Welcome to my Changeling: The Dreaming webpage. Changeling: The Dreaming is a modern-day fantasy game about Fae souls trapped in human forms. These half-Fae, or Changelings, stuggle to maintain their identify despite the overwhelming disbelief of magic and other things of fancy. All Changelings have two seemings: a mortal seeming, which is what most people see when they look at a Changeling, and a fae mien, which is visible to other Changelings. There are also several different kiths, or sub-races, to Changelings, from the elusive sluagh to the Nordic trolls and the prankish, shape-changeing pooka.
While most roleplayers would not consider Changelings nearly as powerful as any of the other World of Darkness races, Changelings do have several advantages over the other supernatural denizens.
- They're hard to find. It's very hard for a non-Changeling to find a Changeling. They look like normal humans to anyone not of their kind. Some knowledgeable Mages can spot Changelings with a Spirit 1 effect (difficulty 7), and also some Vampires with Auspex 2, but even then they must first know what to look for. The only known exception is the Malkavian clan, who can seem to spot Changelings without any trouble at all, and are even unaffected by the Mists. While they can't see a Changeling's fae mien, they almost always recognize a Changeling for what he or she is.
- The Mists cover their tracks. Whenever a person witnesses a Changeling do something out of the ordinary, they have a tendance to forget it. Only the most imaginative people will remember with any real clairity, and those people aren't likely to be a threat to Changelings. Again, Malkavians seem to be an exception here, but since all Malkavians also appear to be literally insane, there is little danger of them being taken seriously by either the Camarilla or the Sabbat. While some documented evedence does indeed exist, it's very rare, and those who would try to harm Changelings are likely too banal to make much "sence" out of the facts at hand. On the down side, the Mists also affect Changelings themselves, preventing them from recalling memories involving the Dreaming and Arcadia.
- Old alliances. Before the Shattering, the sidhe (the noble, elvish kith) had made packs with many of the Prodigals, which is what Changelings call the other races of the World of Darkness. While the sidhe have been gone for over 600 years, many of those pacts are still in force, and those sidhe who have returned can call on them even now. Like the Mists, this is a double edged sword, as the sidhe are expected to return the favors granted.
- Finally, warning labels. Don't laugh: there has been more than one occasion where a Changeling has escaped a Vampire's Kiss thanks to the Book of Nod's warnings against drinking Fae blood. Indeed, while modern Changelings are nowhere near as powerful as the True Fae of old, few realize it, and those who do learn soon after that they aren't completely without defense. After all, the power to affect dreams can go a long way.
So, if you've ever dared to dream, please explore my Changeling pages, and for Tuatha De Danaan's sake, please buy some Changeling books. White Wolf has put Changeling on the back burner recently, and it's time to call attention to a wonderful game full of fantasy and high adventure. Remember, while Vampires and Werewolves may be the surpeme badasses of the World of Darkness, it's in Changeling where you'll find the stuff of true quests and epic adventures.
Visit my Defenders of the Dream site too.
