# Changeling minor shape change ability



## sniffles (Apr 18, 2007)

A friend of mine is playing a changeling in an Eberron campaign. According to the way he's interpreting the description of the minor shape change ability, his changeling can't assume the appearance of a Small humanoid such as a halfling. He finds this very frustrating. 

The minor shape change ability states that it functions "as though using the _disguise self _ spell". The spell description states that you can increase or reduce your height by one foot. This would seem to preclude a Medium-size humanoid from shape changing into a Small humanoid. 

Is my friend interpreting this correctly? He says he's seen some examples of changelings that are described as assuming halfling guise, but I can't find any examples like that in the books.


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## lukelightning (Apr 18, 2007)

A changeling can't disguise themselves as a halfling. Ok, they can, but as a four-foot-eight halfling.

Races of Eberron has an example of a changeling taking the form of a gnome, but that was flavor text, not rules, and is seen as a mistake. There _is_ a PrC in that book that eventually gives a changeling the shapechanging abilities of a doppelganger, which does allow for the changeling to become a small creature; that has been used to explain the gnome changeling.


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## sniffles (Apr 19, 2007)

lukelightning said:
			
		

> A changeling can't disguise themselves as a halfling. Ok, they can, but as a four-foot-eight halfling.
> 
> Races of Eberron has an example of a changeling taking the form of a gnome, but that was flavor text, not rules, and is seen as a mistake. There _is_ a PrC in that book that eventually gives a changeling the shapechanging abilities of a doppelganger, which does allow for the changeling to become a small creature; that has been used to explain the gnome changeling.




This confirms what we were assuming. I just wondered if anyone else had a different take on it, or knew of some errata or clarification that we'd missed. 

Thanks, Lukelightning.


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## Gerion of Mercadia (Apr 19, 2007)

Well, considering he IS a changeling, maybe he might want to spend a feat to improve his natural ability somehow, like giving him more like "alter self" instead of change self.

House rulish as can be - but hey, maybe it is your solution.


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## MarkB (Apr 19, 2007)

By the RAW, about the only easy way to achieve a disguise as a halfling is to combine the changeling's innate ability with a _reduce person_ spell or similar effect. Unfortunately, the spell doesn't have a very long duration.


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## dragnmastr85 (Sep 14, 2007)

Im playing a changeling in my DMs game. We house ruled it that you can change into any small or medium humanoid. The small advantages arent big enough to need a feat to improve it. In the races of eberron book they tell the story of a changeling that went from dwarf to halfling all the time. I think the rules are an oversight and the flavor of the race is how we house ruled it.


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## Jhaelen (Sep 14, 2007)

sniffles said:
			
		

> The minor shape change ability states that it functions "as though using the _disguise self _ spell". The spell description states that you can increase or reduce your height by one foot. This would seem to preclude a Medium-size humanoid from shape changing into a Small humanoid.



Well, I'd say it depends on the changeling's normal size. If the changeling's height is 5', then it can be reduced to 4' - voila Small size.

Similarly a changeling with a normal height of 7' would be able to become Large.


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## dragnmastr85 (Sep 15, 2007)

being able to change shape to be large would make the changeling race more powerful. that would boost it to at least +1 ecl


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