Inspired by this thread, I started considering the possibilities of an elven people originating from a single scholar who lost her children in some very permanent fashion, before modifying an ancient ritual to allow her to convert children of small or medium folk species into elves, and then went about adopting, then converting, orphans of other species. Who in turn adopted others, so that the whole thing snowballed until in larger nations there is now a whole network of orphanages under a religion that worships an obscure demigod called the "mother of orphans" with a very unusual "scholarship" program for selected children. Complete with a couple of splinter factions (a faction of adoptees who rejected the adoption doctrine, and instead walk among the species that they were once adopted from as teachers and protectors; and a child-abducting death-and-age-and-ugliness-hating faction), which may or may not come with their own species feats as alternatives to the "Noble" feat given below. Although I'm also trying to write these to cover changeling elves in general...
I also had the idea that in the specific setting of the backstory, these elves could assume only the appearance of the person that they might have been, at any age. But as a general feat, it may be simpler to crib the Fire Brave ability. YMMV.
By unearthly rituals, you were adopted into elvenhood in early childhood. You may mask your identity and walk among those of other peoples as one of their own.
Prerequisites: Elf, level one only
Benefits: Your Charisma score increases by two. You lose the
Aloof ability and may ignore Species and Size penalties with Disguise checks*. However, your Wisdom score decreases by two.
* Setting-specific alternative to cribbing the Fire Species ability: "You gain a specific alternative appearance as a member of a small or medium folk species which you may disguise yourself as with a +5 modifier and no Species or Size penalties to Disguise checks."
Orphan NobleThe gifted among changeling elves have a casual mastery of the art of beguiling others.
Prerequisites: Elf, Orphan Nation feat
Benefits: Once per session you may improve the disposition of one non-adversary NPC by 5. You are considered to always have Actor's Props for purposes of disguise (mask) checks, and may take 10 on such checks with no increase in the time taken.
EDIT: Actually, perhaps this should be "Chameleon Nation/Noble", to fit into existing naming conventions...
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