The Ultimate Guide to the Changeling Race in D&D 5e

Changelings are a playable D&D race that can change their appearance, offering a range of possibilities for roleplay. Changelings can be amazing spies or criminals since they can change form at will and prevent others from ever discovering their true identity. They can be the perfect race for any player looking for a creative, unique character that can easily charm others and blend in with humanoid societies.

Things You Should Know

Changelings are a Fey or Humanoid race who can change their appearance and voice as an action. They stay in that shape until they revert to their true form or die.
In their true form, changelings don’t have distinct features but are usually pale, have black or colorless eyes, and have silver-white hair.
Because of their +2 Charisma bonus, the best classes for changelings are Bard, Rogue, Paladin, Wizard, and Sorcerer.

Section 1 of 6:

Changeling Traits & Abilities

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Eberron: Rising from the Last War Changelings were first introduced as a playable race in the Eberron campaign sourcebook, which contains a unique war-torn world for players to explore. Whether you’re creating a character to enter this magical world or to put in your party’s own unique world, you can use these stats to create your own changeling.^{[1]
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- Ability score increase: Your Charisma score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
- Creature type: You are a Humanoid.
- Age/lifespan: Changelings mature slightly faster than humans but share a similar lifespan—typically a century or less.
  - While a changeling can transform to conceal their age, the effects of aging affect them similarly to humans.
- Alignment: Changelings tend toward pragmatic neutrality, and few embrace evil.
- Size: Medium. In their natural forms, changelings average between 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m) in height, with a slender build.
- Speed: Your walking speed is 30 feet (9.1 m).
- Changeling Instincts: You gain proficiency with 2 of the following skills of your choice: Deception, Insight, Intimidation, and Persuasion.
- Shapechanger: As an action, you can change your appearance and voice. You stay in the new form until you use an action to revert to your true form or until you die.
  - You determine the specifics of the changes, including your coloration, hair length, sex, height, weight, and your size between Medium and Small.
  - You can make yourself appear as a member of another race, however, none of your game stats change. Your clothing and equipment are not changed by the trait.
  - You can’t duplicate the appearance of an individual you’ve never seen, and you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs you have.
- Language: Common and 2 other languages of your choice.
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Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse (MotM) Monsters of the Multiverse is a 2022 book that updates classic races, monsters, and monster lore so it can fit into the D&D multiverse, instead of a particular world like Eberron.^{[2]
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Research source} The changeling is just one of the many races that got updated and put into this official bestiary.
- Ability score increase: When determining your ability scores, increase one score by 2 and a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. You can’t raise any scores above 20.
- Creature type: You are a Fey.
- Size: Medium or Small. You choose the size when you select this race.
- Lifespan: 100 years.^{[3]
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- Speed: Your walking speed is 30 feet (9.1 m).
- Changeling Instincts: Thanks to your connection to the Fey realm, you gain proficiency with 2 of the following skills of your choice: Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Performance, or Persuasion.
- Shapechanger: As an action, you can change your appearance and voice. You stay in the new form until you use an action to revert to your true form or until you die.
  - You determine the specifics of the changes, including your coloration, hair length, sex, height, weight, and your size between Medium and Small.
  - You can make yourself appear as a member of another race, however, none of your game stats change. Your clothing and equipment are not changed by the trait.
  - You can’t duplicate the appearance of an individual you’ve never seen, and you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs you have.
- Languages: Common and one other language you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character.
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Unearthed Arcana Playtest Materials Unearthed Arcana is a series by Wizards of the Coast on the D&D Beyond website that allows players to try out playtest content and provide feedback.^{[4]
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Research source} These game mechanics aren’t officially part of the game, but you can use them in your playthrough if you’d like.^{[5]
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- Ability score increase: Your Charisma score increases by 2, and either your Dexterity or Intelligence increases by 1 (your choice).
- Age/lifespan Changelings mature slightly faster than humans but share a similar lifespan—typically a century or less.
  - While a changeling can transform to conceal their age, the effects of aging affect them similarly to humans.
- Alignment: Changelings tend toward pragmatic neutrality as opposed to being concerned with lofty ideals, and few embrace evil.
  - Changelings hate to be bound in any way, and those who follow that path of the Traveler believe that chaos and change are important aspects of life.
- Size: Medium. In their natural forms, changelings average between 5 to 6 feet in height, with a slender build.
- Speed: Your walking speed is 30 feet (9.1 m).
- Change Appearance: As an action, you can transform your appearance or revert to your natural form. You can’t duplicate the appearance of a creature you’ve never seen, and you revert to your natural form if you die.
  - You decide what you look like, including your height, weight, facial features, the sound of your voice, coloration, hair length, sex, and any other distinguishing characteristics.
  - You can make yourself appear as a member of another race, though none of your game statistics change.
  - You also can’t appear as a creature of a different size than you, and your basic shape stays the same; if you’re bipedal, you can’t use this trait to become quadrupedal, for instance.
  - Your clothing and other equipment don’t change to match your new form, requiring you to keep a few extra outfits on hand to make the most compelling disguise possible.
  - If you rouse suspicion, or if a wary creature suspects something is amiss, you have advantage on any Charisma (Deception) check you make to avoid detection.
- Unsettling Visage: When a creature you see makes an attack roll against you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage. You must see the feature before knowing whether the attack hits or misses.
  - Using this treat reveals your shape-shifting nature to any creature within 30 feet (9.1 m) that can see you. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
- Divergent Persona: You gain proficiency with one tool of your choice. Define a unique identity associated with that proficiency: establish the name, race, gender, age, and other details.
  - While you are in the form of this persona, the related proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses that proficiency.
- Languages: Common and 2 other languages of your choice.

Section 2 of 6:

Changeling History

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Changelings were first introduced in Eberron: Rising from the Last War. The book describes the story of Jes, the mother of 100 children, who had rivals who conspired against her and swore to kill her children. The Traveler made a deal with Jes, promising that he would protect her children as long as they follow his path. Jes agreed, and the Traveler gave her his cloak.^{[6]
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- When she draped the cloak over her children, their old faces melted away and they could be whoever they wanted to be. Today, the gift of the Traveler still protects the changelings.
- Although most changelings use this gift as a form of expression, it’s also used as a tool for spies and criminals. This leads many to treat known changelings with fear and suspicion.
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In Monsters of the Multiverse, the first changelings lived in the Feywild. MotM is a 2022 book that compiles and updates old monsters and playable races.^{[7]
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Research source} In this update, the first changelings are said to have appeared in the Feywild, and the essence of that plane still lingers in other changelings today.
- Each Changeling decides how to use their shapeshifting ability—sometimes they adopt new forms for malice or mischief, and other times they do it to right wrongs or cheer up others.
- A casual shape is called a “mask” and many changelings develop whole personas out of these masks, complete with histories and beliefs.
  - A changeling adventurer might have personas for many different situations, including negotiation, investigation, and combat.

Section 3 of 6:

Changeling Appearance & Personality

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Appearance In their natural form, changelings are generally pale with features without any distinctive details. They typically have colorless or black eyes and silver-white hair.^{[8]
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Research source} However, you can add subtle variations to your character, like their build or skin color.
- Changelings also tend to have a fluid relationship with gender, believing it to be just another changeable characteristic of their body.
  - Depending on the form you take, your character might identify as male, female, non-binary, or whatever gender identity you’d like.
- When creating your character, you might give them a memorable accessory or catchphrase so that your adventuring party can recognize them even when they’re in another form.
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Personality Changelings can have a ton of unique personalities. They might use their shapeshifting abilities as a form of self-expression, creating complex stories behind the masks or personas they use. They might also show their mood through improvised faces or features they make up in that moment.
- A changeling might transform their nose into a chicken beak to make a child on the street laugh or change into a dog to play fetch with another character.
- When creating your character, think about if your changeling conceals their shape-shifting nature, if they embrace it, or if they have a connection to other changelings.

Section 4 of 6:

Changeling Best Classes

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Rogue Rogues are one of the best classes to choose as an Eberron changeling. Although they tend to be Dexterity-based, you might use the Charisma bonus to boost your Deception and Intimidation skills so you can talk your way out of dangerous situations. Dexterity is the best choice for the free ability score increase.^{[9]
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- MotM: Rogues are still one of the best choices for a changeling. Plus, the ability score increase means you can increase your Dexterity by 2 instead of just 1.
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Bard Bards can be a perfect choice for Eberron changelings. Since Charisma is bard’s spellcasting stat, meaning it directly affects the damage and accuracy of their spells, the +2 bonus as a changeling can help you a lot in combat and get you one step closer to maxing it out.^{[10]
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- MotM: Even though Charisma isn’t automatically part of your ability score increase, a bard is still a great choice here.
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Paladin Paladins typically have a rigid set of rules they follow, but as an Eberron changeling, their shapeshifting can help them keep a low profile and make them feel less “stiff” in roleplay. Their Charisma bonus is also perfect for spellcasting and can combine nicely with the skill proficiencies from Changeling Instincts.^{[11]
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- MotM: Not much changes from the Eberron build, because as a paladin you’ll still benefit from a Charisma, Dexterity, and Strength ability score increase.
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Warlock As a spellcaster, an Eberron changeling warlock benefits from the +2 Charisma boost, and the free ability score increase can be best used on either Dexterity or Constitution. A changeling can also use their natural shapeshifting ability, which can save a warlock from using one of their spell slots on a Disguise Self spell.^{[12]
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- MotM: The best ability score increase to choose is still Charisma.
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Sorcerer The +2 Charisma boost is still the best for this Eberron changeling spellcaster, and the free ability score increase can be used on Dexterity or Constitution, depending on what you need. Since sorcerers have access to many spells, you could use your shapeshifting ability with your illusion spells to quickly slip away.^{[13]
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- MotM: The best ability score increase is still Charisma, making a changeling Sorcerer the perfect choice for anyone looking for a sneaky spellcaster.

Section 5 of 6:

Changeling Name Ideas

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Most Changelings have simple one-syllable true names. These names refer to the changeling in their natural state.^{[14]
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Research source} However, some changelings add descriptions of whatever persona they’re shifting into onto the end of their true name. If you shapeshift into an eagle, you might be called Cas of the Golden Claws, while a Tiefling may be Cas of the Purple Horns.
- You can also have different names for each persona and tie them to your base name, like CasSam, VeronicaCas, or LeoCas.
- Changeling true names: Ash, Ask, Croox, Di, Dox, Fie, Bin, Cas, Hars, Nix, Jin, Lam, Lurt, Mae, Mas, Moort, Ot, Paik, Pig, Rin, Ruz, Sim, Tik, Tam, Vil, Wig, Yess, Yug.
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Some changeling names allude to their shapeshifting ability or form. Depending on your character, you might choose a name that reflects their ability to shapeshift. You can also choose a name that describes a part of your character’s physical appearance that doesn’t change from form to form, which may help their friends and family tell who they really are.^{[15]
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- For example, you might name your changeling Moss-with-the-silver-tongue or Moss-with-sparkling-green-eyes.
- Shapeshifting names: Ghost, Shadow, Duplicate (Dup), Fuse, Shimmer, Entity, Shape, Parody, Mimic, Deja Vu, Chameleon (Cam), Reflection, Jekyll, Aurora, Aspect, Emulate (Emmy), Caricature (Cary).
If you have a changeling bard, you might name them Harmony or Piper. If your character is cocky and sly, you might name them Mock or Jinx. You might shift names as your character shifts personas, or make it your true name and create different names for each mask.

Section 6 of 6:

Roleplaying a Changeling

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Playing a changeling allows you to roleplay one character or many. Instead of playing the same dwarf or elf the whole game, you can experiment with other races, character traits, and voices, which opens up a whole new way to roleplay. To create your own unique character, think about what’s most important to your changeling and how they interact with others.
- Think about how your character might think about things like the law, culture, religion, and community when they can change their identity like a hat.
- You might play the same base character and their forms are just parts of themselves, or give each form its own unique personality, voice, and behavior.
  - You may be a brooding Tiefling spy one moment, and then transform into a hotheaded Fire Genasi the next.
- Changelings’ fluid relationship with gender also allows you to shift between identities for self-expression, to influence a friend or romantic partner, or to infiltrate groups that don’t allow a certain gender.

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What's the difference between shapeshifting and shapechanging?

Jess Hamlet
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Board, Card, and Dice Game Expert

Expert Answer

Changelings have the Shapechanger ability, which lets them change their appearance as an action whenever they want. Unlike other shapeshifters, who might only be able to transform a limited number of times, changelings can do this as often as they like. Shapeshifting is just how a druid can transform into an animal, though that has its restrictions too, such as a time limit or conditions. With shapechanging, a changeling can change their humanoid appearance however and whenever they choose. This makes changelings great for escaping danger, sneaking into places, or adding some extra style to roleplaying. When combined with a good deception skill, a changeling can become a master of disguise and open up many creative opportunities.

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