Characters: Changeling
In today’s installment of our character types series, we look at the changeling, a character trapped between the mortal world and the faerie world, always living on the cusp of a life-changing Choice.
Changeling
Changelings are half-human, half-faerie people who-at least for the moment-are able to continue living life as a mortal. But before each changeling, every day, stands the Choice, a razor’s edge dividing their mortal nature from their faerie nature. They may call upon the abilities of their faerie blood, but as they do so, bit by bit, they push themselves closer to becoming full faerie.
In play, this means that at any time a changeling may reduce his refresh (and current number of fate points) to purchase another remaining optional ability. Such abilities may not be “un-purchased” afterwards, and each comes with a clear alteration of in the changeling’s body, moving him towards a more fae appearance in line with that of his faerie parent. Eventually, too much of this transformation will take place to retain a grip on mortality, and the character slips into faerie, often becoming an NPC.
Short of that final decision, the character has the option-using his remaining free will-to make the other Choice to become purely mortal. Doing so means setting aside all of his faerie abilities-in essence, swapping the changeling template for the pure mortal one. When such a Choice is made, it’s permanent-there’s no going back.
Musts: A changeling must have a high concept aspect indicating his or her faerie parentage (e.g., OGRE-BLOODED CHANGELING or HALF-PIXIE HERITAGE). This aspect brings with it some of the baggage of the fae-a vulnerability to cold iron, supernaturally binding gift-exchanges and other such pacts, etc, making it ripe for compels. Some compels might even mandate that the character take on another of his faerie abilities, if accepted!
Note, faerie vulnerabilities mean that even if the character takes some manner of paranormal toughness or healing abilities, those abilities will not protect him against attacks and implements that take advantage of such.
Options: At the time the character is created, the player and GM must work out a set of supernatural abilities that the character could inherit from his or her faerie parent (usually taken by looking at the list of musts and options for the appropriate faerie template). If the player wishes for that to be a mystery, this list may be determined in secret by the GM and revealed incrementally during play as the character draws closer to making his Choice.
Regardless, any ability from this list may be added to the character’s sheet at any time during play, reducing current fate points and refresh as indicated by the ability’s cost. There are no “take-backs” once this is done, save for the Choice to become fully mortal (see above). If taking on another ability reduces the character’s refresh to zero or otherwise fulfills all the “musts” of a faerie of the appropriate type, the changeling’s Choice is made, and he becomes a full faerie, never mortal again, and now fully subject to the will of the Faerie Courts.
Abilities which a changeling might take on include, but are not necessarily limited to:
- Inhuman, Supernatural, or Mythic Strength, Speed, Toughness, or Recovery
- Certain Physical Immunity variations
- Glamours
- Seelie or Unseelie Magic
- Physical traits such as Wings, Claws, or Diminutive or Hulking Size
Our next installment will cover the emissary of power. See you then!
Wait, am confused a bit by this: A changeling that Chooses to go all the way fae always automatically becomes an NPC, or can remain a PC but becomes rather vulnerable to all the various rules/regulations/bindings/etc that are part and parcel of being fae?
@Psy-Kosh — Depends on whether or not making the choice means they take on so much power they lose their “free will” status. In most cases this’ll mean a fast track to zero (or lower) refresh, which means NPC.
we’ll losing your free will in the right cases might be a good thing (for instance if your taking on a fairy queen of the opposite court from your own) your npc would still attack her (because its already been stated and shown time and time again that if you join one side of the court you must attack the other and they must attack you.) only you’ll be attacking with more abilities and attacks making it harder for her to take you down. Done right i suppose you’d make a great sacraficial piece or and Ace in the hole.
I’m rereading Summer Knight and I just realized where this picture comes from. It’s on top of the hotel when Harry visits the Summer Lady. Talos is instructing about the bow and that is a sculpture of Lily in the back. Very nice!
Could you make a half demon changeling,like a scion?or would that be a no no?
This same discussion is active on the forums here is the response I just posted there.
“We have also been planing on a Scion of an Angle using the Changeling rules. I see no reason why they should not have the same choice as everyone else. For example when Harry looks at Kincaid with his Sight he sees “he appears as an enormous horned, bat-winged entity carrying a corpse (his appearance on the outside) chained to him.” As I see it this represents Kincaid’s Human half i.e. his free will restraining his demonic nature. too me this seems like a strong representation of his Choice. “
Thanks stoak, i was wondering because scions have the same basic setup as a changeling, and Kincaid is awsome!
Fred also mentioned on one of the threads (I wish I could remember which one, sry) that there would be a sidebar dealing with scion characters like Kincaid. It was a character type if it’s own as much as guidelines to build them inside the framework of other character types if I recall correctly.
I always figured that Changelings were a sub-type of Scions (children of a mortal and a supernatural). Changelings just seems like a more defined version of what a type of Scion could be. Sort of like how Knights of the Cross, or Faerie Knigts are a more defined version of the Emissary of Power route.
My perception was that with Scion you can choose to play any mortal/unmortal mix. Since Changelings have been mentioned in the books in a little more detail… they get a little more detail in the character creation aspect.
Ah.. found what I was looking for. From elsewhere in the amazing Dresden Rpg site…
“Semi-mortals” are people who have a foot in the mortal world and a foot in the supernatural world. They retain some aspects of choice, balanced against their nature.
These include some types of werewolf, scions of mortal-monster matings (such as changelings, which are part-human and part-faerie)…
Cool, because my gm and i have pretty much begun on our characters,Back rounds and aspects mostley. We were trying to figure out what a scion, who enjoys guns so much he makes Charleton Heston look like a pacifist,would have for a inhuman ability, (he is after all an expert gun man) i was thinking inhuman senses or sight, what do you think? and fred,i was curious, do changelings/scions inhuman abilitys take away refresh? proabably a silly question.
scratch that last bit about refresh
What about a half vampire half Fae?
Is anyone here?
I think so.
Do I count?
Just wanted to make sure I wasn’t talking to myself again
Anyway, do you guys think you could answer my question?