Tokens

Tokens

These are where the real magic happens. If you want something you can tick off boxes on and always come up with a relatively similar answer, don't look to Tokens. These are the strange, the bizarre and, in the inevitable way of all things Fae, often the more dangerous option for your magical item needs.

They are also far, far more powerful and more flexible than Hedgespun tokens can, or ever will be.

Crafters, for our rules on hand-making those Tokens of yours, please go to the Token-Making wiki page.

Anatomy of a Token

Every Token has the following characteristics:

• Activation Type: does using this require any actions beyond feeding it power?
• Mask/Mien: what does the token look like in the Hedge/mortal world?
• Action: what does this thing DO?
• Drawback: what's the cost of using it?
• Catch: I'm not a changeling. What do I have to do to use this thing if I don't have Wyrd or Glamour?

Identifying a Token

If you haven't been told that something is a token, you can certainly check to see if you can sniff its magic out.

Roll Wits + Wyrd while in contact with the item.

NOTE: this only tells you that the item is a token. It does NOT tell you what it does/its catch/its drawback.

Dot Levels vs. Rarity

Per Changeling theme, tokens are relatively commonplace. Most changelings have at least one, if not more minor tokens at any given time. They are a form of currency both among the Lost themselves and the hobgoblins they trade with.

Some rough guidelines are found in the Changeling: the Lost corebook, summarized below with page references. The tokens listed on those pages should give you some good examples of what basic tokens at those levels would be like. You are welcome to use those tokens, tweak those tokens or come up with completely original ideas; staff encourages creativity!

1-dot Tokens:	Minor, low-power item whose benefit is either very meager or usable only in specialized situations. They are common bartering items among the changelings of a freehold. (CtL pp.202-4)
2-dot Tokens:	More versatile items which offer even stronger benefits in specialized situations. These are usually not given out as parts of easy pledges, but they may be common currency among changelings of the Courts or within certain entitlements. (CtL pp.204-5)
3-dot Tokens:	These potent tokens tend to offer benefits above and beyond what a changeling can achieve with her own abilities. Such items aren't taken or given carelessly. They are often the lynchpin of powerful pledges. (CtL pp.205-6)
4-dot Tokens:	These possess widely applicable, relatively potent powers. These are not given out or acquired with any frequency. Noteworthy service to the Court over a long period of time may earn a changeling a token of this power. (CtL pp.206-8)
5-dot Tokens:	These tokens are practically mythical, and usually only belong to kings, heroes and other potent figures of a freehold. They are highly prized. (CtL pp.208-9)

Our rules for Token-Making are designed to encourage these attitudes. While the process is relatively effortless for the True Fae, changelings are not True Fae, and it takes work. A lot of work.

Appearance

Tokens, when brought into this world from the Hedge or from Faerie, appear mundane, almost purposefully uninteresting — metal has no shine to it, wood seems dinged or splintered, paper or parchment frays at the edges.

This only changes when the token has been activated.

When active, tokens reveal a measure of their magic. The item may appear as it did in the Hedge/Arcadia, or it may reveal new glimpses of odd magic. Be creative. It's rarely an extreme shift and can involve senses other than sight. It is also often a dark shift, depending on the magic involved in the token.

Example: Ryan has a 1-dot token which cleans and repairs an article of mundane clothing when he rubs it on the cloth in three clockwise circles while activating it. Normally, the token looks like a regular river pebble in the mortal world, but when its magic is in use, it glistens as if wet, and the air around it smells like harsh lye soap.

Activation

Every token requires activation.