Post by aardvarklord on Aug 13, 2015 18:09:22 GMT -5
For innumerable centuries the children of gods have existed in our myths and legends. Some are well-known, such as Helen of Troy, Aeneas, and Heracles. Sometimes called "scions," these children are often Fate's plaything, the sort of beings which herald great changes for the realm they exist in, or at least that's how the legends go. However, what few people realize is that these legends are very much true; not only that, but these children, and more importantly their divine parents exist even today, and have for centuries since their civilizations' fall. Granted, not all of these children were Greek, as many other pantheons still exist, though due to their... promiscuous nature the Greek/Roman-based scions are the most common. The overwhelming majority of scions go their entire lives without knowing their divine nature, typically left with their mortal parents and coming to live charmed lives which go by much as any mortals. However, if a scion is given a Visitation, an event where they are informed of their divine bloodline, then they usually become far greater, learning how to properly utilize their power and are given the tools to better grow as a legend. Sometimes these scions are the obedient servants of their parents or actively seek their approval through great deeds, sometimes they rebel against their progenitors and attempt to live their own lives in spite of them, and others still join with the darkest creatures of myth in an attempt to dethrone their "tyrannical" parents. In spite of their presence, the gods and scions have remained shrouded in mystery to the greater public, observed by students of the occult and conspiracy theorists but largely left to their own devices. The scions are the gods' mortal hands, present to do on Earth what would draw too much attention were they to unveil their might.
So yeah, this group would basically be us following around a group of scions as they're thrown from one situation into the next, usually at the behest of their gods. This is heavily based on the tabletop RPG Scion, so a lot of the framing device owes itself to that, but it won't be an RPG, but rather our usual freeform game. Before you get too panicky, the characters will be VERY nerfed as compared to their mythical counterparts... at least to start off. We can't have demigods walking around without a fear in the world now can we? That would take out the fun. So, there will be substantial limitations, as explained in the coming bits. Chances are I'll be "DMing" the situation using an older scion, a full mortal who serves one of the gods, or a god from on high.
The following character sheet is not final, but rather given to present an idea of what to expect. I am largely laying this out because I don't want overpowered characters and are trying to give an idea of the power levels we're looking at.
Name:
Age:
Birthplace:
Calling: (The children of gods are usually drawn to situations related to their parent's purview. For example, a son of a Ares will likely become a soldier, or perhaps a daughter of Amaterasu would take great joy in solar power, or a son of Venus would probably become a model or celebrity)
Patron God: (Usually, this is the parent. However, sometimes a child who is formally rejected by their parent may be adopted by another upon a Visitation, so much so that they begin adopting the powers of their new patron. Virgin gods/goddesses, such as Artemis and Athena, gain their scions in this way, as well as other gods who are particularly ugly or have difficulty breeding, such as Hel, Osiris, or Miclántecuhtli. Sometimes these children who were abandoned are outright enemies of their gods; usually these are the children of more temperamental deities such as Poseidon or Raiden. Other times, however, this is part of some deal laid out between the gods. These children need not stay in the same pantheon, though it is certainly much easier for patrons in the same pantheon to find out about these scions. Currently we are restricting ourselves to the Greek/Roman, Egyptian, Norse, Aztec, Japanese, and Celtic gods.)
Attributes: (Primary, secondary, tertiary, unfavored). (In order, these are how you rank the aspects of attributes which your scion has either been blessed with or honed. A primary attribute is your most powerful and is above what is normal for mortals, though a few have matched it. A secondary is still above average as compared to mortals, but can be matched with training and favorable physique. Tertiary attributes are considered normal by mortal standards. Unfavored are considered either untrained or below average for mortals. The attributes are Strength, agility, intellect, and charisma. Strength is how well you can lift and keep going after taking hits; Hercules would have had this as his primary. Those who favor strength will start off being able to lift 500 pounds with some effort, while those who choose it as unfavored will be able to lift about 40-50 pounds with effort. Agility is how quick someone moves and how nimble they are with their hands; the gunslingers of old and children of Hermes are likely to favor this. Those who favor agility are quite nearly as fast as Usain Bolt and have frighteningly quick reaction times, while those who choose it as unfavored tend to be clumsy and/or slow to react. Intellect is the raw power and computing speed of one's brain; people such as Einstein or Nikola Tesla can be safely said to favor this attribute. Those who start off favoring it are natural learners and rather visionary, capable of becoming world-class intellects with training, though whether they have been educated is up to you; those who are unfavored in intellect may not necessarily be stupid, but they certainly aren't quick-witted or someone you should rely on to solve complex problems. Charisma is not a measure of beauty or attractiveness, but how you use it--movie stars and adept politicians could be said to be favored here. Someone who favors charisma is a master of manipulation and the star of any room they enter--usually they are beautiful, but they may also be stunningly hideous--whereas those who are unfavored here may not be ugly, and in fact may be beautiful, but are inept at utilizing it and are socially awkward.)
Skills: (What does this person know?)
Training: (How do they know what they know?)
Boons: (Powers, in other words. These are the abilities that a scion is blessed with thanks to their divine blood. In most cases, their boons are a reflection of a divine parent, though those who have been adopted by others may have strange mixtures of their birth and adopting parent's powers, and some may become tied to other aspects of the world over a long period of time. While these powers will grow over time, usually to start off they will begin somewhat weak. Rather than focus on specific powers, instead you simply focus on Purviews which your character will cover as a scion which blanket over an area of power. For example, a son of Loki adopted by Thor might have the purviews of Fire, Protection, and Sky. In this case, a fresh scion might be able to "fire bend" and "air bend," with the added buff that they are able to do the equivalent of a rudimentary Force Barrier, or similar things in power. You are allowed two to five boons, but know that the more you have, the less specialized you can become; the jack of all trades is the master of none. If two equal-power fire bending scions go up against each other, the one with fewer Purviews will be the more capable.)
Birthrights: (You may only have two, one more powerful than the other.) (A birthright is, in short, something given to a scion by their parent, or agents of their parent. The four types are Relics, Creatures, Guides, and Followers. Relics are objects which grant power; most grant access to a scion's boons and vital for those who do not intend to rely on their physical and mental prowess. Some relics are not such things, but rather weapons, such as Excalibur; these may be new creations, particularly firearms. Note that if a relic is stolen or lost, the scion can not access their boons and the carrier, regardless of their divine or mortal status, can access said boons. Those without relics can not use these powers. Creatures are pets which accompany you on your travels, and usually come with some manner of summoning device nowadays because of their often mythical status, for incognito convenience. Some are mythical beasts, such as Pegasus or Appa, while others may be mundane creatures such as owls or tigers. Guides are wise mentors to assist a scion in their path; most of the time these are some manner of lesser mythical being such as a centaur or a particularly helpful ghost, though sometimes a particularly world-weary mortal agent may be called upon. It is rare for guides to involve themselves in their charge's actual fighting, they simply offer advice and insight. Followers are not just normal mortals who tag along, but usually either very skilled mortals or powerful soldiers from legend who have been granted a lease on life. Usually numbering no more than five in either case, mythical followers usually have some form of summoning device, such as dragon's teeth. Myrmidons, Navy SEALS, or Nordic berserkers are all good examples of such followers)
Equipment: (Need not be divine, in fact it rarely is unless earned through quests. Any object you have which may be useful. Be aware of inconspicuousness; going through the world with an M-16 isn't exactly incognito.)
Personality:
History: (Be sure to include a visitation. Note, Visitations need not be from the parent themselves; some gods actually prefer to send messengers. For example, it is fairly common for Hermes to do the Visitation for other gods, or for elder scions to handle the Visitations of their half-siblings. Adoptions MUST be done by the adopting parent.)
Example Character:
Name:
Heracles
Age:
~18
Birthplace:
Mycenae, Greece
Calling: Heracles, while not specifically following his father's Purviews, he certainly seeks the glory which Zeus champions.
Patron God: Zeus
Attributes: Strength, Agility, Charisma, Intelligence
Skills: Melee combat, Horse riding, tactics, wilderness survival, sailing
Training: Private tutoring through his family's wealth, training under Chiron
Boons: (While he doesn't have a Relic, it I'm putting something down for completeness' sake)
--Battle
--Glory
--Sky
Birthrights:
--Creature: Pegasus
--Guide: Chiron the Centaur
Equipment:
--Spatha
--Shield
--Armor
--Food
--Weapon maintenance equipment
--Brush for Pegasus
--Money
Personality:
(Insert Heracles personality here
)
History: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracles
So yeah, this group would basically be us following around a group of scions as they're thrown from one situation into the next, usually at the behest of their gods. This is heavily based on the tabletop RPG Scion, so a lot of the framing device owes itself to that, but it won't be an RPG, but rather our usual freeform game. Before you get too panicky, the characters will be VERY nerfed as compared to their mythical counterparts... at least to start off. We can't have demigods walking around without a fear in the world now can we? That would take out the fun. So, there will be substantial limitations, as explained in the coming bits. Chances are I'll be "DMing" the situation using an older scion, a full mortal who serves one of the gods, or a god from on high.
The following character sheet is not final, but rather given to present an idea of what to expect. I am largely laying this out because I don't want overpowered characters and are trying to give an idea of the power levels we're looking at.
Name:
Age:
Birthplace:
Calling: (The children of gods are usually drawn to situations related to their parent's purview. For example, a son of a Ares will likely become a soldier, or perhaps a daughter of Amaterasu would take great joy in solar power, or a son of Venus would probably become a model or celebrity)
Patron God: (Usually, this is the parent. However, sometimes a child who is formally rejected by their parent may be adopted by another upon a Visitation, so much so that they begin adopting the powers of their new patron. Virgin gods/goddesses, such as Artemis and Athena, gain their scions in this way, as well as other gods who are particularly ugly or have difficulty breeding, such as Hel, Osiris, or Miclántecuhtli. Sometimes these children who were abandoned are outright enemies of their gods; usually these are the children of more temperamental deities such as Poseidon or Raiden. Other times, however, this is part of some deal laid out between the gods. These children need not stay in the same pantheon, though it is certainly much easier for patrons in the same pantheon to find out about these scions. Currently we are restricting ourselves to the Greek/Roman, Egyptian, Norse, Aztec, Japanese, and Celtic gods.)
Attributes: (Primary, secondary, tertiary, unfavored). (In order, these are how you rank the aspects of attributes which your scion has either been blessed with or honed. A primary attribute is your most powerful and is above what is normal for mortals, though a few have matched it. A secondary is still above average as compared to mortals, but can be matched with training and favorable physique. Tertiary attributes are considered normal by mortal standards. Unfavored are considered either untrained or below average for mortals. The attributes are Strength, agility, intellect, and charisma. Strength is how well you can lift and keep going after taking hits; Hercules would have had this as his primary. Those who favor strength will start off being able to lift 500 pounds with some effort, while those who choose it as unfavored will be able to lift about 40-50 pounds with effort. Agility is how quick someone moves and how nimble they are with their hands; the gunslingers of old and children of Hermes are likely to favor this. Those who favor agility are quite nearly as fast as Usain Bolt and have frighteningly quick reaction times, while those who choose it as unfavored tend to be clumsy and/or slow to react. Intellect is the raw power and computing speed of one's brain; people such as Einstein or Nikola Tesla can be safely said to favor this attribute. Those who start off favoring it are natural learners and rather visionary, capable of becoming world-class intellects with training, though whether they have been educated is up to you; those who are unfavored in intellect may not necessarily be stupid, but they certainly aren't quick-witted or someone you should rely on to solve complex problems. Charisma is not a measure of beauty or attractiveness, but how you use it--movie stars and adept politicians could be said to be favored here. Someone who favors charisma is a master of manipulation and the star of any room they enter--usually they are beautiful, but they may also be stunningly hideous--whereas those who are unfavored here may not be ugly, and in fact may be beautiful, but are inept at utilizing it and are socially awkward.)
Skills: (What does this person know?)
Training: (How do they know what they know?)
Boons: (Powers, in other words. These are the abilities that a scion is blessed with thanks to their divine blood. In most cases, their boons are a reflection of a divine parent, though those who have been adopted by others may have strange mixtures of their birth and adopting parent's powers, and some may become tied to other aspects of the world over a long period of time. While these powers will grow over time, usually to start off they will begin somewhat weak. Rather than focus on specific powers, instead you simply focus on Purviews which your character will cover as a scion which blanket over an area of power. For example, a son of Loki adopted by Thor might have the purviews of Fire, Protection, and Sky. In this case, a fresh scion might be able to "fire bend" and "air bend," with the added buff that they are able to do the equivalent of a rudimentary Force Barrier, or similar things in power. You are allowed two to five boons, but know that the more you have, the less specialized you can become; the jack of all trades is the master of none. If two equal-power fire bending scions go up against each other, the one with fewer Purviews will be the more capable.)
Birthrights: (You may only have two, one more powerful than the other.) (A birthright is, in short, something given to a scion by their parent, or agents of their parent. The four types are Relics, Creatures, Guides, and Followers. Relics are objects which grant power; most grant access to a scion's boons and vital for those who do not intend to rely on their physical and mental prowess. Some relics are not such things, but rather weapons, such as Excalibur; these may be new creations, particularly firearms. Note that if a relic is stolen or lost, the scion can not access their boons and the carrier, regardless of their divine or mortal status, can access said boons. Those without relics can not use these powers. Creatures are pets which accompany you on your travels, and usually come with some manner of summoning device nowadays because of their often mythical status, for incognito convenience. Some are mythical beasts, such as Pegasus or Appa, while others may be mundane creatures such as owls or tigers. Guides are wise mentors to assist a scion in their path; most of the time these are some manner of lesser mythical being such as a centaur or a particularly helpful ghost, though sometimes a particularly world-weary mortal agent may be called upon. It is rare for guides to involve themselves in their charge's actual fighting, they simply offer advice and insight. Followers are not just normal mortals who tag along, but usually either very skilled mortals or powerful soldiers from legend who have been granted a lease on life. Usually numbering no more than five in either case, mythical followers usually have some form of summoning device, such as dragon's teeth. Myrmidons, Navy SEALS, or Nordic berserkers are all good examples of such followers)
Equipment: (Need not be divine, in fact it rarely is unless earned through quests. Any object you have which may be useful. Be aware of inconspicuousness; going through the world with an M-16 isn't exactly incognito.)
Personality:
History: (Be sure to include a visitation. Note, Visitations need not be from the parent themselves; some gods actually prefer to send messengers. For example, it is fairly common for Hermes to do the Visitation for other gods, or for elder scions to handle the Visitations of their half-siblings. Adoptions MUST be done by the adopting parent.)
Example Character:
Name:
Heracles
Age:
~18
Birthplace:
Mycenae, Greece
Calling: Heracles, while not specifically following his father's Purviews, he certainly seeks the glory which Zeus champions.
Patron God: Zeus
Attributes: Strength, Agility, Charisma, Intelligence
Skills: Melee combat, Horse riding, tactics, wilderness survival, sailing
Training: Private tutoring through his family's wealth, training under Chiron
Boons: (While he doesn't have a Relic, it I'm putting something down for completeness' sake)
--Battle
--Glory
--Sky
Birthrights:
--Creature: Pegasus
--Guide: Chiron the Centaur
Equipment:
--Spatha
--Shield
--Armor
--Food
--Weapon maintenance equipment
--Brush for Pegasus
--Money
Personality:
(Insert Heracles personality here
)History: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracles
