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Table of Contents 3
Scepter 44 New Changeling Merit: Dramaturge (•••) 69
Burning Ambition (Common) 44 New Changeling Merit: Understudy (•••) 69
Jealous Vengeance (Common) 44 Trade and Favor 69
Litany of Rivals (Common) 45 Systems 69
Knight’s Oath (Common) 45 Galoshins 70
Unmask the Dark Horse (Common) 46 Systems 70
A Benevolent Hand (Royal) 46 Galoshin Circumstantial Modifiers 71
Fake It ‘Til You Make It (Royal) 46
Expanded Pledgecraft 72
Tempter’s Quest (Royal) 47
Example Oaths 72
Curse of Hidden Strings (Royal) 48
Oath of Friendship 72
Spare Not the Rod (Royal) 48
Oath of True Love 72
Stars 49
Oath of Nemesis 73
Pole Star (Common) 49
Oath of Exile 73
Straight On ‘Til Morning (Common) 49
Touchstones as Pledges 73
Cynosure (Common) 49
New Pledge Types 74
Shooting Star (Common) 50
Curses and Hexes 74
Retrograde (Common) 50
Feuds 75
Frozen Star (Royal) 50
Rules of Engagement 76
Light of Ancient Stars (Royal) 51
Enchanted Bargains 77
Star Light, Star Bright (Royal) 51
Deed Vows 78
Pinch of Stardust (Royal) 52
Icons 79
Thorn 53
Briar’s Herald (Common) 53 Chapter Three: Kiths 83
By the Pricking of My Thumbs (Common) 54
Those Without Kith 83
Thistle’s Rebuke (Common) 54
Kithless 83
The Gouging Curse (Common) 54
Scissors 84
Embrace of Nettles (Common) 55
Unraveled 84
Acantha’s Fury (Royal) 55
Awaken Portal (Royal) 56 Acquiring a Kith 85
Crown of Thorns (Royal) 56 Icons 85
Shrike’s Larder (Royal) 57 Ordeals 85
Witch’s Brambles (Royal) 58 Bartering 86
Independent Contracts 58 Fashioning Kiths 86
Coming Darkness (Common) 58 Kith Themes 87
Pomp and Circumstance (Common) 59 Repurposing 87
Shadow Puppet (Common) 59 Approaches 87
Dread Companion (Royal) 60
Example Kiths 88
Cracked Mirror (Royal) 60
Crown 88
Listen with the Wind’s Ears (Royal) 61
Absinthial 88
Momentary Respite (Royal) 61
Climacteric 88
Steal Influence (Common) 62
Concubus 89
Earth’s Gentle Movements (Common) 63
Draconic 90
Earth’s Impenetrable Walls (Royal) 64
Flowering 90
Regalia Manifestation 64 Ghostheart 91
Creating Regalia Moonborn 92
Manifestations 65 Uttervoice 92
New Merit: Regalia Manifestation (• to •••••) 65 Jewels 93
Alternative Regalia Manifestations 65 Delver 93
Manifestation Systems 65 Glimmerwisp 94
Manifestation Powers 66 Gremlin 94
Drawbacks 67 Manikin 95
Nothing Without Risk 67 Oculus 95
Systems 67 Polychromatic 96
Dramaturgy 68 Veneficus 97
Flower Chains and Masquerades 68 Witchtooth 97
Table of Contents 5
“Rain fell upon him and he grew thin as rain. Rain washed away thought, washed away memory, all the good
and the bad. He no longer knew his name. Everything was washed away like mud from a stone. Rain filled him up
with thoughts and memories of its own. Silver lines of water covered the hillside, like intricate lace, like the veins of
an arm. Forgetting that he was, or ever had been, a man, he became the lines of water. He fell into the earth with
the rain.”
— Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
You risked everything — your life, your individuality, even trickster at the crossroads or the dancer in the wild? Will you
your soul — to escape your Keeper’s clutches. Every changeling wrest the reins of your old life back from your fetch, or leave
shares that much, and though it brings them together, the de- that life behind to find a new family, new friends, and a new
tails set them apart. You wanted desperately to return to the purpose? Will you surround yourself with companions you
human world, but why? You’ll stop at nothing to take your life trust or rivals who challenge you?
back and make of it what you wish, but what drives you to do
it? Did you emerge into the familiar or the inexplicably alien, Mood:
and what are you going to do about it either way? No Easy Answers
All Lost take on a Herculean task as soon as they Despite having literal magic at your fingertips, you have
emerge from the Hedge for the first time: claim an identity. no magical solution to your problems. Your life and rela-
It’s harder than it sounds. tionships are messy and complicated; your questions about
Kith and Kin is a book about making sense of yourself identity, purpose, and trust can only be answered over time,
in a world where nothing is as it seems, including you. It’s through trial by fire and under constant pressure from the
about personal transformations, personal relationships, and ever-present Wild Hunt.
learning to trust yourself and others all over again. It’s about Nothing is ever cut and dry where Faerie is concerned.
personal power — the power to define who you are and who Even if you do find answers, you might reject them, or
you strive to be, a power you braved the fire to take back change your mind over time. The uncertainty you felt when
despite the way it burned your hands and left its scars. you took that first step back into the mortal world never fully
Theme: goes away. You’ll always struggle to know yourself.
The perfect, ideal life you find at the end of a fairy tale
Identity and Choice doesn’t exist; it’s just a Fae lie. But that’s okay. That’s human,
Who am I? What have I become? These questions plague that’s real, and that’s what separates you from the Gentry.
you as one of the Lost. In trying to answer them, you’ll dis-
cover that both the wonder and the horror of Faerie are in What’s in This Book?
you now, too. You’ll decide what kind of magic you wish to Kith and Kin is a player’s guide for Changeling: The
wield and how — and why — you wish to wield it. Will you Lost Second Edition, offering options and insights for char-
be the charming troubadour or the tyrannical queen? The
6 Introduction
acters as individuals and looking at the way changelings bind kithless characters and the process of acquiring new kiths in
themselves to each other on a personal scale. play. Along with explaining how to design new kiths from
Chapter One: Familiar and Strange is about the return a thematic perspective, it also presents 56 new kiths for use
from Faerie. It presents options for characters who escaped in any chronicle.
into unfamiliar times or places, including details about the Chapter Four: Birds of a Feather is about motleys. It
digital Hedge, the Hedge in space, and a freehold on the walks through the process of forming a motley from both
moon. It also explores the way changelings think and their in-character and out-of-character perspectives, including an
daily experiences, as well as offering additional, optional optional motley-building exercise called Roses and Thorns.
rules for Anchors and Clarity. This chapter also presents four sample motley oaths, a new
Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors is about powers. type of Hedge ghost that feeds on the bonds between mot-
It presents five new Regalia and a selection of independent ley-mates, and several optional methods for adjudicating
Contracts, as well as advice on how to design Regalia from conflict between characters, intended to enhance the play
a thematic perspective. It also contains systems for manifest- experience. It discusses unconventional motleys with non-
ing Regalia as physical objects and for the fae sympathetic changeling members, including additional fae beings, mor-
magic which changelings call dramaturgy. Finally, it details a tals, and other supernatural creatures. Finally, it expands
few full oath examples and seven new types of pledges. upon the advice in the core book about ensuring safety at
the table by offering further options intended specifically for
Chapter Three: Kiths is about the kith as both identity
player use.
and connection. It discusses playing three different kinds of
Filled with joy and boundless energy, Aiken Drum’s • A lunar lander’s arrival on the moon’s surface is nor-
Court welcomes new changelings into the freehold. They mally a cause for celebration, but this time, it brings
take any opportunity to lift their fellow Lost’s spirits and only dread. A probe is about to land on the moon’s
stave off the endless loneliness of space with song and fes- dark side that bears the unfortunate name of Eye in
tival. Amid their repertoire lurk Jacobite war songs, and the Night — a well-known Keeper’s Title. The freehold
anyone who mistakes their joy for inattention is in for an doesn’t believe in coincidence. They send a motley to
unpleasant surprise. brave all that lurks in the darkness and sabotage the
Cain’s Court takes its oaths seriously, if for no other lander — and whatever it might carry inside it — be-
reason than the scent of betrayal following them everywhere. fore the Fair Folk steal them all back to Arcadia.
Rumor claims their patron is a powerful Hunstman who
• Humanity has at long last begun building its first
once took the form of the original Cain and wears it even
moon base. The lunar changelings keep a close eye on
now, stalking the lunar Hedge wrapped in shining brambles
its progress, but it all goes awry when Apollo portals
and serving as the Wyrd’s vengeance. His court acts as judg-
within the base and a mortal engineer stumbles into
es and legislators, using oaths to maintain order, but they
the Hedge. Now he needs the motley’s help finding
are also penitents, atoning for the oathbreakers among them
her among the Thorns and escorting her home before
and helping outside petitioners do the same.
the Gentry claim her.
Many cultures speak of monsters devouring the sun, im-
agery that the Eclipse Court uses to evoke dreadful wonder
in the freehold’s enemies. They claim Sköll, Ītzpāpālōtl, and To Be Lost
Rahu as their patrons, and are at their most potent when the No matter who you are or where you’re from, your du-
moon blots out the sun. This court seeks out and devours rance changes you. It may not be as noticeable as your new
anything threating the freehold, be it hobgoblin, Huntsman, horns, wings, or scales, but your thoughts and emotions
or loyalist. blossom into spring flowers or shrivel up like autumn leaves.
Citing legends of Chang’e and the Jade Rabbit, Yutu’s The way you interact with the world is fundamentally differ-
Court insists this is not the first Lunar Freehold. Like the ent. It has to be. You wouldn’t have survived your time in
moon goddess, they are unafraid of making difficult choices, Arcadia otherwise.
even if their peers scorn them for it. They serve as the free-
hold’s chroniclers and alchemists, seeking to uncover the Survival Instincts
Moon’s secrets, lest the unknown become the changelings’ Do you know that old song by Heart, “These Dreams?” One
undoing. line talks about walking through a stained glass wall without a
cut. It’s kind of like that, except you never know when the wall
Faces will actually cut you. If my Keeper was always cruel, I think I
Apollo has been on the moon for a couple of years, but might have dealt with it better — but she wasn’t, you know? She
he’s still the youngest in the freehold. The Kindly Ones took kept me there with tastes of honeycomb that melted on my tongue,
inspiration from this brash and headstrong Elemental’s ap- with glittering presents made of sugar and children’s dreams, with
titude for science, transforming him into living radiation. private conversations and “Well done, my faithful servant.” I felt
Ever-curious, Apollo is always the first to investigate any ob- privileged, like I understood some part of her no one else did. The
ject arriving from Earth or its Hedge, a behavior his elders imprisonments and periods of abandonment were just punish-
ments for my mistakes. It was always my mistake. Never hers. I
To Be Lost 19
could never tell what would be a mistake. I don’t think she knew
either, until she was in the middle of my punishment.
Content Note
— Mariah Glimmerglass, Fairest Helldiver
Some of us feel like it’s a betrayal to acknowledge the “good” This section covers, among other things, what
parts of our durances. It can feel like that, of course — these are it’s like to be one of the Lost and how they
our enemies, the creatures who took us as playthings and punching deal with the confusion and pain of their situ-
bags. They’re also the creatures who clothed us in butterflies and ation. While it’s unlikely Fae came out of your
whispers, the perfect lovers, the careful gardeners, the wounded
mirror to kidnap you at any point in your
hearts we were empowered to soothe at times. It’s almost impos-
past, you, or someone you know, may have
dealt with abuse and trauma. This section
sible to reconcile the two, and that’s before you add in the unreal
covers both topics in some detail, albeit from
nature of what we all went through. Know this though — you’re behind the veil of fantastical horror fiction.
not alone. We don’t think your durance is lesser because your Please be kind to yourself when reading. You
Keeper showed you kindness sometimes. None of us survived this know your own limits.
without scars. You escaped. That’s important.
— Hallie of the Hunt, Elemental Shadowsoul
NO! I CAN’T GO BACK THERE! YOU DON’T
UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY’LL DO TO ME! LET ME to be told it’s not the right Huntsman; the Keeper hangs her
CLOSE THE DOOR! LET ME— over a cliffside by her silver thread to think about what she’s
— a Bridge-Burner’s last words done. A Playmate’s Keeper throws her around like a ragdoll,
only to pick her up and rock her to sleep like a child, whis-
Humans require stability to function properly. From pering apologies for the outburst. A changeling in durance
our earliest days, we need to achieve homeostasis — a feel- rarely knows what to expect; some can learn their Keeper’s
ing of being safe and stable enough to live our lives without patterns and carefully time their escape, but many just get
fear of losing our home, food, money, and other essentials. lucky. How should you behave when your captor’s reaction
Getting fired, moving, breaking up, or any number of other is a crapshoot — and they’re a 12-foot-tall pillar of smoke and
perfectly human things can disrupt or destroy homeostasis. eyes and the scent of lavender?
Long-term events such as imprisonment, abuse, hospital
stays, or the durance can even corrupt homeostasis, causing Adapt.
one to believe that this is just how things are now. Obey.
As with any unfamiliar situation, the best thing to do Accept.
in Arcadia is adapt. Survival is only possible through adapta- Survive.
tion, and many changelings come to see their new reality as,
well, reality. Butterflies made of glass? Completely normal, Surviving
just don’t let them drink your tears. Keeper throwing knives
It’s not your fault. No matter what else you hear from any-
and icicles in a rage? Stay quiet, keep your head down, and
one, know that it’s not your fault.
maybe you won’t get cut. Make yourself invisible or conve-
nient, or throw other people in the way of your Keeper’s vio- — Velvet Lauren, Darkling Playmate of the Spring Court
lence, and you will survive. You will wake up with nightmares. Your sweat is your armor.
Sadly, many changelings did something they regret dur- Your screams are your shield and sword. This is normal. A bless-
ing their durance. Martyrs die, idealists are obliterated, but ing, even. The nightmares are nothing compared to the horrors
those who adapt survive. The Lost carry fragmented memories you went through. They are a gentle reminder of what awaits you
of tearing out another prisoner’s heart to satisfy their Keeper, when your guard is down.
throwing other changelings under the bus to avoid terrifying — Jane, Fairest Telluric, Autumn Monarch of the Free-
punishments, or burying the bodies of those who weren’t pretty hold of the Endless Sky
enough for the vain True Fae that held them. Few changelings A changeling ripping their way out of the Hedge and
escape complicity in some form of atrocity; as the property of back into the mortal world for the first time brings with her
their Keeper, they must do as commanded or perish. a whole host of questions. What happened? Where am I?
Whether or not her Keeper made her complicit, a Who can I talk to? How was any of that real? And, most
changeling’s durance is an erratic cycle of pleasure and pun- importantly, why me?
ishment. A Telluric may be admired by a party of Gentry one The last question has no good answers. Some Winter
day and shot at with flaming arrows for not shining brightly Courtiers dedicate whole lifetimes to deciphering the riddle
enough the next. A Helldiver serves her mistress the heart of why the Fae take who they take, with no clear answer.
of a Huntsman she was given freedom to chase down, only Some people shine brighter in spirit than any given Bright
To Be Lost 21
unique, chosen to suffer for the sins of the world. But there’s a lot of
us here, not to mention the other freeholds. How many people have
they taken? How many are still in Arcadia?
— Harker, Fairest Climacteric of the Spring Court
[joyful hissing at a freehold fête]
— Marshmallow, Darkling Bequerel of the Winter Court
Freeholds? Are you joking? They’re just a bunch of scared
children kidding themselves. We were all kidnapped, my friend.
Our kidnappers are still out there, and they’re still looking for more
people to enslave. That’s what they do. They take, and they keep
taking until the well’s dry and they have to go digging for another. I
don’t know about you, but I don’t plan on being there when they dig
a new well.
I’m smart, though. I joined the winning side. I work with the
Kindly Ones, because then I get some choice in who they take. You
can stand there and be offended all you please, but at the end of the
day, your family isn’t protected by the same oaths mine is.
— Tilly Whitmore, Sandharrowed Beast and privateer
Thriving
I thought I could never sing again. I thought my voice belonged
to the Countess of Silk and Steel, that using it was glorifying her.
That’s a lie. Everything she told me about my voice is a lie. I sing
in my church choir again, just as a different person. I get more solos
too. I only turn on “the voice” when I need to. I could be famous,
everyone tells me so, but I don’t want to be, not right now. Maybe
someday. I’m learning that I have time.
— Rhiannon Strongsong, Wizened Nightsinger
I don’t believe in any god. How could I, after what I’ve gone
through? I keep telling Rhiannon she should get a record deal, but she
doesn’t want to. Religious singing and ritual comfort her, and I respect
that. What comforts me is seeing how much I’ve changed from who
I once was. I was an asteroid hurtling through my Keeper’s skies. I
thought all I could be was an agent of destruction. Now I’m one of
the Winter Court’s recruiters. I have soothed sobbing changelings in the
dead of night. I’ve set them up with jobs in the city, places where they
feel they can do some good. I work with a women’s shelter, teaching
self-defense. I can do more. I can be more than what they made me. I
don’t believe in any god, but I do believe in myself.
— Kiri Lia Bianca, Ogre Telluric and wife of Rhiannon
Strongsong
At some point, the Lost do have to interact with the
mortal world. They need to live somewhere, feed and clothe
themselves, and do something to make money — not to men-
tion preserving what little Clarity they have left. Their pow-
ers may give them an edge, but how do you go to the office day
in and day out knowing a creature made of nightmares and
promises wants you back in its domain more than anything
else?
One of the first things a changeling learns, through prac-
tice and advice, is that she is in control of her own boundaries.
It’s incredibly easy to forget after a durance that she can say no,
that she can change her mind, that saying the wrong thing won’t
Spinning Self
ling (and her player) to remember. Being held captive by an
otherworldly being that sees you as a precious child and a the
disobedient thrall leaves lasting scars on the mind. The sur- Arcadia changes people, but it doesn’t make changelings
vival skills a changeling learned in Arcadia almost invariably monsters. Their wants, needs, and struggles refract through
hurt her in daily human life. She can’t just throw around an Arcadian prism, subtly altering them, but they remain
dazzling and deadly fae magics every time she feels threat- human. To thrive, the Lost need purpose, motivation, and
ened. Working with other changelings, as well as mortal or connections.
supernatural counselors, helps her learn new coping skills,
Remember that changelings themselves don’t use the
but it never erases the experience completely, even if she
mechanical terms discussed here; they are abstractions,
doesn’t remember all of it.
representations of complex motivations, psychologies, and
The Wyrd still governs a changeling’s life, even as she histories. Changelings do not identify Needles and Threads
goes to and from the aforementioned office. She feels its within themselves, nor do they call their closest confidantes
pull, and sometimes it’s too strong to ignore. She may take Touchstones. Instead, a joyful bon vivant says she lives her
her lunch break in the Hedge or find herself in the middle life to the fullest, the promise of a happy tomorrow is what
of office politics more often than she’d like. A canny change- keeps her going, and she knows texting her ex helps settle
ling doesn’t promise anything she cannot immediately fulfill her when she doesn’t quite feel right.
even among mortal friends and coworkers, for she knows
the Wyrd will require something she hasn’t thought of if Needle and Thread
she makes promises she hasn’t carefully considered. Some
Mortals ground their identities through their Vir-
changelings appear flaky or noncommittal, when in truth
tues and Vices; their best and worst impulses define them.
they’re trying to protect their mortal associates.
Changelings have uplifting qualities and weaknesses, too,
Many changelings fear the simple act of telling mortals but they distinguish themselves through deliberate reinven-
about their durance and nature puts those mortals at risk for tion. When a changeling escapes Arcadia, her Needle and
abduction. This is not automatically true, though mortals Thread help her determine what to do with her newly won
may try to seek out Hedgeways on their own initiative, and freedom.
some fae beings do have an easier time finding people who
know their names or secrets. Another fear many changelings Prick of the Finger
share, though few admit it, is the fear of mockery. How do
Throughout a changeling’s durance, the Gentry impos-
you tell someone the faeries kidnapped you and expect them
es a role upon them. Some True Fae claim their captives have
to respond with a straight face? Most changelings keep their
free will but manipulate their every action; others simply
stories to themselves or their own kind, though some be-
bludgeon their slaves into submission. Either way, they pre-
come comfortable enough to seek counseling. A few change-
vent changelings from making their own decisions. Upon
lings even become therapists themselves, specializing in
winning their freedom, changelings also win back their right
treating victims of the fae.
to determine who they wish to be. This is their Needle, the
A changeling must eventually take all these disparate changeling’s chosen self with which they make their mark on
pieces of her broken life and find a way to fit them together the world and impose their will.
into something resembling a daily routine. She might tend
A Needle represents the Lost’s ability to pierce her con-
bar, work for a nonprofit organization, or deal with emer-
fused memories and muddled identity, and to defy the un-
gencies as an EMT. While not all changelings need to work
wanted expectations others place on her. While searching
— Wizened can spin straw into gold, after all, and their mot-
for a job, she meets a modeling agent who insists she can win
leys never need to work a day in their lives — many find the
both fame and fortune as long as she becomes the “perfect”
rhythm of a day job soothing, or even necessary. Some go
feminine princess. She had a similar contract before the
into high-stress public positions, while others eschew the
Kindly Ones took her, but she found it stifling. Instead of
limelight. Hobbyist changelings derive the same joy and pur-
allowing the agent to lock her in another ivory tower, she
pose from knitting, growing goblin fruits, or thrift shopping
affirms her Needle as a commander by setting up her own
for odds and ends at both human and Goblin flea markets.
competing agency, helping her colleagues express their true
Working among mortals is also the perfect cover for selves.
making bargains (Changeling, p. 214). Agreeing to fashion
When a changeling first returns from Arcadia, her
shoes every night for a shoemaker is a lot less conspicuous
Needle simply drives her to act upon her newfound inde-
for a changeling who’s literally on the payroll.
up, or they didn’t manage to fully assert their will — leaving What Lies Forgotten
their Regalia incomplete.
What happens to a story when its last talespinner dies?
Some independent Contracts are stolen, the product of What happens to a bargain when no one remains to fulfill
one of the True Fae encountering an entity whose power its terms? Without changelings to pass along knowledge of a
she coveted and claiming it as her own. These Contracts are concept or embody its essence in their Contracts, an unused
subject to the Keeper’s interpretation of the entity, rather Regalia fades out of memory. This alone doesn’t nullify or
than its original self. A lighthouse that stood on the rocky destroy it as long as the original pact that created it isn’t
shore of the Prince of Glad Tidings’ domain signaled home broken; the ideas and themes that comprise Regalia are dif-
and safety to sailors on its choppy seas, until The Sighing ficult to kill. They merely lie dormant, waiting for someone
Lass captured the headland, twined her brambles into the to come along and remember or rediscover their ancient
lighthouse’s walls, and filled its beacon with her sorrows. agreement.
Lost who tended its light thereafter escaped their durances
knowing how to draw out their companions’ most bitter- For Lost who have time to secure their secrets before
sweet memories. they die, the Hedge makes a splendid hiding place for their
treasures. Some leave cryptic missives with their motleys for
Just as with regular Contracts, those without a reigning other changelings to decipher. The fae-touched may even
Regalia can be Common or Royal. Some of these orphan play a part: Tamsyn and James swore they’d reunite after
Contracts pair together, joined by a similar theme without the war ended, but that was 90 years ago, and a Huntsman
being part of a larger whole. pulled Tamsyn back to the Timekeeper’s eternal tower before
New Contracts
This section presents five new Regalia in full, as well as
a selection of single or paired independent Contracts that
fall under no Regalia.
Chalice
Chalice represents the mercurial nature of emotions,
the fluidity of relationships, and the ebb and flow of life.
The goblet can contain a wellspring of hope or the dregs
of despair. It’s a toast and a promise: Drink and be merry,
for tomorrow, we die. As a symbol of feasting and revelry, it
represents close bonds forged in celebration or mourning; a
ceremonial chalice finds its way to the lips of everyone pres-
ent to tie them together in oath, ritual, or faith. Its depths
might hold a healing potion, a sleeping draught, or a dose
of poison, and it cares not which the drinker consumes.
Changelings find both solace and misery at the bottom of
a cup.
New Contracts 35
Loophole: The changeling prepares a sleeping draught, Cost: 1 Glamour + 1 per additional dreamer beyond
warm milk, soothing tea, or any other sleep aid that involves the second
drinking liquid, and he persuades or forces the target to Dice Pool: None
drink it all in the same scene in which he invokes the Con-
Action: Instant
tract.
Duration: One chapter or until all dreamers wake,
Curse’s Cure (Common) whichever comes first
The changeling concocts an antidote for any venom or Effects: The changeling connects the Bastions of all
poison that afflicts another from a sample of their blood, participating dreamers, thus drawing them all into a shared
which he mixes with herbs picked from the Hedge and a bit dream. He himself must be a participant, and all dreamers
of his own spit in a cup of wine. must be willing. Each dreamer retains their own distinct
Bastion with a separate entrance and exit, but the dreamers
Cost: 1 Glamour
treat them as a single Bastion for purposes of oneiromancy
Dice Pool: Intelligence + Medicine + Wyrd and navigating the shared lucid dream. Increase each Bas-
Action: Instant tion’s Fortification by 1 per dreamer, to a maximum of +5,
Duration: Instant against any oneiropomp outside the linked group. When-
ever one dreamer takes an action that benefits from team-
Roll Results work with at least one of the others as an oneiropomp within
Success: Anyone who drinks a full cup of the change- any of their Bastions, that action gains the 8-again quality.
ling’s draught either heals from a poison in half the normal Shifts that cause location changes can transport anyone af-
time, or, if the poison was deadly, the character will now sur- fected from one Bastion to another in addition to changing
vive. Conditions resulting from the poison fade without re- their physical location. This Contract counts as an invita-
solving. Attempting to cure a supernatural poison prompts tion from each dreamer to each other to enter their Bastions
a Clash of Wills. from the outside.
Each invocation of this Contract produces enough an- If any of the dreamers suffers the Comatose Condition or
tidote for a single poisoned victim, no matter the amount of has otherwise lost the ability to dream lucidly, paradigm shifts
liquid in the cup. can inflict Shift Conditions in any of their Bastions even if
Exceptional Success: The poison is entirely and instant- that Bastion’s oneiropomp is still lucid dreaming. If any partic-
ly cured. ipant wakes naturally, their Bastion simply ceases to exist with
Failure: The Contract fails. no impact on the others other than to reduce the number of
connected dreamers (and thus potentially their Fortification
Dramatic Failure: The changeling botches the mixing bonuses). However, if one dreamer is forcibly and magically
and poisons himself. He suffers the Fatigued Condition, awoken, whether by an oneiropomp with the Dream Assail-
which becomes the moderate Poisoned Tilt during action ant Condition or by some other power, all of their shared Bas-
scenes. tions are destroyed, forcing those still asleep to contend with
Beast: The Beast can make the toxin his own and in- their Bastion’s end per the rules on p. 222 of Changeling.
flict the moderate Poisoned Tilt on a grappled opponent as a Beast: All participating dreamers gain +2 to any action
unique grappling option that requires biting the opponent, they take that’s contested by an external oneiropomp intrud-
as long as he does so during the chapter in which he invoked ing on any of their Bastions.
this Contract.
Wizened: The Shrewd builds stronger, steadier con-
Wizened: The Hatter may use this Contract to reduce nections. In addition to gaining the 8-again quality, team-
the severity of a disease, or to end the effects of a drug in work actions between dreamers within the shared Bastions
the target’s system; Conditions related to these effects fade achieve exceptional success on three successes.
without resolving.
Loophole: All participating dreamers are part of the
Loophole: The changeling tastes a bit of the same tox- same sworn oath when this Contract is invoked. The oath
in that afflicts the one he intends to cure within the same need not be exclusive to them; for instance, if all are in the
scene; this Contract doesn’t protect him from its effects if same motley but not all motley-mates participate, it still
even a small taste would poison him. counts. Swearing an oath specifically for the purpose of this
Contract within the same scene also counts.
Dreamer’s Phalanx (Common)
By physically touching each other as they fall asleep, a Closing Death’s Door (Royal)
group of changelings connects each of their Bastions to that Even mortals know the cup may usher in doom or stave
of the one who invokes the phalanx, reinforcing their collec- it off, but the Lost know it can even reverse it under the right
tive walls and enabling feats no dreamweaver could achieve circumstances. With a tender kiss on the lips, the touch of
on his own. her tears to the corpse’s face, or another gesture of intimacy
New Contracts 37
solve when the character performs a major service for his Poison the Well (Royal)
creditor, such as saving their life or risking danger to bring Emotional connections can grow stronger with time,
them something they desire. but so too may they diminish. With a few well-placed words
Resolution: Repay the debt, as above. in the right ear, the changeling poisons the bonds between
Beat (Persistent only): Fulfill a request or demand the people, causing discord and hard feelings where once was
creditor makes without attempting to resist. harmony.
Cost: 1 Glamour
Still Waters Run Deep
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Expression + Wyrd vs. Re-
(Royal) solve + Wyrd
The changeling takes a series of slow, deep breaths while Action: Contested
his target can see his serene expression, allowing them to nei-
Duration: One chapter
ther suffer emotional turmoil nor experience joy for a time.
Cost: 2 Glamour Roll Results
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge + Wyrd − Re- Success: The changeling corrupts his target’s connec-
solve tions to one of her mundane Social Merits, removing her
Action: Instant access to it for the Contract’s duration. The subject of the
Merit, such as the target’s Allies, Contacts, or Mentor, turns
Roll Results against her, actively attempting to hinder her. These connec-
Success: The target suppresses a number of emotional tions may believe she betrayed them, became involved in
Conditions currently affecting them equal to successes something unsavory, or gravely insulted them — or perhaps
rolled on this Contract’s invocation roll; the changeling may they simply decided they don’t like the cut of her jib.
target himself if he can see his own face, such as in a mirror. If the changeling is in the Hedge, he may also target
Eligible Conditions include Clarity Conditions and Condi- any changeling-specific Merit representing connections to a
tions resulting from Bedlam. The Contract nullifies the ef- fae beings, Hedge locations, or other resources. If he does,
fects of suppressed Conditions for the scene; the target can’t use of this Contract counts as a Hedgespinning action, but
resolve or gain Beats from them. They can’t take on any new doesn’t suffer the usual penalties to the invocation roll. Ex-
emotional Conditions for the duration; powers which inflict ample eligible Merits include Fae Mount, Goblin Bounty,
or bestow them simply fail. Hob Kin, Hollow, and Stable Trod; others may qualify at
While this Contract is in effect, the target can’t perform the Storyteller’s discretion. These Merits are affected differ-
Hedgespinning or dreamweaving, incite Bedlam, or harvest ently from mundane ones: the target can still use them, but
Glamour from living beings (but they can reap it). she accumulates Goblin Debt points equal to the Merit’s dot
Exceptional Success: Additional successes are their rating per use.
own reward. Exceptional Success: In addition to the usual effects,
Failure: The Contract fails. the target suffers the Notoriety Condition.
Dramatic Failure: The changeling takes on his target’s Failure: The Contract fails.
emotional burdens instead of suppressing them, gaining the Dramatic Failure: The changeling poisons his own
Storyteller’s choice of either one of the target’s detrimental most important connections instead; one of his Touchstones
Conditions or the Demoralized Condition; these must be re- detaches from his Clarity track for the rest of the chapter.
solved normally and don’t vanish when this Contract ends. Fairest: The Muse gains access to the Merit he soured
Wizened: The Hatter may choose either emotional for the Contract’s duration, turning the connections to his
Conditions or purely mental Conditions to suppress, and own benefit.
can mix and match them. Elemental: The Torrent’s meddling results in extensive
Ogre: For the Contract’s duration, the Terrible can re- collateral damage; once this Contract ends, the target’s Merit
solve one of the target’s suppressed temporary Conditions by returns at a rate of one dot per scene rather than all at once.
meeting its usual resolution criteria; he gains the Beat from Loophole: The changeling interacts with the target
resolution rather than the target. Merit’s subject within the same scene, sowing conflict or
Loophole: Within the same scene, the changeling writes sabotaging a resource personally.
out at least a paragraph detailing his current emotional state,
stuffs the paper into a bottle, and closes the bottle. Shared Cup (Royal)
Sharing a cup or breaking bread brings people together.
The changeling fills a drinking vessel or prepares a meal and
shares its contents equally between all members of a group,
forming a bond that defies boundaries.
New Contracts 39
Dramatic Failure: Some of the debt scrapes off onto the Beggar Knight (Common)
changeling herself; she gains a point of Goblin Debt. The changeling spins a tale of unearned wealth and
Darkling: The Bewitched can choose one of the debts curses her victim to possess only what he makes himself. She
the target owes (apart from Goblin Debt or pledge obligations) slices away the threads connecting him to the world’s tapes-
and make herself a middleman; the target now owes her the try of exchange and denies him the fruits of others’ labor.
debt, and she owes the same or equivalent to the original Cost: 2 Glamour
creditor. Paperwork and records shift automatically to adjust
to this new reality, but because the Wyrd exerts itself to render Dice Pool: Manipulation + Academics + Wyrd – Com-
this change, it watches the outcome more closely. Should the posure
changeling default on her own new debt or otherwise break Action: Instant
her agreement, she gains the Oathbreaker Condition. Duration: One chapter per success
Wizened: The Domovoi needs only three successes to Roll Results
achieve exceptional success when exploiting her knowledge
of the obligations to influence the target or settle their debts. Success: The changeling curses a victim who can hear
and understand her words. The victim suffers several effects:
Loophole: The target has allowed the changeling to ex-
amine their records or accounts during the same scene. • He gains no equipment bonus, damage bonus, or ar-
mor rating from any piece of physical equipment he
Give and Take (Common) did not make himself, and failures with such items au-
The changeling promises an exchange of intangible tomatically become dramatic failures without award-
power, adjusting the ledgers of soul and will to satisfy all ing a Beat.
parties.
• He loses access to any Resources dots he did not liter-
Cost: 1 Glamour, or 2 Glamour for Merit exchange ally create himself — a trove of coins he personally
Dice Pool: None minted, for example. He discovers his bank accounts
Action: Instant suspended and credit cards maxed out. People refuse
to accept his checks, fearing forgery, or the Wyrd
Duration: Instant, or one scene for Merits
otherwise conspires to render his wealth worthless.
Effects: The changeling’s player chooses a number of Resources dots return once the curse ends.
points up to half the changeling’s Wyrd from one category
of Glamour, Willpower, social currency (see p. 130), or dots • His dice pools cannot benefit from the teamwork of
in a specific, personal-scale Merit, and offers to exchange others (though he may still lend teamwork to another
them with a target for an equal amount of another category primary actor).
they possess. For example, the changeling might trade three
Exceptional Success: The changeling’s player may also
points of her own Glamour for three points of the target’s
roll her successes on this Contract’s invocation roll as an im-
Willpower or their three-dot Common Sense Merit. If the
mediate Clarity attack against the victim. If he doesn’t have
recipient is willing, the exchange immediately takes place.
Clarity, his player rolls a breaking point with a dice penalty
Traded Merits last until the end of the scene, during equal to invocation successes instead.
which time the original owner cannot access their benefits;
Failure: The Contract fails.
the recipient must meet all prerequisites for the Merit. This
Contract has no effect if the target doesn’t consent to the Dramatic Failure: Rather than cutting the threads away,
transaction, although a bit of haggling to get there is fine. the changeling entangles herself in them. Until the end of the
current chapter, the changeling loses access to her own Resources
Neither party can exchange Merits affecting the wider
dots while the target gains access to them, and if the target carries
world beyond them; the changeling cannot trade for Resourc-
any Goblin Debt, one point transfers over to the changeling.
es or Allies, for example, but she could trade for Fast Reflexes.
Since the Contract does not allow an exchange within the Elemental: Anything mundane the victim owns and
same category, she also cannot trade one Merit for another. did not make himself begins to degrade. His clothes turn
to tatters in days; his house starts to collapse in months;
Ogre: The Bruiser can also trade away or trade for
his treasures tarnish or rot. This degradation stops affecting
points of mild Clarity damage.
anything he permanently sells or gives away, but if such
Wizened: The Hatter’s exchange need not be equal, but items ever come back under his ownership, they immediately
each partner must still trade at least one point in a category, disintegrate.
and the target must still consent.
Wizened: Any normally constructive interaction the
Loophole: The changeling and the target permanently victim has with the wealth of others — such as accounting
exchange physical gifts of equal value or meaning that they the books for a client, choosing how to assign the corpora-
have not given each other before. tion’s assets, or even just taking a few dollars to buy some-
New Contracts 41
Darkling: The Mountebank’s interactions with the or- Action: Instant
ganization are completely traceless except where convenient Duration: Up to one chapter
for her.
Effects: The changeling agrees to an exchange with
Fairest: The Muse gains the Connected Condition re- another of the Lost, wherein she borrows one of the
garding the organization she interacts with. common Contracts they know. If the target consents, the
Loophole: The organization member accepts a bribe or changeling gains access to the Contract as if she learned
gift the changeling offers him during the same scene. it herself, although she only gains any seeming bonus she
naturally has access to and doesn’t gain any additional ones
Blood Debt (Royal) the target learned from Pupil’s Devotion. She also cannot
The changeling guards her life jealously. She proclaims access the Contract’s Loophole; Loopholes work by briefly
her ownership of self and soul, and demands a hefty toll be convincing the Wyrd the changeling inherently has the right
paid for any blood another dares take from her, or pain they to wield that power, but such a guise is impossible to pull off
dare inflict. with only third-hand access to the Contract.
Cost: 2 Glamour The target loses access to the exchanged Contract
Action: Instant in the meantime. Exchange of Gilded Contracts passes
to the target, although they cannot use it to create a new
Effects: Whenever another character inflicts one or Contract exchange. Instead, the target chooses when to
more points of lethal or aggravated damage on the change- end the exchange; this reflexive action immediately returns
ling, or one or more points of mild or severe Clarity dam- their original Contract to them and passes the ability to
age, the offender suffers a single point of lethal damage in use Exchange of Gilded Contracts back to the original
response. This damage does not interact with armor; it sim- changeling in turn.
ply appears upon the victim. Rips open in their flesh, blood
oozes from their orifices, or convulsions spasm through Darkling: The Wisp can exploit the Loophole on the
them. traded Contract.
The amount of lethal damage inflicted increases by one Ogre: The Terrible does not lose access to the borrowed
point for each of the following: Contract until the end of the chapter even if the original
owner calls it back earlier for their own use, although she
• The attack also caused the changeling to lose (not still cannot exploit its Loophole until the target changeling
spend) one or more points of Willpower. chooses to end Exchange of Gilded Contracts.
• The attack also caused the changeling to lose (not Loophole: The changeling and the target each don a
spend) one or more points of Glamour. relatively convincing mask of the other during the scene.
• The attack also inflicted a Condition or Tilt on the Golden Promise (Royal)
changeling. The changeling speaks of her fabulous riches, girding
herself in the raw symbolism of wealth. She becomes a gilded
Elemental: Offenders suffer a baseline of two points of
goddess of obvious privilege, her every word a golden promise;
lethal damage, rather than one.
she makes it unfathomable to conceive of her inability to pay
Ogre: The Gargoyle may instead extend her protection for whatever she desires, and those offering to sell become
to her friends, imposing the toll on any damage done to her enamored with the idea of providing for her whims.
allies in the scene instead of herself as long as she remains
Cost: 2 Glamour
conscious.
Dice Pool: Presence + Socialize + Wyrd – current Avail-
Loophole: The changeling wears jewelry or another
ability
adornment that freshly cuts or pierces her flesh during this
scene; healed piercings don’t qualify. Action: Instant
Duration: Instant
Exchange of
Gilded Contracts (Royal) Roll Results
Success: The changeling reduces the Availability of a
The changeling pronounces her offer, placing down a
single service she wishes to procure by activation successes
part of who she is in return for the same from her coun-
rolled. The service must still be feasibly available in the
terpart. Those precious little slivers of self are more than
current situation and she doesn’t need to provide any fur-
just identity, though; they’re what make each of the Lost
ther recompense beyond the reduced Availability for the
party to the fae power of a Contract. It’s just a brief loan,
transaction. The Wyrd surrounds her with such an aura of
an exchange of contractual rights — but both feel that lack
affluence that sellers feel compensated by merely standing
gnawing at them until the business concludes.
in the penumbra of her riches. Golden Promise may re-
Cost: 3 Glamour
New Contracts 43
Thirty Pieces (Royal) of making decisions for everyone else — or usurps it, guiding
The changeling flips a coin across her knuckles, back people’s lives whether they want her to or not — and under-
and forth. In its dance, she sees the price treachery demands. stands sometimes a Scepter is just a bludgeon.
Cost: 3 Glamour Burning Ambition (Common)
Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd The wanton ambition and desire of the Gentry sweeps
Action: Instant through everything they touch like wildfire. Changelings of
Duration: Instant the Scepter fan the flames of their own ambitions by taking
something from someone else when invoking this Contract;
Roll Results it could be legitimate theft, or it could be something she in-
Success: The changeling plants a seed of treachery tends to give back or something taken as a jest, as long as it
within the mind of a single target she can see. She chooses a isn’t freely given and she receives no permission.
single action that constitutes a betrayal of the target’s allies, Cost: 1 Glamour
friends, or cause, such as revealing damning information
Dice Pool: None
or attacking them directly. This may happen immediately
or rely on a specific trigger occurring before the end of the Action: Instant
current story (such as ‘shoot my ally when they pick up this Duration: Until fulfillment of the Aspiration
box’). The target takes the specified action when appropriate, Effects: The changeling gains an additional Aspiration that
gaining the Guilty Condition thereafter. This power cannot acts as a True Fae’s craving (Changeling, p. 269). It must reflect
compel non-treacherous acts, nor can it cause the target to whatever — or whoever — the changeling wants most not already
directly harm herself. A character can only be under the covered by one of her current Aspirations. When she fulfills the
effects of one invocation of Thirty Pieces at a time; using the craving, she replenishes points of Willpower equal to half her
Contract on a target who has yet to meet the trigger of an Wyrd as well as a Beat but gains the Competitive Condition.
existing instance overwrites it.
Beast: If the Courser consumes the object of the crav-
Exceptional Success: The target also gains the Fugue ing, whether it’s food, drink, or flesh, she regains all Will-
Condition after committing the betrayal. power instead when she fulfills the Aspiration.
Failure: The Contract fails. Fairest: If the object of the Muse’s craving is another
Dramatic Failure: The changeling calls treachery to character, that character suffers the Swooned Condition re-
herself instead. The Storyteller chooses a moment before garding the changeling when she fulfills the Aspiration.
the end of the chapter to reveal the betrayal of someone the Loophole: Within the same scene, the changeling com-
motley knows, whether deliberately or inadvertently; the pletely burns a symbol of an obligation she has to someone
changeling herself gains a detrimental Condition reflecting else until it’s destroyed.
the betrayal’s nature, such as Embarrassing Secret, Notori-
ety, or Demoralized. Jealous Vengeance (Common)
Darkling: The Contract’s target becomes isolated from The changeling’s enemies include those who stand be-
those they betrayed after committing the chosen act; they tween her and something she wants, regardless of whether
gain the Notoriety Condition. they obstruct her purposefully or unknowingly. By clearly
Elemental: Any safeguards or defenses that could speaking the name of the one she wishes to remove from her
prevent the target’s treachery fail; a treacherous attack always path and issuing an ultimatum to them, she forces a terrible
benefits from surprise, for example, or a camera set up to choice.
detect intruders conveniently goes on the fritz. Cost: 1 Glamour
Loophole: The target accepted payment from the Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Wyrd vs. Resolve
changeling to betray their fellows during the current story, + Wyrd
even if they had no intention of actually carrying it out. Action: Contested
Scepter Duration: One chapter
New Contracts 45
Loophole: The changeling anoints her knight with her A Benevolent Hand (Royal)
own blood as the required knighting ceremony; she must Regardless of whether the changeling intends to wield
shed this blood by inflicting at least one point of lethal dam- power responsibly or not, she knows it’s much easier to
age on herself within the same scene. Blood from injuries achieve her goals with the people’s favor. She wins popular-
she didn’t cause herself doesn’t count. ity with generosity and hearts with kindness, even if both are
Unmask the Dark Horse false — if no one’s the wiser, what difference does it make?
She still gets the power she craves.
(Common)
Cost: 1 Glamour
All those who aspire to power have rivals, but some
Dice Pool: None
don’t make themselves known until the last minute, seizing
victory from the jaws of defeat. The changeling may reveal — Action: Instant
or create — such a rival to display her capability to all, issuing Duration: One chapter
a challenge her rival cannot refuse. Effects: The changeling performs some gesture that
Cost: 2 Glamour benefits someone else without benefiting her directly or
Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Wyrd vs. Compo- indirectly, such as giving money to an unhoused person or
sure + Wyrd returning a lost wallet to its owner. This improves her im-
pression (up to perfect) for purposes of Social maneuvering
Action: Contested
with anyone she meets for the first time during the chapter,
Duration: Instant including those she benefitted, if applicable. If she succeeds
Roll Results on any Social action against an affected person during the
Contract’s duration, she may gain a temporary dot of the Al-
Success: The changeling calls someone out, learning
lies Merit (Changeling, p. 120) representing that character
one of their short-term Aspirations and inflicting the Com-
and one organization or group to which they belong, to a
petitive Condition on them. They can’t resolve the Condi-
maximum of five Allies dots gained this way. This dot van-
tion until after they win a contested roll, fight, or other com-
ishes when the Contract ends.
petition against the changeling.
Elemental: Word of the Torrent’s magnanimous deeds
By spending an additional Glamour point, the change-
spreads further and has more of an impact; she gains two
ling may immediately change one of her own Aspirations to
dots of Allies instead of one from every successful Social ac-
one directly opposing the target’s.
tion affected by this Contract.
Exceptional Success: The changeling learns all her tar-
Wizened: The Domovoi’s intuition and research allow
get’s Aspirations.
her to pinpoint particularly useful targets, gaining an ad-
Failure: The Contract fails. ditional dot of Resources instead of Allies. This counts as
Dramatic Failure: The changeling’s challenge backfires, a separate 1-dot Resources Merit from any she may already
humiliating her and stoking the fires of her jealous rage; she possess, and she may gain up to five Resources dots this way.
suffers the Berserk Condition. Loophole: The changeling gives up something signifi-
Fairest: The Unicorn’s challenge and any compe- cant when she invokes this Contract.
tition or rumble with her target that follows while this
Contract is in effect is automatically viewable in real time Fake It ‘Til You Make It (Royal)
by anyone within five miles. They may happen to catch When a ruler lays down the law, everyone follows.
it on television, run across a video online with no up- When the Gentry speak their desires, the world changes to
load data, listen to a play-by-play on a radio frequency oblige them. The changeling can’t rely on true authority to
that shouldn’t be broadcasting anything, read a report on impose her will the same way, but when she carries herself
it in the newspaper, or even watch it shimmering on the with a regal presence and makes a grand proclamation to all
horizon like a mirage. present, she fools the Wyrd into letting her appropriate that
Beast: Whenever the Grim wins a competition or fight power by brute force.
against her target while this Contract is in effect, she inflicts Cost: 2 Glamour
the Notoriety Condition upon him, ostracizing him from
Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Wyrd − Resolve
his closest social group like a lion who failed to find a mate.
Action: Instant
Loophole: The changeling invokes the Contract and
issues her challenge in front of a large crowd of people in- Roll Results
cluding at least one of the target’s loved ones, friends, or Success: The changeling makes her proclamation,
colleagues. which becomes automatically loud enough for everyone
within 10 yards/meters to hear. In the process, she can
make changes to the mundane world as though she were
New Contracts 47
Curse of Hidden Strings Dramatic Failure: The changeling suffers the Lever-
(Royal) aged Condition regarding her target.
Sometimes, those who stand in the changeling’s way Fairest: The Muse may target a number of characters up
do it because they must, not because they want to. From to her Wyrd as long as they’re all bound by the same obliga-
mundane employment contracts to Wyrd-bound oaths, ob- tion, such as an entire motley or multiple employees of the
ligation ties the hands of many who might otherwise care same company.
little for her ambitions. By crumpling, tearing, or otherwise Wizened: Rather than erasing the target’s memory of
destroying something with the target’s signature, such as a the obligation, the Wizened transfers it to herself in the
paper contract, an autographed photo, or even a bar napkin, target’s mind. They may think they’re her motley-mate, em-
she eases their burden by erasing their obligation from their ployee, or debtor, for instance.
mind, easing her own way in the process. Loophole: The changeling knowingly and deliberately
Cost: 2 Glamour breaks a pledge or agreement of her own within the same
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Larceny + Wyrd vs. Resolve scene.
+ Wyrd
Spare Not the Rod (Royal)
Action: Contested
The changeling unleashes her envy and wrath upon
Roll Results those who possess what she desires, judging them unworthy.
Success: The changeling chooses one pledge, debt, The Scepter itself manifests from her jealous rage and covet-
agreement, or other obligation of the target’s she already ous heart to grace her with the power to cow her pathetic
knows about. Some evidence or proof of its existence must rivals and take what she deserves.
exist, whether a contract, email, IOU, or a pledge the Wyrd Cost: 1 Glamour
enforces; a simple verbal agreement does not suffice. The Dice Pool: None
victim loses all memory of her involvement in the obliga-
Action: Instant
tion—she believes she’s unemployed, forgets she needs to pay
back a loan, or forgets she’s part of a motley. She remembers Effects: The changeling crafts a literal scepter or staff
the other parties exist, but assumes she has no obligation to out of pure Glamour. It counts as a melee weapon with a
them even if shown physical proof. This does not free them damage rating of 0B and no Initiative penalty. It can also be
from the obligation, and failure to meet it just because she a ranged weapon at the cost of 1 Glamour per attack, with
forgets it exists carries the same consequences as it usually a damage rating of 0L, a range of 30 yards/meters with no
would. ability to attack at medium or long range, and no Initiative
penalty. She may give it any size or appearance she likes, and
The changeling must choose a feasible action the target
may regardless of its size always wield it one-handed with no
can take that benefits them and is somehow related to the
minimum Strength requirements.
forgotten obligation, which will permit them to break the
curse early. If they do, the Contract ends, and they both im- She can wield the scepter to either physically attack a
mediately remember the obligation and know who caused target or take an Intimidate action against them. If either
their memory loss. The target should accomplish something action is successful, whether or not the target actually takes
concrete when taking the action, such as resolving a Condi- damage, she also inflicts the Demoralized Condition on
tion, gaining a new Touchstone or regaining Willpower from them.
an existing one, upholding or breaking a pledge (including The scepter is a solid object, and if the changeling is dis-
the forgotten one), or suffering a breaking point. For exam- armed or sets the scepter down, it remains for the Contract’s
ple, a curse that breaks via true love’s kiss might lift when duration. Anyone else who picks up the scepter can use it as
the target gains a new Touchstone by kissing that Touch- described, although those who have no Wyrd rating can’t
stone’s subject; a curse that breaks via defying someone with use its ranged attack.
power over them might lift when they stand up to the bully Fairest: The Muse may spend 2 additional Glamour
tormenting them and resolve the Cowed Condition. The while attacking or intimidating with the scepter to inflict
Storyteller may rule a sufficiently dramatic action enough to the Persistent Awestruck Condition instead of Demoralized
break the curse without any concrete mechanics. upon a successful roll.
If the Contract ends on its own rather than breaking as Wizened: Once the Wizened creates the scepter, she
above, the target remains none the wiser about who caused can always summon it directly to her hand no matter where
their memory loss. it is as long as she has a hand free with which to hold it.
Exceptional Success: The duration becomes one chap- If someone else is already holding it, she must successfully
ter instead. wrest it from them with a Presence + Intimidation roll con-
Failure: The Contract fails. tested by their Strength + Stamina.
New Contracts 49
Failure: The Contract fails. their keys in their car, they overdraw their bank account,
Dramatic Failure: The target suffers a setback in the they say the wrong thing at the worst possible time.
pursuit of their goal and blames the changeling for it. Alter- Cost: 1 Glamour
natively, they succeed despite the changeling’s attempts and Dice Pool: Presence + Expression + Wyrd vs. Resolve
know he tried to sabotage them. + Wyrd
Darkling: The Mountebank manipulates events from Action: Contested
the shadows, gaining the Informed Condition about his sub-
Duration: One chapter
ject’s Aspiration.
Ogre: The Bruiser isn’t interested in being coy. He en- Roll Results
courages his target to be bold, suggesting actions they might Success: Routine matters that normally go smoothly for
otherwise be reluctant or too timid to take. His player adds the target go wrong; a routine matter is any action the target
+2 dice to his roll to convince them. takes that doesn’t require a roll. For example, their signal
Loophole: The changeling lets an opportunity toward cuts out whenever they try to make a phone call, or they can’t
fulfilling one of his own Aspirations slip by within the same find a parking space at their destination. While most often
scene. affecting matters of communication, finance, and travel, the
Contract’s effects reach beyond those arenas.
Shooting Star (Common) Exceptional Success: In addition to their minor misfor-
Fame is a fickle thing. For just a moment, the target’s tunes, the target must roll every roll twice and take the worse
star burns bright, then fades away. Whether their song cap- result.
tivates the coffeehouse audience, their painting makes waves Failure: The Contract fails.
in a small-town art gallery, or the popular kids at school all Dramatic Failure: The changeling’s own luck sours in-
post their new dance move to social media, the creator’s art stead. His player suffers –2 to all actions for the chapter.
resonates deeply whenever encountered by anyone.
Darkling: The Mountebank names a number of specific
Cost: 2 Glamour communication-related or technological routine matters up
Dice Pool: None to her Wyrd rating to go wrong for the target. When the
Action: Instant chosen mishaps occur, they do so in a way that just so hap-
Duration: One chapter pens to give the Darkling information about the target that
he didn’t already know. For instance, he might accidentally
Effects: The changeling targets someone who brings receive an important email meant for someone else or find
creative works to fruition, regardless of the quality of their the target’s dropped credit card.
work. They gain 1 dot of the Fame Merit (Changeling, p.
122) for the Contract’s duration; if this would increase their Elemental: Inclement weather thwarts the target at every
Fame beyond 3 dots, they simply gain +1 die to the Merit’s turn. The Torrent’s player declares an environmental or per-
Social bonus instead. All changelings harvesting Glamour sonal weather-based Tilt to affect the target for the Contract’s
from those affected by the target’s Fame gain +1 to the har- duration whenever most inconvenient, at the Storyteller’s dis-
vesting roll. cretion. For instance, torrential rains pour down after their
tire goes flat, or a snowstorm slows their commute to a crawl.
Beast: Displays of physical excellence inspire crowds,
too. The Courser may instead target someone who performs Loophole: The changeling spins around widdershins
feats of physical excellence, such as a local baseball player, while he tells the story.
the neighborhood gym rat who runs every morning, or the
Frozen Star (Royal)
aspiring figure skater who practices on the nearby pond ev-
ery winter. The changeling traces a likeness in the stars of a person,
place, or object of which he knows the current location as
Fairest: The Muse’s player gains +2 to rolls to harvest
though drawing a constellation with his finger and speaks a
Glamour instead.
person’s name aloud. The Wyrd temporarily imbues the new
Loophole: The changeling completes his own Build constellation with vast importance to the target.
Equipment action to make a creative work within the same
Cost: 2 Glamour
scene. Beasts may instead succeed at an impressive feat using
Athletics. Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Empathy or Persuasion) +
Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd
Retrograde (Common) Action: Contested
The changeling tells a story about a person in his pres- Duration: Until the next sunrise or subject touches target
ence. When he describes actions taken by the person within Effects: The Contract pulls the subject toward the
the story, he makes a counterclockwise gesture. Chaos de- traced target, even from long distances; he cannot name
scends on the target’s life: they miss their train, they lock
New Contracts 51
with their deceased brother and ask his advice, the change-
ling may create an eidolon in the brother’s image, bringing
the two together in dreams. Wandering Stars
If the changeling has an existing enchanted bargain (p. Changelings whose durances and explora-
77) with the wisher or makes one within the same scene that tions take them to the Outer Hedge may dis-
he uses this Contract to learn their wish, he may thenceforth cover different themes and Contracts within
teleport instantly to the mortal’s side whenever he hears the Star Regalia. The night sky changes the
them call for his aid via Enchanted Obligation, and he may farther from Earth you get. Familiar constel-
spend 1 Glamour to bring along anyone who is touching him lations hang slightly off-kilter or don’t exist at
at the time. Doing so immediately resolves the Enchanted all, setting portents and fortunes askew. How
Obligation Condition, though only the changeling’s player do you find home when the star that always
earns the Beat in that case. guided you there moves or disappears?
Ogre: If the target is non-fae, the Bruiser’s player gains Work with your Storyteller to determine
+2 to one attempt to harvest Glamour from them. how your changeling’s travels through the
Wizened: In addition to learning the wish, the Shrewd Outer Hedge and beyond affect the Stars.
gleans the driving force behind it, such as the target’s fears, What insights do they gain by seeing the
financial difficulty, regret, etc. world from an entirely different perspective?
Loophole: The changeling coaxes the target into mak-
What Contracts might they discover along
ing the wish in her presence within the same scene.
the winding paths of the Wishing Roads?
The player may replace one or more of their
Pinch of Stardust (Royal) character’s existing Stars Contracts with the
new ones if they travel to the Outer Hedge in
The Lost understand how their Keepers fashioned their play. These adjustments should complement
fetches from discarded ribbons, twigs, fishing line, and what- the other Contracts in the Regalia, rather than
ever else laid at hand. They set these constructs loose in the diminishing them or penalizing the Lost who
changelings’ lives with no one the wiser. The act likely filled uses them. Changelings excel at adaptation.
the changeling with horror when first uncovered, but he also
learned from it.
He creates his own entity out of star stuff and scraps,
and when his target lays eyes on it, she feels as if she’s known mentor, close friend, or other important part of the target’s
it for years. She remembers good times spent in the crea- life. The target suffers the Persistent Delusional Condition
ture’s company, holds warm feelings toward it and trusts it regarding the entity; the Condition fades without resolution
with their secrets. The simulacrum becomes one of her guid- or granting Beats if not resolved before the end of the chap-
ing light — her North Star, her Touchstone — and she suffers ter.
when its brief existence snuffs out like a shooting star fallen.
The changeling may target himself with this Contract,
Cost: 3 Glamour + 1 Willpower but for its duration he doesn’t remember invoking it, believ-
Dice Pool: Intelligence + Crafts + Wyrd vs. Resolve + ing the simulacrum real.
Wyrd Invoking this Contract constitutes a breaking point
Action: Instant (willing) or Contested (hostile) with three dice, or four if targeting a changeling (including
Duration: One chapter or when Delusional resolves himself).
When the chapter ends, the Touchstone crumbles into Exceptional Success: The exceptionally well-construct-
its component parts. Changeling targets risk Clarity damage ed creature becomes difficult for suspicious and well-mean-
as though they’ve lost a Touchstone. Non-changeling super- ing friends to remember as not real. It becomes embedded
natural beings follow rules for Touchstone loss according to in the memories of the target’s closest real friends and loved
their supernatural type; all others suffer a breaking point ones, although they don’t become Delusional and evidence
with a –1 modifier. of the creature’s falsity makes them suspicious.
Roll Results Failure: The Contract fails.
Success: The creature acts like a fetch, gaining Echoes Dramatic Failure: The changeling puts too much of
(Changeling, p. 236) equal to the changeling’s Wyrd rating. himself into his creation, which becomes his ill-intentioned
Attach the creature as one of the target’s Touchstones. If double, acting as a second fetch that knows it’s a fetch.
the target isn’t a changeling but may have Touchstones, fol- Darkling: The Bewitched made the creature’s right ear
low the usual rules for their supernatural type. For a target out of a tin can and string, and kept the can attached to the
who has no access to Touchstones, the creature becomes a other end. When the target whispers a secret to the creature,
the Darkling hears it.
Thorn
Thorn hides under a changeling’s Mask. Like a stun-
ning rose, it pricks those who come too close. Thorns pierce
and irritate, punishing fools who transgress. It cares not
for Sword’s aggression or Shield’s protection; Thorn evokes
weapon and bulwark both, the unseen barb putting out the
eye of a trespasser from either direction. Legends say Con-
tracts like Thorns and Brambles, Hedgewall, and Prince of
Ivy once fell within the purview of Thorn. The pacts that
formed other Regalia stole them away, however, and Thorn
hungers for their return.
New Contracts 53
sage to them no longer than 37 words, and the victim may tiple actions to fully return her senses to herself unless she
reply once in kind. Only these two hear each other’s messages, ends the Contract early.
even if someone is close to them when they whisper. Loophole: The changeling brews a potion of poison ivy,
Wizened: The changeling may specify a clause that ends newt, and thistles within the same scene; she peers into the
the Contract prematurely. The conditions may be simple (“stay potion, extending her senses into nearby flora.
home from work tomorrow”) or elaborate (“help me bust the
Goblin Queen peddling Arcadian cocaine on 1st Street”) but Thistle’s Rebuke (Common)
must be expressed in a single short phrase. The victim has no The changeling refuses to allow others to get close to
obligation to comply, but becomes subconsciously both aware her, sprouting thorns to keep them at bay.
of the terms and that fulfilling them would end their suffering. Cost: 1 Glamour
Loophole: Directly or indirectly, the changeling causes Dice Pool: None
a thorn, needle, or similar small, pointed object to prick the
target, drawing at least a drop of blood. Action: Instant
Effects: Thorns grow from the changeling’s clothing or ar-
By the Pricking of My Thumbs mor, increasing its general armor rating by two. They also tear
(Common) the flesh of anyone who gets too close to the changeling, inflict-
ing one point of lethal damage on anyone who touches her or
The changeling pricks her thumb on a plant’s thorn, an
engages her in melee. If grappled, her opponent takes two points
offering of blood repaid by the surrounding vegetation with
of lethal damage per turn for the grapple’s duration, in addition
kinship, at least for a time. Living plants allow her to use
to any other damage done by maneuvers within the grapple.
them as her eyes and ears for the Contract’s duration.
Additionally, the changeling can fire the thorns from her
Most Lost assume this Contract borrows its name from
armor at a foe within 50 yards/meters, although doing so ne-
Shakespeare’s Scottish play, but the phrase and the super-
gates the Contract’s other bonuses for the turn as the thorns
stition represented predates the Bard, as does the Contract
grow back. They’re ranged weapons with a damage rating of 2L.
itself. Freeholds all over the United Kingdom take it as
evidence the Weird (or Wyrd?) Sisters were a real group of Elemental: Forces of nature bow to the Torrent’s whims;
changelings who inspired the playwright — three court mon- she may take a reflexive action to retract the thorns or ex-
archs, perhaps, or a legion entitlement, whose further secrets tend them again. Anyone touching her when she reflexively
may still lie buried somewhere beneath the moors. extends them takes two points of lethal damage.
Cost: 1 Glamour Fairest: Presenting herself as the rose rather than the
thorns, the Unicorn can make the effects of this Contract
Dice Pool: None
invisible even to those who can see through the Mask.
Action: Instant
Loophole: The changeling drinks an entire glass of wa-
Effects: The changeling extends her senses of hearing, ter just before invoking this Contract.
sight, smell, and touch into any living plant she can perceive.
She can only occupy one plant at a time. She can shift her The Gouging Curse (Common)
senses from one plant to another, from a plant back to her-
The changeling issues a dire warning to her victim,
self, or from herself back out to a plant again as an instant
whether as an explicit curse (“If you violate my privacy, you
action.
will suffer grave misfortune”) or a veiled warning (“It would be
The changeling still perceives her body’s surroundings unwise to participate in tomorrow’s rap battle”). If her warn-
and can take actions while extending her senses but doing ing goes unheeded, the Thorn follows through on her threat.
so is confusing; her player suffers a –3 to all actions she takes
Cost: 1 Glamour
unrelated to perceiving through the plant while her senses
ride one, as well as to her Defense and Initiative. Dice Pool: Manipulation + Occult + Wyrd vs. Compo-
sure + Wyrd
Beast: A cousin to the wild, the Grim may use the plant
she inhabits as a natural melee weapon. These attacks utilize Action: Instant
the Beast’s Strength + (Brawl or Weaponry) and deal bashing Duration: One chapter
damage. If the plant bears thorns or needles, upgrade the
Roll Results
damage to lethal. These attacks don’t take the penalty for
perceiving in two places at once, but the changeling may still Success: The changeling chooses an action she wants
only take one instant action per turn. to forbid her target from taking. It should be specific and
something they could do within one instant action, such as
Darkling: The Bewitched may occupy a number of
visit a particular location, use a specific object, or play a cer-
plants up to her Resolve simultaneously; an instant action
tain song over the store’s retail radio. If the target performs
used to switch from one plant to another only shifts one of
the act before the chapter ends, they become cursed with
these simultaneous extensions at a time. Thus, it takes mul-
New Contracts 55
However, the promise binds them; if they fail to accomplish Awaken Portal (Royal)
it before the chapter ends, the transformation begins anew. Any unguarded entrance invites trouble through its
If they can’t contact the changeling before they’re incapable gate, from the obvious front door to the most elusive hidden
of doing so, they’re out of luck for the scene. passage. The changeling gives such an entrance the means
The stages progress as follows: to protect itself, just as roses guard their beauty with thorns.
• Anytime the target is not in direct sunlight, they be- By smearing her own blood upon the portal or arch for a
come sluggish, taking a − 2 penalty to all non-reflexive dormant Hedgeway, or upon any entrance to a Bastion or
actions, Speed, Defense, and Initiative. Hollow, she uplifts it into a goblin who serves as her eyes and
ears while she’s away.
• Target’s flesh turns to plant matter; they decrease Cost: 2 Glamour
their Stamina by 2, to a minimum of 1, decreasing Dice Pool: None
their Health accordingly.
Action: Instant
• Over the next four stages, the target’s limbs become Duration: One chapter
stems or branches one by one, inflicting the Arm Effects: The portal gains temporary sapience. While it
Wrack or Leg Wrack Tilt on one limb per stage. cannot move or take either physical actions or those requiring
• Roots grow from the target and dig down where they stand, speech, it perceives its surroundings as the changeling would;
inflicting the Immobilized Tilt. These roots grow into any blocking the entrance inhibits its vision, and a complete seal
surface as burrowing into fertile earth. The target can’t roll also inhibits its hearing. The hobgoblin portal can mentally
to break free until their progress has receded back to this communicate with her over any distance, so many changelings
stage. Treat them as though they’re held by an item. use this Contract to gather intelligence and blackmail material.
The changeling may use her kenning (Changeling, p. 107) from
• Target’s transformation completes; they become the the portal’s point of view rather than her own, but she loses the
chosen plant, and cannot take any actions, speak, or ability to see her own environment while she does so.
move in any way. They still perceive their surround- Beast: The portal goblin also becomes a great, toothy
ings as normal and take purely Mental actions not maw capable of reflexively extending its many fangs to bite
requiring movement. intruders before retracting them afterward. It may attack
Once the transformation completes, the target must anyone passing through. The attack has a damage rating of
wait out the Contract’s duration; they return to normal once 2L and uses a pool equal to the changeling’s Presence + In-
the Contract expires. Any damage done to the plant, such as timidation. If the portal successfully bites a target, it spits
plucking off leaves or slicing a vine in half, has no effect on them out forcefully, shoving them back 5 yards/meters. If
the victim when they are no longer fully transformed; any more than one character attempts to pass through simulta-
removed pieces of the plant vanish once the Contract ends. neously, the changeling’s player makes a separate attack roll
for each of them, but the attacks all happen at once.
Invoking this Contract constitutes a breaking point
with a pool of four dice. Elemental: The portal goblin possesses an additional
two-dot Influence in the Sprite’s chosen element.
Exceptional Success: When the target successfully car-
ries out a promise, the changeling regains a Willpower point. Loophole: The changeling takes at least 15 minutes
within the scene where she activates the Contract to clean,
Failure: The Contract fails. repair, or spruce up the entrance and its surrounding struc-
Dramatic Failure: The changeling’s hubris spells disas- ture prior to awakening the portal.
ter, her declaration of fury attracting the eyes of her enemies.
She suffers the Hunted Condition. Crown of Thorns (Royal)
Elemental: The Unbound may target a number of characters The changeling writes down an act she wishes to forbid her
up to her Wyrd with a single invocation of this Contract. Handle target from performing, then delivers it to them anonymously
each target’s progression or regression separately, although the via any indirect means — by mail, pigeon, text message, a mes-
changeling may offer the same promise to all of them at once. senger, etc. Should they defy her wishes, they feel the thorn’s
Wizened: Without paying Glamour, the Wizened may prick in their heart and endure the punishment of the defiant.
seal (Changeling, p. 210) the target’s statement of intent Cost: 2 Glamour
when they accept the promise. Increasing the seal’s severity Dice Pool: Presence + Occult + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd
costs 1 Glamour instead of 1 Willpower.
Action: Contested
Loophole: The changeling holds in her hand a fresh
Duration: One story
clipping, no more than one day old, from an actual plant of
the same type as the transformation she intends to inflict.
Roll Results • The spines dig themselves deeper every time the vic-
tim moves, painfully distracting her from matters at
Success: The changeling chooses a specific instant ac-
hand. She suffers a –3 penalty to Initiative.
tion — such as speak to or attack a particular person, enter a
particular building, or take a bite of the changeling’s lunch • Spines pierce the victim’s joints, immobilizing them
currently in the employee lounge fridge — she wants to for- and making all their movements rigid. Halve the vic-
bid her target from taking. If the target performs the act be- tim’s Speed (rounded down). They may voluntarily
fore the end of the current story, they suffer the Comatose take one point of bashing damage ignore this effect
Condition and one point of lethal damage from invisible for one turn and force themselves to move faster.
thorns. Non-changeling targets can’t resolve the Condition
unless someone enters their dreams to convince them they’re Beast: The Coursers gave this contract its name when
dreaming, or another supernatural power wakes them after they first imitated the shrike’s hunting techniques. When
New Contracts 57
the changeling harvests Glamour from the victim during the Independent
Contract’s duration, he regains 2 Glamour points for each
success he rolls instead of 1.
Contracts
Wizened: The Hatter may target a vehicle instead, in- The following Contracts exist independent of any Re-
flicting the chosen effects upon anyone operating it or riding galia. Some once belonged to Regalia long lost to memory
as a passenger and flattening its tires, if any. while the Gentry made others as-is for a singular purpose.
The Good Cousins stole powers from other entities, filling
Loophole: The changeling impales an effigy represent-
those powers up with their fae essences until they became
ing the target upon a thorn. While brambles are traditional,
unrecognizable. The deals the Fae made to create them still
any small piercing object works, such as barbed wire, sewing
give them potency even after the destruction of their Re-
needles, or a live porcupine’s erect quills.
galia. However, the full scope of their origin (and original
Witch’s Brambles (Royal) context) now exists only as forgotten knowledge found on
far-flung Wishing Roads in a ruined Bastion, deep in the
The witch knows the secret to turning illusions real Hedge with the last hobgoblin of its kind, or as part of an
and sees the magic in the mundane. Mortal echoes of the entitlement whose token sank to the bottom of the sea.
Thorns — clumsy and unsubtle — become much closer to
Those who learn these Contracts — without knowing the
their fae counterparts in the changeling’s hands. Traditional
attendant history — sometimes stumble into age-old baggage. Us-
invocation of this Contract utilizes roses and brambles, but
ing Contracts from forbidden or destroyed Regalia might bring
artificial objects — shards of glass and barbed wire — work
assassins to a changeling’s doorstep or put him in contact with
just as well.
a secret organization seeking knowledge of the old Regalia. He
Cost: 2-3 Glamour + 1 Willpower may attract attention from those wishing to learn — or steal — the
Dice Pool: None Contract from him or find out the hard way its central role in
Action: Reflexive an oath binding its wielder, and thus binding him. These situa-
tions should serve as interesting story hooks rather than ways to
Duration: Instant
dissuade players from seeking independent Contracts for their
Effects: By spending 2 Glamour, the changeling can characters, so the Storyteller should work with the troupe and
perform limited manipulations of the mundane world as decide whether such complications fit the troupe’s story.
though Hedgespinning, so long as she calls upon the fear
and fascination of the Thorns. She invokes this Contract Coming Darkness (Common)
while performing any mundane action utilizing a Size 1 or
Contracts calling upon darkness and shadow flourish
smaller object capable of piercing flesh in a precise fashion.
among the Gentry. Each one seems separately created rather than
A dagger, its blade broad and indiscriminate, cannot elicit
part of one coherent Regalia as far as the Lost have determined
the strange allure of staring at a pricked finger and watch-
to date. Some scholars think the negotiations for these Contracts
ing the tiniest drop of blood emerge, but a safety pin, small
were never finished, leading to an incomplete set scattered across
cactus, or a cat’s (or vampire’s) fang would work.
Arcadia. Others believe these Contracts all belong to different
The action the changeling performs suffers a –3 penalty Regalia, related in concept but independent of each other and
as the mortal world resists such wanton change. The player rising from competing deals made by rival Fae. Others contend
can spend any excess successes on subtle shifts, following that the Kindly Ones who barter for them deliberately do so as
the Hedgespinning rules (Changeling, p. 204). None of the one-offs, jealously guarding them from each other.
other usual effects or consequences of Hedgespinning occur.
The changeling reaches down to his feet and yanks his
If the changeling achieves an exceptional success on the shadow away from himself, casting it out and blanketing the
action this Contract enhances, she may pay an additional world in darkness.
Glamour to enact a paradigm shift instead.
Cost: 1 Glamour
Using this Contract in the Hedge or any other other-
Dice Pool: None
worldly realm has no effect.
Action: Instant
Beast: The Beast may count a bite attack as a valid ac-
tion for this Contract’s enhancement as long as it would deal Effects: The changeling creates an area of complete dark-
lethal or aggravated damage. ness centered on himself with a radius equal to (his Wyrd x 5)
yards/meters. The darkness falls so abruptly, everyone in the
Darkling: If the Darkling achieves exceptional success
area suffers the Stunned Tilt unless they make a successful
on the action’s roll, she may add one success to the total if
Wits + Composure roll or can see clearly in the dark. Charac-
she chooses to enact only subtle shifts.
ters within the darkness or who enter it during the Contract’s
Loophole: The changeling pierces her own flesh with duration suffer the Blinded Tilt (both eyes) until they leave the
the pointy object she uses while invoking this Contract. area or the Contract ends, whichever comes first. The change-
ling is unaffected by his own darkness.
New Contracts 59
This puppet functions as a Retainer (Changeling, p. The two entities remain bound for the Contract’s dura-
125) with a dot rating equal to half the changeling’s Wyrd tion, unable to stray more than (the changeling’s Wyrd x 10)
and a basic intelligence. It follows the changeling’s instruc- yards/meters from each other. The Hedge ghost may take
tions and may act in an action scene, taking the character’s Glamour from the character without touching him to fuel pow-
turn and acting on his Initiative. For purposes of the Re- ers it uses on his behalf. Likewise, he may use the Hedge ghost’s
tainer Merit, the changeling chooses a Specialty he possesses Glamour pool as his own on actions benefitting them both.
as the shadow’s area of expertise. The player assigns one gob- In the mundane world, the Hedge ghost suffers no deleterious
lin Dread Power (Changeling, p. 253) to the puppet. The effects while tethered, and the changeling may extend his Mask
shadow being possesses Wyrd 1, a maximum Glamour pool to his ethereal companion and make it appear human.
of 6 and has one Health box; it perishes immediately if that Exceptional Success: The Hedge ghost cannot refuse the
box fills with lethal or aggravated damage. changeling’s requests unless doing so would put it in danger.
A destroyed shadow puppet takes its part of the change- Failure: The Contract fails.
ling’s shadow with it; the stag head represents a small frac-
Dramatic Failure: The failed negotiation angers the
tion of her shadow, but a full double takes the whole thing.
Hedge ghost; it immediately attacks the changeling.
A changeling without a shadow must go to the Hedge to
reattach it as a subtle Hedgespinning shift requiring four Darkling: While the Wisp is bound to a Hedge ghost, she
successes. gains access to the Dematerialize Numen (Changeling, p. 250).
Beast: If the Beast gives the shadow puppet an animal Fairest: This Contract’s duration becomes “Until the
form, it also gains either +3 to perception-based rolls, the Unicorn leaves the Hedge” instead.
ability to fly, or an unarmed attack with a damage rating of Loophole: The changeling has caused the Hedge ghost
+1L. to affirm its own Thread within the same scene.
Darkling: The Darkling’s shadow puppet also gains the
ability to spend 1 Glamour to vanish into a shadow and step
Cracked Mirror (Royal)
out from another shadow it can perceive as an Instant ac- Once, long ago, this Contract belonged to the Mirror
tion; this ability doesn’t work in complete darkness or when Regalia. When a desperate changeling fled to mirror space to
the lighting casts no shadows. escape a band of privateers, she broke a promise to the mirror
Loophole: The changeling performs a shadow puppet people, and they in turn cursed her: the next Mirror Con-
show for the entertainment of an audience of at least three tract she invoked would shatter, ruining her magic and giv-
people lasting at least five minutes within the same scene. ing her seven years of ill fortune. The Contract she invoked
cracked and broke, falling away from its Regalia but persisting
Dread Companion (Royal) in pieces littered throughout mirror space. If someone hunted
down the shards and cobbled them back together, perhaps
The Rider Through Dawn once haggled with Domin-
they could restore the magic to its original state.
ion itself to gain power over all Hedge denizens, but another
of that Gentry’s Titles — the Countess in Repose of Bon- The changeling fogs up a mirror and writes his own name
estadt — wanted to usurp its power and intervened in the in the condensation. When he wipes the moisture away, he
negotiations. The Contract resulting from their feud grants finds his fetch looking back at him rather than his reflection.
only dominion over Hedge ghosts. Cost: 1 Glamour, or 1 Glamour + 1 Willpower
The changeling offers a bounty in return for a Hedge Dice Pool: Manipulation + Larceny + Wyrd vs. Stamina
ghost’s service, and if it agrees, he makes a bracelet for him- + Wyrd
self out of Hedge brambles, tethering it to himself in a mutu- Action: Contested
ally beneficial symbiosis.
Duration: One scene or until the changeling enacts a
Cost: 1 Glamour switch
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Occult + Wyrd vs. Resis-
Roll Results
tance + Wyrd
Success: For 1 Glamour, the changeling attunes the
Action: Contested
mirror to spy on his fetch as though he stood a few feet
Duration: One chapter from them and followed them around. For the rest of the
Roll Results scene, he can see their surroundings clearly and listen to any
sound they can hear, but the fetch automatically knows their
Success: The changeling becomes an additional Thread
changeling counterpart tried to watch them and eavesdrop
for the Hedge ghost. When he asks it to perform an ac-
even if the changeling fails her roll.
tion for him, doing so counts as affirming its Thread. The
changeling can ask the Hedge ghost to use any of its powers, By paying an additional 1 Willpower, the changeling may
Numina, or Influences on his behalf, though it may pay 1 switch places with his fetch, tricking the mirror into mistaking
Glamour to refuse. one identity for the other. It draws them both briefly into mir-
New Contracts 61
• Ward his rightmost unwarded health box from any Steal Influence (Common)
aggravated damage (can be chosen a number of times Once upon a time, a hobgoblin warlock wandered into the
up to the changeling’s total Health) Sorcerer Duke’s court hoping to impress the Arcadian Lord.
• Ignore the effects of one toxin or disease currently The Sorcerer Duke marveled at how a mere goblin commanded
affecting him (can be chosen more than once) fire, joy, and death with such delicate finesse, and demanded
the hobgoblin reveal its secrets. The hobgoblin stood confused
• Ignore the effects of one Persistent Condition cur- and silent, for its magic came to it innately rather than as a
rently affecting him; he can’t resolve it or earn Beats teachable Contract. The Duke offered to show the goblin his
for the duration (can be chosen more than once) magic instead and swallowed one of its hairs. In an instant, the
Duke learned everything and left the hobgoblin with nothing.
If he wards a health box after it has already filled with Since then, the Keeper’s captives learn this Contract in his ser-
aggravated damage, he simply ignores that damage’s effects vice, spreading it from court to court upon their return.
for the duration, although it doesn’t heal.
Cost: 1 Glamour per Influence dot
For the duration of this Contract, the changeling can-
not heal damage naturally, regain Willpower via rest, regain Dice Pool: Wits + Larceny + Wyrd vs Resolve + Wyrd
Clarity via spending time with Touchstones, or spend Expe- Action: Contested
riences. He also doesn’t age.
Roll Results
At the end of each consecutive scene after the first in
Success: The changeling touches a creature possessing
which the changeling invokes or benefits from this Con-
an Influence and, for the Contract’s duration, steals one dot
tract, he suffers a breaking point with a pool of one die + the
of it per Glamour spent. If the target possesses multiple In-
number of consecutive scenes the Contract has been active.
fluences, the changeling steals one of his choosing; he may
Because this Contract pauses time for the changeling’s body not split the spent Glamour to steal some dots of one Influ-
and mind, he may pay 1 Willpower at the end of the scene to ex- ence and some of another. The victim cannot use the stolen
tend the Contract’s duration for another scene without invoking Influence dots while the changeling possesses them, and the
it again or having to suffer the return of the inflictions he chose changeling can activate the Influence at the dot rating he
to ignore. He may do so indefinitely as long as he has Willpower paid for by spending the appropriate amount of Glamour,
to spend, but if it’s active for longer than a year and a day, Time even if it would normally require another resource to use.
takes notice of the abuse of stolen power and takes retribution in
Exceptional Success: The changeling can purchase the
a way chosen by the Storyteller. Scholars who know of Momen-
stolen Influence for 2 Experiences per dot, up to the number
tary Respite whisper cautionary rumors about the monarch of
of dots he took. If he does so, he retains use of the purchased
the Wreath’s Encircling Arms freehold who kept it active for an
dots even after they return to the victim. Changelings may
entire decade and ended up enslaved to the Wyrd itself.
possess a maximum of half their Wyrd in dots of a single
Exceptional Success: Additional successes are their Influence, just like Hedge ghosts.
own reward.
Failure: The Contract fails.
Failure: The Contract fails.
Dramatic Failure: The target may use the Influence the
Dramatic Failure: Time pauses for the changeling, but changeling tried to steal as a reflexive action, with a cost dis-
not in the way he wanted; he suffers the Immobile Tilt in- count equal to the Glamour points the changeling spent to
definitely, until he or someone else can break Time’s curse invoke this Contract. For instance, if the changeling spent 2
with a successful Clash of Wills against the changeling’s own Glamour to steal two dots, the target may reflexively use the
pool for Clashes. Influence to strengthen or manipulate at no cost, or to use
Elemental: The Elemental adds the option to ignore effects of a higher dot rating at a discount of −2 Glamour.
the effects of one Environmental Tilt currently affecting Darkling: The Wisp may split the Glamour he spends
him to the list of available options; it can be chosen more to invoke this Contract on as many different Influences as
than once. he chooses.
Ogre: The Brute may invoke this Contract for another Elemental: The Unbound may transform as many
consenting character. He still pays all costs to invoke and ex- dots of the Influences he steals as he likes into another,
tend the Contract and suffers the consequences of extending thematically similar one when invoking the Contract. For
it himself. He may only have one instance of this Contract example, an Elemental who takes three dots of Influence
active at a time; if he invokes it again while it’s already active (water) may transmute any number of those dots into In-
on someone else, the first instance immediately ends. fluence (rain), Influence (ice), or Influence (ocean). If the
Loophole: The changeling hugs or wraps himself up in changeling spends Experiences to keep the Influence after
an item of comfort that represents rest or sleep, such as a the Contract ends, all transformed dots revert back to their
blanket, a pillow, a live sheep, or a favorite stuffed animal. original type.
New Contracts 63
Wizened: The Wizened may target an area of natural, Failure: The Contract fails.
unshaped stone instead. He can craft it into a useful form Dramatic Failure: The changeling inflicts the Earth-
such as stairs, create hand- and footholds in a sheer rock wall, quake Environmental Tilt, to which he is not immune, on
or whip up an artful sculpture. The Domovoi’s shaping must the area for five turns (or 30 seconds outside action scenes)
be constructive, not destructive. Change the Contract’s roll without building anything.
to Dexterity + Crafts instead if he invokes this clause.
Fairest: If the Fairest invokes this Contract within the
Loophole: The changeling places a pebble under her Hedge, the fortress also comes with a temporary Staff Merit
tongue. (Changeling, p. 125) with a dot rating of half his Wyrd rep-
resenting hobgoblin followers; their types and Skills must
Earth’s Impenetrable Walls make sense in the context of a fortress, such as soldiers with
(Royal) Weaponry, scouts with Stealth, or doctors with Medicine.
The second in the pair of Contracts discovered in War- Ogre: Subtract successes equal to half the Ogre’s Wyrd
saw, Earth’s Impenetrable Walls allows the changeling to from any Hedgespinning action another character takes to
raise a fortress of stone from the earth at his feet. He places enact shifts on the fortress or any part of its interior.
his hands flat upon the ground and calls it to arms, declar- Loophole: The changeling has successfully defended
ing himself its commander and building a stronghold. himself or someone else from an attack within the same
Cost: 2 Glamour scene.
Dice Pool: Strength + Crafts + Wyrd
Action: Instant Regalia
Duration: One chapter Manifestation
Success: The changeling chooses an area of open land The bargains the True Fae struck with the central con-
centered on himself containing no structures, paving, or other cepts of their Regalia came with a caveat. The Gentry must
artificial constructs. With an instant action taking five turns to keep physical representations of those pacts, called manifes-
complete (or 30 seconds outside action scenes), the changeling tations, as reminders of the promises they made. A mani-
channels his will into the earth to build a fortress of stone cen- festation’s form takes its inspiration both from the concept
tered around him with a Size of (his Wyrd x 10). During this itself (leadership, luck, protection), and the individual Title
time, the Contract inflicts the Earthquake Environmental Tilt calling upon it. The Warrior with a Thousand Scars carries
on the area; the changeling himself is immune to its effects. a buckler made from a massive oak tree, for example, while
The design of this fortress is up to him; he may create a a towering glacier acts as the bulwark before the Hailstone
simple, square bunker with battlements, a single tall tower, a Prince’s icy keep. Both Shields protect the True Fae and their
pyramid, etc. and may include as many or as few rooms as he servants. Sometimes, the manifestations the Gentry carry
likes within the allowed area. The fortress counts as a Safe act like tokens, not only representing their power but also
Place (Changeling, p. 125) with a dot rating of half the change- behaving as magical tools.
ling’s Wyrd, rounded down, and its walls have Durability 2. The Lost have learned how to manifest their Arcadian
The player chooses an additional benefit per success be- Contracts this way as well, as a way of externalizing their
yond the first rolled to invoke this Contract; available ben- power. She imbues tokens or other significant items with the
efits include: themes of one of the Regalia whose Contracts she knows,
reinforcing her connection to it: an Arrow always flies true
• +1 Durability; can apply multiple times
or makes those whose hearts it pierces betray their true love;
• +10 Size; can apply multiple times a Ring tightens on an oathbreaker’s finger; a Throne shows
the changeling those places in her domain in need of her
• Immunity to all natural Environmental Tilts for walls help when she sits upon it.
and interior; supernatural ones provoke a Clash of Wielding a Regalia manifestation brings with it addi-
Wills tional benefits beyond the original token’s effects. As a repre-
sentation of her will and the themes defining her power, the
• Stocked with enough provisions to provide adequate
changeling may use it to guarantee her safety or survival. A
sustenance to everyone inside
Darkling fills a Chalice with bitter wine and locks it away in
• If invoked in the Hedge, the structure created by a golden cabinet. For the next week, any wounds she suffers
this Contract also counts as a Hollow (Changeling, seep wine instead of blood, insulating her from harm. Such
p. 116) with dot rating of half changeling’s Wyrd, manifestations can bolster her Clarity, grant her authority
rounded down over matters involving the Regalia’s themes, and alter how
its Contracts work for her.
Exceptional Success: Additional successes are their
own reward.
Regalia Manifestation 65
sacrifice a dot of Willpower to complete the transformation • Once per story, spend Glamour up to the character’s
of the object into an effigy linked to her Contracts. It retains Wyrd rating. For each point spent, the manifestation
whatever powers or memories it already possessed. absorbs one point of bashing damage the changeling
To create a temporary manifestation, the changeling would otherwise suffer or converts one point of le-
chooses a Regalia meeting the above requirements and per- thal damage to bashing. The effect wears off when the
forms a ritual evoking the Regalia’s themes. This takes one item absorbs or converts its maximum allowance of
turn (six seconds outside action scenes). For example, a Beast damage or at the end of the story, whichever comes
cuts his hand and coats the blade with his blood to evoke the first.
Sword, or a Wizened collects her own tears in a plastic cup • Once per story, spend 2 Glamour and 1 Willpower.
to call upon the Chalice. The player rolls Presence + Wyrd The changeling hides his Regalia manifestation and
+ the number of Contracts the changeling possesses in the performs a short, thematically appropriate ritual over
chosen Regalia beyond two. the spot where he hides it; this takes an instant ac-
Roll Results tion. Though he can still suffer injury or become inca-
Success: The item becomes a temporary manifestation. pacitated, he cannot die unless the item is destroyed.
It possesses one manifestation power (below) and disinte- The effect wears off at the end of the scene in which
grates at the end of the scene. When it does, the changeling he activates it. (Doesn’t require having the manifesta-
gains 2 Goblin Debt points. tion on hand.)
Exceptional Success: The item possesses two manifesta- • The changeling may attempt a kenning roll with any
tion powers instead. amount of Clarity damage as long as he currently suf-
Failure: The attempt fails. fers no Clarity Conditions, but if half or more of his
Dramatic Failure: The item disintegrates immediately Clarity boxes contain damage he can only see results
and the changeling gains 2 Goblin Debt points, but no man- strongly related to the manifested Regalia.
ifestation benefits. • The changeling regains a Glamour point whenever he
A changeling may only have one permanent and one puts himself at personal risk in a manner befitting the
temporary manifestation at a time per Regalia. manifested Regalia’s themes.
Manifestation Powers • Whenever the changeling hits a target with a physical
Following are example benefits a Regalia manifestation attack, he may spend 1 Glamour to impose a personal
can possess; players and Storytellers may also work together Tilt on them matching the Regalia’s themes in lieu of
to create new ones. A permanent manifestation has a num- dealing damage, without taking a dice penalty for a
ber of powers equal to its Merit dot rating, and gains another specified target.
each time the player increases its rating.
• The player gains one additional success to spend on
While most of the benefits work with any Regalia, the shifts when making a Hedgespinning roll for an action
way they work should reflect the chosen Regalia’s themes and that thematically aligns with the manifested Regalia.
motifs just as its Contracts do. For instance, a manifestation
of the Shield might absorb damage by literally drawing at- • (Touchstone manifestation only) Once per story,
tacks to itself, while a manifestation of the Coin might cause heal mild Clarity damage up to the Merit’s rating by
the absorbed wounds to bleed nickels rather than blood. targeting the Touchstone with a beneficial Contract
A manifestation’s powers function only when the char- of the manifested Regalia or using one for their ben-
acter has it on her person, unless otherwise indicated. The efit or on their behalf.
Storyteller is the final arbiter of whether a given action
• (Touchstone manifestation only) The changeling al-
aligns with the manifested Regalia’s themes. Tokens that be-
ways knows when the Touchstone is in danger, and
come Regalia manifestations also retain their original pow-
his player adds the manifestation Merit’s rating in bo-
ers, catches, and drawbacks.
nus dice to rolls defending the Touchstone.
• Choose one Contract the changeling knows from the
manifested Regalia normally requiring an invocation • (Fetch manifestation only) The changeling invests
roll. If the changeling pays an additional Glamour to more than just his Contracts’ power in his fetch, who
invoke it, the player’s roll for that Contract gains the gains one additional Echo that aligns with the mani-
9-again quality; 8-again if he pays two additional Glam- fested Regalia as long as it remains a manifestation.
our; or the rote quality if he pays three. The changeling (The fetch doesn’t need to be nearby.)
may change the chosen Contract once per story.
Regalia Manifestation 67
Clarity damage by spending time with the person, nor can out the violent symbolism in a bloodied weapon, soaked into
he reattach them as his Touchstone until he performs the its steel through so many cruel performances. Those Lost who
deeds. Upon losing the Clash of Wills, the changeling suf- delve most deeply into this art for its own sake are dramaturg-
fers the Demoralized Condition. es, particularly talented in exploiting it.
Investing Regalia into one’s fetch essentially replaces Such exploitation comes with risks. Clarity suffers when
your name in a binding contract with your fae-fashioned a changeling dramaturgically cowls himself as others so of-
twin’s. When a rival swears an oath with the fetch and wins ten that he loses track of his own self, or begins to see objects
the Clash of Wills, the character suffers an immediate break- only in terms of the meanings and connections they have
ing point with a +3 modifier. The changeling also suffers the acquired. Worse still, when a dramaturge pushes the Wyrd
Oathbreaker Condition. too far, it punishes such duplicity, levying a harsh tax on the
Losing control of her Regalia manifestation also opens one arrogant enough to try to deceive it.
the changeling up to dramaturgical attacks (see p. 68).
While contact with iron obliterates regular tokens, har-
Flower Chains
dier Regalia manifestations require prolonged contact to de- and Masquerades
stroy — a story for one- and two-dot manifestations, a chapter All changelings are familiar with several basic forms of dra-
for all others. Additionally, at 3+ dots, the changeling who maturgy, although they don’t necessarily conceive of them as
created the item must also act against his Regalia in some such. Most of the Lost rarely distinguish between dramaturgy
way, either by breaking an oath or going significantly against and the Wyrd’s greater balance, and dramaturges are loathe to
his Needle. divulge their secrets for fear of such tricks being used against
them in turn. Nonetheless, sympathetic magic plays an impor-
Dramaturgy tant part in Contract Loopholes, Icons, and the creation of
A Huntsman peers into the iridescent glass of an Icon, fetches. All three manifest through the usurpation of identity
and in it sees brief flashes of his Lost prey. A changeling and the pretense of a particular role, preparing the stage just
drapes herself in magnificent golden jewelry as she calls down right to convince the Wyrd one thing is, in fact, another.
the wrath of Helios, using the guise of the sun to convince Loopholes, the collection of tricks and knacks used to
the Wyrd woman and star are one and the same. A hobgob- pull off Contracts without paying their dues, appease the
lin peddler weaves the lock of hair for which they bartered Contract’s patron through dramaturgical mimicry. Present-
into a new promise, forging a crude Contract that thrums ing the props or acting out the role associated with the Loop-
with hirsute potential. The magic of the fae often rests upon hole briefly aligns the changeling with the force at work on
such binding threads and subtle connections, deals sealed the Wyrd’s scales, and for that moment, the Wyrd sees the
with statements of identity that anchor the Wyrd’s balance. changeling as indistinguishable from the effects she invokes.
The Lost call this sympathetic power dramaturgy. Thus, she needs pay no toll of Glamour, for the persona she
Dramaturgy is the magic of transference and corre- dons inherently holds the right to wield such power.
spondence. It’s in the warp and weft of the Wyrd, tracing This form of dramaturgy is limited because the change-
the threads of pledges and bargains back to their root or ling must work through props or actions sharing a general
tampering with the tapestry’s bigger picture. It’s the force quality with the Contract but lacking a true connection to
that keeps account of identity and qualities. Through dra- the patron’s identity. Some stories persist, though, of Lost
maturgy, Brianna’s fingernail clippings are more than just who manage to get their hands on treasures belonging to the
discarded bodily waste. They’re Brianna, and they’re sharp great powers behind these Contracts, maintaining the lie to
and claws and scrabbling for purchase and clinging so tight the draw on nearly limitless magic or opening surprising new
skin breaks and blood flows and she’ll never let go of Maggie no Loopholes with unpredictable effects.
matter what. They’ve absorbed the changeling’s identity, her An Icon — literally a piece of a changeling’s identity torn
desperation, and her perceptions of both. And that? That away from her body — makes a potent example of drama-
has a power all its own. turgy. The Icon expresses a dramaturgical manifestation of
To mortals, dramaturgy is the examination of dramatic this lost bit of soul via its sympathetic form, and it presents
composition, the means by which a play turns from mere words a terrible vulnerability through the lingering connection. As
into a profound experience acted out upon the stage. Change- well as pursuers who might use an Icon to track a change-
lings see it similarly, but with magic as the performance, sympa- ling down, dramaturges prize these scraps of selfhood as
thetic threads as the props the actors use, and the Wyrd itself the most powerful kind of prop for working their mimicry
as the audience the changeling must convince to suspend its magic. Icons also pose a temptation for kithless Lost (p. 83)
disbelief, if just for a little while. The magical arts drawing on desperate to mend the hole in their own identities.
dramaturgy lean heavily into trickery, mimicry, and false faces. Only the Gentry practice the dramaturgical art of creat-
Through dramaturgy, a changeling might convince the Wyrd ing fetches, but those terrible masters do so with casual ease
that she is, in fact, her hated enemy. A hobgoblin might draw belying the sheer power involved in the act. A fetch represents
Dramaturgy 69
the token into a bubbling cauldron and work an incantation A galoshin’s performance must take place in the liminal
over it, while another stabs a stolen tooth in among his own space of the Hedge. A galoshin always has one specific purpose,
gnarled fangs and ‘feeds’ it the taste of strange delicacies. and the changeling must weave her purpose into the persona
This takes at least one full chapter, but some hobgoblins she dons like a mask during the portrayal. Trying to create a
(and some tokens) need more time depending on the nature galoshin allowing her to both toy with her Goblin Debts and
of the process. break her oaths pushes the facade too far, and it falls apart.
Furthermore, the hobgoblin can directly determine A dramaturge always needs fae accomplices to perform
the main power of the resulting token, although not the a galoshin. Those touched by the Wyrd serve as the audience
catch or drawback. However, this enhanced form of token stand-ins and the larger the audience, the more powerful the
creation only results in powers directly relating to the dra- dramaturgy. These witnessing fae become complicit in the
maturgical qualities of the prop. A hobgoblin could turn a falsehood, playing their own role by firmly pronouncing
bartered wedding ring into a token of love or loyalty — or, if they see the truth. This forms a flaw in every galoshin; if
the changeling who handed it over had a broken marriage, pulled, that thread unravels everything. If any of the audi-
of jealousy or betrayal — but he couldn’t turn it into a tool of ence at any point admit they saw a galoshin, not reality, it
battle or elemental energy. immediately comes undone.
Likewise, hobgoblins need dramaturgy to create new Many changelings view the practice of galoshins with
Goblin Contracts. A hobgoblin cannot spin a new Contract suspicion at best, if not outright hostility. This magical iden-
out of nothing; he requires the latent symbolism imbued in tity theft often scapegoats a victim. Too many stories tell of
something via sympathy. This is unlikely to be the cost the one of the Lost who stole the Icon of another to mislead a
hobgoblin attaches to the Contract itself. More probably, he harrying Huntsman, leading to tragic consequences for the
draws upon whatever trove of meaningful treasures he al- hapless mark. Changelings can also perform this kind of
ready possesses and adds whatever the changeling pays to dramaturgy with more altruistic aims, placing themselves in
his cache for future use. A hobgoblin bereft of all posses- harm’s way when the Wyrd’s debts come due by donning the
sions and debts due has no capacity to create new Goblin mantle of the one they wish to protect and becoming them
Contracts and little ability to perform marvels beyond his just long enough to suffer the displaced consequences.
Dread Powers.
Systems
Galoshins To perform a galoshin, a changeling needs a dramatur-
A panicked changeling, desperate to throw a Huntsman gical link to the target via a personally significant posses-
off her trail, performs a charivari in a motley-mate’s coat, sion, bodily material, or recent meaningful contact in either
betraying her friend to save her own skin. A clever infiltra- the current scene or the immediately preceding one. The
tor hunches his shoulders and ostentatiously jangles the keys changeling chooses a Persona from the list below, and must
he’s stolen from a True Fae’s goblin jailer; the action forces gather at least three fae beings — i.e., any creature who pos-
the Wyrd to see him as that loyal hobgoblin and he success- sesses a Wyrd trait other than fae-touched — to witness the
fully crosses a warded boundary. A conman switches stolen portrayal. This audience doesn’t necessarily need to know
masks in a mimicry of bian lian, working a scheme to shift they’re enabling a galoshin specifically as long as they never
his onerous Goblin Debt onto an unwitting victim. The Lost acknowledge the falsity of the guise the changeling assumes,
know these feats as galoshins, stealing another’s identity in but the nature of activating it makes it obvious to anyone
the most notorious form of dramaturgy. who knows what a galoshin is in the first place.
A galoshin is a dramaturgical performance to deceive the The changeling weaves and performs a scene, placing
Wyrd, but that’s all it does. It doesn’t alter the changeling’s herself in the target’s role and acting out what she intends to
appearance or convince a hobgoblin who can see her that she do in either literal or exaggerated fashion. Galoshins com-
is, in fact, someone else entirely. Nothing stops a changeling monly appear caricatured or parodying, performed as a dra-
from supplementing a galoshin with costumes, props, or other matic tale of the results the Lost wishes to achieve rather
magic, but the crucial effect of a galoshin rests in befuddling than a realistic rendition of what is to come.
fae sorcery and the magic of pledges. As far as the Wyrd can Attempts to interfere with the galoshin via Contracts or
tell, the changeling performing a galoshin becomes, ever so other magic prompt a Clash of Wills. Should a dramaturge
briefly, the person she pretends to be. utilize a galoshin in an effort to steal the identity of the same
Undertaking a galoshin first demands a sympathetic character more than once in a chapter, the target gains the
link to the intended dupe. The changeling needs a prop 8-again quality on subsequent Clash rolls.
with dramaturgical symbolism, whether a vial of blood, used The dramaturge’s player may accept caveats that cause
handkerchief, or the lingering touch immediately following the Persona to drop if breached to add dice to the roll. The
a kiss on her own lips. Garments make highly effective tools player and Storyteller can work together to come up with oth-
for this ritual mummery, the more concealing the better. ers if the example caveats below do not fit the current story.
• +1 die: changeling cannot enter the target’s presence Failure: The galoshin fails, and the changeling suffers
while the Persona is active the Dissociation Condition.
Dramatic Failure: As failure, and the changeling gains
• +1 die: changeling must loudly recite a catchphrase
four Goblin Debt points for trying to cheat the Wyrd, which
the target uses often at least once per scene while the
will likely spend the points immediately for a punishing
Persona is active
Condition or Tilt.
• +2 dice: changeling must remain in-character while Once a Persona sits firmly in place, the changeling re-
the Persona is active lies on the audience to maintain the facade. If any audience
member admits out loud to witnessing deception anytime
• +3 dice: changeling cannot leave the target’s presence during the galoshin’s duration, or anything even implying
while the Persona is active in any way the changeling isn’t the target, the Persona im-
The changeling may also subtract five dice from the roll mediately drops even if the speaker stands on another conti-
to extend the galoshin’s duration to one chapter. nent or in another realm from the dramaturge. A galoshin’s
target never counts as a witness, even if present during the
Any changeling can perform a galoshin, but those who
performance.
possess the Dramaturge Merit (p. 69) enjoy the 9-again qual-
ity on rolls to do so. If the Persona drops for any reason other than reaching
the end of the galoshin’s duration, the dramaturge suffers
Attempting a galoshin is always a breaking point against
the Dissociation Condition, and the player rolls the change-
Clarity with a pool of three dice.
ling’s Resolve + Composure. Failure causes her personality’s
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Expression + Wyrd vs. Com- fracturing splinters to catch in the Hedge, where they form
posure + Wyrd. a Wyrd 1 hedge ghost out of her memory’s shreds and tat-
Cost: 5 Glamour ters; dramatic failure creates a Wyrd 3 Hedge Ghost instead.
Action: Instant (takes half an hour) This patchwork specter believes it is (or needs to be) the dra-
maturge, eagerly spilling any secrets inherited by its tattered
Duration: One scene or one chapter
memory to anyone willing to listen.
Roll Result
Galoshin Personas
Success: The changeling successfully takes on the cho-
The changeling chooses one of the following Personas
sen Persona for the galoshin’s duration. The changeling suf-
when she activates a galoshin:
fers the Notoriety Condition when the effect ends; even the
finest dramaturge cannot entirely dupe the Wyrd, and it False-Swear: The dramaturge can break an oath to
strains to find some way of balancing the books even if it’s which she and the target are both parties, and the target
not quite certain what she’s done wrong. suffers the consequences instead for as long as the Persona
remains. As soon as it ends, the consequences snap back
Exceptional Success: The changeling’s performance
afresh on the dramaturge. Alternatively, if the target was
convinces each witness so deeply, they must each spend a
present during the galoshin’s performance, the dramaturge
Willpower point if wishing to acknowledge the ruse’s falsity.
may swear a new oath in the target’s name while the Persona
Dramaturgy 71
is active. If she does the latter, her actions do not count as Example Oaths
the target’s for breaking that oath; instead, the oath imme-
diately applies to the target from the moment she swears it. These examples demonstrate the kinds of personal and
The target doesn’t immediately know all the terms of this hostile oaths changelings make with one another and sys-
oath, but witnessing the performance clues them in to at tems to go along with them; for examples of motley oaths,
least the basics, since it describes the intent. If this Persona see p. 126. The example names here serve simply as indi-
drops for any reason other than completion of its purpose, cations of the oath’s purpose, rather than codified terms
the new oath becomes null and void. the changelings themselves necessarily use (although some
might). Oaths based on one of these may vary in terms and
Prey-Me-Not: This Persona can only be invoked if the mechanics depending on the changelings involved and cir-
changeling uses the target’s Icon as a dramaturgical prop. cumstances surrounding its swearing. Use these examples
The Wyrd directs any attempts to supernaturally track or as basic starting points to create your own, specific to your
hunt down the changeling onto the target instead — even game and its characters.
if the pursuer has the changeling’s own Icon. A Huntsman
using Kindred Spirits to gain insight into the dramaturge Any oath can involve any number of participants unless
receives information on the galoshin target instead, and if otherwise indicated.
he attempts to steal Glamour from the changeling via Hun- When designing oaths, keep in mind: exact verbiage
gry Heart, it instead drains power from the galoshin target. matters less than the intention behind the words. The Wyrd
The target immediately becomes aware of the changeling’s recognizes and enforces the spirit of the oath as understood
identity and the Persona’s effect upon activation, and that by its participants.
the perpetrator used their Icon to do it.
Oath of Friendship
Scapegoat: Any penalties or effects the target would suf-
fer due to breaking pledges, or the Storyteller spending Gob- Changelings swear this personal promise to support
lin Debt, instead applies to the dramaturge. For all intents each other regardless of circumstance.
and purposes relating to such matters, the dramaturge is the Terms: Your concerns are my concerns. Your needs are
target, and so a True Fae coming to claim servitude from her my needs. You are my true friend, and I will be there for you
victim due to him having transgressed against an agreement from now until the end of my days.
must take the Scapegoat instead. Even when this galoshin Beat: The changeling abandons a task important to her
benefits the target, they must still contest the activation roll, in order to fulfill an obligation to her friend.
as they instinctively resist surrendering their identity.
Willpower: The changeling sacrifices her own safety or
Swindle-Tongue: Whenever the dramaturge acquires wellbeing to ensure the safety and wellbeing of her friend.
any Goblin Debt, it shunts onto the target instead. This can
Benefit: Once per scene, when a participant invokes a
never raise the target’s Goblin Debt above 9. If it raises their
Contract targeting herself, she can extend its benefits to her
Debt to 9, the next time the target interacts with any of their
oathsworn friend at no additional cost.
hobgoblin creditors, both indebted and creditor immediate-
ly become aware of the target’s precarious position. Consequences: A changeling who breaks this oath suf-
fers a −2 when invoking Contracts affecting only herself for
Watch-Me-Not: For the duration of the galoshin, the
the rest of the chronicle. Breaking this oath often leads to
dramaturge becomes the target for the purposes of fae magic
friends becoming hated enemies, and might lead to an Oath
intended to detect intruders or present obstacles. A door
of Nemesis or Exile. At minimum, the friendship ends and
ensorcelled to open only for the target unseals for the dra-
the changeling gains the Oathbreaker Condition as normal.
maturge. Targeting the master of the grounds with Watch-
Me-Not permits a dramaturge to pass through the master’s Oath of True Love
gate without incident, never tripping the bell intended to
rouse his briarwolf guards. If the dramaturge trips a Hol- Lovers often swear this oath as a formal proclamation
low’s magical defenses that whisper the names of intruders of marriage, though multitudinous other uses exist, and
to its owner, the magic whispers the target’s name instead. even declared marriages take all forms.
Terms: You are my sun, my stars, and my moon. My love
Expanded for you overflows and I could not bear a life without you. I
Pledgecraft would rather die than see you harmed and would rather suf-
fer torture than betray our love.
While changelings most commonly enact sealings, Beat: The changeling confesses a secret to her lover
oaths, and bargains to enforce their societal bonds, the Wyrd which endangers someone else she cares about.
is capable of enforcing any kind of agreement or declaration. Willpower: The changeling acts in her lover’s best in-
Sometimes pledges even take more concrete forms. This sec- terests regardless of the harm this inflicts on her or someone
tion provides more information and options for pledgecraft. who depends on her.
Expanded Pledgecraft 73
New Pledge Types play with wording to mislead them and hope they miss her
misdirection and can’t call her out.
A changeling’s life revolves around promises, pledges,
and deals. While Changeling starting on p. 209 presents The Hexed Condition cannot become Persistent; the
the most common types of pledges, the Lost swear many action which resolves it must be possible for the victim to
varieties of oath. Pledges take different forms: in some cir- accomplish within a single story. For example, a changeling
cumstances, choosing the agreement type poses merely a hexes one victim with blindness until he returns something
semantical matter, in others, it determines the cost those he stole from the changeling, while another victim suffers no
involved pay. ill effects until he speaks to the Monarch of Morning.
Changelings may make all these additional types of Conversely, the Cursed Condition is always Persistent.
pledges. Its Beat criteria revolve around making the victim’s life hell;
its resolution requires the changeling to keep up a particular
Curses and Hexes routine or situation the victim could disrupt. For example,
a victim cursed to suffer terrible nightmares whenever they
These pledges fall into their own category of antago-
sleep grants their player a Beat whenever the fears or dis-
nism separate from hostile oaths. When a changeling wishes
turbed sleep cause setbacks for them. The curse ends when
to create inconvenience, pain, and suffering for her enemy,
the changeling stops sacrificing one child per day to a greedy
she curses or hexes them. While a hex or curse may lead to a
hobgoblin — the victim can rescue one of the children or stop
declaration of war between two parties, a this alone doesn’t
the changeling and goblin from meeting on just one day. A
constitute such, merely a willful act by one changeling to
curse always ends immediately upon the changeling’s death,
make the other’s a living hell.
even if the required circumstance persists posthumously.
The Wyrd recognizes curses and hexes as two similar
Examples of effects the changeling can inflict via hex or
yet separate types of pledges, but changelings often use the
curse include:
words interchangeably. Few consider the difference when
calling down consequences in a moment of rage, but hexes • The victim must spend an additional Glamour when
cause brief, minor inconveniences, while curses create major invoking any fae power.
burdens sometimes lasting a lifetime.
• The victim can’t regain Willpower by sleeping.
Benefits
The changeling herself gains no supernatural benefit • All failed rolls the victim’s player makes for a specific
from curses or hexes, only the reward of making her enemies type of action become dramatic failures; the change-
suffer. ling’s player declares the cursed action at the time
of the pledge, it must be narrower than a Specialty.
Consequences Examples include making melee attacks against mor-
All hexes contain an action the hexed character can tals, attempting to open Doors in Social maneuvering
take that triggers the hex’s effects and ends it: either an ac- against a specific person, or investigating a particular
tion the changeling wishes to forbid that activates the hex kind of crime.
when undertaken, or a loophole in the pledge the victim
exploits to free themselves from the hex. For instance, the • The victim suffers a minor (hex) or major (curse) frail-
changeling may forbid the victim from visiting a certain ty currently also suffered by the changeling; if they
place or talking to a certain person; doing so anyway triggers already suffer one or more frailties, this simply adds
the hex’s effects. Conversely, the victim may suffer the effects another.
until they perform a relevant action.
• The victim suffers a Personal Tilt constantly for the
Curses come with similar stipulations, but the change- duration which doesn’t become a Condition in non-
ling herself must sustain its effects by either maintaining a action scenes, only affecting them when relevant.
certain circumstance or avoiding a particular action. The
Wyrd keeps the books balanced by providing a loophole
here, as well; the victim can always bring about the curse’s
end by some clever action. If the changeling really screws up,
HEXED
she sometimes ends up cursing herself instead. A spiteful changeling has temporarily inconvenienced
Systems your character.
A hex inflicts the Hexed Condition upon the victim. If the changeling forbids the action required to end the
When the changeling makes the pledge, she must spend 1 hex, this Condition does nothing until your character takes
Glamour and state the terms, which the victim must be able that action and resolves it. The consequences last for one
to perceive and understand. They need not necessarily know chapter thereafter.
exactly how to interpret them, though; the changeling can
CURSED (PERSISTENT)
A vengeful changeling has burdened your character
with a curse, which only resolves when the changeling ei-
ther stops maintaining a particular routine or performs a
particular action.
If your character brings about the changeling’s failure
to maintain the curse, directly or indirectly, gain an addi-
tional Beat when this Condition resolves. If the changeling’s
player dramatically fails on a roll directly related to attempts
to maintain the curse, the changeling suffers this Condition
with all the criteria and caveats of the original, where they
make sense. If they don’t — for instance, if the ill effects don’t
apply to changelings — then the Storyteller assigns applicable
consequences as close as possible to the curse’s original in-
tent.
A character may only have one instance of Cursed at a
time.
Beat: Your character suffers a significant setback direct-
ly due to the curse.
Resolution: The changeling fails to maintain the re-
quired state of affairs or perform the specific action as de-
fined when she places the curse.
Feuds
When two changelings cannot get along with one an-
other to the point of enmity, they swear a hostile oath to
settle their conflict. Hostilities which spread beyond two
individuals with irrevocable differences escalate into a
feud.
Like any other hostile oath, a feud oath declares en-
mity between two or more sides of the disagreement. A
hostile oath which expands to encompass a group — a mot-
ley, freehold, or court, for example — becomes a feud and
must be sworn anew. Often, one changeling speaking for
each side swears the oath, though sometimes all members
of two feuding motleys swear it in unison.
A feuding group doesn’t need to be previously oath-
sworn; a feud oath counts as both hostile and societal
oath at once. When one member speaks for a group, they
Expanded Pledgecraft 75
don’t need the group’s permission if a societal oath binds stance when someone violates this traditional neutrality,
that changeling to the group; by default, that oath grants the oath doesn’t break, but they find few allies thereafter.
them the right to swear more on the group’s behalf. Acting The well-known tale of the Giantsbane motley passes be-
against the oath in protest after the fact without having tween freeholds: the motley declared a feud against the
agreed to its terms still constitutes a breach. If no previ- Hedgeskippers, besetting the other motley the moment
ous oath binds the group, such as a ragtag bunch of Lost the two groups finalized the swearing. While they won the
working together to revolt against a band of privateers, the feud by ambushing and killing the entire opposed motley,
feud oath binds both sides into a collective, all oathsworn their freehold exiled them for their perceived betrayal of
to each other. necessary custom.
Feuds occur between two groups of any size. If the Not all feuds erupt into bloodshed, but brutal Hedge-
feud involves more than two groups, each group swears the fire wars often explode when they do. Whether waged
feud oath to every other party independently. A court can between large groups or motleys, some Feud oaths fuel
declare a feud with a motley, a motley can declare one with shadow wars lasting for years, decades, or centuries as the
a freehold, or a freehold can declare one with a privateer members continually redraw battle lines and strategies.
crew of much smaller size. It doesn’t matter as long as each
side consists of more than one changeling. Courts and Rules of Engagement
freeholds engage in feuds rarely, only declaring them in ex- Most people abide unspoken social contracts dictating
treme circumstances or when they can find no other path how they interact with one another. Society shames anyone
to resolution. The Freehold of Milk Roses declared a feud who refuses to get along and breaks them, but nothing binds
against their own Autumn Court for harboring loyalists anyone to these contracts; only the desire for acceptance
who endangered the whole freehold and left many dead. motivates individuals and groups to behave themselves.
The freehold denied access to all local trods for three weeks Sometimes, the Lost must define rules of engagement not
before the court surrendered the changelings responsible. by unspoken social norms, but by clear etiquette sealed with
Any type of conflict between groups can result in a Glamour.
feud, including rivalries, cultural conflicts, and Hedgefire Changelings make pledges for rules of engagement un-
wars, as described on pp. 9-10 of Oak, Ash, and Thorn. der specific circumstances. Their terms delineate how indi-
Systems viduals and groups interact, the responsibilities of all par-
ties, as well as permissible and forbidden actions, setting up
Feuds work like other hostile oaths, except that the concrete expectations for gatherings or confrontations. The
oath lasts either until one side gives in to the demands of rules stay in place for the event’s duration, although free-
the other, or the last surviving member of either group holds and courts often make such pledges recur for repeat-
dies. When new members of a feuding group swear the ing events. For instance, one city’s Summer Court may estab-
relevant societal oath, the Wyrd automatically extends the lish standard rules of engagement for duels or tournaments,
feud oath to them. A court could recruit like mad to re- while its Spring counterpart does the same for the required
plenish their numbers before their enemies kill them all, etiquette when attending court with its monarch.
for instance, or a very stubborn freehold might pass a feud
down through the ages. Once per chapter when a member Benefits
of the opposing group harms or significantly inconvenienc- Rules of engagement ensure everyone at the event
es her character, the player gains a Beat. knows their role and keeps proceedings on their rails. Terms
If one member of a feud breaks the oath by defecting usually include a list of dos and don’ts for participants, a run-
to the other side or violating another societal oath binding down of the expectations levied on various roles, and gener-
them to the group, she becomes an oathbreaker, but the al accepted behaviors under various common circumstances.
feud oath doesn’t break for the other members. However, if Rules of engagement also outline the conditions necessary
more than half the members in one feuding group violate to declare one side the winner or loser of any competitions
the oath, it breaks completely, marking everyone on their taking place at the event.
side with the Oathbreaker Condition, regardless of their Conscientious changelings who wish to refrain from an-
involvement (or lack thereof) in the violation. gering attendees make the rules available ahead of time. Those
Unlike other hostile oaths, feuds rarely lead to imme- who would rather entrap someone or sow chaos may keep the
diate bloodshed. Changeling society constructs common pledge’s terms to themselves. Changeling society generally
ceremony around the feud with only minor differences be- considers doing so a serious breach of trust; if anyone breaks
tween freeholds, wherein all members of both groups or the rules out of ignorance, those who created the pledge
their representatives come together in neutrality to agree (whether they concealed the rules or not) may find themselves
upon the terms, and this neutrality lasts until both sides losing Clarity. The intimate familiarity of most changelings,
retreat from each other for at least a scene. In the rare in- springing from their durances, with the experience of violat-
Expanded Pledgecraft 77
them to accomplish something unachievable without his The mortal’s half requires following a specific and
assistance. strict rule or willingly laboring under a particular limita-
Most Lost do this to protect or aid someone important tion. For instance, they may accept a curfew by which they
to them or a valuable ally. The changeling acts as a guardian must be inside their home and stay there until sunrise, or a
and enabler rather than a servant and undertakes magical tasks rule forbidding them to deliberately tell any lies.
rather than mundane ones, like using Contracts for the mor- If the changeling solves the mortal’s problem himself,
tal’s benefit or bestowing tokens upon them. Some changelings this Condition ends without resolution or granting a Beat.
make enchanted bargains to subtly bribe or inspire a mortal to It likewise ends if either party takes on another enchanted
do something for them with the magic they grant. Others do bargain while this one remains in effect; enchanted bar-
it to help the downtrodden out of bad situations or encourage gains accept no competition. If the mortal doesn’t achieve
someone with potential but no opportunities. An enchanted the task or escape they bargained to accomplish by the end
bargain contains more danger for both parties than an ordinary of one full chapter, it also fades without resolution.
one, but it can also accomplish more for them. The enchantment’s effects are obvious to those who
Systems know how to look for them. Anyone who can see through
Masks simply perceives the supernatural obligation the
A changeling enchants any bargain by spending an ad-
mortal carries without a roll or other contest. The player
ditional Glamour, either when enacting it or at any time
of any character who previously noticed the enchantment
while the pledge remains in effect; the process remains oth-
gains +4 to locate or track the mortal by any means. This
erwise identical. The enchanted bargain bestows the usual
magical trail carries distinct tells revealing the changeling’s
benefits of shielding him from fae discovery, but replaces
identity to anyone who has previously seen his Mien; if
the Obliged Condition with the Enchanted Obligation
they see it afterwards, they recognize it instantly.
Condition (below).
Resolution: The mortal accomplishes the task or es-
Once Enchanted Obligation resolves and the enchant-
capes the situation they made the bargain to achieve, or
ment ends, the changeling may repeat the bargain with the
either party fails to uphold their end of the bargain, trig-
same mortal again. If he wishes to continue playing faerie
gering consequences for one or both. When this Condition
godparent for them, he must strike a new bargain with dif-
resolves, the changeling’s player and the mortal’s each earn
ferent terms. Each subsequent enchanted bargain struck
a Beat.
with the same mortal within the same story costs +1 Glam-
our and requires the mortal to follow increasingly more Deed Vows
strenuous rules or limitations to keep it going.
Unlike most pledges, enacted between two or more
characters, a changeling makes a deed vow to himself: this
ENCHANTED OBLIGATION personal pledge declares a changeling’s promised course of
action. Someone must witness his vow for him to seal it,
Your character has made an enchanted bargain with a and the path he chooses may pertain to others, but the
mortal, providing fae miracles in exchange for safety and pledge binds only him. Changelings liken it to a stronger
peace of mind. This Condition duplicates the effects of the version of a sealing they inflict upon themselves.
Obliged Condition (Changeling, p. 343), but is not Persis- The changeling pledges to fulfill a particular goal in
tent. In addition, while the enchantment lasts, the mortal a specified way. For instance, he might vow to rescue his
can automatically see through the Mask of all fae beings motley from privateer captivity without killing, or to claim
and objects unless strengthened with Glamour. Your char- his court’s crown by exposing the current monarch’s dirty
acter gains the ability to hear the mortal whenever they call secrets. He swears his deed vow on a possession of great
him by name and ask or wish for aid, no matter the dis- personal value, offering it up as collateral should he fail to
tance between them; the changeling has no obligation to keep his word.
respond to the call. His player gains a +3 to rolls to harvest
Glamour from the mortal. Benefits
The changeling’s half of the bargain requires using A changeling makes a deed vow to prove his dedica-
fae magic to aid the mortal in some dire task or in escap- tion to his goal in a defining moment, affirming his free-
ing a dire situation the target couldn’t otherwise handle dom to forge his own path. With such singular purpose, he
themself. He can invoke Contracts or use his seeming or sheds his uncertainty and finds his conviction. The Wyrd
kith blessings on the mortal’s behalf, give them tokens and recognizes his deed vow and rewards him for sticking to his
clearly explain their catches, or any other type of fae magic word; all other Lost who see him know he acts with resolve.
he possesses; however, he may not simply perform the task Freeholds traditionally grant respect and leniency to those
or rescue the mortal themselves. They must utilize the mag- under the auspices of a deed vow, even if the vow’s purpose
ic on their own and rescue themself. opposes the freehold’s interests. Most changelings consider
getting in the way of a changeling driven enough to invite
Expanded Pledgecraft 79
acter suffers the highest wound penalty she would have suf-
fered for the next scene, even if the damage has been healed.
Goblin Variations A changeling can never truly break a pledge she
Any Contract can be fashioned into a Goblin swore on her Icon. This doesn’t mean she can’t forsake
Contract with a little bit of trickiness. Goblin the pledge or break her word, only that she can always rec-
Contracts tend to focus on being sneaky or oncile and fix her mistake. A pledge upon an Icon binds
deceptive. Here are a few examples. the changeling’s soul to the Wyrd, and just as if she broke
a deed vow, she loses the Icon if she breaks her pledge.
Contracts of Chalice become illusory. The However, she can win the Icon back and reinstate her
goblin version of Filling the Cup allows the pledge. Therefore, a changeling does not gain the Oath-
changeling to convince the people around breaker Condition when she breaks a pledge made upon
her that someone within its radius feels a her Icon, instead gaining the Icon Shard Condition. She
certain way, even going so far as to deceive also loses the Icon, meaning she loses the Clarity box and
supernatural powers. Frail as the Dying Word memories gained from recovering the Icon until she rec-
convinces the target that they have a major onciles her broken pledge.
frailty. On the more benevolent side, Curse’s
Cure can heal the patient from a Mental Con-
dition instead of poison. ICON SHARD
Contracts of Coin already focus on ex-
changing one object or situation from anoth-
(PERSISTENT)
er. Book of Black and Red reveals the debts Your character broke her word sworn on her Icon. Do-
other people believe (possibly ambiguously ing so has infused the Icon with the Wyrd’s wrath, giving it a
or erroneously) that the target owes them. semblance of life and transforming it before the changeling’s
Give and Take’s Loophole expands to work eyes into an identical double of herself. A changeling’s Icon
with only one of the parties giving a gift. Coin is a part of her soul; as such, the Icon shard becomes a rough
Mark encourages owners of an object to imitation of her darkest and most sinister thoughts and urg-
fight over it by imposing the Avarice Condi-
es. The Icon shard acts as a semi-sapient doppelganger with
tion without spending a point of Glamour.
Blood Debt makes the target feel as if they’re the sole purpose of tormenting the changeling for breaking
suffering aggravated damage, even though her word.
they physically suffer lethal damage. Icon shards count as hobgoblins (Changeling: The
Lost, p. 252) with a Wyrd rating equal to the changeling’s;
Contracts of Scepter grease the grinding use the rules given for creating goblins to give the shard
wheels of power with manipulation and decep- traits and powers, all of which should in some way reflect its
tion. Burning Ambition allows the changeling origins. Instead of a Virtue or Vice, the shard has a Needle
to give another character, rather than herself, and Thread, chosen as dark mirrors of the changeling’s. It
the Competitive Condition. Jealous Vengeance gains Aspirations in direct opposition to the changeling’s
persuades the target that complying with the Needle and Thread and uses them to disrupt the change-
ultimatum is actually in their best interests, allow- ling’s life. For example, a changeling with a Protector Needle
ing the changeling to inflict the Swooned Con-
finds her doppelganger attacking the people she loves; her
dition. Knight’s Oath leverages paranoia about
threats to the knight’s status to the changeling’s Friendship Thread causes the shard to focus on ruining all
advantage; the knight gains a bonus to Mental her relationships.
actions that reveal or seek jealousy. The Icon shard targets only the changeling and those
connected to the changeling (if doing so serves the purpose
Contracts of Star replace weird insight with of tormenting her). If she kills the shard rather than reinte-
false guidance. Cynosure allows the change- grating it, she destroys it forever, losing access to the memo-
ling to give the target a desire rather than the ries and Clarity it once brought, constituting a Clarity attack
changeling listening to what they really want. with a dice pool of four.
Shooting Star gives the artist false confidence
in their own importance; they gain the De- Beat: The Icon shard’s actions impair or hurt the
lusional or Competitive Conditions. Light of changeling or someone she cares about, or actively prevent
Ancient Stars allows the changeling to trace her from gaining Willpower through her Needle or Thread.
a parasocial relationship, finding truth about Resolution: The changeling must kill the Icon shard or
someone they don’t really know. make up for breaking her word. If she made a vow, she must
complete it or fulfill its terms. If she made an oath, she must
reconcile with the others involved to their collective satis-
Expanded Pledgecraft 81
“Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself — and thus make yourself indispensable.”
— André Gide
Arcadia changes people. Kithless
The Thorns of the Hedge tear away the fragile veneer
Many kithless never gained a kith in the first place.
protecting psyche and soul and lay bare the tender truths be-
The Keeper had no particular purpose in mind, promptly
neath. Most changelings hold on to the core of their identity,
forgot about her, or discarded her and left her to her own
but all the rest — flesh and bone, thought and dream — are
devices in Arcadia’s wide wonderland. She never obsessively
the malleable materials upon which metamorphosis imposes
swaddled herself in a single, transformative means of coping,
itself. Sometimes, the dire will of a True Fae sculpts a change-
never turned the tools of her durance onto herself out of
ling to match its bizarre desires. Other times, the changeling
desperation or inspiration, and thus avoided Faerie’s strang-
orchestrates her own transformation, whether through con-
est phenomena.
scious intent to become the tool of her own escape, or via
instinctive urges to find or claim a role. These changes are A changeling might also lose her kith or part with it
kiths, connecting the Lost through shared experience and willingly. A sharp, sweet dream drifting in from the stars
purpose, mutually understood traumas and terrible prowess. hungrily laps at her mind and magic, drinking down the
power that underpins her kith. She drives a hard bargain
This chapter presents a broad selection of kiths that
with a wily goblin, trading away a part of herself to be free
exist among the Lost, expanding upon those offered in
from the reminder of her durance. Amid the Thorns, she
Changeling: The Lost Second Edition. It also examines
scrapes her kith out of her soul in a painful metamorpho-
the process behind creating new kiths and gives options for
sis, gaining an altogether different kind of power. She knows
those changelings who leave Arcadia without any kith at all.
what it is to have a kith, but now that aspect of her is gone.
T hose W ithout K ith ling than Lack of kith does not make the Lost any less of a change-
her peers. Without a kith’s guiding purpose, how-
From time to time, a changeling escapes Arcadia with- ever, her seeming remains broad and conceptual. Rather
out her body or mind conforming to a kith’s template. Per- than being Fairest because she possesses the majesty of a
haps her Keeper abandoned her to wallow in captivity with- dragon or a wondrous luminescence, she is simply Fair — the
out purpose, or she escaped too swiftly for her soul to adapt. undiluted idea of glorifying the self and leading others. She
Perhaps she embodied the platonic ideal of her seeming so becomes an exemplar of what her seeming represents. An
thoroughly that no kith suffices. Some changelings who do Elemental personifies the sheer drive to shape the world not
have kiths end up losing them or shedding them deliberately. easily defined by a single natural force. A Beast demonstrates
Those without a kith fall into one of three categories: the instincts and fierce tenacity of all animals striving for
the broad, varied kithless; the disruptive and isolated scis- survival without the specifics of predator or prey. A kithless
sors; or the unraveled, caught in a countdown to dissolu- changeling’s mien reflects her seeming’s generalities — some-
tion. times melding all its various facets, sometimes presenting
her seeming’s core as an abstract avatar.
Acquiring a Kith or personal purpose and enters the Hedge with her mind fo-
cused on finding a kith. She needn’t know ahead of time which
Changelings who lack a kith may desire one, whether kith she seeks, and even if she has a specific kith in mind, she
for the power it offers, the sense of belonging it grants, or may not find exactly what she’s looking for. Her player, however,
simple survival. The Lost know of three paths to gain a kith, chooses the kith that comes to her unless they want the Story-
each within the mercurial realm of the Hedge. Upon gain- teller to decide for them or randomize the choice.
ing a kith, a changeling loses any benefits and disadvantages The changeling’s journey toward further definition
associated with kithlessness. forces her to face down the unvarnished, raw truths behind
Acquiring a Kith 85
her desire — an honesty of self that can be deeply painful but Bartering
also a revelation. She may not consciously know what kith
she wants or needs at first, but the ordeal shows her. Finally, a changeling might gain a kith through
bartering with one of the few and far between hobgoblin
The ordeal’s nature depends on her personality, seem- merchants who possess such prizes. A changeling might get
ing, and the kith in question. A Beast on the path to be- lucky and find one at a Goblin Market, but more often she
come a Hunterheart ends up on the trail of strange, previ- must undergo an arduous journey through the Hedge to find
ously unseen breeds of briarwolf. She must navigate their whatever remote fastness a reclusive collector dwells within.
bramble-tangled tracks, tussle with ferocious beasts, and
perhaps show compassion for a wounded wolf — or maybe A kith never comes cheap. Hobgoblins know the value
crack its jaws open, tear out its heart, and gulp the bloody of these scraps of purpose and potential and always demand
organ down. A changeling ready to become a Bright One high prices. The kith’s appearance reflects its nature; the
finds her road snaking through smoking, fume-filled places Snowskin’s snowglobe stirs itself to flurries in a changeling’s
in the Hedge where the blackened branches scratch the sky presence, or the Notary’s bundle of curling parchments re-
over rumbling earth, eventually coming to a place of lam- quires signatures and seals. Such kiths-for-trade come from
bent light where she catches aflame and must stand firm un- somewhere, of course. Some changelings willingly sell a por-
til it sears her soul. Each kith-seeking changeling undergoes tion of their selfhood out of desperation or because they
a different and unique process. want to shuck some transfiguration the Gentry forced upon
them. Others fall victim to some ghastly Hedge horror or a
As well as an arduous and extensive journey, wherein brutal balance of debt and Wyrd that rips away their kith.
the changeling faces various threats and situations not as
they seem, the ordeal always includes one scene related di- Kiths bought by barter come with one final caveat emp-
rectly to her Thread and one related to her Needle. These tor. Sometimes, a portion of the former owner’s Goblin Debt
moments of respite between trials permit the changeling to remains attached — indeed, that’s precisely what drives some
affirm the core of her identity and strengthen her will to Lost to part with them in the first place. The new owner
face what lies ahead. Such danger present during these mo- inherits the Debts. While rarely too onerous an obligation,
ments suits the changeling’s nature. The Bon Vivant stum- these Goblin Debts come from utterly unknown creditors.
bles upon some hobgoblins sharing a feast who invite him
to participate — as long as he doesn’t overstay his welcome. Fashioning Kiths
The changeling motivated by Honor faces a temptation, the When building a chronicle, kiths provide players and
Hedge and Wyrd engineering a chance to demonstrate his Storytellers the opportunity to make characters unique. Not
steadfastness. merely professions that define a changeling’s daily grind,
A changeling undergoing an ordeal gains the Kithseeker the connective thread of a kith binds a changeling’s history,
Persistent Condition (below). The Storyteller should create personality, and theme together. One of the Lost isn’t just
trials to match the character undertaking them and be mind- a hunter or a doctor; she’s the predator whose eyes gleam
ful of the player’s own desires and Aspirations, giving her between the trees in the dark forest, or an untouchable bee-
opportunities to let her show off how the trials change the keeper mystic whose bees make honey capable of curing the
character while shining a light upon her unchanging core. deadliest illnesses.
Upon successfully resolving the Condition, the changeling When choosing or creating a kith, remember they al-
gains a new kith. ways represent the mythic and iconic. Even if the changeling
herself remains unaware of this fact, by escaping Arcadia’s
clutches, she became nothing short of exceptional, and her
KITHSEEKER struggle to rebuild her life cultivates her individual unique-
(PERSISTENT) ness. Kith selection communicates or foreshadows a change-
ling’s strengths and flaws as well as the kind of story she
Your character undertakes an ordeal in the Hedge might experience. Mechanically, it defines the powers she
to seek a kith that matches her soul’s calling. During the develops as she adapts to an old reality made new again. On
ordeal, she must face five trials, each of which comprises a personal note, it expresses why her peers should treasure
roughly one scene. Her motley and others can help her, but her — and why she should treasure herself.
if someone else resolves a trial for her, she refuses to engage Most importantly, picking a kith should be fun. Kiths
with a trial, or she leaves the Hedge, the Condition ends should inspire and energize players and Storytellers alike!
without resolution. One of the joys of playing Changeling: the Lost comes from
Resolution: The character overcomes five trials and finding ways to sculpt kiths into character concepts and vice
gains a new kith. versa: a player might begin with Airtouched (p. 106) and cre-
ate a winged unicorn Fairest, turn a conceptual satyr into
Beat: The character endures significant adversity or an Absinthial (p. 88), or design a Doppelgänger (p. 99) into
learns something new about herself as part of a trial. a kitsune. Changeling gives players and Storytellers the op-
Fashioning Kiths 87
relationships and perspectives, and leaning into those makes Fairest: Her blond hair, green eyes and mischievous
each character feel more unique and real. smile remind you of nothing so much as a pixie from the
Not every changeling has or needs a more refined kith. Lang color fairy books. The bar she runs overflows with the
Sticking with the more general Draconic kith doesn’t make best gossip — and when someone gets too far out of line, why,
a character generic, just connected to a wider spectrum she just leaves them out back until they wake up in the dirt
of diverse changelings. Through their shared kiths, these the next morning. No harm, no foul.
changelings support each other through hard times, act as Wizened: Some say his brews force the speaker to tell
diplomatic back channels between courts and seemings, and the truth. Others say he’s just really good at getting people
celebrate the myriad one-of-a-kind ways their shared story drunk. His favorite saying is “In vino veritas” and he never
manifests. passes up a chance to prove it.
Absinthial Climacteric
“Drink it up. Drink it all up. What, you don’t like the taste “It’s your move. I’m sorry, were you not prepared?”
of your own medicine?” Time flows strangely in Arcadia. The hour a changeling
Arcadian brews share the strangeness and wondrous- spends there might last 10 years back on Earth, or perhaps
ness of the True Fae who consume them: Wines so dry they the day and a half her family lived through during her ab-
leave a mortal gasping for water, smoky whiskies setting the sence amounted to a hundred thousand years of torture at
tongue aflame — and of course, absinthe, the green fairy. As Faerie hands. No one really knows the metrics between the
with all things fae, the green fairy encompasses both greater mundane world and the unearthly, hellish paradise of the
simplicity and complication than first apparent. True Fae — just as well, for there aren’t any, until there are.
Absinthials brewed fae absinthe for the Gentry. Taken Climacterics served as environmental stewards, stage
for their imaginations and the places their dreams wan- managers, and ersatz calendars back in Faerie, living time-
dered, their Keepers forced them to brew these dreams into pieces wound to their Keepers’ specifications. She held
the most potent beverage on either side of the Hedge. After the responsibility to pull down the night for a beautiful
their escape, they report seeing their captors in the throes of candlelit ball while he raised whatever sun his Keeper’s de-
visions caused by the bright green liquid. mesne boasted for a dramatic dawn duel between two Gen-
try. Much of the performance in each realm springs from a
Most Absinthials escape during these fits of fae ecstasy.
mix of a Keeper’s whims and her Climacteric’s memories of
They might have sacrificed dreams for those brews, but they
weather and time, producing fantastic, dramatic, and some-
retain memories as intact as any changeling’s. Some contin-
times deadly results. For example, the changeling’s recollec-
ue to brew draughts in the mortal world, whether craft beer,
tions of Florida summer deluge and her Keeper’s opinions of
bathtub gin, or goblin fruit draughts: these Absinthials con-
an ideal thunderstorm blur together in a vivid dance.
stantly try to recreate the potent absinthe only brewable in
Arcadia. Others find a thin contentment in rendering others Escaped Climacterics represent both immense value
paralyzed by their presence alone. and incredible danger for any given freehold. Their blessing
allows for near-complete battlefield control, but use of said
Fickle, perfectionistic, and creative, Absinthials general-
blessing serves as a glaring beacon to Huntsmen searching
ly insist on doing things their way. They convince themselves
for escaped changelings. Some freeholds believe any Climac-
of their greater wisdom and don’t take criticism lying down.
teric is a lure, a Loyalist sent to collect escapees, and so do
The Absinthials may have brewed the green fairy, but they
not even allow them access, let alone citizenship.
also are the green fairies, and those who forget that often
wind up on the wrong end of an Absinthial’s wrath. For their part, Climacterics often quietly keep to them-
Example Kiths 89
Valerian and Violence: When a Concubus gains the some might, she protects her Hollow and anyone under her
Dream Infiltrator Condition by sleeping next to the target hospitality from the cruelty of knights and princesses alike.
for six hours and interacting with his dreams, the Concu- Kith Blessing: Choose either Brawl or Weaponry.
bus can remove one non-persistent Condition affecting the When the Draconic defends a person, place, or thing she
dreamer mentally or psychosomatically (Confused, Cowed, cares about with that Skill, achieving three successes counts
Deprived, Fatigued, etc.) as a paradigm shift costing three as an exceptional success.
successes. None Dare Resist: The Draconic may spend an extra
Resolving one Persistent Condition (Amnesia, Broken, point of Glamour while scouring her Mask and roar, flex,
Delusional, etc.) requires three consecutive six-hour shifts of or perform some other clear demonstration of dominance
sleeping next to the target, the Dream Intruder Condition, and force to inflict the Frightened Condition (Changeling,
and performing both subtle and paradigm shifts inside her p. 339) on all opponents who can perceive her. If she’s in the
Bastion. Hedge or another place where she has no Mask to scour, she
simply needs to spend one point of Glamour as an instant
Draconic action and make the display.
“How many times have I told you, don’t touch other people’s Additionally, she may spend a Glamour point as a re-
shit without asking? You’re going to get hurt someday.” flexive action to take to the air and fly freely for a number
Once upon a time, a dragon guarded a princess in a of turns equal to her Wyrd, with a flight Speed of 60; if she
tower. No knight dared to rescue her for fear of being torn charges (Changeling, p. 184) from the air, her player gains +2
to shreds. The princess liked it that way, for she loved her to the attack roll. If she’s still in the air when this effect ends,
dragon, and the fear that dragon instilled in their enemies. she glides harmlessly down to the nearest surface.
One day, the dragon flew away. No one ever asked her
Flowering
how she felt about her princess.
The Gentry model Draconic changelings on the mythic “Oh, it’s so nice of you to say that! I didn’t even know you’d
beasts of Faerie, making them fearsome to behold in full noticed me…”
mien. Thick horns blossom from her brow, scales line her Famous for its gardens and woodlands, Arcadia bursts
sharp cheekbones, and her back bears heavy, leathery wings. with strange and beautiful flora found nowhere else. The air
While she can no longer breathe fire or crush buildings with hangs heavy with the scent of blue lilies and beating hearts
a single whip of her tail, a Draconic still makes for a breath- strung on glowing vines all wrapped around the pillars of
taking sight. Perhaps she guarded a princess’s tower from some True Fae’s portico. The Flowering blossom among
smitten fae knights, haunted a deep and dark forest, or pro- these flowers, the changelings from whose pain new flowers
tected her Keeper’s hoard of treasures, but all yield the same grow.
result — a grand, scaled, avaricious beast of Arcadia. Some changelings believe the common misconception
Draconic changelings find themselves too big for the that the Gentry crafted all Flowering into actual flowerbeds.
world: too loud, too present, too much for those around While true of some, others fled a life of gardening, flower-
them. They do not fit into soft spaces, have little volume arranging, or perfuming their Fae masters. Trained by their
control, and can accidentally intimidate even the most ex- durances to make others look good, many Flowerings find it
perienced Summer soldier. New Draconics struggle not to difficult to readjust to a life where they are their own mas-
see everything as either a threat or part of their collection; ters.
some build hoards and collect things that make them feel Because of this feeling of depersonalization, a new Flow-
safe. Others join motleys and protect people they care about, ering tends to find others to serve after escaping their du-
though this sometimes requires patience from other change- rance. While some become Loyalists, others work to become
lings as the Draconic fusses over their well-being. Once she the trusted confidantes and viziers of court monarchs. Many
settles in and learns to relax with a motley, though, Dracon- simply dote on motley-mates or attach themselves to court-
ics make wonderful friends. They guard their people and iers they find particularly alluring. Flowering come in many
hoards with unparalleled ferocity; her people and things pro- varieties and temperaments, each more bizarre and beautiful
vide her love and stability, and woe betide those who would than the last.
disturb her sense of home. While often perceived as soft and sweet, the hypnotic
Fairest: She never needs highlighter, for her cheekbones scent of a Flowering poses a danger to those who spend time
are lined with scales the size of glitter flecks. Her mirror- in her company as their well-being becomes reliant upon her.
bright horns need no care. The only thing unpleasant about Some abuse this power, steering their courts toward ruin.
her is her temper, which explodes over everyone in the room Others try to keep the freehold’s best interests in mind, even
like wildfire at a single misplaced word. if they slip up sometimes. Still others seclude themselves,
Ogre: Her legs bend backward and end in wicked claws. perceiving their power’s poisonous potential and worrying
Her massive, cracked horns mark her hard durance. With fear- about unduly influencing others.
Example Kiths 91
to harass and make life difficult for people who hurt her. To be a Moonborn is to struggle for companionship. Be-
Ghosthearts gravitate strongly toward the Autumn and Win- ing run through thousands of emotions in quick succession
ter courts and sometimes assist in freehold defense, so long means that she has no basis for comparison. How should
as the freehold isn’t shunning her. she feel when she’s acknowledged by her Court monarch:
Ghosthearts cling tightly to memories of times past, and embarrassed, proud, angry? Does her lover actually love her,
to the memories of those around them. They have seen what or is this another Fae trick? Every piece of stable emotional
awaits people who die in Arcadia. Most do not wish this footing a Moonborn has, she’s fought for and won with her
fate on anyone — though some lead unsuspecting mortals own blood and brain.
into the Hedge to create more ghosts for their service. Ghost- Moonborn do not usually gravitate toward leadership
hearts make excellent record-keepers, spies, and couriers. positions in freeholds, but if they do, it’s to help new Lost
Some few have become diplomats, treating with creatures find their own feet in this strange new existence. Many assist
beyond the warmth of changeling society. Their unusual per- in Hedge expeditions, freehold defense, and other impor-
ceptive abilities have only been heightened by their time in tant Lost business. Some Moonborn are Bridge-Burners, and
Faerie, and a clever monarch knows just how to use a loyal it pains their fellows to punish them for starving everyone
Ghostheart. else. A scant few exist outside of freeholds entirely, stirring
Darkling: If you look at her out of the corner of your eye, up the Bedlam among unsuspecting victims that was stirred
she looks translucent, a person-shaped wall of smoke. Look- up in them in Faerie. After all, according to these particu-
ing at her straight on, you see her dark eyes, darker than any lar Bridge-Burners, if they were tortured like that, shouldn’t
eyes should be, and her sharp fingernails caked with blood others be forced to suffer the same fate?
and dirt. Darkling: She looks like a normal thirty-something hu-
Ogre: He’s rarely ever out of the Hedge, but when he man: straight black hair, freckled skin, glasses. Behind those
does come to freehold gatherings, he bears boxes of odd- glasses, though, her blank silver-white eyes stare without
ments and the bones of long-dead fae creatures. His veins irises or pupils.
bulge from his neck and his hands are as large as shovels. Wizened: Never still, he is well-known throughout the
Kith Blessing: Whenever a Ghostheart makes a per- freehold for his kind voice, his gentle hands, and his over-
ception-based roll with Wits + Composure to see manifest whelming empathy. Those who have seen him in peacetime
ghosts or other ghostly Twilight entities (including Helldiv- have a hard time reconciling that with the absolute terror he
ers), her player achieves exceptional success at three success- projects onto enemies in battle.
es instead of five. Kith Blessing: Choose Empathy or Intimidation at
Friends in Strange Places: Every Ghostheart starts play character generation. When changing someone’s emotional
with an extra three dots of Retainers. These dots represent state via the chosen Skill, a Moonborn’s player achieves ex-
ghosts she controls or with whom she’s close. These can be ceptional success at three successes instead of five.
three one-dot ghosts, one two-dot ghost and one one-dot Full Moon Catharsis: A Moonborn carries the passions
ghost, or one three-dot ghost. Each ghost starts with one Nu- the Fae inflicted on her within her soul, and sometimes it’s
men of the player’s choice (Changeling, p. 249) other than too much. Once per chapter, a Moonborn can Incite Bed-
Clarity Drain, Entrap, and Keeper’s Calling. A Ghostheart lam in a number of targets equal to her Wyrd by spend-
may buy more Allies dots to represent more ghosts, but she ing a Glamour and rolling Manipulation + Expression, as
may only choose the Numina for the ghost Allies granted by she screams, sings, or simply recites the story of her worst
this kith. memory yet again in excruciating detail. Her targets contest
with Composure + Wyrd. She may inflict one of the follow-
Moonborn ing Conditions on all targets who fail the roll: Competitive,
“‘Crazy’ is an insult. It’s used to lock people in institutions Frightened, Reckless, Lethargic, or Wanton.
and dismiss survivors of abuse. The word you’re looking for is
‘mad.’ And if you’re not mad, you’re not paying attention.” Uttervoice
Sometimes, the Fae don’t want to get caught up in “You really don’t want to hear about that…”
their own passions. Sometimes, a feeling is just inconve- Old stories and newer urban legends are rife with tales
nient. Sometimes it’s fun to inflict changelings with a cer- of people following a voice only they could hear into dan-
tain feeling and see what they do next. Moonborn are the gerous and impossible situations. Most changelings attribute
changelings who were the favorite targets of their Keepers’ this to True Fae. The Gentry find this terribly amusing, and
emotional games. Kept in a constant state of Bedlam with so they have created the Uttervoice kith.
their feelings at fever pitch, the Moonborn who come back Uttervoices come from the same sort of people as Nights-
through the Hedge are easily set off by the smallest things. ingers (see pp. 56-57 of the Changeling: The Lost): artists or
They tend to form attachments extremely quickly and break those with a creative will. The difference is that the Utter-
them with just as much ease. voices let their frustration get the better of them. When they
Example Kiths 93
Tappingspeak: A Delver may encrypt and decode messag- Wizened: She’s the fastest ambulance driver in the city,
es tapped out against a surface connected to the earth. She and always seems to be present just as someone goes into
spends a point of Glamour and declares her recipients, send- shock from sepsis or blood loss. Her colorless eyes never fo-
ing a message travelling to them as vibrations through the cus on any one thing. She always seems to be assessing what-
ground within (the Delver’s Wyrd) miles. She may direct this ever room she’s in.
message to any number of people at once within range, and Kith Blessing: When using Persuasion to direct an-
the Glamour’s encryption allows them innate and reflexive other character’s attention away from something horrible or
understanding. Other Delvers and even exceptionally sensi- wonderful, the Glimmerwisp’s player achieves exceptional
tive seismographs or other means of detection may intercept success at three successes instead of five.
messages not intended for them, though non-Delvers require
Concealing Mist: The Glimmerwisp spends a Glamour to
supernatural means to decode them. Delvers may spend a
fill the room (or an open space up to 10 yards/meters) with
point of Glamour and make an Investigation roll to decode
a perfumed mist that hides characters taking actions which
any message conveyed through the earth.
they would be ashamed of, or which cause them to hit break-
Glimmerwisp ing points. The Glimmerwisp’s player rolls Manipulation +
Persuasion + Wyrd, which each character within the mist
“Won’t you spend a little bit of time with me? It’s so cold contests with Resolve + Composure. Characters who lose
tonight...” the contest can’t see the wrongdoing of anyone else within
Horror fandom popularized the mist which suddenly the mist. The mist lasts until the end of the scene.
spreads through towns, carrying silence and monsters.
Sometimes, the townsfolk themselves become the monsters, Gremlin
acting on their worst impulses. After all, a mist can serve to “Gentry damn you, can’t you get anything right?”
hide any creature’s worst excesses.
Though the name “gremlin” didn’t emerge until the
Glimmerwisps took the place of these storied fogs and 1920s, Gremlins have always been part of the elaborate tap-
mists in Faerie. The Fae crafted many of them from mor- estry that makes up the Lost. Aviators thought wicked little
tals who, for whatever reason, feared getting into trouble. creatures were sabotaging their planes. They weren’t wrong,
The teenager with the overly strict mother, the wife whose exactly, but it was never just planes, or even machines. Any-
spouse’s “love” depends upon how closely she hews to impos- thing with even the tiniest flaw was subject to a Gremlin’s
sible and ever-changing rules, the first responder with skel- dismantling.
etons in his closet: all could easily become Glimmerwisps.
Gremlins feel the push and pull of perfection and ob-
They threw protective gauzes and glimmers over the Gen-
session, twin impulses with the same outlet: destruction. A
try’s atrocities, traveling with them and enabling their worst
Gremlin sees no point in doing something unless they get
excesses; some Glimmerwisps even came to have a taste for
it right the first time, and if they don’t, time to wreck and
the work. After all, it helps other changelings not to see what
rebuild. Miss a stitch? Rip the nearly perfect thread out.
their Keepers are really doing, right?
One wrong line of code? Delete the entire file. This doesn’t
It’s not that the True Fae can’t behave themselves or hide just apply to their own work; someone else’s error prompts
their own actions. The Glimmerwisps who escape come to see identical outcomes. More than one Gremlin gets to remain
this quite clearly. The Gentry are essentially the small gods of in their motley only because of their identically quick hands
their own domains — as far as any Glimmerwisp can tell, the and minds. Many changelings only weather Gremlin melt-
only reason they take changelings to cover up their own actions downs by remembering her promise of a perfect machine.
is because they want to. It brings a Keeper a perverse sense of joy
Before their durance, Gremlins were brilliant minds in
to know that one of their changelings has the sole job of cover-
fields that could appreciate their perfectionism: engineers,
ing up their cruelty. It’s good to have a loyal servant like that.
newspaper editors, sculptors, chefs. They shared workaholic
Many Glimmerwisps who escape do so because of the tendencies, and spent hours caught in their own narrow
careless brutality of their masters. Some, however, figure foci, sacrificing work-life balance and personal relationships
that they could be more powerful outside of the grasp of the so that they could feel the fleeting joy of perfection. Grem-
True Fae, where the only cruelties they’re hiding are their lins usually didn’t need the Gentry to violently abduct them;
own. It’s easy enough to escape as a Glimmerwisp — sim- they just had to be promised a workshop, and glory, and
ply breeze through the Hedge. She’s already committed the appreciation for their brilliance. Of course, the Gentry then
unforgivable sin of escape, and she’s covered up a thousand tore their work apart with far more gusto than the Gremlin
graver sins than that in her Durance. ever did.
Elemental: Her ash-blond hair always blows around her Ogre: He should be clumsy, with his huge hands and
dark face in a nonexistent breeze. You’ve never seen her open hulking frame; he should knock over every table he squeezes
a door for herself; she always just seems to be there, espe- past, crush the piping bags he uses to decorate wedding cakes
cially if there’s shouting or blood. She likes blood. to pulp. But his stature belies his delicacy. No one has ever
Example Kiths 95
Amaurosis fugax: By spending a point of Glamour and them turns into a wondrous physical display of colors on
making a Presence + Persuasion + Wyrd roll contested by their miens. Other changelings might refer to them as “liv-
Resolve + Wyrd, an Oculus obscures all physical paths save ing mood rings” or “Arcadian lava lamps.”
hers. Whether via literal clouded vision, magically obscur- The Polychromatic kith’s wonder lies in their incredible
ing everything else in the target’s field of vision, or a mental inoffensiveness. Even as beautiful, brilliant rainbow colors
block when the target considers options, the Oculus guides flash and course throughout their skin and hair, that safe
her target’s destination. beauty demands little of others. Some Polychromatics just
walked out of the front gates of Arcadia, flashing their sig-
Polychromatic nals of safety, while others convinced hobgoblins to spirit
“Come back tonight, folx, it’s a new show every time!” them out. Even in the mortal realm, they make excellent
Creatures as fickle as the True Fae need constant en- negotiators, mediators, and crisis counselors. Whenever a
tertainment. They thrive on conflict, but they also thrive freehold or motley needs a soothing voice to restore order,
on flash and beauty and the way one shade of blue fades sooner or later, a Polychromatic shows up, ready to help.
into another. The Polychromatic kith was born of this con- Beast: He looks a bit like one of those stuffed collectible
stant need for stimulation. Whether the Gentry find them toys from the 80s. You can’t quite place which one. His voice
soothing, peaceful, or something else, many Keepers have puts you in mind of Saturday morning pancake breakfasts
one around, just for show. Some, however, brought them to and nostalgic cartoons from your youth.
large unknowable events as a sort of emotional modulator, Fairest: When she’s not helping new escapees from Ar-
making sure the party didn’t get too riotous and no fights cadia, she works downtown as a singer at one of those over-
broke out. priced bougie jazz clubs. Her sonorous voice pulls in patrons
Before they were taken by their eldritch masters, Poly- from all age groups, and she knows how to rake in the tips.
chromatics were the sort of people who looked to care for Old men say that her voice makes them feel young again, and
the emotional well-being of a room. They might have inter- perhaps that’s true.
vened in fights or tried to play the role of a neutral, mother- Kith Blessing: When using Empathy to soothe some-
ing wise figure to mediate heated discussion. Their ability one’s nerves or temper, the Polychromatic’s player achieves
to work with the shades of emotions displayed in around exceptional success at three successes instead of five.
Example Kiths 97
Wizened: She looks every bit the classical hag, a real Baba Some can get obsessive, spending days buried in a dictionary
Yaga type, and she takes full advantage. She makes sure to to feel like they’re ready for anything — as if they don’t know
smile real big at the children she hobbles past in the mar- that the very nature of their lives means anything can, and
ket, showing them her pointed, yellowing teeth; she touches will, happen.
helpful cashiers’ hands, knowing her callused fingers bite Darkling: This clever Wisp spends her days sifting
like a thornbush; and she gathers her harvest without pur- through dump sites and thrift shop collections, looking for
chasing a thing. trash to turn into treasure. She always seems a bit distracted;
Kith Blessing: When a Witchtooth targets a mortal if something or someone isn’t useful to her now or later, she
with Intimidation, her player achieves exceptional success at isn’t interested.
three successes instead of five. Wizened: Odd tools dangle from the tiny hag’s belt: a
Nibble, Nibble, Little Mouse: The Witchtooth knows her comb, a vial of salt, a bouquet of forget-me-nots and worm-
land so well that she can transform its appearance at will, all wood. She’s a good listener, although it’s probably so she can
the better to terrify lonely stragglers. By spending a point of always be prepared to use your words against you.
Glamour and making a successful Resolve + Intimidation Kith Blessing: At character creation, choose a specialty
roll, she can reshape the land within one square mile to look in either Crafts or Expression. When rolling the designated
how she wants it to. The effect lasts for a number of turns skill and specialty, a Bricoleur’s player achieves exceptional
equal to her Wyrd and deals a −1 die penalty to any Survival success at three successes instead of five.
rolls. Creatio Ex Nihilo: By spending a Glamour point and
making a Wits + Persuasion roll, the Bricoleur can change a
Mirror core truth about herself. It might be minor, like hair color; it
Kiths of mirror reflect truths not wholly their own. might be major, like her age. Everyone else will believe this
They reveal, they conceal, and when you least want them to, too, for a number of days equal to the Bricoleur’s Wyrd. She
they unveil. must have an item that relates in some way to the myth she
is making and is appropriate to its power.
Bricoleur Most Bricoleurs will be unaware that the same change
“You’ve heard that old joke, haven’t you? A girl asks the wrong happens to their fetch — only that transformation is for
person to make her a sandwich, and she gets turned into a witch keeps.
made of sand. Clever, isn’t it? That’s what I did to my fetch.”
Bricoleurs trade in symbolism. The kith has existed for Cloakskin
as long as the Gentry have kidnapped mortals, but the name “When I was a kid, I always said if I had a superpower, I’d
is more recent, deriving from the concept of mythmaking as want invisibility. If I knew that I’d actually end up with a super-
bricolage. Bricoleurs have a gift for seeing the potential links power, I’d have picked something else.”
between disparate, unrelated elements; by drawing these Have you ever seen something out of the corner of your
connections, they can create a unifying whole. Bricoleurs eye, only to turn and realize nothing was there — just shad-
are the fairy tale heroes who block their pursuer’s way by ows? Perhaps that was a Cloakskin. These changelings are
throwing combs behind them that become mountains built shadow people, visible to fae eyes but not to mortal ones.
of teeth or spitting on the ground to create an ocean. Their Perhaps their visage offended their Keeper, or the Gentry
durance was transmutative: these changelings realized that wanted to experiment with invisibility. Whatever the inspi-
language is not a rule, and they used it to escape. ration, the end result is the same. Cloakskins vary in their
While not necessarily a writer or an artist before mien just as any other Lost do, but their Masks share one
the Gentry took them, a Bricoleur reveled in creative important trait: someone who cannot see through the Mask
thought, avoiding literalism in favor of something fresh cannot look upon a Cloakskin. Even in brightest sunlight,
and new. Once through their durance, they find it dif- they see nothing but the changeling’s shadow. This never
ficult to think in straight lines, which sometimes makes changes, though there are rumors that if a Cloakskin kills
them difficult to befriend. Many Bricoleurs become overly his fetch, his Mask will once again be visible. Those same
enamored of their own cleverness; even the quieter ones rumors say the only mortal who can see through the invis-
often give off the impression of not taking other perspec- ible Mask is the changeling’s own fetch. Wherever you go,
tives as seriously as their own. This favoritism extends there you are.
to their fellow Bricoleurs, making it not uncommon for Many Cloakskins were wallflowers before their abduc-
these changelings to compete, each showing off her trans- tion, avoiding any and all attention, unwanted or otherwise.
formative prowess. The Gentry taught them the lesson that sometimes you get
Though sometimes irritating, Bricoleurs are valuable al- exactly what you wish for. Upon their return, being invis-
lies. They’re good at thinking on their feet, and most spend a ible to mortals gets old quick, and for most it’s impossible to
lot of time studying, preparing for competition or for danger. return to their old lives. As a result, they tend to be more no-
Example Kiths 99
after work; an artist’s brushstrokes couldn’t relieve the pain. dren should be seen and not heard. In Arcadia, that was
When they come back, they can’t recapture that. Revisiting often the case. The Keeper removes their ability to speak,
the worst of Arcadia is like looking into the sea through a then puts them to work as the ears of the Gentry. A Keeper
glass-bottomed boat. That’s how many escape: unable to re- with knowledge of human myth and a sense of irony might
member fear, they simply walked out of Arcadia, knowing if have transformed a Lullescent into a single lonely narcissus
they didn’t make it at least they wouldn’t die afraid. flower and hidden her in an enemy’s garden or made her
Lethipomps can remove emotions associated with a par- into an acoustic mirror at which visitors might announce
ticular memory and draw it into themselves to feel one gor- themselves. Lullescents spent their durance shouting to be
geous, shattering moment of pain. A Lethipomp could make a heard before realizing there were more interesting things
splendid therapist, but most focus their energies on collecting to listen to than themselves. Eavesdropping gave them the
horrible secrets, promising forgetfulness and making no men- power to slip past their captors: when the Keeper wanted a
tion of its cost. Even those who know oblivion’s price still find report and gave back her voice, the Lullescent could use her
themselves drawn to a Lethipomp’s promises; sometimes, being knowledge to get out before her voice was gone again.
free of guilt and sorrow is worth letting memories fade away. Lullescents have sharp hearing that dips in and out of
Darkling: Sometimes when they talk to you, it’s not clear the ultrasonic and infrasonic ranges, and if one is in the free-
that it’s really you they’re speaking to. They bring up old hold, it pays to be careful with your words. More than a few
quarrels you never took part in, secrets locked with a key you courtiers have been brought down by a Lullescent seeking to
don’t have. They’ve got the upper hand always. Sometimes better his own position, or one with a grudge the courtier
you wonder if these memories were ever yours at all, or if the didn’t know they held.
Lethipomp just wants you to spin, chasing the memory of Beast: If you crossed a dog and a monkey, you’d get him:
the memory. a light coating of gray fur covers him, with peach climbing
Elemental: Her eyes are dark pools, rivers snaking up his throat; his ears are floppy, like a dog’s, and he always
through a forest of dead trees. Her voice is watery too, a well seems to be mid-shrug. His odd appearance wouldn’t draw
so deep you’ll never swim out. Her voice scares you, but her the eye if he’d only stop smiling, like he’s just heard a really
eyes — you could drown in those cold waters and never feel good joke at your expense.
an ounce of regret. Darkling: The waif earns her place at the Winter Queen’s
Kith Blessing: When a Lethipomp uses Empathy to side as a lady’s maid. She’s been there throughout the
guess a secret, achieving three successes counts as an excep- Queen’s rise to power, a wispy little naif with dark eyes and a
tional success. quiet tread. She follows the Queen like a shadow, and never
makes a sound — except in private, humming the freehold’s
Waters of Lethe: By spending a Glamour point and
secrets like a beloved lullaby.
making a contested Composure + Empathy + Wyrd roll,
the Lethipomp may absorb the emotions associated with a Kith Blessing: When the Lullescent uses Stealth to
target’s memory. This doesn’t transfer or resolve any Condi- eavesdrop on a target, achieving three successes counts as an
tions. They must already have an idea of what that memory exceptional success.
is, and even if their target tries to keep part of it from them, Song of Silence: A Lullescent can use echolocation by
the Lethipomp will still find out. The target suffers the Le- spending a Glamour point. This allows them to measure
thargic Condition (see p. 342 of Changeling: The Lost) for distance, navigate, or find objects hidden from sight. A suc-
24 hours. The Lethipomp suffers a Condition appropriate to cessful Wits + Occult + Wyrd roll also unveils objects and
the memory for 12 hours. During this time, they may Incite beings hidden by magic but requires a Clash of Wills if the
Bedlam (see p.110 in Changeling: The Lost), causing anyone concealer is still alive.
within range to re-enact the absorbed memory.
Riddleseeker
Lullescent “Why did the chicken cross the Hedge? That wasn’t rhetori-
“Can you hear me?” cal. Pilar the Unlit, Infanta of the Salamander Court, reports
In one of the quiet, rugged valleys of Arcadia, nestled that in 1815, Chickenfoot Charlie went into the Hedge…”
between two massive stone mountains, no living souls pass. A Mortals have always sought to understand the world
single stream trickles through the vivid green grass, interrupt- they can see in addition to the world they can’t. In thousands
ed only in the exact center of the valley, where it circles around of years of human existence, this quest has never wavered,
a massive concrete block. One of its sides is flat. The other and when changelings fall into Arcadia, a land that whim re-
looks like an open mouth. Speaking into it, you’ll expect an shapes and governs, the search for meaning takes new forms.
echo, but there won’t be one. Instead, you’ll realize you haven’t Some Lost don’t ask too many questions when they come
heard the burbling of the stream or the gentle blowing of the home, scared of the possibility, but Riddleseekers demand
grass since the moment you set foot in the valley. every answer — even to questions they haven’t yet asked. By
Lullescents are the inverse of the old adage that chil- some accounts, Riddleseekers are the original mythmakers.
Venombite Apoptosome
“We’re all untidy heaps of scars and consequences, it’s just
“Step into my parlor — or, well, my apartment, anyway. I love
that I wear my memories on the outside.”
that old poem, but who can afford a parlor in this economy?”
They never saw their Keeper in full. Instead, they were
Whether skittering in the shadows or strutting in full
trapped in empty fortresses, alone but for their own accumu-
view and covered in bright colors, the sheer amount of toxin
lated corpses. They drifted through endless halls, waging a
coursing through their blood binds all Venombites together.
solitary war against the trespassers who slipped in through
Biting a Venombite will not, in itself, lead to death, though
tiny cracks in the walls. But each time an Apoptosome
that invasion of personal space does tend to annoy them.
died, they rose anew. In a new body, but one identical to
Not poisonous but venomous, Venombites take their name
the corpse that they left. Misshapen by the blow that killed
from their eponymous and incredibly dangerous bites.
them, but stronger. Wise to the tricks of the next dead-eyed
The Gentry show little discrimination when choosing invader. And as they were killed over and over again, their
humans to craft into Venombites. Everyone carries little body accumulated the memories of every cold and savage
resentments, words they never say to the people who hurt thing that struck them down.
them, petty hatreds boiling in their stomachs like so much
Apoptosomes often leave their durance feeling incom-
acid. A Venombite’s durance takes these vicious, hidden feel-
plete. Their Keepers left them fully to their own thoughts, with
ings and distills them, turning them into Arcadian toxin.
only the barest control over their actions. The Fae never obvi-
The changeling might spend her durance as a pitohui, eating
ously surveilled them, giving little sign of even acknowledging
glittering poisonous beetles — harmless to her, but turning
their presence. Apoptosomes often don’t escape their Keeper’s
her feathers into deadly knives — or as a serpent with a long
domain, instead expelled from that vast and unknowable body
tail rattling ominously behind her. Kept as pets, sources of
• Once infiltrated into the motley, the harlequin can Knives In, Knives Out
sense the rough direction of and distance to any of A simple approach to how the group handles conflict is
the motley’s members. to choose whether the motley will be knives in or knives out. In
a knives in group, the group assumes the chronicle’s drama
• Each time the harlequin harvests Glamour in this
and excitement stem from the motley’s internal clashes. The
way, it gains the ability to copy something about that
players explicitly expect the motley’s knives are all pointed
motley-mate: their face; their height, weight, and gen-
inward, at each other, and that a certain level of friction is
eral body shape; their voice; their mannerisms; or
the norm. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the motley are
their shallow memories. The order is not set, and the
all scheming conspirators looking to get a little extra height
harlequin may choose what it copies each time. It can
by stepping on their supposed friends; the characters may
express any number of copied aspects for 1 point of
all be genuinely close. However, the players actively expect
Glamour as an Instant action, shedding its normal
the narrative to focus on the ways in which the characters
features in place of the mimicry. Each copied aspect
conflict personally.
also grants it one additional die on Empathy, Subter-
fuge, and attack rolls against that motley-mate. By comparison, a knives out group is the motley ver-
sus the world. Tensions and arguments might happen, but
• Once a harlequin has copied all five aspects of a tar- the players can safely assume that no matter how upset a
get, it can replace its own Needle and Thread with changeling gets with her motley-mates, she’ll still back them
theirs by spending a point of Glamour; this lasts for up when trouble comes. The motley always comes first. It’d
a story, or until it uses this ability again to copy the take something very significant in the narrative to pry any of
Anchors of a different motley-mate. It does not need the player characters apart from their loyalty to their fellows,
to spend Glamour to copy the Anchors of a motley- and the players can expect this to be signaled clearly even if
mate who has the Oathbreaker Condition or who is their characters are not aware.
dead. Lots of potential nuance exists in the space between
knives out and knives in, but it can be valuable to have a
• A harlequin must spend a point of Glamour each
clear, open declaration before the chronicle begins that the
story to sustain its pretense within the Wyrd’s bond;
players can expect internal conflict to be actively encour-
it also loses a point of Glamour in any scene in which
aged, or that they can expect the motley to be fundamentally
a motley-mate successfully calls it out as not being the
on the same side and betrayal or infighting to be sidelined.
motley-mate it pretends at. While infiltrated into a
motley, should the harlequin ever fully deplete, the
Wyrd’s retributive force immediately tears its funda-
Staged Struggle
mental essence apart. Where conflict does occur between motley-mates, a
good-faith approach to handling it helps deliver drama and
excitement for the players while also keeping the strife inside
• Once per scene, a character can earn one point by • At the end of each chapter, each character loses one
actively taking steps to uphold or keep to the motley social currency point; a character needs to put effort
oath she has sworn in a way that other characters can into being a team player to stay in the motley’s good
clearly perceive. graces.
• Once per scene, each character who participated in a • Whenever a character gains the Oathbreaker Condi-
successful teamwork action with other player charac- tion, she loses three social currency points.
ters gains one point. If a character has any points of
social currency, whenever she’s a secondary actor in Negotiation
such a teamwork action, she always adds at least one Whenever two or more player characters come into con-
die to the primary actor’s roll even if her roll fails; if flict and the players wish to resolve it using a staged struggle,
she dramatically fails, reduce the penalty she imposes they enter a negotiation. The character with the most social
on the primary actor’s roll to −3. currency at the moment goes first; in case of a tie, go with
the character with the higher Composure. The first charac-
• At the end of each chapter, each player awards one ter bids a number of social currency points he’s willing to
social currency point to someone else’s character for part with to assert his will. Then, each character in order
something she did in that chapter, whether it was of current social currency total (or Composure where neces-
healing his wounds, talking him through a hard time, sary) has a chance to outbid the previous offer. Go around
or just providing good banter; a character can’t earn the circle as many times as it takes before the highest bid
two points for the same action, however. These are stands unchallenged. With each bid, the player must offer a
usually smaller gestures than those that earn a char- new argument, a bribe, a threat, or something else to bring
acter points from the Storyteller. his opponents around, sweeten the pot, or break down con-
• Whenever a character (or group of characters who victions.
agree to compromise) wins a negotiation (see below), The last bid standing wins the negotiation; everyone
distribute all the social currency she bid evenly among else takes back their bid points, and the winner (or winners,
the losing participants. A character who voluntarily in case of a partial compromise, below) distributes the so-
capitulates gains one extra point, and a Beat. If all cial currency he bid evenly among all the losing characters.
negotiating characters reach an acceptable compro- Any leftover points simply vanish. Any character may, on
mise, each participant gains one point; if the players his turn, voluntarily capitulate; if so, he withdraws from the
are using the group Beats option, the group earns a negotiation, keeping all his social currency and gaining the
single Beat, otherwise the players must choose one benefits in the list above.
character to gain the Beat. Acceptable compromises Only one character per side of a conflict may participate
only award the motley one such Beat per chapter. in a negotiation. If several characters agree on a course of
action, they choose one among them to negotiate for their
Freehold Politics Again, players should determine what kind of story they
want when deciding if the non-changeling character will be-
When deciding to create a motley with mixed character come embroiled in court politics. Maybe being beholden to
types, the players and Storyteller should consider how that a specific court is a requirement the freehold has placed on
affects the freehold and their place within it. Just because a the member, or the motley-mates all share a court, so the
motley accepts a hobgoblin, mortal, or other supernatural member wants to support them there.
creature into their circle of trust doesn’t mean the rest of the Keep in mind how the court might feel about a non-
freehold will react well to the idea. changeling member, and what kind of threat that might pose
How the freehold reacts to a non-standard motley mem- to the court. The changelings can strike up bargains with
ber is not universal. Some freeholds welcome non-change- a mortal, for example, to gain greater shielding from the
ling members, giving them a place within the freehold and Fae, but a hobgoblin provides no such benefit. The change-
accepting them as one of their own once the newcomers lings may find themselves at odds with court members
demonstrate trustworthiness. Well-established or older free- disgruntled about them bringing in an outsider, while the
holds have likely come across the situation before and have non-changeling faces discrimination from them. The non-
rules covering such situations. More secure freeholds are changeling may prove invaluable as a court member, giving
more likely to be welcoming of non-changeling members, her an extra avenue of support and assistance when dealing
though some may view outsiders as a threat to that security. with the freehold. The motley may blaze a path to welcom-
Players should discuss with the Storyteller what kind of ing all sorts of non-changelings into the court, or conversely
stories they want to tell by including a non-changeling mot- find themselves constantly cleaning up messes as the lowest
ley member. If they want to dive into the politics of allowing ranking members.
in an outsider, then presenting a resistant freehold allows
them to delve into how to win their motley member a place Fae Creatures
in Lost society. A resistant freehold may allow the characters Hobgoblins present an interesting quandary to a mot-
chances to play at politics, fight duels for their motley-mate’s ley. They live in the Hedge going about their daily lives, but
honor, or go on wild quests to prove the member’s worth. their interactions with the Lost leave much to be desired.
If the players prefer a less political and more adventurous Hobgoblins can also be allies, hiding changelings in Hol-
game, then a resistant freehold might make less sense. While lows or turning Huntsmen away from their quarry. A series
the freehold might not fully welcome the non-changeling, of mutually beneficial exchanges could turn a neutral hob-
forcing the players to deal with their characters being drawn goblin into a friend for life, that friend therefore earning
into politics doesn’t create fun for anyone. Instead, they may his place within a motley based on mutual trust. While rare
continuously find reasons to avoid the freehold proper. between changelings and hobgoblins, this sort of friendship
Even freeholds with open membership policies are likely is not unheard of.
to have rules and stipulations about how to join if you aren’t Motleys built around specific goals or prescribed actions
a changeling. The freehold may hold the non-changeling to a are more likely to induct a hobgoblin than one based solely
higher standard or require her to prove herself. Players may around friendship or loyalty. Hobgoblins can’t swear oaths,
choose to skirt danger by actively breaking those rules or attempt so when the motley needs a short-term agreement, including
to follow them to the best of their ability. The non-changeling him into the motley might make the most sense. The motley
member — unless she is fae-touched — cannot enter into an oath becomes more of a business transaction than a friendship,
with the freehold, so the freehold might restrict her actions or and even in a motley with close-knit changeling members,
make the rest of the motley take new, more detailed, oaths cov- they almost invariably keep their hobgoblin counterpart at
ering their member who cannot swear for herself. arm’s length.
• You don’t feel this is the experience you signed up for • Character pronouns: He/him