Changling Merits [D-F]

Devotee (• to •••••)
Book: Equinox Road, p. 14
Prerequisite: Wyrd 7
Effect: You have followers. And not necessarily because you want them, either. No, these humans have caught glimpses of your mien past the Mask, and they’ve come to… well, worship you. They’re not ensorcelled (unless you choose them to be), but once in a while they catch a hazy aura of your truly awe-inspiring or monstrous mien, and as a result they think you’re quite special indeed. It’s probably because they’re damaged; these aren’t healthy people. But they’ll follow you into the gates of Hell. They’ll do pretty much whatever you want — and that means throwing themselves in front of a bus or strangling their own mother at your behest. This Merit functions like the Retainer Merit (p. 116,
World of Darkness Rulebook). Each acquisition of this Merit equals one zealous Devotee (and several acquisitions pretty much means you have a cult that puts you at its holy center). Your character doesn’t necessarily need to do anything to pick up a Devotee; they simply glom onto her because somehow they saw her mien or sensed her power. Dots spent in this Merit indicate the training, capability or flexibility of the zealot. (Again, see the Retainer Merit for comparable aptitudes.)

Drawback: In addition to the drawback of the Retainer Merit, it’s important to note yet again that Devotees are
damaged. Each suffers from at least one severe derangement. In addition, while a Devotee zealously throws himself into completing the changeling’s commands, sometimes they have… creative ways of interpreting instructions. A Lost asks one of his zealots, “While I’m busy across town going through Bethany’s closets, I need you to occupy her for the next few hours so she doesn’t come home.” The cultist does as demanded, but interprets “occupy her” as meaning “put her in the hospital.” Technically, it worked. But that might not be what the Lost wanted, precisely.


Disenchanting Kiss (••••)
Book: Swords At Dawn, p. 92
Prerequisite: Wyrd •••••, Clarity 9+
Effect: Your character is a saint among the Lost. Her perceptive senses are otherworldly, easily sheering the false from the true. Furthermore, she has been chosen by fate for her kindness and sanity in an insane world to act as a balm for the orphaned survivors of Faerie. With but a kiss, an expenditure of a point of Willpower and four points of Glamour, and a successful Wyrd roll, she may immediately end any lingering effects from a power that controlled the character’s emotions or mind. This is an instant action.
Drawback: The character must maintain a high Clarity to benefit from this Merit. If her Clarity ever falls below 9, she permanently loses the Merit. She may buy it again later if she raises her Clarity again above 9.


Dual Kith (•••)
Book: Winter Masques, p. 98
Prerequisites: Wyrd 2
Effects: Your character benefits from the blessings of two different kiths. Upon taking this Merit, you may select an additional kith, subject to any restrictions set by the Storyteller. You gain the benefit of both kiths' blessings, and your appearance may reflect both aspects.


Dual Kith (•• or •••)
Book: Rites Of Spring, p. 88
Effect: Your character’s kith is in some fashion a blending of two existing kiths. For two dots, your character is a blending of two kiths associated with her seeming. A Beast associated with an especially agile flying insect such as a dragonfly, who combines features of a Skitterskulk and a Windwing, is but one of many possible examples. Other possibilities include an Elemental associated with human-created electricity,who combines features of a Fireheart and a Manikin, or a Fairest who is an especially graceful and elegant dragon, who combines features of the Dancer and the Draconic. The changeling gains the blessing of both of the kiths she is associated with and can use both equally easily and well. For three dots, your character is one of the rare changelings who blends together traits from two kiths associated with different seemings. Your character might be an Air touched who is so attuned to the winds that she can float and glide like a Windwing Elemental, a Flowering whose association with plants is so strong that she has some of the traits of a Woodblood Elemental. Alternately, your character might be an especially bestial Farwalker who appears as a hairy, humanoid predator with traits of a Hunterheart Beast. Your character can belong to only a single seeming, but she also possesses the kith blessings of both kiths. No other benefit of the other seeming is transferred; your character is still a member of one seeming, with all that entails. This Merit can be taken only once. Available at character creation only. A character’s kith may be unusual, but it never changes. You cannot blend your character’s kith at a later time. [Note: An alternate approach to blending or evolving kiths appears in
Winter Masques.]


Enchanted Mortal (••)
Book: Equinox Road, p. 107
Effects: The character is an enchanted mortal who was abducted into Arcadia and was rescued before more than the most basic transformations could be performed on them. As a result, they are treated as if they are permanently ensorcelled. This Merit is lost if the character ever gains a supernatural template.


Enchanting Performance (••••)
Book: Rites Of Spring, p. 88
Prerequisite: Expression •••
Effect: Your character’s fae nature causes her to be an especially magnetic and compelling performer. She reduces all situational penalties to any Expression or Persuasion rolls used as part of a performance by a number of points equal to her Wyrd, to a minimum of zero. In addition, by spending a point of Glamour, your character can cause her performance to be particularly moving. Spending this Glamour causes her performance roll to gain the rote quality; if the performance roll is successful, it stirs a single emotion appropriate to the subject matter in the audience. This emotion can be as simple as joy and as complex as the anger of being betrayed by someone especially close. This emotion is not overpowering and does not compel anyone to perform any action, but everyone who pays attention to the performance feels it.


Fae Mount (•, ••, ••• or •••••)
Book: Rites Of Spring, p. 89You have earned the favor of a supernatural steed that can be called upon to act as a riding mount for you at any time you are in the Hedge. The Fae Mount comes to you anywhere in the Hedge when called (perhaps viaa particular whistle or summoning rhyme). While the steed has no particular knowledge of trods and must be directed by its rider, the steed can travel up to twice the normal speed for a mundane horse while in the Hedge. The one-dot version of Fae Mount provides the Hedge equivalent of a simple steed. Use the statistics for Horse on p. 203 of the World of Darkness Rulebook, although the actual description may vary as suits the fantastic nature of the Hedge. Possibilities include, but are certainly not limited to, a motorcycle made of brass and obsidian, a steel-boned skeletal mare, a small hut that walks on chicken legs or a slithering shadow serpent). The steed has no supernatural powers other than the ability to manifest when summoned. The two-dot version adds a minor supernatural ability. Choose from the following, or create your own,subject to Storyteller approval: the ability to run across water as if it were solid land, the ability to fly (Speed12 and can bear a rider or burden up to 300 pounds), fire breathing (treat as a Torch attack per the Fire rules onp. 180 of the
World of Darkness Rulebook), the ability to carry up to three additional passengers of Size 6or smaller, or a poisonous bite (Toxicity 4, see rules on Poisons and Toxins on p. 181, the World of Darkness Rulebook). The three-dot version gives the mount two of the aforementioned traits, or any four abilities of similar level,subject to Storyteller approval, or some combination there of. The five-dot version gives the steed three of the aforementioned four traits as well as the ability to leave the Hedge and travel in the mortal world. While manifested, the Fae Mount is visible to human eyes (albeit as a mundane mount closest to its nature; a walking hut may look like a pick-up truck with a large sleeper add-on,for instance). The Fae Mount may remain in the physical world for a scene before the Fae Mount must find its way back into the Hedge, there to rest for a day and a night before the steed may leave the Hedge again. The steed may open a portal to the Hedge if its rider feeds the steed a Glamour, but the steed has no control over where the portal may lead.


Fae Pet (•• or ••••)
Book: Autumn Nightmares, p. 71
Effect: This Fae possesses a real-world animal pet (two-dot version) or an unearthly Hedge-dwelling hobgoblin (four-dot version).The animal pet can be any beast local to the area. (In other words, the Fae could have a wolf in Alaska, but not in Miami. The Fae could have a pelican or alligator in Miami, however, which he could not possess in Alaska.)The hobgoblin pet can be any moderately powered monster from the Hedge. Briar wolves are a popular choice, as are Hedge Beasts. The pet does whatever the Fae demands, even putting itself at risk for the fiend. Curiously, this Merit is less about having a trained animal and more about the Fae’s preternatural sway over beasts and creatures. If the Fae's current pet is killed, she can summon a new one after 24 hours have passed (and summoning either type of pet must be done within 500 yards of an existing Hedge gateway).Hobgoblin pets can leave the Hedge, traveling with the Fae into the human world. However, hobgoblin pets suffer one point of lethal damage per turn when seen by any human. The damage stops building once the hobgoblin can hide itself somehow. (This damage manifests in various ways: sizzling skin, popping blisters,fur falling out in bloody clumps.) Animal pets can also enter the Hedge, but once within the Hedge, they’re subject to the strange psychoactive effects. An animal pet in such a realm may perish from the brunt of such madness, may turn into rabid beast or could instead become something stranger — such as a hobgoblin.


Faerie Favor (•••)
Book: Rites Of Spring, p. 90
Effect: One of the Gentry owes your character a single favor, for reasons that may seem to make little sense to her. It may be a dark secret such as turning over another child or changeling to the Other, or as innocuous-seeming as offering a piece of bread to a withered old woman at a crossroads. The Fae in question has given his word to provide one and only one service for your character — a promise made out of a sense of obligation, not out of kindness or respect. This service can include transport to any place in the Hedge or the mortal world (through the Hedge) in less than an hour, one use of the Fae’s powers on any mortal or changeling or temporarily working to stymie a rival Other in its hunt. This favor does not extend to Arcadia or those who reside there, though the Fae may agree to rescue a certain individual from Faerie in exchange for an additional task from your character (which is unlikely to be pleasant).Your character has a small token that he has been instructed to break when he wishes to call this Fae and ask for the favor. Once broken, this token cannot be re-used, and even if your character asks for no favor, the Fae cannot be called again.
Drawback: Most changelings who find out about this favor assume (sometimes correctly) that your character is a loyalist or a privateer.


Faerie Healing (••)
Book: Rites Of Spring, p. 90
Effect: Your character can heal others with goblin fruit as effectively as she can heal herself, including mortals and normal animals. The exact manner in which this healing occurs depends upon the particular character. Some characters must feed the fruit to their patient, others eat or touch the fruit and then must touch their patient and some characters must extract the juice from the fruit and combine the juice with some commonly available ingredients such as ginger or honey. You may select the particular method, but once it is selected, you cannot change this method. All characters with Faerie Healing have one specific method in which they use goblin fruit to heal others, and various methods have distinct advantages and disadvantages. For example, making a specially blended juice out of the goblin fruit allows your character to carry an innocuous thermos of fruit juice wherever she goes, while laying hands on the patient’s bare skin does not require the person to consent to some unusual action such as eating a strange-looking fruit. Regardless of the method used, the patient regains a single point of lethal damage or two points of bashing damage per fruit consumed, as if the patient were a changeling eating goblin fruit. Your character cannot use goblin fruit to heal the dead, including humans who have died of their wounds, ghosts or vampires.


False Heart (Special)
Book: Autumn Nightmares, p. 103
Circumstance: No specific circumstance; the changeling kills his own fetch.
Effect: Among the detritus left behind when the fetch dies is an object about half the size of a fist — a stone, a wooden box, a ball of string, etc. This object holds a tiny portion of the Glamour used to create the fetch, and the changeling can use this Glamour to supplement his own Glamour. The False Heart holds three points of Glamour. The changeling must replenish these points by sleeping with the False Heart under his pillow (or otherwise on his person) for at least six hours. The Glamour for the False Heart must come from the changeling’s own pool, meaning that it can only be replenished if the changeling has at least three points of Glamour. The changeling can spend the Glamour from the False Heart normally, and
only that changeling can retrieve the Glamour.


Fatebound: Bean Buyer (•••)
Book: Swords At Dawn, p. 89
Prerequisite: Wyrd •••, Streetwise •••
Effect: Like Jack the Giant Killer, your character has the tendency to purchase things that no other rational individual would pay for. And like Jack, whose magic beans sprouted into a magnificent beanstalk that ascended to the heavens, your purchases usually work out. Once per story, upon being tricked or swindled(not necessarily into buying something) you may spend one point of Glamour to tweak fate. The item or swindle becomes a blessing in disguise, granting the character a significant advantage.
Drawback: Unfortunately, just as Jack found that his incredible beanstalk led him to man-eating giants,your character’s own luck has a tendency to sour quickly. Whenever the character uses an advantage he gained from this Merit, he invariably runs afoul of an enemy. The enemy always gains access to the character by way of the advantage.

Example: Old Lady Mudfingers out in the Hedge offers to show Kayla, a Bean Buyer, a secret trod that leads to an opulent Hollow left abandoned by the former Autumn King… for a price. Kayla, thrilled at the opportunity, ponies up a rare oddment for the old Wizened, who takes her deep into the Hedge before promptly vanishing. Now alone, Kayla begins to despair. Her player evokes this Merit and spends one point of Glamour. The Storyteller takes a short break to do some quick thinking. As Kayla tries to find her way home she discovers a Thorn compass, a minor token that aids in navigating the Hedge. Unfortunately for her, it does so by directing her towards the nearest changeling. This time it just happens to be her old nemesis Cold John.


Fatebound: Cloistered Spinner (•••)
Book: Swords At Dawn, p. 90
Prerequisite: Wyrd •••, Crafts •••
Effect: Unlike the spinner from Rumpelstiltskin, you actually have a knack for turning useless dross into something special or valuable. You may spend one point of Glamour to turn garbage or junk into something of value. This item must be something that could conceivably be created from the raw material, but it inevitably comes out more impressive than anyone would expect from what went into it. The player rolls Dexterity + Crafts as an Instant action. The finished product either provides an equipment bonus equal to the number of successes rolled or can be sold or traded as an item with a Resources value equal to the successes rolled. Note that a character that rolls no successes still creates an item, but that it is not of high enough quality to grant a bonus or be sold for significant profit.
Drawback: Unfortunately, every time a character uses this ability, fate ensures that she loses something important to her of equivalent value to the item constructed (though not necessarily in monetary terms). It may be a favored weapon or a family heirloom, but it can just as easily be a first-born child or close friend.

Example: Casper, a Cloistered Spinner, finds himself jailed in a moldering basement by the dominant Summer Court. Glancing around, he notices the space is filled with dust and cobwebs. Casper’s player spends one point of Glamour and rolls Dexterity + Crafts, garnering 2 successes. Gathering the dross,Casper twines it together into a surprisingly strong rope (with an equipment bonus of 3). He uses the rope to escape through the nearby window. When the Summer Knights find that Casper has escaped, they become infuriated. They know he has a sister he cares for, so they hunt her down, throwing her into the same cell her brother lately inhabited. His sister’s freedom has been traded for his.


Fatebound: Cowherd And Weaver (•••)
Book: Swords At Dawn, p. 90
Prerequisite: Wyrd •••, Resolve •••
Effect: The character has a lover from whom the world conspires to keep him separated. Only fate protects the union. Once per story, the character may spend a point of Glamour when forcibly separated from his love. Fate conspires with the character to reunite him with his lover, regardless of circumstance. He gains some bit of knowledge or insight into the whereabouts of his lover, and his lover finds some method to escape her own circumstances. This Merit does not automatically deliver the characters into one another’s arms; it simply paves the way with a hint and a minor twist of good fortune.
Drawback: The world conspires against the lovers out of jealousy for their relationship. Both characters lose the 10-again rule on all social dice pools when together, partly due to their absorption with one another and partly due to the annoyance it inspires in others.


Fatebound: Evil Stepsister (•••)
Book: Swords At Dawn, p. 90
Prerequisite: Wyrd •••, Manipulation •••
Effect: The character has authority over an individual (possibly but not necessarily represented by the Retainer Merit), and, like Cinderella’s vicious step siblings, she abuses it. This abuse is not without purpose,however. Once per chapter, the character may spend one point of Glamour while being cruel to the individual she has authority over to ensure that he has some ability or item that will prove useful in overcoming the character’s obstacles. This may be as simple as possessing a skill the character lacks or as esoteric as knowing an ancient nursery rhyme that provides the clue to opening an even older vault.
Drawback: Alas, the Evil Stepsister never prospers. Once per story (usually near the climax) the wrong slevied against the underling come back to harm the character. These abuses come back to haunt the character at the same time… usually the worst possible time. The wrongs may come in the form of an accident or may come at the hand of one of the character’s enemies.


Fatebound: Fair Prince (•••)
Book: Swords At Dawn, p. 91
Prerequisite: Wyrd •••, Court Mantle •••
Effect: The Fair Prince is beloved by his people. He is charming, gallant and brave (if a Spring Courtier),strong and courageous (Summer), brilliant and intense (Autumn) or quiet and manipulative (Winter). Thoroughly beloved, he gains a bonus of 2 dice on all social rolls with members of his Court and 1 die with changelings of other Courts. Furthermore, his charming personality affects his interactions with non-fae: Persuasion rolls against non-fae benefit from the 9-again rule.
Drawback: The Fair Prince is the very symbol of his Court. Unfortunately, that makes him the antithesis of another Court. Members of this other Court loathe the character, hinder him whenever possible, and may make plans to dispatch him (if they can do so without getting caught for murdering a popular figure). The character does not benefit from the above social bonuses with members of that Court, and may never gain the Court Goodwill Merit with that Court. Use of that Court’s Contracts by the hated character may inspire members of the offended Court to violence. The offended Court is determined by the character’s Court. Spring opposes Autumn, Summer opposes Winter, and Dawn opposes Dusk (and vice versa in all cases).


Fatebound: Fisher King (•••)
Book: Swords At Dawn, p. 91
Prerequisite: Wyrd •••, Court Mantle •••••, Possession of Court Crown (p. 97, Changeling: The Lost)
Effect: Like the wounded monarch of myth, the character has become closely tied to that which he rules. As the King prospers, so does his land. When the character holds power, the strength of his body determines the strength of his reign. So long as the character has not suffered a lethal or aggravated wound, his Social Merits function at twice their usual potency (if applicable). This doesn’t mean that a Fisher King with Resources 2 has the equivalent of Resources 4, but rather that he has Resources 2 twice over (and thus can afford twice as much equipment). Similarly, a Retainer 3 does not become a superhuman Retainer 6, but rather can accomplish the work of 2 three-dot retainers. Allies are willing to do twice as much and Contacts uncover double the usual amount of information. If the character loses a single Health Level to damage worse than bashing, he loses these benefits until he heals the damage.
Drawback: As the land withers, so does the King. A Fisher King suffers one lethal Health Level of damage whenever a member of his Court dies. Furthermore, a Fisher King who fails to maintain a strong rule or whose rule is divided by insurrection finds his orders ineffectual and his own body wracked with pain. Not only does he lose the benefits listed above, but he suffers wound penalties based on the extent of the unrest under his rule. These penalties do not stack with usual wound penalties, and neither do they fade until the King has resolved whatever issues plague his rule. Iron Stamina does not reduce these penalties.

modifier: -1. Situation: General mild discontent or a small group of active and dedicated revolutionaries
modifier: -2. Situation: Widespread major discontent or a medium-sized group of active revolutionaries
modifier: -3. Situation: Full-blown civil war


Fatebound: Mobled Queen (•••)
Book: Swords At Dawn, p. 91
Prerequisite: Wyrd (•••), Court Mantle (•••••), Possession of Court Crown
Effect: The Mobled Queen is wrapped in the magic of her Court, shrouded in its potent emotions as if they were vestments sewn from desire, anger, fear or sorrow. She knows those emotions like none other, her very blood inundated with their energy. The Mobled Queen gains a bonus of 4 dice to all activation rolls for Contracts that are affinity to her Court. Furthermore, she gains an additional +1 when harvesting Glamour that resonates with her Court’s representative emotion.
Drawback: The Mobled Queen’s pain drives her magic, but it also limits her, burning her mind with unearthly passions. She suffers a –1 penalty when rolling to resist garnering a Derangement after having lost Clarity. Furthermore, each time she benefits from this Merit in a given scene, she suffers a cumulative –1penalty to all other actions (to a maximum of –5) from emotional distress. This penalty does not apply to Contract activation rolls or resistance rolls. The Mobled Queen may not choose not to benefit from this Merit,though she can certainly choose not to use her Court Contracts.


Fatebound: Monkey Heart (•••)
Book: Swords At Dawn, p. 91
Prerequisite: Wyrd (•••), Wits •••
Effect: The clever monkey is no simple ass; while the donkey can be convinced to meet the lion a second time, the monkey refuses to walk knowingly back into danger. The character has a portion of the monkey’s wiles. He gains a +5 bonus on rolls to notice traps or avoid being surprised by an adversary who has attempted (successfully or not) to trap or ambush him in the past.
Drawback: Of course, the monkey’s cleverness comes from experience. The character suffers a –2 penalty on all rolls to notice traps or avoid being surprised the first time a given adversary attempts to trap or ambush him.


Fatebound: Mortal Enemy (•••)
Book: Swords At Dawn, p. 92
Prerequisite: Wyrd (•••), Resolve •••
Effect: Sometimes the Wyrd ties two individuals together in a bond of enmity, driving them to strike at one another time and time again, until one or both are left broken and bloody on the cracked asphalt. Your character has established just such a bond with another changeling of similar power. Fate paves the way for you to clash with your hated opponent, and you gain three phantom dice each chapter that you can apply toady roll directly related to finding and confronting your enemy (though not to any roll against the enemy herself). These dice can be applied together on one roll, separately on three different rolls or split two and one. They can even be applied to combat if, for example, your character is fighting the enemy’s guards. When you actually face your enemy, fate guards you and empowers you. You barely duck fatal blows and your own swings strike with legendary precision. You gain +1 Defense from your enemy’s attacks and +2 to all attack rolls against her.
Drawback: Just as you are bound to your enemy, so is he bound to you. He gains the exact same advantages as you do, but his are directed towards killing you, making him quite the enemy indeed. If you ever kill your enemy, you regain any spent Willpower. You lose the Merit, however.


Fatebound: Star-Crossed Lover (•••)
Book: Swords At Dawn, p. 92
Prerequisite: Wyrd (•••), Presence •••
Effect: The Wyrd also binds fates of lovers together, but tests that love constantly with every imaginable hardship. Your character has a true love — she need not be a changeling or love the character in return but must be something
capable of sharing the love — and his need for her is so desperate that it has been imprinted on fate. When working to protect or save his love, the character gains a single automatic success when spending Willpower on a roll rather than the usual three dice bonus. Furthermore he regains one spent point of Willpower in any scene in which he directly protects her from danger.
Drawback: Unfortunately, the character’s true love gets the bad end of the deal. She is often in danger,regularly targeted by the denizens of the World of Darkness, perhaps because the character cares about her,perhaps for some other ineffable reason. When the love is in trouble, the character suffers a –2 distraction penalty to all actions that don’t directly relate to saving her. If the love ever dies, the character loses the Merit.


Fetch-Bane (Special)
Book: Autumn Nightmares, p. 103
Type: Milestone
Circumstance: The changeling kills his fetch with a weapon. He might stab his fetch to death with a sword, throttle it with a rope, beat it with a club or even shoot it with a bow or a gun. The changeling must kill the fetch that weapon alone, though; he can’t shoot the fetch and then slit its throat as it lies bleeding. Cold iron weapons cannot become fetch-banes.
Effect: The weapon used to kill the fetch becomes a token called a fetch-bane. When activated, the weapon’s damage either becomes lethal (if it is normally bashing) or increases by two (if it is normally lethal).

Action: Reflexive

Mien: The weapon shows evidence of the killing committed with it. A knife or cudgel drips with blood, a rope smells of chafed flesh and a gun smokes.

Drawback: A fetch-bane cannot be used in self-defense. If a character attempts to use a fetch-bane in a fight in which he is not the aggressor in a fight, the fetch-bane turns in his hands, imposing a –3 penalty on all attempts to use it.

Catch: The character must start a fight with someone that he knows personally within the next 24 hours. The fight must be physical, unprovoked and without warning (i.e., the character cannot say to a member of his motley, “I have to punch you now, please punch me back once and we’ll call it a day”). If the character does not do so within 24 hours of using the fetch-bane, the weapon leaps into the character’s hand and attacks the nearest person (the character makes a normal attack roll against the victim, and must deal with the consequences).


Fighting Style: Dream Combat (• to •••••)
Book: Rites Of Spring, p. 90
Prerequisite: Wyrd •••, Empathy •••
Effect: Your character has honed her oneiromachy skills to a high degree, allowing her to push the envelope of dream-battle and take the dream-bound combat beyond the reach of less experienced or dedicated oneiromancers. Dots purchased in this Merit allow access to special combat maneuvers that are only applicable for oneiromachy (dream-battles). Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. So, your character can’t have Double Team until he has Stunning Blow. The maneuvers and their effects are described below.

Stunning Blow (•): Your character’s dream onslaught is overwhelming, literally stunning your opponent to the point of inaction. If successes inflicted in a single attack equal or exceed a target’s Wyrd, the victim loses his next action. Attacks of this strength are often accompanied by appropriate special effects in a dream, from shock waves to tendrils of grasping fog that seem to stall the stunned opponent for a moment.

Double Team (••): Not content with a single avenue of attack, your character is adept enough with oneiromancy that he can coordinate an environmental and a personal attack against his target at the sometime. The second attack suffers a –1 penalty.
Drawback: Your character cannot use his Defense against any attack in the same turn in which he intends to use this maneuver. If he uses Defense against attacks that occur earlier in the Initiative roster, before he can perform this maneuver, he cannot perform the maneuver in the same turn, his attention is too focused on protecting himself.

Blind Spot (•••): Your character’s control of the dream environment is so great that it allows him to attack from the vantage point most detrimental to his opponent. He must use the lowest, rather than the highest, of her Finesse Traits (Wits, Dexterity or Manipulation) as her Defense and the lowest, rather than the highest, of her Resistance traits as her armor.

Wyrd Armor (••••): Your character’s mastery of the dream-realm protects him in battle. He may add his Wyrd to the highest of his Finesse Traits to serve as his Defense and to the highest of his Resistance traits to serve as his armor.
Coup de Grace (•••••): Even as your character’s opponent fades from the dream-arena, he is capable of delivering a final blow. At any time that an opponent in a dream-combat is beginning to waken (i.e., has dropped to or below 0 Willpower), he may deliver one final dream-attack (environmental or personal) against her as she wakes. She may not use her Defenses or armor against this attack.


Fighting Style: Hedge Duelist (• to •••••)
Book: Rites Of Spring, p. 91
Prerequisite: Wyrd •••
Effect: While any changeling can step into the Hedge to duke it up with an opponent, for some, Hedge battles have become an art form. Characters with the Fighting Style: Hedge Duelist Merit have dedicated time and effort into perfecting combat within the Hedge’s unique environment, turning the Hedge Duel into an(often lethal) art form. Dots purchased in this Merit allow access to special combat maneuvers that are applicable only to combat within the Hedge (not Arcadia), and only in formal duels. See p. 225 of
Changeling: The Lost for criteria on how a Hedge Duel is begun. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. A character can’t purchase Briar Bite until he has mastered Quick Count and Cruel Blow. The maneuvers and their effects are described below.

Quick Count (•): In a traditional pistol duel, opponents walk in opposite directions, counting to 10 before turning and firing at each other. This often means that whoever has the quicker reflexes gets the benefit of the first shot. Experienced Hedge Duelists seem to be able to get the “drop” on their opponents more often than not, perhaps simply by quick reaction times, or perhaps through some subtle manipulation of the Hedge’s time flow. With Quick Count, your opponent gets a +2 bonus to her Initiative when beginning a Hedge Duel. If Storytellers are using the alternate Initiative rules on p. 151 of the
World of Darkness Rulebook, the bonus applies to each Initiative roll.

Cruel Blow (••): Demoralizing an opponent is an effective, if unscrupulous, tactic for Hedge duels, and your character has perfected it. When targeting an opponent’s mind (see p. 226 of
Changeling: The Lost), she has an uncanny ability to choose whatever words will do the most damage. Add either your character’s Empathy or the victim’s (whichever is
higher) to your character’s Manipulation + Subterfuge rolls against the victim’s Clarity or Resolve + Composure.

Briar Bite (•••): For an expert Hedge Duelist, the Hedge itself becomes its own, oft lethal, weapon. By spending a Glamour, a Hedge Duelist is able to use the Hedge against his opponent without regard for the opponent’s own powers. When your character uses the Hedge to strike at a rival, your opponent’s Wyrd is treated as two less for purposes of defense (to a minimum of 0).

No Mercy (••••): Normally, a character suffers no more than a –2 penalty for losing all of her Willpower to a Hedge Duel opponent’s mind-attacks. Characters with the No Mercy maneuver, however, give no quarter to their opponents’ weakened state, pursuing the mental abuse to the point where it can totally incapacitate their foes. Once an opponent has been reduced to 0 Willpower, each successive strike at his mind with the No Mercy maneuver increases his dice penalty by 1. Using this tactic calls for a Clarity roll if the attacker’s Clarity is 7 or higher (roll three dice).In addition, opponents who end a Hedge Duel with more than a –2 penalty thanks to this punishment suffer from a mild derangement (or an upgrade of an existing derangement from mild to severe) for the next 24hours. Those who end a Hedge Duel with a –5 or greater penalty or less Willpower suffer the derangement or upgrade for an entire week. When an opponent reaches a –10 penalty, he are no longer able to function and falls to the ground in a quiver in, fetal ball. It is considered exceptionally poor form to kill an opponent who has been so incapacitated, even if the duel was announced as being to the death, so adroit Hedge Duelists will often attempt to pause their mind attacks just short of this threshold if they intend on killing their victim.(Killing a victim who is incapacitated in this manner calls for a degeneration roll if the attacker’s Clarity is 2or higher. Roll two dice.)

Hedge Wrath (•••••):The Hedge is not a nice place. The fact that it seems to cooperate more freely with changelings who come into its fickle environ for the purposes of harming each other is just one example of its cruel nature. For those who are able to harness this cruelty, however, the Thorns are an incredible weapon. With Hedge Wrath, your character is able to sacrifice her own Willpower to fan the Hedge’s lethal potential even higher. She may spend a Willpower point to enhance any Hedge Duel attack in which she is reshaping the Hedge to strike at her enemy; the usual benefits apply. In addition, if that attack is an exceptional success,all damage the attack does is aggravated, rather than lethal.


Fighting Style: Social Maneuvers (• to ••••)
Book: Grim Fears, p. 63
Prerequisites: Presence •••, Manipulation •••, one Social Skill at ••••
Effect: Your character is trained in the art of social manipulations and able to twist a victim around his thumb for purposes of getting what he wants. This might be something the character develops naturally, but it can be taught. Dots purchased in this Merit allow access to special “social combat” maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. Your character can’t have “Stick and Move” until he has “Sugar Lips, Honey Tongue.” The “maneuvers” and their effects are described below. Note that the positive effects of each “maneuver” may end upon one dramatic failure by the character or several consecutive Social failures.

Sugar Lips, Honey Tongue (•): Your character’s first interaction with a target is a mind-blowing yet convincing compliment — the goal being to knock them off balance a bit before going in for the “kill.” Using this “move” necessitates first keeping a close eye on the target for at least 20 minutes, reading body language,determining vulnerabilities: what parts confirm her self-esteem, or what is it about her self-image that needs boosting? Upon delivering the compliment — and it must be the first thing your character says to the target —you roll your character’s Manipulation + Socialize versus the target’s Presence + Composure. Your roll gains a bonus equal to half of your Empathy score, however, rounded up. Success on the roll means the target suffers –3 dice to any further Social Resistance traits or rolls.

Stick and Move (••): Being too aggressive in some social situations can be the deathblow to one’s manipulations; hence, it is often necessary to retreat from the conversation, to feign disinterest or distraction. This forces the victim to be the aggressor (though, admittedly, the false aggressor), thus investing the victim in your character’s well-being. Roll Presence + Subterfuge versus target’s Wits + Empathy. Success indicates that you can use the victim’s own interests and desires against her: for the remainder of the scene, you gain a bonus to all Social rolls equal to half the victim’s Presence score (round up).
Drawback: this necessitates the expenditure of a single point of Willpower to engage.

New Approach (•••): Any time it looks like your character has lost a Social contest, you may spend a Willpower point to force that contest to be re-rolled, gaining a “second chance,” of sorts.

Chip Away (••••): Your character can continue to put the target off balance through denials, assertions,compliments, insults — whatever tools he has in his arsenal. Once per turn, your character may make any Social roll and spend a Willpower point. In doing so, you do not gain +3 to that roll, but instead force a –1Social penalty upon the target by continuing to unbalance the conversation. This penalty is cumulative, and can build to a maximum of –3 dice.

Drawback: if you fail a Social roll after successfully engaging this tactic,the target gains the upper hand again and the Social penalty disappears. You may not try this move again on that target during this game session.