Long ago there was a woman named Jes, and she had one hundred children. Her rivals conspired against her and swore to kill her children. Jes begged the Sovereigns for help, but their only answer was the wind and rain. In the depths of her despair, a lonely traveler took her hand. “I will protect your children if they follow my path. Let them wander the world. They may be shunned and feared, but they will never be destroyed.” Jes agreed, and the traveler gave her his cloak. When she draped it over her children, their old faces melted away and they could be whoever they wanted to be. And so it remains. Though the children are shunned by all, the gift of the Traveler protects them still.

The story of the Children of Jes is known across Khorvaire, even in communities that have never actually seen a Changeling. It’s known even in Riedra, despite the official doctrine teaching that Changelings are far along the Path of Inspiration. Korranberg scholars have concluded that Jes was an arcane lord of Ohr Kaluun who transformed her allies into Changelings in order to survive the Sundering of Sarlona. But no one knows exactly how she accomplished this feat. Recently, Tavis Tarlian d’Sivis gave a lecture in which he proposed that the story of the Children of Jes is the magic Jes used—that through a feat of epic magic Jes embedded this story into the collective unconscious, and that it is the story that sustains and empowers the Changelings. This theory explains why Changelings are Fey creatures—inherently magical, vulnerable to Magic Circle and other effects that target Fey—despite being both mortal and native to Eberron. Changelings aren’t spirits of Thelanis, but they are sustained by the magic of their story, and this makes them Fey for purposes of spells. 

This theory also explains another curious aspect of Changelings. The Changeling ability to shift shape is well known. But there’s a secondary aspect of this gift that goes beyond the physical transformation. While a Changeling is using their shape-shifting power, their natural charisma is dramatically enhanced. This helps a Changeling trying to deceive others while maintaining a disguise, but it also improves a Changeling’s talent for diplomacy or performance… and most notably, it doesn’t matter what form the Changeling takes. It’s easy to see how a Changeling could intimidate a foe more easily if they assume a terrifying form. But the simple fact is that a Changeling’s charisma is enhanced while they are using their shapeshifting, regardless of what form they take; a Changeling receives this edge even if the only thing they change is their own eye color or hair length. Tavis Tarlian’s theory is that when a Changeling engages their gift of Shape-Shifting, they draw upon the power of the Tale of Jes—a cloak of pure Fey energy that enhances their ability to manipulate the people around them. The fact that divination spells don’t register it as a magical effect is explained by the fact that it’s not manipulating the forces used in arcane science; it’s empowered by the story. An interesting side effect of this is that most changelings always have their Shape-Shifting engaged, so as to gain the benefits of this glamour. Even those who chose to appear in their natural form—which many that live in Changeling communities choose to do, rather than hide their true nature—will change minor details about their appearance, just as a human might use mundane cosmetics. Because of this, Changelings encountered in their true natural forms, with no glamour whatsoever, often seem especially drab and colorless. 

In this article I go into detail about the customs that people have developed to identify supernatural imposters. The people of the Five Nations often wear distinctive accessories and use familiar phrases or in-jokes with friends—things that will draw attention to an imposter who doesn’t have the proper hat or respond in the right way to a running gag. These customs are a casual safety net; if I showed up somewhere without my distinctive hat, people who know me won’t immediately assume that I’m a Changeling, but they might watch me more closely, consciously or subconsciously waiting to see if there’s anything else about me that doesn’t add up. Typically, these sorts of fears are what a skilled imposter can soothe with a Deception check—cursing about how they lost their hat, or saying how exhausted they are—with the result of the Deception check determining whether these explanations are convincing enough to overcome any initial suspicion. However, there is a simple, reliable tool that can be employed if suspicions go too far: the Detect Evil and Good spell reveals the presence of Fiends and Fey. Most Vassal priests begin their services with a ritual of welcoming—which includes casting Detect Evil and Good, reassuring parishioners that they are safe among friends. Churches dedicated to the Silver Flame are often shielded by the Hallow spell, but this is usually only set to defend against Aberrations, Undead and Fiends, as malevolent Fey aren’t a widespread problem in most of the Five Nations. On the other hand, Ghallanda enclaves typically are Hallowed against Fiends, Fey, Undead, and Aberrations—as malign Fey are a significant threat in the Talenta Plains. The Wandering Inn generally has a Cloaker (see below) on hand who can make exceptions for benevolent Fey, be that Changelings or Blink Dogs, and it’s possible a Ghallanda enclave will have such a specialist as well. Most people know that Changelings aren’t inherently evil, and when a Changeling is part of a Vassal community the priest expects them to show up on the initial detection ritual; but these situations can prove challenging for a Changeling working undercover.

CHANGELINGS BEYOND THE CHILDREN

The Children of Jes are a true-breeding species who pass their changeling nature on to their offspring. The vast majority of Changelings in Khorvaire and Sarlona are descended from Jes, even if they haven’t maintained any sort of cultural connections to the Children and their traditions. However, there are a few other forms of Changeling in Eberron. In the same way that the energies of Mabar can produce a Tiefling, the influence of Thelanis can transform an unborn child into a Changeling. In the past, this has led to tales of faeries abducting children and leaving Changelings in their place—but the truth is that the child was just born as a Changeling. Planetouched Changelings rarely pass their Changeling traits to their children, though it can happen. Within Khorvaire, the Talenta Plains are the only nation with a significant population of planetouched Changelings. Rarer still are Masquers: minor spirits of Thelanis who’ve become dislodged from their stories and drifted into the mortal world. Some Masquers are thrilled to be mortal and embrace an entirely mundane life, while others yearn to become the heroes of their own stories—to matter in a way they never did in Thelanis. A Masquer’s ability to Shape-Shift reflects their tenuous tie to reality, and it’s possible that a Masquer who creates a truly remarkable story might eventually shift species and fully embody the character they’ve created.

WHAT IS THIS? 

Forge of the Artificer updates the Eberron species first introduced to fifth edition in Rising From The Last War. This update makes a number of mechanical changes to Changelings. They now have the Fey creature type rather than being Humanoids. They can shift between Small and Medium forms. And, most notably, Shape-Shifter says “While shape-shifted with this trait, you have Advantage on Charisma checks.” The change in creature type is significant, since it means Changelings can be detected in ways that previously wouldn’t reveal them. And getting Advantage on Charisma checks while shape-shifted has that odd aspect: Why would changing your eye color or some other minor cosmetic change give you advantage on Performance checks? I wanted to explore the impact of these changes and to reconcile them with previous lore. As I said in Chronicles of Eberron, I don’t have an issue with shifting Changelings to having the Fey creature type; I like the idea that they are shaped by story and that this causes magic to treat them like Fey. To me, this is also the key to explaining “advantage while shapeshifted”—that there is a magic tied to shapeshifting beyond the physical change. But the key point here is that most Changelings have no tie to Thelanis. They are mortal creatures and native to the Material Plane. They have no ties to Archfey (… Unless Jes herself has become a native Archfey!) and immortal Fey spirits don’t consider the Children to be kin. They are affected by Detect Evil and Good, Hallow, Magic Circle, and other effects that target Fey. However, again, they are mortal creatures tied to the material plane. If targeted by Dismissal or similar effects that normally return a Fey creature to “it’s home plane,” it’s up to the DM to decide whether the Changeling returns to the spot they were banished from, or if they are instead transported to a location that is somehow vital to their own personal story. Of course, it’s always up to the DM and players to decide which rules they wish to use. If you want to have Humanoid Changelings, a simple approach is to say that the Children of Jes are still Humanoids, and it’s only the planetouched Changelings and Masquers that have the Fey creature type.

TOOLS OF DECEPTION 

Changelings who wish to conceal their Fey nature have many options. Here’s two to consider. 

The Cloaker is a mystical specialization originally developed by the Children of Jes, found among the Tyrants of Sharn, the Cabinet of Faces, and similar organizations. Some Cloakers are Adepts drawing on the blessings of the Traveler; others are Magewrights who use arcane techniques. Any Cloaker can cast Minor Illusion at will. Depending on their skill, a Cloaker can cast two or three of the following spells as rituals: Invisibility, Nondetection, Nystul’s Magic Aura, and Pass Without Trace. All of these can be useful for smugglers or anyone making a living through deception; Nystul’s Magic Aura is the one that allows a Changeling to enter a Hallowed space as if they weren’t Fey. 

The Changeling Cameo is an item of jewelry that bears the image of an individual and the mystical imprint of that person, including their name, species, creature type, alignment, and personality. When a Changeling holds a Changeling Cameo they can feel the personality within it, and if they choose, they can use their Shape-Shifting to become that person. While the Changeling maintains that form, they register as that individual to all forms of magic. However, this effect only lasts as long as the bearer plays the role. If the bearer takes an action that is deeply at odds with the personality of the Cameo—for example, they’re in the form of a miser but they give all their goods to charity—then the connection to the Cameo is cut off and can’t be reestablished for 24 hours. Changeling Cameos are created by Changeling artisans who build up a persona over time and then embed it in the Cameo; they are often passed down as heirlooms in Changeling families. 

SIDEBAR: ADEPTS AND PRIESTS 

In Eberron, player characters are remarkable. Relatively few NPCs have the full capabilities of a player character class; those that do are themselves remarkable. One aspect of this is that most priests aren’t clerics or paladins. They don’t need those powers to provide spiritual guidance to their community—and those that do possess the powers of a Cleric are likely to be called to greater things. However, just because they aren’t clerics doesn’t mean that priests can’t cast spells. Divine Magic is part of the Wide Magic of life in the Five Nations. Adepts are the divine equivalent of Magewrights; most are capable of casting a small number of cantrips, and some can cast Divine spells as rituals. The powers of an Adept are drawn from faith, and Thrane is the only one of the Five Nations where they are especially widespread. But devout priests are often Adepts, and deeply religious communities—such as Seeker communities in Karrnath—may include a number of adepts. Here’s a few examples of Adept specialties…

• Oracle: Guidance. Ritual Only: Augury (up to a week away), Divination (1 hour casting)
• Preacher: Guidance, Thaumaturgy. Ritual Only: Ceremony, Detect Evil and Good
• Warden: Sacred Flame, Word of Radiance. Ritual Only: Detect Evil and Good, Protection from Evil and Good (1 hour duration)

These are just a few possibilities. The Warden is a good example of a spellcasting Templar or a basic Exorcist. The Preacher is a typical community priest, who will start a service with Detect Evil. Like Magewrights, most Adepts can only cast spells as rituals, but those rituals may be superior to the standard form of the spell—in particular, an Oracle can use Augury to get a sense of events that could still be a week in the future… and while a Warden can only cast Protection from Evil and Good as a ritual, they can maintain concentration on it for an hour. 

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