Scion First Edition game

[Kish]

16-question format, with some being removed for inapplicability to White Wolf games in general or Scion on particular.

1. What game system are you running (D&D, Call of Cthulu, Palladium, GURPS, etc.), and if applicable what edition (Original, Classic, Revised, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th, etc.)? Scion First Edition

2. What 'type' or variant of game will it be (i.e. "Shadow Chasers" or "Agents of Psi" for d20 Modern)? What is the setting for the game (eg. historic period, published or homebrewed campaign setting, alternate reality, modern world, etc.)? 21st-century Earth.

3. How many Players are you looking for? Will you be taking alternates, and if so, how many? Between 4 and 6. I will take a waiting list if there are more interested.

4. What's the gaming medium (OOTS, chat, e-mail etc.)? The GiantITP forum.

5. What is the characters' starting status (i.e. experience level)? Standard starting Hero stats.

10. Does your game use alignment? What are your restrictions, if so? Standard Scion Virtues. You can trade out one of your pantheon's Virtues for a different Virtue, but you almost certainly don't want to (there are various penalties for doing so, detailed in the books).

12. Will you be doing all of the die rolling during the course of the game? Will die rolls be altered, or left to the honor system? If players can make die rolls, which ones do they make, how should they make the rolls, and how should they report them? Players will roll their own dice here on the OOTS board. Use [rollv]. Under Scion rules, any die that comes up 7, 8, or 9 gives you one success, any die that comes up 10 gives you two successes, and if you have a number of successes equal to the roll's difficulty then what you are attempting succeeds.

13. Are there any homebrewed or optional/variant rules that your Players should know about? If so, list and explain them, or provide relevant links to learn about these new rules.

Starting Willpower is equal to (total of Virtues - 2).

Going from Legend 4 to Legend 5 and from Legend 8 to Legend 9 are GM fiat rather than spending XP.

Demigods (Scions with Legend ratings of 5 to 8) can substitute spending 20 Legend points for spending a Willpower point. Gods can substitute spending 10 Legend points for spending a Willpower point.

There may be more that will come up later, but they won't affect you for a while, if so.

14. Is a character background required? If so, how big? Are you looking for anything in particular (i.e. the backgrounds all ending up with the characters in the same city)? Yes, enough of a background that I have a sense of who your character is, please. The game will be starting in the U. S., so "lives full-time in a different country and never leaves it" would be bad.

15. Does your game involve a lot of hack & slash, puzzle solving, roleplaying, or a combination of the above? I will endeavor for balance in this area; most situations will have multiple possible solutions. Neither a combat-heavy character, nor a social character, nor a thinker should feel useless.

16. Are your Players restricted to particular rulebooks and supplements, or will you be allowing access to non-standard material? What sources can Players use for their characters? I have and am, to some extent, using all the Scion 1ed material. I would prefer to ignore the Scion Companion's setting material as I am unfortunately less impressed with its writing than I hoped to be. (In this game, if any gods got involved in World War 2, it's on an individual scale in minor ways which would be very hard to find any indications of eighty years later.) However, using material from Chapter Two of the Scion Companion is fine.

For the benefit of people who do not have the books but are interested in playing, character creation information follows. If you already know the game system and have the books you don't need to open these spoilers.


Character sheet (https://mrgone.rocksolidshells.com/pdf/Scion/Scion_Hero1-Page.pdf)

You can work out your stats in any order that works for you, really, but this is the order presented in the Scion books.

First, choose which god is your divine parent. Choose a “calling”--one to a few words to describe your character. And choose a Nature from the following list.

• Architect—You are a methodical planner.
• Autocrat—It’s your way or the highway.
• Bravo—You live life on the edge.
• Caregiver—You are a wellspring of compassion.
• Competitor—You are driven to be the best.
• Cynic—You are quite familiar with Murphy’s Law.
• Fanatic—You zealously champion your beliefs.
• Gallant—You protect those who can’t protect themselves.
• Gambler—You risk all to win.
• Judge—You are the law.
• Libertine—You live each day like it’s your last.
• Loner—You rely on yourself alone.
• Pacifist—You endeavor to solve problems peacefully.
• Pedagogue—You live to teach.
• Penitent—You seek to expiate the wrongs you’ve done.
• Perfectionist—You strive for flawlessness in all your endeavors.
• Rebel—You constantly seek to challenge authority.
• Rogue—You believe laws were made to be broken.
• Survivor—You persevere against everything life throws at you.
• Traditionalist—You believe that the old ways are the best ones.
• Trickster—You live to deceive.
• Visionary—You see the World for what could be, rather than what it is.

Choose which area—Physical, Mental, or Social—your character is strongest in, which is second, and which is third. (Because you are a Scion, even the weakest category is above human average.)

You begin with one point in each of the nine Attributes. In your primary area, you have 8 further points to distribute. In your secondary area, you have 6 further points to distribute. In your tertiary area, you have 4 further points to distribute. (Example: Yukiko Kuromizu chooses to set Physical Attributes as her primary category, Mental Attributes as her secondary category, and Social Attributes as her tertiary category. She adds four points to Dexterity to bring it to the human maximum of 5, two points to Strength to bring it to 3, and two points to Stamina to bring it to 3. In the Mental Attribute category she has six points: she simply adds two points to each Attribute, bringing them to 3 each. In the Social Attribute category she chooses to add two points to Charisma, bringing it to 3, and one point each to Appearance and Manipulation, bringing them both to 2, human average.) You cannot raise any Attribute above 5 while you are a Hero. (Demigods and Gods are not so restricted.)

At that point in character creation, your divine parent starts to matter, though only slightly yet. Each god has six associated Abilities—mark which those are for your divine parent. They will be easier to increase with experience points. Right now, you have 30 points to distribute between the 24 abilities. None of them can go above 3 at this stage, and 6 of the points you spend must be in Abilities associated with your divine parent. Art, Control, and Science require specializations. Control refers to driving a type of vehicle or riding a type of mount. So if your character knows how to drive a car, paints, and has a degree in biology, you would write (Painting), (Automobiles), and (Biology) next to those skills. You can, of course, take multiple separate versions: Control (Automobiles) and Control (Airplanes), for example. Integrity’s primary function is to help you resist supernatural coercion.

Next is the purely supernatural part. Your character begins with a Legend rating of 2. You can increase your Legend by spending bonus points (see below); it costs 7 bonus points to raise your Legend by one. You have ten points to spend on Epic Attributes and Boons. You can raise an Epic Attribute to a maximum of one point lower than your Legend rating, or equal to your rating in the mundane version of that Attribute, whichever is lower. So if Eric Donner has a Legend of 4, a Strength of 4, and a Perception of 2, he could spend five points here to have Epic Strength 3 and Epic Perception 2, but he couldn’t take Epic Strength 4 (because that would be the same as his Legend rating) and he couldn’t take Epic Perception 3 (because that would be higher than his Perception). For each point you have in an Epic Attribute, you can choose a Knack. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_J-mEsPNky3F2uBBnemX8vacUVpadfXsymD9ag_aVLU/edit?usp=sharinglink Your divine parent determines which Epic Attributes are easier for you to raise with bonus points or experience points, but does not affect which you can take now. (A Scion of Aphrodite can spend one point to have Epic Strength 1 and one point to have Epic Appearance 1 at this stage. Being Aphrodite’s Scion comes into play when that Scion wants to increase their Epic Attributes, and finds it costs 8 experience points to go to Epic Appearance 2 and 10 experience points to go to Epic Strength 2.)

Each Purview has at least 10 associated powers, ranked from 1 to 10. A Scion can learn only Boons which are lower than their Legend rating in level. For example, Eric Donner, being a Scion of Thor with a Legend of 4, chooses to spend three points for the level three Sky boon, Storm Augmentation, to spend one point for the level one Guardian boon, Vigil Brand, and to spend another two points for the level two Guardian boon, Aegis. He does not need to take the first or second level Sky boon (though he will need to eventually if he ever wants to become a god who can assume the avatar form of the Storm), and he cannot take any boon of level 4 or above until his legend is higher.

You further have 5 points to spend on Birthrights: Creature, Followers, Guide, and Relic. Of those, Relic is the only one which is very close to nonoptional. You need a Relic to channel a Purview to use any Boon from that Purview. Continuing to use Eric Donner as an example, he inherited from his father (Thor) a bloodstone ring engraved with the rune Algiz, which permits him to use the Guardian Purview. If for any reason he does not have that ring, he cannot use Vigil Brand or Aegis. Channeling a single Purview (Guardian) is the only thing the ring does, so it is a 1-point relic and costs 1 of Eric’s five Birthright points. When he discovered he was a Scion, he received a gun he named Giantbane, which does +3 damage compared to a normal gun of its type (a 3-point ability) and also lets him channel the Sky Purview, making it a 4-point Relic which costs the rest of Eric’s Birthright points.

Relics can also be useful for the other Birthrights. If you have a nekomata who aids you in battle, it will be much less likely to cause extreme consternation whenever you travel through an area inhabited by mortals if the nekomata spends most of its time in the form of a small figurine which you carry in your pocket. Followers could mean mortals who are loyal to you for some reason to be elaborated on, but it could also mean that you have five dragon’s teeth which grow into spartoi when you throw them on the ground—and turn back into dragon’s teeth, ready to be summoned again, when the battle is over, whether they actually survived it or not. If you have a supernatural Guide, it’s useful to have a means of contacting them more reliable than a cell phone number.

For another example, Dr. Aaron Tigrillo has four points in the Relic Birthright and four points in the Guide Birthright. All eight of them refer to the Crystal Skull he carries in his medical bag. The Crystal Skull lets him channel the Magic, Mystery, and Prophecy Purviews (a 3-point ability, to channel three Purviews) and also lets him talk to his Guide (a 1-point ability, bringing it to a 4-point Relic)--it is his Guide, giving him advice when he speaks to it.

A Relic which can channel a Purview always comes from a god who is associated with that Purview. If you want to start with Death, Darkness, and Water Boons as a Scion of Thor, you certainly can, but to channel them, you’ll need one or more Relics which didn’t come from Thor. If you say “I channel the Death Purview through a Relic I received from Odin,” that’s almost as noncontroversial as if all your Relics came from Thor. If you instead say, “I channel the Death Purview through a Relic I received from Hel,” that’s going to excite more comment. If you say, “I channel the Death Purview through a Relic completely alien to the Aesir which I received from Persephone,” that’s going to raise a lot of questions which the cycle will likely explore.

Finally, you have four Virtues, determined by your divine parent’s pantheon. You start with one point in each of them, and have five points to distribute between them. No Virtue can be higher than 4 at this stage.

Then you have 15 bonus points to spend. Costs are as follows:

Attribute 4
Ability 2 (1 for Favored Ability of divine parent)
Birthright 1 (2 if the Birthright is being raised above 3)
Virtue 3
Willpower 2
Legend 7
Epic Attribute 5 (4 if associated with divine parent)
Knack 3
Boons 5 (4 if associated with divine parent)
Additional Spell 5 (4 if Magic is associated with divine parent)

Your starting Willpower is equal to (the total of your Virtues – 2)--which will be 7 if you did not spend bonus points increasing Virtues. Using bonus points, you can increase your Virtues to a maximum of 5 each, your Willpower to a maximum of 10, and/or your Abilities to a maximum of 5. Your Legend points are the square of your Legend rating. (That is: 4 if you have a Legend rating of 2, 9 if you have a Legend rating of 3, or 16 if you have a Legend rating of 4.)
THE PESEDJET
THE EGYPTIAN GODS

Virtues: Conviction, Harmony, Order, Piety

ANUBIS

Associated Powers: Epic Perception, Animal (Jackal), Death, Guardian, Heku, Justice
Abilities: Animal Ken, Empathy, Integrity, Medicine, Melee, Occult

BASTET

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Dexterity, Epic Perception, Epic Wits, Animal (Cat), Heku, Illusion, Moon, Prophecy, Sun, Vengeance
Abilities: Athletics, Awareness, Brawl, Larceny, Stealth, Survival

HORUS

Associated Powers: Epic Strength, Animal (Falcon), Heku, Justice, Moon, Sky, Sun
Abilities: Athletics, Awareness, Brawl, Command, Melee, Politics

ISIS

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Fertility, Guardian, Health, Heku, Magic, Mystery
Abilities: Academics, Integrity, Investigation, Occult, Politics, Presence

KEBAUET

Associated Powers: Epic Intelligence, Epic Manipulation, Animal (Serpent, Ostrich), Death, Heku, Justice
Abilities: Academics, Art, Craft, Fortitude, Medicine, Occult

OSIRIS

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Animal (Centipede, Ram), Death, Earth, Heku, Fertility, Justice
Abilities: Awareness, Command, Fortitude, Investigation, Politics, Presence

PTAH

Associated Powers: Epic Intelligence, Fire, Heku, Psychopomp
Abilities: Art, Craft, Investigation, Larceny, Science, Thrown

SET

Associated Powers: Epic Manipulation, Epic Strength, Animal (Salawa), Chaos, Guardian, Heku, Sky, War
Abilities: Brawl, Command, Control, Melee, Presence, Survival

SOBEK

Associated Powers: Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Animal (Crocodile), Fertility, Heku, Water
Abilities: Athletics, Awareness, Brawl, Larceny, Presence, Stealth

THOTH

Associated Powers: Epic Intelligence, Animal (Baboon, Ibis), Heku, Justice, Magic, Moon
Abilities: Academics, Investigation, Integrity, Occult, Politics, Science


THE DODEKATHEON
THE GREEK GODS

Virtues: Expression, Intellect, Valor, Vengeance

APHRODITE

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Arete, Illusion
Abilities: Animal Ken, Art, Empathy, Integrity, Larceny, Presence

APOLLO

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Arete, Health, Prophecy, Sun
Abilities: Art, Athletics, Medicine, Marksmanship, Presence, Science

ARES

Associated Powers: Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Arete, War
Abilities: Brawl, Command, Marksmanship, Melee, Presence, Thrown

ARTEMIS

Associated Powers: Epic Dexterity, Epic Perception, Arete, Health, Moon
Abilities: Animal Ken, Awareness, Empathy, Fortitude, Marksmanship, Survival

ATHENA

Associated Powers: Epic Intelligence, Epic Wits, Animal (Owl), Arete, Health, Justice, War
Abilities: Academics, Command, Craft, Melee, Investigation, Science

DIONYSUS

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Stamina, Arete, Chaos, Fertility, Mystery
Abilities: Art, Empathy, Integrity, Fortitude, Occult, Presence

HADES

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Arete, Darkness, Death, Earth
Abilities: Academics, Command, Occult, Presence, Stealth, Thrown

HEPHAESTUS

Associated Powers: Epic Intelligence, Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Arete, Earth, Fire
Abilities: Art, Control, Craft, Investigation, Melee, Science

HERA

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Animal (Peacock), Arete, Health, Magic
Abilities: Academics, Command, Fortitude, Investigation, Politics, Presence

HERMES

Associated Powers: Epic Dexterity, Epic Intelligence, Epic Wits, Arete, Magic, Psychopomp
Abilities: Athletics, Awareness, Larceny, Occult, Stealth, Survival

PERSEPHONE

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Dexterity, Epic Wits, Death, Fertility, Psychopomp
Abilities: Academics, Empathy, Occult, Politics, Presence, Stealth

POSEIDON

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Animal (Horse), Arete, Earth, Water
Abilities: Animal Ken, Control, Fortitude, Integrity, Melee, Thrown

ZEUS

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Epic Strength, Arete, Illusion, Justice, Sky
Abilities: Awareness, Command, Integrity, Presence, Politics, Thrown


THE AESIR
THE NORSE GODS

Virtues: Courage, Endurance, Expression, Loyalty

BALDUR

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Guardian, Jotunblut, Sun
Abilities: Art, Athletics, Brawl, Melee, Marksmanship, Presence

FREYA

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Fertility, Health, Jotunblut, War
Abilities: Art, Craft, Empathy, Integrity, Melee, Presence

FREYR

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Fertility, Health, Jotunblut, Sun, War
Abilities: Animal Ken, Brawl, Control, Fortitude, Investigation, Presence

FRIGG

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Intelligence, Jotunblut, Magic, Prophecy, Sky
Abilities: Academics, Command, Fortitude, Medicine, Occult, Science

HEIMDALL

Associated Powers: Epic Perception, Guardian, Jotunblut, Sun
Abilities: Awareness, Command, Investigation, Marksmanship, Melee, Stealth

HEL

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Manipulation, Death, Jotunblut
Abilities: Command, Control, Fortitude, Investigation, Melee, Presence

LOKI

Associated Powers: Epic Intelligence, Epic Manipulation, Epic Wits, Chaos, Fire, Illusion, Jotunblut, Magic
Abilities: Brawl, Empathy, Larceny, Occult, Politics, Stealth

ODIN

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Intelligence, Epic Manipulation, Epic Perception, Epic Stamina, Epic Wits, Death, Illusion, Jotunblut, Magic, Mystery, Prophecy, Psychopomp, War
Abilities: Art, Fortitude, Integrity, Investigation, Occult, Presence

SIF

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Fertility, Jotunblut
Abilities: Athletics, Empathy, Integrity, Melee, Science, Survival

THOR

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Guardian, Jotunblut, Sky
Abilities: Athletics, Brawl, Control, Melee, Presence, Thrown

TYR

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Epic Wits, Jotunblut, Justice, War
Abilities: Academics, Command, Integrity, Investigation, Melee, Politics

VIDAR

Associated Powers: Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Jotunblut, Justice
Abilities: Awareness, Brawl, Fortitude, Investigation, Politics, Stealth


THE ATZLÁNTI
THE AZTEC GODS

Virtues: Conviction, Courage, Duty, Loyalty

HUITZILOPOCHTLI

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Animal (Hummingbird, Eagle), Death, Guardian, Itztli, Magic, Sun, War
Abilities: Athletics, Awareness, Brawl, Marksmanship, Melee, Thrown

MICLÁNTECUHTLI

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Animal (Dog), Death, Guardian, Itztli
Abilities: Command, Investigation, Larceny, Politics, Presence, Thrown

QUETZALCOÁTL

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Intelligence, Animal (Resplendent Quetzal), Fertility, Guardian, Earth, Health, Itztli, Justice, Psychopomp, Sky, Water
Abilities: Academics, Command, Investigation, Medicine, Melee, Science

TEZCATLIPOCA

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Epic Dexterity, Epic Manipulation, Epic Wits, Animal (Jaguar), Darkness, Itztli, Magic, Moon, Mystery, Prophecy, Sun, War
Abilities: Athletics, Brawl, Fortitude, Occult, Presence, Stealth

TLALOC

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Earth, Fertility, Health, Itztli, Sky
Abilities: Academics, Brawl, Command, Medicine, Stealth, Survival

TLAZOLTÉOTL

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Earth, Itztli
Abilities: Art, Craft, Empathy, Investigation, Medicine, Politics

XIPE TOTEC

Associated Powers: Epic Stamina, Death, Fertility, Guardian, Health, Itztli
Abilities: Craft, Fortitude, Integrity, Larceny, Medicine, Survival


THE AMATSUKAMI
THE JAPANESE GODS

Virtues: Duty, Endurance, Intellect, Valor

AMATERASU

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Epic Strength, Fertility, Sun, Tsukumo-Gami
Abilities: Art, Awareness, Craft, Empathy, Integrity, Presence

HACHIMAN

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Dexterity, Epic Wits, Animal (Dove), Fertility, Guardian, Tsukumo-Gami, War
Abilities: Athletics, Command, Investigation, Marksmanship, Melee, Science

IZANAGI

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Strength, Psychopomp, Sky, Tsukumo-Gami
Abilities: Academics, Awareness, Fortitude, Melee, Presence, Thrown

IZANAMI

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Darkness, Death, Earth, Tsukumo-Gami
Abilities: Brawl, Command, Fortitude, Integrity, Occult, Stealth

RAIDEN

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Dexterity, Guardian, Sky, Tsukumo-Gami
Abilities: Athletics, Brawl, Fortitude, Marksmanship, Presence, Science

SUSANO-O

Associated Powers: Epic Strength, Epic Wits, Chaos, Illusion, Psychopomp, Sky, Tsukumo-Gami, Water
Abilities: Awareness, Brawl, Craft, Fortitude, Melee, Presence

TSUKI-YOMI

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Darkness, Moon, Psychopomp, Tsukumo-Gami
Abilities: Academics, Awareness, Empathy, Investigation, Marksmanship, Politics


THE LOA
THE VOODOO GODS

Virtues: Harmony, Order, Piety, Vengeance

BARON SAMEDI

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Cheval, Darkness, Death, Earth, Health, Psychopomp
Abilities: Command, Fortitude, Integrity, Occult, Politics, Presence

DAMBALLA

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Animal (Snake), Cheval, Health, Mystery
Abilities: Animal Ken, Awareness, Brawl, Empathy, Medicine, Science

ERZULIE

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Cheval, Guardian, War
Abilities: Art, Athletics, Empathy, Integrity, Presence, Survival

KALFU

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Chaos, Cheval, Darkness, Illusion, Magic, Moon
Abilities: Animal Ken, Athletics, Occult, Presence, Stealth, Survival

LEGBA

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Wits, Cheval, Prophecy, Psychopomp, Sun
Abilities: Command, Empathy, Integrity, Larceny, Occult, Politics

OGOUN

Associated Powers: Epic Manipulation, Epic Strength, Cheval, Fire, War
Abilities: Art, Craft, Fortitude, Melee, Politics, Presence

SHANGO

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Strength, Cheval, Justice, Prophecy, Sky
Abilities: Art, Command, Fortitude, Integrity, Melee, Presence

[RocknRollFTW]

I've had the Scion 1E books for awhile but I've never played/run a game, and I'd love to get some experience with the system.

[Rokku]

I could go for some Scion.

[tonberrian]

Why Scion 1e instead of 2e? Second edition is considered wildly better than 1e, i've heard.

[Kish]

Because, passive voice aside, the list of people who consider 2ed better emphatically does not include me. I agree that one of them is wildly better than the other.

In another context I'd be happy to elaborate, but here and now I'm just saying: if you're interested in a game about playing the children of gods who most people don't know provably exist in something that very closely resembles our world, that's what you'll find here.

[josienoms]

Some of the most fun I’ve ever had while playing TTRPGs was with Scion 1e, so I’m tentatively interested. Providing I still have my old pdfs saved somewhere…

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Some of the most fun I’ve ever had while playing TTRPGs was with Scion 1e, so I’m tentatively interested. Providing I still have my old pdfs saved somewhere…

Basically ditto.

[josienoms]

Aha! I do still have my first edition copy of Hero. Change my tentative interest to definite interest.

Right now thinking an Aesir Scion. Probably a daughter of Thor, or maybe Freyr.

[DeTess]

I've never played it, but this sort of urban fantasy hidden world does sound very fun. Where does it skew, tone-wise? I know vampire and the like do urban fantasy but with a horror/depressing bent, what's the vibe of this system?

[SwordCoastTaxi]

I haven't played Scion in forever BUT I kept (most) of my books. Color me excited.

[Bitter]

I enjoyed Scion a lot but I think the one mechanical problems as you reached demigod and god was the scaling of epic attributes. When someone can have 32 automatic successes or whatever to an attack role, it makes it hard to have fair encounters when someone else may only have 16 or 8 automatic successes.

That said, it not so much a problem at Hero level and I enjoyed the system regardless. I’d definitely be interested in a game.

[Bitter]

I've never played it, but this sort of urban fantasy hidden world does sound very fun. Where does it skew, tone-wise? I know vampire and the like do urban fantasy but with a horror/depressing bent, what's the vibe of this system?

It doesn’t have the maudlin and depressing vibe of WW’s other stuff. In this one you’re big god damn heroes. More of an action movie style game than anything else.

[DeTess]

It doesn’t have the maudlin and depressing vibe of WW’s other stuff. In this one you’re big god damn heroes. More of an action movie style game than anything else.

Sounds right up my alley then, so definitely put me down as interested!

[Kish]

I'm very glad to see this much interest!

I was hoping the 40-page introductory fiction would be available for free online, as it gives a pretty clear idea of what the game's about, but it doesn't seem to be, unfortunately.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Having spent most of the night going through Hero and Companion, and thinking of character concepts, I'm now upgrading my tentatively interested to definitely interested.

[Cassus]

I am most definitely interested in a game of Scion; I'll be watching this thread. What sort of story do you have in mind?

[Kish]

Hopefully, pretty epic, starting with beginning characters and going all the way to gods.

[Cassus]

Hopefully, pretty epic, starting with beginning characters and going all the way to gods.

Oh, well, of course! It's an insult to not use Scion for the epic! I meant more are we our pantheon's secret agents in the mortal realm? Shock troops in a world war? Sparks adrift on the winds with no overt divine contact, desperately trying to make sense of the dead voices we hear? Mortal cultists of the Titan of Sand who suddenly find out we're not just mortals? Some unholy amalgamation of all of those?

[Benoojian]

I'm interested, pending more details

[PoeticallyPsyco]

I see that the thread is now Recruiting. Do you want us to send in character sheets, or should we wait for a Session 0?

[DeTess]

Can someone confirm for me which books I'll need? I checked around a bit, but there doesn't seem to be a book obviously named 'player handbook'?

edit: also, no Sumerian gods? I'd hoped Ishtar was around. Ah well, plenty of others to pick from.
2nd edit: that character sheet appears as if it should be editable, but it doesn't really work for me. Is it editable, and if so, which reader should I use?

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Can someone confirm for me which books I'll need? I checked around a bit, but there doesn't seem to be a book obviously named 'player handbook'?

edit: also, no Sumerian gods? I'd hoped Ishtar was around. Ah well, plenty of others to pick from.
2nd edit: that character sheet appears as if it should be editable, but it doesn't really work for me. Is it editable, and if so, which reader should I use?

With the enormous caveat that I'm not the one running it:

Scion: Hero is the only one you truly need for a while. Eventually we'll become Demigods and then Gods, at which point you'll want those books too. Scion: Companion has some more pantheons (and rules for making your own), so that's definitely worth grabbing.

All the books have Knacks your character can learn, but those are easily found online.

[Kish]

16-question format, with some being removed or replaced for inapplicability to White Wolf games in general or Scion in particular.

1. What game system are you running (D&D, Call of Cthulu, Palladium, GURPS, etc.), and if applicable what edition (Original, Classic, Revised, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th, etc.)? Scion First Edition

2. What 'type' or variant of game will it be (i.e. "Shadow Chasers" or "Agents of Psi" for d20 Modern)? What is the setting for the game (eg. historic period, published or homebrewed campaign setting, alternate reality, modern world, etc.)? 21st-century Earth.

3. How many Players are you looking for? Will you be taking alternates, and if so, how many? Between 4 and 6. I will take a waiting list if there are more interested.

4. What's the gaming medium (OOTS, chat, e-mail etc.)? The GiantITP forum.

5. What is the characters' starting status (i.e. experience level)? Standard starting Hero stats.

6. When will this game begin? February 17th.

7. What is the game’s basic character premise? One of your parents was not mortal. You may have had no inkling that there was anything odd about your parentage (adopted or your mortal parent and mortal stepparent didn’t tell you that only one of them was biologically related to you). You may have always known that one of your parents wasn’t around but not known anything else. You may have (e.g., going with an example from the main Scion book) have grown up knowing that the Loa existed and that, in addition to her mortal husband, your mother was one of Baron Samedi’s many wives. But, probably under stressed circumstances, you met your divine parent or entities associated with them fairly recently. They gave you your Birthrights and told you about the Titan War.

Your character does not have to have a positive relationship with their divine parent, but they probably want to at least fake it; for the time being, they’re dependent on them for Birthrights to access their divine power, and however bad your character thinks the gods are, the Titans represent the end of everything they care about.

10. Does your game use alignment? What are your restrictions, if so? Standard Scion Virtues. You can trade out one of your pantheon's Virtues for a different Virtue, but you almost certainly don't want to (there are various penalties for doing so, detailed in the books).

12. Will you be doing all of the die rolling during the course of the game? Will die rolls be altered, or left to the honor system? If players can make die rolls, which ones do they make, how should they make the rolls, and how should they report them? Players will roll their own dice here on the OOTS board. Use [rollv]. Under Scion rules, any die that comes up 7, 8, or 9 gives you one success, any die that comes up 10 gives you two successes, and if you have a number of successes equal to the roll's difficulty then what you are attempting succeeds.

13. Are there any homebrewed or optional/variant rules that your Players should know about? If so, list and explain them, or provide relevant links to learn about these new rules.

Starting Willpower is equal to (total of Virtues - 2).

Going from Legend 4 to Legend 5 and from Legend 8 to Legend 9 are GM fiat rather than spending XP.

Demigods (Scions with Legend ratings of 5 to 8) can substitute spending 20 Legend points for spending a Willpower point. Gods can substitute spending 10 Legend points for spending a Willpower point.

There may be more that will come up later, but they won't affect you for a while, if so.

14. Is a character background required? If so, how big? Are you looking for anything in particular (i.e. the backgrounds all ending up with the characters in the same city)? Yes, enough of a background that I have a sense of who your character is, please. The game will be starting in the U. S., so "lives full-time in a different country and never leaves it" would be bad.

15. Does your game involve a lot of hack & slash, puzzle solving, roleplaying, or a combination of the above? I will endeavor for balance in this area; most situations will have multiple possible solutions. Neither a combat-heavy character, nor a social character, nor a thinker should feel useless.

16. Are your Players restricted to particular rulebooks and supplements, or will you be allowing access to non-standard material? What sources can Players use for their characters? I have and am, to some extent, using all the Scion 1ed material. I would prefer to ignore the Scion Companion's setting material as I am unfortunately less impressed with its writing than I hoped to be. (In this game, if any gods got involved in World War 2, it's on an individual scale in minor ways which would be very hard to find any indications of eighty years later.) However, using material from Chapter Two of the Scion Companion is fine.

For the benefit of people who do not have the books but are interested in playing, character creation information follows. If you already know the game system and have the books you don't need to open these spoilers.


Character sheet (https://mrgone.rocksolidshells.com/pdf/Scion/Scion_Hero1-Page.pdf)

You can work out your stats in any order that works for you, really, but this is the order presented in the Scion books.

First, choose which god is your divine parent. Choose a “calling”--one to a few words to describe your character. And choose a Nature from the following list.

• Architect—You are a methodical planner.
• Autocrat—It’s your way or the highway.
• Bravo—You live life on the edge.
• Caregiver—You are a wellspring of compassion.
• Competitor—You are driven to be the best.
• Cynic—You are quite familiar with Murphy’s Law.
• Fanatic—You zealously champion your beliefs.
• Gallant—You protect those who can’t protect themselves.
• Gambler—You risk all to win.
• Judge—You are the law.
• Libertine—You live each day like it’s your last.
• Loner—You rely on yourself alone.
• Pacifist—You endeavor to solve problems peacefully.
• Pedagogue—You live to teach.
• Penitent—You seek to expiate the wrongs you’ve done.
• Perfectionist—You strive for flawlessness in all your endeavors.
• Rebel—You constantly seek to challenge authority.
• Rogue—You believe laws were made to be broken.
• Survivor—You persevere against everything life throws at you.
• Traditionalist—You believe that the old ways are the best ones.
• Trickster—You live to deceive.
• Visionary—You see the World for what could be, rather than what it is.

Choose which area—Physical, Mental, or Social—your character is strongest in, which is second, and which is third. (Because you are a Scion, even the weakest category is above human average.)

You begin with one point in each of the nine Attributes. In your primary area, you have 8 further points to distribute. In your secondary area, you have 6 further points to distribute. In your tertiary area, you have 4 further points to distribute. (Example: Yukiko Kuromizu chooses to set Physical Attributes as her primary category, Mental Attributes as her secondary category, and Social Attributes as her tertiary category. She adds four points to Dexterity to bring it to the human maximum of 5, two points to Strength to bring it to 3, and two points to Stamina to bring it to 3. In the Mental Attribute category she has six points: she simply adds two points to each Attribute, bringing them to 3 each. In the Social Attribute category she chooses to add two points to Charisma, bringing it to 3, and one point each to Appearance and Manipulation, bringing them both to 2, human average.) You cannot raise any Attribute above 5 while you are a Hero. (Demigods and Gods are not so restricted.)

At that point in character creation, your divine parent starts to matter, though only slightly yet. Each god has six associated Abilities—mark which those are for your divine parent. They will be easier to increase with experience points. Right now, you have 30 points to distribute between the 24 abilities. None of them can go above 3 at this stage, and 6 of the points you spend must be in Abilities associated with your divine parent. Art, Control, and Science require specializations. Control refers to driving a type of vehicle or riding a type of mount. So if your character knows how to drive a car, paints, and has a degree in biology, you would write (Painting), (Automobiles), and (Biology) next to those skills. You can, of course, take multiple separate versions: Control (Automobiles) and Control (Airplanes), for example. Integrity’s primary function is to help you resist supernatural coercion.

Next is the purely supernatural part. Your character begins with a Legend rating of 2. You can increase your Legend by spending bonus points (see below); it costs 7 bonus points to raise your Legend by one. You have ten points to spend on Epic Attributes and Boons. You can raise an Epic Attribute to a maximum of one point lower than your Legend rating, or equal to your rating in the mundane version of that Attribute, whichever is lower. So if Eric Donner has a Legend of 4, a Strength of 4, and a Perception of 2, he could spend five points here to have Epic Strength 3 and Epic Perception 2, but he couldn’t take Epic Strength 4 (because that would be the same as his Legend rating) and he couldn’t take Epic Perception 3 (because that would be higher than his Perception). For each point you have in an Epic Attribute, you can choose a Knack. Your divine parent determines which Epic Attributes are easier for you to raise with bonus points or experience points, but does not affect which you can take now. (A Scion of Aphrodite can spend one point to have Epic Strength 1 and one point to have Epic Appearance 1 at this stage. Being Aphrodite’s Scion comes into play when that Scion wants to increase their Epic Attributes, and finds it costs 8 experience points to go to Epic Appearance 2 and 10 experience points to go to Epic Strength 2.)

Each Purview has at least 10 associated powers, ranked from 1 to 10. A Scion can learn only Boons which are lower than their Legend rating in level. For example, Eric Donner, being a Scion of Thor with a Legend of 4, chooses to spend three points for the level three Sky boon, Storm Augmentation, to spend one point for the level one Guardian boon, Vigil Brand, and to spend another two points for the level two Guardian boon, Aegis. He does not need to take the first or second level Sky boon (though he will need to eventually if he ever wants to become a god who can assume the avatar form of the Storm), and he cannot take any boon of level 4 or above until his legend is higher.

You further have 5 points to spend on Birthrights: Creature, Followers, Guide, and Relic. Of those, Relic is the only one which is very close to nonoptional. You need a Relic to channel a Purview to use any Boon from that Purview. Continuing to use Eric Donner as an example, he inherited from his father (Thor) a bloodstone ring engraved with the rune Algiz, which permits him to use the Guardian Purview. If for any reason he does not have that ring, he cannot use Vigil Brand or Aegis. Channeling a single Purview (Guardian) is the only thing the ring does, so it is a 1-point relic and costs 1 of Eric’s five Birthright points. When he discovered he was a Scion, he received a gun he named Giantbane, which does +3 damage compared to a normal gun of its type (a 3-point ability) and also lets him channel the Sky Purview, making it a 4-point Relic which costs the rest of Eric’s Birthright points.

Relics can also be useful for the other Birthrights. If you have a nekomata who aids you in battle, it will be much less likely to cause extreme consternation whenever you travel through an area inhabited by mortals if the nekomata spends most of its time in the form of a small figurine which you carry in your pocket. Followers could mean mortals who are loyal to you for some reason to be elaborated on, but it could also mean that you have five dragon’s teeth which grow into spartoi when you throw them on the ground—and turn back into dragon’s teeth, ready to be summoned again, when the battle is over, whether they actually survived it or not. If you have a supernatural Guide, it’s useful to have a means of contacting them more reliable than a cell phone number.

For another example, Dr. Aaron Tigrillo has four points in the Relic Birthright and four points in the Guide Birthright. All eight of them refer to the Crystal Skull he carries in his medical bag. The Crystal Skull lets him channel the Magic, Mystery, and Prophecy Purviews (a 3-point ability, to channel three Purviews) and also lets him talk to his Guide (a 1-point ability, bringing it to a 4-point Relic)--it is his Guide, giving him advice when he speaks to it.

A Relic which can channel a Purview always comes from a god who is associated with that Purview. If you want to start with Death, Darkness, and Water Boons as a Scion of Thor, you certainly can, but to channel them, you’ll need one or more Relics which didn’t come from Thor. If you say “I channel the Death Purview through a Relic I received from Odin,” that’s almost as noncontroversial as if all your Relics came from Thor. If you instead say, “I channel the Death Purview through a Relic I received from Hel,” that’s going to excite more comment. If you say, “I channel the Death Purview through a Relic completely alien to the Aesir which I received from Persephone,” that’s going to raise a lot of questions which the cycle will likely explore.

Finally, you have four Virtues, determined by your divine parent’s pantheon. You start with one point in each of them, and have five points to distribute between them. No Virtue can be higher than 4 at this stage.

Then you have 15 bonus points to spend. Costs are as follows:

Attribute 4
Ability 2 (1 for Favored Ability of divine parent)
Birthright 1 (2 if the Birthright is being raised above 3)
Virtue 3
Willpower 2
Legend 7
Epic Attribute 5 (4 if associated with divine parent)
Knack 3
Boons 5 (4 if associated with divine parent)
Additional Spell 5 (4 if Magic is associated with divine parent)

Your starting Willpower is equal to (the total of your Virtues – 2)--which will be 7 if you did not spend bonus points increasing Virtues. Using bonus points, you can increase your Virtues to a maximum of 5 each, your Willpower to a maximum of 10, and/or your Abilities to a maximum of 5. Your Legend points are the square of your Legend rating. (That is: 4 if you have a Legend rating of 2, 9 if you have a Legend rating of 3, or 16 if you have a Legend rating of 4.)
THE PESEDJET
THE EGYPTIAN GODS

Virtues: Conviction, Harmony, Order, Piety

ANUBIS

Associated Powers: Epic Perception, Animal (Jackal), Death, Guardian, Heku, Justice
Abilities: Animal Ken, Empathy, Integrity, Medicine, Melee, Occult

ATUM-RE

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Epic Perception, Animal (Falcon), Heku, Sun
Abilities: Academics, Art, Fortitude, Investigation, Politics, Presence

BASTET

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Dexterity, Epic Perception, Epic Wits, Animal (Cat), Heku, Illusion, Justice, Moon, Prophecy, Sun
Abilities: Athletics, Awareness, Brawl, Larceny, Stealth, Survival

GEB

Associated Powers: Animal (Goose), Earth, Fertility, Heku, Justice
Abilities: Art (Gardening), Command, Empathy, Fortitude, Politics, Science

HORUS

Associated Powers: Epic Strength, Animal (Falcon), Heku, Justice, Moon, Sky, Sun
Abilities: Athletics, Awareness, Brawl, Command, Melee, Politics

ISIS

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Fertility, Guardian, Health, Heku, Magic, Mystery
Abilities: Academics, Integrity, Investigation, Occult, Politics, Presence

KEBAUET

Associated Powers: Epic Intelligence, Epic Manipulation, Animal (Serpent, Ostrich), Death, Heku, Justice
Abilities: Academics, Art, Craft, Fortitude, Medicine, Occult

OSIRIS

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Animal (Centipede, Ram), Death, Earth, Heku, Fertility, Justice
Abilities: Awareness, Command, Fortitude, Investigation, Politics, Presence

PTAH

Associated Powers: Epic Intelligence, Fire, Heku, Psychopomp
Abilities: Art, Craft, Investigation, Larceny, Science, Thrown

SET

Associated Powers: Epic Manipulation, Epic Strength, Animal (Salawa), Chaos, Guardian, Heku, Sky, War
Abilities: Brawl, Command, Control, Melee, Presence, Survival

SOBEK

Associated Powers: Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Animal (Crocodile), Fertility, Heku, Water
Abilities: Athletics, Awareness, Brawl, Larceny, Presence, Stealth

THOTH

Associated Powers: Epic Intelligence, Animal (Baboon, Ibis), Heku, Justice, Magic, Moon
Abilities: Academics, Investigation, Integrity, Occult, Politics, Science


THE DODEKATHEON
THE GREEK GODS

Virtues: Expression, Intellect, Valor, Vengeance

APHRODITE

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Arete, Illusion
Abilities: Animal Ken, Art, Empathy, Integrity, Larceny, Presence

APOLLO

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Arete, Health, Prophecy, Sun
Abilities: Art, Athletics, Medicine, Marksmanship, Presence, Science

ARES

Associated Powers: Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Arete, War
Abilities: Brawl, Command, Marksmanship, Melee, Presence, Thrown

ARTEMIS

Associated Powers: Epic Dexterity, Epic Perception, Arete, Health, Moon
Abilities: Animal Ken, Awareness, Empathy, Fortitude, Marksmanship, Survival

ATHENA

Associated Powers: Epic Intelligence, Epic Wits, Animal (Owl), Arete, Health, Justice, War
Abilities: Academics, Command, Craft, Melee, Investigation, Science

DIONYSUS

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Stamina, Arete, Chaos, Fertility, Mystery
Abilities: Art, Empathy, Integrity, Fortitude, Occult, Presence

HADES

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Arete, Darkness, Death, Earth
Abilities: Academics, Command, Occult, Presence, Stealth, Thrown

HEPHAESTUS

Associated Powers: Epic Intelligence, Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Arete, Earth, Fire
Abilities: Art, Control, Craft, Investigation, Melee, Science

HERA

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Animal (Peacock), Arete, Health, Magic
Abilities: Academics, Command, Fortitude, Investigation, Politics, Presence

HERMES

Associated Powers: Epic Dexterity, Epic Intelligence, Epic Wits, Arete, Magic, Psychopomp
Abilities: Athletics, Awareness, Larceny, Occult, Stealth, Survival

PERSEPHONE

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Dexterity, Epic Wits, Death, Fertility, Psychopomp
Abilities: Academics, Empathy, Occult, Politics, Presence, Stealth

POSEIDON

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Animal (Horse), Arete, Earth, Water
Abilities: Animal Ken, Control, Fortitude, Integrity, Melee, Thrown

ZEUS

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Epic Strength, Arete, Illusion, Justice, Sky
Abilities: Awareness, Command, Integrity, Presence, Politics, Thrown


THE AESIR
THE NORSE GODS

Virtues: Courage, Endurance, Expression, Loyalty

BALDUR

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Guardian, Jotunblut, Sun
Abilities: Art, Athletics, Brawl, Melee, Marksmanship, Presence

FREYA

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Fertility, Health, Jotunblut, War
Abilities: Art, Craft, Empathy, Integrity, Melee, Presence

FREYR

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Fertility, Health, Jotunblut, Sun, War
Abilities: Animal Ken, Brawl, Control, Fortitude, Investigation, Presence

FRIGG

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Intelligence, Jotunblut, Magic, Prophecy, Sky
Abilities: Academics, Command, Fortitude, Medicine, Occult, Science

HEIMDALL

Associated Powers: Epic Perception, Guardian, Jotunblut, Sun
Abilities: Awareness, Command, Investigation, Marksmanship, Melee, Stealth

HEL

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Manipulation, Death, Jotunblut
Abilities: Command, Control, Fortitude, Investigation, Melee, Presence

LOKI

Associated Powers: Epic Intelligence, Epic Manipulation, Epic Wits, Chaos, Fire, Illusion, Jotunblut, Magic
Abilities: Brawl, Empathy, Larceny, Occult, Politics, Stealth

ODIN

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Intelligence, Epic Manipulation, Epic Perception, Epic Stamina, Epic Wits, Death, Illusion, Jotunblut, Magic, Mystery, Prophecy, Psychopomp, War
Abilities: Art, Fortitude, Integrity, Investigation, Occult, Presence

SIF

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Fertility, Jotunblut
Abilities: Athletics, Empathy, Integrity, Melee, Science, Survival

THOR

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Guardian, Jotunblut, Sky
Abilities: Athletics, Brawl, Control, Melee, Presence, Thrown

TYR

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Epic Wits, Jotunblut, Justice, War
Abilities: Academics, Command, Integrity, Investigation, Melee, Politics

VIDAR

Associated Powers: Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Jotunblut, Justice
Abilities: Awareness, Brawl, Fortitude, Investigation, Politics, Stealth


THE ATZLÁNTI
THE AZTEC GODS

Virtues: Conviction, Courage, Duty, Loyalty

HUITZILOPOCHTLI

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Animal (Hummingbird, Eagle), Death, Guardian, Itztli, Magic, Sun, War
Abilities: Athletics, Awareness, Brawl, Marksmanship, Melee, Thrown

MICLÁNTECUHTLI

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Animal (Dog), Death, Guardian, Itztli
Abilities: Command, Investigation, Larceny, Politics, Presence, Thrown

QUETZALCOÁTL

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Intelligence, Animal (Resplendent Quetzal), Fertility, Guardian, Earth, Health, Itztli, Justice, Psychopomp, Sky, Water
Abilities: Academics, Command, Investigation, Medicine, Melee, Science

TEZCATLIPOCA

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Epic Dexterity, Epic Manipulation, Epic Wits, Animal (Jaguar), Darkness, Itztli, Magic, Moon, Mystery, Prophecy, Sun, War
Abilities: Athletics, Brawl, Fortitude, Occult, Presence, Stealth

TLALOC

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Earth, Fertility, Health, Itztli, Sky
Abilities: Academics, Brawl, Command, Medicine, Stealth, Survival

TLAZOLTÉOTL

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Earth, Itztli
Abilities: Art, Craft, Empathy, Investigation, Medicine, Politics

XIPE TOTEC

Associated Powers: Epic Stamina, Death, Fertility, Guardian, Health, Itztli
Abilities: Craft, Fortitude, Integrity, Larceny, Medicine, Survival


THE AMATSUKAMI
THE JAPANESE GODS

Virtues: Duty, Endurance, Intellect, Valor

AMATERASU

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Epic Strength, Fertility, Sun, Tsukumo-Gami
Abilities: Art, Awareness, Craft, Empathy, Integrity, Presence

HACHIMAN

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Dexterity, Epic Wits, Animal (Dove), Fertility, Guardian, Tsukumo-Gami, War
Abilities: Athletics, Command, Investigation, Marksmanship, Melee, Science

IZANAGI

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Strength, Psychopomp, Sky, Tsukumo-Gami
Abilities: Academics, Awareness, Fortitude, Melee, Presence, Thrown

IZANAMI

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Darkness, Death, Earth, Tsukumo-Gami
Abilities: Brawl, Command, Fortitude, Integrity, Occult, Stealth

RAIDEN

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Dexterity, Guardian, Sky, Tsukumo-Gami
Abilities: Athletics, Brawl, Fortitude, Marksmanship, Presence, Science

SUSANO-O

Associated Powers: Epic Strength, Epic Wits, Chaos, Illusion, Psychopomp, Sky, Tsukumo-Gami, Water
Abilities: Awareness, Brawl, Craft, Fortitude, Melee, Presence

TSUKI-YOMI

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Darkness, Moon, Psychopomp, Tsukumo-Gami
Abilities: Academics, Awareness, Empathy, Investigation, Marksmanship, Politics


THE LOA
THE VOODOO GODS

Virtues: Harmony, Order, Piety, Vengeance

BARON SAMEDI

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Cheval, Darkness, Death, Earth, Health, Psychopomp
Abilities: Command, Fortitude, Integrity, Occult, Politics, Presence

DAMBALLA

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Animal (Snake), Cheval, Health, Mystery
Abilities: Animal Ken, Awareness, Brawl, Empathy, Medicine, Science

ERZULIE

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Cheval, Guardian, War
Abilities: Art, Athletics, Empathy, Integrity, Presence, Survival

KALFU

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Chaos, Cheval, Darkness, Illusion, Magic, Moon
Abilities: Animal Ken, Athletics, Occult, Presence, Stealth, Survival

LEGBA

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Wits, Cheval, Prophecy, Psychopomp, Sun
Abilities: Command, Empathy, Integrity, Larceny, Occult, Politics

OGOUN

Associated Powers: Epic Manipulation, Epic Strength, Cheval, Fire, War
Abilities: Art, Craft, Fortitude, Melee, Politics, Presence

SHANGO

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Strength, Cheval, Justice, Prophecy, Sky
Abilities: Art, Command, Fortitude, Integrity, Melee, Presence

[Kish]

Some Knacks have prerequisites; those are listed directly below and indented from their prerequisites. In the interests of not violating fair use this is an abbreviated description of each; if you want to know more about specific ones ask me.



Epic Strength

Crushing Grip: You can deal lethal damage in a clinch.
--------Divine Wrath: You deal lethal damage with any unarmed attack and, by spending a Legend point, deal aggravated damage in a clinch.
----------------Disfiguring Attack: By spending five Legend points, you can deal aggravated damage with any unarmed attack.
--------One Inch Punch: By spending three Legend points, you can concentrate all your strength in one tiny part of your body for one action.

Hang On: By spending a Legend point, you can extend a feat of strength for days.

Holy Bound: You can jump twice as far as your (already prodigious) strength would indicate.
--------Divine Bound: By spending ten Legend points, you can jump two hundred times as far as your (already prodigious) strength would indicate.

Holy Rampage: You’re good at breaking objects.
--------Armor Crusher: You can spend five Legend points to give all your melee attacks the Piercing quality for one scene.
--------Divine Rampage: You’re better at breaking objects.

Hurl to the Horizon: You can throw things twice as far as your (already prodigious) strength would indicate.
--------Mighty Heave: You can throw things six times as far as your strength would indicate; thrown weapons are more damaging than usual.
----------------Hurl to the Moon: Any item you can lift, you can throw as far as you could throw a dart. By spending two Legend points, you can make any thrown object deal aggravated damage.

Knockback Attack: You can spend a Willpower point to make an unarmed attack that throws the enemy back instead of dealing damage.
--------Knockback Wave: You can spend five Legend points to knock everyone nearby away from you.

Making It Look Easy: Any feat of strength you are able to perform, you can perform without effort. You can perform multiple actions (standard multiple action rules) when one or more of those actions is an amazing feat of strength.

Shock Wave: By striking the ground, you can create a shock wave.

Titanium Tools: Items you use will not suffer structural damage from anything you do with them.

Uplifting Might: You can lift twice as much as your (already prodigious) strength would indicate.



Epic Dexterity

And the Crowd Goes Wild: You excel at any sport you play, even ones you never heard of before.

Cat’s Grace: You are superhumanly good at remaining on your feet.
--------Divine Balance: You can balance on things that should only be able to support a fraction of your weight.

Escape Artist: You can slip free of a clinch or any bonds.

Lighting Sprinter: You can run twice as fast as you normally could and can run over mud or shoulder-depth water.
--------Fast As Thought: By spending a Legend point, you can run four times as fast as you normally could and can defy gravity for brief periods.

Microscopic Precision: Your fine manipulation is superhuman.

Monkey Climber: You can climb with superhuman speed and ease.
--------Spider Climber: By spending a Legend point, you can climb a normal surface at running speed, or you can climb sheer glass with no handholds or move upside down across the bottom of a horizontal surface.
----------------Anti-Gravity Climber: By spending a Legend point, you can treat any solid surface you can touch as though it was flat ground. You can run up a wall, then run across the ceiling. If you lose contact with the surface while off the ground, you will fall.

Omnidexterity: You can manipulate objects equally well with either hand, your toes, your tongue, or any other reasonably prehensile appendages you may have (say, if you use a Boon to turn into an octopus).

Perfect Partner: You can coordinate your movements with other people’s perfectly.

Photographic Penmanship: You can spend a Legend point and a Willpower point to perfectly reproduce anything you have seen and can remember. You are a flawless signature and art forger.

Ricochet Symphony: You can spend a Legend point and throw something that ricochets to somewhere it would normally be blocked from reaching.

Roll With It: When hit by an attack, you can spend a Legend point to increase your resistance to damage.

Trick Shooter: You are superhumanly good at shots as long as you have time to aim.
--------Shot to the Heart: By spending three Legend points, you become superhumanly good at hitting a specific point. Shooting Achilles in his left heel is almost as easy for you as aiming for his center of mass would be. Will not give you any special knowledge of where you should be trying to aim; you must gain knowledge of any weakness your target may have elsewhere.

Untouchable Opponent: As long as you can move you are very hard to hit.
--------Whirlwind Shield: By spending a point of Legend, you can parry thrown items, arrows, or crossbow bolts. If you are holding something that could deflect a bullet, you can parry bullets.



Epic Stamina

Body Armor: You can parry close-combat attacks that inflict lethal damage. By spending a point of Legend, your divine ichor forms a suit of close-fitting body armor for one scene.
--------Impenetrable: Your Body Armor can soak aggravated damage, and protects your clothing as well as your body.
--------Invulnerable Nail: By spending two Legend points as a reflexive action, you can render one small part of your body nigh-invulnerable.

Damage Conversion: You can spend a Legend point to make a lethal attack instead do bashing damage.
--------Divine Damage Conversion: You can spend five Legend points to make an aggravated attack instead do lethal damage.

Extended Youth: You no longer age physically. (This is unnecessary and redundant for gods–that is, for anyone with Legend 9 or above.)

Holy Fortitude: You can go without water, food, or sleep for twice as long, and perform strenuous work for twice as long.
--------Divine Fortitude: You can perform strenuous work for four times as long. You may choose either water, food, or sleep to no longer be necessary at all. You can take this Knack three times to not need water, food, or sleep.
----------------Tireless Worker: You never get tired.

Inner Furnace: You can subsist on any organic substance. You are immune to ingested drugs or poisons.
--------Devourer: You can consume anything and be nourished and not harmed by it: gasoline, sand, needles, a cocktail of arsenic and strychnine.
----------------Internal Refinery: You are immune to all poisons and diseases (inhaled, contact and injury poisons, as well as ingested poisons). You can spend five Legend points to produce an antidote to any poison or disease you are exposed to.

Raging Bull: You can spend three Legend points to go into a rage where you fight better the more wounded you are, for one scene. Your wound penalties become wound bonuses, and each time you take an injury, you can spend a Legend point to restore one Willpower point.

Self-Healing: You can spend a point of Legend to heal a level of bashing or lethal damage.
--------Regeneration: You can spend a point of Legend to heal a level of aggravated damage or to regrow a lost body part.

Solipsistic Well-Being: You can spend a point of Legend and a point of Willpower to be unaffected by one attack you did not perceive coming, once per scene.
--------Skin Shedding: When subjected to an attack that knocks you back, you can spend a point of Legend and a point of Willpower to take no damage and leave a skin behind which will quickly disintegrate.

Under Pressure: You are immune to the effects of changes in pressure. Unlike Whale’s Breath, this applies to pressure changes that are not water-based (in deep space, for example).

Whale’s Breath: By spending a Legend point, you can hold your breath three times as long as you normally could, and become immune to underwater pressure changes.


Epic Charisma

Benefit of the Doubt: You can spend a Legend point to convince someone to entertain an idea they would otherwise dismiss out of hand.

Blessing of Importance: You can spend a Legend point to restore another’s Willpower.
--------BFF: Your restoration of another’s Willpower is more effective.

Boys Will Be Boys: You can spend a Legend point to avoid punishment.
--------Blame James: When using Boys Will Be Boys, you can spend two additional Legend points to ensure that blame for whatever you are getting out of trouble for falls on a specific other person.

Charmer: You can spend a Legend point to suppress negative emotions directed at you for one scene.
--------Crowd Control: You can spend a Legend point and a Willpower point to quell the passion of a seething mob.
--------Engender Love: You can spend a Legend point to make someone love you for days.

Inspirational Figure: You can spend a Legend point to restore a single point of Willpower each to a group.
--------Instant Seminar: By spending two Legend points and speaking for at least a minute on how to do something, you give a group of people the use of one of your Abilities.
--------Paragon of Virtue: By spending two Legend points and spending a minute giving an inspirational speech, you can give a group of mortals one of your Virtues, permanently.
--------Preach On: You can spend a Legend point to restore the Willpower of a group of mortals and Scions as effectively as if you were using Blessing of Importance on a mortal. By spending a Willpower point, you can give a (probably horrifying) speech that restores one Willpower point each to a group of titanspawn, if for some reason you want to.

Hapless Cool: You can spend a Legend point to make everyone think anything silly that you do or that happens to you is endearing for one scene.

Never Say Die: You can restore your Band’s willpower when you are injured.

Pied Piper: You can spend a Legend point and make every mortal who sees you until the next sunrise want to stay near you.
--------Divine Figurehead: You can spend a Legend point and a Willpower point and make mortals, heroes, demigods, and most titanspawn want to stay near you.

Unimpeachable Reference: By spending a Legend point and vouching for another person, you can effectively give them the Benefit of the Doubt Knack for as long as they are known to be speaking for you.
--------Borrowed Credibility: By spending three Legend points, you can empower someone to speak as compellingly as you in your name.




Epic Manipulation

Advantageous Circumstances: You can perform one action which causes a group of people to act in a fashion that accomplishes a short-term goal of yours, in one scene.

Blurt It Out: You can compel someone to speak when they would choose to remain silent.
--------Kill the Messenger: By spending three Legend points, you can empower someone to speak as persuasively as you; unlike Borrowed Credibility they do not need to invoke your name, and unlike Borrowed Credibility the actual goal of the words they speak does not need to be what they think it is, but they do still need to be willing to speak for you.

God’s Honest: You can spend a Legend point to compel someone to believe you.

Knowing Glance: By meeting the eyes of someone for whom you know a dangerous secret and spending a Legend point, you can demoralize them so severely that their temporary Willpower drops to 0.

Not The Face: By spending a Legend point when someone is about to attack you, you can make them delay the attack for a single tick.

Overt Order: You can spend a Willpower point to compel someone to take a single immediate action.
--------Hard Sell: You can compel a group of people to take a single immediate action.
--------Instant Hypnosis: You can spend a Willpower point to plant a hidden command within someone’s subconscious.
----------------Implant False Memory: By describing something that “happened” in the past and spending a Willpower point, you can alter or create one of someone’s memories.
----------------Mass Hypnosis: You can spend a Willpower point and a Legend point to plant a hidden command within the subconsciouses of a group of people.

Return to Sender: By spending an extra Legend point while using another Epic Manipulation Knack to make someone do something, you can make them come to you afterward.

Rumor Mill: By spending a Legend point and telling someone the rumor you wish to start, you can spread a rumor to a wide audience.
--------Trendsetter: By spending two Legend points, you can start a fad.

Secondhand Persuasion: You can spend a Legend point to use your manipulative abilities through a written medium.

Stench of Guilt: You can tell when someone is thinking about a secret they’re keeping.

Takes One to Know One: You can tell when you hear a lie.
--------Deprogramming: By spending a variable amount of Legend points depending on what is being counteracted, you can purge someone else of the effects of Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, or specific Epic Charisma or Epic Manipulation Knacks which you know.


Epic Appearance

Note: Epic Appearance is either positive or negative. That is, a character with Epic Appearance is either stunningly beautiful or mind-shatteringly hideous, chosen when the Epic Attribute is first taken.

Blinding Visage: You can spend a Legend point to leave a mortal blind and disoriented for a scene.

Center of Attention: You can spend a Legend point to transfix the attention of everyone who can see you.

Come Hither (positive only): You can spend a Legend point and send an invitation by any means to compel someone to come to you.
--------Meet Me Backstage: You can spend a Legend point and send an invitation by any means to compel someone to come to a specific place where they expect you to meet them.

Doin’ Fine: You show no signs of injury.

Dreadful Mien (negative only): You can spend a Legend point and compel someone to flee from you.
--------Do Not Want: You can spend three Legend points to become so repulsive that enemies find it hard to strike you or look at you.

Game Face (positive only): You can spend a Legend point, make a threatening expression, and compel someone to flee from you.

Lasting Impression: You can spend a Legend point to inspire (positive) or demoralize (negative) someone for a day.
--------Inescapable Vision: You can spend a Legend point and a Willpower point to cause someone to constantly hallucinate your face, tormenting them so that their Willpower continually drops.

My Eyes Are Up Here: You can spend a Willpower point to make yourself look forgettable to mortals for one scene. You cannot use your Epic Appearance in any other way while this is active.
--------Detail Variation: You can spend a Legend point to change details of your appearance.
----------------Tailor Made: You can spend a Legend point to create clothes, which will disintegrate when you take them off.
----------------Undeniable Resemblance: You can spend five Legend points to alter your body to any possible human form.
------------------------Unusual Alteration: You can spend a Legend point to add inhuman features, though they have no mechanical non-appearance effects. At this point, you can shift your Epic Appearance freely between positive and negative, and qualify for all Epic Appearance Knacks.

Perfect Actor: You can spend a Willpower point to cause everyone who sees you to feel the same strong emotion you seem to be (whether your emotion is real or acted).

Serpent’s Gaze: You can spend a point of Legend to lock gazes with someone and prevent them from looking away.
--------Compelling Presence: You can spend multiple points of Legend to transfix the gazes of multiple people, and you need not be looking at them for them to be unable to look away from you.

Visage Great and Terrible: You can spend three Legend points to shift your Epic Appearance between positive and negative, and qualify for all Epic Appearance Knacks. This has no prerequisites but is otherwise strictly worse than Unusual Alteration. If at any point in the future you have Undeniable Resemblance, you can trade in this Knack for Unusual Alteration.


Epic Perception

Broad-Spectrum Reception: By spending a Legend point, for one scene, you can see infrared and ultraviolet, see magnetic fields, hear electricity, feel ultrasonic vibrations, television and radio waves, and smell radiation.
--------Rarefied Electromagnetic Perception: Your Broad-Spectrum Reception is always on. By spending a Legend point, you can listen in on radio waves or cell phone signals, or watch a program carried on television signals.

Fool Me Once…: By spending two Legend points, you can see through all illusions created by a being whose Legend rating is less than yours for one scene. You can identify the creator of the illusion if you previously encountered their illusions and know who created them.

Parallel Attention: You can spend three Legend points to follow as many separate sources of input as you are exposed to at one time.

Perfect Pitch: You can detect any variation in musical pitch; you can identify a phone number or security code you have only heard entered by the tone differences.

Predatory Focus: You are a superhuman tracker.
--------Supernal Hunter: You can track someone who has left no perceptible trail at all due to flying or swimming, as long as their trail is never more than 100 yards from you.

Real McCoy: You can spend a Legend point to tell if anyone you can perceive is currently shapeshifted.

Refined Palate: You can recognize the ingredients in anything you taste. You can identify drugs or poison in something by smell.

Scent the Divine: You can spend a point of Legend to smell and hear other Scions, and possibly identify their pantheons.

Sense Fatebond: You can sense when two people are Fatebound, if not the details.

Subliminal Warning: You are good at spotting ambushes.
--------Environmental Awareness: You have superhuman ability to predict the weather, anticipate earthquakes, detect temperature changes, and immediately notice if anything unnatural affects any of these. Your time sense is perfect. You can never be ambushed: regardless of the circumstances of combat beginning your initiative is never penalized. You can reflexively spend a Legend point to call out a warning, and if you do your cohorts are equally unsurprised.
--------In Your Dreams: When you go to sleep or fall unconscious, you can spend a Legend point to remember everything you hear, feel, taste or smell while asleep, as if you were lying there feigning sleep.

Spatial Attunement: Your hearing and smell are keen enough to compensate for lack of sight. If someone is standing directly behind you, you can still recognize them by smell as easily as if you were looking right at them; you can navigate through an obstacle course in pitch darkness without effort.

Telescopic Senses: Nothing you can perceive is ever distant to you. If an ordinary person could just barely observe “there is some writing there,” you can read the writing as easily as if you were right next to it; if two people are having a conversation at the very edge of your hearing range, you know what they are saying as well as if they were speaking to you. If you have this Knack and also Supernal Hunter, you can never lose a trail unless you choose to stop pursuing; being over 100 yards from where you can go is no longer a protection.
--------Clairvoyance: You can spend five Legend points to switch your senses to anywhere you have been for at least a scene in the past and observe what is happening there. You can spend five Legend points to feel or taste something at the end of your line of sight.

Unfailing Recognition: You can always recognize someone to whom you are Fatebound. You can spend a Willpower point to lock someone’s image in your mind so that, for the duration of one story, you can always recognize them. You can always tell if someone who is not disguised is biologically related to someone else you know.



Epic Intelligence

Axiom: By spending three points of Legend, you can state a deduction and get confirmation or refutation.

Blockade of Reason: You are resistant to others’ supernatural persuasion abilities.

Cipher: You can break any code written by someone without Epic Intelligence at a glance. You can invent a code which no one without Epic Intelligence has a chance to break, which will be perfectly clear to the intended recipient of your message.

Fast Learner: You pay half normal XP costs to increase Academics, Medicine, Occult, Politics, or Science.
--------Star Pupil: You also pay half normal XP costs to increase Athletics, Brawl, Craft, Control, Investigation, Larceny, Marksmanship, Melee, Survival or Thrown.
----------------Concept to Execution: You can build uncanny devices.

Fight With Your Head: You are resistant to your opponents’ supernatural combat buffs.

Know-It-All: You know a little bit about a vast number of subjects.
--------Well-Read Virgin: You can discern information on almost any subject.

Language Mastery: You can understand any language that is spoken to you, and learn to speak that language as if it were your first language within a few sentences. This does not convey the ability to read or write the language.
--------Instant Translation: You can learn to speak a language immediately upon hearing it. You can read any language, and can write any words you have seen.

Math Genius: You have superhuman math abilities.

Multitasking: You can dedicate your full attention to as many simultaneous actions as your Legend rating.

Perfect Memory: You remember everything since your Visitation.

Speed Reader: You can read a block of text in the time it takes to blink.

Tactical Planning: You can use your Intelligence rather than your Wits for Join Battle.

Teaching Prodigy: You can teach someone so that they pay half normal XP costs to learn skills you know.

Telepathy: By spending a Legend point per sentence, you can speak to someone else with your mind.

Wireless Interface: You can operate a computer without needing a monitor or keyboard.




Epic Wits

Adaptive Fighting: When you miss an opponent, you can spend Legend to get a bonus to your next attack on them.

Cobra Reflexes: You can counterattack an attack you didn’t see coming. Does not stack with Rabbit Reflexes (you can dodge or counterattack, not both).

Don’t Read the Manual: You can spend a point of Legend and operate an item which requires skilled operation (an airplane, a gun) as if you knew how. Will have no effect if you actually do know how to use the item.

Eternal Vigilance: You are never surprised by attacks. You can never use Cobra Reflexes or Rabbit Reflexes as you always see attacks coming. You have a chance of automatically awakening if someone attacks you in your sleep.

Instant Assessment: By spending a number of Legend points equal to the number of enemies you wish to assess, you can learn a significant amount about their combat abilities relative to yours.
--------Talent Mirror: By spending two Legend points, you can do anything at least as well as you saw someone else do it.

Instant Investigator: You can read a crime scene at a glance.

Jack Of All Trades: You can spend two Legend points to do better at something you have no Ability dots in.

Meditative Focus: You are hard to distract.

Monkey in the Middle: When facing multiple opponents, you are immune to coordinated attack penalties and onslaught penalties.

Opening Gambit: When a battle begins, you can spend a Legend point to automatically win initiative.
--------Between the Ticks: You can spend three Legend points to interrupt after any action, once per scene.

Opening Salvo: You can spend a Legend point to say something that wounds someone to the quick, costing them a Willpower point.
--------Scathing Retort: When someone insults you, you can spend a Legend point to retort, protecting yourself from Opening Salvo (if applicable) or from Scathing Retort (if applicable…as long as you get the last word) and also costing them all their Willpower points.

Perfect Impostor: Your skill at cold reading is such that you can act exactly as the people you are trying to fool expect the person they think you are to act.

Psychic Profiler: You can tell a great deal about someone at a glance and more with a brief conversation.

Rabbit Reflexes: You are very likely to avoid an attack you didn’t see coming. Does not stack with Cobra Reflexes (you can dodge or counterattack, not both).

Social Chameleon: You quickly adapt to unaccustomed or unexpected social situations.

[Kish]

Each Boon has a listed character creation cost and a listed Legend rating prerequisite. There are three types of Purviews: All-Purpose, Special, and Pantheon.

Each All-Purpose Purview has Boons ranked from one to ten and purchased separately. There is nothing to stop someone from learning only the tenth-level Boon from an All-Purpose Purview, but each Purview also has an avatar form, which can be assumed only be someone who knows all ten Boons.

Magic, Mystery, and Prophecy are Special Purviews. They are ranked from one to ten; each rank costs one Boon point at character creation. One who has any of them at level 10 can buy an eleventh level to assume the avatar form of the Wyrd.

Each Pantheon has its own Pantheon Purview. They are ranked from one to ten; each rank costs one Boon point at character creation. A Scion can only take the Pantheon Purview of their own Pantheon; a Pantheon Purview always counts as associated for every divine parent, and requires no relic to use. Pantheon Purviews have no avatar form.



Animal (Specific Animal)

• Animal Communication: You can communicate with the animal this Purview applies to.
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Animal Command: By spending a Willpower point, you can give an animal of the type this Purview applies to an order. As long as the order does not seem suicidal or impossible, the animal will obey. If you do not have Animal Communication the animal’s ability to understand what you want is likely to be limited.
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Animal Aspect: By spending Legend points and meditating for three ticks, you gain a temporary bonus to an Attribute.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4


Chaos

• Eye of the Storm: You can spend a Legend point to remain an island of calm in a chaotic situation.
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Hornet’s Nest: You can determine what single action will either cause or defuse the most chaos at the moment, though not why.
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Paralyzing Confusion: By spending a Willpower point, you can temporarily scramble someone’s mind and wipe their short-term memory.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4


Darkness

• Night Eyes: You can see in the dark. You cannot perceive colors in pitch darkness but that does not impede your ability to distinguish shapes.
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Shadow Mask: You can spend a Legend point to cover your face with a shadow for up to 24 hours. You are unrecognizable to surveillance equipment and to anyone without Night Eyes or a similar ability.
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Shadow Refuge: You can spend a Legend point and hide in any shadow big enough to cover you. While you are hidden, no one can find you without supernatural powers.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4


Death

• Death Senses: You can see ghosts who have not manifested. You can look at a dead body and identify its cause of death.
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Euthanasia: You can spend a Legend point and painlessly kill a creature who is incapacitated with a touch. You can also use this power to determine if the creature is willing to die. This power cannot kill a Scion who is unwilling to die.
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Unquiet Corpse: You can spend a Legend point and a Willpower point while touching a largely intact corpse or its grave, to raise it as a zombie under your control. The zombie lasts until it or you is destroyed.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4


Earth

• Safely Interred: You will never be directly injured by being buried. An avalanche or a collapsing building does you no harm, nor will you have trouble breathing until you are rescued; if rescue does not come you may die of thirst though.
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Echo Sounding: By knocking on the earth, you can learn information about its composition or the location of something specific you are looking for.
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Shaping: You can spend a Legend point to shape stone, concrete, fired clay, or metal with your bare hands.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4


Fertility

• Green Thumb: By spending a Legend point and touching a large plant or a patch of smaller plants, you can enable it to survive without food, water, or light for a year.
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Cleanse: By spending a Legend point, you can cure plant blight or drive off a vermin infestation.
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Bless or Blight: By spending 3 Legend points, you can either protect a patch of land from all natural blights and vermin for one year, or cause the plants in that area to quickly die.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4


Fire

• Fire Immunity: You and your Relics are immune to fire and to smoke inhalation.
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Bolster Fire: By spending one Legend per scene, you can make a fire burn without consuming oxygen or any other fuel.
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Fire’s Eye: By spending one Legend, you can see out of any fire within your line or sight, or which you have used Bolster Fire on.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4


Frost:

• Frost Immunity: You never suffer damage from cold or slip on ice.
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Uller's Stride: By spending a Legend point, you can spend one scene gliding on a thin layer of hoarfrost which quickly melts behind you. As long as you can slide along a flat surface, you can move quickly and easily. You can skate over water.
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Hrimthurssar's Touch: By spending a Legend point and a Willpower point, you can suffuse your hands with deathly cold for one scene. Your unarmed attacks deal added damage equal to half your Legend against any foe not immune to cold. A metal melee weapon you hold deals added damage equal to half your Legend against any foe not immune to cold. A bottle of liquid will freeze and burst in secons in your hand while this ability is active. By spending another Legend point, you can freeze (your Legend rating in cubic yards) of liquid.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4


Guardian

• Vigil Brand: By touching a person, an object, or the entrance to a location and spending a Legend point, you can place a permanent mystical brand on it. Afterward, you can check on its current condition and will know if it is in danger.
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Aegis: By touching a person or object and spending a Legend point and a Willpower point, you grant it a measure of physical protection for the next 24 hours.
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Ward: By touching the entrance to a location and spending a Legend point and a Willpoint point, you can bar entrance to that location to a specific category of creature for days.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4


Health

• Assess Health: You can automatically assess someone’s current medical condition.
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Blessing of Health/Curse of Frailty: By spending a Legend point, you can render someone either fertile or infertile, as long as they have all the necessary reproductive organs. If someone is pregnant, you can make their pregnancy either healthy or unhealthy; if someone was born less than 24 hours ago, you can affect them such that their long-term health is either good or bad.
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Heal/Infect: By spending a Legend point, you can either cure or cause another person bashing damage. By spending a Willpower point instead, you can either turn another person’s lethal wounds to bashing, or turn another person’s bashing wounds to lethal. You can use this Boon on the same person only once per day.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4


Illusion

• The Subtle Knife: By spending one Legend point per object or creature to be concealed, you can prevent people from noticing one or more relatively small objects or creatures you carry (no bigger than an average adult rabbit).
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Stolen Face: By spending a Legend point and a Willpower point, you can make a disguise supernaturally convincing.
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Fool’s Gold: By spending two Legend points, you can make an item appear to all five senses as another item which has some trait in common with it.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4


Justice

• Judgment: By accusing someone of having committed a specific act you find unjust, you can immediately roll to detect whether they are in fact guilty of that act.
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Guilt Apparitions: By spending a Legend point and explicitly accusing someone of a specific act you find unjust which you know they committed, you can cause them to experience guilty hallucinations for days or until they confess.
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Shield of Righteousness: When someone is about to be unjustly punished, you can protect them by spending a Legend point and a Willpower point and announcing publicly that they are innocent. The next act that would inflict damage on them will not do so; they will be unscathed despite being stabbed, shot by a firing squad, hit with full force by a Scion with enough strength to lift the Empire State Building, or set on fire.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4


Moon

• Smoking Mirror: By looking up at the moon and spending a Legend point, you can see a bird’s eye view of the surrounding terrain for miles. This is not blocked by cloud cover, but will not work during a new moon or during the day when the moon is not visible.
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Tidal Interference: By spending a variable amount of Legend, you can inflict a defense penalty on all opponents with whom you are currently in close combat.
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Phase Cloak: By spending a Legend point, you can gain a bonus to your Stealth for the rest of the scene.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4


Psychopomp

• Unerring Orientation: In a location you know well, you know how to get from any point within to any other point. In an unfamiliar location, directions stick with you, five minutes studying a map will permit you to memorize it, and you always know which way north is. By spending one Legend, you can determine where you are relative to home or to the last place you weren’t lost.
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Where Are You?: When someone contacts you remotely (by telephone, instant messenger, telepathy, etc.), you immediately have a sense of their location relative to yours.
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Unbarred Entry: You can spend a Legend point and step through a solid surface.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4


Sky

• Sky’s Grace: You can spend a Legend point to ignore falling damage or to double the distance you can jump (the latter effect stacks with the Holy Bound Knack and its dependents), or to reduce knockback you suffer to as little as one yard.
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Wind’s Freedom: By spending one Legend and one Willpower, you can fly for one scene. You can keep this up as long as you keep spending Legend and Willpower.
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Storm Augmentation: By spending one Legend point per attack, you can add a knockback and stunning effect to your attacks.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4


Sun

• Penetrating Glare: You can see clearly through smoke, fog, murky water, or any translucent blockage. You can see perfectly clearly in light no brighter than a candle. You still cannot see in pitch darkness.
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Divine Radiance: By spending a Legend point, you can glow for one scene, produce a distracting burst of light, or focus a beam intense enough to scorch or ignite something (but not damage a person).
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Heavenly Flare: By spending a Legend point and concentrating for four ticks, you can produce a burst of sunlight that will dazzle and daze anyone who is looking at you.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4


War

• Blessing of Bravery: With a spoken benediction, you can inspire a group of combatants with one point of Willpower and two levels of the Valor Virtue for the duration of the battle.
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Battle Cry: By spending a Legend point, you can release a terrifying battle cry that unnerves your foes.
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Warrior Ideal: By spending a Legend point, you can assume an idealized warrior aspect, which intimidates your foes.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4


Water

• Water Breathing: You can breathe water as easily as air. Underwater temperature extremes will not affect you.
Cost to purchase: 1 Boon point, 5 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 4 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent
Legend Rating Requirement: 2

•• Water Control: By spending a Legend point, you can exert limited physical control of any water touching you. This does include walking on water.
Cost to purchase: 2 Boon points, 10 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 8 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 3

••• Changing States: By spending one Legend and one Willpower, you can change water, ice, steam, or fog into any of the other three.
Cost to purchase: 3 Boon points, 15 bonus points or experience points if not associated with divine parent, or 12 bonus points or experience points if associated with divine parent.
Legend Rating Requirement: 4

These Purviews are rated 1 to 10, with a shared avatar form if you have any of them at level 11: The Wyrd. Each level costs 1 Boon point, 4 bonus points if this Purview is associated with your divine parent, or 5 bonus points if it is not. Advancing them during play costs (new rating x 4) experience points if the Purview is associated with your divine parent, or (new rating x 5) experience points if it is not.

Magic

For each level in Magic, you know a spell of that appropriate level. (If you start with Magic •••, you know one first-level, one second-level, and one third-level spell.) Spells are far too varied to detail here (I’ll go into more details with you if you take Magic), but always Fatebind the caster. New spells cost (spell level x 4) experience points if Magic is associated with your divine parent, or (spell level x 5) experience points if it is not.

Mystery

This power permits you to ask the GM (me) questions about events that have occurred in game and receive honest, if not expansive, answers. More levels means more dice to roll, which is likely to mean more answers.

Prophecy

Once per story, you can gain hints about future events. More levels means more dice to roll, which may mean more hints or that the hints you get will be less obscure.


Pantheon Purviews are rated 1 to 10. Each level costs 1 Boon point or 4 bonus points at character creation. Advancing them during play costs (new rating x 4) experience points. They do not require relics to channel, but are strictly limited to only Scions of the appropriate pantheon. Some are conspicuously more complicated than others.


This Purview derives from the ancient Egyptian understanding of the metaphysical composition of the soul. With one level, the Scion can roll to gain Legend points whenever someone speaks of or publishes the Scion’s deeds. With two levels, the Scion can use their Sekem to intimidate a foe. With three levels, the Scion can use their Sekem to intimidate everyone around them.


This Purview derives from the ancient Greek concept of being the best that you can be. You choose an Ability that your Arete applies to. (You can purchase Arete for more abilities separately.) It must be an ability you have at least three dots in. Your Arete then gives you bonus dice to uses of that ability, or lets you reroll failed attempts to use it.

Like the giants the Norse gods regularly interbred with, your blood can turn mortals into devoted and powerful servants.

The Aztec gods know how to use blood sacrifice, of the self or others, as a source of Legend points.

This Purview derives from the Shinto concept that everything has a spirit. With levels in Tsukumo-Gami, you can influence the spirits of inanimate objects and compel them to do things for you.

With this Purview, a Scion can assume the role of “met tet” or head spirit in a person’s life. With more levels in this Purview, the Scion’s ability to influence and control someone grows.


• Brehon's Eye: By spending one Legend point, the Tuatha Scion can read others' Natures and their highest and lowest Virtues.

•• Hero's Geas: The Tuatha Scion is bound by a geas, which gives them power as long as they follow certain restrictions.

••• Lay Token Geas: By spending one Legend and one Willpower, the Tuatha Scion can cause another to be bound by a geas.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

16. Are your Players restricted to particular rulebooks and supplements, or will you be allowing access to non-standard material? What sources can Players use for their characters? I have and am, to some extent, using all the Scion 1ed material. I would prefer to ignore the Scion Companion's setting material as I am unfortunately less impressed with its writing than I hoped to be. (In this game, if any gods got involved in World War 2, it's on an individual scale in minor ways which would be very hard to find any indications of eighty years later.) However, using material from Chapter Two of the Scion Companion is fine.


Quick clarification question: does that mean that only Chapter 2: Manifestations of Ichor is allowed, or that only Chapter 6: World at War is forbidden? Basically, are the Pantheons not related to WWII acceptable?

[Kish]

Chapter 6 is the only one I'm outright saying "did not happen here." I think 1, 3, 4, and 5 have serious issues, but I'm not outright saying you can't do anything with them here.

[DeTess]

Okay, I could use some sanity checks on my concept and build. Myth-weavers doesn't seem to have a scion sheet for easy sharing, so doing this the hard way.


The character is an information broker, someone who engages with problems first and foremost using information and investigation, ranging from revealing crimes to blackmail to infiltration. Inspirations would be Sherlock Holmes, Arsène Lupin and Lelouch. The 'all according to plan' kind of person.



calling: information broker
nature: architect
pantheon: Aesir
God: Eh, you know, It's not really that big of a deal who my father was? Don't worry about it, really. Just trust me, I'm your friend. (It's Loki)

attributes
strength: 2
dexterity: 3
stamina: 2
charisma: 3
manipulation: 5
appearance: 1
perception: 3
intelligence: 5
wits: 3

abilities
academics: 3
athletics: 1
awareness: 3
command: 3
control: (motorcycle): 1
empathy: 3
fortitude: 1
integrity: 3
investigation: 3
larceny: 2 (1 bonus point spent)
marksmanship: 2
occult: 3 (3 bonus points spent)
politics: 3 (1 bonus point spent)
stealth: 3
survival: 1

legend, boons, knacks and epic attributes
Legend: 3 (7 bonus points spent)
Fire immunity
magic 2 (ariadne's thread, bona fortuna) (this should cost 3 dots, right?)
epic intelligence: 2 (language mastery, multitasking knacks)
epic manipulation: 2 (overt order, instant hypnosis, implant memory) (3 bonus points spent)
epic wits: 2 (social chameleon, perfect impostor)

birthright
relic: 2 (ring, provides fire and magic purviews)
followers: 3 (representing a ring of spies and informants)

virtues
courage: 2
endurance:4
expression: 2
loyalty: 1



I'll work on the background later, for now I'd appreciatie it if someone could look over what I have and check that I haven't done something against the rules, forgot something vital, or am trying to do something that just doesn't really work with this game on the conceptual level.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

The more I think about it, the more I worry my first character is too strong. Like, potentially way too strong. I'm almost done with him, so I'll finish him up tonight, then I'll probably start on a second character just in case while he gets reviewed.

EDIT: On the off-chance someone goes back and reads these, he turned out a lot less overwhelming than I was worried he would. There just aren't enough points in character creation to do everything I wanted, at least not with the Pantheon I chose (you could probably make a more fearsome grappler than my character with the Greek gods, at least at character creation, though I think my Tuathan Scion would catch up and surpass them potentially even before Demigod).



magic 2 (ariadne's thread, bona fortuna) (this should cost 3 dots, right?)

Just 2 dots, since it's a special purview. The special and pantheon specific purviews are purchased more like skills, where each rank only costs one. IIRC you also have to purchase the pantheon specific ones in order, unlike regular purviews?

That's the only thing that jumped out at me, but I'm sleep deprived so there could be more.

[Cassus]

Big 16! Whooo! Couple of questions--

1. I notice that the Tuatha aren't listed as a pantheon. Are we not allowed to use them, or is that just a coincidence since they aren't in the core Hero book?

2. How do you want to handle custom relics? Should we ask about them up front, or just put a notion of what they'd be on our sheets and do the rest if we're approved, or are they completely banned?
For instance, what if I want my scion of the Atzlanti to have a pouch full of dust from Tamoanchan, the origin of life, which he can mix with his blood and burn in sunlight to create mythical creatures (at a varying cost in Legend and Health depending on their nature)? [[Don't worry too much about the details; this is just an example of what I mean by "custom relic." Also I have way too many ideas fighting in my head right now]]

3. What's your attitude towards Fate? On a scale from "each sheet must include two preexisting Fatebonds per point of legend" to "Don't worry about it; you can use Magic in the middle of NYC without any supernatural consequences," where do you stand and/or sit?

[Kish]

1) As recently discussed, I'm "ehhh" about most Scion Companion material.

2) Yes, please do ask about custom relics; I'm not generally opposed to them but I do want to consider the details.

3) Fatebinding is a serious consideration which mostly keeps the gods in the Overworld even when they're not actively fighting off a Titan siege, as per the default setting.

[Rokku]

I also think the Tuatha and the Shen are pretty cool, but that's not a dealbreaker.

Do you have a specific place in the USA in mind for the game? And are you going to build the beginning of the story around who the scions are, or do you have a story in mind, OR do you have one in mind and just want to surprise us with it? I just want as much context as I can possibly get for creating a character.

[Justanotherhero]

Character idea submission for approval:

Caras Froute a medical student with a happy family life including his still alive and well siblings and parents. Until he was visited by Hera and told that it was time to embrace his heritage and to learn how to keep secrets. She set him up in Las Vegas formally renounced him and he started living a stereotypical Dionysus Scion lifestyle. By pure coincidence or very much long planned design Osiris adopted him soon thereafter. By training and magic he is now a excellent liar that intends to rapidly adopt to his new divine existence. All the while trying to finish school,run the bar he inherited and maybe stay sane. Of course that works out best if no one from the Greek pantheon asks any question, and the dead stay dead.

[DeTess]

updated sheet, now with background


The character is an information broker, someone who engages with problems first and foremost using information and investigation, ranging from revealing crimes to blackmail to infiltration. Inspirations would be Sherlock Holmes, Arsène Lupin and Lelouch. The 'all according to plan' kind of person.



Liliana Cypher looked up at the house, then double-checked the address to make sure she was in the right place. Mistletoe street 12, in the old part of town. The houses here where just a room or two short of being called mansions. The house in front of her didn’t look abandoned in any way, but there were no signs anyone was currently home either. And the address matched that in the will.

The will had reached her in the afternoon of the worst day of her life. She had just been kicked out of the police academy after attempting to expose a corruption scandal. She had foolishly believed the police where the defenders of justice, and that something like the bribery scandal she had uncovered would be dealt with quickly and harshly. Well, it was dealt with quickly, if you considered covering it up a form of handling it. And it had been made extremely clear to her that if she tried talking about what she’d seen and found with anyone, she’d disappear behind bars for a long, long time. She was angry, of course. Not so much at the injustice of it all but instead at her own stupidity. Of course the scandal went all the way to the top, and if she’d taken her time chasing down all the leads she’d have known. Instead she jumped the gun, eager to prove herself. And it had ended with her kicked out on the street.

It was then that she was approached by an elderly man in an expensive suit. He had introduced himself as a lawyer representing her father, Louis, in charge of executing his will. Liliana had been immediately suspicious, of course. Both her parents had died shortly after her birth, and lacking any other direct family, she had grown up in an orphanage. Yet despite her wariness, it all seemed to check out. There weren’t any outstanding fees she needed to pay first, or any other red flags, and the will consisted of a sizeable sum of money, and a house with everything in it. The money had been in her bank account by the end of the day, and so she found herself visiting the address she had been given the next day, key in hand.

With a sigh Liliana walked the few short steps to the front door, and inserted the key. The door unlocked without any trouble, and she entered the house. It was furnished in an old European style that radiated ‘old money’. Just about everything was covered in a thin layer of dust. Liliana slowly and carefully explored the house, starting on the ground floor and working her way up to the third floor. As she did, a slight feeling of wrong-ness crept up on her. The house looked like no one had been there for a year or two at least, yet there where little incongruities. Several books in the extensive library where oddly free of dust. There was a painting in the living room that had clearly been cleaned recently. The closet in the master bedroom had a wide variety of stylish clothes, all of which looked like they’d fit Liliana perfectly. The study was entirely dust-free, and there was a computer that looked cutting edge. She had tried booting it up, but the computer required a password she did not have. All indicators that someone had been here, maybe even lived here, a lot more recently than the day her parents had died.
Her search had also turned up a safe, hidden in the living room behind a painting of a man in a suit. The man had a sharp face and short black beard. His striking features a marked contrast with Liliana’s own plain features. The painting had looked a century old at least, and Liliana wondered if it had been an ancestor of hers. The will had not mentioned a code for the safe, yet by this point Liliana felt certain that someone had been guiding her to find it, so there must be some kind of clue to opening the safe.

She started with he dust-free books in the library. They were an eclectic bunch. A collection of detective stories, Machiavelli’s ‘the prince’, an English translation of the Poetic Edda and a travel guide to Scandinavia. It took Liliana about two hours to dig through them all. Each book had several passages underlined, or an apparent printing error page that contained a code. She was certain that whoever put this together thought themselves very clever. The books where the clues to an adventure that would take her across Europe to discover a series of numbers that would open the vault. Just a shame that their clues were obvious enough that after some quick internet searches she had already noted down three of the four numbers, 12, 15 and 11. And she didn’t particularly feel like waiting for the next winter solstice to travel to Norway to get the last number in the sequence. Instead, she went home to her apartment, picked up a case of tools, and then returned to the house.

It took her less than a minute crack the safe. She could easily hear the ticks of the code-wheel using a stetoscope, which made decoding the last number, 9, quite easy. In fact, she was mentally kicking herself for wasting as much time as she had on the books when she could have cracked the safe this way in 5 minutes at most.

Inside the safe were several items. A gun. A folder of pictures. And a slip of paper with the text ‘Th0rSux!’. The text on the paper appeared to be a password of sorts, and surely enough, it unlocked the upstairs computer. It opened to a desktop with a blank wallpaper and a single audiofile titled ‘play me’. She double clicked the file, and was rewarded with the sound of drum playing from the computer’s speakers, shortly followed by a piano. The music sounded faintly familiar, but Liliana didn’t recognize it.

“I’d been worried this would get tedious for a second, but you didn’t get distracted by that ridiculous scavenger hunt for too long.” A voice suddenly spoke up behind Liliana. She whirled around and found the man from the painting lounging in a comfortable chair behind her.

“Who the hell are you!?” A bunch more questions where already queued up in Liliana’s throat, such as why he was here, or what he wanted from her, but she started with the most important one.

“Well, that’s no way to greet your father, now is it, Liliana?” The man gave her a sly grin.

“You’re either lying, or a deadbeat. Neither is getting you in my good graces. Now answer the question.” Liliana bit back

The man’s grin didn’t waver. “Guilty as charged on the second count, I’m afraid. Though I didn’t really have much choice in the matter. One could say it was… an act of god.” A cigar appeared in the man’s hand, which was promptly lit by a lick of flame erupting from the man’s thumb.
Liliana closed her eyes, then let out a slow breath. She was not completely unfamiliar with the supernatural. She’d noticed little things. Little things about herself, and about her environment. Crows that stalked her for the first few years of her life. The way she could pick up any language after only hearing it spoken for a minute or so. The fire incident from which she had appeared entirely unscathed.

“Who are you?” She asked again. The moment she did so, the music looped and started from the beginning. But this time it wasn’t just the instrumentals, but the vocal track had been added in as well.

“Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste…”

The man’s grin became even wider. A name rose to Liliana’s lips. Just before she spoke it she managed to put a finals et of hints together. One of the books in the library, and the oddly close sequence of numbers for the safe. She spoke the name she had come to. The man smiled.

***

Liliana looked down at the ring she’d been given. It had a large ruby set in it, on which a rune was carved. Her mind was still reeling from what she’d learned, and the man… her father’s parting words to her still played around in her mind. “I might ask for a favor down the line, but don’t worry about that too much. For now, just don’t be boring.”

She'd been given the house, but more importantly, she'd been given information, in the form of the folder form the safe and files on the computer. Her father had also told her that people who owed him would be getting in contact with her soon, and would help her out however they could. The justice system had failed her, but now she had everything she needed to make and administer her own justice, or get her revenge. Either way, she would soon get to be very busy.



calling: information broker
nature: architect
pantheon: Aesir
God: Eh, you know, It's not really that big of a deal who my father was? Don't worry about it, really. Just trust me, I'm your friend. (It's Loki)

attributes
strength: 2
dexterity: 3
stamina: 2
charisma: 3
manipulation: 5
appearance: 1
perception: 3
intelligence: 5
wits: 3

abilities
academics: 3
athletics: 1
awareness: 3
command: 3
control: (motorcycle): 1
empathy: 3
fortitude: 1
integrity: 3
investigation: 3
larceny: 2 (1 bonus point spent)
marksmanship: 2
occult: 3 (3 bonus points spent)
politics: 3 (1 bonus point spent)
stealth: 3
survival: 1

legend, boons, knacks and epic attributes
Legend: 3 (7 bonus points spent)
Fire immunity
magic 2 (ariadne's thread, bona fortuna)
epic perception 1: (perfect pitch)
epic intelligence: 2 (language mastery, multitasking knacks)
epic manipulation: 2 (overt order, instant hypnosis, implant memory) (3 bonus points spent)
epic wits: 2 (social chameleon, instant imvestigator)

birthright
relic: 2 (ring, provides fire and magic purviews)
followers: 3 (representing a ring of spies and informants)

virtues
courage: 2
endurance:4
expression: 2
loyalty: 1




I had a quick question about the virtues. Is there any way to swap around the starting ones? Though the set seems very appropriate for the Aesir as a whole, it's less so for Loki in particular. Particularly the last one, loyalty. I feel like vengeance or intellect would be better there.

[Kish]

And are you going to build the beginning of the story around who the scions are, or do you have a story in mind, OR do you have one in mind and just want to surprise us with it?
Mostly the first.

Character idea submission for approval:

Caras Froute a medical student with a happy family life including his still alive and well siblings and parents. Until he was visited by Hera and told that it was time to embrace his heritage and to learn how to keep secrets. She set him up in Las Vegas formally renounced him and he started living a stereotypical Dionysus Scion lifestyle. By pure coincidence or very much long planned design Osiris adopted him soon thereafter. By training and magic he is now a excellent liar that intends to rapidly adopt to his new divine existence. All the while trying to finish school,run the bar he inherited and maybe stay sane. Of course that works out best if no one from the Greek pantheon asks any question, and the dead stay dead.
Possible problem with what you have in mind there: In the eyes of Fate, game mechanics, and most of the gods, that makes him just Osiris' Scion. If that's not a problem for your concept, absolutely, go ahead.


I had a quick question about the virtues. Is there any way to swap around the starting ones? Though the set seems very appropriate for the Aesir as a whole, it's less so for Loki in particular. Particularly the last one, loyalty. I feel like vengeance or intellect would be better there.
You can switch out Virtues if you want. Mechanically, if you were to trade out Loyalty for Vengeance, you'll pay one less experience point if you learn a Boon from a Dodekatheon or Loa god. However, you'll pay one more experience point for every Boon you develop the normal way: Loki is still Aesir, even if he's usually the outlier in most Norse stories about the gods.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Brandon Flynne, "Brand" for short
Scion of Brigid (Tuatha de Danann)
Gallant Champion

"Once, I turned a blind eye to the suffering of innocents. Never. Again."

Red-haired and physically fit, Brand is otherwise utterly unremarkable and forgettable... until he starts to speak, or starts to fight. Then, people can't help but pay attention.

Brand is a brawler, and an extremely skilled one. His preferred combat strategy is to grapple at least one opponent, rendering them Inactive until they can wriggle free (not an easy feat).

Inspirations: Superhero Grace Choi, aka The Amazing Grace, from DC (specifically in the Vixen: NYC webcomic) is the main inspiration, as a half-Amazon former cage fighter. Next has to be Michael, Knight of the Sword, the heroic, kind, and heavily armored holy warrior from the Dresden Files.

Theme Song: Undefeated, by Skillet (https://youtu.be/J5X0hGtIEp4?si=7prTv8Dbn1HyPvWk).


Brand is ashamed of his past. An orphan born lifetime of poverty, compounded by a variety of poor choices (the phrase "a fool and his money are soon parted" sums it up). He became so desperate that he turned to something dangerous, illegal, and filled to the brim with questionable ethics. He turned to cage fighting.

It was just supposed to be a one-time thing. Survive three rounds in the ring with the champion, and some of his debts would be forgiven. But nine rounds later, with the champion unconscious at his feet and the crowd screaming his name, Brand was hooked. He had finally found something he was good at, something that could actually make him money, something that could be an outlet for all his frustrations, something that made him feel powerful and in control. He was never giving this up.

He learned a lot, in the ring and outside of it. How to charm the crowd, keep them coming back for more. How to manipulate his opponents, feeling out their weaknesses and tricking them into slips. With the money he was making, he was even able to go back to school, learning even more. "Firebrand", as the announcers called him due to his shockingly red hair and berserker finishing moves, was more than a champion, he was a star. And so what if he was hurting people? They chose to be there, same as him. And when the suspicion itched in the back of his head, the suspicion that some of his opponents might not have known what they were getting into when the signed on, that some of them might not have had much of a choice, that some of them might not even have had a choice at all... he did his best to ignore it.

And finally, his mother Brigid could take it no more. The Tuatha take responsibility towards mortals very seriously, and what Brandon was doing flew in the face of their ideals. She appeared before him, and his initial rage at this mother he had never met crumbled as she showed him exactly the cost of his apathy: all the suffering, all the misery, and all the evil that he had turned a blind eye to.

Tears streaming from his eyes, Brand swore on his honor and his name that he would make amends, that he would atone, that he would never again turn a blind eye to the victims of injustice. In retrospect, if he had reacted in any other way, Brigid likely would have disowned him on the spot. Instead, she empowered him, giving him the tools he would need to defend and heal the weak.

With his skills, his ill-earned money, and his new powers, Brand tore down the fighting rings he had once worked for, getting the owners and many of the patrons arrested, draining their assets (with some help from the god Ogma), destroying the properties, and (most importantly) ensuring that as many of the victims as he could find were taken care of, connected with support organizations and given enough money to get them started on a new life. It's not enough for him... but it is an excellent start.

Now, his holy mother says she has another task for him, this time in America....


Found a form-fillable character sheet online. Doesn't seem to remain form-fillable in Google Drive, which is going to make updating it a little awkward, but here's the (hopefully) ready-to-start version of Brandon Flynne:
Brandon Flynne (0 XP) (https://drive.google.com/file/d/19Xy1YVKikTUCyvr3IeE1PSMkFgBwrWig/view?usp=drive_link)

Geas - Pronounced about halfway between "gesh" and "gish", and the plural is "geasa". It's a supernatural oath or duty, and the unique mechanic of the Tuatha. As long as you keep your geas, you reap mechanical benefits, but should you ever break it, those benefits turn to curses until you can atone (a lengthy and difficult process that can take many forms, but often involves taking and keeping another geas for a duration measuring months or years).

Brand is currently under two geasa, both courtesy of the Hero's Geas boon (the second dot of the pantheon-specific purview, Enech).

Redemption Geas - Taking Hero's Geas gives Brand the Legendary Geas. He regains Legend at double the normal rate, and also regains a free point of Legend whenever he upholds it in a way that makes his life harder or requires a sacrifice. The source is the Hero duty: he must defend the weak, and refusing to do so for any reason costs him a full dot of Legend until he spends a year and a day "on some protracted defense of the weak" (default atonement; others are possible).

Martial Master Geas - Ability Geas, giving Brandon a bonus to rolls with a specific Ability. In this case, the Ability is Brawl, but I'm not sure whether I should take it at the Token level (bonus dice) or the Potent level (bonus automatic successes). The source is the Skill duty; Brand must regularly raise one of Ogma's specified Abilities (Brawl for this, too) until it reaches 5 (already done), and then regularly train others in the ability (weekly). See the "Breakdown" section for the details on how Brand got this geas.


Question for the GM:
RAW, I think I get to choose whether I take my second geas at Token level or at Potent level. But while I'd prefer Potent level for the advantages that would give me, I'm worried it would be unbalanced. The bonus is pretty small at my 3 Legend (two bonus dice versus two bonus automatic successes), but it scales pretty quickly with Legend (e.g., at Legend 4 it will go up to 4 dice/successes). Which would you prefer I take?


Calling is "Champion". A little nonspecific, but better than "Warrior", which is what it was a few minutes ago. This at least references both "champion fighter" and "champion of [cause]", hitting both his skill-set and his motivation to help the helpless.

Gallant is his nature. It was this or Penitent, and I prefer the idea that Brand is taking his motivation and pouring it into something positive.

Brigid, of the Tuatha de Danann. Brigid is the perfect goddess for this character concept, having the Epic Attributes perfect for a warrior, but also being a healer and a nurturer likely to be highly offended by Brandon's life-choices. Wanted to get some Water and Health boons, too, but there just weren't enough points to go around. Something for the future.

Attributes. Physical is my primary, Social is secondary, and Mental is tertiary. I rather like what his spread of stats says about him, actually. He's smart, but not perceptive or clever, which explains how he got taken advantage of so regularly. His time and training in the ring have taught him how to be charismatic and manipulative, working the crowd and his opponents both, but his Appearance is actually quite low; people underestimate him regularly. Gives me a little Richard Drakh vibes, actually (hopefully Brandon goes down a much better path than that arch-villain).

Abilities. A nice spread of combat, social, and utility. Ignoring Melee and Marksmanship also gives me the points for some fluff abilities, like Brand's hobby of glass-working and love of music. The last two points in Brawl were purchased with 4 Bonus Points.

Birthrights. First, a set of armor forged by Brigid herself, layered with Kevlar and ceramic plates to make it suitable for modern conflicts. Mechanically, this is Riot Gear with a +1 enhancement to Mobility. Visually, it looks more like the plate armor you'd see on a knight, with a swan motif. Second, a vial of water from Brigid's holy well in Kildare; this grants access to the Water and Health purviews. Last but certainly not least, a gift from Ogma: a tactical bracelet that grants access to the Guardian purview and, since preparation is so important to any battle, allows Brand to summon Brigid's armor onto himself (Birthright Connection; this still requires an action). And that's all 5 dots accounted for.

8 Epic Attributes (and 8 attendant Knacks), and two levels of Enech. Wish I had more points here, but hey that's what XP is for. 4 Bonus Points spent on Vigil Brand, which we get as if it were in a favored purview at the cost of Geas.

Martial Master Geas - The Hero's Geas boon allows Brand to purchase boons from another Tuathan god as though they were in one of Brigid's favored Purviews... at the cost of a Geas associated with that god. Brand has drawn the attention of Ogma, the Tuathan god of both strength and intelligence, overwhelming force and careful instruction... and the only god in the pantheon with an interest in Brand's chosen fighting style (Brawl), based on their favored Abilities and the Skill Geasa they offer. Brand's highly tactical but strength-based fighting style (grappling is all about battlefield control) drew Ogma's interest, and in addition to helping Brand formulate the strategies that took down the fighting rings in his backstory, he has offered Brand his blessing in exchange for spreading knowledge of this rare (to the Tuatha) fighting style. As long as Brand teaches somebody in Brawl at least once a week (though ideally he'd find a true apprentice) he upholds this geas. Betraying this geas both revokes access to Vigil Brand and reduces all future Brawl rolls by an amount equal to the bonus normally given (2 right now, and rolls reduced below 0 successes count as botches) until atonement is made (and also probably offends Ogma greatly).

Virtues: mostly into Intelligence, which might be another reason Ogma likes Brand.

Willpower is 7, which should be the same as everyone else's.

Bonus Points: Man I'd forgotten how expensive it was to bring your Legend up to 4. I really wanted to, but then I couldn't increase Brawl even once. So we spend 7 points on reaching Legend 3 (giving me 9 Legend Points), 4 on increasing Brawl from 3 to 5, and the last 4 on Vigil Brand.


There we go, I think that's everything!

EDIT: It was not everything. Had to make a few more passes to clean up some typos and do useful things like 'include a description of the character concept'.

EDIT 2: Had one too many points in my mental attributes (took one out of Int to restore balance). Link updated to new, hopefully correct now character sheet.

EDIT 3: Oh right, custom relics. Nothing too fancy here but I'll put 'em all in one place for review:
Haven't given any of these a proper name since they're all new relics; might give them fancy names as their story grows with Brand's Legend.

Goddess-Forged Armor (1 Item Enhancement) - If you're the child of a smith deity, and you don't have at least one piece of really top-notch gear, something has gone badly wrong. Riot Gear with a 1 Dot Enhancement to Mobility (so it's only -1 to my DVs and Speed instead of -2). I also picture it as looking more like plate armor than part of a police uniform, like Michael's suit of armor lined with Kevlar so it will stop both blades and bullets in the Dresden Files.

Kildare Holy Water Vial (2 Purviews) - Brigid has a sacred well to this very day in the city of Kildare. A vial of water from that to give access to the Water and Health purviews. Not actually using either of those yet, but someday.

Tactical Bracelet (1 Purview, 1 Birthright Connection) - This one is a gift from Ogma, who is all about strategy and tactics. The problem with armor is that it's bulky and highly visible; while you could walk around the city and get away with claiming you're on your way to a Ren Fair or Comicon, trying to enter a building unnoticed is going to be much harder. A Birthright Connection makes it much more practical, letting me summon it to myself with an action (I assume it gets summoned directly onto Brand, the same way a Guide or Follower summoned is immediately ready to rumble, but maybe not). It also gives access to the Guardian purview.

[Justanotherhero]

Possible problem with what you have in mind there: In the eyes of Fate, game mechanics, and most of the gods, that makes him just Osiris' Scion. If that's not a problem for your concept, absolutely, go ahead.

Not a problem at all. I am merely currently mentally playing with a Divine Spy with hidden family background vibe somewhat inspired by Spy x Family and that background fits the concept.

[josienoms]

Okay, so I know I said I was thinking a Norse scion before, but I’ve pivoted to a new idea.

A Scion of Sobek, who takes after dear old dad. In the same way that her father is the god of the Nile, she wants to become an important deity in the US by becoming goddess of the Mississippi. (Or another large river nearby wherever we end up starting)

[Cassus]

Would you believe it's been so many years since my last Scion that I thought the Tuatha were in Ragnarok?

Alright! I've got it narrowed down to three concepts in my head now (one each Loa, Amatsukami, and Atzlanti). And each of them wants a different custom Background, because those are fun. So! I've got a short bio/pitch for each; would you mind letting me know which is the best fit for your game and how you'd like to balance it, or whatever the next step is? If you'd prefer I wrote up the mechanics in more detail for you to critique, just ask! I've left them open-ended for now since I have no idea what power level the game will have and I'm more interested in the general "shape" of the Background, if that makes sense.

Also, you'll note there's no name for my scion in these. Naming people is honestly the hardest single part of chargen for me, so I'm putting that off as long as I can!

Legends dating from the time of the Crusades describe a terrible old man who lived in a hidden mountain fortress, Alamut. An army of loyal, almost suicidal followers obeyed his every command, even throwing away their own lives to kill others. These Hassassins ("followers of Hassan") haunted the nightmares of crusader and moslem alike.

The Europeans claimed to know why his followers served him so faithfully. According to Marco Polo and others, he took young boys and men and carried them in a drugged sleep to his secret valley, where they awoke surrounded by beautiful women, verdant plant life, flowing water, and flowing wine. They spent some days here, their every whim catered to. Then they were drugged again and taken out to a sun-baked courtyard. Indeed, some accounts say that they were never in the valley to begin with; they were simply chained up in the courtyard and fed hashish (hence the derogatory term for them, "hashishans") and pretty stories and lived in the valley in their own minds.
Either way, the Old Man would tell his new "convert" that they were recently in Paradise, and he would send them there again instantly if they died while carrying out his commands (or if they succeeded and returned to Alamut). This produced a fanatic zeal which allowed his tiny fortress to dominate the region through naked fear.

The crusaders never managed to slay the Old Man, but their cunning rumors proved far more effective. Cut off from the faith of his followers, he withered. His legendary Paradise sank into the fog of terra incognita, and his fortress of Alamut became a ruin in the "real world." His name faded, though the memory of his Assassins provided enough support that the black shadow never truly died.

And then, he met a young, angry scion. Their encounter seemed pure chance, though Fate likely had a hand in uniting the forgotten "Lord" of assassins and the Hero who wanted to kill a god. A single ray of light pierced the darkness of True Alamut.
Hassan was the model of Eastern hospitality. He offered wise council, a tour of paradise, endless stories of the past, a seat in the shade... And over crystal dishes filled with exotic fruit, he talked about how much -more- he could do. How tired he was of sitting in the darkness of a castle that didn't exist any more, filled with riches that he couldn't spend in a thousand lifetimes, surrounded by the shades of fanatical followers.
Of course he wanted something in return. He wanted his name to be known again, known and feared by those who never died. So if the scion would promise to acknowledge Hassan when the Scion killed, when his dreams came true...

A bargain was struck. Hassan did his best to aid the boy's growth, and the boy did his best to restore Hassan's name.
Most recently, the scion convinced the Iranian government to begin rebuilding the castle of Alamut according to its original plan in its original mountainous location. As a tourist destination, of course.
Most recently, Hassan sent several of his followers out from Paradise and into the terrifying world of Switzerland-- and modern banking. Our scion is a wealthy man.

Hassan's influence is small. He leads only a single tiny village hidden in a Terra Incognito. But within that village his power is absolute, and he has all the wealth of Paradise at his fingertips. He's been out of touch for a while, but he's a treasure trove of historical information. And he really -does- just want the scion to spread his name around when he kills. Granted, he'd be happiest if his young friend killed regularly and spectacularly, but with a God as the ultimate goal he's willing to bide his time.
He won't make the same mistakes this time as he did last time, after all.
Guide *****
Mechanically, the Old Man of the Mountain would basically be a collection of points that could be allocated between Assassin followers, money, information, training, etc, probably with a mechanism to reset or refresh those points through suitably dramatic gestures that spread his name.



The Loup-Garou (also spelled Roux-ga-Roux, pronounced lu ga'ru) in Cajun mythology is a creature that shares many qualities with the werewolf, the witch, and the vampire. A Loup-Garou is a human who transforms into a great wolf which hunts humans and feeds on blood. If you meet a Loup-Garou's gaze or shed its blood, you yourself are cursed to become a Loup-Garou.
A witch can create a Loup-Garou by cursing another human with lycanthropy. After their transformation, though, Loup Garou often become witches themselves, flying through the skies on giant bats to strange ceremonies.
The original Loup-Garou was from France; she earned her curse by violating Lent seven years in a row. She was eventually brought over to the Americas by French traders, where she passed the curse of the Loup-Garou on to Cajun witches.
Present-day Loup-Garou originate from many causes-- some are cursed by witches, some are jilted lovers seeking revenge, some natural souls who protect the needy and deserving, and some are themselves witches who sacrificed their humanity to bring harm to others.
Regardless of the source, a Loup-Garou is a dangerous creature with much power (physical and spiritual) at its disposal.

On one of his early adventures, our scion encountered a ferocious Loup-Garou. He knew that killing it outright would cause him to inherit its curse, but he couldn't just leave it there. So, with the help of a local drummer (and the teensiest weensiest bit of divine backup), he lured the Loup-Garou to a ceremony where he caught its cursed gaze and captured it (the gaze, not the Garou) in a special book.
After tending to the wounds of the now curse-free human, he retreated into a cave in the swamps and invested the book with his own ichor, slowly and patiently changing the curse's very nature, claiming it as his own.
The end result was the Book of the Gaze. The Book can be used to make a contract between the Scion and another. The other expresses a strong desire and receives the power of the Loup-Garou to fulfill it. In return, while they are cursed they are totally subordinate to the Scion's will. After a time, the scion reclaims the curse and continues on alone.
The contract is not one-way. It establishes a bond between our hero and the new Garou based on that strong desire (anything from "I want to save my family" to "I want that man to pay" to "I want to know the truth" to "I want to live"). The Garou is much stronger and more tractable than others of its kind thanks to the Scion's "sponsorship." If our hero fails to fulfill the contract, however, the Garou's power is withdrawn and cannot be called on again for some time.
Additionally, just having the power of a Loup Garou at his disposal grants our hero access to the powers of the night-- Darkness and the Moon.

Creature ***** The Loup-Garou
Relic *** Book of the Gaze (Birthright Connection and two purviews)

Basically, the relic establishes a contract a la the Servant Geas (yes, from Companion), with the target's contractual desire serving as my character's "Geas." Loup Garou basically becomes a "template" that's applied to the mortal he makes a contract with. I didn't want to lose my five-dot Birthright in the first battle; it has to stay around!
I'm not sure how to "stat it up," honestly. A five-dot creature is supposed to be really powerful, but I don't know what that means in game terms.


A millennium ago, on a small island called Kuro-Shima, a fisherman one night was walking around to cast his nets. To his shock, he found a bay where the fish glowed in the darkness. Hurrying to the brightest point, he gleefully cast his net into the water.

However, when he drew the net back up, it was filled with rats upon rats upon rats! The rats fled into the darkness and infested the island. They ate everything-- the plants, the the other animals, the people, and even the houses, leaving the island a barren, rat-covered rock to this day. What a strange thing, said the fisherman, to find rats at the bottom of the sea!

Of course, the sea had nothing to do with it. Rats are not sea creatures; don't be silly!
Rather, the net caught the rays of light by which life was made. In the sea, they were sea-life; on the land, they were land-life. After it ruined the island, a god of many changes took the light-capturing net stored it away. Given the dire condition of the titanomachy, the net has been put back in circulation... with much, MUCH less light inside it this time.
Relic *****

The net of Kuro-Shima allows the wielder to "fish" in any body of water that is broad enough the other side can't be seen and deep enough the bottom is hidden in darkness. At a scaling cost in legend (capped by the wielder's current Legend rating) and in time/actions spent, it pulls out a mundane or mythical creature. These creatures serve for a single scene, largely following the Scion's directions, or complete a single specific task of any length ("Deliver this message," "Find the man who owns this hat," "Guard this Titan's prison," etc).
There's probably also a limit on how many creatures can exist at once from the net-- perhaps their total legend can't exceed the Scion's or some such.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Working on a backup character, in case Brandon gets vetoed for overuse of Companion material (or, you know, dies).

Alexandra Kouros is a daughter of Artemis (adopted from Apollo). She'll definitely have a focus on archery and perception (especially tracking), and I'll see if I can squeeze some Charisma/Appearance stuff in for positive social interaction. She grew up with Artemis' Hunters, and so knows a whole lot about hunting monsters, a moderate amount about the modern world, and absolutely nothing about relationships (all Hunters are under an oath of chastity, and most of them are also several times her age, asexual, or both). Which is why, of course, I'm giving her Mara Secare (a succubus-like shapeshifter from the approved Chapter 2 of Companion) as a Guide. The monster hunter, and the monster in hiding, each sure that their crush on the other is unrequited.

[Rokku]

Just a heads up, I'm still here but don't have a super-strong idea yet. I'm hoping what other people settle on will help point me in a direction.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Okay, backup character is now done. ...I could do some more story sections, but not today. Those can always be edited in later.

Alexandra Kouros, Scion of Artemis (Dodekatheon)
Calling: Naive Monster Hunter
Nature: Bravo

And her potentially loyal Guide:
Mara Secare (5 Dot Guide)
Calling: Succubus
Nature: Survivor (this is just flavor; I don't think guides actually get Natures)

The Character Sheet:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19K0du8fDep4R3bSvCaNQH7PAsGDOZZKI/view?usp=drive_link
And Mara's stats are on Page 64 of Companion.

Opposites. Whether they attract or repel, they make for interesting character dynamics.

In this case, we've got Alexandra, hunter of monsters, a physical powerhouse, quick of eye and thought, and fearlessly brave, but very naive, utterly guileless, and (to put it politely) not really used to having to think for herself. She's also almost completely clueless about relationships, having grown up among the Hunters, who have all sworn a vow of chastity and furthermore, are almost all several times Alexandra's age, asexual, or both. Among them, she pulled her weight as a camp helper when she was a kid, and an archer and driver once she was older.

Balancing and contrasting her is Mara Secare, a monster that has managed to escape from the damaged underworld. I've taken her mostly straight from the pages of Companion (Chapter 2, the section set aside as good-to-go): charismatic, beautiful, and highly knowledgeable, but not much of a fighter and rather intimidated by Scions. I've actually magnified that last trait in my story section, bringing her fear up to the levels of an anxiety disorder; she hides her true nature from Alexandra (and the rest of the Band once she meets them), terrified that if they knew what she was they would kill her for being a monster (she has, after all, lived her whole life in the Underworld; I imagine that basically all of the monsters there were killed by heroes or gods). Companion also notes that she may or may not have a hidden agenda.

Alexandra and Mara both have an enormous crush on each other. Neither of them realizes that the other feels the same way.


Alexandra and her twin brother Haris were born of the god Apollo. Unfortunately, their mortal mother died in the childbirth. Seeing in the two a parallel to himself and his sister, Apollo sent the daughter to his own twin Artemis for her to raise. Alexandra has mixed feelings about her father, but has stayed in contact with her brother and loves him dearly (even when he is being annoying).

However, now she feels the need to strike out on her own, to make her own story instead of living in the shadow of the Hunters, her mother (much as she loves her), and even her brother (who joined a Band of Scions last year and has been insufferably smug about it ever since). And it's been going great! Haris gave her a prophecy that said she would find her destiny in [starting town], USA, and she's been working her way across the country since. It'd be going faster if she'd been willing to ditch her car and attached camper and just fly to her destination, but where's the fun in that? Besides, she's got a small arsenal tucked away in the nooks and crannies of the camper (a handful of mundane weapons). The TSA doesn't look too kindly on that.

Without even receiving her Visitation yet, she's slain monsters, rescued innocents, helped with a forest fire, and last but certainly not least, rescued Mara from the pack of Titanspawn she'd managed to enrage.

Mara loves being in the World instead of the Underworld. A physical body, able to eat and run and drink and kiss... it's everything she ever dreamed it could be. There's a price, of course. She has to drain a little bit of life in order to replenish her Legend and keep pulling the tricks that let her be so successful. Just a little sip (mechanically, one level of bashing damage), delivered by kiss (or more intimate contact); a mortal will be fully recovered by the next day, and probably never even realize it happened.

It turns out, at least one Titanspawn will absolutely realize it happened. And will be spiteful enough to call his entire pack to hunt her down. She fled, but they found her and surely would have killed her, had Alexandra not intervened and driven them off. Mara thought she was done for... but the monster hunter patched up her wounds, took her to the hospital, and guarded her room in case the Titanspawn came back. Mara realized that Alexandra had no idea that she was a monster herself, and when Alex offered to take her along as she travelled to the next town, against her better judgment, Mara agreed. She told herself it was just for safety, until she was sure she'd lost the Titanspawn pack, but one night turned into two, turned into weeks, turned into over two months. She enjoyed the company of this reckless Scion companion, she loved travelling the country seeing and trying new things, she even found herself liking helping the innocents they came across, tending their wounds, getting them to safety, and smoothing all the ruffled feathers that came after an incident. But now, she and Alex are on the outskirts of the town her brother foretold. Travelling with just one Scion, Mara has survived the dangers and kept her secret hidden, but a whole Band of Scions is a different beast completely. The time has come for her to leave...

I had to leave. I’d been kidding myself, courting danger of the worst kind, to stay this long in the first place. Me and a Scion? A monster and a monster hunter? She’d hate me, probably kill me, if she ever figured it out. And yes, I could probably keep that from happening for months, maybe even years, and yes, she was cute… distractingly cute, and brave, and funny, and she made me feel little butterflies, and her smile lit up the room and dared the World to do its worst… but that was the real problem, wasn’t it? Because the World, and Fate, and especially the Titanspawn had always been all too happy to take a Scion up on that kind of dare. And maybe, just maybe, Alex could take it. But I couldn’t, and I’d be the one trapped in the crossfire.

So I packed up my things – my toothbrush, my trail snacks, my sleeping bag, and the knife she’d given me – and I walked out of our camp. She asked where I was going, didn’t even need to look up from the cooking pot to notice, and I lied and told her I was going to buy some more supplies. I don’t know if she believed me (who brings a sleeping bag shopping?), but she let me go without comment. Because she trusts me. Gods and Titans I hate my life sometimes… but it’s still better than the alternative.

I’d made it no more than a few miles from camp when I noticed the lady. Sitting there, not ten feet from my nose, roasting some small creature over a portable stove in the middle of the field. Impossible that I wouldn’t have seen her sooner, impossible that I was somehow 20ft off the road I’d been walking… and impossible that a mere human could command the kind of presence this woman had. She wasn’t even looking at me, and I still felt like an ant under a microscope, or perhaps a seal noticing a polar bear. My heart stopped in my chest.

Now she looked up at me, and smiled. A shark’s smile, fierce and wild and utterly devoid of mercy.

“Hello, little monster” she said, in a voice like a still forest. “Do you know who I am?”

She was all my nightmares made manifest. But one doesn’t leave a horror such as this waiting for an answer. I opened my mouth and realized it was dry, dry as chalk, as dry as bone dust.

“Yes,” I managed to croak. I wracked my brain, trying frantically to find a way to make it out of this in one piece. Hell, I’d settle for alive.

“And you know what I can do?”

“Y-yes,” I forced out again.

“Good,” she purred. “So stop wondering if you could make it over that log and into the woods before I severed your hamstring. You couldn’t, and it wouldn’t help you anyways. Have a seat by my fire. Share my meal.”

“Y-yes… Lady Artemis.”

What do you do when you’re face to face with the goddess of monster hunters? Simple enough. Whatever she wants. And pray. I sat down on the far side of the little cooking device, so similar to the one her daughter used.

“Are you here to –” oh, it hurt to say “– bring me back to the Underworld?”

“No,” she chuckled, and my heart finally shuddered back into motion. “What a cute turn of phrase. I can see why Alexandra likes you.”

Of course. By offering to share her meal she was extending the guest laws onto me. The Greek gods take those very seriously. I hastily took a piece of the thing on the fire and crammed it into my mouth; better safe than sorry. Rabbit? Deer? I couldn’t tell. Just because she wasn’t going to kill me now, though, didn’t mean she wouldn’t later. There probably wasn’t a single being in existence more qualified to find me again and send me back among the Dead.

“I confess,” she continued, “that when I first heard of you, first learned that there was a new kind of monster and that it might be stalking my daughter – no, don’t interrupt, I already know you haven’t touched her, that’s why you yet breathe – why, my first inclination was to hunt you down, skin you, and wear you as a hat.”

I was sure it was bad manners to throw up in front of a goddess, so I strained as hard as I could to keep the terror from dragging the one bite I’d had back out. My body shook from the effort.

“But that would make me a poor mother. No matter how I disprove of you, you are her newest pet, and I’ll respect that.”

Suddenly she was right behind me, laying her hand on my shoulder, speaking softly into my ear.

“Of course, should a pet fail to properly behave – if it were to bite its master, or fail to carry its weight, or even just run away… well then, it would be less of a pet, and more of a liability. Wouldn’t it?” She paused, and the pressure of a thousand years, of mastery, of her godhood threated to crush me like the wayward gnat I was compared to her, crush me until there was nothing left at all of the little thing that called itself Mara Secare. “Do we understand one another?”

I couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe, so I jerked my head up and down in frantic nods and prayed that would be enough for her.

And just like that the pressure was gone. Artemis was, not just a girl, never just a girl, but as she was before, no longer a horrible gateway of power that just happened to look like a woman. She was back on the far side of the fire, gnawing on the legbone of whatever other unfortunate little beast had caught her eye tonight.

She set the bone aside, stood up, and walked around the fire to me.

“Good.” She patted the top of my head; a pet that had performed up to expectations this time. “Then I must away. My time in the World is finite, and Alexandra still needs her Visitation.”

Yesterday, the revelation that Alex accomplished what she had as barely more than a mortal would have shocked me. Today, it was just another pebble in the landslide. The goddess was gone, and I was back on the road. I turned around and staggered back towards my friend’s camp.

I managed to compose myself a little before I reached the camp. Well, at least outwardly, I hope. Alex, practically glowing with life and fresh power, was saying something to me, but I couldn’t process it, couldn’t really think at all, so I made some excuse to go to bed early. I can’t even remember how I made it to the camper, but I woke wrapped up in my sleeping bag, Alex snoring in the seat across from me.

I took stock. If I stayed with Alex, I would probably be killed by Titanspawn, or by her Band, or by Alex herself, because she apparently didn’t love me, didn’t think of me as anything but a pet. But a threat was the only kind of promise a being as powerful as Lady Artemis absolutely must keep. If I left Alex, I had no doubt the goddess would find me and kill me… and that was if I was very lucky; the Dodekatheon was infamous for their ‘poetic’ punishments. Easy choice. I’d stay.

I don’t think I’ll ever feel safe again.



I felt powerful. So very powerful. My nerves were on fire, my muscles felt like coiled steel, and my eyes were so sharp my vision was getting blurry. I didn’t even think that made sense, but it was true.

I thought Mom would be mad at me for running away, but she seemed… not happy, but understanding that it was time for me to find my own way.

I already had the camper I’d gotten for my last birthday, and the variety of weapons I had ‘borrowed’ from the Hunters, so she asked me what else I would like. I told her I wanted something to protect people, and she gave me a bulletproof vest with some odd patterning on it. She also gave me something she called the ‘Apollo Medallion’ or something like that. It doesn’t look like one of his, though. It looks and feels like a weird chunk of metal and plastic. I’ll have to ask Mara about it when she gets back, she knows all sorts of stuff like that.

Mara! Smart, strong, beautiful Mara! Tonight, with this confidence flowing through my veins, I was finally going to do it. I was going to ask her out, I wasn’t going to chicken out again!

And I thought I heard her now. Her footsteps sounded like she was still on the road, which put her dozens of yards away. Incredible how far I could hear now, but no! Focus! I couldn’t screw this up again!

As she got closer, I screwed my eyes shut. I needed less distractions from my super-vision. And Mara herself was probably the biggest distraction. Her face, and especially her eyes, had a nasty tendency to make my brain melt and dribble out of my mouth instead of the suave and clever things I had actually planned to say.

I heard her walk into the camp. I stood up, eyes still closed, walked calmly towards her, and promptly tripped over a tree root. I recovered almost instantly, but I could feel my face turning a deep red, the embarrassed blood rushing in my ears. Gotta keep going, I had to do this.

“Mara, I’ve been thinking, and maybe this is just the rush from getting my Visitation–” no, don’t say that you idiot! “–but I’ve been thinking, thinking about you–” better, I should focus on her, tell her what I liked about her “–and how you’re smart and determined and beautiful, maybe the most interesting girl I’ve ever known–” gods I hoped this didn’t sound too cheesy, maybe I should dial it back a bit “–and not just because I’ve lived most of my life with the Hunters and they’re all ace or kids or actually hundreds of years old or my brother, who’s not a Hunter, but–” abort! Abort! “–and would you, would you, would you–” SPIT IT OUT “–m-maybe like to go out with me?”

Oh my gods, I needed to breathe. I inhaled desperately, then realized it had been a few seconds and Mara still hadn’t responded. I cracked one eye open to peak at her reaction.

She looked pale, and she was trembling slightly. I could even hear her pulse pounding rapidly. Something was wrong.

“Mara, are you okay? You don’t have to answer, not if you don’t want to–”

“S-sorry, Alex, I don’t think I’m feeling so good. I think – I think I’m going to go to bed.”

Mara was having a panic attack.

Before I could even consider how to help her through this, or whether it was my fault, she started to slump, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Fast as thought, I was supporting her in my arms.

She blinked up at me. “Alex? Please don’t go, it’s not safe.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. Let’s get you to bed.”

We didn’t have a shock blanket, heck I didn’t even know if those helped with panic attacks, but I wrapped her up in her sleeping bag as best I could. I sat down in the seat across from her bed in the camper.

Now I had all the time in the world to wonder if it was my fault. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid, and selfish, too. Mara was clearly still dealing with the trauma of that Titanspawn attack. She’d been doing so much better this last month, so much that… that what? That I’d thought I should add to her stress all over again by demanding to know whether she’d date me?! My brother was right, I really was the dullest arrow in the quiver.

What to do next? I definitely couldn’t leave, or drop Mara off somewhere, not like this. There wasn’t anything for me to kill to make this problem go away. Fight, flee… what else was there? I wasn’t used to hunting alone like this, to having to think everything through myself. I had no idea what it would take to help Mara.

But I would find out.

“I’ll protect you, Mara. Even if you don’t love me like I love you, even if you never will, I’ll find a way to make you feel safe.

“I swear it.”


Incidentally, if you have any thoughts/criticisms/opinions on that story section, I'd love to hear them! Really, whether it's "I hate your depiction of anxiety" or "This section felt too corny for me to take it seriously" or "You missed a comma here" or anything in between.

Side Note: Mara has tried to come clean to Alex about being a monster. However, Alex misunderstood and now believes that Mara is an escaped human soul. Mara gave up on the idea of correcting her after a few more comments from the Scion to the effect of "the only good monster is a dead monster". For her part, Alex has not yet put together that the reason Mara gets so nervous when monsters are discussed is not PTSD, but rather the enthusiastic gleam in her eyes that Alex gets at the thought of fighting and killing monsters.


Main influence was definitely 'Red' and Raine from the webcomic Twokinds. The brash warrior and the mage with a secret she's desperately trying to hide, which of course eventually comes out and forces 'Red' (his name is still unknown to the readers) to reevaluate all his preconceptions and ultimately grow as a person. Meanwhile being open with others lets Raine grow as well, gaining the confidence to finally start embracing her magic. Also, 'Red' is a dumbass just like Alex.

Alexandra's theme song is Eye of the Storm, by Aviators (https://youtu.be/_-rwrRtng_o?si=NmjBWXRdcp_6qfgk).

Mara's theme song is Little White Lies, by Voltaire (https://youtu.be/OeoNOMlMVi4?si=C6vfGqV01l8xAtA3). I prefer (and linked) the acoustic version.


First things first, I didn't read carefully enough when reading through Artemis' entry, and so missed that Scion changed her from asexual (literally one of 4 beings so asexual that Aphrodite has zero influence over them) to lesbian. Oops. The story and background I wrote work better with Artemis as ace, but if that's not in the cards, so be it.

Next, why is she being such a ***** to Mara? Ultimately, that's up to the GM, but here's my headcanon. A lot of her myths feature Artemis overreacting (at least by modern standards) to an offense or an attack against her or her loved ones, though forum rules prevent me from discussing those precedents further. My theory is that her treatment of Mara stems from this same source; on some level, maybe not even consciously, she sees Mara as a threat to her relationship with her daughter, and is reacting with extreme hostility, a classic overprotective parent whose child is dating for the first time, but cranked up to godly proportions. But on the other hand, maybe Artemis knows something about Mara that I don't (and Companion is quite explicit that the player doesn't necessarily know everything there is to know about the succubus).

Also, I think I get what they were going for when the designers gave her Health; her and Apollo's arrows are symbolic of disease, appearing from out of the blue to maim and slay. But I wish they'd given her War to represent archery, or Guardian to represent her protection of women, or Fertility, to represent her connection to nature. Ah, well, now I'm done griping.


Attributes:
Physical is Primary, Mental is Secondary, Social is Tertiary. Need Dexterity for Accuracy, Strength for both Athletics and damage (the main advantage of not using a gun is getting to add STR), and a little Stamina because every character needs that (plus it would be weird for a character who grew up rough and wild to be completely fragile). The other two categories are a bit more interesting, each having a stat that I completely dumped. Having a 1 in Manipulation plays into the idea that Alexandra is naive. The 1 in Intelligence is a) because I find it funny, much like how I find it funny that Brandon can barely perceive the broad side of a barn, and b) because it justifies her having realized neither that Mara isn't human nor that she's in love with Alex (despite her phenomenal Perception). She can pick up all the pieces, she's just not able to assemble them into the correct big picture.

Abilities (3 bonus points spent):
Mostly the expected stuff for an outdoorsy Physical Scion here. The only oddities are that Alexandra has Control (in cars and trucks) instead of melee skills like Melee or Brawl. That's because she doesn't have the HP or defenses to thrive in melee, but I also see it as a reflection of Artemis being overprotective; she's fine with her daughter learning to shoot from afar and to drive the getaway vehicle, but doesn't want her to be throwing down at a range where the monsters can hit back, and this influenced the training Alexandra received. 2 bonus points spent on Marksmanship, one on Empathy.

Birthrights (5 bonus points spent):
3 regular points and 4 bonus points to purchase Mara as a 5 Dot Guide, ouch. Apollo's Necklace is a relic that I adore from Companion, and that in part inspired this character in the first place, granting Moon and a unique 1 Dot power to inspire awe in others (Alex has no idea that this thing is from the Apollo landing craft and has literally been to the Moon and back; maybe Mara or one of her fellow Scions can clue her in). And one more bonus point for a bulletproof vest that grants Guardian. Maybe I should say that this is a remnant of the hide of Callista, or one of Artemis' other famous followers. I've very specifically not taken the Hunters or her Scion brother Haris as Birthrights, because she's trying to forge her own path and doesn't intend to call on either of them until she's proven herself (i.e., I might spend some points to buy them once we reach Demigod).

Advantages:
The one dot powers from Moon and Guardian, and the two dot boon from Moon as well. The other 6 points went to Epic Attributes. Incidentally, I was pleasantly surprised by how perfect the Moon purview is for Alexandra, giving useful perception, stealth, and defensive abilities at low Legend, but with higher Boons also giving the ability to cure mental illnesses, something that should be obviously attractive to our lover-girl.

Legend (7 bonus points spent):
Up to Legend 3.

Mundane Gear:
I've assumed several more pieces of mundane gear than I did for Brand. Some weapons ranged weapons (she mainly uses a crossbow, because I probably overvalue Piercing, but what Hunter would be complete without a few bows as backup weapons), some back-up melee weapons (an axe for chopping firewood and potentially monsters, a knife that she can wear on her without drawing suspicion), a camper trailer to store it all in and live in while travelling cross-country, and a car to pull the camper. Honestly, I'm giving serious thought to sacrificing a bonus point in Marksmanship to turn the car or camper into a Relic of some sort.


Just the one, a bulletproof vest that grants access to the Guardian purview. The Apollo's Necklace and Mara Secare are straight out of the books (specifically, chapter 2 of Companion).

[Justanotherhero]

Julian Eldridge - Mazaces Seresu
Scion of Osiris.


Rules are done I think. Background is roughly done although I might rewrite some sections to improve understandability.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11d6TaDjHd_rYTqzYfLS6SjYl46QliwcH6zDv5SujaUQ/edit

Lifestyle I am thinking something along the lines of Batman but supernaturally backed up in the sense that:
By day: Student, business „owner“ aka front for the family to move money out of the Overworld into our world.
By night : Scion of Osiris and Guardian of the Dead.

[Justanotherhero]

Considering the Location :

As a starting point Julian would definitely fit in anywhere with a coast and a university. Preference given to warm places. I was thinking:

-Tampa , Florida
- New Orleans, Loisiana
- San Diego, California
- Savannah , Georgia

Something like that.

@Kish any favorites from your side?
@Group if we have other ideas I can make it work.

[Riya_WhiteFang]

Hi! I’m Riya, and I’m new around here. Are you guys still looking for players, ’cause I’d love to join.
I’ve never played Scion before, but it seems pretty interesting, and I think I can pick it up.

[Kish]

Absolutely. Recruitment will close on the 17th.

I haven't missed the other questions, and I'll be addressing them shortly.


Alright! I've got it narrowed down to three concepts in my head now (one each Loa, Amatsukami, and Atzlanti). [...][/spoiler]
The net would fit best of those.

Brandon Flynne, "Brand" for short
All look good.

Okay, backup character is now done. ...I could do some more story sections, but not today. Those can always be edited in later.
Looks good.

Considering the Location :

As a starting point Julian would definitely fit in anywhere with a coast and a university. Preference given to warm places. I was thinking:

-Tampa , Florida
- New Orleans, Loisiana
- San Diego, California
- Savannah , Georgia

Something like that.

@Kish any favorites from your side?
@Group if we have other ideas I can make it work.
Any of those would work.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Hi! I’m Riya, and I’m new around here. Are you guys still looking for players, ’cause I’d love to join.
I’ve never played Scion before, but it seems pretty interesting, and I think I can pick it up.

Scion's a lot of fun, even if you don't know the rules! Man, the rules that my group completely screwed up in our first campaign... and our second... and my third with a different group....

[Justanotherhero]

@Kish Did you want the group to know each other?

I have an idea for facilitating introductions:

Would anyone be interested in being on Osiris's list of known Scions?

I am contemplating a slight revision where, instead of experiencing the full, magnificent tour of the Underworld and Overworld after Julian's Visitation, Osiris appears and announces:

"Our Underworld is burning. Our Overworld is incredibly dangerous for you to navigate alone. Do not venture there without protection. I must depart for war. Take these contacts and this address. Stay alive as long as possible, banish a few shades if you can, and when time allows, we will meet again."

If other players are interested, you could be included in the list of contacts provided?

[DeTess]

Liliana would have some fame in whichever town you'd start in as a private detective. She would probably not make it too obvious she's a Scion though, at least not on a first meeting.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

@Kish Did you want the group to know each other?

I have an idea for facilitating introductions:

Would anyone be interested in being on Osiris's list of known Scions?

I am contemplating a slight revision where, instead of experiencing the full, magnificent tour of the Underworld and Overworld after Julian's Visitation, Osiris appears and announces:

"Our Underworld is burning. Our Overworld is incredibly dangerous for you to navigate alone. Do not venture there without protection. I must depart for war. Take these contacts and this address. Stay alive as long as possible, banish a few shades if you can, and when time allows, we will meet again."

If other players are interested, you could be included in the list of contacts provided?

Alexandra would almost certainly be on the list of known Scions, having been formally disowned and then adopted over ten years ago (transferring her from Apollo to Artemis); plenty of time for that bit of gossip to make its way to the other pantheons. That she's left the Hunters and travelled to America to make her own path may or may not be known (it's been several months at this point), and Mara should be a completely unknown factor, as a monster that's not associated with any pantheon, is fresh out of the Underworld, and on top of all that is also in disguise.

Brandon probably isn't on the list, but I wouldn't be surprised if Brigid had 'called ahead' as a courtesy, to either Julian or Osiris, letting them know that a warrior of the Tuatha was on his way to help.

Probably going to go with Brandon as my first character, incidentally. I adore Alex and Mara, but let's save piloting two characters at once for when I'm not quite so rusty.

[Justanotherhero]

Liliana would have some fame in whichever town you'd start in as a private detective. She would probably not make it too obvious she's a Scion though, at least not on a first meeting.

Are you willing to deal with semi obvious weirdos for money? Julian ist a part of a group that pays people to investigate ghost stories. Since he was tasked to capture some of the shades that escaped during the Titans Break Out but Investigation ist not his thing.



Brandon probably isn't on the list, but I wouldn't be surprised if Brigid had 'called ahead' as a courtesy, to either Julian or Osiris, letting them know that a warrior of the Tuatha was on his way to help.

Since Julian is on his way to hunt shades and he is not capable of seeing ghosts help is very much appreciated.

[DeTess]

Are you willing to deal with semi obvious weirdos for money? Julian ist a part of a group that pays people to investigate ghost stories. Since he was tasked to capture some of the shades that escaped during the Titans Break Out but Investigation ist not his thing.


Provided Julian makes a fairly convincing case for the ghost stories, yes, definitely.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Speaking of character interactions, would anyone's character be interested in learning martial arts/self defense? Brandon has to teach someone in the Brawl ability at least once a week, or his geas inverts itself (which would be very, very bad for him). I could probably fulfill that by hosting or guest-starring in classes for NPCs (Brandon already has a license for this, albeit one from Ireland, so he'd probably need to do some paperwork), but teaching a PC would probably be a little more interesting narratively.

[DeTess]

Speaking of character interactions, would anyone's character be interested in learning martial arts/self defense? Brandon has to teach someone in the Brawl ability at least once a week, or his geas inverts itself (which would be very, very bad for him). I could probably fulfill that by hosting or guest-starring in classes for NPCs (Brandon already has a license for this, albeit one from Ireland, so he'd probably need to do some paperwork), but teaching a PC would probably be a little more interesting narratively.

If no one else has a stronger reason for this, Liliana would be game. Having at least some unarmed self-defence tricks up her sleeve couldn't hurt.

[Kish]

Characters submitted so far:



Benoojian
Meztli "Max" Adams (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LfktqnbwMapkEDOK3a6KdcxicrlOYRtv/view?usp=sharing)
Social Justice Warrior
Atzlanti
Tezcatlipoca


Cassus
Anthony Leopoldo Baldwin (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25963392&postcount=56)
Antiquarian
Amatsukami
Tsuki-Yomi


DeTess
Liliana Cypher (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25958765&postcount=34)
Information Broker
Aesir
Loki


Justanotherhero
Julian Eldridge (https://docs.google.com/document/d/11d6TaDjHd_rYTqzYfLS6SjYl46QliwcH6zDv5SujaUQ/edit)
Ghost Hunter
Pesedjet
Osiris


Kaworu
Mateusz Śląski (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1liGn03xFHGyHSVUdQ6MSw3Q1t8fF2x0n/view)
Friendly Astrophysicist
Pesedjet
Horus


PoeticallyPsyco
Brandon Flynne (https://drive.google.com/file/d/19Xy1YVKikTUCyvr3IeE1PSMkFgBwrWig/view)
Champion
Tuatha de Danann
Brigid



I'll be closing recruitment on Saturday (though I may extend it, if there are still only three completed submissions; I'm hoping for at least four players).

[Cassus]

Alright, let's try this application thing! I didn't see an official sheet format, but let me know if you have a preference.

Feedback welcome (from ST and also players)-- it's been a LONG time since I played Scion.

(Made some edits 2/16 after reading the other sheets)

Anthony is, or was, an antiquarian of some little skill, content to work steadily away in his perfectable world of dusty eggshells, tiny figurines, and old books. His life moved in a steady, easy routine-- two simple meals each day, two new entries in the shop's log each hour, too-eager customers when he finished his work. He always greeted new arrivals in his tiny shop with hot tea, a gentle smile, and a (perfectly ordinary) chipped teacup.
The most exciting thing that ever happened in his life was the time when some young punk mistook his store for a pawnshop and burst in demanding money. Baldwin drove the girl off with a pretended gun and a real cellphone.
After that, he expanded his routine to include a brief practice session with an old man in the park and a few minutes spent caring for his new pistol. He tried to settle back into his perfect life, but unfortunately he kept meeting all of these new people...

His father isn't entirely sure what to make of the polite middle-aged gentleman with his dusty suit, fragile limbs, and delicate fingers. It wasn't until he tasted some of Anthony's tea that the moon deity decided that this really was his son.

PERSONALITY

Anthony Leopoldo Baldwin was perfectly content to live his antiquarian's life in a narrow orbit defined by tiny figurines, faceless collectors, simple meals, complex teas, unfailing politeness, and the well-worn steps of his shop.
The fact that he's now officially the son of a deity hasn't changed that in any way. But now he's not -allowed- to live that life. Some days it feels like the whole universe is one big conspiracy to keep him from living that life. So instead he's trying to perfect his -new- life. It'll take a while, but he's got time.
Now he trains and studies with the same relentless dedication that he used to apply to attaching tiny slivers of nearly-transparent resin. He rarely expresses strong emotion, since strong emotions cause people to make bad decisions. He rarely lies, to himself or others, because lies cause people to make bad decisions.
He does enjoy a quiet chat with an ancient relic. The changes to his world weren't -all- for the worse.


God : Tsuki-yomi
Calling : Antiquarian
Nature : Perfectionist
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATTRIBUTES (0 BP)
[X] = favoured

[ ]Strength : 2 (1) [X]Charisma : 5 (1) [ ]Perception : 3 (-)
[ ]Dexterity: 5 (2) [ ]Manipulation: 1 (1) [ ]Intelligence: 5 (1)
[ ]Stamina : 2 (1) [ ]Appearance : 1 (-) [ ]Wits : 3 (1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABILITIES (0 BP)
[X] = favoured

[X]Academics : 1
[ ]Animal Ken : -
[ ]Art
: Pottery 1
: -
[ ]Athletics : 3
[X]Awareness : 3
[ ]Brawl : -
[ ]Command : 1
[ ]Control
: -
: -
[ ]Craft
: Woodworking 1
: -
[X]Empathy : 1
[ ]Fortitude : 1
[ ]Integrity : 3
[X]Investigation : 3
[ ]Larceny : -
[X]Marksmanship : 1
[ ]Medicine : -
[ ]Melee : 3
[ ]Occult : 3
[X]Politics : 1
[ ]Presence : 3
[ ]Science
: -
: -
[ ]Stealth : 1
[ ]Survival : -
[ ]Thrown : -

Languages: English, Japanese, Chinese (Han dialect), American Sign Language, German, Hindi

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADVANTAGES (11 BP)

Virtues Willpower: 9/9 Legend: 3
Name: Duty 2 Legend Points: 9/9
Name: Endurance 2
Name: Intellect 4
Name: Valor 1

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
KNACKS (0 BP)

Strength
Holy Rampage (You’re good at breaking objects)

Dexterity
Photographic Penmanship (Spend legend and WP to reproduce material with photographic accuracy)
Untouchable Opponent (1L to add Epic Dex successes as dodge DV bonus for a scene)

Stamina
Body Armor (1L to generate [legend] armor with -1 mobility penalty, stack with other armor)

Charisma
Charmer: You can spend a Legend point to suppress negative emotions directed at you for one scene.

Manipulation
Takes One to Know One: You can tell when you hear a lie.

Intelligence
Language Mastery (Intuitively hear/speak any language; reading and writing is harder)

Wits
Psychic Profiler (Intuit a lot by sight; intuit more with a brief conversation)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOONS/SPELLS (0 BP)

Darkness
Night Eyes (*)

Mystery (*)


Favored: Moon, Darkness, Psychopomp, Tsukumo-Gami
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXPERIENCE
Total: 0 Total Spent: 0

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BIRTHRIGHTS (4 BP)

Bone Tea Bowl (***)
"Well, some things can only be addressed by killing someone. It's from someone dear to me. It will help keep your tea warm when you work."
A white bowl. Grants access to the Moon and Darkness purview, emulates Death Senses

Crescent Knife (***)
"Self-defense is important, too; staying alive is one of your duties."
A white blade. Use the stats of a Spatha, -2 speed, adds Legend to all (Dexterity+Melee) rolls

Beads of Yellow Wood (***)
This is an odd one. Tsukuyomi probably intended for Anthony to briefly meet the often-travelling Guanyin on neutral ground, impress her with his diplomacy and concern for mortals, and learn a few secrets about the nature of reality that-- though they'd never admit it-- the Amatsukami just don't really understand. A minor boon and a minor tie to China. That's not what happened, though.
Instead, when Tsukuyomi tried to slightly relax threads of Fate around Anthony to bring him into contact with the pantheon across the Yellow Sea... Anthony met the Yellow Emperor. The old-before-his-time scion unknowingly met and entered into a vicious, protracted argument with Huang Di during a random layover.
By the time they parted, Huang Di had, without revealing his name, given Anthony a crash course on the interconnectedness of reality and a small bracelet made of thick wooden beads. The two continued to meet, Huang Di using various guises to chide the scion for his physical and intellectual frailty. Much to Tsukuyomi's dismay, an enormous amount of Anthony's divine potential was actually shaped by the Yellow Emperor rather than his own father.
A bracelet of timeworn, yellowed wooden beads. Grants access the Mystery Purview, emulates Wind's Freedom
[[In this case, the "divine potential" refers to the fact that more than half of Anthony's boon/epic attribute points were spent on Huangdi's favored traits. Oddly, I didn't plan it that way.]]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EQUIPMENT OF NOTE

More than two hundred ancient pottery figurines. Three tea sets-- one ordinary, one in good condition, and one yellowed eggshell. A small library dedicated to these materials. A shop with a manual cash register and an excellent computer imaging setup. A serviceable car.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BONUS POINTS (15)
Attributes/Epic Attributes: -
Abilities: -
Advantages: +1 Legend, +2 Willpower(11)
Knacks/Boons/Spells: -
Birthrights: +4 Birthright (4)






Player
Character
Concept
Pantheon
Parent
Status


DeTess
Liliana Cypher
Information Broker
Aesir
Loki
Complete


Justanotherhero
Julian Eldridge
?
Pesedjet
Osiris
Missing one point in each Attribute category (possible WoD assumptions here?)


PoeticallyPsyco
Brandon Flynne
Champion
Tuatha de Danann
Brigid
Complete


Cassus
Anthony Leopoldo Baldwin (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25963392&postcount=56)
Antiquarian
Amatsukami
Tsuki-Yomi
Complete?

[Justanotherhero]

Concept wise I would describe him as a Ghost Hunter/Biomedical Engineering student.

One point in each attribute and 8/6/4 to spend or am I wrong in that regard?

I will gladly spend 9/7/5 if it is allowed.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Oh hey, found a pretty good picture for Brandon, aka Firebrand. Long red hair, fire theme, heavy armor; heck, it even has a swan motif (Brigid's sacred animal). Granted, Brand doesn't actually have any fire powers yet, and he doesn't wear makeup, and his name isn't Angela, but for such a specific aesthetic this is pretty spot-on as a picture.

Actually, I could totally see Brand wearing that makeup/war paint in the fighting ring, too (anything to make his face a little more memorable).

https://snapjson.untapped.gg/art/render/framebreak/common/512/Angela_09.webp

[Kish]

Anthony Leopoldo Baldwin (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25963392&postcount=56)
Looks mostly good. One problem:

Boon and Epic Attribute point breakdown:
Epic Dexterity 3: 3 points
Epic Charisma 1: 1 point
Tsukumo-Gami 3: 3 points
Smoking Mirror: 1 point
Tidal Interference: 2 points
Phase Cloak: 3 points

...equals 13. All-Purpose Purview Boons are bought independently and cost more than Pantheon or Special Purviews. So if you want to spend three points on the Moon Purview, it would be either Phase Cloak, or Smoking Mirror and Tidal Interference, not all three.

Concept wise I would describe him as a Ghost Hunter/Biomedical Engineering student.

One point in each attribute and 8/6/4 to spend or am I wrong in that regard?

I will gladly spend 9/7/5 if it is allowed.
I find the sheet's presentation a little confusing, I'm afraid. If I'm now reading correctly that the intent is Stamina 5 and Charisma 4, it's correct as is.

Oh hey, found a pretty good picture for Brandon, aka Firebrand. Long red hair, fire theme, heavy armor; heck, the even has a swan motif (Brigid's sacred animal). Granted, Brand doesn't actually have any fire powers yet, and he doesn't wear makeup, and his name isn't Angela, but for such a narrow character concept this is pretty spot-on as a picture.

Actually, I could totally see Brand wearing that makeup/war paint in the fighting ring, too (anything to make his face a little more memorable).


Cool.

[Justanotherhero]

I find the sheet's presentation a little confusing, I'm afraid. If I'm now reading correctly that the intent is Stamina 5 and Charisma 4, it's correct as is.

I could have structured that better my mistake.

With spending Bonus Points I will reach that yes:

Bonus Points :
Order +1 - 3
willpower 9 -2
Willpower 10 -2
Stamina 5 -4
Cha 4: -4

[Cassus]

Looks mostly good. One problem:

Boon and Epic Attribute point breakdown:
Epic Dexterity 3: 3 points
Epic Charisma 1: 1 point
Tsukumo-Gami 3: 3 points
Smoking Mirror: 1 point
Tidal Interference: 2 points
Phase Cloak: 3 points

...equals 13. All-Purpose Purview Boons are bought independently and cost more than Pantheon or Special Purviews. So if you want to spend three points on the Moon Purview, it would be either Phase Cloak, or Smoking Mirror and Tidal Interference, not all three..

Ah, you're right, sorry. I had it in my head that you can choose to buy all of a purview's boons in order in order to purchase them at the Pantheon-Specific Purview costs, but it looks like that was just a houserule from way back when. Any chance you'll apply that here?

For now, I'll just take attributes instead. I've adjusted the sheet accordingly.

[Kish]

Ah, you're right, sorry. I had it in my head that you can choose to buy all of a purview's boons in order in order to purchase them at the Pantheon-Specific Purview costs, but it looks like that was just a houserule from way back when. Any chance you'll apply that here?
That would be quite a radical change to how All-Purpose Purviews work, so no.

[Benoojian]

Rolled up semi-anarchist Meztli "Max" Adams (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LfktqnbwMapkEDOK3a6KdcxicrlOYRtv/view?usp=sharing), child of Tezcatlipoca with an 'evil' twin who is the child of Quetzlcoatl...or maybe Max is the evil twin, only time will tell.

Has a custom 3 point Relic Armor that adds +2 Defense and decreases the Speed of unarmed attacks by 1. Also a custom named Cursed Mirror Relic, but that just grants Moon and War Purviews, nothing from the custom relic table.

[Kish]

Mostly good; it looks like you spent 10 Birthright points, not 5.

[Benoojian]

Misremembered the character creation rules on that, dropped Fortitude and Occult, and lost Darkness and Animal Purviews so I could devote three points to Birthright instead. Should be good now

[Kaworu]

Hi :3

Are you still recruiting? I think I would like to create some hero (I have all 1e books, but to be honest, I just looked at them briefly - I believe I would be able to create a character, but also I do comprehend that usually you should know pretty well the RPG you are playing, thus, hm... I do not wanna be a problem?).

What character do you need? I kinda think of playing, maybe a young Hero of the skies? Like, an academic astronomer? Or maybe astrophysicist? With some background in computing? Can I play a Hero of the Atlantic Pantheon? It was in some supplementary book if I am correct...?

[Riya_WhiteFang]

Hi @Kish!

A rough character draft I’ve been working on. Here goes.

Inga Thurgood, Scion of Freya. Her father, grandfather, and most aunts and uncles are military, so she grew up planning to enlist. However, a residual nerdiness made her study a lot of things, including medicine. And hence, became an army medic. She knows that her mother is a God since her first year in the corps, but hasn’t given a lot of thought to what to do with that information. She wouldn’t really know a lot of other Scion, or associate with them, not out of distrust, but just unfamiliarity.

How does this sound?

[Kish]

Misremembered the character creation rules on that, dropped Fortitude and Occult, and lost Darkness and Animal Purviews so I could devote three points to Birthright instead. Should be good now
Indeed it is.

Hi :3

Are you still recruiting? I think I would like to create some hero (I have all 1e books, but to be honest, I just looked at them briefly - I believe I would be able to create a character, but also I do comprehend that usually you should know pretty well the RPG you are playing, thus, hm... I do not wanna be a problem?).

What character do you need? I kinda think of playing, maybe a young Hero of the skies? Like, an academic astronomer? Or maybe astrophysicist? With some background in computing? Can I play a Hero of the Atlantic Pantheon? It was in some supplementary book if I am correct...?
Recruitment is still open until tomorrow, at which point I'll probably freeze recruitment but give people who have expressed interest more time to finish their characters.

Scion: Demigod does say that Atlantis existed (once) and had its own gods (once), but that was a very long time ago; they're not playable now. Other than that your ideas sound good, yes.

Hi @Kish!

A rough character draft I’ve been working on. Here goes.

Inga Thurgood, Scion of Freya. Her father, grandfather, and most aunts and uncles are military, so she grew up planning to enlist. However, a residual nerdiness made her study a lot of things, including medicine. And hence, became an army medic. She knows that her mother is a God since her first year in the corps, but hasn’t given a lot of thought to what to do with that information. She wouldn’t really know a lot of other Scion, or associate with them, not out of distrust, but just unfamiliarity.

How does this sound?
Looks good.

[Kaworu]

Scion: Demigod does say that Atlantis existed (once) and had its own gods (once), but that was a very long time ago; they're not playable now. Other than that your ideas sound good, yes.

Yup, I have read so afterwards... xD Anyway, I think I am gonna go with a Horus Hero of the Skies :D Can I take the Stars Purview from the book about Persian Gods? ;-)

[Kish]

Edited: My mistake! Yazata is a book I was not familiar with the existence of, but a Purview from it is probably acceptable. Probably.

[Kaworu]

Hm... it is certainly 1 e material? Yazata, the Persian Gods, By Siavash Mojarrad and Dean Shomshak (https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Yazata:_The_Persian_Gods)??? (;-) ) (according to this Wiki, it was published in 2010, so certainly no 2e? ;-) )

I kinda... wanna be in the future the God of All the Skies, so I kinda fancy all the "sky" Purviews (Sky, Sun, Moon and Stars) and I really wouln't wanna drop any of them? xD

Also, I have made a character sheet! :D



Mateusz Śląski

Calling: Friendly Astrophysicist
Pantheon: Pesedjet
God: Horus
Nature: Pacifist

Attributes

Physical (4)

Strength **
Dexterity ***
Stamina **

Social (6)

Charisma ***
Manipulation ***
Appearance ***

Mental (8)

Perception ***
Intelligence *****
Wits ***

Abilities

Favored

Athletics *
Awareness ***
Brawl **
Command *
Melee
Politics ***

Other

Academic ** (Native language: Polish. Foreing languages (max 7): English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese)
Art (Writing) **
Craft (Electronics) ***
Empathy *
Fortitude **
Integrity ***
Occult *
Science (Astrophysics) ***
Science (Computer Science) ***

Birthrights:

Relic (All-Purpose Purviews: Sky, Sun, Moon, Stars) 4
Creature (a Scarab) 1
Guide 1 (Helena Makowska, a religious studies graduate)

Boons:

Sky 2 (Wind’s Freedom)
Sun 2 (Divine Radiance)
Stars 2 (Sense Age)

Epic Attributes

Epic Intelligence 2 (Fast Learner, Math Genius)
Epic Dexterity 1 (Untouchable Opponent)
Epic Charisma 1 (Never Say Die)
Epic Strength 1 (Uplifting Might)

Virtues:

Conviction ***
Expression * (Instead of Harmony)
Loyalty ** (Instead of Order)
Intellect *** (Instead of Piety)

Legend ***
Willpower ***** ***
Legend Points: 9

Bonus Points Expenditure: 15

Background:

Mateusz Śląski was born in Jelenia Góra city in Dolnośląskie Voivodeship in Poland. Since young age, he wanted to ba a well-educated person, which he did, by studying at the Univerity of Wrocław. When he received a visitation from the Horus, he was kinda taken aback. Yes, he had written a thesis on magnetic field of Sun an its influence on Solar plasma, but... As a mostly science nerd, he sometimes feels out-of-touch with various aspects of Horus, but is none the less happy with the arrangement, and with his father achievements. Even though he sometimes feels like a basterd child of the God, with both his focus on scientific pursuit and moral values that are often in opposition to the values of Egyptian gods. Yet, while he might not be your typical Scion of Horus, he tries to make his father proud and is very dedicated in doing what he does.

His good friend is Helena Makowska, a graduate of religious studies, helping him as much as she can in this new, mythological adventure of his. However, as he is gay, there can be no romantic involvement between them, even thought there is somehow a strong platonic bond between the two. For Mateusz, Helena is somewhere between the best friend and a beloved sister.

[Kish]

I think you might be missing a Mental Attribute point; otherwise looks good.

Game now closed to new interest. RocknRollFTW, Rokku, josienoms, SwordCoastTaxi, Bitter, Riya_Whitefang, let me know if you're still interested/if I can help you with character creation.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Gonna do two last tweaks to Brandon. First, I forgot to reduce his Join Battle along with his Intelligence (because he has Tactical Planning). Second, gonna shuffle a Virtue dot from Intellect to Courage, to represent the berserker side of his personality and fighting style instead of just the strategic side. And not actually a change, but I went through and calculated the base values for Accuracy, Damage, and Parry DV for all his attacks (this being the number of dice rolled, and thus not counting any bonus successes, a fact that I have to keep reminding myself).

Hopefully final version (for real this time):
Brandon Flynne (0 XP) (https://drive.google.com/file/d/19Xy1YVKikTUCyvr3IeE1PSMkFgBwrWig/view?usp=drive_link)

And I'll edit it into the original post, too.

[Justanotherhero]

Can we pick 5 Languages in Scion without having 5 dots in Academics?

[Kish]

Maximum number of languages in Scion is equal to Intelligence+Academics. (When you raise either in play, that raises your cap but doesn't automatically give you a new language overnight.)

[Justanotherhero]

Maximum number of languages in Scion is equal to Intelligence+Academics. (When you raise either in play, that raises your cap but doesn't automatically give you a new language overnight.)

Very good to know thanks!

[Kaworu]

Yup, I did miss 1 point in Mentals xD I picked another Intelligence point, now I have a speaker of Russian xD

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Maximum number of languages in Scion is equal to Intelligence+Academics. (When you raise either in play, that raises your cap but doesn't automatically give you a new language overnight.)

Hmm, I should probably nail down a few languages for Brand. English and Irish/Gaelic are his native languages, and he's picked up some British Sign Language and Welsh over the years (4 dots in Int). Since returning to school (2 dots in Academics), he's also learned Latin and Japanese as part of his coursework.

[Cassus]

I completely forgot languages! Thanks, I've added those.

[Justanotherhero]

@Kaworu
Since we are cousins I would be ok with you knowing about my existence.

About Location:
I would go with Savannah Georgia to be precise Julian would reside a bit south of central Savannah next to Ogeechee River.

Would everybody be ok with that?

[Kish]

With no further word from the people who expressed interest but haven't completed their characters, I'd start this today, but I have a cold so it'll be a few more days.

I also seem to have missed something. Kaworu, a Scion doesn't get to choose their divine parent any more than a human gets to choose their parents--they are actually a parent, not someone you're the equivalent of a cleric of. If Freya is his mother then...that's that. If she chose to disinherit him and then Horus chose to adopt him, then he would be Horus' child in the eyes of Fate (as with Justanotherhero's character), but neither would do that casually or without a better-in-their-eyes reason than "he wants me to." And it would need to be prior to Visitation; if he received a Visitation from Freya then he's a child of Freya. No buyin from him required for that to be the case, though he's more likely to get Birthrights from his divine parent if he acts like he values being the child of that god. (And more likely to get hustled by a Titan if he makes it too overt that he doesn't...)

Also, while this doesn't affect what Boons he can start with, neither has Stars as an associated Purview--if he has Stars and got the relic to use it from an Egyptian god, that would be...Set. (If it was Norse, it could be Thor or Frigg, and if you wanted to go with getting the relic from a different pantheon entirely, I'll figure it out.)

[DeTess]

With no further word from the people who expressed interest but haven't completed their characters, I'd start this today, but I have a cold so it'll be a few more days.

I also seem to have missed something. Kaworu, you don't get to choose your divine parent--they are actually a parent, not someone you're the equivalent of a cleric of. If Freya is his mother then...that's that. If she chose to disinherit him and then Horus chose to adopt him, then he would be Horus' child in the eyes of Fate (as with Justanotherhero's character), but neither would do that casually or without a better reason than "he wants me to."

Just to confirm, was mys heet missing anything at this point? i've been fairly quiet for the last few days, but that was mostly because I don't have much to add at this point.

[Kish]

Your character is complete, DeTess.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

About Location:
I would go with Savannah Georgia to be precise Julian would reside a bit south of central Savannah next to Ogeechee River.

Would everybody be ok with that?

Works for me. Brandon's arriving by plane, so probably [quick googling] at the Hilton Head International Airport. Doesn't look like it does direct flights to Ireland, though, so I guess he transferred at some point.


If no one else has a stronger reason for this, Liliana would be game. Having at least some unarmed self-defence tricks up her sleeve couldn't hurt.

Congratulations, you are the only most qualified applicant!

How do you want to set it up? Liliana could approach Brand, having learned from her contacts that he's a self-defense instructor, or Brand could extend an offer either to the whole group or to her specifically, or we could just play it by ear.

...It would also also be funny if they were independently looking for a student and teacher, and ended up matched together purely by chance/Fate ("What are you doing here?"). Not sure how that would work, though, unless Brandon's teaching under an alias.

@Kish
Does the Teaching Prodigy knack work with any ability, or just the ones that Fast Learner works with? My guess would be any ability, since Teaching Prodigy also stacks with Star Pupil, but the wording is a bit weird so I could see it going either way.

If it does work with Brawl, I'll probably pick it up (makes sense to incentivize/reward whoever I teach, since I'm so dependent on getting a student).

[Kish]

Teaching Prodigy works for any Ability that the teacher has at a higher level than the student.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Teaching Prodigy works for any Ability that the teacher has at a higher level than the student.

Awesome. 5 XP for a second pip of Epic Intelligence and that knack is probably good enough then to be a priority upgrade.

[DeTess]

Congratulations, you are the only most qualified applicant!

How do you want to set it up? Liliana could approach Brand, having learned from her contacts that he's a self-defense instructor, or Brand could extend an offer either to the whole group or to her specifically, or we could just play it by ear.

...It would also also be funny if they were independently looking for a student and teacher, and ended up matched together purely by chance/Fate ("What are you doing here?"). Not sure how that would work, though, unless Brandon's teaching under an alias.



It depends a little on the exact situation we start off with. If it's a 'odd things start to happen and the players get drawn in independently' kind of deal I'd say Liliana would probably reach out after hearing about him through a contact or other, but if it's more a situation where we all either know one another, or get very quickly thrown together having him offer might work out better. Probably best to play it by ear until we know what the start of the game looks like.

[Justanotherhero]

With no further word from the people who expressed interest but haven't completed their characters, I'd start this today, but I have a cold so it'll be a few more days.

Get well and take your sweet time to recover.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

With no further word from the people who expressed interest but haven't completed their characters, I'd start this today, but I have a cold so it'll be a few more days.


Somehow missed this post. Hope you feel better!

[Kaworu]

I also seem to have missed something. Kaworu, a Scion doesn't get to choose their divine parent any more than a human gets to choose their parents--they are actually a parent, not someone you're the equivalent of a cleric of. If Freya is his mother then...that's that. If she chose to disinherit him and then Horus chose to adopt him, then he would be Horus' child in the eyes of Fate (as with Justanotherhero's character), but neither would do that casually or without a better-in-their-eyes reason than "he wants me to." And it would need to be prior to Visitation; if he received a Visitation from Freya then he's a child of Freya. No buyin from him required for that to be the case, though he's more likely to get Birthrights from his divine parent if he acts like he values being the child of that god. (And more likely to get hustled by a Titan if he makes it too overt that he doesn't...)

Hm... there it seems like I have gotten this wrong (sorry, I have never read fully the books - so many RPG fightning for mah attention... (xD)).

But might I ask - how about Scions of holy virgins gods (Artemis) or those with no sexual organs (Osiris)? :-P Just being curious... :-P

But okay, I will change the CS, gimme a minute :-P

EDIT: Okay, done, but I do not understand the following:


Also, while this doesn't affect what Boons he can start with, neither has Stars as an associated Purview--if he has Stars and got the relic to use it from an Egyptian god, that would be...Set. (If it was Norse, it could be Thor or Frigg, and if you wanted to go with getting the relic from a different pantheon entirely, I'll figure it out.)

Basically it means that I cannot start with Stars Boon/Mystical abilities, right? Or maybe you mean something different?

I will edit the CS, but as of right now I do not comprehend, sorry? ;-)

[Cassus]

But might I ask - how about Scions of holy virgins gods (Artemis) or those with no sexual organs (Osiris)? :-P Just being curious... :-P
They adopt. That's part of the reason why Fate is so insistent that if you're adopted, the adoptive parent is 100% your divine sire, I think.


Basically it means that I cannot start with Stars Boon/Mystical abilities, right? Or maybe you mean something different?

I'm not the ST, of course, but normally you can start with boons from any purview you want... but to access an all-purpose purview, you need a purview relic, and purview relics can only come from a deity with access to that purview. That's why Anthony has ties to the Yellow Emperor even though his sire is Japanese (much to T's consternation, I suspect).
So you'd need to pick a deity with the Stars purview (Set, Thor, Frigg, etc). Then explain why that deity chose to give you (who aren't their child) a relic of the Stars in a way the ST finds acceptable, usually.

[Kaworu]

Ah, okay, now I understand :) Thank you :-)

Okay, I can either go with some God diving my character the Stars Birthright, or... maybe I will kinda switch the mechanics? I could:

- get Animal Purview (maybe Dogs? It does not need to be a Falcon, right?)
- get Justice Purview
- Invest into Epic Dexterity and Intelligence

And I kinda do not know what to do... xD Any advice? ;-)

[Cassus]

Do what's fun!

Ummm... You're the only person applying who's mentioned the Stars purview, and I want to but have never seen that in action (it looks cool as the void of space, though I'm not sure what Sense Age is for), so Stars is good. I can also easily see the link between an astrophysicist and stellar time.

Due to the way Scion/Storyteller is set up, Epic Dexterity is almost a requirement if you want to take a prominent role in combat (there are workarounds, but not straightforward ones). Your nature is Pacifist, though, so are you not looking for combat? Your Epic Int is already at maximum for your legend score.

You're right that Animal can be associated with any animal, regardless of parent. If you want to go there, I'd suggest a point or three of Companion, to make sure you've got a reasonably competent and accessible version of your animal to work with. It can be pretty versatile if you can actually find the animals to use it on... it's just frustrating otherwise. Why are animals important to your character?

For Justice, you'll need Empathy, and probably some mix of Investigation or Awareness, plus Integrity if you're going to hold to your convictions. Information-gathering can be very powerful; why is Justice important to your character?

It's hard to give other advice without knowing your goals. If you name a system you're more familiar with and a role in that system, I could suggest ways to make that happen in Scion?

[Kaworu]

For Justice, you'll need Empathy, and probably some mix of Investigation or Awareness, plus Integrity if you're going to hold to your convictions. Information-gathering can be very powerful; why is Justice important to your character?

It's just some option I could take since I cannot have Stars and I do not wanna invest the Birthright Point in either Companion nor Guide xD

Actually, I have some idea for mechanics changes, gimme some time ;-)\

EDIT: New mechanics, I hope it is less problematic now? ;-)


Mateusz Śląski

Calling: Friendly Astrophysicist
Pantheon: Pesedjet
God: Horus
Nature: Pacifist

Attributes

Physical (4)

Strength **
Dexterity ***
Stamina **

Social (6)

Charisma ***
Manipulation ***
Appearance ***

Mental (8)

Perception ***
Intelligence *****
Wits ***

Abilities

Favored

Athletics *
Awareness ***
Brawl **
Command *
Melee
Politics ***

Other

Academic ** (Native language: Polish. Foreing languages (max 6): English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese)
Art (Writing) **
Craft (Electronics) ***
Empathy *
Fortitude **
Integrity ***
Occult *
Science (Astrophysics) ***
Science (Computer Science) ***

Birthrights:

Relic 3 (Pendant of the Sun) (All-Purpose Purviews: Sky, Sun, Moon)
Relic 2 (Bulletproof Vest, * Fatigue, * Soak)
Guide 1 (Helena Makowska, a religious studies graduate)

Boons:

Sky 2 (Wind’s Freedom)
Sun 2 (Divine Radiance)

Epic Attributes

Epic Strength 1 (Uplifting Might)
Epic Dexterity 1 (Untouchable Opponent)
Epic Stamina 1 (Self-Healing)

Epic Charisma 1 (Never Say Die)
Epic Manipulation 1 (God’s Honest)

Epic Intelligence 2 (Fast Learner, Math Genius)

Virtues:

Conviction ***
Expression * (Instead of Harmony)
Loyalty ** (Instead of Order)
Intellect *** (Instead of Piety)

Legend ***
Willpower ***** ***
Legend Points: 9

Bonus Points Expenditure: 15

Background:

Mateusz Śląski was born in Jelenia Góra city in Dolnośląskie Voivodeship in Poland. Since young age, he wanted to ba a well-educated person, which he did, by studying at the Univerity of Wrocław. When he received a visitation from the Horus, he was kinda taken aback. Yes, he had written a thesis on magnetic field of Sun an its influence on Solar plasma, but... As a mostly science nerd, he sometimes feels out-of-touch with various aspects of Horus, but is none the less happy with the arrangement, and with his father achievements. Even though he sometimes feels like a basterd child of the God, with both his focus on scientific pursuit and moral values that are often in opposition to the values of Egyptian gods. Yet, while he might not be your typical Scion of Horus, he tries to make his father proud and is very dedicated in doing what he does.

His good friend is Helena Makowska, a graduate of religious studies, helping him as much as she can in this new, mythological adventure of his. However, as he is gay, there can be no romantic involvement between them, even thought there is somehow a strong platonic bond between the two. For Mateusz, Helena is somewhere between the best friend and a beloved sister.


EDIT2: Also, is there a way to generate a graphical character sheet? That could calculate all the things like defense value etc? Or should I just edit the template in GIMP?

[Kish]

Yes, that does fit better. Justanotherhero's character is your uncle.

One thing still, I'm afraid: Intelligence+Academics is your maximum number of languages, not of bonus languages. A character with an Intelligence of 1 and no Academics is not bilingual.

[Cassus]

I don't know one that does automatic calculation, but the pdf sheets at least don't require editing in GIMP:
https://mrgone.rocksolidshells.com/pdf/Scion/Scion_Hero4-Page_Editable.pdf

[Kaworu]

About the languages number at beginning, the quotation from corebook is this:


Note: A multilingual character can speak a
maximum number of languages equal to his (Intelligence
+ Academics). A character must still actually learn the
additional languages he speaks, though—whether doing
so is part of his upbringing or happens over time in
game. He does not spontaneously understand new
languages each time he gets a new Academics dot.

This suggest (?) that if I begin the game with x points in Academics + Intelligence, I begin with x languages, but further raising Academic and/or Intelligence in game means I have to learn during play? I believe?

But of course, our GM has the final say ;-)

EDIT: Also, I cannot find in the book the stats of natural attacks, which my character would use :( any help? ;-)

[Cassus]

Everything you've posted is true.
Why would any of that mean that 5 intelligence + 2 Academics = 8 languages known, though?

[Kaworu]

Hm... it seems to me that you have max number of languages equal to 2 + 5 (not counting the native one) and there's a suggestion that increasing the Academic/INT during game does not increases the known languages, so... the max number is the number you know at the beginning of the game? ;-) It seems to me ;-)

Of course, I can be wrong ;-) But since the languages do not increase during the game, if I begin the game with max number of languages, there are my num ber of languages pre-game? ;-) I mean, this is how I interpret that, I can be wrong, ofc ;-)

Also, where can I find the "base" stats of natural attacks, such as with fist etc? My characters does not use any weapons... :-P

EDIt: Eh, wait, did I mix languages and bonus languages...? xD Oops... Gimme a minute to re-run the math in my head, ok? ;-)

EDIT2: Okay, I re-run the calculations and you are right, sorry xD I already edited the CS, okay? ;-)

EDIT3: The link to my CS in PDF format (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1liGn03xFHGyHSVUdQ6MSw3Q1t8fF2x0n/view?usp=sharing) ;-)

[Benoojian]

(not counting the native one)

It absolutely counts your Native language

Also Max speaks English, Spanish and Nuhuatl (often called Aztec) with space to learn one language

[Kaworu]

Yup, I realized... :-P ;-)

[Justanotherhero]

Hm... it seems to me that you have max number of languages equal to 2 + 5 (not counting the native one) and there's a suggestion that increasing the Academic/INT during game does not increases the known languages, so... the max number is the number you know at the beginning of the game? ;-) It seems to me ;-)

Of course, I can be wrong ;-) But since the languages do not increase during the game, if I begin the game with max number of languages, there are my num ber of languages pre-game? ;-) I mean, this is how I interpret that, I can be wrong, ofc ;-)

My interpretation of the text is :
Increase of Int or Academics is required to justify learning a new language in game. Learning a new language in game would be a matter roleplay I believe.

[Kish]

Recruitment and character creation are now officially closed. The OOC thread will be up shortly; the IC thread will take a little longer because I'm still not completely with it.

OOC thread (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?664947-Scion-Hero-(OOC)).

And the IC thread (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?665067-Scion-Hero-(IC)) is up. I'm still coughing, but should be with it enough to post once a day, hopefully. With exactly six completed characters, the choice of which six characters to accept wasn't hard.