How do Shifters and Changelings fit in Eberron?

[Kesh]

The trouble with shifters and changelings is two-fold: 1) they are not trusted, thus are "pushed aside" for the other races, and 2) they have mechanical issues in-game that make them a little wonky to play, and have not been treated well in supplements.

Shifters as a concept are fantastic. The offspring of were-beasts who have formed their own society and race, but are still oppressed because of their association with the hated were-beasts in many regions. They're seen as "dumb brutes" by many, which makes it hard for them to be taken seriously; and as a violent threat by others, which makes it hard for them to be trusted.

Changelings could be anyone at any time. Your neighbor could be a changeling, and you'd never know! So, when someone is revealed to be a changeling, they're often ostracized as "deceitfull" and inherently untrustworthy. Many people don't know how to relate to someone who has no stable identity, and can even be different genders if they wish.

Mechanically, they both have problems: shifter's feats vary wildly in power, and changelings are hampered by the mercurial polymorph rules. Supplements haven't been good to either race, often ignoring their potential entirely for mechanics that really don't add anything to them.

I'm hoping that this is something that gets fixed in 4e. They need some more "face time" in the books, and clarified rules on their abilities.

 

[Desdichado]

I really like shifters and changelings both. In my Age of Worms game, I played a Changelings from levels 1-10 then moved over to a shifter who's now level 19.

Love'em.

But I agree; they don't scream [smallcaps]Eberron[/smallcaps] in quite the same way kalashtar and warforged do. But my reaction is to insert them in other settings, not get rid of them in [smallcaps]Eberron[/smallcaps]. Almost every setting has lycanthropes and dopplegangers, and shifters and changelings fit in any setting with either. For that matter, I almost think they work better if they take the role of lycanthropes and dopplegangers entirely.

 

[Aeric]

I've always felt that shifters and changelings were just kind of tacked on at the last minute. Shifters are slightly more involved in the mythos of Eberron simply because of the big lycanthrope purge that happened a while back.

The biggest stumbling block for me is the backstory of these two races. It seems like half of the races in Eberron came into existence because humanity couldn't resist boinking everything in sight. Half-orcs and half-elves I can understand (although I wish they used the races' names more often; it seems like being called a half-something when your bloodline is true is an insult), but half-lycanthropes? Half-dopplegangers? Were either of these creatures ever so common as to result in a population explosion of half-breeds, such that the repeated mating of these half-breeds resulted in a stable bloodline?

IMC, shifters and changelings are their own, unique race. There are no humans in their ancestry. Once I made that decision in my mind, it was a lot easier for me to accept them as viable races.

 

[Rechan]

But I agree; they don't scream [smallcaps]Eberron[/smallcaps] in quite the same way kalashtar and warforged do. But my reaction is to insert them in other settings, not get rid of them in [smallcaps]Eberron[/smallcaps]. Almost every setting has lycanthropes and dopplegangers, and shifters and changelings fit in any setting with either.

This.

Really, I like the "We're watered down monsters, as PCs", because it offers some real options. Especially in 4e. Do Changelings or Shifters become more like their ancestors as they level up (their racial benefits from their level)? If Changelings are human/doppelgangerse, and they retained the shapechanging, what about an offshot that retained their mind-reading abilities?

Also they make great psions from a thematic point of view.

Personally I wish Shifters were dropped into the PHB as the Thog Smash race, instead of the half-orc, but that would likely cause a real stir.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Long Stride Shifter: My ancestors were hunting cats. We are always graceful.
*Crash! Clang! Thud! Clang! Crash!*
Shifter: Except when we aren't....
Alternately -
Shifter: I meant to do that.
*Stalks off, head held high until out of sight....*

I am okay with shifters. Not as nifty as Changelings or Warforged, but cool. (Changelings go beyond cool and into awesome! I so want to play one as a spy, man of mystery and action!)

The Auld Grump

 

[Spatula]

4} Racial roles are slid around and broadened in Eberron. Half-orcs and orcs are semi-civilized, mostly druids, who revere and honour the land, like elves traditionally were portrayed. Elves are spiritual warriors... war-princes who revel in the battle arts as they simultaneously give honour to their ancestors' spirits. Think something like Japanese Samurai are commonly portrayed, perhaps. This is a new-ish racial identity. Gnomes are tinkerers, but in a real, involved and vibrant way, not a comical way. Dwarves aren't much changed, I find. Shifters fill the untrusted savage role formerly that of orcs and half orcs.

This view of shifters I don't quite buy into; if you go by the favored classes at least, half-orcs (barbarian) are more uncivilized brutes than shifters are (ranger). I think that instead, shifters are meant to fill the one-with-nature stereotype that elves are usually thrust into, since elves don't have that cultural connection with the natural world in Eberron. Although some of the WotC writers don't seem to have realized that... Forge of War, for example, talks about the Eldeen Reaches as if its fighting forces are composed almost entirely of elven rangers, even though elves are only 3% of the population - some stereotypes die hard it seems.

I agree with the sentiment that neither race feels well-integrated into the setting, although at least with changelings it makes some sense. Still, I wonder if society would truly develop into a recognizable shape when there's an entire race running around that can impersonate anyone.

 

[MarkB]

I'm a big Eberron fan and I like changelings, but I've never quite 'got' shifters, either conceptually or mechanically.

Conceptually, they just don't strike me as an interesting race - too generic to really fulfill their 'lycanthrope-lite' potential, and their backstory just doesn't pique my interest.

Mechanically, they just don't work well. The only way to really bring out their racial features is to dedicate all your racial feats to them, and if you're playing anything other than a Fighter, that means you can't spend feats on the things you're normally supposed to pick up as feats, which seriously weakens your class.

As a result, with the exception of a very limited range of character builds in which the available Shifter feats synergise well with the class's core abilities, you end up with a significantly weaker character than if you'd gone with a core race, all for the sake of some flavour that isn't really particularly interesting in the first place.

 

[Phlebas]

I'm up to 6th level as a shifter (Ranger 5, Weretouched master 1) with wildhunt, Longstride, and two throwing axes. For weretouched master, my ancestry is tiger (which has evolved over time - originally he was a more dog like) and i have a jaguar animal companion. In combat i rely on speed and a combination of thrown / mele'd axes twf and unarmed for when i can't be bothered drawing a weapon and want to get up close and personal. pretty much every feat so far has gone on a shifter feat - which has its own limitations but really does bring out the flavour of the character.

only thing i would change is have less ability changes when shifting, and more physical (speed, claws, bite, scent, DR etc) to avoid number crunching skills / Attacks / hits etc

I think its a wonderful rich character to play. From deep philosophy ("there's a beast in everyone - we know this to be true") to comic moments ("Fish!", "I meant to do that", "Lets play ambush!" - and a tendency to run after any thrown object) its got a huge potential. the fact shifters don't have a nation, just a hideaway in the reaches makes you potentially much more resentful of the world (especially if you meet silver flamers) and much more likely to attach yourselves to a group of adventurers. the fact that everyone you meet will know you're a shifter and be suitably wary is also good for RP opportunities

In our group we also have a warforged (trying to understand humans) and until an unfortunate incident with a minotaue zombie and a great axe, a kalashtar. the contrast in philosophies was quite fun

Kalashtar: There is a shining soul in us all
Warforged: What is a soul?
Shifter: Its the beast screaming for release...

We don't have a changeling in the group (I think....) but thats the whole point of them. they're the mystery.....

I thnk they're a useful addition to Eberron, and could be slotted in most campaigns. Are they 'essential' ? well pretty much any race could be removed from eberron without to many issues... (human would be a challenge, but not impossible) but i think they have their own place and do make eberron one of the better settings (IMHO)

 

[GreatLemur]

Of the Eberron races, it's the Changeling and Kalashtar that I can't really get into.

Changelings seem like one-trick ponies, to me. How many character concepts can you build around the concept of disguise? (Unless maybe there are some feats out there that let them use their shapeshifting powers for more than just disguise? I haven't really looked into it, I have to admit.)

The Kalashtar don't really seem different enough from humans to be a distinct race. I'd just have built them as a human culture with some kind of Quori Symbiosis feat.

 

[Rechan]

Changelings seem like one-trick ponies, to me. How many character concepts can you build around the concept of disguise?

Several.

Among other things, in Races of Eberron, there's substitution levels for Changeling Transmuters and Changeling Egoists. You could even make the case for a Changeling Telepath, given their ancestors are a race with Detect Thoughts. Changelings have an affinity for this.

How about a changeling who creates (or follows) a fighting style built around morphing the body mid-fight? Lengthening limbs, growing increasingly thin or short to dodge blows, etc. I'd allow a player (or as a player, if my DM would allow) create feats for a monk to develop those feats.

But the way I see it, it's also less about just disguise and infiltration as it is defense mechanism. Imagine two muggers follow someone into an alley. The someone, a changeling, knows he's going to get attacked - so he changes his appearance - before their eyes - into a vampire. These thugs may know about changelings, but are they going to take the risk that he isn't an undead monster about to eat their face?

With proper planning, you can have some really nice psychological tricks up your sleeve.