Changelings

Changelings are natural shapechangers, who are typically the offspring of humans whose lineages have in some way been touched by chaotic magic. They are creatures that struggle to fit into society because of their rarity and natural abilities, and seldom find others of their kind and tend not to have a culture of their own.

Exiles in Plain Sight

Changelings are born of chaotic magic and its influence on humans. This could come from having a distant doppleganger ancestor, or having an ancestor or parent who was touched by a naturally chaotic realm or wild magic. Changeling ancestry tends to sit dormant in a human lineage before manifesting itself. They are incredibly rare, and tend to be scorned or feared among the other races due to their natural capacity for duplicity. Despite this reputation, they do not tend to be any more evil or good than any member of other race, and in fact tend to be primarily interested in fitting in more than anything else.

Changelings are rare enough that any one is unlikely to encounter other changelings unless they seek others of their kind out, and thus do not typically have a native culture. Far more often, they will hide themselves among other races. Some changelings, typically called Passers, naturally can cobble together a single form over time that they will choose to be as often as possible, and grow to dislike their shapechanging abilities. Other changelings, typically called Coverers, grow used to their abilities and are as fluid with their persona as with their apperance.

Credit: Wizards of the Coast





Changeling Physiology

Changelings are most like elves in body-shape, appearing as thinner humans. Their true appearance can appear otherworldly and even frightening. Their skin tone can vary from pale chalk-white to ebony black, but only in monochrome. Their hair also can be any shade of white-black or gray in between, but tends to be silvery white usually. Their eyes are more rounded and pure white without pupils, and typically surrounded by skin a slightly darker shade. Both their noses and ears are small, thin and understated. Changelings notably are all androgynous in appearance and hermaphroditic, with both female and male genitalea of slightly below human proportions. They tend to produce mostly human offspring, and only rarely is their child another changeling.

Changeling Traits

The changelings have a number of traits that benefit their lifestyle of duplicity and secrecy.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Age. Changelings reach maturity around the same time as humans, usually at 15 years of age, and live as long as humans, typically less than a century.

Alignment. Changelings tend towards neutrality, and prefer to be more subdued in beliefs as a way of keeping attention away from them and their difference from typical society. However, changelings that are less used to discrimination tend to adopt alignments as easily as any other individual, usually similar ones to the society they were raised in.

Size. Changelings tend to be similar to humans in body-type, if a bit leaner on average. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 ft.

Duplicity. You gain proficiency in the Deception skill.

Shapeshifter. As an action, you can transform your appearance (including your race, gender, and the sound of your voice) to that of any humanoid you have seen, or back to your true form. None of your statistics change, you can't transform into a creature of a different size than you, and your basic shape stays the same, if you're bipedal, you can't become quadrupedal, for instance. Your equipment does not change with you, and you revert to your natural form upon death. Truesight reveals your natural form.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and two other languages of your choice.

Design Notes

Changelings are a playable race that excels in certain types of campaigns based on the focus of their story. The ASIs have been made more in-line with what races typically have. In the original Unearthed Arcana article, there was some confusion in regards to the the wording of the shapechange ability. This has been cleared up using the wording of the spell alter self which is the closest approximation and still pushes the boundaries of what an at-will racial effect can do. The power of the class is mostly determined by the type of campaign the character is in.

Detect Balance Score: 22-26 - Shapeshifter counted as 6-10 points, depending on the emphasis of social interaction within the campaign.