The Glamour regained through Reverie, Rapture, Rhapsody and Ravaging is not a tangible thing that can be used by a mage as Quintessence until a player marks it down on their Glamour track. In other words, the changeling converts the inspiration they have witnessed or experienced into Glamour themselves. The inspiration itself cannot be used by mages to generate Quintessence until such time as it becomes Glamour.
Regaining Glamour
Several methods exist which allow a changeling to regain temporary Glamour. Under only the rarest of conditions can a changeling regain lost permanent Glamour.
- Epiphany: A changeling may take Glamour from mortals or other changelings. Epiphanies are achieved through Ravaging, Rapture or Reverie. There is also a kith-specific manner of reaping Glamour, called Revelry.
- Sanctuary: Getting a full eight hours of uninterrupted sleep within a freehold provides a character with temporary Glamour. Each success on a Glamour roll (difficulty 6) restores one point of Glamour. The character will always regain at least one point of Glamour unless they botch the roll, and can never take more Glamour than either their Glamour rating or the freehold's rating (whichever is lower). A botch means the character gains a point of Nightmare, as their dreams are disturbed by ripples from the Nightmare Realms. A freehold may only support a number of changelings per night equal to twice its level.
- Dross: Dross is solidified Glamour that can be spent in place of a changeling's personal Glamour pool. Dross must be broken or otherwise released to be used, which usually destroys the conduit itself. Some Treasures store dross and can be recharged or refilled. Destroying works of art may unleash Glamour, but it also acts as a Banality trigger.
Losing Glamour
Temporary Glamour is lost by spending it to fuel the special effects your character achieves. Permanent Glamour is lost if, as your character ages, she begins to lose her connection with the Dreaming. Characters who remain 'young at heart' are better able to retain their Glamour. Regaining permanent Glamour usually involves a quest.
Musing Thresholds
Each player should choose a Musing Threshold for his character during character creation. A changeling shouldn't have more than one Musing Threshold. A character who begins without one can gain a specialty during play, and a character's specialty can change during the course of a chronicle.
At the beginning of a story, each player can establish a goal that he intends to fulfill with his Musing Threshold to earn Glamour. Alternatively, the player doesn't have to specify a subject whom his character inspires, but that his character simply seeks to be inspirational wherever he goes during the story, and gains Glamour as a result.
Musing Threshold Table
- Inspire Creativity
- Create Hope
- Create Love
- Create Calm
- Foster Trust
- Helping Those in Need
- Foster Dreams
Ravaging Threshold
Most changelings who Ravage use simple psychic assault to gain Glamour. A character's Ravaging Threshold is usually based on her past, and is often the result of some emotional trauma that she suffered. The Threshold chosen is often a means to get revenge on the world.
Ravaging Thresholds
- Exhaust Creativity
- Destroy Hope
- Destroy Love
- Create Anger
- Break Trust
- Exploit Dependence
- Destroy Illusions
Spontaneous Glamour
Occasionally, when a creative work is enacted or a changeling witnesses inspiration on a powerful scale, spontaneous Glamour is created for all who witness the accomplishment. No roll or system is needed. Characters with Thresholds appropriate to the work of art or performance may gain additional Glamour, at the Storyteller's discretion.
Spontaneous Glamour can also be generated from repeated interaction with the Dreaming and chimerical reality, fulfilling and obeying oaths, and embodying the tropes of mythic, fairy tale and popular narratives (e.g., 'saving the day', 'getting the girl', 'finding yourself'). This is measured in terms of roleplaying and may be offered as well as XP at the end of particularly impressive scenes, or at opportune moments where the character experiences great triumphs. Unlike regaining Willpower, these moments need not be tied to Legacies, but they may be tied to kith, court affiliation or Oaths and Compacts.
Epiphany
See our article on Epiphany for details.
Dross
See our article on Dross for details.
Banality
The effect of Banality upon a character is measured by her temporary Banality rating. It describes to what extent the mundane world has tainted the character's ability to dream and to find wonder in the things around him.
Effects of Banality
- If your character's temporary Banality score ever exceeds his permanent Glamour score, he begins to slip into the Mists, reverting to his mortal seeming and forgetting that he is Kithain. This generally only occurs between stories, when the character is not actively involved with other changelings.
- Banality hangs over mortals and supernatural beings like a shield of disbelief. In order to use Glamour on someone or something, the character must fight against the target's Banality. Most humans have Banality ratings of 7 or higher.
- In order to enchant someone, a changeling must first overcome the target's Banality. The difficulty number for the enchantment must be equal to or greater than the target's Banality rating, at the Storyteller's discretion.
- When a character attempts to affect a target with a cantrip, the target's Banality will affect the chance of success. The difficulty number for cantrips should reflect the target's Banality; it should be either the normal difficulty as determined by the Storyteller or equal to the target's Banality rating, whichever is higher.
- Beings that have a Banality rating of 8 or higher actually physically affect changelings. Changelings may become nauseous, experience headaches or just get very edgy and belligerent.
Gaining Banality
- Gain a temporary point of Banality whenever your character uses her own Banality to resist a cantrip.
- If your character attempts to overcome a being's Banality and fails, she gains a temporary point of Banality.
- Destroying treasures and some chimera can cause your character to gain temporary Banality.
- Killing a changeling's chimerical form causes your character to gain one temporary Banality; ending the changeling's mortal life as well adds another point of Banality.
- Spending time in the company of high Banality will rub off on your character and give her temporary Banality. At the Storyteller's discretion, a character may gain temporary Banality based on the Banality rating of the being, item or place around which the changeling is spending time. As a guideline, a character may earn a point of temporary Banality for each point the other has above 7, per scene spent there.
- The Storyteller may arbitrarily assign you temporary Banality if she thinks your character is being too mundane.
- If your temporary Banality ever exceeds 10, you gain a permanent point of Banality.
Getting Rid of Banality
- Any time a character is supposed to gain a temporary point of Banality, he can choose to add a Nightmare die to his cantrip pool instead. This is further described in Chapter Seven.
- When you gain a temporary Glamour point, you can choose to remove a temporary Banality point instead. The moment when you acquire the temporary Glamour point is the only time you can make this exchange.
- With the Storyteller's approval, your character may decide to undertake a quest that will effectively reduce his permanent Banality. These quests usually involve an oath, which will bind the changeling to the task and punish him for an unsuccessful completion. Once decided upon, the quest must be completed successfully, or the character gains a point of permanent Banality rather than losing one.
Any one of three types of quests will serve this purpose, but the details of the quest must be approved by the Storyteller:
The Quest of Deed: The Kithain must swear to undertake some task, such as recovering a lost item or rescuing someone.
The Quest of Inspiration: An individual is chosen and the changeling must spend the next several months or years (however long it takes) to bring that person to greatness. The Kithain may not interfere directly in any way; she may only inspire.
The Quest of Dreaming: A changeling may attempt to bring the Dreaming into a mortal's life. An individual is chosen, generally one firmly entrenched in his own Banality. The Kithain must then bring the mortal back to living with a sense of joy, awe and wonder about the world around him, much like the angel did in "It's a Wonderful Life." This process could take years or a single night, as in "A Christmas Carol," depending on the cleverness of the changeling. However, once a changeling has brought a mortal around, that mortal becomes his responsibility, and if ever the mortal should fall back into the clutches of Banality, the changeling has a duty to re-establish the miracle.