Chicanery is the Art of deception and favored by those who utilize guile to lead the unwary astray. This Art deals in fooling the senses and ensnaring the mind at higher levels. Practitioners of Chicanery are usually considered suspect by nobles and their chancellors, and are closely watched. A few nobles have become infamous through injudicious use of this Art, although Chicanery is generally considered to be a commoner's Art.
Attribute: Manipulation
• Fuddle
Fuddle allows the caster to alter a target's perceptions. Proper use of this Art can be difficult, however, since it cannot create something from nothing — there must always be some basis for the deception the caster wishes to create. In a sense the caster is limited by the target's perceptions. A target who is blind and deaf cannot be made to suddenly see and hear the ocean, for instance, but she might fooled into smelling the tang of the salty sea air. Fuddle relies upon already existing factors to deceive the senses, and cannot completely negate a sense or create a sensation.
In other words, an eshu trying to make use of Fuddle could not turn invisible while standing in plain sight, nor could he conjure up the sound ot police sirens on a silent night. If the eshu were hidden in shadows, he could use Fuddle to cause a person to overlook him, or he could cause the sounds of barking dogs to be perceived as police sirens. This cantrip can never cause any direct harm to an individual, though it is possible for a target to inflict accidental injury upon himself due to his confused senses.
System: The target of the cantrip determines the nature of the Realm needed to use this Art. The Scene Realm is required to affect multiple targets. For example, casting Fuddle upon a small group of mortal tourists to cause them to believe that a troll has turned into a wolf requires Actor 4 (mortal tourists) and Scene 2 (for the group).
The number of successes indicates how long the subject is Fuddled. Multiple castings of Fuddle are not cumulative; if such is attempted, the casting with the most successes is the one that takes effect.
1 success — one minute
2 successes — 10 minutes
3 successes — one hour
4 successes — one day
5 successes — one month
Type: Chimerical
•• Veiled Cues
As its name implies, Veiled Eyes muddles a target's senses into ignoring anything the caster desires. The cantrip does not turn an object invisible, but rather convinces the observer that the object is not really worth his notice. Veiled Eyes would not cause a store to vanish from plain sight, but it would convince passersby that the store sold nothing of interest to them, causing them to ignore it. People cloaked with Veiled Eyes are merely ignored.
System: The person or object being veiled determines the Realm needed when using this Art. This Art functions differently than most Chicanery cantrips in that once cast upon an individual or item, the target of the cantrip becomes veiled to all passersby. The Actor Realm would be used to veil a mortal, and the Scene Realm would be appropriate to veil a building (though Scene and Actor could be used to veil an entire room full of people, making the room appear to be empty to anyone who entered or looked inside).
The obscurement lasts for one turn per success. A changeling can double the amount of successes by spending an extra Glamour point. A changeling can penetrate Veiled Eyes by rolling Perception + Kenning (difficulty is 4 + the number of successes scored in the initial casting before any Glamour points were spent). Only mortals who have had contact or foreknowledge of the veiled object get a chance to resist. Supernatural beings with magical senses (Kenning, Awareness, Auspex, etc.) may make the attempt to penetrate the obscurement when they first encounter it. This cantrip can be cast multiple times to increase the duration of the obscurement.
Type: Chimerical
••• Fugue (also known as Tip-of-the-Tongue )
While Fuddle allows a changeling to alter a person's perceptions,
Fugue lies within the province of memory. With Fugue,
the changeling may remove or steal whole chapters of a person's
life and beliefs, or home in on one salient detail, such as the
moment the target bumped into him while walking down the
street. Fugue can never add anything to an individual's memory,
and its effects are rarely permanent.
System: A changeling only needs the Realm of the target to cast Fugue. The number of successes determines the duration and amount of memory lost. The caster divides the number of successes between the memory loss and the duration, according to the charts below. A changeling who rolls four successes could cause her target to forget about his lunch for one minute, a person's identity for one turn, or the location of his car keys for a day.
Memory Loss
1 success — Forgetting a simple, immediate object or information (car keys, phone number, etc.)
2 successes — Loss of memory of an uninteresting scene in the past ("What did I have for lunch?" or "What was her name ?")
3 successes — Complete eradication of a specific event, person's identity or object's presence.
4 successes — Powerful, forthright beliefs or memories may be forgotten.
5 successes — A tabula rasa; total memory loss (a vampire could be made to forget her nature, but finds herself inexplicably craving blood).
Duration
1 success — One turn
2 successes — One minute
3 successes — One hour
4 successes — One day
5 successes — One week
Multiple castings of this cantrip are cumulative. A changeling who achieves 10 successes on three castings of Fugue could, say, force a mage to completely forget her Awakened nature for a week (endeavors of this kind do not usually have tidy endings, however, and this is a great way to rack up powerful enemies).
Type: Chimerical
•••• Haunted Heart
The caster of Haunted Heart can control and fan the emotions of her target. She can evoke any type of feeling she wants: fear, envy, love, gaiety, sadness, etc. This cantrip can cause a target to feel anything he is capable of feeling, even if he has never experienced the desired emotion before. The cantrip is more potent if the emotional evocation is similar to an episode from the target's past. However, the feelings can be drawn from anything: books, movies, observing wildlife, etc. For example, linking a memory of lost love to a banana amid cause the target to weep piteously as he remembers how much his ex-lover used to love bananas. Casting a feeling of spite in a crowded bar would start a bar fight.
Old memories (even those forgotten or blocked) could reactivate with a canny use of Haunted Heart. Evoking hatred toward policemen in a man wrongly jailed would have a recurring effect well beyond the duration of the cantrip. Provoking a fear of a lake may cause the subject to suddenly remember almost drowning at age six and give the subject a permanent fear of water (subject to Storyteller discretion). Lucky (or shrewd) casters who manage to awaken a feeling that is significantly linked to an incident in the target's past get one free success when using this cantrip.
System: The Realm needed to cast this cantrip is determined by the target. Actor and Fae Realms are by far the most common. This cantrip lasts one minute per success. The duration can be extended by spending one Glamour per additional minute. Multiple castings of this cantrip are cumulative, as long as the object and the emotion evoked remain the same. Opposite emotions cast upon the same object cancel each other, no matter how many successes each casting had. A phobia of snails cast with five successes would be neutralized by a cantrip of mollusk-love with one success.
1 success — Invokes a mild reaction.
2 successes —The target feels wild, chaotic surges of intermittent emotion. As long as the emotional object is not in sight, the target acts normally.
3 successes — Creates a continuous state of passion. The target's conversation drifts toward the emotional object; +1 difficulty to all rolls involving Mental Attributes.
4 successes — The target is passionately engaged. She actively seeks (or avoids) her object of passion; +2 difficulty to all rolls.
5 successes — Total obsession; the target can do nothing but engage in his passion. He becomes violent if restrained. Resistance requires the expenditure of a Willpower point (and a life-threatening reason).
Type: Chimerical
••••• Captive Heart
Whereas Haunted Heart controls the emotions, Captive Heart has greater magnitude. The target of Captive Heart becomes pliant to the caster's commands; his personality can be completely changed with a few words. Use of this cantrip allows the changeling to change broad or narrow facets of a person's behavior. A person could be made to believe he is Mick Jagger, a lawn chair or a secret agent for Planet Z. The victim of this cantrip makes every effort to conform to the caster's wishes: jumping around and singing, hopping and croaking, or simply standing quietly in the corner — anything. This has certain limitations, however; the target cannot be commanded to do anything directly harmful to himself. Commands such as "Take the knife and draw it across your throat," will send the target into confusion as her self-preservation instinct manifests. On the other hand, a command that is not directly harmful ("See that man in the crown? Attack him!") is obeyed with as much speed as the target can muster.
System: The nature of the cantrip's target determines the Realm needed. Only one person can be affected with a single casting of this Art, so the Scene Realm cannot be used to affect multiple targets. The number of successes determines how long the cantrip lasts. Whenever the subject must perform an action that runs counter to her personality, she is allowed one (extended) resistance roll (Willpower, difficulty 8). If the total successes on the resistance rolls exceed the caster's current Glamour, the cantrip is broken. As with all cantrips, non-mortals may spend Willpower to break the cantrip. Any expenditures of Willpower they make count as successes on extended resistance rolls.
Captive Heart can be cast multiple times with cumulative success, if the caster spends a Glamour point for each extra casting. If two casters use conflicting commands on one target, the cantrip with the most successes determines the outcome. A target told first to be a tree and then a dog follows the cantrip with the highest successes and ignores the other one.
1 success — The enchantment lasts for one turn.
2 successes — The enchantment lasts for one scene.
3 successes — The enchantment lasts for one hour.
4 successes — The enchantment lasts until sunrise or sunset, whichever comes first.
5 successes —The enchantment lasts 24 hours.
Type: Chimerical
Perhaps the most bizarre element about the sidhe is their strange relationship to the timestream. They literally live in an entirely different time paradigm. Even mages with the Time Sphere are hard pressed to understand this relationship. This sidhe are very "slippery" to the mage's Time Sphere. (All uses of this Sphere against sidhe are at +2 difficulty. The sidhe have no such difficulty in affecting mages.) While the sidhe are not nearly as versatile in their manipulations of time as are some mages, they can do a few things that the mages can't (at least not without being torn apart by Paradox). Most notably, they can perceive and affect the near past. This Art affords the sidhe a strong advantage over other fae and is one of their most jealously guarded secrets. Very few commoners know it, and those who do cast it at plus one difficulty.
Attribute: Perception
• Wyrd
When cast, this cantrip confuses the time sense of those it is cast on. The recipient must make an Intelligence + Temporal Sense roll (difficulty 7, 2 successes needed) or become confused as to the order in which things happen. She may see a person dropping dead, and then hear the gunshot that killed him. All Mental Attribues are rolled with an additional one point of difficulty.
Realms:
Actor - Describes who becomes confused. (Duration: One minute per success.)
Fae - Describes who becomes confused. (Duration: One minute per success.)
Nature - Describes what natural object people become confused about. (Duration: One hour per success.)
Prop - Describes what object people become confused about. (Duration: One hour per success.)
Scene - Describes what area people become confused in, or about. (Duration: One round per success.)
•• Backward Glance
This cantrip allows the changeling to look into the past. It has two main advantages. The first is to grant her total recall of any event that she has experienced. The second is to "read" what has happened to a person, place or thing in the past. Use of this cantrip is obvious, and widely recognized (even by commoners). Use of this cantrip on another changeling is considered to be in poor taste, if the caster doesn't ask first. This cantrip is useless when directed against the Mists, or anything touched by it. The number of successes rolled determines how far back this cantrip may read. Use of this cantrip requires one point of Glamour.
Realms:
Actor - Describes who is being read.
Fae - Describes who is being read. (May be used on self.)
Nature - Describes what is being read.
Prop - Describes what is being read.
Scene - Describes where is being read.
Successes:
1 success - 10 minutes
2 successes - One hour
3 successes - One day
4 successes - One month
5 successes - One year
••• Dream Time
Sometimes called the "Rip van Winkle" spell, this cantrip affects the speed of the forward progression of time. It can speed time up or slow it down. This cantrip allows the fae to age on object prematurely or to retard aging (though not against the onset of Banality). This cantrip many not be combined with the cantrip Permanence, below. Speeding up an individual, using the Actor or Fae realms, allows extra actions to be taken in a turn. Slowing down someone in this fashion may reduce their target's ability to act. Unwilling target of this cantrip may roll their Intelligence + Alertness (+ Temporal Sense, if applicable) versus the caster's Intelligence + Realm, to "outthink" this cantrip. Some changelings believe that this cantrip doesn't really alter time, but instead gives that illusion through other means. (Though no one knows how.) This cantrip may not be cast on the same object more than once in a scene.
Realms:
Actor - Describes who is being affected. (Speed up: ages person 1 year per success or one extra action per turn, maximum five. Slow down: retards aging one month per success or slows down actions by half.)
Fae - Describes who is being affected. (Speed up: ages person 1 year per success or one extra action per turn, maximum five. Slow down: retards aging one month per success or slows down actions by half.)
Nature - Describes what is being affected. (Speed up: ages object 1 year per success. Slow down: retards aging 1 year per success.)
Prop - Describes what is being affected. (Speed up: ages object 10 years per success. Slow down: retards aging 1 year per success.)
Scene - Describes where is being affected. (Speed up: ages area 100 years per success. Slow down: retards aging 100 years per success.)
•••• Permanence
This cantrip affects the duration that another Art lasts. When applied to most Arts, this cantrip extends their durations by one unit of time (variable) per success. The Storyteller has absolutely the last word over how it affects a given cantrip. The amount of time (units of time) may be counted in rounds, minutes, or even centuries, depending on the spirit of the cantrip being affected. (i.e., The duration of the Chicanery cantrip Fuddle is counted in minutes, while the Dream-Craft cantrip Attunement may be measured in months.) Cantrips with no duration to speak of (e.g. the Primal cantrip Holly-Strike) are not affected by this cantrip at all.
Realms:
Actor - Describes who is being affected
Fae - Describes who is being affected
Nature - Describes what is being affected
Prop - Describes what is being affected
Scene - Describes where is being affected
Successes:
1 success - x2 duration
2 successes - x3 duration
3 successes - x4 duration
4 successes - x5 duration
5 successes - x10 duration
••••• Reversal of Fortune
This cantrip can turn back the veils of time and actually "undo" a recent occurrence. How far back in time this cantrip reaches is determined by the number of successes rolled. In combat situations the time is measured in rounds, while in less stressful situations (peace) it is meatured in minutes. Casting this cantrip is very draining and costs a permanent point of Glamour. This cantrip may have an effect on the balance of power in a game. The Storyteller has the final say over whether a player character may take this Art.
Realms:
Actor - Describes who is being affected
Fae - Describes who is being affected
Nature - Describes what is being affected
Prop - Describes what is being affected
Scene - Describes where is being affected
Successes:
1 success - One round ago (combat), one minute ago (peace)
2 successes - Two rounds ago (combat), two minutes ago (peace)
3 successes - Three rounds ago (combat), three minutes ago (peace)
4 successes - Four rounds ago (combat), four minutes ago (peace)
5 successes - Five rounds ago (combat), five minutes ago (peace)
Dream-Craft is fundamental to any changeling who wishes to explore the Dreaming. This Art allows the fae both understanding of and power over the Dreaming. Although sidhe are particularly puissant in this area, many commoners wield it with considerable facility
Attribute: Wits
• Find Silver Path
The Silver Path is visible to all fae - most of the time. If a changeling leaves the path while traveling through a trode, however, she is as good as lost. From even 25 feet away the path (and any companions on it) simply melts away from view. This cantrip is vital to finding the path again. It is also useful for divining the difference between the true path and a false one created by mischievous chimera. (Difficulty and number of successes needed vary depending on the skill of the illusion.) Finally, it may be employed in a limited fashion to tell who or what else may be using the trod. This ability is usually somewhat ambiguous in its results, however. Chimera are particularly adept at hiding their presence from this cantrip.
Realms:
Actor - You can tell who else is walking the Silver Path.
Fae - You can tell who else is walking the Silver Path.
Nature - You can tell what kind of terrain the path travels through.
Prop - You can tell what kind of structures may lie along it.
Scene - You can find the Silver Path
Successes: The effect of successes gained vary depending upon the use being applied. If being used to detect a false path, the difficulty varies depending upon how well the path is hidden. If being used to locate or detect objects on the path, use the chart below.
1 success - Can detect objects very close by (within a few yards)
2 successes - Can detect out of sight (within 100 yards)
3 successes - Can detect objects within a mile or so
4 successes - Can detect objects within several leagues
5 successes - Can detect objects anywhere on the path
•• Determinism
With this power the changeling may determine what is on the other end of a trod. Information gathered in this manner is usually accurate, but may be somewhat cryptic. The changeling will often see only a small portion of the picture. This ability is based on sight only and may be thwarted on the other end by such Arts as Legerdemain. Unless the changeling uses all five Realms in the casting of this cantrip, she will only get a partial picture. (i.e., If she only uses the Scene Realm, she will be able to see the area on the other end of a trod, but not the Unseelie redcap with the machine gun.)
Realms:
Actor - You can tell who is at the other end of the trod
Fae - You can tell who is at the other end of the trod
Nature - You can tell what is at the other end of the trod
Prop - You can tell what is at the other end of the trod
Scene - You can tell what is at the other end of the trod
Successes: The number of successes gained determines the clarity of the vision.
••• Homestead
The dreaming is a place of constantly shifting paradigms. The "laws" of reality that exist one day in the Dreaming may be canceled the next/ The use of this cantrip allows the changeling to create a semipermanent area of the stability within the Dreaming. This works best in the Near Dreaming, but can be accomplished farther afield. Freeholds usually have the effects of this cantrip incorporated into them. Structures built in the Dreaming without the benefit of this cantrip are often washed away like sand castles in the rising tide. This cantrip freezes the area in its current state, allowing only minor "natural" changes.
Realms:
Actor - Allows a mortal to resist the chaotic nature of the Dreaming
Fae - Allows a fae creature to resist the chaotic nature of the Dreaming
Nature - Allows a natural object to resist the chaotic nature of the Dreaming
Prop - Allows an artifact to resist the chaotic nature of the Dreaming
Scene - Allows an area to resist the chaotic nature of the Dreaming
Successes: Each success grants a degree of protection against the chaotic forces of the Dreaming, whether chimerical or banal. When cast on a person or object, add one Health Level for each success gained as long as that person (or object) remains in the Near Dreaming. When cast on a freehold, reduce any attack on the freehold by one for each success gained.
•••• Attunement
The Kithain are creatures of the Dreaming, yet in many ways they are sundered from it. Even the sidhe no longer enjoy the connection with it that they did in the Age of Legends. Attunement reforges these ties, to a degree — allowing the changeling to maker herself (or other things) a stronger part of the Dreaming. When cast, this cantrip attunes the changeling to one person, place, or thing in the area. The number of successes rolled determines the duration of the Attunement. This powerful cantrip has several practical uses. First, the changeling can determine the general physical characteristics of a locality. This cantrip can do much of what the Silver path and Determinism cantrips (see above) can, and more. When cast with the Realms of Actor or Fae, this cantrip allows the changeling to determine the target's general characteristics (though some fae are adept at dodging this). Many nobles use this to keep tabs on their freeholds. Nobles attuned to a certain object have reduced difficulties (minus 1-3 levels) in all Perceptions rolls. Additionally, they have -2 difficulty to all Arts used on the attuned object. This is not an offensive cantrip, however, since you cannot Attune an unwilling subject.
Only one subject may be Attuned to a changeling at a time. If a changeling stays Attuned to an object for a long time, he becomes very aware of it. Changeling lowers sometimes Attune themselves to each other. A king Attuned to his castle has a decided advantage over any competitors. No two fae may claim the same area, or person, at the same time. If one fae tries to "claim jump," roll (difficulty 6). The one with the most successes becomes Attuned. This cantrip only works in the Dreaming.
Realms:
Actor - Describes whom you are being Attuned to
Fae - Describes whom you are being Attuned to
Nature - Describes what you are being Attuned to
Prop - Describes what you are being Attuned to
Scene - Describes where you are being Attuned to
Successes:
1 success - Subject is Attuned for one minute
2 successes - Subject is Attuned for one hour
3 successes - Subject is Attuned for one day
4 successes - Subject is Attuned for one week
5 successes - Subject is Attuned for one month
••••• Dream Weaving
This cantrip is somewhat similar to the Legerdemain cantrip, Phantom Shadows. It is somewhat more versatile, but it can only be used in the Dreaming. This is sometimes referred to by commoners as the "instant castle" cantrip, because it is commonly employed for just this purpose. This is the cantrip of pure, chimerical creation: some say of life itself. Objects created through this cantrip are essentially permanent, as long as they are in the Dreaming. (Banality destroys them very quickly.) This cantrip costs two permanent points of Glamour to cast (more in the case of truly grand projects). The Storyteller has the final say over what this cantrip can create. The Realm of this cantrip determines the maximum size of and object.
Realms:
Actor - Who is created (Maximum size: Large human)
Fae - Who is created (Maximum size: Large horse)
Nature - What is created (Maximum size: Large tree)
Prop - What is created (Maximum size: Medium-sized palace)
Scene - What is created (Maximum size: Small woods)
Notes: Sizes may be increased by spending Glamour. (Storyteller's discretion.)
Successes: The number of successes rolled dictates how "perfect" the object is. A palace built with only one success will be cold, drafty and badly in need of repair. A knight created with five successes may become a legend (as long as he doesn't leave the Dreaming).
This is the fundamental Art of nocker craft, and most nockers are conversant with its principles. At its lowest levels, Infusion strengthens and alters chimerical materials, making them easier for nockers to manipulate and work with. At its highest levels, this Art is an act of creation in the truest sense.
Infusion is based in part on the premise that there are four basic types of chimera: Incidental, Dreamed, crafted, and forged. Incidental chimera are flimsy and difficult to work with in their native forms. Dreamed chimera are somewhat hardier, but still do not stand up to most daily abuses. Crafted chimera are shaped through traditional handiwork (With the Crafts Skill), and the changeling must spend a point of Glamour to manipulate a created chimera. Only Nockers, Boggans, and some Eshu have much skill in the crafting aspect of Infusion. Forged chimera are the most resilient of chimerical items, and only Nockers (and some Sidhe of House Dougal) with this Art may create them.
Nockers guard this Art jealously, though a few boggans practice it at its lower levels. Nockers claim that Boggans stole their knowledge, which may explain something of their enmity toward Boggans. Some Sidhe of House Dougal have also gained some learning of this Art.
(For more information on the types of chimera, rules on crafting chimera, and the creation of chimerical creatures, see pg. 217 in Changeling: The Dreaming second edition.)
Attribute: Intelligence
• Harden
This cantrip allows a Nocker to "harden" inanimate, Incidental chimera into a form that can be forged or crafted. (Further details on Incidental chimera can be found in Changeling: The Dreaming second edition, pg. 218.)
System: This cantrip costs one point of Glamour (in addition to any other Glamour needed for casting) to use.
The chimerical objext to be affected determines the nature of the Realm. Fae ••••• (Dweomer of Glamour) can be used as a secondary Realm but not as the solitary Realm.
An Incidental chimera that has had this cantrip successfully cast upon it can be crafted or forged as if it were a Dreamed chimera.
The number of successes determines the duration of the cantrip. Obviously at least two successes are needed for this cantrip to be of much use.
1) One hour
2) One day
3) One week
4) One month
5) Permanent
Type: Chimerical
•• Toughen
This allows a nocker to toughen any chimerical material (even a changeling's fae mien), making it more resistant to damage and Banality.
System: The nature of the chimerical object to be affected determines the Realm needed for casting this cantrip.
Any chimerical substance affected by this cantrip gains an additional Health Level for every two successes earned by the casting of the cantrip. In addition, all rolls for resisting Banlity are reduced by one for every two successes gained.
Multiple castings of this cantrip do not have cumulative effects.
Type: Chimerical
••• FUBAR Generation
This cantrip allows a nocker to spontaneously create FUBARs and bend them to his will. FUBARs are a neccessity for any Nocker experiments that are created with or powered by electricity or magnetism. It is unkown whter the FUBARs are actually created by the use of this cantrip or if they are summoned by its casting.
System: The Realm Fae ••••• (Dweomer of Glamour) must always be used when casting this cantrip.
A Nocker can trap a generated FUBAR in a metal hoop with an Intelligence +Gematria roll, difficulty of the FUBAR's Glamour rating.
The number of successes determines the number of Glamour points the FUBAR has.
Type: Chimerical
•••• Animantis
Golems are the automated servitors of Nockers, and most serve and accompany their creators willingly. Like all chimera, golems may range widely in power, size, and appearance. The only constraints on a golem's features or capabilities are a Nocker's talen, materials, and imagination. Most golems have a mechanical appearance, though a nocker may use Phantom Shadows (Legerdemain •••••) to make a golem more natural in appearance.
System: The Realm Fae ••••• (Dweomer of Glamour) must always be used when casting this cantrip.
Golem creation is an arduous process. (Extended Intelligence + Gematria and Craft rolls, difilty 7, 10 successes required in each.) Once a Nocker has built her golem's body, she must hook it up to a FUBAR-powered generator. Such a golem is essentially mindless, and follows only basic commands. However, if the Nocker later casts the Gilgul cantrip (See below) on the golem to give it true sentience, it gains a measure of intelligence.
A botched cantrip roll means the animation process causes phusical damage to the golem, and the Nocker must repair it before the cantrip roll is repeated.
Seven points may be spent on the golem's Physical and Social Attributes, Skills, and Redes for each success rolled. (See the Golem Background above.)
Type: Chimerical
••••• Gilgul
Gilgul is the Hebrew term for "transmigration of souls," reincarnation," or "metempsychosis." For nockers, it is the ultimate act of creation, for it is the process by which sentient life is created. Bestowing the breath of life involces properties of the strange monad and demands a great deal of time and equipemtn. This cantrip is typically ised to make non-sentient chimera sentient, and is often used to bring golems to life. Nockers who wish to practice this cantrip legally must obtain permission from the Grand Bes Din.
System: When granting sentience to a golem, the Realm Fae Fae ••••• (Dweomer of Glamour) must always be used. When using this cantrip on chimera, the nature of the chimera determines the Realm used, though Fae ••••• can be used as a secondary Realm.
Among the chimerical tools needed to bestow chimerical life is a rod of true silver and a delta-wave helmet. Both are used to collect /strange/ monads, and to imprint the Nocker's brain patterns on his creation. If the cantrip is successful, the player makes an Intelligence + Gematria roll (Diff 7). If hoth rolls succeed, congratulations - it's a living, thinking chimera. Cigars for everyone!
Sentient golems are typically dimwitted, but some are remarkably intelligent. For each success achieved on the Gematria roll, the golem gains one Attribute point, assigned to Perception, Intelligence, or Witts by the Nocker's player. The creature is friendly and loyal to its creator, and learns fundamental skills quickly.
If the cantrip roll succeeds, but the Intelligence + Gematria roll fails, no points are allocated to the golem's Mental Attributes. The creature is a blithering idiot. It may be less useful than it was before, if it was animated previously. The chimera can't even follow simple instructions, but is still alive and aware, and loves its master like a half-witted dog would. Creating a foll is one of the risks of creating life, and puts the Nocker in the moral dilemma of caring for his child or extinguishing its life (and hoping that Bes Din never gets word of it).
If the player botches one or both rolls, the golem gains sentience, but the Gilgul goes horribly awry; the golem is mentally instable and antisocial. (The Storyteller rolls the character's Intelligence + Gematria secretly, and assigns points to the golem's mental Attributes. If the Storytell rolls no successes for Attributes, the creature is a mindless animal.) The creator of a rebllious or out of control golem may have to destroy her child to prevent a bloody rampage.
Type: Chimerical
Legerdemain is the Art of sleight-of-hand and illusion. Originally based on illusions and "stage magic," Legerdemain transcends such parlor tricks, allowing a changeling to affect physical reality. Changelings who are the entertainers in Kithain society (jesters, clowns, pooka, etc.) generally specialize in this Art. While this is also considered a commoner Art, a user of Legerdemain is not as suspect as with Chicanery; however, an Unseelie pooka armed with this Art bears watching.
While many of the effects of Legerdemain duplicate Chicanery, use of this Art differs in that it creates a substantial illusion that is visible to all changelings and enchanted beings rather than altering a single individual's perception. There are those who claim that some uses of this Art actually create temporary chimera.
Attribute: Dexterity
• Gimmix
Gimmix permits a changeling to maneuver objects telekinetically. With this cantrip she can move, twist, throw, lift and crush things. Fine motor coordination, such as typing or dialing a telephone is impossible, however. Anything a real person could do with her hands if her fingers and thumb were glued together is possible. Gimmix can be used in extremely small places, handling objects that the changeling couldn't normally see or reach. The Bunk for this cantrip must incorporate some hand gesture that mimes the effect of the cantrip.
System: The Realm is determined by what the changeling is trying to affect. If she is trying to lift a pooka by his ears, the Fae Realm would be necessary, but lifting a knife would require the Prop Realm.
The number of successes indicates the force of the telekinesis. For objects thrown, the damage possible is determined by the strength of the cantrip (e.g., Strength = 2 inflicts two Health Levels of damage against a target). Multiple castings of this cantrip are considered separate castings and cannot be accumulated for greater strength. Five successes (depending on the target's weight) and the appropriate Realm are necessary to directly affect a human's body with this cantrip.
The effects of this Art only last one turn, so the cantrip must be continually recast to maintain any telekinetically lifted object. Alternatively, once a single object has been affected, the character can spend a point of Glamour for each additional turn he wishes to maintain the Gimmix.
1 success — Lift six oz.
2 successes — Lift five Ibs.
3 successes — Lift 40 Ibs.
4 successes — Lift 100 Ibs.
5 successes — Lift 200 Ibs.
Type: Wyrd
•• Ensnare
This cantrip has two major uses: the changeling can cause a large object to move about quickly, or she can entangle an opponent with any scenery at hand, such as roots, old tires, tripwires, etc.
If the changeling is attempting to trip an individual, any vines, rope or other small objects suddenly move to trip and bind the intended target. If no such objects exist, the target believes that there are, tripping over his own feet and becoming bound by chimerical vines or rope.
- Strength = 0
- Strength = 1
- Strength = 2
- Strength = 3
- Strength = 4
The other use of this Art allows the changeling to cause one object weighing up to 300 Ibs. to spin and whirl about at high rates of speed. Such objects can be targeted at another person or object (often resulting in much carnage).
System: The object being affected determines the nature of the Realm needed to cast this cantrip. If the changeling directs an object to smash into a person, the object inflicts three Health Levels of damage for every success achieved in casting. To hit the target with the lifted object, the changeling must succeed in a Willpower roll (difficulty 7). The target is allowed a resisted Dodge roll. For Ensnaring, the number of successes determines how well the target is Ensnared.
Ensnarement
1 success — Causes target to trip; target must roll Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty 6) to avoid falling.
2 successes — Target is Ensnared; must succeed in a strength roll (difficulty 6) to escape.
3 successes — Target is Ensnared and must exceed the Ensnare's successes by three or more in an extended Strength test (difficulty 6) in order to escape.
4 successes — As above, but the target must gain five successes.
5 successes — As above, but 10 successes are required. Targets Ensnared remain trapped until they can break free. Multiple castings of this cantrip are not cumulative (use the Ensnare cast with the highest success in the case of several castings upon one target).
Type: Wyrd
••• Effigy
This cantrip creates a duplicate of an object or person that the changeling can see and touch. The copy has all the features of the item that could be seen and felt. An Effigy of a book is tangible, and if the original were open when copied, the Effigy would be open to the same page and have the same writing on the page.
The copying of the Effigy is only skin-deep, however, so none of the internal qualities of the original are transferable. The Effigy-book may be open to the same page as the original, but a person couldn't close it or read other parts. The caster can supply "special effects" to the copy by spending one Glamour point per effect (i.e., making the book open and close, writing on the other pages, etc.). Creating realistic movement and coherent speech in Effigy-created beings requires a successful roll of Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty subject to the complexity of the action taken).
An Effigy lasts until the caster ceases concentration, stops thinking about the Effigy, or it is eroded by Banality. An Effigy can be out of the caster's line of sight, but the caster cannot create any special effects or supply movement or speech for it.
An Effigy in the presence of banal individuals begins to erode. (Any changeling who has a Banality score higher than his Glamour rating is considered to be banal for these purposes.) Each turn that the Effigy is in the presence of a banal person, one success is subtracted from the cantrip's successes An Effigy in the presence of an Autumn Person deteriorates at twice this rate. The Effigy completely discorporates when the Banality erodes the successes of the Effigy's casting to zero. An Effigy with six extended successes cast on it lasts six rounds, or sooner if the caster stops concentrating on it (any action other than concentrating is at +1 difficulty). On the seventh, the Effigy discorporates. As it erodes, the copy loses its "resolution," and its imperfections become more apparent. Multiple castings on the same Effigy are cumulative.
Effigies cannot be easily damaged. An Effigy damaged by Wyrd or chimerical effects loses one from its total successes but suffers no other ill effects. An Effigy reduced to zero successes in this manner completely discorporates.
System: The Realm is determined by the caster's subject for his copy when creating an Effigy. The number of successes indicates the copy's accuracy, as well as the amount of damage an Effigy can inflict on a foe.
1 success — Bad copy.
2 successes — Major differences.
3 successes — Minor differences; can inflict 1/2 chimerical damage.
4 successes — Nearly perfect copy; can inflict chimerical damage.
5 successes — Exact duplicate; can inflict Wyrd damage (only if the caster initially specified the Effigy as Wyrd).
Type: Wyrd or Chimerical
•••• Mooch
The changeling can instantaneously move things from one place to another. A favorite of pickpockets, Mooch can remove a trinket from a mark's pouch and replace it in the caster's own. The cantrip only works if the caster can see the object, or he has seen it within the past minute. A coin be could Mooched in plain sight, though anyone watching would spot the Mooch.
System: When casting this cantrip to Mooch an item from another character, the changeling uses whatever Realm is appropriate to the item's current owner. For example, lain the pooka notices that Anya the boggan has these really neat shoelaces in her sneakers today, and he would like to "borrow" them. To Mooch the shoelaces, lain would need the Fae Realm since Anya is a boggan. It his attention is captured instead by the charm bracelet on the wrist of a mortal girl working at a newsstand, he would need the Actor Realm to work Mooch on her.
If the object is on its own, then a Realm appropriate to the object being Mooched (generally Prop) is needed. So if the mortal girl takes off the bracelet that lain's hankering after and lays it on a stack of magazines, lain would need Prop to work Mooch this time.
The number of successes determines how well the changeling performs the Mooch. To determine if her object is missing (unless she was holding the object in plain sight, in which case the Mooch is apparent), the target may make a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 4 + the number of successes gained for the Mooch).
Characters who possess the Pickpocket Skill receive one automatic success when they cast Mooch.
Type: Chimerical or Wyrd
••••• Phantom Shadows
This cantrip is the true art of illusion creation. Whereas Effigy creates an unmoving copy, Phantom Shadows creates original illusions and engenders them with sentience. The created illusion can be of any subject the caster desires and is difficult to differentiate from the real thing, unless those who examine it are mystically aware or possess faerie sight. The Phantom Shadow intrinsically knows what its caster wants and carries out her wishes; however, if the caster forgets (or is made to forget as with Fugue) the existence of the Phantom Shadow, the casting essentially becomes a free-willed, uncontrolled chimera and acts on its own whim (a sleeping caster does not forget merely because she sleeps; her unconscious mind still remembers).
A Phantom Shadow has exact parameters with unique limitations. A Phantom car does not necessarily have gas, and a Phantom Shadow soldier may not appear with a gun, although the cantrip does create clothes for the soldier to wear. A created computer possesses operating software, but nothing else (no spreadsheets, word processing or gaming software). Phantom Shadows cannot be used to make a target appear as something else.
System: The item or creature being created determines the nature of the Realm needed to cast this cantrip. Entire phantom (or chimerical) buildings can be constructed through the use of the Scene Realm.
The casting of this cantrip actually creates a malleable chimera. The chimera created thusly can be either animate or inanimate at the caster's choice. The number of successes gained determines how believable the illusion is as well as how powerful it is. Multiple castings are cumulative in the same manner as with Effigy. Each time this cantrip is cast, the caster receives five chimera creation points for each success earned. The caster can then build his chimera using the chimera creation rules on page 220 for animate chimera or see the chart in the Appendix for inanimate chimera. A chimera created by Phantom Shadows remains for as long as the caster continues to supply it with Glamour. The caster must supply the Shadow with at least one point of Glamour per day or it vanishes. A Phantom Shadow that has been released and become a true chimera begins to seek out its own Glamour — by whatever means necessary.
Phantom Shadows can inflict chimerical damage on anyone, including enchanted mortals and supernaturals. A target may disbelieve on an extended Perception + Kenning roll, difficulty 7. If the disbeliever achieves more successes than the caster of the Phantom Shadow, the Shadow immediately disperses.
Banality also tends to erode the illusion in the same way as Effigy, but the decay is slower; the total number of successes reduces at a rate of one per hour of exposure. (Illusions that are patently "unbelievable," such as tap-dancing fish, tend to erode faster, though this is at the Storyteller's discretion.) Autumn People cause Phantom Shadows to discorporate at twice this rate.
1 success — Fuzzy image (5 points).
2 successes — Looks real if it's not studied too closely (10 points).
3 successes — All but the finer details are complete (15 points).
4 successes — Only the slightest imperfections (20 points).
5 successes — Perfect image (25 points).
Type: Chimerical (A Phantom Shadow made "real" by calling upon the Wyrd must be maintained by spending a point of Willpower every turn.)
This is a rare Art guarded jealously among the court seers and few commoner namers of the Crystal Circle. Rumor has it that entrants into the Crystal Circle are all taught the secrets of this Art upon their joining - a rumor that august body has yet to deny nor confirm. True Names hold the essence of Glamour, as well as the ability to control the soul of the being, if the namer is powerful enough. A powermongering seer could well control the flux of power within a court by injudicious use of the Naming Art. There have been a few who tried, like the infamous Malachi Tadcaster. By altering the True Name of Baron Scherio, he caused that loftty noble to be changed into a horse, which he rode into court. Not long after, three mysterious sisters calling themselves the Norns paid Malachis a visit. Malachi disappeared with them, and he has never been heard from again. It should also be noted that all written accounts of him have gradually faded as well, as though scribed on goblin parchment. His name remains in the spoken word alone, a caveat to to injudicious name users.
The Naming Art will not work against someone who already knows your True Name. Your naming magic is useless if someone knows your name and you don't know hers.
Beginning characters should not know the Naming Art, as it is rarely known to any but members of the Crystal Circle or high-ranking nobles.
Attribute: Intelligence
• Seek and Spell
Realms:
Actor - You may decipher works about people or the human condition.
Fae - You may read manuscripts dealing with fae or magick.
Nature - You may decipher works dealing with nature and natural objects.
Prop - You can translate works dealing with created objects and machines.
Scene - You can decipher works describing places.
Successes: The number of successes indicate how much information is gained from reading the tract.
1) Vague understanding with few clear details.
2) Fairly cleaner understanding of the tract with only a few details.
3) Full understanding with all details coherent.
4) Complete understanding, as well as divining the subtext or any hidden meanings behind the text (any coded information is also revealed).
5) As above, and you can ask up to three questions about the author of the text.
•• Rune
Rune unleashes the abstract mystical power behind the symbols known as runes. you inscribe a symbol on the object you wish to enchant, in addition to the chosen Bunk. This cantrip is an enhancement to other cantrips or actions. For example: Roderic the troll wishes to use Rune to enahance the successes of attacking with his battle-axe. He inscribes the appropriate rune on the axe; acts out the Bunk, and gains three successes from the cantrip. Roderic now has three additional successes on his axe-swing. However the character must get at least one successes in whatever he is attempting to do before the successes are added - this cantrip does not provide an automatic success. The effect of the cantrip lasts for one turn (the cantrip is used up, even if the axe-swing missed).
Realms: The Realm determines what is affected. For example, a rune inscribed on an axe would aid a character in hitting an opponent or a rune inscribed on a wall could aid the character in casting a Wayfare cantrip.
Actor - The rune may be placed on a person.
Fae - Descibes the target of the cantrip.
Nature - Describes the target of the cantrip.
Prop Describes the object of the cantrip.
Scene - Descibes the setting of the cantrip.
Successes: The successes are added onto any successes gained from when taking another action. the effect last one turn.
••• Runic Circle
This cantrip inscribes a protective circle around the target or on a charm that can be carried. The circle acts as an invisible buffer that protects against supernatural forces. In addition to the Bunk, you must inscribe a runic circle on either the floor or an object (usually taking a full turn).
Realms: The Realm determines where the cantrip is cast. Each Realm has its own advantages and disadvantages; thus while a Runic Circle cast in conjunction with Scene may protect more people, it is not mobile as one cast on a Prop would be. A Prop may be stolen or dropped, though, unlike a Circle cast on a person by using Actor - the possibilities are endless.
Actor - Describes the target of the cantrip.
Fae - Describes the target of the cantrip.
Nature - Describes the target of the cantrip.
Prop - Describes the object of the cantrip.
Scene - Describes the setting of the cantrip.
Successes: the number of successes determines the protective Strength of the circle, which will protect the user as long as she does not leave the circle or drop the charm.
1) Protection against all Arts to Level One.
2) Protection against all Arts up to Level Two/all Sphere magick up to Level One
3) Protection against all Arts up to Level Three/Sphere magick up to Level Two/all other supernatural abilities (Gifts, Disciplines, etc.) up to Level One
4) Protection against all Arts up to Level Four/Sphere magick up to Level Three/all other abilities up to Level Two
5) Protection against all arts up to Level Five/Sphere magick up to Level Four/all other abilities up to Level three.
•••• Saining
Use of this cantrip allows the namer to find the True Name of the target. this cantrip is most often used in the Saining riitual of a newly awakened kith, but it has other, more nefarious uses. All things have a True Name, even a television or a car. Changelings who possess this ability can learn the True Name of anything they use this cantrip upon, thus giving them some control over the object or person, especially if they possess the highest level of this Art, Reweaving.
to find out many letters are in a name, consult the chart below:
Roll (2D10) # of Letters
2 3
3 - 5 4
7 - 9 6
10 - 13 7
14 - 18 8
19 - 20 12
Realms: The realm determines who or what is affected.
Actor - Describes the target of the cantrip.
Fae - Describes the target of the cantrip.
Nature - Describes the target of the cantrip.
Prop - Describes the target of the cantrip.
Scene - Describes the target of the cantrip.
Successes: The number of successes determines how many runes in a name are known. A name cannot be used untill all of the letters are known.
1) 1 letter
2) 2 letters
3) 4 letters
4) 5 letters
5) 7 letters
••••• Reweaving
By switching key runes in a target's True Name, the namer can fundamentally (and permanently) change the basic nature of the target. Seelie would become Unseelie, Legacies could be changed, etc. Note that the user of this cantrip cannot make a target do something impossible (i.e., a sluagh could be made into an elegant courtier, but sill unable to speak above a whisper). The True Name of the target must be known before casting this cantrip.
This cantrip can be used to affect objects as well as people. While generally only a person's personality is changed by the use of this cantrip, objects can be literally transformed: a common stone may be transformed into a flower or a fish transformed into sand. Even places can be changed through the use of this awesome power.
Realms: The Realm determines who or what is effected.
Actor - Describes the target of the cantrip.
Fae - Describes the target of the cantrip.
Nature - Describes the target of the cantrip.
Prop - Describes the object of the cantrip.
Scene - Describes the target of the cantrip.
Successes: The number of successes describes how drastic a change has been effected in the target.
1) Minor change; tastes or habits. Stio a target from chewing gum, or make a room less drafty. Change the color of a room from red to green.
2) Moderate change; interests or moods. A ragin tiger rolls over like a kitten, or a computer geek's interest shifts to something more worthy (like roleplaying). Make a pleasant, sunny room gloomy and filled with foreboding.
3) Major change; inner nature. Switch Courts, or get a gun to decide that its true calling is a paperweight, not a weapon. Turn a bank into a Communist collective.
4) Total change; true calling. Change Legacies to that of your choice, or cause gunpowder to be edible. Turn a church into a bowling alley.
5) Complete change; spiritual Twister. Cause vampires to embark on Golconda, or simply gain Faith. Switch stats on character sheets between Social and Mental Attributes. Change wraiths to specters. Turn the White House into a public lavatory.
In ancient times, faeries' forms were as mutable as dreams themselves. An echo of this power has been passed down as the Art of Metamorphosis. With it, princes have been turned into toads, children into swans, and young kings into damn-near-anything. While not exclusively a commoner Art, it nevertheless was used extensively in the days after the Shattering, when skillful hiding amongst mortal meant the difference between life and death.
This Art turns a living creature into another living creature; therefore, a fairy godmother could turn mice into horses, but to change a pumpkin into a carriage or a man into a chair would require Primal.
The base duration for a metamorphosis cantrip is one turn; success beyond those required for the effect may be used to enhance the duration (see chart below). For example, with five successes the character using Impersonate (Level 2 power) may look like a troll for one hour, or a perfect likeness of a specific troll for one turn.
Successes |
Duration |
1 |
One minute |
2 |
One hour |
3 |
Twelve hours |
4 |
One day |
5 |
Three days |
Spending a temporary point of Glamour will add one level to the cantrip's duration; i.e., one minute becomes one hours.
Attribute: Stamina
• Hidden Form
This cantrip allows the changeling to camouflage herself or another living being with the play of light, shadow, and color on her body. This is especially effective in woods or other places with a broken landscape of darkness and light. Note that this cantrip only affects vision; going unseen doesn't necessarily equate with going unheard.
System: Difficulties to spot the changeling are increased by 3. The number of successes indicates the cantrip's duration. This cantrip differs from Chicanery ••: Veiled Eyes cantrip in that since it is physical rather then mental camouflage; cameras are also affected.
Type: Wyrd
•• Impersonate
With this cantrip, the Changeling can alter her appearance to look like another person or kith; it doesn't bestow any of the powers or birthrights of that person (e.g., impersonating a master nocker gives you neither his skill at chimera forging nor his highly-developed Arts). the target will sound ( more or less) like the intended target, but some skill in acting may be required to pass more the a cursory inspection.
System: The change may be simply an altering of the fae mien (i.e., chimerical, or it may affect the mortal seeming as well (wyrd). Successes determine fineness of detail. The Art paints with broad strokes, as it were, before concentration on details, so in order to appear like a specific person of the recipient's own kith, five successes are still required.
1) Vaguely like another kith (You're sort of bluish).
2) Could pass for the kith if they aren't paying attention (You look like a short, overweight troll).
3) Most of the details are accurate (You're a troll)
4) Looks similar to a specific person (You're Lyro's older Unseelie cousin)/
5) Nearly a perfect image of a specific person (General Lyros, sir!).
Remember that size must be similar to the caster's unless Metamorphosis ••• is also used
Type: Wyrd or Chimerical
••• Go As Alice
This is one reason the fae are also known as "The Little People." Since it is much easier to hide from prying mortal eyes when there is less of you to see, changelings would often shrink themselves to small size. Some freeholds were built with entrances too small for normal-sized mortal to squeeze through, making the hold an inviolate sanctuary for those who possessed this cantrip.
System: The number of successes determines size. this can be cast multiple times to alter size or duration even further, so that 10 successes could make the recipient breadbox-sized for three days. As with Impersonate, Go Ask Alice can alter the size of the mortal seeming as well as the fae mien. Be warned that a 30-foot giant will almost certainly suffer Banality's effects should any mortals see him.
1) 3/4 or 1 1/2 times normal size.
2) 1/2 or 2 times normal size.
3) 1/4 or 2 1/2 times normal size.
4) 1/8 or 3 times normal size.
5) 1/16 or 3 1.2 times normal size.
Type: Wyrd or Chimerical
•••• Merlin's Lessons
Fairy tales are full of princesses turning into birds, princes changing to toads, witches becoming cats, and peasants turning into newts (don't worry, they'll get better). This cantrip is how the fae performed such feats.
System: Successes determine duration. For an additional point of Glamour, natural advantages and powers can be bestowed - for instance, a changeling turned into a bat could fly and echolocate. Metamorphosis 3: Go Ask Alice is required to drastically alter mass.
Type: Wyrd
••••• Mythic transformation
One of the most powerful yet dangerous cantrips modern changelings can know, Mythic Transformation can change the fae into a full-blown creature of legend, such as a dragon, manticore, or firebird.
The changeling in essence becomse a creature of the Dreaming, with all the strengths and weaknesses of that beast. The changeling who becomse a drong, for example, may be able to fly and breathe fire, but may also be subject of extreme avarice and carry a fatal flaw in his armor. Likewise, a changeling in a unicorn's form may be able to heal with his horn, but would have an aversion to "impure" people. Powers and frailties are subject to Storyteller's discretion.
The dangers of using this are many. Because the changeling is an actual mythic creature, Banality slowly eats away at their very substance. the changeling loses Glamour at the rate of one per hour. Once his Glamour pool reaches zero, he loses Health Levels at the same rate.
Further, if a skeptical mortal sees the changeling, the changeling may be cast into a random point of the Dreaming in the same way chimera may be (See Changeling: The Dreaming page 224).
System this is a very powerful but costly cantrip. For the transformation to be complete (all the powers and frailties of the mythic beast), the changeling must sacrifice a permanent point of Glamour in addiction to the usual Glamour costs; otherwise the character merely takes the form of the beast. Metamorphosis ••• is required to drastically alter size.
Type: Wyrd
Much of the power of changelings arises from the elemental affinity between their faerie souls and the forces of nature. In ancient times, the spirits of rocks and trees whispered their secrets to the fae who lived in the forests and groves. The ability to hear the forests' whispers was lost by most changelings during the Shattering, remembered only by the Inanimae. One of the first things the Inanimae taught the changelings after the Shattering was how to whisper back. The Inanimae are mostly asleep now, and the Art they taught — Primal — is rumored to be only a fraction of the wisdom the nature spirits could have imparted. As a sign of gratitude to these beings, the cantrips of Primal are named after the spirits who helped the fae relearn these connections.
Kithain often stereotype other changelings who specialize in Primal cantrips as "salt of the earth" types: simple, stolid and honest. This oversimplification often makes them the butt of pooka jokemeisters ("Hey, troll! Did you hear the one about the Willow-Whispering farmer's daughter who….") Primal cantrips have no effect on anything made of pure iron, though they can affect alloys, such as steel.
Attribute: Stamina
• Willow Whisper
This cantrip allows the changeling to talk to anything, even things that normally cannot talk or understand speech. Willow Whisper grants the ability to speak to books, furniture, rocks, plants, buildings, aliens… anything. There is one limitation to this cantrip: all requests must be phrased in a whisper. Using Willow Whisper in a place such as a football stadium in the middle of a game is a fruitless exercise.
Also, nonsentient objects possess nonsentient intellect; rocks and trees may be really interesting to talk to, but they process information differently. An oak tree might think of "a short while" as 20 years, while a rock might consider several thousand years as a brief moment. Storytellers should imbue inanimate objects with personalities appropriate to their natures.
System: The Nature and Prop Realms are most commonly used in conjunction with this Art, describing the object with which the caster is trying to communicate. The successes indicate how many questions may be asked and the clarity of response from the subject. Multiple castings upon a target are cumulative, but each successive casting is at + 1 difficulty.
The Realm describes the object with which the changeling is communicating.
1 success — Mumbling, meandering answers; one question only.
2 successes — Vague, obscure answers; three questions.
3 successes — Clear but strange answers (the object is thinking in its terms, not recognizable human or fae terms); lasts for one scene.
4 successes — Clear, straightforward, but very boring answers; lasts for one week.
5 successes — Perfectly clear, lucid, interesting answers; lasts for up to a month.
Type: Chimerical
•• Eldritch Prime
The user of this cantrip can cause any one of the following natural elements to appear: fire, water, earth, air or wood. The cantrip causes the element to appear in the most natural form possible: water showers down as either rain or bubbles up from the ground like a spring; wood either sprouts out of the ground, or an object "grows" bark. The element can appear in an unnatural setting (such as rain indoors), but the element could nor appear in an unnatural or manufactured form. A changeling could not suddenly cage an opponent inside a square wooden box, but he could cause a network of roots to grow around a target, forming a most unusual prison.
System: If simply creating natural elements, the Nature Realm is used. If actually affecting an individual, both the Nature and the appropriate Realm (for whatever is being affected) must be used. The number of successes determines how much of the element appears. For every two successes gained (round up), the changeling can create a one-die effect (as is generally the case when conjuring fire and air) or provide one Health Level of protection (as can be the case when conjuring stone or wood).
For example, a caster achieving three successes can cause a root-prison to appear that could withstand two levels of damage. A caster who rolls one success could summon a flame that would inflict one Health Level of damage, or cause bark to grow on her skin, protecting against one Health Level of damage. Multiple castings are cumulative.
The changeling can direct where the element will appear, but she cannot control what the element does unless she recasts the cantrip. If she causes fire to rain from the sky, she cannot control the path of the resulting inferno unless she recasts the cantrip and receives at least as many successes as the present size of the flame.
The consistency of the element is up to the caster, but she may not conjure anything that is not a phenomenon "normally" occurring in nature. The effects of this cantrip last for one minute for each success earned.
Type: Chimerical
••• Oakenshield
This cantrip imbues an object or person with the solid, protective essence of oak bark. Targets of Oakenshield can resist a tremendous amount of chimerical punishment.
System: The Fae and Actor Realms are most commonly used in conjunction with this Art, though it is possible to use Prop or even Nature in some aspects to protect a specific item from damage. Each success provides a Health Level over and above the Health Levels already possessed by the target. These extra Health Levels last until they are destroyed by damage or deliberately shed by the wearer. Multiple castings are not cumulative, and any successive casting of Oakenshield negates the successes gained by any previous castings of it.
Type: Chimerical
•••• Heather Balm (or Holly Strike )
This cantrip has two uses: it can either mend that which is broken, or it can break something by expanding upon tiny imperfections in the object. The caster can heal or break anything, although Storytellers may decide that affecting certain objects or areas requires an extra expenditure of Glamour and/or Willpower.
System: Almost any Art can be used in conjunction with this Realm. The Realm used is determined by the person or object to be healed or harmed. If the caster uses Scene Realm to spread the damage over a large area (or several persons), the total damage is equally distributed. Heather Balm heals one Health Level per success. In the case of nonliving objects, the Storyteller decides how many successes are required to repair the subject.
For Holly Strike, one Health Level of damage is caused for each success earned. When this Art is used on people, weird, jagged lacerations appear on random parts of the body. When damaging objects, the Storyteller must determine how many Health Levels are needed to destroy it.
Type: Chimerical
••••• Elder-Form
This cantrip allows the caster or another target to take on the shape of something else. The new form possesses all of the Attributes and disadvantages of the new form. If the changeling turns himself into a tree, he may be taller and tougher, but he won't be able to talk (unless he casts Willow Whisper — just how does one perform that Bunk now, anyway?) If he turns himself into a stone, well, he'd better hope he's in a scenic spot, because he'll be seeing a lot of it in the next several centuries.
While it is possible for the changeling to transform himself into the form of a mythical beast, he does not gain any magical powers from this change. A character altered by Elder-Form only gains any natural abilities that form may have, not supernatural powers. For example, a changeling who transformed himself to appear as a vampire would have pale skin and maybe even fangs, but he would gain none of the special vampiric powers (such as regeneration), nor would he be susceptible to a vampire's weaknesses (such as sunlight). The same would be true if a changeling transformed himself into a dragon; he would have scales and claws, but he could not breathe fire.
System: Unlike most cantrips, the Realm used with this Art is determined by the form the caster wishes the target to take. The period of the transformation is determined by the number of successes. There is a chance that the target will revert to her original form each time an unenchanted person comes into contact with the target. Roll the unenchanted person's Banality (difficulty 9); if the number of successes on this roll equals or exceeds the successes made by the caster of Elder- Form, the cantrip is dispelled.
1 success — One turn
2 successes — One hour
3 successes — One day
4 successes — Three days
5 successes — One week
Type: Wyrd
Half a million years ago, mortals discovered the lure and beauty of fire. The fae have been playing with its natural beautiful might for considerably longer. They can control the power of the will-o'-the-whisp and create servants of living fire. This Art uses Glamour to weave and shape flame into pleasing shapes and efforts.
Attribute: Dexterity
• Will-O'-the-Whisp
This cantrip creates a ball of chimerical flame that will lead its creator to a specific place, person, or object. This cantrip is often used as the "lead dog" in a hunt. The will-o'-the-whisp tends to weave and wander a lot, often not taking the most direct path but usually the safest.
Realms:
Actor - Describes whom you are hunting.
Fae - Describes whom you are hunting.
Nature - Describes what or whom you are hunting.
Prop - Describes what you are hunting.
Scene - Describes the location you are seeking.
Successes: The number of successes determines how direct and safe a route the will-o'-the-whisp will take. One success means that the route will be meandering and possibly treacherous, while five successes indicates that it will follow the most direct and safest route.
•• Willow Light
This cantrip will allow you to illuminate or cast auras of light upon objects or places. With this cantrip you can cause objects or people to glow, or even cause an entire place to become lit with by this phosphorescence. This effect will last for one hour for each point of Glamour spent on its creation.
Realms: The Realm determines what or where can be illuminated.
Actor - Determines who can be illuminated.
Fae - Determines who can be illuminated.
Nature - Determines what or where can be illuminated.
Prop - Determines what can be illuminated.
Scene - Determines where can be illuminated.
Successes: The number of successes determines how bright the glow will be.
1) Dim light (Christmas tree light)
2) Visible light (60 watt bulb)
3) Bright light (100 watt bulb)
4) Incandescent light (Halogen bulb)
5) Blinding light (10,000 watt bulb)
••• Prometheus Fist
This cantrip allows you to completely engulf an object in flame. These objects will burn with tremendous heat, but will not affect you or the object, though they will burn anything else that they come into contact with. This cantrip is often used to create flaming weapons, inflicting horrible wounds upon the victim of such an attack. These flames are not flammable in that they will not actually catch other materials on fire, but they will cause chimerical burn-wounds. The effect will last for one turn for each point of Glamour spent at the time of casting.
Realms:
Actor - Describes who can be wreathed in flame.
Fae - Describes who can be wreathed in flame.
Nature - Describes what can be wreathed in flame.
Prop - Describes what can be wreathed in flame.
Scene - Describes a location or place that can be engulfed in flame.
Successes: The number of success determines the intensity of the flame and how many extra dice of damage a weapon will cause, or how much damage will be cause by coming into contact with the flame.
1) One die of damage
2) Two dice of damage
3) Three dice of damage
4) Four dice of damage
5) Five dice of damage
•••• Burn and Boil
This cantrip allows you to engulf a chosen target in searing fire, generally consuming the target within minutes or even seconds. this flame becomes normal flame once released, igniting and burning the target of the cantrip just as normal flame would (See fire, pg 235 in Changeling: The Dreaming).
Realms:
Actor - Describes who may be consumed by flames.
Fae - Describes who may be consumed by flames.
Nature - Describes what may be consumed by flames.
Prop - Describes what may be consumed by flames.
Scene - Describes a place that may be consumed by flames.
Successes: The successes determines how many dice of damage are caused by the effects of this cantrip.
1) One health levels
2)Two health levels
3) Three health levels
4) Four health levels
5) Five health levels
••••• Star Body
By performing this cantrip, you can transform something into living flame, keeping all its intrinsic abilities and powers intact - a cat will still be a cat, a sword will still be a sword, a person will still be able to move about and think for herself, etc. This cantrip is often used to create more formidable freehold guardians and other beasts. Anything consider part of an object or person will usually be transformed as well, such as equipment, weapons, etc. As with Prometheus' Fist, the fire created by this cantrip does not harm the caster. The flame itself is magical, and will not ignite other objects unless a creature so transformed desires to. Creatures or objects so transformed inflict three additional health levels of burning damage, in addition to any damage they normally do.
Realms:
Actor - Describes who can be transformed.
Fae - Describes who can be transformed.
Nature - Describes what and where can be transformed.
Prop - Describes what can be transformed.
Scene - Describes where things may be transformed.
Successes: The successes determine the length of time the target of the cantrip will remain transformed.
1) One turn
2) One minute
3) One hour
4) One day
5) One week
Spirit Link is the Art of communicating with the spirits that inhabit the Upper and Lower Worlds and reside in all natural objects and animals. It is available only to Nunnehi or those changelings who are deemed worth to be taught the Art. Nunnehi will only teach Spirit Link to non-Nunnehi if that changeling is adopted by a Nunnehi Nation.
Attribute: Perception
• World Sight
This cantrip allows you to perceive creatures, objects, or places in the Upper, Lower, and Middle Worlds. When used in connection with the Prop or Scene Realms, it allows you to look in on an object or an area in the spirit worlds from afar. Places in the Middle World can only be assessed when you are physically present. You must either be familiar with the subject or possess something that links her with the subject - such as a piece of or an item belonging to the subject, the subjects spirit (or true) name, or a symbol associated with the subject.
This cantrip does not allow sensory perceptions of the Middle World like those able to be sense with the Soothsay cantrip Tattletale, but does allow the Nunnehi to assess the true spirit of an object, person, or place. Thus by using World Sight, you could tell that an Object has a curse associated with it; or that a person is actually a supernatural creature such as a vampire. Possession by spirits can be revealed by this cantrip, as can the inherent amount of Medicine or spirit power that exists in a place.
Realms: The Realm defines the subject or area being glimpsed. Distance is not a factor for World Sight.
Actor - Definse the person or spirit being sensed.
Fae - Defines the changeling, other Nunnehi, chimerical creatures, or other supernaturals such as Prodigals (vampires and werewolves) and Gallain being Sensed.
Nature - Defines the animal, plant, mineral, or other natural item being sensed.
Prop - Defines the place in any of the three worlds being sensed.
Successes: The number of successes determines how much can be sensed by the use of this cantrip.
1) You gain a vague sense of the subject, usually through a momentary vision. No other sense is involved. Used to glimpse someone or something in the Middle World, there is only a sense of whether something is "wrong" with the subject of the cantrip.
2) You vet a slightly distorted, though more detailed, picture of the subject. Colors are muted or artifical, sounds are muffled and indistinct, and you have no control over point of view, which remains static. the effects last for about five minutes. Used to view a subject in the Middle World, this degree of success allows a hint about the subject's true nature (i.e., "a dark shadow hangs over your uncle, like a curse…")
3) Your World Sight is clear and distinct/ Colors are vivid and realistic, but sounds are still easily misinterpreted, particularly in the case of overheard conversations. The effect last for an entire scene. Danger to yourself from the subject of the cantrip may be clearly perceived, as can other strong emotions associated with the subject. Used in connect with a target in the Middle world, three successes allows a definitive (thought not always specific) determination about the subject to be made. For example, you can clearly "see" that Uncle Ragin Bear is laboring under a curse of bad luck, or that the mysterious stranger is actually a vampire, but cannot tell who placed the curse, powerful it is, or whether the vampire is a strong or weak one.
4) You receive a full, distinct, multi-sensory image of your subject. Normal sounds and conversations are easy to interpret. The duration last for a full day and night unless you decide to end it prematurely. You can sense potential as well as actual danger from the subject. You can alter your point of view in a limited fashion, but may not follow if the subject moves out of your sight. When focused on a subject information about the person, place, or thing sensed such as the nature of a curse and its relative strength or the amount of Medicine possessed by someone.
5) You receive the same richness of detail as with four successes, but can also choose your point of view, following the subject wherever it goes. The duration last until you choose, or are forced by failing a Stamina + Athletics roll (diff 7), to end it. You may also alter your point of view, enabling you to see through the eyes of your subject, although you cannot read thoughts or hidden intentions. If used to view someone or something in the Middle World, you may gain exact information about supernatural or magical effects surrounding your focus. You may determine that someone is changing from one Camp to another, or that he or she is one of the changing breed, or a worker of death magic.
•• Ancestor Speech
When using Ancestor speech, you may contact the spirit of one of your own or tribe's ancestors. If the ancestor in question was also Nunnehi, that spirit may not be contacted unless the Nunnehi's immortal faerie soul was destroyed; those whose souls were not destroyed have since manifested in other bodies and are not available for consultation. Human ancestors of your family like or mortal tribe may be sought for and questioned. Ancestor spirits may only answer questions pertaining to, or provide visions of, the past up to the present moment. They have no knowledge of the future, or even what is transpiriting at the instant of contact. They can be asked about events, places, people, customs, rituals, and objects that existed in the past, and can offer advice when asked for it.
Such counsel is made only with the spirit's own beliefs and perspectives in mind, never with any supernatiral or inside knowledge of what is to come or what the right course of action is. Nevertheless, the wisdom of experience and knowledge of the past can sometimes be quite helpful in dealing with the present.
Realms: The Realm describes the subject of the cantrip.
Actor - Describes the ancestor chosen for contact. This may be a specific individual, if known, or a general call for a willing and helpful ancestor spirit.
Fae - Describes the ancestor chosen for contact in those instances involving the mortal spirit of a Nunnehi whose faerie soul has been destroyed. This Realm is also used to contact spirits of other supernatural creatures.
Nature - Describes the natural thing or animal type chosen for contact. these natural spirits must have been associated with an ancestor at one time. such as his companion spirit or his favorite shade tree. If the individual spirit is not known, a general type may be selected. Thus, if the ancestor's actual antelope companion spirit was not available, any antelope may serve as a spirit conduit. Note: Spirits of animals, plants, and rocks are limited by their own perceptions and world views in the amount of information they can impart.
Prop - Describes the item associated with the ancestor chosen for contact. For example, "the sacred pipe that was lost when my grandfather Eagle's Cry drowned in the river." The item so contacted can answer questions about or provide visions pertaining to its association with the ancestor.
Scene - Describes the place associated with the ancestor chosen for contact.
Successes Successes indicate the degree of detail imparted by your subject.
1) You get minimal answers to your questions and only general counsel.
2) Your questions are answered incompletely and adive is often cryptic.
3) You questions are clearly answered, but the replies are subject to interpretation. Counsel is direct, but not detailed.
4) You get complete answers, clearly explained, and advice is strait forward and specific to the situation. Mo other information is volunteered, however. You get what you ask for.
5) Not only are the questions answered and counsel freely given, your subject takes the time to mention aspects of the problem that you may not have considered, or explores the possible courses of action open to you.
••• Vision Quest
This cantrip allows you to gain a vision of the future or to seek the answer to a current dilemma or problem. Unlike the Augury cantrip, which allows the player to make a statement that the Storyteller then tries to work into the plot, Vision Wuest enables the Storyteller to offer the Nunnehi character a brief glimpse into the possible future that fate has in store. If the answer to a question or way out of a dilemma is sought rather than knowledge of the future, it is answered by your spirit toem or associated spirits to the best of their ability. This does not obligate the Storyteller to reveal all her secrets or to tell players the complete answer to puzzles. Rather it allows her to reveal hints, suggest methods for solving problems and warn of the consequences of reckless or unconsidered behavior.
The Vision Quest is like experiencing a waking dream of the Upper World. It is filled with omens and symbols that you must interpret. Anything might be meaningful, from the animals you see to colors, items noticed, sounds heard, the direction of the wind, or smells experienced. Visions in which animals or inanimate objects talk to you are considered ver important; ones in which you encounter one of the major spirits of her tribe (Raven, Coyote, Blue Corn Woman, or White Buffalo Woman, for example) are thought to be the most important and meaningful of all.
Realms: The Realm indicates the primary focus of the vision sought.
Actor - Indicates the person who is the subject of Vision Quest or for whom the quest is undertaken.
Fae - Indicates the Nunnehi or other supernatural creature who is the subject of the Vision Quest or for whom the quest is undertaken.
Nature - Indicates the living thing or natural object that is the focus of the Vision Quest.
Prop - Indicates the inanimate object that is the focus of the Vision Quest.
Scene - Indicates the place that is the focus of the Vision Quest.
Successes: Successes determine the depth and duration of the vision and its ease of interpretation.
1) The vision received is momentary and indistinct, like a dream not completely remembered and quickly gone.
2) The vision lasts for several minutes, but what you see is often confusing and heavily veiled in symbols.
3) The vision lasts for the equivalent of a scene and resembles a fable or an allegory which you must interpret.
4) The vision last for up to several hours and is richly detailed. Although it is filled with symbols, they are usually able to be interpreted with a fair degree of accuracy.
5) The vision lasts until it ends naturally or until you choose to end it. It is complex and complete, though still conveyed through symbols, and may recur in parts when actual circumstances relating to it begin to happen around you.
•••• Placate
Placate allows you to contact the restless spirits of persons or animals and make attempts to appease them, induce them to refrain from disturbing the living. Hungry or angry ghosts are problems for many native tribes, and often a Nunnehi can act as a liaison to discover ways in which the unhappy spirits may be placated. the spirits of animals needlessly or mistakenly killed, or those whose spirits were not properly petitioned for their deaths or thanked afterwards, may also be contacted through the use of Placate. In cases where a spirit's identity is not known, something belonging to or a place important to it may become the focus of this cantrip.
Placate does not give you actual power or control over the spirit, but it does allow the living and the dead to negotiate a settlement.
Realms: The realm identifies the particular spirit or spirits contacted through this cantrip.
Actor - Identifies the spirit to be placated.
Fae - Identifies the spirit of a supernatural creature (including fae whose faeries souls have been destroyed) to be placated.
Nature - Identifies the animal, plant, or other natural object whose spirit must be placated.
Prop - Identifies an object associated with the spirit to be placated.
Scene - Identifies a place associated with the spirit to be placated.
Successes: The number of successes indicates the willingness of the spirit to allow you to appease it in some way and the length of time in which it will remain placated.
1) The spirit grudgingly tells you what must be done to appease it for a short time (one day).
2) the spirit regards the offer without bostility and may be appeased for up to a week.
3) The spirit is willing to be placated for a month
4) The spirit is anxious for appeasement, and agrees to cease being a disturbance for a least a year.
5) the spirit is completely satisfied and does not again cause trouble unless it is once again offended.
••••• Ghost Dance
This powerful cantrip allows you to assert actual control over the spirits of the deceased. It can be used to command or compel a ghost to cease troubling the living, banish it from a particular place or object, or force it to return to the Lower World if it has managed to cross into the Middle World. Used with the Fae Realm, this cantrip can be used against vampires and other monstrous beings. It is also believed that under certain circumstances, a Nunnehi using this cantrip can actually raise an army of ghost warriors to do battle for her, her Family, or her tribe. Attempting such a drastic use of this cantrip, however, puts the Nunnehi's faerie self at risk. If such an attempt fails catastrophically (a botch), the Nunnehi is drawn against her will into the Lower World where she must battle the ghosts she was trying to command. A Nunnehi who dies in this manner is forever destroyed and becomes the ghost of her mortal self.
Realms: The Realm describes the person, creature, thing, or place affected by the cantrip.
Actor - Describes the human spirit who is the subject of the cantrip.
Fae - Describes the supernatural creature who is the subject of the cantrip.
Nature - Describes the animal, plant, or other natural spirit who is the subject of the cantrip.
Prop - Describes the object or item associated with the subject of the cantrip (such as a bow haunted by the spirit of a dead warrior).
Scene - Describes the place which is the subject of the cantrip (for example, the clearing where a deer was wrongfully killed).
Successes: The number of successes indicates the degree to which the spirits of the deceased can be controlled.
1) You can command a ghost to stop troubling the living, but cannot make it leave unless it wishes to do so. You cannot affect powerful spirits of the dead or supernatural creatures.
2) You can command a ghost to cease its disturbance and leave the area for a short period of time (regardless of whether or not it is appeased).
3) You can permanently banish a ghost from an area or forbid it to trouble an individual. A powerful ghost or a supernatural creature can be commanded to leave for a short period of time.
4) You can point the way to the Lower World to a "lost" ghost (although you may not travel there yourself) and force it to leave the Middle World entirely. You can banish a supernatural creature from a specific area (such as a clearing or a particular dwelling) of the Middle World.
5) You can exert phenomenal control over the spirits of the dead, compelling them to do what you tell them, even to the extent of raising an army of spirit warriors to do battle for you. The dangers of using this degree of power to create an army are detail in the description of the cantrip above. You can control the actions of supernatural creatures for a time lasting untill the next sunrise or sunset, whichever comes first at this level of success.
Soothsay is the Art of divination, prediction and interaction with Dan, the fae belief in fate. Dan is like an immense, complex, shifting tapestry, too complicated for most to fathom. All beings, whether mortal, fae or Prodigal, have the threads of their fates caught up within this tapestry. Wormlike and blind, they burrow their way along their threads, until they suddenly realize that they have unwittingly caused the end they've achieved.
Occasionally, the forces of Dan make themselves apparent to a person. The most dramatic of these incarnations are the Norns, or Three Sisters, but the visitation can be more subtle. A priest glances down and sees a shiny gold coin. Instead of giving it to the church, he pockets it for himself. Years later, he is caught embezzling church funds.
This Art is for thinkers and contemplative Kithain. As such, changelings who specialize in Soothsay can often be found as seers and advisers to nobles. Most Kithain have widely differing views of those fae skilled in the Art of Soothsay. Nobles find them useful for court intrigue, and commoners are wary of their knowledge. In general, they are accorded much respect.
Attribute: Intelligence
• Omen
In general, most people have difficulty seeing themselves as part of the "big picture." This cantrip offers a glimpse of the target's place within the great tapestry of Dan. Subtle clues of the ultimate fate of a person, place or thing reveal themselves to the caster. While this cantrip is too weak to ascertain more than a hint of the target's future, Omen is nonetheless a useful tool. The information gleaned by Omen is cryptically prophetic. It hints at the target's future, but is sometimes vague concerning the immediate present. The changeling may not be able to discover that the target is an axe murderer, but she might guess that the target's intentions do not bode well for someone.
System: When casting an Omen cantrip, the Realm determines what the Omen is about. In most cases this will be the Realm of Fae or Actor (since most Omens concern people), though it is possible to cast an Omen upon an object and thus learn a little about its future.
The successes determine what information is available of the subject. None of the answers provided are straightforward, and the Storyteller should frame the response as symbolic visual clues. For example, a caster of Omen achieves three successes on an Unseelie troll with a Savage Legacy. The Storyteller may describe the image as this: "You see the troll wandering naked through a library with a look of confusion on her face. Suddenly, she grabs the nearest book and proceeds to eat the pages."
1 success — One clue about an immediate plan of the target.
2 successes—One clue about the Demeanor or general disposition of the target (if a changeling, one clue about his Court alliance).
3 successes — One clue about a long-term goal of the target.
4 successes — One clue about the inner nature (or Legacy) of the target.
5 successes — One clue about a closely guarded secret of the target.
Again, a changeling casting this cantrip receives no direct information. She couldn't cast this cantrip over Blackbeard's grave and find his treasure upon rolling five successes, but the cantrip might give her contextual clues as to where to look. Multiple castings are not cumulative. Any further castings are at +1 difficulty, and the info has a tendency to be more vague with each successive casting (Storytellers should get really creative with botches, and perhaps even make the initial rolls themselves and not reveal the result to the player). The Bunk used to spark the cantrip should involve some traditional means of fortune-telling (Tarot, tea leaves, astrology, entrail-reading, etc.).
Type: Chimerical
•• Fair Is Foul and Foul Is Fair
With this cantrip, the caster can more actively affect the target's Dan. She can curse the target with misfortune, or she can throw a ray of good fortune into a target's path. In either case, the change is not usually major; the target's situation usually only affects elements not already decided one way or another. Powerful enemies will not suddenly die, but with a bit of good luck, the target may find a piece of information that changes her enemy's mind about her, or (with bad luck) the target's closest ally suddenly decides she is not trustworthy and joins the enemy camp. Whatever happens, the change is usually unexpected.
System: The Realm determines the target of the cantrip, the elements affected and any other characters involved. Multiple castings are not cumulative; they only cause multiple effects. Furthermore, all successive castings upon a target are at +1 difficulty, and successive bad-effect castings on the same target have a tendency to rebound on the caster. The number of successes determines the amount of good or ill fortune the target receives. For "quick-and-dirty" fortune, the caster can either raise or lower the difficulty of any one roll no higher than 3 or lower than 5.
1 success — Find or lose a small thing (car keys, an old friend).
2 successes — Find or lose a valued acquisition (your Rage deck; a valued friend).
3 successes — Find or lose something treasured (a passionate love; a sizable inheritance).
4 successes — Find or lose a major element (a powerful patron/enemy; a magical sword; your lifetime companion; the family fortune).
5 successes — Find or lose something critical (your health, never fatal; a major magical tome).
Type: Chimerical
••• Tattletale
This cantrip provides a way to scrye through an object that is familiar to the caster. With Tattletale, the changeling can see anything that is within the immediate vicinity of the object. The image appears in any reflective surface that she desires. In order to successfully cast this cantrip, the target must be wellknown to the changeling, or she must possess a part of, or know its True Name. Once she establishes a connection, she can use any Perception-based Ability or cantrip through the object.
System: As with all cantrips involving multiple elements, several Realms are needed to incorporate everything. For instance, a troll wants to spy on several Nunnehi who stole his favorite goblet, as well as the nearby scenery. He would need Fae 4, Prop 2 and Scene 1. If he just wanted to view the interaction between the Nunnehi, he would only need Fae 4 and Prop 2. If he wished other characters present to view the scrying, he would need the appropriate Realm of the characters.
Multiple castings are not cumulative on this cantrip. There is no limit to the casting's range. Some users have even caught glimpses of the Dreaming (if the object is in the Dreaming, Umbra, etc., subtract two from the total successes. Assume the cantrip failed if the net result is less than one). The more successes gained, the more detailed and intricate the information.
1 success — Shimmering glimpses, with breaks and gaps if the object is moved. Visual only, lasting a turn.
2 successes — A good image that lasts approximately five minutes with no sound or color. The viewpoint cannot be chosen, and it does not change unless the object is moved.
3 successes — The image is perfectly clear, with full color and fuzzy sound quality (sounds can be heard within five feet of the object). Viewpoint may be tilted up or down, or pan left to right. Contact lasts one scene.
4 successes — Same as above, except that everything within normal earshot of the object can be heard. Furthermore, the caster can focus (or "zoom") upon any detail near the object. With a successful Soothsay + Realm roll (difficulty is the target's Banality + 4 ) , the caster may use Omen on any subject she can see with this cantrip. Contact lasts sunrise or sunset, whichever is closest.
5 successes — As above, except that the caster can move her point of view wherever she likes. She can choose a subject and follow him, even if he moves out of eyesight of the original object. With a successful Soothsay + Realm roll (difficulty is the target's Banality + 4 ) , she may use up to Level Two Soothsay cantrips upon the target (giving new meaning to a "good luck charm"). Contact lasts one full day, but a Stamina + Meditation roll (difficulty 7) is necessary to maintain contact after every six hours.
Type: Chimerical
•••• Augury
A changeling uses Omen to get a small glimpse of a person's Dan. With Augury, he can throw a major element into the path of a person's destiny.
Augury works as a limited form of Fate Fire. After the Bunk is performed (which must include some form of divination, as with Omen) and the cantrip cast, the changeling describes a scene or event which will take place at some time in the future. The event could occur anytime, and the caster has no control over when it does. Furthermore, the adage, "Be careful of what you wish for…." is particularly germane here; the changeling describes the scene, but the circumstances leading up to and following the scene are at the whim of the Storyteller (who should give the players a little slack, unless the scene described is a ridiculous attempt at powermongering). For instance, a caster describes a scene wherein her worst enemy is butchered by his own treacherous guards. A sadistic Storyteller could engineer a plotline in which the caster is forced to Elder-Form herself into an exact likeness of the enemy. Just imagine her sweating bullets as she approaches her "loyal" guards in the Elder-Form guise of her enemy. Will they strike now? Only the Storyteller knows!
No one knows whether the caster of Augury engineers the future event, or the caster's own Dan is at work as a moment in the future unravels backward in time, planting a kernel in the Augury of the intrepid caster. It is for this reason that Soothsayers treat Augury with kid gloves.
System: Multiple castings are not cumulative; however, multiple castings can "link" successive scenes in the future together. No more than three scenes may be so linked, and the Storyteller can add unforeseen plots and elements in between the linked scenes. (The more you attempt to control your Dan, the more your Dan controls you, Oedipus.) The Realms describe all of the major elements within the Augury, including the target. To affect large areas outside the immediate vicinity of the target requires Scene. The number of success determines the pivotal consequence of the described event.
1 success — Minor event, a scenic element (slight weather change); car keys found; an expected letter arrives.
2 successes — Uncommon event, a major scenic element (thunderstorm, snow, 3-car crash); an old friend calls out of the blue; the IRS decides not to audit you.
3 successes — Significant event, freakish weather (lightning strikes a particular person, or a rain of toads falls over L.A.); a dog reveals his owner's murderer; an ally arrives in the nick of time.
4 successes — Decisive event, wide-ranging elements (basketball- size hail for 36 hours, or black rain for a week); the state militia rebels; the IRS sets up a trust fund for you, based on your tax shelter.
5 successes — Acutely incredible event, nearly impossible elements (the President admits he is a vampire, a town simply disappears); the state militia announces its allegiance to Peru; a 3-headed baby holds a press conference.
Note: The caster achieves one free success (in addition to any successes earned) if her suggested Augury event is a complimentary element to the target's Dan. For example, if her target is a person dying of AIDS and she describes a scene where he passed away with all of his loved ones present, she gets one free success. If no successes are earned, she does not get this free success.
Type: Chimerical
••••• Fate Fire
Many people have little contact with their Dan; this is why the concept is so elusive. The day of reckoning does not usually arrive for a while. Casters of Fate Fire can speed up the process and bring a person's fate to manifest sooner for good or ill, depending upon the balance.
The caster has no control over the outcome. Of course, he can make suggestions as to what may be the most fitting manifestation of Ddn to the Storyteller. Casters of Fate Fire often have vague, portentous dreams of what will come to pass.
System: As with most Soothsay cantrips, the caster needs all of the Realms that will play a part in the casting of Fate Fire, including that of the target. As this is an unusually powerful cantrip, the Storyteller should take some time and thought in considering the target's manifestation of Dan (fate is usually obvious in its manifestation, but this cantrip should not totally unbalance the story… unless the Storyteller wishes to have a storyline wherein the main plot is the aftershock of Fate Fire). The successes determine the degree of Dan brought to bear upon the target.
1 success — The target receives a chance encounter, warning her of the consequence (or benefits) of her actions. A troubled soldier has nightmares about war; a bad driver is nearly hit by a car.
2 successes — The target receives a clear illustration of her Din, suggesting her ultimate rewards. The soldier receives Jonathan Livingston Seagull in the mail (no return address); the bad driver sees two cars smash up.
3 successes — A sudden turn of events in the target's plans either set her back or propel her ahead of "schedule." The soldier is court-martialed; the driver suddenly inherits a hot rod.
4 successes — Fate dramatically steps in and reveals the ends to the target's means. This may mean either sudden calamity or sudden prosperity. The soldier's platoon is wiped out (except for him), and he throws away his gun in an attempt to save an infant. The driver's close friend dies in a car accident.
5 successes — Instant karma. A character's fate is immediately brought to the fore. The soldier receives a supernatural visitation, informing him that his fate is not tied to warfare, but to saving lives. The reckless driver has a car accident, but may (or may not) live to become a safer driver.
Type: Chimerical
In ancient times, the sidhe used Sovereign to regularly enforce their noble dictates upon commoner kith. A few highly conservative (and unpopular) nobles still adhere to this custom. The Art of Sovereign forces commoners and nobles of equal or lesser rank to obey the caster's dictates. Thus, a knight could not use Sovereign on a baron.
This Art is the most widespread grievance that commoner fae have against the sidhe nobility. As such, wise nobles use this Art sparingly, lest they risk a revolt among their subjects. Traditionally, this Art was jealously guarded by the nobility, but in recent times this Art has surfaced in some commoners' use. Some members of the Beltaine Blade blame House Fiona, but the more likely reason is the rise of the non-sidhe nobility.
Any time this cantrip is used to affect a changeling of equal rank (commoners are all considered to be of equal rank), the target can make a resisted Willpower roll (difficulty 6) to resist the effects of the cantrip. Each success reduces the caster's successes by one. Any character can spend a Willpower point to be allowed to make a similar roll, but at difficulty 7.
Attribute: Charisma
• Protocol
This cantrip allows nobles to conduct business and hold court functions without being perpetually interrupted by noisy childlings or commoners. Protocol ensures that everyone affected behaves as noble etiquette requires, although a roll is required to determine if the target(s) can fathom the dictates of the proceedings (see the sidebar). When this cantrip is cast, no one may speak out of turn, and sudden combat and tomfoolery are out of the question. Duels between persons of equal rank to settle disputes are acceptable, if the reigning noble permits it.
Nobles take court very seriously, as it is the main deciding body for Kithain society. Before a noble can cast Protocol, he must determine what kind of court session he is holding, as well as its purpose (tribunal, treaty, a simple festival, Parliament of Dreams session, etc.). The court sessions listed below are in ascending order of secrecy. Ironically, the more secretive the session, the less often Protocol is used.
Open Court: Open to almost everyone. Often called as an impromptu session or a festivity highlight. Protocol is sometimes used if things threaten to get out of hand.
Closed Court: Open to certain commoners privy to important information. Called to settle matters of state. Protocol is occasionally used, especially if suspect commoners are in attendance.
Privy Council: Open to the reigning lord and his closest advisors. Protocol is rarely used here.
Reune: Highly secretive meeting between close confidantes or those making backroom political deals. Protocol is never used; noble fae would consider it an insult.
In addition, the form of a session is often difficult to comprehend for those unused to court proceedings. Attending changelings must make a Perception + Etiquette roll (difficulty andnumberof successes vary; sidhe reduce the difficulty by two, and non-kith attendants automatically fail this roll) or be out of sync with the proceedings. (Increase the difficulty of all Social and Mental rolls related to the proceedings by two.)
System: The Realms describe the targets affected. Obviously, certain Realms (such as Prop) are useless with Protocol. The number of successes determines how difficult the Protocol cantrip is to break by making a resisted Willpower roll as described above. A botch when resisting this cantrip means the target abases herself by bowing and scraping to the reigning lord until the cantrip ends. This cantrip remains in effect until dusk, dawn or when the lord proclaims, "Court adjourned!" — whichever occurs first.
Multiple castings of this cantrip are not cumulative. Two nobles who attempt to cast this cantrip at the same time is a minor breech of etiquette to the higher ranking noble (of course, the lower ranking noble's Protocol fails).
Type: Wyrd
•• Dictum
This cantrip enforces the power of authority and command over commoners and underlings. The target is simply unable to disobey the requests of the caster, although the target is aware when Dictum is used upon him (even if he is unfamiliar with the Arts).
A target under the sway of Dictum attempts to carry out the caster's requests to the spirit and the letter, unless the request would somehow place him in immediate danger. A target couldn't be told to attack a werewolf, but he could be asked to guard the door against werewolves, as the command does not place the target in immediate harm.
This cantrip, more than any other Sovereign cantrip, is the major point of contention between commoners and nobles. Commoner kith seem to take less of an affront to a user of Grandeur (see below) than a user of Dictum. After all, most Kithain already respect and feel a certain sense of awe for the nobility, but they do not appreciate being forced to bow and scrape before every noble whim.
System: The Realm determines the targets affected by the cantrip. The number of successes denotes how difficult this cantrip is to resist by making an opposed Willpower roll as described above. This cantrip lasts exactly one hour. Multiple castings are cumulative (successive castings are at an additional + 1 difficulty for each time cast).
Type: Wyrd or Chimerical
••• Grandeur
Grandeur impresses upon others that element of the majesty of Arcadia that every noble and sidhe carries. It is the component of noble poise and refinement that later mortal rulers attempted (but ultimately failed) with their divine pageants and coronations. Anyone who views a caster of Grandeur is overcome with awe; he can take no action (violent or otherwise) in the presence of the noble (even if that noble attacks the target). Holding court is not possible for a caster of Grandeur, as most of the attendees would be unable to speak. Changelings with romantic Legacies tend to fall in love with casters of Grandeur; this may be the reason it is rarely used in public (although High King David does seem to have an overwhelming number of admirers….).
System: When Grandeur is cast, the Realm is determined by the subject(s) of the cantrip. The Scene Realm can be added to affect multiple targets. If someone wishes to resist, she may attempt an opposed Willpower roll (difficulty is the number of successes scored by the caster). This cantrip lasts for one scene. Multiple castings are cumulative (successive castings are at an additional +1 difficulty for each time cast).
Type: Chimerical
•••• Weaver Ward
Use of this cantrip prevents a door or entranceway from being passed by certain persons or inanimate objects. Alternately, a caster can use Weaver Ward to insure that no one picks up or uses an object (if the cantrip is used in this manner, the caster must also possess the Realm that represents the object).
A changeling may use this to erect a selective screening for this Ward that lets certain persons through (though the person's True Name must be known and spoke aloud at the time of casting), such as a Warded cave that only permits members of a certain society to enter. She can also create a deactivator password that temporarily shuts the Ward down; "Open sesame!" and "Open locks whoever knocks!" are two more famous examples of such.
Weaver Ward may be also used as a "cantrip lock," or a lock against unwanted counterweavings. Cast in this way, Weaver Ward protects cantrips from being undone. No counterweaving is possible against a cantrip unless the Weaver Ward is undone first. For this to occur, the counterweaver must be aware of the Weaver Ward, and direct her counterweaves against it. After Weaver Ward is undone, the other spell can be made normally.
System: The Realms determine who or what may not pass through the Weaver Ward. If cast upon a particular item rather than a doorway, a Realm appropriate to the item must be used. To Ward against cantrips, the Dweomer of Glamour (the fifth level of Fae) must be used.
Even one success with Weaver Ward prevents the subject of the cantrip from entering the specified doorway or using the intended object. The only ways around this cantrip are casting a Counter-Weave, or the Wayfare cantrip Portal Passage. In either case, the would-be breaker must score more successes than the original Weaver Ward casting. Otherwise, only the wearing of time (many years) or excessive Banality will overcome this cantrip. In the presence of strongly banal people (those with more Banality than Glamour), a Weaver Ward loses one success per day. Once the successes are reduced to zero, the Ward is destroyed. In the presence of Autumn People, this deterioration takes place at a rate of one success per hour. Multiple castings of this cantrip are cumulative, but the caster can only accumulate a maximum of five successes on any given Weaver Ward.
Note: Yes, you can cast Weaver Ward on someone's mouth, but you need to achieve more (non-cumulative) successes than the target's Willpower (and the target can spend Willpower to automatically overcome the obnoxious use of this cantrip.
Type: Wyrd
••••• Geas (or Ban )
When this cantrip is used, the power of Glamour is employed to direct a person upon a task or quest. This quest must be fulfilled to the letter, or the target suffers some kind of curse (designated at the time of casting). The target need not know what lies in store for him if he fails to complete the Geas, but the anxiety of knowing can be worse than the punishment.
The other use of this cantrip, called Ban, forbids a target from doing something or engaging in a specified activity. The most common use of this cantrip is the exile- Ban, which forces the target to leave a specified area and never return (or suffer the effect of the curse). A Ban can also be a forswearing of a certain activity, such as smoking, killing another changeling, etc.
Certain forsworn quests and oaths are Geasa of a sort, and need no caster to initiate (the oathtaker's will and desire are initiating the cantrip). See "Oaths" in Chapter Seven for details on this form of Geas. For any other oaths not specified by this section, assume that a point of temporary Glamour is gained upon completion of the quest. The Storyteller must determine any ill effects for failure to complete the quest or the breaking of an oath. The minimum should be the addition of a permanent point of Banality.
A Geas or Ban that is impossible (e.g., a mortal is ordered never to breathe air) immediately fails. Geasa or Bans ordering a target to kill himself are likewise void, but a Geas or Ban can be cast which will surely mean death to the target (i.e., a target could not be Geased to stab himself, but he could be forced to take a quest in which he must kill an "unkillable" enemy).
System: The target of the cantrip determines the Realm need to cast this cantrip. The Scene Realm can be used to affect multiple targets. Unlike other cantrips, the changeling only needs the Realm affecting the target(s) to cast Geas or Ban. The Prop Realm is not usually needed unless the Storyteller feels that this is necessary. As usual, Scene is required to affect multiple targets.
The target must fulfill the Geas or Ban to the letter or suffer the consequences, determined by the number of successes. The target may (immediately) attempt to resist the cantrip by spending one permanent point of Willpower and succeeding in a Willpower roll (difficulty 4 + the caster's successes). This attempt must be made immediately after the cantrip is cast. Only one success is necessary to resist its effects. A Geas or Ban is immune to the effects of counterweaving.
The caster must divide her total successes between the quest and the curse (see below). She cannot stack multiple castings of this cantrip to increase the effects, though a single character can be affected by multiple Geasa and Bans. If she spends an extra Glamour point, she can designate the curse to gradually affect the target (with increasing severity) over the course of the quest. For example, a caster could send a target on a quest to find true love; the longer he looks, the more a debilitating and scarring disease ravages his body.
A Geas can be long-term ("Fight injustice whenever you face it.") or short-term ("No one may move until I finish singing my ballad."). The extent and power of the Geas (and the curse) are only limited by the number of successes at the time of casting.
Quests or Bans:
1 success — A simple Geas or Ban (drive me to the airport; stop picking your nose).
2 successes — A moderate Geas or Ban (retrieve a known item that has few guards; exile from a place rarely visited).
3 successes — A difficult Geas or Ban (find an unknown person; cease an activity you find important).
4 successes — A nearly impossible Geas or Ban (find an honest politician; exile from an area you've lived in all your life).
5 successes — A legendary Geas or Ban (bring back the Siege Perilous from Arcadia; never visit the love with whom you have sworn the Oath of Truehearts).
Curses:
1 success — Mild curse (rash or itch).
2 successes — Moderate curse (minor physical ailment or non-debilitating illness, such as a cold).
3 successes — Major curse (debilitating illness).
4 successes — Catastrophic curse (loss of loved ones, all possessions, etc.).
5 successes — Deadly curse (death, or worse).
Type: Chimerical
Wayfare is the Art of efficient travel. Originally developed by scouts and messengers, this Art has also found use in noble circles as a means to spy, because the powers at higher levels allow one to move into seemingly impossible places. For this reason, the overt use of Wayfare at higher levels is carefully watched by some nobles (and outlawed by others). At the lower end, the Art is considered more of a useful tool than a dangerous weapon. In general, commoners, noble retainers and eshu are the most likely to possess Wayfare.
Attribute: Wits
• Hopscotch
Leap trods in a single bound! With this cantrip, the changeling can make herself or others venture (seemingly) impossible leaps, either up or down. This cantrip is limited by the amount of space available (she could not smash an enemy into the ground as she could with Gimmix).
System: The Realm is determined by the target imbued with the ability to leap. An item imbued with this ability can be made to leap as well as people, though the caster must actually will it to do so. Anyone in physical contact with the item may prevent it from doing so by making an opposed Willpower roll (difficulty 6). Each success reduces the caster's successes by one. A failed Willpower roll generally means that the item in question rips free from the resisting parties grasp and leaps into the air. In the case of this cantrip being cast upon a person's clothing, the clothing will generally rip free (unless it is of particularly sturdy manufacture). This opposed roll cannot be used to stop a person who has been affected by Hopscotch. Finally, the Scene Realm cannot be used to cause a building to leap into the air. If the Scene Realm is used to allow multiple people to jump, the successes must be divided among the targets.
For example, Jimble the pooka casts a Hopscotch cantrip on a unsuspecting redcap's undershorts (hoping to give the redcap in question a serious wedgie). Obviously not wanting to be pulled into the air by his undershorts, the redcap makes his Willpower roll. His four successes cancel ] imble's original four. Jimble is going to need that Hopscotch cantrip for himself in a few moments….
The number of successes determines how far the caster can leap.
1 success — Five feet straight up; 15-foot broad jump.
2 successes — One story straight up; 30-foot broad jump.
3 successes — Two stories straight up; 60-foot broad jump.
4 successes — Five stories straight up; 150-foot broad jump.
5 successes — 10 stories straight up; 300-foot broad jump.
Type: Wyrd
•• Quicksilver
Faster than a speeding phoenix! This cantrip allows the changeling or a subject of her choice to move incredibly fast for brief instances. Others view the Quicksilver target as a blur.
System: The Realm determines the target(s) of this cantrip. Each success allows the changeling to perform an additional action on her next turn. If the Scene Realm is used to allow multiple people to be affected by Quicksilver, the successes must be divided among the targets.
Type: Wyrd
••• Portal Passage
Portal Passage creates an opening through any barrier, up to 10 feet thick. This portal will generally appear as a normal door (6' x 3'), though it may be smaller, depending upon the size of the barrier. The portal will pierce any barrier, no matter how thick. A barrier can be defined as a wall, hedge or closed door. A mountain obviously cannot be pierced since this exceeds the thickness limitation, though an eight-foot-thick wall of stone can be pierced.
System: When casting a Portal Passage cantrip, the substance in which the portal is to be created determines the Realm. In most cases this will require the Nature Realm, though generous Storytellers may allow the Scene Realm to substitute (if appropriate). If the character was trying to make an opening into a locked car or a boat, the Prop Realm may be appropriate. A created portal remains for one turn for each success gained.
Type: Wyrd
•••• Wind Runner
This cantrip can bestow flight upon the target. The target has full control over where he wants to fly, and for how long (subject to the limits of the cantrip). Multiple castings are not cumulative, and another Wind Runner cantrip may not be while the changeling is airborne. If he forgets about the cantrip's duration while aloft, he has a long time to ponder his mistake as he plummets earthward.
System: The Realm is determined by the target of the cantrip (almost always Actor or Fae). This cantrip can cause an object to fly, but it is subject to the limitation of Hopscotch (see above). Any individual who is in physical contact with the object may attempt to stop the flight by making an opposed Willpower roll (difficulty 6). This opposed roll cannot be made to stop a person affected by Wind Runner. If the Scene Realm is used to allow multiple beings to fly, the caster must divide her total successes among her targets. The number of successes + 1 die determines how many turns the target may remain aloft.
Type: Wyrd
••••• Flicker Flash
This is the cantrip feared by the nobility for its ability to allow anyone to get anywhere. With Flicker Flash, the changeling can disappear and reappear anywhere in creation that she desires. The caster must know, see (or scrye) or possess a part of both her target and the destination. If she cannot fulfill this limitation, there is a chance the cantrip will go awry (the Storyteller should have as much fun as she likes thinking up a really creative place to send the character!). This cantrip does not usually work when attempting to cross to the Dreaming. The few changelings foolish enough to attempt crossing to Arcadia have all been lost.
System: The nature of the person or item being affected by the cantrip determines the Realm. If the Scene Realm is used to Flicker Flash multiple people, the successes must be divided among the targets. The number of successes determines how quickly the changeling crosses from point A to point B. Storytellers may adjust this chart as they see fit for their own chronicle.
1 success — Travel takes one hour (or more).
2 successes — Travel takes about five minutes.
3 successes — Travel takes about one minute.
4 successes — Travel takes about 10 seconds.
5+ successes — Travel is instantaneous.
Type: Wyrd