As a DM, is it too unbalancing to give Changelings more shifting power?

[Rossebay]

Say a Changeling shapeshifts into an Avariel. Is it unbalanced to give them the racial 30' fly speed?
What about a 15' fly speed?

Same with shifting into a Triton, is it an issue to give them the ability to breathe underwater or gain a swim speed? What if that swim speed is divided in half?

I want to allow a deal of freedom for a changeling player of mine, but I don't want him outshining the party. Should I just keep the Changeling power purely aesthetic? He originally picked the race because it listed the Changeling Change Shape ability as a Polymorph effect--a thread I posted earlier--and I'm giving it further consideration.

[Amdy_vill]

i would let it but i would have the use of these racial traits take an action or bonus action to gain and only last a minute. after you use the action or bonus action you than can use the trait as if you had it till the end of the minute or you activated another or changed into a different race. if you let things let this into the game remember to balance them with down sides or restrictions.

[Rossebay]

You know, I hadn't thought of restrictions or downsides! I like the idea of Exhaustion after using flight, or maybe the ability to use these traits for a number of minutes equal to the character's Constitution Modifier, and each minute thereafter gains the character one level of exhaustion.

So, very loosely defined:

As an action, you may gain one non-magical racial trait of the Race you shift into for one minute. This ability can be activated a number of times equal to your constitution modifier. Using it any further afterwards incurs one point of exhaustion per minute of use.

[Twigwit]

Even with a system of downsides, you're still investing a lot more time and effort into the Changeling's character compared to the rest of the party. And special modes of movement are some races whole schtik, seems a bit unfair to let one race have access to them all.

[Regitnui]

Where does it end though? While you might think that letting them fly or breathe underwater is harmless, remember that changelings are capable of resembling any bipedal creature: would you let the player gain the petrification abilities of a medusa, the song of a harpy, the webbing of an ettercap?

[Rossebay]

Where does it end though? While you might think that letting them fly or breathe underwater is harmless, remember that changelings are capable of resembling any bipedal creature: would you let the player gain the petrification abilities of a medusa, the song of a harpy, the webbing of an ettercap?

Certainly not. I think I would specifically limit it to breathing underwater, and different speeds.

You make a good point that my wording could be very abused.

[MaxWilson]

Say a Changeling shapeshifts into an Avariel. Is it unbalanced to give them the racial 30' fly speed?
What about a 15' fly speed?

Same with shifting into a Triton, is it an issue to give them the ability to breathe underwater or gain a swim speed? What if that swim speed is divided in half?

I want to allow a deal of freedom for a changeling player of mine, but I don't want him outshining the party. Should I just keep the Changeling power purely aesthetic? He originally picked the race because it listed the Changeling Change Shape ability as a Polymorph effect--a thread I posted earlier--and I'm giving it further consideration.

I'd probably stay away from giving any extra movement speeds. That would open up a can of worms, not just for Changelings but also for spells like Alter Self--why can't Alter Self let you fly too? Can Alter Self and changeling shapeshifting grant you extra muscle strength if you shapeshift into a Goliath? Etc.

It's easy to justify. Just observe that flying requires a number of specialized adaptations including increased strength-to-weight ratios, and say that changeling's shapeshifting isn't powerful enough to handle that, nor to grant you other stat bonuses, underwater breathing, or anything like that. You get cosmetic changes only, and that's plenty.

[Regitnui]

Certainly not. I think I would specifically limit it to breathing underwater, and different speeds.

You make a good point that my wording could be very abused.

I think it's better left unmodified, personally.

[BreaktheStatue]

I think the Changeling's change appearance ability is already pretty powerful, and with a little creativity, the changeling will already be one of the more useful characters in the group*, even without any "Alter Self"-esque bonuses.

*At least in games with intrigue/social.

If the question is about RAI:

The original "Shapechanger" trait described in the 2015 "Unearthed Arcana: Eberron" is very brief, and fairly ambiguous, and I'm guessing this is probably where the confusion resulted:

"As an action, you can polymorph into any humanoid of your size that you have seen, or back to your true form. However, your equipment does not change with you. If you die, your revert to your natural appearance."

That's all it says. This was also the very first UA, for what it's worth.

However, the more recent "Change Appearance" trait in the July 23, 2018, UA, "Races of Eberron" is much more detailed, my guess is in response to several questions and conversations of the nature you're having:

"As an action, you can transform your appearance or revert to your natural form. You can’t duplicate the appearance of a creature you’ve never seen, and you revert to your natural form if you die."

"You decide what you look like, including your height, weight, facial features, the sound of your voice, coloration, hair length, sex, and any other distinguishing characteristics. You can make yourself appear as a member of another race, though none of your game statistics change. You also can’t appear as a creature of a different size than you, and your basic shape stays the same; if you’re bipedal, you can’t use this trait to become quadrupedal, for instance. Your clothing and other equipment don’t change in appearance, size, or shape to match your new form, requiring you to keep a few extra outfits on hand to make the most compelling disguise possible."

"Even to the most astute observers, your ruse is usually indiscernible. If you rouse suspicion, or if a wary creature suspects something is amiss, you have advantage on any Charisma (Deception) check you make to avoid detection."


I want to allow a deal of freedom for a changeling player of mine, but I don't want him outshining the party. Should I just keep the Changeling power purely aesthetic? He originally picked the race because it listed the Changeling Change Shape ability as a Polymorph effect--a thread I posted earlier--and I'm giving it further consideration.

Also, this is really nitpicky, but the original UA uses "polymorph" as a verb, uncapitalized and unitalicized, and the second UA does not mention the word "polymorph" at all.

This leads me to believe that the original UA probably used "polymorph" as the mundane verb, not realizing that people would interpret it as polymorph the spell (or game effect), and my guess is that they deliberately omitted that word in the 2018 UA because of the confusion it caused.

TL/DR: It seems like after writing a very vaguely worded original UA, WoTC decided that this was to be an infiltrator ability, not an "at-will best features of every race" shapeshifter. I'd say that's probably already powerful enough.

[KorvinStarmast]

It's already a bit OP compared to the basic 5e chassis. What is the point in making it moreso?

[Spectrulus]

I have a changing player, and I go with the "appearance, not traits" rule. They can get around it a but by being a caster. I.E. Casting fly on themselves (in private) before pretending to be an aarakocra. Their wings flap, but don't provide lift.

[Gryndle]

I wouldn't allow the base ability to change anything other than appearance. but I would be open to a racial feat that expanded the Changeling's disguise self feature.