Changeling: the Lost Role Playing Game
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Table Top RPG Meets the Brothers Grimm
These aren't Disney's Fairy Tales
You grew up on stories of Tinker Bell, leprechauns who hid magic cereal, and fairy godmothers. In hindsight - your parents should have read you the Brothers Grimm. Maybe then you would have had a better idea of what to expect.
She was beautiful, like the sparkling light of sunrise on fresh snow. A cool wind seemed to blow off of her and brought welcome relief on a hot summer day. And she asked you, if you like to dance . . .
For ten years, you danced for her pleasure. Day and night, night and day, your heart frozen by the shard of ice she planted with in you, your body slowly turning to ice around it. And still you danced, through eternal winter.
One day, a visitor came, and sparked your memory of another world. Of sun, and wind and warmth. You stole away, forcing a trail through the twisting hedge of thorns that circled her palace, until finally, you burst through, to the world you remembered.
A world that had changed not a day from when you left. But you . . . you would never be the same. The shard of ice still pierces your heart. A chill hangs around you, and frosts your breath on the warmest day. And you carry with in the essence of fairy, setting you forever apart. Forever changed.
What are Changelings?
Faerie Tales
Buy From Art.com
Traditionally, a changeling is a false child, made out of magic, and left in place of a child that the fae stole. These magic made children couldn't survive on the food of the mortal world, and made their parents lives a misery for the brief time they survived, crying constantly for food that doesn't exist outside of faerie.
In Changeling: the Lost, you play a character who was stolen away to faerie, perhaps as a child, perhaps much older. Your character was remade into what ever the fae needed at that time: the perfect butler, a pretty swan to decorate the lake, a deer to hunt, or perhaps a stream, a candle flame or the hot air for a sauna.
After days, or months, or years, your character escapes back to the 'real world' drawn by some faint memory of life before the fae. He or she finds, however, that they are not the same as when they left, and neither is the world.
The character is a mix of who they were and whatever the fae made them into The swan retains her long neck and feathers, the perfect butler is beautiful beyond belief, and incapable of being rude, the candle flame has fire instead of hair, and the deer still has his horns.
The world has aged at a different rate then the character. A man who was trapped for twenty years may find only 2 weeks have passed. A teenager who escaped after 2 weeks may find his parents ten years dead.
And of course, the Fae do not lightly release what is theirs.
Playing Changeling RPG
-Beasts: humans who have been turned in some sort of animal - normally a mammal or bird, but sometimes an insect or something else creepy and crawly . . .
-Darklings: changelings who were made into living shadows, or who turned into a reflection of what ever they saw, wraiths and ghouls . . .
-Elementals: imagine spending fifty years as a tree, a mountain, a puff of air, the flame of a candle. Imagine being the sun . . .
-Fairest: perhaps more then the others, these are the fae's pet projects, twisted and molded into perfection; jeweled statues, dancers, lovers, and the perfect hostess
-Ogres: trolls, goblins, cyclops, and anything else monstrous
-And Wizened: clockwork mechanics, skilled artisans, cooks and carpenters; the fae like using the wizened for experiments also - what happens to the clockmaker who is given a clock in place of his heart? tick . . . tick . . . tick . . .
Each has their own special abilities and draw backs related to how they spent their time in Arcadia. Beasts, for instance, get a negative on all mental skills because they spent so much time as animals acting on instinct. Fairest get bonuses to persuasion.
In addition, changelings have stolen a small amount of the magic of the Fae:
Contracts.
Contracts are essentially a bargain with . . . well anything. Contracts of Smoke allow a changeling to hide themselves, Contracts of Artifice let them create wonders, and Contracts of Fate create blessings and curses. All for a small price.
Pledges
Ever hear the saying 'my word is my bond?' Well, with changelings it's literally true. A touch of Fae magic lets them make a promise supernaturally binding, with a curse to fall on the person who breaks it. Not only can changelings make their own promises binding, but they can trick other people into being bound by a Pledge as well.
The Masque
No matter what happens, a normal human will see a changeling as human. A woman can be running her hand through hair of flames, and all she will notice is her boyfriend seems to have a low fever. This is called the Mask, a bit of magic that is stuck to the Changelings, whether they want it or not.
The Best of Changeling: the Lost
White Wolf's Official publications for Changeling: the Lost.
Which one is your fave?
Changeling Rites of Spring (Changeling: The Lost) by Jess Hartley, John Snead, Travis Stout, Charles Wendig
A character book for Changeling1 point
Changeling: the Lost by Matt McFarland, Chuck Wendig, Travis Stout, Jess Hartley
"The latest addition to the World of Darkness more...0 points
Changeling Lords of Summer (Changeling: the Lost) by White Wolf, Ethan Skemp, Chuck Wendig, John Snead
The Noble Oaths Swear again your allegiance to your more...0 points
Autumn Nightmares (Changeling the Lost) by Ethan Skemp
"A Chronicle Book, A wide selection of antago more...0 points
Winter Masques (Changeling: the Lost) by Dawn Elliiott, Ethan Skemp, John Snead, Chuck Wendig
"A Character Book , In-depth treatment of the more...0 points
Changeling: The LostNight Horrors: Grim Fears by White Wolf Publishing
The Wicked Ones - Seductive lover and cannibal hag more...0 points
Changelings in the World of Darkness
After the Escape
Changelings have evolved a complex society over the years, designed to help them fit back into the 'real world' as much as possible, and to protect themselves from the fae.
Because their time in Arcadia has made all the Changelings a little unbalanced, having this society is crucial to helping them hold onto their stolen humanity, and not losing themselves in visions of the world they escaped.
The Freeholds
Groups of changelings tend to form formal Freeholds, organized around some kind of cycle. Because the Fae don't understand natural cycles, they have trouble finding Changelings when they live with in cycles. The most common cycle for Freeholds in the US and Europe to organized around is the Seasons, In Asia Directional cycles are more common.
Each segment of a cycle forms a court, led by a King or Queen. Each monarch rules the Freehold for a portion of the cycle.
Families
Most changelings aren't lucky enough to be able to return to their old lives. A young man who comes back after 5 years to find his kid sister aged 10 years is going to have a hard time explaining how young he is. Never mind trying to explain his absence in the first place.
The rare changeling who can return to his family will have to decide if he will keep what happened to him, and what he has become, a secret, or if he will tell his family. If he does decide to tell his family, he will have to use some of the Fae magic that followed him home to show them what he has become. If he tries to tell them without invoking the Fae magic to create a bargain with his family (called a Pledge), his family will not be able to believe him, and he will be driven a little more mad.
Motley
A motley is the basis of a changeling game - a group of changelings who have made a Pledge to work together and support each other. Most motley are formed by changelings who are committed to the same goal:
- protect the freehold at all costs
- trace their lost families
- learn as much about Fae magic as possible
- rescue others still trapped in Arcadia
The Fae magic of the Pledge binds them together so they can trust each other, in spite of the paranoia that is a part of pretty much every changeling. (Can you blame them? After all, there is an entire world out to get them.)
Very rarely a motley will form of changelings who already like and/or trust each other, and become a family, instead of a group of co-workers.
More Role Playing and World of Darkness Webpages
Pick Your Favorite, or Add Your Own
What are Role Playing Games: An Introduction to RPGs for Parents, Friends and Spouses of Gamers
Role playing games have been steadily growing in p more...1 point
Rift Guide
Rift Leveling Guide1 point
White Wolf Online
The Official website of White Wolf Publishing, wit more...0 points
An Introduction to Changeling
A brief introduction for non-gamers.0 points
World of Darkness
World of Darkness is a table top role playing game more...0 points
RIFT: Planes of Telara Guide
Information about the game like a rift guide and v more...0 points
Rift Game Guide
Rift is hands down the best RPG release I have see more...0 points
Tera Game guide
Must check Tera Game guide for leveling and strate more...0 points
Changelings Seem to be Multiplying
Part of the fun of Changeling is that it is almost impossible to come up with a character idea that Changeling can't accommodate. However, all Changelings start with a Seeming.
A lot of creativity has gone into designing Changelings since the book was first published. Some impressive ideas from the World of Darkness official Forums include:
The Wizard of OZ Motley - Dorothy as a Fairest, the Cowardly Lion as a Beast, the Tin Man as Wizened, and the Scare Crow as an Elemental.
Sentai Changelings - each member of a motley taking their power from one element or animal
Game Master's Corner
Plot Idea
All Changelings know that some who return to the real world are still loyal to their fae masters. These Loyalists perform many services for their Keepers, including spying on the Freeholds and trying to recapture escaped Changelings.
But what if a Changeling didn't know he was still serving the fae?
A deer, fleeing the hounds and the Wild Hunt, finds a break in the Hedge. He escapes through it, and finds his way out of Arcadia and back to the real world. Unknown to him, the Hunt drove him deliberately toward the escape route, and now his Keeper spies through him - hearing everything he hears, as he unknowingly infiltrates the Freehold.
Soon the Wild Hunt will follow him.
It's Not Just a Game
But children in fairy tales aren't the only ones in danger. Please think about giving a helping hand to children in the real world.
Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change in the lives of children in need in the United States and around the world. Recognized for our commitment to accountability, innovation and collaboration, our work takes us
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Ever Played Changeling? Ever Want to?
Leave your thoughts on Changeling, and RPGs in general here.
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covenantguy
Jun 23, 2011 @ 5:43 am | delete
- No I never played Changeling , only dabbling with this Rift Beginners guide I discovered. Sounds like an awesome game though and you're obviously really into magical worlds!
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a_willow
Jan 2, 2009 @ 12:12 am | delete
- This lens entered Fresh Squid Contest for January as one of featured lenses on Fresh Squid group in December! Come by and vote!
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Jessica_Burde
Dec 27, 2008 @ 8:09 am | in reply to a_willow | delete
- Thanks! And thanks for becoming a fan!
I'll see you around.
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a_willow
Dec 27, 2008 @ 4:28 am | delete
- Sounds interesting! Welcome to Fresh Squid group! Glad to have you aboard!
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About Me
by Jessica_Burde
Currently residing in the Lehigh Valley, I am a mother, storyteller, gamer, geek, and amateur historian.
Never have managed to decide what I want to...
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