Changeling

The term Changeling typically refers to someone of mixed Human and Fae blood, as they are the second most common, however there are many different types of hybrids possible given the number of sentient species of Midian whose genetic make-up allows them to cross-breed. The term does not include those whose distant ancestry included different species—anything further removed than a grandparent—nor does it include the most common variety: the child of an Orck and Ogre; these are simply called Half-Orcks. Additionally, a child raised by a species other than his or her own is called a Changeling. This stems from an early, racist, belief that Changelings are not the result of mixed relationships—ranging from "not biologically possible" to "my daughter wouldn't"—and were rather the result of the other parent's species stealing babies and placing one of their own in the child's place. There are other, less polite, terms used to describe all Changelings: bastard, cross-born, daddy's lil' squirt, half-breed, impure, lil' bastard, Milkman's, mixed-birth, mongrel, mutt, not-mine, spilled seed, stolen, war baby, weak-blood, and whore's child.

A perusal of the Backgrounds chapter reveals several options for characters of mixed ancestry. While this is not unusual for multiple options within a species, e.g. both Formourian and Gothic, it does cause one to wonder about the ancestors of a character with both Fae blood and Trollblood, for example. Note that the chances for interfertility are extraordinarily low. In other words, an Elf crossed with a Dwarf usually does not result in any children for the couple. The -blooded Backgrounds are almost always the result of a distant ancestor rather than a recent hybridization. With any given two parents of differing species, there is at most a one-in-one-thousand chance that they can produce offspring. Roll three D10's, if all three roll zeros, then there is a chance for a successful pairing. Note that this is still dependent upon other factors for pregnancy; this triple-zero roll merely indicates that these two are close enough for the possibility to even exist. Thus the actual number of genetic Changelings is low—most people never encounter one in their lifetimes—with the vast majority of folk with a '-blooded' background being multiple generations away from that original pairing. The prevalence of such hereditary backgrounds is evidence of dominant genes that are more likely to be passed along to the Changeling's descendants. Further complicating factors is the likelihood that the child will be sterile (see specific notes below), or that additional complications, even miscarriage, will arise due to differences in physiology between mother and child—for example, half-Human children of an Elven mother are born quite large (although smaller than a completely Human child), enough so that the mother may not survive delivery, potentially dooming both mother and child. Gestation times are typically what would be normal for the mother. Even when the two parents are of the same species, there is a less than one percent chance of successful pregnancy—and this assumes optimal factors such as: high sperm count, time of the month (or even time of the day, by some accounts), health and diet of both parents, age, and frequency of intercourse (reducing sperm count to an eventual point of diminishing returns for a couple who is trying to have a child). However, some research places the likelihood as high as 50% for young women while at their most fertile.

There is also the issue of infant mortality. This ranges from 2% on up to 100% in some instances, such as recent happenings in northern Formour, Heldanic lands, and the Farreaches with the great famine there—worldwide infant mortality rates hover at about 2-20% typically. In addition, not all pregnancies result in birth. There are unfortunate miscarriages and stillbirths, where the baby never even gets to draw a first breath. Some women choose to not carry a pregnancy to term, and there are herbal treatments featuring a fair degree of success with minimal side-effects. The acceptability of this practice differs with culture and with the woman's own personal beliefs. In the Kingdom of Formour and their western neighbours in the Elven Homeland, there is no legal distinction between a child that is still either inside the mother or outside—there abortion is murder. The Killian Empire allows fully retroactive abortions well beyond hatching. In other words, as long as you live under my roof, I can abort your sorry ass… so clean up your room. Among the Heldans, a woman's body is legally her own, to do with as she wishes. There, she needs not have any fear for any legal complications from terminating a pregnancy—medical complications are a different story. In the Byzant Empire and the Elder Kingdoms, abortion laws are handled locally. These vary from complete legality to complete prohibition, and everywhere in between. Some Bizzannite provinces may restrict the types of abortion methods, and other laws may restrict the time (first or second trimesters, for example), or the circumstances of the pregnancy and abortion. Abortions are largely unknown among the nations of Osterre. The most readily available methods are surgical, but the success rates—and survival rates of the mother—are often rather poor. Certain herbal and chemical methods are safer, but may be more expensive or otherwise more difficult to acquire. These are also much more effective earlier in the pregnancy, with the required dosages increasing, and the success rate decreasing, as the gestation progresses. As many of these herbal remedies are essentially poisons, this method is not without its complications either.

There are medical (and mystical) attempts to prevent pregnancy, and other attempts to encourage it (birth control versus fertility drugs), but thus far these seem to have limited successes in either field. These can range from temporary chemical sterilisation of either potential parent, to devices (we'll let you add your own jokes about a 'ring of protection' that needs to be unrolled before use), to more dubious methods such as a superstitious belief that you can't get pregnant if you have sex while standing (or while wearing shoes, or with a buttercup or tulip in your pocket, or if it's your first time, or if you stand on your head afterwards…).

With all of these odds stacked against them from the very start, it is a testament to the courage and spirit of the Changelings that they are able to grow up and have children of their own. Please note that although these numbers show the rareness of pregnancy from a single sex-act, especially with members of different species, this is far from being a measure of safety; that is, you can become a parent even after just one time.


 * Gaijin and MetaHumans are Homo sapiens; any interbreeding will be handled accordingly. These two sub-types are the product of recessive genes. This means that there is a one-in-four chance of a normal Human and a Gaijin or MetaHuman to produce an offspring of the non-normal parent. In the rare incident of a MetaHuman-Gaijin mating, there is a one-in-four chance of a resulting child being of either sub-type, and a one-half (or two-in-four) chance of a normal Human baby.


 * Interbreeding among the sub-species of the Killian follows these two rules: a Ra-Killian child only results from two Ra-Killian parents, and Hi-Killian will always breed true. This means that a Bushi-Killian and a Ra-Killian will have Bushi-Killian children; a Bushi-Killian and a Hi-Killian will have Hi-Killian offspring—as will a Ra-Killian and a Hi-Killian. In this caste-based society however, these pairings are very rare. Killian are not interfertile with other species.


 * Trolls can (and sometimes will) fuck nearly anything. Other than the Killian—who are genetically incompatible with any other species—an offspring of a Troll and any other species is either (about 75% chance) a normal Troll… as normal as Trolls can be, or a normal member of the other parent's species, often with the Trollblood Background. The loose genetics of Trolls allow them to hybridize with other species far more regularly than other interspecies matings. That same wide variance will typically mean that the child will be considered a Troll. Those with one Troll parent—or those who have a predominantly Trollish ancestry—but who manifest as the non-Troll species are called Trollborn.


 * Alas poor Dwarf; while Humans and Dwarves can interbreed, the resulting offspring are invariably Human. Dwarves combined with any of the Fae races (Elf, Hobgoblin, etc.), assuming fertilization does occur, are usually stillborn.


 * The races in Osterre have not had much contact with their western neighbors. Ogres and Orcks can interbreed, resulting in Half-Orcks. Firps, in spite of their amphibian nature, do have members with mixed ancestry. The resulting children are always quite large in size, and are always Firps. They have not had enough contact with other species for these hybrid Firps to interbreed beyond one generation. Other combinations have not often occurred, but evidence suggests that Humans cannot breed with Ogres.


 * The Fae: Elves, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Kobolds, Pixies, can interbreed freely with one another. The resulting offspring can favour either parent. That is, an Elf-Goblin mix will result in either an Elf or a Goblin child, with equal probability for either. A notable exception is that Goblin-Hobgoblin matings always produce Hobgoblin children. The close genetic ties—or perhaps the magical nature—of the Fae eliminate the usual interfertility problems of other species. When crossbreeding with other races, mortality is very strongly dominant. That is, a child with an Elf and a Hobgoblin parent may be an Elf in all respects, save for the Hobgoblin's life expectancy instead of the Elf's immortality.

Additional notes to the below guidelines are that the races of Norditerre/Suditerre do not commonly encounter the races of Osterre or the island nations, unless one travels to the distant shore. Humans and Trolls are an exception to this, as both of these species suffer wanderlust to some extent, and are found in numbers on all three continents.

Dwarf with:
Elf or other Fae: 50/50 chance that the child will be either a normal Dwarf or normal Elf. There seems that a disproportionately large number of these offspring will be either Dwarven boys or Elven girls, rather than the alternatives. Unfortunately, most of the offspring—if occurring at all—are stillborn.

Firp: None noted. This would result in a sterile Firp. Interestingly, the child would be far larger than both parents.

Ghoul: No surviving offspring noted; all are either miscarriages or stillborn.

Human: Normal Human always results. Some Dwarven elders fear that this may lead to the further decline of their race.

Killian: Not possible.

Ogre: Dwarven mind in an Ogre's body, this rare child will suffer perhaps even greater misunderstanding than most Changelings. This particular mix is rare for the logistics of the height difference if nothing else. Social and physical attributes are rolled as an Ogre, with the mental and miscellaneous attributes of a Dwarf—none of the Dwarven characteristics apply. All are sterile.

Orck: The Dwarven parent contributes the height, hair, and Willpower. All other traits are inherited from the Orckish parent. The child is considered an Orckish Runt (automatic trait); Dwarves typically do not recognize him or her as having any Dwarven blood at all.

Troll: 75% chance that the offspring is a normal Troll, although there is a greater (doubled) likelihood that the child will be of the smaller variety, otherwise the resulting offspring is a Dwarf with the Trollblood background. Blooded backgrounds for a Dwarf are almost always passed down from a Trollish ancestor, even if the Trollblood background is no longer found in the bloodline.

Elf or other Fae with:
Dwarf: 50/50 chance that the child will be either a normal Dwarf or normal Elf. There seems that a disproportionately large number of these offspring will be either Dwarven boys or Elven girls, rather than the alternative. Unfortunately, most of the offspring—if occurring at all—are stillborn.

Firp: None noted. The results would be a large, sterile Firp with the Fae Blood background.

Ghoul: The rare unfortunate offspring will be considered quite unattractive by members of both parents' species, appearing much as an emaciated 'corpse-like' Elf save with the rounded ears and dark eyes of the Ghoulish parent. Roll attributes as an Elf, except for a 1D6 Appearance (applicable to both parents' species and counts as the worst of the two for other species). Use the Ghoul racial traits. The child is mortal.

Human: See the half-Fae section for details

Killian: No cross-fertility possible.

Ogre: None noted. Similarities between Ogres and Orcks would seem to indicate that a similar outcome would occur as detailed below.

Orck: Only one Elf-Orck offspring has ever been noted, the mage-priest Kandor. He was said to bear the worst traits of both parents: slow, aggressive, frail. He was reportedly bald and pale complected, with Orckish features except for the Elven eyes and ears. He was also reportedly sterile, but this may just be a demonizing effect of history. Kandor was slain in a farmers' uprising three centuries past, and is now largely a cautionary tale among the Orcks to take care of their own—rather than 'stick with your own kind', the lesson is, 'take care of other Orcks… or else'.

Troll: 75% chance of a normal Troll resulting, otherwise a normal Elf. In either case, the child will have both the Fae Blood and Trollblood backgrounds.

Other Fae: The resulting children will favour one parent or the other. That is, an Elf-Goblin mix will be either a normal Elf or normal Goblin, with equal odds of either.

Firp with:
Dwarf: None noted. This would result in a sterile Firp. Interestingly, the child would be far larger than either parent.

Elf or other Fae: None noted. The results would be a large, sterile Firp with the Fae Blood background.

Ghoul: None noted. One twisted wizard attempted in vitro fertilization of the two, with no results.

Human: The resulting offspring is a large sterile Firp. The variety of different species' genomes found amongst Humanity allows for a wide variety of possible -blood backgrounds.

Killian: No cross-fertility possible.

Ogre: The resulting offspring is a large sterile Firp.

Orck: The resulting offspring is a large sterile Firp.

Troll: The resulting offspring is a large sterile Firp with the Trollblooded background.

Mutant Firp with non-mutant Firp: While there is a very strong social taboo on both sides against this, the offspring of a mutant and non-mutant would grow up as a normal Firp, provided he or she develops in a protected urban pool rather than out in the cursed portions of the swamp. Otherwise, a mutant Firp child results.

Ghoul with:
Dwarf: No surviving offspring noted; all are either miscarriages or stillborn.

Elf: The rare unfortunate offspring will be considered quite unattractive by members of both parents' species, appearing much as an emaciated "corpse-like" Elf save with the rounded ears and dark eyes of the Ghoulish parent. Roll attributes as an Elf, except for a 1D6 Appearance (applicable to both parents' species and counts as the worst of the two for other species). Use the Ghoul racial traits. The child is mortal.

Firp: None noted. One twisted wizard attempted in vitro fertilization of the two, with no results.

Human: The offspring is called a Humgol (HŪM-gōl | hume-goal), and appears to be an attractive Human. He or she smells (and tastes) like a Ghoul to Trolls and Ghouls, even if raised as a Human in diet and habitat. Appearance is rolled at 3D6+3 (applicable to both parents' species and counts as the better of the two on the Comparative Appearance chart) and Strength at 3D6, with all other attributes and racial traits as a Ghoul, save for the hibernation ability, which they lack. Most Humgols are sterile.

Killian: No cross-fertility possible.

Ogre: The resulting children are all stillborn.

Orck: The resulting children are all stillborn.

Troll: 75% chance of a normal Troll being born, otherwise the child is a normal Ghoul.

Human with:
Dwarf: Normal Human always results. Some Dwarven elders fear that this may lead to the further decline of their race.

Elf or other Fae: See the half-Fae section for details

Firp: The resulting offspring is a large sterile Firp. The variety of different species' genomes found amongst Humanity allows for a wide variety of possible -blood backgrounds.

Ghoul: The offspring is called a Humgol (HŪM-gōl | hume-goal), and appears to be an attractive Human. He or she smells (and tastes) like a Ghoul to Trolls and Ghouls, even if raised as a Human in diet and habitat. Appearance is rolled at 3D6+3 (applicable to both parents' species and counts as the better of the two on the Comparative Appearance chart) and Strength at 3D6, with all other attributes and racial traits as a Ghoul, save for the hibernation ability, which they lack. Most Humgols are sterile.

Killian: No cross-fertility possible.

Ogre: None noted (although attempted more than once). These two species do not seem to be able to mate.

Orck: Stupid ugly puppies. The aggression of both species synergizes into an unholy union. Roll as an Orck, but with a -2 to Appearance and Knowledge, and uses the worst possible category on the Comparative Appearance chart. The only saving grace that these unfortunate children have is the long legs of the Human parent (+1 speed), and the hybrid vigor grants them 2D4 points to place towards the saving throws of their choice. Very few of these survive childhood.

Troll: 75% chance that the child is a normal Troll; otherwise he or she will be a normal Human with the Trollblooded background. A large number of the resulting Trolls have the species trait Somewhat Human-looking.

Other Human: All races of Humanity are fully compatible and miscible with one another. The offspring is an even blend of the two parents, with darker colouration tending towards dominance. Gaijin and MetaHuman genetics are recessive, so the offspring has only an average of one-in-four chance of inheriting the modified genes. Only rarely will the offspring of two Humans of different ancestries be referred to as a Changeling.

Killian with:
Any other species: No cross-fertility possible.

Bushi-Killian with:


 * Hi-Killian: Always a Hi-Killian


 * Ra-Killian: Always a Bushi-Killian

Hi-Killian with:


 * Bushi-Killian: Always a Hi-Killian


 * Ra-Killian: Always a Hi-Killian

Ra-Killian with:


 * Bushi-Killian: Always a Bushi-Killian


 * Hi-Killian: Always a Hi-Killian

Ogre with:
Dwarf: Dwarven mind in an Ogre's body, this rare child will suffer perhaps even greater misunderstanding than most Changelings. This particular mix is rare for the logistics of the height difference if nothing else. Social and physical attributes are rolled as an Ogre, with the mental and miscellaneous attributes of a Dwarf—none of the Dwarven characteristics apply. All are sterile.

Elf or other Fae: None noted. Similarities between Ogres & Orcks would seem to indicate that a similar outcome would occur as with Elf-Orck pairings.

Firp: The resulting offspring is a large sterile Firp.

Ghoul: The resulting children are all stillborn.

Human: None noted (although attempted more than once). These two species do not seem to be able to mate.

Killian: No cross-fertility possible.

Orck: The resulting child is a Half-Orck, as detailed in the Osterre supplement by Ceekay.

Troll: 75% chance of a normal Troll being born, but many confess they cannot tell one from another anyway.

Half-Orck: The child of a Half-Orck and a full-blooded Ogre is either a Half-Orck or a normal Ogre, with even odds for either, but who would want to screw a Half-Orck?

Orck with:
Dwarf: The Dwarven parent contributes the height, hair, and Willpower. All other traits are inherited from the Orckish parent. The child is considered an Orckish Runt (automatic trait); Dwarves typically do not recognize him or her as having any Dwarven blood at all.

Elf or other Fae: Only one Elf-Orck offspring has ever been noted, the mage-priest Kandor. He was said to bear the worst traits of both parents: slow, aggressive, frail. He was reportedly bald and pale complected, with Orckish features except for the Elven eyes and ears. He was also reportedly sterile, but this may just be a demonizing effect of history. Kandor was slain in a farmers' uprising three centuries past, and is now largely a cautionary tale among the Orcks to take care of their own—rather than 'stick with your own kind', the lesson is, 'take care of other Orcks… or else'.

Firp: The resulting offspring is a large sterile Firp.

Ghoul: The resulting children are all stillborn.

Human: Stupid ugly puppies. The aggression of both species synergizes into an unholy union. Roll as an Orck, but with a -2 to Appearance and Knowledge, and uses the worst possible category of either parent on the Comparative Appearance chart. The only saving grace that these unfortunate children have is the long legs of the Human parent (+1 speed), and the hybrid vigor grants them 2D4 points to place towards the saving throws of their choice. Very few of these survive childhood.

Killian: No cross-fertility possible.

Ogre: The resulting child is a Half-Orck, as detailed in the Osterre supplement by Ceekay.

Troll: 75% chance of a normal Troll being born, but all such crossbreedings have been sterile.

Half-Orck: The child of two Half-Orcks is a Half-Orck. The child of a Half-Orck and a full-blooded Orck is a normal Orck, but who would want to screw a Half-Orck? There are no additional problems for Half-Orck fertility, and further cross-species matings would be as for full-blooded Orcks.

Troll with:
Dwarf: 75% chance that the offspring is a normal Troll, although there is a greater (doubled) likelihood that the child will be of the smaller variety, otherwise the resulting offspring is a Dwarf with the Trollblood background. 'Blooded' backgrounds for a Dwarf are almost always passed down from a Trollish ancestor, even if the Trollblood background is no longer found in the bloodline.

Elf or other Fae: 75% chance of a normal Troll resulting, otherwise a normal Elf (or whatever other type of Fae). In either case, the child will have both the Fae Blood and Trollblood backgrounds.

Firp: The resulting offspring is a large sterile Firp with the Trollblooded background.

Ghoul: 75% chance of a normal Troll being born, otherwise the child is a normal Ghoul with the Trollblooded background.

Human: 75% chance that the child is a normal Troll; otherwise he or she will be a normal Human with the Trollblooded background. A large number of the resulting Trolls have the species trait Somewhat Human-looking.

Killian: No cross-fertility possible.

Ogre: 75% chance of a normal Troll being born, but many confess they cannot tell one from another anyway.

Orck: 75% chance of a normal Troll being born, but all such crossbreedings have been sterile.

Other Trolls: All Troll races are fully compatible and miscible with each other, much like the child of two ethnically different humans. The offspring is a blend of both parents, and has even odds of inheriting the racial background of either parent, or both backgrounds. The child of two racially different Trolls is usually treated normally—much like a Human with different ancestries—and only rarely suffers any additional prejudice.

When You Grow Up
To determine the gender of the child in most instances, flip a coin. Dwarves and Elves are an exception here: two-thirds of Dwarves are male, and 60% of Elves are female. Other races have a 50/50 split between the sexes. Roll attributes and other game mechanics as noted above.

Doin' the Nasty
For those interested in the other aspects of sex—whether more prurient or simply mechanical—such information is available, but is beyond the nature of this book. Only one such answer will be available here: How do you tell a male Killian from a female? You lift them up.

Half-Fae
Half-Fae are a sad lot indeed. Those that are half Human and half Fae are most commonly called Changelings—a term that can refer to both crossbreeds and to those raised by another culture than one's parents. They are generally referred to as half-Fae only by their Human and Fae kin. Humans because they consider their own type to be the default 'norm', and by Fae as they are only 'half of a real person'. A recently popular slur among other species against half-Fae is 49%-Elves, even for those with an other-than-Elven Fae parent. Among older Heldans, half-Fae are sometimes called Grogochs. These Changelings are often the worst combination of both their parents, with features that are mixed quite oddly. Sparse tufts of course Formourian facial hair may be scattered randomly across an Elf's chin. A large Goblin ear may frame one side of a misshapen Heldanic-like face. Useless Pixie wings jut painfully from a Goth's back. A collection of Hobgoblin teeth may protrude from a mouth that cannot accommodate them. Whatever bizarre combination nature may see fit to curse these poor souls with seems to be the norm for them. Half of all half-Fae are sterile, and all are mortal. While these unfortunates are the second most common variety of Changeling, they are still rather rare (especially those with an Elven parent, as they have only recently returned to the broader world), and the modern incidence of Faeblooded Humans is almost exclusively the result of half-Fae centuries dead. Half-Fae have one-half the Appearance of the lowest-rated parent, and count as the least favourable possible of either parent on the Comparative Appearance chart. Other attributes are as the lowest-rated parent. No positive traits or bonuses are inherited from either parent.

Quarterlings
As in half-half-Fae, these are the result of a half-Fae paired with a full-blooded member of either of the Quarterling's grandparents' species. No Quarterling is sterile—genetic compatibility is evidenced by their existence—but does not have enhanced fertility with regard to the odd grandparent's species. They are even rarer than half-Fae, but not as misfortunate. They may select two favourable traits or attributes (two total, not two each from each parent), with all other attributes and traits as their half-Fae parent (i.e. lowest attributes and no other favourable traits).

Half-Demons
Guidelines by: Jade 'Aerlyn' Westcott

Also commonly called Alu, Cambion, Lilin, or Shedim, these are the result of a Demonic pairing. Demons do not seem to suffer any problems with fertility; it seems that if they want to sire a child, then they may easily do so. However, the nature of Demons being what they are, the resulting child is an otherwise normal member of the non-Demonic parent's species, and invariably has the Demonic Blooded background. Some loremasters believe that Demons are not actually capable of having children, but instead employ some subtle subterfuge. It is postulated that they either transport ejected gametes from one person to another, in a transformative incubus/succubus method, or perhaps instead they somehow trick the living being's body into spontaneously generating a new life alone.

One's Demonic heritage leaves its marks on one's body and mind. One aspect of the child will be greatly enhanced, while another is diminished. For example, a Half-Demon might be physically powerful, but horribly disfigured, while another may be a mental giant, but physically ravaged. Many, but not all, Half-Demons demonstrate their Unholy parentage with physical traits. These can be nearly anything imaginable: horns, tail, red skin, claws, scales, odd eyes, a cloven hoof, but most are quite subtile. Some Half-Demons only manifest physical changes when their emotions run high, e.g. one whose eyes glow yellow when he's angry.

For other non-native beings (Extrinsics) and other entities, the Game Master's discretion is used. As a general guideline, entities of major or greater status may possibly combine with physical beings, and entities of minor status may but infrequently crossbreed with physical beings (minor Demons can, minor Elementals cannot). Lesser entities may only do so under special circumstances, such as with a spell specifically designed to allow such. As greater entities, Dragons can cross freely with fully-physical beings, but have done so only in legends—such mythical children being completely normal—if attractive, clever, and healthy, but normal. In all of the cases known to loremasters, only one elemental has ever been crossed with a mortal (an Effreet—a major fire Elemental—with a Bizzannite Human). There are dozens of cases of Demonic pregnancies, perhaps far more than the actual number. But no other reliable cases of extrinsic entities (known commonly as fantasts in Suditerre and outlanders in Norditerre) combined with any physical being have been uncovered. As most Extrinsics—being from another plane of existance—are quite inherently different than native species, it is highly unlikely that any could (or would) begat progeny from any native Midianite. An important factor for the Game Master to consider is why these powerful creatures would want to create a physical progeny—Demons may possibly do so simply to sow discord, but no Dragon or Elemental would ever desire to do so. Bear in mind that no spiritual being thinks remotely similar to a Human, and that 'so my character would be powerful and cool' isn't at all an adequate reason.

"Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome."

- Isaac Asimov