WHOA!!!
Changelings are considering to what i remember from 4th ed book [AFB as always] just like any other metaspiecies, that is so distinctive that it is not considered as a stand slone metahuman 'race'.
Think about Elves for a moment: They have pointy ears, but HMHVV infectet turn into banshe
Think About Trolls [that are not HMHVV infected] there is a spiecies that is quite excepcional for mediterranean region, it is called Minotaur. Those trolls who look like a bull... might have hooves... but as world population of those 'minotaurs' is just like 500-5000 [inacurate i know. I don't know the real numbers. This is take the mediterranean population, about 1-5% of them will be trolls, 1-5% of those trolls will be minotaurs...
And there are Changelings. They are victims of SURGE... How does it work? First of the 'awaken' were the dragons. Than Dwarfs and Elves were born, than came the goblinization... that was nasty. And so on. The changeling were awaken due to exposition to magical event. The first one was the Halley comet.
It is all the small falk stories creatures... Satyrs, Incubi, Rakshasa, Shiva, Neko... And all mutations that are distinctive from the 'original metatype'... A Dwarf with tail, a Elf with Gills, a six armed Troll... Remember that surge is a spontanious mutation due to magical exposition. Some of them are quite similar to known [in stories or legends] creatures, but plenty of them are pure fantasies Like Insect eyed, bat winged, coated with gill, and thorns ork, oh, and he have tentacles. But such abomination would be quite easily exterminated,... Another kind of changeling are those similar to 'pop culture fantasy'... Neko is perfect example. Cat Tail, Ears, Eyes, Agility, Fur, Cat nose.... and it is an elf... with Natural AGI 10 and CHA 10... [mayge AGI 9 Cha 9, but still it is natural].
They are not shape shifetrs, that you did recall at first. Those are really few, and it would be few HMHVV victims and dragons.
In 4th ed it was one of the most 'potent' metahuman option. Highly customizable, at rather low price of distinctive style, that on its own is payed of as you gained point for SURGE qualities. 6 Arms Troll Adept Martial Artist was a monster with some about 22 attacks for Initiative Pass, with his Killing Hands and Capable of hiting any one with that hand on distance of 7 meters. [thou the dicepool for attack was about 6, still on so many rolls...]. And he was really ugly..., I MEAN Ugly...
