Changeling: The Lost vs Vampire: The Masquerade

Compare Changeling: The Lost and Vampire: The Masquerade side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.

	Changeling: The Lost	Vampire: The Masquerade
Genre	Horror, Fantasy, Modern	Horror, Modern
Tags	Urban Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Fear & Stress Mechanics, Superpowers, Faction Play, Social Intrigue, Character-Driven, Exploration, Strong GM Support, Lore-Heavy	Social Intrigue, Faction Play, Urban Fantasy, Corruption, Drama, Character-Driven, Resource Management, Superpowers, Social Combat, Lore-Heavy
Core Mechanic	Build a d10 pool, usually from an Attribute plus a Skill, and count each 8, 9, or 10 as a success. One success is enough for most simple actions, and five or more normally make an exceptional success. Tens in a normal pool are usually rerolled for a chance at more successes. A pool reduced to zero or fewer dice becomes a single chance die that succeeds only on a 10, has no 10-again, and suffers a dramatic failure on a 1. A character can spend a point of Willpower to add three dice to a roll.	Roll attribute plus skill in d10s, counting 6+ as successes against a difficulty. Paired 10s add extra successes. Hunger replaces ordinary dice in most pools: a winning critical containing a Hunger 10 becomes messy, while a failed test containing a Hunger 1 becomes a bestial failure.
Dice	d10 dice pool	d10 dice pool
Complexity	High	High
Accessibility	Medium	High
Runnability	Very High	Very High
License	All Rights Reserved	Community Content Agreement for the Storytellers Vault
Third-Party Publishing	Commercial publishing allowed — Storytellers Vault	Commercial publishing allowed — Community content program
Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing.
Cost	$	$$
Publisher	Onyx Path Publishing	Renegade Game Studios
Year	2019	2018
Languages	English, French	English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese
Best For	Groups who want modern fairy-tale horror about surviving abduction and rebuilding a life, with seasonal court politics, binding oaths, and journeys through the Hedge. It suits tables willing to explore trauma and abuse themes within agreed limits.	Groups who want campaigns about vampire coteries balancing political ambition, predatory hunger, and relationships with the humans they still care about.
Highlights	Clarity tracks a changeling's trust in her own perceptions, and Touchstones attached to the track reduce the damage that breaking points deal to it. Every Contract has a Loophole, a condition of the fae bargain that lets a changeling invoke its basic effect without spending Glamour. Hedgespinning spends surplus successes and Glamour from ordinary actions in the Hedge on changes to terrain, equipment, or Conditions.	Using supernatural powers can increase Hunger, making the next hunt harder to postpone. Convictions and human Touchstones make moral compromise carry consequences beyond winning the immediate conflict. Coteries share hunting territories and social assets, giving political ambitions a foothold in the city.
Considerations	Abduction, abuse, and trauma are core subject matter, so the group needs to agree on limits before play. Breaking points risk Clarity damage that can eventually leave a changeling comatose. Goblin Contracts normally add a point of Goblin Debt on each successful use, which the Storyteller can spend to penalize rolls or impose Conditions.	Messy criticals and bestial failures can put predation or compulsions into scenes where players hoped to stay in control. Character creation requires choices across clans, powers, feeding habits, advantages, and human ties. Establishing the chronicle’s relationships and boundaries for mature themes takes group preparation even when using a published city.