Homebrew Fey Changeling Species Details

Changelings:

Changelings descend from the doppelgangers, a race of monstrous shapeshifting outsiders from beyond the planes. Although the human influence in their bloodlines makes them quite distinct from their otherworldly ancestry, they share a common trait: they are excessively talented shapeshifters. 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 is an invaluable tool for grifters, spies, and others who wish to deceive. They bear no one persona of their own, changing their appearance and identity from one day to the next. Others settle into an identity, creating their own unique appearance pieced together from features of other people they've met. This leads many people to treat known changelings with fear and suspicion.

A changeling's disguise is completely without flaw, and their transformations aren’t illusions, they’re not something to be seen through or detected magically. Their face really IS a new shape, and people can poke and prod all they like without discerning a changeling's true nature.

Hidden People

Changelings are born to one of three paths. A few are born and raised in stable communities, where changelings are true to their nature and deal openly with the people around them. Some are orphans, raised by other races, who find their way in the world without ever knowing another like themselves. Still others are part of the nomadic changeling clans spread across the Five Nations who keep their true nature hidden from the single-skins. Some of these clans maintain safe havens in major cities and communities, but most prefer to wander, following the unpredictable path of the Traveler. In creating a changeling adventurer, consider the character’s relationships with the people around them. Does the character conceal their true changeling nature, or do they embrace it? Do they have connections to a changeling community or clan, or are they alone and in search of companions?

Masks and Personas

Descendants of creatures far beyond this plane of existence, a changeling's physiology is as unlikely as it is fascinating. In their natural forms, changelings are very slender white-skinned creatures with long limbs, blurred features, massive empty, colorless, almond-shaped eyes, and silver-white hair. Their noses are faint suggestions on their faces, and their ears are sharp and thin, molding along the edges of their heads. They have small horns that come out from their forehead, and some changelings have tails. Often a changeling will have pointed teeth as well. It is often difficult to focus directly on a changeling's natural appearance, as it seems to blur and melt and shift with every slight motion. A changeling shifts shapes the way others might change clothes. A casual shape—one created on the spur of the moment, with no depth or history—is called a mask. A changeling mask can be used to express a mood or to serve a specific purpose and then never used again. However, many changelings develop identities that have more depth. They build an identity over time, crafting a persona, with history and beliefs. This focused identity helps a changeling pinpoint a particular skill or emotion. A changeling adventurer might have personas for many situations, including negotiation, investigation, and combat. Personas can be shared by multiple changelings; there might be three healers in a community, but whoever is on duty will adopt the persona of Tek, the kindly old medic. Personas can even be passed down through a family, allowing a younger changeling to take advantage of contacts established by previous users of the persona.

Changeling Names

A changeling might use a different name for each mask and persona, adopting new names as easily as they develop new faces. The true name of a changeling tends to be monosyllabic; however, there are often accents to a changeling’s name that are expressed through shapeshifting, something single-skins will likely miss. For instance, two changelings might have the name Jin, but one is Jin-with-vivid-blue-eyes and one is Jin-with-golden-cheeks. Changelings have a fluid relationship with gender, seeing it as one characteristic to change among many others.

Changeling Names: Bin, Cas, Dox, Fie, Hars, Jin, Lam, Mas, Nix, Ot, Paik, Ruz, Sim, Toox, Vil, Yug

 

 

Fey Changeling Traits

Shapechanger and Body Augments, Instinct, Open Mind, Divergent Persona, Read Thoughts

Shapechanger

As an action, you can change your appearance and your voice. You determine the specifics of the changes, including facial features, the sound of your voice, coloration, hair length, sex, and any other distinguishing characteristics. You can also adjust your height and weight, but not below 4' and 70lbs, and not above 8'2" and 500lbs (remaining within the Medium size category). You can make yourself appear as a member of another race, though none of your game statistics change. For instance, if you adopt the form of an elf, you don't gain darkvision; in the form of an aarakocra, the wings you manifest are non-functional. In other words, you can make yourself into another race, but the changes are cosmetic only. You cannot gain limbs you do not have (including tails and horns). You can't duplicate the appearance of a type of creature you've never seen, and you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs that you have. Your clothing and equipment aren't changed by this trait.

You stay in the new form until you use an action to revert to your true form or until you die.

Changeling Instinct

Skill proficiency in Stealth (+2), and your choice of two of the following: Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Persuasion (+2 in one and +1 in the other)

Open Mind

You have advantage on Insight checks. However, you have disadvantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against mind-altering effects.

Divergent Persona

 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.

Read Thoughts

You can cast the detect thoughts spell once with this trait at will, without the need for components, and you regain this ability when you finish a short or long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this action.

Darkvision

Darkvision up to 60 feet

Ability Score Increase

Charisma Increases by +2

Languages

You speak common, your parent language, and one other language of your choice