Umbral Domains: Changeling Ambient Glamour

The Kithain methods for acquiring Glamour are a staple of the traditional Changeling game, but they're one of those things that have always bugged me just a little.

But I see traditional fae as beings in general not necessarily so much associated with the creative impulse in humans, but more generally with the mysterious, wondrous, creepy, and more heightened and unusual emotional states in general. There are some that might be more human-oriented (ie. the Greek Muses, though whether they're goddesses or Fae may be debatable). But in my mind having characters hanging out in weird or intense spots and sucking up the surrounding primal energy seems more appropriate than having them stalking individual humans and needling them to do something constructive.

For my money the Inanime and Nunnehi Harvesting come closest to typical Glamour gathering as I see it. This alternate system for gathering Glamour is loosely based on these methods:

Ambient Glamour Gathering

While Fae may gain Glamour directly from musing and Dreamers, there are less obtrusive ways of seeking it out as well.

Harmony

Changelings who find a place which resonates with their Realm Affinity can use the ambiance of the location to strengthen the conceptual underpinnings of their fae nature. Simply by hanging out in an area for a couple hours the character is able to tap into the Glamour of the place and siphon off a bit for his or her personal use. The character rolls Wits + Ability to determine how much Glamour was gained. The Ability used may vary, but should relate to an activity the character is undertaking which is in some way fitting for both the location and the character. These actions are effectively cultivating the ambiance or mystique of the place and harvesting any bounty the area produces.

The difficulty of the roll is determined by the average Banality of all characters in the area as follows:

Difficulty - Location

Banality+0 - Pristine, famous, or archetypal representation of Realm.

Banality+1 - Surrounded by Realm

Banality+3 - Realm present but in some partial or watered down way.

Banality+4 - Realm not present, or not particularly noticable.

After gathering Glamour from a given area the character can try to estimate how soon they will be able to make a repeat attempt in the same area. This is done by making a Perception + Kenning roll (difficulty 6) with the results determined as follows:

Successes_Time

1_________A year

2_________A season

3_________A month

4_________A week

5_________An day

Nothing prevents other Fae from using a similar method to draw Glamour from the area during this period of time.

Cacophony

Thanks to the universal tendency toward entropy, Glamour can be more easily snatched from an area than cultivated within it's confines. To attempt this process a Fae character simply defiles the area or spoils the vibe in some dramatic way. This could include a wide range of activities varying from spreading a nasty rumor at the office, shooting someone at a crowded nightclub, spray painting smiley faces on a haunted house, or salting the soil of a public garden.

Characters who incite Cacophony roll a dice pool equal to their Banality rating (difficulty 6) to determine how much Glamour they gain. Botching this roll gains them a point of permanent Banality instead.

Cacophony ruins the area for other forms of location based Glamour gathering for a period of one day per point of Glamour taken. This period can be indefinitely extended if the region remains ruined in some blatant physical way.

--69.43.106.20 20:53, 12 December 2007 (PST)