Thanks to YOU, we are making C20 dice!
over 8 years ago – Mon, Jan 04, 2016 at 12:27:00 PM

For the very first time with any of our Kickstarters, we are able to offer official deluxe dice!

For years we have heard from our backers that they really, really wanted dice to be part of our Kickstarters, but we were not set up to create dice. Our skill set is all about creating beautiful books, after all. So to go through the process of adding on the right manufacturer, keeping track of the dice, warehousing, and shipping, we would need to devote time and finances that we just couldn't spare.

Over the last couple of years in our infinitesimal spare time, we built up the contacts needed to make it happen, but it was still a bit of a set-up cost that we didn't have. Until we decided that we'd devote some of the "extra" money from a Stretch Goal to cover those costs.

Which happened thanks to your contributions that put us past the C20 Dice Stretch Goal!

Here's how we list it on the KS page:

You can add on the Deluxe Changeling 20th Dice Set to any reward tier that offers a physical book:

+ $23 for the Deluxe Changeling 20th Dice Set, ten 10-sided dice designed to echo the classic Changeling stained glass motif featuring the Changeling moth created in cooperation with Q-Workshop.

In order to Add-on the C20 Dice Set, you'll need to manually change your pledge AMOUNT, but not your pledge REWARD TIER. I emphasize this because folks have lost out on their pledges before, so please be careful.

As with all of our Add-ons, we will be including a spot on the Backer Survey that we send out after the KS has closed for you to let us know how many sets you have added money to your pledge for.

Thanks again!

Preview: Arts and Realms
over 8 years ago – Thu, Dec 31, 2015 at 11:43:02 AM

Hi, everyone. Rose here. ^_^

In the comments for my last update, as well as the main comments thread, folks have been asking about Arts and Realms. So Matt gave me an excerpt. Check it out:

---

Hey, folks. Matt here.  

One of the big questions that people had about this edition of Changeling was “how is magic going to work?” The magic system for previous editions hasn’t always been especially well-received, after all. I read through second edition again when I was outlining this book, and my thought was that the underlying system actually worked pretty well. Sure, the Primal Art and the Nature Realm were a little redundant, and some of the cantrips didn’t work with some of the Realms, and the power progression was a little screwy, but the underlying mechanic was pretty solid, I thought.  

So during the brainstorming phase of things, we talked about how we could reconfigure Arts & Realms to make the whole thing smoother, to give changelings a little more magical oomph, and to make the mechanics consistent. I also wanted to include rules for Unleashing, which was a magical ability that first showed up in Dark Ages: Fae. Basically, instead of constructing a spell-like effect, the character just lets the magic go, hoping to guide it as best she can. I wanted changelings’ magic to be a little more dangerous than it was, and I think we accomplished that.  

Here, then, is a little excerpt from the Arts & Realms chapter of Changeling. Again, remember this is a first draft, it hasn’t been playtested, things might change, etc.  

Arts and Realms: The Magic of Changeling  

Every Changeling walks a perilous tightrope between the chaotic tides of the Dreaming and the heavy anchor of the mundane. As travelers in both realms, kithain developed potent abilities based on their position as bridges between the worlds. Changelings’ ability to weave glamour to marvelous and terrifying ends gave rise to legends of the faeries who steal mortal memories, bound over mountains, and reshape the world into an effigy of their forgotten dreams.  

The magics of the Changeling are collectively known as Arts. Learning an Art involves mastering a progression of talents allowing the Changeling to rework the chimerical and the mundane in various ways. Kithain must also devote time to learning how their power interacts with and bends their intended target. Arts describe the faerie magics available to a character, while Realms determine the scope and focus of the character’s Arts.  

Some Arts are preferred by the Seelie or Unseelie courts, others more popular with Commoners or Nobles, but regardless of attitude or station, all Changelings are capable of learning any Art, provided they find a willing teacher. Some Kithain use mastery of an Art to define their position within their local Changeling society, while others learn bits and pieces of many Arts, opting not to devote themselves to just a few.  

Cantrips  

Changelings use cantrips, the act of channeling glamour into an Art, to rework the chimerical and even physical worlds to their whim. The kithain’s fae nature serves as a conduit for Glamour to pass from the Dreaming into the mundane, and her level of mastery in any given Art dictates what sort of mayhem and magic she creates.  

All cantrips include a particular mastery of an Art (represented by the dot rating of the Art used), one or more Realms (indicating the focus or target of the Art), and typically involve a bunk (see below). A kithain’s magic is limited by her mastery of Realms; the player may not focus an Art on anyone or anything outside the scope of her character’s realms.  

To invoke a cantrip, the player decides which level of the Art her character will use, adds at least one Realm known to the character to determine the target of the power, and spends temporary Glamour based on the type of cantrip: Chimerical or Wyrd. Changelings may apply the effects of a cantrip to different kinds of targets simultaneously by using multiple Realms, but doing so increases the difficulty and Glamour cost.  

Cantrip Dice Pool  

Players roll a number of dice equal to their character’s Art rating plus the rating of the lowest primary Realm used (Fae, Actor, Nature, Prop). The modifier Realms, Scene and Time, change the scope of the cantrip, but do not alter the number of dice in the pool. All cantrips begin with a difficulty of seven, but several factors modify the cantrip difficulty.  

The player must use a number of distinct dice for the roll equal to the character’s Nightmare rating. A full description of Nightmare dice and their effects are on page XX.

[TABLE] 

Cantrip Difficulty Modifiers 

Target’s Banality > Character’s Glamour +1 

Multiple Primary Realms +1 

Replace 3 dice with Nightmare Dice -1 

Cantrip cast in a Freehold -1 

Cantrip cast on an enchanted mortal -1 

Cantrip with no Bunk +1 

Cantrip with one minor Bunk +0 

Cantrip with two or more Bunks -1 to -3 

Cantrip with a legendary Bunk -5

[END TABLE] 

Bunks 

Changelings use bunks, actions and events which remind the mundane world of the dreaming, to ease the friction of focusing Glamour into the mundane world with a cantrip. The more elaborate or risky the Bunk, the less difficult for the Changeling to invoke the Art with the cantrip. A character “builds” a bunk by willingly putting herself in danger (Risk), drawing notice to herself (Attention), using or destroying something (Materials), and/or timing the cantrip around a certain event (Confluence). 

Each of the four types of bunks can vary in their impact on the cantrip. Cantrips can benefit from one bunk of each of the four types. After the player describes the bunk(s), the Storyteller determines the maximum modifier based on the most significant bunk, and then reduces the cantrip difficulty by -1 for each additional bunk included, up to that maximum. Any cantrip cast without a bunk suffers plus one difficulty. 

Legendary bunks are an exception. Any Changeling who succeeds in using a legendary bunk as part of her cantrip instantly reduces the difficulty of the cantrip by 5, regardless of how many types of bunks she incorporates. 

[TABLE] 

Bunk Type/Examples Maximum Modifier 

Attention 

Loud burp -1

Spontaneous monologue 

Photo bombing a group picture 

Streaking in a crowded campus -2 

Performing for a large crowd 

Doing anything that makes people film you with their phones 

Interviewed on the nightly local news -3 

Mooning the jumbotron at a packed football game 

Getting your picture on the front page of the paper 

[END TABLE]

Unleashing 

Changelings perform Cantrips to focus glamour through their Arts in specific, deliberate ways, but every kithain possesses another, more dangerous method to channel glamour. Learning an Art unlocks a new door into the dreaming, and a Changeling desperate enough can kick that door open to let the dreaming flood the mundane world filtered only by the nature of their kith with unpredictable but potent results. 

Because the unleashed glamour reaches through the dreaming by way of the changeling’s kith, an unleashed Art always reflects the kithain’s nature. A redcap unleashing Wayfare yanks the target violently through the air or sends them hurtling through a nightmare world of blood and pain before emerging blocks away, the sound of predators chasing them still in their ears. An eshu unleashing Contracts, on the other hand, surrounds the target with the noises and smells of a busy marketplace as she is forced to accept a future favor from the changeling in return for handing over an item the character seeks. 

The player chooses an Art with which to open the Dreaming, filtered through their Kith, and states her character's intent in a short, simple statement (“hurt that man”, “save my friend”, “restore the grove”). She spends two temporary Glamour, adds one to her character’s Nightmare rating, and then decides if the character will “coax” or “command” the unleashed glamour. Successfully unleashing the Art achieves the desired effect. If commanded, the player determines how the dreaming enforces the character’s will. If coaxed, the Storyteller describes the effect and should incorporate a complication or conflict into the results. 

After the player declares the character unleashes one of her Arts, she rolls a number of dice equal to the character’s permanent Glamour plus her Nightmare dice pool (see below), difficulty 8 if commanded and difficulty 5 if coaxed. If the roll succeeds, the player must compare the number of successes to the rating of the unleashed Art. 

Unleashing Results 

Botch: Banality responds to the breach of the mists violently. Gain temporary Banality equal to the number of 1's rolled and the character's mein recedes for the scene, cutting him off from the dreaming. 

Failure: The character is unable to invoke the Dreaming. Gain one temporary banality and the character cannot use that Art for the remainder of the scene. 

Successes <= character's Art rating: Character successfully invokes and controls the Dreaming. The character's fae mein becomes wyrd and visible, the character's intent is fulfilled via the Unleashed Art. 

Successes > Art rating: The character invokes the Dreaming but loses control. The character's intent is fulfilled but in a twisted or unintended way that adds complications or puts everyone nearby at risk. The character suffers Imbalance (see below) but does not reduce her Nightmare dice pool as a result.

Quickstart achieved! Up next: Dice and Boggans!
over 8 years ago – Tue, Dec 29, 2015 at 01:48:02 PM

Hi, Rose here. ^_^

Having passed $260,000, you're enabling us to create a C20 Quickstart PDF, great for introducing your friends to the game or kicking off a new chronicle. Everyone who backed at a tier including the C20 PDF will receive a copy.

Up next, at $275,000, we've got something that's been asked for on, I think, literally every Kickstarter I've run for Onyx Path: dice! We'll work with Q Workshop to create a 10-sided die especially for C20, and we'll add sets of these dice to our list of add-ons.

And after that, at $315,000, something else I've heard asked for quite a bit over the years: Kithbook Boggans! This'll be a fun one... what say we do Boggans for the next preview to set the mood?

Before I sign off, I wanted to update you on achievements. Since yesterday, we've had new entries for two achievements:

• Chimerical Strains (playlists): 17
• Glamorous Reverie (artwork): 72

Rich pointed out that yesterday, I neglected to mention what the achievements so far have added to the KS. Sorry about that. :) Having hit 12 achievements, we'll create the C20 Ready-Made Characters PDF!

Much like the quickstart, these are handy to have around for rainy-day gaming. I keep a folder with the Requiem versions of both in my satchel at every convention, so that I can run games at the drop of a hat.

Speaking of rainy days, I need to go run some errands before the sky opens up here. Going to throw on some of these playlists on my phone while I'm at it.

Thank you for your support!

Stretch goals and achievements
over 8 years ago – Mon, Dec 28, 2015 at 08:42:50 AM

Hi, everyone. Rose here. ^_^

I hope those of you who celebrate Christmas had a good one. Mine was... eating-intensive... and lots of fun.

While I've been on break, we cleared a stretch goal! Having passed $240,000, we'll collaborate with BattleBards on the C20 Soundboard.

Plus, we're just a few thousand dollars away from our $260,000 goal, which is the C20 Quickstart.

We've also got achievements. Here are the stats:

Mark of Rhapsody (funding): 514%

Sworn Fealty (backers): 1,892

Rapturous Birdsong (Twitter followers): 4,419

A Growing Balefire (Facebook likes): 7,730

Dark Seeming (tattoo pics): 15

Elegant Mien (costume pics): 40

Chimerical Strains (playlists): 16

Glamorous Reverie (artwork): 53

Trod and True (landmark pics): 8

---

Thank you for your support, everyone! I'll be back soon with another Kith preview. :)

Excerpt: Nockers
over 8 years ago – Wed, Dec 23, 2015 at 05:35:42 AM

Hi, Rose here. ^_^ The Kiths have always been at the heart of Changeling (at least for me), so I thought we'd preview the Nockers, fresh from Matt's development draft.

---

Nocker  

“I know I know.... I've worked on the damned thing all a week and it's still not right. Maybe if you stop breathing down my neck, or better yet, just leave me the %$&# alone and I'll get it done.”  

Nockers are as well know for their legendary cynicism and bitterness as they are their master crafstmanship. They are master crafters and are widely renowned for their talent at crafting marvelous chimerical objects. However, they are fiercely individualistic and belittle anything that does not match their own ideal of artistic perfection. They prefer to create and surround themselves with treasures of mechanical wonder, rather than interact with imperfect people. When they are forced to have social contact they are eminently sarcastic with everyone around them, and blazoning critical of anyone in charge.  

The bone-trembling nervousness of beginning a new project, the unbridled joy of completing the work of art and the heart-wrenching angst of suffering through criticism – of all these things are intrinsic to the nockers. Artists, builders, crafters, and even writers all know the torment of “knowing” that their work is not good enough – that it will never be understood. And yet, they toil on, day after day, seeking perfection that they will never find. Early legends speak of goblins and kolbolds who endlessly toil deep beneath the earth, mining, smelting and crafting. And of other diminutive beings who made toys to leave for children who were good and kind. It is from these legends that nockers were born.  

Nockers are innovators to the extreme – always seeking out the newest and edgiest feats of engineering and craftsmanship. A younger nocker may explore many different styles and techniques before settling down and finding her niche, at which point she becomes known as an eccentric genius in her field. Sometimes other Kithain seek out such a master, hoping to learn from her artistry, but they must be strong of will to withstand the maestro's insults and withering criticism. Nockers have developed a complex ritual of insults and disparagements that constitute greetings and familiarity. Between nockers this is as natural as two businessmen shaking hands.  

For nockers, people are a mystery. People are mercurial and have feelings that can easily hurt and once broken they cannot be repaired in the same way as a tool or device. Truth be told, the soul of a nocker is as poetic as any of the Kithain. Perhaps their deepest secret is that they are, at heart, romantics. They deeply long to escape their flawed and obsessive lives and are drawn to music, art, and even courtly love, though of course they will never admit it. Unfortunately, nockers cannot help but treat romantic relationships like everything else and will poke and tinker until it is broken.  

Appearance: Though not as hideous as the goblins of legend, nockers are nonetheless grotesque in their own right. They tend to have thick, reddish skin and elongated arms and legs. Their long, spindly fingers have thick, knotty knuckles and sharp black talons. They have hatchet faces that appear mask-like and are pasty white with red noses and cheeks. They often paint swirls or patterns around or under the eyes or on their cheeks. They usually have stark white hair with large busy eyebrows above their rat-like eyes. A nockler's rare smile reveals a row of sharp pointed teeth. In the workshop they prefer heavy overalls, often adorned with large brass buckles and buttons. At court, they are second only to the sidhe in fashion and complexity, favoring spiral and swirling patterns. Even when at court a nocker wouldn't be caught dead without a few favorite tools on his person.  

Lifestyles: Nockers don't particularly get along with people, even other nockers for that matter. People are enigmas, with complex, fragile feelings that are completely alien to them. Therefore, they prefer homes and work places where they can practice their craft in solitude. Machine shops, engineering, body shops, and programing are all ideal occupations for nockers.  

Wonder: Nockers in this stage are curious about the inner working of everything. She would rather take things apart than put them together. Understanding of people is also a pastime wonders – they pick and poke, trying to decipher what makes people tick.  

Seeker: Absolute perfection of his skills are of the utmost important to these nockers. She spends hours and days on end in the workshop honing her craftsmanship, to the exclusion of everything else, often even forgetting to eat. The latest tech, the newest design – these are the things that interest her.  

Keeper: These nockers are usually master-craftspeople who have a great store of knowledge. They often take on apprentices and pass on their knowledge, while making the life of the poor apprentice miserable.  

Reverie: Nockers prefer to gather Glamour from builders and craftspeople who create mechanical devices and tools: blacksmiths, mechanics, metal workers, and so on. Some, modern nockers also seek out computer programmers and makers of electronic devices.  

Unleashing: Cantrips cast by nockers often leave a traces of the by-products of their craft: grease stains, the smell of burning sulfur or other unpleasant chemical smells are often common, as well are whips of foul smelling smoke. A rapping, or knocking sound is often heard; the greater the power of the cantrip louder the sound.  

Affinity: Prop  

Birthrights

Improvised Genius — Nockers are masters of whipping up items on demand with little more than random materials, some Glamour, and a highly cinematic and honestly self-serving appreciation of “science.” A nocker can improvise all manner of temporary but useful chimerical items from apparently improbable materials, such as creating a crude firearm with little more than a lightbulb, a water pistol, and a handful of nails. Such items require an Intelligence + Crafts test, with a variable difficulty and cost between 1-3 points of Glamour depending on the materials available as well as the complexity of the item. Improvised items stop working at the end of their first combat or the scene where they were created. This is a Wyrd Birthright - if the nocker wants to cobble together a purely mundane item in this fashion, they must call upon the Wyrd to do so.  

Fix-It – Nockers can fix just about anything – chimerical or mundane. Sometimes all it takes is a kick and a few harsh words to scare an machine into working again. To fix a device the nocker must make a successful Intelligence + Crafts or Manipulation + Intimidation roll. The difficulty can range from 5 (for a simple problem in a simple device) to 10 (for a difficulty problem in a complex machine). Nockers suffer -1 die to their roll for any modern electrical device.  

Nocker craftspeople can choose a specialty during character creation; they can choose to specialize in either anachronistic or modern devices. They get -1 to the difficulty when attempting to fix a device related to their specialty.  

This birthright functions normally in the presence of mortals.  

Frailty : Flaws. Nockers strive for perfection in everything they make, and yet they can never succeed. No matter how many successes a nocker rolls when creating something, there is always a minor (but irreparable) flaw.

Stereotypes

On Boggans – Little buggers think they're better than everyone else! Yeah, they're fast workers, but their craftsmanship is shoddy at best. 

On Clurichaun – Never let them near your workshop. They don't have a bit of respect for anyone or anything. 

On Eshu – Talkative bastards. They just don't know when to shut up. They go on, and on, and on.... 

On Piskies – Unruly and reckless children. 

On Pooka – Useless furballs! They waste their lives playing tricks and pranks. 

On Redcaps – Dangerous folk, but sometimes useful. Just don't piss them off. 

On Satyrs – Lets party all night and on into the day – never mind that world is slipping into Winter. Hedonistic freaks, the lot of 'em. 

On Selkies – Not much to say about them, really. They smell of the sea and keep mostly to themselves. 

On Sidhe – They want to rule, and who are we to say no. They pay well and I'll happily take their commissions. 

On Sluagh – Buncha creepy a-holes, if you ask me. Skulking around, up to no good, I'm sure of it. They need to get their noses out of books and get a life. 

On Trolls – Big and powerful, but not very bright. They make great bodyguards.