Ways and Paths. Options

[Hagga]

Just how do Changelings fit into the Ways and Paths? What about metavariants?

What about changelings and metavariants that are not, but look like, elves?+

[Tanegar]

AFAIK, SURGEd elves are still elves. Non-elves are still not elves, no matter how much they may look like elves. As such, the overwhelming majority of Path magic practitioners still won't teach a character who looks like an elf, but isn't. They may have reservations about teaching an elf who doesn't look much like an elf, with those reservations probably increasing in direct proportion to the divergence from the elven phenotype.

Non-elves who don't look like elves are not even worth considering. You'll have to find one of those Tir exiles mentioned in Street Magic.

[Hagga]

AFAIK, SURGEd elves are still elves. Non-elves are still not elves, no matter how much they may look like elves. As such, the overwhelming majority of Path magic practitioners still won't teach a character who looks like an elf, but isn't. They may have reservations about teaching an elf who doesn't look much like an elf, with those reservations probably increasing in direct proportion to the divergence from the elven phenotype.

Non-elves who don't look like elves are not even worth considering. You'll have to find one of those Tir exiles mentioned in Street Magic.

How would they know you're not an elf if you can pass for one, though? This came up in game. I honestly can't find a reason, but I suppose some of them might have "detect elf" spells. Which brings to mind an entertaining idea - Lord Torgo awakening with an area effect "Slay elf" spell.

[Professor Evil O...]

How would they know you're not an elf if you can pass for one, though? This came up in game. I honestly can't find a reason, but I suppose some of them might have "detect elf" spells. Which brings to mind an entertaining idea - Lord Torgo awakening with an area effect "Slay elf" spell.

As paranoid as the Tirs are I'd say they regularly do full DNA workups on every path member. It's safer that way, and they get a nifty ritual sample as an added bonus. It's not like you can just show up and join a path anyways - you pretty much have to be born into your path - followers are raised in them as early as childhood (basically as soon as they are identified as awakened).

[Tanegar]

Hmm. I was thinking assensing would tell you someone's metatype, but it's not mentioned on the Assensing Table (p.183, SR4). Even so, I think trying to pass yourself off as an elf for the purpose of learning magic that is explicitly reserved for elves would be dodgy at best. If you get caught, you're looking at a number of seriously torqued-off magicians (the guy you fooled, plus all his buddies, plus the hardcore elven supremacists who will want to stomp on your head regardless of whether they have a personal stake in the matter). This is not generally considered a promising scenario, vis-a-vis long-term survival.

[Dragnar]

Would make for a solid background to explain why your non-elf knows path magic and slipped into the shadows, though...