Wyrd Binding (Expanded Goblin Vow System)

7/31/2019 Wyrd Binding (Expanded Goblin Vow System)

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By Isabella

This is a set of very, very loose guidelines based off Gob-lin Contracts and Pledges, to aid GMs and players in making

more esoteric bargains with reality. This is not an ironcladrule set, and elements can be added and thrown out as need-ed. It is meant to cover aspects of changeling society not cur-rently covered under the rules, such as the swearing of bar-gains to protect the Freehold, Goblin Vows, or powerful

Autumn ritual magic.

A variety of reasons.Changelings cant do what theyre supposed to be able to do -

Mentions of long term pledges that protect the Freehold arevery common in the Changeling books, but normal pledgesdont really cover this. Autumn sorcerers are lauded as the

masters of freehold magic, but have the mostly the sameContract options as any other changeling. Likewise, there area number of effects that are exceptionally common in faerietales, but that are too powerful or narrowly focused for Con-tracts to cover. These effects are currently left up to Storytell-er fiat.

Hobgoblins have all the fun - No, really. The most obvioustrait to point to is the goblin tendency to deal in abstractionsand make fell bargains beyond the point of pledges. It seemslike ripe ground for plot and adventures to hunt down im-material things for the Autumn court, but there are no rulesfor a changeling to be able to do this. Even a Wyrd 10changeling, on the cusp of turning True Fae, has to go buy amarket stall if they want to match the capabilities of a Wyrd3 hobgoblin.

Goblin Vow prices need some work - I feel like most the is-sues above already have a potential solution, in the meritGoblin Vow from Rites of Spring. This would allow change-lings to bargain with a great old oak, or the London fog, andallow a changeling to make more esoteric bargains. Theproblem with Goblin Vow is I feel the price range is simplytoo narrow. Mother Susan is stated to have given up her onlychild to found the Spring Court; a changeling could follow inher footsteps to make such an epic sacrifice, but they couldget the same effect by flying to Hong Kong and delivering a

box, or by swearing off fish, avoiding Uzbekistan, and prom-ising to fetch someone a soda. You also dont get a lot foryour firstborn child - a modest boon for a duration of aweek, at best.

Everyone else gets ritual magic - Bandwagon!

The basis of of the vow is the same basis as all Change-ling vows - something is promised, and something is receivedin return. The changeling requires some right to makepledges with an aspect of reality, usually represented by the

Goblin Vow Merit. The aspects tend to be very specific innature. The changeling may have the right to bargain withivy, wolves, or unrequited love, but cannot claim the

right to bargain with plants, canines, or emotions. Theaspect must be present in some fashion for the changeling tomake a bargain with it. If a changeling wants to make apledge with sunlight and is trapped in a dark cement room,the changeling is out of luck.

The changeling must determine the cost of the boonfrom the list below, and then offer an appropriate sacrifice toreceive the effect. The aspect may demand to set its ownprice for certain services, though the changeling will knowthis immediately. If one renders nothing at the time of thebargain, the aspect sets its own price. There is no cheatingthe Wyrd - any attempt to defer the price results in the Wyrdsimply taking it, or removing its blessing and then some. No

sacrifice can grant powers outside of an aspect s purview. Anaspect of fire can start fires or protect from fires, but cannotput a man to sleep or hide a changeling from sight.

Each Ritual has a suggested dot rating, which representsthe Wyrd required for the changeling to make that bargain.

Autumn Courtiers, in line with their sorcerous leanings, arecounted as having a higher Wyrd (+1 at Mantle 1, +2 atMantle 3, +3 at Mantle 5) for the purposes of Wyrd-Binding.

A lower Wyrd changeling can still make the bargain, butmust render an additional sacrifice to make up the differ-ence. The rating of the sacrifice must be equal to the missing

Wyrd dots + 2. For example, if a Wyrd 5 changeling wishesto make a Wyrd 7 bargain, they must offer an additional payment, as well as the regular price.

The rituals stated below are simply examples of what canbe done with the system, though they also cover faerietaletropes that are missing from the current gameline. The Sto-ryteller and players are encouraged to tweak, alter, and pickand choose to make the rituals more appropriate for specificchangelings. The endless variety of aspects allows for an end-less variety of effects, and the narrow nature of aspects meansno one changeling can perform every one of these rituals. Itadds a touch of uniqueness to each changeling, as well as aneed to seek out dedicated sorcerers for various tasks.

Every ritual has the following entries in its block:Title: The dot rating next to the title determines the

Wyrd rating required for a changeling to make that bargain.This rating usually matches the price.

Price: The dot rating of the price. The price for each rit-ual is already worked in and listed under Drawback - the pricerating is simply stated so that Storytellers can remove theDrawback and replace it with a different one of appropriatelevel.

Effect: What the ritual does.


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Drawback: Nothing is free, and this is what the change-

ling pays to be able to perform the Effect.Purview Variants: As stated above, no aspect can grant

powers outside its purview. Some rituals are obviously inap-propriate for certain aspects, but may be able to grant a simi-lar ritual with slightly different effects.

How are these different from Contracts, especially Gob-

lin Contracts? First, they are much narrower in scope: aContract of Fang and Talons can apply to all canines, while aGoblin Vow is limited to wolves or jackals. Secondly, thechangeling must make the bargain every time, which canmake them difficult to perform in fast-paced situations suchas combat. Thirdly, the bargains tend to be more expensivethen the simple glamour costs associated with Contracts. Achangeling might imitate a contract to sense an element, ifthey were content to sacrifice an animal or take a penaltyevery time they cast the spell.

The dot ratings below are loose guidelines for what ef-fects can be gained, for what price. The Storyteller is thefinal arbiter of what rating is appropriate. Generally, damageshould be restricted to Bashing damage at , Lethal at

, and Aggravated at . The effects listed under

each rating tend to be the most elementary and basic ver-sions, and more potent versions of these effects should bereflected by increasing the cost. Effecting multiple targets orincreasing the duration of an effect increases the price. Thesacrifices listed underALLscale up, and thus can be appliedto any bargain. Penalties inflicted by sacrifices tend to last aslong as the rituals duration, or a few days longer. Penaltiesthat seem less severe or long term (such as a guaranteed dra-matic failure or losing a dot in a skill) are for bargains of a

shorter duration, while more extreme prices are for effectsthat last longer.

Minor: Gain mystical knowledge about and under-standing of phenomena within the abstracts purview. Ele-mentary manipulation of phenomena within the abstractspurview, enough to activate them and/or impart directions.Provide the changeling with information about his surround-ings. Provide a bonus to one action. Apply a minor effect toone target.

Uncommon: Exert elementary command and con-trol over phenomena within the purview of the abstract.Conceal, camouflage or hide phenomena within the ab-

stracts purview from scrutiny. Ask the abstract to protect thechangeling. Perform advanced-level applications of the 1st-dot practices (Provide the changeling with more detailedinformation or produce more substantial physical effects.

Allow the user to gain information about objects, people, orlocations well out of the range of her senses).

Important: Alter the capabilities or functions ofphenomena within the abstracts purview. Injure or degradea target within the confines of the abstract. Fortify, bolster orimprove phenomena within the abstracts purview. Ask the

abstract to protect another. Perform advanced-level applica-tions of the 1st and 2nd-dot practices.

Major: Transform phenomena within the ab-stracts purview into related phenomena or shapes, or replacetheir capabilities or functions with different ones. Signifi-cantly injure a target, degrade its capabilities or negativelytransform it within the confines of the abstract. Perform

more advanced-level applications of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd-dotpractices (Affect more people). Epic: Create phenomena within the abstracts

purview from nothing. Destroy or mutilate a target withinthe abstracts purview. Advanced-level applications of the 1st,2nd, 3rd and 4th-dot practices.

+ Legendary: Create phenomena that changeaccording to conditions. Grant supernatural abilities to atarget. Permanently bind an aspect of the abstract. Remove aquality such as magic, destiny, or mortality. Advanced-levelapplications of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th-dot practices.

ALL: A harmful spell also affects the sorcerer (in unlock-

ing a door, they ensure that their own doors will becomeunlocked at an inopportune time, in inflicting a penalty tospeech, they lose the ability to speak themselves when it isinconvenient); The effect may be identical or merely similar(for instance the target is made vulnerable to one kind ofdamage, and the sorcerer is made vulnerable to another,thematically linked kind of damage), A boon may behaveunpredictably (a defensive spell may trigger for the mailmanas well as for the assassin invading ones home); A targetrealizes at the end of the spell that they have been deceivedor spied upon, and by whom, with increasing knowledge (aninkling or suspicion for 1-dot spell, certainty and a hint at

where to find the sorcerer for a 3-dot spell, certainty andprecise knowledge of the sorcerers location for a 5-dot spell),Penalties (-1 to -5 penalty to a category of rolls (physical, per-ception, social, etc) relevant to the effect and based on thelevel of the spell, or milder penalties for longer)

Minor: Strange handcrafted music box, a copy of PeterPan in which a child sketched his nightmares, a tortilla on

which there is an image of the Virgin Mary, Common goblinfruits and oddments, Most Hedgespun ( to ), Token (),

a mildly important secret, an animal sacrifice, inability to liewhile spell is in effect, a mild temporary derangement

Uncommon: A witchs finger, a spider that has beenscared to death, a vampires fang, a fading ember that will

not go out unless spat upon, a beloved pet, Rare goblinfruits, Unusual Hedgespun (), Token (), a roll re-duced to a chance die, keeping an item or secret hidden

Important: Grandfathers pocket watch, a rare Ro-sicrucian manuscript, a Token given to the Lost by her Men-tor, an unbaptized child, a friendship, Particularly skilledhumans (such as doctors), terribly beautiful humans or ani-mals, humans touched by the supernatural (such as psychics,ghouls, and wolf-bloods), strong Hedge Beasts, a dramaticfailure, inability to speak while spell is in effect, a severetemporary derangement, a regular and risky service


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Major: A Gutenberg Bible, a chair from the Am-

ber Room, a werewolf pelt, the lost log from a sunken slavervessel, a connection with an organization, a friend, perma-nently losing a dot in a prized Skill, a virgin sacrifice, A sev-enth son of a seventh son, a changeling, a firstborn infant, apowerful and intelligent Hedge Beast, ones fetch (or themerit obtained from killing it), an important roll becomes a

guaranteed dramatic failure, an extreme temporary derange-ment, performing a major boon (building a skyscraper) Epic: Hitlers molar, Lewis Carrolls fountain

pen, a sword forged in Arcadia, the key to a Gentrys keep, ablood relative, Token (), permanently losing Kithblessing, permanently losing multiple dots in a Skill, allmemories of an important person, Non-fae supernaturalcreatures (such as mages or werewolves), particularly potentor unusual changelings, a great tragedy befalls the changelingor his loved ones, inability to open ones eyes while spell is ineffect, defeating one of the Gentry, performing an incredibleboon (building a national monument), the memory thatguided the changeling home from Arcadia

+ Legendary: The Lance of Longinus, Excali-bur, Odysseuss Bow, the Holy Grail, a pearl from a dragonsforehead, a soulmate, the changelings entire past, killing aTrue Fae, ones True Name, ones Seeming blessing, a livedragon, unicorn or similar difficult to locate and capturecreature, eternal service to a cause

Price:Effect: The caster binds a message into a minor aspect of

reality, and gives it a target to deliver the message to. Theaspect makes its way over to target as quickly as possible,

though it is limited by its nature: wind has trouble entering asubway tunnel, and a cat has trouble entering an office build-ing. Once it reaches its target, the messenger delivers its mes-sage and is free to leave or dissipate. In practice, the ritual isless convenient than a mundane cellphone, but there arecertain times when a cellphone isnt possible.

Drawback: The messenger delivers its message immediate-ly, no matter what the circumstances. It doesnt matter iftheres a loud train that drowns out the message, or the re-cipient is in front of a huge crowd of mortals - the messengerdoes not discern and does not delay.

Purview Variants: Sending the message on the wind, amessage bound to autumn leaves that speaks when stepped

upon, a message only heard by someone feeling sorrow, ananimal messenger

Price: VariesEffect: Where do the abstractions sold at the Goblin

Markets come from? Certainly, some are sold by their origi-nal owners, but who could sell the West Wind, or a cat sfootsteps? This ritual allows the changeling to trap an ab-stract that falls under the purview. The changeling cannottake anything without owning it or having permission to do

so. This varies in difficulty depending on the abstract inquestion and the current circumstances. An emotion can begiven by the person experiencing it, while a sunset may re-quire the changeling to be the only one viewing it, or topainstakingly ask every other person who can see it for per-mission. Because of this, a changeling is limited in howmuch of an abstract they can take. A changeling may steal a

full moon from a village for a night, but cannot steal theentire moon, or he may catch the wind in the general vicini-ty, but cannot trap the entire West Wind (at least, not with-out an effort that is beyond legendary in scope). Once taken,the abstract is quite evidently gone from where it was origi-nally: a widow may stop feeling her sorrow, clouds may rollover a full moon, a night may fly by faster than normal. Usingthe abstract for anything requires more effort on the change-lings part: one may try to bind a perfect summers day to hishouse, but this requires another bargain.

Drawback: The abstract demands a vessel capable of con-taining it. The changeling must provide an object equal tothe price of the abstract being caught within it. A cat s foot-

step might be caught with a minor sacrifice, while a hurri-cane might take an epic or even legendary object to bind it.If the object is broken or otherwise opened, the abstract es-capes and dissipates, wasting the effort.

Purview Variants: A painter binds his fervent emotions in-to his paintings and seals them away, a crystal heart holds achilds innocence, the caster catches the North Wind in asilver net, the caster asks a cat to steal a grieving woman s

wail

Price:Effect: Many changelings feel a kinship with animals, but

the usefulness of this alliance can be limited. Even the mostcunning of beasts rarely matches human intellect, and manymore have simple and limited minds. This ritual imparts abasic human intellect onto an animal. The changeling canimpart this blessing on one larger animal, a dozen smallercreatures (such as rats), or a small swarm of insects. The an-imal(s) gains an Intelligence of 2 until the sun next rises orsets. This does not impart any manner of special knowledgeonto the animal, nor does it change the animal s physicalcapabilities, though the animals newfound intelligence mayallow it to perform actions it normally would not. Certainanimals, such as birds or mammals, may be able to attemptspeech.

Drawback: The intelligence granted is taken from thecaster. For the next 24 hours the caster takes a -1 penalty toall mental skills, doesnt re-roll 10s when using a dice poolinvolving Intelligence and, in addition, any 1s that come upon the roll subtract from successes.

Purview Variants: Granting an animated broomstick intel-lect, feeding rats hedge beast blood, protecting stray dogs inexchange for servitude, a mechanics workshop that breaks ifanyone else tries to use it


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Price:Effect: Even in the modern era of search engines, there

are some who still place their faith in riddles. One of themany vows that changelings make to defend their Freehold,Riddlelocks tend to be too erratic for everyday use, but stillshow up when the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. The

changeling designates an area no larger than a mansion to beunder the effect of the ritual. He must either serve as theguardian or provide one in his place. So long as the spell isin effect, he must ask a riddle of anyone attempting to enterthe area. If the intruder cannot answer the riddle, they take apenalty equal to the ritualists Wyrd on all actions until theyflee the area. Each intruder may only guess once. Attackinganyone within the protected area, leaving without answering,or attempting to bypass the caster (either by stealth or force)is tantamount to failing the riddle. The intruder may leaveand return, but the penalty returns any time they set foot

within the protected area, as long as the Riddlelock is inplace.

Drawback: The riddle is demanding and proud. It doesnot differentiate between people the changeling wants tocome in and people he wants to keep out. The guardianmust stay in the area when the Riddlelock is in effect, andmust ask the riddle of anyone trying to enter. If the guardianleaves for more than a few minutes, or is killed, theRiddlelock ends. Telling anyone the answer to the riddle isgrossest betrayal, and doing so both ends the Riddlelock andinflicts a penalty equal to the casters Wyrd upon himselfuntil 24 hours have passed.

Purview Variants: People must be feeling the proper emo-tion to enter, persons cannot enter without performing acertain ritual, a person cannot enter unless they are wearinga mask

Price:Effect: This ritual can only be used on a target that is dy-

ing. The changeling begs the aspect to bind the targets flee-ing lifeforce into itself. In doing so, the target is frozen inthat moment: they will not age, suffocate, or starve, and theconversion of lethal damage into aggravated damage is halt-ed. The target is stable and remains stable even if damagedagain, though the target otherwise takes damage and can bekilled normally.

Drawback: The purview must be convinced to release the

targets life force. While the target can be healed, they willnot awaken until some condition set by the purview is met.In addition, the changeling must sacrifice a bit of herlifeforce to keep the target alive. The changeling takes 2Adamage that does not heal until the condition is satisfied andthe target awakens.

Purview Variants: The target is bound among rose thorns,the target is turned into a flock of songbirds, the target can-not be awakened until someone who loves them kisses them

Price: VariesEffect: The changeling chooses a target to be the recipi-

ent of a boon. This boon may be skills, merits, or even su-pernatural merits at the Storytellers discretion. In order toimpart this boon, the caster must already have possession ofit, or be able to pay the experience cost for it. When the vow

is made, the caster loses the skill, exp, or merit. The castercannot choose to partially give the boon - if the caster grantsa skill, she loses all dots in the skill. The recipient of theboon does not gain the boon immediately. Instead, it isgained once a set milestone in life has been reached. Themilestone varies by purview, but is always a major one: pu-berty, the age of 18, marriage, a first child. For this reason,older people are not often chosen as recipients of the faeriegodmothers blessing.

When the recipient reaches the milestone, they receivethe grated boon. This boon replaces any lower instances ofthe skill or merit they might have. For example, if the castersacrificed a skill at 4, and the recipient already had that skill

at 2, the recipient would gain the new skill rating of 4. If therecipient has a higher merit or skill level then the boongranted, the boon does not overwrite the skill. It is meant tobe a blessing, after all.

Drawback: The recipient of the boon receives a MinorFrailty until she reaches the milestone set for her. This frailtyacts just as it would for a changeling, and often directly hin-ders the recipient from reaching the milestone.

Purview Variants:A legendary bargain thatcan grant a supernatural template to a target

Price: Varies

Effect: This allows the changeling to form an Entitle-ment. The price of the ritual varies, but is always related tothe power of the Entitlement Privileges. The stronger a sacri-fice is, the more powerful the associated Entitlement Benefitis. The founding changeling may offer multiple sacrifices togain multiple benefits. More than one changeling may partic-ipate, sharing the costs and mitigating the drawbacks. Allparticipating changelings must meet the requirements for theEntitlement being created. At the end of the ritual, they allswear the Oath of their order.

Drawback: Heavy lies the crown. The weight of the No-ble Order is borne by the changelings who created it, and iftheir vow breaks, so does the Entitlement. If the founding

changeling ever breaks his vow or changes Entitlements, theNoble Order immediately dissolves. This can only be pre-

vented if another member of the Entitlement spends a Will-power Dot to assume the burden of leadership. If more thanone changeling participated in founding the ritual, the Enti-tlement does not fail unless all of them break their oaths, butthere is a price to pay for the betrayal - every remaining loyalfounder takes a cumulative -1 penalty to all actions for everyfounder who has broke their oath, so long as the oath-


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breaker lives. For this reason, it is not wise to found a Titlefrivolously.

Once ten additional changelings have sworn their oathsto the Order, the magic is cemented, but so are the chains:the founding changelings can never leave the Entitlements ortake any action that would break their oaths.

Price:Effect: The changeling hides a person or creature in a se-

cure place, and binds the secret away from sight. So long asthe caster is the only person who knows the secret (disregard-ing the person being hidden), and so long as the target re-mains within the place, the target cannot be found. Mun-dane searching will somehow pass right over the target. Scry-ing or Contracts will turn up nothing, though more potentprophecies or abilities may instead reveal the caster, makingthis ritual dangerous to use.

Drawback: The burden of the secret is heavy. The castermust spend one point of willpower for every point of size thetarget has. This willpower cannot be regained so long as the

ritual is in effect. If the caster is forced to lose willpower andhas none, such as being struck with an attack that drains

willpower, the ritual ends. The caster may choose to volun-tarily end the ritual at any time, and may then regain will-power as normal. If anyone but the caster and target discoverthe secret, the ritual is violently broken, and everyone familiar

with the target immediately gains insight on where she is.For this reason, the ritual does not take effect if another per-son is watching when it is cast. Animals and cameras do notcount against the secret, but they are capable of telling otherpeople if asked, which does end the ritual. The ritual is like-

wise broken if the target leaves the secure place to which shehas been bound.

Purview Variants: A secret bound in a book that remainshidden until read, a room that cannot be found when themoon is new, an Epic or Legendary castle that only appearson the summer solstice.

Price:+ LegendaryEffect: The caster binds his True Name - and thus part of

his soul - into some small, inanimate object. The object usedfor this ritual cannot be larger than Size 3. In doing so, thecaster becomes immortal. He does not age, and cannot diefrom any diseases, though he can still be affected by symp-

toms. The caster takes damage as normal, but when his lasthealth box is filled with aggravated damage, he falls into adeathlike state. For all intents, effects, and purposes, thecaster is dead. However, he regains 1A every fifteen minutes,until the last wound box has been cleared, at which point heawakens. If the body is completely destroyed, it reforms in asafe location at the same rate. Inflicting damage while the

caster is regenerating can slow the process, but cannot stopit. The caster may choose to wake up at any point after thefirst health box is healed, but must then heal the remainingdamage normally.

Drawback: It is a grievous thing to sacrifice ones TrueName. The caster immediately rolls for a Clarity 1 sin as ifhe had lost his mortal identity. Furthermore, by losing hisTrue Name, the caster can no longer make pledges. He canbe bound into a pledge by another, but cannot initiate apledge by himself, and all pledges currently bound to his

Wyrd fade away. Anyone who holds the bound object gainsthe power to swear pledges in the casters name, even if thecaster was not a changeling. The caster is bound to these

pledges as if he had sworn them himself, and instinctivelyknows the terms of the pledge he is under. If the caster vio-lates the pledge, his True Name is undone, and he dies in-stantly. Breaking the bound object does not kill the caster,but he is rendered mortal and can be killed as normal. Thecaster does not regain the ability to make pledges.

In the extremely rare case that the caster has a fetch, thedrawback is two-fold: not only can the caster never makepledges, but he relinquishes his right to his name unto theFetch. He loses any and all resistance to the fetch s Echoes,his Defense drops to 0 against attacks from the fetch, and hereceives a dice pool penalty equal to his Wyrd when in thepresence of the fetch. The fetch instinctively knows the

changeling is weakened - though the fetch cannot kill thechangeling, it is quite capable of ruining his life and wreck-ing his plans. It is theoretically possible for a fetch to enactthis ritual, but the effects of this are unknown. The name is

what holds the fetch together - removing it might simplycause the fetch to die and fall into pieces, or it might havesome other unwholesome effect.

Purview Variants: The caster binds their name into theheart of an oak, the caster binds their name to an animal,the caster can only be harmed during a certain hour of theday


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By Oswald_and_ButterbugSo, this is sort of my bizarre brain-child from Blood Sorcery

I had originally intended to make a changeling sorcery, butthen I realized that Ive been moving away from the very free-

form styles of spellcasting there involved. So instead, I decid-ed to take the things I had in mind for effects and simplyturn them into a mass of goblin contracts.

These contracts are powerful (the idea was to be able tomake more of a Baba Yaga type character possible), but onemay notice that a couple of them actually have dot ratings of6+, which would require the usual limitations on having ahigh Wyrd rating. Others just have fairly significant draw-backs.

For understandable reasons, Shakespeare is often the favor-

ite author of the Lost, and A Midsummer Nights Dream is hismost popular work. Thus, whatever original name this an-cient enchantment had in years gone by, (and it is a very oldenchantment), modern Changelings invariably call it Bot-toms Predicament.With this spell, a changeling sorcerer is able to give the tar -

get the head of an ass (or a frog, or a goat, or a leopard, orwhat-have-you), or at least some of the features thereof. Thistransformation is only visible to the Fair Folk (and to thetarget), but even the unensorcelled notice the target takingon some unattractive habits.

Cost: 3 GlamourDice Pool: Animal Ken + Wyrd Targets Composure

Action: Instant

Catch: The target is asleep.Dramatic Failure: The curse rebounds on the caster, givingthem the head of an animal, and a -3 penalty to all social roll.

Failure: The curse fails to take effect.Success: The target takes on some of the features of an an-

imal, chosen by the sorcerer. A man cursed to become morelike a swine loses his sense of personal hygiene and becomesneedlessly greedy and gluttonous, while a man cursed to be-come wolfish turns ruthless and cruel (note that this is basedon a folkloric perception of the animal, not on the animalitself). No matter what the animal, however, the traits arealways unpleasant to those around them. The target suffers apenalty equal to (Successes) on all social rolls until the sun

next crosses the horizon (until the next dawn or dusk, thatis).

To the Ensorcelled, the targets head also seems to take onsome of the features of the animal (the more successes rolled,the greater the likeness). Those cursed to become like pigsbecome jowly, their eyes sunken into their flesh, while thosecursed to be like toads find their skin turning warty and theireyes bulging out. The unensorcelled may notice some mildchanges but will never think them anything odd or super-

natural. The target may be mildly concerned, but unless theyare Ensorcelled, they too consider it unimportant.

Unfortunately, Shakespeares faeries were never the most

perceptive of sorts, cursing the wrong people and succumb-ing to love potions, and so the user of this contract suffers a -2 penalty to all Wits rolls for the duration of the effect. Ifthey use it on more than one person, then they receive fur-ther penalties, which stack.

Exceptional Success: Aside from inflicting higher penal-ties, if the sorcerer rolls five or more successes then the En-sorcelled will perceive the target as having not just the like-ness, but the veryhead of an animal. The unensorcelled stillsee nothing wrong, and even an unensorcelled target willtake it in stride and soon forget about it.

Suggested Modifiers

Modifier Situation

+1 to +3 The proposed transformation is symbolicallyappropriate (a glutton into a pig, a warrior into a

wolf)-1 to -3 The proposed transformation is noticeably sym-

bolically in-appropriate (a glutton into a stork, awarrior into a rabbit)

Getting lost is an integral part of many faerie tales. Little

Red Riding Hood strays from the path, Hansel and Gretels

trail of bread crumbs are lost, Baba Yagas captive needs di-rections to get home. With this curse, the changeling canensure that the target gets lost, and worse, that anyone with

them gets led astray as well. If the targets are lucky, thats allthat happens to them otherwiseTo use this contract, the target must either be within visual

range of the changeling, or the changeling must have a per-sonal belonging of the target. They may decide to simply letthe target get lost, or else may have the targets feet lead them

to a location of the changelings choosing.Cost: 3 Glamour + 1 WillpowerDice Pool: Survival + Wyrd vs. Composure + Supernatural

Tolerance (the roll occurs when the target sets out on a jour-ney, not when the glamour and willpower cost is first paid).Action: InstantCatch: The target is travelling through woods or caves or

some other area where there are no signs or roads or othermarkers.

Dramatic Failure:Failure:Success: The roll occurs when the target next sets out on a

journey if they travel nowhere within the next 24 hours,the curse expires. If the target is travelling with a group (whoshare a point of origin and a destination, not simply that thetarget is taking a bus), then they gain a +1 bonus to theircontested roll per additional person with them.


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If the target is simply enchanted to get lost, then for the

duration of their journey, all travel times are multiplied by(Successes+1). If it normally takes the target a half hour todrive across the city, and the changeling gets 4 successes,then suddenly the target takes two and a half hours to get

where they are going. If the target is tracking anything, thentheir Survival rolls are further penalized by (Successes), in

addition to the travel time increase.Alternatively, the target finds themselves arriving at an areaof the changelings choice. The target is not compelled to doanything when they arrive, but they do arrive. The chosenlocation must also be within a reasonable distance of thetarget a target driving in New York may be led to a ware-house in Queens but not to a church in Omaha.

The drawback is that meddling with time and space insuch a way is dangerous; within the next month, an im-portant message will fail to reach the target in time. This maybe a plea for help, a lawyers subpoena, or simply an electr i-cal bill, but its loss will noticeably and negatively impact thechangelings life.

Exceptional Success: The curse lasts for the next two jour-neys the target makes either making two journeys slow, orfoiling the first attempt of the target to leave the chosen loca-tion.

Suggested Modifiers

Modifier Situation

+4 The target has been specifically warned to stay toa path or to follow directions.

+2 The target is travelling to some place they havenever been before.

-2 The target is travelling to a local landmark (Cityhall, the local public library).

-4 The target is travelling to a well-known, national

landmark (the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben).

In the late 18th and through the 19th centuries, phantas-magoria was a kind of theater, where a performer would usea magic lantern to project various terrifying images upon a

wall, depicting ghosts or demons or skeletons cavorting. Thecleverest of performers projected the images onto smoke,and used multiple small, moving projectors to create a sem-blance of movement, three-dimensionality, and ghastly live-liness to the spectacle. One early 19th century Belgian inven-tor, tienne-Gaspard Robertson Robert, staged his phan-tasmagoria in the abandoned crypt of a Capuchin Monas-

tery, and was once stopped by the police before he couldbring back the spirit of Louis XVI.Of course, Robertsons phantasmagoria were only techno-

logical tricks (probably). With this power, however, a change-ling can take shadow-puppets and give them a semblance oflife and mobility, turning them into three-dimensional illu-sions that can affect all of the senses, and obey the change-lings whim.

To use this power, the changeling must first have somesuitable shadows at hand (meaning that this power cannot becast in absolute light or darkness, where there are no shad-

ows). The shadows need to have at least a vague resemblanceto the desired illusion, so most changelings that use Phan-tasmagoria either carry paper cutouts and flashlights, or elsegrow skilled at making shadow-puppets with their hands.

Cost: 3 Glamour (+1 Willpower, optional)Dice Pool: Subterfuge + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: The changeling uses the shadow puppets created bya magic lantern projector, which must remain running solong as the illusions are active.

Dramatic Failure: The changeling loses themselves inshadows and illusions, momentarily losing their grip on real-ity. This is a Clarity 6 Breaking point.

Failure: The shadows remain stubbornly shadows, and notillusions.

Success: The shadow-puppets transform into three-dimensional illusions, encompassing one or more senses.

Anything at all is possible, from simply creating a paintingon a wall that had not been there before, to simulating a full-scale SWAT team assault. A changeling can create a rotting

corpse, a bed of roses, the Lord Mayor of London, a fire-breathing dragon, himself, his Keeper, a bathing nude, asword, whatever his imagination can encompass.

Each use of this power creates a single discrete illusion nolarger than (Successes x Wyrd) in cubic yards. This is either asingle object or person, or a small group that stays very closetogether (such as the aforementioned SWAT team). Eachillusion must have a single, coherent subject. Thus one couldnot summon both a bed of roses and a SWAT team with asingle casting of this power, though one could summon aSWAT team with their armored van, for instance.

Illusions may encompass up to all 5 senses, but they are in-tangible and unable to affect the real world. Anyone interact-

ing with an illusion may roll Wits + Investigation(+any su-pernatural sensory tricks such as Auspex) to realize its unreal-ity (opposed by the illusions Successes). Illusions cannotphysically harm anyone, though they can be distracting, in-flicting up to (Successes) penalty on sensory rolls (an illusoryorchestra can make it difficult to hear).

Illusions can be made to move. If the caster is present, hemay direct the illusions with but a thought. He can also leaveprogramming instructing a river to continue to flow, or anillusory guard dog to patrol a corridor. Illusions have no abil-ity to respond to stimuli.

Illusions last for the remainder of the scene. If the change-ling spends one point of willpower, however, the illusionslast until the next dawn or dusk.

The drawback of dealing with such illusions, however, isthat the changeling divorces themselves from reality and theidea of what is true and what is not. They automatically dra-matically fail the next perception check they are called uponto make.

Exceptional Success: Extra successes are their own reward,creating illusions that are difficult to tell for what they are.


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Suggested Modifiers

Modifier Situation

-1 to -4 For each sense past the first that the illusion en-compasses.

+3 The illusion is static and unmoving.+2 The illusion is used to frighten.

From Snow White with her poisoned apple and SleepingBeauty (or Briar Rose) with her poisoned spindle, poisonedpresents appear repeatedly in folklore and fairy tales. Ofcourse, theyve a long and proud pedigree before then, poi-son and witchcraft intertwined in story and myth. Medeapoisoned her rival for Jasons love with a poisonous gown,

and when the Bible pronounces Thou Shalt Not Suffer a

Witch to Live, one alternative translation for Witch is Poi-soner.

They tend to be wicked types, these poisoners, cruel andvindictive. Theyre never poisoned by their own venoms, for

poison knows its own. In the oldest myths (such as that ofMedea), poisonous gifts lead to a direct and very nasty death,

but the more modern version simply puts the victim into adeath-like sleep, one from which they may never awaken.

For obvious reasons, using this contract tends to lead todegeneration rolls, and knowledge of it is prohibited in mostright-thinking freeholds. That said, theres always some foulHedge-witch or cat-faced Hob willing to teach it, for a price.

Cost: 3 GlamourDice Pool: Medicine + Wyrd

Action: InstantCatch: The poisoned object is a gift to the victim, offered

and freely accepted.Dramatic Failure: The changeling botches the roll, poison-

ing themselves (still at a Toxicity equal to their Wyrd).Failure: The object is not poisoned.Success: This is a straightforward contract. With a touch,

the changeling poisons a single object of no more than Size 3(such as an apple, a comb, a spindle, a dress). The poison hasa Toxicity equal to the changelings Wyrd. The object r e-mains poisoned for 24 hours, and has symptoms similar tothat of a heart attack.When the object is used (an apple is eaten, a spindle

touched, a dress put on, etc), some part of it lodges deepinside the victims body (a splinter in a finger, a slice of poi-soned apple in their throat). This triggers the poison,prompting the target to roll Resolve + Stamina, minus the

poisons Toxicity. If they fail, they fall into a deep, enchantedsleep, a death-like coma for the next (Successes) Days - duringwhich time they require no food, water, will not die fromexposure (though they will if physically attacked), and areessentially in stasis. They may also be awakened if the poi-soned object is somehow removed from their body (whichusually requires an Intelligence + Occult and a Dexterity +Medicine roll in opposition to the contracts successes).A few strange limitations apply to the poisons effective-

ness. First, the caster is never affected by their own poison(as a product of their own wicked natures, they are immune

to it). At the same time, the poison can never be forced on atarget. A sword can be poisoned and given as a gift, and therecipient will then accidentally cut themselves and so poisonthemselves; but the sword cannot be poisoned and then usedto stab someone. The poisoned apple must be willingly bit-ten, it cannot be force-fed. This contract is a tool of murder,not a weapon.

The recipient of a poisoned gift may notice that somethingis off with a subconscious Wits + Occult roll, though thepoisoner can soothe their fears (if they are present) with aManipulation + Subterfuge roll. If the recipient succeeds ontheir roll, then they notice that something is off about theobject and will not want to use it, though they are unlikely tomake the leap to poison.

Finally, the drawback of this goblin contract links into thelink between poisoners and hags and crones. For one weekafter poisoning the object, the changeling suffers a -4 penaltyto any rolls to seduce, beguile, entertain, or otherwise usetheir physical beauty (negating any Striking Looks bonus inthe process). Additional uses of the contract extend the dura-

tion.Exceptional Success: The Toxicity of the poisoned gift is

equal to the changelings Wyrd+2, and if the target fails their

resistance roll, they are enchanted into sleep for (Successes)Weeks.

Suggested Modifiers

Modifier Situation

-2 The object is very modern (invented within thelast century) a cellphone, a can of soda.

+2 The object is old and mythologically potent (atleast five hundred years old in style) an apple, agown.

Unlike itslittle brother spell, Circes Curse is no laugh-

ing matter. It draws its name from the ancient story of Odys-seus, who landed upon the island of Circe, a daughter ofHelios (or perhaps Hekate). She turned his men into swine,and Odysseus escaped only with divine help. There are otherstories like it, such as the famous tale of the Frog Prince, orthe lesser known story of the White Cat.

Of course, in these less supernatural times, the thought ofa faerie sorcerer keeping someone transformed for monthsor years is absurd, and changelings (mostly) dont believe it.Still, better safe than sorry.

In order to use this contract, the changeling must be with-

in (Wyrd) yards of the target, and must either look themdirectly in the eye, or must say their name loudly this doesnot have to be their True Name.

Cost: 4 Glamour + 1 WillpowerDice Pool: Manipulation + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Supernatu-

ral ToleranceAction: InstantCatch: The target has transgressed in a spectacularly sac-

rilegious manner against the caster. Robbery or murder isinsufficient, unless combined with something such as theabuse of an oath of hospitality, parricide, cannibalism, or


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some similar defilement (look at Morality 1 sins and AncientGreek tragedies for a good idea of the kinds of things thattrigger this catch).

Dramatic Failure: The curse goes awry, partially transform-ing the spellcaster into an animal, changing hands into paws,twisting backs and deforming tongues, inflicting a -3 penaltyto all physical and social rolls for the rest of the scene.

Failure: The curse fails.Success: For the rest of the scene, the target is turned into

an animal. They may be transformed into any animal from amouse up to a horse. Unless transformed into somethinglike a monkey or a parrot, the target loses their ability tospeak and loses its opposable thumbs (and thus any ability toeasily use tools or weapons).Aside from a change in Size (and the accompanying bo-

nuses to stealth), they retain all of their attributes, skills, andtraits. A man turned into a frog becomes an exceptionally stur-dy frog. They also retain all supernatural abilities. That said,their lack of thumbs or speech may render many powers andskills impossible to use. A cat may not fire a pistol, for in-

stance, at least with any hope of hitting something, andcommunication barriers prevent Vainglory 5: Words ofMemories Never Lived from being used for much.

Fortunately, their curse comes with a certain level of invio-lability. The Wyrd considers Circes Curse punishment

enough. First, if anyone harms the target before the end ofthe scene (inflicting 1 or more lethal damage), then the curseis broken. And if the casterharms the target before the endof the scene, then the curse rebounds back to them, trans-forming them into some manner of animal instead (though

with the same inviolability). For this reason the transfor-mation cannot be such as would automatically kill the target(turning someone into a fish on dry land, say).

Exceptional Success: At the end of the duration, thespellcaster may pay the cost of Circes Curse to extend it foran additional scene. The caster may extend it indefinitely,providing they are willing to pay the glamour and willpower.Of course, if the catch applies, then the curse may be ex-tended indefinitely... leading to legends such as those of Cir-ce herself.

Suggested Modifiers

Modifier Situation

+1 to +3 The proposed transformation is symbolicallyappropriate (a glutton into a pig, a warrior into a

wolf)-1 to -3 The proposed transformation is noticeably sym-

bolically in-appropriate (a glutton into a stork, awarrior into a rabbit)

+3 The changeling sorcerer uses the targets TrueName in their spell.

When dealing with the Fair Folk, things are rarely as they

appear. The Wicked Witch lives in a cottage of gingerbread,a house of cake and confectionary designed to lure waywardchildren to her. Or perhaps the Evil Sorceress dwells in some

foreboding tower at the edge of the cliff, around which light-ing plays without end. In modern tales, this is the little shopof antiques or curiosities, here one day, gone the next, lost asthought it had never been.While the Lost are able to create their own little hideaways

in the Hedge, fantastical playgrounds lost in a Never-NeverLand, they are still static things. With this power, the Lost

are able to craft an illusion and imbue it with a certaindream-like reality, transforming a humble home into a magi-cal gingerbread cottage, capable of enchanting people near or into a horrific crypt that frightens them away.

The illusion is created instantly, but before the changelingmay create it, they must anoint the perimeter of the buildingor area with their own blood.

Cost: 4 GlamourDice Pool: Expression + Wyrd

Action: Instant (but requires preparation)Catch: The transformed building is one which the change-

ling built with their own hands, alone. If dealing with some-thing such as a field or pond, then the changeling must have

created it as well, clearing the field or filling up the pond.Dramatic Failure: The Wyrd rejects the proposed illusion.

The changeling is unable to create the Gingerbread Cottageuntil after the next full moon (meaning that the aggravateddamage they took is rendered pointless).

Failure: The contract fails to activate. The contract can betried again without having to re-anoint the area, however.

Success: The contract works, shrouding a single building ordiscrete area (a farm, a pond) in dreamstuff and illusion. Ahouse may be turned into a mansion, a run-down towertransformed into a modern office building, an empty fieldinto a graveyard. The illusion encompasses all the senses,and is not limited by reality or physics. If the changeling

wishes to make a house of out pastry or to make his homelevitate a yard above the earth, then so it shall appear to be.At the same time, this is purely an illusion. It cannot create

rooms or make a building structurally safe, though it mayappearto do so. The illusion will try to reconcile inconsisten-cies as best it can if a bungalow is made into a tower, thenthe stairwell to the top floor will be impossible to find.Someone eating a gingerbread house will imagine the tasteand feel of it, but in truth they are eating only air. So on andso forth.

The illusions created by the Gingerbread Cottage tend tobe more impressionistic than precisely realistic. They alwaysseem larger than life, more impressive or more enticing ormore endearing than mundane reality. A Gingerbread Cot-tage graveyard is utterly terrifying, a Gingerbread Cottageantique store is irresistibly fascinating. Each GingerbreadCottage illusion has a keytheme, and social rolls that utilizethat theme gain a bonus of (Successes), so an intimidationeffect in the illusory graveyard or haunted house would re-ceive a bonus, as would a seduction roll in an illusory harem though this can never be turned against the caster.Anyone interacting with an illusion may roll Wits + Inves-

tigation(+any supernatural sensory tricks such as Auspex) to


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realize its unreality (opposed by the illusions Successes).

Anyone confronted with the logical inconsistency of a place(such as realizing that they cannot walk underneath a flyingtower because the walls are still there, invisibly) gains a +5bonus to their roll. This contract lasts until the next fullmoon.

The drawback is that such an illusion must be written out

first in blood. The changeling needs to anoint the perimeterof the Gingerbread Cottage with blood, taking one point ofAggravated damage for each point of Size that the buildingor area possesses (as per Hollow Size on page 95 of Change-ling: The Lost; use this even if the building or area is not aHollow and is not in the Hedge). They may take more dam-age than this in order to improve their roll.

Exceptional Success: Extra successes are their own reward,creating illusions that are difficult to tell for what they areand which create stronger emotional impressions.

Suggested Modifiers

Modifier Situation

-1 to -5 For each dot of Size that the building or area

possesses-3 The illusion is particularly unlikely, such as acottage turned into an office building.

-5 The illusion is outright impossible or fantastic,such as a gingerbread cottage or a floating castle.

+3 The illusion is fairly subtle, such as changing onekind of store into another, or turning a decrepitbuilding into a modern one.

+3 For each additional point of aggravated damagethe caster takes above the minimum required.

Speak of the Devil, and he will come. Names are power

among the Lost, and names are a greater power among theTrue Fae. Why do people never call the True Fae by theirnames? Why are they always the Fair Folk, the Good Neigh-bors, the Gentry, the Keeper? Some of it is for fear, assured-ly, But not just fear of giving offense. Theres also fear that ifthe True Fae hear their names, from as far away as Arcadia,then they will come and find out just who is talking aboutthem.

The Gentry are the most famous practitioners of this mag-ic, but they are not the only ones. With this contract, a pow-erful changeling can enchant their name as well, letting themknow when people are talking about them.When using this contract, the changeling has to specify a

specific name that is used for them not necessarily theirTrue Name, but one by which they are known. The contractlasts for one lunar month.

Cost: 3 GlamourDice Pool: Politics + Wyrd

Action: Extended (10 successes; each roll represents tenminutes of incantation)

Catch: The character is using their True Name.Dramatic Failure: Something goes disastrously wrong, and

the changelings name echoes across the world. In Arcadia,their Keeper hears its echo, and knows precisely where the

changeling is at the time of the failed incantation. The Losthad best make themselves scarce, and quickly.

Failure: Nothing happens.Success: The contract lasts for one month, and has a radius

equal to (Wyrd) in miles, and covers both the mortal worldand the Hedge.Whenever anyone in the area says the changelings name

(the one chosen by the caster of this contract), the change-ling is made aware of it. It must be that specific name,though it can be just a portion of it if the full name isThomas Wright, then Wright would qualify. The effect isonly triggered if the people are talking about the changeling,further. Even if there are a thousand people named Thom-as in the city, the contract only picks up when Thomas

Wright the Changeling is being spoken about.The first time any character says the changelings name in a

scene, the changeling is merely made aware that someonehas said their name. The second time any character says thechangelings name in a scene, the changeling knows theirrough direction (to the nearest cardinal or semi-cardinal di-

rection) and rough distance (to the nearest quarter-mile), aswell as whether the speaker is on earth or in the Hedge. Thethird time any character says the changelings name in a sce-ne, the changeling know their precise direction and distance.

The drawback to binding one name to the wind is both po-tent and subtle. By becoming more like the True Fae, able tohear their names on the wind, the character grows more sus-ceptible to thinking like the True Fae, and suffers a -1 to allClarity Degeneration rolls for the duration of the contract.

Exceptional Success: The third time any character says thechangelings name in a scene, the changeling is also given arough idea of who is saying the name, a middle-aged Cauca-sian policeman or a toad-faced hob or a Swimmerskin

that looks like an otter.Suggested Modifiers

Modifier Situation

-3 The name is incredibly common: John Smithor Michael Thompson

The name is normal but not incredibly commonin the area: Sean Gillespie or Miss Bell

+2 The name is very uncommon or noticeably for-eign (in areas without large foreign communi-ties): Horace Murthwaite or Sergei

Valentinovich Zaitsev+4 The name is some kind of faerie-tale name or

title: Mary OBrine or The Jack of Crows

One repeated motif in faerie tales and myths is that the

questing hero does a favor for someone mild and unassum-ing a rabbit caught in a snare is freed, an old woman isgiven the heros meal and in return he receives some po-tent boon or blessing. With this contract, the changeling canbestow such a magical trinket onto another person, an unas-


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suming object that nevertheless contains a sliver of their ownpower though by so doing they are themselves lessened.

Cost: 3 Glamour + the activation cost of the chosen clauseDice Pool: Crafts + Wyrd

Action: Extended (The selected Clauses level x2 successes;each roll represents one minute of fiddling with the object)

Catch: The chosen recipient of the gift is not yet an adult

(under 18 in most Western countries, though the definitionmay alter based on the culture unmarried is another com-mon definition), and does not know about the supernatural

world.Dramatic Failure:Failure: Nothing happens.Success: The changeling takes an object of no larger than

Size 3 (a comb, a broom, a piece of bread) and imbues a sin-gle Contract clause into it, and then gives the object to therecipient, who must be another changeling, a mortal, orsome other kind of faerie-entity (hobgoblin, fetch, etc).Thereafter, the next time the recipient uses the object(combs their hair, eats the bread), they are able to activate

the contract even if they themselves are a mortal. They canset all parameters of the contract as if they were using itnormally, but they use the changelings dice pool for theactivation roll and the cost of the contract is already paid.

The object may not be given away to anyone else only thechosen recipient can use it. Further, if the object is stolen orotherwise illicitly taken, then it does work... but the storedcontracts activation results in a Dramatic Failure.

This gift last indefinitely, until the stored clause is used oruntil the changeling who gave it spends 1WP to revoke it.However, so long as the gift exists, and for a further 24 hoursafterwards, the changeling is unable to use the stored clause they gave it away and it will take some time to find its way

home.Exceptional Success: When the stored clause is used, it

gains a +4 to the activation roll.Suggested Modifiers

Modifier Situation

-2 The object in which the clause is stored is partic-ularly ornate or valuable a golden ring, an iPh-one

+2 The object in which the clause is stored is partic-ularly homely or worthless a broken comb, anold pair of sneakers

+5 The recipient has just done an act of kindnesseven though it came at their own expense insome way; this does not apply if the act was car-ried out specifically so as to benefit from thiscontract.

The Faerie Godmothers blessing, the Djinni in the Lamp

faerie tales and myths are rife with examples of people

being granted wishes. With this contract, a truly powerfulLost can indeed grant a wish, for a price.

Cost: 6 Glamour + 2 WillpowerDice Pool: Empathy + Wyrd

Action: Extended (5 x Number of Merit Dots moved suc-cesses necessary; each roll represents 10 minutes of prepara-tory incantation).

Catch: The target only offers up a sacrifice, not caring whatthey receive in return.

Dramatic Failure: The Wyrd balks at being so ordered, in-flicting a flaw upon both the target and the caster that lastsfor one month. The flaws are thematically appropriate to therequested merit, so someone wishing for Status or Fame willend up with the Notoriety Flaw, for instance.

Failure: The Wyrd does not agree to the exchange.Success: This powerful Goblin Contract allows the caster

to grant a targets wish. The wish may be for anything at all,

though it is usually represented by dots in a merit; it may bebeauty (Striking Looks merit), money (Resources), love(Friend), power (Status), fame (Fame), health (Iron Stamina,

Natural Immunity), wisdom (Common Sense), intellect (En-cyclopedic Knowledge), skill-at-arms (Fighting Styles) and soforth. No individual merit can exceed 5, though the targetcan gain more than one merit from separate castings of thespell.

The target makes the wish and changeling carries out theirspell (singing a little ditty or invoking spirits, however theygo about it), and over the course of the next (Merit Dots)

weeks, the Wyrd arranges matters so that the target gainswhat he desires, ideally through coincidental means (a sud-den inheritance), though the Wyrd can be less subtle if it hasto be.

The drawback, is that over the same period of time, some

manner of disaster will befall the wisher, destroying some-thing they valued as it grants their wish. Mechanically, thetarget loses dots in a merit, equal to the dots he had gained+1 (due to the entropy inherent in manipulating fate in sucha way). Thus, if a target previously had Striking Looks 4, andgained Resources 3, then a sudden accident will occur to robthem of their looks. Some wish-givers tell the wisher aboutthis drawbackmost dont bother to.

If there is no single suitable merit, then the Wyrd will takemore. The Wyrd must take away a higher XP value of meritsthan it grants. If it cannot do so, it inflicts negative merits(similar to the Poisoning the Boon sanction), rendering atarget impoverished or hideous or worse, and often inflictinga Flaw (such as Notoriety or Crippled) in addition.

The wish-giver can determine what merits the Wyrd takesin exchange (though they have no supernatural way of know-ing what merits the target has), but they dont have to.

Exceptional Success: The exchange proceeds over thecourse of the next (Merit Dots) days instead of weeks.

Wyrd Binding (Expanded Goblin Vow System)

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