So I'm about to start a new campaign with players I've just met. I'm a fairly new player to D&D. I'm playing a changeling posing as an half-elf. I've not reveal this to the other players, DM does know of course. Another player happen to (maybe was coerced into, not by me) to also be a changeling when deciding on making their character and everyone else knows.
This is also a beginner DM trying to build their first homebrew campaign.
I'm having some real world ethics on deceiving people I've newly met vs.the possible RP reveal on who my character actual is?
So my question should I reveal to the group who my character actual is and trust that the meta won't disrupt the game?
And yes I now I realize I could have avoid of this with a different race but it's to late at this point.
I've done similar things in the past. Keep in mind, it's a game and the goal is for everyone to have fun. When I've played a character that has done things to other characters I've been open and up front about it so the other players have all known. When I've played a character who has done things that don't hurt other characters I've role played and hidden things from the other players. It's all in what you're doing and making sure that everyone has fun.
Is there some kind of social stigma in this world against changelings? If not, keeping it a secret when the party has already accepted another of your kind makes no sense unless you have some ulterior motive for doing so. If I'm misunderstanding and your group only knows about the other changeling out of character, disregard.
I still think your intentions with keeping it a secret are important. If changelings are wrongfully maligned or mistreated then you have no reason in character to reveal yourself to them. That said, if you get struck by a moonbeam at any point or anyone gains access to true sight your goose is cooked. If they find out out of character AND your character has a history of being shady and duplicitous then yeah the metagame might affect your experience but if you've been a reliable core member of the party they might have fun with the reveal.
It can be hit or miss. I'm currently playing a changeling, though the players knew what my character was, their characters didn't. I think the knowledge of the players does unintentionally transfer to characters, so the reveal isn't as dramatic, and it could be fun to keep such a reveal to yourself and the DM.
If the DM is ok with it, I dont think you have to worry about deceiving the other players. Just make sure the DM has got your back if you do anything changeling related and a character questions it (ie, using unsettling visage before your reveal might raise some eyebrows at the table and blow your cover). A large part of D&D is storytelling, and a changeling reveal is ripe for fun setup and payoff.
Just don't drag on the facade for the perfect reveal. If your character has grown to trust the party, and they are in need of a shapeshifter, dont pass the buck on because this is not how you imagined the reveal. Otherwise when you do reveal your race, the players might wonder why you didnt help them earlier.
Just don't drag on the facade for the perfect reveal. If your character has grown to trust the party, and they are in need of a shapeshifter, dont pass the buck on because this is not how you imagined the reveal. Otherwise when you do reveal your race, the players might wonder why you didnt help them earlier.
This is an excellent point. You definitely don't want the party to feel like you've betrayed them in-character. Keeping something secret that's a deeply personal thing is fine, that's not a betrayal of trust, but they'll probably expect you to help out in dire straits and not using all of your tools in a situation that might result in a party member getting injured is a bad call.
The last 3.5 campaign I played in was Eberron, and I was a changeling. Did the same thing you are doing, where I didn't tell the group for a while. As written in the Eberron world, changelings were very careful to not let others know what they are, and had multiple identities. Also in that world, my other party members wouldn't have just automatically accepted me if they had read up on the world. (Which they did.)
I say that because in a homebrew world, and with the other party members not knowing/ showing any distrust of changelings like it is written in that race's info, you might as well just tell them. In fact, you can probably ignore most of the changeling lore listed in their description because that's Eberron. There is a bit of universal distrust of changelings because most people assume they are doppelgangers, but it doesn't sound like that's playing out in your group. But, if you want to wait on revealing what you are, you could use that as the reason. Although, as was previously said, the other changeling kind of cancels that out.
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So I'm about to start a new campaign with players I've just met. I'm a fairly new player to D&D. I'm playing a changeling posing as an half-elf. I've not reveal this to the other players, DM does know of course. Another player happen to (maybe was coerced into, not by me) to also be a changeling when deciding on making their character and everyone else knows.
This is also a beginner DM trying to build their first homebrew campaign.
I'm having some real world ethics on deceiving people I've newly met vs.the possible RP reveal on who my character actual is?
So my question should I reveal to the group who my character actual is and trust that the meta won't disrupt the game?
And yes I now I realize I could have avoid of this with a different race but it's to late at this point.
I've done similar things in the past. Keep in mind, it's a game and the goal is for everyone to have fun. When I've played a character that has done things to other characters I've been open and up front about it so the other players have all known. When I've played a character who has done things that don't hurt other characters I've role played and hidden things from the other players. It's all in what you're doing and making sure that everyone has fun.
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Is there some kind of social stigma in this world against changelings? If not, keeping it a secret when the party has already accepted another of your kind makes no sense unless you have some ulterior motive for doing so. If I'm misunderstanding and your group only knows about the other changeling out of character, disregard.
I still think your intentions with keeping it a secret are important. If changelings are wrongfully maligned or mistreated then you have no reason in character to reveal yourself to them. That said, if you get struck by a moonbeam at any point or anyone gains access to true sight your goose is cooked. If they find out out of character AND your character has a history of being shady and duplicitous then yeah the metagame might affect your experience but if you've been a reliable core member of the party they might have fun with the reveal.
It can be hit or miss. I'm currently playing a changeling, though the players knew what my character was, their characters didn't. I think the knowledge of the players does unintentionally transfer to characters, so the reveal isn't as dramatic, and it could be fun to keep such a reveal to yourself and the DM.
If the DM is ok with it, I dont think you have to worry about deceiving the other players. Just make sure the DM has got your back if you do anything changeling related and a character questions it (ie, using unsettling visage before your reveal might raise some eyebrows at the table and blow your cover). A large part of D&D is storytelling, and a changeling reveal is ripe for fun setup and payoff.
Just don't drag on the facade for the perfect reveal. If your character has grown to trust the party, and they are in need of a shapeshifter, dont pass the buck on because this is not how you imagined the reveal. Otherwise when you do reveal your race, the players might wonder why you didnt help them earlier.
This is an excellent point. You definitely don't want the party to feel like you've betrayed them in-character. Keeping something secret that's a deeply personal thing is fine, that's not a betrayal of trust, but they'll probably expect you to help out in dire straits and not using all of your tools in a situation that might result in a party member getting injured is a bad call.
The last 3.5 campaign I played in was Eberron, and I was a changeling. Did the same thing you are doing, where I didn't tell the group for a while. As written in the Eberron world, changelings were very careful to not let others know what they are, and had multiple identities. Also in that world, my other party members wouldn't have just automatically accepted me if they had read up on the world. (Which they did.)
I say that because in a homebrew world, and with the other party members not knowing/ showing any distrust of changelings like it is written in that race's info, you might as well just tell them. In fact, you can probably ignore most of the changeling lore listed in their description because that's Eberron. There is a bit of universal distrust of changelings because most people assume they are doppelgangers, but it doesn't sound like that's playing out in your group. But, if you want to wait on revealing what you are, you could use that as the reason. Although, as was previously said, the other changeling kind of cancels that out.