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Changelings are people who use their skills in sorcery and
in mysticism to transform themselves and their environment. They make
natural spies because of their amazing talents, and can be either formidable
enemies or powerful allies.
Role-Playing: The changeling hero can blend in almost anywhere.
He can walk amongst the elves as an elf and walk amongst the minotaurs
as a minotaur. Changelings always hide their true pasts and keep their
own hidden agendas. Only their closest friends and companions should ever
know that they are changelings, because it is in a changeling's very nature
to live many lives. As for exactly what the changeling is after, only
he knows, but it is this very goal that kept him from pursuing other schools
of magic or mystical spheres during his days of training, and so ultimately,
all of his major actions must somehow help him achieve this goal.
Requirements: Changelings have spent time in many foreign cultures
and people in order to learn how to walk amongst them unnoticed. To reflect
this experience, changeling heros must start out with at least 6 quests.
In order to blend in, he does have some natural talent at disguise, so
he must have a score of at least 6 in Presence. His true strength, however,
lies in his magical powers. Every changeling must have a score of at least
7 and a code of A in Reason and Spirit. He must choose to be proficient
in Spectramancy, Transmutation and any one other school of sorcery as
well as the mystic spheres of Alteration, Channeling and Meditation.
While none of his numerical scores are limited, a changeling can never
have an ability code greater than B in any ability other than Reason and
Spirit. This reflects how much devotion he has given these two forms of
magic.
Civilized humans, elves and half-elves can be changelings.
Advantages: Whenever a changeling uses the sphere of Alteration
to change his appearance, he may double the duration of the spell without
affecting the difficulty score (as listed on p. 76 of Book of the Fifth
Age). Upon creation, a changeling hero may choose any five realms listed
in Dusk or Dawn to be familiarized with. Any attempt to blend into these
areas using a normal disguise receives an automatic trump bonus, unless
the hero doesn't resemble the populace (i.e. a human changeling won't
resemble a kender no matter how much make- up he uses). If he opts to
use his powers of Alteration instead, the attempt becomes an automatic
success. A hero must choose this role at creation, and cannot acquire
it during game play.
Disadvantages: Every changeling has a reason for devoting so
much of his life to his powers of transformation and blending in. Whatever
this reason is, it infects every part of the changeling's life. Secretly,
he always works toward this goal. Changeling heros never tell anyone what
this goal is. Consequently, if a character discovers that the hero is
indeed a changeling, he may mistrust him or even become hostile (other
heros may act as they wish). Upon creation of a changeling, the player
and the Narrator must decide upon a goal. This should be something that
is not easily accomplished. If the Narrator ever feels that the hero is
not working towards the goal, he may make an action check. Success means
the hero remains a changeling, but must shape up his act. Failure means
he must abandon the role, never to get it back. It is up to the Narrator
to decide what a mishap would signify. If the hero actually succeeds in
achieving his nearly impossible goal, then he may choose a new role while
keeping all the advantages of a changeling. If, in order to complete a
disguise, a changeling needs to use a shield, suit of armor or weapon
that is normally outside of his skill range, he is allowed to wear them
without penalty. If he ends up in combat with these items, however, then
every combat action must be a random draw, and the unwieldy shields and
armor not only offer no protection, but also reduce all agility action
scores by 2.
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