Contract of Iron

Cleverest of Things:

And why on earth would the Contract of Iron turn someone INTO a Changeling, when Iron is the death of things fae?

I was just using that to highlight the power of this clause.  What you're talking about isn't just severing or disrupting a Changeling's connection to the Wyrd (which I agree would be appropriate for a Contract of Iron), but rather changing the character's fundamental nature.  A person with the head of a fox and three fox tails is still going to have the head of a fox and three fox tails even if you remove every trace of magical ability.

I mean, this is your chronicle and you can do what you want of course, but I wouldn't introduce a power into my campaign that would temporarily turn a Changeling into a mortal any more than I would introduce a power into my campaign that would temporarily turn a mortal into a Promethean.  Temporarily disrupt the connection to a being's source of power, sure.  But a Changeling is no more a mortal than a mortal is an animated collection of mismatched body parts, even if the Mask makes him appear so.

mb_webguy:

I mean, this is your chronicle and you can do what you want of course, but I wouldn't introduce a power into my campaign that would temporarily turn a Changeling into a mortal any more than I would introduce a power into my campaign that would temporarily turn a mortal into a Promethean.  Temporarily disrupt the connection to a being's source of power, sure.  But a Changeling is no more a mortal than a mortal is an animated collection of mismatched body parts, even if the Mask makes him appear so.

As a point of reference, I've heard that a group of Hunters has the ability to permanently change a Mage into a Human by some kind of lobotomy.  While "Curing" supernaturals seems more in line with the Hunter theme, I think that the trauma of forced change (Even if it is a temporary change to their original form) is very appropriate for Changeling.  And considering the brief duration, and only cosmetically different (If you lost your Wyrd, you'd be human, and lose Contracts, Kith, and Seeming anyway) from making a Changeling unable to access any of his abilities, Contracts, etc.. it's really not that bad.  What ELSE would a Contract of Anti-faeness and faerie-killing hate produce?  Just ending the use of glamour isn't enough--any Fetch that choses that power can do it, and do it to an entire area.  For a five dot clause to reduce a Changeling to human stats for a few turns?  Well, that plain seems UNDERpowered.  Why is it that the loss of the colour and flavour makes it suddenly OVERpowered?

Cleverest of Things:

And why on earth would the Contract of Iron turn someone INTO a Changeling, when Iron is the death of things fae?

Because Faerie has no rules? :D

Seems about as likely as a Contract of Iron.

You could always call it "The Uncontract", and have it represent less of a magical ability and more the nullification and absorbtion/grounding of such energies.  It could be a merit, even, representing a aura or destiny so unchanging and unmagical that it can be used to mux up Wyrd magics and the like.

Which I think brings up something else, it's always possible that it's actually a different contract that someone is just calling the Contract of Iron.

Any Contract of Iron is pretty much guaranteed to be an easy "Not what it Seems".

In regards to the turning a changeling into a mortal thing. There is the other option of.. it strips the Changeling of their Wyrd. They can hold no Glamour, all the pledges not bound to a different token are gone, they count as a mortal for trying to persuade tokens to work, etc, etc. Part of me would be tempted to permit the use of contracts.. but *only* when the catch applies. But perhaps not. Up to the STs view. And.. the Mask falls away from you. You are cut off from the Wyrd, and it's protection.

 But as mb_webguy said. Your mein is the physical reality of yourself. So you are stuck looking some level of inhuman, without most of your special abilties. Many of your allies no longer have the threat of sanction for denying you aid. Hell, you might not even count as a member of the freehold (which may be relevant depending on the freehold pledge). Depending on the duration, your enemy might not even need to keep fighting. Just let you run and get hunted down like the freak you are.

ArqArturo:

But, if one were to find the True Fae that tried to bargain with iron, could a changeling reforge the Contract of Iron?.

wasn't there a true fae like that in rhe changeling night horrors book? The dragon...

Been wondering about the possible Contract of Iron, specifically, using it to temporarily turn a changeling back into a mortal... Imagine, if you would, a Fireheart elemental calling upon the contract "Armor of Elements' Fury", only to be turned into a non-magical human while covered head to toe in raging flames. A Tunnelgrub, while slithering through a small opening, suddenly finds himself stuck, and if the hole is going through is tight enough, perhaps even being crushed. A Windwing is gliding though the sky, as suddenly, they lose their wings, and plumet to the concrete below. A Waterdweller, deep below the water's surface, tries to breath with his gills.... only to inhale water into their lungs.

This does bring a question to mind though... how would you guys judge when a changeling uses a way to shapeshift, such as a Mirrorskin, Contracts of Mirror, or "Cloak of the Bear's Massive Form." Would they turn into what their mask normally portrays, or would they be stuck in that new form?