House Rules/Changeling

House Rules - Changeling "If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun." -Katharine Hepburn

Arts Art Attribute Spring Stamina Summer Charisma Autumn Manipulation Winter Strength Art Attribute Contract Charisma Dragon's Ire Strength "Oneiromancy (art)" Intelligence C20 arts are available. Dice pool may include either the art level (as in C20) or the attribute listed below. Existing arts remain unchanged (there is some overlap). General game mechanics for casting cantrips remain unchanged. Unleashing (C20 196-197) is allowed. Banality See Banality Birthrights The Redcap birthright Dark Appetite, in combat: Requires spending a Glamour, as usual. Requires calling upon the Wyrd to do non-chimerical damage, as usual. Dexterity + Brawl + 1 vs normal difficulty. Damage is aggravated. Severing a limb: No additional penalty/bonus for targeting. Head/neck counts as a limb, but still only takes +3 damage. If that isn't enough to kill them, it's only severely traumatized. The Satyr birthright +1 Stamina applies to both fae mien and mortal seeming. The Troll birthright +1 / +2 health levels applies only to fae mien, unless the troll calls upon the Wyrd or has Seeming's Blessing. (cf. page 168, Huge Size) Damage, soaking Because Changeling does not have a revised edition, staff has made a house ruling for soaking chimerical and normal damage. This puts Fae at parity with other races. Normal Soaking: Changelings can soak Bashing and Lethal damage. They can not soak Aggravated damage. Chimerical Soaking: Changelings can soak Bashing and Lethal chimerical damage. They can not soak Aggravated chimerical damage. Dross Staff has implemented a new background for Changelings called: Dross. This background is a measure of a PC's chimerical wealth. This stat will be equivalent to the same level of: Resources, but for buying minor chimerical goods. A player can spend xp to buy Dross as per +rules XP Cost. This Dross can be destroyed to release its Glamour, provided that the Glamour is immediately used in a cantrip (CtD 216). Up to 1 point of Glamour per dot per month can be released this way. Mages can use Dross as Tass with a heavy dynamic / anti-restrictive resonance. This does not cover chimerical weapons, armor, or items with magic effects: You can use the Chimera background instead (CtD 146, 288) You can create them, or have another PC do (+rules chimerical items, +rules magical items) Holdings / Trod Holdings background: Holdings corresponds to a freehold, either on or off grid. Holdings may be bought in chargen or with XP. Holdings includes one link from normalspace to the Dreaming (equivalent to Trod 2), regardless of level. A freehold within a PC-run territory require approval from its PC leaders, per 'news changeling counties'. Increasing Holdings is time-limited per '+rules minimum time', representing the need to infuse the balefire with Glamour (CtD page 44). For a freehold that previously belonged to another PC, you can buy Holdings from 0 up to its previous level as quickly or slowly as you want. Until then, the rest is assumed to be used by NPCs (if needed to explain why PCs aren't using it). Increasing Holdings above 3 is at staff discretion. Holdings Minimum time 0 to 1 None 1 to 2 1 month 2 to 3 3 months 3 to 4 6 months (if approved by staff) 4 to 5 8 months (if approved by staff) Trod background: A trod within a PC-run territory requires approval from its PC leaders. Increasing Trod is not time-limited. Increasing Trod above 3 to reach the Far Dreaming or Deep Dreaming is at staff discretion. See Also: Title Kinain We do not use the rules from Changeling: the Enchanted. Subrace:Kinain has the effects of the Kinain merit (see below) in addition to their arts and realms. This includes the equivalent of An-da-shealladh (fae sight) and Parted Mists. Subrace:Kinain may take Honored Birthright as a 5-point merit. Characters that wish to be kinain in addition to something else must take this merit: Kinain (4 pt. Merit) Although your character is not a changeling, they've got their heritage running through their veins - literally. This merit allows the character to walk in the Dreaming as if they were Fae themselves. While doing so exposes the character to chimerical attack, it also opens them to a new and wondrous world. Their Banality is also quite low (typically two to five) and their presence is often welcome in the courts of the Fae. Naturally, this sort of gift carries an obligation to play Faerie politics. Nevertheless, it can be a wondrous game. This merit also allows the character immunity to the effects of the mists. (pg. 296 MtA Revised) Note: This merit has been altered some so as to ensure game balance. PCs with this merit may buy arts/realms, in which case they start with Glamour based on their age (4 for Wilder, 3 for Grump). This must fit within the limits from '+rules multiclass'. Kinain may have faedescs, but they should be subtle compared to kithain. Examples: Troll kinain may be slightly blue, or slightly bulkier, but not a giant blue behemoth. Nocker kinain may have pale pink cheek swirls or knobby fingers. Satyr kinain may have little head bumps, but not large horns. Exception: If you have specific relevant stats (e.g. Glamour, Honored Birthright, Oneiromancy, Demesne), then your faedesc may be overt, but should also OOCly identify those stats. Kith This applies to both kithain and kinain. Autumn Sidhe are allowed. Apps for Arcadian Sidhe are closed until further notice due to overuse. Miscellaneous Retinue background may include kithain NPCs at staff discretion. Retinue members may have arts and realms, but may only use them on behalf of PCs with explicit staff authorization (approved +note or on a per-scene basis). Members of House Leanhaun only need to commit Rhapsody once per month (WW7311/40,44) to avoid rapid aging, not once per week (WW7005/63). Echoes 5 (CtD 160) gives -2 difficulty on cantrips cast on any person not immune to the Mists (+rules The Mists). Art Affinity: Round down, not up. (Compare Sphere Natural, MtA 297) A vampire who drinks a changeling's blood becomes enchanted. (CtD 210, CtE 80) In the Dreaming, mage powers operate weirdly unless their paradigm is compatible (think "Grimm's Fairy Tales"), and Paradox may still occur (Dreams and Nightmares 31), though they count as coincidental due to the lack of a large sleeper population. The Mists There seems to be some misunderstanding of who/what is exactly immune to various forms of supernatural innate powers. The following is a list of what's what for the races that have such: The Mists - The Mists separate the Fae from the mundane, clouding the minds of mortals so that they do not remember the encounters with things faerie. A side effect of Banality, the Mists exemplify the force of human rationality. Most mortals (and unenchanted supernatural beings) do not remember their encounters with the Fae accurately. The Mists are likely to erase much of these memories or at least relegate them to a dream-like quality. The amount of Banality an individual possesses determines exactly what she remembers. (CtD page 208) PCs are not 'most people', they're about 0.01% of the population. PCs affected by the Mists may believe that something supernatural happened, even though they're fuzzy on the details. PCs with lower Banality and/or knowledge of other supernatural things are less likely to be skeptical. PCs may ignore the 'Duration of Coma' column of the chart. The following are immune to the Mists: All Changelings (Obviously) All Kinain All bygones Those who can see fae stuff in normalspace without assistance from a changeling or kinain or item embodying one of their fae powers Example: Spirit Sight merit Immunity due to this merit is limited to seeing fae stuff in normalspace. If you're Enchanted and brought into the Dreaming, then the Mists still apply to that. However, the Deep and Far Dreaming bypass this immunity. (Dreams and Nightmares 13) See Also: Banality Nightmare Dice See Banality#Nightmare Dice Oaths These rules are in draft status and not yet official. Changes to Willpower/Glamour/Banality due to oaths are interpreted as affecting the permanent stat, unless specified as temporary or recurring. Custom oaths may be approved at staff discretion. Oath Summary Cost to make Bonus Penalty if violated Clasped Hands Friendship as strong as love Mix blood +1 Willpower each -2 Willpower each Fealty By vassal to ruler 1 Willpower, 15 minutes -2 diff to resist mental domination -3 Willpower, extreme = blind for a year and a day Escheat By ruler to vassal 1 Glamour +1 temp Willpower per week (doesn't stack due to multiple vassals) +1 Banality Accepted Burden Promise to perform some action none +1 Willpower each (house rule: until action is performed) -2 Willpower each Guardianship Protect a thing/place/person for a length of time None Honor Never spend two nights in the same bed for a century Truehearts Lovers 1 Glamour each +1 temp Glamour each from Rapture (CtD 214) +1 Banality each Long Road Accept a quest Blood of quester and witnesses +1 Willpower, +1 Glamour Failure: -3 Willpower, -3 Glamour Abandonment: lose all temp Glamour/Willpower, -1 Willpower, +2 Banality Crossed Blades Against an enemy 1 Willpower +1 Glamour, -1 diff on any roll involving the enemy -1 Willpower, dual facial scars Reference: CtD 211-212 Realms The canon rules for Realms are kithain-centric, and do not explicitly account for kinain (part-fae), nor for cases like a Nunnehi casting a cantrip on a regular kithain. Here's how we've chosen to clarify these issues. Targeting a changeling: If their subrace is different from yours, you need Fae 4. Regular kithain are equivalent to Subrace = None. Other subraces (e.g. Nunnehi, Inanimae, Hsien) are listed on +sheet. Kinain caster is equivalent to changeling with same kith, e.g. Nunnehi kinain is equivalent to Nunnehi changeling. Otherwise, if they have Title background, you need Fae 2. Title background, not Sidhe kith. Otherwise, you need Fae 1. Targeting a kinain: You can use either Actor or Fae. If using Fae, then they're equivalent to changeling with same kith/Title. Inanimae casters use Spirit instead of Fae, as usual. Cantrips with multiple realms: Pick one as primary and include it in your dice pool. If each realm only covers some of your targets, then the other(s) are modifier realms (+1 Glamour and +1 diff per realm). Example: Sovereign 4 (Weaver Ward) vs both mortals (Actor) and Dauntain (Fae). Scene and Time are modifiers, as they expand the primary realm's range to a larger number of targets or a different activation time. If each realm covers all of your targets, then the other(s) are secondary realms (-1 diff per realm). Example: Legerdemain 4 (Mooch) to steal a sidhe noble's dagger when you have both Fae and Prop. Title Title background: Title may be a fief (on-grid or off-grid) or landless. PCs may buy Title in chargen or with XP. A fief within a PC-run territory requires approval from its PC leaders, similar to 'news changeling counties'. Increasing Title is time-limited, representing service (on- and off-camera) over time. Increasing Title to 3 and keeping it there is subject to '+policy PC leadership'. PCs not actively leading (staff discretion) will be reduced to Title 2 (with XP refund) until that changes. This rank is named 'Baronet' and is formally not a demotion from Baron. Increasing Title to 4 and keeping it there is very much subject to '+policy PC leadership', and limited to 2 PCs per territory. Title 5 is reserved for NPCs. Title 2+ provides Treasures as specified on CtD 77, but the Dross is assumed to be eaten up by background expenses. Kinain increasing Title is capped at 2, and requires a (kithain) PC with Title 3+ to ICly grant or vouch for the kinain's title (this may occur while the kinain is still in chargen). Title Minimum time 0 to 1 (Squire) None 1 to 2 (Knight) 1 month 2 to 3 (Baron/Baroness) 3 months (if approved by staff) 3 to 4 (Count/Countess) 6 months (if approved by staff) 4 to 5 (Duke/Duchess) NPC only See Also: Holdings