Pretty much the title.  I'm wondering what magical effects, both from spells and items, would give away the presence of a Changeling.

The only thing I found looking through the spell list that might have an impact is True Seeing, however it makes no mention of Changlings or other illusionary effects.

Changeling's I believe are considered shapechangers so Truesight would reveal their true form.

 Technically, changelings have not been given the shapechanger tag or described as "shapechangers." Or at least not in a rules sense that other effects look for. So aside from mind reading or the like, their nature is pretty well hidden.

 That may change if eberron gets an update (technically it is still in playtest).

I would say anything like true sight, true seeing, or that lets you see the true form of shape shifters.

In 3.5, they were considered shapechangers, and the rules for their disguise specifically called out that truesight could see their natural form. But in 5e, both of those were dropped, and most likely no longer apply by design. 

So there's no official statement on the subject, just a bunch of suggestive hold-overs from previous editions?

I guess that works, since this is for a campaign I'm toying with writing.  With no official rules given, it would fall to DM's discretion, which would then be my (author's) discretion.  Was hoping something a little more concrete though.

Quote from drag0n_77 >>

So there's no official statement on the subject, just a bunch of suggestive hold-overs from previous editions?

I guess that works, since this is for a campaign I'm toying with writing.  With no official rules given, it would fall to DM's discretion, which would then be my (author's) discretion.  Was hoping something a little more concrete though.

RAW a contested Charisma (Deception) check, that’s it. If a Changling happens to be thinking about being a Changling when someone casts detect thoughts maybe?  If you want to go down the what is or not “magic" hole maybe true seeing / truesight could work.

As of right now, the only "official" wording is in the race description that states if suspicion is roused, the changeling has advantage on deception checks to avoid detection. This implies (although not directly stated) that an insight check can potentially discover that something is off/wrong about the form the changeling is in. I put official in quotes, because as DxJxC said, it is still playtest. Once the offical hardcover rulebook comes out, it might change. 

I brought up 3.5 because I was running an Eberron campaign with a changeling player and when we moved to 5e it was a pain to convert. Mainly because the skills that played a part in how changelings could disguise and others could notice didn't make it into 5th. To your point, it will be up to the DM, but in both editions there is a non-magical way to detect a changeling. 

Going away from RAW, as a DM, I would consider them shapeshifters so truesight would work, as would Moonbeam.  I would not, however, consider it a magical effect, so Dispel Magic and Antimagic Field would have no effect.

Quote from Lunali >>

Going away from RAW, as a DM, I would consider them shapeshifters so truesight would work, as would Moonbeam.  I would not, however, consider it a magical effect, so Dispel Magic and Antimagic Field would have no effect.

 

 I’d house rule that it’s not a magical effect, but truesight works, however moonbeam wouldn’t, mostly because I think lore-wise the moon should only affect lycanthropes rather than the broad category of shapechangers. If anything, of all the playable races, Shifters should be more susceptible.

I wouldn’t have a problem with Moonbeam working on Changelings but I think you’re right Acme.

I see the spell as more of a way of making a more dangerous shape changer less dangerous by forcing them to revert - not necessarily lycanthropes only. But Changelings don’t gain any power from changing besides concealment (and maybe a tool proficiency if they were in their Divergent Persona). So I’d be fine either way for that spell.

I hadn't even thought about Truesight.  That gives both more options and pitfalls for story events.

I guess I'll just spill on the concept.  The idea is that the illithids have accepted that they can't make any tactical progress against the Githyanki from Tu'narath on the Astral Plane, or against the Githzerai in their impenetrable stronghold in Limbo.  To that end, a small outpost has been established to gain a foothold on a world in the Material Plane, and to slowly and carefully transform it into a factory or farm or what-have-you for new thralls, brains, and soldiers to swell their ranks, to the eventual end of overwhelming one of the 2 divergent Gith factions.  They managed to capture a group of Changelings, and used their overwhelming mental powers to turn them into mindless breeding machines.  Leveraging their mind control abilities, the illithids begin capturing beings from the Material world, extracting their memories, and imprinting them onto these "blank" Changling thralls to make sleeper agents.

The PCs are created by almost the same process.  The memories they possess used to belong to a real person, now dead, and they are a psuedo-Changling that has assumed all the traits and abilities of that individual (the characters they actually create).  The players would not actually be using the Changling rules, as they would be playing with the races they are picking, but they would still be vulnerable to effects that can detect or expose a Changling.  Now freed from the illithids, with knowledge of the plot by the illithids to turn the peoples and governments of the world against each other, they begin seeking to eliminate the established sleeper agents in the world, to prevent it from falling into the illithids tentacled clutches.

For that use of it I would go ahead and say Truesight would work to determine their true nature.  But how often is someone actively using that unless they already suspect something is afoot?

On the note of your story line, heck yeah that sounds really damn nifty.

My two cents and how I've ruled on this topic. Changelings ability to use masks and personas are not magical means - it is part of their essence and who they are. No different from a fish's gills allowing it to breathe under water. With this logic, I do not rule that true sight can reveal a changeling because whatever form it is currently in, is in fact, it's true form.

The only two moments a Changeling may actually be in "Changeling form" are when it comes into the world, and when it leaves. I think there's something special about that and don't consider this form to be a "true" form.

Vallon Tier'dal

Lord of Ravenloft, Forgotten Champion of Barovia, Mortal Nemisis of Picolo the Monkey

I'd say detect thoughts is another way. Moon beam spell, Glyph of warding set to go off if a shape changer enters the area, Divination , Contact other plane, Suggestion " Reveal your True Form"

A monster/player with "truesight"  can, out to a specific range, see in normal and magical darkness, see invisible creatures and objects, automatically detect visual illusions and succeed on saving throws against them, and perceive the original form of a shape changer or a creature that is transformed by magic. Furthermore, the monster can see into the Ethereal Plane within the same range.

 The big thing here is Transformed by magic. Changelings are not transformed by magic since its an innate ability, that doesn't use magic. And by the rule, the sentence is not implying that it just sees the original form of the shape changer, it continues on to the fact that it is only seen if it uses magic. If it was like "perceive the original form of a shape changer as well as any creatures that is transformed by magic" So unless the DM has a homebrew of the race, where they change through magic, than [Tooltip Not Found] wont reveal a shape changer. 

Moonbeam however, would reveal their true form since it says on the rules( but of course its up to the DM :] ), personally I don't think Moonbeam should do this since i think it would be more fitting on cursed creatures such as "Wear-creatures" or "transformed vampires", it makes since, but like i said before, its up to da DM.

detect Thoughts  might work, if you get the suspected "shape changer" to think about it. It is a good idea, but if another PC is wanting to know about another PC who is a SC(shape changer) and uses this spell, that would of course be up to the PC on what they would be thinking at that time.

My idea.

I think if they changed through magic than it should make them a little more dangerous, like they get 1 simple racial quirk(has to be simple, for example the Orc abil to comeback with 1Hp is NOT a simple quirk while a proficiency with stealth from the owlin would be fine,). From whoever they change to :0. here's an idea for both magical or non-magi Sape Changers, I think that when a Changeling turns into another race they should get bodily changes that help their race they have chosen, like an aarakocra, since they would be able to give them-self wings, BUT, they can only hover for a small amount of time(they wouldn't be good flyers and they would have to have the actual ability to fly, they don't have hollow bones like most birds), or the ability to use claws as unarmed strikes(this one is pretty negatable, since it can either be extended skin Or they can actually make claws).

I wonder how a Changeling would change into a Genasi, since their hair would be considered magical.... would have to be a bald Genasi lol

Anyways, hope this helps :)

P.S drag0n_77 

Here's an Idea, you could do something like Moonbeam such as they group goes into a small dungeon or area where a rune or spell is constantly being used on a whole bunch of mirrors in a room/area and star light powder/glimmer where its whole purpose is to reveal shape changers such as Were creatures, shape changers,... etc. 

Truesight should definitely let you see a changeling.

So should Witch Sight, the Warlock Invitation, and the spell Moonbeam.

Since this thread was started 3 years ago, while changelings were still in playtest:

The changling's feature has been renamed "shapechanger" and the monster also has the same tag.

It would be reasonable for anything that affects "shapechangers" to affect changelings.

In the Ebberon book, the race does not appear to have the 'shapechanger' type, but the monster listed as a Changeling, pg 317, does have that type.

Quote from Mog_Dracov >>

In the Ebberon book, the race does not appear to have the 'shapechanger' type, but the monster listed as a Changeling, pg 317, does have that type.

 It isn't a type, it is a tag. Player races don't have monster tags.