Death Quaker's Revised Kinain Merits

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Revised Kinain Merits

The World of Darkness sourcebooks are very inconsistent, not to mention vague, about explaining what the four-point "Kinain" merit should mean beyond the fact that you're related to the fae. Some of the books say Kinain characters have Glamour and can cast cantrips, while other books say that kinain are merely more likeable by the fae–and more Enchantable. The WoD developers declared specifically that Mages cannot have a Glamour pool or use cantrips–but they can take the Kinain merit, which in some books states that they could do these things. In order to balance things out, I revised/clarified the 4 point merit and created a 7 point merit for players who want to try and have it all. I used the 4 point Kinfolk merit (for people related to the Changing Breeds) as a balancing point for the 4 point Kinain–since the merits cost the same amount of points, they should be about equal in power.

Note I have made no changes to the rules for Kinain characters as laid out in The Enchanted. If you are playing a "just kinain" character, use those rules. The revisions apply to other supernatural creatures who are taking the Kinain Merit, such as mages, hedge mages, shapeshifters, and so forth; I will be referring to terms used in The Enchanted, however. For simplicity's sake, mistresss@deathquaker.org">ask me if I say something you don't understand.

The Four Point Kinain Merit
You have have a distant fae ancestor and therefore some innate Glamour that allows you to be recognized by fae (or other Kinain) with enough Kenning skill. You can also be Enchanted more easily, according to the rules in the Changeling: The Dreaming sourcebook. This Glamour is spread very thin, however; you are not strongly bound into the Dreaming, and you do not have enough fae energy to concentrate into actually manipulating it. You therefore do not and cannot have a Glamour pool, nor are you capable of casting cantrips. You may have enough to give you a single one or two point Fae Gift (listed in The Enchanted), bought with extra freebie points.

Seven Point Kinain Merit
Your fae ancestry is a little less distant, and Glamour pumps through your veins a little more strongly than your less potent cousins described above. You have a single point of Glamour and a single point in the background: Fae Blood. This makes you capable of casting cantrips if you can find a Changeling to teach them to you; this costs the same experience point cost as it does for Changelings, plus one additional point per level (one additional for one pip, two additional for two pips, etc). You may buy an extra point of Glamour and Fae blood for an additional three freebie points; your Glamour cannot exceed the expectations outlined in The Enchanted. You may also buy Fae Gifts with extra freebie points. Mages may NOT buy this Merit, because having a Glamour pool indicates the magical energy of your being will bind your Avatar partly to the Dreaming, and it cannot Awaken (more than it already is). (This rule about Glamour is an official declaration from the Mage developer.)

Why all this extra spending? Note again: this is for players who are playing something that is primarily a DIFFERENT kind of supernatural already, such as a Mage, Vampire, or Shapeshifter. For game balance, if nothing else, you shouldn't be able to get all the extra benefits of being kinain so easily (e.g. a Glamour pool, etc.), and especially not for a merit that is a mere four points.