chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
So it's like a CKII quest, except we've got four main characters instead of one?
The Lost Files (C:TL/Dresden Files) (CK2-ish)
- Thread starter The Laurent
- Start date
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Somewhat, but more than that, a Freehold (and I'm still going to be working on fleshing it out, partially before and partially during play) is very individual. Like, the Freehold that's winning right now has between 140-160 Changelings, plus a few members of related groups. This isn't a vast and united nation in which only a small number of people have importance, so it'll be a little like herding cats, and a little like a bunch of different characters shouting suggestions and arguments.
So it'll be somewhat more complicated. Also, not using CK2 stats/mechanics.
Basically, while you can (and I have to because it's a huge list) start by listing who they are in a single short blurb, there's no, like, numbers.
I couldn't possibly put some actually-super-honest list on the front of the combat units, on the state of the army and the exact number of cookie-cutter, exactly the same troops.
"You have 23 Militia, with the following abilities, and 8 Expert battle Mages, and 5..." Yeah no.
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chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
So it's a CKII, but not only do we have four ruler-characters, every last one of our citizens is a minor hero unit. Got it.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
So it's a CKII, but not only do we have four ruler-characters, every last one of our citizens is a minor hero unit. Got it.
Here are some example short write-ups (I'd give them character sheets before introducing them) from the Kingdom of the Volcano, which looks to be the winner in the other Quest:
Harris: An old man, he took part in WWII and then became a deadly, fearsome monster of the post-war period after he returned from Arcadia. White, he was pretty fucking racist and still kinda is. An Ogre and a Tolltaker (a type of legbreaker, basically), he's now in his seventies in terms of appearance, though he's stopped aging, really, and doesn't do much 'being a bastard' anymore. Wyrd 4. Summer Court.
Novocane: A Wizened Chirurgen and dentist, he is rather skilled at mixing chemicals, and there are rumors that in addition to being a dentist and serving as a combat medic for Summer, he is also a drug-dealer. He denies this fiercely. Chinese-American. In Summer Court. Wyrd 2.
Click: A Native, Beast Vermin (Waterbug) trader, he has a Wyrd of 4. Polite, almost unfailingly so, his words come out in clicks and strange bug noises that are somehow instantly understood by everyone, almost psychically. He's in charge of organizing the merchant part of the navy. He's also a trader in his own right. Spring Court.
Untersea: A (German-heritage) Anglo-American with a Wyrd of 1, she's new to the Freehold, but very good at what she does, which is act as a sort of scout-warrior, but also negotiator with other Freeholds, on a number of issues. She's a mermaid, in effect, and she has to have a long bath every day, and the longer she's not in or under the water, the more miserable she is. She's new, as said, but might yet become quite a fighter. Despite taking some lessons from Summer, she's Spring through and through.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Also, can I have a vote tally? I'll be updating tomorrow.
Vote Tally : Changeling Files (C:TL/Dresden Files) (CK2-ish) | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.3.2
[X] Autumn, the season of the fear and yet also the harvest.
No. of Votes: 14
[X] Freehold of the Marble Arch: St. Louis, Missouri
No. of Votes: 9
[X] Winter, the cold season of sorrow and warm hearths.
No. of Votes: 9
[X] Freehold of the Mended Quilt: Smalltown, Midwest
No. of Votes: 7
[x] Freehold of Brotherly Love: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
No. of Votes: 5
[X] Kingdoms of the Volcano: Honolulu, Hawaii
No. of Votes: 4
[X] Spring, the season of hedonism and yet also beauty.
No. of Votes: 3
[X] Summer, the season of war and yet also vacation.
No. of Votes: 3
[X] Freehold of Strong Fort: Fort Worth, Texas
No. of Votes: 2
Total No. of Voters: 30
##### NetTally 1.3.2
[X] Autumn, the season of the fear and yet also the harvest.
No. of Votes: 14
No. of Votes: 9
[X] Winter, the cold season of sorrow and warm hearths.
No. of Votes: 9
[X] Freehold of the Mended Quilt: Smalltown, Midwest
No. of Votes: 7
[x] Freehold of Brotherly Love: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
No. of Votes: 5
[X] Kingdoms of the Volcano: Honolulu, Hawaii
No. of Votes: 4
[X] Spring, the season of hedonism and yet also beauty.
No. of Votes: 3
[X] Summer, the season of war and yet also vacation.
No. of Votes: 3
[X] Freehold of Strong Fort: Fort Worth, Texas
No. of Votes: 2
Total No. of Voters: 30
- Location
- Virginia
[X] Autumn, the season of the fear and yet also the harvest.
[X] Freehold of the Marble Arch: St. Louis, Missouri
[X] Freehold of the Marble Arch: St. Louis, Missouri
Or, the Talecrafter working in a team could use it as a buffing support for someone who had already focused on being badass in a specific area to boost them beyond their competence level!
Talecrafters are insanely good for support(where they can also deal with the talecrafting backlash without being stuck in the tale at the same time), but using them as your personal buff is high stakes gambling.
Autumn Queen Character Creation 1
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Character Creation, Part 1:
[X] Freehold of the Marble Arch
[X] Autumn
Name: Sarah Stefford
Gender: Female.
Apparent Age: Thirties
Changeling Name: Stephannie Westside, Ms. Archy, ???
Titles: Mistress of Dreams, The River Walker, Ms. Archy (but don't call her that), others depending on what you choose.
Alternate Identities: Others, possibly, depending on what is chosen.
Wyrd: 7
Seeming: Darkling.
Kith…we'll get to that.
History (Basics, will become more fleshed out as the character creation continues): A poor daughter of a rather poor and not entirely free of difficulties family, she grew up having it rather rough. Her father was an asshole, her mother was a drunk, and no doubt if they could have afforded it, they would have White Flighted their way out of the city, which perhaps gives a taste of what their opinions and politics were. Sarah was an intelligent girl, and somewhat bright, but disinterested in schooling, not least because she saw very little in the way of advantage to it.
She wound up making more than a few mistakes and dropping out of school. Within a few years, in which she dug more than a few holes for herself, she was taken by the Gentry, by her Keeper, and made into something she didn't want to become.
And yet, her Homecoming was the best thing that could have happened. Magic seemed to resonate to her, and if the world was cruel and dark, and the Hedge terrifying even to her, she seemed to almost use that fear against it, to master magical talents those far older and wiser couldn't, to walk quite a bit of The River, and restart her own education, both in magic and otherwise. She rose far, and she rose fast, and before she knew it, she was Queen of Autumn in the Freehold of the Marble Arch.
Kith
Choose up to two Kiths. Those who know the setting will notice that they've been split away from their Seemings. There's no *particular* advantage in choosing only one Kith, but potentially of course, there might be a single theme one wants to stick to narratively.
There will be no write-ins now, because I don't want to police potential combinations of Kiths, and these are chosen specifically because they seem like they would fit with her Darkling Seeming.
Magic--
As part of the package, she starts with these, and more can be picked:
Major Magical Attainments
Master Onieromancer: While not quite world-class, she's in the same league, a great Onieromancer who has access to all of the assumed Contracts and Merits, and has a good deal of skill. She has fought and dealt with all manner of Incubus, the dream intruders, and explored deeply the lore of dreams.
Minor Magical Attainments
Weaknesses, Ha!: Like a certain Fall courtier, there is no area of Changeling magic in which she is mediocre. There are areas where her skill outstrips her power in that area by far, and plenty more where her knowledge is clearly lacking, but in no area of the magical lore or usage that she's seen or heard of is she entirely without skill.
River Walker: She's walked The River and knows many of its secrets, though there are others in the Freehold who know at least as many, if not more. Still, her knowledge of the river and its ways, secret shores, outlets and side-paths, as well as the Goblins and threats that rest along it, is certainly helpful. This also helps her against the Pirates.
"Ms. Archy": She has studied the magics of the Arch on both sides of the Hedge, and knows much about using its symbolism for any number of rituals and magical effects. As a side-effect, she also knows about those who are interested in the same thing, as well as the goblins and other dangerous which try to use it.
In addition, she has…
Major Magical Attainments (Choose 3)
[] Token Monger: She has a huge collection, and knowledge on how to use and deploy, of Tokens. She might even have the ability to create more on her own, though this is a mixed blessing. She also will obviously have the proper Contracts and knowledge of other tokens and know much of their lore.
[] Master Sorcerer: She is skilled at Wyrd-Bound Sorcery, the art of making sacrifices in order to gain magical effects that can be incredibly potent. Often using obscure or strange ingredients, and dangerous and tricky to use, it's also the premier art that gets someone called a Sorcerer, even though in theory knowing any type of magic other than the 'basic' Contracts qualifies one.
[] Contract Master: And who says that Contracts are in any way, shape, or form basic? A Master of Contracts not only has some Contracts (as all Changelings do) or even many Contracts (as an Autumn Queen would half almost by default) or even a lot, but pretty much the full smorgasboard of Contracts that she can get her hands on, and even some she can't. Not only that, but she is liable to know a lot about those Contracts she doesn't have, and is fully skilled and experienced in how to use the Catches of Contracts for cheap usage.
[] World-Class Onieromancer: Are there betters? Probably, some at least, and certainly those True Fae who specialize in Dream Magic far surpass anything a Changeling can do, at least in power and often in subtlety, but all that said. This is the level of Onieromancy that is the equivilent to having a PhD in it. It is mastery at a level that is terrifying to behold, and likely comes with many, many, many dangerous tricks and strange bits of dream lore.
[] Battle-Mage: She is experienced beyond merely being strong and tough into being a terror on the battlefield, capable of using all of the arts she has to utmost effect, and all but incapable of the fear and weaknesses that others might show in the face of overwhelming odds. For she is Autumn itself, and the only thing to fear in this world, on this battlefield, her might declares, is HER.
[] Master of the River: She has not seen the end of the River, for there is no end, but she has seen it all the way to the edge of Arcadia and returned alive. She knows the river, as she might know her own child. She knows its dangers, she knows its power, she knows its mysteries. She doesn't know everything, not absolutely everything, but she is clearly the foremost expert on the River in the Freehold.
[] Pledgemaster: At this level, it's more than just the ability to craft a good Pledge. It's knowledge of every aspect of the Pledge, how to make them work for her, how and when to break them, and maybe even legal training *just* to find and use technicalities. A Pledge crafted by her is one of beauty, ironclad or with carefully concealed loopholes just for her use.
[] Great Hedgespinner (Raiment and Weapons): The art of Hedgespinning is one that the Gentry cannot imitate. It is the one art that is entirely that of the Changeling, and so to know it has great value. A Hedgespinner creates of the stuff of the Hedge enchanted weapons and armor. Their powers are not as great as Tokens, or at least powerful tokens, and are somewhat limited, but being able to outfit herself and others can be very useful. And she's *good* at it.
Minor Magical Attainments (Choose 5)
[] Skilled Sorcerer: While she is not amazing at it by the standards of the most powerful, by the standards of any average Changeling she has obtained great and fearsome skill in the art of using wyrd-bound sorcery for her own ends, including one or two tricks that might even be called impressive by Sorcerer standards.
[] Competent Pledge-Smith: While not amazing, she knows how to word a Pledge to be tight as a good ship, and she knows all of the ins-and-outs, the secrets and tricks, of how someone might deceive another with a Pledge.
[] Warrior-Wizard: While war is far from the only thing on her mind, she is skilled at combat and knows how to leverage her magic and how not to freeze up, how to control and direct her fear, far better than most do, and certainly enough to make her quite fearsome herself.
[] Skilled Hedgespinner (Raiment and Weapons): As above, but moderately less skilled and capable of gathering the ingredients quickly and choosing their effects and powers carefully, potentially less unique merits related to this, and the like.
[] Skilled Hedgespinner (Automatons): Robots. Yes, Changelings can make robots and the like out of the stuff of Hedges and dreams and other strange parts, and then have literal robot buddies. They don't have armies of these things because it is somewhat costly to make them, but she knows how to make them, and has her own small force of them, and the skill to make more.
[] Better Lucky Than Skilled: She's GOOD at using the Contract of Hearths, and not only that, finding the right moment to use it and manipulating the turn of events to give a chance to use it. Misfortune to the enemy!
[] Master of Phantoms: She knows ghosts. Very, very well. She has the full Contract of Shade and Spirits, and Merits involving knowing ghosts, and even if indeed as it turns out all of the ghosts she'd know were gone, this knowledge and skill might prove useful in her acting as an Ectomancer of sorts, someone negotiating with ghosts, in the future. ((Note: I would have made a higher level version of this, but honestly Changelings just don't have the power to be world-class Ectomancers in their own right. But they can be pretty good at mocking stuff up, and a combination of Pledges, their Contracts, and other things probably could be pretty nifty.)
[] Many are the Masks: She has multiple Masks, the illusion that is always-on. Now, other Changelings can see through to her Mien, and so could those who can find ways to see through such things, but these multiple masks, besides needing to keep to the same general size (not that big of a restriction) and apparent gender, can be completely different fake identities, and combined with her ALSO getting a number of Merits involving faking identities and Fake I.D's and the like, she's sorta, well, a Master of Diguise.
[] Great Blacksmith: Hedgespinning can create weapons, though it takes gathering ingredients, but a true Blacksmith can create something no Hedgespinner ever could. A cold-iron weapon, the very bane of the True Fae. This represents very exceptional skill at crafting the weapons, and likely Merits that allow one to do so faster and easier, such as both mundane merits, and Brownie's Boon:
[] Hedge Bounty, Hedge Witch: She knows the Hedge and knows Goblin Fruit very well, how to combine and use their effects for purposes both medicinal and dangerous. She can find a harvest of goblin fruits of many different types, and can even brew them together or combine effects.
[] A Circle of Prophecy: She possesses both a prophet circle of women and men whose visionary dreams she can ride and thus glean for useful information, and Visionary Dreams of her own, and likely has all five dots of the Contract of Omen. But always in motion, the future is.
[] A Reasonable Woman: She has ties to the Reason Court, and more than that, Court Goodwill. This, she has access to and knows a few Reason Contracts, and in addition to this, has access to some of their periodicals and their general political news.
[] Keeping the Faith: She has ties to Faith Courtiers, and knows how to keep the Faith. Not only does she mean she has access to their Contracts which govern belief itself as well as the power of faith to shape the world (and to be honest, she's going into a world in which God is real, so well!) but she has access and knowledge of their politics and squabbles.
-[] Write in what her religion is, QM veto allowed for something like Jedi, but feel free to be reasonably obscure-ish.
[] Lady Sage: The Lord Sages of the Unknown Reach are an Entitlement (social/magical group) that have sworn to reach beyond Changelings and study other magical beings, and are thus marked and grow based on these studies, learning and participating in the various cultures of their main topic/interest, though they can sometimes have more than one (but very rarely). Of course, all of these interests are mostly gone, so what does it get one? First, a mindset that looks to other supernatural beings first and foremost as a topic of interest. Second, any knowledge of the mindset of a certain group--Mages, like Wizards, are subtle and quick to anger, and a knowledge of Vampires will actually help predict what the Black Court can do, etc, etc. Third, and most obviously, they gain one magical object from the other tradition. This can range the gamut, but represents the hard-won rewards of interacting with them.
-[] Ghosts and Spirits: This is mostly as Master of Phantoms, honestly, except the knowledge of spirits does potentially help with some groups, but it's honestly functionally identical.
-[] Werewolves: While not helping with most forms of Dresden Werewolves, someone who has taken up their study is liable to be more spiritual, more inclined to believe old rumors and stories, and more willing and able to get their hands dirty, as well as, you know, listen when people are talking about ancient evils. They also have what is called an Outsider Fetish, a living spirit-being trapped in an object that provides a single, unique, token-like ability that can be used over and over for free.
-[] Mages: Subtle and quick to anger, the free object can be two things. One, an Imbued Object, in which it has a magical spell and other things such as that it can do, unique and, again, free-ish. Or it could represent an arcane or magical library that can be accessed for magical knowledge, though much of this would be outdated at least to start. It would certainly teach her how to deal with/be around powerful workers of the will, humans who have access to magic, and give her a healthy appreciation of just what such beings can do.
-[] Vampires: Okay, I'm going to make you salivate, but it's possible that the special 'token' here is, instead of a Token, a rogue vampire chained up on a table having their blood harvested for a reusable (but slowly, obviously) source of free healing/Ghoulification for a few select (human) individuals. Or it could be another strange artifact of that type. Don't drool too much, but it's possible. More notably, this would make her the type of person who is willing to hang out with vampires. Some are worse than others, but all have done bad things, and the fact that she's interested enough to study them and at least not call them horrible monsters to their face will probably say something about how she will (both in and out of your control) interact with vampires in general, to the extent that they act like the ones she knows.
[] Tale Lore: She knows all about Talebound, humans with special powers marked by having been conceived by a man or borne by a woman who was Ensorcelled (in which their eyes are opened to the Changeling's nature). They have special powers, and can even pass on their magical lineage to the next generation. She knows the general lore about the different types of Talebound, what they can do with their magic, the sorts of Pledges that can allow them to pass on their magic to the next generation...all of that.
Complications
Finally, for this stage (going to break it up into 2-3 stages), are the complications. I was going to have these be last, but...well, there's a reason why not. Pick two or more. Hell, you can take all of them if you want. Complications are matters in which there is both advantage and danger to possessing it. They open up plot hooks and opportunities and everything.
[] Rival: She has a rival, one sworn to do her harm or surpass her. This of course can be dangerous and rather problematic, but it also spurs her along, strengthening her resolve and making sure she continually improves and grows better rather than stagnating.
[] A Favor: One of the Gentry owes her a single favor. Good, right? Well, they're treacherous monsters, and even possessing a token of a favor owed is often enough that many would suspect--though as a Queen, wouldn't immediately act--that she is a traitor, having sold out the Freehold for magical favors...just like those Autumn bastards do!
[] Unto You a Child: She has a child, from when she was still a human. This, this is a miracle, for Changelings are sterile, and many are the Changeling who would, and in some cases has, given absolutely everything for a child. The child, however, is Talebound, from a tie she didn't even know existed at the time, which is reason for paranoia enough, if not for the fact that, of course, they could be vulnerable to attack, or...or, well, a mother worries, and certainly while a child, and a Talebound as well, is a miracle, miracles can turn on the user. The child is in their late teens currently.
-[] Choose Expressed Gender (note sex if it's different from their gender, feel free to be creative!)
[] Devotees: The very strength of her Wyrd has drawn Devotees. Currently just a few, but it may in fact grow. Having gotten a glimpse of her true form, they think she is some sort of goddess, and as only those with mental illnesses react that way, it means she has a small group of people who'd really be better off getting treatment. But, well, they'll do anything for her. They'd die for her, and they'd kill for her. It's morally questionable, and not being entirely sane, one should be careful of the orders given, but it--and the potential that there might be more where that is coming from--is certainly a...tempting use of power.
[] Well-known: She has done great and terrible things, and is thus well known...to the Gentry themselves. She may take one extra Experience, which is in the next section and represents an epic thing she's done that grants a boon and power for having done it (Summer gets the most of these, and examples include slaying a (C:TL version) Dragon, having completed some epic trek, having beaten a member of the Gentry in a riddle-game, and the like). But, of course, the Gentry remember and will pay extra attention to what she does.
[] Nightmares and Daydreams: She is prone to nightmares far more intense and even damaging to her health, brutal things of half-remembered events but fully remembered consequences. And yet in learning to fight them, she has grown mentally tough, and is harder to attack in the dreams (harder even than her skill level at Onieromancy would indicate, whatever it is) and has a certain fortitude. However, the nightmares continue to plague her sleep and create occasional difficulties.
[] Write-in: Feel free to suggest something! QM Veto is of course active.
By the Way, here's the short write-up for the other monarchs
(Spring) Mayor Booster: A Fairest Cleareyes, Wyrd 5. The youngest monarch, with eight years experience, he is a powerful politician and businessman, and as his name indicates, is quite the booster for St. Louis, and has been doing everything he can to help both it and the freehold, which certainly helps explain why he's more than a little bitter at Thousand Trods. But no matter, St. Louis is still better than KC. He's generally friendly with all the other monarchs, though he finds King Stoneguts intimidating. In terms of power, he's clever and something of a jack of all trades, both magically and in terms of skills, and has a wide network of contacts to go along with his vast wealth and political experience.
(Summer) Maggie the Zookeeper: The Summer Queen has a menagerie. Hell, as a Beast Chimera, she is a fucking menagerie, and that's before she turns into a wolf using Fangs and Talons, or whatever else she wants to do. She has under her sway three different Hedge Beast Companions, a dog, snake, and a parakeet, as well as a number of less unique Hedge Beast Familiars, and plenty of plain-old trained animals. Once, she was a rather victorious and powerful champion on the river, fighting in the name of Summer, but for the last decade and a half, this short, slender woman--though pound for pound she's disgustingly and in fact supernaturally strong--has taken up the task of trying to rule the Summer Court and the Freehold one season a year as best she can. She thinks that Mayor Booster is a little annoying, but honestly he's alright, and she likes the Fall Queen. Wyrd 6
(Winter) King Stoneguts: A surprisingly cruel and yet hard to read figure, he is a powerful Elemental whose Mien also bears signs of the Ogre, of the powerful brute. He rules through the secrets, and they are his strength, yet when pressed, he can fight far better than many expect of Winter. He keeps quite strictly to the Icelaw and is hard to get a hold of, and after two and a half decades as King, he and his Drotti, his group of five closest supporters, seem unquestioned and unquestionable. He has a Wyrd of 6, and is known to be almost supernaturally strong and tough, and able to survive--as during a piratical incursion--far more than he should...though as he is wont to point out, the strength of not-being-there is the best defense against any attack at all.
*****
A/N: So, well, there you go. So it begins, as it were! Yay! Hope it's not too long, but there was a lot to cover. If you'd chosen a Summer Monarch for this, there'd be less choices with the magic, but more Experiences, and an automatic level of War Wizard, because that's Summer. And Spring tends to get more Contacts/Allies (next section) instead of the one major one that will be hers to choose.
Vote by Plan.
[X] Freehold of the Marble Arch
[X] Autumn
Name: Sarah Stefford
Gender: Female.
Apparent Age: Thirties
Changeling Name: Stephannie Westside, Ms. Archy, ???
Titles: Mistress of Dreams, The River Walker, Ms. Archy (but don't call her that), others depending on what you choose.
Alternate Identities: Others, possibly, depending on what is chosen.
Wyrd: 7
Seeming: Darkling.
Kith…we'll get to that.
History (Basics, will become more fleshed out as the character creation continues): A poor daughter of a rather poor and not entirely free of difficulties family, she grew up having it rather rough. Her father was an asshole, her mother was a drunk, and no doubt if they could have afforded it, they would have White Flighted their way out of the city, which perhaps gives a taste of what their opinions and politics were. Sarah was an intelligent girl, and somewhat bright, but disinterested in schooling, not least because she saw very little in the way of advantage to it.
She wound up making more than a few mistakes and dropping out of school. Within a few years, in which she dug more than a few holes for herself, she was taken by the Gentry, by her Keeper, and made into something she didn't want to become.
And yet, her Homecoming was the best thing that could have happened. Magic seemed to resonate to her, and if the world was cruel and dark, and the Hedge terrifying even to her, she seemed to almost use that fear against it, to master magical talents those far older and wiser couldn't, to walk quite a bit of The River, and restart her own education, both in magic and otherwise. She rose far, and she rose fast, and before she knew it, she was Queen of Autumn in the Freehold of the Marble Arch.
Kith
Choose up to two Kiths. Those who know the setting will notice that they've been split away from their Seemings. There's no *particular* advantage in choosing only one Kith, but potentially of course, there might be a single theme one wants to stick to narratively.
There will be no write-ins now, because I don't want to police potential combinations of Kiths, and these are chosen specifically because they seem like they would fit with her Darkling Seeming.
[]Nix: The Nix is a river mermaid, a being possessing both the features of a snake and the features of a fish. Some are said to be ugly, other beautiful, but all have beautiful voices that lead sailors astray, often right onto the rocks. Thus, they possess the Consumptive Voice and once a day they can spend one Glamour to make it so that any who hear her voice directly have all social rolls hampered by a penalty equal to half their Wyrd, rounding down.
[] Riddleseeker: Riddle-seekers are a Kith based on animals noted for wisdom and love of riddles, both natural ones such as snakes, owls, cats, foxes, and supernatural ones such as the spinx. They can spend a point of glamour to add two to all Wits-based rolls other than for perception, and they gain a free Investigation specialty in "Riddles."
[] Swimmerskin: Changelings who draw affinities with aquatic or amphibious creatures: seals, otters, ducks, salmon, and the like; mermaids, too. They can hold their breath underwater for thirty minutes, as if they had a stamina of 7, and if they do have a stamina of 7, it stacks. However, they cannot hold their breath for any longer than his Stamina allows outside of water. They can also swim as fast as they can run, rather than the natural speed for a human in water.
[] Venombite: Changelings who have an affinity with poisonous creatures, such as poisonous spiders and insects, or poisonous reptiles. Every Venombite has the Poisonous Bite blessing. Once per scene, the changeling's player may spend a point of Glamour and roll a normal brawling attack. The attack causes no damage, but does deliver a lethal poison with a Toxicity equal to the changeling's Wyrd. The victim can't avoid taking the damage with a Stamina + Resolve roll.
[] Gravewight: Cold-skinned Darklings who draw comfort from consorting with the dead, both restless and in repose. The Gravewight possesses the Charnel Sight: The changeling can see the unquiet dead. For one point of Glamour, the changeling can see ghosts for the rest of the scene. The power doesn't extend to any other invisible beings that may or may not be present, and doesn't allow the changeling to touch the ghost or compel it to answer her unless the ghost chooses to allow that.
[] Leechfinger: The faeries who steal life from humans, grain by grain, drop by drop, with just a touch. Every Leechfinger knows how to Sap the Vital Spark: With a touch, he can steal the health of another to heal his own injuries. The character needs to touch the target, and the player spends a point of Glamour. The victim takes one point of lethal damage, and the changeling heals one point of lethal or bashing damage, or downgrades one point of aggravated damage to lethal. This blessing can be used once per scene per point of the Darkling's Wyrd.
[] Nightsinger: The Darklings are not without their music. Darkling music, however, is largely heard without ever catching a glimpse of the musician. Nightsingers compose operas of wolf howls and owl cries, sing banshee songs and play hauntingly devilish tunes on fiddles strung with unwholesome gut. Nightsingers may set aside their instruments and strive to escape for home, but the music stays with them. The Nightsingers enjoy the favor of the Haunting Nocturne: By playing an instrument or singing, they may lull listeners into a hypnotic state. The player spends a point of Glamour and makes a Performance + Wyrd roll; listeners may contest the roll with Composure + Wyrd. Success makes the affected listeners more suggestible; such listeners suffer a -2 penalty to Resolve, Empathy and Subterfuge rolls for the duration of the scene. A Nightsinger also gains a free Performance Specialty.
[] Pishacha: In Hindu myth, the Pishachas are demons, gaunt and strange with bulging bloodshot eyes and skin as dark as midnight. Pishachas were said to speak in their own strange language, haunting graveyards and cremation grounds with all the other ghosts. Changelings of the Pishacha kith share the terrifying red eyes and obsidian skin of their folktale analogs, but also have the addition of some manner of odd tongue -- often forked, sometimes barbed or simply over-long. The Pishacha, often associated with madness, can afflict a victim with a Taste of Madness: by spending a point of Glamour and performing a successful touch attack, the changeling licks the exposed flesh of an opponent. The opponent takes a mild derangement of the changeling's choosing (or a severe version if the mild version is already possessed) and suffers from the derangement for the next week. The Pishacha can perform this attack only once per week (i.e., when the last victim's madness finally fades).
[] Tunnelgrub: Those of the Darkling faeries who slide and slither through tunnels and sewers and chimneys, the better to do terrible things in the night. The Tunnelgrub has the ability to Slither and Squirm: She slips and slides and wriggles through tight spaces and out of handcuffs and other bonds. By spending a point of glamour, they can get through spaces that are only just too narrow for her to get through, spaces that would otherwise leave her completely stuck. The changeling gets to roll Dexterity + Athletics to wriggle out of ropes or handcuffs. If it's a long distance, such as a chimney or a sewage pipe, an extended roll is required, and failing halfway would be a bad idea.
[] Whisperwisp: Spies flourish in the dark, hiding from their false allies and whispering to their true friends. Some have achieved an artful perfection in the trade. Whisperwisps flit from alcove to alcove in the grand halls of the Gentry, worming their way into the confidences of servants and eavesdropping on the masters. The Whisperwisp's blessing is the Turncoat's Tongue: He benefits from the 9 again roll on Empathy and Subterfuge rolls involving conversation or gathering information. They may also spend one Glamour to whisper a message to anyone within earshot, whether the Darkling can see the target or not. The target hears the message as if the Whisperwisp were standing beside her, murmuring into her ear.
[] Di-cang: In Buddhist lore, his name means "Womb of the Earth." As one of the bodhisattvas, he was said to calm the suffering of those poor souls lost in the many hells. Born of the earth, one might suggest that Di-cang is a kind of "jewel elemental," for in his hand he usually holds a precious gem that salves the pain of others. Those of this Kith tend to possess mostly human features, but have skin or extremities studded with various jewels (some might even have multi-faceted eyes such as rubies, sapphires or emeralds). The Di-Cang can provide others with the Peace of Suffering: by spending a Glamour point, those in the presence of the Di-cang (within 10 yards) suffer no penalties from existing wounds, as they feel no physical pain. This lasts for one scene. In addition, the Di-Cang can purchase Larceny dots at half the normal experience cost, since it was said that the original bodhisattva was able to unlock all the gates of the many hells to gain entrance.
[] Ask-wee-da-eed: The Abenaki people of the northeastern United States tell stories of a will-of-the-wisp-type creature formed of fickle fire. This creature, the Ask-wee-da-eed, is tied to meteors and comets and is said to bring bad luck and death by its presence. Those of this kith in some way embody the meteoric fire, but are also able to foretell the misfortune of others, in a way, with their Taste of Ill Luck: once per day, by spending a Glamour point, the Abenaki can force another to re-roll a successful roll at -1 die in the hopes that the re-roll fails (the original roll therefore never occurs). The changeling also gains the additional benefit of a +1 bonus on any rolls to activate clauses within the Hearth Contract. [Winter Masques -- Page 108]
[] Blightbent: Some of the most tragic of Elementals, the Blightbent are children of pollution. They were altered by choking smogs, toxic waters, blighted land, diseased forests and chemical fire. Upon their return to the mortal world, the Blightbent are the most comfortable in areas where humanity has tainted the elements in turn. Some Blighbent hate themselves for it. The Blightbent's blessing is the Caustic Caress. Once per day, the changeling may spend one Glamour to inflict a polluted touch on an opponent -- breathing a puff of toxic smog into his face, marking him with acidic fingertips or the like. The player rolls Dexterity + Wyrd - the target's Stamina; the victim takes one point of lethal damage per success. Defense and armor can affect this roll if the target is free to defend himself; otherwise, they do not apply. The Blightbent are also resistant to toxins and poisons of manmade origin, and gains +3 on rolls to resist their effects.
[] Muse: Their beauty inspires the arts. Whether a Rubenesque beauty, a sedate and delicate daughter of the Heavenly Ministry, a grotesquely beautiful masquer garbed in yellow tatters, or a Dark Lady who drives her beloved to destruction, the Muse inspires the creation of things of beauty and horror and love and hate and fear. The growth of confidence can precipitate a headlong rush to doom, and the Muse knows how to make it happen. The Muse's talent is The Tyranny of Ideas: The changeling's presence can give a human the confidence and talent to do things that he otherwise would not be able to do. For every point of Glamour the changeling spends, the human subject (and it must be human; it can't be another changeling or another supernatural being) gains +2 on one dice pool involving Expression, Persuasion, Socialize, or Subterfuge.
[] Weisse Frau: The Weisse Frau ("White Lady") in German lore is a beautiful matron said to protect children. Wearing all white, she is thought to be benevolent and sad (compared quite often to the Mexican La Llorona, the "weeping woman" who waits by the river-side crying for the children she has lost). It's said that a kiss from the Weisse Frau confers protection, and this is true for those of the kith. With the Kiss of Life, the character can, once per day, kiss another and spend a point of Glamour. In doing so, she grants that person two points of armor that is invisible and without substance, but works to protect the individual just the same. This armor does not stack with mundane or magical armor. Perhaps more importantly, in kissing a child (under the age of 13), this armor increases from two to three.
[] Water-Dweller: Changelings who resemble the legendary water-demons of many cultures, from life-demanding river spirits through to the trolls of coastal caves and under-bridge shadows. The Water-Dweller can Lie Under the Waves: The character can hold her breath for 30 minutes, as if she had a Stamina of 7, including on rolls above-ground. She is also accustomed to murk and darkness, and suffers no penalties to sight-based Perception rolls when underwater.
[] Witchtooth: The embodiment of the cruel, maneating hag and the selfish, mystical monster, the Witchtooth is among the wisest and most cunning of Ogres. The Witchtooth have a penchant for dark magic, particularly curses. The Witchtooth has learned the secrets of the Black Hex: The character may spend Glamour to increase Occult rolls, and gains a one-die bonus to activate any Contracts that involve cursing another person (such as Fickle Fate).
[] Smith: Changelings who were forced to labor under the watchful eye of the most unimpeachable Faerie blacksmiths, tinkers and toolmakers. Their blessing is Steel Mastery: The changeling can use his supernatural skill with metallurgy to alter metal objects, improving them, even if improving them would normally be impossible. The player spends one Glamour and makes an extended roll of Dexterity + Crafts, with each roll representing half an hour of tinkering, polishing and hammering. If the changeling manages to gather four successes, he can alter a tool so that it gives a +1 equipment bonus. The item has to mostly be made of metal. The magic wears off after a day. No object this way can be improved more than three times. If the changeling tries to alter an object a fourth time, he destroys the tool, and it can never be used again.
[] Inventor: This Wizened kith was common between the late 18th century and WWII. During this era, many amazing inventions were made by a single dedicated and often eccentric mortal, and Arcadia was filled with reflections of their dreams. As with all human imaginings and passions, the Gentry wished to have servants to create all manner of clockwork, steam-powered, or electrical wonders for them. However, eventually, mortal dreams moved on to labs and factories filled with faceless technicians, and the Gentry found other interests. Blessed (or perhaps cursed) with long, many-jointed fingers and sometimes mechanisms incorporated into their own bodies, their blessing is Inventive Genius. The Inventor gains the benefit of the 8-again rule on all Crafts or Science rolls to design, build, modify, or repair any sort of device or mechanism. By spending 1 Glamour, the changeling can add dice equal to their Wyrd to any of these rolls.
[] Miner: These changelings are the knockers and kobolds, the Coblynau and Telchines. Miners labored in deep mines to extract rare and precious metals, and perhaps other things -- chipping out veins of fossilized blood from the rotting gut of a mountain-sized great beast, or tunneling for the root of all evil. The Miner's gift is the Tappingspeak: By spending one Glamour, the changeling may tap out a coded message on a nearby surface. The message (which cannot be longer than three sentences) travels like vibrations to the intended recipient, as long as there's a sufficient medium between the two to carry it all the distance (thus, a recipient currently in an airplane could not receive the missive). The range is one mile per point of the Miner's Wyrd. The recipient automatically understands the meaning of the Tappingspeak, thanks to the Glamour embedded in the message.
[] Chirurgeon: Changelings who master surgery and pharmacy, sometimes from altruism, and sometimes simply because they can, ranging from scary back-street surgeons to strangely alien experimenters. The Chirurgeon's blessing is The Analeptic Charm: able to perform medical miracles, the changeling gains the benefit of the 9 again rule on Medicine dice pools. The Chirurgeon can also use the humblest tools well, and never suffers from penalties for poor equipment as long as at least something can be jury-rigged as a medical tool. Finally, anyone whom the changeling tends to for any length of time receives the benefit of the Chirurgeon's skills as if they were in a hospital intensive care unit.
[] Scrounger: Living in the nooks and crannies of their Keepers realms, these Lost learned to collect and scavenge off the scraps of their Faerie masters or were sent to scour away odds and ends and knick-knacks at their Lord's behest. Honed from their time sifting through the oddest piles of junk these mischievous changelings possess the Blessing of the Missing Keys, granting them the uncanny ability to find things hidden in cracks and clutter. Once per scene, the changeling may spend Glamour on a 1 to 1 basis to add to dice pools to scrounge, scavenge, forage, or otherwise locate items stashed away. Additionally the scrounger gains a free specialty in Survival.
[] Riddleseeker: Riddle-seekers are a Kith based on animals noted for wisdom and love of riddles, both natural ones such as snakes, owls, cats, foxes, and supernatural ones such as the spinx. They can spend a point of glamour to add two to all Wits-based rolls other than for perception, and they gain a free Investigation specialty in "Riddles."
[] Swimmerskin: Changelings who draw affinities with aquatic or amphibious creatures: seals, otters, ducks, salmon, and the like; mermaids, too. They can hold their breath underwater for thirty minutes, as if they had a stamina of 7, and if they do have a stamina of 7, it stacks. However, they cannot hold their breath for any longer than his Stamina allows outside of water. They can also swim as fast as they can run, rather than the natural speed for a human in water.
[] Venombite: Changelings who have an affinity with poisonous creatures, such as poisonous spiders and insects, or poisonous reptiles. Every Venombite has the Poisonous Bite blessing. Once per scene, the changeling's player may spend a point of Glamour and roll a normal brawling attack. The attack causes no damage, but does deliver a lethal poison with a Toxicity equal to the changeling's Wyrd. The victim can't avoid taking the damage with a Stamina + Resolve roll.
[] Gravewight: Cold-skinned Darklings who draw comfort from consorting with the dead, both restless and in repose. The Gravewight possesses the Charnel Sight: The changeling can see the unquiet dead. For one point of Glamour, the changeling can see ghosts for the rest of the scene. The power doesn't extend to any other invisible beings that may or may not be present, and doesn't allow the changeling to touch the ghost or compel it to answer her unless the ghost chooses to allow that.
[] Leechfinger: The faeries who steal life from humans, grain by grain, drop by drop, with just a touch. Every Leechfinger knows how to Sap the Vital Spark: With a touch, he can steal the health of another to heal his own injuries. The character needs to touch the target, and the player spends a point of Glamour. The victim takes one point of lethal damage, and the changeling heals one point of lethal or bashing damage, or downgrades one point of aggravated damage to lethal. This blessing can be used once per scene per point of the Darkling's Wyrd.
[] Nightsinger: The Darklings are not without their music. Darkling music, however, is largely heard without ever catching a glimpse of the musician. Nightsingers compose operas of wolf howls and owl cries, sing banshee songs and play hauntingly devilish tunes on fiddles strung with unwholesome gut. Nightsingers may set aside their instruments and strive to escape for home, but the music stays with them. The Nightsingers enjoy the favor of the Haunting Nocturne: By playing an instrument or singing, they may lull listeners into a hypnotic state. The player spends a point of Glamour and makes a Performance + Wyrd roll; listeners may contest the roll with Composure + Wyrd. Success makes the affected listeners more suggestible; such listeners suffer a -2 penalty to Resolve, Empathy and Subterfuge rolls for the duration of the scene. A Nightsinger also gains a free Performance Specialty.
[] Pishacha: In Hindu myth, the Pishachas are demons, gaunt and strange with bulging bloodshot eyes and skin as dark as midnight. Pishachas were said to speak in their own strange language, haunting graveyards and cremation grounds with all the other ghosts. Changelings of the Pishacha kith share the terrifying red eyes and obsidian skin of their folktale analogs, but also have the addition of some manner of odd tongue -- often forked, sometimes barbed or simply over-long. The Pishacha, often associated with madness, can afflict a victim with a Taste of Madness: by spending a point of Glamour and performing a successful touch attack, the changeling licks the exposed flesh of an opponent. The opponent takes a mild derangement of the changeling's choosing (or a severe version if the mild version is already possessed) and suffers from the derangement for the next week. The Pishacha can perform this attack only once per week (i.e., when the last victim's madness finally fades).
[] Tunnelgrub: Those of the Darkling faeries who slide and slither through tunnels and sewers and chimneys, the better to do terrible things in the night. The Tunnelgrub has the ability to Slither and Squirm: She slips and slides and wriggles through tight spaces and out of handcuffs and other bonds. By spending a point of glamour, they can get through spaces that are only just too narrow for her to get through, spaces that would otherwise leave her completely stuck. The changeling gets to roll Dexterity + Athletics to wriggle out of ropes or handcuffs. If it's a long distance, such as a chimney or a sewage pipe, an extended roll is required, and failing halfway would be a bad idea.
[] Whisperwisp: Spies flourish in the dark, hiding from their false allies and whispering to their true friends. Some have achieved an artful perfection in the trade. Whisperwisps flit from alcove to alcove in the grand halls of the Gentry, worming their way into the confidences of servants and eavesdropping on the masters. The Whisperwisp's blessing is the Turncoat's Tongue: He benefits from the 9 again roll on Empathy and Subterfuge rolls involving conversation or gathering information. They may also spend one Glamour to whisper a message to anyone within earshot, whether the Darkling can see the target or not. The target hears the message as if the Whisperwisp were standing beside her, murmuring into her ear.
[] Di-cang: In Buddhist lore, his name means "Womb of the Earth." As one of the bodhisattvas, he was said to calm the suffering of those poor souls lost in the many hells. Born of the earth, one might suggest that Di-cang is a kind of "jewel elemental," for in his hand he usually holds a precious gem that salves the pain of others. Those of this Kith tend to possess mostly human features, but have skin or extremities studded with various jewels (some might even have multi-faceted eyes such as rubies, sapphires or emeralds). The Di-Cang can provide others with the Peace of Suffering: by spending a Glamour point, those in the presence of the Di-cang (within 10 yards) suffer no penalties from existing wounds, as they feel no physical pain. This lasts for one scene. In addition, the Di-Cang can purchase Larceny dots at half the normal experience cost, since it was said that the original bodhisattva was able to unlock all the gates of the many hells to gain entrance.
[] Ask-wee-da-eed: The Abenaki people of the northeastern United States tell stories of a will-of-the-wisp-type creature formed of fickle fire. This creature, the Ask-wee-da-eed, is tied to meteors and comets and is said to bring bad luck and death by its presence. Those of this kith in some way embody the meteoric fire, but are also able to foretell the misfortune of others, in a way, with their Taste of Ill Luck: once per day, by spending a Glamour point, the Abenaki can force another to re-roll a successful roll at -1 die in the hopes that the re-roll fails (the original roll therefore never occurs). The changeling also gains the additional benefit of a +1 bonus on any rolls to activate clauses within the Hearth Contract. [Winter Masques -- Page 108]
[] Blightbent: Some of the most tragic of Elementals, the Blightbent are children of pollution. They were altered by choking smogs, toxic waters, blighted land, diseased forests and chemical fire. Upon their return to the mortal world, the Blightbent are the most comfortable in areas where humanity has tainted the elements in turn. Some Blighbent hate themselves for it. The Blightbent's blessing is the Caustic Caress. Once per day, the changeling may spend one Glamour to inflict a polluted touch on an opponent -- breathing a puff of toxic smog into his face, marking him with acidic fingertips or the like. The player rolls Dexterity + Wyrd - the target's Stamina; the victim takes one point of lethal damage per success. Defense and armor can affect this roll if the target is free to defend himself; otherwise, they do not apply. The Blightbent are also resistant to toxins and poisons of manmade origin, and gains +3 on rolls to resist their effects.
[] Muse: Their beauty inspires the arts. Whether a Rubenesque beauty, a sedate and delicate daughter of the Heavenly Ministry, a grotesquely beautiful masquer garbed in yellow tatters, or a Dark Lady who drives her beloved to destruction, the Muse inspires the creation of things of beauty and horror and love and hate and fear. The growth of confidence can precipitate a headlong rush to doom, and the Muse knows how to make it happen. The Muse's talent is The Tyranny of Ideas: The changeling's presence can give a human the confidence and talent to do things that he otherwise would not be able to do. For every point of Glamour the changeling spends, the human subject (and it must be human; it can't be another changeling or another supernatural being) gains +2 on one dice pool involving Expression, Persuasion, Socialize, or Subterfuge.
[] Weisse Frau: The Weisse Frau ("White Lady") in German lore is a beautiful matron said to protect children. Wearing all white, she is thought to be benevolent and sad (compared quite often to the Mexican La Llorona, the "weeping woman" who waits by the river-side crying for the children she has lost). It's said that a kiss from the Weisse Frau confers protection, and this is true for those of the kith. With the Kiss of Life, the character can, once per day, kiss another and spend a point of Glamour. In doing so, she grants that person two points of armor that is invisible and without substance, but works to protect the individual just the same. This armor does not stack with mundane or magical armor. Perhaps more importantly, in kissing a child (under the age of 13), this armor increases from two to three.
[] Water-Dweller: Changelings who resemble the legendary water-demons of many cultures, from life-demanding river spirits through to the trolls of coastal caves and under-bridge shadows. The Water-Dweller can Lie Under the Waves: The character can hold her breath for 30 minutes, as if she had a Stamina of 7, including on rolls above-ground. She is also accustomed to murk and darkness, and suffers no penalties to sight-based Perception rolls when underwater.
[] Witchtooth: The embodiment of the cruel, maneating hag and the selfish, mystical monster, the Witchtooth is among the wisest and most cunning of Ogres. The Witchtooth have a penchant for dark magic, particularly curses. The Witchtooth has learned the secrets of the Black Hex: The character may spend Glamour to increase Occult rolls, and gains a one-die bonus to activate any Contracts that involve cursing another person (such as Fickle Fate).
[] Smith: Changelings who were forced to labor under the watchful eye of the most unimpeachable Faerie blacksmiths, tinkers and toolmakers. Their blessing is Steel Mastery: The changeling can use his supernatural skill with metallurgy to alter metal objects, improving them, even if improving them would normally be impossible. The player spends one Glamour and makes an extended roll of Dexterity + Crafts, with each roll representing half an hour of tinkering, polishing and hammering. If the changeling manages to gather four successes, he can alter a tool so that it gives a +1 equipment bonus. The item has to mostly be made of metal. The magic wears off after a day. No object this way can be improved more than three times. If the changeling tries to alter an object a fourth time, he destroys the tool, and it can never be used again.
[] Inventor: This Wizened kith was common between the late 18th century and WWII. During this era, many amazing inventions were made by a single dedicated and often eccentric mortal, and Arcadia was filled with reflections of their dreams. As with all human imaginings and passions, the Gentry wished to have servants to create all manner of clockwork, steam-powered, or electrical wonders for them. However, eventually, mortal dreams moved on to labs and factories filled with faceless technicians, and the Gentry found other interests. Blessed (or perhaps cursed) with long, many-jointed fingers and sometimes mechanisms incorporated into their own bodies, their blessing is Inventive Genius. The Inventor gains the benefit of the 8-again rule on all Crafts or Science rolls to design, build, modify, or repair any sort of device or mechanism. By spending 1 Glamour, the changeling can add dice equal to their Wyrd to any of these rolls.
[] Miner: These changelings are the knockers and kobolds, the Coblynau and Telchines. Miners labored in deep mines to extract rare and precious metals, and perhaps other things -- chipping out veins of fossilized blood from the rotting gut of a mountain-sized great beast, or tunneling for the root of all evil. The Miner's gift is the Tappingspeak: By spending one Glamour, the changeling may tap out a coded message on a nearby surface. The message (which cannot be longer than three sentences) travels like vibrations to the intended recipient, as long as there's a sufficient medium between the two to carry it all the distance (thus, a recipient currently in an airplane could not receive the missive). The range is one mile per point of the Miner's Wyrd. The recipient automatically understands the meaning of the Tappingspeak, thanks to the Glamour embedded in the message.
[] Chirurgeon: Changelings who master surgery and pharmacy, sometimes from altruism, and sometimes simply because they can, ranging from scary back-street surgeons to strangely alien experimenters. The Chirurgeon's blessing is The Analeptic Charm: able to perform medical miracles, the changeling gains the benefit of the 9 again rule on Medicine dice pools. The Chirurgeon can also use the humblest tools well, and never suffers from penalties for poor equipment as long as at least something can be jury-rigged as a medical tool. Finally, anyone whom the changeling tends to for any length of time receives the benefit of the Chirurgeon's skills as if they were in a hospital intensive care unit.
[] Scrounger: Living in the nooks and crannies of their Keepers realms, these Lost learned to collect and scavenge off the scraps of their Faerie masters or were sent to scour away odds and ends and knick-knacks at their Lord's behest. Honed from their time sifting through the oddest piles of junk these mischievous changelings possess the Blessing of the Missing Keys, granting them the uncanny ability to find things hidden in cracks and clutter. Once per scene, the changeling may spend Glamour on a 1 to 1 basis to add to dice pools to scrounge, scavenge, forage, or otherwise locate items stashed away. Additionally the scrounger gains a free specialty in Survival.
Magic--
As part of the package, she starts with these, and more can be picked:
Major Magical Attainments
Master Onieromancer: While not quite world-class, she's in the same league, a great Onieromancer who has access to all of the assumed Contracts and Merits, and has a good deal of skill. She has fought and dealt with all manner of Incubus, the dream intruders, and explored deeply the lore of dreams.
Minor Magical Attainments
Weaknesses, Ha!: Like a certain Fall courtier, there is no area of Changeling magic in which she is mediocre. There are areas where her skill outstrips her power in that area by far, and plenty more where her knowledge is clearly lacking, but in no area of the magical lore or usage that she's seen or heard of is she entirely without skill.
River Walker: She's walked The River and knows many of its secrets, though there are others in the Freehold who know at least as many, if not more. Still, her knowledge of the river and its ways, secret shores, outlets and side-paths, as well as the Goblins and threats that rest along it, is certainly helpful. This also helps her against the Pirates.
"Ms. Archy": She has studied the magics of the Arch on both sides of the Hedge, and knows much about using its symbolism for any number of rituals and magical effects. As a side-effect, she also knows about those who are interested in the same thing, as well as the goblins and other dangerous which try to use it.
In addition, she has…
Major Magical Attainments (Choose 3)
[] Token Monger: She has a huge collection, and knowledge on how to use and deploy, of Tokens. She might even have the ability to create more on her own, though this is a mixed blessing. She also will obviously have the proper Contracts and knowledge of other tokens and know much of their lore.
[] Master Sorcerer: She is skilled at Wyrd-Bound Sorcery, the art of making sacrifices in order to gain magical effects that can be incredibly potent. Often using obscure or strange ingredients, and dangerous and tricky to use, it's also the premier art that gets someone called a Sorcerer, even though in theory knowing any type of magic other than the 'basic' Contracts qualifies one.
[] Contract Master: And who says that Contracts are in any way, shape, or form basic? A Master of Contracts not only has some Contracts (as all Changelings do) or even many Contracts (as an Autumn Queen would half almost by default) or even a lot, but pretty much the full smorgasboard of Contracts that she can get her hands on, and even some she can't. Not only that, but she is liable to know a lot about those Contracts she doesn't have, and is fully skilled and experienced in how to use the Catches of Contracts for cheap usage.
[] World-Class Onieromancer: Are there betters? Probably, some at least, and certainly those True Fae who specialize in Dream Magic far surpass anything a Changeling can do, at least in power and often in subtlety, but all that said. This is the level of Onieromancy that is the equivilent to having a PhD in it. It is mastery at a level that is terrifying to behold, and likely comes with many, many, many dangerous tricks and strange bits of dream lore.
[] Battle-Mage: She is experienced beyond merely being strong and tough into being a terror on the battlefield, capable of using all of the arts she has to utmost effect, and all but incapable of the fear and weaknesses that others might show in the face of overwhelming odds. For she is Autumn itself, and the only thing to fear in this world, on this battlefield, her might declares, is HER.
[] Master of the River: She has not seen the end of the River, for there is no end, but she has seen it all the way to the edge of Arcadia and returned alive. She knows the river, as she might know her own child. She knows its dangers, she knows its power, she knows its mysteries. She doesn't know everything, not absolutely everything, but she is clearly the foremost expert on the River in the Freehold.
[] Pledgemaster: At this level, it's more than just the ability to craft a good Pledge. It's knowledge of every aspect of the Pledge, how to make them work for her, how and when to break them, and maybe even legal training *just* to find and use technicalities. A Pledge crafted by her is one of beauty, ironclad or with carefully concealed loopholes just for her use.
[] Great Hedgespinner (Raiment and Weapons): The art of Hedgespinning is one that the Gentry cannot imitate. It is the one art that is entirely that of the Changeling, and so to know it has great value. A Hedgespinner creates of the stuff of the Hedge enchanted weapons and armor. Their powers are not as great as Tokens, or at least powerful tokens, and are somewhat limited, but being able to outfit herself and others can be very useful. And she's *good* at it.
Minor Magical Attainments (Choose 5)
[] Skilled Sorcerer: While she is not amazing at it by the standards of the most powerful, by the standards of any average Changeling she has obtained great and fearsome skill in the art of using wyrd-bound sorcery for her own ends, including one or two tricks that might even be called impressive by Sorcerer standards.
[] Competent Pledge-Smith: While not amazing, she knows how to word a Pledge to be tight as a good ship, and she knows all of the ins-and-outs, the secrets and tricks, of how someone might deceive another with a Pledge.
[] Warrior-Wizard: While war is far from the only thing on her mind, she is skilled at combat and knows how to leverage her magic and how not to freeze up, how to control and direct her fear, far better than most do, and certainly enough to make her quite fearsome herself.
[] Skilled Hedgespinner (Raiment and Weapons): As above, but moderately less skilled and capable of gathering the ingredients quickly and choosing their effects and powers carefully, potentially less unique merits related to this, and the like.
[] Skilled Hedgespinner (Automatons): Robots. Yes, Changelings can make robots and the like out of the stuff of Hedges and dreams and other strange parts, and then have literal robot buddies. They don't have armies of these things because it is somewhat costly to make them, but she knows how to make them, and has her own small force of them, and the skill to make more.
[] Better Lucky Than Skilled: She's GOOD at using the Contract of Hearths, and not only that, finding the right moment to use it and manipulating the turn of events to give a chance to use it. Misfortune to the enemy!
[] Master of Phantoms: She knows ghosts. Very, very well. She has the full Contract of Shade and Spirits, and Merits involving knowing ghosts, and even if indeed as it turns out all of the ghosts she'd know were gone, this knowledge and skill might prove useful in her acting as an Ectomancer of sorts, someone negotiating with ghosts, in the future. ((Note: I would have made a higher level version of this, but honestly Changelings just don't have the power to be world-class Ectomancers in their own right. But they can be pretty good at mocking stuff up, and a combination of Pledges, their Contracts, and other things probably could be pretty nifty.)
[] Many are the Masks: She has multiple Masks, the illusion that is always-on. Now, other Changelings can see through to her Mien, and so could those who can find ways to see through such things, but these multiple masks, besides needing to keep to the same general size (not that big of a restriction) and apparent gender, can be completely different fake identities, and combined with her ALSO getting a number of Merits involving faking identities and Fake I.D's and the like, she's sorta, well, a Master of Diguise.
[] Great Blacksmith: Hedgespinning can create weapons, though it takes gathering ingredients, but a true Blacksmith can create something no Hedgespinner ever could. A cold-iron weapon, the very bane of the True Fae. This represents very exceptional skill at crafting the weapons, and likely Merits that allow one to do so faster and easier, such as both mundane merits, and Brownie's Boon:
Brownie's Boon--Effect: Similar to the legendary brownies or shoemaker's elves, you possess the ability to complete mundane tasks in record time. For any long-term work project of mundane (not supernatural) nature, you may halve the required time to complete a task as long as you are not being watched by anyone. Thus, a character with this Merit could repair a car in half the time but could not shape the Hedge more quickly. In addition, you may spend a point of Glamour to halve the time again, to a maximum of three points of Glamour and 1/16th of the normal time for any particular task.
To note, from what I've read online, it takes from one to three days of work (not constant, one is assuming) to make a good longsword (in this case out of cold iron and thus walking death to a member of the Gentry). At three Glamour spent, if unobserved (lock oneself away, of course) then it'd take a few hours, maybe five or six at the maximum. Which, yes, seems like a long while, but you're making a sword BY HAND. Which is pretty cool. Or shield, or anything else, of course.
To note, from what I've read online, it takes from one to three days of work (not constant, one is assuming) to make a good longsword (in this case out of cold iron and thus walking death to a member of the Gentry). At three Glamour spent, if unobserved (lock oneself away, of course) then it'd take a few hours, maybe five or six at the maximum. Which, yes, seems like a long while, but you're making a sword BY HAND. Which is pretty cool. Or shield, or anything else, of course.
[] A Circle of Prophecy: She possesses both a prophet circle of women and men whose visionary dreams she can ride and thus glean for useful information, and Visionary Dreams of her own, and likely has all five dots of the Contract of Omen. But always in motion, the future is.
[] A Reasonable Woman: She has ties to the Reason Court, and more than that, Court Goodwill. This, she has access to and knows a few Reason Contracts, and in addition to this, has access to some of their periodicals and their general political news.
[] Keeping the Faith: She has ties to Faith Courtiers, and knows how to keep the Faith. Not only does she mean she has access to their Contracts which govern belief itself as well as the power of faith to shape the world (and to be honest, she's going into a world in which God is real, so well!) but she has access and knowledge of their politics and squabbles.
-[] Write in what her religion is, QM veto allowed for something like Jedi, but feel free to be reasonably obscure-ish.
[] Lady Sage: The Lord Sages of the Unknown Reach are an Entitlement (social/magical group) that have sworn to reach beyond Changelings and study other magical beings, and are thus marked and grow based on these studies, learning and participating in the various cultures of their main topic/interest, though they can sometimes have more than one (but very rarely). Of course, all of these interests are mostly gone, so what does it get one? First, a mindset that looks to other supernatural beings first and foremost as a topic of interest. Second, any knowledge of the mindset of a certain group--Mages, like Wizards, are subtle and quick to anger, and a knowledge of Vampires will actually help predict what the Black Court can do, etc, etc. Third, and most obviously, they gain one magical object from the other tradition. This can range the gamut, but represents the hard-won rewards of interacting with them.
-[] Ghosts and Spirits: This is mostly as Master of Phantoms, honestly, except the knowledge of spirits does potentially help with some groups, but it's honestly functionally identical.
-[] Werewolves: While not helping with most forms of Dresden Werewolves, someone who has taken up their study is liable to be more spiritual, more inclined to believe old rumors and stories, and more willing and able to get their hands dirty, as well as, you know, listen when people are talking about ancient evils. They also have what is called an Outsider Fetish, a living spirit-being trapped in an object that provides a single, unique, token-like ability that can be used over and over for free.
-[] Mages: Subtle and quick to anger, the free object can be two things. One, an Imbued Object, in which it has a magical spell and other things such as that it can do, unique and, again, free-ish. Or it could represent an arcane or magical library that can be accessed for magical knowledge, though much of this would be outdated at least to start. It would certainly teach her how to deal with/be around powerful workers of the will, humans who have access to magic, and give her a healthy appreciation of just what such beings can do.
-[] Vampires: Okay, I'm going to make you salivate, but it's possible that the special 'token' here is, instead of a Token, a rogue vampire chained up on a table having their blood harvested for a reusable (but slowly, obviously) source of free healing/Ghoulification for a few select (human) individuals. Or it could be another strange artifact of that type. Don't drool too much, but it's possible. More notably, this would make her the type of person who is willing to hang out with vampires. Some are worse than others, but all have done bad things, and the fact that she's interested enough to study them and at least not call them horrible monsters to their face will probably say something about how she will (both in and out of your control) interact with vampires in general, to the extent that they act like the ones she knows.
[] Tale Lore: She knows all about Talebound, humans with special powers marked by having been conceived by a man or borne by a woman who was Ensorcelled (in which their eyes are opened to the Changeling's nature). They have special powers, and can even pass on their magical lineage to the next generation. She knows the general lore about the different types of Talebound, what they can do with their magic, the sorts of Pledges that can allow them to pass on their magic to the next generation...all of that.
Complications
Finally, for this stage (going to break it up into 2-3 stages), are the complications. I was going to have these be last, but...well, there's a reason why not. Pick two or more. Hell, you can take all of them if you want. Complications are matters in which there is both advantage and danger to possessing it. They open up plot hooks and opportunities and everything.
[] Rival: She has a rival, one sworn to do her harm or surpass her. This of course can be dangerous and rather problematic, but it also spurs her along, strengthening her resolve and making sure she continually improves and grows better rather than stagnating.
[] A Favor: One of the Gentry owes her a single favor. Good, right? Well, they're treacherous monsters, and even possessing a token of a favor owed is often enough that many would suspect--though as a Queen, wouldn't immediately act--that she is a traitor, having sold out the Freehold for magical favors...just like those Autumn bastards do!
[] Unto You a Child: She has a child, from when she was still a human. This, this is a miracle, for Changelings are sterile, and many are the Changeling who would, and in some cases has, given absolutely everything for a child. The child, however, is Talebound, from a tie she didn't even know existed at the time, which is reason for paranoia enough, if not for the fact that, of course, they could be vulnerable to attack, or...or, well, a mother worries, and certainly while a child, and a Talebound as well, is a miracle, miracles can turn on the user. The child is in their late teens currently.
-[] Choose Expressed Gender (note sex if it's different from their gender, feel free to be creative!)
[] Devotees: The very strength of her Wyrd has drawn Devotees. Currently just a few, but it may in fact grow. Having gotten a glimpse of her true form, they think she is some sort of goddess, and as only those with mental illnesses react that way, it means she has a small group of people who'd really be better off getting treatment. But, well, they'll do anything for her. They'd die for her, and they'd kill for her. It's morally questionable, and not being entirely sane, one should be careful of the orders given, but it--and the potential that there might be more where that is coming from--is certainly a...tempting use of power.
[] Well-known: She has done great and terrible things, and is thus well known...to the Gentry themselves. She may take one extra Experience, which is in the next section and represents an epic thing she's done that grants a boon and power for having done it (Summer gets the most of these, and examples include slaying a (C:TL version) Dragon, having completed some epic trek, having beaten a member of the Gentry in a riddle-game, and the like). But, of course, the Gentry remember and will pay extra attention to what she does.
[] Nightmares and Daydreams: She is prone to nightmares far more intense and even damaging to her health, brutal things of half-remembered events but fully remembered consequences. And yet in learning to fight them, she has grown mentally tough, and is harder to attack in the dreams (harder even than her skill level at Onieromancy would indicate, whatever it is) and has a certain fortitude. However, the nightmares continue to plague her sleep and create occasional difficulties.
[] Write-in: Feel free to suggest something! QM Veto is of course active.
By the Way, here's the short write-up for the other monarchs
(Spring) Mayor Booster: A Fairest Cleareyes, Wyrd 5. The youngest monarch, with eight years experience, he is a powerful politician and businessman, and as his name indicates, is quite the booster for St. Louis, and has been doing everything he can to help both it and the freehold, which certainly helps explain why he's more than a little bitter at Thousand Trods. But no matter, St. Louis is still better than KC. He's generally friendly with all the other monarchs, though he finds King Stoneguts intimidating. In terms of power, he's clever and something of a jack of all trades, both magically and in terms of skills, and has a wide network of contacts to go along with his vast wealth and political experience.
(Summer) Maggie the Zookeeper: The Summer Queen has a menagerie. Hell, as a Beast Chimera, she is a fucking menagerie, and that's before she turns into a wolf using Fangs and Talons, or whatever else she wants to do. She has under her sway three different Hedge Beast Companions, a dog, snake, and a parakeet, as well as a number of less unique Hedge Beast Familiars, and plenty of plain-old trained animals. Once, she was a rather victorious and powerful champion on the river, fighting in the name of Summer, but for the last decade and a half, this short, slender woman--though pound for pound she's disgustingly and in fact supernaturally strong--has taken up the task of trying to rule the Summer Court and the Freehold one season a year as best she can. She thinks that Mayor Booster is a little annoying, but honestly he's alright, and she likes the Fall Queen. Wyrd 6
(Winter) King Stoneguts: A surprisingly cruel and yet hard to read figure, he is a powerful Elemental whose Mien also bears signs of the Ogre, of the powerful brute. He rules through the secrets, and they are his strength, yet when pressed, he can fight far better than many expect of Winter. He keeps quite strictly to the Icelaw and is hard to get a hold of, and after two and a half decades as King, he and his Drotti, his group of five closest supporters, seem unquestioned and unquestionable. He has a Wyrd of 6, and is known to be almost supernaturally strong and tough, and able to survive--as during a piratical incursion--far more than he should...though as he is wont to point out, the strength of not-being-there is the best defense against any attack at all.
*****
A/N: So, well, there you go. So it begins, as it were! Yay! Hope it's not too long, but there was a lot to cover. If you'd chosen a Summer Monarch for this, there'd be less choices with the magic, but more Experiences, and an automatic level of War Wizard, because that's Summer. And Spring tends to get more Contacts/Allies (next section) instead of the one major one that will be hers to choose.
Vote by Plan.
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[X] Gravewight: Cold-skinned Darklings who draw comfort from consorting with the dead, both restless and in repose. The Gravewight possesses the Charnel Sight: The changeling can see the unquiet dead. For one point of Glamour, the changeling can see ghosts for the rest of the scene. The power doesn't extend to any other invisible beings that may or may not be present, and doesn't allow the changeling to touch the ghost or compel it to answer her unless the ghost chooses to allow that.
[X] Di-cang: In Buddhist lore, his name means "Womb of the Earth." As one of the bodhisattvas, he was said to calm the suffering of those poor souls lost in the many hells. Born of the earth, one might suggest that Di-cang is a kind of "jewel elemental," for in his hand he usually holds a precious gem that salves the pain of others. Those of this Kith tend to possess mostly human features, but have skin or extremities studded with various jewels (some might even have multi-faceted eyes such as rubies, sapphires or emeralds). The Di-Cang can provide others with the Peace of Suffering: by spending a Glamour point, those in the presence of the Di-cang (within 10 yards) suffer no penalties from existing wounds, as they feel no physical pain. This lasts for one scene. In addition, the Di-Cang can purchase Larceny dots at half the normal experience cost, since it was said that the original bodhisattva was able to unlock all the gates of the many hells to gain entrance.
Mainly for thematic reasons, one who listens to the ghosts and brings them peace.
[X] World-Class Onieromancer: Are there betters? Probably, some at least, and certainly those True Fae who specialize in Dream Magic far surpass anything a Changeling can do, at least in power and often in subtlety, but all that said. This is the level of Onieromancy that is the equivilent to having a PhD in it. It is mastery at a level that is terrifying to behold, and likely comes with many, many, many dangerous tricks and strange bits of dream lore
[X] Master Sorcerer: She is skilled at Wyrd-Bound Sorcery, the art of making sacrifices in order to gain magical effects that can be incredibly potent. Often using obscure or strange ingredients, and dangerous and tricky to use, it's also the premier art that gets someone called a Sorcerer, even though in theory knowing any type of magic other than the 'basic' Contracts qualifies one.
To take the Oneiromancy to full power, and Sorcery I think, is probably the most iconic Autumn art.
[X] Warrior-Wizard: While war is far from the only thing on her mind, she is skilled at combat and knows how to leverage her magic and how not to freeze up, how to control and direct her fear, far better than most do, and certainly enough to make her quite fearsome herself.
[X] Master of Phantoms: She knows ghosts. Very, very well. She has the full Contract of Shade and Spirits, and Merits involving knowing ghosts, and even if indeed as it turns out all of the ghosts she'd know were gone, this knowledge and skill might prove useful in her acting as an Ectomancer of sorts, someone negotiating with ghosts, in the future. ((Note: I would have made a higher level version of this, but honestly Changelings just don't have the power to be world-class Ectomancers in their own right. But they can be pretty good at mocking stuff up, and a combination of Pledges, their Contracts, and other things probably could be pretty nifty.)
Gotta know how to fight!
And further down the ghost route.
[X] Unto You a Child: She has a child, from when she was still a human. This, this is a miracle, for Changelings are sterile, and many are the Changeling who would, and in some cases has, given absolutely everything for a child. The child, however, is Talebound, from a tie she didn't even know existed at the time, which is reason for paranoia enough, if not for the fact that, of course, they could be vulnerable to attack, or...or, well, a mother worries, and certainly while a child, and a Talebound as well, is a miracle, miracles can turn on the user. The child is in their late teens currently.
-[X] Male
[X] Nightmares and Daydreams: She is prone to nightmares far more intense and even damaging to her health, brutal things of half-remembered events but fully remembered consequences. And yet in learning to fight them, she has grown mentally tough, and is harder to attack in the dreams (harder even than her skill level at Onieromancy would indicate, whatever it is) and has a certain fortitude. However, the nightmares continue to plague her sleep and create occasional difficulties.
[X] Well-known: She has done great and terrible things, and is thus well known...to the Gentry themselves. She may take one extra Experience, which is in the next section and represents an epic thing she's done that grants a boon and power for having done it (Summer gets the most of these, and examples include slaying a (C:TL version) Dragon, having completed some epic trek, having beaten a member of the Gentry in a riddle-game, and the like). But, of course, the Gentry remember and will pay extra attention to what she does.
A child is a fairly interesting complication for sure.
Nightmares go with an basically unbeatable dreamweaver
And finally, one does not get to world class by collecting bottle caps.
[X] Di-cang: In Buddhist lore, his name means "Womb of the Earth." As one of the bodhisattvas, he was said to calm the suffering of those poor souls lost in the many hells. Born of the earth, one might suggest that Di-cang is a kind of "jewel elemental," for in his hand he usually holds a precious gem that salves the pain of others. Those of this Kith tend to possess mostly human features, but have skin or extremities studded with various jewels (some might even have multi-faceted eyes such as rubies, sapphires or emeralds). The Di-Cang can provide others with the Peace of Suffering: by spending a Glamour point, those in the presence of the Di-cang (within 10 yards) suffer no penalties from existing wounds, as they feel no physical pain. This lasts for one scene. In addition, the Di-Cang can purchase Larceny dots at half the normal experience cost, since it was said that the original bodhisattva was able to unlock all the gates of the many hells to gain entrance.
Mainly for thematic reasons, one who listens to the ghosts and brings them peace.
[X] World-Class Onieromancer: Are there betters? Probably, some at least, and certainly those True Fae who specialize in Dream Magic far surpass anything a Changeling can do, at least in power and often in subtlety, but all that said. This is the level of Onieromancy that is the equivilent to having a PhD in it. It is mastery at a level that is terrifying to behold, and likely comes with many, many, many dangerous tricks and strange bits of dream lore
[X] Master Sorcerer: She is skilled at Wyrd-Bound Sorcery, the art of making sacrifices in order to gain magical effects that can be incredibly potent. Often using obscure or strange ingredients, and dangerous and tricky to use, it's also the premier art that gets someone called a Sorcerer, even though in theory knowing any type of magic other than the 'basic' Contracts qualifies one.
To take the Oneiromancy to full power, and Sorcery I think, is probably the most iconic Autumn art.
[X] Warrior-Wizard: While war is far from the only thing on her mind, she is skilled at combat and knows how to leverage her magic and how not to freeze up, how to control and direct her fear, far better than most do, and certainly enough to make her quite fearsome herself.
[X] Master of Phantoms: She knows ghosts. Very, very well. She has the full Contract of Shade and Spirits, and Merits involving knowing ghosts, and even if indeed as it turns out all of the ghosts she'd know were gone, this knowledge and skill might prove useful in her acting as an Ectomancer of sorts, someone negotiating with ghosts, in the future. ((Note: I would have made a higher level version of this, but honestly Changelings just don't have the power to be world-class Ectomancers in their own right. But they can be pretty good at mocking stuff up, and a combination of Pledges, their Contracts, and other things probably could be pretty nifty.)
Gotta know how to fight!
And further down the ghost route.
[X] Unto You a Child: She has a child, from when she was still a human. This, this is a miracle, for Changelings are sterile, and many are the Changeling who would, and in some cases has, given absolutely everything for a child. The child, however, is Talebound, from a tie she didn't even know existed at the time, which is reason for paranoia enough, if not for the fact that, of course, they could be vulnerable to attack, or...or, well, a mother worries, and certainly while a child, and a Talebound as well, is a miracle, miracles can turn on the user. The child is in their late teens currently.
-[X] Male
[X] Nightmares and Daydreams: She is prone to nightmares far more intense and even damaging to her health, brutal things of half-remembered events but fully remembered consequences. And yet in learning to fight them, she has grown mentally tough, and is harder to attack in the dreams (harder even than her skill level at Onieromancy would indicate, whatever it is) and has a certain fortitude. However, the nightmares continue to plague her sleep and create occasional difficulties.
[X] Well-known: She has done great and terrible things, and is thus well known...to the Gentry themselves. She may take one extra Experience, which is in the next section and represents an epic thing she's done that grants a boon and power for having done it (Summer gets the most of these, and examples include slaying a (C:TL version) Dragon, having completed some epic trek, having beaten a member of the Gentry in a riddle-game, and the like). But, of course, the Gentry remember and will pay extra attention to what she does.
A child is a fairly interesting complication for sure.
Nightmares go with an basically unbeatable dreamweaver
And finally, one does not get to world class by collecting bottle caps.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Can you turn it into a plan, just for the sake of everyone else? Like, plan-name, that is. Also, uh, did you see how many of each you can take? Because you only took two of three Major, and 2 of five minor.
Two Kiths, Three Major, 5 Minor, and 2 minimum Complications.
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[X] Plan DragonParadox
[X] Whisperwisp
[X] Muse
Daggers in the dark and deception will serve us well
[X] World-Class Onieromancer
[X] Master Sorcerer
[X] Battle-Mage
Play to our strengths
[X] Competent Pledge-Smith
[X] Better Lucky Than Skilled
[X] Many are the Masks
[X] Great Blacksmith
[X] Skilled Hedgespinner (Automatons)
Some luck, some crafting, some diplomacy. Forcing people to fulfill their obligations with magic is diplomacy, right?
[X] Unto You a Child
-[X] Male
[X] Nightmares and Daydreams
[X] Well-known
Agree with veekie pretty much.
[X] Whisperwisp
[X] Muse
Daggers in the dark and deception will serve us well
[X] World-Class Onieromancer
[X] Master Sorcerer
[X] Battle-Mage
Play to our strengths
[X] Competent Pledge-Smith
[X] Better Lucky Than Skilled
[X] Many are the Masks
[X] Great Blacksmith
[X] Skilled Hedgespinner (Automatons)
Some luck, some crafting, some diplomacy. Forcing people to fulfill their obligations with magic is diplomacy, right?
[X] Unto You a Child
-[X] Male
[X] Nightmares and Daydreams
[X] Well-known
Agree with veekie pretty much.
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- Pronouns
- They/Them
Plan format if possible.
2 Kiths, 3 (not two) Major Magical Attainments, 5 Minor Ones, and then two Minimum Complications.
I mean, if you really want to be less powerful than you can be, then I'm fine with that, I...guess?
I mean, I'm not going to stomp all over you if you don't choose all of them, but a Plan Format is, like, required.
2 Kiths, 3 (not two) Major Magical Attainments, 5 Minor Ones, and then two Minimum Complications.
I mean, if you really want to be less powerful than you can be, then I'm fine with that, I...guess?
I mean, I'm not going to stomp all over you if you don't choose all of them, but a Plan Format is, like, required.
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Arkatekt
Harbinger of Shitluck
Haven't finished read yet and won't for a few hours since I need to sleep before classes, but to prevent bloat and wall-of-text/legibility issues, I would like to suggest voters snip the majority of the lines in their votes (at the colon in most of the options). Not an issue for the tally since it comes with a feature that does that automatically, but for reading through the plans given so far, it causes my eyes to glaze over a bit.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Oh, before I forget! For people like @Tasoli , @FixerUpper , and others that don't know Changeling so well, I'm willing to answer any questions about the options presented. Like, "What does Sorcery do" or "What are the limits of this power" or even "What the hell does this word even mean?" Like, I'm aware I threw a lot of magical stuff at the wall, because you picked to start with the heavily magical character, but I'm very willing to compensate for that.
Also, just to clarify, the things you start with (the one Major and two minors) don't count towards the total you're voting on.
Also, just to clarify, the things you start with (the one Major and two minors) don't count towards the total you're voting on.
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Arkatekt
Harbinger of Shitluck
One thing I was thinking about earlier while I was looking at Contracts: Are Mages and Wizards considered Mortal or Supernatural as far as Merits and Contracts are concerned? Are Ensorcelled Mortals still Mortal or are they Supernatural?
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- Pronouns
- They/Them
Ensorcelled is Mortal, but Wizards are considered supernatural to the extent that they get to roll resistence and the like. I'm not sure what I'd CALL the Wizard power-stat, but I do have a general guide to what it means planned out. Gnosis doesn't work as a name for a Wizard's strength/magical firepower, really.
Arkatekt
Harbinger of Shitluck
Alright, thank you.
...*Reconsiders half-baked plan to use Vainglory 2 and 3 on the Mages*
Tasoli
Life is for Living
- Location
- Behind the Keyboard.
[X]Plan Tasoli
This is full ahead pure sorcerer build with options like Master of Phantoms thrown in in order to give us information gathering options that we can use quickly in order to acclimize ourselves to new setting. I choose Child option because it looks populer here and with it comes with Tale lore since we will need it in order to protect the kid.
cheers
[X] Nightsinger
[X] Whisperwisp
Major Magical Attainments (Choose 3)
[X] Token Monger
[X] Master Sorcerer
[X] Battle-Mage
Minor Magical Attainments (Choose 5)
[X] Competent Pledge-Smith
[X] Skilled Hedgespinner (Raiment and Weapons)
[X] Lady Sage:
-[X] Mages
[X] Master of Phantoms
[X] Tale Lore
Complications
[X] Unto You a Child
-[X] Male
[X] Well-known
[X] Whisperwisp
Major Magical Attainments (Choose 3)
[X] Token Monger
[X] Master Sorcerer
[X] Battle-Mage
Minor Magical Attainments (Choose 5)
[X] Competent Pledge-Smith
[X] Skilled Hedgespinner (Raiment and Weapons)
[X] Lady Sage:
-[X] Mages
[X] Master of Phantoms
[X] Tale Lore
Complications
[X] Unto You a Child
-[X] Male
[X] Well-known
This is full ahead pure sorcerer build with options like Master of Phantoms thrown in in order to give us information gathering options that we can use quickly in order to acclimize ourselves to new setting. I choose Child option because it looks populer here and with it comes with Tale lore since we will need it in order to protect the kid.
cheers
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lkmcclenahan
That which doesn't kill me, only makes me stranger
- Location
- UK
[X] Plan McClenahan
KITHS
-Di-cang
-Muse
MAJOR ATTAINMENTS
-Battle-Mage
-Master Sorcerer
-Contract Master
MINOR ATTAINMENTS
-Competent Pledge-Smith
-Better Lucky Than Skilled
-Great Blacksmith
-A Reasonable Woman
-Master of Phantoms
COMPLICATIONS
-Well-known
-Unto You a Child
--Male
-Nightmares and Daydreams
KITHS
-Di-cang
-Muse
MAJOR ATTAINMENTS
-Battle-Mage
-Master Sorcerer
-Contract Master
MINOR ATTAINMENTS
-Competent Pledge-Smith
-Better Lucky Than Skilled
-Great Blacksmith
-A Reasonable Woman
-Master of Phantoms
COMPLICATIONS
-Well-known
-Unto You a Child
--Male
-Nightmares and Daydreams
Tasoli
Life is for Living
- Location
- Behind the Keyboard.
I read a bit of Kansas city shuffle so I am familiar a bit with this.
Give them Wisdom Rating.
[X] [Plan] Neptune
[X] Gravewight
[X] Di-cang
I like Veekie's thoughts on this, on being able to interact with the undying and being able to provide peace. It has some nice thematics to it and the larceny rolls can play a part later on with several identities, large depth of supernatural and mortal knowledge, and the ability to acquire information via Onieromancy.
[X] Master Sorcerer
[X] Contract Master
[X] World-Class Onieromancer
Everything a serious changing magic user can hope for. Master sorcerer allows her to manipulate her wyrd, a contract master is absolutely fantastic with it's vast array of effects, and finally making us be the best Onieromancer we can be.
[X] Warrior-Wizard
[X] Many are the Masks
[X] Tale Lore
[X] Lady Sage
-[X] Ghosts and Spirits
-[X] Mages
Warrior-wizard so we're capable of fighting, many are the masks so we have several identities and are capable of secrecy which has incredibly synergy with interacting with the mortal world and with the Kith I've chosen, Tale Lore allows us to integrate mortals into our society which is exceptionally helpful, and finally the Lore of other supernaturals allows us to interact with them as well. Ghosts/spirits for our kith bonus, and Mages because we're gonna be in Dresden Files.
[X] Unto You a Child
-[X] Female
[X] Well-known
A child is an interesting complication, and being well known to the gentry should be expected for a good Monarch.
[X] Gravewight
[X] Di-cang
I like Veekie's thoughts on this, on being able to interact with the undying and being able to provide peace. It has some nice thematics to it and the larceny rolls can play a part later on with several identities, large depth of supernatural and mortal knowledge, and the ability to acquire information via Onieromancy.
[X] Master Sorcerer
[X] Contract Master
[X] World-Class Onieromancer
Everything a serious changing magic user can hope for. Master sorcerer allows her to manipulate her wyrd, a contract master is absolutely fantastic with it's vast array of effects, and finally making us be the best Onieromancer we can be.
[X] Warrior-Wizard
[X] Many are the Masks
[X] Tale Lore
[X] Lady Sage
-[X] Ghosts and Spirits
-[X] Mages
Warrior-wizard so we're capable of fighting, many are the masks so we have several identities and are capable of secrecy which has incredibly synergy with interacting with the mortal world and with the Kith I've chosen, Tale Lore allows us to integrate mortals into our society which is exceptionally helpful, and finally the Lore of other supernaturals allows us to interact with them as well. Ghosts/spirits for our kith bonus, and Mages because we're gonna be in Dresden Files.
[X] Unto You a Child
-[X] Female
[X] Well-known
A child is an interesting complication, and being well known to the gentry should be expected for a good Monarch.
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Alright, edited version:
[X] Plan Savior of the Dead
-[X] Gravewight
-[X] Di-cang
As stated above, this is thematically cohesive. One who brings relief to the dead.
-[X] World-Class Onieromancer
-[X] Master Sorcerer
-[X] Master of the River
Being one of the very best in the world, absolutely. Sorcery is also the most versatile aspects of a changeling, which ALSO requires resources such that a Monarch is best placed to employ it.
And finally...the River is a HUGE element for this Freehold, and an expert is much needed.
-[X] Warrior-Wizard
-[X] Master of Phantoms
-[X] Lady Sage
--[X] Ghosts and Spirits
-[X] Hedge Bounty, Hedge Witch
-[X] A Circle of Prophecy
Again as before.
Warrior-Wizard to grant above average personal combat skill, though leaving the full investment in battlemagic for Summer to bother with.
Master of Phantoms and Sage in Ghosts synergizes with the Ghost dealing aspects from above, to be as good as it gets in dealing with the dead.
Hedge Bounty to further take advantage of the Hedge as a thing we can do that they can't.
Prophecy Circle to take advantage of the World Class Oneiromancy
-[X] Unto You a Child
--[X] Male
-[X] Nightmares and Daydreams
-[X] Well-known
Already explained above.
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- Pronouns
- They/Them
Also, a fun thing to note that I'll be doing with the Kiths that win is Evolution of the Wyrd.
Basically, at Wyrd 6+, each of the Kiths and Seemings powers and draw-backs grow more severe and magical. Hence, Darklings will be better in the dark (and even worse in the light, admittedly) and any Kiths will start getting *more powerful*.
*snaps fingers*!
Oh, and I finally found an idea for something that could be done with ghosts that would give Lord Sage of the Unknown Reaches (Ghosts) some difference between Master of Phantoms (though there's certainly overlap.) They could have a ghost or spirit familiar hanging around.[1]
Lord Sage (Vampire) can also have a ghoul servant, if that appeals to you!
[1] Whereas a Master of Phantoms, while having some more knowledge in certain areas, would have to gain one on their own or the like.
Basically, at Wyrd 6+, each of the Kiths and Seemings powers and draw-backs grow more severe and magical. Hence, Darklings will be better in the dark (and even worse in the light, admittedly) and any Kiths will start getting *more powerful*.
*snaps fingers*!
Oh, and I finally found an idea for something that could be done with ghosts that would give Lord Sage of the Unknown Reaches (Ghosts) some difference between Master of Phantoms (though there's certainly overlap.) They could have a ghost or spirit familiar hanging around.[1]
Lord Sage (Vampire) can also have a ghoul servant, if that appeals to you!
[1] Whereas a Master of Phantoms, while having some more knowledge in certain areas, would have to gain one on their own or the like.
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