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As a corollary to the planar overlap of Chiaroscuro, some beings have a singular planar nature while others are diverse. Those with a single nature always have the same appearance and abilities no matter where they are, while the diverse—which I'm thinking of calling "changelings" as a category—vary (consistently for each kind) in appearance and possibly abilities depending on which plane they're in.
For example, elves are originally from the Feywild. An elf is an elf, whether in the Feywild, the prime world, or the Shadowfell. Dark ones (dark creepers and dark stalkers, originally from the Fiend Folio, and creatures I've always found intriguing) are from the Shadowfell, and are always recognizable as such. I had the idea that beings from the Feywild and the Shadowfell have a telltale sign marking their nature when on other planes, like Feywild natives always have a kind of glimmering about them while Shadowfell natives have animated shadows, or something like that.
Changelings, however, may not even be recognizably the same being on different planes. For example, a medusa from the Shadowfell might be a basilisk in the Feywild, and a hydra in the prime world. As I've considered replacing halflings with ratmen, I might instead say that halflings appear as such in the prime world, but as ratmen in the Shadowfell, and as something else (satyrs?) in the Feywild. (Tony suggested that changelings might not simply look different in different planes, but might actually be different life-stages: the basilisk of the Feywild is the larval form, the hydra of the prime world is the pupa, and the medusa is the adult, perhaps.)
This is more for color than anything, I think, but it could have some effect if for example the players are told to expect a medusa in a certain dungeon, only to discover they're facing a basilisk instead. And of course if I make halflings be also changelings, then players who choose to have halfling characters would find themselves changing in different dungeons, though in that case I would say their abilities remain the same.
Obviously I'd have to have tags for fey, shadow (or maybe "shadowen", borrowing the term from one of the Shannara series), and changeling. I'd also want those descriptors to have some meaning when creating dungeons.
(Putting "Chiaroscuro" in the title for this post, as it's an overall setting concept, not just a Setak/Seattle concept. I'll probably have to start using those tags on the posts.)
For example, elves are originally from the Feywild. An elf is an elf, whether in the Feywild, the prime world, or the Shadowfell. Dark ones (dark creepers and dark stalkers, originally from the Fiend Folio, and creatures I've always found intriguing) are from the Shadowfell, and are always recognizable as such. I had the idea that beings from the Feywild and the Shadowfell have a telltale sign marking their nature when on other planes, like Feywild natives always have a kind of glimmering about them while Shadowfell natives have animated shadows, or something like that.
Changelings, however, may not even be recognizably the same being on different planes. For example, a medusa from the Shadowfell might be a basilisk in the Feywild, and a hydra in the prime world. As I've considered replacing halflings with ratmen, I might instead say that halflings appear as such in the prime world, but as ratmen in the Shadowfell, and as something else (satyrs?) in the Feywild. (Tony suggested that changelings might not simply look different in different planes, but might actually be different life-stages: the basilisk of the Feywild is the larval form, the hydra of the prime world is the pupa, and the medusa is the adult, perhaps.)
This is more for color than anything, I think, but it could have some effect if for example the players are told to expect a medusa in a certain dungeon, only to discover they're facing a basilisk instead. And of course if I make halflings be also changelings, then players who choose to have halfling characters would find themselves changing in different dungeons, though in that case I would say their abilities remain the same.
Obviously I'd have to have tags for fey, shadow (or maybe "shadowen", borrowing the term from one of the Shannara series), and changeling. I'd also want those descriptors to have some meaning when creating dungeons.
(Putting "Chiaroscuro" in the title for this post, as it's an overall setting concept, not just a Setak/Seattle concept. I'll probably have to start using those tags on the posts.)
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