Setting things streight. DM in seach of guidence

[Theone0581]

Alright everyone. My question is how a DM should handle a changeling? I have a player in my game who is under the impression that he can commit any crime and simply change his looks and bluff his way out of it. Now, that's fine... I don't have a problem with him "THINKING" that he is going to be able to get away with every crime. As a DM what might some counters that I can through his way to keep him in check?

Thanks.

 

[Animal]

Changelings are good at concealing their identity so they make great spies and criminals. Don't punish your player for just exploiting his race's benefits.
That said, if the challengeling pushes too far, becomes too arrogant and careless, he will meet repercussions.
When a similar situation happened in my game, at some point townsfolk just grew too suspicious and hired an experienced diviner. Guess who got screwed. >

 

[Theone0581]

Oh, I'm not going to punished him for playing a rouge. He's doing a great job and has gotten away with a lot. I just need a way to understand how things may go awry.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Oh, I'm not going to punished him for playing a rouge. He's doing a great job and has gotten away with a lot. I just need a way to understand how things may go awry.

The only way things will go awry is when you forget that being a changeling does mean every other NPC then becomes stupid. Being a changeling is not plot armor.

If the changeling rogue is a crook... then just have each NPC act as they would if these criminal actions were just being done by some random guy (and not the PC). If the changeling is acting weird before trying to swipe something from a shop... the shopkeep should still notice it (even he doesn't know it's the PC specifically who is doing it.)

Or if the changeling is disguised and talking with the local baron and trying to Bluff him to get the baron to do something... the baron should treat this character and respond to him again as if he was speaking to just some random guy. If what the changeling says makes no sense to the baron, the baron should react accordingly and not just give the changeling anything he wants (just because he's currently "disguised" as someone else.)

Just give each NPC of yours an honest reaction to whatever this "random dude" was doing or saying to them, and have the NPC act accordingly.

 

[delericho]

Alright everyone. My question is how a DM should handle a changeling? I have a player in my game who is under the impression that he can commit any crime and simply change his looks and bluff his way out of it. Now, that's fine... I don't have a problem with him "THINKING" that he is going to be able to get away with every crime. As a DM what might some counters that I can through his way to keep him in check?

Well, unless he's the only changeling the world has ever known, the agents of the law will at least consider the possibility that one might be involved. (And even if he's the only changeling ever, he's almost certainly not the only rogue ever to have tried a magical disguise!)

As I see it, there are two possibilities: when he uses his changeling ability, he either disguises himself as "real people", or he disguises himself as someone who doesn't actually exist.

If he uses a "real" disguise, it's likely that the investigators will initially hunt down said "real" person. At this point, they'll (eventually) realise their mistake and then both they, and the other victim, will be after the changeling. (Of course, they won't know which changeling, but...)

If he uses a succession of "fake" disguises, the investigators will get to "it's a changeling" rather faster... but at least then he won't have made an enemy (as above).

Either way, the investigators will likely proceed by hunting for the things that the changeling stole, rather than the changeling himself. So, they'll have agents combing the black market, will trace back through the fence, and eventually get to the rogue. Or they'll use locate object, or...

(If you really want to know the best way for them to proceed, have the PCs get robbed by a changeling rogue, and see how they proceed. Whatever they do, adopt as SOP for the local law enforcement!)

The other thing law-enforcement are likely to do, of course, is start to set traps. Either to detain the changeling immediately, or to mark him in some way so that he can't simply change form and get away, or similar. Oh, and wealthy property owners will do the same, too!

(And all that's assuming that the powers-that-be haven't dealt with the problem at the source. In a "points of light" setting, it's quite likely that changelings need to either be registered or be working for The Man, or else be at risk of summary execution when found. Remember - due process and civil rights are features of our world; there's no guarantee that they'd apply in any other world.)

 

[Empirate]

My reaction as a DM would heavily depend on the scale of changeling abuse I'm facing. If the PC mostly uses his abilities to swipe a few gp here and there, fine, I'd let him do that almost without repercussions. I bet in a fantasy world, most shops have "changeling insurance" anyway.

If the PC starts to rob suppliers of magic items, or tries to do a one-over on a wealthy count or baron, there would be repercussions. It's not in the interest of these people to develop the reputation that they can be stolen from. There should be an utterly out-of-proportions crackdown, possibly by a team of 'specialists' with heavy magical support, a bound devil, or similar. If the PC survives (minus a few teeth, limbs or thousands of gold pieces), he ought to have learned his lesson: pick your targets with care, and don't consider yourself above the law because you have the equivalent of a 1st level spell going for you. It's just not going to cut it.

 

[howandwhy99]

In part you should let him do it and have it work. He wanted to be a Thief Changeling for a reason. Part of that is likely breaking the law and getting away with it.

What makes up the law enforcement he will be attempting to thwart is going to depend upon your campaign. Usually D&D settings are diverse, so different legal systems and enforcements need to be accounted for in each area. However, just detail wherever your PCs are now and build for other easily accessible communities later.

Illicit acts may also fall under jurisdiction of crime organizations like Thieves' Guilds or the Assassin's Guild. Think of it like gangs in our world. You don't come into our neighborhood and "reap" our proverbial crops. In more expensive neighborhoods these territories may be entirely made up of police forces and/or private security personnel. Either way, if a series of repeat crimes are committed, people with power and varying skill sets are going to investigate. The exceptions are probably the Beggar's Quarter and whatever shacks lie outside the city gates (but then again these places have their own law).

The challenge for your player is thwarting standard patrolling and investigations as well as dedicated teams created to fighting serious and long term threats. Determine the power structure's standard procedures for whatever laws are in place. It doesn't matter if there are no repeat offenders spotted or caught. If an area is experiencing heavy crime, more enforcement will make it more difficult to perpetrate crime there even if the changeling looks like a first timer. In a crime diseased city committing crime may be easier, but less wealth will be available to steal too as crime as outstretched the coffers and wealthy and wise have begun to seek prosperity elsewhere.

For your own purposes as DM I'd track the individual identities used by the Changeling for when he reuses them. Running as a completely unknown and unverifiable identity can be dangerous and lead to everything from long term lock up, vagrancy enforcement, or even simply killing someone off due to lack of serious consequences. Of course, different factions have different M.O.s (strategies) regarding all enforcement, not to mention crimes and punishments. The city guard isn't the assassin's guild.

If the PC actually wants to pawn illegal wares, then he faces more challenges. If he's walking around as a known fugitive, that's one thing. If he's walking around with the loot he stole, then he stands a chance of having it recognized and be arrested or attacked.

If it is ever discovered that the PC is a Changeling, then news of this status is going to change how enforcement groups are going to operate until he is caught. Information wants to be free they say, and rumors have a way of leaking out. So make rules for how rumors occur due to PC actions. They might form if being a changeling is talked of in public, or if NPCs aren't told to stay quiet about it or aren't loyal, if he changes form in a public place, and so on.

Catching a changeling is as simple as catching a normal humanoid usually, but let your player get creative about how he avoids capture. Leave him mental space to do so in other words. If he's ever chased, then Pursuit & Evasion contains the bog standard Recognition rules, so his clothing will still give him away. However, his sort of "Change Self" at will can be used to advantage. Having fewer uses per day would be a useful limiter here for your sake. Balance it upon how it changes evasion odds. Not just to your taste, but so Changelings face some challenge when attempting to take control over a populace.

Determining a creature is really a Changeling should have some successful methods already laid out, so they aren't impossible to identify. Do NOT let these be known to the players (like pretty much everything else) before play begins. Let them get creative and learn as they go. Smart players will devise schemes you didn't even think of. And, of course, they can always learn some of these methods if they are used on them ...just like any "Watch how the NPCs do it" strategy.

Magic is the easiest counter to Changelings, but magic is always balanced according to its difficulty. High level magic is rare to purchase services for and not easily found. There should be other methods though. Perhaps a Changeling's internal organs aren't the same as the creature it is changed into? Perhaps they bleed green blood when cut? Perhaps they don't drown in water? (A tricky tell that is and costly for certain, but some groups may be willing to use it, especially if killing isn't against their own law).

As I see others have already advised, a Changeling is kind of monster/race with an extraordinary disguise ability. This doesn't mean they can't be caught, tried, imprisoned, or even identified as a Changeling. However, that last does alter the situation irrevocably when dealing with him, so be very careful in detailing how NPCs can discover it from your PC. Keeping this secret is a major area of defensive game play for the player. Don't dismiss his attempts to remain so, but have your legal traps designed and in place too. Rule #1 for a Changeling is "Don't get found out" Plenty of NPCs already operate under this goal, so that realm of play should be addressed anyways.

 

[rogueattorney]

I'm not as familiar with 3e as others, but if things like "Detect Lie," Gems of True Seeing, and Potions of ESP don't exist in your campaign you might want to introduce them. Maybe local law enforcement calls in a Mage that specializes in catching magical thieves and he has a bevy of applicable spells and magic items.

 

[Umbran]

If the character is engaged in petty crimes, well, then the response won't be very big.

But, if the character gets into really major cons, worth much in money, resources or reputation, the resources spent on catching him or her will rise to match. Being able to change your face is not proof against the fullness of divinatory magic that could be pointed in the character's direction by someone with the cash to throw around. Just thumb through the spell lists, and you'll see what I mean.

There's also fun plot options - once he's pulled enough shenanigans in a given area, authorities or marks will eventually get the hint. And, if they cannot hunt him down, they will draw him in. Set up a target that's just his type, too good to pass up - and when he fails to pass it up, they nab him in the act....

 

[Quickleaf]

Alright everyone. My question is how a DM should handle a changeling? I have a player in my game who is under the impression that he can commit any crime and simply change his looks and bluff his way out of it. Now, that's fine... I don't have a problem with him "THINKING" that he is going to be able to get away with every crime. As a DM what might some counters that I can through his way to keep him in check?

Thanks.

It takes a thief to catch a thief.

Once the authorities realize there's more to this picture than meets the eye, and the led investigator suspects a changeling is involved... He/she might get the changeling/underworld community to crack down on one of their own. This could be an unlikely alliance with the thieves' guild who isn't getting their cut, or pressure on a changeling rogue and her gang to find the PC or it's back to prison for her gang.

Also, I'm not so familiar with 3e, but there have to be an array of spells and magic items that make life hell for shapechangers, right? Use those.