Changeling minor shape change ability

[sniffles]

A friend of mine is playing a changeling in an Eberron campaign. According to the way he's interpreting the description of the minor shape change ability, his changeling can't assume the appearance of a Small humanoid such as a halfling. He finds this very frustrating.

The minor shape change ability states that it functions "as though using the disguise self spell". The spell description states that you can increase or reduce your height by one foot. This would seem to preclude a Medium-size humanoid from shape changing into a Small humanoid.

Is my friend interpreting this correctly? He says he's seen some examples of changelings that are described as assuming halfling guise, but I can't find any examples like that in the books.

 

[lukelightning]

A changeling can't disguise themselves as a halfling. Ok, they can, but as a four-foot-eight halfling.

Races of Eberron has an example of a changeling taking the form of a gnome, but that was flavor text, not rules, and is seen as a mistake. There is a PrC in that book that eventually gives a changeling the shapechanging abilities of a doppelganger, which does allow for the changeling to become a small creature; that has been used to explain the gnome changeling.

 

[sniffles]

A changeling can't disguise themselves as a halfling. Ok, they can, but as a four-foot-eight halfling.

Races of Eberron has an example of a changeling taking the form of a gnome, but that was flavor text, not rules, and is seen as a mistake. There is a PrC in that book that eventually gives a changeling the shapechanging abilities of a doppelganger, which does allow for the changeling to become a small creature; that has been used to explain the gnome changeling.

This confirms what we were assuming. I just wondered if anyone else had a different take on it, or knew of some errata or clarification that we'd missed.

Thanks, Lukelightning.

 

[Gerion of Mercadia]

Well, considering he IS a changeling, maybe he might want to spend a feat to improve his natural ability somehow, like giving him more like "alter self" instead of change self.

House rulish as can be - but hey, maybe it is your solution.

 

[MarkB]

By the RAW, about the only easy way to achieve a disguise as a halfling is to combine the changeling's innate ability with a reduce person spell or similar effect. Unfortunately, the spell doesn't have a very long duration.

 

[dragnmastr85]

Im playing a changeling in my DMs game. We house ruled it that you can change into any small or medium humanoid. The small advantages arent big enough to need a feat to improve it. In the races of eberron book they tell the story of a changeling that went from dwarf to halfling all the time. I think the rules are an oversight and the flavor of the race is how we house ruled it.

 

[Jhaelen]

The minor shape change ability states that it functions "as though using the disguise self spell". The spell description states that you can increase or reduce your height by one foot. This would seem to preclude a Medium-size humanoid from shape changing into a Small humanoid.

Well, I'd say it depends on the changeling's normal size. If the changeling's height is 5', then it can be reduced to 4' - voila Small size.

Similarly a changeling with a normal height of 7' would be able to become Large.

 

[dragnmastr85]

being able to change shape to be large would make the changeling race more powerful. that would boost it to at least +1 ecl