Q: Why did the naraka not seem to encounter the hsien present near Ravana's death? You would think they would be the first fae they encountered. Why was this not mentioned, or this listed as a type of conflict, given naraka and acheri nature? The hsien are more closely related to Changeling than vampires or werewolves.
A: True enough. There are a number of reasons why I didn't mention the narakas' interaction with the hsien. The main reason was that, despite the fact that a hsien played an active part in the death of Ravnos in Time of Thin Blood, the majority of hsien are in the Middle Kingdom, farther East than the narakas' home stomping grounds in India and Pakistan. Also, since the surrounding region was mostly reduced to an atomic cinder by the Hidden Ones' spirit nukes, I figured that any of the remaining local hsien were something less than a threat (at least in the immediate aftermath). If there were any hsien left in the area, I surmise they beat a hasty retreat.
That said, the two groups (not to mention the acheri) are not all that far away from each other. They probably have come into contact with each other at some point in the past and I wouldn't mind seeing some information on this in future books. Denizens was not meant to cover the totality of the Adhene's interactions with the fae world, any more than Changeling 2nd Ed. is meant to cover every aspect of changeling life. Regrettably, there was just not enough room in the book to detail everything I wanted to cover. I encourage Storytellers to create their own stories involving the hsien and the Dark-kin.
Q: What is going on with the new systems for Arts? Is this a change in overall system or just an oversight?
…Each and every cantrip in the book says that it requires a point of, Glamour regardless of whether it is chimerical or Wyrd. Is this Glamour in addition to the Glamour required to cast a Wyrd cantrip?
…Denizen Arts: WHAT THE (expletive) WENT ON HERE!?!?! Not only do the Arts contradict pre-established Cantrip rules such as: Realm + Attribute combinations or Banality + 4 difficulty, but the cantrips themselves seem to be completely unchangeling. Discord, save for the 3rd and 5th levels, are weak, uncreative and written to be weaker than even vampire Disciplines. [Out of context from the same poster: The Arts were also weaker than standard fae cantrips; lets face it, Legerdemain and Chicanery make for better Arts of war than Discord will ever be, as it's written.] The Autumn Way Level 5 for some reason cannot be combined with the Scene Realm to effect multiple targets; and level 4 is pathetic and worse, making the effects little more than a very static ability.
A: There are some good points here and others that fall far wide of the mark.
On the first category, let me tender my abject apologies: The Glamour cost mentioned in the book is to use Wyrd aspects of the cantrips, as with all other Arts. I also included the Attribute for each Art's Attribute + Realm roll, but then erroneously went on to give oddball rolls for many of the cantrips. Agh! If I could change one thing in the entire book, this would be it. I know this rule as well as you do and I don't know where my mind was when I did this. I could try to come up with some long-winded rationale for why this occurred but, bottom line, I made a mistake. This is what happens when you rush things. The only real, and somewhat lame, explanation I can give for this is that I write for so many gamelines that I occasionally lose sight of the rules system I am currently working under. I will try to be more careful in the future. Please excise this unfortunate mistake from your minds and run the Denizens' Arts as you would any changeling spell. Mea culpa. Mea culpa. Mea culpa.
Now, as to the rest:
First, on Discord. I didn't write this Art (it was Tadd's baby and maybe he'd be inclined to add to my answer), but I felt it mostly succeeded at what it set out to do.
"Weaker than even Vampire Disciplines?" Some of those vampiric powers are pretty damn scary to me. Besides, even though the Art was designed to allow the wielder to go toe-to-toe with various prodigals, neither Tadd nor I ever intended it to be that much more potent than abilities of comparable levels in other games. We're trying to even the playing field, not kick it to the opposite extreme where changelings dominate it. That's not the point of the game — never has been.
Now, since you didn't seem to have any problem with Discord levels 3 & 5, I'll address the other three. Level 1 (House of Mirrors) allows the caster to create non-material duplicates of himself or any other item allowed by his appropriate Realms. While I don't intend to debate how "creative" this cantrip is (if you've already made up your mind, I can't convince you), I'd say that this is hardly "weak" for a Level 1 spell. Similarly, Level 2 (Hermes' Fleetness) is, while not hugely potent, at least in line for a Level 2 cantrip. Finally, Level 4 (Whirling Dervish) deals with difficulty modifiers and can reduce the difficulty — against a specific Realm designated target — to a very low level (as low as difficulty 2) for a number of rounds. This is quite a potent ability. While we can argue about whether it stacks up against the comparable levels of Chicanery and Legerdemain (Haunted Heart and Mooch) as combat cantrips, I don't believe it is anything to sneeze at.
Finally, to address your comments on the Autumn Way:
First, briefly, Autumn Way 4 (Dagda's Boon) allows the Denizen to abrogate the Silver Ban. While this may not be a big deal to the average changeling, it opens up whole new worlds to the Denizen who possesses it (especially since it can be used to bring other Adhene onto the Silver Path). Think of this in both a mystical and a socio-political sense. In the first case, the Denizen is overcoming (or, more precisely, fooling) the extremely potent magics of the Tuatha dé Danaan. This is no small thing. In the latter sense, the denizen can penetrate one of the changelings' strongest defenses, raid hitherto unavailable trods and freeholds, gain power and esteem among his own kind as an "opener of paths" and generally make life miserable for the Kithain. "Pathetic and worse?" You are welcome to your opinion, but I respectfully disagree with your assessment.
On Autumn Way 5 (Reality's Horror) not being allowed to combine with Scene 5 to affect multiple targets: For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Ravnos Chimerstry Discipline in Vampire: The Masquerade, I drew this cantrip directly from the fifth level of this power (Horrid Reality). In order to curb power gaming with this ability (which is quite potent), the developers of Vampire decided to limit its use to one person at a time. Rightly or wrongly, I followed suit. The limitation of various Realms is not unprecedented in the game and, so I would argue, not "unchangeling." If I may refer you to the cantrip rules on page 172 of Changeling 2nd, Edition:
"The basic cantrip casting rules make the most use of the Realms of Actor and Fae. Generally speaking, the target of many cantrips is most often a person, whether a mortal, supernatural or another fae. In many cases, the Scene Realm can be used in conjunction with Fae or Actor to affect multiple targets." [Emphasis added.]
For a specific example of Scene restrictions, look at its outright ban in the system rules for Chicanery 5 (Captive Heart) and at the limitations it faces throughout many of the other Arts.
In other words, for reasons of game balance, certain cantrips (Disciplines, rotes, Gifts, Arcanoi, etc.) have this, or similar, limitations — and most Storytellers are very grateful for this fact. The actual metaphysics behind these system limitations are rarely explained because it would simply take too much precious space, and because it is assumed that the Storytellers and players are intelligent enough to work out the "why" of such limitations on their own. If a Storyteller is so inclined, however, the Scene limitation is the easiest thing in the world to fix: Simply allow the Scene Realm and divide the number of successes among the people affected. 'Nuff said.
Q: The Autumn Way seems to be worded so that each level, other than the fifth, could only be used on the casters themselves. This makes the fourth level useless to aonides, keremet and moiræ, and most of the Art useless to Kithain who might learn it. Could it be cast on other Denizens that don't know it themselves?
A: Absolutely. As with most other Arts, the Autumn Way (except for Level 5) is fully compatible with all the Realms. There's no particular reason why you can't use any of the Art's levels in conjunction with any Realm. Actually I have long agreed with many fans that there are some problems inherent to the whole Art/Realm system. While the combination between the two is highly flexible and, theoretically, quite elegant, I believe there have been some problems with the game mechanics from day one. I think that the Arts/Realms system would benefit from both some streamlining and from a more detailed pairing of individual Arts to Realms. I hope this will be handled in some future book.
Q: Denizen Affinities: WHY THE (expletive) DO THEY HAVE AFFINITY REALMS!?!?! Let's face it, the sidhe have been on earth for 30 years and still have been unable to master a Realm Affinity, yet for Denizens, who have been trapped in the Nightmare Realms for eons [and have been] here for a year, have mastered a Realm.
A: Tempest in a teapot. I wrote it this way because I dislike the notion that the sidhe can't have a Realm Affinity. This has never made sense to me. Even if you strip away all the so-called "Autumn World Realms," the sidhe should still be able to specialize in the Fae (or Time?) Realms. That's assuming Realms like Scene, Nature and Prop (not to mention Actor from the occasional humans who bumble into the Dreaming) don't have any meaning in the dream realms — which they do. Allowing the Dark-kin to have Realm Affinities may contradict the "sidhe rule," but I didn't feel like limiting them simply because of what I see as a past mistake.
If you need a more game oriented reason than the above, think of it this way: The sidhe have spent the last 600 years in the Deepest Dreaming — in the rarefied environs of Arcadia. Meanwhile, almost all Denizens are creatures of the Near or Far Dreaming where there is more correspondence between the Dreaming and the Autumn World. Beyond this, the Adhene are fundamentally different from the sidhe on a number of other levels. For one thing, their alliance with the Fomorian Dream is reason enough for why they would be better prepared to retain these "lost Realms," both during and after the War of Trees. Most sidhe who left Earth during the Shattering no doubt thought that they'd never again need those crude "Autumn Realms" (if you buy into the no-Affinities-for-sidhe argument, which I don't). The Adhene, on the other hand, always planned on coming back and would have taken precautions to maintain these Realms while in exile.
By the way, just as an aside, most Denizens are not from the Nightmare Realms, but from what changelings call the "Tenebrous Realms". These are realms largely unknown to the Kithain, but not necessarily nightmarish in quality. The real Nightmare Realms are a subject for a whole other book…
Q: Holes In Logic: IF MOIRÆ ARE ALL FEMALE, HOW THE HELL DO THEY REPRODUCE!?!?! The book mentions that, unlike Kithain, the Adhene are simply very long-lived and not eternal like Kithain in their primal form. So it's somewhat strange to have Adhene like the keremet (who can barely muster the libido to eat, much less reproduce) and the entirely female Adhene of moiræ who have somehow survived through the countless eons in the Dreaming being all females but producing offspring.
A: It's not a hole in the logic if the book doesn't say any such thing. The book never states that all moiræ are female. Dan Ginn, the author of that section, referred to them using feminine terminology, but that's because they are traditionally portrayed that way in most folklore. Perhaps I should have included a direct example or mention of a male moiræ, but their omission does not preclude their existence. I'm sorry, but I don't see a problem here. Remember, as Nietzche said: "That which is not forbidden is permitted." (And, thanks to the Golden Rule, even that which is forbidden is permitted, if you have a sufficiently laid-back Storyteller.) So, in the interest of avoiding any more confusion, and as Dan Ginn has already stated in this forum: Yes, there are male moiræ. Probably not as many as there are female oracles, but they are out there.
Oh, and for those of you who would prefer to have all moiræ as females in your game, simply think of the "oracle gene" as something that is passed from mother to daughter, regardless of the father's identity. In effect, you only need one parent to be a moiræ to produce an offspring of that nature. Pushing the concept even a step further, realize that Fate is capricious and occasionally touches individuals, regardless of their biological heritage. In my mind, it is completely possible for a moiræ to be born without either parent being of that lineage (Dan may or may not agree with me here). They may simply "occur" in the general population.
The keremet are a special case. Keremet are not born (at least as baby keremet); they are made. As is plainly explained in their entry, the keremet are humans who were brought into the Dreaming at the moment of their death. (Actually, there's a lot more to them than that, but I have to save some things for future books.) Dead humans? We can always make more of them in the World of Darkness. Oh, and just to clear up a misconception, keremet can feel emotion, it is just difficult for them and not a common occurrence.
Q: In conclusion, the book betrayed the system magically and in some respects conceptually from the main CtD book. Changeling magick is flexible, not static. Changeling difficulty is based on Banality (key concepts of the game) not arbitrary assigned difficulties. The Arts were also weaker than standard fae cantrips; lets face it, Legerdemain and Chicanery make for better Arts of War than Discord will ever be, as it's written. Secondly, there were the widespread holes in logic, e.g. contradictions with canon and standard dreaming biology (even in the Dreaming I assume one normally needs a male and female to reproduce).
A: Again, while I'm willing to concede to some unfortunate inconsistencies in the book, I think that this comment about "betrayal" is more than a trifle overwrought and just plain inaccurate. Now, since I have already dealt with most of the above points, I'd like to use this opportunity to comment on the general metaphysics of fae magic.
First, on the place of any changeling Arts on the static to dynamic magic[k] continuum: Changeling cantrips are clearly more dynamic than, say, your average vampire Discipline, but they are also generally less dynamic than the Sphere magicks found in Mage. You can bemoan the fact that this is so, and I wouldn't necessarily disagree with you, but the effects possible with the Arts + Realms (power + target) combination in Changeling will never be quite as dynamic as the Sphere + Sphere (power + power) combination possible in Mage. Changeling Arts are not mage magicks and I think you are missing a major tenet of the game if you are trying to fit them into this mold (not that I am necessarily saying that you are doing this).
Q: The book should have been longer and deeper, giving a more in depth explanation of the Nightmare Realms (not just geographical locations and descriptions), but to convey a sense of horror. Like: "In this realm the fir-bholg scholar Vishkara documented a large, distorted, bloated mass of flesh, fluids, bone, and sinew. It floated endlessly through the Dreaming exuding a noxious gas as myriad maws appeared screaming out in pain and agony yelling out: 'Help me', 'Find Me', 'Save me'…"
A: Yes, I would have liked for the book to be longer too.
As to the book's descriptions: "Myriad maws?" Did it have myriad paws too? Sorry, I couldn't resist. I've had a number of people compliment me on how atmospheric the book was, so I'll let people make up their own minds on this rather subjective viewpoint. Actually, your "large, distorted, bloated mass of flesh, bone and sinew" was originally in one of the short stories (which I posted here a few weeks ago). I initially thought Jackie and Nicky cut the beast for space reasons, but I've since learned it just wanted too much money. Bloated-masses-of-flesh these days… Things just haven't been the same since Lovecraft died.
Q: What's up with the keremet Birthright "Can use the Black Paths of Balor"? I mean, everyone can use them, so that's like calling "has five fingers" a Birthright or something. Is it that they can sense or open them without further aid? Did they have access to the paths, and thus the mundane world, the Dreaming, and the realms of the dead, during the Interregnum?
…Basically, this Birthright allows them to travel the Black Paths of Balor. HELLO! All fae can travel the Black Paths of Balor (if they can find one that is). It is kinda like having a Birthright that says "Breathe Oxygen". I don't know what crack Chris Howard was smoking at that time, but I definitely want me some of that! (I am kidding, Chris; don't hate me!)
A: Crack kills. I'm sorry on this one. I should have made this *much* clearer. This ties into the process that Denizens, or changelings for that matter, must go through in order to open a trod. Most fae have to have both Wayfare 3 (Portal Passage) and Fae 5 (Dweomer of Glamour) to open a trod, including one of the Black Paths of Balor. The keremet may simply enter the Paths of the Dead as a matter of course, though they have to possess the prerequisite Arts and Realms to open a trod of any other kind.
Q: How do most Denizens Ravage when they don't have any Banality?
A: I've seen this question in several forums, but this is not an oversight. The fact of the matter is that no Denizen fresh from the Dreaming can Ravage his victim until he has accumulated at least one point of Banality (not that gaining a point of Banality is difficult to do). Much of what the Dark-kin can and cannot do in the Autumn World is a matter of trade-offs; this aspect of their existence is no exception. Simply put, some Denizens can't Ravage, some do it poorly (at least until they gain more Banality) and some wouldn't want to do it anyway. Ravaging is an inherently Banality producing activity. If an Adhene wishes to partake in it, she'll have to get her hands dirty.
Q: Can we have a clearer explanation of how/if the Aonides and other Evanescent went back and forth between the Dreaming and the mundane world during the Interregnum when the trods were closed? Was it only the silver trods that were shut down?
A: Not all of the trods closed down during the Interregnum; they simply became much fewer and farther between. This includes both trods protected by the Silver Path and those untouched by the Tuatha dé Danaan's magics. The former kind were rare, but among the few paths where changelings could feel safe. The latter were far more likely to be traveled by Denizens, but were not as likely to connect to the Autumn World. Some of those Dark-kin known as the Evanescent traveled between the Dreaming and the Autumn World during the dry times but, as with most changelings, many were also trapped on Earth.
Q: If the Denizens have a fae mien, perceivable by changelings, when they possess a mortal body; do they have one if they have the Merit, "Human Shell"? Can they call upon the Wyrd or use Treasures with "Human Shell", or is it the same as possessing a body? What happens if the mortal body (or Human Shell) the Denizen is inhabiting gets killed? Could a Denizen with the "Human Shell" Merit choose to leave the body to inhabit another, for whatever reason, or go Phantom Form? If they did, could they return to the body later?
…The book mentions that some Adhene had undergone the Changeling Way. How does that work? Is this covered by the Human Shell Merit? Can someone with Human Shell call upon the Wyrd? Can an Adhene leave his Human Shell to use his Phantom Form or Possession from the Autumn Way? Some get their Human Shell through a deal with a mortal. How does this work, and what happens to the mortal?
A: I didn't write the Human Shell Merit (it was Dan Ginn's), but I edited it and will take the heat for not expanding on the information in the book. Here's my take on it: The body provided by this Merit is exactly like a body possessed by a changeling in the Changeling Way Ritual. That means, it has both a human and faerie mein, can accommodate the fullest range of Arts and Treasures, and can call upon the Wyrd (it is a 4 point Merit). Additionally, the Denizen is not permanently tied to it like a changeling is tied to her human aspect, can exercise her powers of possession and go to her Phantom Form. On the down side, the body is part of her and if it dies while she's in residence, the Denizen dies with it (though an obliging Storyteller may give a dying PC a chance to "jump ship," with the penalties listed on page 35 firmly in mind).
I left things wide open for those Denizens who get their "human shell" through a deal with a mortal. That's because I wanted to give the widest latitude for Storytellers and players to use their imaginations. Maybe the human gets something out of it and has a fair amount of freedom (when his body is not in use by the Adhene), or maybe his soul is completely consumed and wailing in agony somewhere in the Denizen's "under-psyche". This gives the character all sorts of roleplaying potential. As for the actual use of the Changeling Way Ritual by Denizens: Yes, a few have undergone this process and are as locked into their "changeling" bodies as any Kithain. (I imagine many Dark-kin probably look askance at such traitors.) I didn't go into this much in the book because it is an uncommon occurrence.
Q: Harroth the Mute is said to be a Balor sidhe who has not undergone the Changeling Way. Can he still enter the Autumn Realms, using the same mechanics as the Adhene? What are the requirements of the Changeling Way and how can Adhene perform it? Do the dislodged souls become keremet? Can such changelings reverse the ritual and return to their Phantom Form?
A: Wow, a lot of questions. First, I hope that the Harroth Balor fiction I posted here a few weeks ago answered your questions about him. Unfortunately the fiction sections are almost always the first thing to go. Harroth has little problem entering the Autumn World (despite his human host's missing soul) because of his powerful patrons in the Dreaming. On the Changeling Way Ritual: To my knowledge, the actual mechanics for this ritual have not been covered. The Autumn Way 1 (Insufflation) is very similar in effect, but less permanent. As for the displaced souls becoming keremet? That would be telling. I purposefully left this a little vague; keep reading and find out. (There, I've done my shameless marketing for this FAQ.) Can such changelings reverse the ritual and return to their Phantom Form? To be honest, I haven't given this much thought. Personally, I believe it would be possible (with some rare magic or Treasure), but is not at all a common occurrence.
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