Character creation
- Kith
- Seeming
- Venue crossovers
- Court and status
- Secret societies
- Abilities
- Backgrounds
- Arts
- Merits and flaws
More details on the information in this section can be found in:
- The Shining Host + supplementary rules (5.0 Aus series)
- The Shining Host Players Guide + 5.0 Australian addenda
- Laws of the Hunt + supplementary rules (5.0 Aus series)
- Laws of the Hunt Players Guide
- Rules Supplement Prime (5.1 Aus series)
Kith
Approval Level | Changelings | Mortals |
---|---|---|
Low/Storyteller | Boggans, Eshu, Nockers, Pooka, Redcaps, Satyr, Sluagh and Trolls | Mortals and Kinain (of any Kith) |
Medium*/DST | Clurichaun, Ghille Dhu, Selkies, Piskies and Sidhe | Characters with Psychic Numina |
High or Top*/NST | Members of House Scathach, Thallain (Beasties, Boggarts, Bogies, Goblins and Ogres), Members of the Shadow Court, Inanimae and Nunnehi | Autumn People, Dauntain and characters with Sorcery Numina |
Seeming
Starting Traits for Changelings
Seeming | Typical age |
Glamour |
Banality |
Willpower |
Max attribute traits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Childling |
< 13 years |
5 |
1 |
1 |
10 |
Wilder |
13—25 years |
4 |
3 |
2 |
12 |
Grump |
> 25 years |
3 |
5 |
3 |
14 |
For Changelings of any seeming:
Max. Glamour: 10
Max. Willpower: 10
Max. Ability Level: 5
Starting Traits for Kinain
Seeming | Typical age |
Glamour |
Banality |
Willpower |
Max attribute traits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Childling |
< 13 years |
4 |
2 |
1 |
9 |
Wilder |
13—25 years |
3 |
4 |
2 |
9 |
Grump |
> 25 years |
2 |
6 |
3 |
9 |
For Kinain of any Seeming:
Max. Humanity: 8
Max. Faith: 8
Max. Willpower: 7 (5 for mortals who are not Kinain)
Max. Ability: 5
With Storyteller approval, a character can have a mortal self that is up to 10 years different in age from their Fae Seeming.
Some Kith Advantages give permanent Attribute Traits or Abilities. These Traits act as normal Traits but can exceed Trait maximums.
All characters assign:
- 5 Background Traits
- 5 Ability Traits
- Up to 7 Merits
- Up to 7 Flaws
- Up to 5 negative traits
Plus, For Changelings:
- 7/5/3 traits to Physical, Social and Mental attributes
- 3 Arts
- 5 Realms
For Kinain:
- 6/4/3 traits to Physical, Social and Mental attributes
- 3 Fae Gifts
- Fae Marks (if desired)
NB: Faerie Gifts may be taken by Kithain as Merits with Mid approval. Fae Marks can be taken by Kithain as Flaws with Top approval.
All characters then have 5 free traits, as well as the player’s MC level multiplied by 5 extra free traits that can be spent as if the character had taken further negative traits.
E.g. Bob who is MC3 can add 5 + 5x3 = 20 extra points to his character, while Tom, who is MC1 can add 5 + 5x1 = 10 extra points to his character.
Venue Crossovers
Characters may occasionally be played in other venues, provided Mid Approval is given on a case by case basis. High Approval is required to approve a character for permanent cross venue play, or for all occasional cross-overs that exceed three in one year.
Court and Status
All Fae (including those visiting from other cities) are subject to the free venue flaw: Cyclic Court Change (-1) while in Canberra. The game effects of this are that all Fae are Seelie (or Unseelie in the case of Redcaps) most of the month, but change to Unseelie (or Seelie in the case of Redcaps) for one day per month, from lunchtime the day of the full moon, to lunchtime the day after.
Status/Title at creation
- Level 1 (Squire)
- Level 2 (Knight) requires MC 3.
- Level 3 (Baron) requires MC 6.
- Level 4 (Count) requires MC 9
- Level 5 (Duke) requires MC 12
In addition:
- Status of levels 1 to 3 (Squire to Baron) at creation requires Storyteller Approval only.
- Status of levels 4 to 5 (Count to Duke) at creation requires NST Approval for commoners.
- Status of level 4 (Count) requires DST approval for Sidhe
- Status of level 5 (Duke) requires NST approval for Sidhe
After creation, if characters are rewarded with status or title, experience points must be paid as soon as possible and approval requirements still apply, but the MC levels required do not apply.
Secret Societies
Secret Societies listed in the various Handbooks require High approval. However, feel free to make up your own secret societies! If you’d like to do this, please send the Storyteller one page that outlines:
- The history of your secret society
- Its goals
- Current status/activities
Abilities
Based upon the written background of the character, the Storyteller may waive the Experience Point cost of some of the character's Craft, Linguistics, Lore, and Performance Abilities at character creation. A character may be allowed a combined number of levels not to exceed three plus the player's Member Class. This bonus is only available at character creation and only if a background is received prior to approval.
Generally each character will be given one free level of Lore: Court: Seelie and Lore: Kith: <appropriate Kith> at creation regardless of whether a background is received.
The following abilities are accepted in the Changeling game:
Academics | Empathy | Law | Scrounge |
Animal Ken | Enigmas | Leadership | Security |
Archery | Etiquette | Linguistics** | Stealth |
Athletics | Expression | Lore*** | Streetwise |
Awareness | Finance | Medicine | Subterfuge |
Bureaucracy | Firearms | Meditation | Survival |
Blind-Fighting | Fortune-telling | Melee | Throwing |
Brawl | Gremayre | Occult | Torture |
Crafts | History | Performance | |
Demolitions | Intimidation | Repair | |
Dodge | Investigation | Research | |
Drive | Kenning * | Science |
NB: After the character attains the third level in an Ability, the player
may choose to spend an Experience Point (or Free Trait) to specialize that
Ability. Whenever a task is performed within that specialization, the character
gets a bonus Trait for use in any associated challenges, so long as she
has not spent all of her levels of that Ability for the session. A character
may only have a single specialization in any particular Ability, and may
not gain more than one bonus Trait from specialization(s), regardless of
the number of Abilities that might apply to a single challenge.
Other abilities may be accepted at Storyteller discretion.
Backgrounds
The following backgrounds are accepted in the Changeling game:
Allies | Fame 5 | Political Connections 1 | Treasure 1, 2 |
Chimera 1, 2 | Holdings 2,4 | Remembrance | Trod 1,2 |
Companion 1, 3 | Influence | Resources 5 | |
Contacts | Mentor 1 | Retainers | |
Dreamers | Patron 1 | Title 1 |
Other backgrounds may be accepted at Storyteller discretion.
For Kinain:
- Dross requires Mid level approval for levels 1—4 and High approval from levels 4—5.
- Feth Fiada requires Mid approval.
- Faerie Mentors may teach as per any other mentor. Arts can be taught by PCs without recourse to the Faerie Mentor background. Note that one Kinain cannot teach another an Art. Only the Fae can teach the Arts.
- Further levels of the Faerie Blood, Feth Fiada, or Kenning backgrounds after character creation can only be purchased with High approval.
Don't forget to work through the Character background questions!
Arts
The following Arts are accepted in the Changeling game:
- Aphrodesia (Low level for Merfolk. Mid Level for Eshu and Satyrs. High for all others & requires IC teacher)
- Chicanery
- Chronos (Requires NST Approval)
- Contempt (Requires NST Approval)
- Delusion (Requires NST Approval)
- Dreamcraft
- Infusion (Low for Nockers and Goblins. Mid for Sidhe of House Dougal; Boggans, Eshu and Trolls but with an IC teacher. Top for all others and requires an IC teacher)
- Kryos (Low for Merfolk. Mid for Redcaps and Trolls. High for all others and requires an IC teacher)
- Legerdemain
- Metamorphosis (Low level for all commoners. Mid level for Ghille Dhu
and Nunnehi. Top for all others and requires an IC teacher)
Naming (Requires NST Approval) - Oneiromancy (Mid level for Thallain. High level for Sidhe and requires an IC teacher or Remembrance 5. Top level for all others and requires an IC teacher)
- Primal
- Pyretics
- Skycraft (Low level for Merfolk. Mid level for Ghille Dhu, Nunnehi, Pooka, Satyrs, Selkies and Trolls. High level for all others & requires an IC teacher.)
- Soothsay
- Sovereign (Commoners require NST approval)
- Wayfare
Realms
- Actor
- Nature
- Fae
- Prop
- Scene
Merits and Flaws
All Merits and Flaws in the Shining Host are accepted in the Changeling
game, with the following additions and amendments:
Ability Aptitude (1 M) You have a natural affinity for a particular (but not combat related) Ability. You are up two Traits on all tests directly related to that Ability only (but not with powers that would use the Ability for a retest). This bonus only applies to one specific ability for those that require a specific form or specialization (such as Crafts or Performance).
Ambidextrous (1 M) You are equally skilled at using either hand. You do not suffer the normal two Trait penalty for performing actions with your off hand. In addition, you do not need to have the prerequisite number of Ability levels appropriate to a weapon in order to get the advantage of using two weapons (or a shield) in combat.
Destiny This Merit is not allowed for Sanctioned play.
Endless Frustration (3 F) The cost of this Flaw has changed for Sanctioned play.
Fae Songs (1—5 M) These only work on mortals.
Iron Will (3 M) This Merit gives the character a free retest when attempting to resist Dominate and Dementation (unless the vampire has Superior level), or when fending off other mind-altering magics, etc.
Luck/Lucky (3 M) The character gets one free retest per session on any non-combat challenge.
Natural Linguist (2 M) You have a remarkable grasp of any languages that you speak or write (as per your Linguistics Ability). You gain three bonus Traits on all challenges related to language. You may also know twice the number of languages your Linguistics Ability allows.
Poetic Heart (3 M) Requires National Storyteller approval
Quiet Heart (4 M) This Merit gives the character a free retest when attempting to resist Presence and Fascination (unless the user has Superior level), or when fending off other emotion-altering magics, etc.
Supernatural Ally (3 M) One or more of your Retainers is a supernatural being (Vampire, Werewolf, Wraith, Changeling, or Mortal with Numina) perhaps even from a different venue. You must purchase your retainer separately from this Merit, but the first trait gets you a basic creature of the appropriate type. Supernatural Allies are always of the same level as those created by Member Class one characters and they never have Advanced powers. Storytellers may limit the use of your supernatural ally at any time.
True Faith (7 M) This Merit requires High Approval.
Unbondable This Merit is not allowed in Sanctioned Play.