Character Creation Rules
Standard character creation rules apply, with some exceptions. Please make note of restrictions. Some of them may be obvious, while others are not as clear. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact the ST. Restricted does not mean disallowed, but expect to explain your idea or the reason your character would have what is restricted. The ST may ask for more information before approval. Please contact the Changeling ST, Moriganna, via email: vegasinshadow@gmail.com if you want to create a restricted character. There is no grace period for a restricted character.

There will be opportunities for gain and loss throughout the chronicles. Changeling is a game rife with politic struggles and power-plays. The Dreaming is constantly changing, and our characters are affected by these constant transformations.

Please take these changes as they are meant to be taken: Complication in Plots, Changes in Stories, and a Chance to Develop Your Character into something memorable. Changes are not meant as personal vendettas. They are the result of IC interactions, Plot Arcs, and IC Consequences. The world of Changeling is constantly fluctuating and evolving as imaginations do.

Restrictions Revisited
There are some things that are restricted for the sake of simplicity. Changeling has a wide arrangement of kiths, arts, merits and flaws in general, a lot of things that can overcomplicate a system that involves more people than a close-knit table top group. Playing with a small group of people means there's a small number of player characters to keep track of and involve in the plot. Not so in an online setting. This is the main reason anything is restricted. Other things may be restricted based on rules or other logistical reasons.

Kithain
Allowed
Boggan (Corebook)
Eshu (Corebook)
Nockers (Corebook)
Nunnehei (Players Guide)
Pooka (Corebook)
Satyrs (Corebook)
Sidhe (Corebook)
Sluagh (Corebook)
Trolls (Corebook)
Piskies (Fool's Luck: Way of the Commoner)

Restricted
Beasties (Thallain)
Boggarts (Thallain)
Bogies (Thallain)
Goblin (Thallain)
Ogres (Thallain)
Spriggan (Thallain)
Oba (Thallain)
Glome (Inanimae)
Kubera (Inanimate)
Merfolk (Blood Dimmed Tides)
Ondine (Inanimae)
Paroseme (Inanimae)
Solimond (Inanimae)
Mannikin (Inanimae)
Clurichaun
Selkies (Court of All Kings: The Toybox)
Sentient chimera

Banned
Dauntain (Autumn People)
Acheri (Denizen)
Fir-bholg (Denizen)
Moirae (Denizen)
Naraka (Denizen)
Aonides (Denizen)
Fuaths (Denizen)
Keremet (Denizen)
Menehuni (Hawaiian Native Fae)
Ghille dhu (British Isles)

Court Characters
Seelie - Allowed
Unseelie - Allowed
Shadow - Restricted (All Thallain are Shadow Court)

Upon approval of a restricted Inanimae character, players may choose the following courts:
Gladeling
Krofted

Houses
All sidhe must have a house affiliation.

Allowed
Ailil
Beaumayn
Daireann
Dougal
Eiluned
Fiona
Gwydion
Liam
Scathach

Restricted
Aesin
Balor
Leanhaun
Varich

A Note on Childling Characters
Childling characters are restricted to three (3) per player. All approved Childlings must take the Child and Short flaws. Childling characters must be connected to a guardian - that is - a character of another player's who'll take them on as a ward. The Guardian character subsequently receives the Ward flaw (3 pts). Please contact the ST if you wish to make a Childling character.

Titles, Retinue, and Holdings
Titles
Nobility (sidhe) may begin play with up to two dots in Title without prior ST permission.
0 - Commoner/Titleless (allowed)
1 - Squire (allowed)
2 - Knight/Dame (allowed)
3 - Baron/Baroness (Restricted)
4 - Count/Countess (Restricted)
5 - Duke/Duchess (Restricted)

Commoner nobles will be allowed but bear in mind that they will have to have a very, very good reason to have gained their title. It will not be granted based on an isolated incident of bravery. It will have required consistent representation of noble and worthy traits. A Commoner does not need to swear fealty to a house. Any Commoner that does swear fealty to a house gains the house boon and flaw and becomes ennobled.

Having a title means something. It means the rank has been earned. With a title comes responsibility. All titled characters are beholden to another titled character. All titled characters can be called upon to honor their duty, their noblesse oblige. While it is possible to be a landless Baron or Baroness (or other title), it is more the exception than the rule. Titles are given for various reasons but logistically, the room can't have a plethora of landless counts and countesses. Changeling is a system owing a lot to Medieval fiefdoms and thus, much of their social structure relies on clear cut hierarchy. The Dreaming recognizes the kithain in control of a Freehold and differentiates between a count in power and a count with an honorific title.

A character may have earned an honorific title one of two ways. First, they have proven themselves worthy in "This Life" and are being recognized for significant contributions and achievements to the Changeling Community. Second, a character may have earned a title in a Past Life and is allowed to retain their honorific (but somewhat empty) title. They must prove themselves all over again.

Past Titles are noted in the character's name thusly: Duchess Herrin Kerallyndri Gwairoch ni Dougal or Duke Herr Orimandes Gwairoch ap Dougal. The Dreaming differentiates between Titles of current power or honorifics.
It is possible to earn titles through roleplay, but earning such are at the ST's discretion.
The notable exceptions are any Houses which have an internal rank system, such as the Scathach Meritocracy. To raise the rank of such a character, first be sure the listed minimum requirements for the new rank are met. Then, contact the ST to communicate the interest. Because earning rank indicates that someone of superior rank recognizes accomplishments or feats, the ST may decide the advancement requires an IC interaction. Regardless, gaining rank in this manner requires an XP expenditure of 3 x the Current Rating. This expenditure must be approved.

It is very important to note that every noble has a House Affiliation. They may not be on good terms with their House or they may not be fond of their House anymore. Regardless, every Sidhe has a House Boon and Flaw. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Only commoners may have a title with no House affiliation (pending ST approval).


Retinue
Playing a character with a position in a freehold.
If you wish to play a character who holds an "official" position at one of the freeholds, please contact the ST. Extra freebies will be granted, based on ST discretion. You must have ST permission before submitting this C. Positions at the Freeholds are considered "available" unless filled by PC or plot-necessary NPC characters.


Holdings
Holdings (freeholds) can only be gained through participation in storylines.

Please note that at any point in time, based on roleplaying, your character may lose his or her title. Your character may gain them. The same applies to holdings that your character may or may not have.


Arts
No art may be raised above level 3 without approval from the Storyteller during character creation. Changeling are creatures of the dreaming, and much of their knowledge of arts has been lost to the mists. They do not have the opportunity to speak with spirits and research it on their own. To get approval, speak with the Changeling ST and let her know how you intend to have your character learn this Art. Arts can be learned through play with other PCs or NPCs, through a solo, or with participation in a quest.

Allowed
Chicanery
Infusion - allowed for nockers only at creation
Legerdemain
Metamorphosis
Primal
Pyretics
Soothsay
Sovereign - allowed for Sidhe only at creation
Talecraft - allowed for Eshu only at creation
Wayfare

Restricted
These arts must be approved by the ST at Character creation. They must also be approved before a character can learn them as a new art after character creation. Many of these arts belong to certain kiths (ex. Aphrodesia, Skycraft for merfolk) or courts. For outsiders, learning them is difficult.

Aphrodesia
Chronos
Contempt
Delusion
Discord
Dreamcraft
Kryos
Naming
Onieromancy
Skycraft

Banned
Spirit-Link
The Autumn Way
Anything from the Land of Eight Million Dreams


Beginning Traits
Childling
Glamour - 5
Willpower - 3
Banality - 1

Wilder
Glamour - 4
Willpower - 4
Banality - 3

Grumps
Glamour - 3
Willpower - 5
Banality - 5

Attributes
7/5/3

Abilities
13/9/5

Arts
3

Realms
5

Backgrounds
5

Flaws: Maximum of 7 freebie points can be gained by purchasing flaws.


Freebies
A character sheet with a history of at least three paragraphs gains 10 or more freebies, based on history and the character's Seeming. The ST may prompt a player for more history if it is not felt that the history warrants the extra freebies; addition freebies may also be awarded for exceptional background stories.

Childings have 10 freebie points to spend.
Wilder have 15 freebie points to spend.
Grumps have 20 freebie points to spend.
This is set up to represent the experience each seeming has gained over time.


Attributes 5 points per dot
Abilities 2 points per dot
Secondary Abilities 2 points per dot
Backgrounds 1 point per dot
Willpower 1 point per dot
Glamour 3 points per dot
Arts 5 points per dot
Realms 3 points per dot



Free Lore Dots
All Lores are considered a Primary ability by the ST. Raising them costs two points per dot during character creation, and x 2 to spend earned experience points on them.

All changeling receive 2 dots in Changeling and Kith lore free upon character creation.

Sidhe also receive 2 dots in House Lore at character creation.

Ennobled commoners also receive 2 dots in the House that they are a member of.

All Thallain receive 2 dots in Thallain lore and 2 dots in Kith Lore at character creation.

Inanimae receive 2 dots in Inanimae Lore, 2 dots in Phyla Lore upon character creation.

Thallain, Denizens, and Inanimae also receive 2 dots in Changeling Lore.


Merits/Flaws
All of the Merits and Flaws from CtD books are allowed but must be in line with the character concept and/or be explained sufficiently in the character history. Any Merit or Flaw that lists another person (Vampire Companion, True Love, etc) must have the other person played in the room by another mun. A maximum of seven extra freebie points may be gained from purchasing flaws. Further flaws may be taken but offer no additional points.

Buying off a Flaw requires ST approval and costs 2x the original cost of the Flaw.


Spending XP
It is not necessary to contact the ST for regular XP expenditures however certain things do require approval. Raising any background trait (Title, Resources, etc) will require ST approval and potentially an XP cost of 3x the background's current level. Please be responsible with XP expenditures. A character ought to have earned their new ability or Art.

Any restricted Art must have ST permission prior to being gained with XP. Raising any Art above 3 must also have the ST permission prior to being raised with ST. The ST has the right to deny any gains/raise in Arts.


Attributes Current rating x 4
New Ability 3
Ability Current rating x 2
New Background ST discretion
Background Current rating x 3
New Art 7
Art Current level x 4
New Realm 5
Realm Current level x 3
Willpower Current rating x 2
Glamour Current rating x 2



Transferred/Grandfathered Characters
Approved at ST discretion on a case-by-case basis - written character history required at time of sheet submission; XP documentation may also be required. ST reserves the right to limit or deny characters that could unbalance the current game. Grandfathered characters must comply with the house rules, and necessary changes must be made before submission. XP for these characters will be seen as "use it or lose it"; it may not be banked after character application/approval.

Fosterage, Fior, and Saining
A character who has not had their Fosterage cannot know any Arts or Realms. A Fosterage may be played ICly, but it is not a swift process and the character will not complete their Fosterage in a matter of weeks, though it is possible to begin learning Arts and Realms during the Fosterage. A Sidhe must also go through their Fior, to prove their worth. Each House has different ideas of what "proves worth. The last section, the Saining, is when a character learns their True Name, also known as their Fae Name, and their House Affiliation. A character will not have this knowledge prior to the Saining. This is an initiation (the word Saining literally means "naming") and only after they have completed this will they be considered a full member of kithain society.

Playing a Fosterage ICly is not something the ST will not approve lightly. A Fosterage requires a good deal of IC interaction - with a mentor and other members of the changeling society - and as stated in the book, usually lasts a year and a day. A character may not advance through these stages without the ST's permission. Due to the nature of these characters, and what is involved, the ST will review such apps on a case-by-case basis.