Which character types are acceptable? Most of them, actually: kithain, kinain, thallain and Inanimae. Gallain are not allowed. Chimerical characters will be allowed.
Playing Chimerical Characters
With the guidelines found in The Bygone Bestiary, pp.93-100, chimerical characters will be considered, with some modifications:
- Chimerae should start with a base Glamour of 5 and a base Willpower of 1.
- Both Glamour and Willpower may be bought for 1 point per dot.
- Chimerae regain one point of Glamour per hour and one point of Willpower per day.
- Elemental Affinities are optional, but useful.
- Background points may be traded for Freebie Points or points of Special Advantages.
- In cases where Redes and standard player traits or Special Advantages do the same thing, use the cost and system for the standard trait or Special Advantage instead of the Rede. The lists of Redes and Special Advantages costs, like Merits, are on a one-for-one basis (a two-point Special Advantage costs two Freebies).
- Special Advantages and Redes can be increased but only with ST approval. They cost three times the amount listed in the CTD core book or Bygone Bestiary.
- Invoking the Dragon's Ire is not possible for chimerae, unless they take the Oath of the Compact of Cottonopolis.
- Chimerical characters do not have a Banality Trait, and do not gain Banality as changelings do, but Banality can harm them. If Banality is directly focused on a chimerical character, it will be rolled as damage on them. The chimera may soak this damage with a Glamour roll.
- Chimerae can soak all kinds of chimerical damage with their Stamina. Real damage does not harm them, unless they have been wyrded, in which case it operates as chimerical damage. When a chimera loses all health levels due to bashing or lethal damage, it is dispersed. When a chimera loses all health levels due to aggravated damage, it dies forever.
- If an attacker disperses a chimera, but does not destroy it, the chimera's Attributes return at the rate of one point for each Attribute per week.
Character Sheets
You should first post your character sheet as text to the ST in a private message. Once the ST gives you the okay, you should post your character sheet in the thread for changeling character creation as a way to introduce yourself to the other players and as a last chance for us to spot any goofs. That thread is here.
Once you're done, the ST will copy and paste the character sheet from this thread (not from the PM) to your profile on RPoL. From there, you'll be able to edit it, but please keep a track of all XP expenditure, as this will be used to compare your updated character sheet to the one in the forums when checking character development. Please do not spend XP without ST approval - all XP requests should be justified via bluebooking/journals and approved by the ST or an assistant ST.
Legacies
The C20 Legacies are great. There are more (fan-made) Legacies here (if you like).
We're also happy for you to invent your own Legacies, but please run these by the ST first. You may adapt existing Natures and Demeanors, for example, and allocate one as dominant over the other.
As an option for those fans of Dark Ages: Fae, you may also take Oaths, Echoes and Features as if they were Backgrounds, Flaws and Merits, respectively, but please contact the ST first to discuss the mechanics.
Seemings
Seemings are no longer specifically tied to concrete age brackets. Rather, these should be considered metaphorical age ranges - the measure of one's experience and development. Thus, a hardened warrior aged only 18 might be a grump, while a sprightly hippy who never grew up might be 50. As such, starting ratings for Tempers have changed.
Kiths
C20 includes the major 16 kiths in some detail, with some scarcer details on thallain and Inanimae, which are nevertheless playable. Nunnehi, Menehune and Hsien are probably not viable character types in Britain.
For the purposes of this game, Kithbook: Boggan will be considered 'canon', albeit revised by the material in C20. Read it online.
You can also play the translated 'French' kiths which appear in World of Darkness: France:
These kiths also appear in C20, although their write-ups are a tad slimmer than those above.
Feel free to also choose a kith from the expanded kith list here, subject to ST approval.
Further customisation
I'm all for customisation. Our PCs should be exceptional, exemplary characters, after all--so I'm not going to call you a snowflake if you want to do something a bit unusual. If you'd like to further customise your character, you may also choose a 'sub-kith' from the CTL list (for example, you could be a troll, but also take the Beast/Skitterskulk sub-kith option, and take all the benefits and drawbacks that entails) as a two-point supernatural Merit: Unique Heritage. For an example of Changeling: The Lost kiths, see here. Conversions to oWoD rules will be decided by the ST, where appropriate.
You may also opt to make your own kith, provided the character has two Birthrights and one Frailty. If you need inspiration, look at Merits and Flaws and consider adopting those (subject to ST approval).
Traits
Any starting trait over three should have a strong basis in your character's background. Likewise, traits should make sense. Your average school teacher isn't going to be a crack shot, even if you do want to min-max your combat traits.
While there will be combat involved in the game, there will be far more opportunity to use wits, brains and cunning, and ample opportunity for social activity. So try not to create a one-sided character who will be flawed in other parts of the game. Generally speaking, few characters will be skilled in Firearms, Melee and Brawl.
Alternate Abilities and Secondary Abilities
I'm a fan of fewer and looser traits if this works for you. You may opt to swap Kenning for Awareness and Gremayre for Occult (even if you don't, it's worth noting that these traits will be considered directly comparable for crossover purposes).
Backgrounds
Treasures should be in the RAW (please provide a page reference) or be limited by a single predictable and repeatable effect (i.e., the equivalent of a single level of an Art equivalent to the Treasure's rating). Activation of a Treasure usually requires a roll of Treasure rating + Realm (or Intelligence + Occult if there is no equivalent).
As a guideline, the damage caused by chimerical melee weapons taken with the Chimera Background is Strength + level taken.
Chimerical firearms have the following values per level and inflict chimerical damage:
O - 'toy' guns: paintball guns, BB guns. These guns do bashing damage only.
OO - Light revolvers / Light pistols
OOO - Heavy revolvers / Heavy pistols
OOOO - Rifles, shotguns
OOOOO - Machine guns
Chimerical archery weapons can be taken with the Chimera Background at the following costs:
O - Simple Shortbow [Str+1L/50/1/1/N]
OO - Simple Longbow [Str+2L/100/1/1/N] || Compound Shortbow [Dam: 4/60/1/1/N]
OOO - Compound Longbow [Dam: 5/120/1/1/N] || Regular Crossbow [Dam: 5/90/1/1/T]
OOOO - Heavy Crossbow [Dam: 6/120/1/1/N]
OOOOO - Ballista and other wacky things - on a case-by-case basis.
Redes
You can further customise your character by purchasing Redes as if they were Merits. The price is the level of the Rede in Freebie Points. For the purposes of this game, we'll be using the Redes from the fan supplement Changeling Revised. Where a Rede conflicts with a Merit or Special Advantage, use the description and cost associated with the Merit or Special Advantage instead.
Freebie Points
Freebie Points can be used to buy Redes for changelings (as well as chimera) or Special Advantages. This allows for greater nuance and more unique characters.
Other
The kinain Background Fith-Fath costs 1-5 points (based on the dice pool for Fith-Fath).
Changelings who are kinfolk cannot learn Gifts (werewolf magic), and cannot have Gnosis.
p.32 of Kithbook: Pooka, introduces the optional rule of having characters with rarer animal affinities pay freebie points based on how rare the animal is as a pooka. The player should spend a number of freebie points equal to the rarity factor of the animal affinity you choose in order to play any animal affinity with a rarity factor greater than zero (not one as per the RAW).
How do you create a beastie form? Beasties get twice as many chimera points to spend as their Glamour rating during character creation. These should be used to generate their beastie form.
If you want to play an Adhene character, check out the denizens FAQ.
The mannikin phyla of Inanimae has no Birthrights or Frailty listed. It can be assumed that the ability to learn Kithain Arts and Realms (as other Inanimae cannot, p.77 and p.86) is one, and the power to understand all of the elemental tongues (p.47), though they speak none, may be the other. The Frailty is that they cannot master any Art or Sliver (p.77). Wilder and Grump Inanimae are unable to learn Kithain Arts and Realms as the mannikins can.