Seemings and Kiths

Every Changeling is one of the six Seemings.

Most Changelings are also one of the kiths within their Seeming.

Dual Kith (Merit •• or •••)

Your character can also have two kiths by purchasing this option as a three-dot Merit. This allows you to better customize the benefits of kiths to match your character's concept. If both kiths come from the same Seeming, this costs only two dots.

Different Seeming Example: Sweet Rose was once the prize rose bush in the Master of the Estate's prized gardens. She had to remain planted in the earth during the day, communing with the other plants, but at night, she could uproot herself and show up to the great parties. As such, Sweet Rose is an Elemental of the Woodblood kith, but she also has the kith benefits of the Flowering kith of the Fairest, giving her the ability to blend among other foliage, but also standing out and exuding perfume for her rose-like beauty.

Same Seeming Example: In the dry clay caverns beneath the Master of the Estate's pottery kilns are the Offal Caverns, where the Estate's refuse is thrown to be eaten by the massive komodo dragons that live there. Unfortunately, poor Filthmouth earned the Master's ire too greatly one day, and he was thrown out with the offal. He had two choices: to be eaten by them, or to become one of them. Thus, Filth-mouth is a Beast Seeming, with both the Coldscale and Roteater kiths.

Beast

The animal-blooded who hunt in the tangled forests of Faerie, swim in its waters, soar in its skies or pace in its kennels. The Durance of beast characters always had something to do with animals or beasts, whether tending them, hunting them, being hunted by them or being them.

• Affinity Contract: Fang and Talon
• Blessing: Beasts gain the 8-Again quality on Animal Ken rolls, as well as a free Specialty in any skill that seems appropriate to the Beast's animal side. The Beast also exudes powerful animal magnetism, with the ability to spend 1 Glamour to add one die to Presence and Composure-based rolls.
• Curse: Beasts find mental concentration hard, receiving a -4 penalty to the use of all Mental skills he has no dots in. Additionally, he does not gain the 10-Again quality on Intelligence-based skill rolls.
• Kiths: Beast kiths are generally based on the type of creature whose traits the Changeling has absorbed.
  • Broadback: Creatures of endurance and stubbornness, such as camels, elephants, horses, mules, goats and the like. (May spend 1 Glamor to add +2 to all Stamina rolls for the scene.)
  • Cleareyes: Creatures of incredible senses, such as eagles, hounds, bats and raccoons. (+2 to all Perception rolls involving that sense; 1 Glamour to heighten sense to truly incredible levels.)
  • Coldscale: Creatures of scaly hides, such as serpents, lizards, basilisks and wyverns. (+1 Composure to resist emotional manipulation, +2 to Stamina rolls to resist venoms and biological poisons.)
  • Hunterheart: Hunters and predators, such as wolves, bears, cats, crocodiles, snakes and birds of prey. (May inflict lethal damage with unarmed attacks.)
  • Riddleseeker: Creatures of wisdom or those that guard secrets or give riddles, such as snakes, owls, cats, foxes and the sphinx. (Spend 1 Glamour to gain +2 to Wits-based dice pools other than Perception for scene; gain free Investigation Specialty in Riddles.)
  • Roteater: Creatures that feed on carrion and offal, such as vultures, hyenas, crows and worms. (+2 dice to resist poison or disease, +3 vs ingested, gain 9-Again to Perception rolls when scrouging.)
  • Runnerswift: Fast moving creatures, such as hares, rabbits, antelopes and the like. (Permanent +2 Speed.)
  • Skitterskulk: Insects and other creepy-crawlies, such as flies, spiders, beetles, centipedes and worms. (When using Dodge action, Defense triples, instead of doubles.)
  • Steepscrambler: Creatures at home in high places, such as monkeys, raccoons, squirrels, some insects and lizards. (Permanent +3 bonus to climb checks, and may attempt to climb surfaces normally impossible to get handholds in.)
  • Swimmerskin: Amphibious or aquatic creatures, such as seals, otters, ducks, salmon, as well as creatures such a mermaids. (Hold breath for 30 minutes underwater, and swim at full Speed.)
  • Truefriend: Creatures renowned for their loyalty and peaceful intent with humans, such as hounds, housecats, horses, parakeets and other pets. (Spend 1 Glamour to grant any ally +3 to any roll, invoked as a standard action.)
  • Venombite: Poisonous creatures, such as poisonous spiders, insects and reptiles. (May make unarmed brawling attack 1/scene that inflicts no damage, but delivers poison.)
  • Windwing: Flying creatures, such as birds, butterflies and bats. (Cannot fly, but may spend 1 Glamour to glide and reduce falling damage.)

Darkling

The nocturnals, the fae that lurk in the shadows and call from lightless grottoes and hidden glens. Their Durances involve shadowy fears, subterranean places, raw and terrible agony and terror and deep black oubliettes and voids.

• Affinity Contract: Darkness
• Blessings: May spend 1 Glamour to gain a one die bonus to Wits, Subterfuge or Stealth rolls. Also gains 9-Again Quality on Stealth rolls.
• Curse: Sunlight limits powers; -1 penalty to all Contracts during daytime hours, -2 while actually in sunlight.
• Kiths
  • Antiquarian: Focused on old lore and artifacts of long-dead places and people. (Gain 9-Again on Academics and Investigation rolls, and spend 1 Glamour to gain the Encyclopedic Knowledge Merit for one question.)
  • Gravewight: Cold and dead-like creatures who prefer the company of the dead. (1 Glamour to see ghosts for the scene.)
  • Leechfinger: Those who steal the vitality of the living by touch. (1 Glamour and touching target, who takes one lethal damage, while changeling heals one bashing or lethal, or downgrades an aggravated to lethal.)
  • Lurkglider: Those who lurk in the high, shadowed places, such as the tops of dark forests, or gargoyles among the spires of cathedrals and palaces. (May dive from up to 100 yards without any damage; +2 to all rolls for keeping balance on small ledges and other such places.)
  • Mirrorskin: Dopplegangers who hide by changing their features. (May alter mien or Mask to look like another, +3 to Wits + Subterfuge rolls to do so.)
  • Moonborn: Lunatic children of the moon, filled with madness and insight. (Once per day, may inflict target with severe Derangement by touch, spending 1 Glamour and rolling Intelligence + Wyrd vs. target's Resolve + Wyrd; success also grants changeling minor version of Derangement, except with exceptional success; lasts until sunrise for supernaturals, or one month for humans.)
  • Nightsinger: Creatures of dark, haunting music and dirges. (Spend 1 Glamour to lull listeners into hypnotic state; roll Performance + Wyrd, opposed by Composure + Wyrd; those affected receive -2 to Resolve, Empathy and Subterfuge rolls for scene; also gain free Performance Specialty.)
  • Palewraith: Pallid, colorless, partially spectral or albino. (Spend 1 Glamour to gain +1 Defense in shadows; gain Defense against firearms as well.)
  • Razorhand: Nighttime violence and spilled blood in dark alleys, coming silently or whistling little tuneless ditties. (Gain free Specialty of Knives in Weaponry; spend 1 Glamour to turn fingers into blades, acting as +1 lethal attack.)
  • Tunnelgrub: Dwellers in tunnels, sewers and chimneys. (May spend 1 Glamour to fit through tiny, tight places normally cannot, or to escape bonds.)
  • Whisperwisp: Spies, watchers and eavesdroppers in shadows. (Gain 9-Again roll on Empathy and Subterfuge rolls involving conversation or gathering information; spend 1 Glamour to whisper a message to anyone within earshot.)

Elemental

Children of the earth, air and sky of Faerie; those born of the raw elements of nature itself. Their Durances involve the element of their affinity in some fashion - they tended it, fought it or were simply remade into it, in some fashion.

• Affinity Contract: Elements
• Blessing: May channel the natural world to make themselves more resilient; may spend 1 Glamour to add Wyrd to Health dots for scene.
• Curse: Removed from humanity; do not gain the 10-Again quality on Manipulation, Empathy, Expression, Persuasion or Socialize rolls.
• Kiths
  • Airtouched: Elementals of wind, cloud, smoke and sky. (1 Glamour to add Wyrd to Speed or Initiative for scene.)
  • Blightbent: Creatures of pollution and toxicity. (May contact another with pollution, spending 1 Glamour, rolling Dexterity + Wyld - target Stamina, Defense and armor apply depending on situation, inflicting 1 lethal per success; +3 to resist manmade poisons.)
  • Earthbones: Elementals of earth, soil and stone. (1 Glamour to add one die to non-combat Strength-based rolls.)
  • Fireheart: Elementals of fire, heat or electricity. (1 Glamour to add one die to Wits-based rolls.)
  • Levinquick: Elementals of lightning. (1 Glamour to add +2 to both Speed an Initiative; lasts for 1 turn per dot of Wyrd.)
  • Manikin: Hand-made elementals, such as caryatids, mannequins or strange creatures such as clockwork or steam-powered being, or entities of living glass or mercury. (Reduce cost to learn Artifice Contracts, and untrained Crafts rolls are made at -1 instead of -3.)
  • Metalflesh: Creatures of copper, gold, silver, brass or other non-ferrous metals. (1 Glamour to add +1 to Stamina, Resolve and Composure rolls and Defenses for scene.)
  • Sandharrowed: Elementals of sand, silt and other sliding, windblown surfaces. (+2 bonus to all grapple checks, including escaping.)
  • Snowskin: Elementals of cold, snow and ice. (Gain 9-Again on all Intimidation and Subterfuge rolls, and spend 1 Glamour to re-roll failed Intimidation rolls.)
  • Waterborn: Elementals of water, lakes, rivers, wells and oceans. (1 Glamour to breathe underwater and swim at double Speed for scene, but cannot leave water until power wears off or is dispelled with another Glamour.
  • Woodblood: Elementals of plantlife, such as Green Men, flower maidens, spirits of mandrake, rose, thorns, medicinal and poisonous herbs. (Gain 9-Again on Stealth and Survival rolls in areas with vegetation, and 1 Glamour to be allowed to roll Stealth where he normally couldn't, as long as there is foliage to blend with.)

Fairest

The most beautiful of Arcadia, if not always the kindest; the elegant and adored, the graceful and manipulative. Their Durances include themes of beauty, elegance, performance and physical perfection, as well as romance (willing or otherwise) and ecstasy.

• Affinity Contract: Vainglory
• Blessing: Incredibly beautiful, spending 1 Glamour to add one dice to Presence, Manipulation or Persuasion rolls. May also use Social skills untrained with no penalty.
• Curse: Tend towards callousness, gaining a -1 penalty to rolls to avoid losing Clarity.
• Kiths
  • Bright One: Creatures of light and luminousness, such as bright elves, White Women, will-s'-the-wisps and the like. (May cause illumination at will, including spending 1 Glamour to blind those who are viewing it.)
  • Dancer: Creatures of grace and motion, like poetry in motion, such as entertainers, athletes, courtesans, artists or murderers. (Gain 9-Again quality on any Expression or Socialize roll involving agility, plus +1 to Defense when using Dodge action.)
  • Draconic: Creatures of great and terrible beauty, such as those with the blood of dragons, celestial bureaucrats and even Satanic wyrms. (Gain +1 on Brawl rolls, and may spend 1 Glamour to re-roll a failed Brawl roll.)
  • Flamesiren: Creatures of entrancing flame. (1/scene, spend 1 Glamour to create a flaming aura; viewers must roll Resolve + Composure rolls or gain -2 penalty to all actions.)
  • Flowering: Creatures associated with the beauty of blossoms and flowers, with skin like petals and always surrounded by fine perfumes; where they walk, flowers bloom. (Gain 9-Again quality for Persuasion, Socialize and Subterfuge.)
  • Larcenist: Rogueish outlaws and "bad boys." (Gain 9-Again quality on Larceny or Socialize rolls; +1 to Defense while taking Dodge action.)
  • Minstrel: Creatures of beautiful music. (Spend 1 Glamour to reroll failed dice in any Expression roll; gain 8-Again for harvesting emotions during their own performances.)
  • Muse: Creatures of beauty and inspiration, who inspire artistic genius in others. (May inspire talent in humans, spending 1 Glamour to grant +2 to Expression, Persuasion, Socialize or Subterfuge rolls.)
  • Polychromatic: Creatures of rainbow and prism colors. (All Empathy rolls vs. changeling receive -1 penalty; spend 1 Glamour to gain +2 bonus vs. emotional manipulation.)
  • Romancer: Lovers and romancers. (-3 penalty to identify or describe changeling, due to the subtle shifting of appearance that makes them the ideal-seeming lover.)
  • Shadowsoul: Creatures of beautiful shadow and seductive darkness. (Gain bonus to Intimidation equal to Wyld; gain 9-Again quality to Subterfuge rolls; Darkness Contracts considered Affinity.)
  • Telluric: Creatures who embody the beauty of the heavens and stars. (Perfect knowledge of time, giving them a +3 to rolls involving timing; gain Specialties of Astronomy in Science and Astrology in Occult.)
  • Treasured: Creatures who were turned into treasures, meant to be displayed in cages and pedestals, living statues and jeweled gew-gaws. (Spend 1 Glamour to reroll a failed Stamina, Resolve or Composure roll; 1/scene, does not apply to derangement gains.)

Ogre

The strong and often brutal goblins and giants of Faerie, broad-backed and bloody-handed. Their Durances often involved being monsters, and often involved terrible violence and even (in some instances) cannibalism.

• Affinity Contract: Stone
• Blessing: Ogres are big, strong and intimidating; may spend 1 Glamour to add one die to Strength, Brawl and Intimidate rolls.
• Curse: Ogres are impulsive and somewhat gullible; do not gain 10-Again quality on Composure rolls (other than Perception rolls), and gain -1 Composure when using it as a Defense Trait.
• Kiths
  • Bloodbrute: Pit fighters and gladiators. (Spend 1 Glamour to quickly create an improvised weapon that uses the stats of any weapon from Melee Weapons Chart.)
  • Corpsegrinder: Ghuls and eaters of the dead. (+1 bonus to attack target already reduced to half Health; +1 to attack undead creatures.)
  • Cyclopean: Cannibal herders and huntsmen, whether cyclopes of Hellenic legend, Scottish fachan, three-eyed Japanese oni, Indian raksha or North American Indian wendigos. (Gain 8-Again on Wits-based Perception rolls due to scent; many have Physical Flaws of some kind, such as One Eye, Lame, One Arm or Hard of Hearing.)
  • Farwalker: Hairy men-beasts of legend, from yeti to sasquatch to Bigfoot. (Gain 9-Again quality on Stealth and Survival rolls; may spend 1 Glamour to reroll a failed Stealth or Survival roll.)
  • Gargantuan: Giants and other massive creatures. (May grow to colossal size 1/day, adding Wyrd to Size for scene; gain 1 lethal damage upon returning to normal size.)
  • Gristlegrinder: Man-eaters and gluttons, such as redcaps, black Annis, ogres and raksha. (May inflict a bite attack of +2 lethal, but must grapple first.)
  • Render: Living engines of destruction, destroying fortifications and towers. (Bare-hand damage ignores 3 points of Durability on objects.)
  • Stonebones: Rocky giants, such as Nordic trolls, Native American mountain spirits, etc. (May spend 1 Glamour to harden skin, gaining Armor rating of Wyrd for scene, but gain -1 penalty to all Dexterity-based rolls, and reducing Defense based on Wyrd rating.)
  • Water-Dweller: Frightening water-demons who lurk near water waiting to feast on those who pass nearby, such as trolls beneath bridges, things beside (or in) lakes and the Japanese kappa. (May hold breath for 30 minutes underwater, and suffer no penalty to Perception when underwater.)
  • Witch-tooth: Terrifying cavern-dwelling hags and witches of the dark forests. (Spend 1 Glamour to add one die to Occult rolls or Contracts involving cursing.)

Wizened

The subtle and ingenious crafters of Arcadia, the wise and cunning wondermakers and crafty goblins and brownies. Their Durances often involved being forced to work exhaustively for others, centering on equal parts drudgery and casual cruelty, as well as frequent escape attempts.

• Affinity Contract: Artifice
• Blessing: Wizened are very nimble; may spend 1 Glamour to gain 9-Again quality on Dexterity rolls for scene. May spend 1 Glamour to add Wyrd to Defense total when taking Dodge action for scene.
• Curse: Wizened are often spiteful; do not gain 10-Again rule on Presence dice pools, and gain -2 penalty for attempting to use untrained Social skills.
• Kiths
  • Artist: Creators of arts and crafts, such as tailors, sculptors, painters and builders. (Gain 8-Again quality on Crafts rolls, and may spend 1 Glamour to reroll dice that came up failures on a Craft roll.)
  • Author: Court poets and kept writers. (Gain 8-Again on all Expression rolls involving words; may roll Wits + Academics to deduce the meaning of written text in any mortal language.)
  • Brewer: Faerie vintners, brewers and alchemists. (May infuse any drink with extreme potency, causing drunkenness almost immediately.)
  • Chatelaine: Manservants, organizers and house-managers. (Gain 9-Again on Social rolls dealing with manners and etiquette; may spend 1 Glamour to gain +2 to Manipulation or Presence for scene.)
  • Chirurgeon: Surgeons, doctors and pharmacists. (Gain 9-Again quality on Medicine rolls; long-term medical care is treated as though in a hospital intensive care unit for healing rolls.)
  • Drudge: Menial workers, in the tradition of house elves, domovoi and servant goblins. (Spend 1 Glamour to complete a simple task in an amount of time equal to the normal time divided by Wyrd +1; gain 9-Again quality on Stealth rolls.)
  • Gameplayer: Gamesmen, gamblers, rules advocates and other game-playing faeries. (Spend 1 Glamour to win any purely mental-based game played or gain +3 to play games made of a combination of luck and wits.)
  • Miner: Knockers and kobolds, little subterranean workers. (Spend 1 Glamour to tap on nearby surface to carry message to someone within Wyrd miles, who automatically understands it.)
  • Oracle: Seers and diviners. (May perform minor divinations for others.)
  • Smith: Tinkers, toolmakers, blacksmiths and metallurgists. (Spend 1 Glamour to make an extended Dexterity + Crafts roll while working on a metal object, 30 minutes per roll; every 4 successes grants +1 equipment bonus that wears off after a day; 16 successes destroys the item.)
  • Soldier: Warriors, guards and mercenaries. (Considered to have a Specialization in any weapon wielded with Weaponry.)
  • Woodwalker: Protectors of the wilds, wood-keepers, Henge-tenders and wardens. (Gain 8-Again quality on Survival rolls; can eat any plant matter.)