Changeling the Lost Second Edition: Elementals

Almost done with Seeming previews here. What would you like to see next?

The Elementals are in-line. Normal rules apply. This is a first draft, unedited. Here’s the thread to discuss them.

Elementals

“We don’t do, we just are!”

Michael Alig

They appear to have skin, just like the rest of us, but that’s just a sack, a shape to hold in the storm. The Elemental is the coming storm, the deluge, the forest fire, the one who leaves nothing in it his wake. Sometimes, instead of being overt destruction, instead, the Elemental is a sort of existential ‘place’ where other people go missing. The saying goes something like this, spend too long in the arms of an Elemental, means dying of exposure. That’s not entirely true, of course, some people learn to survive, and are, arguably, better for it. As for the Elemental himself? Eh. It’s all nature, after all.

Appearance: They are dangerous and beautiful or dangerous and unrelenting, but an Elemental is never repellant. He’s intense, takes all the air of out the room, and when anyone else is in his presence, they’re looking for exits. Not because he’d directly threatening anyone, but because in presence of an Elemental triggers all sorts of survival instincts in a person. He sets alarm bells that tells anyone else; conserve water, prepare to run, find a safe place to weather the storm. To those who like a challenge, adrenaline junkies and the like, flock to the Elemental. Everyone else just burns out, for freezes solid in their presence.

To the Changling eyes, the Elemental is an embodied manifestation of the Element they claim. He might be a man-shaped fire with wings. She may be a tree, with roots for legs who whips about, tossed by unfelt storms, a young green thing. She is a sculpture of ice who leaves foot prints of frost. He seems mostly normal, though his skin is dry and his lips parched, but when you look into his eyes, into his mouth, you see inescapable death of a hundred fifty degree sun and nothing but sand further than a person can walk in a lifetime.

Background: It can be said of those who would be Elementals, that in their first life, they could not see the forest for the trees. In mundane life, she had no peripheral vision, had no environmental awareness, both literally as well as an ignorance or innocence about cultural and social climate. As such, in many cases, she simply never saw ‘it’ coming. This is not to say that the Elementals are, before, innocent and wide-eyed, virtuous and guileless. In fact, most Elementals believed that he was the single most interesting person he knows. Usually, he’s a big fish in a small pond, and because of his blindness, he has no idea how truly small that pond is. Until, one day, he met someone considerably more interesting, someone amazing, someone that made him begin to realise how small his pond was, and how much he’d missed. So, he tried to make himself more interesting, more unique, the bigger fish, and somehow, this all pushed or pulled him through the Hedge.

The Escape: Maybe the Elemental-to-be stayed on course, attempting to be the most special, the most important, the most unique of all the captives at the Keeper’s hand. Maybe she determined to burn the brightest, even in hell. Or maybe she went dim, fading, beginning to become nothing since she could never hope to matter anymore. And yet, at some point, brutal winds toughened her skin, or else the pain of hot steel dimmed and she felt only the sensation, not the agony. She saw, for the first time, the elements around her, and realised how big and wild nature itself was, the biggest most important thing. In that moment, she decided to release her ego, her need to be special vanished in an instant, and her heart fell out, hitting the ground, and shattering to a thousand useless pieces all at once. Quickly, she filled that hole, her heart, herself, with the raw possibility of the elements, embodying fire, electricity, ice, light, any such overwhelming force. And in making that choice, she used the element itself to escaping, becoming it’s child in the real world, free of the Hedge.

Character Creation: To say that Elementals focus on survival is a bit of an understatement, and runs the risk of narrowing their focus too much. The Elemental survives in her environment, whatever that environment is. If they find that they have fallen into science or politics, the Elemental studies, learns, or learns how to fake exactly as much as they need to survive that environment. Many Elemental’s are fickle, after a fashion, though, and will be content with only what they literally need to survive. No more, no less. Why waste time, in the off chance the wind changes, and his environment changes? Occasionally, an Elemental will find themselves in a literal position that ties well into the element they embraced, a water Elemental making a living as a professional surfer, an ice Elemental doing research in Alaska. In these situations, Elementals are more likely to specialise and not just survive, but thrive.

Blessing: Clarity of Forces. Elementals appear to be creatures of whim and devastation, burning bridges, throwing caution to the wind, and storming through life without a thought or concern. That’s not exactly true, as the Elemental knows instinctively, their chaos has a pattern, and there’s order behind the destruction. Once per story, when the player of an Elemental can bring meaning and purpose to what appeared to be  an act of pure chaos earlier in the story, that character gains a point of Clarity for free. The player did not have to be planning for this meaning at the time the character created the chaos, it can be completely reverse causality.

Curse: Burning without Ego. To Escape, the Elemental needed release his ego and become one with the force she choose to accept into herself. The freedom to be without self often means forgetting that others are still tied to tiny notions like ‘me,’ and ‘now.’ Therefore, whenever an Elemental is confronted with the damage in her wake, and sees a good example that not everyone is a raw force like she is, it’s a Clarity Break. Additionally, Cold Iron, in its ability to make the etherial static, is particularly harmful to the Elemental. Any time she is injured by cold iron, she suffers an additional and specific Condition unique to her elemental nature. So, an ice Elemental may choose that her character also becomes Lethargic when hit by cold iron. An Elemental of wind might become Spooked after a cold iron injury. This Condition should be picked at character creation, but can be changed through play with Storyteller approval.

Concepts

He’s a party monster, he came crashing into the party like a bolt, and the air’s just electric anytime he’s there, rolling. The parties get more intense, more excited, more extreme with every new party, and at this trajectory, it’s only a matter of time before someone dies.

She spent her life holding it in, hiding what she knew herself to be, to protect her friends and her family. Things are different now. She’ll burn them all with the bitter cold inside of her. She’ll create her own world of ice and snow where she’s completely free, and who cares who freezes to death in the process.

His voice crashes like waves against the shore, cool and crisp and ageless. “He’s not good enough for you, Laura,” he tells his listener over the radio, a thousand house wives listen in, swatting away their husband’s attention or anger. “No one would blame you if you left, hell, no court would convict you if you killed him, Laura.” A pregnant pause. “Come down to the studio some time, Laura. I’d like to talk to you some time.”


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Comments

49 responses to “Changeling the Lost Second Edition: Elementals”

  1. nifara Avatar
    nifara

    Awesome stuff.

    Would really like to some serious stuff about oneiromancy myself!

  2. Anteros Avatar
    Anteros

    So Elementals are about giving up their ego? Nice. Their Blessing and Curse are strange and original.

    I’d like to see Contracts next. It as the only aspect of 1st Ed I disliked, so I’m a bit anxious about what they’ll be like.

  3. Corwyn Avatar
    Corwyn

    I’d love to see the new state of Pledgecrafting, or Oneiromancy. Either would be wonderful (though I’d hope we’ll see both before long).

  4. NateD Avatar
    NateD

    Interesting! Different tack, but cool. Funnily, it looks like all of the characters I’ve had rolling around in my head are changing Seeming for 2E.

    Personally, I’d LOVE to find out more about Contracts!

  5. wyrdhamster Avatar
    wyrdhamster

    I like Elementals – they are exactly what I thought they will be. 🙂 Only does the Curse making damage from Iron giving character Condition is too much, in comparing with other Seemings Curses?

    As to what I would want to see – obviously would be the Wizened. From Kith previews they look as the one most changed in 2ED.

    Next great would be to see Contracts or new Pledges. Both are interesting to dwell in to more mechanical aspects of game. 🙂

  6. Illuminated Avatar
    Illuminated

    I’ll have to put my thoughts in the thread when I get back from work, but after we get through Elementals I’d really like to see a post on Huntsmen.

    1. Illuminated Avatar
      Illuminated

      get through Seemings, I mean. :T

  7. Zooroos Avatar
    Zooroos

    I really, really like the idea behind the Elementals. I’m just struggling to see the connection between being a big fish in a small pond and the part where the elements come in. I don’t know, maybe I need to sleep over it?

    Anyway, these new Seemings are a huge improvement over the old ones, that’s for sure.

    P.S.: Ohh! I see what you did here! Loved the Frozen reference 😉

    1. Meles Badger Avatar
      Meles Badger

      Well, the way i see it, the elements come in because they are the embodiment of “how big the world is”. They’re a reminder than even if humanity can try to protect itself from them, the natural forces can’t be controlled.

      Here, it’s the same thing. Realizing how narrow their points of view and lives were, how futile their existence was despite what they thought, they let the elements pass through them, becoming one with nature, becoming one with the world. They’re not trying to control the nature, they let the nature take control of them, filling the shell of their old self/ego. (at least, that’s more or less how I view it)

      Anyway, as a player of 1st Edition, if Beasts were not literally using the thematics and elements of my main character’s background and state of mind, I think I would have made her an Elemental, because I really like what has been done with them here.

  8. MartinT Avatar
    MartinT

    I want to read about oneiromancy or pledgcraft!

  9. Chazz Avatar
    Chazz

    Oneiromancy; that was the aspect of the last edition that I was the least satisfied with.

  10. Dusksage Avatar
    Dusksage

    Another excellent Seeming, plus I do detect a common theme cropping up in the recent Seemings. I might have missed it before but will all of the Lost have to remove their own hearts in order to escape? Because if so this gives a nice bite to their escape from Faerie. Freak’n amazing!

    P.S. I would love to read an article on the Huntsmen once the Seemings are done. I’m sure they’re not the True Fae and the suspence is lowering my Clarity.

  11. Eric Christian Berg Avatar
    Eric Christian Berg

    My vote is for pledge-crafting.

  12. Conin Avatar
    Conin

    When I saw that the new Blessings and Curses would be Clarity related and that the Seemings would be about gaining agency, I had some serious doubts. But hot damn if I wasn’t surprised! Thank you, again, for amazing work!

    My vote for the next thing would have to be Pledge Crafting. It was such an integral part of the last game, I’m eager to know the changes there. I do dearly hope we can still swear on things like our True Names and whatnot. That was fun and so dramatic!!!

  13. Caleb Cushing Avatar

    The mention of cold iron makes me ask a side question, will this edition perhaps clarify for players what is considered cold iron? and where they might retrieve it? I in this day and age cold forged iron is extremely rare. of course it may just refer to plain old iron that is not an alloy; or any other number of things.

    http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ColdIron

  14. Rayn Faustus Avatar
    Rayn Faustus

    Interesting take on things. The elemental was always one of my favorite Seemings and it appears that particular opinion is staying firmly entrenched.

    I’d love to see some Oneiromancy spoilers up next.

  15. Lou Silvers Avatar
    Lou Silvers

    Oh mer gawd. You guys were teasing about “redacted redacted redacted redacted” on Facebook, so I asked if Djinn were being added to CTL cause of that ominous bit of fluff in Equinox Road. I wanna know what that redacted x4 is!!!! Please don’t be a Djinn seeming. Djinn the Binding deluxe kickstarter in 2016!!!! Pwease?

    1. David A Hill Jr Avatar
      David A Hill Jr

      I can’t even remember what I was teasing. Give me the context?

      1. Lou Silvers Avatar
        Lou Silvers

        It was waaaay back in the beast seeming prievew, you were teasing about a sixth kith in redacted, then on Facebook post was the darkling link post. Apologizes in advance if my phone double posts or acts up when I hit post comment, its behaving oddly.

        1. David A Hill Jr Avatar
          David A Hill Jr

          Oh! The seventh Seeming is in the Dark Eras Grimms’ Fairy Tales entry.

          1. Lou Silvers Avatar
            Lou Silvers

            Excellent! 🙂 Curiosity satisfied!

  16. NouveauRich Avatar
    NouveauRich

    The Curse does seem a bit overpowered compared to the other Seemings – so far. Given that very few places make anything of Cold Iron, it could be a non-issue, though.

    Would really like to see material on Contracts!

    1. Gaius Avatar
      Gaius

      David mentioned on the forums that they’re still tinkering with the Curses. The current plan seems to be that there’ll be a Clarity breaking point side and a more mechanical impact (like Elementals with cold iron and Beasts with imprisonment). Most of the previews just haven’t had the latter yet.

  17. Eolirin Avatar
    Eolirin

    Something to note: Conditions are Beat generators.

    So that’s not quite as much of an extra downside as it seems.

    1. David A Hill Jr Avatar
      David A Hill Jr

      Yeah. Conditions should always be downsides you can sort of revel in.

  18. Axelgear Avatar
    Axelgear

    I vote Contracts.

  19. Gaius Avatar
    Gaius

    I gotta be honest, I was never really all that interested in Elementals for 1e. Nothing against them, they just didn’t really do anything for me.

    I really like this, though. ^_^ The Blessing and Curse suggest an archetype that I find very cool, even if it’s not one I can easily pin a name to or would generally consider. I’d enjoy making a character with that.

    As for requests on previews after the Seemings (thanks, by the way)… Man, that’s a hard field to narrow down, but I’mma go with… Talespinning. Maybe a hint of any interplay with a Changeling’s Court, if possible?

  20. dataweaver Avatar
    dataweaver

    I’d like to see David’s plans for Fetches, myself.

    1. WuseMajor Avatar
      WuseMajor

      Me too. I’ve always wanted to play a character who ended up getting along with their Fetch ….But only after a long struggle on both sides.

  21. Nathan Henderson Avatar
    Nathan Henderson

    “She spent her life holding it in, hiding what she knew herself to be, to protect her friends and her family. Things are different now. She’ll burn them all with the bitter cold inside of her. She’ll create her own world of ice and snow where she’s completely free, and who cares who freezes to death in the process.”

    SIT IN THE CORNER AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU DID!

  22. Sean Avatar
    Sean

    So, to recap:

    Beasts were imprisoned or hedged in by societal norms, took the offer of somebody liberating them, which landed them in even more trouble. They learned that they had to rescue themselves and set their own rules, but they will never stand to be restrained again.

    Darklings were loyal to a fault, until they were betrayed, and fell pray to somebody who offered trust. They learned to put their own needs before those of others, but they can never trust again.

    Fairests were fonts of untapped potential restrained by laziness, despair, or timidity. They accepted a chance to shine, which turned out to be more of the same. They Escaped by standing up for themselves and showing their skill, their inner talent, but they are still reluctant to thrust themselves into the spotlight.

    Ogres were victims of abuse. They took it and took it unti they snapped and tried to get away. They Escaped when they realized that they couldn’t run, they had to turn around and fight; hit others before they hit you. However, they can’t stand to be reminded of their inner weaknesses.

    Elementals were people undone by their vanity and ego. They learned to humble themselves, see themselves as part of the big picture. They now act without a thought for themselves, but they are badly affected when their actions damage the larger world.

    1. David A Hill Jr Avatar
      David A Hill Jr

      That’s a pretty great synopsis.

  23. Hiram Alem Avatar

    On a serious note: This seeming would make for a very interesting experience for me, while being insanely cool.

    On a non-serious note:

    “She’ll create her own world of ice and snow where she’s completely free”

    I see what you did there…
    let it go…

    1. wombat_man Avatar
      wombat_man

      unnatural1 – you’re really not. Halfway through reading that part, I started having that song play in my head too!

  24. unnatural1 Avatar
    unnatural1

    “She spent her life holding it in, hiding what she knew herself to be, to protect her friends and her family. Things are different now. She’ll burn them all with the bitter cold inside of her. She’ll create her own world of ice and snow where she’s completely free, and who cares who freezes to death in the process.”

    Let it go! Let it go!

    Come on! I can’t be the only one who noticed that! 😛

  25. Brian Goubeaux Avatar
    Brian Goubeaux

    I Am Groot.

  26. Leliel Avatar
    Leliel

    I’ll throw my hat in the ring for Oneriomancy spoilers.

  27. Troller Avatar
    Troller

    Interesting. Still having a tricky time wrapping my head around Seemings now, but I’ll wait for the finished product.

    My vote for after Seemings are Contracts. I am really curious to see what changes are in store.

  28. Ace of Almonds Avatar
    Ace of Almonds

    I’d love to see Clarity spoilers. If not, I’ll throw my hat in for Pledgecraft.

    These new Elementals feel somewhat limited, in the sense that it’s only “natural” elements related to destruction/power. There’s no mention of man-made elements, or of things like earth. Is that deliberate? Are Elements only forces now?

    1. David A Hill Jr Avatar
      David A Hill Jr

      No. And I’m going to open it up to elemental essences of ideas, I think as well. Maybe.

    2. Phaolan Avatar
      Phaolan

      Hear hear! We kinda NEED this info to make sense of what you’ve changed with the Seemings, don’t we?

  29. Kenichi-kun Avatar
    Kenichi-kun

    Love the preview.

    For next stuff:
    Vice/Virtue equivalent

    or

    Contracts

  30. Phaolan Avatar
    Phaolan

    Since all of these Seemings have mechanics that deal with Clarity, I really would like to have an idea of how you plan to frame that idea and Trait. I mean, that’s kinda vital to even understanding what the MEAN with each and every one of the Seemings, after all.

    Your version of Clarity appears very fluid, with gains and losses coming from each Seeming just existing, as far as I can tell.

    1. Mangle Avatar
      Mangle

      This reminds me of a general trend I’ve noticed: Mechanics(and sometimes fluff) that seem almost Orwellian in their self-contradiction. Clarity being lowered by behaving as if one’s time outside reality didn’t happen doesn’t make much sense; yes, denial is a form of madness, but not as mad as wearing the scars from Faerie on your sleeve with pride.

      1. Sean Avatar
        Sean

        Um, I’m not getting that vibe at all. Survivors of horrible situations often talk about their experiences- because they survived. They got out, sometimes by luck, sometimes by an outside force, sometimes by their own determination and agency. Think about survival stories that people fixate on- they’re often one’s where people display insane heroism and save themselves. That’s what a Changeling is- a survivor who became their own hero. Why shouldn’t they get Clarity by doing something that reminds them that they have gotten out of worse scrapes, that they beat the odds, that they can and will succeed survive? The Beast cast off the restrictive rules that bound him; the Ogre struck out at those that hit her; the Changeling learned to rely on himself.

        Losing Clarity, on the other hand, occurs when a Changeling is forced into a situation that contradicts this new-found truth, or a situation that simulates their Durance. The Beast was tied down by his Keeper’s rules? Imprison him. The Ogre learned to overcome fear and pain? Rip the old wound open and remind her of her vulnerable side. The Darkling learned not to unquestioningly trust people? Force him to unquestioningly trust somebody. The Elemental sees herself as part of the perfect cosmic whole? Show her a discrete, small example of the entropy caused by her actions.

        1. Mangle Avatar
          Mangle

          Maybe I’m just thinking of something I saw in 1ed, about essentially trying to forget your Durance being sin against Clarity. Sometimes repressing a memory is better than reliving it. Don’t pick the scabs, they’ll get infected…

          1. Leliel Avatar
            Leliel

            Sometimes. Most times that’s not a good plan in the long term; denial is one of those coping mechanisms that easily becomes a more destructive one when the world refuses to play along.

            When you act out how you escaped, you’re reminding yourself of your Durance-specifically, how you ended it. You are not some lost puppy who blames itself for biting its abusive master, you are a person who was treated in an unjustifiable way, and you stopped it. For that moment, you forget you could maybe one day be a slave again-which actually steps away from that accursed chain, slavers hate strong wills

  31. Goblin Engineer Avatar
    Goblin Engineer

    Oh thank you! These are much more reasonable for an elemental. The boon makes more sense and is a lot more usable than its 1st edition counterpart. The curse is also refreshing as the original 1st edition curse made elemental forced into combat and interrogation roles.

  32. Goblin Engineer Avatar
    Goblin Engineer

    The blessing is great. Much more beneficial to Elementals than its 1st edition counterpart where getting temporary health = wyrd until end of scene was more of a curse-disguied-as-a-blessing.