Not Your Momma's Changeling Game
Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 11:22 am
"Once upon a time", that is how all of the tales began. This is no different in that regard. What is different is that this is no fairy tale. This is the "real" world, a world of gods and monsters, heroes and villains, witches and the good folk, warlocks and demons, and you...
Once upon a time, Gods walked the earth. Everyone knew of them, and everyone rightfully feared them. Kings and Queens were made and destroyed on their whim. Farms and families flourished under their smiling gaze, and crops failed with their displeasure. The Gods protected the natural order of existence, they guarded the world from formless monsters and demons that sought to devour or enslave it. And all of the living beings revered the Gods for that protection. It was an age of myth and wonder. That time is a long time passed, the world has forgotten its Gods and as a result most of them have retreated to their divine realms, only to interact with a chosen few. The world is a cold, logical, and empty place now, and through the cracks Outsiders hellbent on devouring it are slipping in through the cracks. This modern world has no place for magic, wonder, or horror and even the Witch-Kings of old hide from mortals, begging for scraps of the might that they once commanded.
The Gods rarely even speak to their Chosen Emissaries to the world, having to take them to the maddening Heavenly Realms in order to interact with them. You are one of these Emissaries, mistakenly called changelings, the power of the Gods flows through you, though you know next to nothing of your legacy or your terrifying might.
You character has been tied to the ancient gods in some way. You might have the blood of the gods in your veins. You might have been a tribute to the gods for some blessing on your house. You might have simply have wandered too far into a dark forest and emerged in their heavenly realm. Or you may have greatly displeased one of them or their children with some irrational slight. However you have been tapped, your soul has been warped and empowered, and you are no longer mortal (if you ever were). The world that desperately needs you, now thinks you crazy and seeks to lock you up or worse hunts you down...
Character Creation
Character Creation is standard but for these exceptions:
Wryd starts at 3
Free Merits: Dual Kith (3 dot version), Long of Days, and Lethal Mien [all from Rites of Spring]
You get 35 xp to spend to flesh out your character
All courts are available and represent a divine archetype rather than a season, your "court" is thus personal and not a political affiliation
Kiths can be divorced from their Seeming with approval (i.e. You can take an Elemental kith as a Fairest with a convincing character concept)
You may take 2 and only 2 Contracts to mix and match their dots, as long as the resulting Contract only has 1 clause per dot (So Levels 1, 2, and 5 are from Contracts of Darkness and 3 and 4 are from Eternal Winter)
We are using New, nwod rules for exp expenditure so there are no multipliers
There is a Fate overlay, so you will need a High Concept, a Trouble, and 5 additional Aspects
Additional Rules Changes
You may use The Code from Hunter: the Vigil, to alter your morality during gameplay
From Danse Macabre, you may and are encouraged to take Banes rather than Derangements on failed morality checks
Fluff
What courts have changed to:
Spring - Lovers
Summer - Warriors
Autumn - Tricksters or Monsters
Winter - Gods of Death
North -
East - Wealth
South - Enlightenment
West - War
Sun - Sun
Moon - Moon
Dawn -
Dusk -
Methods of Becoming:
Heirs to the Throne: Born with eh blood and wyld of the True Fae/Gods swimming through their veins, the Heirs or Scions are the prized children of the Gods. They have always been changelings and do not have a durance as such. Instead they are taken by their parent to Arcadia to receive an education on who and what they are, and what their duties are. The Gods are still alien and fickle however and if anything the children of the Gods have a closer and more traumatizing time in Arcadia than other changelings.
"My Father could never understand why I hated the taste of human flesh, I think it must be an acquired taste"
The Indebted: The Indebted have been traded by someone in their family for the power or the aid of the Gods. The baby is allowed to grow up as a human but at a pre-determined age they are whisked away by their new master. Generally this happens at 7, 18, or 21 years of age. This deal was not necessarily struck by a changeling's parents and in fact was most likely struck generations ago. An Indebted may have a family member who has shared their fate and can guide them on their transition. Because of the deal struck, most Indebted come from wealthy, influential families.
"I was lucky enough to e the Firstborn of my generation, how fortunate am I?"
The Cursed/The Taken: The Cursed offended the Gods in some unforgivable way, or SOMEONE in their family did and were taken to the Heavenly Realms and cursed. This offense is just as often incomprehensible as it is sensical. Your grandmother died and neglected to tell her daughter to water the marigolds out back under the full moon. You forgot to leave milk out for the Good Folk. You dug up the faerie circle to install a pool.
"The Gods are not kind, nor are they fair, but their will SHALL be done"
The Lost: The Lost wandered where they should not have and wound up in the Realms of the Gods, lost, starving you ate the food of the gods and breathed their air...and it changed you. Through your journeys in Arcadia, you built a legend and attracted the attention of a god who took you on as his protege'.
Once upon a time, Gods walked the earth. Everyone knew of them, and everyone rightfully feared them. Kings and Queens were made and destroyed on their whim. Farms and families flourished under their smiling gaze, and crops failed with their displeasure. The Gods protected the natural order of existence, they guarded the world from formless monsters and demons that sought to devour or enslave it. And all of the living beings revered the Gods for that protection. It was an age of myth and wonder. That time is a long time passed, the world has forgotten its Gods and as a result most of them have retreated to their divine realms, only to interact with a chosen few. The world is a cold, logical, and empty place now, and through the cracks Outsiders hellbent on devouring it are slipping in through the cracks. This modern world has no place for magic, wonder, or horror and even the Witch-Kings of old hide from mortals, begging for scraps of the might that they once commanded.
The Gods rarely even speak to their Chosen Emissaries to the world, having to take them to the maddening Heavenly Realms in order to interact with them. You are one of these Emissaries, mistakenly called changelings, the power of the Gods flows through you, though you know next to nothing of your legacy or your terrifying might.
You character has been tied to the ancient gods in some way. You might have the blood of the gods in your veins. You might have been a tribute to the gods for some blessing on your house. You might have simply have wandered too far into a dark forest and emerged in their heavenly realm. Or you may have greatly displeased one of them or their children with some irrational slight. However you have been tapped, your soul has been warped and empowered, and you are no longer mortal (if you ever were). The world that desperately needs you, now thinks you crazy and seeks to lock you up or worse hunts you down...
Character Creation
Character Creation is standard but for these exceptions:
Wryd starts at 3
Free Merits: Dual Kith (3 dot version), Long of Days, and Lethal Mien [all from Rites of Spring]
You get 35 xp to spend to flesh out your character
All courts are available and represent a divine archetype rather than a season, your "court" is thus personal and not a political affiliation
Kiths can be divorced from their Seeming with approval (i.e. You can take an Elemental kith as a Fairest with a convincing character concept)
You may take 2 and only 2 Contracts to mix and match their dots, as long as the resulting Contract only has 1 clause per dot (So Levels 1, 2, and 5 are from Contracts of Darkness and 3 and 4 are from Eternal Winter)
We are using New, nwod rules for exp expenditure so there are no multipliers
There is a Fate overlay, so you will need a High Concept, a Trouble, and 5 additional Aspects
Additional Rules Changes
You may use The Code from Hunter: the Vigil, to alter your morality during gameplay
From Danse Macabre, you may and are encouraged to take Banes rather than Derangements on failed morality checks
Fluff
What courts have changed to:
Spring - Lovers
Summer - Warriors
Autumn - Tricksters or Monsters
Winter - Gods of Death
North -
East - Wealth
South - Enlightenment
West - War
Sun - Sun
Moon - Moon
Dawn -
Dusk -
Methods of Becoming:
Heirs to the Throne: Born with eh blood and wyld of the True Fae/Gods swimming through their veins, the Heirs or Scions are the prized children of the Gods. They have always been changelings and do not have a durance as such. Instead they are taken by their parent to Arcadia to receive an education on who and what they are, and what their duties are. The Gods are still alien and fickle however and if anything the children of the Gods have a closer and more traumatizing time in Arcadia than other changelings.
"My Father could never understand why I hated the taste of human flesh, I think it must be an acquired taste"
The Indebted: The Indebted have been traded by someone in their family for the power or the aid of the Gods. The baby is allowed to grow up as a human but at a pre-determined age they are whisked away by their new master. Generally this happens at 7, 18, or 21 years of age. This deal was not necessarily struck by a changeling's parents and in fact was most likely struck generations ago. An Indebted may have a family member who has shared their fate and can guide them on their transition. Because of the deal struck, most Indebted come from wealthy, influential families.
"I was lucky enough to e the Firstborn of my generation, how fortunate am I?"
The Cursed/The Taken: The Cursed offended the Gods in some unforgivable way, or SOMEONE in their family did and were taken to the Heavenly Realms and cursed. This offense is just as often incomprehensible as it is sensical. Your grandmother died and neglected to tell her daughter to water the marigolds out back under the full moon. You forgot to leave milk out for the Good Folk. You dug up the faerie circle to install a pool.
"The Gods are not kind, nor are they fair, but their will SHALL be done"
The Lost: The Lost wandered where they should not have and wound up in the Realms of the Gods, lost, starving you ate the food of the gods and breathed their air...and it changed you. Through your journeys in Arcadia, you built a legend and attracted the attention of a god who took you on as his protege'.