Changeling Pretender

Advanced Changeling class — see Classes for the full list.

Those changelings who hone their natural talents in disguise and stealth are known as pretenders. Many pretenders live wild and free, using their powers to swindle and seduce according to their whim; less mischievous changelings must work hard to maintain a reputation for honesty. Some pretenders ply their trade as spies or assassins in service to king, country, or some other cause.

Changeling Pretender Level Progression

Experience	Title	Level	Hit Dice	Damage Bonus	Listening
0	Charlatan	1	1d4	+1	14+
2,000	Swindler	2	2d4	+1	13+
4,000	Sharper	3	3d4	+2	12+
8,000	Dodger	4	4d4	+2	11+
16,000	Decoy	5	5d4	+2	10+
32,000	Impostor	6	6d4	+3	9+
65,000	Dilettante	7	7d4	+3	8+
130,000	Rook	8	8d4	+3	7+
275,000	Pretender	9	9d4	+4	6+
420,000	Pretender, 10th level	10	9d4 + 2*	+4	5+
565,000	Pretender, 11th level	11	9d4 + 4*	+4	4+
710,000	Pretender, 12th level	12	9d4 + 6*	+5	3+
855,000	Pretender, 13th level	12	9d4 + 8*	+5	2+

Pretender Saving Throws and Attack Bonus

Level	Paralysis	Death	Blast	Implement	Spells	Attack Bonus
1	13+	14+	15+	16+	17+	+0
2-3	12+	13+	14+	15+	16+	+1
4	11+	12+	13+	14+	15+	+2
5-6	10+	11+	12+	13+	14+	+3
7	9+	10+	11+	12+	13+	+4
8-9	8+	9+	10+	11+	12+	+5
10	7+	8+	9+	10+	11+	+6
11-12	6+	7+	8+	9+	10+	+7
13	5+	6+	7+	8+	9+	+8

Combat Characteristics

As dabblers in all trades, pretenders have moderate skill with arms and armor.

Combat Proficiencies: Pretenders have weapon proficiency with all missile weapons and with all tiny, small, and medium melee weapons. They have armor proficiency with medium, light, and very light armor. They have fighting style proficiency with the dual weapon, two-handed weapon, and weapon and shield styles.

Combat Progression: Pretenders’ attack throws and saving throws by two points every three levels. They increase their base damage from successful missile and melee weapon attacks by +1 at 1^st level, and by an additional +1 at 3^rd, 6^th, 9^th, and 12^th level. They can cleave after felling a foe a maximum of once per round per class level.

Starting Class Powers

Able Learner: Changeling pretenders can retrain a class proficiency or chimerical talent selection (see below) into a different selection in one fourth of the usual time for retraining a proficiency. The character still needs a mentor or a manual to retrain, though pretenders are so adept at picking up skills through observation that a “mentor” may not realize they are being used in such a way. As usual with retraining, some choices may not be possible to retrain.

Chimerical Talent: By embracing their mutable nature, pretenders can pick up an array of skills that vary widely. The pretender can learn one class proficiency from any class; a thief skill (excluding backstab); a venturer class power (excluding mercantile network); or other class power approved by the Judge, excluding spellcasting powers. Some class powers have minimum level requirements, so confirm your selection with your Judge. Note that some selections might not be useful, e.g., the pretender has no spells to regain with Contemplation, so that proficiency isn’t ever a good choice.

Listening: Pretenders have sharp ears that permit them to hear noises in caves, hallways, at a door, or other locations. The Judge makes a Listening proficiency throw in secret on behalf of the pretender. If the throw succeeds, he hears any noises in earshot. If the throw fails, or if there aren’t any noises in earshot, he doesn’t hear anything. The pretender must be quiet and must be the closest creature in the party relative to the location of the sound or suspected sound. Listening only requires one round but can only be undertaken once per turn (10 minutes) if the party is moving at all, because it takes time for people to settle down into quiet.

Magical Emulation: When using his change shape or quick change ability to appear as a member of another race or sex, or mimic a physical characteristic, the pretender can also attempt to use magic items restricted to such characters. To do so, he makes a proficiency throw of 4+. A natural 1 may cause a mishap at the Judge’s discretion.

Quick Change: Once per 8 hours, the changeling pretender can use their change shape ability with a casting time of one round, rather than 1 turn.

Streetwise: The pretender has learned the hard lessons taught by life as a criminal. He might begin play as a member of a thieves’ guild or other criminal syndicate (Judge’s discretion). He can engage in hijinks if he has the necessary proficiencies or thief skills. He can automatically identify gestures, signs, slang, and territory of criminal organizations in his home settlement. He can identify those of other urban settlements with a proficiency throw of 11+. Secret organizations or organizations in far-off cities might be harder to recognize. (This class power is equivalent to one rank of Streetwise proficiency.)

Additional Class Powers

Chimerical Talent II (2^nd): The pretender can learn another class proficiency from any class, thief skill (excluding backstab), venturer class power (excluding mercantile network), or other class power approved by the Judge, excluding spellcasting.

Bonus Quick Change (3^rd): The pretender may use their quick change one additional time per 8 hours.

Chimerical Talent III (4^th): The pretender can learn another class proficiency from any class, thief skill (excluding backstab), venturer class power (excluding mercantile network), or other class power approved by the Judge, excluding spellcasting.

Bonus Quick Change (5^th): Beginning at 4^th level, the pretender may use their quick change a third time per 8 hours.

Chimerical Talent IV (7^th): The pretender can learn another class proficiency from any class, thief skill (excluding backstab), venturer class power (excluding mercantile network), or other class power approved by the Judge, excluding spellcasting.

Bonus Quick Change (9^th): Beginning at 4^th level, the pretender may use their quick change a third time per 8 hours.

Hideout (9^th): By acquiring a hideout worth at least 5,000gp, the pretender can attract followers to his service. 2d6 1st level characters of appropriate classes (Judge’s discretion) will arrive to serve him as followers within 1d4 weeks of him acquiring the hideout. If the pretender already has a hideout, the followers arrive to serve him within 1d4 weeks of him reaching 9th level. If hired, the followers must be paid standard rates for ruffians. These followers will serve the character with some loyalty, though at least one will be an infiltrator working for the pretender’s local rivals, sent to keep an eye on the character. A cunning and resourceful pretender can use these followers to start a criminal syndicate. Additional rules for hideouts and syndicates are detailed in Campaigns.

Racial Traits

Alien Appearance: When in their natural form, changelings have a bland appearance, faded and lacking detail. They appear to have a gray and gauzy additional layer of skin all over their bodies. Their skin tone is pale, their hair thin and most commonly a shade of silvery white, though sometimes a pink, green or blue. This alien appearance is disconcerting to most viewers, causing a -2 penalty on all reaction rolls while in this form. What’s more, knowledge of shape-changers in their midst can make a populace uneasy, unfriendly, or even violent (at the Judge’s discretion). As such, most changelings endeavor to conceal their true nature.

Change Shape: Changelings have the ability to alter their forms to look like any humanoid. Treat this as an alter self spell except that it takes 1 full turn to effect the changes. Changelings may use this ability up to once per hour, and the caster level is equal to the character’s level.

Mastery of Imitation: All changelings spend their early lives learning how to project false faces and voices, granting them the benefits of both the mimicry and disguise proficiencies.

Slippery Mind: Changeling are adept at wriggling free of mental effects, granting them a +3 bonus to saving throws against enchantments and illusions.

Social Intuition: A changeling intuitively grasps the finer points of navigating social situations, receiving a +1 bonus on all reaction rolls when attempting to parley with intelligent characters.

Class Proficiencies

Proficiency Progression: At 1^st level, pretenders select one class proficiency (plus one bonus class proficiency) from their class proficiency list and one general proficiency from the general proficiency list. They select an additional class proficiency at 4^th, 8^th, and 12^th level. They select an additional general proficiency at 5^th and 9^th level.

Changeling Pretender Proficiency List: Acrobatics, Alchemy, Alertness, Animal Husbandry, Animal Training, Arcane Dabbling, Armor Training, Art, Bargaining, Blind Fighting, Bribery, Cat Burglary, Caving, Ceremonialism, Collegiate Wizardry, Combat Reflexes, Combat Trickery (any), Command, Contortionism, Craft, Disguise, Driving, Dungeon Bashing, Dwarven Brewing, Endurance, Engineering, Fighting Style Specialization, Folkways, Gambling, Healing, Hedge Wizardry, Intimidation, Knowledge, Labor, Language, Leadership, Lip Reading, Lockpicking, Manual of Arms, Mapping, Martial Training, Military Strategy, Mountaineering, Naturalism, Navigation, Passing Without Trace, Performance, Precise Shooting, Prestidigitation, Profession, Revelry, Riding, Romance, Running, Seafaring, Siege Engineering, Signaling, Skirmishing, Skulking, Sniping, Streetwise, Survival, Swashbuckling, Swimming, Theology, Tracking, Trap Finding, Trapping, Village Wisdom, Wakefulness, Warcraft, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus

Pretender Templates

3d6 Roll	Template	Proficiencies	Starting Equipment
3 – 4	Outlaw	Skulking Survival Hiding	Handmade short bow, quiver with 20 arrows, short sword, leather armor, tattered cloak, old freeholder’s tunic and pants, embossed belt, well-worn low boots, backpack, 50’ rope, waterskin, 1 week’s iron rations, 1gp (enc. 4 5/6 st)
5 – 6	Acrobat	Acrobatics Endurance Climbing	Bola, quarterstaff, supple leather armor, cloak, tunic and pants, embossed belt, low boots, backpack, 50’ rope, grappling hook, waterskin, 1 weeks’ iron rations, 1gp (enc. 5 4/6 1/2 st)
7 – 8	Buccaneer	Swashbuckling Seafaring Pathfinding	Short bow, quiver with 20 arrows, scimitar, well-balanced dagger with boot-sheath, leather armor, colorful tunic and pants, bright silk girdle, high boots, 50’ rope, grappling hook, waterskin, 1 week’s iron rations (enc. 6 st)
9 – 10	Tomb Raider	Trapfinding Mapping Searching	Short bow, quiver with 20 arrows, 10’ pole, short sword, throwing dagger, sturdy chainmail armor, tanned brown cloak, thick tunic and pants, leather belt, low boots, backpack, 2 large treasure sacks, 50’ rope, tinderbox, lantern, small hammer, 12 iron spikes, 2 flasks of common oil, 2 flasks of military oil, wineskin, 1 week’s iron rations, 9gp (enc. 9 5/6 st)
11 – 12	Cat Burglar	Cat Burglary Gambling Pickpocketing	Short bow, quiver with 20 arrows, short sword, 2 throwing daggers, supple leather armor, black cloak with hood and bandana, black tunic and pants, leather belt, padded sandals, backpack, large treasure sack, crowbar, 50’ rope, grappling hook, lantern, tinderbox, 2 flasks of common oil, small hammer, 12 iron spikes, waterskin, 1 week’s iron rations, 25 gp (enc. 7 st)
13 – 14	Lockbreaker	Lockpicking Expertise Craft (locksmithing) Lockpicking	Crossbow, case with 20 bolts, short sword, leather armor, hooded cloak, freeholder’s tunic and pants, leather belt, low boots, backpack, thieves’ tools, 50’ rope, grappling hook, tinderbox, lantern, flask of common oil, small hammer, 12 iron spikes, waterskin, 1 week’s iron rations (enc. 6 1/6 st)
15 – 16	Failed Apprentice	Arcane Dabbling Collegiate Wizardry Loremastery	Crossbow, case with 20 bolts, quarterstaff, 2 throwing daggers, chainmail armor under blue mage’s cassock, high boots, backpack, belt pouch, 50’ rope, spellbook (blank), lantern, tinderbox, 4 flasks of military oil, 2 flasks of common oil, small hammer, 12 iron spikes, 1 lb garlic, 1 lb wolfsbane, wineskin, 1 week’s iron rations, 17 gp (enc. 9 st)
17 – 18	Cataphract	Mounted Combat Military Strategy Armor Training (heavy)	Composite bow, quiver with 20 arrows, polished sword, steel shield bearing noble house’s crest, lamellar armor, armiger’s tunic and pants, high boots, medium riding horse, riding saddle and tack, saddlebag, waterskin, 1 week’s iron rations, 2gp (enc. 7 2/6 st with rations on horse)

Notes: the pretender’s Chimerical Talent selection is in bold.

Special: The changeling pretender can choose the starting equipment of any class template for the same roll. For example, a template roll of 9 could choose to use the Tomb Raider equipment below, or could start with the Auxiliary fighter template’s equipment, the cleric Proseletizer’s equipment. Proficiency and Chimerical Talent choices might be modified in this case, at the Judge’s discretion.

Prime Requisite:	INT and CHA
Requirements:	None
Hit Dice:	1d4
Maximum Level:	11