Changelings

Changelings are the descendants of ancient shapeshifters. They tend to live in secret among humanoid societies, integrating seamlessly thanks to their shapeshifting and natural social aptitude. They lack the full shapechanging ability of their ancestors, but their disguises are nevertheless difficult to see through, even to trained eyes.

• Shapechanger Subtype: Changelings are humanoids with the shapechanger subtype.
• Medium: As Medium creatures, changelings have no special bonuses or penalties to their size.
• Changeling base land speed is 30 feet.
• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against sleep and charm effects: Changelings have slippery minds.
• +2 racial bonus on Bluff, Intimidate, and Sense Motive Checks: Changelings are inherently skilled in deception and intimidation; though they cannot actually detect thoughts as doppelgangers can, they can intuitively read body language and attitude with surprising accuracy.
• Natural Linguist: Changelings add Speak Language to their list of class skills for any class they adopt.
• Minor Change Shape (Su): Changelings have the supernatural ability to alter their appearance as though using a disguise self spell that affects their bodies but not their possessions. This ability is not an illusory effect but a minor physical alteration of a changeling's facial features, skin color and texture, and size, within the limits described for the spell. A changeling can use this ability at will, and the alteration lasts until he changes shape again. A changeling reverts to his natural form when killed. A true seeing spell reveals his natural form. When using this ability to create a disguise, a changeling receives a +10 circumstance bonus on Disguise checks. Using this ability is a full-round action.
• Favored Class: Rogue. A multiclass changeling's rogue class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing.

Changeling characters have access to Changeling-specific feats from Races of Eberron. A Changeling character can take these feats any time they could take a normal (not minor) feat so long as they meet the prerequisites (if any).

Benefit: You can use your minor change shape ability as a move action.

Benefit: When you use your minor change shape ability to assume the form of a humanoid creature, you can also emulate any of that humanoid's subtypes. Though you do not gain any of the humanoid's traits, you are considered to be a member of that race for all other purposes (allowing you to use magic items or spells keyed to race, for example). You can also ignore the normal penalty on Disguse checks when disguising yourself as a different race (see the Disguise skill description, page 72 of the Player's Handbook). You can only emulate one race at a time, and you always retain the shapechanger subtype.

Prerequisites: Bluff 6 Ranks, Quick Change

Benefit: The Disturbing Visage feat enables the use of three tactical maneuvers. Creatures immune to mind-affecting spells and abilities cannot be affected by this feat; regardless of the outcome of the opposed check, a creature can be affected only once by each of these maneuvers in a 24-hour period.

Cringe: You change your features to appear weak and unworthy of an opponent's best efforts. To use this maneuver, you must use your minor change shape ability and take the total defense action in the same turn. You then make a Bluff check as a free action. From the end of your turn until the beginning of your next turn, any opponent that attempts to make a melee attack against you must make a Sense Motive check opposed by your Bluff check result. Failure means that the opponent takes a -5 penalty on weapon damage rolls (minimum 1 point) against you for 1 minute.

Taunt: You change your features to mock an opponent. To use this maneuver, you must use your minor change shape ability to mimic the features of a selected target creature, who must be no more than 10 feet from you, must have missed you with a melee or ranged attack in the previous round, and is a humanoid, monstrous humanoid, or giant. You then make a Bluff check as a free action, opposed by the selected creature's Sense Motive check. If your check is successful, your foe takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls for 1 minute.

Unnerve: You change your features to become a more terrifying foe. To use this maneuver, you must hit the target creature with a melee attack and use your minor change shape ability in the same round. You then make a Bluff check as a free action, opposed by a Sense Motive check from the foe you hit. If your check is successful, your foe takes a -2 penalty to AC for 1 minute.

When Changeling characters take levels in certain classes, they can replace levels in those classes with the benefits described below. Taking substitution levels does not obligate a character to take subsequent substitution levels in that class, but all preceding substitution levels are a prerequisite for subsequent substitutions levels of the same class.

Hit Die: d4

Requirements: To take a changeling egoist substitution level, a character must be a changeling about to take his 1st, 3rd, or 5th level of egoist.

Class Skills: Changeling egoist substitution levels have th class skills of the standard egoist class, plus Bluff and Disguise.

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier (or four times this number as a beginning character)

Body Control (Ex): Beginning at 1st level, whenever a changeling egoist manifests a psychometabolism power that targets himself (and only himself), he can treat his manifester level as one higher than normal. This substitution feature replaces the standard egoist's bonus feat gained at 1st level.

Everchanging Psicrystal (Ex): At 3rd level, a changeling egoist gains the ability to reshape his psicrystal's personality, selecting a new personality as a full-round action. The egoist gains the benefit of the new personality while losing the previous benefit. If he does not have a psicrystal, this ability has no effect until the egoist gains one. This substitution feature replaces one of the powers gained by a standard egoist at 3rd level. From this point on, the changeling egoist knows one less power than the number indicated on Table: The Psion (6 at 3rd level, 8 at 4th level, and so forth).

Extra Powers Known: A 5th-level changeling egoist adds the following powers to his list of powers known: chameleon, hustle, metamorphosis, and thicken skin. The egoist adds metamorphosis to his list of powers known even though it exceeds the normal maximum power level known (he gains the power but can't yet manifest it). These powers do not count against his limit on powers known. This substitution feature replaces the bonus feat gained by a standard egoist at 5th level.

Hit Die: d6

Requirements: To take a changeling rogue substitution level, a character must be a changeling about to take his 1st, 3rd, or 8th level of rogue.

Class Skills: Changeling rogue substitution levels have the class skills of the standard rogue class, plus one Knowledge skill chosen when the first racial substitution level is taken. Once this selection is made, it cannot be changed.

Skill Points at Each Level: 10 + Int modifier (or four times this number as a beginning character).

Social Intuition (Ex): A changeling rogue has an uncanny awareness of the tone of any social situation in which he finds himself. This grants benefits to a number of his skill checks.

• Making a Gather Information check to gain knowledge takes a changeling rogue only 1d4+1 × 10 minutes, instead of the normal 1d4+1 hours.
• A gut assessment of a social situation with a Sense Motive check can be made as a full-round action instead of taking a full minute.
• A changeling rogue can take 10 on Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks, even if stress or distraction would normally prevent him from doing so.

This substitution feature replaces the standard rogue's trapfinding ability. A changeling rogue without trapfinding can still use the Search skill to find a trap whose DC is 20 or lower, and can still disarm mundane (but not magic) traps with Disable Device, just as any other character without trapfinding.

Minor Lore: Thanks to his varied personas and pursuits, a changeling rogue picks up bits of stray knowledge. Beginning at 3rd level, he gains a +1 bonus on all Knowledge checks (though this bonus doesn't change an untrained check to a trained check), improving by +1 every three levels thereafter (to +2 at 6th level, +3 at 9th, and so on). In addition, whenever the rogue successfully aids another character's Knowledge check, that character can apply this bonus on his check result (in addition to the normal bonus granted by the rogue's aid another attempt). This substitution feature replaces the standard rogue's trap sense ability, which can never be gained at later levels.

Mutable Anatomy (Ex): A changeling rogue learns to shift his body's anatomy in subtle ways during combat to avoid otherwise lethal strikes. Beginning at 8th level, any time a critical hit or sneak attack is scored on a changeling rogue, there is a 50% chance that the critical hit or sneak attack is negated and damage is instead rolled normally. If the changeling rogue has the ability to negate critical hits or sneak attacks by some additional means (such as armor with the fortification special ability), apply the chances separately. This substitution feature replaces the standard rogue's improved uncanny dodge.

Hit Die: d4

Requirements: To take a changeling wizard substitution level, a character must be a changeling about to take his 1st, 5th, or 10th level of wizard.

Class Skills: Changeling wizard substitution levels have the class skills of the standard wizard class, plus Bluff, Disguise, and Sleight of Hand.

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifi er (or four times this number as a beginning character).

Dual Specialization (Ex): At 1st level, a changeling wizard can choose to pursue a dual specialization in illusion and transmutation. To do so, he must give up three other schools of magic (but just as for a normal specialist wizard, a changeling wizard can't give up divination to fulfill this requirement). A changeling wizard can prepare one additional spell per spell level each day, chosen from either of his specialty schools. For instance, he might choose to prepare ghost sound (illusion) as his additional 0-level spell and expeditious retreat (transmutation) as his additional 1st-level spell. In addition, he gains a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks to learn spells from either of these schools. This substitution feature replaces the standard wizard's specialization option.

Limited Spell Knowledge: A changeling wizard's focused studies in illusion and transmutation lead to an excess of knowledge in those areas, but limit his ability to easily add spells of other schools to his spellbook. Each time the character selects a changeling wizard substitution level (other than 1st level), he chooses three spells from the illusion or transmutation schools to add to his spellbook in lieu of the normal two spells added to the standard wizard's spellbook upon gaining a new wizard level. This has no effect on a changeling wizard's ability to add other spells to his spellbook, such as those taken from a scroll or from another wizard's spellbook.

Morphic Familiar (Su): At 5th level, a changeling wizard's familiar gains the ability to alter its form on command. As a full-round action, the familiar can change its form to that of any creature that the wizard could normally have as a familiar. The wizard gains the new benefit of the familiar while losing the previous benefit. If the changeling wizard does not have a familiar, this ability has no effect until he gains one. This substitution feature replaces the standard wizard's bonus feat gained at 5th level.

Override Transmutation (Ex): A changeling wizard's skill with transmutation spells serves as a good defense against them. Starting at 10th level, if he fails his normal saving throw against a transmutation spell or spell-like ability with a duration other than instantaneous, a changeling wizard can attempt an additional save 1 round later against the same DC. This substitution feature replaces the standard wizard's bonus feat gained at 10th level.