Fey Changeling

[TigerT20]

So Eberron has it's own kind of Changeling that, to me, just kind of seem like 'dopplegangers but not'
But they aren't the topic of this post.

Much classical lore about fey, fae and faeries (whatever you call the Little Folk) features a different sort of changeling - where a human child has bene taken and replaced by one of the fey. It may be an adult of a smaller type of fey, or a child of a larger one. In some stories, they take the child, fill it full of magic or possess it and then put it back.

They do this for multiple reasons - diplomacy (as in 'putting the fey in charge of a nation'), to prevent inbreeding, and michief.

How would you go about creating this type of changeling as a race? Say that they're Medium, just so they can blend in.

[Magicspook]

Are you referring to the fey child that has grown up with humans? Or a human that was stolen by fey? I assume the former

*+2 CHA, +1 DEX
*Fey ancestry trait
*Either alter self at will (moderately OP) or a toggle between 2 different appearance (not OP but very useful)
*I think it would be super unbalanced, but changing the creature type from humanoid to fey would go a long way in differentiating them
*1 skill to represent them growing up in such varied environments

So it's basically a half-elf I guess...

[TigerT20]

Are you referring to the fey child that has grown up with humans? Or a human that was stolen by fey? I assume the former

*+2 CHA, +1 DEX
*Fey ancestry trait
*Either alter self at will (moderately OP) or a toggle between 2 different appearance (not OP but very useful)
*I think it would be super unbalanced, but changing the creature type from humanoid to fey would go a long way in differentiating them
*1 skill to represent them growing up in such varied environments

So it's basically a half-elf I guess...

Definitely the former. And why the alter self? I don't recall many stories about shapeshifting or appearance-disguising fey, they're more into 'true' illusions and enchantments.

[Boci]

I use the mechanics of the eladrins for changelings, and just have their appearance match the race of the baby they replace, with a tell based on which court they come from. I never saw the point of eladrin in 5e, since they were introduced in 4e as a replacement for high elves after the PHB elf became the wood elf. With both wood elves and high elves in the PHB in 5e I didn't see much point in the eladrin, but I also haven't read their fluff much, still I like to use them as changelings.

[Magicspook]

Definitely the former. And why the alter self? I don't recall many stories about shapeshifting or appearance-disguising fey, they're more into 'true' illusions and enchantments.

Ah, I figured they needed some way to diguise themselves so that the parents wouldn't notice. It's hard to disguise bug eyes or butterfly wings with a quick glamour, unless you can either fool the mind or actually morph your body, right?

[firelistener]

I use the mechanics of the eladrins for changelings, and just have their appearance match the race of the baby they replace, with a tell based on which court they come from. I never saw the point of eladrin in 5e, since they were introduced in 4e as a replacement for high elves after the PHB elf became the wood elf. With both wood elves and high elves in the PHB in 5e I didn't see much point in the eladrin, but I also haven't read their fluff much, still I like to use them as changelings.

There isn't a whole lot of fluff, but in 5e they're basically "seasonal" elves. They pick one of the 4 seasons and get a bonus associated with it added onto the eladrin Fey Step ability and can change their chosen season on long rests.

[Dr. Cliché]

Wouldn't the Eberron changeling still make sense, at least in terms of stats and abilities?

You could say that it takes on the form of the child it replaced, and retains that form until it's old enough to make its own way.

The only change I'd be tempted to make would be swapping Changeling Instincts for Fey Ancestry (for what I hope are obvious reasons).

[Joe the Rat]

Half-elf (has stats like a variant human, and +2 Charisma - the fae stat), use the SCAG variant to drop the skill proficiency for Wood elf Mask of the Wild, High Elf Cantrip, or Drow Drow Magic. Of the three, I like Drow Magic the best for a fake human: dancing lights as an innate cantrip is awfully on theme. Add Faerie Fire and Darkness at higher levels.

Alternatively, Tiefling might make a good frame: Basically human, Charisma Primary, some of the variants (Silvertongue from SCAG) make for good fae powers, and the inhuman features (skin, ears, tail, horns, or whatever variations) could have showed up as an adolescent - signs of an unknown, unhuman heritage expressing.

The other obvious angle is just play a Sorcerer. Your spell ability is your true fey heritage.


Whether or not you know what you are is a good roleplay hook.

[Luccan]

I use the mechanics of the eladrins for changelings, and just have their appearance match the race of the baby they replace, with a tell based on which court they come from. I never saw the point of eladrin in 5e, since they were introduced in 4e as a replacement for high elves after the PHB elf became the wood elf. With both wood elves and high elves in the PHB in 5e I didn't see much point in the eladrin, but I also haven't read their fluff much, still I like to use them as changelings.

The DMG one definitely feels redundant, it's just a high elf with Misty Step instead of a cantrip. The 5e one at least has a different theme going for itself than the high elf which, if they were gonna do a Feywild elf ,I'm glad has been separated out.

Also, I'm not sure the Fey type is really that OP on its own: did the Ravnica Centaur really shake up the game by being immune to Hold Person?

I do think this theoretical Fey Changeling needs something deception related. While Eberron's Changeling does seem to be a sort of lesser doppleganger (which at least some believe they are), it's also a pretty good choice for such a concept. Unless you had something specific in mind?