Kinain Rules

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The Kinain are those mortals with fae blood, the children of Changelings and their human paramours. Most Kinain are the direct offspring of at least one Changeling parent– Glamour is capricious, however, and it is not uncommon for the Dreaming’s influence to remain dormant in a bloodline for one or even several generations, resulting in what appears to be a perfectly normative couple having a Kinain child.

Kinain remain enchanted for longer than other mortals and are often adopted into Changeling communities for this reason, walking the line between the Glamorous and Banal worlds with much more ease than their mythical forebears. Some Kinain even manifest supernatural powers as a result of their heritage, though this is a rare gift among a rare breed.

Advantages to playing a Kinain:

  • Access to supernatural Merits, including one that allows the limited purchase of Changeling Arts
  • Remain enchanted indefinitely, allowing a mortal character access to the supernatural world with far more ease than normal (including the ability to view the Umbra)
  • No Banality mechanic (though some of your Merits might be disabled if you act against your Fae nature)

Disadvantages to playing a Kinain:

  • Less supernatural power than most full Changelings (you are still Mortal and subject to most of a Mortal’s weaknesses)
  • Inability to natively access Glamour makes you dependent on Changeling players for your supernatural power

Building a Kinain

Follow the normal Mortal rules with the following modifications:

  • Gain access to the Merits and Flaws listed below, alongside the normal spread of Mortal merits and flaws.
  • Kinain respond to Enchantment differently than most Mortals, see below
Ritual and Fetish access

Kinain can make use of Changeling Rituals and can attune to and use Glamour Fetishes, but only while Enchanted. If a Kinain is attuned to a Glamour Fetish and becomes un-Enchanted, their attunement remains but they cannot use the Fetish until they are re-Enchanted. If a Kinain casts a Ritual on themselves while Enchanted and later becomes un-Enchanted, the ritual’s effect continues for its normal duration, though the un-Enchanted Kinain will not be able to remember that it's affecting them due to the Rationalize effect.

Power Access

Kinain with the Artist merit may purchase Changeling Arts. They pick a single Common Art to be Innate using the normal rules for Innate powers, and can purchase their Innate Art up to the fifth rank. Kinain can be taught other Common Arts, though they cannot purchase a non-Innate tree higher than the third rank. Kinain cannot ever purchase Court arts by any means (other than First Changing into Changelings). Artist Kinain cannot use their Arts unless they are Enchanted, and passive powers gained through an Art are suppressed when the Kinain is not Enchanted. Similarly, a Kinain cannot access their Arts while they are an active Ghoul.

Kinain with the Kith Heritage Merit gain access to a single power depending on the specific Changeling Kith they are related to. Unlike arts, this power is always usable, even if the Kinain is not Enchanted or if they're Ghouled.

Enchantment and Glamour

Kinain take to being Enchanted with unusual ease and remain Enchanted for far longer than most mortals. Enchantment has the following effects on a Kinain:

  • Whenever you become Enchanted, you remain Enchanted until the end of the current game, ignoring the normal duration of the Enchantment effect. If you end a game Enchanted, and there is one or more Changeling PCs who are willing to maintain your Enchantment over downtime, you may enter the following game Enchanted.
  • Any time you are Enchanted, you automatically restore all your memories of previous Enchantments to their full detail, ignoring the effects of Rationalize (as with the Lucid Dreamer merit).
  • While Enchanted, you are immune to the Delirium
  • While Enchanted your Essence ceases to regenerate at Sunrise. Instead, you may touch a Changeling character and say “I request X Glamour” if the Changeling assents to the request, they lose X Glamour and you gain that amount of Essence. Alternatively, a Changeling can touch you and say “I offer X Glamour” and if you accept, they lose X Glamour and you gain X Essence. Finally, you may regenerate Glamour from Glamour nodes using the slowest listed regen rate, assuming you can find one.
  • An Enchanted Kinain’s Essence pool counts as both an Essence pool and a Glamour pool for the purposes of Sensory powers, energy conversion, Talen use and all other effects.
  • Kinain with the Inspired merit are permanently Enchanted, entering each game Enchanted automatically. If they somehow lose Enchantment, their Enchantment returns at the next sunrise (if they are not Enchanted again before that)
  • If a Kinain becomes a Ghoul or purchases the Gnosis Access merit, they no longer treat their Essence as Glamour while Enchanted, instead using the Energy rules for Ghouls or Gnostic Kinfolk. They continue to interact with Enchantment in the same way otherwise, however. If the character ceases to be a Ghoul or somehow loses the Gnosis Access merit they go back to using the above rules for Energy.

Ghoul Merits

Kith Heritage - 4 Point Merit - Your Changeling parentage is particularly pronounced in you, granting you a minor supernatural ability that echoes your faerie blood. This merit can be purchased only once. Choose one of the following benefits when you first purchase it, which cannot be changed later:
  • Boggan: Has a Knack, no cost, at check-in
  • Eshu: Inspiration, No Cost, 1 Other, 1/day, Must spend at least 1 minute telling an inspiring story or giving advice.
  • Nocker: Trash is Treasure, No Cost, 1/hour, Must spend 10 seconds threatening, bargaining or cajoling the item into working
  • Pooka: Scrounge, No Cost, 1/day
  • Redcap: Snarl, 1 Essence
  • Satyr: Healing Touch 2, self, 1/hour, after becoming intoxicated
  • Sidhe: Fascination, 1 Essence, other, signaled
  • Sluagh: Escape Bond, no cost, after a whispered ten count
  • Troll: Health Increase 2, no cost, passive
Note that the power granted by this merit is always available, even when the Kinain is not Enchanted.
Artist - 6 Point Merit - Your Kinain is unusually connected to the Dreaming, allowing them to learn and practice Arts while Enchanted. The Artist Kinain chooses a single Common art to be innate, which they can purchase without a teacher up to its maximum rank, and may be taught other Arts up to the third rank at non-innate costs. Kinain cannot learn Court arts. Artist Kinain may take the Verbal Bunks Changeling flaw. This merit is incompatible with the Gnosis Access Kinfolk merit, and is suppressed as long as the character is a Ghoul.
Inspired - 3 Point Merit - Your Kinain was born Enchanted and the wonder of that world never really fades. You are permanently Enchanted under most circumstances. You may lose Enchantment under rare circumstances, the most common being violating the Taboo from the Kinain Taboo flaw. If you do ever lose Enchantment, you must immediately empty your Essence pool. Your Enchantment returns automatically the next time the sun rises if you are not re-enchanted by a Changeling or some other means before that. If your character becomes a Ghoul, this merit is suppressed until such time as they cease to be a ghoul.