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2trick

09-07-2006, 05:39 PM

In this thread, I tell you about my new game of Changeling: the Dreaming. Why? Because I'm bored and not seeing enough nWoD threads. Plus, I'm a whore for attention, and GMing alone only gives me so much satisfaction. I'm using the basic concept of the game, but running it through the new Storytelling system. I'm also jacking elements of Demon: the Fallen, Half-Damned: Dhampyr from the Kindred of the East line, and those sexy Prometheans, too. It's a (wicky-wicky) remix, remix-mix. You feel me? Good. --The player characters are the Kithain: Changelings, fae who have survived the centuries through an endless cycle of reincarnation. They walk the balancing rope between the worlds of man and fae, experiencing wonders and dangers that their human friends and family can scarely begin to imagine. Their bodies are frail and their minds destined to fall into the dull half-sleep of Forgetting, but their souls are eternally vibrant and otherworldly. Their enemies are the Lost Ones: fae who refused to dirty themselves with human flesh, and now occupy the secret places in the Earth, acting through human and Kithain servants toward the ultimate goal of enslaving humanity and bringing the world crashing back into its primal, mad beginnings. Or to simply destroy everything and bask in the neverending void. Their newfound allies and rivals are the Sidhe: the Shining Host, the nobility that chose to flee when man's power was reaching its zenith. Having returned in the wake of the 1969 Apollo moon landing, they are now attempting to regain the power they once enjoyed, but are still in the midst of understanding this world that has changed so much in their absense. All of these forces live, love and die in the world we see around us every day, but infused with the mysterious and ever-transforming force of faerie Glamour. Things lurk in the shadows that no man can see, and even the best human disguise cannot hide true beauty and horror from Changeling eyes. --More to come later.

Mr. DNA Sounds interesting. More, please!

09-07-2006, 08:18 PM

2trick Before I go to bed, let me lay down some of the metaphysical details. --1) Banality is humanity.

09-08-2006, 04:22 AM

It's not the death of creativity or anything silly like that, no matter what the fae say about it. Changelings are a fusion of human flesh and faerie essence, but it's not perfect. The world today is a world of men, and eventually the sheer weight of being mortal and living in the mortal world becomes overwhelming. The Kithain call this pressure Banality, but it's not a truly negative force-- it's just human to the exclusion of faerie nature. So why is it given such an unappealing name? Well, you try naming an invisible force that hinders your existence on a daily basis and see if you come up with something nice. 2) Glamour is fae. Underneath the flesh of the Kithain is a faerie soul, supercharged by the power of Glamour. But what does that mean, exactly? What is Glamour?

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2/22/2012 12:49 PM

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Put simply, it's the essence of the faerie world. Dreams (or nightmares) and places of beauty or passion can sometimes conduct that essence, but it would be a mistake to say that Glamour is merely the sum of those things. It's a separate force that flows around the human world and pools into its forgotten cracks. Humanity, of course, is blind to it unless led by the fae. No encounter between the worlds is ever merely an accident. 3) Changeling existence is cyclical. Changelings can die, but they are immortal. What appears to be a paradox is, in fact, an ancient compromise: a human is born with a faerie soul, but remains ignorant of this until their true nature eventually stirs awake. Then they live as one of the Kithain, sometimes with memories of their past incarnations but more often as a clean slate. This lasts until either their bodies die or they succumb to Banality and are buried by the human disguise. Either way, once mortal life ends, the fae soul travels into a human womb to be reborn anew, and the process starts over. When a Changeling's faerie nature reawakens, they are said to be in Spring. The rest of their enchanted lives is the Summer. As they slip into Banality, they are said to be in Autumn. And from the moment they forget their faerie nature to the day of mortal death is called Winter. But, short of cold iron or other forms of permanent death, the fae soul will return in a new person. Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and then Spring. The dance of the seasons never ends. --More to come later.

2trick 4) The Chimerical and the Real coexist.

09-08-2006, 01:52 PM

The Kithain, and all things touched by fae magic, can see the Glamour that is normally invisible to human eyes. Fantastic beasts and terrifying crystal spires that twist out of the ground, while shocking to mortals enchanted for the first time, are not out of place for Changelings. But however bizarre this chimerical reality may be, it does not replace the world as humans see it. Spoons remain spoons, no matter who wields them, and an old apartment building doesn't change into a tiny fairy hut depending on who looks at it. Secret rooms and bogies in the dark are a different story. 5) Changelings are the channels between worlds. The Kithain and their cousins are unique for their ability to exist in both worlds at once. This is not always a positive experience, since they can sustain damage from both worlds as well. Because fae nature is immortal, chimerical damage and even death are not permanent-- the fae will simply go into dormancy until it has the strength to revive. Since human nature is mortal, however, real damage and death represent a more serious problem. The death of a Changeling's mortal side spells the end of their plans and aspirations for a long time. The fae can also actively command Glamour. By forcing the energy through their mortal shells, they can temporarily make the chimerical real to the human world. Making their true fae appearances visible to everyone requires little effort, and gifting a human with Glamour allows them to experience the world through fae eyes for at least a day. The Mists tend to wipe away mortal memories of these encounters, but the effects reverberate and change that person's life in the long run. --I think that just about covers the metaphysics. Next I'll get into the actual Changeling template and talk some more about the antagonists. More to come later.

LucitasBastardChilde Neat. I didn't like the original Changeling but this sounds fun.

09-08-2006, 03:54 PM

2trick The Changeling Template:

09-08-2006, 05:04 PM

There are no proper splats. The Kiths as described in the Changeling: the Dreaming corebook, as well as any other supplement, are simply prominent examples. Instead, the Changeling template gives characters five extra Merit points, as well as access to special fae merits. Freakish eyes that add to Intimidation rolls might cost one point, while the ability to swallow anything given time

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will cost no less than four. I used my best judgment here with each player, so unfortunately I don't have an exhaustive list; just use the Birthrights in the corebook as a measuring guide. When dealing with non-chimerical subjects, characters must assume their fae mien to use these merits. It costs nothing to do so, but takes a bit of time and potentially causes a lot of trouble. Frailties are simply Flaws. Take them at your peril. Note that all fae have a weakness against Cold Iron, which inflicts aggravated damage and is the most infamous source of permanent death for Changelings. Changelings have only one health track. Since chimerical death is generally a dramatic device from which the fae eventually spring back, chimerical damage should only be tracked as dramatically appropriate (such as when there is a risk of chimerical death triggering the character's Forgetting). The power stat is Faerie. The higher it is, the more a Changeling can call on the raw power of his fae nature. Starting characters begin with 1. The energy stat, explained earlier, is Glamour. The morality stat is replaced with Banality. This one takes some time. Like Morality, having a Banality score that's too low (4 or lower) increases the risk of derangements. Unlike Morality, having it too high (8 or more) imposes a one-for-one penalty on fae magic and interacting with chimerical reality, until it reaches 10 and the character enters Winter/the Forgetting. The mechanics behind this stat are similar: roll 1-4 dice whenever the character sufficiently denies his fae nature, with success meaning no change and failure meaning Banality goes up. There should be no more than one roll per chapter for most characters; less if the march of seasons isn't an important part of the game. It can be adjusted with experience like Morality, but at Current Level instead of New Level, and only to buy down. Characters begin with a rating of 6. The powers are called cantrips. They are essentially the powers from the core book, but purchased separately like Promethean Transmutations. The dice pool for cantrips is Attribute+Skill+Faerie. And no Realms-- those are stupid. Note: There is no distinction between chimerical and wyrd Cantrips. If they affect anything beyond the chimerical world, the cantrip simply costs Glamour. This cost can be negated by assuming one's fae mien or by performing bunks. --More to come later. Powered by vBulletin Version 4.1.9 Copyright 2012 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.

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