Changelings are rare, elementally empowered humans. Their abilities spontaneously arise prior to their birth and in many cultures are killed shortly after being born. If two Changelings have a child, there is only about a one in four chance of the child being a Changeling, most are relatively normal humans.
Changelings come in four main types, each corresponding to an element.
Air: Windborn are taller and thinner than normal Humans and they move with almost effortless speed and grace. Their skin is often abnormally pale, sometimes with a blue or grey tint, while their eye colour is often changeable. many are completely lacking in body hair, or possess feathers instead of head hair, when they do have hair it is commonly white or grey. Many windborn seem to be constantly followed of breezes and gusts of wind.
Earth: Rockchildren are wide and powerfully built, like Dwarves their bodies are very dense and resistant to injury. Their skin is often earth-toned or stone grey, many have solid white eyes and appear blind, although they rarely are. It is not uncommon for a rockchild to have stony or crystaline growths jutting out of its skin either. If they have hair it is often grey or even metallic looking.
Fire: Sparks tend to have normal human proportions, but are normally very athletic with defined muscles. Their skin is often redish or black in tone, their eyes often glow yellow or red, others have solid black eyes. Many sparks are completely lacking in body hair, on those with hair it is normally fire-coloured. They have a very high body temperature, the heat they radiate can often be felt from several steps away.
Water: Waveborn are often significantly shorter and thinner than a normal human, but they malleable features allow them limited shapeshifting. Their skin tends to be either fish belly white, shiny blue/green or a deep black, many are lightly scaled. A seaborn’s eyes are often very large and ataring, sometimes only being a single solid colour. Scaled seaborn often have no, or reduced body hair, in others it tends to be resemble seaweed in colour and texture. They are often damp feeling and very cold, but their strangest trait is shapeshifting, all seaborn have malleable features and many can change their colouration at will.
Changelings have no culture and society of their own, instead their share the Human Culture they grew up in.
Changelings are often ostracised, if nor outright hated by the societies they come from. Many are bitter of normal Humans, others seek to prove their worth or ‘normality’, some reject humanity entirely and embrace their elemental legacy.
Their minds are often affected by their elemental traits as well as their bodies. Windborn tend to be quick-witted, changeable and flighty. Rockchildren tend to be solid and dependable, if unimaginative, but with an anger that is terrible to behold. Sparks are often highly emotional, passionate, aggressive and gluttonous. Finally Waveborn tend to be unpredictable and dangerous, with a strong larcenous streak.
A Changeling is a Human with the Elemental Heritage feat, depending on which element they choose (earth, air, fire or water), they gain a different package of benefits and disadvantages. In addition all Changelings are Reviled by normal Humans.
If a Changeling later acquires the Elemental Legacy feat the benefits and disadvantages are increased. In addition they have the option to abandon their humanity and become an unaging elemental.