcausesto fight foran dnew protect, you live for the chance to slay the monster, to fulfill the quest, to win the game. Without the thrill of striving against others (or yourself), life quickly becomes dull and meaningless. Quest: Whenever you successfully overcome a truly challenging situation,you regain Willpower.
Ban: Never refuse a fair challenge. You are the living embodimentof t he realm, the one who has been chosen to speak for the many. You are the judge and the legislator whosortsright from wrongand meaningfrom chaos. More than an y other changeling,you feel the heavy burden ofbans, dutiesan d ritual obligations. As your realm fares,so you fare.It an d you are one.
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Quest: Whenever you successfully resolve a tough situation through yourown leadership, you regain Willpower. Ban: Never compromise or shirk your law, whatever itmaybe.
1 Sage
You are the advisor, the wise one, the teacher. You have traveled many places and seen many things. These experiences have taught you many truths to impart to
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Changeling: The beaming
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others - f only they would listen to you. While you tend to live a threadbare, seemingly aimless life, those who come to you for advice canalways count on you to guide them onto the right path. As for yourself, you seek only wisdom and the answersto enigmas. Quest: RegainWillpowerwhenever another follows your adviceand succeedsat his chosen task.
Ban: Never stand in another’s chosen way.
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Sa1nc
You feel the pain of those around you and strive to ease their suffering.You do this for any number of reason s. Perhaps you wish to be lovedby those you help, or maybe you feel guilty by being healthy when others are sick. Perhaps your altruism is genuine. In any case, you are more concerned with sustaining and repairing those atound you han with creating or destroying.-Time-anduncontrolled change are your enemies. Quest: Regain Willpowerwhenever you manage to protect someone else or alleviate someone’s suffering. Ban: Never cause distress, willingly or unwillingly.
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TRoubadouR
The world is amajestic, beautiful place, and all events can be interpreted as works of art. Feeling is the most important way to make sense of the world,and you are an expert at feeling everything with heartstopping intensity. You walk in beauty and feel emotions more stronglythan other people do. You are confident that somewhere out there waits an ideal, perfect place, person, or situation your true love. Someday you will find him, and then everything will be perfect.Until then, the world isstirring enough.
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Quest: Regain Willpower whenever you complete a task in t he name of a higher ideal (love, friendship, romance, etc.).
Ban: Never hide your feelings of love or affection.
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UaLjFClReR
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Your storyis that of the endless wanderer- he parentless, rootless child wit h nowhere to rest. You usually do things on impulse,forfun nd without apology. You live for the moment, without thought for the past or future, which tends to land you in the most amazing situations. Fortunately,you’ve alwaysmanaged, through clevernessand 1 skill (and luck?), o extricate yourself fromthese situations. Some of these clever escapeshave amazed even you. I Quest: Whenever you survivea life-threatening cene hrough your own cleverness, you regain Willpower. I Ban: Never plan for the future.
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Chapcaz sip: TRam \
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You are the roaring, hungering monster. Leviathan, the hydra, the dragon in its lair. You conque all who oppose you,destroying hem if possible.Toyou, all exists at and for your pleasure.oftentimes, you draw others to you in order to destroy themon home ground - our lair. to remove significant Quest: WheneverYOU opposition to your goals, you regain Willpower. Ban: Never retreat; never compromiseyour territory.
Facallst Everything n the world is deeplyflawed,and the only meager joy to be found is in pointingout these (unavoidable) flaws to other people. You do not expect perfection; in fact,you expect things to go wrongand you take a dark and sullen pleasure in catastrophe. Because everything is doomed to end disastrously, there is no reason to struggle. It’s better to dwell on the gloomy failures of the present than to tire yourself out becoming a failurein the future. Regain Willpowerwhen you prove to others that Quest: the world is fundamentally flawed. Ban: Never laugh except in bitter disappointment.
Fool There is no meaning in th e world, no deep purpose, no reason for anything. In this world of chaos yo u ride the surface tides: you are the divine trickster, the clown,the one who laughs last. Your antics fascinate others,and they search fruitlessly for some underlyingpattern in your life. Whatthe humorlessmasses cannot understand is that you aren’t seekinganythingdeeperthanyourown amusement. In the end they are as foolishas you, or even more foolish, because they have Paid for their “meaning” With Pain, struggleand boredom. Quest: Regain Willpower wheneverYOU lTLanage to deflate the seriousnessof any situation.
Ban: Never search for the “whys” behind your life.
GROWSqUe You love disgustingothers. It isan easy,satisfyingway to get attention, and you are expert at it. The sicker, grosser and more horrible others find you, the happier you become. Perhapsyou act like this because t is the only way you can get the spotlight. Perhapsyou specializein frightening people because it is easierthan earning love and respect. Perhaps you are secretly convinced that you are
Changeling: Thc
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Quest: Regain Willpower whenever you causeomes one t o falter or lose composure.
Ban:Never *lay side to yourself.
an overtly pleasant, appealing
OUzSUU but you usually haveto take it. You’d prefer that society and its troublesomerules weren’t even here.You do not see yourselfas the villain. Rather, you work againstthe monolithic culture that imprisons the freedoms of the people living within. You feel that most people, knowing what you do, would make the same decision. Quest: Whenever you shake up the socialstatus quo in some way (from rumormongering o assassination),yo
peacock You are the loveliest, smartest, bestperson world, and you want to make surethat everyone If you are not the center of attention, you are not You will do anything to gain and hold others’notice, even resorting to tantrums or violence.Sometimesyou help an ugly duckling find her OW talents, but only to make yourself look generous. Quest: Whenever you conclusively prove that you are the best at something, you regain Willpower. Ban:Never admit failure.
Rake The world is an unending streamof pleasure flowing toward you, and you are eager to absorb it all. You are a greedy sensualist, a miser, a glutton, an obsessivecollector
and a hoarder of experience. You care little for other people, but lavish unending timeand devotion onworldly things. Aspart of your obsessionwithmaterial experience, you are extremely selfish and fuse re to share your accumulated material wealth withanyone. Best to keep a close eye an what you have and guard it from anyoneor anything that might try to steal your hard-earned security. Quest: Regain Willpowerwhenever you succeedin your pursuitof personal pleasure. Ban:Never give an yt h ut either hope of rew ad or a hard fight.
.,.-
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You are an enigma. You are in love with secretsand never give a truly straight answer; even your outwardly straightforwardutterances onlymask hidden meaning (or no meaning at all). Perhaps you hate the idea tha t people will ignore what you have to say,so you cloak it i n obscure and mysteriousterms to make it seem more interesting. Perhaps you simplylike to tell lies, or maybe you truly love
it’s time to collect the rewards ofhard labor, you’llbe there to take your cut off the top; for now, relax! not really deserve, you regain Willpower. Ban: Never work.
ends, illusions anduseless pursuits. Language, art, technol-
Ban:Never allowothersto dis
way to live is like the naked animals in the forest- ating whatyou can catch, mating when th e urge strikes, fighting to establish superiority. Everything else is senseless deviation from the purity of the prime. Quest: Regain Willpower whenever you conquer
You do not need t out there can pay your
Ban:Never indulge in civilized follies.
mons. All things considered, you prefertakingthe path of
You have no positive self
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the one who was never invited to birthday parties; regardless, you believe that everyone hates you and that you are a pitiful outcast. Sometimes you seek pity and aid from others. Other times you seek to punish them for what you see as their unreasoning dislike for you. Quest: Whenever others vilify you as worthless (or even throw up their hands in frustration,despairingof ever getting through to you), you regain Willpower. 3an:Never admit to success.
Specialnes
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For each Attribute or Ability Trait rated 4 or higher, a player can select a specialty,A specialty is a particular subcategory ha t a character is capableof performingwith additional proficiency- character may be able to drive very well, but may be particularly adept at off-roadmaneuvers. A specialty allowsthe player to reroll“10s”scored on actions directly involving the specialty.Theplayer gets to keep the success indicatedby the “10” and may subsequently tr y again for another success,rolling another die for each “10” obtained.
physlCal Amibutes
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These Traits describe how strong, dexterous and sturdy a character is; they are the primary Traits of an action-oriented character. Physical Traits concern dnly the strengths and weaknesses of the body.
Smength This Trait m
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your ability to lift, carryloadsand cause physical harm.A person with a high Strength rating is usually largerthan rating. O fcourse, there are always hen you attemp t t o lift, carry, push, heave or breaksomething. Inmelee combat, your Strength Trait is added toyour damage DicePool. Strength is also 1 used when you attempt to make a ny sort of jumpor leap. Specialties: Strong Grip, Broad Shoulders, Bulging Biceps, Wiry 0
Average: You can bench press 100 lbs.
0 0
00 0 0
Good: You can bench press 250 lbs. Exceptional: You can bench press400 Ibs.
0
Outstanding: You can bench press650 lbs.
0 .0
Chanaelino: T h e &earning “
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Specialties: Smooth,Eloquent, Outgoing,Captivating
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This Trait measures your general physicalprowess -
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speed, quickness and agility.It indicates the capacity for moving precisely and manipulating objects with accuracy and grace. Dexterityincludeshand-eye coordination, fine motor manipulation, reaction speed, reflexesand bodily grace. Specialties: Catlike Reflexes, Swift, Sure-Footed,
0
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This Trait measures your aptitude for active selfexpression, suchas when you want to get someone else to do something. It is important when you attempt to influence or manipulate another person directly.You use Manipulation to trick, fool, bluff, outmaneuver and outtalk another. While YOU may be effectiveat manipulating people whom you have just met, those who know you are
Exceptional: Y ou can juggle five knives. utstanding: You can juggle five knives while blindfolded.
ts to influence or convince another person overtly. Whether the person likes youor not is of no consequence (though it can affect the difficulty of what you are trying). If you fail a Manipulation action, and the target to do (you botch, for inrealizes what you were trying stance), she may well be angered. People are manipulated
Stamina Staminameasures general health and resistance to pain; it indicateshow longyoucan xert yourself and how much physical punishment youcan sustain. Stamina is
all the time and usuallyignore it. If the fact is brought to their attention, however, it can be very disturbing. Manipulation ca n net great results but isrisky to perform openly. characters high Manipulation ratingsare not overly trusted by those who know them best.
your staying power, both physicallyand mentally, and one of its most important elementsis the will to live.
poor:you are
Tough, Detemined in constitution nd may
be sickly.
Good: You
00 0
arein g d hape, the result of regular exerci
possible. Average:
..... 0
xceptional: You could run a marathon. Outstanding: You could climb Mount Everest.
0
Good:Y ou'd makea good lawyer.
0 0
Exceptional: You should run for office.
00
OClUl
ArnlbUteS
Your Social Traits describe your appearance, charm
and familiarity with the human mind. Your Social Traits
are vital in determining first impressions, eadership ability and the nature of your interactions with others.
Chamma I
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Charismameasures your aptitude for enticing and fascinatingothers. You use Charisma to win others over to you emotionallyand get them to trust you. This Trait reflects a charismatic personality morethan it does an overt manipulation of others. It is a sum of your presence, charm an d power of influence. Charisma reflects your power to convince others to put faith in you.
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w i v e , Cunning, Persuasive
Average: You are moderately healthy.
0
0 0
Outstanding: - You could lead a nation.
CDuni pulucion
..*. ..*..
specialties:
Exceptional:Somethingdrawspeopleto you.
0
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Average:You-chew gum and walkat the same time. ~ood: ouhave excellent raw athletic tential.
000
Goad: People aust nd confide in you.
0
00
Fleet-Footed,Light Touch Poor:You are butterfingered, so don't use a chainsaw. I
Poor: Others avoid being around you. Average: You are likable.
0
0
You couldsell ice toan Eskimo. .Outstanding:
Appemmce '
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This Trait describes your attractiveness and force of presence. You do no t necessarily need beauty to have a high Appearance; you only need looks that somehow attract others to you. Appearance encompasses not just actual physicallooks,ut poise, animation and expressiveness.t is a measure of how interesting andattractive you seem t o others. Appearance is vital in a n y social situation where words are not exchanged.It is more important than you might think offhand; your impressions of another are heavily affected by that person's looks, no matter how open-minded you are.
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Appearance is often used by the Storyteller to judL roughly how others react to you upona first meeting. Thus, it can affect all other Social rolls you make involving that person (in somecases,your rating determines the maximum number of successesfrom a Social action that can actually e applied, making it impossiblefor an ugly person to achieve anything beyond minimal success).
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Specialties: Bold Demeanor, Alluring, Captivating, Sexy 0 Poor: You tend to attract the hostiiiLyV I others.
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Average: You are easily ignored, for you fit I in so well with the crowd. Good:Youhave a pleasing appearance,and people treat you well. Exceptional: You are good-looking enough to be a model and are given respect and attention becauseof it. Outstanding: Others’ first reactionto you is either awe, intense jealousyor complete solicitude.
!
The Mental Attributes represent your character’s total mental capacity, including such thingsas memory, perception and t he ability to learn an d think.
peRcepaon :
This Trait indicates your awareness of the erivironu$ed ment around you. While. Perception is sometimes consciously, such as when you searchfor somethingi it more often works intuitively- ou simplynotice something. At base, Perception is a sensitivityto the world, an open-eyed quality common among children(for whom the world is a boundless and mysterious place)and seldom present among the most jaded. Perception is used to seeif you have the insight to understandor realize a certain fact or concept. It can help indicate your degree of alertness to ambushes,the subtext of a noble’s speechor the subtletiesof color in a painting. Specialties: Insightful, Attentive, Paranoid, KeenEyed 0 Poor: You are blind to anything but the obvious. 0 0 Average: You are unaware of the subtle interactions that occur around you. Good: ou are awareof moods and textui
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Exceptional: You are Constantly alert to the nuances of life. Outstanding: You can see a needle in a haystack.
ln-cellig ence Intelligence representsboth your memoryand your ability to learn and think. It is important when using Abilities complex processes. Someof that require people describe Intelligence as thought a person’s quickness mind or judgment, but it is more than that - t is the facility for understandingan d the capacity for reasoning and evaluation. Intelligence ratesan individual’s depth and flexibility of thought. Common sense, street savvy and wisdom are not components of the Intelligence Attribute; these facetsof the character are portrayed by the player. However, o lw Intelligence can indicate a character who lacksthe capacity t o understand complicated thoughts and learns very slowly- e might see things only in black-and-white terms an d can’tunderstandthat things are really shades of gray. Characters withhigh Intelligence,on the other hand, are sophisticated capable of evaluating different levels ofthinkers an argument or problem. They many have discerning judgmentan d are well able to separate trut h from lies, at least when they have time t o think things over. Intelligence caters to carefully reasoned judgments rather than snap decisions (which are the purview of Wits). Specialties: Discerning, Creative, Bookworm, Clear Thinker 0
Poor: IQ 80
0 0
Average: IQ 100
**.* *..**
Outstanding: IQ 160+
Exceptional: IQ 140
W ltS
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The Wits Attribute describes your ability to react quickly and correctly to new situations,as well as your overall sharpness of mind and cleverness.In the simplest of terms, Wits measures how quickly(as opposed to correctly) you think. Wits represents shrewdness, sagacity an d the capacity to understand problems in the simplest terms. Those with low Wits are occasionallyunable to take appropriate actions because of surprise(like a deer caught in the glare of headlights).A low Wits rating can indicate that you are more easily trickedand fooled than most
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people, for you are a gullible and unsophisticated student of human (and changeling)nature. If you havehighWits, you are able to react quickly ot new situations and are seldom caught of f guard by sudden changes in events. Whatever else happens, youare able to keep yourWits about you. Specialties: Clever,Shrewd,Practical,combatNerves 0
00
0
0 0
Possessedby: Watchmen, Hunters, Bodyguard Reporters, Burglars
ForSpecialties: Bodyguarding, Traps, Ambushes, ests, Crowds
b\thletlcs
Poor: You send money to televang elists.
This Ability describes your general athletic prowess and assumesa familiaritywith most sports. It is used to see
Average: You know when to betor fold in poker.
jump across chasm, swima through a storm, if you can throw a football, vault aafence or climb tree.
Good: You are capable of handling L.A. rushhours (without shooting anyone). Exceptional: You could bea stand-up omic.
Athletics concerns complex motor actions. Physical actions requiring only onetypeof motor action, such as lifting, do not use the Athletics rating, nor do athletic actions already subsumedby another Ability.
Outstanding: You have a supercomputer or a brain - t's fast.
Novice: Little Leaguer
0
00
Practiced: High-school jock Competent: College Varsity player
0 0 0 0
Expert: Professional athlete
0
Master: Olympic gold medalist
0 0
Talents are untrai
Abilities. Talents
takes an action using a Talent he daes not character possess, here is no effect on
dice such equal to the base Attribute na~al nd ntuitive Abilities that it is assumed everyone hae some small capacity for each one.
00 0
1
You knowhpw to fight bare-handed. This Ability includes such maneuversas punching, kicking, grappli, throttling, throwing and gouging. Brawling can get quite ruthless, but generally isa nonlethal form of combat. Novice: You know what to do, but you haven't had much experience. Practiced: You know where to hit people and make it hurt. Competent: You can choose your barstool.
0
'
attention paydoubts to things othermind. tha n th e rumblings in your bellyyou or the in your Novice: You tend to be alert to changes, more so than most.
0
I
*oooo
Expert: You we a truly cautious individual and rarely letdown your guard. Master: Younotice everythingthat goeson around you.
1
Possessed by: Professional Athletes, En&usiasti_, 1 Dancers, Jocks, Kids Specialties: Swimming, Mountain Climbing, Acrobatics, Dancing
&€?RCMSS Over the years, you have become practiced in noticing all that happens around you, even if you are not actively concentrating upon the surroundings. You are a capable bodyguard , for you have leamed how to stay alert over a longperiod of time. Alertnesssimply indicates your awareness of the world around you. It describes how much
I
0 0
0 0
.
0
Expert: You are a black-belt martial artist.
00
l
Master: You could be a Golden Glovesboxing champion.
1
by: Martial Artists, Soldiers,Thugs, Police Possessed Officers, Bouncers
1
0 0 0
0
Specialties: Armlocks, Boxing, Wrestling, Karate, Judo
I
The most effective way to win a fight is not to be struck. Becoming proficient in the Dodge Talent is a very wise choice.Your rating in this area describes your ability to avoid both melee and missile attacks; this includes divine for cover and ducking Dunches.
1
A
0
Novice: You hit the ground if someone screams “Duck!”
0 0
Practiced: You have no problem cover in a firefight. Competent: You’re always the last one out in dodgebal Expert:Alu moon.
00 .
0.0.
0
0
0
.e*
0
0.4
Master: You can nearly sidestep guquhots.
Possessedby: Criminals, Streex Fighters, Military Personnel, Bouncers, Boxers Specialties: Leap, Sidestep, Duck, Cover, Dive
actions by listening to her rationalization. You can also
~
Novice: People tell you their problems at parties. Practiced:Occasionally youget sympathetic pains from others, Competent: You have an amazing insight into others’ motivations. Expert: No lies ever get past your scrutiny, Master: You often finish other people’ssentences.
Possessedby: Actors, Mediums, Above-Average I Emotions, Truths, Spirits, Personalities, Specialties:
Characters with high Expression are unforgettable, but
-Novice: Tabloid reporter
0
Practical: Collegedebate team captain Competent: Successfulco
00 000
Expert: Best-sellingnovel
00 0 0 0 0
0
Master: William Shakespeare
Possessedby: Orators,Politicians,Nov Demagogues, Protesters Specialties: Poetry, Impromptu, Radical, Innuendo, Meetings
lnnrnidation he art of intimidation takesmany forms, ranging subtle suggestions to outright physical damage. Each thodof intimidation has itstime and place. People with iigh Intimidation ratings seem to radiate auras of authar’
1
P
Novice:Six-year-o ldsgive you therightof w& I Practiced: You winan occasionalstaredowp.
0 0 0 00 0
0 0
I 1 1
,
/
Competent: Your gaze is very unsettling. Expert: You couldbe an above-averagedrill sergeant.
i l Possessed by: Businesspeople, Bouncers, Militaky onnel, Mobsters I Specialties: Veiled Threats, Political, Military,So0 0 0 0 0
Master: Redcaps turn tail and run.
ial, Overt Violenc
l
ken n n g
1
t
Kenning is faerie sight. It is the ability to sense 1 Glamour in whatever form it takes, be it a chimera, a changeling or a freehold. It can be used to analyze the I power and strength of Glamour. Among other things, the Kenning Talent allows a changeling o: sensethe relative power of a chimera;s e w 1 when fae are approaching, even at a distance (by the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes...); and locate freeholds. 0 0
0 00
000
.ooo.
h
Novice: Youcan see powerful chimera. Practiced: You have no problem locating freehold. Competent: You can recognize a “sleeping,, changeling. Expert: You can dete Glamour.
MastetlYoucansenseGlamourfromfaraway.
Possessedby: Those of Faerie Blood, SmallChildren, Psychics
Specialties:Chimera, Glamour, Cantrips, Enchantment
168
Changeling: The beaming
Y
1
1
I
Smeetruise The streets are a major sourceof information and
ri
J
money,aswell as big-time trouble. The StreetwiseTalent
has a varietv of uses.First an d foremost. Streetwise allows you to blend in to the local scene without drawing attention to yourself. Gossip, felony, theft and street sl wartedthrough this Talen 0 drugs. Novice: Youknow Practiced: You are considered cool opulace.
0 -
Competent: You could establish a citywide drug trade.
0 .0
0 0
Expert: You havespentmost of your life on the streets.
0
Master:Ifyoudon’tknowit,ithasn‘t
...e
Possessed by: Gang Members, Winos, Reporters, Homeless People, Detectives
Drugs, Fencing, Slang
increases by one. You are sirnply untrained in t he techniques of th at Skill and thus have a harder time accomplishing the task than someone whohas at least someideaofwhatheisdoing. f;L7 , i s a
=
C partsknoWiegge @%K€ster artisan tech-
niques -woodworking, leatherwork, glassblowing, gem cutting,etc. Youcan makefu nc ti do bj ec 9 iomvarious substances: the aualitvof these obiects dewnd s on the number of successesyou roll. Novice: High-school shop class 0 1
0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0.
,
Practiced: Apartment handCompetent: Pro Expert: Specialis Master: Masterarti
Possessedby: TheatceTec Specialties: Leatherworking,P
ORlve You know how to conceal your own motiv9 ; moreover, you know how to decipher the motivesof othersand how to use those motives against them. The secrets and intrigues of others interest you, and you work at understanding their weaknesses. A command ofthis skill makes you the ultimate conversationalist, or the ultimate spy. 0 Novice: A few white lies neverhurt anyone. 0 Practiced: Youcan pick someone up in a nightclub. dd be a criminal lawyer. 0 .0
--
00.. 0 0
-
,
Possessec tici m
LbI
I
--- ‘lavenothingonyou. $+s he had it so
: awyers, Con Men, C
Finding Weaknesses, pecialties: White Lies
OrheRTalentS Instruction, Intrigue, Search, Seduction
skills Skills are Abilities that are learned through apprenticeships or rigorous training. If y o u ry to performa feat involving a Skill but hav
You can drive a car and perhaps other vehiclesas we1 Simply because yo u have a DriveSkill doesnot mean that you are familiarwith all land vehicles. Your difficulties may be raised or lowered depending on your general experience with a particular automobile. 0 Novice: mobile. 0 0
00 0 0 0 0 0
Practiced transmission. Competent: Commercial trucker Expert: Formula Onecar driver Master: L.A. traffic is a cakewalk ot you.
Possessed by: Truckers, Race Car Drivers, Stunt Drivers Specialties: Curves, Sudden S
etlqueme You understand the small nuancesof social life and are able to conduct yourself in a manner that is both unobtrusive and gracious. You understand how to make your way through human and changeling society. Your specialtyis the culture with which you are most familiar. You use Etiqwtteduringactions such as dancing, seduction and haggling. Etiquette is also used when engaging in diplomacy.
L
I
Novice: You know whento shut up. Practiced: You know not to wear paisleyat a black-tie dinner. Competent: You know which spoonis used to eat soup.
0
E~~~~: ou can get along with just about
o...
anvbodv. I
0
0
,
Master: you could preventWorld War 111.
Possessed by: Diplomats, Idle Rich, Executives Specialties: Business,High Society, Street Culture
.
Specialties:Commands, Oration, Friendly,N Military
melee Th e ability to fight with a weaponis a valuable skill in the world of Darkness. Proficiencyin this Skill allows you to use handheld weapons. Knives, sai, saps, tonfaand covered the swordsareexmdesof the typesOf Melee Skill.This Skill is almost archaicin mortal society nowadaysbecauseof the prevalence of firearms- ut is useful when dueling unsee1ie
.
Skill in Firearmsmeansthat you have a broad knowledge ofall guns, from a simple.22 to an ngram Mac-10 submachine gun. Firearms Skill does not include the ability to operate heavy machinerysuch as tankgum and other artillery weapons. However, theFirearms Skill does include the ability to repair guns.
0
Competent: you can puli off a few gun
Disarms
0
Expert: You’re coo1and steady, even under Master: ‘‘Do ou feel lucky? Well, do ya,
Specialties: Rifles, Pistols, Machine Guns
You can get people to followyour leadand obey your orders by exerting authority and by example, Leadership isn’tso much knowingthe techniques ofgetting people to follow you as it is being the type of person people will follow. Leadershipis oftenused in conjunction with
I* Charisma.
guitarPlaying~ d a c t i n gO *ur SPeCia’tY is the performanceon which you concentrate, morethanik$y the fmt type of artistic expression you ever pursued. Writing and speaking are not coveredby Performance; they rely on th e Expression Ability. Novice: You can play bassin a garageband or act in a college play. l Practiced: Youcan eke out a living on the club circuit.
0
0 0
0
00.0
***.*
ovice:YoucouldcoachaLittleLeague eam.
Competent: Youcanget amovieor recorddeal.
People. Master: Your work will be remembered through the ages.
Practiced: Your voiceisadominant one; you
Possessed by: Actors, Musicians, Karaoke Regulars, Mimes
Competent: You are an effective leader in imes of strife.
Drunk
Expert: You attract followerswithout really trying. 0 Master: Youare a Napoleon, a King David - r a Hitler.. . Possessed by: Politicians, Military Officers, Gang Leaders, Executives, Police officers
Changeling:The beaming -_L----
’
Expert: You regularly make the pages of
can demand silence.
0 0 0
-
1
Expert: Any weaponis deadly in yourgrasp.
Practiced: You do all right at a firing range.
Possessed by: Gang Members, Police, Criminals,
O
pressed. 0
0 .0
0
L
Competent: Redcaps are grudgingly im-
0.0
0
0
I
I
00
0 0 0 0 Master: Dragons fear you. Possessed by: Police, Fencers, Kendo Enthusiasts, Thugs, Gang Members Specialties:Swords, Axes, Rapiers, Knives, Clubs,
Novice:You’vehad one or two essons at the
1I
Novice: You’ve taken a six-week course in fencing. Practiced: You have military training.
0
Specialties: Hardcore,Villains, GuitarSoloists, While
SeCURl-Cy You know
the techniques and
are proficient with
usedfor suchactivities as picking locks,ot-wiring tools
I
1
cars, settingand deactivating burglar alarms,and opening up safes or vaults. Many individuals who possess the Security Skill do not use it to conduct criminal activities,
ut rather to prevent such from occurring or to deduce how they were accomplishedafterthe fact. 0.
1
Novice: Youcan pick a simplelock. Practiced: Youcan hot-wire a car. Competent: You ca n disable a housealarm.
Expert:You can c d safe. Master: Fort Knoxisn’tsafe from you. Possessedby: Criminals, Locksmirhs, Police Offic ers, Detectives, Security Spec&alim Specialties:Electronics,Speedily,Silently,PickPodr
Stealth is th e ability to sneak ab0
Novice: Youcan hide in the dark. 0.
Practiced: You can hide in the shadows. Competent:Yw arean accomplishedhunter Expert: You can walk silently over wo inche5 Master: Ninja c
I
SURVlVd The wilderness is a dangerousplace, at least for those who do not understand it. Th e Skill of Survival includes seeking shelter, finding a direct and relatively safe route through the wilderness, and tracking. When you use Stealth in the wilderness, you cannot roll more dice for your Stealth rating than you have in Survival. Novice: You can survive a five-mile hike. Practiced: You are familiar with the wilderness. Competent: You know how to brew natural medicines. Expert: Yo Master: You could findan oasis in h Valley.
t h
Possessed by: Tribesmen, Hunters, Park Rangers, Hikers
Specialties: Tracking, Arctic, Jungle, Hunting
ahe~
kills sguise,Piloting, Repair
know edges
0
0 0
Doctorate: You'd have whipped Gollum without hobbit trickery. Scholar: You understand the deepest mysteries. *
0 0 Knowledges are Abilities th at require rigorous application of the mind, not the body. Accordingly, Mental Traits are used to modify Knowledge rolls. Though the Zen Possessed by: Crossword Puzzle Devotees, ratings present Knowledgesin terms of college degrees, husiasts, Game Players, Mystics schoolis not the only way togain Knowledges- t is Specialties: Ancient, Riddles,Visual, Verbal simply the most common. Acquiring Knowledges is pri-
marily afunction of formal scholastic ism,but self-studyor tutoring is also possible.
If
you do not have a Knowledge, you cannot even attempt aroll involving t. Thereare exceptions,however, such as when the Storyteller rulesthat the roll pertains to trivial information that anyone has a chance of knowing.
CompuceR
College: You made at least a B in Data Processing101. 0
*.**
Masters: You are a competent programmer and can design your wn software. Doctorate: You make a living scamming Ma Bell.
00 Scholar: You could probably build an AI. Possessedby: Programmers, Data Prckessors , Gamers, Students
0 0 00 0
0
0 0
00
I
Doctorate: Mulderand Scully Scholar: Sherlock Holmes
I
Specialties: Search, Trail, Detective Work
L
Laru Th e law is not a thing to trifle with, and those knowledge of the law are well able to use itto advantage.If you ever want to get out of jail, this is essential. 0 Student: Practical knowledge,policeoffifer 00 0
0000
College: Prelaw, beginning lawyer Masters: Lawyer,full partner .
'
Doctorate: Judge
Scholar:Supreme Court Justice
Possessed by: Police, Lawyers, Judges, Detecti*s, riminals, Legislators specialties: courr~, ontract, Litigation, Crimirial, Police Procedure
L ngulsncs
I
It is assumed that you can speak your natural guage, but you must purchase any otherlanguagesthatyou wish your characterto speak. Each level of Linguistics allowsyourcharacter to speak another language fluently. Linguisticsalso gives a character an understanding of fie structureo which is inturn he basis of thou&t. With this Ability, you can identdy accentsor read lips. h
0
0 0 0
1
I
'.
00 0
The Enigmas Knowledg e assistsplayers in solving he mysteries created by the Storyteller. It is essential for divining secret pathways to lostrealms and answering the riddlesof mystical guardians. 0 Student: You can put together a 100-piece jigsaw puzzle. college: you can guess h e outcome of a mystery novel. 0 0 Masters: Youcan solve Rubik's Cube in an hour.
1
College: Police officer Masters: Private detective
Possessedby: Detectives, Insurance Investigators, eporters, Intelligence Agents
€nigmus Puzzlesand problems occupy your imagination- n fact, you may even enjoy being perplexed. Solving riddles of all sorts isa passion, and this interest has given you a knack for piecing together remembering information and vital to many kinds of problem-solving.
I 1
You are trained to noticeallsortsofdetails that others might miss. High levels of this Knowledge allow yo u to function as a detective. This Knowledge providesan ability to find clues, perform forensic analysesand predict crime patterns. 0 Student: Amateur detective
Specialties: Hacking, Programming, Graphics, Retrieving Data
En-
lnvescigacion
You understandhow to operateand program computers. You may also be able to designyour own system.If you wish to break into a computer system, you need this Knowledge. 0 Student: You can boot up a video game. 0 0
1
e
Student: One additional language College: Two additional languages Masters: Three additional languages I
1
17 2 4
I
Doctorate: Four additional languages
04
4
0
Scholar: Five additional languages
Possessed by: Travelers,Scholars,Diplomats,Interpreters Specialties: Curse Words, Technical,Diplomatic, Political
medicihe Medicine is the study ofthe human body and the hniques used to cure its ills. The Medicine Knowledge :orporatesan understanding of the structure and funcions of the body, the uses of , nd the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. 0
0 0 0
Student: You know the basics of setting bones or preventing a stroke. college: Youhave paramedic-quality training.
Masters:You are a doctor and can diagnose
and reat diseases. 0 Doctorate: Youcan performsurgery. Scholar: You are a specialist of great renown. 0000 Possessed by: Paramedics,Doctors, Nurses Specialties: Pharmaceutical, Paramedics, Emergencies, Disease, Neurosurgery
agchloRe Mythlore embodies knowledgeof the myths, legends and rituals of t he Kithain an d all things fae. This Knowledgeis essential for understandingother kith, he Dreaming and fae society.
I
Student: You know the names of the most common changeling races. 0
College: You can attend court without making a fool of yourself .
0.0
Masters: You know much of the ancient knowledge.
0
00
0
0
Doctorate: You are well versed in the ancient loreYou fae.the secrets of Arcadia. of the Scholar: know
Possessed by: Folktellers,Changelings, Garou Specialties: Kith, Oaths, Chimera, Freeholds, H i e tory, Arcadia
M
I
bCCU1-C You are knowledgeable in all areas of theoccult. This understanding of the world's sinister side includes knowledge of curses, voodoo, magic andmysticism.
I
0
Student:You’vedabbled,but
0
College: You’
Doctorate: Politician
00
~
000
0
P Masters: Therearc more than faeries out there, and you how a lot about the other
*.a
00
Scholar: You havebeen fully initiated in many of the greatmysteries.
by: Weirdoes, New Agers,Occultists, Possessed Scholars,the curious Witches, Mystical Powers, Prodigals Specialties:
gpllncs ThisKnowledgeprovidesafamility with thegolitical structure$of the day, includingan understanding of who is in charge and how that person got there. It represents an understanding of both humanand changeling politics.Thiscan be an essentialAbility when attempting to deal with mortal
d yr Lobbyists,
ence major 0.0
Spddhx Netghborhood, City, Congress, El=‘ / tions, Oration, Radical I
Science
I
You have at least a basic und chemistry, mmy, biology,geology,s sciences. Your Knowledge deals with tions of science, Higher levels almost invari specializationin a particular field. 0 Student You canmakesmokebombsw i b a chemistry set. I 0 College: You understand the majorth+es and applications. 0
0
**
z
Masters:Youcouldteachhigh-schoolsci Doctorate: You might win a Nobel someday. scholar:Albert Einstein
Engineers, Researchers, Inven$rs, ,
Masters:Campaignmanagerorspeechwriter Spcddtk: Biology,Physical,Chemistry,Am onm y, Relativity, Nuclear Physics
114
t
Politiciark,Iawyess, +o-
testers
0 0 0
orker or political sci-
scholar: Machiavelli
Char-qcwg:Th e bing
Ot-heRknowledyes Art, Bureaucracy, Finance, Gen History, Journalism,Military Science, Philosophy, Psychology, Theater, Theology
BackgRounds Background Traits describe the special advantages of your character. You must choose how your character came to possessthese particular Traits. Howdid you obtain that treasure?How did you come to know those people? Where does your wealth come from?All these are questions you should answerand fit into your character concept. You can use your BackgroundTraits to obtain information, resources or favors.Attributes can be rolled with some of these Backgrounds:for example, rolling Manipulation + Title t o bully another changeling into following , your orders, or rolling Charisma + Contacts to obtain an important bit of information.
ChimeRa You possessa chimera of some power.
1
object, a weapon, a suit ofarmor or even
I
If you choosea creature, you must choose me specitics of the creature: its appearance, personality and the like. This creature willbe a close allyof yours and will aidyou whenever you call for it. The power of the creatureis based on the level of the Background- small, urry, ambulatory ball with no offensive capability would be a minor chimera, while a small, intelligent, fire-breathing dragon would be a very powerfulchimera. 0 A minor chimera
A useful chimera A chimera of significantpow 00.0
aR
*0
A very powerfulchimera A chimera of incredible poww
Contucts You know people from many different walks of life, to m you can turn for information and assistance. Your major contacts are friendson whom you can rely to provide you with accurate information (i n their areasof expertise). You should describe your major contactsas complete characters, either as the chronicle progresses or beforehand. You also have a number of minor contacts spread the area. When you wishyour to getContacts in touch rating with athroughout minor contact, make a roll using
1
I
1
(dificulty 7). Each success means you have gotten in touchwith one of your minor contacty, of course,you will need to bribe or charm him into giving you needed information. one major contact two major contacts
0
I
three major contacts
0
0 0
0
five major contacts
1 OReameRs
I I
mortal artistswhom you You have formed a group of n order to gainGlamour. These artists regularlypatronize can lso be used o perform a number of seMces, though they are not nearlyas oyal or efficientas your retinue (see theRetinueBd ground).Ultima tely,theJhamer sBackground describesthe numberof artists you have access to.
I * .
I I
0 .0
one artist
two artists threeartists four artists iveartists
....*
**..
0 00
0 000
four major contacts
0 0.0
I
The Trait rating not only reflects the size ofthe freehold, but the amount of Glamour that may be gained from the freehold each day. 0 Very small freeholdlone Glamour
GR~lTlClLJRe
Gremayre is your connection to the Dreaming and your unconscious knowledge ofthe be. Most Kithainhave very little memory of their faerie selves.Those with high levels of Gremayre still retain some memories foprevious lives. Any time the character needs to knowsomething concerning the fae, the player may roll a number of dice equal to herGremayre ating (difficukty6).The number of is. successes determines how detailed the information 0 Hazy bits of information may be learned.
000
Small freehold/two Glamour Medium-sized freehold/three Glamour Large freehold/four Glamo ur Huge freeholdlfive Glamour
CIC)entoR One or more elder changelingslookafter you. The relationship between a changeling and her mentor isoften very close.A mentor can serve as an invaluable guide to changeling society. Mentors may also protect a changeling from danger and inform her of social opportunities. However, a mentor may expect somefavors in exchange for the information or as simpleas cleaning assistance he provides. This could be his manor or as perilous as protecting a faerie glenhorn Unseelie redcaps. 0 Mentor knows little of import. 00 Mentor has some noteworthy pieces of information. '
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
Mentor has significant secrets to share. Mentorhas extraordinary knowledgetopass along. If your mentor doesn't know it, maybeno one does.
&X?OURCeS
The Trait describes your financialresources or aaps to such resources. Yourresourcesare not coxnpletply liquid, but youcan often sell them to gain money. It @y take weeksor even months to do so, depending on bow 00 Reasonably accurate information can be much needsto be sold. It is assumedthat you gaina basic allowancee& gleaned. month appropriate to the level of the Resources Txpit. 0 0 Worthwhile lore is available. However, you must detail the source of this income,for it 0 0. Remarkable informationcan be gleaned. might well "dry up" depending on the circumstancesof the 000 Astounding insights are possible. chronicle. 0 Smallsavings:You have an apartment and perhaps a motorcycle.If liquidated, you You are heir to a faeriefieehld. Such fieeholds are would have $l,OOO in cash. Allowance of $500 month. 0 0 Middle class: Yo u havean apartmentM Most freeholdsarehe dominium. If liquidated, youwould lhw There are also rare
holdings
@,000incash.Allowanceof$1,200am~th.
0
localnobility.
176
Changeling: T h e beaming
Jagesavings:You ownahouse (or atleasttjave someequity). If liquidated, you would &ve
$50,000incash.Allowanceof$3,000amo~th.
Well o& You own a very large houseor perhaps a rundown mansion.If liquidated, you would hatre$500,000 in cash. Allowance of $9,000 a month.
c 1
Fantastically rich: you are easily a million. aire many times over. If liquidated, you would have at least $5,000,000 incash. Allowance of $30,000 a month.
nue
You have placed oneor mo r tainers under your swa y. Retinueare always under your r e t control, either through y our Glamour or by some ore mundane means of control.They ace usually loyal to of your retinue to you, though it is possible for members betray youif they are ill treated. Members of your retinue will not be infallible. Each should have a weakness. For instance, one might be very loyal; but not very skilled. Another member of your retinue mightbe very powerful, but have a very independent mind. Retinue are meant to be characters in andc themselves.They should not be abused. 0 You havetwo members in your retinue. You have four members in your retinue. You have eight members in your retinue. 0 ..
You have 16 members in your retinue.
You have 32 members in your retinue.
Title ThisTrait denotesyour rank in changeling society. Not all Kithain have a title; in fact, few rise above the rank of squire, if they attain any title at all. Title bestows very I the most important little in the way of actual power, but is sourceof social influence.A squire will almost always defer to a baron, though some commoners may simplyscoff at him. A holding, land that is bequeathed to you, is covered under a separate Background entirely, thus making it possibleto have a landless baron or even king. This has become increasingly common on Earthas holdings become increasingly rare. Usuallyonly thoseof the sidhekith are granted titles, though it is pible for commonersto gain titles, especially those of squireand knight. A few commoners hold higher titles; most of these were granted such titles under the Accordance Treaty. 0 Squire 0. -0.
knighflady baronlbgIoness coundcountesc
TReasuRes Treasures are items that have been imbued with Glamour, thus giving them the power to perform specific Glamour-based effects. This Background Trait allows a changeling o begin the game with a treasurealready in his possession.This treasure could be a gift from a mentor,an incredibly lucky find at an antique shop, or a family heirloom. The rating of this Trait determines the power of
I
the treasure. 0
0
A minor treasure
A useful treasure A treasure of si A very powerful triasure A treasure of incredible power
I empew Your Temper Traits describe the three fundamental aspects of your changeling character: Willpower, Glamour and Banality. However,unlike other Traits, you do not just use a Temper score to make a roll; you expend that Temper as well. Temper scores are points that you spend to perform exceptional acts, letting you “breakthe rules” a little. Each Temper has both a temporary (squares) anh permanent (circles) rating. Your permanent rating scribes the total potential of your character, white temporary rating describesyour current state of being.4;of instance, when you spend a pointof temporary Willpouier, you remove it from your Willpower pool (the squares).
yb
hcePoo1 Resmctlons Th e Tempers represent your fundamental nature and the limits of your being. Thus, the maximum number of dice you may roll for any given action can never exceed your total points in Tempers (just add up all the squart$s). This will not normally be a problem for changelings, but will factor in later in the chronicle, when the characuers have been weakened. It is at times like these that yo$U wish you weren’t so worn out.
Convemng
pints
If you have no temporary points left in one of your Tempers, you . may convert one of your permanent points into a number of temporary points equal to your new permanent total. When you gain 10 emporarypoints of Banality,he Storyteller can decide to inflict an extra point of permanent Banality upon you. This signifies your slow but inevitable fall into mundaneness. I I
1
I
1
ou can neve illpow
’
UliIIpouueli ,
whole from the seeds of creative bounty. It is insight createdby the appreciationof beauty zind the expression
of the imagination. Th e ability to live in your dreams, to
let yourselfperceive he real essence of things, comesfrom Glamour. We all have it, even humans. Butonlythe fae can make it real.
1
to exert is used in Over he Dreamingand cast cantrips. I themagicused by heria is known as Oiamour. Glamour appears to faerie multicolored light. A changeling has to be very subtleto use Glamour in front of anotherchangelingwithout alertinghis watcher.
1 ou can use Glamour to createa i
]
Glamour can be spent to avoid having to discard after using a cantrip (or, if the dice method is beingused, a Glamour point must be spent for each cantrip cast).” Glamour can often be spent to extend the duration
Epiphany: Epiphanies are achieve ing, Raptureor Reverie (see the Glamo
troubled or interrupted, the Storytellerhas the option not
Dross:Most forms ofdross do not allow you to restoreGlamour to your pool.Drosscan be used in place 0
of Glamour from yourpool.
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Willpowermeasures yo& character’sability to ovrcome the urges and desiresthat empt him. When you use a point of Willpower, you remove it from our Y Willwwer pool (the squares), not from your Willpower rating (the circles). The rating stays Constant, while pool gets depleted during the story. Temporary Willpower fluctuates a greatdeal du story. It decreasesby one each time the player uses a Willpower point to do somethingextraordinary, such as retaining self-control or gaining an automatic success. Eventually, the character will have no Willpower leftand will no longer be able to exert himself the way he once did. The character is mentally exhausted and can’t rouse himself enough to give a dar- & as exwnded all his
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willpwer. 0
Weak
..... ...... ....... ... 0.0
strong Controlled Iron-willed Unshakable
fashion it is possible to succeed automatically in any
The Storyteller may tell you that your character does something because of instinct, primal urge or gut reaction (“You run away from the dragon in mortal terror-”).YOU Can use a point of Willpowerto avoid this an d do as you please. However,the feeling might return and another Willpowerpoint might be required.Sometimes t will return more times than you have Willpower, while
A Willpower point can be spent to contain and also losepermanent Glamour when you age. A childling time YOU wish to see Past the who becomes a wilder loses one permanent Glamour control hbn. point. Likewise, a wilder who becomes a grump loses a confusion of Bedlam, another Willpower point mustbe spent. If enough Willpower points are spent,the Bedlam permanent Glamour point.
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may be controlled for an indefinite time (never permanently). Permanent Willpowermust be purchased with experience points, but temporary Willpower can fluctuate enormously during a story. Discussed below are all the different ways Willpowercan change.
Characters recover Willpower whenever they rest or regain their self-confidence. Th e Storyteller is the final arbiter of when and how a character recovers Willpower. At the end of the story (not a game session), all characters completely regain their Willpower- ll of it is recovered, up to th e amount of th e Willpower rating. Th e Storyteller may wish to restrict this somewhatby insisting that the characters need to retain some modicum of selfpride or achieve moderate successin the story.
If a character sleepsand dreamswhile in her mortal seemingand in the mundane world, she regainsa point of Willpower. After these dreams, the character usually awakens refreshed and invigorated.If the character's sleep is troubled or interrupted, the Storyteller has the option not to award the point of Willpower.
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Changeling:The bx u n i n g
BanaIiq This Trait describes to what extent the mundane world has infected your soul.If your Banalityscoreex ca ds your Glamour scoreat the end of a story, you revert to ydur mortal seeming an d slowly begin to forget fact Kithain. Banality accompanies humanity as disbelief. To use Glamour on someone or something, you must first overcome your target's Banality. Most humans have Banality ratingsof 7 or higher. Only children, 1 ~ tics and drunks have Banality ratings of under5.
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In many ways, Banality is anti-Glamour and can be used by changelingsto resist faerie cantrips. Changelings who wish to avoid the force of a powerful cantrip can use their own Banality to resist, even if that practice feeds their own disbelief.
Gaining BanaIiq You gain a temporary point of Banality each time you use yourown Banality to resist a cantrip. If you attempt to overcome a mortal's Banality and fail, you gain a temporary point of Banality.
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Your Storytellercan arbitrarily assignyou Banality if shethinksyou are being too mundane. Destroying treasuresand some chimera can cause you to gain temporary Banality. Killing a changeling’s chimericalform cause gain a point of temporary Banality.
Yougain two points of temporary Banality i another Kithain - ot ju
they are largely dependent on their human bodies to
her actual mortal life.
Thus, all changelings havea Health Trait. Health measures how hale and heairy a c h a c t w is. The re are a permanent point of Banality. various levels of wounds, and each applies a different penalty to the person so injured.A character who is Hurt, -1, has one fewer die to roll on all her rolls, while a YOU maytake aN i g h ~ ~ e nstead of taking a character who is Crippled,- 5 , has ive fewer dice to roll.If Banalitypoint a n y time you are supposed to gain one. that leavesthe player with no dice to roll, then she cannot When you gaina Glamour point, you can decide to take that action. take away one of your character’s temporary Banality Changelings typically healat the same slow pace as points instead.Thisis the only time in the game when You mortals unlessthey spend time in a freehold. More inforcan exchangepoints in this manner. mation about this is available in the SystemsChapter. Certain quests can be undertaken to reduce your Changelings may suffer damage from “imaginary,” Banality.Three tvpesof quests canbe underchimerical sources. The SystemsChapter contains infor-
If Your temporaryBanalityeverexceeds 10, You gain
g Rid or ’Banaliq
The questfor great deeds,in which the Kithain must
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swear to undertake some fantastictask. Inspiring someone to greatness is another quest a changeling may accept.An individual ischosen, andthe changeling must spend the next several monthsor even years (however long it takes)to bring that person to greatness. The changeling s forbidden o interfere directly in a n y way; shema y only inspire. Finally, the changelingcan attempt to bring the Dreaming into a mortal’s life.A mortal is chosen, generally one firmly entrenched in hisown Banality. This mortal must thenbe suc If one of these ques not completed, the chane
mation about thisas well. Weapons madeof cold iron caus e dditionaldamage o thefae.MoreinfonnationonthisisprovidedinChapterEight.
hedth Levels Bruised: Character is onlybruised and has no action penalties. Hurt: Character is only mildly hurt; movement isn’t hindered. Injured:A small injury;little hindrance to movement.
Wounded: Character cannot run, but can still walk. Mauled:Characterisbad lyinjuredandca nbarelywalk.
Incapacitated: Character is completelyincapableof
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us the first times. It is the with Glamour been ringing melodyof the song of life.since It flows like a river through us, on us, around us: a living power. Like the healing water frm he Cup of Dreams, the ragingfire from the Gae Bolg, and the unblinkingstone eye of Bah, Glamour is the very source of our being. It is sacredto us . Drink deepand dream. - ilun Silver-hair
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Th e living font of all spiritual energy, Glamour lows f from the Dreaming to Earth. Indeed, Glamour is concentrated dream, comprising magic, lifeand beauty. Its truth is hard to fathom, perhaps impossible.Th e wisest changelings have spent lifetimesstudying it,tryingto understand it. Yet it remains a mystery. Whatever else, Glamour is a precious commodity the Autumn has come and the Long Winter seems to be i n th e offing. At one time, Glamour filled the
now hat
As far as anyone knows, Glamour flows from the Dreaming, the ancestral home of all faeries, to Earth.
Exactly how it peabhes Earth is unknown, but t he process seems to have some connection to humanity’s creative and artistic facilities. The human imagination evidently has the capacity to open channels to the Dreaming, becoming a siphonan d gateway for Glamour. Still, why this occursat certain timesand not at others is unknown. Nor do changelings understand why Glamour is often found, no t just in people, but in places and objects tha t no human has ever touched or that have been abandoned for years. Do the dreams of humanity call Glamour to most in places, things, people? Does the creativity of great artists and thinkers continue t o collect Glamour after the artists themselves have ceased their great dreaming? No one can tell. Certainly, Glamour shows up in some pretty strange places and among some unexpected people. Although Glamour is fundamental to changelings’ existence, even they have a difficult time explaining
ChaDmR Seven:
G~~OIJR
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When you tell stories involving Glamour,you need to keep in mind that Glamour is a power source unlike any other. You must make it have a will of its own- t must be capricious, fickleand constantly changing.All of the guidelinesdetailed in this chapter shouldbe completely ignored when-
Cpiphany Changelings need Glamour to live, at least as fae. They must seek it out constantly, discover mortals who possessand create it, and then somehow wrest, tearor tease it out of them. Kithain refer to these emotionally
ever they interfere with the flowof the story. Glamour should always be mysterious, unpredictable and exhilarating.If your playersview Glamour as mere points on a character sheet, you’re not doing your job. Glamour isnot about points - t is about imagination. One way to convey the sensethat Glamour is more than just a game mechanicis the description you use. When describing Glamour, appealto all five senses: It feels warm, hot, cold, soft, silky, rough. It smellsikerose petals,dark musk, patchouli oil, sweet clover,a midnight breeze. It tastes like honey and wine.It looks like a rainbow caught in a tie-dye factory.It flows like water, like a warm wind on the savanna. It’s the aurora borealis, St. Elmo’s fire or the gleam in a lover’s eye.
transcendent moments of Glamour-gatheringas epiphanies. Some say that epiphanies result from the direct connection of a changeling’sspirit to the Dreaming; others say that they are the shock of total receptivity to truth.
You can also speak of Glamour in strictly allegorical terms: “You are flooded with a feeling like the first moment of a new love.”“I t is as bright as a hope and as solid as a wish .” “You feelas fresh as a daydream,as innocent as a yawn, yet as worldly as envy.” Most importantly, Glamour never stands still for long.It is alwayschurning, moving, flowing. It is infectious, wild and unknowable. It can never truly be held down or contained. Indeed, it is a testament to a changeling’sfaerie spirit that it can be shaped at all.
our they produce is vitally necessary to replenish a changeling’s personal store. Changelings need mortals and the dreams they weave - heir very essence si made of them. But not all mortals have Glamour, and those dreamers who do are not alwayseasy to find. Perhaps only onein a thousand mortals is such a dreamer. Dreamers can be found in all walks of life and all age groups. The only trait they have in common is that they dream vividlyand are capableof truly srcinal nsights.These insights are changelings’ meat and drink.
exactly what it is. This is becausethey find it difficult to separate their feelings from their perceptions.And the feeling that accompanies Glamour is unlike any other feeling - nd virtually indescribable in human speech. Furthermore, Banality causesmany changelings o forget the ambrosial qualities of Glamour all too quickly.It is difficult to retain memory of a beautiful, Glamour-filled moment when one must go to work (or to school) the next day.
186
Changeling:The &earning
Whatever the case, an epiphany is a moment of ecstasy,delight and intense revelation. In one brief instant a lifetime can be relived, a truth realizedor a pattern understood. During epiphanies, disparate things synchronize or suddenly make sense; consequentially, they often change. Epiphanies oftentrigger major changes inpersonality, court affiliation or goals. Kithain spend much of theirtime seekingepiphanies and the Glamour that comes with them. Not only are epiphanies addictive in and of themselves,but the Glam-
There are three pathways to an epiphany: the way of taking (known as “Ravaging”), the way of inspiration (knownas “Reverie”), nd the wayof self-creation(known as “Rapture”).
Ruvuging It is a simple matter to rip Glamour from a mortal. Although th e resulting epiphany is tainted with the psychic anguishof the victim, it is as quick and satisfyingas an y epiphany. Howev er, mortals don’t have an infinite supply of Glamour. They always need time to replenish their creativity,and this takes longer fi it has been stolen from them.
Indeed, if a particular
tionship must be established4th him (
Often it is love that inspires best, and many muses have intense relationshipswith dreamers. However,this can backfire if the love becomes obsession, wherein the dreamer becomes more enraptured with the musethan with the art. It is vital for a muse to remain in the background. A muse experiences Reverie and gains Glamour through contact with the product of the dreamer’sinspiration - hether it be a novel, sculpture, recordingor appreciative audience. Sometimesa muse’s influence is so vital and the result so potent th at Glamour is received every time the artistic creation overwhelmsa new audience. Reverie becomes diluted through repeated contact with mortals. A new songperformed beforea live audience may release tremendous amounts of Glamour, but lose much of its initial impact once it is distributed onCD. Perhaps thisis why the worksof many greatartists are kept under wraps - nce they become widely distributed, they become mundane and produce no more Glamour. System: You must know your dreamerand what inspireshim. Roll Charisma + Kenning (difficulty8); he number of successesdetermines howmuch time you must spend getting to know your dreamer.
1 success
a year or more
2 successes more than a month 3 successes a couple of weeks 4 successes a few days
5 successes
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Once you understand your dreamer, you can make a roll to inspire him. To do so youmust spendtime with him -at leastan hour, sometimesa weekor even months. The longer it takes, the greater the masterpiece. Roll Perception + Empathy (difficulty6); he number of successes indicates the numberof Glamour points gained. The Storyteller may lowerthis difficulty fi you are extraordinarily patient and take extra time with the dreamer, or may raise it if yourush the process. The amount of Glamour gained maybe limited by the talent of the dreamer; some can create only one or two points of Glamour at a time. If a botch is rolled, the dreameris thrown off stride and becomes distant. The dreamer must be studied anew to be mused again.
required (refer to the chart above). This may be modified at the Storyteller’sdiscretion.
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Changeling: Th e &earning
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Even if you succeed, it may be some time before the dreamer is once again inspiredto create. The Storyteller may wish to make an appropriate Attribute + Ability roll, using the dreamer’s stats, to determine the length of time
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Dross is measured inpoints, ust as Glamour is. Indeed, drosscanbe usedjust like Glamour, though it cannot generallybe used to replenish one’s own Glamour. Typicallyan objectcontains fromone tofivepointeof Glamour - lthough sometruly magnificent drossvesselscontain 10 or even more.
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changelingspossess both mortaland faerie natures. By reachmgnto their mortal souls, hey can make contact with their inner Dreaming. This is a very lengthy and difficultprocess, requiringZenlikebalance between their mortal and faerie selves, but has the potential for enorIn order to use up dross,a changelins must destroy the m ow gain. object inwhich itmanifests. Shemw#mn,slash,crumble, devour or smash it. The vessel aust be completely deThis direct contact with the Dreaming is called Rapchangelinggains Glamour created from herown stroyed, b e y d he possibility of repair. tion, and the resulting epiphany is a moment of Using dross does not provideany soit of epiphany, totalecstasy.For a moment she experiencesthe and the Glamour so released mustbe rlged immediately. true power of the Dreaming and becomes a fully integrated However,not all the drosscontainedfn an item must be being. Th e two halves of her nature are united; for a brief used up atonce;only part of the Instant, they are whole. at a time, thus releasing a portion of the Glamour stored therein. Many changelingsadept in th e arts seek Rapture as the intimate connection between art and artist. To tranDrossisusedamong he a formof currency. scend patronage and create Glamouroneself isthe ultimate It is relatively easy, viause enning Talent, to high, the ultimate achievement. Most Kithain are inca- determine how much dross is contained in an object. In pable of it (just as mast mortals are). many ways drossconstitutes he Kitham monetarysystem System Raptute only occurs when a changeling makesa creative or artistic brealahrough. Such a moment can be determined only through roleplaying, and the Dross appears in many differentfotms.Some of the endeavor should take some effort to build up andarrange. ‘more common include: You must choosean art (one you patronize is best, though Dream Stones-These are natural objects, often not necessary),come up with a vision,and then choose a possessing ararebeauty, whichcontaina small amount of medium for your vision. In short, youneedto conceive and dross. Suchobjects, despite heir name, arenot necessarily pretty much create a workof art (at least in your imaginastones - hey can be anything fromunusually formed tion). pieces of crystal to clumps of moss. Usually, such objects When the Storyteller determines that you have are unique and easily distinguishable from other similar reached the appropriate moment, make an appropriate might be of an unusual color or the Attribute + Ability roll ( d i h l t y 8). The number of crystal mightglow with an inner light. This typeof dross successes ndicates the numberof Glamour points gained. is often found in faerieglens and wildernessgrottoes. A A botch indicatesa complete andutterfailure, causing you dream stone usually contains from one to three points of to gain a point of temporary Banality. However,five or Glamour. more successes cause youto gaina point of permanent Mementos emeritusare i t e m associated with a Glamour. person or event of great inspirational significance. On e of Madonna’s costumes, the pen with which Abraham Lin-
TypesofO~oss
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UROSS There are other waysto obtain Glamour, for it manifests in many shapes. The raw eSsence of the Dreaming sometimes becomes trapped in physical form, usually duoughnaturaland magicalprocesses. This form of Glamou r is known as dross, for it is the more mundane, less vibrant form of Glamour. Dross appears in countlessnatursll forms - ushrooms,quartz rocks, fern seeds, etc. Dross can often be found in the possessionsand relics of great personsElvis’ssocks,Picasso’s paintbrush,JFK’s pen or a letter written by Lewis Carroll might all contain dross.
coln wrote thelaDdulg Address, moon rock from and athis Gettyslxq lunar are all thefirst examplesof orm of dross. Mementosare potentially he most powerfulform of dross and may possessmore tha n 10 points of Glamour. The rarer the item (and th e greater the person or feat connected with it), the more drossit is worth.
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Treasuresreasures can be destroyed, melted down or otherwise broken open to release the Glamour within them. Some small treasures are designedwith this in mind. Destroyinga permanent treasurejust to extract the Glamour from it earns th e destroyera temporary point of Banality.
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Chimera - y killing a chimera, one m ay gain Glamour. The Storyteller basesthe amount of Glamour on the relative power of the chimera. Chimerical items may alsoprovideGlamour hrough their destruction; thus, chimerical coins are commonlyminted. Unlike Glamour gained from other forms of dross, Glamour gained from destroying chimera maybe used to replenish one’s own Glamour. Chimerical items merely need to be broken; however, in order to gain Glamour from a chimerical beast, the flesh of the chimera must be consumed. Doing this extensively can be dangerous,for the flesh of many chimera can cause side effects ra nging from purgative to poisonous.The amount of Glamour gainedby consuming a chimera or breaking a chimerical object is generally proportional to the power of the item or beast. Founts - ertain secret places in the world have direct connections to the Dreaming. These places, called founts,re highly sought after.In these places, Glamour bubbles up from a natural feature suchas a spring. The amount of drossgainedby ingestingthis Glamour-ladenwater isdetermined by the Storyteller, although it is usually no more than10 points at a time, after which the fount must “rest” for a full turning of the moon.
boss Using Each time a changeling usesdross in any way, the player mustrolla single die.A “1”ndicatesthat some sort of botchoccurs (the fickle nature of Glamour makes itself felt). A “lo” indicates that somesort of beneficial side effect occurs (the Dreaming smiles upon th e changeling). Th e player need roll only one die, no matter how many Glamour points were spent thatturn. Th e Storyteller determines exactlywhat occurs, though nothing obvious may happen for some time.
Bunuliq and C$umouR Like opposite poles of a magnet, Banality and Glamour are in constant conflict. Banality seeksto smother and neutralize Glamour, while Glamour seeks to ove rrun Banality and destroy its icy gripon the human soul. Since changelingshaveboth, it is important to understand how they interact. Banality enforces normalcy, mundaneness and the dull reality of existence. Because Banality directly opposes Glamour, a changeling who hinders Glamour aids Banality. If a changeling inspires an artist to create something and he fails to create it, the changelingmay feel the lossof
Glamour in the form of a point of Banality. Whenever1 something created eitheras a result of inspiration or as a result of Glamouris destroyed, Banality seeps back in. Unlike Glamour, Banality should always be described as a cold,gray, clammy, antisepticforce. It is never wildor
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unpredictable ndeed, it is orderedand patterned and perfectlysymmetrical.Banalityisreason cloaked inboring repetitiveness.It is the enemyof wonder, of hope, and of true beauty.
B
T h e Luws of C$umou~
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Although Glamour is neither rigid nor easily defined, it does have certain regular properties. These properties areknown as “laws,”even though they are more guidelines than absolute laws. As the Storyteller, you may decide to follow these lawsor not, at your whim.
1.Glamour isever-changing.N o use of Glamour can take the same shape twice.
2. Glamour is real.If a cantrip produces an effect that overcomes Banality, it isas real as any thing of the world.
3. Glamour, though real, can never replace truth. It is impossible to use Glamour to copy something perfectly. There will always be some slight imperfectionin a copy. Food will not be very nutritious; money will often bedebasedor will later vanish. If a cantrip produces an effect that is later overcome by Banality, it vanishesas if it never existed.
4.Glamour is personal. Every us e of Glamour is flavoredby those who use it. With the proper use of the Kenning Talent, one can often discern the nature of the being who cast a particular cantrip, especiallyif evidence of that cantrip is available. 5. Glamour is infectious.A changeling can sense nearby Glamour. His faerie soul will always respond to the presence of Glamour.
6. Glamour is impossibleto ignore.If Glamour is active in a setting, it will be readily apparent. Even if the source of the Glamour ishidden, changelings will sensethat something is afoot. This iswh y new changelingswho are undergoing heir Dream Dance attract such attention.
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Although Storytellersare encouraged to create their own laws of Glamour, it is important to give playerslotsof leeway when using Glamour. The use of Glamour should be exciting, fun and, overall, wondrous.If your players are startingto tire of their powers,enliven them withnew side effectsand strange new ways that Glamour changes when it is used. Keep them guessing,and make them understand
that they are depending on a po capriciousas a childling on a lark.
Canmips With learning, a changelingfinds tha t she is able to shape Glamour in much the sameway that a potter shapes clayor a weaver weavescloth. Changelings’echniques for shaping Glamour areknown s Arts.EachArt has its own peculiarities, weaknesses and potencies. Furthermore, every changelinghas an affinity with certain aspects of the world. Theseaspects (five in number) are known as Realms. These Realms have been studied and defined by Kithain lorekeepen, although affinity withthem is determined largelyby a changeling’s kith. Of course, it is possible for a modem changeling to open himself to new experiencesan d explore newRealms. By combiningthe activeuse of an Art and the innate familiarity of a Realm, a changelingcan mold Glamour into a tangible evocation called a cantrip. Th e Art used definesth e nature of the magic, while the Realm describes the focus ofthe effect. But Glamouris fickleand wild, It makes demands on its user,and these mustbe obeyed lest Glamour falter. The success or failure of a cantrip depends on whether a changeling can fulfill Glamour’s demands, which are calledBunks. There is no way a changeling canaccurately predict what these demandswillbe- though experienced cantripweavers learn the wide range of Bunks required of them and make plans to satisfy the Bunks in advance.
51amouRCaRds The system for using cantrips inChangelings simple and is based on cards. A player uses cards tosignify which 4rt and Realmhis character is using and draw s from a deck Bunk cards o determine what Bunkis required.
2. kau abunk Although you can purchase Glamour cards, you are encouraged ot make your own. Y ou are also free to photocopy the cardsprovided in the back of the book. All of the Arts are provided; you need only fill out the Realm and Bunk cards to make your deck complete.
Art Cards - hese cards describe the types of effectsa changeling s capable of producing. Each of these cardshas a short description of the Art, plus the Attribute governingthat Art (which isused in conjunction with an Ability listed on he Realm card if a roll must be made; ese “OvercomeBanalityLtablish Success,’’ below, for more information). You should have one Art card for each dot in Arts your character has. Realm Cards -These are subjectcardsdescribing whom or what the cantrip works upon. You should have one Realm card for each dot in Realms your character possesses. Bunk Cards - unks describe what Glamour demandsbefore a cantrip can take effect. They also indicate a degree of success, from oneto five successes. You start with anumber of Bunk cards equal to your character’s total dots in Arts.These cardsshould be kept in a separate deck from the Art and Realm cards.
Ready t o pl a y You are ready to cast cantrips when you have all of your Glamour cards ready. Your Art and Realm cards should be pooled into your hand; your Bunks should b e shuffled and placed face-down.
Basic Cunmip Cusmng There isnever morethan one Art card in any cantrip, although there may be multiple Realm or Bunk cards (see below).
1. Se le ct
and Realm
In order to create a cantrip, you, the player, must choose an Art and a Realm card describingthe type of effect you wish to create.The Storyteller may tell you which Realm you need, although you will usually have to decide yourself and hope you are right. Two or more Realmsmay be combined to create an effect encompassing a greater sphere of influence, though a point of Glamour mustbe spent for each Realm card played after the first.
192
Changeling:The
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After laying these cardsin front of you, you must then draw fromyour Bunk deck. The Bunk card delineates the requirement that must be fulfilled before the cantrip can take effect. If you cannot or will not fulfill the Bunk, the cantrip fails. Beforedrawing a Bunk cardyou may chooseto spend a point of Glamour; this enables you to draw two Bunk cards, allowing you to increase your degree of succes s.If two Bunk cards are drawn, the number of successes are added together- ut both requirements must be fulfilled for the cantrip to succeed. Only one additional Bunk card may be drawn in this manner, and once th e Glamour has been spent you must drawboth cards.
After the requirementsof the Bunk card(s) have been met, you may describehe t type of effect you wish to create. O f course, the effect you describe cannot require more successesthan the total of your Bunks. The Storytelleris, of course, the final arbiter, but playersare encouraged obe creative in the use of their cantrips.
OveRcorne Bana1iq/ 4: Success establish
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If a cantrip affects an enchanted creature (changeling, chimera, enchanted mortal, etc.) or is usedwithin a 1 freehold, the degree of success is determinedby the number of successeslistedon the Bunk card(s). 1 If the target of a cantrip isa mortal or you crate an I effect in the presence of a mortal, you must first overcome that mortal’sBanality. This is done by rolling a numberof dice equalto your rating in the Attribute listed on the Art card plus the Ability listed on the Realm card against a difficulty of t he target’s (or witness’s) Banality.In the case ofmultiple targets or witnesses, the highest Banality rating is used. The maximum number of successesyou maygain is limited to the number of successes listed on the Bunk card(s) drawn. If this roll fails, you gain a temporary point of Banality; if it botches, you gain a permanent point of Banality. Changelings may invoke their own Banality in an attempt to resist the effectsof a cantrip. When this is done, the changeling immediatelygains a point of temporary Banality.Th e casterof the cantrip must then roll against the changeling’sBanality ratingas if she were a mortal. 1
Once the effect of the cantrip has ended, you pick up your cardsfrom the table and place them backin your hand
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you spenda point of Glamour, you do not have to discard a card. If the Bunk card is not discarded, it should be shuffled into t he remaining deck. You can refresh your deck only after deep, satisfying
and prolonged rest (such rest is assumed to occur between stories). Moreover, epiphanies gainedvia Reverieor Rapture (not Ravaging)refresh a numberof cardsequal to the number of Glamour points gained.
a more detailed power system:
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Oathmates can use each other’s cardsto cast their own cantrips. The oathmate’s cantrip must be played while the srcinal cantrip is still in effect.By playing across or along another player’s cantrip, you can use oneof the cards in that cantrip to power your own (think of it like SmabbkTMr a crosswordpuzzle).In this way the table can be crisscrossed with a number of different cantrips, many of them sharing some of the same component cantrip cards. As long as a card is involved in a currently active cantrip, it is not discarded.
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If your Bunk card isof the same suit as yourArt card (i.e., both are of the WayfareArt), you score an extra
If you are forced to gainapointof temporaryBanality, you may choose instead to receive a Nightmare cardt(a the Storyteller’sdiscretion).The level of the Nightmare cardis generally determinedby the amount of temporary Banalit y you currently pos sess (simply divide the character’s current Banalityby two to determine the levelof the Nightmare), though thii may be alteredby the Storyteller. Nightmare cardsareplacedintoyourBunkdeckandthenshuffledbythe of Storyteller.The Storyteller need not reveal the type Nightmare card thatis placedin yourdeck. Whenever aNightmare card is drawn, its effectsmust be implemented immediately.The card is then discarded - his is the only way to get rid of them. There is no limit to how many Nightmare cards can be in a player’s deck; however, we advise that the number be kept low.
AlceRnarivehce Sysirem This systemcan also work withdice- hich cank useful for Storytellers who don’t want to worry about Glamour cardsfor each and every antagonist. Moreover, some troupes may feel morecomfortable using dice. -
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ChapCeR Seven: ($amouR
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uch of the systemworks the way i t does now. Arts L;.
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and Realms describe general magical capacities.You need the proper scores in yourArt and Realm (depending on
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what sort of effect you are lookingfor) to cast a cantrip at all.
1)Choose the A rt and Realm cards from your hand that best describethe effectyouwish to create. Then place these cards face-up in front of you . 2) Draw a Bunk card from your deck and fulfill the requirements listed. You may spend a Glamour point to draw an additional Bunk card. 3) Describe the effect of the cantrip you are weaving. The Storyteller will describe exactly how it works.
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If you are capableof casting the cantrip, you must still draw a Bunk card as usual and fulfill any obligations required by the card. Alternatively, the Storyteller may arbitrarily assign a Bunk or create somemanner of chart. If you are attempting to affect another changeling or enchanted creature or person, one success is given for free. You then roll the appropriate Attribute + Ability (difficulty 6) , adding an y successes to the free success given. Overcoming the Banality of a mortal witness or target is done in the normal manner (roll Attribute + Ability against a difficulty of the subject’s Banality). No free success is gained in this instance. If achangeling wishesto use her own Banality to resist the effectsof a cantrip, she may roll a number of dice equal to her Banality score (difficulty6). Successes gained are subtracted from the caster’s total. If the successes are thereby reduced to zero, the cantrip fails.
4) f you are affecting a mortal target or have mundane witnesses,make a roll using the Attribute and Ability listed on the Art and Realm cards (difficultyof the target’s Banality). The number of successes is limited to the number of successes on the Bunk card. 5) Discard one card of your choice that was used in casting the cantrip, or spend a Glamour point to keep it.
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Qumple of Canmip
Advice
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Storytelling a game with Glamour cards flyingeverywhere can be a little intimidating, at least until you get used to it. Here’s some advice on how to make it easier on yourself:
You have the right to amend or veto a n y use of cards. Don’t be afraid to use it.Don’tever let cantrips ruin your story. Reward playerswho use their Glamour cards to add to t he story and create cantrips tha t have the feel of faerie magic. Restrict or even disallow cantrips that violate the theme, mood and wonderof Glamour. Don’t let the players get away with murder. Encourage them to be freeform,but don’t allow them to abuse
cusang Glass, a sidhe noble, istry health clinicby opening a door.in&ebrick wall outside the clinic.Since Glass has Wayfare3, “PortalPassage,” he plays that and the Fae Realm card “Noble,”which is Fae 2. He draws aBunk card and gets the WayfareBunk “Gditi,” which, hough goodfor three successes, requireshat he draw somegraffition the wall. Drawing a stylizeddoor on he wall with a piece of sidew alk chalk that he carries forjust this purpose, Glass invokes the magic of the cantrip. Glass explains thathe simply wishes to step through the wall. Unfortunately, Glass’s entryis witnessedby one of the hospital’sguards,o he must overcome th e guard’s Banality (which nthis case is 8-the guardis an extremelymundane individual).Glass rolls his Wits (becauseof Wayfare) plushis Politics (becauseof the Realm card he is using) versus a difficultyof 8. Luckily, Glass’s Wits + Politics ratings total seven dice. He also gets luckyand scores four successes on the rou (plus one for the WayfareBunk). U-ly, since he only drewa three-successBunk, he may not use all five
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-. passagewillstay
Still, three successes ensure that the
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fa him to get through safely.Finally, Glass decides to discardhis Noble Realm cardinstead of losing the rather easy-to-do Graffiti Bunk and the very useful P d assageWayfarecard.Now all he has to worry about is the guardwho saw him pass through the wall.
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Artsare theintrinsic Glamour powers of changelings ’ Artsare organized into categories, each of which describes
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the overall category ofcantrip the changeling can perform. As mentioned above, eachtypeof Art is associated with a particular Attribute, which must be listed on the card. Artsare then broken down into level-specificeffects. Eachof these effectscontains a brief description, a description of its relation to the Realms,and a description of how the numberof successesaffects its use.
ChicaneRy 1
Chicanery is the Art of trickery, o f mental deceit.1, is favored by many commoner Kithain because of its usefulness in dealing with mortals. It was oneof the first Arts to be rediscovered after the Shattering. Kithain known to possess Chicanery are watched losely, especially by the nobility. A few nobleshave
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become infamousfor their judicious use of this Art, although it isgenerallythought to be a commoner’s Ar t and therefore “vulgar.” Attribute: Manipulation A
3 successes- ne scene 4 successes- ne day 5 successes- ne chapter (a game session)
638Fugue Fugue allowsyou to remove,steal and destroy specific memoriesand thoughts in the mind of another. Mortals tend to forgettheir encounters with Glamour anyway, but
63 Fuddle
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ou may fool, trick and manipulate another’s thought processesby confusing his perceptions. Fuddl e, though never permanent, can have a considerableduration. Only lifethreaten@ give the subject a chance o resisthis confusion.Thiscantripcan ever cause anydirectharm o an though it is possiblefor a q eot accidental injury upon himself because of his confused senses. Realms: The Realm determines what your subjectis confused about.If using the first level of the Fae Realm, you may cause one commoner tobe confusedfor another (i.e., or even just the identity of a pooka confused for a redcap, two redcaps). Alternatively, two Realm cards may be used
Fugue is useful inFugue makingcan sure they add forget every aspect of the experience. never something to an individual’s memory, but it can remove nearly anything (at least temporarily).
Realms: Th e Realm used in conjunction with this ’ cantrip determines exactly what can be removed from a target’s memory. For example, Fugue combined with the Actor Realm may causethe target o forget meet.ng with a particular person, while Scene may cause the target to forget ow to get somewhere,r hathe ever found a place (very useful for throwingoff the scent of a curious human whohasunwittingly discovereda freehold).
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Actor ou can remove memories or thoughts about a specific person or people. Fae
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ou can remove memoriesor thoughts about
to widen the variation. For example,two Fae Realm cards
a specific faerieor chimera (or multiple such entities). Nature - ou can remove memoriesor thoughts
used in conjunction, causing an eshu to be confusedfor a winged sprite. Actor - ou can cause your target to be mistaken about the identity of a person. She may mistake one friend for another, or think t hat a policeman is the mayor. To cause the target to confuse a friend for an enemy, however, both the True Friend ,and Dire Enemy cards must be employed in the casting of the cantrip.
about
etc. features,Plants, Prop -You can remove memoriesor thoughts about ’pecific kerns*
Fae -You can cause your target to be confusedabout some aspect of the fae, depending upon the Realm cards employed in the casting of the cantrip.
1 uccess- auses weak, temporary forgetfulnessuntil something jars the subject’s memory.
’ - earty Commoner and Manifold Chimera- ould be
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Scene - ou can remove memories or thoughts &out a Specificplace of area.
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Successes: The number of successesgained indicates how completely the target’s thoughts and memories are destroyed.
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2 successes An hour’s loss of a simple m Nature - ou can confuse a target’s senses concern- a phone numberor someone’s name. ing natural objects: a cat may be confused or f a dog, or fire 3 successes- omplete eradication of may seem to be cold. Causing a dog to be confused for a event, person’s identity, or object’s presence. bonfire, however, requiresthe use of both the Feral Beast 4 successks- owerful, forthrightbeliefs and memoand Base Element cards. ries may be erased until some equally powerful event jars Prop - ou can cause one item to be confused for the memory loose. another, or causean item to be more perplexing (a lock, for 5 Successes- omplete and total forgetfulness. example).
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Scene -You can causea roomor area to appear other than it reallyis. 1 Successes: The number of successes indicates how long the subject is befuddled. 1 success- ne minute 2 successes- 0 minutes
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Changeling:T he &earning
6363 haunted b
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HauntedHeart grants the power to evoke specific emo-
tionsi natarget .&mtdHeartm~pprovokeandmanipulate emotionsor passions- ear, hate, love, lust, jealousy, spite,
anger, contempt, etc. Haunted Heart doesn’t actually create passions, but dr awsorth emotionalmemories from the target’s
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subconscious. The target need nothave actually experienced these memories (thou gh the cantrip may have a much more powerful effect if she has);theycan be emotionsdrawnvicariouslyfi om fi ct io no rd . TheRealmofthecantripdetermines how the emotionis evokedand directed. For example, evoking a memoryor image of being beaten by the police may cause the target to react with hostility oward anypolice shemay encounter.The memory of almost drowningin a pool (an example of the use of the Scene Realm) may causethe person to fear bodies of water. It is extremely helpful to know a specific instance to use against the target (though you may attempt to use this cantrip regardless).If you do evoke a specific past incident in the target’s life, you get one free success when using th e cantrip.
Realms: The Realm determines the srcin of the emotion. Actor - ou createan emotion based on a perso Fae - ou create an emotion basedon an enchanted being. Nature - ou createan emotion based on a natural phenomenon. Prop -You
create an emotion based on an object.
area. Scene-youcreate anemotionbasedonaplaceor Successes: The effectsof this cantrip last for about one minute per success(though this may be extendedby spending one Glamour point per additional minute desired). The number of successes gained determines the degreeof success.
1 success- nvokes a mild emotion. 2 successes The target feelswild surgesof emotion. 3 successes- reates a heady state of passion. 4 uccesses The target isconsumedby her passions.
5 successes- reates a complete and totally obsc sive emotional state.
e Veiledeyes Veiled Eyes allows a Kithain to hide a specific thing, person or place from others’ perception. Alth ough Veiled Eyesrarely causessomething to vanish directly from sight, it doesrely upon the subconsc ious’s natural tendency to “filter out”perceptions. For example, a storefrontmay be concealed by the simple factthat nobody ever wonders what goes on inside. People cloaked with VeiledEyes are merely ignored.
Realms: The Realm card used determines exactly what you can veil from another’s sight. Actor - ou can obscure a person. Fae - ou can veil fae beingsand creatures. Nature - ou can veil a living creatureor natural penomenon.
Prop - ou can obscurea particular item. Scene - ou can veil a particular building or place.
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Successes: Th e obscurement lasts for one turn per success, although a changeling whois “on th e scene” can spend a Glamour point t o maintain the cantrip for another complete duration. The difficulty to penetrate an obscurement, using Perception+ Kenning, is 4 + the number of successesscored in the initial casting of Veiled Eyes. Only mortals whohave sufficientreasonto searchfor the target have a chance to break the obscurement. Supernatural beings with magical senses may automatically attempt to break it.
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This cantrip allows you to bend another’s mind to your will. The target of Captive Heart becomes very vulnerable to your suggestions; you may issue simple commands to her and even control her behavior. Through use of this cantrip you cancausesomeone o believe that she is another person or even another thing. A person m ay be made to believe she is a frog, a lawn chair or even a stone. T he victim of this cantrip will make every effort to conform to your wishes (hopping around like a toad, or curling up and lying stone-still). Realms: Th e Realm dictates thetarget’s new personality. Two Realm cards are always needed: one for the target, another for the desired transformation. Actor - ou can make someone believe she is someone else. Fae - ou can make someone believe she is an enchanted creature or faerie. Nature - ou can make someone believe she is a plant, animal or natural phenomenon. Prop - ou can make someone believe sheis an object of somesort. Scene -You can cause someone to think that she is somewhere else. Successes: The subject may always attempt to resist the effects of this cantrip 1 success- he enchantment lasts for one turn.
2 successes- he enchantment lasts for five turns. 3 successes- he enchantment lasts for one scene. 4 successes-The cantrip lastsuntil sunriseor sunset, whichever comes first. 5 successes he cantrip’seffectlastsor one full day. Note: Mortals often forget Chicanery’s effects on them. See the rules on pg. 230 to determine if a mortal remembersanything about a use of the Chicanery Art.
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Changehng: T h e ()Reaming
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Although based on simple illusions and sleight of hand, the Art of Legerdemain transcends such parlor tricks, allowinga changeling to affectphysical reality. Attribute: Dexteritv
e
jimmy
Gimmixallows you to manipulate somethingor someone telekinetically. The strength of the telekinesis is determined by the successes scored when casting the cantrip. With this cana ip you can move, twist, throw, lift and crush things. Gimmix can extend into extremely small placesand allowsyou to manipulate objects that you can’t even see or reach. Inaddition to whatever Bunkcard youdraw, youmust make a hand gesture to cast this cantrip, and the cantrip’s effect mimicsthat motion. Realms: Th e Realm describeswhat you are manipulating. Actor - ou can grasp a person. Fae - ou can grasp a faerie or enchanted creature. Nature - ou can grasp a plant, animalor natural feature. Prop -You can grasp a prop. Note: This can e used to operate a prop, provided the operation does not require fine motor coordination. For example, a switchcan be thrown or a button pressed, but typing and otherfine motor manipulations are impossible.
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Scene limited.
escribesthe area to which the effect is
Successes: The number of successes indicates the strength of the grasp. Note that you cannot control the intensity of the grasp - his is not a cantrip to use in situations where delicacyis required.
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1 SUCC~SS - soft brush 2 successes- slight nudge 3 SUCC~SS~S- hard pull 4 successes- sharp ya nk 5 successes- nough force to knockdown a wall
Nature - ou can ensnare an animal, tie up a plant, r block a natural feature. Prop - ou can ensnare an item. Scene ou can make an area or room impassablt Successes: Th e numberof successesdetermines how well the target of the cantrip is ensnared. 1 success- auses target to trip; target must roll Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty6) to avoid falling. 2 successes- arget is ensnared; must succeed in a Strength roll (difficulty6) in order to escape. 3 successes Target is ensnaredmd must exceedthe Ensnare’s successes by three or more in an extended Strength test (difficulty 6) in order to escape. 4 successes- s above, but the target must gain five successes. 5 successes- As above,but 10successesare required.
furthermore,it enablesyou to trip or entangle someone by
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eea ev1gy y 6f something you are You can createan ex lookingat or touching. Th e copy is tangible, for it is made of solid Glamour. Although the copy resemblesthe srcinal, it does not possess the srcinal’s abilities. For example, a computer copied using this cantrip cannot run programs, and an Effigy-createddoctor cannortreat the sick. If th e caster is nearby, however, he can supplysome “specialeffects” to the copy by spending Glamour: a computer can light up and show “static”;a person can speak (although the caster must roll Manipulation+ Subterfugeto create coherent speech). A copy alwayslasts until the caster ceases concentration or until it is erodedby Banality. Realms: Th e Realm determines what can be duplicated by Effigy. Actor - ou can duplicate a mortal. Fae - ou can duplicate a fae creature. Nature -You
1 eehisnsnaRe an aip allowsyou to move large objects rapidly;
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using real or imaginary elements of the setting: a root, a worn carpet, a hidden tripwire, etc.You can move one object of 300 lbs. or less, spinning and twirling it about at very high rates of speed. Th e cantrip will shape itselfto fit whatever elements are about; if there are none, it will fwl the target into believing that there are. ealms: Th e Realm determinesexactly what you are attempting to ensnare. Actor - ou can ensnare a person, Fae - ou can nsnare a faerieor enchanted creature.
can duplicate a natural object.
Prop - ou can duplicate a particular item. Scene-Youcanduplicateaparticularplace or setting.
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Successes: The number of successes indicatesthe copy’s accuracy.
1 success- ad copy 2 successes- ajor differences 3 successes- inor differences
4 successes- early perfect copy; can inflict chimerical damage on fae 5 successes-Exact duplicate;can nflict chimerical damage on fae
Mooch allows you to relocate objects and things
Illusions created by
Phantom Shadows can inflict
chimericaldamageonallcrea~includingunenchanted
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mortals) who believe in them.
Note:You cannot use Phantom shadows to make ’ yourself appearas something else. Tha t is a completely different Art calledElder-Form. , Th e Realm describes the nature of th e illuRealms: sion. Actor - ou can create an illusoryperson. Th e person speaksand acts much likea normal person. Fae -You can create an illusoryfaerie or enchanted creature. Nature -You can create an illusory plant, animal or ’ natural feature.
from one place to a nearby area. This cantrip is often used to move something from someone else’s pocket into your Prop ou can create an illusory prop. own.The object in question must be within sight or must have been viewed within the past minute. For example, Scene - ou can overlay a scenewith an i11usory you couldMooch a coin th at someone just put i nto his scene. pocket, but th e same coin could not be Mooched an hour Successes: The number of successes gaineddeemlater - ven if you are certain that th e coin is still there. mines how believable the illusion is. People and living creatures may not be moved with this I 1 success- uzzy image. cantrip. Furthermore, no matter how many successes are 2 successes- ooks eal if you don’tlook oo closely. gained, the subject of the cantrip can never be larger than 3 successes- ll but th e finer details are complete. about the size of a fist or weigh more than two pounds. 4 successes- nly the slightest imperfections.
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Actor - escribes who holds or carries the target of the cantrip.
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Fae -Describes who holdsor carriesthe target of the cantrip. Nature - escribeswhat is being relocated. Prop -
escribeswhat is being relocated.
Scene--Describeswhereanobjectisbeingmkenfrom.
Successes: The number of successesdetermines how clandestinely he Mooch was performed.Todetect that an item is missing (unlessshe was holding it in plain sight, in which caseit is obvious),the targetmay make a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty4 + the number of successes gained) to attempt detection.
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6B ph ant om Shadows
Phantom Shadowsallows youto create illusions that ai mi c reality. A created illusion is usual ly difficultto differentiate from the real thing, unless those who examine itare mystically aware or have faeriesight. However, the illusion is very focusedand specific.For example, creatinga soldier with this cantrip does not necessarily create agun with the soldier,although it creates clothes for the soldierto wear. Creating a car does not necessarily create gasolinein the Creating tank. a computerdoesnot makesoftwaremagically appear on the computer- xcept, of course,or the operatthat makes it a computer. ing software
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Changeling:The &xuning
5 successes- erfect image.
pima1 Changelings who learn Primal come to understand the fundamental connection between their faerie souls and the forces of the earth and nature. The cantrip are named after th e traditional mystical trees that srcinally aided changelings in learning them.
Attribute:Stamina
II This cantrip allows you to speak to nearly anything: rocks, plants, cars,machines, buildings an d even people.
In addition to performing the required Bunk for a n y cantrip involving Willow-Whisper, you must whisper anything you wish to say. Thus, conditions must be relatively quiet for you touse this cantrip. The Realm describes the object with which you communicate. Storytellersshould impart normally inanimate objects with interesting personalities, but should
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realizethat most inanimateobjects don’t havemuch in the way of perception and nothing in the way of memory.
Realms:
t
Actor -
escribesthe person to whom you wish to
spe cribes the personto whom you wish to Speak.
Nature - escribes the animal6r ob)
which
.
you wish tospeak.Note: Rocks are none to o smart.. Prop - escribes the object with which you wish to
speak.
Successes: success indicate you ca n ask and how s
question only.
2 successes- iqhtly obscure answers; three questions only.
3 mccesses-Clearbutstrangeanswers(t heobjec t s still thinking in its terms, not yours);lastsfor one scene only. 4 successes- lear, stralghrforward,but very boring answers.Lastsfor a week.
5 successes-
erfectly clear, lucid, intete sting answers; conversation lastsas long as you focuson the cantrip.
eacheR-Ba
This is the ca ntrip of healing a&resto ration. ’I ou can
1 restore an object, pe conditione
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If you wish to he al actual He alth Levels of damage, you must transfer points of your own Willpower to the subject (on eperHealth Level healed). Chimericalwounds are simpleto heal and require no Willpower expenditure. Storytellers m ay decide thatmending objectsor certain
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Drawing onthe mystical power o f the oak,you can strengthen or protect a subject. Realms:
Actor - escribes whom you are Itecting. Fae - escribes whom youare pv-ting. Nature -1 f protecting.
escribeswhat you are strengthening or
Prop -Describes protecting. Scene or protecting.
speak.
ee
63 69 63 Oakenshield
what y o u are strengthening or s what area yo u are strengthening
Successes: Each successprovidesan extra Health Level over and above the levelsalready possessedby the subject. This strengthening lastsuntil it is depleted or until a month passes, whichever comesfirst.
6iNiXB69bollg-snake A warrior’s plant, holly has always been called “best in the fight.” Wit h th i harm people. Realms: Actor - escribes the subjectof Fae Nature
cscttbes the subject of the
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escribesthe subject of the cantrip.
Prop - escribes the subject of the cantrip. Scene - escribes the subject of the cantrip. Successes: When this cantrip is used to break a physical objector tear apart an area, the Storyteller can specifya certain number of successes.Changelings using this cantrip to harmpeople inflict m per th e c hart below:
1 success- ne Hea lth Leve 2 successes- hree Health Levels (a door) 3 successes- ive Health Levels(a wooden wall)
4 uccesses- ix Health Levels (a car)
- even Health Levels (a largeoak tree) EldeR-FoRm
5 successes
re of Willpowerand/or Glamour. areas requires expenditu 694W6343 Realms: This cantrip allows you to give yourse lfor something Actor - escribes whom you are healing. else another shape (fora time). You gain all the abilitiesof Fae - escribes whomyou are healing. the new shape- or all practical purposes you are that Nature - escribeswhat you are healingor repairing. shape. Prop - escribes what you are repairing. Realms: Realm describeseither what you are changScene- escribes what yo u are repairingor restoring. ing yourself intoor the object or person you are changing Successes: Heather-Balmheals one Health Level per (in which caseyou need a second Realm card depicting success.In the caseof nonliving subjects, the Storyteller ing the cllhiect into). decides how many successes are required to repair the subject.
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Actor - escribes whom youare making youw look like. Fae - escribes whom you are making yourself look like. Nature -Describes what you are shapechanging into. Prop- escribes whatyou are s ing intn. Scene - escribes where you mus cast the
upon the Qameindividual.If the number of successesdr+ to zero,none of the cantrips takeseffect.
spell. Successes: The number of successes determines the durationofthemetamorphosis.Each timeanmenchanted person comes into contactwith the subject, there is a chance that the subject will revert.Roll the person’s Banality (difficulty9); if the successezi equal or exceed the number of succttsses on the Elder-Form, the enchantment is dispelled. 1 success- ne turn
casethe particular item will become lucky. Scene - ribes an area or setting that has become lucky. Anyone in this area maybe affectedby this cantrip; once that luck isused,owever, the effects of the cantrip end.
2 successes- ne hour
soothsay
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a i R pollrune AFair Fortune placed on another provides the subject
with a bit of good luck. Fate smiles upon the target of the cantrip. Bad thingsma y still occur, but if theoddsare even (or just close), things will fall therecipient’sway. You may try to describewhat sort of lucky event you would liketo occur, but what actuallyhappens is completelyup to the Storyteller.Once one lucky event hasoccurred, hecantrip is over. The effects of this cantrip are not cumulative. A single individual may t h m nly one Fair Fortune cantrip at a n y given time. Addit relied upon too heavily. Succe one (cumulatively)per additional timethis cantrip is cast
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Nature
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Prop -
escribes the subject of the cantrip.
escribes the subject of the cantrip. In this
Successes: The following examples illustratepossibleeffectsof thiscantrip. Alternatively, the target of the cantrip can subtract the number of successesgainedfrom the difficulty of an y one roll. Thii cannot reduce the difficulty of any roll below2.
1 success ind something lost (car keyslan old friend) 2 successes ind something new (a ten-dollar bill/ make a new friend) 3 successes- ind something valuable (a piece of
Soothsay is the Art of u nde rst and ii the natur e of Glamour, the Dreaming and the forces of DBn or Fate. Though oftenconsidered a commoner’sArt,certain nobility find it useful for court intrigue. Attribute:Intelligence
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Fae - escribes who will become lucky.
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3 successes- ne day 4 successes- hree days 5 successes- ne week
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Realms: Th e Realmdescribes who is lucky,or in what sphere her luck manifests. Actor - escribes who will becomelucky.
Changeling:The bximmng
jewelry/make a valuable contact or find trueromance) 4 successes- ind something very valuable (an abandoned new -/meet a patron) 5 successes Find something magnifKent(winning lottery ticket/mentor)
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oil and Bubble
A curse placed on another providesthe subject with a streak of bad luck. You can describe what type of misfortuneyou would like the target to experience,but the Storyteller decides what actually occurs.Goodthings might still happen, but one bad thing will strike at sqme point when th e target least expects it. Typically, thisonly affects things that are in the balance and not already decided in one way or another. The cantrip comes to an end once on e bad thing has befallen the target of the cantrip. As with Fair Fortune, Boil and Bubble is not cumulas will only cause multiple bad effects, itionally, multiple castings of this cantrip oftencausebad side effectsto the caster.This may raisethe difficultyfor a ny one task the Storyteller deems appropriate. At the Storyteller’s option, it might have some o&er minor bad effect. Realmst T h e Realm describes whatbecomes unlucky,or what rrpeof unlucky thingoccurs,and in which context it occurs (the subject of th e cantrip).
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L-"~- escribes the cantrip's target. escribes the cantrip's target. Nature - escribes what is affected by the cantrip. by the cantrip. Prop - escribes what is affected Scene - escri a or place in which the Fae -
cantrip takes effect.
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Successes: The exam te possible effectsfor this cantrip. Alternatively, the caster may raise the difficulty ofa given taskthe target attempts to
near you. When used in conjunction withthe Prop o? Scene Realm, this cannip may be used to scryan object or area from afar. Another use is to foretell danger, although this is alwaysthe resultof scryingpeopleor places. You may utilize any Perception-based Ability whileemploying this cantrip. You must either be familiar with the subject, possess a piece of the subject, or know name.
Realms: The Realm
a close friend turns against you)
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4 successes- ose something irrep magical sword/a close allyturns against you) 5 successes- uffer p ning)
describes what is being exam-
ctor - escribes whom you perceive. ature - escribe what you perceive. Prop - escribes what you perceive. Scene escribes the place you are attempting to perceive. Successes: Determin and otherwise sense.
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-uccess-The
faintest glimmeI of the subject.YOU
nosound. Contact lastsfor may get a flash of an image, but but a moment. 2 successes- ou get a clearvisual white” imageof the subject in your mind’s eye, sound. Contact lasts for five yourpoint of view; the cantrip stationary.
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aclear,full-color 3 successes- o uenget along withfuzzy sound, a b l i ou o sounds very close to the subject.Contactlasts for a scene. If the subjectis dangerous to you, becomes it apparenthrough the contact. You may not choose your point of view, aldwughyou can “pan” eftand r&htand “tilt”up and down. Note:Three successesor moreare mpmd to get afleeting glimpseof someone not on Earth, thoughthe subject wi as if only one success appear (see above)was gained. 4 successes- ou get a clear, full-colo ri y to hear perfectly clear sound, enabling ou normalhearing distanc tially last until the sun You ca n sensewhether or not or vouroathmates.You m a y not & ourpoint of vibu; you can “pan”eft andright, “tilt” $ r;d down, “mom in” to certain parts of the irea near the subject. 5 successes- s with four successes, above, except that you can choosea n y point of viewand followyour subject, no matter where itgoes,even if it moves past the srcinal contact point. Co ntac t asts for E entire day if possible, although you will become very tired unless you make aStamina+ Athletics roll (difficulty7). Fae - escribes a faerie or enchan,You may even enter the subject’spoint of view, moving volved in the prophecy. your perceptions and seeing what thesubjectsees. Nature - escribes a plant, animal, or natural phenomenon involved in th e prophecy. hUSUK9
e68ee
This cantrip allows you to foretell the future in a limited fashion. Somekind of divinatory oracle is often used, though it is not really necessary.
Prop - escribe what object will be involved in the prophecy. Scene- Describeswhat place willbe involvedin the prophecy.
After casting yo ur cantrip,you describe an event, which Successes: The more successesyou score, the more may or may notoccur.t must have something to do with the Realmof your cantrip. At somepoint in the story, the likely it is that the event takes place, and the more Storyteller will ay to weave that event into the plot.No one powerful an effect it will have on the story. knows whether an Augurycaster actually brings about thii 1 success minor event: a door opens, a cat event through hisownpoweror ifhe receives some glimp seof appears, rain starts. thefuture.Depend~onyourdegreeofsucces,theeventmay 2 successes- remarkable event: a stranger walks happensooner or later, although rem ember that the Story- through the door, several cats walk into the room, a telleris under no obligation to follow outlandish propheci es. thunderstorm starts. As always, the caveat of “be careful what youask for” applies. 3 successes- n important event: an ally arrivesat ReallllS: the last minute, oneof the cats begins to speak, a lightning Actor - escribes a person involved in the prophbolt strikes a specific spot. ecy.
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Changeling: T h e beaming
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4 uccesses- momentous event:a gunfight breaks out in the srreet, the city reports a plague of cats, a thunderstorm rages on for several days. 5 successes- “believe it or not” event: there’s a gang warin the streets, the Cat Lord appears and begins summoninghis forces, lightning carves a word into City Hall.
’ $$~ZHWBu m FIR^
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5 successes nstant Karma. Fate mov dispensingquickandutter justice. The murdereriscaught, thrown in jail and fingered in a lineup. The single mother falls head-over-heels in love and moves in with her love the next day. Note that because D6n is largelyup to the Storyteller, she should takespecial pains tobalance the effectsof the cantrip with the needs of the story (Faq Eire i s a particularly high-level power).
Fate Fire allows its wielder to bring Fateto bear on a
1 person, fae or mortal. It can be potentially destructiveor Sovew gn miraculously beneficial, depending onthe balance ofD6n 1
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(the faerie name for Fate). You have little control over the outcome of the Fate Fire power, though fate will favor o s me event related to the chosen Realm. You are,of course, free to make suggestions to t he Storyteller as to what sort of D6n might be appropriate. You will typically have a dream in which you receive some vague portent of what will come to pass.
Actor - escribesthe subject of the cantrip. Fae - escribesthe subject of the cantrip.
I Pass.Scene-
escribes the place whereFate will come to
Successes:
1
1 success- ai in e subject is wa about his M n hrough happenstance. A character has a brush with death. A murderer receives a “wrong-number” phone call from a policeman. A single mother hears her future lover’s name in a dream.
2 successes- iss of Fate.Th thing that illustrates her D h istinctly, informing herof I where life will take her if she continues on her current path. A murdererseessomeone getting arrested. A single
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so a knight could not affect a duke
Realms: The Realm determines the subject or the focus of the an.
- escribes the aspect of Nature that Fate work through. I will Nature Prop- Describeswhat objectFatewillworkthrough.
1
Accordingto the mostancient traditions h is Art can only be used by noble fae, though it is said that some commoners have recently learned its secrets, especially those commonerswho have obtained noblerank.Sover-
mother sees a couplein love, or a couple being married. 3 successes- PoeticJustice. The subject experiences a setbackor a sudden break that sets the wheelsof justice in motion. A murderer realizes that he left his murder weapon in a public place. A single mother is trapped in a blacked-out elevator with herperfect mate. 4 uccesses- lixir of Truth. The subject suddenly realizes the truth about his fate, probably too late to change it. A murderer’s oved oneis murdered.Ou r lonely single mother suddenlylooks up into her mate’s eyes and knows that this is the person she’s going to love forever.
epococol This cantrip iswhat all court without being perpetually interruptedby raucous childlings andUnseelie commoners. Basically,it enforces noble protocol, etiquetteand custom on everyone within its influence. Typically a seneschalor chamberlain will cast this cantrip o n the area where court is being held. Changeling protocol is a very courtly set of rules that regulateswho may approach the liege of a court, who may speak, and what activities are appropriate. Unnecessary talking, pranks and combat are forbidden, although duels are allowed within their proper context. Th e Storyteller has final say over what is proper “protocol.” Realms: The different Realms determine different
effects. Actor - his forcesnormal mortals toconform their words and actions to changeling protocol. Fae-This forcesa specific changelingor enchanted creature to follow changeling protocol. Nature - his forces a plant or animal to treat th e subject respectfully, buthas no further effect. Prop -This makes an object proof from being used in an inappropriate manner. This is often permanently cast on important treasures and weapons. Scene - his describes the area Y the cantrip.
ChapzreR Seven: C$am
2
Successes: Each successindicates a number of Willpower successes (difficulty 7) which must be gained to breakprotocol while under th e aegisof the cantrip.Th e effectlasts unt il sunup or sundown, or until t he caster or reigning noble cancels i t, as appropriate.
e
turn
This is the power of command.Noble changelings have alwaysheld this power, but are loath touse t because it has become a n increasinglysore spot among commoners in recent years.
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When using this cantrip, you simply phrase your command in the form of a direct request; youcan then expect your command to be carried out. You cannot request that someone placeherselfin direct danger, although you can request that she guarda place or person. Th e command cannot be for longer than an hour's dum tion. Realms: Th e Realm determines who is being af-
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fecteictor: Describesthe target of the cantrip. Fae: Describesth e target of the cantrip.
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Nature: Describes what subjectthe command must regard. Prop: Describes what subject the command must regard. Scene: Describes the setting of the command. Successes: Successes indicatethe number of successeson a Willpower roll (difficulty7) needed to avoid instantly complying o the request. This cantrip expiresin one hour. Most beings affectedby this cantrip will know that it was usedon them.
eee
RandeuR
Noble faeries were once worshipped as gods and goddesses. The use of thi s can tri p may be on e reason. Grandeur imbues you with unearthly grace and supernatural beauty. So awe-inspiring are you that none may strike you or take any violent action against you without first over coming t he Grandeur. T he Grandeur lasts for an e ntire scene or unti l it is voluntarily abandoned. Other changelings tend to fall deeply in love with those who manifest this cantrip; for this reason most nobles are loath to perform it in public. Realms: The Realm determines who is affected. Actor - ou can awe mortals. Fae-You can awe changelingsand other enchanted creatures.
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Scene - escribes where you mwt be to Cat G m -
Successes: Successes indicate how many successes on a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) are required to make any motion a t all while in the presence of a changeling
using Grand eur. Note t hat it is impossible for a nobl e
$eee &kaveR
UaRd
Wit h this cantrip, you can place a lockor a seal ona
A Geasa generally takes th e form of a quest or mission that the individual must perform.If this quest is to th e l etter, th e person under the Geasa will be afflictedby some form of curse, usually named at t he time of th e casting. The power of this curse depends on th e power of th e cantrip. The cursedoes not always strike immediately, but may warn the person in subtle ways if he from his quest*
Ban is a type of Ge A doingm~th against
System: Once the Geasa is laid, itis extremely difficult o break.T h e nly safeway to do so is to fulfill the
Ward temporarily. A Ward or until destroyed
needed*
1 Nature - escribes the objective of the Geasa. Scene - escribes the des Successes: The number of successes indicates the culty of the Geasa an d the severity of the curse. break. The Wayfare cantfipof Portal Passage directly opposes this cantrip. For eachsuccesson Weaver Ward, one additional success with Portal Passageis required to penetrate the Ward.No other proof against the Ward is available, except time or Banali cv
1 success- simple Geasa (pick up a paper at the COmer Store); minorCur~e develop arash). 2 successes- more complicated Geasa (deliver a message to a known person); moderate curse (minor physical ail ment), difficult Gea sa (deliver ames3tosuccesses an unknown - very major curse (debilitating person);
-
4 successes
neariy impossibletask (locate a in a foreign country); far-reaching curse dies, loseall worldly possessions).
ated by an oath that a magicallyenforced. Useo a Geasa or a Ban on a
ndary Geasa (rescuethe princess Dragons);deadly curse (death).
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, r.1
8@epORCalpSage
Th e Art of traveling and moving, Wayfare was srcinallydeveloped by warriors, messengers, heralds and bards. Those who possess it and advertise the fact are carefully watched, for the Art allows passage into re. str ic t4 places. Attribute: Wits
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Thiscantrip allows the user to make fantastic leaps and jumps. Byusing this power youcan jump to the top of a building and down again safely. Youcan also use Hop-
This cantrip opens a portal through a barrier. The portal will either conform o the barrier (a t its smallest)or be as large as a normal door ( at its largest). Realms: Th e Realm determines what can pass through the portal. Actor - escribes whocan pass through the p o d . Fae - escribes who can pass through the portal. Nature - escribeswhat can pass through the p o d . Prop -Describes what object ca n pass through a portal. Scene -
eeee
scotch to enable others to make similar leaps. The Rea lm def ie s the subject or area of Realms: effect of the jumping ability. Actor - escribes whocan ump. Fae - escribes who can jump. Nature - escribes what animal can jump, or what
can be jumped over.
Prop-Describes anobjectyouwishtofireintotheair. Scene- escribes where you are leaping. Successes: 1success-five
ll within the scene may pass through.
Successes: The number of successes determines how long the portal remains active; the duration is one turn per success.
feet straight up; 15-footbroad jump
2 successes- ne story straightup; 30-footbroad jump 3successes- wo storiess e t p; 6O-footbroadjump hxeses-fivestorie~stralghtup; 150-footbroad jump
UindbmeR
You can use this cantrip to make yourselfor other objects fly. Thiscan be anything from a momentary levitation to a full risingup-in-the-air.Note that humans viewing you will be under the memoqwnumbing effect of the Mists and will probablynot remember your flight. Beware:Once duration of the cantrip is up, you the another to keep you aloft. may no t be able to form Realms: Th e Realm determines what is lifted up, or who can fly. Actor - escribe who can fly. Fae - escribe who can fly. Nature - escribeswhat can be lifted up. Prop - escribes whatcan be lifted up.
Scene - escribesthe area where gravity is temporarily suspended. 5succ~0storiesstraightup;300-footbroadjump Successes: The number of successesindicates how long the effects last.You mayfly for one turnper success ofly (Le.,youchose . This cantrip allows you to move as fast as a flicker of plus 1dlOturns.Ifmultiplebeingsare the Scene Realm), you must "pay" for each being flying light. For a brief instant youcan move at incredible speeds. (i.e., if there are five people who wish to fly, and youscore
e 9 quicksilveR
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The Realm determines what is being afRealms: fected. Actor - escribes subject of cantrip. Fae -.Describes subject of cantrip.
three successesplussix extra turns on t he die roll, then you have nine turns total t o distribute among the five people.)
Nature -Describes what you must touch to cast the cantrip. Prop - escribes what object moves quickly. Scene - escribesthe area youmust be in to use this cantrip. Successes: Each success allows you to perform one extra action on your next turn.
This cantrip allows youor a subject to blink out of existence in one place and reappear in another. Both the subjectand the destinationshouldbeknown o you, oryou should possess a part or image of them. As longas heseare known/had, there is no chance that the sending will go astray. If the sending is attempted without these things,
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ChangchngThe 6Rcaming
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63 e
ickeR Flash
ote that it is not possible usingthis cantrip, although a fe
the have tried (and
The Realm describes whoor what can Realms: Actor
In order to use this Realm you must know someone’s name and have had conversationswi th the person in the past. This co up be anyone from the policeman on the er to a drunk you occasionallyalk to in th e local bar.
who can be sen - DescriG
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Fae escribeswho can be sent. Nature - escribes what can be se Prop - escribes what can be sent. Scene - escribes where something quickly the travel takesplace:
e e e Complete SmungeR In order to use this Realm you need know absolutely
2 successes- ravel takes five minut 3 successes- ravel takesone minute. 4 successes- ravel takes 10seconds. ravel is instantaneous. 5 successes
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Ability:Subterfuge
ee g~el R e Enemy In order to use this Reaim you must be opposed to someone, hate him, or otherwise be in competition or conflict. Note that a friend with whom youare having
Realm and Bunk cards you ca n possess(Bunk listed just after this section). Following each Realm description is themiiity asso ciated with th at Realm card.This s the Ability that m
conflict fallsunder this category. Ability: Intimidation
This Realm comprises the awesome
card if a roll must be m
This
Realm has to do
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e
l U mUCeRlU1 You may onlyuse this Realm on unliving organic
materials: wood, rope, paper,etc.If it’s inorganicor livi it doesn’t fitthis Realm.
known (his name, his job, must be friendly to you.
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of the Actor Realm.
Ability: Survival
$88$Nacu~alphenomena You mayonly use his Realm for natural phenomena: weather, volcanic eruptio ns, geothermal reactions, etc. Ability: Enigmas
eeeedhse
Element
You ma y only use his Realm o n raw nat ural elements (such as are found on the periodic table)or the traditional elements of air, fire, earth and water.
Ability: Science
Thiss the realm of the fae, and includes all thi ngs ot
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You may only use this Realm on a commonerchange-
You may only use this Realm on a noble changeling (one who holds a title).
lm o n chimera or chimeri-
You may onlyuse thi on those strange fae beings that are unknown to the normal changeling. These includenunnehi and nanimae.Thiss also the “catch-all” category for anything unexplained or unexp1ain;rhlP but still related to the Dreaming.
You m a y only use this Realm to affect anything .reatedhGlamour: cantrips,treasures,reeholds, dross, etc.
Ability: Mythlore
This refers to a single item containing electronic and mechanical parts that is not easily understoodor explained. Examplesinclude a computer,an X m y machine, a television, aCD player, etc.
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POP
In distinguishinga prop from anatural object, one must be aware that anything touched and workedby the hand of humanity becomes a prop. For example,if a piece of wood is found in t he forest and used as a walking st it does not become a prop until the finder shavesoffa inches to makeit more comfortable.
f-1 V
e OWKLteqaRb You may only use this Realm to affect commonlyworn. category includesewelry:clothing,
hi
an d even tattoos. Ability: Crafts
6Be &aped
Tool
Thisrefers
to a singlehandheld item having no moving or electronic parts. Weapons like clubs, stavesand swords fall into this category.Guns do not.
Ability: Melee
6B @ @ aechunicul &vice Thisefersto a single handheld item th at has moving parts. This includes agun, requiring electricity.
bu t does not include anything
Ability: Science
Comp1e)c CIC)uchin e eThis 63 refers to a single item containing both moving and electronic components, but whichis easilyexplained and understood. Itneed not be handheld. Toaster ovens, cars, and printing presses fall into this category; micro-
wave ovens, televisions, and computersdo not. Ability: Drive
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This is the Realm of places.T h e Rea describe an area or series of areas.
The CharnbeR This refersto asmall,esdosedarea: amm, acloset,etc. Ability: Alertness
This refers to a small smcture. Examples include a photomat booth, a tollboo&, a mobile home, a small house, and a bomb shelter. Ability: Investigation
$@e T h e LonelyLane Thisefers to a continuousexpanse of road stretching as far as the eye can see. Exampias*btchde a city block, a
lonely country highway, etc.This Reaimis required if you wish to affect the roadwhile driving.
Ability:Streetwise
esbeeTheCjl This refers to a relatively small, easily defined natural setting. Examples include a park,a forest, a lake, ahill, a grotto, etc.
Abditv: Athletics
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efersto a large building01 series of buildings This about the sizeof a medieval castle. Examples include a post office, a giant library, a series fo university buildings, severaltownhouses,a shopping center, etc. Ability: Politics
a Bunks
Bunksare what Glamour demands beforeyou can enact a cantrip. In of time. Your character is aware fo the kinds ofthings her Glamour requires of her and is able to procure items in order to prepare. Bunksare organized according to the Art they are affiliated with, butthey are justas effective paired with an Art that isn't theirs.
Level bunk e
Successes
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GnisC no6: Sing a songbackward, one verse (must be a different song each time ~
comesup). he Rooster ScreamsAt Midnight: Read bad poetry, one full poem (must be a the-Bunk ' 2h t BIX~' P
Moo: Make a 4 ikLacow.
.e
..
:c
** e
e.
differenteach ime th e Bunk comes up). e
N
City Narrate your every action before doing it.
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Changeling: Thc haming
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Vanna’s Revenge: Reveal somethingby yanking a curtain or cloth off it .
VLLL.
u
1 LUJULLLF
LF
IUII
LULU~
PU~ILIUII
m u wwmw
you nave acnieveaa
‘putni
transcendental state of nothingness.
Marcel’sApprentice: Mime “walkinginto the wind.”
mtxxana umger. I apaancea c m n w wm t tioorsurfaces an d two walls.
e
Willowbark Seashell: Li
Oakstaff: Make astafffrom an oak branch and carryit with you fo r a dayan d a night..
JCII-OL~ZI~IC~LIWI: III~ILL
e neaim LxveiOT aamagero yourselr,or a type hat will
leave a smr.
B
0
.*e
Elder-ring: Make a ring of elder wood and wear it. Twisr thering when you wish
E
Th e Oracle Sa .
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.
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,
1
Moio-Bae:M continuouslyin the presence of y
hew the wax ot a candle that burned contrnuously for seva
Endearment: C
miirwlf
1
with heautifiil neonle.
f # A Ashes in the Corner. Write your wisheson a piece of fineparchmentyou make yourself. Bum the parchment over ared candle. Collect the ashes and spread theashesnear your subject.
..
.
Y .
Honor he Four Winds:Burn rareOriental incense, procurean expensivegemstone, light small fireof rarewoods, and obtaina drop of waterfromevery ocean n the world. Place eachof , ss wints 'rouands ' ' 1
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Changeling: The hxming
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0
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st observefor the next what extent this reaches.
Widdershins
orrid Dreams
The cantrip you just cast reverses itself. Lose ImportantItem
FreezingWind
Headaches You are plagued with temble migraines for the next month.
BadLuck You sufferbotch resultson botha “1 “ and a *ondurink
valuableor valuedpossession- possiblya treasure. Itmay be possibleto regain the item, or itmay belost forever. Wracked with Pain You are wracked with temble painand cry out in you hink of this pain, you must make agony. Every time a Willpower roll (difficulty7 ) to avoid experiencing it again. This lasts for a full mx&+
..*** LoseAll Glamour All of your temporary Glamour departs atonce. ..em. Banality
Glamour has a way of insinuating itself into physical objects and even forming physical objects from itsown essence. Glamour’screations, known s treasures,are the magic items of the fae. Prized over all else,they are the objects of many quests and adventu res. Most treasures are things of legend, their srcins shrouded in the mists of time. Others, however,are Cree ations of powerfulfae (mostly nockers).Treasurescan also be created through the natural action of Glamour (as si dross), and often form out of objects used by powerfulor legendary heroes. Some powerful treasures haildirectly fromArcadia, finding their way t o this world through one device or another. All treasures are unique, thoughsome resemble one another; Glamour never strikestwice in exactly the same fashion. Many treasures are chimerical.
Legendaries are exceedmly rare, but exceedingly powerful. They completely gnore Banality and may affect both the real and fae worlds with impunity. SomeKithair speculate that legendaries contain little nuggets ofthf Dreaming within them, powerful pieces of creation’s es. sence that enforcetheir paradigmon the rest of existence
Legendariesare always sentient and often have pow ers relating directly totheir personalities.They will ofter appear to be weaker items until certain key words, phrase* or other triggers are used. Sometimeswhen a legendaryis activated, all changelings in the vicinity (or even in the same city!) realize it and are awakened. Legendariesare so powerful on all levels of realitythat they radiate their own chimerical resonance, whichcannot be ignored by anyone with the Kenning Talent. Some famous legendaries are Gae Bolg (a paoerful
spearused by CuchGnn),Calibum (the amous s w d of court), the Eye of Balor (a & tone light from Arthur’s There are five different types of treasures : talisman that would kill d ho looked on t ) and the Pair Chimera - his type of treasure is illusory, exist- Dadeni (the amous “cauldronfrebirth,” a vessel whichm y ing only to fae, and may or may not have magical powers. have inspired the legends of the Holy Grail). Chimera don’t existin the real world and cannot affect real objects inany way, unless those personsor objects are
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enchanted (see Chapter Eight). Pyx - “magicalbox” that allowsa changelingo store cantrips in it.A pyx can take any form (though it is usually acontainer of some sort)and can store any cantrip put into it (basically, he three Glamour cards composing the cantrip). Once a cantrip is used up, a new one must be placed in the pyx. Noble Treasures- hese are treasures that signify and can only beused by certainrankednobles.TheSetting Chapter has more information on noble treasures.
Legendaries- xtremelypowerful reasures.They I always have some sort of sentience and personality.Because of this, it is very rare for fae to possess morethan one legendary treasure at a time.
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Below are some sample treasures. Note that most treasures have very “subtle” effects or do not function in plain sight of mortals.
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Talismans- reasures that have a physical reality as well as a faerie seeming.
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Powerful, ancient items that have both a mortal seeming and a powerful chimerical presenceare called orlegendaries.Legendariesare hought legendary reasures, to be ancient gifts to hose faerieswho remainedbehind o n Earth.Some have fallen into mortal hands and have since
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UaRdeds Uhiscle This silver whistle blows loudly whenever someone comes near it -but only when removedfrom its silver chain. Once it has blown at someone’s approach, it will not do so again until replaced o n its chain and t hen taken off again. It is an ideal alarm for people who areafraid of someone sneaking up o n them while they sleep. The whistle itself is engraved with drawings of howlin g dogs.
Cyclonespylc This small iron box, engraved with drawings of tornadoes and toweringcyclones,canstoreone completecantrip of the PrimalArt.Oncethe cantrip is used (by opening the box), a new one can be stored within and sealed there by closing the lid.
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This pouch of extremely fine, white sand contains the essenceof the Dreaming. When sprinkled on the face of a sleeping mortal or fae,it causesthe subject to have vivid, Glamour-infused dreams. The subject awakens doubly refreshed. Kithain regain eithertwo Glamour or two Willpower points. Only 25 doses of Dream Dust are contained in the pouch - ess if some has already been used.
Cjloruscone This simple quartzrock glows brightly upon hearing the secret command word. The beam it casts looks very similar to that of a flashlight, fi th e back of the stone is clenched tightly. Otherwise, it simplycasts radiance in all directions, enough to light a small room. Though a Glowstone looks like an ordinary rock, someone examining it closely will see what appearsto be a firefly trapped inside. Nockers especially treasure Glowstones, oftenimbedding them in the devices they create.
Blind Thomas’Gold This ornately decorated antique gold coin of unknown srcin is worth around $200 (more to some collectors). The coin vanishes from its new owner’s possessionas soon as the command word is spoken, returning to the srcinal owner’s pocket. Every time this is done, the user must roll one die;if a “1” s rolled the coin vanishes into the Dreaming. Somemore modern versionsof this treasure have caricaturesof sportsstars or politicians engraved upon them.
Sluagh Sneakem These foul-smelling,tattered and soiled sneakersallow those who wear them to move about without making a sound. Although they smell terrible when first put on, they provide a huge amount of assistance to stealthy movement. Characters wearing Sluagh Sneakers reduce all Stealth difficultiesby three. The odor emitted upon their removal, however, si nauseatingly foul.
Baldm’s eveRfo1ding0 0 ~ This box initially appears to bea simple cardboard carton. It can be manipulated and will expandor shrink from matchbox- to cartondsize.Moreover, no matter how much mass one places in it, it remains weightless. One must be alone to accomplish this, however; fi someone watches the user place an item into the box, that item will weigh its normal amount,
It is possibleto expand the box to hold, say, abowli ball and then shrink it so hat it canhold a diamond.. .and both will still be in there, side by side. The box can be folded in such a way that t he contents will be concealed; the number of ways in which it ca n be folded, realigned and closed is nearly infinite. People looking in ht e box will always findit empty; only if they open the bottom fh p, refold it, and then open it from the other side (orwhatever processreverseswhat the folder did) will they discover its true contents.
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This treasure looksike an oversized oy plastic pistol.
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The Stone of Opening is a legendary treasure, although only those who score three successes on an Ihtelligence + Mythlore roll (difficulty10) know much about it. TheStonecanopenanything.That’sright, nything. All one needs to do is press it againstsomethii that’s closed, and it will open. It will even operate in full view of a mortal, although people will generally remember the event differently. (Oh, no, officer...he just put his hand up to th e safe and it opened.I guess nobody locked it.) The Stone has other powers, but those are better left secret for the nonce.
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It is “loaded”by placing a big wad of prechewed chewing
hduuyn’s Adze
gum in the firing chamber. Whe n aimed at an opponent wielding a real gun, the Gumgun fires a blob of sticky, gooey bubblegum at the firearm, totally disabling it and perhapsgluing the gunman to it. Th e gun has noo ther use, except the rather hateful one of shooting gum intopeople’s hair. This device is a favoriteof childling redcaps.
This hooklike weapon, constructed of woodand I silver, was specially created to capture and control chimerical beasts.The Adze is chimerical itselfand is d o hook a chimera and hold it a t a distance while it rr bortnd, A n y chimera in the grasp of the Adze is rendered completely motionless.
Twinis 00obau1 This chimerical periscope is able to violate a number of different lawsof reality.It can be stuck through walls, ceilings,floorsand doors, thus allowingone to see through them. It is about three feet in length and looks and behaves like a normal periscope.A crank extends and lowers the shaft (allowingit to become up to 15 feet in length), and the view can be adjusted through a focus knob. Th e Periscope has a coy personalityand on occasion becomes a little cheeky- epicting hideous monsters instead of what is actually present in the place being spied. If angered it sometimes showsmesmerizingkaleidoscopic effects. What the Periscope wants, morethananything else, is to be used often, wisely and in interesting ways.It wants to look at “cool stuff,” no t “boring stuff.”
r n i g h t g Blimpiny ’Batcape
Thistreasure looks nearly identical to a prankster’s toy buzzer, suchas one would place on a seat or in one’s palm to scare someone. However, this faerieform of the toy is capableof dealing quite a jolt to anyone or anything of fae origin. Twinz’s b b a w nflicts three Health Levels of shock damageto its victim. This gilded trumpet isa treasureof signaling.Its sound can be heard throughout an entire barony by all those connected to the Dreaming (including some mortals). Different songs can denote different sortsof messages, such as warningsor invitations to feasts. Th e sound ofthe Klax is so piercing that it can even stir a changeling out of her mortal seeming.
This childling treasure looks like a cheap, plastic
1
Halloween costume cape. However, it contains potent Primal forces. Thecape expandsand acts like wings to slow and control a fall. Th e wearer of the Batcape will suffer no damage from falling and can even guideher descent a little as she falls.
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T h e Stone of Opening Note that the Stone of Opening s a unque item. If your charactersare phying the Immortal Eyes Chronick which begins inhe Appendix),they wilt need the Stone of Opening.
Shapedike a disco party ball, this powerfuldeviceis
the ultimate p-making
machine. When lights are focusedon t in a dark room, it emits an aura of euphoria (though often a falseone) affecting all who can see its scintillating lights. Some faemay even believethat they have experienced an epiphany.
CoimingCR~C This miniature shield is completelyunadorned. If held by a sidhe for a complete day, however, a crest identifyii the holder’s heritage, house and legendary
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status will appear ontb Thus the sidhe’s ruena can be discovered. This item is often used during the naming ceremony for a sidhe.
T h e Golden G’)cirn
h
This small, golden, dove-shaped pendant allows its wielder to win a ny game of chance- uch as a roulette wheel, or a slot machine- ore oftenthanhe normally
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would. It istoo notmuch.. infallible, been used . however- specially if ithas
ThoR’s Tumhelm
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This huge helmet protects its wearer against chimerical physical damage ofa n y sort, save that inflicted by chimerical hammers or clubs. The Tarnhelm is deeply (some say malevolently) intelligent,and has its own history, friendsand enemies. Over time it will begin to infect its wearer with itsown agenda, consumingher mind and will. It knows a great deal of lore and historyand will often motivate reluctant “hosts” by luring them with storiesof great hidden treasures and uncompleted quests.
udstones
of Tylone
Thesetwo ounded river stones, iffirmlygrasped (one
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in each hand) at the same time, afflict theholder with madnessfor about an hour’s duration.
x;,
apreR Seven: GlamouR
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one’s reallife i s s
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This chapter discusses the different ways a character an change during the c f a chronicle. Herein are many differentsystems ng changes ocharacters, many things. Much of whether the changes in question be the accumulat thing that can be experience or the accumulation of wounds. recorded on character sheets, but something the players This chapter is divided into three sections, each of keep in mind thereafter.They may learn never to leave a which discussesa different group of systems for imple- ca r door unlockedor never to walk into a dark alley wi t menting character changes. Character Development a light behind them. Sometimes, however, what characdescribeshow Traits can in crea e (and decrease).Mental ters learn can be recorded. States includes systems for chimera, Bedlam, oaths and At the end of each story, the Storyteller awards enchantments. Physical States includes systems for injuexperience points to each character, normally giving the ries and recovery from injuries. same amount to each one. The players then record the I points on their character sheets. Experience points can be used to increase Traits.
This section discusses the ways a character can increase (o r decrease) in power and abilities.
The costfor raising Traits varies wi dely;see the chart on the next page for specifics. The costisalmost alwaysased b on theproductofthepresentratingandacertainnumber.Thus, if the character has an Alertnessrating of 2, and the player points to do so. wants to raise itto 3, it costs four experience Ifthecharacterdoesnothave theTraitatal1,thecostislisted asa“new”Trait.ATraitc anonlybe increasedbyonedotper story- ever more.
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RoleplugI t As the Storyteller, you should not let a player spend her experience points to raise any Trait she wishes - t’s alittle more involved than that. T he increasedTrait must be something the character had a chance to learn or use during the story - ither the character achieved great success through use o f the Trait, or she made abig mistake from which she can learn. In the case of Willpower, something must have actually occurred to bolster the character’s self-confidence. You should only allowTrait increasesif they have been or can be woven into the story.At the very least, changes need to make sense intermsof the story and no t simplybe changes the player makes becausehe wants her character to gain certain powersor skills. The more you force the playersto make sense of their experiences, the more character developmentas a whole is furthered.
P\ruuRding CReRience
points Assigning experience points requires a careful balance between rewarding the playersand maintaining game balance. If you follow the guidelines below, you probablywon’t get into too much trouble, but feel free to experiment as you seefit.
e n d of each ChapteR Give each character one to five experience points at the end of each chapter (game session).One point is given whether or not the group succeedsor fails,as a function of simply participating (remember, sometimeswe learn despite ourselves). utomatic:Each player gets one One point point after every game session.
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One point eroism: When a character risks herself for others, such as when she fends off several enemies with iron weaponsin order to allow the rest of the group to escape, give her an experience point. Don’t let characters take advantage of this; there is a fine line between heroismand stupidity.
e n d of Each SCORLJ
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One point anger: The character experienced great danger during the storyand survived. dom: The player (and thus the One point character) exhibited great witsor resourcefulness,or came up with an idea that enabled the group to succeed. If you want to award even more points, thus allowing the characters to develop even more quickly, simply invent new categories in which to award experience. These can even vary from story to story and canbe based on the specific circumstances of that story.
1ncReasing and &cRasing Tmts The costs for permanently raising the Traits listed below are listed on the Experience Chart.
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One point earning Curve:The character learned somethingfrom his experiences during the ch a p ter. Ask he player to describewhat his character learned before you award the point. One point cting:Th e player roleplayed wellnot just entertainingly, but appropriately. Award for exceptional roleplaying only; your standards should get increasinglyhigher. In most cases, award this only to the person who did the best roleplayingin the troupe. Concept The player acted out her One point character’s conceptvery well.
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Changcling: The beaming
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At the end of each story, you can assigneach player one to three additional experience points over and above the one to five points earned for completing the chapter. One pint uccess:The characterssucceeded in their immediate mission or goal. Perhaps it was not a complete success, but at least a marginal victory was achieved.
Trait cost Attribute Current rating x 4 New Ability 3 Ability Current rating x 2 New Art
7
Art
Level ofArt x 4
NewRealm Realm
5
Willpower Glamour
Current rating x 2 Current rating x 2
Level of Realm x 3
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Rasing ARCSnd ReuIms It ispossible for a changeling o learnArts and Realms on her own,but it takes longer and requiresmore effort.If a changeling has the Mentor Background, she may roll (usually against difficulty6) a number of dice equal to the Trait score;ach succes~ educes the cost of learning the Art or Realm.For example, a character with four dots in Mentor can roll four dice (difficulty6); each success subtractsone fiom the experience cost to learn that Art or Realm.
Bedlam The mindis its own bke, and n itself Can make a Hea m- of Hell, or Hell bf Heaven. -John Milton, PmadiseLost Insanity is a constant threat to the Kithain. Because they regularlyinteract with things that are not “real,”and because Glamourhas a habit of making one’sperceptions change over time, madness si a threat to every changeling. Changelings typically pass through three “thresholds”of Bedlam, although occasionally they go right from normalcy to complete madness without stopping atth e ther two thresholds. You, as the Storyteller, have complete control over the process o f Bedlam. You may decide to advance a character farther into Bedlam at a ny time it seems appropriate. However, thereis a listof “warning signs” (seepg. 225) to guide your decision-making process. As a general guideline, a character who meets three or more of the warning signshas he potential for slippinginto Bedlam.
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You should only inflict Bedlamwhen it is appropriate.
One mad changeling can ruin your whole chronicle if you’re not careful. Ofcourse, Bedlam mustbe a threat with teeth if you are to encourage balance between thereal world and the fantastic in your game.
The first threshold is perception-based.A character begins to have trouble distinguishing between mundane things and things chimerical. As well, she begins to see things that are not even chimerically there. Listed b elow are threshold flaws you can inflict on a character who has descended into the first level of madness. Color Change:Everything changes colors, either randomlyor in patterns.
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ic or audible whispers, impartspewing totally unintelligible
Dred Afeeliofcompleteandutterdreadengub ling; shadows distortinto monshus shapes. Lights:Bright lightsflashin and out of existence, sm un di ng people with nimbi or otherwise lluminating things-
Note: It’s very hard for players to watch their ch amters fall into Bedlam. Beforeyou proceed to the third threshold (where all but the most miraculous healing fails), you should make sure that the madnessfits the character’s internal story and give the character opportunities for h e a l i i f possible. Of course, fi the player of the mad character is having fun, here’s no reason to easehis transition into the third threshold - tter madness.
Whatever the first-threshold flaws are, they Note:
ThiRd ThReshold he third threshold is the
is more severeand debiliBedlam’s second threshold tating. At this point chimericalreality becomesmundane reality for the afflicted. The Storytellershould take the player asideand explain how the character’s reality has changed. This is when madness becomes evident to other changelings, because the changeling‘s Glamouris af-
fected. The changeling ceases to interact who does not fit his version of reality.
with anyone
Certain kinds of therapy (see “Treating Bedlam,” below)can actually drive the dic te dd ee pe r into Bedlam at this point. It is very &&cult for outsiders to discern whether a changeling is in the first or second stage of Bedlam. Indeed, the changeling may temporarily regain lucidity; duringth positively normal. Some examplesof second-threshold Bedlam are: Don Quixote Syndrome: The character believes everything to be from an ancient time or fantasy realm. Delusions of Grandeur: he character seeseveryone as an underling, fit only to serve him. No matter what utter nonsense he spouts, he expects others to laud his ideas and cater to his insane visions. SociiDarwiniam: The character sees everyoneas either predator or prey- nd herselfas a predator of great strength and skill. This is an nsidious formofmadness, as t can remain undetected for some time. Soon, however, the characterwill strike- nd will follow in her wake. Th e Walls Have Ears:The character believes that everything has a personality andisalive. Manifestations of this madnessrange from a changeling holding quiet conversationswith fenceposts o utteringapologies every time he takes a step on the street.
most devastating. The character becomes an unintelligible creature. She retains all the characteristics of her former stagesof madness, but also suffersfrom a number of other threshold symptoms,as seen below: Berserker: The character attacks all around her with whatever weapons are nearby. Autism: The character withdraws into himself, not recognizing the outside world at all.
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Feral Cunning: The character reverts to an nimalistic state: not a frenzied attacker like Berserker, above, but a cunning, predatory animal that doesn’t communicate l and seeks onlyto escape or kill. Perversity: The character descends into he depths of her psycheand performs inhuman acts barely conceivable by even the most depraved soul. Note: Thitd-threshold Bedlam is highlyContagHXs. A ny changeling o f rced intoprolonged contactwith achter in third-thresholdBedlamrisksdevelopinght-th reshold Bedlam.This is, of course, up to the Storyteller’sdisaetion, but it is a definite danger.Only the most brave (or the most foolish)treat those in third-thresholdBedlam. Changelings in thisstageare often destroyed, albeit remorsefully.
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As if this weren’t awful enough, those inthirdthreshold Bedlam birth many nervosa chimera(see pg. 232), all of which share common characteristics andwork to protect the mad one. Eventually,if untreated, Bedlam will completely overtake the character. She will lose allfree will and willpass nto the world of dreams. One night, while the changeling 1 dreams, he will simply cease tobe, disappearing entirely fromhe face of the earth. Atthispoint (or perhaps sooner), the player may no longerrun he character and must create a new one if she wishes to continue play in the chronicle.
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irst-threshold Bedlam is cured, paradoxically, by exposure to Banality. Often a changeling n first-threshold Bedlamgoesoff by himself, seekingto “curehimself”n the
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normalcy of human society. He resigns his position at court or leaves his household, taking a job in the mortal world and temporarily forgetting his changeling nature. This eventually cures the changeling: disavowing all contact with changeling society si often enough of a splashof cold water to ge t the psyche back on track.
h
In second-threshold Bedlam, things are a little different. A careful balance of magical healing (using thePrimal Art) and Banality therapy must be used to treat the madness. Thisis becausethe madnesshas progressed to the faerie “soul”of the changeling,and both his human soul and faerie soul must be cleansed before continuing.
Th e only widely known cure for third-threshold Bedlam is drinking from the Cupof Dreams, an ancient and powerfulfaerie treasurethought to be currently lost in the Dreaming. It is said that somedragons alsopossess t he lore to cure third-stage Bedlam.No Banality cure has ever worked,and psychiatristswho treat changelings n thirdstage madness are thoroughly confusedby their patients’ resistance to psychoactive dru gs and normal therapeutic techniques.
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bk.hzn ingsi gns Checklist Below are some warningsigns that a change,
ling might be in danger of experiencing Bedlam. Although none of these is a “surefire” sign of impending madness, the more warning signs a character fulfills, the more likely Bedlam becomes. Your Glamour is higher than both yourWillpower and your Banality.
You spend more nights in freeholds tha real world. (If you spend all of your time in freeholds, Bedlam is almost assured.. .) You have more than one faerie treasure.
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You interact with more than three chimera on a regular basis. You are a perennial Ravager. You have no mortal friends. You have no mortal job. You are almost exclusivelynocturnal. You drink alcoholor use drugsor have sex to excess. You spend more than half of your waking time creating art of some kind. You have no mortal family. You have no mortal possessions. You are in a state of unrequited love.
22 5
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to have a way of though as with all faerie laws, they seem enforcing themselves.
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I stood inthis sheltered place
Love Between kichain
’Til I could see the faceehind b the face All that has gone beforehas not left a trace Down by the railway siding In our secret world we were colliding In all the places we were hiding love What wasit we were thinking of? - eter Gabriel, “Secret World” The ideals of love are very important among the fae. Changelings fall in love with humans(tragic though such
f-l
love may be), other exiles and even Arcadian fae. The complexitiesof Kithain romance have brought into being the Laws of Love. As with so many things fae, theserules are a close approximation of the Rulesof Love developed during the Middle Ages by mortals. They are an attempt to govern what is acceptable in love and what is not. These rules, which used to be absolute law in ages past, have come to be little more than guidelinesfor would-be lovers. Many modern Kithain, particularly wilders, consider these laws outdated. Still, they are followed and acceptedby the bulk of changeling society. There are no written penalties for breaking the laws, ,
26
Chan ge ling : Th e be am in g P
This is the only form of love that isformally accepted by the noble houses.On the rare instances in which true love exists between changelings,the two lovers may achieve an epiphanyon account of theirtrue love for one another. After all, there is no higher form of art than that of love. Those who fall in love with members of rival houses or with those of the opposite court place themselves at risk. Such unions may even be forbidden outrightby the changeling’s ord. Overall, it is the commonerswho have it easiest in love;they have the least to lose and the most to gain. At most a boggan might be shunnedby her fellow boggans if she were to fall in love with a troll, but there would befew, fi any, other consequences.
Love of
OnLs Consox
Arranged marriages, and marriagesfor landand power, are not uncommon among changelings. I t is rare, however, that either or bothof those involved in such a marriage truly love one another.In such cases it is considered permissible to seek a lover outsidef omarriage, hough of course meeti ngs with this lover should be kept clandestine.
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Lovefor mortals is considered to be the most dangei ous and potentially most tragic of all. Unless the mortal is enchanted, he can never trulyknow a changelingfor what she is - hey can never really know one another. There will alwaysbe a separation between thetwo, for a changeling is a partof the Dreaming and hopes always to return there, while a mortal can never attai n Arcadia. In the end the two must part,as the mortal partner growsold anddies. Still, there is much to be saidfor love between mortals an d changelings,and there aremany who would risk it for its rewards. The love of a mortal can be a constant source of epiphany.Whenever her lover givesher a rose, readsher a poem or spends an intimate moment with her, the changeling may experiencean epiphany. Ravagers may gain Glamour in this fashion as well, though their way usuallyleaves the mortal a husk of what he once was, now
Love must always rise or fall. Loveneverstands still.
* Love, through jealousy, si increased by suspicion. A lover can deny nothing t o his love. True love is never tainted with avarice. New love overwhelmsold love. s nothing against the willf oher lover. A true lover take Love for a mortal will bring naught but tragedy.
This is a rare and wondrous thin
It is said tha t th ere have been changelingswho have given up their immortality for a mortal. These changefor and yet never find. True love is no easy thing to attain; lings, the ballads say, choose to become mortal, passingon in order for love to betrue, the loversmust face some sort their faeessence to another, so that they may growoldand of adversity that tests the bonds of their love. die with their mortal companion. Bein- --tures of dreams and stories, changelings love dee unreservedly.Either the affairis doomed
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to end in tragedy from the start,or the lovers will find some way to escape the tragedyand emerge victorious. In the end, the struggle is what makes the love strong. Indeed, a lovethat no longer has the strain of outside forces binding the lovers may soon wither and die. It takes a very deep commitment for lovers, who have struggled togetherfor so longin the face of adversity, to keep their lovestrongonce the struggle is Over - uch a love can certainly be called true love.
oaths I'U trust not your word
For I see a weak bond holds you. - illiamShakm, AMidnmuner NIgWSDream Oaths are actually magically binding to the Kithain. The changeling must simply swear the oath and all parties must consent (when appropriate). Below are some of the more common oaths, althoughchangelings rarely doanything that's basic: they usually elaborate and occasionally utter flowery soliloquies as preambles to a n oath. . I
T h e oach or Clasped b n d s :
only Blood for Mood, bonefor bone, ife for life, until my bloodis in we stride the earth. My ife i s in your hands y m veins. Hold me weU and I wiU lendyou my strength; break your bond and m a y we both perish. FriendshipI swear to you, an oath ofclaspedhands and shared heans.
An oath not made lightly, these words are only for thosewho h l bond for a friend as strong as any they mi& have for a lover. To make this oath, handsare claeiped around a double-edged blade while the words are spoken.As he blood ofthe oathmakers s mixed, sa s their friendship reaffirmed and strengthened. Swearers of this oath gain an extra permanent Willpower point when the oath is completed, bu t lose two if it is broken.
T h e oath o Fea g 9made by a lege: Vassduntso
Al
Iswrf+untoyou,~y(OrLont). your command s my desire, and y w egueJt my desire. M a y my service always plecw, and may my si& growdark if it does not. As the tides to the moon,my wiU toyours, my liege.
This is the wording of the formal Oathof Fealty,
t and necessitates a
formal obeisance
228
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any form of mental dominationor contro l by beings other than the liege are lowered by two, hough the difficulties of allrollsto resist the effectof any cantrip castby the liege are increased bytwo. Breaking this oath causes the lossof three Willpower points, one permanently. In casesof extreme betrayal of the terms of this oath, the offender may be struck blind.
The oath of Noblesse Oblige : I take you as my vassal. You are of my house, even as the very stones. I pledge to hold you, to guard you, and to keep you. I pledge to honoryourservice as it deserves, and to reward loyaltyin kind. As the moon to the seas below, my wiU to yours. I pledge the Escheat to you. With these words, a ruler formally signifies that she has accepted another Kithain as a vassal.It is commonly spoken in conjunction with the O ath of Fealty, bu t not always. When these words are spoken, the speaker loses one temporary Glamour point and a chimerical gold coin, stampedwith her visage, appears in her hand. The oath is not actually binding until the oathmaker offers and the proposed vassal accepts this token. Failing to abideby the terms of this oath indicates some deviation on the liege's part from the ways of true fae honor, and thuscauseshe acquisition of a permanent point of Banality. Anyone currently bound by (and adhering to) the terms of this oath regains any Willpower invested into an oath with that individual.
T h e oach or-cheAccepted BuRden:
.
that I mi& take t up. La y down your burden, road s h g , nd swear I sM1 bearit for you,until d roads end. I sM1 [the actual task s named here], elsem a y the roadceaseto lie beneathmyfeet.
Superficiallysimilar to a Geas, this oath is a promise to perform a c ertain deed. The natureof the d d tself is irrelevant; it may be anything from getting a plate of ribs from a specific restaurant to retrievingthe still-beating heart of an enemy. This oath is alwayssworn to another. When these words are spoken, the oathmak ers Wii1power andOlamourare filly refreshed. Failingtofulfillthe oath for any reasoncauses he oathmaker to gain a perma. nent point of Banality.
T h e OarhOF GuaRdlanship: As die sunguards the earth by day, as the stars by m e hee. This my duty I shad not of oath],else m a y of oath] until [duration clo~e their heir eyes and sleep. the he stars close
This is a fearful oath, and those who violate it are cursed never to spendtwo nights in the same bed until a century has passed. The Oath of Guardianship binds the oathmaker to keep a single object, placeor individual rom a n y and all harm, to the point of self-sacrifice. The oath may be to guard a person, place thing, or ideal. There is no cost to make the Oath of Guardianship except the cost extracted by its keeping.
of TweheaRzrs: T hI egiveoath a gift of myself to-&e. Takeit freely; freely is it
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offered,nd until [duration of oath1 comes, thou,object of oath], sM tha ve me in thy keeping. I swear bve unto you and pledge youmy troth. May those who watch over love watch over this oath and those who keepit, and m y we never find ault in theireyes. The purpose of this oath needs no explanation. It is spoken in unison by th e two (ormore) loversit binds, an d {swearing t expends a temporary po int of Glamour from each lover to fashion a songbird chimera, visible only to the lovers. The instant this oath is broken, the bird ceases tosing,perchingsilentlyontheshoulderoftheoathbreaker
and now visible to all Kithainas a sigil of betrayal. In addition, both betrayer and betrayed gain a permanent Banality point as a result of this cowardly action.On the other hand, while the oath is kept, both lovers gain one additional point of Glamour from any Rapture in which they participate.
T h e oath oFzheLont I
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This I swear: or lose my That I shall [nature of questu1 honor,that I sM 1 [nature of quest1OT by downmy sword, that I shall [nature of quest]OT Dream no more. You and the sky are my witnesses, so may it be. The Oath of the Long Roadis the most potent oath known o Kithain. It is the voluntary acceptanceof a quest to be performed, and ts i swearing is usuallysanctifiedwith the blood of both the oathmaker and her witness. It is always spoken in front of one or more (preferably three) wimesses. The oathmaker receives an extra Willpower and Glamour point for swearingthis oath, but there are dire consequencesfor failure. Simple failure to complete the quest causes the loss of three Willpower and Glamour points, one of each permanently.Abwdonment of the quest strips the oathbreakerof all temporary Glamour and Willpower, drainstwo of each permanently, and adds a permanent point of Banality.
3 1 he cha rt below may be cmsuid whenever a changeling or enchanted mortal is“killed”by chimerical damage, or whenever an unenchanted mortal is overcomei I$ a chimerical effect. Duration of Coma Banalitv Memory
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h a nt Drea.m: The experiences will seem to be nothing more thana
than one might believe; it is merely a matter ofira
irv, the Mists exemplifythe force of hum
Most mortab do not amumtely remember their enco nt en with the fae. n e Mists me likely to e rn e much of their memory dr at least relegate it to a dreamlike qbality. n e mount of Banality the morn1 possess= determines exactly what she remembers.
At times it is useful for changelings to bring amortal lnto their world,whether out of need or for more insidious reasons. This can be done through a process known as mchantment. Enchanting a mortal is actually far easier Chanrjelina:T he bearninu
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the chosen mortal with a bit of one’sown Glamour. A changeling who wishes to ench ant a mortal must create a small token an d infuse it with a bit of herown Glamour. Such tokens can take many forms:a bit of ribbon tied into a bow, an srcami sculpture, even a curiously cut piece of paper, Some Ki t b i n create food or drink, which they imbue with their Glamour. Whatever the form, the item or food must be given to the chosen mortal (simply being found by a mortal will not do) and then either carried or eaten by the intended. The amount of temporary Glamour invested into the token determines how many daysthe mortalremainsenchanted. So,for example, if Higgins, a boggan, were to give his friend some homebaked cupcakes into which he hadinvested three Glamour, his friend would become enchanted upon eating one of the cupcakes and the enchantment would last for three days. If he chose instead to give the mortal a small trinket constructed from bits of wire,bird feathers and ribbon, it would take effect as soon as his friend accepted the gift.
An enchanted mortal is brought fully into the realm of the Kithain. Such a mortal can see and interact with
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chanted mortals take damage from chimera just as changelingsdo (see “Chimerical Damage,” pg. 234). Th e amount of time hey remain unconscious is determined by referring to t he Mists Chart (see pg. 230). Unconscious mortals appear to be in a comalike stateand will usually remember very little of what occurred. Enchantedmortals cannot cast cantrips, for their Glamour is borrowedand they have none of their own. Mortals can still use their own Banality to defend against a cantrip that affects them, but each time they doso they lose one of their points of surrogate Glamour. Though some kinain (mortals with faerie blood) do have some Glamour of their own, they cannot regain it on their own. Instead, they need a changeling to supply it for them. These kinain are the exceptions o the rule and have even een known to learn can yach enchanted
Occasionally a mortal will witness a chimera-aided feat that would otherwisebe impossible, suchas riding down the street on a chimerical horse or flyingby on a chimerical magic carpet. Often, the chimera in question will simplyvanish when confronted with mortal disbelief. Thus,changelings tend to perform their more radical magic away from mortal eyes. Any time a mortal witnesses an“impossible”chimericalevent, he changelingso viewed must overcome the mortal’s disbelief. This is done by rolling the character’sGlamour against a difficultyof the witness’sBanality. Thoughonly one success s needed, this still causeschangelings o be careful whereand how they interact with chimera. If a mortal’s Banality is overcome, that mortal becomes briefly enchanted for the purposes of interacting with chimera, though her Banality must still be overcome if she is to be affected by a cantrip.It should be noted that a mundane witnessing, for example,two
to stay for several years it couldbe very evident upon 1 were his return. Once the Mists cloud his mind again, it may if the mortal spends only a few days there, if the mortal
I seem to himas if severalyears had passedin only a day or
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so.
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Kithain canuse theirGlamo ortal’s Banality for a short periodof time his is usually done so that a group of changelingscan use their chimerical weapons on a mortal target. For each mortal the changeling wishes to enchant, she must spend one point of temporary Glamour. She mustthenattempt to overcome the Banalityof eachsubject by rollingher Glamour against a difficulty equal to the subject’s Banality.Only one successis needed.
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rather are born of his
One of the most common forms of chimera are weapons. A chimerical weapon affects a changeling’s faerie form as if it is real: a chimerical sword will slash, a chimerical gun’s bullets will puncture, and a chimerical flame will bum a changeling’s fae body.
Mortals viewing thechangeling’stravails will notice that she reacts in pain and moves convincingly as if Chimera are the creatures, things and places offan- something is there, attacking her, but tha t is the extent t o himera tasythatexistonlyforthosewhopossessGlamour. which the chimera is real for them. Others watching will have no effectwhatsoeveron the mortal world, and even usually assume that the changeling is an excellent mime thosemortals who becomeenchantedfor a time tend to (th e worst of all possiblefates) and is somehow playing a have their memories erasedby the effects ofthe Mists, he game of “let’s pretend.” This can be quite embarrassingf same can even happen to changerigs whose Banality one is the CEO of a major corporation, which is why grumps rarelycarryand use Chimerical weapons or choose to interact with chimerical things.
On eof the mostcommonof all chimeras the nocnitsa,
One of the most enduringand potentially formsof chimericalmonsters is th e nervosa chimera borndirectly out of madness. This frequently occurs when
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a changeling experiencesmoments of insanity. Nervosa take a plethora ofshapes,sizesand colors. They have been known to manifest in normal human shapes, completely alien bodies,or no “real” body a t all. Although some changelings have tried to classify them further by analyzingwhat kind of madness creates which kind of nervosa,most agree that there Seem to be no recognizable pattern, rhyme or reasonto their creation. Nervosaare alternatelydangerousandhelpful,peaceful and aggressive, terrifyingand terrified. Theyobviously conformto their own set of rules, and one must learn those
usually take the form of a changeling’smost debilitating phobia. Nocnitsa are known for their mindless negative obsessions and malice. Some say that nocnitsa are actually just a type of newma, though apparentlyhey can be formed fromthe nightmares of the sane as well as he mad. Monsters Creatures of myth and legend, some believe that these chimera are formedfrom a changeling’s nner desire for adventure, though others believe that theyaredelibe ately created by kings to keep the peasants busy whilethey continue their political machinations. No matter where they come from, monsters are creatures o be feared. They come in many shapes and sizes, from hideous goblinlike beings to griffins to mighty dragons.
and other places of magical power. Little is known of
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these tiny beings, and whether they possess any real degree of sentien ce is a subject for debate. Whi le most consider them t o be mere chimera fashioned fr om the whimsical dreams of the Kithain, some believe that they are “real” faeries who have been banishe d to the imagination since the S hatt erin g and are visibl e only to changelings.
ar Coracle- n old seaman. it is saidh % still lives as a fisherman somewhere in Newfoundland - hough none can say for sure, especially now that the cod are gone from the waters. Heis wise in all things regardingthe oceans.
Banal
drinking. It is saidthat she wandersstill, and many claim to have heard her sing at a festival.
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Resistance
Th e Banality re sistanc e of a chim era is the level of Banality it can be exposed to without taking chimerica l damage. Chimeri cal objects usua lly have a Banality resistance of 9, although more outlandish chimerica l objects (especially chimerical weapons) have a lower Bana lity resistan ce. Chim erica l objects vanish when exposed to Banality higher than their resistance. Chimerical creatures receive a number of Heal th Levels of chimerical damag e equal to t he diff erence between their resistance and t he offending Banality. A creature’s Banality resistance is equal to it s Glamour unl ess otherwise noted. Th is
Ogna Beerbucket- his legendary boggan bard is known for her ribald songsand prodigious
Lochlandra -She is also known as the “White Witch,” and her name is often heard in requests for blessing. She is said to live in th e sky, in a palace made from clouds. Lord Iarbonel - eputed1 f th e most arrogant and haughtyof the Kithain, Iarbonel issaid to rule a kingdomof chimera on a faerie isle hidden somewheren the Caribbean. Having never lost a battle, he is considered a patron bymany warriors.
every time the chimera is exposed to that 1 occurs Banality.
1 I I
Siochain The Siochein are among he mast respected,admired
and uncommon Kithain to be found. SiochAin arethose
These systemsdiscuss the parameters of health and the lack of it. Injuries and healing are discuss ed,as is the difference between chimericaland real damage.
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particularly wise and patient Kithain who have achieved a spiritual balance between Banality and Glamour, their There are t m a haracter can sustain mortal and fae sides;they haye acceptedboth completely injuries, but Changeling me s injuries in only one and have become immortalas a result. way: the Health Level.A player recordsinjuries in terms SiochAinareknownfor being very wise, yet extremely of Health Levels; each wound causesth e loss of oneor reclusive. They are very difficult to find, though quests for more Health Levels. Simplycheck off Health Levelsas the them are constantly undertaken. Many Kithain consider character loses them, sothat the last checkmade indicates them patron saints of a sort, and it is not uncommon the character’s current Health Level.As the character reg;ains Health Levels, erase the marks. hear t heir names spoken reverentially(or in vain). 1 Th e following is a list of some of the more famous Think of Health as a spectrumwith Bruised at 01 SfochAin. They are notoriously reluctant t ograntadvice, particularly on how oneisable to achieve their state. They have gained a certain distance from the hubbub of life and don’t wish to be thrust back again for any reason.
and Incapacitated at th e other. As a character takes reaches Incapacitated.When he heals, he simply removes the marks, health. Each successon an opponent’s damage roll causes the loss of one Health Level.If an enemy scores (for example) two successes, the player checks off two Health Levels, starting with Bruised and going down to Hurt.
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When a changeling reaches Incapacitated, she Health Level away from death.If she is injuredone time, or if it is impossibleto stem the flow of blood body, she will die.
ChimeRicalb m a g e Damage from chimerical weaponsor creatures does not affect changelingsas do normal weapons. When a changeling s damaged chimerically, t doesn’t damage her mortal body. Only the changeling’s faeform is hurt by chimerical damage. To represent chimerical damage, you may wish to slash through your Health Levelbox with one slash (I). o differentiate this from actual Health Level Ioss, you may want to represent your “real” Healthby completing th e slash to make an X. n this fashion X s represent damage that is harder to heal (see “Healing,” below), while slashes represent damage that is easily healed with a simpleexpenditure of Glamour. If both real and chimerical damage are taken, the penalties from only the worst wound shouldbe assessed, not fromboth. It should also be noted that chimericaland real wounds are not cumulative.In other words, if a character is loweredto Injuredby a chimerical sword,and is later Bruisedby a “real” fst, the character would still only be Injured. The Bruised box would simplybe marked with an X, ot a slash.
Bruised Hurt
OqeDay Three Days
Injured Wounded Mauled
One Week One Month Three Months
Crippled Three Months* * Not only must a changelingheal this Health Level, but she may lose one point from one of her Physical Attributes. A changeling who is magically healed, or who reaches a freehold to be healed before a day has passed, does not suffer this loss. A changelingwho reachesIncapacitatedheals at the Storyteller’sdiscretion; she may drop into a coma for th e rest of her life (unless taken to a freehold for healing).
Cornbar Combat wounds are dealt with at length i n Chapter Nine. Each success on an opponent’s damageroll causes the loss of one Health Level.
ChimeRical&ath A changelingor enchanted mortal who is “killed” by chimericaldamage is immediatelythrust into a comalike state. This state can last anywhere froman hour to a year, depending upon how much Banality a given individual possews. Once the required time has elapsed, the “injured” individual awakens, apparently unharmed(unless someone damaged the individual’s physicalbody while he was unconscious).
5 10 20 30 40 50
heallny A changeling’s mortal body heals at a normal mortal healing rate, unless she is in a freehold.A changeling recovers one Health Level per night she spends within a freehold, no matter how grievousher wounds. Additionally, certain cantrips are known to speed the healing process.
SOURCeS
Distance (in feet)
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There are many ways toinflictharm upon a character. These sources of injury are described below.
.
Injury One Health Level Two Health Levels Three Health Levels Four Health Levels Five Health Levels Six Health Levels
60 Seven Health Levels and so on, to a maximum of 10Health Levels.
Occasionally,characters will fall. Use thechart below to calculate damage. Characters can make Stamina rollsto tr y to “soak” damage. The difficultyis 8; each success means one fewerHealth Level is lost. A botch means an additional Health Level is lost.
A
3 culty
Heat of Fire
5
Heat of a torch (eecand-degree bums) HeatofaBunsenburner( third-degreebums) Heat of a chemical fire
10
Molten metal
Stamina
HoldingBreath
Y
Heat of a candle (first-degreebums)
1 ; 11
Wounds Sizeof Fire One
Torch; part of body burned
Two
Bonfire; half of body burned
Three
Raging inferno;entire body burned
F l Re Any size flamecan potentially harm a c player may roll a number of dice equal to the character’s Stamina rating against the difficultieslisted below. The player must roll eachtum the character is in the flamesto see if she can resist the damage. If the roll fails, the character takes from one to three Health Levels of damage (see the second chart below); if t he roll succeeds, the character takes one fewer Health Level of damage per success than she normally would. If theroll is botched, the character is harmed in some special way loses her eyesight or her limbs are maimed
Suvocmon and &ownin Changelings can die by drowning.Th e length of time a changeling can hold his breath is determined by his Stamina rating, per th e following chart:
5
Eight minutes minutes
6 15may expend Willpower to continue Changelings to hold their breath; eachpoint expendedallows a c~eling(ormortal)~~3OsecandsifhifStamina is 3 or lower,or a fullminuteifhisStamina s 4 or higher. When achangeli ngcan no longer hold his breath, he begins tosuffocate OT dmvn as appropriate.A drowningcharactersuffersone Health Levelof damage per turn;thii may not be healeduntilthe changelingis out of the hostile environme nt,butwill “heal”itself in (1O-Stamina)minutesanCethechangelingcanbreathe will again.A changeling wh oreachesIncapacitated die in one minutep er point ofStamina.
k oanathema n to all changelings.It is the Cold Cold iron
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uftimaterepresentationofBanality,andthusitsmerest ouch causesgreat discomfortto changelii- Cold iron is consid- I of alloy. ered only to be pure iron, not steel or anyother sort Physical contact with coldironcauses discomfort to changelings,n the form of a entire body.This discomfort performed by the changelingto be increased b y one. Additionally, the chhngeling ma y not experience an epiphany whilein contactwith cold iron. Damage doneota Changelin g by any weapon madeofcold ironcausesthe changeling o lose a point of temporaryGlamour in addition to a n y damage inflicted.Wora of all, if a changeling is killed by a weapon made of coldiron, his faerie nature is forever destroyed.
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in this proud land we grewup strong we were wante d all along i was taughtto fight, taught towi i could fail i never thought no fightkft OT so it seemed aU deserted i am a man whose dreams have i changed myname i changed my face, hu t no one wants youwhen you lose -Peter Gabrielwith KateBush, “Don’tGiveUp’
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There are many actionsa player might want her character to take during a turn - umping a fence, seducinga new acquaintance or researching fairy tales in the library. As the Storyteller, you alreadyknow the rules (from reading Chapter Four) and can probably figure out how to adjudicate a player’sroll, but there are a few
is a simpleroll, none of these systems are needed. If you’re not interested in the drama created by putting the game into the story, use the automatic success rules.Go to the TraitsChapterand, by readingabout theTrait inquestion, determine ifthe character succeedsor not , without rolling any dice.
techniques and extrapolationsthat you mightfind interesting.That’s what this chapter is all about- t provides advice on rules systemsfor resolvingdramatic actions. This chapter is not meant to e all-inclusive. These systems are only examples of ho w to resolve the actions taken by characters.Use these as guidelinesan d invent your own systemsfor running things.Don’tstop the action in the middle of a dramatic scene to look up something in this chapter- ust make something up, perhaps basedon a rules systemyou first encounteredhere. You should only use one of the systems described in this chapter if a roll is truly needed.If the roll in question
As a general rule, have the player make aroll only when there is substantial doubt in your mind as to whether or not the character will succeedin her action. If you can reasonablyassume she will succeed, then just let her do it. When you do start makingrolls and have the players do the same, make the rolls special and make them different. Don’t waste alot of time on a dice roll that doesn’t do anything special for thestoryor that is uninteresting for you or the players.Each rollof the dice should be a game in miniature, with strategyand tactics to master and luck to inject the unexpected.
Scenes A scene is a moment in a story when the troupe focuses on the events at hand and roleplaysthrough them A scene may only as if they were actually occurring. require roleplaying and a lot of conversation between the players and the Storyteller,or it may involve a number of different actions, some requiring dice rolls.
A scene is like a series of shots taken in a movie, in the same location and a t t he same moment in the story. It is the essence of roleplaying, when players describe their characters’ reactions to events ratherthanexplaining what they intend to do. You should do everythingyou can to make the scenes in your storyas dramatic, completeand fulfillingas possible. The more you give each scenean excitingbeginning, an action-packed middle and a fulfilling (or strategically frustrating) end, the better your storybecomes. Describe the scene not as a static picture, but as a place or time full of lifeand action. It shouldhave its own existence apart from the characters. The redcap leader does not simplysit at a table -while the characters are watching, he calls over one of his henchmen and begins to berate him. Create an open-ended storyin your descriptions and invite the players’ characters to enter it. Don’t force the players to animate your creation -breathe life into it from the very beginnifig. Time in the story not spent in a scene is called downtime.This can be when characters ravel or conduct extensive research, or it can simply be a period during which it isn’t necessary to roleplay every moment.Downtime is a break from the intensity of the scene. Though downtime should not be overused (itcan be relatively boring), you shouldn’t avoid it altogether. Use downtime to organize players, direct the story more precisely,and progress the plot more quickly.
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Th e story can turn into a scene at almost a n y time. Often it does so quite naturally, without anyone realizing it has happened.For instance, while you and the players discuss how the characters intend to make a journey to Chicago, you may begin to describe what they see along the way. You have gone fromdowntime to a scene.
Turins A scene is dividedinto tums in order to organizeand structure the arrangement of events. A turn is a variable period of time during which characters can do things. Such a unit helps the Storyteller keep track of what is going on and ensures that each player gets the same 238
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Changeling: The bmning
chance to do something. In one turn, each character should be ableto do one thing. Additionally, each player should be given about the sameamount of time to describe what she wantsher character to do. Each turn, go around the table inorder of initiative (see below),give eachplayer an opportunity to state an action, and then go to the next person. When you getto yourself, describe the actions of the non-player characters. Even ifdoingso might not make complete sense, you should use the turntructure prettyloosely.You might, for example,let someoneclimb a tree while someone else fires a gun, even though in normal circumstances climbing a tree usuallytakes a minute, while shooting a gun takes only three seconds.Adrenaline makes people do amazing thiigs, after all.
A character can perform multiple actions in a turn (such as dodgingand shooting a gun), but he has to divide his dice. To split a Dice Pool amongdifferent actions, the character takes the dice from the action at which the character is least skilled (the one with the smallest Dice Pool) and divides that Pool among all the actions he wishes to perform. A character with multiple actions takes his first action during the normal order of initiative (unlesshe deliberatelydelays).He may take no more than one action at this time. After all characters have completed their first (or only) action, characters with more actions may take their second action, again in order o f initiative. After everyone has taken a second action, play proceeds with the third and subsequent actions in orderof initiative, as above. While a character may delay his action, he must performit beforethe rest of the characters move on o heir next action, or it is lost. However, a character can always use dice to dodge, as long ashe has dice left in his Pool.
Actlon Scenes Many scenes are so full of actions and dice rolls that they require special rules to ensure everything runs smoothly. These are times when adrenaline is racingand pacing is fast. Action scenes are the fights, races and feats of danger common to adventure stories. Turns duringan action scene are usually very short, lasting only three secondsor so. Many different typesof actions can occur inan action scene, and correlating everythingcan seem a little tricky. Make sure you carefully describe where everyon e is in the scene, as wellas what cover is available and how far itis
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from the characters. otherwise,you will have to describe the scene againand hear complaints like, “Wait a minute, also want you didn’t say anyonewas overthere!” You may to describe th e environmental conditionsand how they might affect the scene. Rain, windand smoke can affect the difficulties of rolls. do nearly anything she In general, let a c cares totry,even if you assign d a ifficulty of 10.
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vithin each turn.Still, you will probably not need to subdivide turnsunlessthey are action turns. Though you need not go exactlyby the following stages,lookover this list to get ideas about how you can organize things when the action gets hot. The better you’ve organized a scene, the more smoothly it will goand the more fun everyone will have.
&scRibing Che Scene At the beginning of each turn, you should describe perspective. you may the scene from each want to suggest what the characters’opponents might be
about to do, but do not actually describe what will happen. Sometimes this will bea wrap-up of .the lastturn, making it clear to all players what occurred. This sort of constant description is essential if youwant to avoid confusion. This is your chance to organize and arrange thingsso that all goes smoothly when the players begin to interact with the environment you have created.You should make your descriptionas nterestingas possible, leaving open all sorts of possibilities for character s’actions. The players need to roll for initiative (see“Initiative.” .below) - to determine the order in which their characters will act. In especially complicatedsituations,you can have the players describe to you what their characters intend to do that turn, starting with the player who rolled the lowest initiative ( the character with the highest initiative speaks last, after she has heard everyone else’s actions, and acts first). If you wish to be particularly free-spirited, eliminate the i nitiative roll altogetherandhave the characters act in whatever order you wish.
S-cage e Oecision Going in reverse order of initiative (if the playem I
made initiative rolls), have each player explain what her character intendsto do and how she <.
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table from left t o right, or i n order of character Wits,or using whatever consistent method you like. You then decide how you want to resolvethe action -what kindof roll each player mustmake, the difficulty of the roll, and the number of successesneeded. You can make the processas simpleor as complicatedas you likee.g., “If you want to catch him before he gets over the fence, you need to make a Dexterity+ Athletics roll, difficulty6. You need to score six successes to catch up with him, but he only needs three more to get over the fence.”
e Resolunon Scage This is when the playersroll to see whether their characters succeedor fail. The players roll dice to at tempt the actions they describedin t he preceding stage. At the end of the turn, you need to summarize everything by describing what happened and translating all dice rolls int o description,plot and story.Don’tsimply say, “You manage tohit the bad guy fortwo Health Levels of damage.” Get more graphic and say, “After ducking away to the left,you sweep across with your fistand strike him in the head. Your hand stings, but you’ve punched him in the gut and wounded him fortwo Health Levels.” Or, “With a great burst of speed and a daring leap over a garbage can, you race down the alley after him. Next turn, you will be able to make agrab at him before he gets away.”
At the beginning of most scenes,you need to figure out who goesfirst. Rollingfor initiative is the best wa y to decide the order in which players will take their turnsfor the remainder of the fight. Sometimes it will be obvious who goes first, such as when an ambush was set or when one combatant is clearly caught yb surprise.In combat, however, if you intend to let the opponents have a free shot at th e characters, you should not simply springthe foeson the players.Let them make Perception rolls (difficult ones) to see if charactersnotice something ust before the bad guys open up. Otherwise, you’ll have a pack of whining jackals on your hands. The difficulty dependson how wellthe ambush was set (usually8 or so). Th enumber of successes the players score indica tes the number of dice they can roll o n their first actions (usually dodges). In a normal situation, each player makes an initiative roll, and you doso for each of the opponents. Everyone involved makes a Wits + Alertness roll (or you can have them roll Wits + Brawl, Melee, Firearmsor any appropriate Ability). The difficultyis usually4 -characters with th e most successesact first. Ties act simultaneously. Char-
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Tuking &mons All sortsof othe are listed he%
om
Attack: A character may decide to fire his weaponor strike someone. The roll made depends on the attack; for instance, a Firearms attack requires a Dexterity+ Firearms roll.
Climb: This action reauires a Dexteritv+ Athletics roll. Dodge: Dodgingnot only allows a r to avoid an attack , but removes him altogether from the line of attack. A characteran make a Dozfere roll right after someone tries to hit him, thereby (hopefully) avoiding the blow. Get toFeet: t takesa turn o get up fromthe ground without having to make a roll.If ac h c ter wants to get to her feet and still take other actions, she can take dice from her announced action and attempt to score at least one success on a Dexterity + Athle tics roll (difficulty at least4). L.eadership: A character may give a m mands to followersand have them obeyed by making appropriate Charisma ( ulation)
+ Leadership rolls.
The two basic actions characterscar -ke without making rolls are: Yielding: The character allows the person with the next highest initiative to takehis action, hereby yielding her turn. She can still take her a ct i w at the end of the turn. If everyone, including her opponents, yields as well, no one does anything that turn.
Moving: The character may move by walking, joggingorrunning.Ifshewa&s,shemaymovesevenyards. 12 yards+ Dexterity.If she runs, If she jogs, she may move she may move20 yards + ( No roll is required to move, but movementis the only action allowed to the character in that turn.In some situations, it can be hazardous tojog or run, nd a roll might be required to maintain balance when there is glass on the ground or bullets are raining down.If a character wants to run awayfrom a conflict or encounter, she must dodge unless sheis not in the field of fire or otherwise hindered.
De sc rh d below are a va of different systemsto resolve actions, or, to put it simp a bunch of ways to make rolls. If you prefer to roleplay through dramatic scenes, just use these systems as suggestions fo what sorts of things can happen during the scene. Physical dramatic systemsare the most numerous, beca use these actions are impossible to resolve through roleplaying alone. Social and Mental systems can be simulated by the players. 1
Reload Gun: This can be done in a single turn so longas the character has a prebaded clip. Research:A character may try to look up vital information in a book. Research generally employs the Investigation Ability. Though this would likely take longer thanthree seconds, you may wish to suspend reality a bi t for dramatic purposes.
Start a Car: This action doesn’t require a roll at all, unlessa character is hot-wiring the car. Sneak up on Enemy: This act ion usually requires a Dexterity+ Stealt h roll. Unjam Gun: This action can normally be performed in a singleturnby making aWits + Firearms roll.
acters who fail act after those who succeeded last. A botch onan nitiative rollmeansthecharacterdoesnotget oact that turn - is gun jams,or he stumbles and m o t punch or dodge.
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physical These systemsdescribe physical action s and confronin which PhysicalAttributes predominate.
tations-dramatic situations
When a characrrr attempts to climb any sort of surface (atree, diffor building), ask the playerto roll the character’s Dexterity+ Athletics. The difficulty depends on the sheernessof the climbing surface,he type of surface being climbedand, o a lesser extent, the weather conditions. Eachsuccess indicates that the character has climbed five feet. Once he accumulates enough successesto get to where he wants to go, he can stop rolling. For example, Samuel is trying to climb a 25-foot wall, so he needs five --ccesses to get to the top.A failureindicates the character . A botch nable to make any progress during
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indicatesthe character falls and cannot attempt to climb again without expending a Willwwer point.
2
Easy climb: a tree with m
4
Simple climb:a cliff with many handholds Straightforward:a tree with thin branches Treacherous:very few handholds
6 8
y tout branches
10 Extremely difficult: a nearly sheer surface
of smengjch Fears Acharacter's S trength soften ugedalone, without an Ability, for actions where bruteforceis all that matters. This system works on the samebasis8s automatic successes. If the character's Strength d&culty of the task she is automatically. Onlyif the difficulty is higher thanher Dice Poolmust she make a roll.
When the character makes the roll, however,it is based on Willpower,not Strength. Itisa simple roll,so he character gets only one chance to make it. The difficulty is almost always9, though it can varyaccording to the surfaceconditions, the structureof he obj ect being lifted, and Storytellerwhim.Each ucce!ss increases he character's effectiveStreng.th by one step on the chart below (to a maximum of five steps). Thus,f the character has a §tpength of 4 but wants to flip over a car,she needs three succes~es n t he Willpower roll to d o it. McePool Feats Lift
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Crush a beer can
2
Break a chair
100 lbs.
3
Break down a wooden door Breaka 2' x 4'
250 lbs.
4
5
6 7 8 9
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PRSUlt This system is used when onestarts character tempts tosimple catch another. One opponent with aatcertain number of successes.Thii number is either determined by the Storyteller (thisis the preferred method) or byhavingthepursuedcharacterroll Dexterity+ Athletics (difficulty6) for each urn of headstart hehas.Add up the number of successes achieved. This number of successes must be achieved by the other character before he ca n catch up. Once he does, hecan try to grapple the fleeing person (see the combat rules). The pursuer might only want to catchup halfway, in order to get a bette r shot at the fleeing character.
400 lbs.
Break open a metal firedoor Throw a motorcycle
650 lbs.
Hip over a small car
900 lbs.
Break a three-inch lead pipe
1000 lbs.
Punch through a cement wall
800 lbs.
Rip open a steel drum
1200 lbs. 1500 lbs.
11 12
Punch through 1"sheet metal
2000 lbs. 3000 lbs.
14
Break a metal lamp post Throw a car Throwavan
15
Throwatruck
4
Horizontal (across)
40 bs.
10
13
cafcu~es ow many succesmare required to makeUEB jump. There are no partial successesin jumping; the character eith er succeeds in on e roll or she falls. Feet per Success ype of Jump Vertical (up) 2
4OOO lbs. 5000 lbs. 6000 bs.
Jumping req ui B a S Athletics roll if it is a gets a decent running almost always3 ( tions or there is a narrow andingspace). The Storyteller
RepuiR Getthgsomething fixedisnot alwaysaseasyas it to the garage;sometimes the task has to be
akhq
oneself. When a character wishesto fix any otr chani cal mplement, he must roll Dexterity + Ctafts. difficultyis determinedby the complexityofthe rajk(see the chart below). More the job can bed d plete, a certain number of successesmust bc usuallybetwemtwoand2O. ~chrollmea&wa~ amount of time is spent hatever the demands of th e story require. A botc h indicates that the device is some how damagedin the attempt.
-
This systemca n be fun o use during combat,as one haracter desperately tries to starthe car-while th e 0th~ fend off an attack.
Diffifulrv
Job
#ofsum
4
3
5
2
5
5
6 6
5
System overhaul
7 8
20
Technical glitch
9
2
Simple mechanical repair Solderingjob Electronic malfunction Fitting in new part Repair stalledcar Tough auto repair
1
10 10
Shadowing Sometimes a character will w an t o follow someone. In order to be led somewhereinteresting, this needs to be done as discreetlyas possible. That is what shadowingisall
m
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There are two components to shadowing- eeping track of where the subjectisand making sure hedoesn’t set his tail. Shadowing can be conducted on foot or in vehicles. Rollsca n even be made if someone else isdriving, such as a taxi driver- uI’msorry,but I can’t ememberthe address ou’ll just have to followmy directions. Takea right a t the comer. No ,wait, a left!”
-
The character attemptins to sl. ,w must make a perception + Investigation (or possibly Streetwise) roll. Th e difficultyis no-lly 6 (though it can vary from 5 to 9 dependingon &e thickness Of,-rOWdS, relative speeds of vehicles, and weather conditions). Eachsuccess indicates that the target has been followed for a turn. A certain number of successes is requiredto followthe subject all the way to his destination. A failure indicatesthat the character has temporarily lost the subject but can try again next turn.If she fails a second time, she has lost the subject completely and the chase is off (unless she can hink of a new approach).A botch indicates that the character has not only completely lost the subject, but she is so involved in shadowing that she gets into nouble of her o m gang tries to beat her up, she falls into an open manhole, or she has a car accident.
if the subject notices he is being followed. Each turn the Perception roll is made,the Stealth roll mustalso be made. Th e player must roll Dexterity+ Stealth (or Dexterity + Drive if the character is in a vehicle). The base difficulty is the subject’s Perception+ Alertness,but this can be modifiedby up to three points in either direction depending on the circumstances (empty streets or thick crowds, for instance). A single success indicates the shadower is not detected, and each additional success also makes it more difficult for the subject to spot the shadower, evenif he is actively looking. A failure indicates the subject becomes SmPiCiOm and stam to glance sumWtitiomlY over his shoulder (and maymake Perception rolls of his O m ; see below). A botch ind icat e the character come PletelY reveals herself andthe subject now knows he is follmvd
If the subject is alerted somehow(by the shadower’s failure on the Dexterity + Stealth roll) or simply looks to see if he is being followed (out of habit, perhaps), roll Perception + Investigation (or Streetwise). The difficulty is the Stealth + 5 of the shadower.Each successon his roll indicates a higher degree of suspicion. Successescan be
i I
accumulated fromturn to turn;ee the chart beloa
Cha
--m
R
Nine: hama -
-
I 1
how alert thesubject s tot he fact thathe isbeingfollowed. Failure means that nothing out of the ordinaryis seen and the “suspicion value”of the subject decreaseso zero.A botch means the subject is convinced he isn’t being followed and no longerlooksbehind him. Successes Suspicion
1 2
Hunch Suspicion
Near-certainty Positive knowledge The shadower has been spotted Buddy System: Twoor more characters can share shadowing responsibilities by trading off. However, they must have previously worked/trained together in this technique;otherwise, the difficulties foall rollsfor the pair are increased b y one. One player shadows for a tum or more, tradingoff whenever her partner givesthe signal. If the pair switchesoff, the subject can’t accumulate successes for very long, which makes it much harder for the subject to spot shadowers.
3 4 5
Sneahing When a character attempts to hide in shadows or up on a guard, she must roll Dexterity Stealth meak + Anyone (difficultyof the guard’s Perception+ Alertness). wh o is on watch or actively looking for intruders canbe coasideredaguerd. The sneaking character needs to collect a certain number of successe s in order to make it to where she wants togo. A Perception+ Stealthrollcanbe made ifthe player wants toestimatehow manysu~ce~ses ill be needed; the difficultyof this feat is usually7. Failure of any sort on a Stealth roll indicates detection.
Vehicle
11
Safe Speed
Stunt biving This system is used to determine the outcome of nearly any type of automobile chase or maneuver. Dice rolls in chasesare made not only to see how fast a driver goes, but alsoto see if she stayson the road. Each vehicle as well as its is rated forits maximum safe driving speed, maneuverability. One vehicle is not alwaysas fast or maneuverableas another, so the details of the chase often depend on the make of the vehicle (seethe chart below). A character can make special maneuvers in order to catch or lose another vehicle, suchas spinning around a tight comer, doing a 180” turn,or wheeling about toblock a road. Essentially, one character makes a special maneuver, and the other character must copy that maneuver by making the same or an approximate roll. The player must roll Dexterity (or perhaps Perception) + Drive. However, the vehicle’s Maneuverability rating dictates the maximum numberof dice that can be rolled. The complexityof the maneuver and the speed of the car determine the difficulty. You should give each maneuver a basic difficulty from 2 to 7, nd th en designate aspeedat which it ca n be completed at that difficulty.This is most often the Safe Speed, but can be much less depending on how complicatedor tight the maneuver is. The difficulty increases yb one for every10 mph the vehicle exceeds that speed while performing the maneuver. The driver decides how fast her vehicle maqeuver, although she will not alwaysbe erate enough to avoid a crashor collision.
MaximumSpeed
Maneuverability
Six-wheel truck
60
90
3
FormulaO ne racecar
140
240
10
Changeling:The beaming
T
c----
I SOClUl
These systems involve social interaction between people. They nearly always require a Charisma, Manipulation or Appearance roll. Often these systemsare best left nused, with the successor failure of a particular social ploy instead resolved thr
I1 1 c~edidi1ity
successes indicates the amount of information obtained (see the chart below). A failure indicates the character learns nothing of value.A botch indicatesthe subject tells the character nothing and will never tellhim anything the Storyteller or worse, the subject lies. For this reason, should often make the roll for the player. Successes Interrogarion
L
ter attemDts t Thissystem is I convince someone she is telling the truth: for examp when she attempts to persuade a sidhe noble she is n I Thyinge player or tries to convince a police officerof her identi must make a Manipulation + Le
1
I ’
1 l
The difficulty is the other subject’sIntelligence + Subt hge . Lower the difficultyby one to three if is telling thetruth (it doesmake a difference) indicates a higher degreeof credibility. Five indicate the subject is completely convinced. indicates disbelief, and a botch indicates the c caught in 8 lie (or the subject&& he has c . . a lie).
Much interesting information The subject talks on and on Everything of import is discovered
want to recite it, you can use this system. Th e player should at least describe what her character says and maybe recite a memorable phrase hat might even r started into roleplaying the speech Uerhhl. oraoften very difficult to roleplay, - . so never force your players to do so. Just use this system. The player makes a Charisma + Leadershiproll. The difficultydepends on the mood of the crowd, its willingness to hear what the orator says, and its penchant for throwing rotten vegetables (difficultyis usually7). If the orator has any sort of reputation, you may wish to adjust the difficulty accordingly. The number of successesindicates how impressedhe crowd is(seethe followingchart). It is a simpleroll, so the player has only one crack at it. A failure indicates the crowd ignoresthe character.A botch indicates the character is going to be attacked (or, if that sort of thing isn’t common, booing begins).
-
in aasmanner consistent withthe mood your game. It can be slaphappy or as deadly serious asof you like. Willpower pointscan be expended to resist fast-talk.
I
3
If a playerwants her character to give a speech, but
Fast-talk is a means of verbally browbeating and confusingsomeone into submission.Manipulation + Subterfuge is the most common roll for such a feat; Charisma or Appearance can sometimesbe substituted. The difficulty is the target’s Wits + Streetwise. Success indicatesthat the target becomes confused and is likely to agree with the subject, at least momentarily. Failure indicatesthat the attempt has altered,and the target can try to interject something n attempt to explain himself, or evenan attempt to fast-talk back. A botch indicates that the target doesn’t get confused,only angry.Fast-talka ain work on him. Repeated rolls might be necessary to confuse the target. As Storyteller, you need to run attempts at fast-talk
Interrogation can be used in a number of different situations.It is a formof questioning,not torture, though intimidation is certainly employed.Torture can be used, but you will have to develop your ownrules for that if you wish to include it in your chronicle. The player makes a Manipulation + Intimidation roll (difficulty of the victim’s Willpower). The number of
L
Only a few mumbled facts Some relevant facts
4 5
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I
1
2
Successes
1 2 3 4 5
Cmwd Reaction They listened, but aren’t excited Th echaracterhasconvinced hemsomewhat Th e crowd is won over Th e crowd is completelyenthralled The crowd is in the palmof the character’s hand
If the speech isvital to the story, the player may make severalrolls.If you want to spend some time on it, you can make it an extended action, interspersing each roll with roleplaying.Th e character can spend as many turnsas she would like on the speech;after the third turn,however,the difficulty increasesby one each turn. More successes than five might be required towin over the crowd completely.
This system is used whenever a character gives any type of performance, whetherit be comedy, music,acting
ChaDreRNine: h L
a
a
I
. t can be on a stage or ina nig The player must roll the appropriate Attribute + Performance (or Expression). The difficulty is based on how receptive the audience is. A failure indicatesa lackluster, eminently forgettable performance. A botch indicates a miserable performance thatcannot even be finished- the instrument breaksor the character is booed off the stage.
1
Th e number of successesindicates how moved the audience is (see the chart below). These successes determine the artistic merit or technical verisimilitudeof the piece. Successes Your Performance Reaction 1 Mediocre Polite applause
2 3 4 5 6
7
Average
Approval
Good Superior Exceptional
Genumeappreciatim Vigorous applause Ecstatic reaction
Superb Brilliant
-
Immediatesensation Miracle,magnum opus
Seduction
1 L
Seduction is an unnatural means of gainingintimacy with another person, because everystep is carehlly staged and real feelingsare not shared.A seduction akesplace in stages, and unless a person succeeds during each consecutive stage, he will not succeed at all. This system is designedto replicate the activities of a dominant person over a more submissive one. If the emotions and motives are true, then you should ignore this system and roleplay it out. Opening Line: Th e player rolls Appearance + Subterfuge. The difficultyis the Wits + 3 of the subject (the player gains a bonusofone to three dice if it's a good line, minus one to three if it's a stupid one). Each successafter the first adds an extra die to the roll on the next stage. Witty Exchange: T he player rolls Wits + Subterfuge.
I
Th edifficulty is the Intelligence + 3 of the subject. Again, give bonusesand penalties for roleplaying. Each success over and abovethe base adds an extra die to the roll on the next stage.
Conversation: Theplayer rolls Charisma+ Empathy. Th e difficulty is the Perception + 3 of the subject.Again, roleplayingbonuses come into play here. Intimacies: At this point, th e couple may move to a
I private area and become physicaliy intimate.N o roll is required.
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1 1
Difficulty A
2 These dramatic systemsdeal with the useof the mind anc ental Attributes. They are employed in situations where drama is caused not so much by the actionas by psychological tension.
Among changelings,dreamsoften contain important information. Unfortunately, this knowledge is often shroudedin mysterious symbolism and obscure references. This can makeit very difficult fora changeling o decipher his dreams. Th e player of a changeling who decides to figureout
the deeper meaningsof his dreams must roll Perception +
1
Enigmas. The Storyteller decides thedifficultyof this roll, based on the obscurity ofthe dream and its importance to the character. Th e more important the information contained in a dream, the more thoroughly it will be hidden, and thus the more difficult the roll willbe. Not all dreams have information hidden within them, but go ahead and let the players roll anyway, to keep them guessing. Dreams should be mysterious things, richwith bizarre symbolism and personal myths. Storytellers should spare no effort when designing importantdreams. The players will appreciate it.
1
Sometimes,a Storyteller m a y decide to have a recur. ring dream haunt a certain character. If thisis desired, Dream Interpretation can become an extended action. Th e Storyteller decides the difficulty of the taskand he number of successesneeded to unravel th e hidden meaning within a recu
&searzch Research is often the proceed to the next stageof to investigate matters in a library, in a newspaperofficeor through computer files in order to obtain needed information. Researchis a great way to let a character with high Intelligence show off, and takes the focus off fast-paced action. The player rolls Intelligence+ Investigation(orsometimes an ap propriate bowled ge A b i l i ~fter a place to conduct researchh a beenfound). The difficulty s based upon the obscurityof the informatio
4 6 8 10
Accessibilityof Information Generally available Widely documented Accessible Difficult to find
Incredibly well concealed The number of successesdetermines how much the character discovers. One successmight mean that onlythe most obvious facts are found, while five successes might pe an hat the full (and maybetruthful) story isuucovered. Depending on the precise information sought, 10or even 20 successes might be required tofind all the available data. The player might want to continue research after gaining a partial success. However, continued research takes longer than the initial search. Basic research usually takes only an hour - hat’s the first roll. More in-depth research (and a second roll) takes one complete day. If the player wants a third roll,further research takes a week; a fourth roll takes a month, a fifthroll takes a year. After that, use your imagination.It is easy to see how some research projects can take years or even decades to complete.
This systemenables a character to search for somc thing in a confined area, like a room. Have the playerroll Perception + Investigation; he difficulty dependson how well the object is concealed (it is usually between 7 and 10). Each success indicatesthat more is found.Sometimc a certain number of successes s required to find a cleverly hidden object. If you want, a lower number of successes ould warrant a hint or clue from you, thus encouraging ing and a degree of puzzle solving.As much as , ead the player through the search step by step. er describe to you where she looks. Don’t let her if she specificdlyseafch n the right area, her description is and let her succeed automaticaliy if detail& enough.
[ 1
hack following Perception The difficulty isbasedon we
I
The character needsto succeedfor a certain number of turns; he exact number depends on t he length of the trail. Eachturn s usually aboutfive minutes long. If the character misses a roll, shecan try again; this time, however, the difficultyis one higher. Once it goes above 10, the character loses the trail.
Combat
I
Combat in Changeling attempts to capture the drama of violent conflict without downplayinghe grim reality of what is going on. We have made every effort to create a system rue to the dynamics, imitationsand viciousnessof real combat while still leaving room for the unique elements changelingsbring to it. There are three types of combat, all of which use the same basic systemyet have some minor differences.They are: firefight, meleeand brawl.
A firefight is an y type of armed combat using projectile weapons - hings like Uzis and sawed-off
1
1,
shotguns.Opponents normally need t o be within sight of each other to engage in a firefight. Melee refersto fighting with hand weapons anything from broken bottlesto axes. Opponents need to be within one or two yards of each other to engagein melee. A brawl describes a hand-to-hand battle fought yithb,? hands - narmed combat. Opponents need to . 1. . I 1 t x wmin toucnmg aistance to engage in a ~rawi. Th e rolls made in combat determine whether or not 1
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much damage the target suffers. Almost all combat turns
-
are -arniind three sernnds snme-- ---lnnu. __ ~ _ ,thniwh -~-- thev I_-take -----I
what longerthan that t o resolve. As with all action scenes,combatturnsbegin with an initiative roll. However,becausecombat can sometimes get a little sticky, divide the turn into three stages Initiative, Attack and Resolution - o make it easier to
I
This stage organizesthe tum nd is when characters declare their actions. Characters can take a number of different actions- nything from leapingbehinda wall to shouting a warning. Each player must declare what his L-Ptnt
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requires. At this point, everyone needs to decide what weapon to use, if any.
I ------
Characters make initiativerolls using Wits+ Alertness (difficulty4, though Storytellers can vary this rollif they so
48
1
Smge Two: Amuck
1
The attack is the meat of the combatturn. This stage is where the successor failure ofan action is determined, as well as something of its potential impact on the target. The Roll: There are three different types of attack rolls; the typeof combat determineswhich one to use. For firearmscombat, roll Dexterity + Firearms. For melee (with weapons) combat, roll Dexterity+ Melee. For hand-to-hand (without weapons)combat,roll Dexterity + Brawl.
might be modified by the gun's rate of fireor the use of a scope, but the difficulty is usually modified only by the circumstancesof the attack. If no successesare obtained, the character fails his attack and inflicts no damage. If a botch is obtained, the n not only does the attack fail, but something nastyhappens to the attacker; the Storyteller needs to invent something truly awful.
I
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S q e One: nitlatlve
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Theweaponor attack used by the attacker determines the base difficulty of the roll. The number of dice rolled ,.-...,.. A, 1.-... llUW
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keep track of things.
1
desire). The character with the most successes acts first, while characters who rolled fewersue- ake their actionsin descending orderof success. Some characters will act simultaneouslybecause theyrolledhe same numbe r of success es(or, if the Storyteller chooses,the one with the hghest Dexterity goesfirst).Thm who gainno suaollgo last, at all on thii and thw who botch do not get to take actions at all. Remember to have playersdeclare what actions they want their characters to take during the combat turn before going to the Attack Stage.A player splitting his character's Dice Pool must declare how many dice he is allocating to each action. A character's actions happen when itis her turn o act. The only exception to this is the dodge, which a character can performat a ny time as longas she has dice left in her Dice Pool.
u
A n y time someone attacks a character, she has the ptionofdodgingInfact,aplayermayannounceat an y time
1
I
that her character is using an action (or part of one, by dividing her Dice Pool) to dodge, simplyby declaring Some "Dodge!" beforethe opponentmakesan attack roll. situations may prohibit a dodge, suchas in confined quarters or when the character has been surprised.The required roll is Dexterity+ Dodge; each successsubtractsone successfrom the attacker's roll.A charactercan even subtract successes from different opponents, thou gh this means dividingsuccesses between(or among) them.
Changeling:The &xming
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he difficulty to dodge melee or brawling attacks is a base 6, increasedby one for each opponent after the first. Infirefights, the difficulty dependson he availabilityof nearby coverbehind which a characterca n dive to avoid getting hit. Each success removes one of the opponent’s successes. After such a dodg e attempt, he characterusually endsup behind somesortof coveror, at the very least, lying on the ground(if theres no cover to be found). T h e ifficulty to dodged by the proximity of cover. Difficulty Terrain 2 By movin k-ck underfull cover. 4 - -11 cover within divingdistance(one yard)
t
Pimalcoverwithinrunningdistancethree yards)
8
Flat and featureless,no cover (the character dives to the ground)
!%ageThRee: Resolmion
Complication
Difficulty
+1
Changing action Immobilization
-2
4 +1 +2 Behind wall
+3
Only head exposed
+4 +1
Aiming Scope Specific area of target Multiple shots Full-auto Burst Fire
Ic
+1
Movement
Diw
-
-
-
-
c
+pacqxien(lb) c2
+2 +l/e!Xm hot +3 u10 +1 +3 5 + 1O/#of targets
During this stage, characters determine the damage inflicted by their attacks, and the Storyteller describes what occurs in the turn. T he Resolution Stage is a mixture
of game and story, for though the dice never lie, the Storyteller must interpret what luck has decreed. Damage: Each weaponor attack allows the wielder to roll a certain number of dice in order to inflict damage (difficulty6) . Each successcauses the target to lose one Health Level. Additionally, each success scored with a firearm (aftera n y dodge) adds one die tothis damage roll. Melee and brawling successes do not add to the damage. Soak: A target may make a roll to see how much damage she“soaks” because of her natural hardiness. The target rolls Stamina (difficulty6); each success reduces inflicted damage y b one. *61!,v r* . Exception: Damageand soak rods are two rolls in Changeling that cannot be botched I
i’
CDeleeand B Cornpli cam ons ’ 1
Multiple Opponents: If a cha multiple opponents in close co tack and dodge difficulties opponent (to a maximum of 10 Flankand Rear Attac attack is lowered by one, while that of a rear attack is loweredby two.
Weapon Sap
Difficulty
4 4 4
Damage Strength
Foil
5
Strength +1 Strength +1 Strength+3
Saber Broadsword
6 6
Strength+4 Strengtk 4
Club Knife
Conceal
P T J
T
T N
Cnelee Complications Parry: A character using a melee weaponmay elel to parry an attack, using her weapon to block the bloi Like a dodge, aparry can be performed atan y time, so lor as he character stiil hasdice in her Dice Pool. Acharact cannotparry with a weapon as smallas aknife,butshe CE use a swordor axe. She rolls Dexterity+ Melee (difficul 6). Each successsubtractsone from an opponent’snumb of attack successes. A botch on a parry roll usually means thattI parrying weapon is knocked from the character’s han Roll: Dex + Melee Difficulty: 6 Damage: none Actions: Special
Revolver,Lt.
4
6
3
6
P
I
Rifle
8
8
200
1
5+ 1
N
SMG, Large*
6
4
50
3
32+1
T
rossbow**
7
5
20
1
1
T
II
E .
Range: This is the practical ran geof the gunin yards.A charactermay fire on a target at up to doublethe listed range; however, thii shot. is considered a long-range Rate: The maxim um number the gunca n ire in a singleturn.The rate doesnot of bulletsor threesround bursts applyto full-auto or sp ray fire (which deplete the clip). Clip: The number of bulletsthat can be held in one clipor in the barrel. The+ 1 indicatesthat a bullet canbe held in thechamber, making the gun readyto fire. Concealment:P can be hidden in apocket;J can be hidden insidea jacket;T = can be hidden inside a trenchcoat;N = cannotbe hidden on one’s p ersonat all. * indicates thegun is capableof three-round bursts, fu ll-auto fire andsprays(see Firefight Complications Chart). ** The crossbow, unlike a firearm, doesnot add attacksuccessesto the damage Dice Pool. Additionally, a
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weaponfrom an opponents w. e t e r ollsh x terity + Melee;add one to the weapon’sn o d ifficulty.If at leastthreeuccessesare scored,she thenrob the weapon’s damage;if she scotes more succe98esthan the opponent’s Strengthrating,the opponent is dimmed. A botchusually means the characterdropher ownweapon. Roll: Dex + Melee DiMlcpJtv: +1 Damage: Special Actions:1
Changeling: Th e beaming
Block:A character can elect to block instead of dodge.Like ad&, a block can be performedatan y ime, so long as the character still has dice in his Dice Pool. Blocks m a y be made only against fsts, kicks or blunt weapons.A blocking action canno t block a sword, arrow or bullet unless the defender has a specialcantrip or treasure. Roll Dexterity+ Brawl (difficulty6) ; each success subtracts onefrom an opponent’s numberof attack successes.
1
er Roll/Difficulty
-, Grapple Kick Punch
I
Dex + Brawl” Dex + Braw,
Damage Actions
Dex + Brawl/7
Special Strength Strength
Dex
Strength
3rawl/6
1 1
+1 1 1
Roll: Dex + Brawl
Damage: none
Difficulty: 6 Actions:Special
Body Slam: A character charges forward, hurling his weight into his opponent. It is possible to damage
oneself with this attack; bodieswere not meant to be used as battering rams. A character needs three successesto unbalance an opponent. He inflicts one Health Level of damage on himself for each successfewerthan three.
I
If the attacker misses altogether (by failing the Dex terity + Brawl roll), sheis knocked down and must spenc an action getting to her feet. Continuing t o grapple during eachturn after the first requires the combatants to make opposed Strength + Brawl rolls. Whoever accumulates more successes may immobilize the other. If both score the same number of successes, neither gains the upper h Roll: Dex+ Braw Damage: Strength Kick:A kick can to aerial spins. Depending on the circumstances, the difficulty and damage modifier may be adjusted (Storyteller’sdiscretion). aggravated.
Roll: Dex+ Brawl I% Damage: Str + 1 Actions: 1 Punch: Th e attacker ballsher hand into a tight fist If the attack succeeds, the opponent is thrown off and swings it with all her might. The Storyteller may balance; difficultiesfor the rest of her actions this turnare increasedby two.Also, if the opponent does not succeed adjust the difficultyand/or allow extra dice fi the attacker decidesthe type of punch she wishesto deliver: hook, jab, in a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficultyof the attacker’s haymaker, etc. The damage from a punch is never aggrasuccesses+ 3), she falls to th e ground. Th e base damage done equals the attacker’s Strength; each success scored vated. Roll: Dex + Brawl Difficulty:6 on the attack roll above the minimum adds one to this lamage: Strength Actions: 1 base. If the attacker does not score at least three successes, this maneuver fails; he falls to the ground and is treated as though he has no dice left in his Pool.
AKrnOR
Th e character can move his full running distanL,, aut he must run in a straight line; weaving around in circles does not build sufficient momentum.
A character with body armorcan add dice tu her soak rolls. Different types of body armor have different armor ratings,which are the number of extra dice rolledon a soak
Roll: Dex + Brawl Diffice. 7 e: Special Actions: 1 Grapple: An attacker can try to grab a foe, hoping
roll. Certain m*e s of armor restrict bodv motion and thus penalize the character’s Dexterityrolls (all rollsinvolving
mmobilize him and subsequently crush him.If the attacker scores more successes than the opponent’s Strength, the attacker can immobilize him.In the next rouni she can begin to idict harm. n y character struck by this attack loses his attacks for the current turn.
Remember that chimerical armor will only protect against chimerical weawns.
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._
this Attribute have their difficultiesraised by an amount equal to the penalty).
a-
n Class One (reinforced clothing) Class Two armor T-shirt/leather tunic) Class Three (vestlhardened leather) Class Four (flak jacket/chain mail) Class Five (full suidplate mail)
3 4 6
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I t
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The Storyteller should be flexible when arbitrating combat situations; no rules can fully reflect thevariety of situations encountered on the battlefield. The Storyteller should feelfree to let the players devise rules for special situations not covered by any of the existing combat maneuvers. For their part, players should remember that the Storyteller is the ultimate arbiter in such situations, and her word is final. If bickering or slowed combat results, go back to the standard maneuversgiven above. They are broad enough to handle most situations. Freeform combat is meant to add depth to the game, not create conflict between the players and the Storyteller.
There should only betwo dice rolls involved ina n y combat maneuver:an attack roll and a damage(or effect) roll. All effects from the maneuver should be figured through these two rolls. An exception to this rule is a movement-based maneuver (see below).
A hand-to-hand attack is made with a Dexterity+ Brawl roll, while a melee attackis made with a Dexterity + Melee roll.If a character is tryingto outsmartor fool an opponent, the roll could instead use Manipulation plu s an appropriate Ability (suchas Brawl, Intimidation or Subterfuge).
I
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The difficulty for a maneuver is usually6 ,but this can be raised or lowered depending on the maneuver’s complexity or precision (for example, a hamstring has a higher difficulty because it aims for a certain area).
If the maneuver is designedto fool an opponent, the difficulty is usually the opponent’s Wits (or Perception) with a + 4 constant modifier. Sometimes the difficultyis an opponent’s Ability + 4, or, rarely, an opponent’s Attribute plus an Ability (such as Wits + Brawl), n which case the constant modifier is not used.
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esisted Rolls
Sometimes a character can resist an attack against him, whether by dodging,performinga n evasiveaction or using another maneuver. The Storyteller should decide I whether a combatantshould receive a resistanceroll. The resistanceroll will often require the combatant to split his Dice Pool if he also wants to attack that turn.
T he beaming
b g e One: lnitlutlve Roll Wits + Alertness (difficulty4) . The winner declares her actionlast (after he has heard everyone else’s actions) and Ierforms itfirst. Declare Dice Pool division if performng multiple actions.
For firearmscombat, roll Dexterity + +irearms. For melee (with weapons) combat, -011Dexterity + Melee. For hand-to-hand (without weapons) 7 .
:ombat, roll Dexterity + Brawl. Dodge: roll Dexterity+ Dodge. A :haracter can forfeit some or all of his Dice Pool to dodge at any time; each success subtractsone from the opponent’s successes. (However, emember that straying from your declared action will still increase the difficulty by one.)
Roll damage, determined by weapoF or maneuver (difficulty6) . 6) Soak damage: roll Stamina (difficulty
eneRu1CornpI 1cations Changing Actions: The difficulq increasesby one. Immobilization:The difficulty to hi) an immobilized target is decreasedby two. Stunning:When Health Level dam age exceeds Stamina rating, the target i stunned and cannot act next turn.
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uccesses
Generally, an attack needs only one success to hit; amage is then rolled. In some instances, however, a set number of successes isrequired, such aswhen a character tries to grapple an opponent; he must gain more successes than the opponent’s Strength score.
Oamage kZRecc1 ~
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Use the Brawling Chart to determine damage and adjust fromthere for specialconditions. If the effect is to fool or confuse an opponent, the general rule is that each successon the attackroll subtracts one die from the opponent’s Dice Pool. In this case, only the attack roll is made; there is no separate damage roll.
Multiple Actio ns: As always, a character will have to split his Dice Pool to perform multiple actions in one turn. Movement: Normally, a character may not move and attack in the same action. The Storyteller can allow movement-based maneuvers to be performed with the following guidelines.
If a character is performing sqme acrobatic feat, such as leaping,swingingfrom achandelier,etc., then a Dexterity + Athletics roll may also be required.The difficulty
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dependson the complexity of the maneuver. A simple roll to determine leaping distancehas adifficulty of only3 (see “Jumping,”pg. 242), while a leap from a hurtling train onto a running horse may have adifficultyas high as 9. The character must split his Dice Pool between the acrobatic roll and the attack roll. However, the Storyteller should use the Automatic Successrule whenever possible. There are some exceptionsto this rule, in the interest of dramatic license.If a character has seen many swashbuckler movies and practiced the flamboyant moves she has seen, the Storyteller might allow her toswing from a chandelier and attack without having split her Dice Pool.
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ChapceR Nine: & m a
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Ler: You shouldve staqed in h~ldengale. whelp! There qou mould"? been safe. Jordan: Yeah.right. Until qour bloodLirs$ thup attached again!
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Jordan:Sir Oliver! You blackguard!
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hirug onisirs
Changelings inhabit a world filledwith perilous adventure, nightmarish monsters and legendary treasures. Unlike humans, who must usually contend only with the dangers of our violent modem world, changelings must alsobe wary of threats from the Dreaming. Rarely doesthe Dreaming allow changel ings a time of peace: sooner or later, ancient enemies rear their heads.
TheNunnehi When the Kithain of Europe arrived in the New World, they discoveredan entire speciesof changelings who were not at all like them.Born of the dreams and myths of the native people, these other changelings,or nunnehi, became justifiablyangry at the European invasion. Although many changelingssought to seal pacts of peace with the nunnehi (and in a few cases were successful), aconstant stateofconflict stillexistsbetweenEuropean changelings and nunnehi.
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and law that the nunnehi cherish. For their part, nunnehi despise impatience and pigheadedness. Nunn ehi Raider: Nomadic nunnehi can be found anywhere. They will use great cunning in battle and retreat at the first sign of seriousconflict - hey seek to upset, disrupt and terrifyrather than engage their enemies directly. They are frighteninglyintelligent tacticians and strategists,with an uncanny ability to discern weakness in their targets. Character Creation: Attributes9/5/4, Abilities18/10/6, Backgrounds7, Glamour6 , Willpower6 , Arts 7, Realms5 SuggestedAttributes: Assumeratings of 2, except for Perception and Intelligence, which are usually3. Suggested Abilities: Combat abilities are prized. Mythlore, Occult, Alertness, and Kenning are usually high. Equipment: Light and heavy firearms, motorcycles, possibly some treasures
FOrnOR1
Driven by an ancient evil, these creaturesdo not remember their faerie past. In ancient times, a group of Unseelie made apact with a forceof destruction, taint and The wisest dukes and barons have made peaceful oblivion, which they called the Dark. These corrupted overtures to t he nunnehi. This, however, has met with Unseelie sought o infect the Dreamingwith their power. limited success. For the most part, Kithain dukes are A great war was waged against theDark, and h e ure fae nwilling to conform to the centuries of custom, etiquette won. Those who had collaborated with the Dark were
Nunnehip oh nc s
deemed Prodigal, excommunicated from the Iheming and named fomori, or outcasts. The fomori were to the lair of the Dark, neverto bother the childre Dreaming again. Or so it wasthought. Th e Dark will always finda way. Modem Kithain have begun to realize that this longforgotten threat has blossomed anew. Unnatural their soulsthose of the srciing powers that easily defeat Banality, and fomori themselves appear to beunaffected by Banality. They also havebeen known o be completely immune to Glamour. Luckily, the fomori have not yet made a concerted effortto attack changelings; hey appear to be busy attacking other Prodigalfae (see “Werewolves,” pg. 269), and for this reason Kithain occasionally ally themselveswithwerewolves.All Kithain fear the day tha t I these hideous creatures turn their attention toward them. CharacterCreation: Attributes l0/6/3,Abilities 15/9/3, Backgrounds5,Glamour5, Willpwer5,Banality 10,Arts5, 1 Realms 5 (equivalents - ll fomori have special powers granted to them by the Dark) SuggestedAttributes: Assume ratings of 2, except for Physical Traits, which have ratings of3 or even4.
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ance is often zero; fomori are generally grotesque Suggested Abilities: Brawl 3, Dodge 1, Fire Melee 2, Stealth 1, Survival 2, Occult 1 Equipment: Fomori are often equipped with an array of heavy weaponry: assault rifles, combat knive s, f l jackets, etc.
In ancient times any fae who choseto do so could focus someof his own Glamour into the formation of a chimera. Now, with the weightof Banality everywhere, chimera tend to be creatures of accidental creation rather than conscious decision. Four basic types of chi times the interspecies linesblur
Nelivosa Certainly one of the most unnerving varieties of chimera is the nervosa. Born of madness, nervosa are completelyunpredictable.
This nervosa is born fever. I t fills its vict
nausea and the like, but may not manifest physical symptoms. The symptoms becomedebilitating, and a person in full possessionwill start t o show physical signs foillness. Plague nervosa choose to haunt hospitals, urgentcare centers, hospicesand places associated with sickness (like the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, which houses especially virulent ones). With the rise of diseases such as AIDS, changelings fear the rise of more plague nervosa.
A typical plague nervosa appearsas a person in the advanced throesof its “parent” illness. Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 4, tamina 2, Perception 4, ntelligence 4, Wits 2 Glamour: 7, Willpower:6 Health Levels: OK, -1, 1, -2, -5
Don’t you believe it. The big ones areokay,once you get to know them. Talk to yours.Toss him the crusts off your sandwichesand leave him the last little bit of milk in the glass.They like that kind of stuff; it’s far easier (and much tastier) tha n hunting dustbunnies to eat. Give him a good name (like Groncher, Murgelflurt, Augustus or Fred), and before you know it you’ll have the best pal a childling ever knew. Attributes: Strength 5,Dexterity 2, Stamina 3, Perception 4, ntelligence 1, Wits 3 Glamour: 6 , Willpower:3
OK,-1, -1, -1, -2 , -2, -5
Health Levels:OK, OK, Attack: Bite/5 dice
Talents: Alertness 2, Athletics 2, Brawl4,Dodge 2, mell 3
Attack: None (see below) Powers: Fester - y possessing a victim, a plague nervosa can cause that victim to manifest the symptoms of a particular disease. Such diseasescan evenkill the nervosa’s host. One Glamour point must be spent per Health Level of damagethe disease is to cause.The Storyteller must decide at what rate the disease manifests, hough it usually acts at a far faster ratethan usual. A disease that would normally take years to manifest may do so in hours.
A victim may attempt to making an opposedWwwer
says it got Jimmy Peternik three years ago, and now it’s moved in to get you.
a $QWQS by roll and gdnirag more successesthan the nervwia, xhoughhsmust Oust
of the nervosa’s existence.
inflict agony and discomfmtra tims with drastic effects.
T h e CnonsteRUn
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Powers: Gulp - y spending two Glamour points, the Snuffler may unhinge its jaw wide enough to swallowits victim whole.If the Snuffler gains five or more successon an attack roll when attempting to doso, the victim is swallowed whole. Damage is automatic for each turn thereafter, if t he Snuffler desires to inflict it - hough Snufflershave been known to hold their victims inside justlong to terrify them,thenspitthem back out.
T h e ScRltcheRs watchout for. If you
These are the ones you’ hear one, you know you’ve tricky. They plot and when you need to ge Scritchers just live
ast a dozen. They’re
and they alwaysknow to the bathroom. The
tha t, and the more pow~lkiE$sdeli~t~~y~~youthirsty n the evening 80 you’ll harc o g~ aw , &r ywr parents are asleep. You don’t evenwant to thinkaboutwhat they’ll do to you if they
catch you. Fortunately, you can work around them. They don’t outside the beam
like light,a d ym can convinceyour parentsto let you keep the lampon, you’ll be abwplutelysafe. Another good dodge is to walk to the r room without touching th e floor.T h e Scl.itchiers if they’ve climbed up a bookshelf or ‘mme) an’t touch you unless you’re
around down here, r gunsand dingy tennis
can’tseeit, bu t your older and hope to die - hat it eat3little kids just likeyou. He
ing, you can confuse them take bribes,c8n be tricked into figh tingx mm g themse lves, nd hate the sound of wtrisding. Veiy ekver,lchder pmiscent changelings have been knownto convert their Scritchets intot~llies y force, friendshipor intrigue. 8
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Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 5 , Stamina 2, Perception 2, Intelligence 3, Wits 2 Glamour: 5, Willpower:4 Health Levels: OK, -1, -2,
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Attack: Bitel3 dice; Claw/3dice Talents: Alertness4, Athletics 4, Brawl2, Dodge5
Powm: Scuttle - critchers can move at truly amazing
1 speedsif they wish to. They m ay ake one extra action per
Glamour point spent.
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Nocnitsa Nocnitsa are chimerabornfromthe darkest of nightmares. They are perhaps the most feared chimera of all.
T he CReeping LeaR(Sp1deK ChimeRa) Legends of giant spiders have beentold for centuries, supposedlyancestral memories from times when theoccasional giant arachnid scutt.kd from forgotten caves or forest comers. Unfortunately for changelings, spiders have always haunted mortab' imaginations. The film Arachnophobia produced someofthe most vicious chimerical spiders in recent memory. Chimerical spiders havebeerrrecorded and seen for nearly 10,000years and areperhapssome of the most
unfriendly of the chimerical beasts. The ir poisonsrange from the debilitating to the lethal (the chirn-spideni elated to the deadly funnel-webspider of Austral venom that kills childlings within seconds). Chimnic al spider-silk is comparable in strength to ballistic nylon. The strange shiver that occasionally afflictssome or the sudden sensation of an insect craw person's skin has been attributed to chimerica Chimerical spidersare usually black timesthe size ofnormal spiders. Thereally n are the size of horsesand can sev cerae.Theirelghteyesshineindim
- hink how fast most multiply that by the speedwith seem endowed. Damage means depending on the specimen. Some have been dispQtched with as little as hairspray; others need tobe flamedand hacked to pieces before theywillstay dead. Like their smaller cousins, hey are blood-drinkers - ut being bigger,they need bigger prey, and everyoneknows he bloodtamesbest. They have survived hacked-off legs, stabbingand even the occasionalfireball.Good luck killingone of thesebasta&. Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5 , Perception 4, Intelligence 2, Wits 3 Glamour: 8, Willpower: 3 swik
----Powem ess 4, Athletics 3, Brawl3, Climb 5, Dodge4
Powers: Venom - he venom of a chimerical spidercan causeparalysisor even “death” o chang&pgs. Thevenom
causesone additional Health Levelofdamagepet pointof spider chooses to invest. In addition, the G viotim h of he the poison must succeed in a Stamina roll (di&cdty 8) or be paralyzedfot one minute per point investedby the spider. Spider Silk - he spiderm a y attempt to entrap a powercosts the spider two victim in its web. Use of this it ensnares the victim. points of Glamour.A sudl Those ensnared must succeedin a Strength roll (difficulty 8) and gain more successes thanthe spider scoredon its attack roll.
Thiss the name given to chimrical beaststhat do not fit into an y of the other categories.
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Chilling Howl - he howl of a Black Dog can cause a’ changeling to freeze in fear. Any changeling hearing this howl is paralyzed for one to10 turns. A Willpower roll (difficulty6) may be made; each success reduces the duration of paralysis by one turn. Using this howl costs the Black Dog a point of Glamour.
gs find it ridiculous, those who first saw these faeries at
ously with the “fairies”of Sir JamesBarrie’s had wings, gaveoff aglow like afirefly,and ces sounded like tiny bells chiming until the ner grew used to their speech (which was perfectly lligent English, often with a British accent). Males emit a blue glow and frequently have blue-
The Black Oog Once a regional phenomenon codi olely to the Lake District of England, klhgoccupiesastrange place among chimera. ster and largely nervosa watching for trav accidents or stalk them completely. concern for women traveling alone; it will tro even carry them if they are to rural areas with few streetlamps,perhapsbecausesuch environs are more like the roads itremembersin the Lake Country. The Black Dog, also d d laflr Shuck or Trash Hound (old form - ytrash), always appars as a large, shaggy, coal-blackdog aboutthe size of an Etqlish sheepdog, with large teeth and eyes that glow like bwning embers. When in a friendly mood, it licks andfrolicswith children as happily as an y dog. Attributest Strength 4, Stamina 4, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Glamour: 7, Willpower:8 Health Levels:OK, -1, -1, -2,*2, -5
Attack: Bitel5 dice;C k h ice Talents: Alertness3, Athhtks4, Brawl4, Dodge4, Track 5
aps have none. The famed “pixiedust” of the story
even in a freehold. A child clapping her hands to keep a Never alive is merely focusing her own belief into a gangible form, but a few cynics think it’s applause for a $ell-done death scene. These spr&eshave a special love fbr children and are most attracted to childlingsand those wilders who haven’t quite grown up. Many actively disdain grumps because they’r e “grownups.”
Glamour: 10, Willpower:3 Health Levels:OK, -1, -2, -5 Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 5, Dodge5 Powers: Enchantment -Nevers have the curiousability to hant mortals. By sprinkling mortalswith a bit of their t,” they can often overcome the mortals’ Banality and
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cause them to see chimerical objects.For each point of Glamour spent, the Never may roll one die (difficulty equalto the subject's W i t y ) n an attempt to overcome a mortal's Banality.Nevers' enchantment generallylasts for one day per pointof Glamour spent,though a particularly Banal individual may slip back sooner.
In the ancienttimes, there were specialdreamerswith whom changelings liked to spend a great deal of time. These dreametshad a certain power to them, becausethey were able to speak words and make them become real. Today, these dreamers are calledmap. Some are friendly, some are not, and some are plain strange. Most changelings feel that mages are best avoided altogether,
Powers:
Mages have a broad rangeof powers to call upon; using Artsand Realms to represent magemagick isproblematic at best.The Storyteller would be within her rights simply to allow a Storyteller character mage to accomplish a rangeof given effectswithin one ortwo areas of expertise. Such effectshave difficulties of 5 to 8; theeffectivenessof the magick dependson how many successes he magemlb ery little one, noticeable withand two,excepa fair amount with with three, great successeffects with four tional successwith five or more. If you have Mage: Th e Ascension, use the Spheres and Arete from that book instead.
CharacterCreation: Attributes9/6/4, bilities 20/8/3 , Backgrounds 10, Willpower8, Magick Dice Pool 12 Suggested Attributes: Assume ratingsof 2 in Physical Attributes, 3 in Social and 4 in Mental. SuggestedAbilities: Kenning 3,Stealth 1, Enigmas 2, Linguistics3, Mythlore 2, Occult 3
Changeling legends speakof terrifying c r e a m s who 1 emerge fromthe afterlife through the Dream Pits,sometimes to serve Unseelie lords. These creaturesof the dead are most commonlyknown as wraiths. Powers: Possession (costs 2 Glamour Points; roll wraith's Willpower versus target's Willpower. Eachsuccessdrains a temporaryWillpower point. When the targets temporary Willpower s reduced to zero, the target is possessed by the wraith's consciousness.
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Shadow Body: Wraiths are not harmed by normal weapons, thoughtreasures such as enchanted swordsand the like will damage them. A wraith reduced to zero
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dealth Levels vanishes, temporarily discorporated. No meknowsprecisely how long it takesfor wraiths to reform n the Underworld, but they invariably ret rengeance on those who banish them. (Th e followingTraits are for a wraith whohas ma ested in the physical world.) CharacterCreation:Attributes7/5/3,bilities13 iealth Levels 10, Glamour 5 , Willpower8, Banali
Unconscious servantsof Banality, he Autumn People are the quintessential party poopers. They are the sticksin-the-mud who do not believe in anything magicalor special. They are very rational, thoughtfuland exact in their dress and speech. Kithain can spotan Autumn Person right away. There are really two kinds of Autumn People:aggressiveAutumn Peopleand spinelessones. Spinelessones are lesser threats, though they raisethe local Banalityin their vicinity and encourage others to become spineless Autumn People.These people are couch potatoes, video-game junkies, and anyone else who gambles, drinksor is otherwise harmhlly addicted to something.
Now,Starklectures at schools, universities, andcomto munity groups er in hope of helping them identlfv his disord before it renders its victims unfitfor human society. Some groups protest he t extreme measur esused to eliminate the rder,but none candeny thesuccess rate ofthe psychiatrist s.
kind who are thhate e censors, the the Theaggressive mindless authoritarians dreams andmonitors, the Dreaming instinctively. An aggressive Autumn Person isthe worst kind of mortal,and one well avoided.A few such Autumn People seek th e destructionof the Dreamingand are often foundas allies of the Dauntain(seebelow). Creation: Attributes6/4/2, Abilitiesl0/6/2, Character Willpower3, Banality 9
It should be noted that most of these doctors do not ievein the supernatur al,and all areinfused with an incredible amount of Banality. Some have been known to Causetrods to wilt simply by passing through.High King David has dec reed that these people are not to be directly approached, as the power o f their Banality could destroy changelings. However, any changelings captured by them are to be rescued, if at all possible, before they are lost forever to Banality.
Suggested Attributes:Assume ratings of2 in all Attributes. Suggest
The second group of Dauntain is more dangerous in that its members believe in the existence of changelings, but believe them to be evil creatures, devouringthe force of human creativity for theirown dark magics. Most of these are survivorsof a Ravaging,or else someone close to them was destroyed by such. They are quite aware of the dangerssuch beings pose to humanity.
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brought their child to him for evaluation.It seemed that she was living in a very complex fantasy world in which magic, elves, unicorns and other creatures of faerie were very real. Stark spoke to her for several sessions before deciding on the treatment necessary to shock her mind back to reality, where it belonged. Stark usedextreme aversion therapy, shock treatment and drugs of varioussorts.Within two years he reported complete success. The girlhad lost touch with herfantasy world and could live in the normal,day-to-day world. Over the next several yearsStark discovered a few dozen more cases lik e the girl’s.In all cases, onset ofsymptoms was rather abrupt, often leavingthe victims ina state of shockas hey adjusted to the fraudulent informationheir brains were giving them. He usedthe informationgained from this to write abook itled Chimera:Lting Within Ou r Bern. This book gained quitea bit of attention among others of his profession,and they begin identifyin who were sufferingrom this very same problem.
These are changelings who, unable to handl e t he “reality” of the fae, fled to the safetyof Banality. Thei r perceptions wistedby their ow n fears,they are among the active forces of Banality and attempt to hunt down an y changelings he y can find. There aretwobasictypes: hose who know what they are facingand thosewho donot. Oddly, the second groupis the moredangerousecause their lack ofbelief causesBanality o be extremelystrongwithin them. The others believe in what they are facing, sistance o changeling thusdecreasing heir re e knowledge able of changeling cantrips. However, they ar weaknessesand often carry ironweapons.
A few of these latter Dauntain sometimes even develop asmall facilitywith Kenning,as heir belief enhances the intrinsic Glamour existing within them. They use news stories to findchangelings.They look for signs ofa Ravaging (such as a crowd riot at a soccer game in England)and move in on the area, armed with cold iron weapons, searchingfor the changelings responsible for th e attacks. Fortunately, they do not always find those responsible, but they are very skilledat digging up the nearest changelings in t he immediate area and “de-
On the other hand, they are vulnerable t o changelin, magic,for they believe init and are therefore less strongly influenced by Banality. In fact, some Dauntain have surprisingly strong Glamour ratings. On occasion, Dauntain form int o small cooperative teams. These teams are extremely deadlywhen they locate changelings.
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A recently formed team was organizedby Alex Hayward, one of several survivors fo a Ravaging afteran Exquisite Agony concert.All of the memberswere actually part of the opening band and were attackedby several Ravagersas soon as they returned to their dressing rooms.
All of them survived, but were somewhat changed ybthe
experience.They researched the subject, looked for simi-
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lar occurrencesand deduced what is out there. They have I already subjected a changeling to death by iron and even seen evidence of his abilities. This has cautioned them a bit, but they will still act without mercy or apology when they find one.
Scientist Character Creation: Attributes6/4/2, Abilitiesl0/6/2, Backgrounds5, Banality 10 , Willpower 5 Suggested Attributes: Assume Attributes of2 in all ratings,except for Mental Attributes, whichshould be3 or even 4. Suggested Abilities: Computer 2, Intimidation 1, Investigation 1,Linguistics2, Medicine 3, Science 3
eFteRrninacoR Character Creation: Attributes7/5/3, Abilities13/9/5, Backgrounds7, Glamour 2, Banality9, Willpower7 , Arts 5, Realms 5 SuggestedAttributes: Physical and MentalAttributes
of 3, Social Attributes of2. Suggested Abilities: Alertness3, Brawl 1,Dodge 2, Kenning 1, Firearms2, Melee2, Stealth 2, Investigation2, Mythlore 2
lost races are collectively known as the Prodigals.
VampiRes In the dist ant past, a mortal became tainted by the hungry spirit of a powerful, mad redcap whose insatiable bloodthirstiness had driven him from the Dreaming. Because of this, the mortal becamea strange mixture of
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living and dead and discoveredthat his taint could be passed on through a strange ritual of blood-drinking. Vampires have been in existence ever since. Changelings argelysee vampiresas betrayersof reality and conformiststo it. Vampires seem to carry a very high Banalitywith them wherever they go.One particular breedof vampire (whose membersperhaps still remember their faerie past) seems to be less Banal than other vampires are, although these strange “Malkavian” vampires are usuallyscorned by their kind.
Powers:The Artsand Realms ratingsare the total levelsthat a vampires posses ses. Vampirescannot actually use Glamour- hese aremerely the equivalent powers. If use the Disciplines you have Vampire: The Masquerade, described there.
Neonates These are the youngest vampires, who have not yet reached 100 years ofunlife.They are the “teenagers” of vampiric society. Changelings are most likely toencounter these vampires, because they are notas skilled at remaining hidden from view as their eldersare. ChiuactmCreation: Attributes7/5/3,Abilities 13/9/3, Backgrounds7, Willpower7, Banality8,Blood Pool (use as Glamour;can be replenished throughdrrnkrng blood) 10, Arts 5 , Realms 5 Suggested Attributes: Assume ratingsof 2 in all Attributes. SuggestedAbilities: Alertness2, Athletics 1,Brawl2, Dodge1,Etiquette1,Expression1, Intimidation2, Melee1, Occult 1, Stealth 3, Streetwise, 1, Subterfuge3 Equipment: Fashionableclothing, switchblade,sunglasses
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Elders are the princesof their urban realmsand often dominate a city’s politics.Elder vampires have potent blood, have survivedfor 300 to loo0 years,and thus have considerable inherent powers. characterCreation: Attributes10/7/5,Abilities21/, Backgrounds 12, Willpower 8, Banality 9, Blood Pool (use as Glamour; can be replenished through drinking blood) 20, Arts 10, Realms 12 SuggestedAttributes: Assumeratings of 4 in Social, 3 in Mental and 2 in Physical Attributes. SuggestedAbilities: Alermess3, Athletics 1, Brawl2, Dodge3, Enigmas2, Etiquette3, Expression1, ntimidation4, Melee2, occult2, Stealth3, Saeetwise1,Subterfuge4 Equipment: Outdated but expensiveclothing, tinted glasses, pocket watch, sword cane
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Uleliewolves Werewolves, also known as the Garou, were faeries once, until the Dark (see“Fomori”)arrived on the scene. When the Dark rose up to attack Earth, the Garou feltit most. They immediately threw themselves into a fight against it, disregarding the warnings of their faerie elders. Asaresult, the Garou became Prodigal, lost to the fae, and locked int o their ow n world and dream. werewolvesarestillfriendlywithchangeLuckily, most lings, because they share many goalswith the massof the changeling nation. One Garou tribe still honors an ancient oathbond with the High Kingsof the fae. This tribe even named itself the Fianna, after a mercenaryband that Finn McCumhal trained.
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Powers: Werewolvesdo not use Glamour, but have learned many powers from the spirits of nature. They call these powers Gifts, and theireffectsmay be approximated by using the Arts and Realms. However,if you have Werewolf: Th e Apocalypse, use the Gifts provided in that book instead. Character Creation: Attributes 7/5/3,Abilities151913, Background5, Glamour7, Willpower8, Banality4, Arts 5 (equivalents,usually physically oriented), Realms 5 (usually Actor or Nature) SuggestedAttributes: Assume ratings of 2 except in Physical Attributes, which are ratedat 3. SuggestedAbilities: Alertness4, Athletics2, Brawl3, Dodge2 , Enigmas1, ntimidation2 , Kenning2 , Medicine 1, Mythlore 1, Stealth 2 Werewolves have several powers : Werewolvesare able to attack several (from two to eight) times per turn. They automaticallyheal one Health Levelper turn (only silverweapons can harm them permanently). They can shapechange into a variety of forms, all of them some variation of the wolf. Thus they can change into a wolf,a human or something halfway in between ( a bipedal “wolfman”). In wolfman form, all their Physical Attributes are doubled. However, they are no longer able to use Social Attributes in connection with creatures other than werewolves and wild beasts.
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San Francisco harbors diverse cultures and widely different philosophies. Within the city are many neighborhoods, eachunique i n atmosphereand lifestyle.One of the most unusual enclaves exists in Haight-Ashbury. Catapulted into the headlines as the birthplace of the hippie movement, this formerly middle-class neighborhood became a fosteringground for idealists and iconoclasts and an ideal haven for many changelings. Although the halcyon days of “flower.power” were short-lived, vestiges of the hippie presence can still be found amid the dirt and squalor of the World of Darkness. This persistent residueof Glamour still attracts changelings to the Haight. Here the Dreaming is not so far away, but many of the dreams are sad ones.
T h e hsro~y AshbuRy
r buighc-
After the United States acquired California in 1848, groups of squatters sought and won the right to settle an expanse of dunes along the western fringesfoSan Francisco. The area became oneof the most popular promenades during the 1880s because of its proximity to th e newly opened Golden GatePark.With the comingof the tramway connecting the park to the city, the Haight becameprime territory for development. Elegan t Victorian houses, as wellas an assort. ment of hotels,restaurants and salo ons, soon made the Haight a desirable residential andcommercial district. Although barely damaged during the 1906 earthquake, the Haight suffered a decline in popularityas the gentry relocated to more fashionable neighborhoods. The stately homes in the area became apartment houses for the influx of immigrants who came wes t to seek their fortunes. In the years following World War 11, a large number of lower-income amiliesmoved into the Haight. This incursion continued into the 1950s, when many artists and members of the Beat Generationsettled in the area. These free-thinkers brought with them a bohemidn lifestyle and d during ecame the foun the next decade In the mid-l960s, the “hippie movement”found its spiritual and physical home in the blocks surroundingthe comer of Haight and Ashbury Streets. Rejecting materialism and the politics of war,the hippies embraced agospelof free love, free speech and free living. Anarc hist groupslike the Diggers advocateda m oneyless society, while the s earch for sDiritua1 enlightenment sparked a newinterest in Zen
Changeling: The beaming
1
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the 1960sto the wildly capricious artistic styles inspiredby the profusion of mind-expandingexperiences.
The“summerOf Love” in 1967 marked the apex Of the comtercdture’sdrem*NmlYhalfa -le, most of them under the ageOf309locked to the Haight‘Along with Of *em came sorts’drawn by the Glamour that infusedthe Hiught. Here they found atasteof Arcadia and a refuge from Banality. When the gates from Arcadia suddenlyopenedin 1969, many of its inhabitants thought that the curseof Banalityhad been lifted - nd to some extent, in the Haight, it had. Under the tenets of the Accordance Treaty,San Francisco became a duchy under the Kingdomof Pacifica.Many lesser holdings were established in San Francisco, several of them awarded to commonerswho had aided the sidhe in regaining - their fiefs. But like all dreams, a rude awakening soon followe d. By the en d of the decade, the fragilemood ofuniversal peace and love had turned ugly. Commercialism took over the trappings of the hippie movement; being “hip” became big business.Banality crept in with a vengeance, crushing the gossamerwings of the Dreaming. Free love gave way to casual rape, traffic in hard drugs increased, and violence ruled the streets. Many hippies left in disgust. The Kithain suffered keenly fromthe influx of Banality. Though many of them still remained in the area, they found it difficult to retain their memories of their true natures. Many were lost to th e Dreaming. In recent years, however,the Ha&t has begun to enjoy arenaissance.Thestreetsof-t-Ashb ury reflecta hybrid culture made upof Ne w Agers, yuppies, old hippies, goths, punks, drifters and modem entrepreneurs. the In World of Darkness, this combination of bright-eyed idealistsand hardcore cynics resul ts in a strange and sometimes sinister atmosphere. For the Kithain, the Haight has once again become a place whereitis possibleto dream, ut all too often
the world they enteris fraught withnightmares.
CjeoPPhy
1
Haight-Ashbury stretches eastward from Golden Gate Parkas far westas Gough Street and the Central Freewav. California Street forms its northernmost boundary, while a line connecting Carmel Street, Roosevelt Way, Buena Vista Avenue East andDuboceAvenue marks ts southern extreme. Within this territory, the heart of th e Haight comprises a few blocks delineated by Stanyan (on the eastern edge of Golden Gate Park), Fulton, Fillmore and Frederick Streets. This area servesas the setting for the sample story “Toys Will Be Toys.”
World of Darkness it is also ahangout for drifters, beggars, hgeddlers, motorcycle ms and sinister sorts. Cliques of Unseelie Kithain often gather here preparatory o going Ravaging. At night, mortals visit at their own risk. Buena Vista Park - ocated atop one of the dunes,
she keeps watch on the surroding area. Spreckles Mansion Built in the late 19th century for a nephew of sugar magnateA W preckles, this Baroque-style mansion near Buena VistaPark was once a bed-and-breakfastand the temporary residence of both Jack London and Ambrose Bierce. In the World of Darkness, this house functionsas a gathering place for
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the Street Haight his east-westthoroughfareruns the length of Haight-Ashbury. During the 1960s, it was many of
city’s supernatural residents.
home to T he Drugstorecafe, Th e PsychedelicShop, The Print Mint, The I-Thou Coffeehouseand a host of other storesownedby and catering to the hippie counterculture. Though these places are gone, other enterprises have taken their place. Ne w Age shops, occult bookstores, secondhand clothing stores and coffeehousesrub elbows with trendy shops and restaurants. The Wasteland - nce a theatre, this shop now sells vintage clothing. Many changelings frequent the shop,drawn by the artisticdisplaysof bygone fashions and the residual ambience of the building itself. Holos Gallery - his gallery specializes in holograms nd holographicproducts andis a favorite“hangout” for Kithain who patronize high-tech art, including members of House Dougal and a few ambitious nockers. Red Vic Movie House -A movie house dedicated to art films. The Zoetrope Society uses this buildingas its unofficialheadquarters,
Nightbrenk - his contemporary rock and New Wave clubhosts both local andout-of-town bands. Depending on the talent and creativityof the nightly bill,there is often a good chance for music-oriented Kithain to absorb Ghmour dong with the vibes. Seelieand Unseelie rock bands find this place a handy venue for their performances.
c-_
Pipe Dreams - t the height of the hippie movement, this store wasehe place for water pipes and other accoutermentsrelated to smoking in all its forms. While it still offers an assortmentofunusual pipes, in the “smoke-free”1990s it has broadened its merchandising base o include New Age paraphernalia, Egyptianewelry, and T-shirts. Some grumpswho remember “how it used to be” find the atmosphere suitablynostalgic.
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h
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Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic-Originally founded to minister to the needs of t he hippie community, the clinicnow countsAIDS victimsamong ts clientele. Some boggans, following their innate compulsion to help the needy, work here ona volunteer basis, while a wilder noble from House Liam serves onthe clinic’s medical staff.
Haight-Ashbury includes a plethora of unusual and interesting shops, which canbe adapted by a Storyteller for inclusion in her chronicles. Stores specializing n bodypiercing (frequentedby redcaps and numerous Unseelie wilders), numerous goth clubs andbars,shops devoted to 3 variety of international culturesand fashions(gathering places for the city’s eshuand other eclectic Kithain), specialty bookstoresof every type,comics and games shops, art and “pseudo-art”galleries, stores offering re-
272
- ll of these and cycled clothing, cookware andrecords more can be found in Haight-Ashbury. The Toybox coffee Shop - ot far from the intersectionofHaightand AshburyStreetsstandsheToybox Coffee Shop.Thisquaint little cafe is actuallya hhdd ownedby Lady Zoe, one of DukeAeon’sbarons.t is run by SirCharles Fizzlewig, a commonerknight. Many comm~ner Kithain have made this place theirinformalhe&~Wm. The Toybox is known for its egalitarian atmosphm,in contrast to thevery snobbish Glass Sto cking cafe,theduke’s favorite fief (which is located in the Castro). Kurtzweiler’s Toyshop - ocated on Masonic Avenue near BuenaVistaPark, Kurtzweiler’ s Toyshophas been in businesssince the 1890s.Its srcinal proprietor, a nocker from Germany, gained a reputation makingand repairing toysfor the children of the Haight’s gentry.The current Mr. Kurtzweiler, a grandnephew of the shop’s founder,now orders most of his wares from distributors and is no longer in the business of repairing toys.A wholerack of video gamesdominates the front of his shop, and he’d like to get rid of the “antique toys” case - ut his granduncle’s will stipulated that he would haveto sell antique toysif he wishedto retain ownershipof the place. Trickster’s - his all-night coffeehousehas become popular with many Unseelie Kithain because of its
location near the Panhandle and the unsavory crowd tha t has recently staked out a claim here.Th e hardcore regulars include a number of bikers, hookers, drug dealers, and a few individuals reputed to have connections with “dark powers.” Seelie Kithain willing to riskresponsesanging from verbal abuse to outright physical violence (from mortals as well as other Kithain) can sometimes pick up valuable rumors for the right price. Many Unseelie make Trickster’s their startingor ending point when they go clubbing in the Castro.
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity3, Stamina 2, Charisma 2, Manipulation 4, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 4
pemondines
Seeming: Grump
Glamour:7 Banality:6 Willpower: 8 Image: To mortals, Fizzlewigis a “round” old man with dark,curlyhair that springsfrom his head in gravitydefying directions.H is eyes bulge, andhis overly wide mouth is fixed in a perpetual scowl.H is aerie appearance is a more extreme version of his mortal guise ore wrinkles onhis face, a bigger scowl,and eally extravagant hair. He dresses in shades fobrownand favors styles from the last century. RoleplayingHints: Most daysyo u feel the creakmg of your joint3and he pain of Banality atad too keenly. Some days you wish folkswould just leave you aloneto putter aroundhe coffeehouse and keep everything in good repair.
Kith:
Customers- speciallythe wilder cliques who comebarging in at all how expecting service on’t appreciate a
The following individualsfigure p Will Be Toys.” They have been fully Storyteller will have full access to all their abilities.
Chades YChip”kzlerniy (BODY an kni ghr 1 .
Cour~: eelie Legacies: Crafterpatalist
House: F~OM affiliation only)
s
Abilities:Alertness2, Dodge2, Kenning3,Streetwise 2, Subte&ge 2, Crafts 3, 3, E 2, Mythlore2 Arts: Chicanery1,Legerdemain2, Soothsay 2
1
ReamS: Actor 3, Fae 2, Prop 3, Scene 1 Backgrounds: Holdings2 (theTo yb xCoffeeShop), (a magic ing ,Ip,,, that Resources2, Title 2, enables him t o cast a Geas o n someone at need)
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1 1
qeOR$jru
(cabby epuORdinaiRe) Court: Unseelie Legacies: Fool/Sage,
I
Seeming: Grump Nocker Kith: Attributes: Strength
3, Dexterity2, Stamina3, Cha-
3, Manipulation risma Intelligence 3, Wits 4 4, Appearance 3, Perception 4, Abilities: Alertness4, Brawl3, Dodge3, IntimidationL, 4,Crafts Kenning1,Streetwise 2, Drive5, Security 2, Stealth cisco)4, Linguistics1 (Spank . rdemain 2, Wayfare3 Realms: Actor4, Fae 2, Prop 4 Backgrounds: Contacts 3, Resources2
Glamour:7 Willpower: 6 Banality: 6
clean flooror an unstained tablecloth. The are little better, with their slightly cod me nd in g smiles and their mock-respect.YOU put UP with them because-it’sY O U duty
to the baron, but you don’t have tolike people. Infact,YOU don’t like m a t people - hangelingor n~rtal. for maybe the childlings - hey’re all right. They have an excuse for spilling juice on spotlesscomterto~ nd scuffinghe Young. to Yourself a lot and find faultwith almost everybody. o Yu have agood heart, but nobody needs toknow it.
I
History:Fizzlewig distinguished h AccordanceWar, eaminga knighthood Aeon’sbarons, LadyZoe: The baron ‘ko lieu of an outright gift)to oversee oneof his holdings- he Toyboxcoffee Shop. Eversince hen, Fizzlewighas mainizzlewighas tainedthecafeasagatheringplacefbrKithain. made it clear that he has “retired”from faerie politicsanJ refuses ohave anythingtodo with he intriguesofthe Seeli
Coua.He hates being referredto by his title andrefuseso
talk about the deedsthat won itfor him-
althoughhe’s not above “pullingrank”when he wantsa favor.
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Channeling:The beaming
Image: In her mortal guise, Georgia resemble, middle-agedpunk, with short spiky hair worn in multicolored streaks (red, black and white). Her faerieappearance displays her brick-red skin and elongated, pointed ears. Both ears are pierced, and a gold chain runs rom her left ear to the center of her left cheek. She wears a leather bomber jacket and a battered cabby h Roleplaying Hints:Mortals are : lieve anything you tell ‘em,particularly if 1 Kithain are only a little less gullible. Othei
1 foils for yoursharp wit and caustic humor, though some1
times you’ll break down and give them some of you carefully hoarded wisdom as well. The one thi ng that can’ )e ooled is a machine - ike your our Glamour keeping the thing enchanted so it ierfonnlotsof amazing tricks.
HistMy: GeorgialivedinNew
..--,and the “New
York Cabby” atti permanentpartofherpe~lity.At -hence she will neverfully 1 of the SeelieCourt.She is Unseelie by default, however, am has no* todo with politics. Sheis fiercely proud ana , protective of her taxicab, a1957Dodgein mint condition; anyone whocompliments her on it will win a Mend for life, or at least for thelength of a cabride. Sheis a regular at the Toybox andis usually willii to help out people involved in a worthycause- houghher priceis sometimes steep. Quo* How soondo youneed togeth e ? opmb l Trust me, kwashortcut-htyou’dbetterclose your if y ou scare easy. Hey! Don’t touch that!
C1C)aIacuR
(&dm?xRed COURZ uccasc) Coutt:Unseelie
I
Att&ute.s:Strength 3,Dexterity4, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 5, Appearance 2, Perception 4, Intelligence4, Wits 3 Abilities: Alertness 3, Dodge 3, Intimidation 3, Kenning4, SubterfUge4,Etiquette3,Leadership1,Melee2, Stealth 2, Enigmas4, Linguistics3 (Gaelic, Greek, Spanish), Mythlore 3, Occult 4, Politics3 rts: Chicanery 5, Legerdemain 4, Wayfare 2
Realms:Actor 3, Nature 3, Fae 3, Prop 2, Scene 1 Backgrounds: Gremayre 3, Resources 1,Treasures4
your inherentcarnality.Now yourtrue hungeris for power. Treachery has b m e our essence and influencesevery action yo u take.You think nothing of lying, cheating, begging, cajoling or bullyingto get what you want. Smile, wheedle, intimidateor connive as the occasion demands. History: Malacarserved as a magicaladvisorto Duke
Aeonformanyyears,butwasneversatisfiedwiththis“minor” position. Pathologi cally ealous ofthe changeling nobility and
everlustfulforpower,Malacarsuccumbedtothelureofcemin Unseelie fictionsand betrayed the duke, resulting in his banishment from thecourt. He possessesan enchanted gem that now repb islekeye. Only th e d m tofcircumtances ‘ ch as a Geas)will induce him to parr with it willingly. ’ Quote: Truly,1 medntnohann. I am butapoorf mined by circumstanceand drim by necessity to desperc, measures. You um undemtund desperation,can’t you?
S~N~S s his (th e Eye of Opening, a marble-sized gem rhat left eye)
Glamour: 8 Witlpowert 8 Banality:7 Imapu?:n his mortalseeming,Malacar is a disheveled elderlyman withhoulder-length&rayinghaiiand a scraggly beard. In his faerieguise, Malacar assumesa more sinister appearance.A pair ofhornsprotrudefromhis forehead,and his lefteye glowswith anunnaturalgleam. (He often wean an eyepatch to concealthis disumcerting feature.) He still dressesin the worn finery thatwas oncehis courtgarb.
Coutt:Unseelie Legacies: Roguema Seeming: Wilder
Kith: Redcap 2, ma2, P&Wm 3,
Attributes: Strength 3,Dexterity5,
m
u
P
istory:Slique lives on the fringes of changeling society, rarelystaying in one place for long. She has few friends, relying on herself in most circumstances. Shehas a history ofbeing usedby other, more powerful changelings- lthough usually these individuals have met with unfortunate accidents as a consequence. Quote: You can't pin nothin' on me. us t y o u try see whereit gets you. I don't know nothin' about nothin' and even if I did I wouldn't be tellin'you, not even if you pad me. WeU, depdng on the price..
.
&he$kRsonahtles The following ndividualsplay supporting olesin"Toy~ Will Be Toys."They are primarily intendedas vehicle for setting the mood, providing t he characterswith necessilly information and allowing the Storyteller to have a "voice"in her story.Nostatsare ncluded forthese haracters, although 1 the thumbnail sketches provided below should give the Storytellerenoughinformation to bring them to life.
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Abilities: Alertness3, Athletics 2, Brawl3, Dodge 4, Kenning 1, Streetwise2, Drive 1,Melee2, Stealth 4, Area Knowledge (Haight-Ashbuq)3, Law 1, Occult I
Arts: Chicanery 1,Legerdemain3, Wayfare 2 Realms Actor 2, Fae 2, Prop 3, Scene 1 Chimera 2 (a stiletto), Contacts 2, Bzckgrounds: Resources1 Glamour: 4 Willpower: 6 Banality:4 h e : Slique masquerades to mortalsas a Blood
Edmund looksike a IO-year-oldstreet kidwith tousled black haii,ntense darkeyes and a pointed n w . He is an Unseeliechildling redcap whos e chiefgoal in lie seemso be to wreakhavoc wherever he goes. Although Fizzlewig has threatened to ban him from the Toybox foreating the furniture, hehas yet to carry out his threat.Edmd craves attention and will doalmostanydung to get it. His encyclopedic knowledgeof the Haight's undersidemakes him a useful ~~~~cOm~i~.He~~d and Rasputin (despite their annoyance with him).
i
In her mortal guise,Ellen is a painfullythinyoung woman in her early2Os,with shoulder-length, washed-out blond haii pulled back fromher faceby a velvet ribb n. She Doll; she dresses entirely in black, wears garish white is a Seelie wilder sluagh who lives in self-imposed seclusion makeup, and coats her slicked-back hair with copious aboveabookstoreonthecomerofHaight and Ashburynear amounts of black dye. She is not above showing her the Toybox. There shereadsromance novels,c~llexs ose pointed teeth to passersby- nhancing her "creature-ofthe-night" image.In her faerie kith, her chit inous skin is carved in wild patterns, which she stains with blood.
Roleplaying Hints: You never got anything that you didn't have to take - ncluding Glamour. You do whatever you have to do to survive,but the less effort you have to put into it the better. Occasionally, someonewill force you i nto doing something that requires some extra work -when that happens, you wait aroundlong enough for the payback. You don't let anyone take advantage ofyou for long - nd if they do, youhurt 'em.
Changeling:The &earning
and dreams offinding true love. She sometimesvisits petals the Toybox, but rarely interacts with anyone. Instead she listensand remembers. Befriending Ellen requiresextreme tact and patience,but in the long run she could pmve a goldmine o f useful informati on aboutthe sidhe nobility.
Rmpunn (]esce~) Rasputinappears to be a compactly builtyoung man withawideqen, expressiveface. He isa Seeliewilder pooh whosefaeriekith reveals elongated, rabbitlike ears. A flamboyantdresserwith tastes tending toward the avant-garde, Rasputin is a street poet, performanceartist, teller of tall
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Valmont (CDodeRn enmepReneud
and showsan amaz
Edmund.
In his mortalguise, Valmontisa slender, dark-skinned young man who projects an aura of self-confidence.He is an Unseelie wilder eshu; in his faeriekith it is obviousthat the blood of princes runshrough his veins. Valmontis obsessedwith being one step ahead of &e pack, the law and the world in general. His involvement in numerous quasi-legitimate schemes keeps him in material wealth, but his real love is for the act of"whee1ingand dealing." He and Rasputinare good friends, though theyrarely see eyeto-eye on anything. Valmont seems to beboth familiar with and highly critical of the duke's court, though he does not openly express feelings - nless directly confronted about them. his
Be Toys: Toys Ui11 a Sample SCOR~ OR “&”
It went hen iLmoved and “bop”when it stopped And “whim” when it stood still I newer knew just what it was ~ n dguess never will. - om Paxton, “The MarvelousToy” “Toys Will Be Toys” the is first partof the Immortal
Eyes Chronicle. Although meant to lead into the events of that epic quest,this story can stand alone or can provide a starting point for your own chronicle.
Theme and m o o d Changelings are caught in a never-never land between Banality and the Dreaming. Remembering their forgotten dreams,piercing the cold-iron curtain of the “real”world and retrieving the vestigesof their Glamourfilled heritage are essential their Th eare exiled children of faerie inhabita to world inexistence. which things not alwayswhat they seem, where even the smallest detail can trigger the memory of their true nature. The constant battle between memory and forgetfulness, he struggleto retain one’s identity in the face of Banality, isthe central theme of this chronicle. The mood combines the whimsical nature of childlike wonder with a profound sadness for things gone beyond recall. Think of what it was liketo be a child, when the world was full of wonderfuland frightening things. Laughter and tears came easily,and both dreams and nightmares seemed real. Then remember the process of disillusionment that marked the passage into maturity. Although growing up is inevitable, we still longfor those days when anything was possible and effects did not necessarily have to have a cause. For changelings, that bittersweet memoryof a world beyond is ever-present. Th e ecstasy that comes with suddenlyremembering their faerie natureis all the more intense because along with it comes the realization that the “real”world will soon intrude, Banality will eventually overcome Glamour, and dreams wi ll fade into mundane existence. This story was written to enable you to introduce new players to the world of Changeling. If they haven’t ever played a Storyteller game before, you may wish to run a I
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ImmoRcaleyes ChRonicle DukeAeonrulesover the Duchy of the Golden Gate, in which thii story takes place. Th educalseat is in San Francisco. Th e duke, a wilder sidhe of House Fiona, is known for his passion, his love of music and h i erratic mood swings. His chamberlain, Lady Alyssa (House Gwydion), has been handling most of his courtly affairs for the past six months or so, as the duke has been preoccupied with the music he’s been creating (orso the story goes). Aeon’sherald and First Lord of War, Lprd Cumulus (a sidhe of HouseGwydion) s the only character who might remotely come into contact with the characters during the sample story below. Lord Cumulus is a great warrior and possesses a sword, Arcbiter, t hat flashes with bound lighming. Cumulus s nearly a grump: he is verybombasticand formal, livesfull-time in a freeholdand is dangerously close to Bedlam. Although you should avoid noble politics at this juncture (indeed, it’s suggestedthat you wait for the first ImmortalEyes sourcebook before you go deeply into t hat aspect of t he chronicle), you can freely use these three characters to represent the nobility, should such be necessary. If you do use them, be sure to generate statistics for the characters you plan on using.
short “playtestsession” nvolving his storybeforerunning off into your own stories. ‘ToysWill Be Toys” is also partof the ImmortalEyes Chronicle, an epic saga of three sourcebooks hat will see your characters through a grandjourney an d heroic quest. If you chooseto make the ImmortalEyes Chronicle your “home chronicle,” thenyou will want to run this story to begin the chronicle. Even if you do not use the situations or characters described in this story, you can use “Toys Will Be Toys”as a model on which to base your own Changeling stories.
Theme and mood The theme and mood of“Toys Will Be Toys” is that of foreboding.In the Hero’s Journey (see Chapter Three for more information), it is the Call to Adventure. This story will reveal something of the nature of the chronicle’s impendingconflict, but the whole background will stillbe a mystery.
Cha ngchng: The b ea m in g
L
Thisstcay revolves around the theft of a magical toy chest (steams d ) ocated in the Toybox Coffee Shop under the guardianshipof SirCharlesFizzlewig, thecafe’s proprietor. Reputedly the propertyof the late Emperor Norton (see below), the toy chestwas presented to him as “tribute” by a nocker toymaker named Kurtzweiler, who owned a shop in the Haight. The .boxcontained a group of chimera, but now- hrough theeffortsof the thief, a satyr named Malacar- he toy chest has been opened, freeing the chimera. The characters must retrieve both the toy chest and the chimerical toys, either by defeating them in battle or by locating a missing toy- bugler from aset of toy soldiers- hose horn can gather the chimera together in one place. Th e @ orche bugler will lead the characters o Kurtzweiler’sToy Shop, now owned by one of the Autumn People, and eventually to a confrontation with Malacar. Here they will gain possess ion of a powerful treasure, the item that allowed the satyr to open the toy chest. ___.
The€
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One of 19th-c entu~y an Francisco’s most endearing and eccentric igures,JoshuaA. Nortonsought to make his fortune as a businessman,went bankrupt, disappeared, and emerged from obscurityas the self-appointed“Emperorof the United States and Protector of Mexico.”H is delusion so charmed the locals that for the duration of his brief reign, San Francisco’sshopshonored his especially minted currency, paid the modest taxes he levied, kept him in clean uniforms, gavq him free meals and opening-night tickets to theatre performances- nd obeyed his order to erect a Christmas tree each year in Union Square for the city’s children. In short, he was reated as the royalty he claimed to be until his unexpected death of apoplexy in
I I
1880. In the World of Darkness, Emperor Norton I was reputed to be a human descended from faerie blood, too
II’
weak to be a full changeling, but too “fae” to exist fully ithin mundane reblity.
Scene One: L ameRa, Amon! The Toybox Qffee Shop is the setting for the story’s pening. The buil&g’s-ornate exterior resembles a gin-
to the “frosted” panes of glass in Inside, the coffee shopprojects an atmosphere of dd-fashioned coziness. Hand-carved
tables and chairs of rich darkwoodscluster together in the center of the shop, while severalboothsine one wall. In the back, a mahogany bar provides Fizzlewigwith a grand view of everyone who comis through the door. Behind the bar, a counter displays the co&e shop’s offerings, which include a variety of specialty coffees, herbal teas,sparkling waters, old-fashionedsodas and malts,and a selection of imported beers. A swingingdoor beside the bar leads to a small kitchen where a variety of sandwiches and desserts are prepared. The placeis filled with good smells: freshbaked chocolate-chipcookies, rich coffee, and the tang of cinnamon. Prominently displayed on a low, sturdy table along the wall opposite thebooths s the coffee shop’spiece de resistance: a large, antique steamertrunk covered in fanciful carvings that give it the appearance of a toy chest hence the shop‘s name. Atop the box is an intricate w d e n puzzle resembling a Chinese puzzle-box. Many patrons while away the time attempting to solve the puzzle, which alsoservesas the lock for the trunk. So far, no one has succeeded in opening the box - t least that’s what Fizzlewigsays. He encourages people to play with the puzzleas much as hey like, but saysthat only he knows the trick to get it open. The scene begins when the characters find their way to the Toybox Coffee Shop on a rainy night in late October. A number of regulars are present, absorbed in their ownpursuits. A young, pinched-facedwoman (Ellen) sits alone in a back booth, her nose buried in a dog-eared paperback. A somber-looking troll (Tor) sits in another booth. Fizzlewig,the shop’sproprietor, s in one of his more cantankerousmoods, demanding hat the characters serve themselves, admonishing them to wipe their feet, and complaining (to himselfif no one else is available) about everything. A pugnacious childling (Edmund) sits at the bar, devouring a triple-decker sandwich- long with its plate. Whenever i t seems appropriateto the story, the door to the Toybox bursts open, lettin g in a gust of unseasonably cold windalong with the cafe’s latest arrival- n elderly man (Malacar) who stumps heavily to the end of the bar (nearest the toy chest) and hoists himself up o n a stool, grumpily ordering “somethinghot - nd put a kick in it!” Before the doorhas quite closed, another figure (Slique) slips into the cafe. Sliquesashaysoverto he characters,smilingat them. Though they have never met Slique, shepretends to know them, even calling them by name and patting them familiarlyon the back. Even if the characters deny Slique’s friendly gestures, she nods and smiles knowingly at them, as if they are sharing some kind of private joke. She does
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t [
&is for just a momentor so before saying, “Oh, hold on a
second... need to go say somethin’ to that fool over there.”Slique smilesand walks backovertowhere Malacar sits,sitting down in a booth. Charactersmay makePetception + Empathy rolls (difficulty 7 ) to sensethat she and Malacar are both nervous.
This continues for a few minutes. Then, without warning, Slique suddenlylaunches herself at Edmund, slinging abuses at him (“You foul little thing! Don’t act innocent, youslimycarcass!”). Atthesame time, asudden
magical fogfill st heroom-apowerfulChicanevcanmip! Until the characters (or one of the other patrons, f the characters fail) can dispel the magical fog with their own Glamour, their only cluesto what is going onwill be the sounds of chairs and tables being overturned (by Slique) and lots of scuffling (by everyone). Once the darkness is dissipated,anyone looking around the room will notice that the toy chest, Slique and Malacar are g one. Despite the shambles caused by the altercation, Fizzlewigis most upse t by the theft of the toy chest. He beginsberating and badgering thecharacters (regardlessof their actions during the disturbance), blaming them for the theft. He then accuses the characters of being “in league” with Slique, who very obviously stole the toy He does not yet remember Malacar’s presence (and chest. subsequent absence). Thecharacters will probably protest their innocence loudly. Then Fizzlewigwill say, “Well, if yo u aren’t in league withthat foul Slique creature,1 equire you togo orthand retrieve my beloved toy chest fromher before shesells it to some ence or tries to open it. That would be.. .a terrible mistake on her part and potentially destructive to us all. That chest holds powerful magicsthat even I don’t fully comprehend. Now get out of here and don’t come back until you have my chest!” He will stoop to pulling “&” as a titled commoner if necessary. You,as Storyteller, should explain to the players that it’s important that they agree to go after the chest, if only to further the story. As the characters begin to leave,Tor stops them and motions them over. He quietlyinforms hem that the man Slique was with, Malacar,is a well-known troublemaker and a powerful sorcerer. Tor is waiting on a friend andso cannot leave with the characters, but he stresses that Malacar could definitely be involved with the theft in two were so obviously together. some way, since the If, during this conversation, the characters scanthe cafe for anything that mlght have been left behind, allow them to make Perception + Alertness rolls (difficulty6) to notice a wall behind the bar illed with children’s drawings - any of them featuring the toy chest.Three or more successesallow a characterto spot a crayon rubbing of a toy
soldiercarrying a bugle. In the background of the drawing is an ornately stylized capital“K.” If theyask,Fizzlewigtells the characters that many oft he childlings who come into the Toybox entertain themselves by tracing or ‘‘rubbing” some of the carvings on th e outside ofthechest. Although no one remembers the name Kurtzwdler, this shouldgive the characters a lead later on in rhe story- ince thereate only a few toyshops in the Haight beginning with a“IC” Fizzlewigthen hurries them on heir way, standing in the doorway and pointing out. As the door to the Toybox closes, the characters overhearhim say, “Oh, my.. .I hope she doesn’t figure h t e puzzle out!”
SceneTqo: Running
lrhgh and Lou
Having been booted out of the Toybox CoffeeShop by Chip, the characters have to find out more aboutthe missing Toyboxand the whereaboutsofShqueandMalacar. Luckily, at this very momentGeorgia drives u p. She’s a perceptive sort and easily notices that the characters seem upset about something. “What’s up with you guys?“ she says.If the characters actually explain to her what’s going on, she takes pity on them. “Hey, I know some folks around the Halght who might can help. Get in - ’m off duty anyway, and this might be fun,” she says. A ride in Georgia’s cab co entire evening’s entertainment. and her cab isable to do things th has several “shortcuts” through use: driving down stairs,or ju zones. Luckily, she doesn’t haveot p two alternatives: Georgia offers the characters
“I know thisgu y named Valmont He’s pretty smart, and he’s important with the ShadowCourt. A regularguy. I bet he wouldn’t mind at lkin’ to ya about Slique.” or “There’sthis other gUy named %putin. He’s apooka but, well, he knows a lot ofstuff. Likes to listen to stories, and puts his nose into everything.He might have heard something more about the Toybox.” If the characters decide to visit Rasputin, og to”D0wn on th e Corner.” If the characters decide to visit Valmont, go to “Wakingup the Neighbors.”
Georgia’s cab pulls up to a convpnient curbside just down the street from Golden Gate P A . Rasputin is there entertaining he crowd. He’s weaving, bobbing, dancing
and“miming”gettingout ofthewayofsomedung large.Of course, the people gatheredGINUR see he huge chimerical bearthat threatens to eviscerate him nly the characters can.
that he recently heard a ve
The bear instantlyrecognise4the arriving changelings and moves to at tack thm as well. Onlookers will get a taste of some really interesting and w e I I + b q h e d “street theat re” as the characters “mime”the bear attack. (See the bear’sstaoat the end of the story.)
because he’s afraid along to he lp investigate will be a li ttle less subtle.
Once the bearis defeated (i t doesn’t have a chance against the PCs, RasputinandGeorgia) t instandy&~ and reverts to a chimericalstuffed animal:a strangekind of dross. The pooh explains (& thp crowd disperses) tha t he was just minding his own business when the bear attacked him ( not me - e was actuallyperforming for the crowd before that). He doesn’tknow where it came fromnot true e thinks it came fiom Golden Gate Park),ut it certainly isn’tan y chimera he’s familiar:with (not true - t’s exactly like the chimera he’s familiar with).
1. The Toybox is a powerful treasure that contains many chimera. t powerful chimerain the box when they work together, can
-
-
When the characters tell him what happened and ask him about the Toybox, Rasputin recalls the story of Emperor Norton and his Toybox (suitably embellished so as not to be completely truthful). If the characters question him properly,they maybe able to get him to menti on
The most important should get out of this sce
r is going on,so his lying tion tha t the characters
ar was one of th e chimera in the box nd hat means that the box has been opened! At thisrpoint, the characters may choose to go directlyto the pads(especially if Rasputin informedthem of the laud expbssion in ths!park). Ifso, kip to “Alarum and Excursions.” If not, they may chooseto follow up on the lead with Valmont. If this is the case, go to ‘&Waking up the Neighbors,” below.
-
Wakingup t h e NeighboRs Georgia waits in the cab while the group approaches Valmont’s Victorian ownhouse. Although it’s the middle of the afternoon, Valmont is asleep from his previous night’slabors. Ringing the doorbell awakenshim, which does not put him in a good mood about answering it, but he does so anyway. When Valmont comes to the door, it’s going to take some convincingfromthe characters to get him to let them in. As soon as they mention Slique, however,his eyes widen and he opens he door and lets the om, warningan y childlings not t o on of rare antique daggersthat hang
SceneThRee: &mums and &cuRs1ons 1
At the beginning of the scene, the characters hear a loud chimerical explosion. Unless they score three successes on a Perception+ Alertness roll (difficulty8), however, they will notbeable to tell from which direction the explosion emanates. Meanwhile, many random chimera will distract them as hey search the Haight looking for the source of th e booms. Repeat the explosionsas appropriate (probably after each encounter, below) until the characters succeed. The explosions are, of course, coming from Buena Vista Park, where the tin soldiersare doing target practice, waiting for their bugler to return from “the Infirmary” (see “The Lost Bugler,” below).
Valmont explains that he’s suspected Slique to be loyal to Malacar ever since Malacar was Duke Aeon’s court sorcerer many monthsago.When Malacar was Here are a few encounters you can throw at your relieved of his duties following apol itical confli ctbetween characters while theytry o figure out where the booms are him and Lady Alyssa, Malaca r was exiled from the fiefot coming from: prevent him from causing any magical harm to Alyssa. A glanshclown clutching a pair of cymbalsaccosts Sliquewasoften een hanging out with Malacar just before the characters, at t a c k i hem with its ready-made‘“weaphis exile,and he redcap has made several strange trips out ons”if they attempt to capture t. Peoplewalkingalongthe of town in the past three months. street might garher to watch more “street theater.” ReClearly worried that Malacar may use his sorceryto member,this is the Haight, so this kind of thing happens attackeither Duke Aeon or Lady Alyssa, Valmont decides all the time. tod e phone call to Slique’s apartment. Finding that A giant purple dragonhas “treed” a cat, whichcan she isn’t home,Valmont tells the characters that he’s“got somehow senset even though it is totally chimerical. The a funny feeling about this.” dragon states that he would like to eat the cat, but th at if If the characters haven’t yet visited Rasputin, they the characters can provide him with some licorice may wish to dothis now. Go to‘‘Down n the Comer,” jellybeans,he will be happy to “go to sleep again,”as he above. If they leave togo see Rasputin, Valmont will tell calls it. The cat might die of frightif the dragon ate it. It the characters that he’sgoing to investigate this and catch shouldn’t be hardto find licorice jellybeans, although wandering around and looking for them should be interIf they have already visited Rasputin, Val mont willbe esting. even more upset to learn that the boxhas been opened and A shadow puppet begins to follow the characters, that Malacar has access to a whole bunch of chimera. casting strange shadowswherever they walk. The shadow Perhaps Malacar is using the soldiers as personal bodypuppet must be attacked with the shadow of one’sweapons guards?Perhapshe will use the chimeraas sacrifices o gain in order to inflict damage onit, although it will tau nt and enough Glamour for a terrible curse? N o one knows for annoy th e characters rather thanhurt them. sure. Valmont tells the characters to“scrounge around and The Storyteller should feel free to create otherscenes find all the chimera you can”- nd, if possible,kill them like they did the bear, since they revert into little toy- involvingchimerical creatures from the to y chest:unicorns, pegasi, elephants, wind-up dolls, marionettes, or any of the treasures when that happens.By the time t he characters complex toys created by German toymakers in the19th centurycanprovide unique challengesor f the characters. ise that startsout
.
’=>ceneOUR:T h e Lor:
Bugred
Thecharacters come upon agroup of soldiers (dressed for the battle of Waterloo) milling around Buena Vista Park. Consisting of five mounted cavalrymen, five infantry (who also double as cannon-handlers), a soldier with a spyglass,and a mounted officer (th e General), they look confused. A few of them m ay decide, upon sighting the characters, that they now have an ”enemy” and engage them i n battle. Th e soldiers’ hearts are really n ot in the fight, however; beforeany of the characters can be seriouslyinjured (fromchimerical damage), he General calls a halt to t he battle and suggestsa “parley.”He blusteringly asks them if they have seenhis bugler. “He’s absolutely necessary to our campaign, y’know - all to armsand all that.” Another soldiervolunteers h e information ha t the bugler has been missing for some time (“wounded in battle, had to be taken to Dr.Kurtzweiler’sInfirmary for repair”). Th e General adds that they rely on the bugler to rally all the troops and their “allies”(th e other toys). Th e soldier with the spyglass announces that he has looked everywhere or signsof their ‘‘barracl~”the toy chest) and that they desperatelyneedthe bugler to lead them home. These bits of informationshould set the characters on the track of Kurtzweiler’s Toyshop, since the bugleris actually their best bet for gathering in all the chimera as well as locating the toy chest. If the characters ask the soldiers to accompany them, the General details the scout with the spyglassto go along. 1
owner,an d any characters who remain inside must struggle to avoid being overcome by its erosive pull. Ernst may unwitting1y“attack” he characters ftheir approachstrikes him as oo whimsical (“Aren’tyou too old to be interested in toys?”).If the characters can get the bugler away from the shop and itsowner, the “toy”will assumeits chimerical form. The bugler will gladly accompany the characters to where his c o d e s re and will be grateful to the m for rescuinghim from the“intemmen t camp.”He will proudly inform the characters that he can always find the location of the “barracks.” If the characters are smart, they will let the bugler lead them to the toy chest - nd to Malacar.
BackgRound o Scene sy After Malacar abscondedwith the to y chest, he took it t o Golden Gate Park, where he removed the gem from his eye to open the chest, placing it in the space formedby the completed puzzle. This action freed the chimera, whom Malacar intended t o sacrifice during th e performance of a secret ritualan d thereby increasethe power of the Shadow court (for more information about what Malacar is up to, see the first ImmortalEyes sourcebook, “The Toybox”).
As the sun sets, the bugler leads the characters to Golden Gate Park and directly to the Toybox - ust as Malacar (theeye now replaced in his head) is enacting the ritual. The bugler’s call on his horn and the resulting magical arrivalof all the othe r soldiers (and, a few moments later, most o f the rest of the errant chimera) interrupt Malacar’s ritual. His henchmen, Slique and Crak (a large Unseelie troll), stand nearby but are unable to keep Malacar from having his concentration shattered.
Scene rive: Linle m e ritual fails - he eye in Malacar’shead begins to glow withan inner heat, sending him into throes of agony Toyshop of LRRORS and causing him to rip the gem from his eye and hurl it Thisscene takes place in Kurtzweiler’s Toysnop. Emst Kurtzweiler, the great-nephew of Felix (the nocker who srcinallyowned the toyshop), is one of th e Autumn People. He inherited the Toyshop from his “oddball”
down, screaming,“It will serve me no more!” Once away from Malacar,the gem ceases glowing, becoming cooland soothing to the touch. Malacar runs into the bushes, caterwaulingto his henchmen to attack.
ancestor and saw it as an easy way to make a living, particularly since he doesn’t makeor repair toys -he just sells them. The bugleris buried amid a dusty display of antique toysin a glass case at th e rear of the shop. It was left there years ago by Emperor Norton for Felix to repair its horn. Norton was supposed to have picked it up, but died before he could do so. An old !edgerhas th e records of t he transaction. Getting the bugler from Emst Kurtzweiler is a tricky proposition.The shop is saturated with the Banality of its
At this point a pitched battle occurs between the characters and the henchmen, who tr y to capture the stone eye during the fight. They fight until they are chimerically deadand run scaredwhen this occurs, dropping the eye as they do. If the characters appear to be getting the worst of th e battle, th e soldierswillrally and fire a cannonball into the fray. Using the bugler, th e characters can induce the other chimera to reenter the toy chest, whereupon theym ay
close the chest and return it to t he Toybox Coffee Shcp Fizzlewig will receive it with barely concealed delight, returning it to its accustomed place after examining it carefully for signs of damage.
FuRcheR 4\dventuRes This story ends when the characters have both the chest and th e Eye of Opening in their possession.If you wish to wait for the rest of the ImmortalEyes Chronicle, there are plenty of loose ends thatcan be used in the construction of intermediate stories. Any of the following ‘ :as can be used by a Storyteller foran evening’s enternment or as a basis for her own chronicle: Round-Up. Some of the chimera have the power to resist the bugler ’scall and are still atlargein the city.A windup mousehas taken up residence with Ellen, the lonely if the characterstry to spinster; shemay seriously object convinceher to give up her new companion. Agailycaparisoned ostrichhas madea home for it self on the Children’sCarousel in Golden Gate Park, where a number o f childlings ake great delight inridingit instead of the other carouselanimals.Other chimera, suchas dragons,may notbe so harmless,and may wreakhavoc n the changeling comm unity.
f
The Price of Fame. If word of the characters’ new treasure gets to Duke Aeon in his court o n Nob Hill, th e duke and his courtiers may keep the characters busy with any number of requests requiring them to use the Eye: freeing a changeling from the clutches of the Dauntain, reacquiring a lost faerie treasure from the museum in which it is currently displayed, etc.
[
I
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Open-and-shut Cases. The Eye of Opening does just that - t opens anything and everything. T he characters may see itas an easy way to acquire material riches or may decide to use it to assist various“worthy”causesfreeing political prisoners or animals imprisonedin zoos. Plots and Schemes. Despite his defeat,Malacarisstill a powerful individualand will not long remain in captivity. Once he has managed ot escape from iFzzlewig (after his trial), the baron or eventhe duke, he will continue oplague, tempt or otherwise harass the characters in an attempt to regain possession ofthe gem. As a recurring villain, hecan serveas an ideal“behind-the-scenesman”foran y number of plots against he characters.f the characterssomehowfailed to acquirethe gem from Malacar, repeated encounte rs with him will give themthe ability to do so. (This s importantif you intendto continue the ImmortalEyes Chronicle.) Paradise Threatened. Buena VistaPark‘s idyllic serenityhasbeendisruptedbyagroupofgothbikers, ctually an Unseeliewilder cliquebent on claiming he p eir
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T h e GeneRul Attributes: The General possesses ratings of 3 in all Attributes except for Charismaand Wits, which are 4. Abilities: Alertness4, Dodge 2, Etiquette 4, Leader. ship 5, Melee (military saber) 4
T h e BugleR and t h e Soldlea with t h e spyglass ttributes: These chimera possess ratingsof 3 in all Physical Attributes and 2 in all other Attributes excep Perception, which is 4. Abilities: Alertness4, Dodge 3, Melee 3, Perfor mance (bugle- ugler only) 4
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Clown Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina3, Charisma 4, Manipulation 4, Appearance 3, Perception 4, Intelligence 2, Wits 2
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Ability 114, 16,122 ,6 6 AccordanceWar 53,54
Boil and Bubble 202
Computer 172
Botch'109,116 Brawl 166 Brawling Chart 251 Bumpkin (Legacy) 157 Bunk 44,192,212
Concord, the 53 Concordia 5 5 Concept 121 Conflict 89 Contacts 175 Count/Countess 70,177 Court 63,114,121 Courtier (Legacy) 157
Cantrip 44,191 Captive Heart 198 Cards 192 Ceremonies 77 Changelings 40,44 . Characters 42,116,119
Courtly Love 74,226 Cover 249 Crafter (Legacy) 157 Crafts 169 Credibility 245 Customs and Traditions
74
Character Creation Chart 123 Adute
Charisma163 114,116,121,162 Chicanery 195 Damage 253 ChicaneryBunks 212 Dauntain 44,267 Childling 44,123,134 Chimera 44,56,79,175,190,231 ,Decision Stage 239 Degrees of Success108
Automatic Success 109
Chimerical Creatures 232 Chimerical Damage 234
Dexterity 163 Dice Pool 108,116,238
Chronicle 97, 07, 14
Dictum 206
Chrysalis 47,58 Backgrounds 124,175 Climbing 241 Balefire 62 Cliques 78 Banality 44,57,114,125,180, 90 Cold iron 235 Baroflaroness 70,177 Combat 234,248 Beast (Legacy)160 Combat Summary Chart 252 Bedlam 44,223 Commoner 44,66 Bedlam, Treating 224 Complications 1 10 Boggan 60,136
290
Difficulties 108,116 Dodge 166,248 Dougal,House 68,154 Downtime 116 Drama 237 Dreamers 176 Dreaming,the 44,51 Dream Interpretation 247
Changeling:The beaming ---
-
Drive 169
Dross68,179,189
Fledge 45,58 Flicker Flash 208
Duch&/Duke 70,177
Fomori 261 Fool (Legacy) 160 Fosterage 58
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Freebie Points 125
Eiluned, House 68,154 Efigy 199
Freeform Combat 252 Freehold 45,62
Elder-Form 201 Empathy 167 Enchanted, th e 80,23 1
Fuddle 196 Fugue 196
I Inanimae 80 Initiative 240,248 Injury 233 Intelligence 165 Interrogation 245 Intimidatiqn 168 Investigation 172
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Enchantment 230 Enigmas 172 Ensnare 199 Epiphany 179,186
Gallain 45,80
Escheat 4573
Eshu 60,138
Ghosts see Wraiths Gimmix 199
Etiquette 169
Glamour 45,56,114,125,179,185,
1,
Geasa 207
Example ofCharaster Creation 126 Exampleof Play 254 Examplesof Rolb 113 .Experience 114,221
Jumping 242
%
190 Glamour Cards 191 Golden Rule, th e 112 Grandeur 206
ExperienceChart 222 Experience Points,Awarding222
Grapple 251 Gremayre 176
Expression 167 Extended Actions 110,116
Grotesque (Legacy) 160 Grump 45,123,135
Kenning 168 Kinain 45, 79 King 69
Kith 45,59,114,121,135 Kithain 45,49,51,57,61 Knight 71,177 Knowledges 122,172
1
Gwydion, H o w 68,156 Law 172 LawsofLove 227 Leadership.170
Fae 210 Faerie 45,66
Haunted Heart 196
Fair Fortune 202 Falling 234
Healing 234
Legerdetnain 199
Health 114,181 Health Levels 181 Heather-Balm 201
LegerdemainBunks 213 Liam, House 69,156 Linguistics 172
FateFire 205
Hermit (Legacy) 157
Live-Action 41
Feats of Strength 242
High King David 54,70
Festivals 75
Holdings 176
Finishing Touches 125-
Holly-Strike 201
F~oM, House 69,155
Hopscotch 208 House 68,114,121,154
Mages 90,266 Manipulation 163
Household 61,114
Medicine 173 Melee 170 MeleeI and BrawlIComplicatiox Melee:W eapons Table 249 Ment:11Atlribut es 122,164
Fast-Talk 245 Fatalist (Legacy)160
Fior 45,74 Fire 234 Firefight Complications 249
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Firearms 170 Firearms Table 250 Firefight 248
Legacy 114,121,157
P
ental States 223 Mentor 176 45,57,230 Mists
Paladin (Legacy) 158
MistsChart 230
Parallel Story 101
Mooch 200
Patronage 78
Mood 89
Peacock (Legacy) 160
Motley 45,61,114
Perception 164
r Movement 241,253
Performance 170
. Multiple Actions 238,253 Multiple Opponents 249
Performances 245 Phantom Shadows 200
Multiple Shots 248
Physical Attributes 121,162
Mythlore 173
Physical States 233 Plot
Nature 209
Prelude, The 128 Primal 200
Nunnehi 80,261
Primal Bunks 213
Nymphs 80
Prodigal 80,268
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Prop 211 Protocol 205 Pursuit 242
Oakenshield 201
Oath of Guardianship,The 228 228
of the Accepted Burden, The 228
Oathcircle 62, 131
oaths 74,228 Occult 173 Oration 245 Orchid (Legacy) 158 Other Knowledges 175 Other Skills 171 Other Talents 169 Outlaw (Legacy) 160
I
“12
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Retinue 177 Reverie 187 Riddler (Legacy) 161 Rogue (Legacy) 161 Roleplaying 41
S Sage (Legacy) 159 Saining 46,59 Saint (Legacy) 159 Satyr 60,146 Savage (Legacy) 161
Rake (Legacy) 160 Range 250 Rank 69
Shattering, the 53 Sidhe 60,148
Rapture 189 Rating 108,116
Simple Action 117 Sfochain 233
Ravaging 186 Realms 46,125,192,209
Skills 122, 169
U Queen 69 Questions and Answers 130 Quicksilver 208
Raising&
223
RecoveringWillpower 180 Redcap 60,144
Changeling: The t)Rcaming
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Oath of the Long Road, The 229 Oath of Truehearts, The 229 Oathbond 46
1
Retainers 46,71
Scenes 117,107,238 Science 174 Search 247 Security 170 Seduction 246 Seelie Court 63,64 Seelie Legacies 157 Seeming 57,114,133 Setting 49 ShadowCourt 65 Shadowing 242
Oathof Clasped Hands, The 228 Oath of Fealty, The 228
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Resolution Stage 240, 249 Resources 176
PortalPassage 208
1 Nocker 60,140
Oathof Noblesse Oblige, The
Resisted Actions 111,116 Resisted Rolls 252
Po oh 60,142
Noble 46,66,67
4
Research 247
Royal Treasures 69 Rule of One 109
Points 116 Politics 174
Nightmares 215
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85
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Sluagh 60, 150 Sneaking 244
Soak 249
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Soothsay Bunks 214 Sovereign 205
Taking Actions 241
Undoing, the 57
Sovereign Bunks 214
Talents 122,166
Unseelie Court 63,65
Spark of Life 126 Specialties 126, 162 Spray 248
Tattletale 203 'Tempers 178
Unseelie Legacies 160
I
Squire 71 Stamina 163 Stealth 171 Story Archetypes 91 Storyteller 41,84, 117, 120
Storytelling 41,83, 195 Storytelling, Advance Streetwise 169
Strength 162
Stunt Driving 244 Subterfuge 169 Suffocationand Drowning 235 Sundering, the 51 Survival 171
Theme 86 Three-Round Burst 248 Time 107 Tir-na-N'og 52 Title 177 Titles 68,69
,
Treasures 178,189,216 Trods 46,52,62 Troll 60, 152 Troubadour (Legacy) 159
Turns 107,238
Vampires 268 Veiled E yes 197
Track 247 Trait 117,133,221 Treasure 69
Troupe 117 TrueThomas 54
V
ul Warning Signs Checklist 225 Wayfare 208 Wayfare Bunks 215 Wayfarer (Legacy) 159 Weaver Ward 207 Werewolves 269 Willow-Whisper 200 Willpower 114, 117, 125, 179 Wilder 46, 134 Wind Runner 208 Wits 165 Wraiths 266 Wretch (Legacy) 162
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