Changeling: The Lost 2e

Questions to Ask: What is your Keeper’s Title like? his spouse’s laughter, or the warmth in his chest when he
How did it treat you? (Players can leave as many of these held his child for the first time. Or it might be a petty
details to the Storyteller as they wish.) vendetta against a coworker left unsettled, or his jealousy
that someone else might be lying with his lover. Not all
What was the least unpleasant part of your durance? human memories are noble or loving, and that’s not the
The most? What wonderful or beauteous aspect of Faerie point. Memories of the mortal world are the changeling’s
do you miss still? key to getting out of Faerie.

What kind of routine did you have, such as it was? “What was strong enough to bring the character
Were other members of your motley there, or was it just back?” is the paramount question for this section. Even
you? Were you usually alone, or were others always around the player skips the other questions in this act, he should
— if the latter, who were they? know the answer to this one. It’s a good indication of the
changeling’s priorities later in the chronicle.
What was the environment like? Were you mostly in-
doors or outdoors? Was it hot, cold, or temperate? Use de- Decide how the character escaped or was rescued,
scriptors that appeal to all five senses here, to make your answering the questions presented here. Then create one
character’s memories vivid, if lacking in coherence. What Storyteller character who was involved, and place that
fell pacts did your Keeper make with the realm in which character at an empty intersection in your grid of themes
you were imprisoned, that you could survive it? and props. This could be a helpful hobgoblin to whom he
now owes a debt, a fae-touched who came to free him, a
What was the last straw that prompted you to brave rival he defeated to win his freedom, a dupe he used and
an escape attempt? How many such attempts did you left behind, or someone else.
make before you succeeded?
Promises: Who witnessed your escape and promised
How did you acquire your seeming and your kith (if not to tell — or promised they would? Who came with
you have one)? you, swearing never to leave your side; who stayed behind
but vowed to find you again someday? What debts do you
Act Four: My Escape owe for your freedom?

Some part of the enslaved changeling felt the call
back to the mortal world. Perhaps it was the memory of

300 Chapter Seven: Tales Around the Fire

Questions to Ask: What was strong enough to bring The Lost chronicle takes place in and around the local
you back? freehold or freeholds. You can use this act to set up the
courts around which your characters’ changeling society
Did you sneak out? Fight your way out? Make a bet or will revolve, if you like, or leave them entirely up to the
play a game with your Keeper for high stakes? Or maybe you Storyteller. The easiest way is to use the four Seasonal
didn’t want to leave; were you let go or thrown out instead? Courts, detailed starting on p. 34; but see “Customizing
Your Chronicle” later in this chapter for guidance on
Did anyone else come with you? Did you have to building your own.
leave anyone else behind?
Unless a player character begins the game at the head
What do you remember of your journey back? What of a court, creating the monarchs or other rulers is a good
were you searching for on your way through the Thorns, first step; the players may choose to include one or several
and what dangers did you face? How did you overcome of them as the Storyteller characters they create in this
them? What is one of your Icons like? act, or the Storyteller can do it separately. The monarchs
say a lot about their courts — and, by extension, the tone
Act Five: Home, But Not and symbolism of the chronicle itself. A Fairest Playmate
as Spring Queen gives the freehold a very different out-
The great tragedy of a changeling’s life is that she is look and aesthetic from one with an Elemental Snowskin
forever displaced from what she used to know. A fetch takes Spring King. If the motley has two or more characters in
her place and her family moves on. Any encounter with the same court, players can work together to come up
former friends and loved ones results in confusion — and with details about their rulers, if they like.
that’s the best-case scenario. The Lost may tumble out of
the Hedge thousands of miles away from their hometowns. Promises: What oath of fealty did you swear to your
They may emerge, gasping, 20 years after — or before — court, and how is it similar to the one you were forced
they were abducted, though only an hour passed in Faerie. to swear to your Keeper? How is it different? What other
For a newly freed slave, this is a punch in the gut. Where do oaths have you sworn with members of your court or free-
they belong? Will they ever belong anywhere? hold?

Decide where and when the character ended up back Questions to Ask: Who is your court ruler? How did
in the mortal world, answering the questions presented they achieve that position? How do you feel about their
here. Then create one Storyteller character who was policies and attitudes? Do you get along with them, hate
there, or whom the character sought out or ran into first, and fear them, look up to them with awe and respect?
and place that character at an empty intersection in your
grid of themes and props. What other figures are prominent in your court?
In the freehold? Which monarch is currently in charge?
Promises: What promise did your fetch break to When and how will they cede power to the next one?
someone you love? What promise did they uphold that
you couldn’t, or never did? Or, if you don’t have a fetch, Why did you choose to join your court? What’s your
what promise to you did someone else break while you favorite part of being the kind of courtier you are? Your
were gone? What promise did you break by your absence? least favorite? How involved are you in court and freehold
Is there a fae-touched waiting for you somewhere, or still business?
trapped in fae realms looking for you?
Where is the freehold located? What is it called? Do
Questions to Ask: Who did you seek first, and did you hold an official position in it?
you find them? Are they still alive? Do they remember
you? If you didn’t find them first, who did you find instead? Act Seven: A Motley Crew

Where is your fetch? How are they betraying you The motley is the core unit of changeling society, a
when you first encounter them? Or do you even have one? chosen family that reaches beyond boundaries of seeming,
Did you deal with them right away, or are they still out kith, and court. Player characters are usually in a motley
there? How has your fetch lived your life in your absence? together and their connection should be one of the major
Do they know you exist, and that they’re not human? focuses of the chronicle. Often, motley-mates are willing
to face death for each other, but it could just as easily be a
Where and when did you emerge from the Hedge? group of drinking buddies who fear being alone.
Have you lost time, or are you displaced in it? Did you end
up far from home, or was home staring you in the face as Promises: What oath did you all swear to each
soon as you got back? Did you stay where you emerged, or other? How was it different from the one you were forced
did you travel somewhere else? to swear to your Keeper? What was the pledge sworn on
and what are its terms? What obligations do individual
Act Six: My New Life motley-mates have outside the motley that might present
complications or force betrayals later?
Unless the game starts with the player characters’
capture and durance, much of any given Changeling:

Setting the Stage 301

Questions to Ask: What drew you to each other? Decide between the Storyteller and the player what
How did you meet up — did you share a durance, or come the character’s durance should focus on. A Bright One’s
together afterward? durance probably doesn’t involve toiling in the mines, but
she might light the way for Helldivers and Gristlegrinders.
Does your motley have a name? A common goal, a An Ogre is not likely the Princess of the Red Crowns’
group aesthetic? Who is the leader, if anyone? lover, but he might hold her lovers still while she whispers
to them and lines up the hats to nail onto their heads.
How do others in the freehold view your motley? How The Storyteller should take careful note of what the play-
does your motley view its own place in things? Have you er wants. The durance can be extremely disturbing and
yet accomplished any deeds together that you’re known upsetting, and it’s important that the player is only dis-
for in the freehold — or among your enemies? turbed or upset in the ways she wants to be. At any point,
the Storyteller or player should be allowed to tap out or
Act Zero: fade to black (see below) if the scene become too much
The Prologue for them. There’s no rush to tell the story of the durance.
Suffering has no deadline.
Your group has three general options for how to han-
dle the characters’ durances and escapes from Arcadia. The Escape
They can stay purely in the background, never coming up
in play except in tales the changelings tell to each other; Run, run away. Run from Arcadia, run through the
they can be revealed and explored over time as interactive Hedge. Hide and scamper, careful but fast. This is the
flashbacks throughout the chronicle, perhaps whenever a most hectic time in a changeling’s life, his desperate flight
player purchases a dot of Wyrd or when the characters back to home and independence.
recover Icons; or you can play through them directly as
prologues before the chronicle proper begins. Any of these In general, an escape prologue doesn’t require dice or
works just fine, and individual players may even choose systems, although if the player wants to bring rolls into it
different methods. It’s okay if one player never wants to for fun, go ahead and do that. Just remember that regard-
play through her character’s durance at all and another less of how the dice fall, the character will successfully es-
wants to do so in a series of flashbacks. Players might even cape — it’s just a matter of how difficult it is and what he
choose to play out their characters’ escapes but not their sacrifices along the way. The scene starts with the Hedge
durances, or any other combination. as a hurdle, and ends with sweet freedom. In between,
three things must happen: The character must brave the
The Durance Thorns, he must lose his Icon(s), and he must face peril.

Playing out a durance as prologue or flashback re- This is a good time to teach the character to fear
quires careful consideration. Even at its most detailed, the Hedge while introducing the player to fascinating
such a scene should feel like a dream, not a fully realized elements of it that he might want to revisit later in the
experience. Time skips, nonsensical interactions, mud- chronicle. Use Hedge ghosts and hobgoblins, make cre-
dled events, confusing conversations, and vague descrip- ative use of terrain and Hedge shaping magic, and don’t
tions should all contribute to the feeling that the change- be afraid of outmatching the character. The escape is a
ling’s memory — and thus, the player’s experience at the predetermined event — you need luck, wits, and bravery
table—is faulty and murky on this subject. The exception to escape the durance, and if this character didn’t have
is a flashback for a character at high Wyrd; the higher a those, he would not be a Changeling: The Lost character
character’s Wyrd, the more detailed her recollections are, in the first place. You can scare him as much as you want,
and the more immediate her trauma feels as a result. knowing he’ll make it through in the end.

The durance is characterized by loss of autonomy, SSaaffee THaebalreth,
both bodily and spiritual; make sure that’s true only of
the character and not the player. Running a durance scene Changeling: The Lost is a game about surviving
does not permit a Storyteller to torture her players out- trauma and horrors. It’s also a game about empowering
side the boundaries of the game in the name of story. The the protagonists to retake control of their lives. It’s the
player must always have a say in what happens during her Storyteller’s job to make sure both characters and players
durance if she wants one, and may set any hard limits she don’t become so overwhelmed with the former that they
wants on themes she doesn’t want to explore. If possible, can’t find their way to the latter.
narrate durances in private; you can even do it via text if
that’s easier. Nothing makes a player feel more vulnerable While it’s fun to play make believe with friends, this
and disrespected than playing out an intense scene, only is, at its heart, a horror game. True, it is also funny, beauti-
for another player to interrupt with a joke or an off-color ful, and wondrous — but all that wonder comes at the cost
comment about what’s going on.

302 Chapter Seven: Tales Around the Fire

of being enslaved and tormented in a nightmare realm for Fade to Black
months, years, or decades. Changelings may have their
bodies broken and their minds played with. Personal au- In a movie, when the hero is just about to get
tonomy is repeatedly violated by godlike entities to whom into bed with her love interest or be “forcibly
one cannot simply say “no.” The only way to make it stop interrogated,” sometimes the camera cuts
is to escape, and even then, that’s not a guarantee. The away right before the action — occasionally
Wild Hunt will find you eventually, one way or another. with a moan or a scream to indicate what’s
happening. This technique is called “fade to
This can be extremely unsettling for players. While black,” and can be used in your chronicle
consensual fear is part of the game, the goal is not to where appropriate. If you don’t want to narrate
traumatize the players outside of the play space. Rather, every caress of a love scene, the weirdness
everyone should strive for a game that provides an en- of a changeling’s personal nightmare, or the
gaging, terrifying, and beautiful story that gives everyone agony of Faerie torments, simply fade to black
involved the sorts of pleasant chills a really good horror and move on the next scene. A player can also
movie leaves the audience with after the credits roll. Even request a fade to black if they are uncomfort-
if a character feels trapped and hopeless, the player should able with what is happening at the table.
never feel the same way at the table.
different colored circles on the table: red, yellow, and
What follows are some safety techniques to help both green. Each color indicates a response to different levels of
Storytellers and players maximize enjoyment without tak- intensity. Green means “yes, I am okay with and encour-
ing away any of the horror at the heart of Changeling: age the scene getting more intense.” Yellow means “the
The Lost. Feel free to use none, some, or all of them. scene is fine at the intensity level it is now, and I would
like it to stay here if possible.” Red means “the scene is
Lines and Veils too intense for me in a bad way and I need it to decrease
or I need to tap out.” Players can tap the colored circles as
A venerable old safety technique, Lines and Veils al- appropriate to indicate to the Storyteller what they want
low players to pick and choose what they want to address or need at that moment.
in the chronicle. Before the game, the Storyteller pre-
pares two sheets of paper. Label one “Lines” and the other The Storyteller can also use the stoplight system to
“Veils.” Lines are things the chronicle will absolutely not ask the players if they’d like intensity increased or de-
touch on, not even in passing. Veils are things that can creased as necessary without breaking the narrative flow.
happen, but will not be played out, instead addressed with To do so, the Storyteller can repeatedly tap a color —
a “fade to black.” The Storyteller asks players what they’d green for “more intense?”, yellow for “keep it here?”, and
like added to the lists, and notes that the lists can be edit- red for “do you need me to stop?” The players can then
ed at any time. Veils can be moved to Lines, Lines can be touch a color in response. Players can also respond by say-
moved to Veils, new Veils or Lines can be added, or Veils ing the color in question out loud.
or Lines can be taken away (with the consensus of the
other players). Veils and Lines cannot be used to cut out The X Card
antagonists (i.e. “I don’t want the True Fae to be a part
of this chronicle at all, not even mentioned in passing”) An up-and-coming technique, especially in storytell-
but can be used to restrict antagonists’ actions that might ing-game circles, the X card was designed by John Stavro-
be uncomfortable for some players (i.e. “I do not want the polous. A card or sheet of paper with an “X” drawn on it
True Fae in this chronicle to use sexual violence”). is placed in the middle of the table. At any point, a player
or the Storyteller may touch the X card to call a halt to
Common Lines: Sexual violence, explicit depictions any action currently making them uncomfortable in a
of torture, force-feeding, starvation, mutilation, racial bad way. If they would like to explain themselves, they
slurs, gender-specific slurs, spiders, trypophobia-inducing may, but it is absolutely not necessary and the Storyteller
imagery, needles, bestiality, explicit depictions of bodily should continue play only after everyone settles back in.
functions
The Door Is
Common Veils: Explicit depictions of consensual Always Open
sexual activity, torture, emotional abuse, physical abuse,
body horror, human experimentation, dream or night- If a player needs to stop play for any reason, they are
mare sequences, childhood memories, prophetic visions free to do so after giving the Storyteller a heads up. The

The Stoplight System

This is a technique pioneered relatively recently by
the group Games to Gather. The Storyteller lays out three

Setting the Stage 303

game session is then on pause until that player either re- Emotional Bleed
turns or leaves the premises. Storytellers should use this
technique either in conjunction with other techniques, or Many of these safety techniques talk about
during sessions where players may have to leave abruptly something being too uncomfortable or too
for personal reasons. intense “in a bad way.” This is for clarity of
communication. Some players like being made
Debriefing uncomfortable or put into extremely emotion-
ally intense situations. Such players may play
Debriefing is a post-game safety technique, which you horror games to cry or feel trapped as a sort
can use along with any and all of the suggestions above. of catharsis, a way to experience traumatic
After the chapter is finished, the Storyteller asks the play- emotions in a low-consequence environment; in
ers to put away their character sheets and take some deep a Changeling game, they’re also couched in a
breaths. You can use soft music and/or snacks to assist in layer of fantasy that makes it easier for players
debriefing. Slipping into character is easy — slipping out to engage with them.
can be harder. Debriefing is all about bringing the players
back to the real world, back through the thorny maze of This is called emotional bleed, or just bleed for
the chronicle they created with the Storyteller. short. When a character experiences emotions
the player is experiencing, that’s called bleed-
Use this time to talk about the game in a context in. By contrast, when a player experiences the
other than first person. Players tend to refer to their char- emotions her character is feeling, that’s called
acters as “I.” The Storyteller should encourage them to bleed-out. Bleed itself is not bad, but it can
use the characters’ names instead, and use first person sometimes be unpleasant for a player who
only for things that they felt as players, not as characters. wasn’t expecting it or didn’t want it. If a player
What did they think was the highlight of this session? is getting unreasonably frustrated or upset at a
What was their favorite interaction they had with an- challenging circumstance, this could be a sign of
other player’s character? A Storyteller character? Is there bleed. Stop play and give everyone a breather
anything the players think the Storyteller could be doing before continuing if bleed begins to cause
better? Are the safety techniques and chronicle-building problems at your table. Bleed can absolutely
techniques working out for everyone at the table? Should enhance the play experience and add another
anything be changed to make the game more fun and en- dimension of emotional resonance, but only if
gaging for everyone involved? These are all questions you everyone is on board. Check-ins, occasional
can ask during debriefing, though they’re not necessary. If snack breaks, and use of the safety techniques
you need to cover other, more important topics with your in this chapter are extremely helpful if the table
players, feel free to use debriefing time to do that as well. is experiencing high amounts of bleed.

Debriefing does not need to last for a set amount of change, constantly evolving to suit their own interests —
time. However, after a particularly intense session, it’s put 13 Lost in a room, and no two are alike. This section
probably a good idea to have a longer debriefing period presents rules to make new kiths, Mantles, and Goblin
than normal. Changelings are forever changed by their Contracts to add to a chronicle, to make it uniquely yours.
experience with the True Fae. The players should not in-
cur the same trauma just from sitting at a gaming table. Kiths
Tabletop gaming is a low-consequence environment to
explore many different emotions and coping strategies Some Keepers sculpt changelings to their whims;
in new and strange situations. To keep this space low- these changelings’ forms literally exist because their Keep-
consequence, it’s important to make sure that all play- ers wanted them. Others have more specialized forms be-
ers (including the Storyteller!) are emotionally supported cause of a fixation they used to cope with their circum-
and cared for after particularly upsetting or bleed-heavy stances, or wondrous and terrible things they encountered
chapters. in Faerie. Drawing inspiration from books, songs, or mov-
ies, Storytellers and players can craft their own kiths.
CCuhsrtoonmicizlieng your
Purpose
Arcadia is a place of roiling creation, ever-changing
on the tide of mortal dreams and Fae whims. A single sen- What does the kith do; what niche does it fill? This
tence, put gingerly to paper, raises mountains that grow should be narrow: A Beast is animalistic to her core, but
upside down to burrow into the darkest recesses of the fae a Hunterheart exhibits only those animal traits that make
realm. The Lost are the heirs and navigators of this sea of her a better hunter.

304 Chapter Seven: Tales Around the Fire

At this point, select a primary category for the
new kith. A kith can encompass a little of each, but
selecting a primary one now helps with selecting a
Skill benefit later.

• Mental: The changeling was a living lore
repository, designed a puzzle her Keeper
couldn’t solve, or gleaned the strategy that
won the war against the Midnight King.

• Physical: The changeling singlehandedly
carved a castle from a mountain, hunted
down the Everheart Stag, or killed the child
prophesied to bring low her Keeper.

• Social: The changeling thawed her Keeper’s
frozen heart, infiltrated the court of the Gob-
lin King, or wrote a single poem capturing all
that is Arcadia.

Benefits

Every curse has its blessing, and every impos-
sible task its way out. Each kith carries two unique
benefits that allow its members to fulfill their pur-
pose. This is more than just expertise born from
practice; it’s Arcadia recognizing and empowering
the changeling’s soul.

• Skill: Every kith has one Skill that needs only
three successes, rather than five, to achieve an
exceptional success under particular circum-
stances. The Storyteller can set limits based
on the Skill’s usefulness in her chronicle. This
benefit might not be as valuable for Socialize
as for Brawl in a chronicle that revolves more
around street-level stories like dealing with
fetches and Huntsmen than courtly intrigues.
A Socialize blessing, then, could be as wide as
“any Socialize specialty,” whereas Brawl might
warrant “engaging in single combat to defend
her friends” as its limit.

• Trickery: Each kith harnesses a unique power
in pursuit of its members’ task. Using this
power requires conscious effort. Most com-
monly, this is represented by spending one
Glamour point and making an Attribute +
Skill roll: A Helldiver can become immate-
rial after spending a Glamour and rolling
Dexterity + Occult. Exceptions to this ex-
ist depending on the kith’s function. For in-
stance, if the blessing affects an opponent, it
should be resisted (if it has an effect that must
keep track of how many successes the player
rolls) or contested (if it doesn’t); a contested
roll should include the changeling’s Wyrd and

Customizing Your Chronicle 305

opponent’s Supernatural Tolerance in the pools • Arcadia’s Gift: Nothing in Arcadia happens with a
as well. When the kith’s blessing enhances allies purpose, but everything happens for a reason. Sent
rather than the character herself, such as that of on a quest to slay the Everheart, the changeling’s
the Notary, it may not require Glamour or a roll at soul intertwined with the stag’s, and as she stood
all. over his dying corpse, weeping at the success of her
task, she took his essence as her own. Now she is as
Availability he was, running proud and free.

How many of these specialized Lost reside in the Court and Mantles
freehold’s territory; what makes sense, given the nearby
Hedge and other factors? If a player wrote or requested the The Seasonal Courts hold great power, ruling huge
kith, the Storyteller should confer with her, too — after swaths of North America and Europe, as well as other
all, it was her idea, and she might have a vision for it. places in the world where the symbolism and Bargains
may differ but the fundamental idea remains the same.
• Prolific: Any character in the chronicle can adopt The world also holds a plethora of other courts, though,
this kith. It might even be the most prevalent in living alongside or replacing the Seasonal Courts locally
the region. The Hedge in Helsinki leads to the or regionally.
realm of the Snow Queen, and the city’s courts are
nearly overrun with Snowskins. How Many Courts
in a Freehold?
• Unique Specimen: Maybe a player wrote the kith,
and he has specific ideas about its representation. The courts may have rivalries between them and, if
Or, the Storyteller is running a campaign where push comes to shove, may decide it’s enough to outrun the
each kith is only present once. Whitechapel, Lon- other prey. As general rule, though, the courts recognize
don, holds only one Leechfinger, Clever Jack, who that the rising tide lifts all ships, and work together.
stalks all others like him to suck secrets and mar-
row from their bones. • Themed Courts: individual but thematically-con-
nected parts creating one whole together, like four
• A Handful: Most chronicles sit somewhere in be- Seasons, five Elements, or any number of mythical
tween, neither encouraging nor discouraging play- beasts. These courts are aspects of the same theme,
ers from selecting a certain kith. Tumbledown’s creating rivalries and alliances through symbolism
Court of Favors sees more Notaries and Chat- that make for a complex political landscape. This
elaines, but has positions for Gristlegrinders or is the most common way to set up a freehold.
Hunterhearts when social niceties fail.
• Opposites Attract: two halves of the same circle,
Origins like Dusk and Dawn, or Yin and Yang. Smaller Lost
communities might have room for only two courts.
A changeling’s essence needs to be twisted onto a Such dual coexistence creates an interesting di-
razor’s edge before it can fit in the singular role of a kith. chotomy, but also greater dependence on each
The Lost didn’t pursue this role for just a day, she gave other.
it everything she had — and Arcadia gave her a kith in
return. • One Court, Many Facets: in rare freeholds, change-
lings gather in a single court, like the Court of the
• Keeper’s Pet: The changeling’s Keeper deliberate- Leafless Tree back in the days of the American Old
ly molded her. He needed someone to gather up West. These freeholds are usually small, reflect-
the knowledge falling from his head, until words ing a similarly small community or a tight focus
poured from her ears and mouth and she could no on a specific kind of Bargain. Single-court free-
longer remember her own name, but she knew the holds often coexist with larger ones, filling niches
names of all 70 Sisters. for changelings who want something different, but
not always. In such courts, the cycling of power
• Changeling’s Will: The changeling pushed and happens internally between members of different
contorted herself, adopting her new role as a way to seemings, kiths, factions, or other kinds of groups.
survive. Her Keeper promised freedom if she pre-
sented him with an unsolvable mystery, so she trav- Coping
eled Arcadia for seven years, drinking up secrets
and riddles until her existence was a contradiction The changeling escaped his Keeper. Now he needs to
he couldn’t comprehend. deal with the trauma, remain free, and find a way to re-
claim his identity. He looks for others like him, and those

306 Chapter Seven: Tales Around the Fire

of a similar mind band together in courts. In a way, the Beyond the matter of how the courts divide power
courts are organized coping mechanisms. The Seasonal between them lies the issue of what each court does when
Courts cope by dealing with emotions: Spring represents it’s in power, and what it does when it’s not. The Seasonal
the desire to be free, Summer expresses wrath toward the Courts wait, more or less patiently, and scheme so their
Fae (or themselves for being taken), Autumn embodies return to power will be more glorious than any other sea-
the fear of being taken again, and Winter holds sorrow son. The Beast Courts actively work against each other,
for everything lost both in this world and Arcadia. When believing the constant conflict makes them stronger for
designing a court, consider how it copes with changelings’ when the Huntsman arrives.
trauma, and how this outlook affects its relationships with
mortals and other Lost. Mantle

Not every court aligns directly with an emotion, but Mantle represents a changeling adopting a court’s
coping with trauma is always emotional on some level. No outlook and expressions. This sympathy doesn’t just en-
matter what themes your court embodies, choose an emo- hance the Lost’s Court Contracts, but also offers benefits
tion that its courtiers favor for inciting Bedlam that reso- of its own. Scaled with a dot rating from one to five, Man-
nates with those themes. For instance, you might decide that tle grants a specific action a changeling can perform to
a court based on the proud and noble lion inflicts awe, while regain a point of Glamour, and other mechanical benefits
one based on the sly and wily fox inflicts doubt. Any emotion for each dot that help encourage and reinforce the court’s
that can be turned up to overwhelming intensity works. themes. Also, decide what kinds of fantastical effects a
Mantle has on a changeling’s fae mien; these should be
The Bargain specific enough to recognizably belong to the court in
question, but broad enough that different members can
Every fae being bargains. Courts make even greater express the court’s Mantle through their miens in differ-
Bargains with a single patron, an entity or concept that ent ways.
empowers — and is empowered by — the court’s coping
strategies. As long as the court keeps up its end of this The below list is a guideline, rather than a hard rule.
deal, its patron promises safety against the fae. Sometimes Some courts focus more, or less, on certain kinds of bene-
it actively protects changelings in the domain. Other fits, depending on their unique missions and philosophies.
times, the patron forces the Gentry into a pattern of be-
havior that lets the Lost predict their moves, thus giving • - •• The first and second dots usually offer bo-
the changelings an edge. No Bargain is foolproof and Fae nus dice on specific kinds of rolls equal to
forces can always find ways around it, but doing so should the character’s Mantle rating. These are
take effort and should frustrate the Others, costing them small effects — the changeling still uses
time and resources. her own skill, but is better at utilizing it.

This Bargain dilutes into rituals as time passes. The ••• - •••• The third and fourth dots could grant
Summer Court’s Great Hunt is an exercise intended to similar bonus dice to a slightly broader
train warriors to be relentless and fearless should the kind of roll: rerolls on a specific kind of
Gentry attack. The Time Keepers in Prague feed Disquiet non-combat roll, regaining a Willpower
from the city’s resident Promethean to the great Astro- point under a specific circumstance, tem-
nomical Clock: a seemingly harmless Bargain, until one porary dots of other Merits for a Willpower
stops to consider what the clock’s owner does with all that cost, and other comparable benefits. The
Disquiet-turned-Glamour. changeling is still using her own traits, but
her Mantle allows her to cut corners in a
What Bargain did this court strike, and is it just? Do way mere skill couldn’t.
all changelings in the domain know of the true Bargain,
or do their rulers keep any horrific details to themselves? ••••• The fifth dot can offer rerolls on specific
kinds of combat rolls, automatic success
Rulership and Exile on certain specific non-combat actions, or
unique supernatural effects the change-
The Seasonal Courts adhere to a (mostly) peaceful ling can’t just learn through hard work.
transition of power as the seasons pass. The Courts of
Dusk and Dawn change power twice daily, at midnight The Crown
and noon. The Beast Courts, on the other hand, battle for
it: The most powerful court takes the throne until one of Every court has a leader: its queen, the wisest schol-
the other courts finally defeats them. Every set of courts ar, the bravest warrior, or simply the first Lost to arrive in
needs some established method of transferring power pe- the domain. The court’s patron bestows a gift upon her, a
riodically, as that is what sets them apart from the Gen- Crown, which manifests in the changeling’s mien so none
try’s tyranny.

Customizing Your Chronicle 307

can deny her claim to rule. The Crown also comes with a or create those emotions fit well. As well, Summer is a sea-
blessing, which doesn’t rely on Mantle rating — anyone can son of heat and dryness, so Contracts that summon scorch-
bear the Crown — but does grow more potent with it. Scale ing sunlight or dry flesh to a crisp are also appropriate.
the Crown’s effect with increasing benefits as the character’s
Mantle rating increases, and fit it to the court’s nature: for Effect
instance, wrathful combat prowess for Summer, or the abil-
ity to glean dread secrets for Autumn. Any effects should A Contract can have almost any kind of effect. They
also be temporary, lasting for one battle, one scene, or one generally emphasize being tricky or slippery, or making
chapter, and after that any lingering bonuses are lost. some kind of exchange, and don’t grant straightforward
benefits without some catch or twist. Contracts, espe-
Arcadian and Court cially Common ones, usually provide a changeling with a
Contracts way to “cheat,” rather than giving dominion over a broad
mystical purview. Royal Contracts are usually a bit flash-
Common Arcadian Contracts are deals the True ier than Common ones, and the powerful forces behind
Fae originally negotiated for their servants. They focus Court Contracts can make their effects more overt.
on extending senses and shaping what’s already there,
whether it be emotions or physical phenomena. Type of Roll

Royal Arcadian Contracts are agreements the Gen- Many contracts don’t need a roll — if the changeling
try originally forged for themselves, which changelings pays the Glamour or fulfills the Loophole, they just work.
can make themselves party to. They deal with creating Contracts that are actively resisted or opposed by other
people, places, and things out of whole cloth, directly people should always require rolls, while Contracts that
tampering with minds, forcing people to do the invoker’s primarily affect the changeling or act on inanimate ob-
bidding, and affecting destiny. jects usually just work. Include a roll if you can imagine
the number of rolled successes mattering to the result.
Court Contracts also come in Common and Royal
varieties. In this case, “royalty,” rather than being those The type of roll made to activate a Contract varies
who rise to the levels of the Others, are those who rise to based on what forces push back against it. If another liv-
the level of the court’s founders. ing or thinking force is acting against the Contract, and
the number of successes matters, it’s resisted. Subtract one
A Court Contract can be either something the pa- of the force’s resistance Attributes from the player’s dice
tron grants to the courtier, or something the courtier of- pool. Where there’s active resistance, but where the num-
fers up to the patron. For example, Summer grants a lot of ber of successes doesn’t matter, the action is contested.
heat-based powers, because Helios is Summer’s lover and The opposing party rolls a Resistance Attribute + their
loves her vassals just as much. But Summer also grants Supernatural Tolerance. In either case, the player’s dice
powers that amplify wrath, and in doing so she glorifies pool is Attribute + Skill + either Wyrd (for Arcadian
herself, strengthening everything she stands for through Contracts) or Mantle (for Court Contracts).
the changelings who use her gifts. Other Seasonal Con-
tracts provide ways for a changeling to consume the pa- Loophole
tron’s emotions, feeding it in turn by proxy. Keep in mind
that a “patron” isn’t necessarily a single entity or spirit Every Contract has a Loophole, a way a changeling
— it just has to be powerful enough to make and uphold can get the Contract’s benefits without spending Glamour
a deal with True Fae or changelings. (although Willpower and other costs still apply). It takes
the form of a ritual behavior that appeases the patron in
Contract Creation lieu of Glamour payment. The Loophole is always the-
matically related to the Contract, based on symbolism or
To create a Contract, first decide whether it’s more sympathetic magic. For example, a Contract that protects
about manipulation or enhancement (and hence Com- against extreme temperatures might allow a changeling to
mon) or creating or wholly reforging (and therefore Royal). blow out a fading ember or burn something that belongs
Specific ranges of dice bonuses aren’t as important as the to the target instead of paying Glamour.
nature of what the Contract does. Mind control that only
lets you marshal someone the way that they were already Even better Loopholes represent a small risk, like
going is usually Common, whereas one that stirs them to stealing a sentimental object from the target or forcing
a grudge they’d never before considered is usually Royal. them to break your skin. A Loophole should be something
active or deliberate, usually performed within the scene in
If the Contract belongs to a court, consider the court which the character activates the Contract.
patron’s personality and purview. Under most models, Sum-
mer’s personality is fierce and unsubtle, and its emotions The difficulty or risk of fulfilling a Loophole depends
are anger and wrath. Therefore, Contracts that manipulate more on the value of the ritual to the other party in the con-
tract — blowing out a candle lit by a true friend might be
trivial for a changeling, but have great value to Intimacy itself.

308 Chapter Seven: Tales Around the Fire

Goblin Contracts Goblin Markets, while others are only found in their re-
mote Hedge abodes. Rarely does a court allow a goblin to
Goblin Contracts as a whole are haphazard, and cov- visit its gatherings — they are notoriously untrustworthy,
er a huge variety of situations. An individual Contract and often bring the Huntsmen in their wake (either
though, is highly focused: A Goblin Contract does only through negligence or malice). Striking a bargain with a
one thing, and does it very well. goblin should be memorable, with a hint of danger: Even
the most well-intentioned goblin cannot be trusted. The
Effect most powerful goblin, the one with the best Contracts, is
often the one that is hardest to deal with — he’s erratic,
Where Arcadian and Court Contracts might have grumpy, and generally ill-disposed towards everyone. At
multiple effects folded into one, a Goblin Contract is the end of the day though, he wants to make the deal.
simple and unique to the goblin who sold it. Imagine a No matter how much the goblin complains, the real price
problem. Now imagine a goblin. How does he solve it? isn’t the trinket the changeling retrieved for him, or the
That’s what the Contract does. Or imagine what innate lock of hair she gave him (though that will come back to
powers a goblin might have: Would he be willing to share bite her) — it’s all about the sweet Debt. If a player wants
them with a changeling, for a price? That’s a Goblin Con- her character to pick up a new Goblin Contract, she can
tract, too. always find a seller.

As long as each individual Contract remains within Debtor
its narrow confines, it can tackle almost anything: burrow-
ing through earth and mud, bottling despair in a draught Debt makes Goblin Contracts dangerous to change-
that brings nightmares, or sculpting a labyrinthine castle lings. Rack up enough Debt, and that unassuming gob-
from a child’s dreams are all good examples. lin merchant turns into a tyrant demanding pieces of her
soul. Or worse, the changeling might become the tyrant
Cost and Use as the Hedge sinks its thorns into her. The Storyteller
should keep track of creditors if they’re relevant to the
Goblin Contracts are a little cheaper to invoke than story: the goblin who sealed the bargain, and any third
comparable Arcadian Contracts. Most cost only a single parties backing it. These investors are often fiercely ter-
Glamour point, or two if they’re particularly powerful, and ritorial, and a band of changelings might discover they all
rarely if ever cost Willpower. They often have a Loop- owe Debt to the same denizens. The Queen of Eyes grants
hole the changeling can consciously manipulate (she Contracts that deal with vision — both enhancing and
can choose to throw down her weapons before enacting obscuring it — for the small price of a changeling’s own
Precocious Evasion), or that works well with the Con- eyes in exchange for a stranger pair. While a character
tract’s general use (Goblin Luck’s Loophole hinges on the should rightly be worried about Debt (once he finds out
changeling having no skill in the attempted task, which is about it, as goblins are rarely upfront), the player should
exactly when the Contract might see the most use). This be able to trust her Storyteller with Debt. Debt is not a
is by design: The goblin wants changelings to use its Con- way to “punish” a player for using Goblin Contracts, nor is
tracts so she racks up Debt. For the same reason, Goblin it intended to seriously mess with her character or enjoy-
Contracts shouldn’t require dice rolls unless absolutely ment of play. On the contrary, the effects of Debt should
necessary, such as to affect another character adversely. provide an interesting challenge to overcome, or a quest
to fulfill. A good creditor enhances the character’s story,
Purchase rather than diminishing it.

The changeling can purchase a Goblin Contract
from a goblin. Some goblins run their own shops at

Customizing Your Chronicle 309

…and many quailed to hear the dread words. For so sworn, good or evil, an oath may
not be broken, and it shall pursue oathkeeper and oathbreaker to the world’s end.

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion

Human interactions with Faerie tend to end poorly keeps her promise. The friend has children and her first
for the human. Humans who enter the Hedge rarely child is named after her long-lost best friend. The moth-
return, and those who see a fae creature’s true mien er somehow knows the fetch replacing her child is not
are stricken with awe and fear. Yet, within the ranks of real, and never gives up hope of finding her real son.
humanity are a few who have experienced the realm of The lover never takes another, knowing that her true
Faerie and have returned from that place different, but love is still out there somewhere. These people never
not changed as the Lost are. These people are referred gave up hope, never gave up on their promises, and re-
to as fae-touched, for they carry a piece of the Wyrd mained true. The kept promise forges a link between
inside them. The Lost refer to them as the Avowed, human and changeling — the changeling bolstered in
honoring their devotion to keeping promises. her resolve to escape her bonds, the human drawn inex-
plicably towards Faerie and her promised counterpart.
Fae-touched are not just people who happen to see
a changeling’s mien, or see past the illusion placed on a BFaeec-Toomuincghed
fetch. They are much more than that. Every single one
of them has been inside the Hedge, and a few have even Just because someone has made a promise to a
been to the outer edges of Arcadia. How humans become changeling, doesn’t make her automatically a fae-touched
fae-touched varies by person, but all follow a common human. Instead, she must enter the Hedge and make it
thread — they once made a promise with someone who is back out again. Getting into the Hedge is not difficult and
now a changeling. The promise was not something small, neither is it accidental. These people are drawn to Faerie,
like a promise to walk the dog or call in the morning. seeking it out subconsciously as they perform their daily
Instead, it was something big, like the promise a mother tasks. Some resist the unrealized desire and are capable of
makes to her child to always be there for him, the promise living their lives in peace. Yet, as the years go by, the pull
between sisters to never lie to one another, or the prom- becomes stronger until eventually, even the most resistant
ise between best friends to name their firstborn children give in. This is especially true if the person they keep their
after each other. Whatever the promise and whatever the promise to is still trapped in Arcadia. For others, the pull
circumstances, one of the members was taken and the is inescapable from the start, and it rules their lives. Some-
promise was left unfulfilled, yet remembered. one always goes into the Hedge. Even if the person who

Unfulfilled promises between humans are common;
the difference is in the intention. The person left behind

310 Appendix One: The Fae-Touched

originally made the promise does not — maybe she dies of he gets lost on the way home. He knows these foot-
an accident or resists long into old age — someone takes paths like the back of his hand, but somehow they
up the promise. It’s usually hereditary; her children or turn him around. Then, just as quickly as he is lost,
grandchildren may feel the pull of the Hedge when she is he finds the right path and starts down it between all
too old to fulfill the promise any longer. If she has no direct the thorny vines that seem to reach out for him.
descendants, then a niece, nephew, or even a cousin may
start to feel the pull and obligation of their family member. • She is his best friend, but she hasn’t called in days.
They used to talk every night, and now she won’t
• A mother follows lead after lead looking for her real return his texts. He goes looking for her, but she isn’t
child. She promised him that she’d always be there home and none of her other friends know where she
for him. She uses everything at her disposal, follow- might have gone. No note, no word, and more dis-
ing the old stray threads of his passing. Her determi- tressing is the fact that her house looks so normal,
nation leads her constantly to the place she last saw like she is just in the other room. Her phone and
him: his school. She spends her evening scouring the keys lay on the table beside the door, just like always.
area, looking for any evidence that something hap- He starts asking around, and no one has seen or
pened here, though it’s been months or even years. heard from her. He even calls her parents, and they
One fateful day, she sees a partial scrap of a shoelace. say she called them yesterday. He can’t believe it —
It’s his shoelace, she’s certain of it. She sees another they promised each other they’d never keep secrets
scrap of cloth further in the distance and she runs — so he keeps looking. Then, he finds someone that
to it, passing beneath the overhanging arch of an old may know someone. He makes a call and sets up a
oak branch. Her environment abruptly changes and meeting. This person knows where she is. They say
brambles surround her on all sides. In front of her is the path is hard and long, but she’s been kidnapped.
a narrow footpath, and she knows deep in her heart They can’t help, but they can point him in the right
that her son lies at the end of the trail. direction. He just has to go out the back door and
follow the little footpath he sees there.
• A woman comes home to find an uncommonly
messy house. Her wife is in the kitchen, prepar- Once the person is in the Hedge, her fate is sealed.
ing dinner. Everything about the situation screams She is now fae-touched, despite what else happens. As
to her that something is wrong. She sees a spot of she passes through whatever gateway brought her into the
blood on the floor and as she inspects it, she sees a Hedge, she gains a connection to Faerie and is able to draw
piece of a broken fingernail colored the same as her upon it. Usually, she has no idea what is happening, or that
wife’s. She looks at her wife’s hand but none of the she has any control over her environment. This doesn’t
nails are broken. She makes up an excuse and leaves stop the Hedge from responding to her desires and chang-
the house quickly, unable to return to whatever is ing accordingly. Most fae-touched are in the Hedge to find
in there. Her wife is gone, but she had promised her their missing loved ones. Paths open before them and direct
that she would always fight for their right to be to- them deeper into Faerie, following their tenuous connec-
gether. The front garden is torn up, and she wonders tion to the last place Faerie knew the changeling was held.
how she didn’t notice earlier. She follows the path of If left unchecked, a fae-touched can walk all the way to the
small details out of place until she reaches a clear- changeling who shares her promise. Yet, if she ventures too
ing. She sees two paths that look exactly the same, deep into Faerie, she is likely to never return.
but her heart points her left and she does not hesi-
tate before stepping off in that direction. Escaping the Hedge

• His older sister is a monster. Or maybe the monster A fae-touched is free to move about the Hedge as
isn’t his sister at all. He isn’t sure how it happened, she wishes, but finding her way out is a different matter
but he knows that one day she came home from col- entirely. Most humans who enter the Hedge this way do
lege and she was a monster. He can’t really see the so with a singular purpose. If she strays from that purpose,
sticks and mud that make her up, but he can feel or leaves the trail, she is likely to get hopelessly lost. If she
them when he touches her, and he can smell the dirt stays her course, she is drawn increasingly closer to Arca-
around her. No one believes him. They tell him to dia and the True Fae who captured her friend. She has a
go watch TV or read a book and leave her alone. He few options for returning to the real world, but all come
takes walks to the place they used to go together be- with their own risks.
fore she moved out. They promised each other they’d
always come here once a year to catch up. He feels a As the fae-touched enters the Hedge, her change-
sense of her here, and lets his mind wander as he sits ling counterpart is presented with an opportunity for
for hours before his mother calls him home. One day, escape. Maybe his Keeper is distracted, the final part of
his plan is realized in that moment, or he suddenly gains

Becoming Fae-Touched 311

Escape! bargains for the life of the changeling. She somehow
pulls on an ancient Contract and forces the Gentry to
Before bringing new fae-touched characters release them both. Another story has the changeling
into a game or starting a new game with use the fae-touched as a stepping stone, passing her to
them, try running one-on-one sessions with the Gentry to ensure his own escape. More grim stories
players to allow them to experience their char- tell that when the Avowed arrives at her destination,
acters’ first foray into the Hedge. This helps the changeling’s True Fae captor catches the new mor-
the player decide what kind of promise her tal, too, and bends her to his will.
character made, how she entered the Hedge,
and what she got out of the journey. It also Sometimes, the fae-touched never makes it far
helps her set Aspirations for her character, as within the Hedge, but instead gets distracted from her
well as get a feeling for how far the character path. She may encounter a hobgoblin who entices her
will go in order to fulfill her promises. away and makes her forget her goal. She may simply get
overwhelmed by the Hedge and lose sight of why she
The player should make her full fae-touched came. She spends so long there that she cannot imag-
character, but ignore her fae-touched tem- ine leaving. When this happens, her only hope is that a
plate for the first part of the session. She is changeling comes across her, as eventually one Gentry
a normal human at first, until she enters the or another notices her presence and takes her.
Hedge. At that point, she gains her fae-
touched template, as well as any Merits with Changelings in the Hedge who see an Avowed
a fae-touched prerequisite, and a full Glam- know that her chances of escape alone are slim. While
our pool. no one wants to deprive a fellow changeling of any ad-
vantage he might have to break free of his bonds in
This presents a good opportunity to introduce Faerie, helping the human is a much more immediate
key changeling Storyteller characters and concern. Of course, they are also concerned with the
setting elements directly into a character’s incredible boon of having a fae-touched owe her life to
background and make them important to the the changeling. Some changelings dedicate their time
Avowed. Work with the player to craft an to entering the Hedge, seeking out Avowed, and help-
escape story that makes sense for the types of ing them escape.
stories she wants to see in play.
An unlikely — though possible — way for the fae-
the strength of will he previously lacked. At this mo- touched to return to the normal world is to simply walk
ment, the changeling is faced with a decision to leave, out. This usually only happens after the fae-touched
and if he takes it, he is set on his path of escape. The has strayed from her original path and begins wishing
paths opened within the Hedge to the Avowed lead her for a way out. If she is somehow unhindered or un-
to cross paths with the changeling. If all goes well, their touched, her attachment to Faerie slowly leads her on a
paths intersect somewhere deep in the Hedge and they new path out of the Hedge. Only the most strong-willed
help each other escape into the mortal world. and lucky fae-touched escape the Hedge this way, and
doing so forges a connection to the Wyrd all her own.
Things don’t always go well. Sometimes, their paths
do not cross. Something stops the changeling from es- When the Avowed finally escapes, she is forever
caping Faerie. Maybe he is thwarted in his escape, or changed, much like a changeling. She is not truly a
dies in the attempt. Sometimes, despite the impetuous- changeling, since she was never captured and has no
ness his friend’s presence lends, the changeling simply seeming. She does have a tie to Faerie through the
chooses to remain in captivity, unable to bolster his Wyrd, though, gained in the Hedge and forming a
will to escape at that time. In rare cases, the change- tenuous bond to where she once was. She is no longer
ling has already escaped, and the fae-touched is simply completely human, yet she is much more connected to
following a dead trail to his former True Fae captor. human society than her changeling counterparts.
In these cases, she may end up following her path to
Faerie, only to get captured herself. Call of the Wyrd

A few stories relate that when a fae-touched and Glamour surrounded and infused the Avowed
her changeling’s paths intersected, they were far too when they entered the Hedge. Each forms a tiny con-
close to Faerie, and the changeling’s escape had not nection to this power, and wields it while he’s there,
yet been completely decided. In one story, the Avowed using it to clear a path through the brambles and lead
him to his promise-bound changeling. Though he is not
changed to the same degree that she is, he undergoes a
forging process that leaves him with a permanent con-
nection. He has a Wyrd rating and can utilize Glamour

312 Appendix One: The Fae-Touched

in much the same way as a changeling can, though he time, and the fae-touched is much more likely to get
is not as powerful. lost or taken if she returns unsupervised.

This connection to the Wyrd is twofold. It FiSnaoecC-Tiehotauyncgheelding
strengthens the bond between the fae-touched and
the changeling with whom he shares a promise, and Changelings represent a real-world connection that
it imbues him with a modicum of fae power. The bond a fae-touched human has with whatever happened to
between changeling and fae-touched is dangerous, as her while she was in the Hedge. She is still very human,
it continues to pull at the Avowed, beckoning him to and little about her life before the Hedge has changed.
return to the Hedge and seek her out. Not only that, Where a changeling had his entire life yanked out from
but the link gives him an awareness of the changeling under him — his home and loved ones lost to a fetch,
he never had before. He can sense her wellbeing and and time dilated in weird ways — the Avowed returns
her pain, and he often experiences visions of her while to a world exactly as she left it. Her family is still there,
she’s in Arcadia. her house just the same. Her job may have missed her
for a few days, but otherwise everything she once knew
The connection to the Wyrd that gives the Avowed is still in place. She could easily return to her life with
his power can also be dangerous to him. On his first no one the wiser, except for the fae-touched herself.
trip into the Hedge, the Wyrd filled him and gave him
power in what felt like a hopeless situation. The Glam- Knowing that doesn’t make it easy to do. She has
our of the place entered him easily and changed him. gained insight into a fantastical and dangerous world
In the real world, Glamour is hard to come by, and his outside her own. She has a connection to a society of
power over reality is regulated to whatever Contracts supernatural creatures. She knows now that the person
he can learn. When he escaped the Hedge, it left him to whom she kept her promise was captured, and she
with a fraction of the fae magic he previously had at his sees the fetch for what it is. For her, everything has
disposal and has no understanding of what to do with changed, and while on the surface everything looks
it. While he does have a Glamour pool he can access, normal, she realizes nothing ever really was.
the fae-touched does not inherently understand how to
harvest more — this is a skill someone must teach him. Many fae-touched find it difficult to go back to
What’s worse is that the fae-touched finds the inexpli- their normal lives; few people willingly insert them-
cable draw to the Hedge that brought him to this point selves into a situation they know to be false. Some react
did not go away after he left the Hedge; instead, it has poorly to the knowledge that a fetch replaced someone
only grown stronger. they know, and attempt to out its true nature or even
kill it. Other humans regard the Avowed with fear and
A fae-touched feels a longing to return to the misunderstanding, assuming she suffered a psychotic
Hedge, to soak up all the Glamour she can, and to use break. To a certain extent, she has, but not in a way
that power. The Wyrd pulls at her, beckoning her to people can understand. A few return to their lives, liv-
return to Faerie and continue her search for her friend, ing alongside fetches, biding their time until they can
and to become one with the fae. Even if she reunites begin their search again.
with her promise-bound changeling, this feeling can-
not be abated. Where a changeling has the ground- Some want to be close to changeling society, hoping
ing experience of captivity and being forced to endure that the Lost are the key to finding the ones they yearn
what felt like a lifetime of servitude in the presence to find. If an Avowed reunites with her promise-bound
of all that power, a fae-touched has only the experi- changeling, then she wants to stay connected. Another
ence of longing and seeking. This is not to say that might fear the changelings and only want interaction
she is unaware of the dangers of Faerie, as she is likely if she believes they will lead her to her promised one.
to have met her own challenges while in the Hedge. On top of all that is her constant, unbreakable desire
Instead, her experiences and subsequent changes are to return to the Hedge and regain the power she had
not as drastic, meaning the draw of the Wyrd can take there, or to search once again for the person she lost.
a stronger hold within her. No amount of explaining or
understanding can abate the desire; only a strong force The Avowed present a unique paradox to change-
of will keeps her from leaping back into the brambles lings. The True Fae never took these people and they do
at every chance. not know the horrors of a durance, yet they have been
exposed enough to see past the Mask. The Avowed
With guidance and assistance, an Avowed can have the ability to do something the changeling can
learn to harvest Glamour from humans and use her never do — return to their previous lives — yet many
power in a controlled manner. Those who do not con- refuse to do so completely.
trol themselves find that the draw into the Hedge even-
tually takes them there. It’s never the same as the first

Fae-Touched in Changeling Society 313

Despite these stark differences, the Avowed is also
a comrade, someone who survived the dangers of Faerie
and changed because of it. She may have even been
the catalyst for a changeling’s escape. She is someone
driven by devotion and someone the Lost can trust.

By the very nature of being Avowed, she has prov-
en a willingness to keep important promises. Not only
that, but she has shown the will and strength it takes to
see beyond the lies spread by the True Fae in an effort
to keep those promises. Even if an Avowed were noth-
ing more than that, her presence would be a comfort to
the changeling, yet she has much more value. She rep-
resents an intermediary between the changeling and
the mortal world. He does not have to hide his true
nature from her and she can help him relate to humans.
She has an understanding of his fae concerns, even if
she does not share in all of them, and she can assist in
endeavors both in and out of the Hedge.

While a changeling is likely to want an Avowed
around, he doesn’t necessarily believe she should be
exposed to the entirety of the freehold and the soci-
ety they have built. Most changelings prefer to keep
the fae-touched at a distance, contacting them only in
times of need or want. The fae-touched wants the op-
posite. She wants to connect to the people that under-
stand all her conflicting emotions more than she wants
to resume a mundane life. She wants to be involved
and to continue to assist her loved one despite his best
intentions for her.

When the fae-touched do find the changelings to
whom they made their promises, these interactions are
complex, but more easily defined than the alternative.
The changeling still owes this person his part of the
promise, though few fae-touched care much if he ful-
fills it at this point. Changelings feel immensely grate-
ful to their Avowed counterparts, and often feel obli-
gated to them, no matter what their promise was. Even
a promise of revenge or payback turns into a treasured
relationship for the changeling, though the fae-touched
may not feel so nostalgic without the experience of cap-
ture and torture at the hands of the Gentry. Either way,
the Avowed and the changeling are intricately bound
to each other, making their relationship one of at least
mutual respect and understanding, if not outright com-
panionship.

The relationships between the fae-touched and
changelings are as complex and varied as the people
composing them. For some changelings, the Avowed
are nothing more than people with some extra knowl-
edge; for others, they are friends and confidants. Some
changelings find relating to the Avowed easier than re-
lating to mundane humans, and prefer their company
over anyone else’s. Some resent them and their rapid
escape from the horrors of Faerie, and want nothing to

314 Appendix One: The Fae-Touched

do with them. Some simply see them as one more tool, Some fae-touched do enter into oaths to join a
someone they can use to gain an advantage. And a court, usually because their promise-bound is a mem-
lucky few changelings find a loved one in the Avowed, ber. The kind of protection it would offer a change-
someone they believed lost to them forever. ling is unnecessary for her, but she does gain the other
benefits. Few changelings treat her as a full member,
System: Changelings and Avowed gain a few spe- though. She often remains in the lowest ranks of the
cial benefits from reuniting after both their escapes court, simply allowing her oath to be all that she needs
from the Hedge. First, the two immediately enter into to gain the minimum protection of the freehold. She
a personal oath (p. 213), with terms the Wyrd decides may participate in Bargain rituals and symbolism, but
if the characters don’t swear the oath deliberately. rarely gains an official position and can’t gain dots of
These terms should reflect the nature of the origi- Mantle.
nal promise and how their relationship has (or hasn’t)
changed since then. The oath grants these specific Oath Keepers
benefits: Either character may harvest Glamour from
the other, and either may spend a point of Glamour Keeping a promise is important to both change-
to sense the other’s general physical and emotional lings and Avowed. For changelings, trust and keeping
state, and her rough distance and direction, wherever their word is imperative, especially among others like
she may be. them. For the fae-touched, keeping a promise is a mat-
ter of integrity and personal honor, no matter to whom
Within the Freehold she makes that promise. Few fae-touched ever break
their word when it’s given, and they take even the sim-
A city with a well-established freehold is bound plest agreement seriously. If a fae-touched forsakes an
to have several fae-touched within its scope of influ- oath, her fellows never forgive her, even if she is able
ence. How the changelings deal with those Avowed to redeem herself in the eyes of the Wyrd and change-
depends on which courts make up the freehold. Most ling society. A changeling who breaks her word is even
courts prefer to extend aid and assistance to the fae- worse, in the eyes of the Avowed. Every fae-touched
touched without formally accepting them into the free- knows the only reason she is connected to the Wyrd is
hold. Instead, individual members of the freehold take because of someone she loves who is trapped in Arca-
on each fae-touched as an apprentice or vassal, helping dia, and the shared promise they have between them.
her master her Wyrd while keeping her confidences. Her hope is to one day free her friend and reunite, and
Certain courts associated with protection or love may the strength of her word is the only thing that contin-
freely accept the fae-touched into their lives without ues to give her hope. If her loved one were to lose that
question. Even if the freehold does not consider the promise, or worse, go back on the agreement they made
Avowed a full member, they often extend protection so long ago, what would become of their connection?
and aid when she needs it. Such an idea is horrifying to most fae-touched, and few
contemplate that line of thinking for very long.
Changelings view having the Avowed around as
a boon to the freehold. A fae-touched is likely to be a Some fae-touched hone the control they have over
calming presence in an otherwise-tumultuous environ- the Wyrd to seek out information about oaths and
ment. She is partially fae, but does not suffer the constant promises, monitoring who owes what and who might
hounding of the Wild Hunt. Her connections to the mor- have broken their vows. If an Avowed finds someone
tal world set her apart from the changelings, and make who has broken a promise, especially to a human or fae-
her a valuable ally. Those who gain acceptance into the touched, she takes it upon herself to punish the oath
freehold find themselves in the middle of political intrigue breaker. Some freeholds employ such Avowed to moni-
and courtly gossip. The fae-touched’s favor is not neces- tor minor pledges between lesser members of the courts
sarily sought so much as bought, and her connections are and report misconduct to the monarchs. Others simply
exploited by any bold enough to try. work on their own, taking punishments into their own
hands, even if such action would be ill-advised.
The Courts
Outsiders
A fae-touched who has spent a great deal of time
around changelings tends to get more embroiled in their Some fae-touched find changeling freeholds and
concerns. Yet she has no one hunting for her, and she is courts hard to follow. The Avowed understand prom-
in no danger of someone dragging her back to a True Fae ises all too well, and some are reluctant to ever promise
captor (at least, no more so than any human being). There anything to a changeling without a dire need. Pledges
is no pressing reason for an Avowed to officially join the and oaths are too grave to enter into, and the frequen-
changeling courts, and as such rarely do. cy with which changelings use the Wyrd to seal deals

Fae-Touched in Changeling Society 315

Those Who drive others to rash action. Whatever the cause, the
Do Not Know fae-touched makes a conscious decision to enter the
Hedge, no matter the cost. Maybe the dreams of her
Not all fae-touched escape the Hedge into loved one overwhelm her, and she is bound and deter-
the hands of the Lost. Those who fight to free mined to seek him out; maybe she is starved of Glam-
themselves may not even realize that such our and believes she can find more there; or maybe she
a thing as the changelings exist. Even when is just drawn to the power of Faerie and no longer has
presented with changeling society, they have the willpower to resist the urge to go.
a hard time accepting the Lost as any part of
humanity. They view changelings as they do These fae-touched gravitate toward one another,
anything else from the Hedge: dangerous and somehow unconsciously drawn to those most likely to
not to be trusted. assist them in their goals. Some changelings speculate
that the Wyrd draws them together, its pull on them
can be daunting to someone so sensitive. Such a re- heightened when they congregate in groups, like living
sponse can cause the Lost to shun the Avowed, unable conduits for its demands. They band together with a
to understand why she refuses to pledge her word to similar mission: Find a way back into the Hedge. The
them freely. changelings call them Key Smiths, for they seek out
gate keys.
In these cases, the fae-touched band together on
the outskirts of changeling society, making up their Fae-touched know they cannot open and enter
own lesser society based on unspoken words and mu- Hedgeways on their own, not without some kind of gate
tual understanding. The fae-touched tend to gravitate key or a changeling to let them in. Some groups spend
toward one another — in much the same way they their time searching out natural Hedge gates and the
gravitate toward the Hedge — though no outward ap- keys associated with them. They map every place they
pearances betray their nature. These fae-touched prefer see someone enter or leave the Hedge and they pump
each other’s company over that of other humans, and the changelings for information about keys. Sometimes
they view changelings as vapid and self-absorbed. They the groups petition changelings for assistance, hoping
seek solace in each other and shy away from changeling to trade favors for entrance into the Hedge.
society. They hold no ill will toward changelings and
deal one on one with them in certain circumstances, More impatient groups don’t want to wait to map
but otherwise remain separate from the freehold and out gates or hope for changeling help. These groups act
courts. out in terrible ways. Sometimes they take over change-
ling holdings or kidnap people close to the Lost, de-
Many changelings are horrified to realize that manding entrance into the Hedge in return for whatev-
it isn’t only they who have Avowed waiting for them er they took. Other, more severe groups hunt down and
somewhere in the mortal world — nothing stops a hu- capture a changeling, forcing him to open a gate for
man who has promised something to a privateer or a them on pain of iron. Usually, they need entrance and
loyalist from becoming fae-touched, and such people exit Hedgeways, so hostage situations do not resolve
usually become tools and weapons in the hands of the until they’ve finished their mission into the Hedge.
freehold’s enemies. Some Lost find it difficult to blame
these Avowed — after all, they too swore to stand by The Hunted
their changeling companions, no matter how vile their
actions — but most treat them just as they would any Under normal circumstances, a fae-touched does
agent of the Gentry: with fear and contempt. not have to worry about anything hunting her and re-
turning her to Arcadia. She was never in the keeping of
Key Smiths the Gentry, and they have no idea she is anything other
than a mere mortal. She is more human than she is fae,
When the desire to return to the Hedge completely unaffected by a fae mien. The True Fae do not purpose-
overtakes an Avowed, she turns volatile and dangerous fully send their Huntsmen after a fae-touched, and she
to both herself and changelings. Giving in to desires may go her whole existence without encountering one,
is not a psychotic break. She looks and acts like her if she’s lucky. Despite this, she does have access to the
usual self, but like an addict out of control, she does Wyrd — no matter how muted — and appears fae to
irrational and dangerous things to get her fix. Some the senses of those who dwell in Faerie. For this reason,
give in easily to this desire, where impatience might she may gain the wrong attention if she is not careful.

Every now and then, the fae-touched does some-
thing to gain the attention of the Gentry or their
Huntsmen. Maybe she’s just in the wrong place at the
wrong time. Commonly, it is because the Avowed find

316 Appendix One: The Fae-Touched

it hard to steer clear of Faerie, and tend to become em- Using Loyal
broiled in conflicts even when they aren’t trying to. Fae-Touched
Maybe she spends too much time with a particularly
irksome changeling. Maybe she’s been in and out of the A fae-touched with motivation to capture
Hedge unscathed one too many times. a changeling rarely has the means to do
so. She is reluctant to approach other fae-
No matter what causes the Fae to notice her, once touched, since they may try to talk her out
it happens, she can’t shake their interest. Some fae- of keeping her deal or hurt her to prevent
touched find themselves hunted as relentlessly as any her from enacting any plans. She may pair
changeling, having caught the eye of a curious True with a loyalist changeling who is much more
Fae. The best-case scenario is that they consider her capable. A changeling and an Avowed work-
an annoyance slated for death; the worst-case scenario ing together are more dangerous than either
is that the True Fae is interested in her and wants her alone.
brought in for investigation.
Fae-touched working against changeling soci-
Sometimes she only gains the notice of a Hunts- ety can be extremely disruptive, since they are
man, but in many cases, this could be worse. A Hunts- so well known for their honesty and loyalty, so
man may dismiss her as a regular human, or decide to use them with caution.
kill her to get at the changeling it is hunting. It may
decide she’s a useful tool: Maybe she can lead it to the exchange for knowledge about the changelings in the
changelings, or be a bargaining chip if the Huntsman nearby freehold.
kidnaps her. It may offer her a deal, something she des-
perately wants, to sell out her friends. Of course, taking Some fae-touched have even less heartening sto-
such a deal would make her a traitor, but denying it ries. During her first voyage into the Hedge, one fol-
may get her killed. lowed a path that led her deep into the heart of a Gen-
try’s domain. Within, she found her promise-bound
Fae-touched rarely know when they’ve attract- Lost. She tried to free him, but his True Fae master
ed the attention of a fae creature until it’s too late. caught her. Through whatever arcane Contracts guided
Changelings caution Avowed to be wary, since they this Gentry’s actions, she was spared for the time being.
can’t initiate oaths and thus have no way of stopping It proposed a deal: If she returned to Earth, collected
a Huntsman once it’s on their trail. Having a hunted any one other changeling, and brought him back to it,
Avowed around can be a liability, but few changelings it would let her loved one go. She shook on it and went
would abandon someone to whatever fate the True Fae back, so elated to have a way to save him that she didn’t
have planned for them. Usually, such a predicament recognize she never made a deal for her own life and
encourages the freehold to increase their security and freedom.
bring the Avowed more tightly into their fold.
Tales
The Loyal
Avowed have a place in changeling stories as both
The most important thing to a fae-touched is find- allies and antagonists. Fae-touched may play a large
ing her missing loved one. It is what drives her and part in a changeling’s life, posing a constant source of
preoccupies her. The life she leads on Earth is one of strife and conflict, or an amazing source of aid and in-
pensive waiting, hoping that one day she can reunite formation. Changelings are certain to run into many
with him. She does what she can to assist changelings fae-touched in their lifetimes, and the fae-touched may
in hopes that someone will do the same for him. She be responsible for helping someone out of the Hedge at
follows the changelings into the Hedge in hopes that a critical moment.
they may find a chance to rescue him. And, if offered
a chance to save him, she would abandon all else to The Promise
do so. Collector

Sometimes, this fierce loyalty works against the Stevie is an Avowed member of the freehold. She’s
fae-touched in ways she would never expect. If a True a bit of a legend in her own right. Some say she showed
Fae discovers such a weakness in the ranks of change- up one day out of the Hedge and went straight away
ling society, it wastes no time seizing it as an opportu- to the courts to pledge herself to the freehold. No one
nity. They court and deceive the Avowed, promising a
chance to free her loved one, or just to see him once
again in return for information or an outright betrayal.
Huntsmen make deals with the fae-touched to trade
bits of truth about where her changeling is kept in

Tales 317

knows if she came fresh out of the Hedge or if she had there. Through their bond, Pedro witnesses Walter’s
somehow found her way to the freehold from elsewhere, struggle through the Hedge each night while dreaming.
but she’s been a fixture ever since. She doesn’t belong The only way to truly help Walter is to enter the Hedge
to a court, and she wields very little influence over the to help Pedro find him and bring him back out.
changelings, but she commands a great deal of respect.
Everyone seems to have some kind of deal with her, PFalea-yTionugchaed
even if it’s something as simple as a polite agreement
to leave each other alone. She’s notorious for sealing The Avowed have an important place within
statements on all of her agreements, no matter how changeling society. The portrayal of fae-touched mem-
large or small. bers of the freehold is more than simply playing the
lackey or following orders. Avowed have a connection
The characters have met Stevie at least once, but to the Wyrd and are complex individuals. The decision
they don’t have any active deals with her. When she to play a fae-touched character in a changeling cam-
goes missing, they don’t really think anything of it. Ru- paign should be discussed not only with the Storyteller,
mors crop up that she’s disappeared into the Hedge, but but also with the other players. Those players should
no one seems to know where she’s gone. Days later, ev- consider how their characters view and interact with
eryone in the court is struck by terrible nightmares and the fae-touched, and which one of them, if any, the
phantom pains. Something happened to Stevie, and Avowed is bound to. A fae-touched character’s story
the Wyrd somehow connected everyone in the freehold can serve to bring a cohesive element to an otherwise-
to her pain through her pledges to them. Almost ev- disparate group.
eryone in the freehold is debilitated by the pain. The
characters must race to rescue Stevie before something Creating a
worse happens to her, and through her bonds, the rest Fae-Touched
of the freehold.
A character becomes fae-touched when she enters
Dark Dreams the Hedge in search of someone with whom she shares
a promise. At that time, she is invested with the Glam-
A newly escaped changeling, Pedro, has taken our of Faerie and takes a little piece of the Wyrd with
shelter within the freehold. He complains of terrible her when she leaves.
nightmares each night. He is being chased down in
the Hedge by foul creatures made up of the brambles. To create a fae-touched character, use the same
Each morning he awakens in sweats. At first, every- guidelines for creating a character found on p. 89, but
one believes he is experiencing trauma from his recent don’t add the Lost template, and use Integrity instead
escape, but as the nightmares get more intense each of Clarity. Afterward, make the following modifications
night, he seeks assistance. to the character. Be sure to look at the fae-touched
Merits presented later in this chapter.
Pedro asks the characters to help him quiet his
dreams. The first night, they enter his dreams in dream Note that the Avowed share many traits with
form, simply riding the dream and watching what hap- changelings, but they are not changelings. Some traits
pens. The first half of the dream is mundane and nor- are completely unique to changelings. If an advantage
mal, but at some point in the night the dreams take a or trait is not listed below, do not assume fae-touched
stark turn, completely dissolving from Pedro’s dreams- characters gain it.
cape into an even more twisted and dark version of the
Hedge. As they watch, hobgoblins chase a man onto Add Fae-Touched Traits
Pedro’s path. The man begs Pedro to help him, but Pe-
dro seems completely distressed by his presence. Pedro Promise: All fae-touched have a promise that ei-
tries to fend him off, but cannot. When the dream ends, ther they, or someone in their family from whom they
Pedro explains that the dream is the same every night. inherited it, made to a changeling. This promise shapes
He reveals that he recognizes the man: His name is how the character views and interacts with the world.
Walter and they were best friends before he was taken. Whenever the Avowed takes actions that fortify her
Pedro says he’s felt a strange connection to Walter ever promise, she gains a one-die bonus to perform those
since his durance, and it’s only gotten stronger since actions. Some Merits may add additional benefits based
he’s escaped. In fact, it was the memory of Walter that on the type of promise she’s made.
gave him the strength to free himself.
Wyrd: Wyrd reflects the small amount of Faerie
Pedro is bound to a fae-touched human who en- the character can channel into the world. Fae-touched
tered the Hedge on the same day that he escaped. Pe- characters have an effective Wyrd rating of 0, though
dro found his own way out, but Walter was trapped

318 Appendix One: The Fae-Touched

they are capable of utilizing some of its benefits. A fae- Contracts
touched cannot increase her Wyrd rating above 0.
Fae-touched can learn and use any Contracts, in-
Contracts: Select a favored Regalia for the char- cluding Court Contracts, with a few restrictions.
acter and two Common Contracts within it. The char-
acter cannot start with Royal Contracts, but you can • A fae-touched must be taught new Contracts,
spend Experiences to purchase them in play at the and cannot learn them on her own. She follows
same rate as a changeling. the same restrictions for Court Contracts
as a normal changeling, and must have
Advantages enough dots of Court Goodwill to pur-
chase any (p. 150).
Glamour: A fae-touched character can uti-
lize Glamour much like changelings can. She • Fae-touched do not automatically
can bank up to 10 Glamour inside her and gain access to a Contract’s seeming ben-
spend one point of Glamour each turn. She efits. She must spend Experiences to learn
can only harvest Glamour from people’s any seeming benefit, and a changeling
emotions or through Hedge bounty, as
she is normally incapable of entering must teach it to her via Pupil’s Devotion
other people’s dreams. Other fae crea- (p. 129).
tures can harvest Glamour from a fae-
touched. When this happens, she loses • Fae-touched characters do not un-
Glamour from her own pool to the being derstand enough about the nature of
who harvested from her. Faerie to use Loopholes in Contracts.

Pledges: The Avowed are capable of Drawbacks
using their Wyrd to witness sealings. They
are still subject to sealings from changeling Being fae-touched carries
characters, and they cannot attempt to use its own dangers and drawbacks,
sealings on changelings or other fae creatures. uniquely separate from those
Additionally, changelings and Fae can forge changelings suffer.
oaths with fae-touched characters, carrying
all the benefits and drawbacks Susceptible to Delirium: Her
associated with these. Fae- time in the Hedge left the character
touched characters cannot ini- somewhat disturbed. All fae-touched
tiate oaths with anyone other characters suffer from the Madness
than a changeling, including Condition (p. 343) at character cre-
other fae-touched characters ation. If an Avowed enters the Hedge
or Huntsmen. If a changeling
creates a bargain with a fae- after resolving the Condition, she
touched character, he does immediately regains it.
not gain the benefit of addi-
tional concealment that he Additionally, the character
would with an ordinary mor- suffers from the Arcadian Dreams
tal. and Hedge Addiction Conditions
(p. 333).
Oneiromancy: Fae-
touched characters nor- Fae-Touched
mally cannot engage in Merits
oneiromancy on their
own. They do not share a The following Merits
changeling’s innate abil- are available for fae-touched
ity to pass through the Gate of Ivory into their characters. Changelings and
own dreams, nor can they take dreamweaving mundane humans should
actions. Some do have latent talents to enter not purchase these Mer-
and affect dreams, though, represented as Merits, its without approval from the
and some can enter the dreams of others with the Storyteller. Fae-touched may also possess
Dreamsteps Contract (p. 144). dots in Court Goodwill, Glamour Fast-
ing, and Hollow (though she must always
purchase this as part of a motley), as well as any hu-
man Merits.

Playing a Fae-Touched 319

Dream Shaper (••) Promise of Debt (• to •••)

Prerequisites: Fae-touched, Lucid Dreamer Prerequisite: Fae-touched

Effect: Your character is not only capable of lu- Effect: A debt lies between your character and an-
cid dreaming, but can make changes. She may take other, and he aims to see it resolved. The debt is not
dreamweaving actions (p. 217), but only within her own necessarily monetary, though that is the most common
dreams. kind; it may instead be a service debt or a life debt.
Whenever the character attempts to resolve a debt,
Expressive (•) whether his own or someone else’s, gain a dice bonus
equal to his dots in this Merit to all rolls made in ser-
Prerequisite: Non-changeling vice to the resolution.

Effect: Your character was always more expres- Promise of Love (• to •••)
sive than the people around him, and his time in the
Hedge gave him a deeper understanding of his own Prerequisite: Fae-touched
emotions, which are particularly nourishing to fae crea-
tures. When harvesting Glamour from your character Effect: Your character promised to always love
through his emotions, a fae being gains two Glamour another. When he disappeared, she knew immediate-
points per success instead of one. ly that his fetch was wrong somehow and she went in
search of him. Her devotion drives and supports her.
Find the Oathbreaker (••) Gain a dice bonus equal to her dots in this Merit to
rolls to contest mundane or supernatural attempts to
Prerequisites: Fae-touched, Sense Vows manipulate her emotions toward another person.

Effect: Your character’s devotion to her own prom- Promise of Loyalty (•••)
ise makes her sensitive to other people’s vows. She can tell
whether someone has broken their word, even if it is some- Prerequisite: Fae-touched
thing as simple as a verbal promise. She counts as a change-
ling for purposes of the Oathbreaker Condition (p. 343). Ad- Effect: Your character would do anything for an-
ditionally, if the character touches a target, she can measure other, and she for him. They have no secrets from one
the depths of his dishonesty. Her player rolls Wits + Empa- another, and he could never lie to her. When she forgot
thy to determine whether the target has broken any promises simple truths about their relationship, he knew some-
or reneged on any deals in the recent past. The character thing was wrong. He never questioned his friend; in-
senses one promise the target has broken per success rolled stead, he went searching for answers and found she was
within the last 24 hours, or within the last week if it was a missing. He values honesty and loyalty above all else
pledge bound with Glamour. She knows in general what the and it shows in everything he does. Reduce the number
oath was about and how the target broke it. of Doors his opponents have in Social maneuvering by
one whenever he’s banking on their previous relation-
Hedge Delver (•••) ship or shared history.

Prerequisites: Fae-touched, Survival •• Promise of Protection
(• to •••••)
Effect: Your character’s desire to return to the
Hedge is tempered by her understanding of the dan- Prerequisite: Fae-touched
gers. She gains two bonus dice to teamwork rolls she
makes to aid a changeling in navigating the Hedge. Effect: Your character told him she would always
Additionally, she is capable of Hedgespinning actions be there for him and make sure he was safe. She didn’t
(p. 204), but only to make subtle shifts. even know he had been taken when she started looking
for him, her protective nature guiding her. She knows
Oathkeeper (•••) deep down that everyone is vulnerable and needs a
little protection. Whenever she protects someone other
Prerequisites: Fae-touched, Resolve ••• than herself, gain a bonus to your Initiative modifier
equal to her dots in this Merit, and reduce any Defense
Effect: The Wyrd has bolstered your character’s penalties from multiple attacks in a turn by one.
desire to keep her promises beyond her own strength
of will. Whenever you spend a Willpower point on a Promise to Provide (•••)
roll to contest any mundane or supernatural attempt
to convince her to do something that would make her Prerequisite: Fae-touched
break her sworn word, either from a sealing or an oath,
gain four dice instead of three, and you achieve excep- Effect: Your character promised he would always
tional success on three successes. have room in his home for her, no matter when she needed

320 Appendix One: The Fae-Touched

it. He kept a guest room always available, even when he bonus dice in addition to those generated by her rolled
could barely afford a two-room apartment. He keeps her successes to the primary actor’s roll.
things in there, just the way she likes them. He prides
himself on his hospitality, and the Wyrd has strengthened Punish the Oathbreaker (••)
his resolve to ensure he always has an open home and
hearth. Whenever he offers hospitality to someone, he Prerequisites: Fae-touched, Find the Oathbreaker
may spend a point of Glamour to enforce it for the rest of
the chapter. Anyone who accepts must then spend a Will- Effect: Your character takes his own promises seri-
power point to break his hospitality by harming him, his ously, and the idea that someone else might not offends
allies, or his home. Anyone who accepts and doesn’t try to him to his core. He may use Loopholes to activate Con-
break his hospitality instead regains a point of Willpower tracts that would impact an oathbreaker negatively and
at the end of the chapter. directly, as long as he reads their broken promises with
Find the Oathbreaker first. Contracts that affect a group
Promise to Serve (• to •••) of people or the environment do not gain this benefit.

Prerequisite: Fae-touched Sense Vows (•)

Effect: Maybe your character agreed to name her Prerequisite: Fae-touched
firstborn child after her brother, or promised that she
would take his children in as her own if he ever died. Effect: Your character’s dedication to her promises al-
No matter what the agreement, after she lost touch lows her to sense when the Wyrd was invoked to seal one. By
she stayed true to her word and followed through. She spending a point of Glamour while interacting with some-
needs something to do with herself, something to give one, she can determine whether that person made any prom-
her life direction and purpose. Whenever she is part of ises through sealings, oaths, or bargains within the current
a teamwork action, she adds her dots in this Merit as story. She cannot tell the details of the promise, though she
knows what kind of pledge the character is sworn to, and the
general idea of what was promised.

Playing a Fae-Touched 321

Armor

Type Rating Strength Defense Speed Availability Coverage
1/0 1 Modern 0 • Torso, arms, legs
Reinforced
clothing* 0

Kevlar vest* 1/3 1 0 0 • Torso
Flak jacket 2/4 1 −1 0 •• Torso, arms
Full riot gear 3/5 2 −2 −1 ••• Torso, arms, legs

Archaic

Leather (hard) 2/0 2 −1 0 • Torso, arms
Chainmail 3/1 3 Torso, arms
−2 −2 ••

Plate 4/2 3 −2 −3 •••• Torso, arms, legs

Rating: Armor provides protection against normal attacks and firearms attacks. The number before the slash is for
general armor, while the number after the slash is for ballistic armor.

Strength: If a character’s Strength is lower than that required for her armor, reduce her Brawl and Weaponry dice
pools by one.

Defense: The penalty imposed on a character’s Defense when wearing the armor.

Speed: The penalty to a character’s Speed when wearing the armor.

Availability: The cost in Resources dots or the level of Social Merit needed to acquire the armor.

Coverage: The areas of a character protected by the armor. Unless an attacker targets a specific unarmored location
(see “Specified Targets,” p. 184), the armor’s protection applies. Wearing a helmet increases the armor’s coverage to
include a character’s head.

* This armor is concealed, either as normal clothing (e.g. biker leathers) or from being worn under a jacket or baggy
shirt. Attackers have no idea the target is wearing armor until after they land a successful hit.

322 Appendix Two: Equipment

Weapons

Melee Weapons Chart

Type Damage Initiative Strength Size Availability Special
Sap 0 −1 1 1 • Stun
Brass Knuckles 0 0 1 1 • Uses Brawl to attack
Baton 1 −1 2 2 n/a
Crowbar 2 −2 2 2 • +1 Defense
Tire Iron 1 −3 2 2 •• Grapple
Chain 1 −3 2 2 • Concealed
Shield (small) 0 −2 2 2 •• Concealed
Shield (large) 2 −4 3 3 ••
Knife 0 −1 1 1 • Armor piercing 1
Rapier 1 −2 1 2 ••
Machete 2 −2 2 2 •• 9-again, two-handed
Hatchet 1 −2 1 1 • 9-again, two-handed
Fire Axe 3 −4 3 3 ••
Chainsaw 5 −6 4 3 +1 Defense, two-handed
Stake* 0 −4 1 1 ••• Stun; bonus successes don’t
Spear** 2 −2 2 4 n/a add to modifier for damage
Stun gun 1 1 1 1 •
(melee) •

Type: A weapon’s type is a general classification that can apply to anything your character picks up. A tire iron might
be any metal club, such as an antique mace, a metal baseball bat, or a hammer, while a hatchet might be a meat
cleaver or an antique handaxe.

Damage: Indicates the number of bonus successes added to a successful attack. Weapons always deal lethal
damage against ordinary people. The type of damage may vary against supernatural opponents.

Initiative: The penalty taken to Initiative when wielding the weapon. If using more than one weapon, take the higher
penalty and increase by 1.

Strength: The minimum Strength needed to use a weapon effectively. A wielder with a lower Strength suffers a −1
penalty on attack rolls.

Size: Size 1 items can be hidden in a hand; two Size 2 items can be hidden in a coat; Size 3+ items cannot be
hidden.

Availability: The cost in Resources dots or the level of Social Merit needed to acquire the weapon.

Concealed: A character that wields a shield but doesn’t use it to attack can add its Size to his Defense, and uses its
Size as a concealment modifier against ranged attacks.

Grapple: Add the chain’s weapon modifier to grappling dice pools.

Stun: Halve the victim’s Size when aiming for the head with intent to stun.

Two-handed: This weapon requires two hands. It can be used one-handed, but doing so increases the Strength
requirement by 1.

* To pierce the heart, a stake must target it specifically (−3 to attack rolls) and must deal at least five damage in one
attack.

** The reach of a spear gives +1 to Defense against opponents who are unarmed or wield weapons of Size 1.

Weapons 323

Ranged Weapons Chart

Type
Damage
Range
Clip
Initiative
Strength
Size
Availability
Example
Special

Revolver, light 1 20/40/80 6 0 2 1 •• SW M640 (.38
Special)

Revolver, 2 35/70/140 6 -2 3 1 •• SW M29 (.44
heavy Magnum)
1 20/40/80 17+1 0
Pistol, light 2 30/60/120 7+1 −2 2 1 ••• Glock 17 (9mm)

Pistol, heavy 3 1 ••• Colt M1911A1
(.45 ACP)

SMG, small* 1 25/50/100 30+1 −2 2 1 ••• Ingram Mac-10
(9mm)

SMG, large* 2 50/100/200 30+1 −3 3 2 ••• HK MP-5 (9mm)
Rifle 4 200/400/800 5+1 −5
2 3 •• Remington
M-700 (30.06)

Assault Rifle* 3 150/300/600 42+1 −3 3 3 ••• Steyr AUG
(5.56mm)

Shotgun** 3 20/40/80 5+1 −4 3 2 •• Remington M870
(12-gauge)

Crossbow*** 2 40/80/160 1 −5 3 3 •••
5 1 0
Stun gun 1 1 1 • Taser Stun; bonus successes
don’t add to the modifier
(ranged)*** for damage

Pepper spray 0 1/2/3 n/a 0 1 1• Stun; Penalty, deals no
damage

Damage: Indicates the number of bonus successes added to a successful attack. Weapons always deal lethal
damage against ordinary people. The type of damage may vary against supernatural opponents.

Ranges: The listed numbers are short/medium/long ranges in yards/meters. Attacks at medium range suffer a −1
penalty. Attacks at long range suffer a −2 penalty.

Clip: The number of rounds a gun can hold. A +1 indicates that a bullet can be held in the chamber, ready to fire.

Initiative: The penalty taken to Initiative when wielding the weapon. If using more than one weapon, take the higher
penalty and increase it by 1.

Strength: The minimum Strength needed to use a weapon effectively. A wielder with a lower Strength suffers a −1 on
attack rolls.

Size: Weapons of Size 1 can be fired one-handed; Size 2 weapons must be fired two-handed and can be hidden in
a coat; Size 3 weapons can be fired two-handed, but not hidden on one’s person.

Availability: The cost in Resources dots or the level of Social Merit needed to acquire the weapon.

Stun: Halve the victim’s Size when aiming for the head with intent to stun.

Penalty: Pepper spray inflicts a −5 to all actions, reduced by one for every turn the victim spends rinsing his eyes.

* The weapon is capable of autofire, including short bursts, medium bursts, and long bursts.

** Attack rolls gain the 9-again quality.

*** Crossbows and ranged stun guns take three turns to reload between shots (stun guns must replace the compressed
air cartridge). A crossbow can also be used to deliver a stake through the heart (−3 to attack rolls; must deal at least
five damage in one attack).

324 Appendix Two: Equipment

Services

Service Availability Die Service Availability Die
Bonus Bonus
Academics Throwing an athletic •••• +4
+3 competition
Historical specialist consulting ••• +2 +2
Brawl
Research assistance from •• +2 +3
grad students Arrange underground boxing ••• +1
+2 ring
Translation of a dead ••• +3 +2
language +2 Bodyguard service ••• +3

Computer +2 Self-defense classes • +2
+3
Custom phone application ••• +2 Drive +2
+3
Digital image enhancement •• +3 Chauffer •• +2
+2
Graphic design/forgery •• +2 Stunt performance/mock ••• +2
crash +2
Crafts +3 +3
+2 Tour bus rental ••••
Antiquities restoration ••• +2 +3
Firearms +2
Auto repair •• +3 +2
+2 Antique gun repair •••
Custom equipment ••• +1 +1
modifications Cover fire from gangs •••
+3 +3
Investigation +2 Procuring smuggled military •••• +2
+2 arms
Consultation on evidence ••• +2
+3 Larceny +2
Investigative photography ••• +2
+2 Breaking and entering ••• +2
Private investigation/ ••
background check +2 Security consulting ••• +2
+3 +1
Medicine Stealing a protected relic •••• +2

Black-market surgeon •••• Stealth

Expert medical witness •••• Strategic distraction •••

Rush plastic surgery •••• Tailing a suspect •••

Occult Targeted vandalism ••

Esoteric consultant/sage •••• Survival

Exorcist ••• Field dress and preserve an •••
animal
Protective amulets or wards ••••
Trail guide ••
Politics
Weatherproof a shelter ••
Campaign assistant •••
Weaponry
Cutting red tape (read: bribe) •••
Properly forged sword •••
Spin doctor •••
Identify wound from obscure •••
Science weapon

Fact checking •• Training in archaic warfare •••

Falsifying research/coverup ••• Animal Ken

Lab access •• Buy a trained animal •••

Athletics Identify animal droppings ••

Meditative assistance ••• Rule out natural causes of •••
death
Personal trainer •••

Services 325

Service Availability Die Service Availability Die
Bonus Pickup artist ••• Bonus
Empathy Socialize +2
+2 Catering ••• or ••••
“Good cop” interrogator ••• +2 +1 or
+1 +2
Neutral arbitrator ••• +1
+3 +2
Therapy session •• +2
+1 +2
Expression Elocution consulting ••• +2
+3 +1
Document forgery ••• +2 Escort ••• +1
+2
Ghostwriting •• Streetwise +2
+3 +2
Motivational speech ••• +3 Arrange a rave or block party ••• +2

Intimidation Black market access ••

Anti-interrogation training •••• Find crash space ••

“Bad cop” interrogator ••• Smuggling contraband •••

Deprogramming therapy ••• Subterfuge

Persuasion Amateur actor/actress ••

Defense attorney ••• Con artistry •••

Hostage negotiator •••• Gambling ringer •••

326 Appendix Two: Equipment

Tilts come in two forms: Personal and Environmen- of Willpower each time he wants the character to take a
tal. Personal Tilts only apply to one character, and include violent action in the fight. He can still run, Dodge, and
ways in which that character can overcome the effect. En- apply Defense.
vironmental Tilts affect the whole scene, and offer ways
for individual characters to mitigate their effects. Causing the Tilt: The character suffers bashing
damage in excess of his Stamina or any amount of lethal
ARM WRACK damage.

Personal Ending the Tilt: The character surrenders and gives
the aggressor what he wants. At this point, the character
Description: The character’s arm is painfully (and regains a point of Willpower and takes a Beat, but can
debilitatingly) injured. take no further action in the fight.

Effect: The affected character drops whatever they’re BLINDED
holding in that arm and can’t use it to attack opponents.
If this effect spreads to both limbs, roll only a chance die Personal
on any rolls that require manual dexterity, and take −3 to
all other Physical actions. Description: The character’s eyes are damaged or
removed.
Causing the Tilt: Supernatural power or targeted
blow (−2). Effect: The character suffers a −3 penalty to any rolls
that rely on vision. Increase to −5 and loss of all Defense
Ending the Tilt: Mark an X under the leftmost if both eyes are affected.
Health box affected by the attack. The Tilt ends when
the damage that caused it has healed.. Causing the Tilt: The normal way to inflict the Tilt
is to deal damage to the target’s eyes, a specified attack
BEATEN DOWN with a −5 penalty (see Specified Targets, p. 184). An at-
tacker can inflict temporary blindness by slashing at her
Personal opponent’s brow, throwing sand into his eyes, or kicking
up dirt. This requires an attack roll of Dexterity + Ath-
Description: The character has had the fight letics with a −3 penalty. (Defense applies.) If the attack
knocked out of him. succeeds, the target is Blinded for the next turn.

Effect: The character cannot take active part in the Ending the Tilt: Mark an X under the leftmost
fight without extra effort. The player must spend a point Health box affected by the attack. The Tilt ends when
the damage that caused it is healed.

Tilts 327

BLIZZARD Speed (and static Defense, if used) and a −3 penalty to all
rolls in combat. The character ignores wound penalties.
Environmental
Causing the Tilt: If the character has chosen to take
Description: Heavy snowfall carpets the ground and drugs, he suffers their effects. To administer drugs to an-
is whipped up by howling winds into a barrage of whirling other character is a Dexterity + Weaponry attack, suffer-
white. ing a −1 modifier for the improvised weapon.

Effect: Rolls to see things close to the character’s per- Ending the Tilt: A generic narcotic lasts for (10 – the
son suffer a −1 penalty. Each additional 10 yards/meters victim’s Stamina + Resolve) hours. Medical help halves
inflicts an additional −1 penalty (cumulative) on all vi- this time.
sual Perception rolls. This penalty also applies to ranged
attacks. EARTHQUAKE

Every four inches of snow applies a −1 penalty to ap- Environmental
propriate Physical rolls, including combat rolls.
Description: Everything shudders and shakes, and
Causing the Tilt: For the most part, the weather is rents tear the ground wide open.
out of the characters’ control.
Effect: When the earthquake’s actually occurring,
Ending the Tilt: Without supernatural powers, char- all Dexterity-based dice pools (and Defense) suffer a
acters can’t end a blizzard. Proper equipment (such as gog- −1 to −5 penalty. Characters take between 1 and 3
gles and snow boots) can add +1 to +3 to a roll, offsetting points of lethal damage per turn of the earthquake’s
some of the penalties. duration. A reflexive Stamina + Athletics roll down-
grades that damage to bashing — or cancels it on an
DEAFENED exceptional success.

Personal Causing the Tilt: Without tremendous supernatural
power, it’s almost impossible to cause an earthquake. A
Description: The character can’t hear. powerful explosion could create the same effect.

Effect: If the character is deaf in one ear, he suffers a Ending the Tilt: Earthquakes are quick events. It’s
−3 penalty to hearing-based Perception rolls. A character very rare for one to last more than a minute (20 turns).
struck deaf in both ears only gets a chance die on such
rolls, and suffers a −2 penalty to all combat-related dice EXTREME COLD
rolls.
Environmental (sometimes Personal)
Causing the Tilt: A particularly loud noise within 10
feet of the character may cause temporary hearing loss, as Description: Bone-chilling winds bite through the
though the character were deaf in both ears. Alternative- character, or trudging through knee-deep snow takes all
ly, a targeted attack on the ear — at a −4 penalty — can of the sensation from his limbs.
deafen a character.
Effect: When the temperature is below freezing,
Ending the Tilt: Deafness caused by loud noises characters can’t heal bashing damage. Supernatural be-
fades after (10 − the victim’s Stamina + Resolve) turns. ings and characters who heal faster than normal halve
Mark an X under the leftmost Health box affected by the their normal healing rate. For every hour that a character
attack. The Tilt ends when the damage that caused it is is affected, he accrues a −1 penalty to all rolls. When
healed. that penalty hits −5, he instead suffers a point of lethal
damage per hour.
DRUGGED
Causing the Tilt: A frozen environment, a walk-in
Personal freezer, etc.

Description: The character’s mind is addled by Ending the Tilt: Find a source of warmth or warm
mind-altering substances. clothing. A character who has hypothermia requires med-
ical attention.
Effect: A generic narcotic can be represented with
one set of modifiers; the character suffers a −2 modifier to

328 Appendix Three: Tilts

EXTREME HEAT Ending the Tilt: Characters can escape flooding by
getting to high ground, which is enough to mitigate this
Tilt.

Environmental (sometimes Personal) HEAVY RAIN

Description: The character might be stumbling Environmental
through the desert with the sun beating down on him, or
running through the steam tunnels surrounding an old Description: Torrential rain lashes down in knives.
boiler room. This Tilt can also be the result of a debilitat-
ing fever. Effect: Heavy rains cause a Perception penalty of −3
dice to Perception rolls.
Effect: Characters can’t heal bashing damage. Su-
pernatural beings and characters who heal faster than Causing the Tilt: Short of a supernatural power or a
normal instead halve their normal healing rate. For ev- fleet of cloud-seeding aircraft, Heavy Rain is the result of
ery hour that a character is continuously affected by this natural weather patterns.
Tilt, he accrues a −1 penalty to all rolls. When that pen-
alty hits −5, he instead suffers a point of lethal damage Ending the Tilt: The best way out of the rain is to
per hour. get indoors.

Causing the Tilt: This Tilt is usually caused by en- HEAVY WINDS
vironmental factors — being out at noon in the desert, or
spending too long in a sauna or forge. Environmental

Ending the Tilt: Get out of the heat. In a desert or Description: Howling winds buffet at the characters.
similar environment, finding shade is paramount.
Effect: Heavy winds are loud, so characters suffer a
FLESH TOO SOLID −3 modifier to aural Perception rolls. Also, the wind in-
flicts a penalty to all Physical rolls. Grade the wind from
Personal one to five; one is tropical-storm level (around 40 MPH),
three is hurricane level (around 80 MPH), and five is tor-
Description: The character becomes too immersed nado level (150+ MPH). The wind’s grade represents the
in dreams. Physical sensations are even more vivid than penalty applied to Physical dice rolls. Characters outside
in the waking world, but dream wounds leave real scars. take bashing damage each turn equal to the wind’s rating.
Characters can make a reflexive Dexterity + Athletics
Effect: Whenever the character would suffer Dream roll to avoid damage.
Health damage, she suffers equivalent physical Health
damage instead. Causing the Tilt: Heavy winds are a fact of life, from
siroccos in the desert, to tornados in the Midwest US, to
Causing the Tilt: Suffering a dramatic failure on wind shears everywhere.
oneiromantic actions and Contracts.
Ending the Tilt: Getting out of the wind is the best
Ending the Tilt: The Tilt normally lasts until the way to end this Tilt.
end of the scene.

FLOODED ICE

Environmental Environmental

Description: Some liquid has risen enough to im- Description: The ground’s covered in a layer of ice
pede the character’s progress. that sends wheels spinning and people’s feet flying out
from under them.
Effect: Each foot of liquid inflicts a −2 penalty to all
Physical dice pools. If the water goes up over her head, Effect: Divide the character’s Speed in half. All Phys-
the character has to swim (Dexterity + Athletics). Al- ical rolls (and Defense) suffer a −2 penalty. Attempting
ternatively, she can try to hold her breath (Stamina + to move at full Speed increases the Physical penalty to
Composure). −4. Any dramatic failure on a Physical roll inflicts the
Knocked Down Tilt. When driving halve Acceleration,
Causing the Tilt: Normally, this Tilt is the result of and take a −5 penalty to Drive rolls.
heavy rain, sudden snowmelt, or a broken water main.

Tilts 329

Causing the Tilt: This Tilt applies to any surface INSANE
that’s slick and slippery, including a spill of industrial lu-
bricant or just a well-polished wooden or linoleum floor. Personal

Ending the Tilt: “Get off the ice” is good advice, but Description: The character suffers from a panic at-
that can take work. Characters can use heat or fire to tack, sudden imbalance, or a full-on psychotic break.
melt ice, or throw down copious quantities of salt or grit
to increase traction. Effect: The character gains a +1 bonus to all combat
rolls, but takes actions after everyone else. A character
IMMOBILIZED suffering from this Tilt cannot spend Willpower in com-
bat, and suffers a −3 penalty to all Social rolls.
Personal
Causing the Tilt: Any character with an appropriate
Description: Something holds the character fast, Condition may acquire the Insane Tilt. The Storyteller
preventing him from moving. can call for a Resolve + Composure roll to resist a general
anxiety that gnaws at the character’s mind.
Effect: The character can’t do anything. He can’t
apply Defense against incoming attacks, and can’t take Ending the Tilt: The specific effects of this Tilt don’t
combat-related actions. If someone’s holding him down, normally last beyond the end of the scene. To end earlier,
he can spend a point of Willpower to deliver a head butt roll Resolve + Composure as an instant action, contested
or similar attack. by a dice pool of (10 − her Willpower). Take no other ac-
tions this turn, and don’t apply Defense to attacks.
Causing the Tilt: The usual way to inflict this Tilt is
through the Restrain grappling move. INSENSATE

Ending the Tilt: An Immobilized target can break Personal
free by escaping from a grapple or snapping whatever
binds her. If held by an item, the character must make a Description: The character shuts down, either due to
Strength + Athletics roll penalized by the item’s Durabil- extreme fear or sudden pleasure.
ity. Take a −2 penalty for restrained limbs; increase to −4
if hogtied. A success breaks free. Each roll, successful or Effect: The character can’t take any actions until the
not, deals a point of bashing damage. Tilt is resolved. He can apply Defense to incoming at-
tacks, and if he takes any damage from an attack, the Tilt
INFERNO ends.

Environmental Causing the Tilt: Several supernatural powers can
leave their victim in a trance-like state of heightened
Description: The area is on fire. Anything flamma- emotion. A hallucinogenic drug might have similar ef-
ble is either already burning or will be soon. fects; administering such a drug is a Dexterity + Weap-
onry attack, which suffers a −1 modifier.
Effect: All characters suffer a −2 to all rolls due
to smoke and heat. After two turns, any character that Ending the Tilt: The Tilt wears off at the end of the
breathes also suffers 2B per turn due to smoke inhalation. scene. The victim can spend a point of Willpower before
After three turns, the character also suffers 1L per turn then to act normally for one turn. A successful attack will
from burns and must succeed on a Dexterity + Stamina also end the Tilt. If a character has been knocked insen-
roll each turn to avoid catching fire (see p. 190). sible by drugs, then when this Tilt ends it is replaced with
the Drugged Tilt.
Causing the Tilt: Objects or people catching fire and
letting it spread can cause this Tilt, as well as supernatu- KNOCKED DOWN
ral powers or particularly volatile explosions.
Personal
Ending the Tilt: Different types of fire re-
quire different methods to extinguish; in gen- Description: Something knocks the character to the
eral, cutting off the fire from its fuel sources does floor.
the trick. Water, carbon dioxide, sand, and baking
soda can be useful, depending on the size and type of the Effect: The character is knocked off her feet. If she
fire. Eventually all fires burn themselves out, but that can hasn’t already acted this turn, she loses her action. Once
be cold comfort in the aftermath of a destructive blaze. she’s on the ground, a character is considered prone. The

330 Appendix Three: Tilts

character can still apply Defense against incoming at- Causing the Tilt: Ingesting a poison inflicts this Tilt.
tacks, and can attempt to attack from the ground at a −2 Injecting an opponent with a poison counts as a Dexterity
penalty. + Weaponry attack, and suffers a −1 modifier.

Causing the Tilt: A melee weapon (damage modi- Ending the Tilt: Immediate medical attention. Roll
fier +2 or greater), or a firearm (damage modifier of +3 Stamina + Resolve as a reflexive action each turn. If the
or greater) can knock a character down. A close combat character intends to act, the roll suffers a −3 penalty. Suc-
attack with a targeted attack against the legs (−2 modi- cess counteracts the damage for one turn.
fier) can knock someone down. If successful, the target is
knocked down, but takes only half damage. SICK

Ending the Tilt: Standing up takes an action. A Personal
character who hasn’t yet acted can make a Dexterity +
Athletics roll, minus weapon modifier. If successful, she Description: The character suffers from nausea, fe-
avoids the effects of this Tilt. ver, or related symptoms.

LEG WRACK Effect: A sickness is either “moderate” or “grave.” A
moderate sickness causes a −1 penalty to all actions dur-
Personal ing combat. That penalty increases by 1 every two turns.
A grave sickness inflicts the same dice penalties as a mild
Description: Pain or numbness in the leg sickness, plus 1 point of bashing damage per turn.

Effect: If their leg is broken, sprained, or dislocated, Causing the Tilt: Exposure to disease either from
halve the character’s Speed and suffer a −2 penalty on living sources or sample.
Physical rolls that require movement (and Defense). If
both legs are wracked, the character falls over — taking Ending the Tilt: Penalties fade at a rate of one point
the Knocked Down Tilt. Speed is reduced to 1; moving per turn once the character has a chance to rest. Any
precludes other actions. Physical rolls that require move- damage remains until the character can heal.
ment are reduced to a chance die.
STUNNED
Causing the Tilt: A character can have their leg
knocked out by a targeted blow to the leg (−2 penalty) Personal
that deals more damage than their Stamina.
Description: The character is dazed and unable to
Ending the Tilt: If the Tilt is inflicted as a result of think straight.
an attack, mark an X under the leftmost Health box af-
fected by that attack. The Tilt ends when that damage Effect: The character loses her next action, and
that caused it has healed. halves her Defense until she can next act.

POISONED Causing the Tilt: A character can be stunned by any
attack that does at least as much damage as their Size in
Personal a single hit. Some weapons have a “stun” special ability.
These double the weapon modifier only for the purposes
Description: Poison is tearing the character apart of working out whether the attacker inflicts the Stunned
from the inside. Tilt. Attacks against the target’s head count the charac-
ter’s Size as 1 lower.
Effect: A poison is either “moderate” or “grave.” A
moderate poison causes 1 point of bashing damage per Ending the Tilt: The effects of this Tilt last one turn.
turn. A grave poison deals 1 point of lethal damage per The character can end the Tilt during their own action by
turn. reflexively spending a point of Willpower, a but −3 modi-
fier applies to any actions they take that turn.

Tilts 331

Tilt Personal Tilts
Arm Wrack
Effects
Beaten Down One arm: Drop anything held, suffer off-hand penalties for most rolls. Both arms: Chance die on
Blinded rolls requiring manual dexterity, −3 to other Physical actions.
Deafened Cannot take violent action in combat without spending Willpower.
Drugged One eye: −3 to vision-related rolls. Both eyes: −5 to vision-related rolls, lose all Defense.
Flesh Too Solid One ear: −3 to Perception rolls. Both ears: Chance die on Perception rolls, −2 to combat rolls.
Immobilized −2 Speed, −3 to combat rolls (including Defense and Perception). Ignore wound penalties.
Insane Take physical Health damage instead of Dream Health damage.
Insensate No combat actions. Can’t move or apply Defense.
Knocked Down +1 to combat rolls, act after everyone else, −3 to Social rolls, can’t spend Willpower.
No combat actions. Can move and apply Defense. Taking damage ends the Tilt.
Leg Wrack Lose action this turn (if it hasn’t been taken), knocked prone. Can apply Defense, attack from
ground at −2.
Poisoned One leg: half Speed, −2 penalty on Physical rolls for movement. Both legs: Knocked Down, give
Sick up action to move at Speed 1, movement-based Physical rolls reduced to chance die.
Moderate: One point of bashing damage per turn. Grave: One point of lethal damage per turn.
Stunned Moderate: −1 to all actions. Penalty increases by 1 every two turns. Grave: As moderate, but
also inflicts one point of bashing damage per turn.
Lose next action. Half Defense until the characters next acts.

Tilt Environmental Tilts
Blizzard
Earthquake Effects
Extreme Cold
Extreme Heat −1 penalty to visual Perception and ranged attack rolls, increased by 1 per 10 yards/meters. −1
Flooded penalty to Physical rolls per four inches of snow.
Heavy Rain
Heavy Winds Penalty to Dexterity rolls depending on severity. Take one to three lethal damage per turn,
Ice Stamina + Athletics downgrades to bashing.
Inferno
Bashing damage doesn’t heal. −1 penalty to all rolls, increasing by 1 per hour. At −5, further
hours deal one point of lethal damage.

Bashing damage doesn’t heal. −1 penalty to all rolls, increasing by 1 per hour. At −5, further
hours deal one point of lethal damage.

−2 to Physical dice pools per foot of flooding. Once water is over head, character must swim or
hold breath.

−3 to aural and visual Perception rolls.

−3 modifier to aural Perception rolls. Winds rated between 1 and 5, severity acts as penalty to
Physical rolls and deals that much bashing damage per turn, Dexterity + Athletics to avoid.

−2 Speed, −2 to Physical actions. Can move at normal speed but −4 Physical actions. Dramatic
Failure causes Knocked Down; Drive rolls are at −5 and half Acceleration.

−2 to rolls. After 2 turns, 2B damage per turn. After 3 turns, 1L per turn and may catch fire.

332 Appendix Three: Tilts

The list below provides some common Conditions that Resolution: You regain your memory and learn the
you can apply to characters throughout the chronicle. truth. Depending on the circumstances, this may consti-
tute a breaking point.
ADDICTED (PERSISTENT)
Beat: Something problematic arises, such as a for-
gotten arrest warrant or old enemy.

Your character is addicted to something, whether ARCADIAN DREAMS
it’s drugs, gambling, or other destructive behaviors. She (PERSISTENT)
needs to indulge her addiction regularly to keep it un-
der control, and it takes over her life. Choose a specific Until her promise-bound is safely out of Arcadia, the
addiction upon taking this Condition; characters can fae-touched is plagued with dreams and visions of him.
take this Condition multiple times for different addic- She always has an awareness of him in the back of her
tions. Being unable to feed the addiction results in the mind. If she is in the Hedge, she has a general knowledge
Deprived Condition. of what direction to travel in to reach him and gains a
one-die bonus to navigate the Hedge toward him. She
Possible Sources: Alcoholism, substance abuse. can feel his pain as though it were her own.

Resolution: Gain or lose a dot of Integrity, or achieve Beat: The player chooses to fail any roll. These failures
exceptional success on a breaking point; for changelings, occur due to sudden, distracting suffering by proxy, or due
increase maximum Clarity, or achieve exceptional suc- to a poignant reminder of one of her visions in the current
cess on a roll to contest a fae power. situation, which the player can come up with on the fly.

Beat: Your character chooses to get a fix rather than Resolution: The Avowed reunites with her promise-
fulfill an obligation, or causes significant complications bound, or he dies before that can happen, in which case
for her motley by indulging her addiction. she knows about it immediately. The latter constitutes a
breaking point for the fae-touched character.
AMNESIA (PERSISTENT)

Your character is missing a portion of her memory. BERSERK
An entire period of her life is just gone. This causes mas-
sive difficulties with friends and loved ones. Your character has a spark of berserk rage lit within
her. The fury inside demands that she lash out, and the
Changelings with this Condition add two dice to
Clarity damage rolls.

Conditions 333

descending red mist makes it hard to tell friend from foe. BROKEN (PERSISTENT)
Each turn, she must succeed at a Resolve + Composure
roll or attack the nearest target with whatever weapons Whatever your character did or saw, something in-
she has to hand. Even if she succeeds, she suffers a −3 side him snapped. He can barely muster up the will to do
penalty on all actions other than attacking the nearest his job anymore, and anything more emotionally intense
target. than a raised voice makes him flinch and back down.
Apply a −2 to all Social rolls and rolls involving Resolve,
Changelings with this Condition add one die to and a −5 to all use of the Intimidation Skill.
Clarity damage rolls.
Possible Sources: Severe Clarity damage in any of
Possible Sources: Some supernatural powers. your three rightmost boxes.
Resolution: The character becomes unconscious or
there are no targets left to attack. Resolution: Regain a dot of Integrity, lose another
dot of Integrity, or achieve an exceptional success on a
BESTIAL breaking point; for changelings, increase maximum Clar-
ity, or achieve exceptional success on a roll to contest a
Your character acts on primal, physical impulses. fae power.
Frightening things make him run. He meets aggressive
threats with violence and anger. Take a –2 to all rolls to Beat: Your character backs down from a confronta-
resist physical impulse. As well, take a –2 to Defense due tion or you fail a roll due to this Condition.
to impulsive action. Any rolls to compel your character
to impulsive, aggressive action or escape achieve excep- COMATOSE
tional success on three successes instead of five.
Your character has reached rock bottom. She has
Possible Sources: Some supernatural powers. lost any ability to distinguish reality from fantasy, and
Resolution: Cause damage in someone’s last three has gone into a deep dream. She believes she is awake,
Health boxes. living her life perfectly normally, but is instead lying in a
coma. She cannot roll to enter the Gate of Ivory (p. 215)
BLIND (PERSISTENT) and dream lucidly without help. If this Condition came
about through mild Clarity damage, events in her dream
Your character cannot see. Any rolls requiring sight may lead her to resolve another Clarity Condition even
may only use a chance die. If she could reasonably sub- though she doesn’t realize she’s dreaming, allowing her
stitute another sense, make the roll at −3 instead. In an to wake up. If it came about through severe Clarity dam-
action scene, she suffers the drawbacks of the Blinded age, even this doesn’t wake her. If someone can convince
Tilt (p. 327). This Condition may be temporary, but if her that she’s actually dreaming, through oneiromancy or
that’s the result of a combat effect, the Blindness Tilt some other method, she can claw her way back to wake-
would apply instead. fulness.

Resolution: Your character regains her sight. Possible Sources: Reaching Clarity 0.
Beat: Your character encounters a limitation or dif-
ficulty that inconveniences her. Resolution: The character regains Clarity, or she re-
alizes she is in a dream and awakens, regaining a point
BONDED of Clarity as normal. In the case of severe damage, the
only way to resolve this Condition is for the changeling
Your character has established an extensive bond to realize her dreaming state, which requires someone to
with an animal. She gains +2 on any rolls to influence or come and rescue her. Any other Clarity Conditions she
persuade the animal once per scene. The animal may add may have resolved during this time increase her Clarity
your Animal Ken to any rolls to resist coercion or fear as normal, but do not resolve this Condition.
when in your character’s presence. The animal may add
your character’s Animal Ken to any one die roll. COMPETITIVE

Example Skills: Animal Ken Your character must assert dominance and superior-
Resolution: The bonded animal dies. ity. Either she gives it her all, or she falters. Any time
she’s in direct competition with another character, she
suffers a –2 die penalty on any rolls where she doesn’t

334 Appendix Four: Conditions

spend Willpower. This includes contested and extended Resolution: The character successfully injures or
rolls. As well, any rolls to tempt or coerce her into com- intimidates the character who inflicted the Condition,
petition achieve exceptional success on three successes or the character regains Willpower through her Needle.
instead of five.
DELUSIONAL
Possible Sources: Bedlam. (PERSISTENT)

Resolution: Win or lose a competition where some-
one reaches a breaking point.

CONFUSED Your character believes something that isn’t actually
true — maybe he thinks that someone is poisoning his
Your character cannot think straight, either because food, that a fetch has replaced his daughter, or that some-
of some mental power or good old-fashioned cranial thing lives in the shadows of his apartment. He doesn’t
trauma. You take a –2 die penalty on all Intelligence and actually hallucinate images that reinforce his delusion;
Wits rolls. he may believe that he’s covered in spiders, but just look-
ing at himself is enough to clarify matters. Germs, on the
Possible Sources: A blow to the head, some dra- other hand…
matic failures, mild Clarity damage in any of your three
rightmost boxes. He can’t truly repress his belief, but spending a point
of Willpower lets him come up with an explanation (al-
Resolution: Take half an hour to focus and clear beit one that sounds psychotic when he explains it to
your mind, or take any amount of lethal damage. someone else) as to why his delusion does not apply to a
specific situation.
CONNECTED
(PERSISTENT) Possible Sources: Losing your last Touchstone, se-
vere Clarity damage in any of your three rightmost boxes.
Your character has made inroads with a specified
group. While she has this Condition, she gets a +2 to Resolution: The character completely disproves his
all rolls relating to that group. Alternately, she can shed delusion, or gains a new Touchstone.
this Condition to gain a one-time automatic exceptional
success on the next roll to influence or otherwise take Beat: The character adheres to his paranoid belief
advantage of the group. Once Connected is resolved, the despite evidence to the contrary.
character is considered to have burned her bridges and
is no longer an accepted member. The character may be DEMORALIZED
able to regain Connected with the specified group per
Storyteller approval. Your character is demoralized and hesitant in the
face of the enemy. Spending a Willpower point only adds
Example Skills: Politics, Socialize one die to her pool for attacks instead of the usual three.
She also suffers a −4 penalty to her Initiative, and a −2
Resolution: The character loses her membership or penalty to her Resolve and Composure whenever used to
otherwise loses her standing with the group. resist or contest a dice pool.

Beat: The character is asked to perform a favor for If this Condition doesn’t resolve within a week, it
the group that inconveniences her. fades.

COWED Changelings with this Condition add one die to
Clarity damage rolls.
Your character has been put in her place through the
violence and dominance of another. She suffers a −2 penalt y Possible Sources: Dramatic failure.
on any Physical and Social rolls to oppose the character who
inflicted this Condition if she does not spend Willpower. Resolution: Achieve exceptional success on an at-
tack roll, win a fight, or survive a fight unharmed.
Changelings with this Condition add one die to
Clarity damage rolls. DEPRIVED

Possible Sources: Having another character demon- Your character suffers from an addiction. Because
strate her superiority to you, some supernatural powers. your character is without it, she’s unable to focus and
contain herself. Remove one die from her Stamina, Re-
solve, and Composure dice pools. This does not influence

Conditions 335

derived traits; it simply influences dice pools that use Possible Sources: Mild Clarity damage in any of
these Attributes. your three rightmost boxes, some dramatic failures.

Possible Sources: Failing to feed an addiction, run- Resolution: The player chooses to fail a roll as de-
ning out of Glamour. scribed above.

Resolution: Your character indulges her addiction DISTRACTED
or, if she gained this Condition by reaching Glamour 0,
gaining any Glamour.

DISABLED (PERSISTENT) Constant confusion and distractions buffet your
character from all sides. She cannot take extended ac-
Your character has limited or no ability to walk. tions, and suffers a –2 die penalty to all rolls involving
Her Speed trait is effectively 1. She must rely on a perception, concentration, and precision.
wheelchair or other device to travel. A manual wheel-
chair’s Speed is equal to your character’s Strength and Possible Sources: Being in a highly confusing envi-
requires use of her hands. Electric wheelchairs have ronment, mild Clarity damage in any of your three right-
a Speed of 3, but allow the free use of the character’s most boxes.
hands. An injury can cause this Condition temporarily,
in which case it is resolved when the injury heals and the Resolution: Leaving the environment; if inflicted by
character regains mobility. Clarity damage, regaining all Willpower.

Resolution: Mundane or supernatural means cure DREAM ASSAILANT
the character’s disability.
Your character has caused too many significant
Beat: Your character’s limited mobility inconve- shifts to the dreamscape, and the eidolons are now ac-
niences your character and makes her slow to respond. tively hostile to you. You take a −5 to any roll to interact
with them peacefully or do anything unnoticed, and all
DISORIENTED failures that involve eidolons your character isn’t fight-
ing are dramatic failures. Reduce all eidolon impressions
Your character cannot get her bearings and dealing of you to Hostile for Social maneuvering. All paradigm
with simple tasks is daunting. The character is at a −2 shifts cost two additional successes to enact, and you
penalty to any Physical action. She can defend herself can’t enact subtle shifts at all.
normally, but her disorientation prevents her from mak-
ing ranged attacks at all. If you resolve this Condition by interacting with an
important eidolon or prop, choose one of the following
Changelings with this Condition add one die to effects to impose on the dreamer or any effect from a
Clarity damage rolls. milder Shift Condition, which persists after he wakes:

Resolution: The character finds something to help • Deliver a subliminal command; he will perform
her orient herself to her surroundings, such as a familiar any one specific action of your choice within 24
landmark or a friend. If a supernatural power caused this hours of waking.
Condition, then it resolves when the power ends.
• Leave subliminal Manipulation clues as Dream In-
filtrator, but roll Wits + Empathy + Wyrd instead.

DISSOCIATION • Grant or remove one dot of any Mental or Super-
natural Merit for the rest of the story, as long as
Your character questions whether she is even real. the subject meets the prerequisites.
She experiences episodes where she feels like a passen-
ger in someone else’s body, unable to control her own • Inflict the Ravaged Condition (p. 344).
thoughts or actions. Sometimes she goes long hours sim-
ply watching herself, wondering how much of what she • Change one of the subject’s anchors or Aspirations
sees is real, and how much is memory of her time in Ar- for the rest of the story, or add an additional one of
cadia. Any time the character has a chance to break with your choice.
the mundane, such as using a Contract, you can opt to
fail the roll to affirm that she’s in the real world and re- • Inflict the Flesh Too Solid Tilt (p. 329) on the
solve this Condition. dreamer’s dream form.

Possible Sources: Enact a paradigm shift in a dream.

336 Appendix Four: Conditions

Resolution: Exit the dream and don’t return for one • Make a Wits roll and “store” successes as dice in
week; reintegrate yourself into the dream by taking a num- the subject’s mind, for use as bonus dice on Manip-
ber of meaningful actions equal to the dreamer’s Resolve ulation-based rolls you make against him within
without making any shifts to downgrade this Condition to the next chapter as you take advantage of sublimi-
Dream Intruder; or succeed at a meaningful action to influ- nal clues you left behind.
ence an important eidolon (or the subject’s dream self) or
use an important prop in a way that’s directly related to the • Impose or remove a Condition that changes the
waking change you want to make. Only relevant eidolons dreamer’s attitude toward your character or an-
and props count, subject to Storyteller discretion. other, or behavior in general: e.g. Swooned, Lev-
eraged, Competitive, Paranoid, etc.; resolving a
DREAM INFILTRATOR Condition this way grants Beats as normal.

Your character has caused a significant shift to the • Increase or decrease the Fortification rating of the
dreamscape, and the eidolons are now suspicious of you. dreamer’s Bastion by 1 for the rest of the story.
You take a −2 to any roll to interact with them peace-
fully, or a −3 to do anything unnoticed. Reduce all eido- • Increase or decrease the dreamer’s impression of
lon impressions of you by one for Social maneuvering. All you or another character by two levels on the chart
subtle shifts cost one additional success to enact. for Social maneuvering (p. 192)

If you resolve this Condition by interacting with an im- • Open Doors equal to your character’s Empathy for
portant eidolon or prop, choose one of the following effects Social maneuvering against the dreamer toward a
to impose on the dreamer, which persists after he wakes: particular goal.

• Deliver a subliminal message; he will remember • Stop the dreamer from recovering Willpower dur-
the information but not where it came from. ing this night’s rest.

Possible Sources: Enact a paradigm shift in a dream.

Conditions 337

Resolution: Upgrade this Condition to another Possible Sources: Enact a paradigm shift in a dream.
Shift Condition; exit the dream and don’t return until
the dreamer wakes and sleeps again; reintegrate your- Resolution: Upgrade this Condition to another
self into the dream by taking a number of meaningful Shift Condition; exit the dream and don’t return until
actions equal to the dreamer’s Resolve without mak- the dreamer wakes and sleeps again twice; reintegrate
ing any shifts; or succeed at a meaningful action to yourself into the dream by taking a number of meaning-
influence an important eidolon (or the subject’s dream ful actions equal to the dreamer’s Resolve without mak-
self) or use an important prop in a way that’s directly ing any shifts to downgrade this Condition to Dream In-
related to the waking change you want to make. Only filtrator; or succeed at a meaningful action to influence
relevant eidolons and props count, subject to Story- an important eidolon (or the subject’s dream self) or use
teller discretion. an important prop in a way that’s directly related to the
waking change you want to make. Only relevant eidolons
DREAM INTRUDER and props count, subject to Storyteller discretion.

Your character has caused multiple significant shifts EMBARRASSING SECRET
to the dreamscape, and the eidolons are now uncomfort-
able with your presence. You take a −3 to any roll to Your character has a secret from his past that could
interact with them peacefully, or a −4 to do anything come back to haunt him. If this secret gets out, he could
unnoticed, and all failures that involve eidolons your be ostracized or maybe even arrested. If it becomes
character isn’t fighting are dramatic failures. Reduce all known, resolve this Condition and replace it with Noto-
eidolon impressions of you by two for Social maneuver- riety (p. 343).
ing. All subtle shifts and paradigm shifts cost one addi-
tional success to enact. Resolution: The character’s secret is made public, or
the character does whatever is necessary to make sure it
If you resolve this Condition by interacting with never comes to light.
an important eidolon or prop, choose one of the follow-
ing effects to impose on the dreamer or any effect from FATIGUED
Dream Infiltrator, which persists after he wakes:
Your character has never been so tired in all her
• Deliver a subliminal suggestion; he will perform life. Her eyelids are like millstones, her brain a cob-
one specific action of your choice within 24 hours webbed mass of exhaustion. She’s reached that point
of waking, as long as it wouldn’t cause him to suf- where fatigue becomes a physical thing, and all she
fer a breaking point. can think to do is close her eyes and rest, just for a mo-
ment. Every six hours, you must make a reflexive Re-
• Leave subliminal Manipulation clues as Dream In- solve + Stamina roll to remain awake. If you fail, your
filtrator, but roll Wits + Empathy instead. character passes out. Even if you succeed, you suffer a
cumulative −1 penalty to all dice pools (including rolls
• Impose or remove one Persistent Condition that to stay awake). Long periods of strenuous activity, like
changes the dreamer’s mental state, behavior, or cross-country hiking, fighting, or heavy labor increase
attitude toward someone or something: e.g. Obses- the penalty to −2 or −3. Even then, a normal person
sion, Awestruck, Amnesia, Madness, etc.; resolv- can only go a number of days without sleep equal to
ing a Condition this way grant Beats as normal. the lower of her Resolve or Stamina, at which point
she passes out. Once a Fatigued character passes out,
• Make a Clarity attack against a changeling subject she remains asleep for eight hours plus one additional
with a dice pool equal to your character’s Pres- hour for every six-hour period she stayed awake. At-
ence. tempts to rouse her during this period suffer a penalty
equal to the highest penalty the Fatigued character
• Reduce the subject’s current Willpower or Glam- suffered before passing out.
our points by (your Presence + Wyrd) and gain
that many points yourself, up to your usual maxi- Possible Sources: Staying awake for 24 hours, being
mum. dosed with a sedative or anesthetic, some supernatural
powers.
• Increase or decrease one of the subject’s Mental or
Social Attributes or Skills by 1 for the rest of the Resolution: Sleeping, as described above, or the
story. power ends.

338 Appendix Four: Conditions

FRAGILE Composure. If you fail the roll, the Storyteller controls
your character for the next scene; your character, left to
The equipment the character is using to aid his ac- her own devices, seeks to avoid the conflict and get away
tion won’t last long for some reason, whether because it’s from the area.
an object put together with duct tape and bubble gum,
or because his relationship with the people involved Possible Sources: Severe Clarity damage in any of
sours, or because his computer ends up suffering a blue your three rightmost boxes.
screen of death and the data is corrupted. A plan may
be Fragile because of disrupted communication between Resolution: Regain a dot of Integrity, lose another
the characters, or because of an unexpected hurdle, etc. dot of Integrity, or achieve an exceptional success on a
The equipment ceases to exist in any usable form after a breaking point; for changelings, increase maximum Clar-
number of uses equal to its creator’s dots in the Skill used ity, or achieve exceptional success on a roll to contest a
to build it. fae power.

Possible Sources: Achieving a failure on a Build Beat: Your character enters a fugue state as de-
Equipment roll. scribed above.

Resolution: The equipment falls apart one way or GLAMOUR ADDICTED
another. Plans grant one Beat to each player whose char- (PERSISTENT)
acter is involved when this Condition resolves.
Your character is addicted to Glamour. This slowly
FRIGHTENED takes over her life, and impedes functionality. She can go
a number of days equal to her Resolve before needing to
Something’s scared your character to the point obtain Glamour again. She must harvest or reap a num-
where he loses rational thought. Maybe he’s just looked ber of Glamour points equal to half her Wyrd (rounded
down at a 100-story drop, or seen a tarantula the size up) during that period, or suffer one lethal damage ev-
of his fist crawling up his leg. Whatever the case, he ery day until she does and gain the Deprived Condition
needs to leave right now. His only priority is getting the (p. 335). This is incredibly painful as her body consumes
fuck away from the thing that’s frightened him — to its own magical energy to satisfy the hunger for Glam-
hell with his stuff, his friends, and his allies. If some- our. The mask cracks, like a fractured mirror in which
one tries to stop him from escaping, he’ll fight his way each piece shows a different reflection of the fae under-
past them. He can’t approach the source of his fear or neath. This special type of damage cannot be prevented
act against it — and if the only way out involves going or healed by any means, nor can the character resolve
near the source of his fear, he’ll collapse on the ground the Deprived Condition, until the changeling has supped
in terror. Supernatural creatures prone to loss of control upon Glamour once more.
must roll to avoid doing so. This Condition lasts until the
end of the scene; suppressing its effects for a turn costs a Add one die to Clarity damage rolls.
point of Willpower.
Possible Sources: Harvesting Glamour every day for
Changelings with this Condition add one die to a week at Wyrd 6+
Clarity damage rolls.
Resolution: Achieve an exceptional success on a
Possible Sources: Bedlam, some supernatural pow- roll to harvest Glamour.
ers, coming face to face with a phobia.
Beat: Your character takes damage from not being
Resolution: The character escapes from the source able to harvest Glamour.
of his fear.
GOBLIN QUEEN
(PERSISTENT)

FUGUE (PERSISTENT) The character has risen far beyond ordinary gob-
lins, and they scrape and bow before her. This Condition
Something terrible happened. Rather than deal functions as Hedge Denizen (p. 340), except as follows:
with it or let it break her, your character’s mind shuts
it out. She is prone to blackouts and lost time. When- • The character’s Mantle rejects her. She cannot in-
ever circumstances become too similar to the situation voke her current Court Contracts, nor purchase
that led to her gaining this Condition, roll Resolve + new ones.

Conditions 339

• She gains the Status (Goblins) Merit at four dots. receives a −2 to any Resolve or Composure rolls to de-
If the local Hedge holds any creatures who outrank fend against Subterfuge, Empathy, or Intimidation rolls.
her, she immediately knows their assumed names and
titles. Resolution: The character confesses his crimes and
makes restitution for whatever he did.
• The character’s identity has so profoundly changed
that fae beings no longer add her Wyrd as bonus HEDGE ADDICTION
dice to track or find her. If she recovers her Icon (PERSISTENT)
while she’s a Goblin Queen, she can’t reintegrate
it into herself. The Hedge draws the fae-touched character. If she
is presented with an opportunity to enter the Hedge,
• The Goblin Queen cannot leave the Hedge, ex- her player must succeed on a Resolve + Composure
cept by wrapping pieces of it as a mantle around roll to resist the temptation. This roll suffers a cumu-
her, to travel into the mortal realm or Arcadia for lative −1 penalty for each previous time the character
up to a number of hours per day equal to her Wyrd. has entered the Hedge during this story, to a maxi-
She still suffers the Deprived Condition in the real mum of −5.
world.
Beat: The Avowed enters the Hedge, either because
• The Queen gains the Retainer Merit (p. 125) with he failed to resist the pull, or because he went willingly.
dots equal to her Wyrd, spread across as many in-
dividual Retainers as she likes up to a maximum Resolution: The character refrains from entering
of five dots per Retainer. These retainers are all the Hedge for a full story. However, he regains this Con-
hobgoblins; see p. 257 for examples. The retainers dition if he ever does enter the Hedge again in the future.
are unquestioningly loyal and devoted to her.
HEDGE DENIZEN
• Changelings with this Condition add two dice to (PERSISTENT)
Clarity damage rolls instead of one.
Having relied on Goblin Contracts too much or be-
Resolution: The Queen finds a human child and come too reliant on hobgoblin deals, the character be-
leaves him to take her place. The child immediately comes a goblin herself. She retains her normal change-
gains the Goblin Queen Condition and all of her Retain- ling benefits and weaknesses, except in these cases:
ers, who protect him until he comes of age to ascend the
throne. The child remembers who abandoned him. • The changeling’s mien warps, growing closer to
the appearance she had during her servitude in
The character becomes what she once was again, Arcadia. She has one tell of the player’s choice, by
whether a changeling or otherwise. She takes on her old which former friends and enemies might recognize
seeming, kith, and identity — also setting the Fae back her.
on her trail. If the character was mortal previously, her
player selects three dots of supernatural Merits for her, as • The Storyteller can no longer spend her Goblin
she is irrevocably changed. The newly abandoned queen Debt points. The character must work off her debt,
can use the same process to become human again as well. per the resolution below.
This resolution constitutes a Clarity attack with two dice
for changelings, or a breaking point for others. • Arcadian Contracts are the birthright of all deni-
zens of Faerie, but the Hedge is its own in-between
Alternatively, if the character works off five points of place. The character can still buy and use Arca-
Goblin Debt, she resolves this Condition and regains the dian Contracts, but pays for all of them as if they
Hedge Denizen Condition instead. were in non-favored Regalia and may not circum-
vent this via Pupil’s Devotion.
Beat: The character collects Goblin Debt from an-
other character, selling a Contract or making another
kind of hobgoblin deal.

GUILTY • Courts are changeling affairs, and the character no
longer is one. The character keeps and can use her
Your character is experiencing deep-seated feelings old Court Contracts, but cannot purchase new ones.
of guilt and remorse. This Condition is commonly the re- She loses all other benefits of her Court Mantle.
sult of a successful breaking-point roll for mortals. While
the character is under the effects of this Condition, he • Whenever the sun rises over the Hedge, the
character can redistribute the set of Goblin

340 Appendix Four: Conditions

Contracts she knows across any Goblin Con- Resolution: The character becomes what she was
tracts she wants. If she had three Contracts as a again, or she embraces her new self to become a Goblin
changeling, she can pick any three every morn- Queen (p. 339).
ing. Purchasing new Goblin Contracts still costs
2 Experiences each. • Returning to What Was: The character pays off at
least one Goblin Debt point. She cannot simply ac-
• Invoking Goblin Contracts as a Hedge Denizen cept a disadvantage from the Storyteller, or use to-
does not incur Debt. kens or other shortcuts to lose Debt points — she’s a
goblin now, and must pay her Debt by seeking out the
• The character can leave the Hedge, but suffers goblin with whom she entered into the Contract, or
the Deprived Condition until she returns to the any third party involved if that goblin is dead or oth-
Hedge or Arcadia. erwise gone, and perform a task at his request. After
that, she must heal a point of Clarity damage; non-
• If the character was mortal, or another non- changelings must gain or lose a dot of Integrity or an
changeling unlucky enough to fall in with hob- equivalent trait. She then becomes her old self again.
goblins, she immediately learns three Goblin Con-
tracts of the player’s choice. If she is a Storyteller Any Debt she hasn’t worked off yet remains, as do
character, the Storyteller may substitute Dread any new Goblin Contracts she learned. If she re-
Powers for any of these (p. 253). She can switch turns to being mortal, she keeps one Goblin Con-
them out each dawn as above. tract of the player’s choice, which she can invoke
by taking one point of bashing damage to substi-
• The character can make deals, sell Contracts, and tute for each point of Glamour in its cost. Using
collect Debt as a hobgoblin. See p. 256 for details Goblin Contracts racks up Goblin Debt again.
on goblin deals.
• Embracing What Might Be: The changeling suffers
• Changelings with this Condition add one die to two or more Clarity attacks, and takes Clarity dam-
Clarity damage rolls. age (or loses an equivalent trait) from at least one.
She must also lose one Touchstone, which she can do

Conditions 341

by simply willing herself to forget it, although losing may resolve this Condition. An exceptional success on
one in the usual ways counts also. She now resolves that roll requires only three successes instead of five, and
the Hedge Denizen Condition, and takes the Gob- you gain a point of Willpower.
lin Queen Condition instead. Since mortals have no
Touchstones, they can’t become Goblin Queens. Example Skills: Crafts, Expression
Resolution: You spend inspiration to spur yourself
Beat: The character works off a point of Goblin to greater success, resolving the Condition as described
Debt but can’t, or chooses not to, resolve this Condition above.
via Returning to What Was.
LETHARGIC
HUNTED (PERSISTENT)
Your character is drained and lethargic, feeling the
Someone who poses a serious threat to the charac- weight of sleeplessness. With this Condition, your char-
ter’s safety and well-being, physically or emotionally (or acter cannot spend Willpower. As well, for every six
both), is after her. For changelings, it’s usually an agent hours he goes without sleeping, take a cumulative –1 to
of the True Fae, like a Huntsman or loyalist, or perhaps all actions. At every six-hour interval, make a Stamina
their fetch. Whoever it is might be intent on direct vio- + Resolve roll (with the penalty) to resist falling asleep
lence, or simply wish to torment her. until the sun next sets.

Changelings with this Condition add one die to Possible Sources: Bedlam, extreme fatigue, “dying”
Clarity damage rolls. in dream form, escaping a crumbling Bastion.

Beat: The character’s persecutors find her. Resolution: Sleeping a full day.
Resolution: The character stops her persecutors,
either through direct means like violence, or indirect LEVERAGED
means like changes in lifestyle that deny them access to
her or freeing a Huntsman from the True Fae’s service. Another character has blackmailed, tricked, con-
vinced, or otherwise leveraged yours into doing what
INFORMED they wish. You may have the Leveraged Condition mul-
tiple times for different characters. Any time the speci-
Your character has a breadth of research information fied character requests something of yours, resolve this
based on the topic she investigated. When you make a roll re- Condition if your character does as requested without
lating to the topic, you may choose to resolve this Condition. rolling to resist.
If you resolve it and the roll fails, consider it to have a single
success. If it succeeds, consider it an exceptional success. Example Skills: Empathy, Persuasion, Subterfuge
Resolution: Your character may either resolve the
The roll that benefits from the Informed Condition Condition by complying with a request as above, or if you
can be any relevant Skill roll. For example, a character apply the Leveraged Condition to the specified character.
with Informed (Werewolves) might gain its benefits when
using researched information to build a silver bear trap LOST
with the Crafts Skill. Combat rolls cannot benefit from
this Condition. Your character has no idea where she is, or how to
reach her target. She cannot make any headway toward
Example Skills: Academics, Investigation, Occult, her goal without first navigating and finding out where
Science she is. This requires a successful Wits + Streetwise ac-
tion (in the city) or Wits + Survival action (in the wil-
Resolution: Your character uses her research to gain derness). In the Hedge, it requires a successful navigation
information; you resolve the Condition as described above. chase (p. 200).

INSPIRED Changelings with this Condition add one die to
Clarity damage rolls.
Your character is deeply inspired. When your char-
acter takes an action pertaining to that inspiration, you Resolution: Abandoning the goal, successfully navi-
gating.

342 Appendix Four: Conditions

MADNESS (PERSISTENT) she feels slight numbness in her limbs. Sometimes it’s only
pins and needles, and sometimes she can’t even hold her
Your character saw or did something that jarred cup of coffee. It only seems to go away when she immerses
her loose from reality. This isn’t a mental illness born herself in magic, and she craves the feeling it brings. The
of brain chemistry — that, at least, might be treatable. character suffers a two-die penalty to all mundane physi-
This madness is the product of supernatural tampering or cal actions.
witnessing something that humanity was never meant to
comprehend. The Storyteller has a pool of dice equal to Possible Sources: Severe Clarity damage in any of
10 − (character’s Integrity or current Clarity). Once per your three rightmost boxes.
chapter, the Storyteller can apply those dice as a nega-
tive modifier to any Mental or Social roll made for the Resolution: Achieve an exceptional success on
character. a mundane physical action, spend a week without any
magical contact, or regain all Willpower points using
Resolution: Regain a dot of Integrity, lose another your Needle.
dot of Integrity, or achieve an exceptional success on a
breaking point; for changelings, increase maximum Clar- Beat: Fail a roll on a mundane physical action.
ity, or achieve exceptional success on a roll to contest a
fae power. OATHBREAKER
(PERSISTENT)
Beat: You fail a roll because of this Condition.
The character has violated an oath, and receives this
MUTE (PERSISTENT) Condition in addition to any other effects breaking the
oath carries. Changelings instinctively distrust the char-
Your character cannot speak. Any communication acter. He suffers a −1 on all Social actions with other
must be done through writing, gestures, or hand signs. changelings, and cannot use Glamour to seal their state-
Illness, injury, or supernatural powers can inflict this ments. As a known liar, however, he is also immune to
Condition on a temporary basis. having his own statements sealed.

Resolution: The character regains her voice through Changelings with this Condition add one die to
mundane or supernatural means. Clarity damage rolls.

Beat: Your character suffers a limitation or commu- Beat: Once per session, the player can choose to
nication difficulty that heightens immediate danger. automatically dramatically fail a Contract roll, or a So-
cial action with a changeling, and take a Beat. Make the
NOTORIETY choice before rolling.

Whether or not your character actually did some- Resolution: The character undertakes a sincere at-
thing heinous in the past, the wrong people think he did tempt to make restitution for his betrayal. This includes
and now he’s ostracized by the general public. Suffer a finding all other participants involved in the oath and
−2 on any Social rolls against those who know of his undertaking whatever task they assign. It also includes
notoriety. If using Social maneuvering (p. 191), the char- receiving forgiveness from the Wyrd itself; this is sure to
acter must open one extra Door if his target knows of his be the focus of a story, and the particulars are up to the
notoriety. Storyteller.

Example Skills: Socialize, Subterfuge OBLIGED (PERSISTENT)
Resolution: The story is debunked or the character’s
name is cleared. Your character swore a bargain — not an oath — with
a human being. The obligation on her part is probably mi-
NUMB (PERSISTENT) nor, but she can’t let it lapse! Not only would that disappoint
the person to whom she gave her word, but it would expose
The trauma your character suffered left her numb to her to the Huntsmen and their Gentry masters.
the mundane world. Not on an emotional level; in fact, it
might be nice if it were an emotional numbness. Instead, While under a bargain, the changeling is more dif-
ficult to find. Huntsmen must win a Clash of Wills to use
their Hunter’s Senses power (p. 266) when tracking the
changeling, and fae beings no longer add the changeling’s
Wyrd in dice to do so when she drops her Mask. In ad-
dition, once per chapter, when the changeling is at the

Conditions 343

site of her obligation (the human’s home that she must and you take a two-die penalty on all rolls. Your charac-
clean, for example, or in the garden she agreed to tend), ter cannot recover Willpower through sleep.
she may hide without fear of discovery for the rest of the
scene. This benefit applies to any pursuer touched by the Changelings with this Condition add one die to
Wyrd, be it Huntsman, Gentry, hobgoblin, or even an- Clarity damage rolls.
other changeling.
Possible Sources: Oneiromancy, reaping Glamour.
Beat: Once per story, gain a Beat when you take a Resolution: Regaining full Willpower.
great risk or suffer harm while fulfilling your obligation.
You can have help from other characters, but you must be RECKLESS
directly involved — no subcontracting out.
The character is incapable of considering the con-
Resolution: Break the bargain by failing to live up to sequences of her actions and is driven to do incautious
its terms, or the other party breaks her part of the agree- things for the sheer thrill of it. The player takes a −2
ment. Either way, you lose any protections the bargain to Perception rolls and other Composure rolls made to
provided. notice something (such as to contest sleight of hand or a
stealth-related supernatural power).
OBSESSION
(PERSISTENT) Resolution: The character or one of her allies suffers
harm or a major setback due to an ill-considered risk or
Something’s on your character’s mind and she just reckless action she takes.
can’t shake it. She gains the 9-again quality on all rolls
related to pursuing her obsession. On rolls that are un- SHAKEN
related to her obsession, she loses the 10-again quality.
Obsession can be a temporary Condition per Storyteller Something has severely frightened your character.
approval. Any time your character is taking an action where that
fear might hinder her, you may opt to fail the roll and
Resolution: The character sheds or purges her fixation. resolve this Condition.

Beat: Character fails to fulfill an obligation due to Example Skills: Brawl, Firearms, Intimidation,
pursuing her Obsession. Weaponry

PARANOID Possible Sources: Mild Clarity damage in any of your
three rightmost boxes; breaking points (human characters).
Your character has been reduced to a state of ram-
pant paranoia. She jumps at shadows, sees threats every- Resolution: The character gives into her fear and
where, and finds it hard to trust. She suffers a two-die fails a roll as described above.
penalty to perception rolls, Social actions, and dice pools
to draw upon the Allies, Contacts, Mentor, Retainer, SLEEPWALKING
Staff, and Status Merits. (PERSISTENT)

Changelings with this Condition add one die to The lines between waking and sleeping blur to the
Clarity damage rolls. point where your character doesn’t know which he’s doing.
Sometimes he thinks he did something he didn’t do; he re-
Possible Sources: Some supernatural powers, some members doing it, but maybe he was dreaming. Other times,
dramatic failures. he finds out later that he spent hours on a task he has no
memory of doing. You character loses time, may not actually
Resolution: A week without any fae threat actually complete objectives he thinks he did, and generally has a
manifesting; a friend or ally achieving exceptional success harder time maintaining relationships and obligations.
on a Social action to convince you of their trustworthiness.
Possible Sources: Severe Clarity damage in any of
RAVAGED your three rightmost boxes.

A fae creature sundered your character’s dreams, Resolution: Achieve an exceptional success on an
leaving her with sleep but no rest, or ripped her emotions oneiromancy roll or during an extended action.
away as Glamour. She becomes a shell of her former self,
Beat: Fail to complete an obligation because you
thought you already did.

344 Appendix Four: Conditions

SOUL SHOCKED when she isn’t. Gain a two-die bonus to Subterfuge rolls
to hide her emotions or avoid talking about a traumatic
Your character died because of fae magic while on a experience. She doesn’t suffer the untrained penalty for
sojourn in dreams, or in a reality that no longer exists, any Subterfuge roll. Take a two-die penalty to Hedges-
but she still remembers it and suffers a shocked sense of pinning rolls. Until she resolves this Condition, she can’t
self. Upon gaining this Condition, roll her current Will- heal Clarity damage, and she can’t spend Willpower on
power points (not dots) as a dice pool. Ignore 10-again actions that would reveal her true feelings.
on this roll, and do not roll a chance die if she has no
Willpower left. She keeps one Willpower per success, and Resolution: Opt to fail a roll to resist Empathy or
immediately loses the remainder. While this Condition is a supernatural effect that would read your character’s
in effect, your character does not regain Willpower from emotions or mental state; enact a paradigm shift while
Needle, Thread, or equivalent traits. She still regains Hedgespinning.
Willpower from rest, surrender, and other means.
SWOONED
Possible Sources: Being “killed” in dream form by
fae magic, escaping a Bastion crumbling due to oneiro- Your character is attracted to someone and is vul-
mancy. nerable where they are concerned. He may have the pro-
verbial “butterflies in his stomach” or just be constantly
Resolution: Regain full Willpower. aware of the object of his affection. A character may have
multiple instances of this Condition, reflecting affection
SPOOKED for multiple characters. He suffers a −2 to any rolls that
would adversely affect the specified character, who also
Your character has seen something supernatural — gains +2 on any Social rolls against him. If the speci-
not overt enough to terrify her, but unmistakably other- fied character is attempting Social maneuvering on the
worldly. How your character responds to this is up to you, Swooned character, the impression level is considered
but it captivates her and dominates her focus. one higher (maximum of perfect; see p. 192).

Possible Sources: Mild Clarity damage in any of Example Skills: Persuasion, Subterfuge
your three rightmost boxes.
Resolution: Your character does something for his
Resolution: Resolve this Condition when your char- love interest that puts him in danger, or he opts to fail
acter’s fear and fascination causes her to do something a roll to resist a Social action by the specified character.
that hinders the group or complicates things (she goes off
alone to investigate a strange noise, stays up all night re- VOLATILE
searching, runs away instead of holding her ground, etc.).
The equipment the character is using to aid his ac-
STEADFAST tion is ready to blow at any moment, figuratively or lit-
erally. One wrong word, one badly placed rune, and it’s
Your character is confident and resolved. When time to duck and cover. A plan may be Volatile because
you’ve failed a roll, you may choose to resolve this Condi- it backfires terribly, or because a Storyteller character
tion to instead treat the action as if you’d rolled a single betrays the group, etc. Any failure achieved while ben-
success. If the roll is a chance die, you may choose to re- efiting from the equipment is automatically a dramatic
solve this Condition and roll a single regular die instead. failure. The equipment may continue to exist after this
Condition is resolved, but if so, reduce its equipment bo-
Resolution: Your character’s confidence carries him nus by two dice. This can create equipment penalties if
through and the worst is avoided; the Condition is re- the original bonus was fewer than two dice.
solved as described above.
Possible Sources: Achieving a failure on a Build
STOIC Equipment roll.

Your character has shut down the parts of herself that Resolution: The character suffers a dramatic failure
care. She won’t open up to anyone and pretends she’s fine while using the equipment. Plans grant one Beat to each
player whose character is involved when this Condition
resolves.

Conditions 345

WANTON WITHDRAWN

Your character wants for the sake of wanting. He’s Your character doesn’t know what to trust anymore,
distracted with temptations of excess and indulgence. so has decided to withdraw into herself. She finds it hard
Any Composure or Resolve rolls to resist temptation suf- to motivate herself to action, preferring to remain alone
fer a –2 die penalty. As well, the character that brought and safe. The character suffers a two-die penalty to all
forth this Condition achieves exceptional success on rolls that require her to interact with others in any way.
three successes instead of five when making any rolls to
tempt your character. Possible Sources: Mild Clarity damage in any of
your three rightmost boxes.
Possible Sources: Bedlam.
Resolution: The character regains Willpower using
Resolution: Indulge in something that constitutes a her Thread.
breaking point.

346 Appendix Four: Conditions