Goblin Contracts [1] & [2]

Life for the Lost is an inherently dangerous prospect. From fetches and the True Fae, hobgoblins, and Hedge Beasts, to humans, supernatural creatures and even other changelings, the threats they are likely to face in their lifetimes can be overwhelming. While some fae bolster themselves with physical prowess and weaponry, there are many challenges that face the Lost that sheer brute force is not the most effective answer to. Sometimes cunning, obscure knowledge and a mastery of fae magic are a changeling's best defense (or offense) against the adversity life throws at them. For those that feel the weight of overwhelming odds crushing down upon them, turning to some of the darker and more dangerous aspects of the Wyrd seems a natural response. While these powers carry an inherent danger with them and usually not the first that other changelings share with their newly returned kin, they can be the core of a desperate Lost's arsenal against the nigh-limitless threats he faces.

Goblin Contracts are some of the shady goods that circulate among the underbelly of fae society. All are easy to learn and cost little Glamour. They are inexpensive because they are also intrinsically flawed. All Goblin Contracts come with a price -- something harmful or problematic that happens to the changeling after the Contract is used. No known Contracts or other powers allow the changeling to escape paying this price. Dramatic failures rolled when performing Goblin Contracts usually result in the character paying the price without receiving any benefit. Unlike other Contracts, Goblin Contracts are not chained and can be bought in any order. A changeling can purchase a three-dot Goblin Contract without knowing any one- or two-dot Goblin Contracts. They also cost fewer experience points to purchase. However, a beginning character may purchase only one-dot Goblin Contracts during character creation.


[ 1 ] Mantle Mask ( Dancers In The Dusk -- Page 65 )

One of the ways a changeling's Wyrd manifests is through the sensory attributes that resonate with her chosen Court. Just as Contracts of the Mirror allow a Lost to change her Mask or mein, Mantle Mask allows her to manipulate her Mantle, or to create the perception of one where none existed previously. In no way does this Contract change the mechanical effects of a Lost's Mantle -- only the cosmetic appearance thereof. Thus a Summer Courtier with a Mantle of 3 could temporarily modify her flame-cloak Mantle and the sound of crowds cheering her name to a shroud of autumn leaves accompanied by crow's calling. She would not, however, lose the armor and other benefits her Summer Mantle provides, nor would she gain Autumn's equivocal bonuses dealing with the True Fae. Drawback: Mantle's illusion, once created, does not fade quickly. Although the changeling's natural Mantle springs back in full force at the end of the scene, for a time period twice the length of the time period the illusory Mantle was in place, remnants of the false Mantle remain perceptible. A Winter Courtier who had suppressed her icicle-bedecked hair in favor of manifesting Spring blossoms for a three-hour scene, might find that, for the three hours after the scene ended, there were still fading rose-petals encased in her newly-returned frost, for example. For the Courtless, this manifestation results in a fading traces of her manifested Mantle enshrouding her. Too weak to be mistaken for a "real" Mantle, this after-effect is only strong enough to act as a clue to others that the Lost has been tinkering with strange magic.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Dice Pool: Occult + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: The changeling draws, paints or otherwise decorates her skin with an emblem symbolic of the Court whose Mantle she is attempting to mimic.

Dramatic Failure: The changeling's attempt to force a new appearance to her Mantle fails, and her Mantle becomes a jumbled mass of contradictions for the next scene. For a Spring Courtier, her normally vibrant leaves, flowers and vines might take on a jaundiced look as if affected by some Wyrd-blight, or her Mantle's soft spring breeze might become tainted with a malodorous stench. Autumn courtiers might find their dark Mantle turned farcical, or Winter's ice and chill turned to annoying slush festooned with sparks of bonfire. A Courtless who invokes this great of a failure finds herself possessing an unruly temporary Mantle that blends elements from all four of the seasonal courts in a disturbing and jarring way. Any Lost under this effect suffer a -2 penalty to all Social challenges (offensive or defensive) with anyone who can perceive their disturbing pseudo-Mantle.

Failure: The changeling's Mantle (or lack thereof) is unaffected.

Success: The changeling's mastery of her Wyrd is able to temporarily overshadow the inherent cosmetic manifestation of her Mantle. The materialization of her normal Mantle (visual, auditory, olfactory, sensory, etc.) dwindles to an imperceptible level for the remainder of the scene, and is replaced by that of the Court she focuses upon while activating the Contract. If no Court is chosen, she is left with no Mantle, and is likely to be assumed to be Courtless by those judging such matters by Mantle alone. For every success achieved on her activation roll, she may manifest a single sensory aspect to her illusionary Mantle, up to the level of her normal Mantle rating. Courtless who use this clause to manifest a Mantle from scratch can create the illusion of one up to a level equal to half the successes they rolled on the activation, rounded up, although this number may never exceed 5 levels. At the end of the first scene, the changeling may choose to spend two points of Glamour to automatically activate the Contract for an additional scene. This must be paid for with Glamour (not a use of the catch). At the end of this second scene, she may pay three Glamour to continue the effect for a third scene, and so on, until she reaches the maximum amount of glamour she can spend during any one turn. This extension can be done for as long as the Lost chooses continues to spend the Glamour and is able to spend enough to meet the ever-growing cost. However, when the changeling ceases to spend the Glamour to extend the effect, the Drawback immediately manifests, and lasts for the entire time the Contract's power was in effect (in days, hours and minutes, not number of scenes.)

Exceptional Success: As with a success, however the changeling may manifest the illusion of any level of Mantle up to 5, regardless of her normal Mantle rating (even if she is Courtless).


[ 1 ] Sight Of Truth And Lies ( Rites Of Spring -- Page 114 )

The changeling can automatically tell truth from lies, but while doing so, he must tell the truth. If he lies while using this Contract, he becomes temporarily incapable of telling truth from lies.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Dice Pool: Wyrd + Subterfuge

Action: Instant

Catch: The changeling uses this Contract at an official occasion, such as a trial or a formal gathering of the leaders of the local freehold.

Dramatic Failure: For the remainder of the scene, the changeling automatically believes all lies that are not immediately and obviously false.

Failure: The Contract fails, and the changeling is left with his natural ability to tell truth from falsehood.

Success: The character can automatically tell any lie spoken in his presence. He doesn't know what the truth is, merely that any lie he hears is not true. The character can use this ability for one full scene. However, while doing so, the character must speak the truth at times during this scene. The character can remain silent, but any statement he makes must be true to the best of the character's knowledge; he also cannot knowingly exaggerate. If the character lies for any reason, even a minor lie such as telling someone that her hideously garish shirt actually looks nice on her, then he becomes completely unable to tell truth from falsehood for the remainder of the scene. As long as a statement is not obviously false, such as someone claiming that it is nighttime when the character is standing under a hot noonday sun, the character is certain that the person is telling the truth and also that the statement itself is true, even if the statement is an obvious exaggeration to everyone else present. The character's ability to tell truth from falsehood applies only in person or in two-way verbal conversations such as phone calls. When hearing and telling lies, statements that the person honestly believes to be true are never considered lies, even if the statement is actually false. For this Contract, the ultimate definition of truth or falsehood is whether or not the person saying the statement believes it is true or not.

Exceptional Success: The character can also tell truth from falsehood in recorded media such as television shows or in print.

Suggested Modifiers: The character has told a lie within the last scene (-1); The character is acting as a judge or is otherwise charged with determining the truth of statements or events (+1).


[ 1 ] Trading Luck For Fate ( Changeling: The Lost -- Page 164 )

The character knows the result of some random or otherwise impossible-to-determine event. In return, she experiences some sort of bad luck within the next several hours. The character cannot use this Contract again until this bad luck occurs.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Dice Pool: Wits + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: Using this Contract to win at gambling.

Dramatic Failure: The changeling pays the Contract's price but gains no benefit.

Failure: The character experiences neither good nor bad luck.

Success: The caster knows the outcome of something random or similarly unknowable in her immediately vicinity, such as which of four streets the people she is pursuing fled down or which roll of scratch-tickets to buy to win between $10 and $25. The Contract cannot answer open questions (such as "Where can I find my target?"), only questions that select one of several obvious possibilities. This Contract cannot cause anything otherwise impossible to occur and cannot predict anything with odds of less than one in 100. During the next day, the changeling will experience a single incidence of bad luck -- being cut off by a clumsy pedestrian while chasing someone, having an expensive suit of clothing ruined by being splashed by a passing car or having a cell phone run out of power at an inopportune time. This bad luck is never life threatening, merely distressing and inconvenient. At worst, an incident of bad luck will do two or three points of bashing damage to the character.

Exceptional Success: The character makes an unusually accurate guess, winning $50 at the lottery, guessing the next two turns that someone fleeing will make.

Suggested Modifiers: Taking a few minutes to carefully examine the situation (+1); Making an instant guess (-1).


[ 1 ] Shooter's Bargain ( Changeling: The Lost -- Page 164 )

The changeling can bless a ranged weapon such as a bow, crossbow or gun so that two of the next three shots fired will be exceptionally accurate. However, one of these three (chosen by the Storyteller and unknown to the player or character) will automatically be a chance roll.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Dice Pool: Dexterity + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: The character is fighting a duel or some other combat that has been agreed upon in advance by both sides.

Dramatic Failure: The changeling pays the Contract's price but gains no benefit.

Failure: The blessing fails, and the weapon is unaffected.

Success: The character blesses a specific weapon so that two of the next three shots it makes hit with unusual accuracy. Each success reduces one die of ranged combat penalties normally due to the target's distance (range penalties), position (such as being prone), size (for very small targets) or environmental factors such as darkness, snow, cover penalties or anything else that doesn't directly work directly upon the changeling. However, one of the next three shots is cursed and will instead automatically be a chance roll. Neither the blessings nor the curse affects shots that are not made with the intent of hitting the target or where the gun fires blanks.

Exceptional Success: Beyond greatly reducing the penalties to ranged attacks, no further bonus is gained.

Suggested Modifiers: The character is using a weapon she has owned for at least a month that serves as her primary ranged weapon (+1); The character is using a weapon she has never used before (-1).


[ 2 ] Calling The Guardian ( Rites Of Spring -- Page 114 )

The character calls up a semi-animate force to protect him. It will protect the character from the next attempt to attack him in hand-to-hand combat. However, the guardian summoned by this Contract cannot differentiate between a dangerous attack and an accidental but forceful shove or any other equally harmless gesture.

Cost: 2 Glamour

Dice Pool: Dexterity + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: The character is currently suffering from at least one point of lethal or aggravated damage due to some form of hand-to-hand attack.

Dramatic Failure: The Contract works normally, except that instead of protecting the character from attack, the force strikes the character immediately after the attack that triggers it.

Failure: The Contract fails, and the character remains unprotected.

Success: The character is protected from the next attempt to attack him in either armed or unarmed hand-to-hand combat. As the attacker is moving in to attack the character, just before the attacker's blow strikes the character, the force summoned by this Contract violently shoves the attacker. This counterattack is invisible and unexpected and so cannot be dodged and ignores the attacker's defense score. Each success rolled on this Contract does one point of bashing damage to the attacker and moves the attacker one yard away from the character. Although changelings and other supernatural beings will see the attacker being shoved out of the way by a form that becomes faintly visible as it shoves the attacker out of the way, this being is completely invisible to ordinary mortals. Mortals who observe this, including the attacker, if she is mortal, instead see the changeling swing around at the last minute before the attack and violently shove the attacker away from her. Unfortunately, the force called up by this Contract cannot distinguish between real attacks and other similar behaviors. As a result, the force treats someone friendly punching the character in the arm or touching him on the back or shoulder as an attack. This force deals with an angry lover attempting to slap the character in the face in exactly the same way the force would deal with a large bouncer forcefully throwing the character out of a bar or a psychotic mugger's attempt to beat the character to death with a lead pipe. In ideal circumstances, this Contract can save a character's life; in other circumstances, this Contract can get the character arrested on assault charges. Once the character uses this Contract, she has no control over whom it affects. The guardian vanishes after it protects the changeling from one hand-to-hand attack, or after 24 hours, if the character has not been attacked before this time elapses. A character cannot be protected by more than one guardian at a time. Using this Contract on a character who already has a guardian waiting to protect him dispels the first guardian. This Contract cannot be invoked during combat.

Exceptional Success: Instead of merely acting once, the Contract remains active for a number of attacks equal to the character's Wyrd.

Suggested Modifiers: The character has already used this Contract once within the last day (-1); The character offers the guardian a goblin fruit as payment (+2).


[ 2 ] Daunting Force ( Dancers In The Dusk -- Page 66 )

Wyrd is a powerful force, and those with high amounts of it have the potential to wield this power with elegant dexterity or brutish might. While the former is sometimes more effective, the latter is certainly a force to be reckoned with. By using this Contract, a changeling may attempt to use the brute strength of his Wyrd to intimidate someone else. Drawback: Regardless of whether the Contract succeeds or fails, the changeling's Wyrd is taxed by the intimidation effort. For the next 24 hours, any use of Glamour by the subject for any purpose requires an additional Glamour to activate.

Cost: 2 Glamour

Dice Pool: Presence + Wyrd - subject's Composure

Action: Instant

Catch: The changeling is actively wielding an un-holstered, unsheathed weapon or firearm of some sort.

Dramatic Failure: The clause backfires. For the remainder of the scene, the changeling is at a -2 dice penalty to all Presence based challenges and a -2 dice penalty for all Intimidation based rolls (cumulative, for a -4 penalty to rolls using Presence + Intimidation) attempted against any target.

Failure: The subject is unaffected.

Success: For the remainder of the scene, the force of the changeling's Wyrd has an intimidating affect on the subject. All social challenges made by the changeling against the subject gain a +2 dice bonus, and any attempts by the subject to take actions (physically, socially, mentally or supernaturally) against the changeling are made at a -2 dice penalty.

Exceptional Success: As with a success, but the bonuses and penalties are increased to +4 and -4 respectively.


[ 2 ] Diviner's Madness ( Changeling: The Lost -- Page 165 )

The changeling gains an accurate image of the past or the future of some person or place. Afterwards, she temporarily goes somewhat mad. All madness lasts for one day. At the end of this time, the changeling also forgets the contents of the divination.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Dice Pool: Wits + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: Divining the past or the future of someone the changeling is in love with.

Dramatic Failure: The changeling gains one of the severe derangements listed below for one day.

Failure: The changeling experiences no visions or madness.

Success: The changeling can have a vision of the past or the future. She first declares a target, a person, place or object that she has visited, met or touched at least once. She can make herself the target. If she views the past, she can examine the target's past with flawless clarity, seeing anything that has occurred. Each success allows the changeling to view up to one turn of time in that place in real time, beginning with the moment declared when the Contract was performed. Alternately, the character can ask a simple question about the target's future and gain a general answer. Examples of proper questions include: "What time will Joseph Klein arrive home tonight" or "Will the North Park Strangler kill someone tonight?" (given a brief prior encounter with the Strangler). Improper questions get incoherent answers. Each success grants the changeling an answer to one question about the target's future. Additional successes allow follow-up questions, allowing the changeling to get more specific details, such as asking if Joseph Klein will stop on his way home tonight or the exact time or location of the Strangler's next murder. Performing this divination also causes temporary madness. If the changeling rolls three or fewer successes, she gains one of the following severe derangements: Megalomania, Multiple Personality, Paranoia or Schizophrenia. With four or more successes, she gains one of the following mild derangements: Narcissism, Irrationality, Suspicion or Vocalization. Regardless of successes rolled, this madness lasts for one full day.

Exceptional Success: Beyond the advantages gained by rolling multiple successes, no special bonus is gained.

Suggested Modifiers: The subject of the divination is present. (+1); The changeling knows the target moderately well (such as a co-worker), or has visited him regularly (-1); The changeling has encountered the person, place or object several times (-2); The changeling has only encountered the target once (-4).


[ 2 ] Dream Rendering ( Swords At Dawn -- Page 109 )

In Faerie, the True Fae can take a passing fancy and shape it into reality through the power of the Wyrd. A changeling that learns the Contracts of Dreams gains some of this ability thanks to Cobble thought but most of the items she snatches from dreams soon fade away in the lands of waking. This Contract allows the changeling to break down the objects gained from Cobblethought into the pure stuff of possibility and use the dream-stuff to modify tokens so they can be used while slumbering. In order to use Dream Rendering, the character must first have successfully pulled an object out of her own unconsciousness using Cobblethought.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Dice Pool: Wits + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: The changeling is naked.

Dramatic Failure: The changeling pays the Contract's price but gains no benefit. The object gained from Cobblethought vanishes, even if the character managed an exceptional success on the roll.

Failure: The Contract fails to work and the character pays no price.

Success: The character succeeds in breaking down the object gained from Cobblethought into the dream stuff of possibility. In this form, the dream-stuff resembles brown cotton candy and is equally tacky to the touch. The character can then augment an existing token by weaving, wrapping and hammering the dream-stuff into place until it merges with the token. This requires a Dexterity + Crafts roll. Assuming everything goes to plan, the token can then be used by the changeling that owns it even while asleep. Dream-stuff persists for one scene before vanishing. Such close contact with the magic of possibility infests the changeling, reminding her of her durance. The next time she sleeps, the changeling has intense flashback nightmares about her time in Arcadia that she can't snap out of, even through the use of oneiromancy. These dreams are powerful enough to make the changeling wonder whether she really ever escaped at all and require a roll for degeneration on 5 dice (regardless of current Clarity rating).

Exceptional Success: The character manages to extract enough dream-stuff to augment two tokens, though each still requires a successful Dexterity + Crafts roll to complete.

Suggested Modifiers: The object pulled from dreams came from a target that is currently asleep (+2); The object pulled from dreams is Size 3 or larger (+1); The object pulled from dreams is Size 1 (-1); The object pulled from dreams comes from a source not wholly human (-2).


[ 2 ] Fair Entrance ( Changeling: The Lost -- Page 165 )

This Contract allows the changeling to open any door as easily as the owner, instantly disarming all alarm systems and locks. However, by using this Contract, the character ensures she will be left similarly vulnerable. The next time someone with hostile or malevolent intent tries a lock on a dwelling or vehicle regularly used by the character, the lock is open and any alarm systems fails to function. However, any cameras that passively record all who enter or leave a region will record the character.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Dice Pool: Wyrd + Larceny

Action: Instant

Catch: When used to open the door to the dwelling of a personal enemy -- someone who the character knows, who knows the character and who has admitted his enmity to the character.

Dramatic Failure: The changeling pays the Contract's price but gains no benefit.

Failure: The Contract fails to work, and the character need pay no price.

Success: The Contract opens the desired door. If examined, the door the character opened shows signs of having been opened, and cameras or recording equipment will reveal the intrusion. Later, one of the changeling's doors or other locks suffers the same effect. Using this Contract multiple times before the price is paid attracts people with malicious intent to the character's dwelling and vehicle and makes attempts to break into or steal them far more likely.

Exceptional Success: The desired door shows no trace of having been opened by the character, and any cameras or recording equipment associated with the door do not record the character's presence.

Suggested Modifiers: Carrying an article of clothing or a photograph of someone who regularly unlocks the door (+1); Especially complex or secure locks (-1 to -3).


[ 2 ] Fool's Gold ( Changeling: The Lost -- Page 166 )

A common fae deceit, this Contract can make one object appear to be another by covering it with the Mask. This Contract's most common use is to trick foolish, greedy mortals into accepting worthless dross in payment for valuable goods or services; in this day and age, however, that can be dangerous, as the Contract leaves its dupes aware of who tricked them. The Gentry like to be remembered, after all.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Dice Pool: Manipulation + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: The changeling uses this Contract to deceive someone who has been dishonest to or broken his word to the changeling in the past 24 hours.

Dramatic Failure: The changeling fails to conceal the object behind the Mask, and cannot attempt to use this Contract again for 24 hours.

Failure: The changeling fails to conceal the object behind the Mask.

Success: The changeling makes an ordinary, mundane object appear to be another object of similar size and shape. This is, specifically, granting the object an aspect of the Mask, and all the rules governing the Mask apply. A weapon cannot be made to look completely non-threatening, for example, and armor can be disguised as some less suspicious form of protective clothing (such as sports padding) but not as ordinary clothing. This Contract cannot affect anything too large for the changeling to carry comfortably. This effect is a purely psychological one on the part of mortals interacting with the object, just as the Mask covering a changeling's mien. A dry leaf disguised as a $100 bill will look and feel exactly like a $100 bill to any mortal who interacts with it, but it will not stand up to counterfeit detection measures. Likewise, a playing card disguised as a platinum credit card will not read if swiped through a reader and does not access an actual account. Since this illusion is an effect of the Mask, ensorcelled mortals, other changelings and any other beings able to see through the Mask are automatically immune to this power. The transformative effects of this Contract last until the end of the scene. If the no longer Masked object is in the possession of a mortal or supernatural being affected by the Mask (for example, if the changeling used phantom money to pay for something), that individual develops a certainty that the changeling was somehow connected to the Masked objects.

Exceptional Success: As an ordinary success, except that the Mask lasts until the next sunrise and witnesses do not gain a Wits + Composure roll to recognize the changeling's involvement.

Suggested Modifiers: Disguising an object of no inherent value as something of great worth (a pebble on a string for a diamond necklace) (-3); Disguising an object of no inherent worth as something of moderate worth (dry leaves for $20 bills) (-2); Disguising multiple similar objects (a handful of bottle caps into a handful of Spanish doubloons) (-1); Disguising an object of moderate worth as something of great worth (semiprecious necklace for diamond necklace) (-1).


[ 2 ] Sandman's Bargain ( Swords At Dawn -- Page 110 )

One of the problems with altering dreams is the tight-rope act that changelings must walk between changing a dream to suit his purposes and maintaining enough dream integrity so that the entire thing doesn't collapse. This Contract can be used while in dreams to ensure stability at the possible cost of real damage to the oneiropomp.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Dice Pool: Resolve + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: The changeling stayed awake for at least 24 hours prior to activating this Contract.

Dramatic Failure: The changeling pays the Contract's price but gains no benefit. The dream the changeling was attempting to modify immediately ends and he suffers one point of lethal damage from the trauma of the dream's collapse.

Failure: The Contract fails to work and the character pays no price.

Success: For the duration of the current dream, the oneiropomp can make any changes he likes to a dream with no chance of disrupting it. No matter how abrupt, unusual or drastic the changes are, the dream remains stable. This will also keep a scoured dream from ending if the Intensity is reduced below 0. A dream touched with this Contract not only seems more real to the dreamer, but also to the changeling that invades it. Any damage taken by the user during a dream that has been stabilized with this Contract becomes actual, lethal damage.

Exceptional Success: As above, but any damage suffered during the dream is considered bashing rather than lethal damage.

Suggested Modifiers: The dreamer shares a dream pledge or task with the changeling (+2); The dreamer is personally known to the changeling (+1); The dreamer is a complete stranger to the changeling (-1); The Contract is used on the same dreamer for successive nights (-2)