CHANGELING (Chaynj-ling)
A changeling can shift its face and form with a thought. Many changelings use this gift as a form of artistic and emotional expression, but it’s an invaluable tool for grifters, spies, and others who wish to deceive. This leads many people to treat known changelings with fear and suspicion.
Changelings are a race of humanoids whose arms and legs are slightly longer than they would fit their appearance, with skin tones ranging from the palest grey to varying shades of very light blue. Changelings also usually don't grow body hair, but it is rumoured that if a dwarf was one of the parents they possibly could. Their eyes are dark as the night, which makes it difficult to see the iris and pupil. If transformed, a changeling's eyes appear normal to others according to what is imitated, but on a closer examination, the conjunctiva around the iris is slightly tinted in a weak yellowish tone. On their forehead, they have two small horns above the eyes on the hairline. The base colour of the hair is based on the skin colour, but includes another colour in varying intensity, commonly violet. Their ears tend towards a double-pointed form, like an elven ear, but with a split-tip and the noses can range from flat and slit like a skeleton to subtle or even beautiful button noses. In contrast to their distant appetence, the doppelganger, changelings can be male or female, but are bound to the one sex they were born with and are omnivores. They can tolerate eating raw meat, but most can't digest raw fruits and plants well. A changeling's body features are often described as a bit strange or even off-putting by the common folk.
Changelings, because of their ability to change into any person they want or need just like their distant relatives the doppelganger, have a long history in numerous different activities including but not limited to acting, working in the business of lust, and conducting stealth and espionage missions. Some of the more popular changelings have managed to gather so much fame in their career, that they were known in the whole land and acclaimed by their fans for their talent on the stage. But as it is, bad times are remembered longer. In times of conflict, it wasn't uncommon to fall victim to a changeling spy of the other faction. The fear was ever-present and unbearable in most circumstances. The thought that one of your closest comrades or friends could suddenly slice your throat drove many people into insanity. Just as scary is the thought that any travellers or strangers you meet might in truth be wanted criminal changelings from a well known dangerous bandit band, scouting out the streets to plan their next raid.
In larger cities, however, many people find something irresistible about changelings for their potential to grant someone their most desired fantasies. However, due to several changelings prominently working in less than savoury jobs outside of their communities a certain stigma has stuck to them over time with most considered to be untrustworthy and having too many secrets, despite the fact that those who make their living with these unsavoury jobs only represent a small part of the whole species similar to whatever else could be found in any other culture per se. The ever-changing nature of changelings and their experiments with new looks and personalities, however, tend to only feed the prejudices held against them. But most of the aversion directed towards changelings from other races is due to the fact that changelings are and have been by nature not interested in raising their own young and often switch out their children with other races.
The history of the species itself and how it came to be is little known. It is theorised, that the now known race of the changelings was in earlier days a collection of half-breeds between doppelgangers, humans and half-humans of all kinds, which overlapped at some point and formed the modern changelings. But unfortunately, these were happenings long before the recording of history. Maybe some very old dragons or an aboleth may know, but it can also easily be nothing but hearsay. What most ignorant people agree to be the case, is that they were and are creations of evil witches, sent out to enact their misdeeds against society and the world - to spread misery, pain and suffering wherever they walk. They are monsters and are not to be trusted.
Changelings are a race of humanoids whose arms and legs are slightly longer than they would fit their appearance, with skin tones ranging from the palest grey to varying shades of very light blue. Changelings also usually don't grow body hair, but it is rumoured that if a dwarf was one of the parents they possibly could. Their eyes are dark as the night, which makes it difficult to see the iris and pupil. If transformed, a changeling's eyes appear normal to others according to what is imitated, but on a closer examination, the conjunctiva around the iris is slightly tinted in a weak yellowish tone. On their forehead, they have two small horns above the eyes on the hairline. The base colour of the hair is based on the skin colour, but includes another colour in varying intensity, commonly violet. Their ears tend towards a double-pointed form, like an elven ear, but with a split-tip and the noses can range from flat and slit like a skeleton to subtle or even beautiful button noses. In contrast to their distant appetence, the doppelganger, changelings can be male or female, but are bound to the one sex they were born with and are omnivores. They can tolerate eating raw meat, but most can't digest raw fruits and plants well. A changeling's body features are often described as a bit strange or even off-putting by the common folk.
Changelings, because of their ability to change into any person they want or need just like their distant relatives the doppelganger, have a long history in numerous different activities including but not limited to acting, working in the business of lust, and conducting stealth and espionage missions. Some of the more popular changelings have managed to gather so much fame in their career, that they were known in the whole land and acclaimed by their fans for their talent on the stage. But as it is, bad times are remembered longer. In times of conflict, it wasn't uncommon to fall victim to a changeling spy of the other faction. The fear was ever-present and unbearable in most circumstances. The thought that one of your closest comrades or friends could suddenly slice your throat drove many people into insanity. Just as scary is the thought that any travellers or strangers you meet might in truth be wanted criminal changelings from a well known dangerous bandit band, scouting out the streets to plan their next raid.
In larger cities, however, many people find something irresistible about changelings for their potential to grant someone their most desired fantasies. However, due to several changelings prominently working in less than savoury jobs outside of their communities a certain stigma has stuck to them over time with most considered to be untrustworthy and having too many secrets, despite the fact that those who make their living with these unsavoury jobs only represent a small part of the whole species similar to whatever else could be found in any other culture per se. The ever-changing nature of changelings and their experiments with new looks and personalities, however, tend to only feed the prejudices held against them. But most of the aversion directed towards changelings from other races is due to the fact that changelings are and have been by nature not interested in raising their own young and often switch out their children with other races.
The history of the species itself and how it came to be is little known. It is theorised, that the now known race of the changelings was in earlier days a collection of half-breeds between doppelgangers, humans and half-humans of all kinds, which overlapped at some point and formed the modern changelings. But unfortunately, these were happenings long before the recording of history. Maybe some very old dragons or an aboleth may know, but it can also easily be nothing but hearsay. What most ignorant people agree to be the case, is that they were and are creations of evil witches, sent out to enact their misdeeds against society and the world - to spread misery, pain and suffering wherever they walk. They are monsters and are not to be trusted.
RACIAL SKILLS, ABILITIES & FEATURES
- Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2.
- Age. Changelings mature slightly faster than humans but share a similar lifespan – typically a century or less. While a changeling can shapeshift to conceal their age, the effects of ageing still catch up to them.
- Alignment. Changelings hate to be bound in any way, and those who follow the path of the Traveler believe that chaos and change are important aspects of life. Most tend toward pragmatic neutrality as opposed to being concerned with lofty ideals. Despite common fears, few changelings embrace evil.
- Size. In their natural forms, changelings average between 5 to 6 feet in height, with a slender build. Your size is Medium.
- Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
- Changeling Instincts. You gain proficiency with two of the following skills of your choice: Deception, Insight, Intimidation, and Persuasion.
- Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and two other languages of your choice.
- Ability Score Increase. One ability score of your choice increases by 1.
- Change Appearance. As an action, you can transform your appearance or revert to your natural form. You can’t duplicate the appearance of a creature you’ve never seen, and you revert to your natural form if you die. You decide what you look like, including your height, weight, facial features, the sound of your voice, colouration, hair length, sex, and any other distinguishing characteristics. You can make yourself appear as a member of another race, though none of your game statistics changes. You also can’t appear as a creature of a different size than you, and your basic shape stays the same; if you’re bipedal, you can’t use this trait to become quadrupedal, for instance. Your clothing and other equipment don’t change in appearance, size, or shape to match your new form, requiring you to keep a few extra outfits on hand to make the most compelling disguise possible.Even to the most astute observers, your ruse is usually indiscernible. If you rouse suspicion, or if a wary creature suspects something is amiss, you have advantage on any Charisma (Deception) check you make to avoid detection.
- Unsettling Visage. When a creature you can see makes an attack roll against you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the roll. You must use this feature before knowing whether the attack hits or misses. Using this trait reveals your shapeshifting nature to any creature within 30 feet that can see you. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
- Divergent Persona. You gain proficiency with one tool of your choice. Define a unique identity associated with that proficiency; establish the name, race, gender, age, and other details. While you are in the form of this persona, the related proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses that proficiency.
CHANGELING HEIGHT AND WEIGHT TABLE
| GENDER | BASE HEIGHT | HEIGHT MODIFIER | HEIGHT RANGE | AVERAGE HEIGHT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MALE | 4'10'' | +(2D10) | 5'1'' to 6'6'' | 5'8'' |
| FEMALE | 4'9'' | +(2D10) | 5'0'' to 6'5'' | 5'7'' |
| GENDER | BASE WEIGHT | WEIGHT MODIFIER | WEIGHT RANGE | AVERAGE WEIGHT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MALE | 110 lbs | x(2D4) | 114-270 lbs | 165 lbs |
| FEMALE | 105 lbs | x(2D4) | 109-266 lbs | 161 lbs |
- Roll the listed height modifier dice (+2d10) and add that to the total of the race's base height (for Male or Female).
- Now, multiply your height modifier roll (+2d10) by your weight modifier (x2d4) roll and add that total to your race's base weight.
CHANGELING GENERAL INFORMATION
| VISION | Dark-vision (60 feet) |
| HOMELAND | Prime Material Plane, Plane, Lower Planes |
| LANGUAGE | Common |
| AVERAGE HEIGHT | 5'7'' to 6'0'' (1.7-1.8m) |
| AVERAGE WEIGHT | 120-160 lb |
