Changeling, 4th Variant (5e Race)
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This page is of questionable balance. Reason: Shapechanger Humanoid does not explain how creature traits can be used.
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Changeling[edit]
| “ | Long ago there was a woman named Jes, and she had one hundred children. Her rivals conspired against her and swore to kill her children. Jes begged the Sovereigns for help, but their only answer was the wind and rain. In the depths of her despair, a lonely traveler took her hand. ‘I will protect your children if they follow my path. Let them wander the world. They may be shunned and feared, but they will never be destroyed.’ Jes agreed, and the traveler gave her his cloak. When she draped it over her children their old faces melted away and they could be whoever they wanted to be. And so it remains. Though the Children are shunned by all, the gift of the Traveler protects them still. | ” |
| —Chance, changeling priest | ||
Physical Description[edit]
Changelings are humanoid creatures with skin ranging from the palest grey to varying shades of blue. Their eyes appear normal for their parent race, but on closer examination, the area around the pupil is tinted slightly, often yellow. Their arms and legs are longer than is average for their race, and their ears are slightly pointed. Their noses range from flat and slitted to subtler button noses. The rest of their futures are often described as off-putting and just a little strange. This can be due to the ever-changing nature of a changeling experimenting with new looks or the prejudice held against them. In spite of this, they are often strangely attractive, to those who see them in passing, and are usually likable. As they grow older they become used to the reactions of the common folk and use their shape-changing power to aid their survival.
History[edit]
Doppelgangers are too lazy or self-interested to raise their young. Instead, they trick others into raising their children. However, sometimes these children do not rejoin their estranged parents and instead decide to remain in the society they were raised. If they then have children, the changeling blood becomes dominant and a whole line of changelings is born. A slightly different breed of changelings is dominant in Eberron.
Society[edit]
In the few places where changelings band together, they tend towards a meritocracy where the most skilled and intelligent lead. Other features of these societies depend on what kind of larger society they are under the wing of. Within these larger societies or just roaming the lands are three main subsets the common changeling may fall into. That of becomers, passers, and reality or truth seekers. Despite these categories, changelings are as varied in mind as they are body. A passer may come to terms with their natural shapechanging ability and may no longer be so rigidly held to their one chosen shape. Some changelings are carefree enough to forgo any of the labels and treat their shapechanging ability as simply another natural talent to be used as they see fit and do not label themselves as others may.
Changeling Names[edit]
A changeling might use a different name for each mask and persona and adopt new names as easily as they develop new faces. The true name of a changeling tends to be simple and monosyllabic; however, there are often accents to a changeling’s name that are expressed through shapeshifting, something single-skins will likely miss. So, 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.
Changeling Traits[edit]
Half human, half doppelganger, the changeling is the master of disguise and intrigue.
Ability Score Increase. Increase one ability score by 2, and increase a different one by 1, or increase three different scores by 1.
Age. Changelings reach maturity at 15 and can live to be around 500 years old.
Alignment. Due to their doppelganger heritage, changelings tend towards a neutral version of their parent races attitude towards law and chaos - so an elvish changeling might be chaotic neutral.
Size. Changelings are built much like humans and can be anywhere from five feet to six feet tall, but are almost always tall for their parent race. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Shapechanger Humanoid. As an action, you can shapeshift into any humanoid up to large size. You also get the physical attributes of the races. This means you can fly as an aaracockra, bite as a lizardfolk or use your hooves as a centaur.
Changeling Trance. Changelings don’t need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is “trance.”) After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.
Shapechanger Beast. As an action, you can shapeshift into any creature up to Medium size up to CR 1. From 3rd level and up, you can shapeshift into large creature up to CR 5. From 5th level you can shapechange into any creature up to CR 10.
Feat. You gain one Feat of your choice.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and two other languages of your choice.
Random Height and Weight[edit]
| Base Height |
Height Modifier* |
Base Weight |
Weight Modifier** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5′ 0'' | +1d10 | 100 lb. | × (1d8) lb. |
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*Height = base height + height modifier | |||
Suggested Characteristics[edit]
When creating a changeling character, you can use the following table flaws to help flesh out your character. Use these tables in addition to or in place of your background's characteristics.
| d4 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I probably have dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder), but I can't tell. |
| 2 | I am suspicious of strangers and expect the worst of them. |
| 3 | People are quick not to trust me. |
| 4 | I get distracted easily. |
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