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  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  2
  Based on the Changeling: The Dreaming game created by Sam Chupp, Ian Lemke and
  Mark Rein•Hagen, with Joshua Gabriel Timbrook
  Second Edition design and development by Ian Lemke
  Check out White Wolf online at http://white-wolf.com, alt.games.whitewolf and
  rec.games.frp.storyteller
  © 1997 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction is permitted for
  personal use only. White Wolf is a registered trademark of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights
  reserved. Changeling the Dreaming is a trademark of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights
  reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by White Wolf Publishing,
  Inc. The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to
  the trademark or copyright concerned.
  Table of Contents
  Introduction
  Introduction
  Introduction
  Introduction
  Introduction — What Is Changeling: The Dreaming
  Changeling: The Dreaming
  Changeling: The Dreaming
  Changeling: The Dreaming
  Changeling: The Dreaming?
  3
  Setting
  Setting
  Setting
  Setting
  Setting — Changeling History and Hierarchy
  4
  Character Creation
  Character Creation
  Character Creation
  Character Creation
  Character Creation — Making Your Own Changeling
  11
  Traits and Arts
  Traits and Arts
  Traits and Arts
  Traits and Arts
  Traits and Arts — Changeling Powers
  18
  Glamour 
  Glamour 
  Glamour 
  Glamour 
  Glamour — The Magic of the Fae
  20
  Rules
  Rules
  Rules
  Rules
  Rules — Playing the Game
  22
  Combat
  Combat
  Combat
  Combat
  Combat — Physical Confrontation
  23
  Story Ideas
  Story Ideas
  Story Ideas
  Story Ideas
  Story Ideas — Several story concepts to inspire you to create your own Changeling
  Changeling
  Changeling
  Changeling
  Changeling stories
  24
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  3
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  Welcome to Changeling: The Dreaming
  Changeling: The Dreaming is a roleplaying game. It is a
  beautifully illustrated, full-color, hardcover book that explores the
  hidden world of the faerie folk trapped on Earth. It gives you rules
  for creating your own changeling character, and describes the
  setting and history of the fae. What happens next is up to you.
  This booklet is a simplified version of Changeling: The
  Dreaming. It gives you the highlights of the Changeling setting and
  rules, the core information you need to play a game. Try it out. If you
  like it, the rulebook is available in most book, hobby and comic
  stores.
  Storytelling
  The rules pamphlet you hold is an introduction to Change-
  ling: The Dreaming, a storytelling game from White Wolf Publish-
  ing. With the rules in this kit, you and your friends are able to
  assume the roles of changelings — beings who are part human, part
  fae — and tell stories about the characters’ triumphs and tragedies.
  Storytelling resembles games such as How to Host a Murder in
  a lot of ways. Players assume the roles of characters — in this case,
  changelings — and engage in a form of improvisational theater,
  saying what their changelings say and describing what their change-
  lings do.
  In a storytelling game, players take their characters through
  adventures, called, appropriately enough, stories. Stories are told
  through a combination of the wishes of the players and the
  directives of the Storyteller (see below).
  Players and Storytellers
  Most people who take part in a Changeling game are players.
  They create changeling characters — imaginary protagonists simi-
  lar to those of novels, movies and comics. However, one person in
  the group must assume the role of the Storyteller. The Storyteller
  acts as a combination director, moderator, narrator and referee.
  The Storyteller creates the drama through which the players take
  their characters. The Storyteller also creates and assumes the roles
  of supporting cast — both allies with whom the characters interact,
  and antagonists against whom the characters fight. The Storyteller
  invents the salient details of the story setting — the bars, night-
  clubs, businesses and other institutions that the characters fre-
  quent. The players decide how their characters react to the situa-
  tions in the game, but it is the Storyteller (with the help of the rules)
  who decides if the characters actually succeed in their endeavors
  and, if so, how well. Ultimately, the Storyteller is the final authority
  on the events that take place in the game.
  What Is Changeling?
  Part flesh and part dream, changelings' appearances mirror
  their dual natures. Changelings see one another in their true forms:
  as embodiments of the Dreaming given form by the Glamour of
  faerie magic. This is their fae mien. Banality shrouds this form,
  however, hiding it from the world behind a humanlike appearance,
  called the mortal seeming. Changelings do not shift between the
  two forms like shapechangers. How a changeling appears depends
  on who perceives her.
  The mortal and the magical worlds exist in tenuous juxtapo-
  sition. The two realms have no effect on one another for the most
  part, but they do collide now and then. Boundaries slip and magical
  elements find their way into mortal consciousness, or denizens of
  the “real” world suddenly witness or become a part of the strange
  and puzzling events of the Dreaming.
  The fae strive constantly to bring back the Summerlands, the
  halcyon country that once embodied the perfect union between
  dreams and reality — it was the very realization of dreams. Some
  believe that restoring the Summerlands will rejoin the faerie realm
  of Arcadia to the human world, sparking a renaissance of magical
  possibilities that will preserve the mundane realm from stagnation
  and decay.
  Although humans deny the existence of the fae, relegating
  them to legends and fairy tales, the fact that these stories persist
  indicates a desperate desire to believe in the unbelievable. Many
  humans hope that wondrous creatures such as the fae exist, but
  cannot sustain faith in what they cannot perceive directly or
  embrace through reason. In fact, most mortals hardly remember
  what it is they long for. They are broken by a banal world that tells
  them that searching for intangible or spiritual fulfillment is a waste
  of time and energy.
  Role of Changelings
  The mundane world offers little room for dreams. Humans
  exist in a reality that they can explain rationally, but still cannot
  understand. All the “great” institutions conspire to tell them that
  the good die young, the brave come home in boxes, and that only
  the financially strong survive. Dreams — such as they are — come
  in sanitized, preprogrammed packages: the corporate dream, the
  jet-set dream, the dream of retirement and the virtual dream.
  For most people, dreams are a luxury they cannot afford. The
  young have nothing to look forward to except unemployment or, if
  they're lucky, meaningless jobs that pay minimum wage. When a
  military career looks attractive, things are dull, indeed. The old
  must deal with unfulfilled lives and a society that turns its back on
  Lexicon
  The following terms are common to Changeling and
  are listed here to help you get started.
  • Arcadia — The land of the fae; the home of all faeries
  within the Dreaming.
  • Banality — Mortal disbelief. The presence of mor-
  tals with high Banality has an adverse effect on changelings.
  • Cantrip — A spell created by a changeling and
  powered by Glamour.
  • Chimera — A bit of dream made real. Chimera are
  part of the enchanted world and cannot be seen by mortals.
  Chimera may be objects or entities.
  • Dreaming, the — The collective dreams of human-
  ity, formed into realms. Changelings often travel in these
  realms to seek adventure.
  • Glamour — The energy that changelings use to
  power their cantrips. Glamour is generated by mortal cre-
  ativity and imagination.
  • Kith — All of the changelings of a specific kind.
  One's kith determines the nature of one's faerie guise and
  soul.
  • Kithain — Changelings' self-referential term.
  
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  4
  them. Even those who have it made — CEOs, rock stars, drug lords,
  politicians — are surrounded by tawdriness and mundanity. The
  high aspirations that once fueled human achievement and creativ-
  ity have degenerated into the lowest common expectations.
  The Light in the Darkness
  Changelings radiate hope in a drab world. The embodiments
  of creativity and the power to dream, these remnants of the fae
  protect and nurture those fading shreds of wonder and imagination
  that remain. Without changelings, reality would fall victim to
  Banality; anything that could not be seen or touched or experi-
  enced by the physical senses would no longer exist.
  Long ago, the fae served as muses to humanity, inspiring artists
  and musicians, craftsmen and philosophers, prophets and leaders to
  expand the boundaries of their minds and hearts to encompass new
  thoughts and works of beauty. Now changelings have an even more
  important purpose. In an era when science threatens magic, reduc-
  ing the supernatural to a series of physiochemical reactions or to a
  mechanical progression of causes and effects, changelings uphold
  the reality of the inexplicable. They tip the balance of the senses,
  fray the edges of the mind, and defy the “natural laws” that consign
  the creatures of the world to one fixed form.
  Changelings announce to the human world that dreams exist.
  As their name suggests, they represent the essence of mutability.
  Reality does not have to lie stagnant or conform to rules. The
  children of the Dreaming, by their very existence, break the rules
  and shatter the conventions of everyday life. They are testament to
  the fact that what is does not have to be.
  Yet changelings must tread carefully, for danger looms in all
  directions. Powerful forces exist that oppose any change of the
  status quo. Dreams are subversive, for they contradict the world as
  we know it. Changelings, even the most traditional ones, are
  revolutionaries and rebels, undermining the stark determinism of
  modern life. They allow humans to indulge in rare moments in
  which it seems possible to cure the world's ills — to save the rain
  forests, to feed the hungry, to house the homeless — and to bring
  the light of imagination into the shadowy corners of the mundane
  realm.
  Setting
  The Enchanted World
  Changelings are creatures of dream, trapped in mortal flesh.
  Born of two worlds, they live in the mundane, but truly exist in a
  world of fantasy and chimera.
  This fantasy world is called chimerical because nonenchanted
  mortals cannot normally experience it. Although changelings
  occupy mortal flesh in order to stave off Banality, their true selves
  lie within their fragile, englamoured souls. Despite their mortal
  shells, the fae perceive the chimerical reality of the world. They do
  not shift viewpoints back and forth from banal to chimerical, seeing
  a street with broken pavement and sagging storefronts, and then a
  golden avenue lined with palaces. They normally see the true magic
  anima that exists within every object, place and person. Change-
  lings recognize the inherent nature of people, places and things,
  weaving those perceptions into a greater whole.
  Thus changelings do not see a tattered old book of fairy tales
  with a torn cover, but the warmth and pleasure that countless
  children have derived from reading the book. Each child has left
  some impression on the book, some tiny spark of imagination or
  inspiration that the book evoked for her. Changelings revel in that
  aura, which may cause the book to appear new and crisp, with
  freshly painted colors. Likewise, changelings may smell luscious
  strawberries on an “empty” plate, or may dance to a symphony
  played on crickets' legs.
  Changelings experience the world as a magical, mystical place
  filled with amazing and exciting things. They see things from a fae
  perspective that colors everything. Trees are not merely wood and
  leaves, but glowing green-topped pillars shot through with golden,
  life-sustaining sap. Moreover, should a changeling use her faerie
  sight to look deeply into the essence of a tree in search of its faerie
  nature, she might find it to be a resting dream-being, arms thrust
  skyward, feet planted in the earth. Butter knives might be silver
  daggers. An old stuffed animal might be a prancing faerie steed. An
  old raincoat might be ornate armor. As most people cannot per-
  ceive such things, they dismiss changelings' reactions to the chi-
  merical world as playacting, miming or just plain insanity.
  There are those who argue that chimerical reality is actually a
  greater or more expanded reality than the one we know. Neither
  compartmentalized nor tightly tucked into a common consensus of
  what is “real,” this altered state of sensibility contains stories, tall
  tales, legends, myths, childhood playthings, imaginary compan-
  ions, hopes and dreams. It also consists of fears, monstrous horrors
  and the darkest imaginings of humankind. All exist within chimeri-
  cal reality, and all are as real as any objects found in the mundane
  world. This “reality” is all that remains of the age of legends — the
  fragment of Arcadia still on Earth. As a faerie king once said,
  “Anything is possible within the Dreaming.”
  Interacting with the Real World
  Changelings may live in a chimerical world, but they are aware
  of the banal world. Changelings respond to stimuli that mundane
  people cannot perceive, but this does not mean they are ignorant
  of real-world objects, people or dangers. Changelings don't ride
  their faerie steeds along airport runways, oblivious to the aircraft
  taking off and landing all around them. Nor can they ignore a
  mugger with a gun.
  Changelings don’t have some sort of double vision that lets
  them see the mundane and magical at the same time. Rather,
  magical aspects are paramount, superseding the mundane reality of
  the objects and people with whom changelings interact. Yet magic
  does not eradicate the presence of the mundane. It is almost as if
  changelings' bodies “remember” worldly details, while their minds
  reach beyond. A car is still a vehicle, even if it appears to change-
  lings that the car glows orange and that its hood is fitted with
  antlers.
  Solid objects exist in the mundane world and must be ac-
  counted for. This often causes problems for changelings whose
  faerie bodies are larger than their mortal selves. This is especially
  true for massive kith such as trolls. A changeling who is imbued
  with Glamour always defers to his faerie mien and makes every
  effort to compensate for its mass. Respecting mortal seeming
  instead causes a break from the Dreaming. It is therefore possible for
  a seven-foot-tall troll to climb into the back of a Volkswagen Bug,
  but in doing so he denies his faerie existence, giving in to mundane
  reality. Such acts can be dangerous for any changeling, for falling
  back on the mundane invites Banality.
  
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  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  What Is a Chimera?
  Sometimes creative thoughts and dreams assume solid form or
  are deliberately shaped into objects, places or creatures. The unreal
  given reality, these fanciful creations are called chimera. Birthed by
  changelings or other beings touched by the Dreaming, chimera may
  be animate or inanimate.
  Some are formed intentionally. Some spring into being spon-
  taneously. Others seem to come to life almost against their dream-
  ers’ wills. Chimera are seldom what their creators expect; they may
  be beautiful and friendly, or dark, twisted and inimical. Chimera
  may even be dangerous to changelings, especially chimera given
  form through unresolved fears or vivid nightmares.
  Regardless of how they come into being, chimera created
  within the confines of reality must relate to the material world in
  some fashion. Inanimate chimera, such as rocks, forests or houses,
  have little choice as to their interactions. Animate dreams-come-
  true, such as animals, often take on lives of their own. They can
  even become real to humans on rare occasions.
  History of the Fae
  Mythic Age
  In the oldest time, the Time of Legends, the world of dreams
  existed alongside the mortal realm. No barriers separated the two
  realities, and magical energies coursed freely throughout the mortal
  lands. Wherever these energies touched rock or tree or beast,
  strange and fabulous creatures sprang into existence. The fae — the
  children of the Dreaming — passed unhindered between both
  realms, mingling among the human tribes that wandered the face
  of the Earth, and teaching these short-lived, dynamic creatures the
  art of dreaming. The children of the Dreaming showed themselves
  to mortals from time to time, often in different guises, for the forms
  of the fae were as fluid as the dreams from which they came. In some
  lands, the fae were as gods to the Sons of Adam and Daughters of
  Eve; their powers to beguile and enchant made them both loved
  and feared. Born of dreams, ancient fae drew strength from human
  imagination.
  The Sundering
  Some say that the Sundering occurred during the Iron Age,
  when humans learned the art of crafting durable weapons that
  could cause grievous harm to both mortal and immortal foes. Others
  claim that as soon as humans learned to dream, they also learned to
  disbelieve their dreams, denying by the light of day the phantasms
  that haunted their nights. As tribes settled and formed communi-
  ties, it is said, reality itself settled into a single, changeless form.
  Dreams — and True Dreamers — became the exception rather
  than the rule. The mortal realm and the Dreaming drifted apart as
  humans erected barriers of disbelief and “walls of explanations”
  between themselves and the creatures born of their imaginations.
  However the Sundering occurred, the damage was done.
  The Shattering
  Eventually, the threads that connected the Dreaming to the
  mortal world stretched so thin that they snapped, one after the
  other. This final severing of bonds became known to the fae as the
  Shattering, for it not only broke the tenuous ties between Arcadia
  and the human realm, but it dashed all hopes that the Sundering
  could be reversed.
  The term “Shattering” calls to mind one sudden, cataclysmic
  event — like an earthquake or the dropping of a nuclear bomb. In
  truth, the Shattering was a series of small catastrophes; the gateways
  that linked Arcadia to the mortal world crumbled one by one,
  denying access to the Dreaming at those touchpoints.
  Most lorists pinpoint the outbreak of the Black Plague in 1347
  as the catalyst for the Shattering. Between 1347 and 1351, 75
  million people throughout Europe — including one-third of
  England’s population — fell prey to this virulent disease. The wave
  of fear and despair that washed over the world echoed across the
  Mists and echoed throughout the faerie realms.
  Thus, in the 14th century, the human world suffered the birth
  pangs of a new era. The prophets of reason, whose efforts would
  result in the Renaissance and the genesis of modern scientific
  theory, sought to rationalize away mysterious and uncontrollable
  events such as pandemics. The common folk took refuge in religion,
  forswearing their old beliefs in the supernatural for the comfort
  offered by the Church, an institution which allowed no room for
  any magic other than its own.
  As gateway after gateway faded into nothing or splintered into
  thousands of slivers, the children of the Dreaming realized that
  inaction would destroy them. During the Shattering, all faeries
  made one of three choices that would change their destiny.
  Some retreated to their places of power, their freeholds or
  faerie glens, and performed great rituals of faerie magic to seal
  themselves off from the mortal world. The faeries known as the Lost
  Ones still dwell there, trapped within their own unchanging
  realities.
  Most of the nobility, with only a handful of exceptions, fled to
  Arcadia through the remaining gates. In some cases, fierce battles
  took place at the thresholds of crumbling portals as frantic nobles,
  also called sidhe, fought for the right to cross into the Dreaming
  Banality
  Disbelief threatens the very existence of changelings.
  The curtain of doubt and rationality that humans raised
  centuries ago to explain away their fears not only separates
  the mortal world from the Dreaming, but also snuffs out the
  spark of creativity that ignites into hope and imagination.
  Changelings call this universal negation of the creative
  spirit Banality, for it seeks to reduce the marvelous to the
  mundane, the miraculous to the ordinary, and the inexpli-
  cable to the impossible. Many old Kithain refer to this
  destructive force of disbelief and cynicism as the Endless
  Night or the Long Winter, for it epitomizes darkness, dreari-
  ness and relentless cold. Banality is the death of the spirit.
  Banality clouds the minds of mortals to the wonders of
  the world, and blinds them to the possibilities of making
  their dismal lives better. Banality imposes the belief that
  everything is the result of cause and effect. Evolutionary
  processes and entropic decay follow fixed patterns, and all
  things will eventually come to a grinding halt with the death
  of the sun. Banality is the wet blanket of the cosmos. In more
  immediate terms, Banality prompts a jaded parent to destroy
  a child's belief in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. It forces
  a talented student to lay aside his dreams of becoming a great
  writer or musician in favor of joining the work force because
  his advisors counsel him to make “realistic” decisions about
  his future.
  
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  6
  before the gateways closed forever. Faerie legends claim that
  Silver's Gate, along with its freehold the Court of All Kings, was the
  last of these gates to fall, and that its closing signaled the death knell
  of the Age of Faeries.
  Many of the commoner kith — such as the eshu, trolls,
  boggans and pooka — were trapped in the mortal world, left behind
  by a panicked nobility that cared less for the well-being of its
  subjects than for its own survival. These abandoned faeries sought
  to adapt themselves to the icy world of harsh reality. As Banality
  swept across the land, no longer hampered by the now-severed ties
  to the Dreaming, the fae who could not or would not retreat to
  Arcadia underwent a desperate transformation, covering their true
  natures with a veneer of Banality that allowed them to exist in a
  world that no longer believed in them. They became changelings,
  and they have struggled to keep the fragments of the Dreaming alive
  for the past six centuries.
  The Interregnum
  Following the Shattering, the period known as the Interreg-
  num saw great changes in both human and fae reality. Humanity
  rediscovered the ancient wisdom of the Greek and Roman thinkers,
  and slowly turned away from religious superstition to scientific
  experimentation and rationalism. The Age of Exploration and its
  companion Age of Invention fed upon each other; new worlds were
  discovered, and new ideas led to breakthroughs that made life easier
  and that transformed peasants into workers and monarchs into
  industrial barons. Humanity entered an era of rapid progress and
  social upheaval.
  The Changeling Way
  In order to survive in a world saturated with Banality and
  severed from the Dreaming, the fae who were stranded in the
  mortal realm devised a means of protecting their fragile spirits.
  This process, known as the Changeling Way, consists of creat-
  ing a shell of mortality to serve as a “house” for the faerie spirit.
  Just as humans use clothing to shield themselves from the
  elements, changelings clothe themselves in mortal flesh as a
  buffer against Banality.
  The first generation of Earthbound fae merely disguised
  itself as human; changelings covered their raw faerie natures
  with layers of Glamour tinged with minute doses of Banality. In
  this way, they could pass themselves off as humans — albeit
  eccentric ones. This method worked only so long as the camou-
  flaged faeries limited their contact with mortals, thus minimiz-
  ing their exposure to human disbelief. Adapting fully to their
  new environment necessitated finding a more permanent solu-
  tion.
  Through trial and error, the stranded faeries discovered
  how to successfully implant their spirits into the bodies of young
  children or infants, fusing themselves with their hosts' mortal-
  ity without displacing their subjects’ souls. Changelings could
  avoid being destroyed by Banality by beginning their lives in
  human flesh. In order to accomplish this, however, the Kithain
  had to sacrifice their immediate knowledge of their true nature,
  forcing it into dormancy until it could emerge safely again.
  
  7
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  Changelings, now encased in mortal flesh and only marginally
  connected to their faerie selves, experienced changes that were
  more devastating, but no less challenging than those of human
  society. The departure of the sidhe left the commoner fae bereft of
  the social structures upon which they had come to depend. Gone
  were the noble houses, the lords and ladies, the faerie knights and
  the system of fiefdoms that had held faerie society together. Left to
  fend for themselves, changelings banded together in small groups
  for mutual protection, or attempted to blend into human commu-
  nities, hiding their true natures from humankind and sometimes
  from each other.
  Resurgence
  The cold centuries passed slowly. For humanity, science and
  reason paved the way for the Age of Technology. One by one the
  mysteries of the universe fell before the onslaught of the microscope
  and telescope, revealing the microcosm of atomic theory and the
  macrocosm of an expanding universe. As avenues of wonder closed,
  explained away by scientific discoveries, changelings huddled wher-
  ever small pockets of Glamour remained, and whispered of the
  coming of Endless Winter, a time of ultimate triumph for Banality.
  Then the miraculous occurred. On July 21, 1969, millions of
  people all over the world watched their televisions in fascination as
  astronauts landed on the Moon. Glamour rocked the world, re-
  leased from centuries of confinement by the simultaneous
  reawakening of humanity's sense of wonder. From science's iron
  womb, magic — at least for a moment — was reborn.
  The rebirth of Glamour in the world resounded through the
  ancient faerie realms of Arcadia. The shining hosts of the sidhe
  returned to the world, pouring forth from the newly opened
  gateways to confront a reality far different from the one they
  departed centuries before. Most of these new arrivals came as exiles,
  the result of a tumultuous upheaval in Arcadia that caused the
  banishment of five of the 13 houses that originally fled the mortal
  world. The Mists clouded the memories of these returnees, leaving
  only the knowledge that they were thrust out of Arcadia as
  punishment for their part in some great disturbance in the faerie
  homeland.
  Unfortunately, the ground swell of Glamour caused by the
  Moon landing could not prevail for long against the centuries of
  accumulated disbelief that permeated the world. The doors to
  Arcadia slammed shut once more. The sidhe had to act quickly to
  prevent Banality from destroying them outright. They fell back on
  the tried-and-true method of switching bodies with mortals, send-
  ing a host of unwary mortals through the gateways that had sprung
  open briefly.
  From their points of entry, the sidhe spread quickly throughout
  a revitalized mortal world. A clarion call sounded, summoning
  commoner Kithain from their hiding places to resume service for
  the nobles. The resurgent sidhe moved with the confidence of their
  inborn sense of authority as they reclaimed their old freeholds.
  Despite the fact that the world had known 600 years of change, the
  sidhe expected to reestablish the ancient kingdoms of the fae,
  abandoned so precipitously during the Shattering. The nobles were
  met with unanticipated opposition from Earth’s Kithain society.
  While some commoners rallied behind the nobility, others
  rebelled. An uneasy period of political maneuvering ensued, culmi-
  nating in an event which forever stained the reputation of the
  nobility. America’s commoner leaders were summoned to a meet-
  ing on Beltaine under the pretense of establishing an accord with
  the sidhe. The commoners met death from cold iron, instead. The
  wholesale slaughter came to be known as the Night of Iron Knives.
  Any hopes for a peaceful settlement of the commoner-noble
  dispute died that night.
  The Accordance War
  Commoners responded to the massacre with the uprising
  known as the Accordance War. Pitched battles between common-
  ers and nobles resulted in the destruction of many Kithain, and
  threatened to destroy the fabric of changeling society. Civil war
  raged across the chimerical landscape for three years, and resulted
  in riots and gang violence in the mortal world. Although the
  commoners fought bravely and had energy and spirit in abundance,
  military experience lay with the sidhe knights, who excelled in
  organized tactics.
  The Accordance War finally ended with the rise of a young
  sidhe lord, David Ardry, who earned the trust of the commoners.
  The Present
  Today, High King David rules Concordia (which encompasses
  most of North America) from his fortress of Tara-Nar, a splendid
  chimerical palace built from his Glamour-filled dreams. Called “the
  Lion of Tara,” “the Commoner's King,” and “the Son of the
  Griffin,” David Ardry ap Gwydion embodies the principles of
  ferocity in battle, liberality of thought and guardianship of all fae.
  His legendary honor and wisdom have endeared him to his subjects,
  bringing some of his most obdurate enemies to his side. He is never
  without Caliburn, the sword that is the symbol of his authority and
  the proof of his destiny.
  Assisted by his sister Morwen, who reigns in his absence, High
  King David strives to exercise a benevolent and peaceful rule over
  the fae of Concordia. In his lands, the fragile strands of the
  Dreaming grow stronger. Though some voice disagreement with his
  policies, believing him either too conciliatory toward commoners
  or too supportive of the nobility, most fae in his kingdom enjoy the
  freedom to pursue their dreams.
  The Compact
  Before the Shattering, Seelie and Unseelie fae main-
  tained a constant rivalry. Despite agreements between the
  two Courts that divided the year into two parts, with Seelie
  and Unseelie ruling respectively over summer and winter
  halves, conflicts often arose. The Shattering changed that
  aspect of faerie life as well. To survive, Seelie and Unseelie
  fae had to put aside their antipathies. In an unprecedented
  arrangement, known as the Compact, the Courts declared a
  truce and agreed to cease all hostilities against each other “for
  the duration.” Seelie-ruled territories allowed Unseelie
  changelings to travel freely through them, while Unseelie
  freeholds opened themselves to Seelie visitors.
  As the two Courts mingled more freely, each adopted
  some of the customs of the other, and changeling society soon
  became a mixture of Seelie and Unseelie concepts and
  behaviors. Law, formality and honor coexisted with disorder,
  chaos and impulsiveness — a dynamic blend of opposites that
  has persisted into the present.
  
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  8
  The Courts
  Even before the Shattering rendered changelings dual creatures
  of Glamour and Banality, the children of the Dreaming possessed a
  two-fold nature. Permeating all of faerie life on an individual as well
  as societal level, the twinned strands of Seelie and Unseelie enlivened
  the Dreaming with its pas-de-deux of contrasts between light and
  shadow, order and chaos, law and freedom. Eternal rivals for ascen-
  dancy in the fae world, the Seelie and Unseelie once engaged in a
  perpetual struggle for dominance. Now they exist in an uneasy state
  of truce, forged during the Interregnum, but liable to shatter as the
  pressures of the mortal world bring the sides closer and closer to
  outright conflict.
  The Seelie Court
  The Seelie have a reputation as the guardians of fae traditions.
  They see themselves as peacekeepers, proponents of courtly love,
  protectors of the weak and the embodiments of the ideals of chivalry.
  They tend to be traditional and often conservative in their outlook,
  preferring the tried and true over the risky and innovative.
  The Unseelie Court
  Whereas the Seelie dedicate themselves to preserving the tradi-
  tions of the fae, the Unseelie style themselves as mockers of those
  traditions. They stand for the principles of constant change and
  impulsive action. They have a reputation for fostering war and
  madness, despising those weaker than themselves, and valuing free-
  dom and wildness over any chivalric code. The Unseelie consider
  themselves to be radical visionaries, bringing about vital change and
  transformation through whatever means necessary, including vio-
  lence.
  The Seelie Code
  • Death before dishonor.
  Chivalry still lives. Honor is the most important virtue,
  the source of all glory. Personal honor must always be kept
  stainless. Sometimes death is the only path that can erase a
  mark of dishonor.
  • Love conquers all.
  Love lies at the heart of the Dreaming. True love tran-
  scends all and epitomizes what it means to be Seelie. Courtly
  love expresses love in its highest form, although familial love
  and love of companions are also valued embodiments of that
  exalted virtue. Anything is permitted in the name of true love.
  • Beauty is life.
  Beauty is a timeless, objective quality that, while it
  cannot be defined, is always recognized for itself. Beauty is the
  muse of creation, the ultimate flowering of the Dreaming.
  Once found, it must be protected, for it is both eternal and
  fragile. To die in the service of beauty is an honor and a
  privilege.
  • Never forget a debt.
  One gift deserves another. The recipient of a gift is
  obligated to return the favor. Likewise, a curse should be
  returned in kind. An oath of friendship should be answered
  with a corresponding oath. Never refuse to aid anyone to
  whom you are indebted. Never forget a kindness...or a cruelty.
  
  9
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  The Kith
  Changelings refer to themselves individually and in groups as
  “Kithain,” a word derived from “kith” which denotes a member of a
  faerie race. The nine kith that comprise the majority of Western
  changeling races are:
  • Boggans — Known as practical and home-loving helpers of
  those in need, boggans are also inveterate meddlers in the affairs of
  those they help.
  • Eshu — Their sharp wits and innate canniness make eshu
  shrewd bargainers, while their talent for being precisely where they
  need to be at the proper time sometimes leads their companions down
  unexpected paths.
  • Nockers — Skilled crafters and smiths, nockers seek a
  perfection that they can never achieve, and often prefer the company
  of their creations to social interaction.
  • Pooka — The pranksters of the changeling community, pooka
  share an affinity with animals and a love of tricks and practical jokes.
  • Redcaps — Their bloodthirsty behavior, coupled with their
  amazing ability to ingest virtually anything that they can fit into their
  oversized mouths, wins redcaps few friends outside their own kith.
  • Satyrs — Shameless hedonists, satyrs live for carnal pleasures
  and sensual gratification. Nevertheless, they are valued for their wise
  counsel and musical talent.
  • Sidhe — Epitomizing the beauty and grace of the “classic”
  faerie, these aristocratic changelings exude an aura of authority and
  nobility regardless of their true status in Kithain society.
  • Sluagh — Secretive and sly, these odd changelings seek out
  dark and hidden places. Able to speak only in whispers, sluagh collect
  information with a passion and disseminate it only for a price.
  • Trolls — These giants of the fae possess incredible strength
  and determination. Once they offer their loyalty, nothing can sway
  them from those whom they have sworn to protect.
  The Unseelie Code
  • Change is good.
  Security does not exist. The slightest of circumstances
  can transform a king into a peasant. Nothing is certain in a
  world where change is the only constant. Embrace change or
  be destroyed by it. Chaos and discord rule the universe. Adapt
  or die.
  • Glamour is free.
  Glamour is worthless unless used. Hoarding Glamour
  makes no sense, since it is an eternally replenishable resource.
  So long as humans exist, there will always be dreamers —
  hence, there will always be more Glamour. Acquire it by any
  means possible, and you will never be without.
  • Honor is a lie.
  Honor has no place in the modern world. It is a fairy tale
  constructed to hide the essential emptiness behind most tradi-
  tions. Truth can be attained only through enlightened self-
  interest.
  • Passion before duty.
  Passion is the truest state of the fae spirit. Follow your
  instincts and act on your impulses. Live life to the fullest
  without regard for the consequences — they will come about
  no matter what you do. Youth passes quickly, so have fun while
  you can. Death can come at any time, so live without regret.
  
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  10
  The Houses
  Sidhe who awaken to their faerie selves not only rediscover their
  kith, they also regain knowledge of the noble houses to which they
  belong. When the trods opened in 1969, allowing many of the sidhe
  to return to the mortal world, five noble houses came through from
  Arcadia. Many of them retained the vague sense that their return was
  forced upon them, an exile from the Dreaming as punishment for
  deeds they could not remember.
  • House Dougal — Architects of sidhe society, these nobles
  seek to expand their domain through wise and prudent planning
  rather than through intrigue or manipulation.
  • House Eiluned — Masters of intrigue and manipulation, these
  sidhe are valued for their arcane knowledge, but distrusted for their
  secretive behavior.
  • House Fiona — These nobles are equally quick to love or
  anger, and give themselves utterly to whatever causes they espouse.
  Their hospitality for commoners and nobles alike is legendary.
  • House Gwydion — Valuing honor above all and dedicated to
  the defense of the Dreaming, these sidhe also demonstrate a tendency
  for violent outbursts that often lead to tragic ends.
  • House Liam — Although they are gentle and soft-spoken,
  nobles of this house make fierce warriors when called upon to defend
  the helpless or the innocent.
  Changeling Society
  Newly awakened changelings not only discover their newfound
  identities as individuals, they also become aware that they belong to
  an entire society of the fae. Changeling society has its own structure,
  customs and laws, and each new Kithain must understand all of these
  aspects if she is to coexist amicably with others of her kind.
  Commoners and Nobles
  Nobles consider commoners to be lowly and tainted by the
  trappings of mortality. Commoners believe nobles to be arrogant and
  unfeeling, concerned only with power and status. Although some
  commoners and nobles may like and respect one another as individu-
  als, the two classes of Kithain generally share a mutual distrust and
  dislike. The Treaty of Concord enforced the feudal system on com-
  moners, but most of them still do not fully adhere to all of its strictures,
  privately rebelling against the more onerous duties relegated to them
  as “lower” Kithain. Most commoners pay lip service to local lords
  while reserving their own private opinions, considering themselves
  the equals of all nobles.
  Liege and Vassal
  Noble society hinges on a hierarchy in which rank and title
  determine one's position in the greater community. Respect is given
  to those of high rank and expected from those of low status.
  Almost every noble owes fealty to a higher noble within the
  feudal structure. Even the kings and queens of Concordia are vassals
  of High King David, the supreme authority of faerie society in
  America. Similarly, every noble is someone else's liege. Only squires,
  who occupy the bottom rung of the noble hierarchy, have no vassals,
  although they may exercise some limited dominion over the pages
  beneath them.
  Commoners fall outside the strict hierarchy of noble society.
  Traditionalists regard them as little better than peasants, and there-
  fore consider all commoners to be their subjects. In the aftermath of
  the Accordance War, a few commoners have attained noble rank and
  have thus integrated themselves into the noble hierarchy. Despite
  this, nobles consider “titled” commoners to be upstarts, and rarely
  take them seriously.
  The Escheat
  The traditions that make up the Escheat form the basic laws of
  Kithain society. Believed to have originated among those wise faeries
  who lived closest to the Dreaming, the laws were recorded after the
  Sundering as a way to ensure fae survival in the face of inexorable
  change. Passed down and enforced by the nobility, the Escheat’s
  
  11
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  tenets are respected by both Seelie and Unseelie nobles (although the
  ways in which the Courts interpret each principle vary). Seelie nobles
  and their subjects generally follow the letter of the law, while
  Unseelie nobles and their minions tend to find loopholes and work
  through them.
  The six basic rights of the Escheat are detailed below.
  • The Right of Demesne — A lord is the king of his domain. He
  is judge and jury over all crimes, large and small. His word is law. A
  noble expects obedience from his vassals and respect from all others.
  In return, a noble respects those lords who are superior to him.
  Reality: The nobility has had to make concessions in the face of
  modern ideas of democracy and popular rule. Most nobles rule
  through force, cunning, personal magnetism or custom.
  • The Right to Dream — Mortals have a right to dream
  unhindered by our needs. The Dreaming will die if we steal directly
  from the font. No one is allowed to use Glamour to manipulate the
  creative process. Although you may inspire creativity in the mortal
  mind, it is forbidden to give direct instruction or to infuse a human
  with raw Glamour.
  Reality: Most changelings interpret this as a prohibition against
  Ravaging — the forcible ripping of Glamour from beings. Many
  Kithain — particularly Unseelie — ignore this ban, seeking a quick
  fix or an easy way to instant power. Since this form of acquiring
  Glamour often drains the victim permanently, convicted Ravagers
  suffer harsh punishments as a deterrent to repeating their crimes.
  Disturbing rumors hold that some changelings infuse mortals with
  Glamour, overloading the mortal souls with too much creativity, and
  feeding from the humans’ brilliant dreams. This practice, if it exists,
  also violates this portion of the Escheat.
  • The Right of Ignorance — Do not betray the Dreaming to
  Banality. Never reveal yourself to humanity. Not only will human-
  kind hunt us down for our wisdom and power, it will overwhelm us
  with Banality and destroy our places of power. The more humanity
  knows, the more ardently it will seek us, draining the world of
  Glamour and petrifying our essence with its basilisk's gaze.
  Reality: Most changelings, both Seelie and Unseelie, respect
  this rule since it serves as protection against the forces of Banality.
  Glamour is hard enough to find, and expending it on mortals so that
  they can witness the Dreaming for themselves is wasteful. Some
  changelings enchant select humans in order to bring them into their
  freeholds as lovers or retainers, but the changelings are careful to
  remove any evidence of their existence from the minds of these
  mortals when the humans are returned to the mortal world.
  • The Right of Rescue — All Kithain have the right to expect
  rescue from the foul grip of Banality. We are in danger together and
  must strive together to survive. Never leave anyone behind. Kithain
  are required to rescue other faeries or any creature of the Dreaming
  trapped by those who serve Banality.
  Reality: Most changelings adhere to this principle. After all,
  they might need rescuing themselves one day. Seelie and Unseelie
  forget their differences and come to each other's aid when one or the
  other falls prey to the agents of Banality. While many changelings will
  try to rescue chimerical creatures such as unicorns or griffins, few risk
  themselves for minor chimera.
  • The Right of Safe Haven — All places of the Dreaming are
  sacred. Kithain cannot allow faerie places to be endangered. All those
  who seek refuge in such places must be admitted. Freeholds must be
  kept free of both Banality and worldly violence.
  Reality: Competition for the few freeholds that have survived
  the Shattering makes this tenet a hard one to enforce. Rival claims to
  the same spot of dream-infused ground often lead to warfare, although
  combat on the actual grounds of a freehold is restricted to chimerical
  battle in most cases. Some lords bar their freeholds to outsider
  changelings for fear that unwanted visitors may waste the Glamour
  inherent to their holdings. Despite the demands of hospitality and
  courtesy imposed upon the domains of nobles, commoner freeholds
  are often more inclined than their noble counterparts to admit
  changelings who seek refuge.
  • The Right of Life — No Kithain shall spill the lifeblood of
  another Kithain. No Kithain shall bring salt tears unto the earth. No
  Kithain shall take from the Dreaming one of its own. Death is
  anathema.
  Reality: This tenet is upheld almost universally, particularly
  since the Dreaming itself seems to enforce it by inflicting Banality
  upon a changeling who takes another changeling's life. When two
  Kithain meet in combat, they usually wield chimerical weapons,
  although there are exceptions to this (such as nonlethal duels to first
  blood). No “real” damage is caused by a chimerical battle. The loser,
  if “killed,” merely dies temporarily to the Dreaming and returns to her
  mortal seeming until reawakened by an infusion of Glamour.
  Character Creation
  Now that you know a little bit about the world of the fae, it is
  time to create a character. Character creation consists of three basic
  steps: choice of kith, ranking of Traits, and choice of Arts. Addition-
  ally, every changeling starts with four points of Glamour and seven
  Health Levels. Glamour points and Health Levels can increase and
  decrease during the course of a story.
  Character Creation Quick Chart
  • Choose Kith: Write down your character’s kith and any
  kith Aptitudes, Birthrights or Frailties.
  • Choose Traits: You have a total of 13 points to spend on
  your character’s Traits: Physical, Mental, Social and Willpower.
  The maximum Trait score is 5. (Note that Trait points can also
  be spent to increase your character’s Glamour. Each Trait point
  spent increases Glamour by two points.)
  • Choose Arts: Arts are the special powers that the fae
  possess — their magical spells. You may choose one of three
  Art schemes.
  — Three Arts at Basic level.
  — One Basic Art and one Advanced Art (player’s
  choice, but both levels must be of the same Art).
  — Two Basic Arts, plus an extra two points to spend on
  Traits. (If this option is chosen, one Trait may be raised to 6
  — superhuman level of proficiency — but only if your
  character’s kith normally has the ability to achieve this level.
  See the kith descriptions.)
  • Write down Health Levels and Glamour Points:
  Beginning characters have seven Health Levels and four
  Glamour points, though Trait points can be spent to increase
  this. (Each Trait point spent increases your character’s Glam-
  our by two points.)
  • Give your character a name, and make up some details
  about his appearance, personality, mannerisms and other
  features salient to roleplaying.
  
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  12
  The Kith
  Legends tell that the fae were born of ancient dreams.
  Fantasies have shaped the natures of the kith that we know today.
  A changeling’s kith reflects his kinship and knowledge, and it has
  profound influence on his identity.
  Each kith has certain abilities, affinities and weaknesses
  inherent to it. These are a part of fae heritage. After all, each kith
  has learned to adapt (or exploit) its nature as best as it can.
  The following nine kith represent the changeling races of the
  Western world. They are by no means the only ones in the world,
  as each faction of humankind has its own particular reflection of
  the Dreaming. As one would expect, each kith also has its own
  culture, history and ethnic pride; the following only
  begins to describe kith identities.
  (BOG-guns)
  Boggans derive their greatest
  pleasure from work. An honest job,
  good company and a regular routine
  are all that most boggans require.
  They’re known throughout Kithain
  society for their hard work and integ-
  rity. It is said that a boggan is as honest as
  the dirt on his hands.
  This virtue includes a need to help
  others. Boggan homebodies are known
  for their hospitality, and few can refuse
  to help a traveler in need. Young
  boggans often take to the road to seek
  out those in need of help, even when this makes them seem like
  troublesome meddlers. Seelie boggans display altruism out of
  compassion and the goodness of their hearts. Unseelie boggans are
  drawn to the needy out of opportunistic desire. Regardless of
  Court, this kith’s philosophy of noble service glorifies helping
  others. Status among their kind is measured by the number of
  people they have “helped.” Beneficiaries who abuse boggan favors
  are cut off quickly.
  There is another reason why boggans interact with others:
  They are notorious gossips. The secrets they just “happen to
  overhear” are considered just reward for their hard work. Seelie
  boggans insist that they gather this information out of simple
  curiosity. Unseelie tuck their information away to be produced on
  “special occasions.” Whether motivated by altruism or greed,
  boggans have managed to turn a vice into an art form.
  Despite this weakness, boggans are deservedly proud of their
  reputation as hard workers. Some have been known to work
  themselves to death to do a job correctly. Questioning the quality
  of a boggan’s work is a sure way to send one into a rage. Though
  no one has actually seen an angry boggan stamp herself to death,
  some boggans are said to have done it.
  Aptitude: +1 to crafting. Whenever a boggan is involved in
  physical labor of any type, the player may add one die to the roll.
  Birthright: Craftwork. If unobserved by any but others of her
  kith, a boggan can accomplish any task involving simple physical
  labor in one-third the normal time.
  Frailty: Boggans cannot stand the sight of another person in
  need. When confronted by someone who genuinely needs help, a
  Willpower roll (difficulty 6) is required for the boggan to resist
  helping that person in some way.
  (EE-shoo)
  Eshu embody the spirit of adventure.
  Originally descended from the dreams of
  the ancient tribes of Africa, India and
  their homeland in Chaldea, the eshu can
  now be found in any part of the world.
  When they left their homelands, the
  eshu set forth into the world and wan-
  dered wherever their dreams took them.
  Consumed by wanderlust, they value
  traits that ensure survival on the road,
  such as charm, sharp wits and ingenuity.
  After millennia of travels, they have
  learned to adapt to and adopt
  the cultures they have encoun-
  tered. This has made their tal-
  ents for songcraft and
  storytelling truly amazing.
  Consummate talespinners,
  bards, traders and con artists, the restless folk use the wisdom of a
  thousand journeys to guide their Arts. Performance skills suit
  them well, for eshu consider the spirit of the moment to be
  everything. Anyone who provides an eshu with a new tale, a good
  song or dance, a blissful liaison or a strong drink is treated as a dear
  companion...until the spirit of the moment passes. Inspired by this
  bliss, they move on and seek even greater adventures. Other
  Kithain might think eshu are fickle, but who cares? One who
  cannot follow the path is best left behind.
  Aptitude: +1 to social interactions. Whenever an eshu is
  involved in a social setting, one die is added to all Social rolls.
  Birthright: Spirit Pathways. Eshu have an amazing sense of
  direction, and exquisite timing; they always seem to arrive at their
  destinations at the most opportune moments. The path an eshu
  follows is always the most interesting route possible, and is filled
  with danger and challenge. No matter what she encounters along
  the way, an eshu always finds her way to her destination...eventually.
  Frailty: Recklessness. Confidence and curiosity are inborn
  traits. Eshu cannot resist a challenge, gamble or quest if there’s a
  way to come out of it alive. They’re not stupid — they don’t
  undertake suicide missions — but they do believe their luck can
  carry them through any hardship.
  
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  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  (NOCK-ers)
  Nockers are master artisans. Their skill and
  inventiveness are legendary. So are their cyni-
  cism and bitterness. They are highly critical of
  their rulers and eminently sarcastic of the people
  around them. Most nockers dislike having to
  deal with “imperfect” things, including people.
  Most prefer to surround themselves with trea-
  sures of mechanical wonder and ingenuity,
  instead. Things are much more reliable than
  people, and they’re much easier to fix. Nockers are
  also known for their great talent for crafting chi-
  merical inventions.
  A nocker’s standards of perfection are impos-
  sibly high. These Kithain got their name from
  their habit of rapping on things to inspect their
  quality. Unfortunately, they treat others the
  same way. They “knock” others by insulting them,
  testing their reactions and trying to find their faults. While this is
  a great way to test machines, it doesn’t work as well with people.
  As far as nockers are concerned, they’ve elevated ridicule to a
  high-art form. This hardly improves their popularity.
  Aptitude: +1 to mechanical rolls. Any time a nocker at-
  tempts to create or fix a mechanical creation, one die is added to
  Mental Trait rolls.
  Birthright: Fix-It. Nockers are masters of machines, and
  everyone knows it. A few harsh words or well-timed threats can
  intimidate a malfunctioning machine to work properly. A nocker
  can fix nearly any mechanical device with a successful Mental roll.
  The difficulty can range from 5 (for simple, familiar problems) to
  as high as 10 (for a complex machine that’s really acting up).
  Frailty: Flaws. Nockers are cynical because they’re such
  perfectionists. They can always see ways for things to
  work better, but they can never quite achieve their
  ideals. Some say this is a curse from the First
  Artisan. Others claim it is a karmic debt for their
  attitude problem. Regardless, anything a nocker
  creates has one trivial (but irreparable) flaw.
  (POO-kuh)
  Pooka are among the most charming
  and congenial of the Kithain. However,
  they’re also rapscallions, scoundrels and
  ne’er-do-wells known for their deceitful,
  devious, eccentric and mischievous ways.
  If eshu are reckless, pooka are demented.
  Their lives are a constant barrage of pranks,
  lies and wild stunts. They love to play and
  hate to work. Faerie lore claims that pooka
  are descended from innocent dreams of long
  ago, when mortals watched animals at play
  and wished they could be as free.
  Truth is anathema to a pooka. Anything she says is peppered
  with lies to make it more interesting. After spreading foolishness
  and misinformation, she retreats to a safe vantage point from
  which to watch the fun. If the object of her pranks is angered, the
  pooka is confused. Maybe the focus of her attention needs a little
  help with his sense of humor. Maybe it’ll take a little more work
  to “cheer him up.” Or perhaps he’s afflicted with a deadly curse:
  he’s mundane. Mundanity is disturbing to pooka, and they have
  an overwhelming fear of becoming banal. Their eccentricity is
  their easiest escape.
  Aptitude: +1 to subterfuge. Any time a pooka tries to deceive
  someone, one die is added to Social Trait rolls.
  Birthright: Shapechanging. Each pooka has an affinity with
  an animal of the player’s choice. When the pooka is completely
  alone, she can shapechange into that animal (or back from it) in
  one turn. Shapechanging costs a point of Glamour, but reverting
  back is free. The pooka has all of the animal’s natural abilities
  (claws, speed, leaping), although it’s only possible to assume the
  form of a mundane beast. Large and scary forms, such as bears, tend
  to be far more playful than deadly, even when a fight breaks out.
  Frailty: Lies. People may trust a pooka, but no one in their
  right mind believes one. Pooka are infamous for their elaborate
  lies. No matter how important an issue may be, a pooka must
  always mix in a lie. It’s her nature. A Willpower roll (difficulty 8)
  is required for a pooka to tell the whole truth.
  (RED-kaps)
  Redcaps are the stuff of
  nightmares. These monstrous
  Kithain are feared for their vul-
  gar and disgusting ways, and
  they revel in the terror of
  others. It is said that
  nightmares gave them
  form, and many Kithain
  believe it. Redcaps delight
  in taunting, insulting and just
  plain abusing mortals and fae
  alike.
  Originally named for their blood-
  stained wool caps, redcaps have al-
  ways been devoted servants of the
  Unseelie Court. These days, wool caps are consid-
  ered quaint — there are better things to do with blood. In modern
  times, they take any opportunity to paint the town red...with one
  substance or another. The sight of a shocking red streak of hair or
  a bloodstained shirt under a leather jacket is enough to disturb the
  staunchest of fae.
  Seelie redcaps are rare, but they do exist. They’re endan-
  gered, largely because Unseelie redcaps everywhere despise them
  and hunt them down. A Seelie redcap’s tiresome idealistic speeches
  about chivalry enrage his Unseelie brethren. Heroic and steadfast,
  Seelie redcaps live for the thrill of chivalrous battle, and to fight
  against impossible odds. This is the primary reason why many of
  them are killed by roving packs of Unseelie.
  Aptitude: +1 to intimidation. Whenever a redcap tries to
  intimidate someone, one die is added to Social Trait rolls.
  
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  14
  Birthright: Dark Appetite. Redcaps can eat anything, liter-
  ally. They can chew through cars and eat their way through walls.
  Their bulldog teeth are flat, and hard as steel. Their digestive
  systems remain a mystery, thankfully. Most prefer human or
  animal meat, but anything will do when hunger strikes.
  As long as a redcap can put his mouth around something, he
  can eat it. Large objects can be chewed into small pieces. Digesting
  something particularly vile or tough (such as wood, steel, romance
  novels or toxic waste) requires the expenditure of a point of
  Glamour.
  Frailty: Bad Attitude. No one likes a redcap, not even other
  redcaps. Some noble freeholds try to ostracize or kill redcaps on
  general principle. As a result of this stigma, they suffer a +2
  difficulty on any roll involving a social situation other than
  intimidation.
  (SAY-ters)
  Wild and passionate, satyrs sat-
  isfy their lusts and desires with aban-
  don. These fae insist that wisdom is
  found in passion. If it’s true, then satyrs
  are by far the wisest of the Kithain.
  While others may decry satyrs’ earthy
  ways, they come around sooner or later
  for advice, a bit of support or a down-
  and-dirty good time.
  Satyrs are well-known for their
  lack of restraint. A goat cheerfully
  tells a redcap where he can ram his
  axe, and then gallops away laughing.
  Satyrs’ stamina is also legendary.
  Whether partying, drinking or charging
  into battle, satyrs have definite physical
  advantages over their kin. Though not as
  beautiful as the sidhe, they never lack for lovers. They claim this
  is because of their open minds and bold attitudes, but many
  changelings think the Gift of Pan has more to do with it.
  Life for a satyr is not all lust, though. Most enjoy solitude and
  scholarship. Friendship and intellectual exercise also sustain
  them. Satyrs make good confidants and excellent philosophers;
  indeed, their mental contests rival their drinking ones. Poetry,
  debate, philosophy, music — these quiet pursuits fascinate them.
  Once the contemplation grows too extreme, however, they’re
  eager to experience the other side of life again. More often than
  not, they bring their intellectual companions along for the ride in
  an effort to broaden their friends’ horizons.
  Aptitude: +1 to athletics. Any time a satyr in involved in any
  athletic action (not including combat), one die is added to
  Physical Trait rolls.
  Birthright: Gift of Pan. Dionysian revelry is high-ritual to
  these fae. Singing, music and dance can be used to stir fae and
  mortals alike to the heights of carnal passion. Anyone who fails a
  Willpower roll (difficulty 7) is swept away by secret desires and the
  activities of the evening.
  Frailty: Passion’s Curse. Passion has its unpleasant moments,
  as well. Satyrs are prone to wild mood swings, especially when
  they’re drunk. They may explode into torrents of fury or fits of
  weeping with the slightest provocation.
  (SHEE)
  The sidhe, as exiled nobil-
  ity, remember a time when they
  ruled proudly in a living dream.
  Known and feared as the Good
  Folk, their whims enchanted
  and terrified mortals for millen-
  nia. Now that tale has ended. The
  gates to Arcadia have closed, the
  song has ended, and their new
  kingdom grows cold. For sidhe,
  the age of wonder has died, and
  they mourn its passing.
  This mourning, however,
  has not ended their lives. Though
  they fear death like few faeries
  ever could, they face their fate
  with regal bearing. While others
  consider them distant and arro-
  gant, the sidhe refuse to lie down
  and die. For them, the dream is still
  alive, and they strive to awaken the world from its slumber. The
  very presence of a sidhe inspires supernatural awe. The sight of a
  sidhe in her true form captures the hearts of mortals and the
  essence of the Dreaming.
  Faerie passions run deep — love and hatred are never forgot-
  ten. The ideals of the sidhe are even more fierce. Such passion has
  its price, though. Seelie would rather destroy themselves in a blaze
  of glory than fade away. Their less energetic brethren lose hope
  and become self-indulgent, letting their freeholds fall into despair
  as easily as the listless nobles fall into melancholy. Others become
  Unseelie tyrants, ruling through cruelty and intrigue. Though
  exotic in their beauty and obsessed with their ideals, a few sidhe
  travel among commoners. No matter what paths they choose,
  sidhe are far from human and always stand out among those with
  whom they associate.
  Aptitude: +1 to commands. The sidhe are by far the most
  charismatic of the fae; few can resist their commands. Any time a
  sidhe character issues a command, one die is added to Social Trait
  rolls.
  Birthright: Awe and Beauty. Players of sidhe characters add
  one point to their Social Traits during character creation, even if
  this increases scores above 5. Whether they’re heroes or villains,
  all sidhe are dignified. Any cantrip that would directly make them
  look foolish fails immediately.
  Frailty: The mortal world weighs heavily upon the sidhe,
  making it difficult for them to enact their magic. The difficulty of
  any cantrip cast by a sidhe increases by one.
  
  15
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  (SLOO-ah)
  Called the underfolk by
  many, the sluagh are consid-
  ered pariah, even among other
  fae. Though rumors persist of
  underground sluagh lairs, most
  of these Kithain prefer crum-
  bling Victorian mansions to
  dank sewers. Dark and forgot-
  ten places attract them. Those
  who intrude upon their inner
  sanctums leave with nightmares.
  Just as the sluagh value secrets
  and mysteries, they treasure pri-
  vacy.
  Despite this foul reputation,
  adventurous sluagh visit the sur-
  face courts, cultivate friend-
  ships, and enter oathbonds
  with outsiders. Strange as they
  are, sluagh often go out of their
  way to aid or protect others who are kind to them. These good
  deeds are frequently misinterpreted by suspicious changelings, so
  such relationships are usually brief. Even sluagh who find a clique
  that they can trust need to have secret places to which they can
  retreat.
  The underfolk collect secrets and sometimes sell them to
  interested parties. To sluagh, revelation is joy; the more unsettling
  the revelation, the greater the joy. While Seelie use their knowl-
  edge for noble ends, Unseelie can make a crooked living through
  blackmail. Secrets are but one commodity to them. Broken toys,
  strange knickknacks and anything resonant with nostalgia makes
  for an excellent item of trade. Outsiders are mystified by the value
  sluagh place on these items, but then again, perversity is the
  sluagh’s trademark.
  Aptitude: +1 to stealth. Any time a sluagh attempts to move
  without being seen or attempts any other stealthy action, one die
  is added to Physical Trait rolls.
  Birthright: Squirm. Dislocating body parts is a popular
  amusement for these creatures. Confining them is almost impos-
  sible. Although they cannot change their shapes or mass, underfolk
  can contort into disquieting shapes with unnatural ease. This
  requires a few minutes of concentration and a Physical roll; the
  difficulty ranges from 4 (escaping from ropes) to 8 (worming
  through the bars of a locked cell). The only substance that can
  imprison sluagh completely is cold iron.
  Frailty: Curse of Silence. Sluagh cannot speak above a
  whisper, no matter how hard they strain to be heard. Since they
  dislike social situations and hold to very odd rules of etiquette, add
  one to the difficulties of all of their Social rolls.
  (TROLS)
  Duty, strength and honor are the
  hallmarks of a troll. Warriors without
  peer, they hold to the old ways of
  plain speaking and simple truths.
  Honor is a way of life for them,
  and once they have pledged
  their support to some-
  one, they dedicate them-
  selves fully. Many trolls
  expect the same sincerity
  from all fae, and are often
  disappointed as a result. In
  fact, many fae consider
  trolls naive for this very
  reason. Trolls are also
  seen as patient, reliable
  and chivalrous.
  Trolls consider dedica-
  tion to be the measure of their
  worth. If a trolls breaks his
  word or betrays a trust, he
  weakens until he atones for
  the offense. In addition,
  trolls cannot use their great
  strength without just cause.
  Taking such unfair advantage over an adversary would be unchiv-
  alrous.
  Legends tell that the trolls were actually the first noble kith;
  when the sidhe appeared, a great war began. The trolls lost and
  swore loyalty to the sidhe. They have served as guardians ever
  since.
  This kith has an impressive reputation, largely because of its
  Seelie members. Bravery and stoicism define trolls’ character.
  They typically use formal titles when addressing others, and
  dedicate their souls to those whom they respect. In romance, they
  are ardent suitors who uphold all the courtly manners. In loyalty,
  it is nearly impossible to sway a Seelie troll’s beliefs once they are
  set. They prefer Spartan quarters and simple living; recognition of
  service is reward enough for them.
  Aptitude: +1 to combat. Trolls are natural warriors. One die
  is added to any combat action taken in a turn.
  Birthright: Titan’s Power. Trolls gain an additional Health
  Level and an additional point of the Physical Trait during charac-
  ter creation, even if this raises the Trait above 5.
  Frailty: Bond of Duty. Any troll who dares to break a sworn
  contract or oath becomes sickly and loses her Titan’s Power. Only
  by atoning for her lapse of trust can she regain her Birthright. This
  usually involves fulfilling a new oath.
  
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  16
  Houses
  Politics and intrigue are meat and drink to the sidhe. Divorc-
  ing a highborn from his political affiliation is nigh-impossible.
  When a house suffers, all sidhe within that house suffer. In fact,
  most sidhe in the world today have been exiled from Arcadia
  because of their house affiliations.
  Affiliation can define a sidhe’s personality, his politics and his
  approach to rulership. Fealty to a house is a measure of honor and
  pride. Although commoners can swear allegiance to a house or
  even receive titles in one, their bonds are never as strong as those
  of the sidhe. A commoner character can have membership in a
  house, but only with the permission of the Storyteller.
  House Dougal
  The members of House Dougal are per-
  fectionists known for their technical acu-
  men. Lord Dougal, the founder of the house,
  was a great faerie smith who devised a way to
  weave Glamour into steel, making it safe for
  faeries to use. Some say that Lord Dougal
  himself stayed on Earth during the Interreg-
  num because of his fascination with metal-
  work and machines.
  Members of this house are very precise, both in word and deed.
  When a plan is made, they insist that it be carried out to the letter.
  Efficiency is considered the highest of virtues. Very few members
  rule, preferring to make sure everything runs like clockwork from
  behind the scenes. Dougal often work as clerks or barristers, and
  perform their tasks with an intellectual flair. The rare member of
  House Dougal who does rule usually governs his fief in a very
  matter-of-fact, practical manner, but tends to deal with problems
  better in theory than in practice.
  House Eiluned
  This house has always been tainted by
  the scandals of its founder, Lady Eiluned. As
  the creator of the so-called “House of Se-
  crets,” she conspired with dark and mysteri-
  ous beings and powers to gather magical
  knowledge. Although many house mem-
  bers now work as counselors or advisors to
  the Seelie Court, some whisper that Eiluned
  will eventually become an Unseelie house. Regardless, sidhe of this
  house seem to enjoy the best of both Courts.
  Eiluned sidhe are valued for their extensive occult knowledge,
  their uncanny ability to gather secrets and their preternatural
  talent for intrigue. Fiefs ruled by House Eiluned are mysterious.
  There are accusations that House Eiluned voluntarily accepted
  exile on Earth as punishment for a horrible and forgotten crime.
  Members of the house counter that their Seelie affiliations prove
  they are innocent.
  House Fiona
  Sidhe are creatures of extremes, and the
  nobles of House Fiona are no exception. Lady
  Fiona and the sidhe of her house stayed on
  Earth during the Interregnum so that they could
  continue to explore its pleasures. Some even
  say that the house’s founder rejected the call of
  
  17
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  Arcadia because of the love of a mortal man. This would not be
  surprising in the least; Fiona immerse themselves thoroughly in
  Earthly delights.
  Fiona sidhe are fond of food, drink, drugs and sex, and are often
  distracted from high pursuits by their base needs. These reckless
  nobles flirt with disaster constantly. They love to test the status quo,
  even going so far as to aid their enemies to bring about a little
  discord. Yet their passion is focused when they are called upon to
  fight; Fiona fae are fierce warriors who live for the fury of battle.
  Many are addicted to the tumult of the battlefield. Tempting fate
  by fighting recklessly, and the thought of dying in battle fuels this
  passion even further.
  House Gwydion
  House Gwydion is perhaps the most “noble”
  of all of the houses. While other houses re-
  treated to Arcadia long ago, the Gwydion sidhe
  chose to face Banality head-on. These nobles
  believe that their lord and founder has been
  reborn again and again as a sidhe. He is said to
  have been resurrected as a paladin serving
  Charlemagne, and as a major-general serving
  Napoleon. Rivals swear that he must have aided
  Machiavelli, as well.
  Members of House Gwydion are conservative, duty-bound
  Kithain who place the well-being of their kingdoms above their
  own. Unfortunately, they let everyone else know it. Their rule is
  often marked by extreme arrogance, and they state categorically
  that only members of their house are fit to rule. There are even
  superiority rivalries within the house. The internecine feuds that
  result can only be halted by one thing: an outside threat. Members
  band together to prove the superiority of House Gwydion as a
  whole. When the threat ends, it’s back to business as usual.
  House Liam
  The quietest (and some say the wisest) of
  all of the house founders, Lord Liam was exiled
  to Earth for his eloquent defense of mortal folk.
  Centuries ago, the Kithain held a great con-
  tempt for humans. Many believed them to be
  the cause of Banality, and some argued that
  revenge against them would remove this curse
  from the world. Liam stood alone for many years
  against those who argued for retribution against
  humans. The outrage against Lord Liam was so
  great that all who supported him were condemned by the High
  Lords of Arcadia, and his followers were exiled to Earth.
  Members of House Liam don’t consider humans perfect — far
  from it. They do, however, believe that humanity has earned the
  right to exist undisturbed. These nobles fiercely despise Ravaging
  and Banality; their peaceful demeanors can turn wrathful when
  they encounter such.
  
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  18
  Traits and Arts
  The power and skill of a changeling are measured by her Traits.
  The four Traits are:
  Physical: This Trait measures a changeling’s physical prowess
  — her raw strength, agility and stamina. This Trait is used to resolve
  all tasks involving fighting, lifting things and running.
  Mental: This Trait measures a changeling’s intelligence, rea-
  soning capacity, wits and cunning. This Trait is used to resolve all tasks
  concerned with trying to notice something or to puzzle out a clue, or with
  thinking quickly.
  Social: This Trait measures a changeling’s charm, attractive-
  ness and presence. Social is used to resolve all tasks concerned with
  trying to coerce, seduce, convince or con someone into doing something.
  Willpower: This Trait measures a changeling’s inner strength
  — her discipline and self-mastery. Willpower is used to resolve all tasks
  concerned with resisting intimidation, temptation and mind control.
  Traits are rated from 1 to 5; a rating of 1 indicates a low level
  of ability, while a rating of 5 indicates peak human ability (an
  Olympic athlete, a genius, a great statesman, or a near-Buddha). It
  is possible to have a zero in a Trait, reflecting a crippled or decrepit
  character. It is also possible for changelings to attain superhuman
  scores — 6 or even higher (again, most characters do not start with
  such might, but certain kith can exceed human maximums).
  Most humans possess ratings of 1 or 2 in their Traits. Beginning
  changeling characters are considered the cream of the crop.
  Trait Ratings
  0
  Abysmal
  1
  Mediocre
  2
  Pretty good
  3
  Really good
  4
  Exceptional
  5
  Human perfection
  6+
  Superhuman (changelings only)
  Players who create new characters are given 13 points to assign
  to the four Traits. So, a player creating a stereotypical high-society
  sidhe might assign a 4 to Social (though this is raised to 5 because
  of the character’s Birthright), a 3 to Mental, a 2 to Physical (those
  ballet lessons weren’t a complete waste), and a 2 to Willpower. This
  leaves the player two points to use to raise her character’s Glamour
  score (for a total of 8 Glamour since each Trait spent in this way
  provides two points of Glamour).
  Cantrips
  Arts, more simply known as “faerie magic,” are how change-
  lings manipulate Glamour to create magical effects, both in the
  Dreaming and in the mortal world. A changeling sparks her own
  internal Glamour and thereby creates a link with the Dreaming —
  a link strong enough that she can draw upon and form the raw stuff
  of the Dreaming to suit her desires. In a sense, Arts are physical
  manifestations of Glamour.
  Arts have two levels: Basic and Advanced. Each level gives a
  changeling access to a number of cantrips, or specific magical
  effects. A Glamour point must be spent for each Basic cantrip cast.
  Two Glamour points must be spent to use an Advanced cantrip. An
  additional point of Glamour must be spent if a changeling uses a
  cantrip to affect a mortal or is in the presence of mortals. Mastering
  an Art level provides access to all the cantrips listed under that Art.
  Thus, a changeling with Basic Chicanery knows the cantrips
  Fuddle and Veiled Eyes. A changeling cannot possess the Ad-
  vanced level of an Art without possessing the Basic level.
  Descriptions of the Arts follow, and define the actual powers
  and effects of changeling magic.
  Chicanery
  Chicanery is the Art of deception and is favored by those who
  use guile to lead the unwary astray.
  Basic
  • Fuddle: Fuddle allows the caster to alters a target’s percep-
  tions by creating minor illusions. These illusions must be based on
  something that already exists (you can’t create something from
  nothing). For example, a person could be made to appear as another
  person or even as a dog, but your changeling cannot create an
  illusion of a person out of thin air.
  The player rolls the character’s Social Trait (difficulty equal to
  the target’s Willpower).
  • Veiled Eyes: This cantrip allows the caster to cause any
  subject to become invisible. The cantrip lasts for as long as the
  character continues to concentrate on the person or object in
  question.
  The player rolls the character’s Social Trait (difficulty 4).
  Those looking for the object can make a Mental roll (difficulty 7)
  to pierce the invisibility.
  Advanced
  • Captive Heart: This cantrip allows the caster to control and
  fan the emotions of his target. He can invoke any type of feeling he
  desires: fear, envy, love, gaiety, sadness. This cantrip can cause a
  target to feel anything that he is capable of feeling, even if he has
  never experienced the emotion before. This effect lasts for one turn
  for each success gained in the casting.
  The player rolls the character’s Social Trait (difficulty 4).
  Legerdemain
  Legerdemain is the Art of sleight of hand and illusion. Leger-
  demain transcends parlor tricks, allowing a changeling to affect
  physical reality. Changelings who are the entertainers of Kithain
  society (jesters, clowns, pooka) tend to specialize in this Art.
  Basic
  • Gimmix: This cantrip permits a changeling to move objects
  telekinetically. She can move, twist, throw, lift and crush things.
  Fine motor coordination, such as typing or dialing a telephone, is
  impossible — anything a real person could do with her hands if her
  fingers and thumb were glued together is possible. Gimmix can be
  used in extremely confined places, allowing the changeling to
  “handle” objects that she can’t normally see or reach.
  The player rolls the character’s Mental Trait (difficulty 4).
  The number of successes achieved determines how much weight
  may be lifted with the cantrip (20 pounds per success). Objects can
  be moved and manipulated up to 10 yards away for every point of
  the Mental Trait that the character has.
  
  19
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  Advanced
  • Mooch: The changeling can transmit things instanta-
  neously from one place to another. Mooch is a favorite cantrip of
  pickpockets, and can be used to remove a trinket from a mark's
  pouch and place it in the caster’s own. The cantrip works only if the
  caster can see the object, or if he has seen it within the past minute.
  A coin could be Mooched in plain sight, though anyone watching
  would recognize the effect.
  The player rolls the character’s Mental Trait (difficulty 4).
  The number of successes achieved determines how subtle the
  Mooch is.
  Primal
  Much of changelings’ power arises from the elemental affinity
  between their faerie souls and the forces of nature. In ancient times,
  the spirits of rocks and trees whispered secrets to the fae.
  Basic
  • Oakenshield: This cantrip imbues an object or person with
  the solid, protective essence of oak bark. Targets of Oakenshield
  can resist a tremendous amount of punishment.
  The player rolls the character’s Physical Trait (difficulty 4).
  The number of successes achieved determines how many addi-
  tional Health Levels the target of the cantrip gains. Extra Health
  Levels remain until they are lost due to injury. The cantrip must be
  cast again to regain lost levels. Only one use of Oakenshield can be
  in effect on a single subject at one time.
  • Willow Whisper: This cantrip allows the changeling to talk
  to anything, even things that cannot normally talk or understand
  speech. Willow Whisper grants the ability to speak to books,
  furniture, rocks, plants, buildings, aliens...anything. There is one
  limitation to this cantrip: All statements and questions must be
  whispered. Using Willow Whisper in a place such as a football
  stadium in the middle of a game is a fruitless exercise.
  The player rolls the character’s Social Trait (difficulty 5). The
  number of successes achieved determines how coherent the con-
  versation is (Storyteller’s discretion).
  Advanced
  • Heather Balm (or Holly Strike): This cantrip has two uses:
  it can mend that which is broken, or it can break something by
  stressing tiny imperfections in the object. The caster can repair or
  break, or heal or harm anything.
  The player rolls the character’s Physical Trait (difficulty 4).
  Each success heals or causes one Health Level of damage.
  • Elder-Form: This cantrip allows the caster or another target
  to assume the shape of something else. The new form possesses all
  of the Traits and disadvantages of that form. If the changeling turns
  himself into a tree, he may be taller and tougher, but he isn’t able
  to talk (unless he casts Willow Whisper — and just how does one
  perform that cantrip now, anyway?)
  The player rolls the character’s Physical Trait (difficulty 6).
  The cantrip lasts for one hour for each success gained.
  
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  20
  Sovereign
  In ancient times, the sidhe used Sovereign to enforce their
  noble dictates upon commoner kith. A few highly conservative
  (and unpopular) nobles still adhere to this custom. The Art of
  Sovereign forces commoners and nobles of equal or lesser rank to
  obey the caster's dictates. Thus, a knight could not use Sovereign
  on a baron.
  Sovereign is available only to sidhe characters.
  Basic
  • Dictum: A target under the sway of Dictum attempts to carry
  out the caster’s requests in spirit and to the letter, unless the request
  would somehow place him in immediate danger. A target can’t be
  told to attack a werewolf, but he can be asked to guard a door against
  werewolves, as the command does not place the target in immediate
  harm.
  This cantrip, more than any other Sovereign cantrip, is a
  major point of contention between commoners and nobles. Com-
  moner kith seem to take less offense to a user of Grandeur (see
  below) than they do to a user of Dictum. After all, most Kithain
  already respect and feel a certain sense of awe for the nobility, but
  they do not appreciate being forced to bow and scrape at every noble
  whim.
  The player rolls the character’s Social Trait (difficulty equal to
  the target’s Willpower). The target of this cantrip can resist by
  making an opposed Willpower roll (difficulty 4). Each success in
  the opposed roll reduces the caster’s successes by one.
  This cantrip lasts for one hour for each success gained.
  • Grandeur: Grandeur impresses upon others the majesty of
  Arcadia that every noble and sidhe carries. It is the component of
  noble poise and refinement that commoner rulers attempt, but
  ultimately fail, to achieve with their divine pageants and corona-
  tions. Anyone who views a caster of Grandeur is overcome with
  awe; he can take no action (violent or otherwise) in the presence
  of the noble, even if that noble attacks the target. Holding court is
  not possible for a caster of Grandeur, as most of the attendees would
  be unable to speak.
  The player rolls the character’s Social Trait (difficulty 4). A
  Willpower roll (difficulty 4) is made for anyone who resists the
  effects of the cantrip. The defender must gain more successes than
  the caster does to resist successfully.
  This cantrip lasts for one scene.
  Advanced
  • Geas: This cantrip allows the caster to force another
  character to swear an oath of limited duration. The character
  swearing the oath is bound to attempt to complete it through any
  means possible. Failure to do so causes the target to become weak
  and sick and possibly even die. The Storyteller determines any ill
  effects imposed for failing to fulfill a Geas.
  The player rolls the character’s Social Trait (difficulty 7). The
  number of successes achieved determines how compelling the Geas
  is. The cantrip lasts a number of days equal to the number of
  successes rolled.
  Wayfare
  Wayfare is the Art of efficient travel. Originally developed by
  scouts and messengers, this Art has found use in noble circles as a
  means to spy; at high levels, the power allows one to fly.
  Basic
  • Hopscotch: The changeling can make herself or others
  perform (seemingly) impossible leaps, either up or down.
  The player rolls the character’s Physical Trait (difficulty 4).
  Each success allows the character to leap 20 feet, and to land
  without injury.
  • Quicksilver: This cantrip allows the changeling or a subject
  of her choice to move at lightning speeds for a limited duration.
  The player rolls the character’s Physical Trait (difficulty 5).
  Each success allows the target to take one extra action in the next
  turn.
  Advanced
  • Wind Runner: This cantrip bestows flight upon the target.
  The target has full control over where he flies, and for how long
  (subject to the limits of the cantrip).
  The player rolls the character’s Physical Trait (difficulty 4).
  The number of successes achieved determines the base number of
  turns that flight lasts. The Storyteller then rolls one 10-sided die
  (keeping the roll secret) and adds the result to the number of
  successes earned. The total is the actual number of turns that the
  cantrip lasts.
  Glamour
  The stuff of dreams, the magical clay, the energy of awe, the
  workings of wonder, the breeze that blows the cobwebs of disbelief
  from our eyes æ Glamour is all of these things and more. The ability
  to live your dreams, to perceive the true and fantastic essence of the
  world, abides in Glamour. Everyone can create it, even normal
  humans. However, only the fae have the ability to give it form, to
  use it, and to wield its creations as a weapon.
  Raw Glamour can take physical form, and changelings can
  perceive its presence. Raw Glamour appears to changelings as
  multicolored flickers and tentacles of ever-changing energy. Un-
  like an aura, raw Glamour does not radiate, but seems to caress and
  wind through things and beings, never still, ever evolving. When
  imbued in a cantrip, Glamour sparks and flickers around both the
  caster and the target of the effect. It is therefore very difficult for a
  changeling to cast a cantrip without all other changelings present
  realizing exactly who is doing it. A changeling has to be extremely
  subtle to hide his use of Glamour from other creatures of the
  Dreaming.
  Glamour has both a permanent and a temporary rating. As
  Glamour is used, a character’s temporary rating lowers. A
  changeling’s temporary Glamour rises by one point (up to a maxi-
  mum of the character’s permanent score) for each night that he
  dreams.
  Glamour has a number of uses.
  • Each use of a Basic Art costs one Glamour point.
  • Each use of an Advanced Art costs two Glamour points.
  • Affecting a mortal with an Art or using an Art in the
  presence of mortals costs an additional Glamour point.
  • A changeling can use Glamour to create a token that
  enchants a mortal. To do so, the changeling invests a number of
  temporary points of Glamour into a small item, such as a ribbon or
  coin, equal to the number of days that he wants the enchantment
  to last. A mortal is considered to be enchanted upon receiving the
  token, and can see changelings in their true faerie forms.
  
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  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  A changeling with no more Glamour becomes a normal
  mortal, and forgets his faerie existence until he is given Glamour by
  another changeling.
  Changelings regain Glamour by inspiring mortals and gather-
  ing the Glamour produced by mortal creativity. This is called
  having an Epiphany and is described below.
  Glamour can also be gained at artistic gatherings and events
  such as gallery openings and concerts. The amount of Glamour
  gained in this fashion is always at the discretion of the Storyteller.
  As a guideline, whenever a changeling attends such an event, the
  player can roll the character’s Social Trait (difficulty 4). Each
  success indicates that the character gains one point of Glamour.
  Epiphanies
  When a changeling spends time with a mortal artist, he can
  attempt to inspire her creativity, thus generating Glamour. This is
  not a simple task and can take several hours or even days of effort
  on the changeling’s part. Whenever the Storyteller believes that
  the time is right, the player may roll his character’s Social rating
  (difficulty 5). Each success generates a point of Glamour.
  Health
  Changelings have seven Health Levels, representing various
  stages of injury. These are: Light, Light, Medium, Medium, Serious,
  Serious and Critical. As wounds are accumulated, check off Health
  Levels on a piece of paper. When all Health Levels are gone, the
  character is dying (see below).
  Healing
  Injuries heal at a rate determined by the severity of damage
  sustained. Each Light Health Level lost heals overnight, assuming
  full rest. Each Medium Health Level lost heals over a week’s time,
  assuming medical care is received. Each Serious Wound Level lost
  heals over a month’s time, also assuming medical care. Healing
  times of lost levels are cumulative. Thus, a changeling who has lost
  both Light levels and a Medium one recovers in one week (the
  Medium level) and two days (the two Light levels).
  However, lost Health Levels cannot be regained until a
  changeling rests sufficiently to recover from injuries (Light) or until
  a changeling receives proper medical care (Medium and Serious).
  If a changeling spends time in a freehold, a glamour-infused
  haven of the fae, she recovers one Health Level per night, no matter
  how grievous her wounds are. Certain cantrips also speed the
  healing process.
  A changeling who is reduced to the Critical Health Level
  heals at the Storyteller's discretion; she may recover or fall into a
  coma for the rest of her life (unless taken to a freehold for healing).
  Pain
  When a changeling is reduced to the Medium Health Level,
  her player loses one die on all rolls. When the changeling falls to the
  Serious Health Level, the player loses two dice on all rolls. When
  the changeling is reduced to the Critical Health Level, the player
  loses three dice on all rolls.
  Death
  When a changeling has lost all of her Health Levels, she falls
  unconscious and will die soon. Unless the character receives some
  sort of medical attention (or healing through the use of Arts), the
  character dies in one hour. A character who has been reduced to
  
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  22
  zero Health Levels, and who takes additional damage, dies imme-
  diately.
  Rules
  Most of the action in Changeling is determined by the players
  and Storyteller, but we provide a few rules to help arbitrate complex
  situations.
  Our system uses 10-sided dice, which you can find in most
  hobby stores and some book stores. When a player decides to have
  his character undertake an action for which the outcome is in doubt
  (shooting a gun at a distant foe, trying to fast-talk the local duke),
  the Storyteller looks at the character’s Traits and decides which
  Trait (Physical, Mental, Social or Willpower) is most relevant. The
  player gathers a number of dice equal to his character’s Trait, and
  the Storyteller assigns a difficulty number (a number between 2 and
  10) to the feat. The player then rolls the dice. If at least one (or
  sometimes more) of the numbers on the dice equals or exceeds the
  difficulty number, the action succeeds. If not, the action fails.
  Automatic Tasks vs. Dice Rolls
  Most tasks are automatic. If Louis says, “My character Jeremy
  walks into the deserted alley,” Louis does not need to make a roll for
  Jeremy to do this. It happens automatically. Likewise, for the
  purposes of drama, routine tasks such as driving to a nightclub or
  climbing a ladder can be assumed to succeed, even though there is
  always a chance of having a wreck or falling off the ladder. Rolls
  need to be made only for those events that are particularly dramatic
  and that have a good chance of failing.
  Sometimes a routine event can become a dramatic, tension-
  filled one if performed in haste or under duress. For example, if the
  character driving to the nightclub is barreling down the road at 100
  mph, against the flow of traffic, and while being chased by redcaps
  and the city police, Physical dice rolls to avoid wrecking the car are
  called for!
  Difficulties
  Difficulties range between 2 and 10. A difficulty of 2 represents
  the easiest of feats; a difficulty of 10 represents the most challenging
  (indeed, nearly impossible feats). When in doubt, the default
  difficulty is 4. Difficulties can never be higher than 10. If a difficulty
  is calculated to be greater than 10, reduce it to 10.
  2
  Very Easy
  3
  Fairly Easy
  4
  Standard
  5
  Straightforward
  6
  Involved
  7
  Challenging
  8
  Difficult
  9
  Extremely Difficult
  10
  Nearly Impossible
  Number of Successes
  Each die roll that equals or exceeds the difficulty number is
  called a “success.” Most of the time, a single success allows the
  changeling to succeed in her attempted task — barely. Getting
  more successes indicates a higher level of performance. For ex-
  ample, let’s say a sidhe (with a Social Trait of 4) gives a performance
  in a nightclub. Four dice are rolled. While a single success indicates
  an acceptable performance (she doesn’t get booed off the stage),
  three or four successes are needed to give a brilliant or virtuoso
  performance.
  Successes
  Quality
  1
  It’ll do
  2
  Good
  3
  Great
  4+
  Masterful
  Example of Play
  Louis’ character, Jeremy the redcap, has been sought out by
  Dresden Miles, one of the duke’s knights. (Dresden is played by the
  Storyteller.) Dresden questions Jeremy concerning his where-
  abouts on last Wednesday night (the night a group of commoners
  set fire to the duke’s mansion). Louis, speaking as Jeremy, indig-
  nantly denies any knowledge of the deed (“I was at a dance club on
  the other side of town!”), and the Storyteller tells Louis to make a
  Social roll to convince Dresden. Jeremy has a Social score of 2, and
  the Storyteller tells Louis that the difficulty is 4 (Dresden is loyal to
  the duke and knows that Jeremy doesn’t really like nobles, but he
  likes Jeremy and is inclined to trust him). Louis rolls two dice and
  scores 1 and 8: one success. Dresden reluctantly accepts Jeremy’s
  alibi (perhaps he is unwilling to question the story too deeply), but
  warns Jeremy that the duke’s eyes are everywhere, and that he’d
  better toe the line for a while.
  If, in the Storyteller’s opinion, Dresden had particularly damn-
  ing evidence against Jeremy, or disliked him, the Storyteller might
  have raised the difficulty of Louis’ roll to 5 or even 6, or might have
  decreed that Louis needed two successes to convince Dresden of
  Jeremy’s innocence.
  Contests
  Sometimes a character will be in direct conflict with another
  person or changeling, as opposed to attempting an isolated action.
  Competing with someone to accomplish an action is known as a
  contest. To resolve a contest, the player rolls against a difficulty
  number as normal, but the opponent also gets to roll his own Trait
  against the same difficulty number. The contestant who scores the
  most successes wins. Ties re-roll.
  Almost all contests are considered difficulty 4.
  Example #1: Sir Dresden (Social 4) and Lady Clarissa (also
  Social 4) strive to seduce the same beautiful model. The model
  prefers Dresden and Lady Clarissa about equally, so both change-
  lings must roll versus difficulty 4. Dresden rolls four dice and scores
  1, 3, 6 and 6 — two successes. Clarissa also rolls four dice and scores
  2, 6, 6 and 7 — three successes. The model slinks away with the
  smirking Lady Clarissa, and Dresden must seek companionship
  elsewhere this night.
  Example #2: Sir Dresden (Social 4) is attempting to order a
  recalcitrant commoner (Willpower 2) out of his way. Dresden rolls
  four dice and scores 1, 3, 7 and 9 — two successes. The commoner
  rolls two dice and scores 3 and 8 — one success. Dresden wins. The
  commoner grudgingly lets the knight pass.
  Example #3: Jeremy the redcap (Physical 4) is arm-wrestling
  a young troll (also Physical 4). The Storyteller decides that the first
  one to score three successes wins. On Turn #1, Jeremy rolls two
  successes, and his opponent rolls one. Jeremy forces the troll’s arm
  down ever so slightly. On Turn #2, the troll scores one success, and
  Jeremy scores none. The opponents are tied and their arms are
  
  23
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  upright again. This battle will seesaw back and forth until one of the
  combatants is the first to arrive at three successes. If they win three
  at the same time, the contest continues until one participant simply
  gets more successes than the other.
  Drama
  The world of Changeling is a cauldron of adventure and
  danger. The following section presents some common quandaries
  faced by changelings, as well as rules to resolve them.
  Time
  Time, in Changeling, is fluid. It is measured in terms of turns,
  scenes and stories.
  Turn: A turn usually lasts about three seconds. It is used when
  adjudicating dramatic situations involving split-second decisions
  and actions, such as combat. Each character can take one action in
  one turn.
  Scene: A scene is a sequence of events that occurs in roughly
  the same time and place. A brutal back-alley brawl and a
  soiree at the duke’s mansion both constitute a scene, even
  though the party lasts longer than the fight.
  Story: A story is a sequence of scenes in which the
  characters take part. It has a plot, a climax and a resolution.
  Example: In the movie Star Wars, each swing of
  Obi-wan’s/Darth Vader’s lightsabers takes a turn.
  The scene in the Death Star garbage compactor
  takes, appropriately enough, a scene. The en-
  tire movie is a story.
  Initiative
  Sometimes it’s important to
  know who acts first. A changeling who
  gets the jump on her opponent is said to
  have the initiative.
  To determine initiative, compare Traits
  in this order:
  Highest Physical
  Highest Mental
  Ties: Roll one die; the highest roll wins.
  Keep rolling until the tie is resolved.
  Example: Jeremy the redcap at-
  tacks a sidhe knight. The Storyteller
  compares Jeremy and the sidhe
  knight’s Physical Traits. Both have
  Physical Traits of 4. Comparing
  Mental Traits, the Storyteller sees
  that Jeremy has a Mental Trait of 3,
  while the sidhe knight has a Mental
  Trait of 1. Jeremy attacks first. If the sidhe
  knight had a Mental Trait of 3, the Story-
  teller and Jeremy’s player would have sim-
  ply rolled a die, with the highest roll acting
  first.
  Combat
  Most changelings are masters of manipula-
  tion and subtlety, preferring to win battles through
  indirect means rather than outright force. However, a changeling
  is forced into combat every now and then — to take down a rival
  or to prove oneself in trial by combat.
  Combat is conducted in three-second turns. It uses the task
  system already established; initiative is determined normally, and
  most combat actions are considered Physical tasks. There are two
  basic types of combat: hand-to-hand and ranged.
  Hand-to-Hand
  Hand-to-hand combat is conducted with fists, natural
  weaponry (a redcap’s bite), or melee weapons. Initiative is
  determined normally. Attacks are resolved in order of
  initiative. A combatant may choose to strike, grab or
  dodge in each turn.
  • Strike: The attacker rolls Physical (diffi-
  culty 4). The combatant being attacked may
  dodge automatically (also Physical, difficulty 4)
  if that is her actions for the turn. If the
  
  Changeling: The Dreaming Quick Start Rulebook
  24
  attacker scores a number of successes equal to or exceeding the
  defender’s roll, he strikes the defender successfully.
  • Grab: The attacker rolls Physical (difficulty 4). The combat-
  ant being attacked may dodge automatically (also Physical, diffi-
  culty 4) if that is his action for the turn. If the attacker’s Physical roll
  results in more successes than the defender’s Physical roll does, the
  defender is grabbed. The attacker may inflict damage automatically
  in each turn thereafter, and the defender is trapped until he strikes
  successfully and inflicts damage on the attacker.
  • Dodge: Actively dodging takes an action — the dodging
  party may not counterattack that turn. However, the dodging
  combatant gains +2 to her Physical roll to avoid the attacker’s blow.
  If the dodging defender beats the attacker’s successes, she gains the
  initiative next turn!
  Damage: If the attacker hits, he inflicts a number of Health
  Levels of damage equal to his Physical Trait, or (if using a weapon)
  equal to his Physical Trait +1. Weapons made of cold iron inflict
  damage equal to the character’s Physical Trait +2.
  Soak: An injured changeling may make a Physical roll (diffi-
  culty 4). If it succeeds, she takes only half normal damage, rounded
  up (minimum of one Health Level). Damage inflicted by cold-iron
  weapons cannot be soaked.
  Ranged Combat
  To conduct ranged combat, the changeling must have a
  thrown object or a gun. The changeling may throw an object or fire
  one shot in each turn, provided she has objects to throw or bullets
  to fire.
  • Strikes: Strikes take place at long, medium or point-blank
  range. Strikes made at long range are difficulty 5; at medium range,
  difficulty 4; and at point-blank range, difficulty 3. (However, at
  point-blank range, the defender has the option to enter hand-to-
  hand combat with the attacker!)
  • Dodge: A defender may dodge normally, though this does
  not automatically give the defender the initiative in the next turn,
  if successful. A defender may also execute a running dodge. A
  running dodge takes an entire action, and the defender does not
  gain any bonuses to her Physical Trait. However, she automatically
  closes the gap between herself and the attacker by one range level
  (i.e., if she was at long range, she is now at medium range).
  • Straight Run: A defender may decide to simply charge at the
  attacker. This takes an entire action, and the defender may not
  defend against the attacker’s shot. However, the defender is in
  hand-to-hand range automatically at the end of the turn.
  Damage: Damage from thrown objects and gunshots is deter-
  mined a little differently than it is for hand-to-hand damage. A
  thrown object inflicts a number of Health Levels equal to the
  attacker’s successes on the strike roll +1. A bullet inflicts a number
  of Health Levels equal to the attacker’s successes on the strike roll
  +3.
  Soak: Bullets and thrown objects can be soaked normally.
  Pursuit and Chases
  Sometimes characters will want to chase other characters.
  Chases are resolved as is initiative, based on the following chart:
  Highest Physical
  Highest Mental
  Example: Jeremy the redcap is chasing a sidhe knight. Looking
  at the chart, the Storyteller sees that Jeremy’s Physical Trait is 4.
  The sidhe knight’s is 3. Jeremy catches the knight.
  Social Interaction
  • Intimidation: The changeling may try to intimidate her
  target through physical threats (use the Physical Trait), social
  coercion (use the Social Trait) or verbal bullying (use the Mental
  Trait). The victim may resist with her Willpower Trait. The
  highest roll wins.
  • Leadership: The changeling may issue commands, but the
  player must make a Social roll to convince a hesitant target. If the
  target is inclined to disobey, he may make a Mental roll to resist.
  The highest roll wins.
  • Seduction: The changeling’s player rolls Social. The party
  being seduced uses Willpower to resist. The highest roll wins.
  Story Ideas
  These are a few ideas for stories. Not all of them will suit every
  group, but feel free to experiment with them to achieve the ends you
  desire.
  • In the Shadow of the King
  Every noble has a "tail": a retinue of courtiers, knights, servants
  and sycophants. This retinue is a hotbed of intrigue. In this story
  concept, your characters become immersed in the backstabbing
  and social machinations of the court. Is murder in the offing? Noble
  characters have an obvious edge, but commoners (because of their
  social invisibility) have a different sort of advantage.
  • The Lost Ones
  A community of changelings has not been heard from in some
  time, and your lord requests that you stop by to see what's up. It may
  be nothing — they may just be busy — but when has that ever been
  so? The Escheat demands that changelings be saved if they are
  threatened by Banality. What will your characters do to rescue the
  community?
  • A Pooka's Request
  A “respected” pooka shows up at the characters' freehold and
  offers great treasure and glory to any who throw in with him. What
  follows is a far-ranging quest for a chimera that the pooka swears
  holds the answer to a riddle that he's been trying to answer for years.
  Do you dare trust such an untrustworthy patron?
  • The Search for Inspiration: The characters, on the lookout
  for new sources of Glamour, find an artist or performer to inspire.
  Nurturing talent isn't always as easy as it sounds. Several problems
  could arise, from drug dependency to money shortages to marital
  strife to falling prey to Ravagers. The characters must somehow
  preserve and inspire their artist, either directly or indirectly.
  • Righting Wrongs, Battling Beasties: The quintessential
  fairy tale or hero's quest may be offered unabashedly for an evening's
  entertainment. Whether it’s rescuing a damsel in distress (imagine
  combining Changeling with elements from the film Speed) or
  rounding up stray chimera that have broken loose from the charac-
  ters' dreams (oops!), this one is for action fans.
  • Summoned to Court: The characters are summoned to a
  festival at the Seelie (or Unseelie) Court. Appropriate behavior
  and dress are expected, though the characters are allowed to bring
  their Harleys for chimerical jousting. Naturally, none of them knew
  until this morning that the festival is a birthday celebration for the
  duke. What do you get for a guy who can create whatever he wants
  out of thin air?
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/World of Darkness (WoD) [multi]/oWoD/Changeling (c)/Quickstart Guide.pdf