(Thank You to Ryan for
extensive help revising this page for 2.0)
Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels.
Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies. Elves are glamourous. They project glamour.
Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment. Elves are terrific. They beget terror.
--Terry Pratchett, "Lords and Ladies"
OVERVIEW OF THE GENRE:
After being
stolen from a human life, a changeling is subjected to servitude or
worse by the unfathomable creatures of Faerie. Some of these tasks or
duties or roles are so unlike the human experience that they cannot even
be called abusive. Some changelings are used as manservants, some as
soldiers, some as statues, some even as the light in a lantern.
How one of the Lost are treated defines your Seeming, which is both your
appearance and the way you have come to look at the world. Each of the
six Seemings—Beast, Darkling, Elemental, Fairest, Ogre and Wizened—is
then subdivided by Kith, which represents a more particular division of
what you are good at or how you function.
At some point, every changeling manages to flee from his or her keeper.
Or perhaps is set free. Or maybe even banished. Many changelings do not
remember how they ended up back in the Hedge, the border realm between
Arcadia and the mortal world. But for every one, memories of family or
happy times, places, things, act as a beacon that leads you home.
Once returned, many changelings find that a constructed doppelganger
called a Fetch has been left in their place, living their life while
they were gone. For some, years have passed here, while they spent but a
week in Faerie. For others, they have aged decades and only a month has
passed in our world. Time is… slippery where the True Fae are concerned.
How each changeling chooses to deal with his or her Fetch is a very
personal decision. Some seek to slay the thing and resume their lives,
while others choose to leave the thing alone and move on with their new
life. But every changeling comes to understand that Fetches are highly
variable, and some become destructively unhinged the moment their
changeling counterpart returns to earth.
Along with Fetches, the changelings also have to worry about Hobgoblins.
These creatures spawned of the Hedge can come in just about any shape or
size, and they sometimes escape into our world through an open gateway.
In addition, True Fae sometimes stalk the Hedge or penetrate our world.
More insidious, the Gentry sends its loyal changelings to infiltrate
changeling society.
For changelings, being around each other, and spending time in the
Hedge, can be a comfort, after acclimating to the wonders and terrors of
Arcadia. To combat the threats they face, changelings have devised four
Great Courts of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. These seasonal courts
trade power with each other, which somehow keeps the True Fae, the
Others, off balance and confused.
Not everything is cohesive, however. Changelings are as prone to
bickering and backstabbing as humans are. Intrigue and nefarious plots
are common where the fae are concerned, and changelings are no
exception. Courts seek to one-up each other, changelings steal from one
another, lie, break pledges, and sometimes even murder one another.
Life as a changeling is no picnic, but many still find ways to see the
wondrous details of life. Faerie alters perceptions by its very nature,
and looking at the world through a kaleidoscope can be beautiful, even
as it is confusing and incomplete.
Overview
of Fae
Society:
In 2001, a stretch of the eastern seaboard came under
attack from the Others. True Fae stalked the landscape, capturing
changelings by the dozen, sending their hounds after those who fled. For
six years after that fateful time, Washington, D.C. was devoid of the
fae. None of the Lost who escaped thought it safe to come back, and the
last desperate effort to seal off the trods and bar the Gentry also
meant that no more changelings could find their way out of the Hedge
into the city.
All was quiet, as such things are measured, until some months ago, when
the Regents arrived. Four powerful changelings came to the city,
determined to open the trods and welcome any who returned. The members
of this powerful motley represent each of the four Great Courts, and
they have assumed the pro-tem leadership of D.C. as they continue the
process of finding and rehabilitating other Lost who stumble back
through the Hedge.
Three months have passed since then, and the ranks of the fae have
swollen. In addition, a smattering of those who fled have finally
returned, feeling safer with the knowledge that the Regents offer their
protection over all of the Lost.
THE FOLLOWING INFO IS FOR CHANGELING PC's
ONLY.
ANY OTHER CHARACTERS CLAIMING TO KNOW THIS BY ANY MEANS OTHER
THAN LOGGED AND PROVEN RP WILL BE TREATED AS META-GAMING.
The gathering point for the Fae of D.C. is Franz Avenue Bistro in
Southwest D.C., also referred to as the Bistro or the Diner. The
exterior appears to be a very shabby and undesirable restaurant. The
Bistro’s small front windows bear a sign that perpetually says “Closed
for Private Function.” The IC channel for the restaurant is #FranzAvenue.
From the Bistro, Changelings can pass into the Freehold, which exists in
a large Hollow in the Hedge.
The largest and
most well-known trod in D.C. is the Amber Road, which begins at Harrison
Fountain, four blocks from the Final Word. This trod meanders northward,
passing the Freehold and then on to Rock Creek Park. One other feature
of the Hedge in D.C. is the Blasted Stone. No trod leads to or from the
Stone. It appears to occupy the same location as the front lawn of the
White House, and most changelings use it as a meeting place, and many of
the trees and bushes around it sporadically bear Goblin Fruit.
All RP channels have
been merged into Franz Avenue OOC but you may create side channels to
separate areas of RP when needed; they just won't be officially
supported channels any longer.
KEY NPCs:
The Regent of Spring is Fostro the Radiant, a
Fairest Bright One. Fostro is as effusive as his Kith suggests. He
projects warmth and good will towards everyone he meets.
The Regent of Summer is Anne Bile, an Ogre Gristlegrinder. Anne
is stoic and slow to anger, but vicious and full of fury when roused.
The Regent of Autumn is Johnny Twotoes, a Beast Broadback. Johnny
is quiet and reserved, but always thoughtful. His advice is highly
sought after.
The Regent of Winter is Hollyhock, an Elemental Snowskin.
Hollyhock is a great keeper of secrets, and it is rumored that he is
under a pledge never to reveal anything told to him in confidence.
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TO THE TOP]
"What we need
is not the will to believe, but the wish to find out." --
Bertrand Russel
RESTRICTIONS:
Restrictions are things that are legal by the book but for game balance or other reasons, the STs want more strict control over how much it is in play in this game. The below are not allowed. Forbidden means not ever; restricted means we have in the past or we may in the future but not now.
You may play
any PC Class Character type made
available in the core Changeling: the Lost book, that is not otherwise
restricted below.
SEEMINGS:
FAIREST &
DARKLINGS are currently closed. If this changes, this notice will have
been removed.
KITHS:
You may not
mix Kith types from other Seemings. Please stay only with the Kiths for
your Seeming.
Custom kiths are
not being considered at this time, nor are cross-Seeming kiths.
FORBIDDEN
CHARACTER TYPES:
Unusual types,
such as playing a Fetch or a banished Gentry, are not being considered
at this time.
[BACK
TO THE TOP]
"Imagination
is the one weapon in the war against reality." -- Jules de
Gaultier
MAKING A Changeling: the Lost
CHARACTER:
The
following is merely a "cheat sheet" or guide. You are highly encouraged
to at least buy or get access to the core book (WW70000).
NOTE: The "+3 Specialties" works like so:
You get 3 "units" where you get to choose a specialty for any skills
you put dots for already. You may spend all 3 on one skill, or 2 here
and 1 there, or spread them out. Specialties give you +1 bonus die to
any roll that specifically has to do with the specialty involved.
9. CONTRACTS: You have 5 starting
dots in Contracts.
10. WYRD: Starting Wyrd is 1 dot.
11. CLARITY: Beginning Clarity is 7.
12. OTHER TRAITS: You will have to
manually calculate these.
Size is 5.
Speed is Strength + Dexterity + 5.
Initiative Modifier is Dexterity +
Composure.
Defense is the lower of Dexterity and
Wits.
Armor is 0.
13. MERITS & FLAWS: Assign 7 merit
dots.
Extra Wyrd may be purchased at the rate of 3 merit dots to one dot of
Wyrd.
Flaws are no longer mandatory;
however, you are rewarded with extra points for playing them out
correctly.
This is an exception to our "no
optional rules" policy - we will be subjectively permitting PC's to
regain WP through quality RP of their flaws, as the book allows. Please
see an ST about it.
There
are 41 Basic Mortal Merits in the Core Book. Fae-Only Merits will be IN
GREEN.
Mortal
Merits include:
(M
= Mental, P = Physical, S = Social)
Allies
(explain in BG) (1 to 5) S
Holistic
Awareness (3) M
Ambidextrous
(3) P
Inspiring
(4) S
Barfly
(1) S
Iron
Stamina (1 to 3) P
Brawling
Dodge (1) P
Iron
Stomach (2) P
Common
Sense (4) M
Language
(explain in BG) (1 to 3) (1-3 =
proficiency, not # of languages known) M
Contacts
(explain in BG) (1 to 5) S
Meditative
Mind (1) M
Danger
Sense (2) M
Mentor
(explain in BG) (1 to 5) S
Direction
Sense (1) P
Natural
Immunity (1) P
Disarm
(2) P
Quick
Draw (1) P
Eidetic
Memory (2) M
Quick
Healer (4) P
Encyclopedic
Knowledge (4) M
Resources
(explain in BG) (1 to 5) S
Fame
(explain in BG) (1 to 3) S
Retainer
(explain in BG) (1 to 5) S
Fast
Reflexes (1 to 2) P
Status
(within Org.) (1 to 5) S
Fighting
Finesse (2) P
Striking
Looks (2 or 4) S
Fighting
Style: Boxing (1 to 5) P
Strong
Back (1) P
Fighting
Style: Kung Fu (1 to 5) P
Strong
Lungs (3) P
Fighting
Style: Two Weapons (1 to 4) P
Stunt
Driver (3) P
Fleet
of Foot (1 to 3) P
Toxic
Resistance (2) P
Fresh
Start (pg. 112) (1) P
Unseen
Sense (3) M
Giant (4) P
Weaponry
Dodge (1) P
Gunslinger (3) P
CHANGELING MERITS
THAT MORTALS MAY ALSO TAKE:
(M = Mental, P =
Physical, S = Social; PR = has Prerequisites)
New Identity (1-3) S PR: must be
given by pledge
Changeling: the Lost WW70000 pg.
98
Perfect Stillness (1) P PR
Rites of Spring WW70201 pg. 94
CHANGELING-ONLY MERITS:
(M = Mental, P =
Physical, S = Social; PR = has Prerequisites)
14. GLAMOUR: is one half of maximum
pool at time of character creation, usually 5.
15. MASK DESCRIPTION & SEEMING
DESCRIPTION: Since Lost characters have a Mask that causes non-fae
to see them as humans, give a description of how your character
typically appears. You will also need to describe his or her fae
appearance (only to those who can see it).
16. BLESSINGS & CURSE: Fill in your
character’s blessing(s) and curse (the bonus & penalty that comes with
your Seeming).
ADDITIONAL STORYTELLER'S NOTES:
Every changeling character is required to fill out the Big Four questions required of any other
11th Hour character.
You may find it helpful to tack additional pages of explanation onto
your character sheet that explain elements of it. For instance, its
useful to note the way your character indulges in his or her virtue and
vice. Explain any skills above 2 dots. Including a short character
history is also a good idea. Explaining major elements of your character
helps to flesh out who he or she is.
The Keeper is an essential part of any Lost character. A changeling’s
keeper defines, in part, his or her memories of what Arcadia was like.
Nightmares, hallucinations, and perhaps even the Keeper itself may play
a part of the character’s life, and so it is important to know how what
they remember and how it affects them. This may range from a scene or
vignette of the Keeper to snippets of memory without any context. You
must include a depiction of your Keeper on an additional page. This
description must be at least one paragraph.
The Storyteller reserves the right to determine exactly how each
character’s Fetch is created and will behave. Suggestions or requests
from each player regarding his or her Fetch will be taken into
consideration when determining how a Fetch behaves, or whether there is
a Fetch at all. However, the Fetch is in no way under player control.
BEFORE YOU FINISH YOUR CHAR SHEET,
CHECK IT AGAINST THE RESTRICTIONS FOR ALL GENRES:
Restricted & Forbidden Character Types (Creating A Character Sheet)
"WE
are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams."
-- Willy Wonka, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"
WHO APPROVES YOUR SHEET / WHO IS FAE ST?:
All STs have the authority to receive
sheets for approval and to storytell for Fae PCs.
Primary Changeling Storyteller is Eriond
(Mike).
Ask in the IRC channel for Mike's email
address to submit sheets.
You can email sheets to any ST in the channel. You are responsible to check with the ST to see if they has received your character. The above-named ST is just designated as more well-versed in the genre but you can and may be guided by any ST on staff.
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TO THE TOP]
"We
don't live in the world of reality, we live in the world of how we
perceive reality."
--
Bryan Singer, director of "The Usual Suspects"
FAE
SOURCEBOOKS
IN USE:
White Wolf #
Title
ISBN:
Summary
WW70000
Changeling: the Lost,
A Storytelling Game of Beautiful Madness (August 16th, 2007),
349 pgs.
ISBN:
1-58846-527-6
Changeling 2.0 Core
Book
WW70100
WW70200
Winter Masques (December
5th, 2007)
ISBN: 1-58846-532-0
On the Winter Court
WW70300
Autumn Nightmares (October
10th, 2007)
ISBN: 1-58846-531-3
On the Autumn Court
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TO THE TOP]
"Our revels now are ended: these our actors As I foretold you, were all spirits, and Are melted into air, into thin air: And, like the baseless fabric of this vision The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yes, and all which it inherit, shall dissolve, And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a wrack behind: We are such stuff As dreams are made of, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep."
