Changling

ON CHANGELINGS

"She's going to turn at any moment! She'll eat our babies!"-Della, halfling nursemaid, not always wrong.

"Those eyes, something about them, hungry, desperate, perhaps even malicious. I wouldn't cross a changeling, unless I thought I could get away with it."-Krin, human thief, a rare moment of sense.

"They always feel bad for the changelings. Why? They've got it easy! Looks, magic power, the sympathy of many! No one looks twice at a hagspawn! If they do it's to get their pitchforks! Hard luck! My foot!"-Grask, hagspawn mercenary, in response to the comment "I feel sorry for the changelings."

"And I thought I had issues with the in-laws."-Gridur, half-orc sorceress, a joke that her changeling companion did not appreciate.

Kin to Hagspawn , changelings are the daughters of hags and unsuspecting men. While hags are capable of reproducing without mating though dark and profane rituals, conventional hag wisdom says a changeling who is fully transformed is a far more powerful, and more loyal, coven member. Changelings are drawn by the psychic call of their true mother, commanding them to return when the time is right and undergo a transformation that will change them into hags proper. Many do resist this call but not all. Changelings are natural spellcasters who, despite their great physical beauty, can never quite shake the aura of wrongness that surrounds them and drives people away.

Physical Description: Changelings superficially resemble their father's race but something about them gives away their "otherness" particularly as they grow older. They are taller than average, slender and beautiful, with skin that is either exceptionally pale or a pale imitation of the mother's such as green, blue or gray. While lacking the hag mother's unnaturally sturdy hide a quick touch will reveal that, despite its soft appearance, changeling skin has more in common with leather than flesh. Changelings will always have dark or unusually colored hair hair and longer than average nails that are sharp enough to draw blood. What ultimately sets them apart are their eyes, which are almost always mismatched in color. They dress simply, in flowing robes that accentuate their frames and cover some of their obvious differences. Despite their general beauty however, changelings are surrounded by an aura of wrongness that plagues the second-senses of those they meet. Individual styles of dress, including body modification, changes from changeling to changeling.
History: Wicked hags have long haunted the darkness of the world, preforming foul rituals, dark magics and tormenting the innocent. They are vile, detestable creatures without a shred of decency. They only desire to spread suffering, fear and their wicked magics throughout the world. Part of this includes breeding the next generation of hags. Initially this was done almost exclusively though a special ritual where a child was consumed and foul magic impregnated the hag mother who, after a short pregnancy, gave birth to a daughter almost exactly like her mother in appearance. However, one of the ancient crones discovered that a daughter conceived with the help of a father, allowed to grow into majority and then transformed via an elaborate and painful ritual was both more powerful and more loyal than those without. This changed the nature of hag breeding, with many seeking out men, either with bargain, illusion or force, to impregnate them, so they might grow further servants in the form of many daughters. While tribes of evil orcs, degenerate mutants and humans might willingly breed with a hag, most of their mates are unsuspecting victims, manipulated with illusion and shape-changing magic and eaten once mating is complete. Regardless of the source, changelings are a much more common sight than they used to be, particularly in wild or savage lands. Some become wise-women, witches or shamans and others become their mothers.

Geography: Changelings have no specific lands to call their own, wandering the world in search of their destinies. Half-orc changelings are common in the Hill-Lands, winter changelings in Druz and all types in Vittoedel, Taskanda and Astanna.

Personality: Changelings are nearly always outsiders, even within their own families. Hags, ever the cruel crones, will often steal peasant babies, eat them, and replace them with their own offspring, just to enjoy watching the family suffer and grow apart as the revelation of their daughter's unholy identity becomes obvious. Some are ditched in orphanages or abandoned on the streets to suffer the cruelties of sentient races (though these are often monitored in secret by the hag mother to ensure that she doesn't die pointlessly, a changeling is an investment after all.) Changelings are deliberately placed in situations where their childhoods will be hard, encouraging a bitterness towards the world. Many changelings are angry, embittered and deeply suspicious, pessimistic about life and its meaning. Others resist these trials and grow more optimistic and cheerful as if daring the world to knock them down. Regardless, all changelings are attitude to the mystic, many deriving meaning from stars and celestial bodies. A select few cling closely to their adopted families and become good, honest young women, with specific magical talents. Regardless of personality or upbringing, between the ages of fifteen and nineteen, a changeling begins to experience the Call, typically at the same time her magic powers really develop. The Call is a physic command from her hag mother and her mother's coven, calling the child home to embrace the transformation. Sometimes this command is nothing more than a desire to wander, a simple need more exploration that leads the changeling "indirectly" to her mother. Others are called specifically by the hag mother to simply come, with no subtlety attached. If the changeling does not come, the hag will track her down. The Call is constant pressure in the back of the changeling's mind and it will continue until either she or her mother's coven are dead, or she undergoes the transformation. This Call deeply affects a changeling's personality, it leaves her guarded and paranoid, flighty and nervous. Those with druidic faith will often dive deeper into their natural power in an attempt to block it out but most run. Others challenge their mothers, determined to end the Call forever. Some however, particularly those who deeply hate the world, willingly embrace the change, glad for the change to inflict torment on those who wronged them as helpless young girls.

Society: Changelings do not form societies of their own, it would be too easy for the hags to find them. Some changelings do form small covens, both for mutual protection and out of habit. Many indever to make themselves useful members of a community, usually by becoming midwives, shamans, witches, alchemists and astrologers, in the hopes these towns will help protect them in the event the worst happens. Others become recluses, living deep in the wilderness as lone shamans or druids. Some druid circles have several changeling members who will likewise seek out lost changelings if they find them. Most changelings try to serve in supportive capacities, avoiding attention if possible. They'll happily advise a mayor on magical lore but they'll not become mayor themselves. A few revel in their mysterious power, becoming "witches in the wood" giving love potions and ill advice, in a manner similar to their mothers. Some of the more cunning or desperate seek out magical colleges and battle-mage academies, hoping to trade their raw potential in for refined killing potential and powerful allies, all the better to resist their mother's call. Survival is of the utmost importance to those changelings who do not wish to transform.

Religion: Evil changelings worship Mother Yaga, following in the footsteps of their hag mothers. Other evil ones may pray to devil lords or demons. Good aligned changelings favor Bromis or the Green Lord as nature deities, Atix Crowfeather as a magic goddess or Rilia. A few take to the worship of Nesin in the hopes the secret knowledge is the key to their salvation.

Alignment: Changelings can be of any alignment. Many are chaotic but it is not exclusive. Just because the Call exists, doesn't mean it must be followed.

Relations: Changelings get along well with other outsides, half-orcs, half-elves, katane, tieflings and the like. Many halflings are quite sympathetic to their plight and try to help them. Good aligned druids are often quick to try and aid changelings, even if they aren't druids themselves. Many have strained relationships with hagspawn as each sees in the other something to pity and something to envy. Hagspawn are deformed and ugly, but they are physically powerful and free of the Call. Consequently, the hagspawn sees a beautiful woman with magic power that can easily blend into a society, something he can never do, he doesn't understand the Call and its implications. Still, brother and sister pairs are not unknown, even those not related can eventually become friends and companions.

Language: Changelings speak common and many also speak giant or sylvan.

Adventurers: The Call drives changelings into the world to seek adventure and power; those who know the truth are adventurers anyway as they will be constantly traveling in hopes of escaping the clutches of their mothers, while seeking the power and knowledge to defeat them. Adventuring parties are often the only place a changeling can find real acceptance and a way to use her magical talents for good, rather than ill.

Names: Any common name from the father's race is acceptable. A particularly unfortunate changeling may have a "hagish" name but this is rare. A changeling with a loving foster family might keep their surname but many simply do not have one. No changeling would ever call herself "auntie" or "grandma" however, as these titles are associated with hags.

Traits: Changeling traits are described below...

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+2 Wisdom, +2  Charisma, -2 Constitution, -2 intelligence. Changelings are beautiful and magically adept, yet they are physically weaker than many races and the Call makes focusing on intellectual pursuits difficult

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Medium Sized Humanoids. Female only. Male children of hags become Hagspawn
30 Foot Movement
+1 Natural Armor bonus. Despite their frailer constitutions, changeling skin retains some of the hag's legendary heartiness
Two 1D4 damage Claw attacks. Most changelings refuse to use their claws, some even cut their nails short to prevent their use but it is an option.
60 foot darkvision.
Furthermore, each changeling receives a specific bonus based on the hag mother's type...
Green Hag +2 on Bluff and Diplomacy Checks
Annis Hag Claw attacks are 1d6
Sea Hags +2 on Swim Checks. Can hold breath for up to one hour
Bheur Hags Cold resistance 5/
Shrieking Hag +1 Damage on ranged attacks
Dune Hag Fire resistance 5/