Background Traits describe the special advantages your character derives from her environment, including possessions, contacts and influences. Before randomly dumping points into whatever looks good, think about how your character came to possess these particular things. This will help you to flesh out your character and establish a more complete history and background for her.

You can use your character’s Backgrounds to obtain information, resources or favours. Some of them can be rolled in combination with an Attribute to determine the success of certain actions, such as bullying another changeling into following your orders (Manipulation + Title) or obtaining an important bit of information (Charisma + Contacts).

This Background is a catch-all for both chimerical items and chimerical companions that a character can possess. When purchasing this Background, the player must designate one or both of these options on the character sheet. This can be done by simply writing Chimerical Companion or Chimerical Item in the appropriate space. Characters who choose to take this Background for both may take up to five dots in both options.

Every changeling instinctively creates a chimerical suit of clothing when she experiences her Chrysalis. Any chimerical items she owns beyond that must be bought by sinking points into the Chimera Background. The level of this Background that the character possesses determines what chimerical items the character may possess.

* Basic: You own a chimerical conversation piece.

** Minor: You own a chimerical item with some benefits.

*** Useful: You own a useful chimerical item.

**** Significant: You own a powerful chimerical item.

***** Incredible: You own a chimerical item of legendary power.

Companions are the living chimera either born of a changeling’s unconscious nature or purposely created through the sculpting of Glamour. Players should consult their STs as to the type of companion they have. Players should also be aware that higher level Companions have minds and personalities of their own, which may come into conflict with the character’s goals. The number of dots a character has in Chimerical Companion determines how many points he has to create a companion based on the rules for chimerical creation. (Please click on the “Chimerical Creatures” link below for these rules).

* Basic: You have a simple chimerical creature as a companion (10 points).

Examples: A small patch of mould that bubbles obscenely on your shoulder, a speck of light that flitters around your head, or a sock puppet named Bob that curls up to sleep in your pocket.

** Minor: You have a semi-intelligent chimerical companion with language capabilities and its own personality (15 points).

Examples: A small jewelled dragon with a smoking problem, a giant teddy bear with a Brooklyn accent, or a talking moon cat.

*** Useful: You have a chimerical companion that can speak and communicate quite well, and that has a mind of its own, often being more of a nuisance than a help (20 points).

Examples: A speed demon that looks like a chimerical sports car, a talking chimerical ferret that hoards shiny objects, or a small green alien that sniffs at everything it sees.

**** Significant: You have a highly intelligent chimerical companion that can be of great help to you (30 points).

Examples: A griffon that can fly, a unicorn that appear to mortals, or an owl that quotes Shakespeare and knows the trods well enough to serve as a guide.

***** Incredible: You have a chimerical companion with a sharp and quick mind and extensive magical abilities (50 points).

Examples: An ancient djinn that can affect both the Dreaming and the real world, or a dragon with a broad variety of Redes at its disposal.

NB. The MSTs require a detailed description (approx 500-1,000 words per dot of Chimera) of your character’s chimerical items or companions. What are the items? Where did the character obtain them? What is the companion’s appearance? Personality? Quirks? etc, etc. This must be mailed to the MSTs within 14 days of your character being accepted.

Your character knows certain people in useful places to whom she can turn for information and assistance. The Contacts background defines how influential these people are and how helpful. Major contacts are friends on whom your character can rely to provide her with accurate information in their fields. When creating your character, you should describe her contacts as completely as possible, with profession and area of influence.

This Trait also gives your character a number of minor contacts. When your character wants to get in touch with a minor contact, roll a Dice Pool equal to the number of dots you have in Contacts (base difficulty 7). For each success, she can touch base with one of her minor contacts. At that point, she can attempt to charm or bribe the contact into giving her what she needs.

* Basic: You have one major contact.

** Minor: You have two major contacts.

*** Useful: You have three major contacts.

**** Significant: You have four major contacts.

***** Incredible: You have five major contacts.

NB. The MSTs require a detailed description (approx 500 words per dot of Contacts) of your character’s contacts. Who are they? How did the character meet them? What do they do? Exactly what can they do to help your character, their area of influence? Why are they prepared to help your character? etc, etc. This must be mailed to the MSTs within 14 days of your character being accepted.

Changelings gather Glamour from the Dreamers they inspire or find along the way. This Background represents the number of Dreamers your character knows and from whom he draws Glamour. These Dreamers can be used to perform a number of services, although they are not nearly as loyal or efficient as a Retinue (see the Retinue Background below).

* Basic: You benefit from one Dreamer.

** Minor: You benefit from two Dreamers.

*** Useful: You benefit from four Dreamers.

**** Significant: You benefit from six Dreamers.

***** Incredible: You benefit from eight Dreamers.

NB. The MSTs require a detailed description (approx 250 words per dot of Dreamers) of your characters Dreamers. Who are they? Where are they? How do they come to be your character’s Dreamers? etc, etc. This must be mailed to the MSTs within 14 days of your character being accepted.

Your character has inherited a faerie freehold. Such freeholds are greatly coveted by other Kithain, and you may be required to spend much of your time protecting it from squatters and other greedy changelings. Most freeholds are held by nobles, but some freeholds belong exclusively to commoners. In rare instances, a freehold may be secreted away and held by an individual, but if the nobility discover it, they will more than likely come to take it away.

The Trait rating not only reflects the size of the freehold, but the amount of Glamour that may be gained from it each day.

* Basic: You are in charge of an insignificant freehold that produces one point of Glamour.

** Minor: You are in charge of a small freehold that produces two points of Glamour.

*** Useful: You are in charge of a medium-sized freehold that produces three points of Glamour.

**** Significant: You are in charge of a large freehold that produces four points of Glamour.

***** Incredible: You are in charge of a huge freehold that produces five points of Glamour.

NB. The MSTs require a detailed description (approx 500-1,000 words per dot of Holdings) of your character’s freehold. Where is it? How does it appear, in both the mundane world and the Dreaming? etc, etc. This must be mailed to the MSTs within 14 days of your character being accepted.

Changelings tend to look after one another, educating and protecting those who have recently experienced their Chrysalises. The relationship between a changeling and his mentor is often very close. A mentor can serve as an invaluable guide to changeling society.

Mentors may also protect a changeling from danger and inform him of social opportunities. However, a mentor may expect some favours in return for the information or assistance she provides. This could be as simple as cleaning her manor or as perilous as protecting a faerie glen from Unseelie redcaps.

* Basic: Your mentor knows little of import.

** Minor: Your mentor has some noteworthy pieces of information to share.

*** Useful: Your mentor has significant secrets to share.

**** Significant: Your mentor has extraordinary knowledge to pass along.

***** Incredible: If your mentor doesn’t know it, it’s likely no one does.

NB. The MSTs require a detailed description (approx 500 words per dot of Mentor) of your character’s mentor. Who is he/she? What is he/she (position in court, level of experience, etc)? How did your character come to meet him/her? In what ways does he/she assist you? etc, etc. This must be mailed to the MSTs within 14 days of your character being accepted.

Remembrance defines your character’s connection to the Dreaming and her unconscious knowledge of the fae. Most Kithain have very little memory of their faerie selves or of the past lives they have lived. Those with high levels of remembrance still retain some memories or have periodic flashbacks of previous lives.

Any time the character is interacting with changelings or other creatures of the Dreaming, roll a Dice Pool equal to his Remembrance rating. The number of successes can be added to the character’s Etiquette Dice Pool when interacting with the person or creature. This number of successes can also determine how well a character understands the unwritten laws of faerie society and the Dreaming. In the latter case, the ST may offer hints as to how the character should behave in a given situation.

* Basic: You may remember hazy bits of information when triggered by an event or other reminder.

** Minor: You can glean reasonable accurate information with a reminder.

*** Useful: You have access to worthwhile lore; you experience flashbacks that deliver information without a reminder.

**** Significant: You are able to remember remarkable information, including memories of important events from your past lives.

***** Incredible: You have an astounding wealth of information available to you, including large portions of your past lives or even entire lifetimes.

NB. The MSTs require a detailed description (approx 500-1,000 words per dot of Remembrance) of your character’s memories of past lives etc. Exactly what can the character remember? What, if anything, acts as a trigger for the memories? Who was your character in their past life/lives? etc, etc. This must be mailed to the MSTs within 14 days of your character being accepted.

The Resources Background quantifies your character’s financial resources or access to such funds. The resources are not always completely liquid, but your character can sell them to gain money. It may take weeks or even months to do so, depending on how much needs to be sold.

This Background also determines your character’s monthly income. Your ST may ask you to define the source of your character’s income, because the well might “dry up” depending on the circumstances of the chronicle.

* Basic: You might have small savings, an apartment and a motorcycle. (Assets: £1,000; Income £500/month).

** Minor: You might have an apartment or condominium and a reliable rust bucket. (Assets: £8,000; Income: £1,200/month).

*** Useful: You might have large savings and own a house and a nice car. (Assets: £50,000; Income: £3,000/month).

**** Significant: You are well-off and might own a large house or rundown mansion and a new car. (Assets: £500,000; Income: £9,000/month).

***** Incredible: You are a millionaire. (Assets: £5,000,000; Income: £30,000/month).

NB. The MSTs require a detailed description (approx 1,000 words per dot in Resources) of your character’s resources. What does your character own? How did the character come by such resources? Inheritance? Job? Crime? What, if any, investments does the character have working for him/her? Where does the character keep his/her funds? Bank? Under the mattress? etc, etc. This must be mailed to the MSTs within 14 days of your character being accepted.

Your character has one or more enchanted humans or retainers under his sway. This retinue answers to your character and is under his control, either through enchantments or by some more mundane method of control. They will tend to be loyal to him, although some may betray him if they are ill-treated.

Members of a changeling’s retinue are not infallible. You should define them clearly and assign each a weakness. For instance, one might be very loyal, but not very skilled. Another might be powerful, but have a very independent mind. Retinue are meant to be characters in and of themselves. They should not be abused.

* Basic: You have one member in your retinue.

** Minor: You have two members in your retinue.

*** Useful: You have four members in your retinue.

**** Significant: You have six members in your retinue.

***** Incredible: You have eight members in your retinue.

NB. The MSTs require a detailed description (approx 500 words per dot in Retinue) of your character’s retinue. Who are they? How did they come to be working for your character? What are their strengths/weaknesses? etc, etc. This must be mailed to the MSTs within 14 days of your character being accepted.

This Trait denoted your character’s rank in changeling society. Not all Kithain have a title; in fact, few rise above the rank of squire, if they attain any title at all. The Title Background bestows little in the way of actual power, but is the most important source of social influence. The holding, land that is bequeathed to a noble, is covered separately under the Holdings Background, and it is quite possible to have a landless baron or even duke.

Usually only sidhe are granted titles, though it is possible for commoners to gain titles, especially those of squire and knight. A few commoners hold higher titles, most of these granted under the Treaty of Concord.

* Basic: You are a squire.

** Minor: You are a knight or a lady.

*** Useful: You are a baron or a baroness.

**** Significant: You are a count or a countess.

***** Incredible: You are a duke or duchess.

NB. The MSTs require a detailed description (approx 1,000 words per dot in Title) of your character’s title. What title does the character hold? How did the character come to hold the title? etc, etc. This must be mailed to the MSTs within 14 days of your character being accepted.

Treasures are mortal items that have been imbued with Glamour, thus giving them the power to perform specific Glamour-based effects. The Treasures Background allows your character to begin the game with a treasure already in her possession. Many high-level treasures are unique, meaning that there should never be more than one of their kind in a chronicle. It might have been a gift from a mentor, an incredibly lucky find at an antique shop, or a family heirloom. A treasure has both a mortal and a faerie appearance. For example, Behn’ir’s Sword of Fire appears as a normal sword to mortals whereas it has a flaming blade when viewed by changelings. Since treasures are invested with Glamour, they have the effect of enchanting mortals who touch them.

The rating of this Trait determines the power of the treasure. Although a treasure usually does only one thing in specific, the ratings below are listed in number of dots in an Art. This is to give you an idea of the types of things a treasure at that rating can do. A treasure will only do one effect. It does not have access to the Arts in the same way a changeling does. When determining your character’s treasure, choose one effect based on the Art you assign to it and the level that you purchase. For example, Behn’ir’s Sword of Fire is a 4-dot treasure that shatters solid objects on contact (Holly Strike). It doesn’t get all the benefits of the Art. It still does normal damage to mortals and changelings. It is given one specific effect inspired by Holly Strike. Your ST has the final say in approving all treasures and may wish to impose time constraints on both their activation and the duration of the effect.

* Basic: Common, one dot in an Art.

Examples: A lucky coin (Soothsay 1/Fair Fortune), rose-coloured glasses (Chicanery 1/Fuddle), a large horseshoe magnet (Legerdemain 1/Gimmix).

** Minor: Uncommon, two dots in an Art.

Examples: A dunce cap that induces temporary amnesia (Chicanery 2/Fugue), a thermometer that heals as it reads the target’s temperature (Primal 2/Heather Balm), a kingly sceptre that allows its carrier to command others (Sovereign 2/Dictum).

*** Useful: Rare, three dots in an Art.

Examples: A piece of chalk that when used to draw on a flat surface opens a portal (Wayfare 3/Portal Passage), a lump of clay that forms itself into whatever the holder is looking at (Legerdemain 3/Effigy), a flashlight that when turned on becomes a sabre of light and caused fear in its wielder’s opponent (Chicanery 3/Haunted Heart).

**** Significant: Unique, four dots in an Art.

Examples: A shimmery veil that when worn makes the changeling invisible (Chicanery 4/Veiled Eyes), a hammer that will shatter any solid object (Primal 4/Holly Strike), a crystal ball that gives glimpses of the future (Soothsay 4/Augury).

***** Incredible: Very unique, five dots in an Art.

Examples: A cigarette lighter that when flicked blinks the holder directly to whatever location he is holding in his mind (Wayfare 5/Flicker Flash), a golden picture frame that can hold any normal photograph and which allows the carrier to look exactly like whatever is in the current picture (Primal 5/Elder-Form).