Goblin Debt

The Storyteller may spend a player’s Goblin Debt to:

Points Spent Effect
1+ Subtract one die from the player’s pool per point spent (any action)
4 Give the character a relevant temporary Condition, or Tilt; player takes a Beat if the Tilt
causes harm or significant setbacks
8 Give the character a relevant Persistent Condition
Players can reject an expenditure by gaining another Debt point.

• If the character was mortal, or another non-change-

HEDGE DENIZEN ling unlucky enough to fall in with hobgoblins, she
immediately learns three Goblin Contracts of the
(PERSISTENT) player's choice. If she is a Storyteller character, the
Storyteller may substitute Dread Powers for any of
Having relied on Goblin Contracts too much or be- these (Changeling the Lost Second Edition, p.
come too reliant on hobgoblin deals, the character be- 253). She can switch them out each dawn as above.
comes a goblin herself. She retains her normal changeling
• The character can make deals, sell Contracts, and
benefits and weaknesses, except in these cases:
collect Debt as a hobgoblin. See Changeling the
• The changeling's mien warps, growing closer to the Lost Second Edition, p. 256 for details on goblin
appearance she had during her servitude in Arca- deals.
dia. She has one tell of the player's choice, by which
Resolution: The character becomes what she was
former friends and enemies might recognize her.
again, or she embraces her new self to become a Goblin
• The Storyteller can no longer spend Goblin Debt Queen.
to subtract dice from the player's rolls, or give her a • Returning to What Was: The character pays off at
Tilt or Condition. The character must work off her least one Goblin Debt point. She cannot simply ac-
debt, per the resolution below. cept a disadvantage from the Storyteller, or use tokens
or other shortcuts to lose Debt points — she's a goblin
• Arcadian Contracts are the birthright of all deni-
now, and must pay her Debt by seeking out the goblin
zens of Faerie, but the Hedge is its own in-between
with whom she entered into the Contract, or any third
place. The character can still buy and use Arcadian
party involved if that goblin is dead or otherwise gone,
Contracts, but pays for all of them as if they were in
and perform a task at his request. After that, she must
non-favored Regalia and may not circumvent this
heal a point of Clarity damage; non-changelings must
via Pupil’s Devotion.
gain or lose a dot of Integrity or an equivalent trait.
• Courts are changeling affairs, and the character no She then becomes her old self again.
longer is one. The character keeps and can use her Any Debt she hasn't worked off yet remains, as do any
old Court Contracts, but cannot purchase new ones. new Goblin Contracts she learned. If she returns to be-
She loses all other benefits of her Court Mantle. ing mortal, she keeps one Goblin Contract of the player's
choice, which she can invoke by taking one point of bash-
• Whenever the sun rises over the Hedge, the char-
ing damage to substitute for each point of Glamour in its
acter can redistribute the set of Goblin Contracts
cost. Using Goblin Contracts racks up Goblin Debt again.
she knows across any Goblin Contracts she wants.
If she had three Contracts as a changeling, she can • Embracing What Might Be: The changeling suffers
pick any three every morning. Purchasing new Gob- two or more Clarity attacks, and takes Clarity dam-
lin Contracts still costs 2 Experiences each. age (or loses an equivalent trait) from at least one.
She must also lose one Touchstone, which she can
• Invoking Goblin Contracts as a Hedge Denizen do by simply willing herself to forget it, although
does not incur Debt. losing one in the usual ways counts also. She now
resolves the Hedge Denizen Condition, and takes
• The character can leave the Hedge, but suffers the
the Goblin Queen Condition instead. Since mor-
Deprived Condition until she returns to the Hedge
tals have no Touchstones, they can’t become Gob-
or Arcadia.
lin Queens.

2 Changeling: the Lost Second Edition

 Beat: The character works off a point of Goblin Debt resolution constitutes a Clarity attack with two dice for
but can’t, or chooses not to, resolve this Condition via Re- changelings, or a breaking point for others.
turning to What Was. Alternatively, if the character works off five points of
Goblin Debt, she resolves this Condition and regains the

GOBLIN QUEEN Hedge Denizen Condition instead.

Beat: The character collects Goblin Debt from an-
(PERSISTENT) other character, selling a Contract or making another kind
of hobgoblin deal.
The character has risen far beyond ordinary goblins,
and they scrape and bow before her. This Condition func-
tions as Hedge Denizen, except as follows:
• The character's Court Mantle rejects her. She can-
Grappling Summary
not invoke her current Court Contracts, nor pur- To grab your opponent, roll Strength + Brawl vs. De-
chase new ones. fense. On a success, both of you are grappling. A length
of rope, a chain, or a whip adds its weapon bonus to your
• She gains the Status (Goblins) Merit at four dots. Strength when grappling. If you score an exceptional suc-
If the local Hedge holds any creatures who outrank cess on this first roll, pick a move.
her, she immediately knows their assumed name When grappling, each party makes a contested
and title. Strength + Brawl vs. Strength + Brawl action on the
higher of the two characters’ Initiative. The winner picks
• The character's identity has so profoundly changed
a move, or two moves on an exceptional success.
that fae beings no longer add her Wyrd as bonus
dice to track or find her. If she recovers her Icon • Break Free from the grapple. You throw off your
while she’s a Goblin Queen, she can’t reintegrate it opponent; you’re both no longer grappling. Suc-
into herself. ceeding at this move is a reflexive action.

• The Goblin Queen cannot leave the Hedge, except • Control Weapon, either by drawing a weapon
by wrapping pieces of it as a mantle around her, that you have holstered or turning your opponent’s
to travel into the mortal realm or Arcadia for up weapon against him. You keep control until your
to a number of hours per day equal to her Wyrd. opponent makes a Control Weapon move.
She still suffers the Deprived Condition in the real
world. • Damage your opponent by dealing bashing damage
equal to your rolled successes. If you previously suc-
• The Queen gains the Retainer Merit (Changeling ceeded at a Control Weapon action, add the weap-
the Lost Second Edition, p. 125) with dots equal on bonus to your successes.
to her Wyrd, spread across as many individual Re-
tainers as she likes up to a maximum of five dots • Disarm your opponent, removing a weapon from
per Retainer. These retainers are all hobgoblins; see the grapple entirely. You must first have succeeded
Changeling the Lost Second Edition, p. 257 for at a Control Weapon move.
examples. The retainers are unquestioningly loyal
• Drop Prone, throwing both of you to the ground (see
and devoted to her.
“Going Prone”). You must Break Free before rising.
Resolution: The Queen finds a human child and
leaves him to take her place. The child immediately gains • Hold your opponent in place. Neither of you can
the Goblin Queen Condition and all of her Retainers, who apply Defense against incoming attacks.
protect him until he comes of age to ascend the throne.
• Restrain your opponent. Your opponent suffers
The child remembers who abandoned him.
the Immobilized Tilt. You can only use this move
The character becomes what she once was again, if you’ve already succeeded in a Hold move. If you
whether a changeling or otherwise. She takes on her old use equipment to Restrain your opponent, you can
seeming, kith, and identity — also setting the Fae back on leave the grapple.
her trail. If the character was mortal previously, her player
selects three dots of supernatural Merits for her, as she is • Take Cover using your opponent’s body. Any
irrevocably changed. The newly abandoned queen can use ranged attacks made until the end of the turn auto-
the same process to become human again as well. This matically hit him.

Storyteller Screen 3
 Chase/Hedge Travel
Total Success Modifiers
Circumstance Modifier
Opponent’s Speed is higher than yours +1-5
Initiative modifier is higher than −1-3
opponent’s
Your character knows the territory −1-3
Opponent immune to fatigue +2
Actively dangerous environment +1-3
Opponent starts with a lead +1-2

Total Success
Modifiers for Hedge

Character’s Wyrd rating −1 per dot

Character accepts −1 per point accepted,
Goblin Debt for maximum of −3
hobgoblin aid
Character is a Huntsman −1, or −2 in the Thorns
Character’s current +1 at 3, +2 at 2, +3 at 1
Clarity is 3 or less
Characters traveling a +1 per milestone desired
trod
Characters under a time +1 somewhat urgent, +2
limit more urgent, +3 most
urgent

4 Changeling: the Lost Second Edition

 Hedgespinning — Subtle Shifts
Success Cost Effect
1+ Give any character an equipment bonus to their next roll equal to successes spent, to a maximum
of +5
1+ Give any character a general and ballistic armor rating equal to successes spent for one turn, to
a maximum of +5
1+ Create one or more weapons from whole cloth, of a total Availability equal to successes spent
1 Learn which direction to travel in to reach one stated type of location that isn’t deliberately
concealed (but not a specific location)
2 Introduce a personal Tilt for any character
2 Introduce a hazard to the scene, such as carnivorous grass or a swarm of bees
3 Learn which direction to travel in to reach a stated specific location that isn’t deliberately
concealed
3 Make a minor location change, like moving the action outdoors from inside
3 Create a new localized terrain feature, such as a bridge, a tree, or a swamp
4 Introduce a temporary Condition for any character as long as a Hedge feature currently in the
environment could impose it, which fades without resolution when the target leaves the Hedge
4 Turn any character’s failure into a dramatic failure that doesn’t grant a Beat, as long as a Hedge
feature currently in the environment could cause it
4 Automatically gain the Edge next turn while navigating the Hedge
4 Change one physical property of a Hedge object, structure, or terrain feature not currently in use,
such as increasing or decreasing its Size by 1 or turning a brick house into a gingerbread one

Hedgespinning — Paradigm Shifts

Success Cost Effect
2+ Bank a number of successes to add to a later shift within this scene (subtle or paradigm) equal to
successes spent minus one, to a maximum of five banked successes
3 Transform a Hedge object, structure, or terrain feature not currently in use into something completely different of
roughly the same size or mass, like turning a wall into a huge pile of gemstones or a stream into a beanstalk
3 Introduce a major beneficial twist of luck or complication for any character
5 Introduce an Environmental Tilt
5 Force another character to engage in a Clash of Wills with you if they try to take a Hedgespinning
action; failure means they waste their Glamour and extra successes
6 Learn which direction to travel in to reach a stated location type or specific location that’s
deliberately concealed or mystically protected, like a specific dreamer’s Bastion or the exit to a maze
(but not how to navigate what’s in between); if another character’s magic conceals or protects the
location, the changeling must win a Clash of Wills
7 Introduce a Persistent Condition for any character as long as a Hedge feature currently in the
environment could impose it, which fades without resolution when the target leaves the Hedge
7 Completely change the scenery, like transforming a parking lot into a sewer or making a volcano rise
up from beneath a city street
8 Ignore the effects of a single attack or ignore a Tilt’s effects for one turn
8 Perform one impossible action the changeling couldn’t normally perform as long as it interacts with
the environment, like leap 100 feet into the air on a tarp trampoline, breathe underwater, or throw a
thorn spear to knock a star out of the sky
9 Move your immediate environs, with a radius up to (your Wyrd x 10) yards/meters, up or down one
step on the scale from trod to normal Hedge to Thorns.
9 Transfer an emotional Condition onto another character present in the scene

Storyteller Screen 5
Pledges OBLIGED
Sealing: To seal a statement, the changeling needs to
witness a subject making a statement of intent, spoken or (PERSISTENT)
written. Spend 1 Glamour. If the subject is also able to use
Glamour, he can undo the sealing by countering with a point Your character swore a bargain — not an oath — with
of his own. Both parties are aware of what happened. If a a human being. The obligation on her part is probably mi-
changeling allows her words to be sealed, she takes a Beat. nor, but she can’t let it lapse! Not only would that disap-
A changeling can only earn one Beat per chapter this way. point the person to whom she gave her word, but it would
Oaths: Changelings, Huntsmen, and the True Fae are expose her to the Huntsmen and their Gentry masters.
the only beings that can swear oaths, and Huntsmen can- While under a bargain, the changeling is more dif-
not swear oaths to each other. All participants must speak ficult to find. Huntsmen must win a Clash of Wills to use
the oath aloud or write it out, and seal it with a point of their Hunter’s Senses power (Changeling the Lost Sec-
Glamour. Oaths also involve a physical gesture. Once the ond Edition, p. 266) when tracking the changeling, and
participants swear the oath, they reap the benefits. The fae beings no longer add the changeling’s Wyrd in dice
specific benefits to an oath vary, as do the consequences, to do so when she drops her Mask. In addition, once per
but oaths for changelings can be broken down into three chapter, when the changeling is at the site of her obliga-
rough categories: societal, personal, and hostile. All oaths tion (the human’s home that she must clean, for example,
bestow the Persistent Oathbreaker Condition if violated. or in the garden she agreed to tend), she may hide without
Bargains: The changeling must appear to the other fear of discovery for the rest of the scene. This benefit ap-
party without her Mask, and propose the bargain. The bar- plies to any pursuer touched by the Wyrd, be it Huntsman,
gain is usually an ongoing task. If agreed to, the change- Gentry, hobgoblin, or even another changeling.
ling gains the Obliged Condition. The subject agrees to Beat: Once per story, gain a Beat when you take a
provide something in return, but it doesn’t have to be great risk or suffer harm while fulfilling your obligation.
commensurate with the service the changeling is provid- You can have help from other characters, but you must be
ing. The game mechanics of such favors, if any, are up to directly involved — no subcontracting out.
the Storyteller, but an appropriate use would mimic the Resolution: Break the bargain by failing to live up to
effect of a one- to three-dot Merit, once per story. its terms, or the other party breaks her part of the agree-
ment. Either way, you lose any protections the bargain
provided.
OATHBREAKER
(PERSISTENT) Lexicon
Arcadia: The domain of the True Fae and once-pris-
The character has violated an oath, and receives this on to all changelings. Also Faerie.
Condition in addition to any other effects breaking the
Autumn Court: The court tied to autumn, fear, and
oath carries. Changelings instinctively distrust the char-
mysticism.
acter. He suffers a −1 on all Social actions with other
changelings, and cannot use Glamour to seal their state- bargain: A kind of pledge that changelings make with
ments. As a known liar, however, he is also immune to mortals to hide from the Fae’s agents; also Bargain, the
having his own statements sealed. large-scale pact a Lost court makes with a force of nature,
like a season, to protect the court from the Wild Hunt.
Beat: Once per session, the player can choose to auto-
matically dramatically fail a Contract roll, or a Social ac- Bastion: The contained dreamscape of an individual
tion with a changeling, and take a Beat. Make the choice person.
before rolling. Bedlam: An uncontrolled burst of emotions a change-
Resolution: The character undertakes a sincere at- ling can inflict upon others, voluntarily or involuntarily.
tempt to make restitution for his betrayal. This includes Bridge-Burner: A changeling so consumed with ha-
finding all other participants involved in the oath and tred for the True Fae that they vow to destroy dreams, cre-
undertaking whatever task they assign. It also includes ativity, and anything else that could attract fae attention.
receiving forgiveness from the Wyrd itself; this is sure to changeling: A human who has been gradually
be the focus of a story, and the particulars are up to the changed by her durance in Arcadia, becoming partly fae
Storyteller. herself.
Clarity: The measure of a changeling’s ability to own
her perceptions and experiences. High Clarity allows her
to use her kenning.

6 Changeling: the Lost Second Edition

 Contract: A mystical pact struck between the fae Goblin Market: A fae black market, which often
and cosmic forces, allowing the fae to call on supernatural changes location, where changelings and other fae barter
powers. for illicit goods and services.
court: A social organization dedicated to mutual aid Goblin Queen: A Hedge denizen so overwhelmed
and self-defense, bound together by pledges of loyalty. The with Goblin Debt that they become even more entrenched,
courts of North America and Europe tend to be organized ruler of their own little patch of the Hedge.
in a group of four seasonal courts. Hedge, the: The thorny otherworld that lies between
Dreaming Roads: The paths through the Hedge that the mortal realm and Faerie.
connect to humanity’s dreams, along which the Bastions Hedge ghosts: Remnants of those who have died in
of individual dreams can be found. the Hedge, or wisps of emotions and dreams made mani-
dreamweaving: The art of gradually changing a fest.
dreamscape to learn secrets and influence the dreamer, Hedgespinning: The art of shaping the Hedge to re-
performed in Bastions. One who engages in dreamweav- veal new paths or trip up enemies.
ing is performing oneiromancy.
hobgoblins: The fae creatures and denizens of the
durance: The ordeal shared by all changelings, dur- Hedge.
ing which they were held captive by the True Fae.
Hollow: A safe haven within the Hedge.
Echoes: The powers manifested by a fetch.
Huntsmen: Early inhabitants of Arcadia, who were
fae: A blanket term for creatures and things imbued twisted by the True Fae into hunters who chase down es-
with the power of Faerie or the Hedge. caped changelings.
Fae, True Fae: The immortal inhabitants of Faerie; Icon: A piece of a changeling’s soul left behind in the
the creatures that abduct humans and gradually transform Hedge when she escaped from her durance. Changelings
them into changelings. can recover Icons to reclaim memories and boost their
fae-touched: Mortals bound to specific changelings Clarity.
by promises made before their durances, who entered the Keeper: The Fae who kept a changeling in Arcadia,
Hedge to find their loved ones and escaped again with and whose influence is usually felt in that changeling’s
some fae power of their own. seeming.
Faerie: Arcadia, or more rarely, the inhabitants of kenning: The ability of changelings who haven’t lost
Arcadia. too much Clarity to sense the supernatural.
fetch: A Fae-constructed replica of a human being, kith: A refinement of seeming, granting more specific
left behind to take an abductee’s place. abilities.
forsworn: As oathbreaker. Lost: A euphemism for “changeling” or “changelings.”
frailty: A supernatural prohibition or weakness that Often used by changelings who refuse to think of them-
fae creatures suffer; they gain more of them at higher Wyrd. selves as no longer human.
freehold: A local society of changelings, usually over- loyalist, True Loyalist: A True Loyalist is a change-
seen by a seasonal ruler and offering support to their fellow ling who retains hidden loyalties to her Keeper or to other
changelings. True Fae, often acting as a mole in Lost society. Change-
Gentry: A changeling euphemism for the True Fae. lings often use the general term loyalist to refer to any
changeling who doesn’t join a court or freehold.
Glamour: The raw supernatural energy that feeds the
fae. It is tied to the strong emotions of the human heart. Mantle: A measure of a changeling’s court status, and
a mystical identity reflected in her mien. Also a Merit.
goblin: A general term for fae creatures and things
of dubious or no loyalties; often applied to hobgoblins and Mask: The illusion that conceals the presence of the
unaffiliated changelings. fae from mortal eyes.
Goblin Contract: An illicit Contract, typically easy mien, fae mien: A changeling or other fae’s true
to learn but with strings attached. Changelings who pur- form, concealed by the Mask.
chase these from hobgoblins incur Goblin Debt. motley: A small group of changelings, sometimes
Goblin Debt: Mystical debt incurred by the use of Goblin bound in a pledge of friendship.
Contracts or when making deals with hobgoblins, which can Needle: The core identity and approach a changeling
transform a person into a Hedge denizen or Goblin Queen. presents to the world to assert herself and exercise her
goblin fruit: The many types of fae consumables har- freedom.
vested from the Hedge that have some supernatural effect oath: A kind of pledge that binds two or more fae be-
on the user. ings together in mutual support or enmity.

Storyteller Screen 7
 oathbreaker: One who has broken a fae oath. This Spring Court: The court bound to spring, desire, and
title may rightly be used until the person has made res- beauty.
titution, and for a year and a day after. Often used as an Summer Court: The court bound to summer, wrath,
insult. and military strength.
oneiromancy: The practice of lucid dreaming and Thread: The core drive and purpose a changeling
dreamweaving. uses as a lifeline to stability and inner strength.
oneiropomp: A changeling or other creature that en- Thorns, the: The most dangerous parts of the Hedge.
ters the dreams of another. Also thorns, a general term for fae dangers.
Others: Another euphemism for the True Fae. Title: One of a True Fae’s roles and faces, which man-
pledge: A sealing, oath, or bargain made by the fae, ifests to interact with lesser beings.
enforced by the Wyrd. token: An object infused with a measure of fae power.
portaling: The ability of changelings to escape any Can be oath-forged, Hedge-forged, or stolen.
bonds or prison, and slip easily between the Hedge and Touchstone: A person, place, or object that helps an-
the mortal world. chor a changeling to her Clarity.
privateer: A changeling who acts as a slaver or boun- trod: A path cut through the Hedge, from one mortal
ty hunter for the True Fae or Huntsmen in exchange for site to another or to Faerie. Also used to refer to the physi-
continued freedom. cal location that corresponds with the entrance to such a
Regalia: Six categories of Contracts for which path.
changelings and Fae can have an affinity. For the True Wild Hunt: The sum of all the Fae’s constant ef-
Fae, Regalia are also powerful tokens that represent their forts to reclaim escaped changelings; also used to describe
cosmic pacts. a single gathering of Fae forces to besiege a freehold en
sealing: A kind of pledge that holds someone to a masse.
promise or statement of intent. Winter Court: The court bound to winter, sorrow,
seeming: A changeling’s physical aspect, which and intrigue.
reflects the role he played in Faerie and the talents he used Wyrd: The power of Faerie, the cosmic principle of
to escape. reciprocity.

CTL005 $19.99 US

8 Changeling: the Lost Second Edition