The Port Bowen game uses the Augmented NWoD ruleset in full. In addition to those rules, some additional setting-specific changes are spelled out below.
GM’s note: All finalized rulings are intended to be immutable, but I reserve the right to change them anyway if they’re causing problems.
When using this goblin contract to look into the past, an exceptional success allows the changeling’s will to guide the magic toward a relevant point in time.
Example: Birdie is viewing the past of a house where someone was murdered the night before. If she rolls a normal success, she must pick the time of day that begins her few rounds of vision. If she rolls an exceptional success, she can start her vision “when the killer arrived” and the contract will oblige.
The body parts of a dead fetch are useful in a variety of ways. The more common ones are summarized below.
If left in the hedge, fetch parts are especially likely to turn into tokens on their own. They can also be incorporated into larger, crafted tokens in order to make them easier to create. When a fetch part is integrated into a token, the target successes to complete the work are reduced by 2 for each dot of the final token.
Most individual pieces of a fetch’s body can be used on their own for some small benefit. The parts usually need to be used while fresh, but can often be preserved in some way.
Swallowing one of a fetch’s eyes completely refills the changeling’s glamour pool. Eyes can be preserved in strong alcohol for up to one year.
Holding a fetch’s tongue while entering the dreams of a mortal halves the number of successes that are required. It has no effect if the changleing uses Contracts of Dream to enter. Unlike most other fetch parts, the tongue does not need to be fresh or preserved, and will typically revert to a mundane form before use.
Cutting off and keeping the toes allows the use of that fetch’s echoes. A toe must be held in the palm to use an echo, and then that toe crumbles to dust. These also do not need to be fresh or preserved.
Boiling a fetch’s ear creates a strong, bitter tea that, when drunk, reveals the direst secret the fetch ever heard. The other ear reveals the same secret. Ears must be submerged in thick oil for a day before they can be used, and last up to one year if left in the oil.
Eating the whole heart grants a changeling the use of that fetch’s greatest mundane power until the next sunrise or sunset. The power granted is usually the dots in a highly-trained skill, but is sometimes a merit. If more than one power could be chosen, the heart grants the one that the fetch was most renowned for using. The heart can be preserved in strong alcohol for up to one year.
The internal organs of a fetch – its brain, lungs, liver, etc. – give a particularly potent benefit. Eating an organ allows a changeling to purchase the attribute corresponding with that organ for XP equal to 3 times new dots instead of 5 times new dots. This only works if the fetch originally had 4 or more dots in that attribute. Organs can be preserved in strong alcohol for up to one year.
The metallurgy technique is one way of putting yourself literally into your work. It’s limited to metal objects and lets the creator permanently sacrifice something of themselves to imbue the object with some beneficial effect. The technique can only be applied during the creation of a hedgespun object. Using it does not add dots to the hedgespun itself.
| Power | Effect | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hardened | +1 durability | 1 glamour* |
| Lesser Attunement | +1 to skill roll | 1 dot of glamour |
| Medial Attunement | 9-again | 2 dots of glamour |
| Greater Attunement | 8-again | 3 dots of glamour |
*: Glamour spent on these effects is not permanently lost and may be regained normally without affecting the item.
Once the craftsman understands the technique, applying it is a matter of rolling Wyrd + Craft, spending glamour equal to the object’s size, and making the necessary sacrifice. This can be done at the end of the normal hedgespun crafting rolls. The abilities above are not actually limited to metal objects, nor are the sacrifices limited to glamour.
When the sacrifice is a dot of anything, that dot is permanently invested in the item. To remain functional, it must have that dot stay inside. The dot can be reclaimed at any time by its maker, but this instantly removes the imbued effect. Something similar happens when the maker dies, as her power is no longer available to sustain the object’s magic.
Another path is available to fae who wish to reclaim the spent bits of themselves without destroying the items they have made. The creator can always spend XP to purchase back the sacrificed stat and turn over the object to the Wyrd, making it a token. The nature of the tokens created this way is never predictable.
| Dot to Regain | XP |
|---|---|
| Glamour | 6 |
| Merit | 4 |
| Skill | 3 |
| Willpower | 8 |
| Wyrd | 8 |
| Health | 8 |
To someone introspective, this metallurgy technique implies the existence of a whole host of similar crafting methods.
Normally, hedge doors can only be opened with the expenditure of Glamour. Some changelings are able to open them without this cost, by carefully directing the power of one or more Contracts which they know.
Who can achieve this feat? Demifae are certainly able, as is Ted. Few others know to try such an unorthodox method, or are leery of the alternate price. There is always a price.
Changelings under Wyrd 3 cannot even attempt this method. Their connection to faerie magic is too weak. Those with Wyrd 3 can channel a single contract, growing to two simultaneously at Wyrd 6 and three at Wyrd 9. Different combinations open doors to different places.
To open such a door, the changeling rolls their dots in the contract plus an attribute. Which attribute used varies based on their approach. On an exceptional success, they are successful and a door opens. Their Resolve + Composure is also rolled, and compared against their successes. They can spend a Willpower to prevent Glamour from spilling into the door and spoiling the attempt.
Since the world of Port Bowen does not have ghosts, the clauses which apply to the dead have been reworked to be useful on other things.
These contracts appear in full in Lords of Summer page 79.
The changeling learns how to speak with the tongue of Thorns – to hear and be heard by the Wyrd-warped creatures of the Hedge.
This clause replaces Barrow-Whisper and is very similar, except that it allows the changeling to speak with hedge beasts and hobgoblins instead of ghosts. It is otherwise identical to the original clause.
This clause replaces Smith’s Wisdom
This clause helps Autumn uphold its place as the court of magic. By using it, a changeling may discover the inner workings of a pledge, whether it has been in place for years or is being crafted that very moment. Every element of a pledge can be revealed by canny or powerful courtiers, from type to boon to task. Such knowledge makes it easy to marionette those bound to the target pledge, enticing or punishing them as needed.
The clause is also useful during hostile pledge negotiations. Calling on the lore and mysteries of the court, the changeling has an easier time avoiding his rival’s nefarious clauses, and inserting his own.
To activate the contract, the changeling must know that the pledge exists and the general purpose of that pledge, and must be able to clearly perceive one person bound to it. If he is involved in the pledge, the cost is reduced to 1 Glamour.
Prerequisites: Mantle (Autumn) •• or Court Goodwill (Autumn) •••
Cost: 3 Glamour (or 1 Glamour)
Dice Pool: Int + Occult + Mantle vs. Resolve + Wyrd
Action: Instant
Catch: You are helping someone who is trying to uphold the intent of their bargain.
Effect
Dramatic Failure: The changeling gains incorrect information.
Failure: No information is gained.
Success: Each success gained grants the changeling information about the pledge as it relates to the person he is perceiving. The contract’s magic uses the wording which best conveys the intent of each component, but does not guarantee understanding. Higher successes also yield everything that could be gotten with fewer successes.
| Successes | Knowledge Gained |
|---|---|
| 1 | Type (Vow, Corporal (Nemesis Emblem), True Name Unsullied, etc.) |
| 2 | Duration and time remaining in years, months, and days. Further accuracy is not possible. |
| 3 | Boons |
| 4 | Sanctions. Pishogue sanctions also reveal the contract involved, but not the number of successes stored. |
When the pledge in question is still being created, bonus dice are awarded instead of information. The changeling gains bonus dice equal to half the successes rolled (round up) on any opposed tests involving the creation of the pledge. Squabbles over wording are easier for him to win, and subtle trapped clauses are easier to insert.
Exceptional Success: The subject’s Tasks become known to the changeling. Like the other components, this clause uses the wording which best conveys the intent of each task, but does not guarantee understanding.
When the pledge is still being created, treat as a Success, but add two extra bonus dice.
The roll for this clause is now Resolve + Occult + Mantle. It is otherwise unchanged.
Wyrd-Linked contracts are bound to the essence of the character’s connection to the magic of Arcadia. Five characters so far have gained the affections of a contract patron: Birdie with Separation, Prymja with Oath and Punishment, and Katie with Den (Goban gained the patronage of Animation and Eric gained Omen, but they are now NPCs). The contracts granted from these patrons are very similar to their normal incarnations, but are Wyrd-Linked.
As the character adds dots in Wyrd, they automatically gain access to clauses of their wyrd-linked contract. A clause is gained at every odd-numbered dot of Wyrd:
| Wyrd | Clause |
|---|---|
| • | First |
| ••• | Second |
| ••••• | Third |
| ••••••• (7) | Fourth |
| ••••••••• (9) | Fifth |
Very few changelings ever attain a Wyrd of 7 or 9, however, so there is another way to learn the clauses of a Wyrd-Linked contract. By performing some service to the contract’s patron, the character can buy the next clause of the contract for 4xp times new dots, just like an affinity contract. XP spent in this way is banked toward the purchase of the dot of Wyrd which would normally grant that clause of the contract.
Example: Prymja has Wyrd 3. His dots in Wyrd grant him clauses 1 and 2 of Oath and Punishment. He decides to buy the third clause before gaining Wyrd 5. After some meditation, he discerns that he must bring payback to a two-timing autumn noble. After doing so, he can spend 12xp to buy the third clause. Later in the game, he wants to buy Wyrd 4. This proceeds as normal. Much later on, he wants to by Wyrd 5. He can use the 12xp he spent on Oath and Punishment 3 to reduce the cost of Wyrd 5 from 40xp to 28xp.
The special bond each character shares with their wyrd-linked contract alters the way each clause works. The changes are specific to each clause, and range from bonus dice on the activation roll to a different aesthetic for the clause’s effect. The details are impossible to know until that clause is used. Known changes are as follows:
Also called the Patchwork, the collective subconscious is a patchwork of waking and sleeping dreams. It’s made from all the things people think of in the back of their minds, but are not aware of thinking about. All lucid dreamers can access the collective subconscious by opening a door in their sleeping dreams. The door is not obvious and takes some effort to find the first time, but once you know it’s there, entering the collective subconscious is very easy. Changelings can also enter the collective subconscious through deep meditation when they’re awake.
One handy trick for finding that opening is to attempt to enter the hedge through one’s own dreams. Obviously, this only works for changelings.
Every sort of dream is present in the collective subconscious, mixing together and ever-changing. Dreams usually appear near one another when they contain similar themes, though near has many meanings and is not always intuitive. Proximity is just as malleable as the dreams themselves, so it cannot be relied on to stay the same from moment to moment.
The collective subconscious is a massive place. Finding a particular “place” within it can be done with a simple Intelligence + Occult check. Following the thread that check reveals is sometimes quick, and sometimes slow as molasses.
Finding an individual person is the same as finding their dream: in the collective subconscious, the person and dream are synonymous. Locating such a fine detail amidst the sea of chaos is nigh impossible, though. The character makes an extended Intelligence + Occult check requiring 20 successes with an interval of one hour. Only 7 rolls can safely be attempted.
The drug is extracted from a hedge plant similar to the Borrachio tree. Once extracted, it forms a powder that dissolves readily in water and alcohol, with no discernible taste or odor. The drug can be administered effectively through ingestion or inhalation, though care must be taken by the administrator using the latter method to avoid inhaling the drug themselves.
It is extracted from the tree’s sap with a mild acid solution, like vinegar.
Called Benny B on the street.
Victims become pliant and easy to mislead, and experience intense hallucinations. Formation of long-term memories is suppressed and the victim will often be very confused. They may act out as their inhibitions are lowered, and they can easily be convinced to do things that would normally be impossible to consider: handing over their wallet, unlocking their belongings, performing sex acts, etc. The hallucinations make the drug useless for interrogation.
Changeling observers note that the drug glitters brightly once used, and that administering it often makes unique sounds like a loud kiss or comedic gust of wind. Glamour taken from people who are under the drug’s effects strongly echoes the emotions they felt at the time, and mildly distorts any contracts when it’s used to power them.
Changelings who take the drug remain in control of themselves, though their thoughts become fuzzy. It feels like a dose of alcohol laced with a mild hallucinogen. Instead of being easily led, changelings suffer a -2 to all rolls which does not worsen with multiple doses.
In-use dosages are not known. In theory, a 2mg dose (ingested) or 4mg dose (inhaled) would create the symptoms observed so far. High doses are very probably lethal, though the LD50 is not known.
The drug lowers the victim’s inhibitions, resulting in a +1 modifier to most social skill checks. They lose 10-again on any tests to fight the social manipulations of others.
Onset: 1-10 minutes (ingestion); 30 seconds (inhalation)
Resistance: Resolve + Composure - 1
Action: Reflexive
Duration: 1-3 hours
Effect:
Dramatic Failure: The effect lasts for an additional hour.
Failure: You succumb.
Success: You fight off the drug’s effects and remain in control of yourself. You can feel it, though, like a fluffy pink blanket of raw fiberglass.
Exceptional Success: You fight it off completely. The next roll to resist its effects is made at a +2.
| Modifier | Situation |
|---|---|
| -2 | Each dose received after the first in a scene |
| +1 | Each dot of Toxin Resistance |
Check against addiction every time the drug’s effects are felt.
Modifier: +2
Base Indulgence: 1/week
The drug was first created by a loyalist group of kidnappers to help them in their trade. They use it in much the same way that human gangs in Mexico and South America use indigenous drugs. It has pleasurable effects in low doses, so naturally one of the loyalists started experimenting with it at clubs.
This special armor is grown onto its wearer by using Yesterday’s Birth (Eternal Spring 4) on a particular variety of stingseed plant. On an exceptional success, the plant grows riotously over everything nearby, including creatures who stand still. All must roll their Wyrd. Even a single success forms a rudimentary connection to the plant which allows the wearer to direct its growth into a suit of armor. Failure means the plant grows over the person as it likes. Anyone who is unable to control or escape the plant becomes its food.
Once fully grown as armor, the wearer can walk around and act as normal. The armor responds to their intentions within its limits: opening and closing its broad leaves, opening or sealing pockets and packs, etc. When its leaves are open, the plant provides no armor bonus, but also does not impede the character’s Defense or Speed. The outstretched leaves grant a +1 bonus on attempts to hide in leafy areas and have a chance of cutting things they touch.
When closed, the plant’s leaves interlock and form a sheer coating of green armor. The plant has an armor rating equal to the wearer’s Wyrd against all incoming attacks. The leaves bend and shift to a small degree, but still penalize the wearer’s Defense by -5 and Speed by -3. This counts as worn armor.
The plant armor has no minimum strength requirement: it distributes its own weight across the entire body of the wearer. However, it does need to feed. The plant thrives on spilled blood and greedily absorbs any that touches it. If it goes long enough without exposure to blood, it will drill roots into its host and begin to drink theirs. This is a surprisingly painless process and can go unnoticed. The plant will deal one point of bashing damage every day and prevent natural healing until the roots are removed or it has been fed. If left to drink for longer than a week, the blood loss imposes a -1 penalty on all rolls made by the wearer.
The elements that respond to Contracts of Elements and Communion come from various schools of thought, and some are easier to touch than others.
Fire is one of the most widely recognized elements. It features in many magical traditions and is very easy to contact.
Fire is also one of the most impressive elements to use with Contracts of Elements. As such, it’s important to carefully consider who is watching before activating any of those clauses. Because of Fire’s ephemeral nature, Contracts of Communion with fire are less useful for gathering information on a routine basis. They are very helpful for changelings who wish to find and investigate fires in progress, however, and can be invaluable for first responders.
Earth is another widely recognized element and is similarly easy to contact.
Contracts of Elements with Earth are not especially showy and their catches can be satisfied very easily. The third clause is surprisingly helpful for farming and gardening, even in the hedge. Contracts of Communion with Earth are most useful outside of dense, urban areas where the ground is exposed to the world. The first clause is especially useful for finding hidden underground areas.
Water is also widely recognized and easy to contact.
Contracts of Elements with Water are a bit easier to get away with around humans than some other elements. Contracts of Communion with Water are typically able to provide some useful information in any situation, since faucets and sinks often leak.
Air is relatively unique to the Western alchemical traditions and is not a universal element. It is easy to contact in changelings from the western world, but harder in places like India and China. Despite this, it is fairly easy to understand as an elemental force and so instruction is usually not required.
Contracts of Elements with Air are perhaps the most subtle of all elements. Air is also extremely common, so the catches are often easy to satisfy. Contracts of Communion with Air are especially good for finding creatures and objects, but they require finesse to use given the malleability of air.
Wood is a uniquely Eastern element. It is easy to contact in changelings with shinto backgrounds, but many others have a hard time understanding how it could even be an element. Instruction or long hours of meditation are usually required to reach this element when one is unfamiliar with it.
Contracts of Elements with Wood are most useful in rural and suburban areas, since modern cities rely more on concrete and metal for their buildings. Cities also rarely have enough trees to get much use. Contracts of Communion with Wood often reveals useful information from household furniture and buildings.
Like Wood, Metal is unique to the Eastern traditions. Those unfamiliar with it also typically need instruction or long practice to make contact with it.
Electricity is a relatively new element to many ways of thinking. Some regard it as a derivative of Fire, but most changelings recognize it as an element in its own right. Since it can be the focus of elemental contracts, this latter group appears to be correct. Despite being from no background, it is easy to contact.
There is much speculation about why it is so easy to forge contracts with Electricity. Some believe that it’s because it is so central to modern living. Others claim that the phenomenon is unique, and therefore easily recognized as an elemental force. Still others think that Electricity itself is eager to make bargains, perhaps because of its nature.
Ice (sometimes also called Cold) is a non-traditional element and does not feature in most systems of thought. It is typically regarded as a derivative of Water, or as entirely the purview of Winter Court. It can, however, be contacted as an element. In deference to Winter Court, it seems, contracts with Ice are easier to establish if the supplicant knows at least the first clause of Contracts of Eternal Winter.
Glass is another unorthodox element that is not widely recognized. It is conceptually closest to the Eastern elements of Wood and Metal, though it does not feature in that tradition, and can be described as arising from a combination of Earth and Fire. Acquiring contracts with Glass often means making contact with Wood or Metal first, or dedicating significant time to understand the connections between the Eastern elements.
Smoke is rarely recognized as an element, even by changelings. It is extremely hard to contact unless the supplicant knows at least the first clause of Contracts of Smoke. Even then, Smoke as an element is difficult to use. The second clause of Contracts of Elements is especially weak for Smoke, dealing only 1B on contact instead of 1L. With this in mind, the few changelings who acknowledge Smoke as an element generally think it is not worth the trouble.
Smoke can be thought of as a combination of Fire, Earth and Air.