Clarity is the morality trait in Changeling: The Lost. It is contrasted by Wyrd and represents the connection to the mundane life of a changeling.
First Edition[]
Stolen from their former lives, Changelings have to balance what they have become with what they returned to. They cannot deny their time in Arcadia and the changes that altered them there, but at the same time, it is their strong connection to this world that allowed them to return, and they feel a need to identify with and be accepted by the world around them.
Clarity tracks this delicate balance between the mundane world and the maddening realms of Glamour. A changeling with high Clarity is able to easily distinguish between the two worlds and might even become slightly more adept at spotting supernatural phenomena otherwise hidden from view. By contrast, a changeling with low Clarity finds his perceptions spiraling out of control. He starts having trouble distinguishing his dreams from reality, and starts mixing up elements from the two worlds.
If a changeling lets a non-changeling know that they are a changeling, they instantly have to roll to see how far they drop in clarity.
Second Edition[]
After having escaped from Faerie, changelings are, as a rule, more predisposed to losing track of reality around them. This is measured through Clarity. The higher a changeling's Clarity, the tighter a grip he has on reality around him. As Clarity dips, his perceptions begin to warp, preventing him from being able to fully trust his own senses.
Clarity acts as a sort of mental health track, which comes under fire when the character faces a breaking point — an event which shakes his confidence in his reality. It can also be damaged through dream combat, in which it acts as the actual health track. Damage from either source can be either mild or severe. Taking too much Clarity damage can lead to taking various negative Conditions, falling comatose, or dying. Such damage is recovered via interaction with Touchstones or resolution of Clarity Conditions.
References[]
- CTL: Changeling: The Lost Rulebook, p. 26, 28, 75, 91-93, 211, 235
- CTL: Changeling: The Lost Second Edition, p. 104-107