Although its contents are not exactly house rules, we strongly recommend reading the Changeling Primer to clarify how the game views certain aspects left unclear by the Core Rulebook.

Arcadia

Within the context of the game, Arcadia is lost and inaccessible to the Kithain. From an OOC perspective, that’s part of the point: Changeling is a game that’s about, among other things, reaching for something that can’t be gotten back. Therefore, anywhere that a Kithain can reach cannot be the true Arcadia. Places like the Arcadia Gateway (from Werewolf), and other similar Umbral Realms that can be reached by shifters or mages, may be echoes of Arcadia as the Kithain know it, and they may represent temporary safe refuges from Banality (assuming that the Kithain can find a way to get there and back.) But they will always have differences from what any particular Changeling remembers of Arcadia. Sometimes the differences will be huge — the noble houses are absent or completely different — and sometimes small; eventually, though, those differences will always lead to the Kithain becoming dissatisfied.

Attribute Boosts

Some kith Birthrights (Piskies, Satyrs, Selkies, Sidhe, Trolls, etc.) increase the character’s Attributes. For the purposes of spending XP, these increases are treated as a floating bonus, rather than a permanent increase. (They should still be set to the final total on the character’s sheet.) That is, a Sidhe who wishes to increase their Appearance from 6 to 7 is actually raising it from 4 + 2 to 5 + 2, and the cost is therefore 16 XP rather than 24. This is to meant to keep XP costs level between characters who may have chosen different Attribute allocations in character generation.

Autumn Sidhe

The C20 Core Rulebook specifies that House Liam and House Scathach stayed behind when the rest of the sidhe abandoned the Autumn world. Our interpretation of this is that those two houses stayed behind as organized entities, but sidhe from other houses may also have remained, just not in sufficient quantities to constitute any sort of power structure. Therefore, Autumn sidhe from houses other than Liam and Scathach are permitted.

Arcadian sidhe who’ve returned can undergo the Changeling Way to become Autumn sidhe. However, this does not change the character’s type in their current incarnation; rather, after they die, they will (presumably) be reborn at some point in the future. This is unlikely to happen within the expected lifespan of the game.

Frailty

The Autumn sidhe frailty can affect other non-Changeling supernatural creatures, not just vanilla mortals. However, it should not be used to force play, whether by the sidhe character or by people they interact with; its having an effect on other PCs should be mutually agreed upon by the players involved.

Remember that this a frailty, not a bonus. Someone under its affects, whether PC or NPC, should act in ways that prove inconvenient or detrimental to the sidhe with whom they are obsessed.

Bunks

When casting a cantrip off-screen (e.g., for an Extended Effect), characters may assume they were able to perform a Bunk of up to -3 value, but no higher.

In general, Bunks should conform to the following guidelines:

• -1: Any sincere effort to adhere to the themes of Changeling.
• -2: Fairly easy to accomplish but annoying.
• -3: Doable when needed, but impractical to get for everything you cast.
• -4: Requires serious advance planning, has major personal cost to you, or both.
• -5: Only possible in cases of enormous effort or great self-sacrifice.

Per the C20 Core Rulebook, p.196, “Typically, bunks require the character to spend at least one turn acting before the changeling invokes the cantrip.” A Bunk requiring a dice roll which carries a significant chance of failure may be awarded an additional -1 at the discretion of the Storyteller.

Chimerical Companions

Chimerical companions begin with a single dot in Glamour, a single dot in Willpower, and a single health level; others must be purchased at the listed prices (see pp. 320-321 in the C20 Core Rulebook).

As a general rule, if we wouldn’t approve something for a starting character (as outlined on the Character Creation page), we will not approve it for a chimerical companion, either. This means Attributes, Abilities, powers, and so on. By the letter of the rules it’s entirely possible to create some ridiculously powerful chimera, even with our slightly lower point allocations; but like PCs, companions need to fit in with a cooperative game. If they appear likely to overshadow the PC (or other PCs), we’ll probably ask you to rewrite them.

Clurichauns

As mentioned in our discussion of the clurichauns, they are somewhat problematic as written. In keeping with the way we’ve written them, the text for their “Fighting Words” Birthright has been changed to:

Look! Over There!: After only a short time spent with them, a clurichaun can get a read on a person or group, knowing exactly what to say or do to cause an attention-grabbing distraction. "Distraction" can range from getting someone immersed in a book, to flirting with someone starved for attention, to shouting an insult that sparks a bare-knuckle barroom brawl. Whatever its exact nature, it will keep their attention focused for a minimum of 1d10 turns unless drawn away by a matter of life and death, and impose a +2 difficulty to Perception rolls not related to the subject of the distraction. The nature of the distraction and the actions required are up to the ST, or, if no ST is available, to whatever seems most entertaining to the other players present; what's needed to distract someone is not guaranteed to be something the clurichaun will be willing to do or say, either! The target(s) can resist with a Willpower roll (difficulty 8). This ability cannot be used more than once per scene on a given target, whether individually or in a group.

The Dreaming

Birthrights

Birthrights are classified into one of three categories: Acuity (the character cannot botch a particular type of roll and/or reduces the difficulty of that roll), Advantage (the character gains one or more dots in a particular Attribute or Ability), and Magic (anything that isn’t either of the above). Each Birthright strengthens in the Dreaming, per the C20 Core Rulebook, p. 302.

• Characters with Acuity birthrights should specify an additional roll to which they apply in the Far Dreaming, and a third to which they apply in the Deep Dreaming. The rolls chosen should reflect the theme of the original birthright.
• Characters with Advantage birthrights need not add any additional notes unless the book effects cannot reasonably be applied.
• Characters with Magic birthrights need not add any additional notes.

Chimerical Death

Characters (whether Kithain or otherwise) who suffer chimerical death in the Near Dreaming wake up in the Autumn world with no memory of how they got there, as per the rule on p. 291 of the C20 Core Rulebook.

Characters who suffer chimerical death in the Far or Deep Dreaming suffer actual, physical death, per p. 300 of the Core Rulebook. Mortal characters’ remains will disappear from the Dreaming and reappear at the end of the closest Path of Balor.

Frailties

Both Arcadian sidhe and Autumn sidhe suffer from the Empathic Blindness frailty (Core Rulebook, p. 301) when in the Dreaming, in place of their usual frailty. Especially in the Far and Deep Dreaming, the difference between the two types of sidhe is increasingly difficult to discern, even to each other.

Enchanted Mortals

If a mortal who has previously been enchanted is enchanted again, they regain some memory of their previous time spent while enchanted. This is not a complete and exact recollection, but it is enough that they remember the basics of the faerie world and fae that they’ve spent significant time with. They do not have to start from scratch.

Freeholds

Freeholds are rare and valuable in London, and control of one is both a significant IC and a significant OOC responsibility. Think carefully before purchasing Holdings; not only do freeholders ICly owe allegiance to an overlord by sworn oath, they are also OOCly expected to be a game resource for other players, running scenes, providing storyline support and plot hooks, etc. If that’s not something you want to do, consider being a part of an existing freehold instead, whether NPC-run or PC-run.

Because London is divided between two NPC-controlled counties, the rules for freeholds are slightly different depending on whether the freehold is located to the north or the south of the Thames. Southern freeholds are generally slightly weaker, but while the northern freeholds are generally stronger, their freeholders also more tightly controlled by their liege lord, the Count of Boadicea’s Tomb.

When creating a freehold, all players who are contributing dots in Holdings are required to agree to the allocation. Staff will try, as time allows, to help mediate between players while the freehold is being designed, but once the +request is submitted, the point allocation is fixed, and objections by any player involved will result in the +request being denied. It can be resubmitted without prejudice once the dispute is resolved.

• Most London freeholds will be acquired by either the “Mysterious Heirloom,” “Stolen Prize,” or “Regency” methods. Creating new freeholds in the London area is incredibly difficult and rare, and finding one that has been stolen or sealed away without already having been reclaimed is even more so.
• The freeholder is obligated to swear the Oath of Fealty (C20 Core Rulebook, p. 265) to their overlord:
  • “In the name of the Dreaming, I swear my loyalty to you, my lord/lady. As the moon rules the tide, as the rain refreshes the grass, as the sun imparts life to all, so your will becomes my desire. As you command, I will obey; as you request, I will comply. May my service always please you, and may my eyes lose their sight if I invoke your wrath. My heart, my mind, my hands are yours from now until you release me from this oath.”
  • Breaking this oath is likely to have severe consequences. A freeholder may petition their overlord for release from their oath, and this is usually granted, although being released requires the freeholder to give up their holdings.
• A London freehold may have any Archetype; however, any single character may only benefit from the Archetype of a single freehold. This is a change from the book rules — by which characters may benefit from investing points in Holdings into multiple freeholds — in order to simplify bookkeeping. Thorpes are exceedingly rare in the London area, and almost all freeholds will be single-balefire.
• Freehold Aspects may be of any sort, although wilderness or rural-type Aspects are uncommon and should be discussed with staff beforehand.
• Appearance is up to the players, although the Autumn location of the freehold should be discussed with staff beforehand.
• Hierarchy decisions are up to the players, so long as they are all in agreement.
• Balefire ratings are limited and require staff approval.
  • 1- and 2-dot balefires requires approval from one staff member if in northern London; two staff members if in southern London.
  • A 3-dot balefire requires approval from two staff members if in northern London, and from a majority of active staff if in southern London.
  • A 4-dot balefire is not available in southern London, and requires approval from a majority of active staff if in northern London.
  • In all cases, the maximum rating for a balefire is half the number of PC Changelings contributing to the freehold, rounded down. This rating applies to both Glamour and Dross — if the maximum is 2, it may be 1 Glamour and 1 Dross, 2 Glamour, or 2 Dross, but it may not be 2 Glamour and 2 Dross.
• Size ratings are generally limited to four dots. There simply isn’t the sort of space available in London for freeholds with five dots in Size.
• Sanctuary ratings are not limited.
• Resources ratings are not limited, but please discuss your desired resource with staff in advance.
• Passages ratings are not limited, but trods leading to the Deep Dreaming will generally not be approved, and Far Dreaming destinations will normally be dangerous and unsafe to travel. Near Dreaming destinations need not be so.
  • Trods purchased in this way can place their exits where the player(s) wish, within reason. Abusive or athematic requests will be denied.
  • The destination point may vary by as much as a few meters from one transit to another.
  • A trod’s destination can potentially be shifted with sufficient story and justification. Generally, the amount of justification required will be comparable to buying another dot in Freehold.
  • Trod keys can be determined by the player(s), within reason. Keys should be appropriately thematic and should not be excessively convenient for the owner — they are (as a rule) not IC determined by their owners, so they are very unlikely to be exactly what the owner wants.
• The Resonant Dreams power may normally only be purchased once per freehold.

Gaining & Losing Banality and Glamour

At its core, Changeling is a game about walking the tightrope between Banality and Bedlam in a world that is no longer friendly to the Kithain, and the struggle to survive as long as you can before succumbing to one or the other. In the same way that every Vampire player should think carefully about how their character feeds, and incorporate that into their RP, every Changeling player should think about how they gain Glamour, avoid Banality, and shed the latter when they do accumulate it.

This isn’t meant to be a punishment; it’s meant to be an inspiration for roleplay. How do you handle surviving in the Autumn world? How do you deal with those tasks that Banality makes difficult? We don’t keep tabs on players’ gains and losses; we aren’t going to force you to engage with this aspect of the game, and (except during staff-run stories or in the most unusual circumstances) we aren’t going to come out of the blue and raise your Banality for what you’re doing IC. But you’ll be missing out on much of what makes Changeling an engaging experience if you don’t work with these elements.

Other than Grumps, most Changelings who deal with the Autumn world will either be gaining Banality or burning Glamour to avoid it; the great majority of people and places in the city of London will be significantly higher Banality than a PC’s Glamour. Fortunately, there’re plenty of ways to deal with the problem. Invite some friends to join you on a Quest; put together a new Freehold or contribute to an existing one; cultivate Dreamers who can help you to a more powerful Reverie; travel into the Far or Deep Dreaming until Banality sloughs away; find a Treasure to keep close, preventing you from forgetting your fae self as long as you’re in physical contact with it. One thing is certain: any Kithain who survives London for long has some way of dealing with Banality.

Ghosts and Spirits

The 4th dot of the Fae Realm allows Changelings to affect ghosts and spirits with their Arts, but the Changeling rules provide no indication of whether and how the Kithain can perceive such beings when they are not already materialized. We’ve adopted the following rule:

• Ghosts that are not materialized can be perceived through the use of Autumn 2 with the Fae 4 Realm.
• Spirits that are not materialized can be perceived using Pyretics 2 with the Fae 4 Realm. Note that normally, the Realm used with Pyretics 2 determines where the effect emanates from; when used for detecting spirits, it instead emanates from the caster. Pyretics 2 must be specifically invoked with this stated intent in order to perceive spirits.
• When used in this manner, Pyretics 2 causes the caster’s eyes to take on an unearthly characteristic of some sort, as described for Autumn 2.

Glamour & Dross

Followed strictly in an always-on online setting, the tabletop rules for Changeling permit — encourage, really — characters to stockpile large quantities of dross for future use. We don’t think this is really the intent of the rules; rather, it’s an artifact of their use in a setting where characters may not have to deal with significant challenges on a regular basis, and are likely to know in advance of major upcoming events. And, to be quite candid, we think there are better uses of both player and staff time than submitting +requests to increment someone’s dross stockpile on a weekly basis. Therefore, we have adopted the following rule:

• A character may have up to 5 + their Glamour rating in Glamour and/or dross. Both Glamour and dross count against this same limit; it does not apply to both separately.
• Characters may gain dross via trade with other PCs, via a freehold that generates it, or via the “Harvesting Dross” optional rule on p. 320 of the C20 Core Rulebook. This is an exception to the general ban on optional rules.
• It is assumed that additional Glamour (or Dross) beyond this limit is being used in the character’s offscreen life, traded for information or mentorship, etc., etc.

Glimmers

The C20 Core Rulebook describes glimmers as events in the Autumn world that release major outflows of Glamour, enough to cause influxes of further sidhe from Arcadia in varying numbers. Because no one has a sufficiently large-scale view of when and how many arrive, and also because when and how it happens are not consistent and predictable phenomena, it is generally not possible to associate the arrival of a particular sidhe or group of sidhe with a particular Autumn-world occurrence. Characters may of course believe that they (or their acquaintances) were returned as because of something specific, but there is no way to be certain that they are correct, or to predict when and how many sidhe will arrive in response to any given event.

Invoking the Wyrd

While invoking the Wyrd works normally, there are potential IC consequences for doing so around non-Changelings. See the page on the Escheat for more details.

Kenning

Kenning has specific rules governing its use for the detection of supernatural phenomena. See the page on Awareness for details.

Kithain Government

This is not a house rule per se, just a reminder: the Accordance War, the Treaty of Concord, and the Parliament of Dreams are specific to the High Kingdom of Concordia, i.e., North America. The Kithain of the UK did have something similar, the War of Ivy; however, the conflict in England ended far more decisively in favor of the sidhe than the Accordance War did. Non-sidhe can and do hold significant titles — the northern Kingdoms of Smoke and Heather are ruled by a nocker and a troll respectively — but those who do are generally solid Traditionalists.

On the whole, though, the High Kingdom of Albion and its subfiefdoms, including London, hew far more closely to the monarchical, aristocratic, and feudal ideals than almost anywhere in Concordia. Even the modest trappings of democratic and republican government that the American fae aspire to are absent here. Truly independent freeholds are almost unknown; any Kithain who holds territory or title will be sworn to an overlord (and may in turn have demanding vassals sworn to them).

The Mists

Confusingly enough, Changeling has two separate phenomena called “the Mists.” The first, which uses the table on p. 269, determines what happens when people in the Autumn world witness fae goings-on — for instance, someone casting a Wyrd cantrip, or some other undeniably supernatural faerie occurrence that does not require fae sight to witness. The second, using the tables on p. 303 and 304, determine what happens when non-Changelings enter or leave the Dreaming.

The “+mists” command will tell players where they fall on both tables. For player reference, Vampire characters use Willpower in place of Glamour on this table; Werewolf uses Gnosis; Mage uses Arete + Awareness.

Treasures

Holding a Treasure does not permit faster recovery from chimerical death.

Treasures are difficult to adjudicate because of the very large range of possible effects and the very loose guidelines for how to create them. We will review all Treasures with an eye to the same standards we hold characters generally: is this likely to make the game more fun for the player whose character has it and the players that character interacts with?

Speaking very generally, Treasures are built along three axes: breadth of effect (relative to the possibilities in the effect it emulates), maximum effect (number of possible successes, where relevant), and ease of use (whether they require invocation or are always active). The more ways in which a particular Treasure is strong, the stricter the scrutiny it will get for balance reasons — especially those that are always active and have the potential for numerous successes.

Unleashing

Out-of-control Unleashings (when a character rolls more successes on an Unleashing than they have in an Art) normally require adjudication, which can be a problem in environments like this one where a Storyteller isn’t always on call. If one occurs during a scene where a player or staff member is acting as Storyteller, then it’s up to them to determine the results. In the event that one occurs when there is not a Storyteller already present:

• Someone other than the player whose character’s Unleashing is being resolved should act as temporary Storyteller for the purpose of resolving the Unleashing only. It is up to the other players to decide on who. A neutral party is always best, but if everyone present is IC associated with one side or another of a conflict, it’s better that it be a player on the opposite side.
• Remember that this is a cooperative game. The focus should be on making the Unleashing a fun and memorable experience for everyone involved. Yes, runaway Unleashings are supposed to make life difficult, but they aren’t supposed to be crippling or character-destroying.
• An out-of-control Unleashing should fulfill the caster’s intent, but in a way that makes their life more difficult. Try to think of the most entertaining way in which the wording of the Unleashing could be twisted into something that creates as many problems as it solves, a la “The Monkey’s Paw” and similar fiction. If you can’t think of anything, solicit suggestions from other players present!
• The Unleashing should add at least one significant complication to the scene. This shouldn’t be something that’s fatal, but it should present the characters with an additional significant challenge that they need to deal with. Ideally, it should not be something that can be resolved with a single die roll (barring an extraordinarily clever solution and a great die roll.)
• Use caution when doing things with a runaway Unleashing that have the potential to derail or disrupt the entire scene. It’s okay to do it, just try to do so in ways that will be fun for everyone who’s present.
• If you absolutely cannot come to an agreement on what an appropriate result is, it’s OK to check with staff, but please be aware that the likely result is that staff will give you a one- or two-line summary of where they think might be fun to go, rather than coming by to adjudicate in person.

Unleashing Imprints

These rules (from the C20 Players Guide, p. 143-145) are not currently in use. It is possible that they may be added to the game in the future.

Arts

Arts with durations that last beyond the scene in which they are invoked follow the rules for Extended and Permanent Effects, even if they are not using the Time Realm to do so.

Naming

• Naming 4 cannot normally be used in combat; it requires too much focus and concentration for this to be practical.
• Simply telling another Changeling your True Name (or someone else’s) is not sufficient to make use of the effects of Naming 3, 4, and 5 on them; discovering enough about their inherent nature to gain the “profound insight into who or what they are” requires use of Naming 3 (Saining).
• However, knowing someone’s True Name counts as an “intimate attachment or piece of information”, and therefore allows a sorcerer to use Naming 3 against them without their physical presence. Be careful who you reveal your True Name to!