Difference between revisions of "Avatar: The Godhead"

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=== TITAN SPAWN ===
 
=== TITAN SPAWN ===
 +
The titanspawn are the greatest earthly enemies
 +
of the Scions. Formed directly by the power of their
 +
chthonic masters, some titanspawn are unique
 +
creatures, while others are members of hidden races
 +
of Titan-worshiping creatures. Scions with a bookish
 +
nature tend to categorize titanspawn into one of three
 +
general categories. ''Chimerae'' are amalgamations of
 +
different creatures into one horrific form. Scions have
 +
encountered a dazzling number of ''chimerae'', but most
 +
are unique creatures unable to breed easily. ''Giants'' are
 +
typically enormous humanoids fashioned from the
 +
power of the Titans out of the very elements, although
 +
some few are mundane creatures grown to incredible
 +
size. ''Giants'' are among the most common enemies of
 +
the Scions, typically providing muscle for more powerful
 +
or intelligent titanspawn. ''Minions'', on the other hand,
 +
are entire servitor races created by the Titans. ''Minions''
 +
exist in greater variety than giants do, and they often
 +
fulfill specific roles for their Titan creators to which
 +
the crude giants are ill suited. Some minions have far
 +
more autonomy than others. A significant number of
 +
Japanese ''tengu'' have rejected their titanspawn heritage
 +
to aid the Scions, and almost all of the ''dwarves'' swore
 +
allegiance to the Aesir after the destruction of their
 +
creator, Ymir.
  
 +
While titanspawn are dangerous adversaries, a
 +
Scion who defeats one can receive a benefit much more
 +
tangible than simply the thrill of beating up a big, ugly
 +
monster. Just as the Gods took power from the Titans
 +
after defeating them and made it their own, Scions can
 +
take part of the chthonic energy that fuels a titanspawn
 +
and gain supernatural benefits from it. The exact nature
 +
of what power can be drawn from a particular titanspawn
 +
varies according to the creature. Each titanspawn
 +
described here is associated with a particular “trophy,”
 +
which a Scion can use for supernatural purposes.
 +
In some cases, the trophy yields an actual Birthright
 +
weapon or object that permits the Scion to use a Boon
 +
once he has spent the appropriate experience for it,
 +
such as the skin of the Nemean Lion did for Heracles.
 +
In other cases, a particular titanspawn’s corpse might
 +
yield some substance that gives the Scion a short-term
 +
supernatural benefit. Generally, the more powerful and
 +
unique a titanspawn is, the more potent and permanent
 +
the trophy is.
  
−
 
+
==== Dark Virtues ====
  
  

Revision as of 23:30, 2 February 2020

World of Darkness -- Pax Romana ~*~ PANTHEONS

In The Beginning

Creation.jpg

The Primordials

From Pantheon to Pantheon the story of creation varies greatly. Yet all share a common belief that at the beginning, Something stirred the universe into motion. What that something was remains a topic of hot debate between divine entities within each Pantheon. Wars have even started between the Pantheons over this subject and all now generally agree to disagree with the goal of avoiding pointless violence.

One thing all the Pantheons can agree on is the existence of primordial deities, like: Chaos, Darkness, Day, Earth, Light, Night, Sea, Sky, and the Underworld. Other potential primordial deities include: Fate (one or more), Life and Death, Time (or Eternity) and Love (or Misery). A few of the Pantheons include negative aspects of the previously mentioned primordial deities and can include personifications, animals or stranger things.



Creation: The First Age

At some point, after the the awakening of the Primordials, they procreated with one another and gave birth to the Elder Gods and the world as we know it. These amazing beings had few if any limitations and many represented unrestrained elemental forces. Some were intelligent after a fashion, but many were thoughtless entities who were ruled by their passions. During the first age, the Primordials and their children shaped creation to suit themselves, giving birth to the stars, separating landmasses from the sea, creating mountain ranges and giving birth to the origins of all life. Their battles and lovemaking created the world and universe as we know it now.



The Second Age

After unrecorded ages, the Elder Gods rebelled against their Primordial parents. From Pantheon to Pantheon the reasons for this the first War of the Gods vary and likely the true story may never be told, if indeed those who were present during the conflict and survived it, still remember. From the remnants that have come down to us through ages uncounted, the Elder Gods felt mistreated and or grew jealous of their progenitor's power and authority. The war was long and epic, but the Elder Gods ultimately won with the aid of a few turncoat Primordials. The fate of every Primordial remains a mystery, but the greater host were banished to a distant realm of suffering and imprisonment. This first true war did have casualties, and revealed to the Gods for the first time that they too could die at each other's hands or to divinely forged weapons. This sad truth led to a complete end to the hostilities and all the divine weapons were destroyed or hidden away leading to a golden age of peace and prosperity.



The Third (Silver) Age

The Elder Gods took dominion of the universe for themselves and partitioned the governance of the varying layers of reality between the strongest of them. Those original Dominions went to the leaders of the newly established Pantheons and lesser Dominions were handed out to each of the surviving deities as spoils of war. Of course the leaders of each Pantheon had their favorites and cronyism and nepotism were rampant, but the Elder Gods knew no better and in the celebratory mood which followed their victory they cared little. The leaders among the gods did not notice the disparity as they received the lion's share of the spoils and for an age all the gods were agreeable.

After the First War the various Pantheons drifted apart and most lost contact with each other. The third age was a silver age in that the Elder Gods perfected their parent's crude Dominions into lesser Powers that could be taught and traded. It was during this time that each Pantheon established for itself earthly abodes in places of of power that were often remote and difficult to reach. These Sanctuaries served as both communal gathering places and refuges against those few threats the early Pantheons would acknowledge.

With the fate of the universe settled and the First War over, the Elder Gods found room for love and relationships and in time to the birth of a third generation of Golden Gods. It was also during this age that humanity rose above the animal kingdom, but this event largely went unnoticed by the Elder Gods as they drew the fuel for their Dominions directly from the cosmic ether. During this time, mankind and the deities interacted infrequently, but mankind's need to imitate the divine and to worship the gods created a foundation for a later relationship.



The Second War of the Gods

The twilight of the Third Age began with the birth of a third generation of gods, the Golden Gods. These callow youths knew nothing of want or suffering and the world was their playground. Learning at the knees of the Elder Gods their parents, they were born to the Dominions and Powers and possessed a skill with them that surpassed their progenitors. Initially this created delight in the Elder Gods, but as time passed fear and resentment began to manifest.

Indeed the Golden Gods were not only virtuoso with the Dominions and their Powers, but they also found Humanity fascinating in a way the Elder Gods could not. Initially, the youthful gods just watched mankind, but in their playfulness and curiosity they began to interact directly with humanity who idolized them and offered them Worship and Sacrifice. During this time the Elder Gods began to bicker among themselves as families are wont to do. Their grievances ranged from genuine to the imagined and long festering resentments over the apportionment following the First War created deep divisions among them that could not easily be resolved.

What specifically began the Second War remains a mystery, some say it was triggered by a murder carried out with ancient divine weapons or that the hubris of the Elder Gods created Strife between the generations, or that someone within the Pantheons betrayed the Elder Gods by teaching the golden generation secrets that should have remained secret. In all likelihood, all of these things created an explosive situation that the gods failed to resolve in time. One theory above all others reappears in motifs across the bounds of all pantheons, that towards the end of the Third Age the Golden Gods were cut off from the quintessential divine fuel or Aether used by the Elder Gods and in their weakness they turned to the Worship and Sacrfice of mankind to fuel their divine Dominions.

What we know for certain is that one or more of the Golden Gods turned to the imprisoned Primordials for aid and released them in a bid to usurp their parent's place within the pantheons. Once released, the Primordials unleashed havoc on this this and all other worlds. A few of the more thoughtful Primordials sided with each of the younger generations of gods creating a three way struggle for the universe. The earth was laid waste and mankind in their hour of need prayed and offered up massive sacrifices to the Golden Gods granting them the fuel the youngest generation needed to battle their elders, but it also revealed to that their relationship with mankind was a symbiotic one. If the ravages of the Primordials were to extinguish humanity, it would also doom the younger deities to irrelevance or possibly oblivion.

Imperiled by this unwanted knowledge, the Golden Gods husbanded their followers, selected able leaders, struck alliances with key Primordials, unearthed ancient Divine Weapons, and banded together for an age to bring the cataclysmic Second War to a conclusive end. Once the war was over, the majority of the Primordials and the Elder Gods were again imprisoned, this time together and a handful of the loyal Primordials were made their jailers or allowed to wander free with the caveat that the Golden Gods were now the rulers of the universe. This situation did not suit everyone, but all those who dissented were likewise banished to the realm of imprisonment.

The new regime likewise partitioned control of the universe in similar fashion to their progenitors and reorganized their respective pantheons as they saw fit. With the advent of peace, the Golden Gods returned to their games and contests, entertaining themselves with their mortal followers and for the first time, begetting upon their mortal lovers semi-divine children, half human and half deity, the demigods were born.



The Fourth (Golden) Age

Like the gods that gave birth to it, the fourth age was a golden one. The gods and mankind freely intermingled and it was a time of great and terrible deeds. As a result of the Second War, the golden generation created new Dominions and Powers that they perfected in the fourth age. The fourth age saw the birth of organized religion and with the growth of mankind, its spread across the world. The Golden Gods looked upon this and were pleased.

During this time, the gods initiated many relationships with their mortal followers spawning a new kind of deity, the demigods. The demigods represented the golden generation's love for humanity and these half-breeds often acted as intermediaries between the divine pantheons and their mortal followers. Sadly the demigods were a symptom of a time when mortals were the playthings of the gods, who often took them as lovers willingly or no. Rape and incest were quite common among the golden generation in the fourth age and this unbridled passion often mirrored the Primordials in its destructiveness.

The fourth age also saw the gods moving among mankind and teaching them mundane versions of the Dominions and their Powers. Some of the gods did this more directly, like the gods of magic, while others helped mankind perfect their own arts and crafts. Mortals became surrogate children to the gods, loved, but not dangerous enough to be feared, humanity became pets to the golden generation. Likewise the the demigods became a safe alternative to more divine children, loyal and loving, but not powerful enough to threaten the established order, the demigods became the preference for gods who wanted progeny.

The presence of gods on earth, made the fourth age one of miracles, but also one of divine atrocities. Humanity's need to worship the divine would inevitably lead to mortal competitiveness and human hubris, pride would come before the fall. Great mortals and sometimes demigods would struggle and brag of their prowess in all the arts and crafts, quickly followed by divine retribution. It was an age of wonders and great terrors as the gods sought to ever increase their follower's numbers, first through miracles and then by intrigue, and followed by war. The proxy wars of mankind allowed the golden generation to compete with each other without the need for divine conflict, allowing mankind to pay the bloodly price instead.

It was also an age of divine justice when the gods acted upon the prayers of mortals who sought everything from justice, love, vengeance or wealth. And the gods found common cause with humanity against one another as well which often lead to more strife, suffering and warfare. Still, mankind perfected the science of religion and gave back to their gods a thousand fold, allowing the golden generation to create miracles that would inspire Legends.



The Heroic Age

The Age of Heroes was one of magnificent deeds, it saw the god's slow withdrawal from the world to replace direct divine intervention with influence peddling and indirect manipulations through dreams, omens, prophecies and revelations. Epic quests led demigods and heroic mortals to seek out unimaginable danger in the hope of fame, power or wealth, but what they created for themselves and those who would come after were legends. The birth of Legend created something new in the world or perhaps something just previously unseen by the gods, demigods who could ascend to true godhood and mortal heroes whose legendary spawned cults of their own and elevated them to the position of demigod.

Lengthy recitations, mostly genealogical poetry, created cycles of stories which followed the deeds of heroes and their relationships to one another and then extending to the relationships of heroic families. Epic sagas created a chain of divinity from the golden generation through demigods to the heroes of the age. The birth of hero cults both weakened and strengthened the gods by turns as they found themselves bound hand in hand with heroes in daily prays, oaths and during sacrifices. This revolution happened quite slowly at first and went unnoticed initially and once discovered, it could not be undone.

As the trend in gods creating demigods to be their progeny or to act as divine emissaries increased, the number of true new gods being born declined to nothing, seemingly overnight mortals began to deify their heroes and new heroes had a way of being raised up from the endless army of the dead. The fourth age gave birth to something else as well, monsters, the results of divine atrocities committed by the gods on individual mortals or entire races spawned obscene or profane creatures whose existence was curse to both themselves and the human settlements closest to their lairs. Demigods and heroes could gain legendary status if they could rid the people of these horrors and sometimes in the process they managed to offend one deity while amusing or pleasing another god. Each deed created a new legend which fed the cycle of myths which were no longer specifically about the gods and sometimes occurred despite their preferences.

The greatest demigods or heroes created powerful family lines which came to dominate the next age, blending legends with and inspiring new deeds both great and terrible to become history.



The Age of Empires

The current age of is one of empires.



So You Want to be a God?

"Being a god is being able to recognize within one’s self these things that are important, and then to strike the single note that brings them into alignment with everything else that exists. Then, beyond morals or logic or esthetics, one is wind or fire, the sea, the mountains, rain, the sun or the stars, the flight of an arrow, the end of a day, the clasp of love. One rules through one’s ruling passions. Those who look upon gods then say, without even knowing their names, ‘He is Fire. She is Dance. He is Destruction. She is Love.’ [...] they do not call themselves gods. Everyone else does, though, everyone who beholds them." — Roger Zelazny, Lord of Light



Lexicon

  • ATTRIBUTES: Attributes are a group of permanent traits that govern mental, physical and social interactions or challenges.
  • DIVINE ATTRIBUTES: Divine attributes are a group of nine permanent traits that mirror standard attributes, but they are supernatural in character and are considered Dominions.
  • DOMINIONS:
  • PROVINCES:
  • REVERIE: The sleep of the gods is not like that of man. In Reverie, gods commune with their disciples and receive prayers and sacrifices.



Character Creation

Avatar ~ Character Sheet
PANTHEONS



Innate Powers of Divinity

Beatific Reward: The bestowal of divine powers upon mortal followers as a gift or in return for faithful service.
Benefit of Xenoglossy: Is the divine phenomenon in which a person is able to speak or write a language he or she could not have acquired by natural means.
Celestial Awareness: A sixth sense and divine ability to detect supernatural beings and forces at work in the nearby area.
Divine Immortality: All Avatars are immortal and un-aging, while their physical form can be destroyed, they cannot truly die unless slain by another divine being.
Imbue Divine Progeny: All Avatars can create divine progeny by mating with a mortal or another Avatar.
Immunity to Possession: As divine beings, Avatars are immune to acts of possession and mind control, which is not to say their minds cannot be influenced.
Orison Ken: All Avatars can hear pleas or prays offered to them, they can even detect when their names are spoken even in casual conversation regardless of distance.
Otherworldly Communication: Avatars can answer prayers or pleas directly with spoken words or visions, or indirectly with portents and signs.
Resistance to Lethal Damage: Avatars can soak lethal damage with Stamina, but need ENDURANCE to resist aggravated damage and even this divine attribute offers no protection against each Avatar's anathema.
Superior Healing: While Avatars do not have regeneration per se, they do heal far faster than mere mortals.



BIRTHRIGHTS

INTRODUCTION

The Gods do limit their involvement in the mortal realm, but they don’t send their children to war unarmed. A Avatar’s visitation by his or her divine parent invariably involves the bestowal of Birthrights—legendary servants, mentors or even creatures and relics of great power.

Possessing no Birthrights is a sure sign that a Avatar has not yet met her divine parent or guide — a status that tends to attract titanspawn for the purposes of recruitment or “preemptive disposal.” But for those Avatars who have already received a visitations, sages, beasts, armies and relics await.

GIFTS FROM THE GODS

Avatars begin the game with five dots of Birthrights, which can be divided among the Creatures, Followers, Guide and Relic traits. A player may purchase the same Birthright multiple times and assign differing amounts of dots to each, possessing several distinct relics or multiple legendary creatures, for example. No single trait usage can have a rating higher than five. By spending bonus points, a character could begin play with two five-dot creatures, for example, but not a single creature with a rating of 10. Regardless of how players choose to distribute their Birthright dots, they must do so judiciously. Additional Birthright traits can be acquired only through roleplaying, not the expenditure of experience points.

The use of a Birthright trait, in and of itself, never requires any dice rolling. Determining the results of, say, a consultation between a Avatar and his guide should be arbitrated by roleplaying instead. Dice rolls for actions involving Birthrights might still be necessary (using a relic weapon to attack an opponent, for example), but such rolls never involve dots of the Birthright trait directly.


CREATURES

The Creature Birthright represents a Avatar’s close tie to a creature of legend, usually provided by a divine parent as a mount or companion. A player has all of mundanity and literature (especially the stories of his character’s chosen pantheon) to draw upon when choosing a creature for his Avatar. This Birthright might represent a coatl, benu bird, crocodile, wolf, snake or other creature. With enough dots invested in this Birthright, a Avatar could have an even more impressive creature at her disposal, such as a kirin or a young dragon.

Although the line between animal and human intelligence is often blurred in the realms of legend, this trait typically represents creatures of roughly animal intelligence. For more intelligent beings (centaurs or tengu, for example), the Followers or Guide Birthrights are more appropriate.

The entities covered by the Creature Birthright are assumed to be quite loyal, though not necessarily to a suicidal degree. If a creature would die to protect its master, that will become clear through roleplaying. It’s not assumed merely by allocating dots to this Birthright. Communication is likewise not taken for granted. At the start of a cycle, Avatars and their pets might share a limited form of communication (a few simple commands), and they can expand on this limited repertoire as the cycle proceeds. The Creature Birthright does not endow an otherwise unintelligent creature with telepathy or the ability to discuss higher level concepts, though Avatars proficient in the Dominion of Beasts might have some advantages in this regard.

Note that the dot descriptions here are merely guidelines. A very powerful nekomata, for example, would certainly rate more than a single dot, while an infant dragon would cost less than five. Use the following descriptions as rules of thumb.

Trait Effects

● The creature is small, weak, somewhat fragile or perhaps entirely incorporeal — a weak nekomata, a monkey, a scarab, an owl or a raven, for example. Such creatures are useful for warning their owners of dangers and providing some limited reconnaissance, but little else.
●● The creature is a somewhat larger or more powerful mundane beast—tigers, wolves, boars, large birds of prey. Weak entities can also be included here—a serpopard, Stymphalian bird, or various and sundry nature spirits would fall into this category.
●●● The creature is a beast of modest power, such as a golem, coatl or a pegasus.
●●●● The creature is a more powerful one, such as the Taureau-Trois-Graines or a valkyrie horse.
●●●●● The creature is a unique beast of legend (such as Gullinbursti) or a particularly dangerous monster such as a kirin, a roc or a basilisk.


FOLLOWERS

Many heroes of legend stood at the forefront of mighty armies, and the Followers Birthright reflects that heritage.

This trait represents the number and quality of sentient beings who are extremely loyal to the Avatar — making allowances for the variety of “sentient” beings found in classical legend, of course. Followers might consist of a small cadre of human warriors or servants, though they can also be recruited from the denizens of the realms of legend, including zombies, spartoi and even more exotic folk. As a rule of thumb, a being with intelligence and communication abilities roughly comparable to or surpassing humans are covered by the Followers Birthright, while creatures of animal intelligence (or those with limited communication abilities) fall under the auspices of the Creature Birthright. Given the breadth of human legend, this is a fuzzy line at best—the Storyteller gets the final say.

Though the trait effects listed here all assume five followers, a Avatar isn’t limited to this number. A player can opt for a greater number of weaker followers. In essence, doing so amounts to purchasing the trait multiple times. Using the listed examples, a player might allocate five dots to the Followers trait to represent 25 hoplites, four dots to represent 10 myrmidons, and so forth.

Although a Avatar’s player purchases this trait at character creation, having the dots does not imply that the character will always have access to that number of followers. If a follower dies in battle, note this on the Avatar’s character sheet in the Birthrights section. Barring a trip to the Underworld (not out of the question, considering the milieu), the follower is lost to the Avatar forever, or until other events arbitrated through roleplaying give the Avatar access to new followers.

Trait Effects

● Five cops, hoplites or jaguar warriors.
●● Five zombies or berserks.
●●● Five spartoi, samurai or amazons.
●●●● Five myrmidons, einherjar or tengu.
●●●●● Five valkyries or shinobi.


GUIDE

In Greek legend, the heroes Achilles, Heracles, Jason, Aeneas, Asclepius and Peleus learned archery and the arts from the centaur Chiron—quite a list of students, considering that Chiron himself was the titanspawn child of Cronus. Military mentors, spiritual guides and other gifted advisors often figure prominently in legends from other parts of the World as well. Perhaps the ancient Gods find power in the form itself, because even in modern times, they are known to bless their children with guides.

Potential guides come in many forms: sagely mortals, fellow Avatars or even legendary beings. A Greek Avatar might visit a particular grove to commune with one of the “rural ghosts.” Japanese Avatars might do the same at remote Shinto shrines. Loa guides have the jarring habit of dispensing wisdom through convenient passersby, often at inopportune or embarrassing moments for their students.

Purchasing this trait is no guarantee that a Avatar’s guide will always be available to answer questions. Indeed, the most powerful and knowledgeable guides usually have the most distractions. Avatars with guides that can be reached through a relic (see “Relics and Other Birthrights,” p. 160) will usually find their mentors easier to communicate with.

In the same vein, no guide is unerringly accurate or completely honest about all subjects. They are characters with limitations and ambitions of their own. In general, however, a guide can be relied on to fulfill his archetypal role: sometimes confusing, sometimes preoccupied, but ultimately delivering a crucial education in the way of the hero.

Because the interaction between a Avatar and his divine parent is so fundamental to the game, the Guide Birthright cannot be used to define this relationship. A few Gods contact their children almost daily, some are complete absentees, but most fall somewhere in between. Regardless, an immortal mother or father is always more than just a guide (though Gods occasionally fulfill the guide role for Avatars who aren’t their children).

Trait Effects

● A wise mortal. The guide can offer useful advice about several aspects of mortal life (Ability specialties, the conduct of war, finances, etc.). Such guides might be knowledgeable in certain areas relating to the Gods—the mystic practices of their worshipers, unconfirmed accounts of titanspawn, and so forth—though they rarely have firsthand experience with Avatars or their divine parents. In fact, many guides at this level have no idea how or why a deity would select them to mentor their children.
●● A very wise and/or powerful mortal. The guide is either an extremely knowledgeable mortal—the World’s foremost expert in his or her chosen

field, for example—or one who wields wide influence. The more power guides possess, the less time they have to guide their charges. A guide at this level could also be one of the rare individuals who is aware of the struggle between the Gods and the Titans. Such guides often have direct experience with other Avatars or titanspawn.

●●● An experienced Avatar. The guide can offer considerable insight into all things semi-divine. She might know other Avatars from several pantheons, or even a few Gods. Many have experience fighting various strains of titanspawn. Unfortunately, Avatars mentoring Avatars can sometimes resemble the blind leading the blind. Even experienced Avatars sometimes misunderstand the inscrutable intrigues of their parents. Another drawback to having a Avatar for a mentor is that she’s often involved with her own heroic Band, leaving her less time to guide her pupil.
●●●● A legendary being. The guide could conceivably be any sort of creature or being. Many kami and loa serve in this capacity, as do the numerous nature spirits that crop up in Greek and Norse legend. Although they aren’t outright Gods, such creatures are particularly attuned to the workings of divinity. These guides often have considerable experience with titanspawn, and might even have a rudimentary knowledge of the Titans themselves. Such creatures typically have limited knowledge of the mortal World, however. Sirens know lots about sailors, for instance, but their knowledge of cars and stock exchanges is limited.
●●●●● A minor God or Goddess. The guide possesses considerable firsthand knowledge of the Overworld, the Underworld and destinations in between, though he is often preoccupied with his divine duties. Some Gods are notoriously cryptic or find it difficult to communicate with mortals. Such deities confound (inadvertently or otherwise) as often as they guide.


RELICS

Humans are creatures defined largely by their tools, and this relationship shows up time and time again in the legends they pass on. The tools of the Gods play a major role in defining Avatars as well. Relic, items of divine origin are always associated with one divine dominion or another; Avatars without the direct intervention of their divine parent can still learn new dominions through the acquisition of relics.

The Relic trait rating represents how many of the divine Purviews can be accessed through a single Relic. If a character has a particular Dominion, she may activate it as long as she has an appropriate Relic. The Wind’s Freedom Boon (see p. 146), for example, can be used if the Avatar possesses a relic of the Dominion of Sky — assuming, of course, that the character’s player purchased that of course, she has another relic that happens to cover that same Dominion).

Mere possession, however, is insufficient. The Avatar must also be able to use the item, which depends on the nature of the relic. Books must be read, swords must be wielded, bags of gris-gris must be opened and sprinkled. An Avatar who is unconscious, restrained by rope or chain, or has her sacred Relic buried deep inside a backpack and out of easy reach won’t usually be able to access her Relics or their associated Dominions.

An important caveat: A particular relic might allow an Avatar to use Dominions from a certain divine portfolio, but that doesn’t mean the Avatar now has access to every Dominion of that sphere. The character may use only those powers his player purchased at character creation or through the expenditure of experience points.

Trait Effects

● Access to one Dominion.
●● Access to two Dominion.
●●● Access to three Dominion.
●●●● Access to four Dominion.
●●●●● Access to five Dominion.


ALTERNATE BIRTHRIGHTS



Divine Virtues



DOMINIONS

Introduction

The term dominion means the power or right of governing and controlling; sovereign authority. But with respect to deities, the term dominion comes to mean something similar, but different. Here dominion refers to sovereign authority over a given aspect of reality, such aspects cover a wide variety of material phenomena such as: animals, plants, rocks, geographic features such as mountains or rivers or other entities of the natural environment, including thunder, wind and shadows. The deity's divine authority allows him or her to command these diverse phenomena through their spiritual element and each deity's dominion over their chosen phenomena grants them nearly uncontested control of those phenomena.

Classifications

There are three classifications of dominions: common, pantheon, and sacerdotal. Common dominions are available to all deities regardless of their pantheon, sacred band or parentage, provided they are not anathema to the deity or violate that deity's taboo. Pantheon specific dominions are only available to deities who belong to a specific pantheon and cannot be taught to another deity outside the pantheon. Sacerdotal dominions are very specialized dominions that govern the more mysterious powers of the universe like: fate, magic, prophesy and sacrifice. Most deities with sacerdotal dominions are perceived as having a greater power over their progeny, sacred band or pantheon and as such, they are usually loath to teach these secret dominions to other deities regardless of their relationship.

Character Creation

At the point of character creation, players may take up to three Dominions, one gained from their Divine Progenitor, one gained from their Pantheon and one jointly learned in tandem with their Sacred Band. Those Dominions taken by the Sacred Band must be agreed upon by the group of players before hand.

Powers

Each dominion is further broken down into classifications of potency known as the lesser dominions and the greater dominions. Lesser dominions are available to demi-gods and lesser deities, while the greater dominions are only available to full-fledged gods. Within each delineation of the lesser or greater dominions, individual acts of dominion are called powers. For example, the first power within the Lesser Dominion of Beasts is Beast Speech which allows the deity in question to converse with most animals. Both lesser and greater dominions are broken down into five powers ascending from weakest to strongest, so the fifth and strongest power of a given lesser dominion would be slightly weaker than the first and weakest power of the greater dominion. Despite this arrangement, there is a considerable jump in potency between the lesser and greater dominions.

DOMINIONS (Celestial)

DARKNESS
MOON
STARS
SUN

DOMINIONS (Elemental)

EARTH
FIRE
FROST
SKY
WATER

DOMINIONS (Primal)

BEASTS
CHAOS
DEATH
FERTILITY
PASSION
SLEEP
WILD

DOMINIONS (Social)

ARTISTRY
CHANCE
DECEPTION
FORGE *
GUARDIANSHIP
HEALING *
JOURNEYS
JUSTICE
ORDER
PROSPERITY *
UNION
WAR *

DOMINIONS (Unusual)

LONGEVITY
WINE

Dominions by Pantheon

Dominions of the Aesir -- The Norse Gods
BLOD AF JOTUNNUM -- Secrets of the Aesir *
Dominions of the Dodekatheon -- The Olympian Gods
EPIKRATISI -- Mysteries of the Dodekatheon *

Dominions Sacerdotal

FATE -- The powers of the Dominion of Fate, read and or alter the destiny of the individual upon which they are targeted.
MAGIC -- The Dominion of Magic is something of a catchall for a wide variety of powers that take the form of spell which aid their caster or injure their caster's target.
PROPHESY -- The powers of the Dominion of Prophesy are similar to the Dominion of Fate, but differ in that they predict what will happen, not what could happen.
SACRIFICE -- The Dominion of Sacrifice is a particularly unpleasant collection of powers that require the user to give up something or someone he cares about in return for power.



DIVINE ATTRIBUTES

DIVINE ATTRIBUTE LIST
MIGHT -- The Dominion of supernatural strength.
FINESSE -- A Dominion devoted to supernatural dexterity.
ENDURANCE -- Supernatural stamina is represented through this Dominion.
ALLURE -- This Dominion of supernatural charisma grants charm enough expect the forgiveness of your worst enemy or the love anyone to whom you speak.
SUPREMACY -- A Dominion of supernatural manipulation allows an Avatar to turn people into hand puppets.
REVELATION -- The Dominion of Revelation governs all aspects of appearance. Its wielders can be supernaturally beautiful, monstrously ugly or simply unseen.
APPREHENSION -- Far more than just a Dominion of preternatural senses, this divine attribute allows an Avatar to see the unseen, perceive omens, flashes of the future or see into other realms.
GENIUS -- Beyond mortal intelligence, genius allows Avatars superior computational skill, exceptional creativity in diverse endeavors to such a degree that they can advance human civilization.
CORUSCATION -- The Dominion of supernatural wits, those Avatars who have invested in this divine attribute can think at the speed of light, reacting to perceived threats far faster than their brethren.



Errata

Powers Prototype Page



EXPERIENCE

EXPERIENCE COSTS
Trait Increase Cost
ABILITY rating x 2
ABILITY favored by divine Progenitor (rating x 2) – 1
ATTRIBUTE rating x 4
DIVINE ATTRIBUTE (associated with divine Progenitor) rating x 5
DIVINE ATTRIBUTE (not associated with divine Progenitor) rating x 7
DIVINITY rating x 10
DOMINION (General) rating x 7
DOMINIONS (Pantheon Specific) rating x 6
DOMINIONS (Pantheon Specific & Associated with divine Progenitor) rating x 5
DOMINIONS SACERDOTAL (associated with divine Progenitor) rating x 8
DOMINIONS SACERDOTAL (not associated with divine Progenitor) rating x 9
MOMENTUM (Momentum can never be rated higher than Divinity) rating X 10
New Trait Cost
Ability 3
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TABLES & CHARTS

~ Avatar: Feats of Strength Table
~ Avatar: Movement



COMBAT

ACTIONS

TAKING AIM

When she really needs to hit Achilles’ heel, or when she just has the leisure, your character can try to take aim. The player declares a target, which his character must be able to see. For each round spent aiming, the player adds one die to the attack his character unleashes upon that target, to a maximum of three. This bonus applies to only the next attack on the declared target, not on more than one roll or on any other target.


SITUATIONS

BEING PRONE

Characters can be knocked prone after an attack, fall prone in slippery circumstances or intentionally hit the deck. Being prone does the following: A prone character cannot take Move or Dash actions until she spends an action to rise . Prone characters gain a one die bonus (+1) against ranged attacks and explosives, this being the key reason for a character to throw herself prone. (This bonus does not apply to stupidity. Throwing oneself to the ground in the middle of the street doesn’t protect one from the sniper on the rooftop. Throwing oneself on a grenade offers no protection from it.)

Prone characters suffer a one die penalty (-1) to close-combat attacks and a two-die penalty (-2) to attacks and most other actions.



FATE

Even the Gods must bow to Fate. 

Whether it is called Destiny, Kismet, Karma, Judgment or the Way of Heaven, nothing in the universe can escape
it. Fate is the loom that weaves all elements of Creation into a unified whole. Even chaos has a place in its pattern,
and it often seems to some that destruction—Armageddon, Ragnarök, Apocalypse, the End of the Kali Yuga—is its
ultimate end point.
Or is it? Legends from around the World tell that Creation does not end, it only changes. The End of All leads
to the birth of the new, even if Gods such as Baldur are the only ones who live to see the new World. The Age of
the Titans gave way to the Age of the Gods, which gave way to the Age of Man. Is this current era, with the release
of the Titans, the beginning of yet another Age—the Age of Heroes—or it the last days of the old Age, leading to
an epic doom for Gods, men and heroes alike? Only the servants of Fate—the Moirae, the Norns the Morrigan
and others—might know. ''Might'' know, for they do not answer when asked these questions. They do not smile, but
neither do they frown. Perhaps the truth is to be determined not by their weaving, but by the deeds of heroes.

THE LOOM OF FATE

The most common metaphor for Fate is that of a loom from which the pattern of history—including mortals’
lives—is woven. The Greek Moirae, the three Fates, were called the “apportioners,” for they spun, measured and
cut the threads that make up mortal lives. But this brings us no closer to understanding just what Fate is and how
and why it operates as it does. Grasping the whole of Fate—or even many of its parts—is like trying to understand a
higher-dimensional object. Imagine if a two-dimensional line were conscious. It could not reasonably understand
a higher-dimensional object, such as a three-dimensional sphere. Trying to understand Fate is similar, for it is
intimately tied to time, the fourth dimension.
Some thinkers have posited what a three-dimensional being might look like from a fourth-dimensional
perspective: a single object, perhaps like a tube, with the being’s “birth” at one end and its “death” at the other,
with all the moments of its life in linear sequence down its middle. The tube curls back and forth throughout space,
weaving complex knots on top of places to which the being often returns.
In fact, it’d be much like a thread in a woven pattern, with the whole pattern only visible to those with fourth-
dimensional consciousness.
Or this thread might instead be envisioned as a serpent, such as the Titan known to the Greeks as Ananke, or “Necessity,”
who was birthed at the beginning of Time. In this view, history is not an inert thread that is set in place once it has been
woven, but a nest of wriggling, writhing snakes ever changing their positions—and continually changing both the past and future
as they do so. But such thinking leads to madness, so perhaps the loom analogy is easier to grasp for mortal minds.
Fate influences all, from Gods to mortals to even Titans. Understanding its manipulations is vital to predicting its ordained results.
Where does one begin? With the measure of all things: Man. While the Gods do not fully understand Fate, they know that it is somehow<br>
tied to mortals. Before they began interfering in the lives of these beings of clay, the Gods were relatively free of Fate’s invisible hand,
but now, their very essences are entwined with mortal expectations. Their forms rely on mortal beliefs to keep them coherent and free from merger
with their Titan parents. What is this amazing power that mortals have, of which they are entirely unaware?
In short, it’s Story. The human mind craves stories.It makes stories out of the chaos of events, carving order from randomness. Not simply order
characterized by reason and efficiency, but the loose, metaphorical, poetic order of the imagination, the unfettered free association of the mortal 
mind. “This happened, then that, and it ended like this...”
Mortal egos are tragically fragile, as paper boats bobbing on a huge sea of greater human consciousness — of unconsciousness, a vast realm of imagination
unknown to the waking mind. As Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and other 20th-century psychologists discovered, the human mind is often a puppet to its own hidden
influences, deeply buried instincts and repressed desires. Both Freud and Jung linked this vast region with divine legendry, for it seemed that here the Gods
still spoke to mortals, in dreams and visions welling up from within. Jung went further and posited that not only did each individual have his own unconscious 
region of the mind, but there was a collective unconscious shared by all members of the human race. This repository of ancient instincts was the source of the 
recurring motifs of classical legend, so similar the World over.
Jung did not realize how right he was, and not in the way he suspected. The Gods certainly still spoke to mortals now and then through dreams, or in actual
encounters that were only remembered later, uncovered through hypnosis or meditation. But deeper still, the collective unconscious itself guided the Gods,
ensnaring them in its story-making net. They had become interwoven with Fate, the vast, hidden collective psyche of all mortals.
In a universe born under the rule of Titans, mortals need to make the cosmos their own. They do so with their imagination, the collective expression of which is
Fate, and once someone gets caught in Fate’s story, she is no longer in full control of her destiny. The story of which she is now a part works to determine what
happens to her, even to the point of turning her decisions against her own desires and showing how actions that at first seemed to be expressions of free will were,
in the end, secret agents for Fate.
Fate is not a conscious agenda on the part of human beings, directed by them to make the World into what they want it to be. Indeed, what Fate demands and what
mortals want is often at odds, just as an individual’s unconscious instincts and emotions can war with his conscious reason. The question arises: Is Fate directed
by anybody? Nobody knows. Not Gods, not Titans, not the servants of Fate itself. Its ultimate reasons are beyond the scope of what any single mind can grasp, and
even the collective musings of the Gods has yet to yield any tangible clues. Fate transcends the known cosmos, as the third dimension transcends the second dimension.

FATE BINDING

An Avatar’s ''Divinity'' exerts a sort of gravity around which people, places and things might be drawn into orbit, turning them into a supporting cast or props
for his exploits and deeds. This doesn’t just happen by accident; the Avatar himself initiates it, though not directly. Whenever he draws upon his Divinity
to bend Fate for his benefit or to energize a Power, those affected by or witness to his action might be caught up in the strands of his epic life, for good
or ill. They become ''Fatebound'' to him, even if he doesn’t like it. He can’t control who or what is Fatebound to him—that’s up to the whim of Fate.
Fate is forging a story about the Avatar’s exploits, and probabilities (and people’s behavior) will be altered to fit the story. The Avatar still has free will, 
but those affected by his Divinity don’t. Fate moves them like chess pieces. They might consciously realize this and resent it, and even try to resist it, but
Fate gets its way in the end.
While a mortal might occasionally exert such an effect on others, it’s rare. A Avatar’s divine lineage and connection to the Overworld provides the metaphysical
force needed for him to stand out in the skein of destiny and draw others to him. As he treads the World, he inadvertently bends and tears the threads of others’
lives, sometimes getting tangled in them and pulling them with him on his forceful march through history.
The following conditions might cause a ''Fatebinding'' to occur:

● When a Avatar spends his Divinity points to alter the outcome of an action. 

The target of the action (or possibly a bystander who is affected by the outcome, such as
someone the Avatar saves by attacking the bystander’s oppressor) might become Fatebound.


The Storyteller—not the Avatar character’s player—secretly
rolls the Avatar’s Divinity as a dice pool. The difficulty for
any given scene begins at 5. If any character present in the
scene spends Divinity points and the resulting Fatebinding
roll yields at least one threshold success (that is, five or
more dice showing a 7 or higher, with 10s counting twice),
the difficulty for everyone on the scene drops to 4. The
same thing happens again the next time a Fatebinding roll
achieves a threshold success, this time reducing the difficulty
to 3. The difficulty can go no lower than 3.
If no Fatebinding roll equals or exceeds the difficulty,
no Fatebinding occurs. If any rolls do succeed, however,
one or more people (or things, or even the place in which
the action occurred) become Fatebound to the Divinity. The
Storyteller allocates the number of successful rolls between
the Fatebinding’s strength and the number of people it
affects. The Fatebound individual is called the Fated.
The Storyteller might deem that a given scene is
already weighted with the gravity of Fate. Perhaps the
Avatar’s rival has lured him to the scene of his mother’s
murder or the place where he first discovered his heritage.
In such places, pregnant with classic story motifs, the
Storyteller might begin the scene with a lower difficulty
for Fatebinding rolls.


"Example: Carla, a daughter of Hermes, spies an unconscious child lying on the train tracks at an intersection with a train is barreling right toward him. She launches forward, hoping to beat the train and snatch the child out of the way. The odds are against her, but she spends Divinity points to more than even them, giving her automatic successes. She saves the child and rolls to safety as the train rockets past, horn blaring."


"Since Carla spent Divinity points to alter the odds of an action, she has effectively challenged Fate. The Storyteller rolls her Divinity score of 3 as a dice pool and gets 7, 10, 10 — matching the difficulty of 5, since 10s count twice. Since there’s only one reasonable target here (the child she saved), the Storyteller assigns one point (for the number of successful rolls) to the strength of the Fatebinding. Doing so ensures the child’s connection to Carla for the rest of the day. (See the “The Pull of Destiny” sidebar.)"


● When an Avatar spends Divinity points to energize a Power or Flair. 

The Storyteller secretly rolls the Avatar’s Divinity score against difficulty 5. This difficulty 
does not change, as when a Avatar spends Divinity to alter the odds of an action; it is always rated 
at 5. The Storyteller divides the number of successful rolls between strength and the number of 
affected people, as described previously.


● When a Avatar uses magic spells. 

The target of the magic is automatically Fatebound to the magic’s caster with a strength of 1.


THE PULL OF DESTINY

The strength assigned to a particular Fatebinding is a measure of the range and duration of the bond.

FATEBINDING STRENGTH
Strength Effect
1 The Fated assumes his Fatebound Role (see “The Fated” for the odds of this occurring) only in the Scion’s presence and only for the next 24 hours at the most.
2 The Fated might assume his Fatebound Role when the Scion is within the same vicinity (a small town or city district). He is subject to the binding for one month.
3 The Fated might assume his Fatebound Role when the Scion is within the same region (a state or geological watershed). He is subject to the binding for one season (three months).
4 The Fated assumes his Fatebound Role for as long as the binding lasts (at least one year), no matter where the Scion is (or even if he is alive).
5 As with Strength 4, except the binding is permanent, although it is dissolved when the Fated dies (his ghost is no longer Fatebound).
6+ As with Strength 5, except that the binding lasts beyond death. The Fated ghost maintains its Fatebound Role even in the Underworld (although it can do very little to help or hinder the Scion from there).


THE FATED

The lives of the Fated are tied to the Avatar to whom
they are bound in ways both subtle and grand. The course
of everyday events brings them—seemingly coincidentally—
into contact with the Avatar again and again, no matter
how much distance they try to put between themselves
and the godling. Although the Fatebond’s strength
applies only within a certain range, the Fated are often
simply unable to travel outside that range for as long as
the binding is active. They might take a bus out of town,
only to wind up walking back in after the bus has broken
down. Their plane flight might be indefinitely delayed, or
they might find themselves on the “No Fly” list, but only
for as long as the Fatebinding has put them there.
Once a mortal has been Fatebound to a Avatar, he
assumes a certain role in relation to that Avatar’s exploits.
The Storyteller chooses the role based on the context in
which the Fatebinding occurred. Some examples are listed
below, but this is in no way an exhaustive list. Storytellers
are encouraged to create new roles as needed.
The Fated mortal is not always under the spell of this
role. He acts in accordance with it only under certain
conditions, as explained in the “The Pull of Destiny”
sidebar. When those conditions are at hand, the Storyteller
can assume that the Fated mortal will assume the role. If
he wants to add some variability to the matter, he can roll
the Avatar’s Divinity as a dice pool to see whether or not the
role is activated. The difficulty is usually 1, but if the stars
don’t feel aligned, he can raise it to make it more unlikely
that Fate will play a hand in the Fated’s behavior.
Once a Fatebound Role is active, the Fated mortal
behaves according to that role’s motivations rather than
his own (although they don’t necessarily always differ).
He believes that the role’s motivations are his own. He
is unaware that he is a puppet to Fate and believes he
is exerting his own will and desires. If the conditions
are right and the Avatar spends a Divinity point for any
reason, it might be enough excuse to activate the Fated’s
role, even if a great distance separates the two. 
It’s not just mortals who can become Fatebound to a
Avatar. Anyone can be Fatebound—a Avatar, a titanspawn,
a God. Unlike mortals, however, supernatural beings
don’t succumb to Fatebound Roles; they retain their free
will. Sort of. Odd “coincidences” still conspire to bring
such a being into the orbit of the Scion to whom she is
Fatebound, regardless of her own opinion on the matter.
At the Storyteller’s discretion, certain supernatural
creatures or beings might come under the effect of a
Fatebound Role, but Avatars and Gods never do.

FATEBOUND ROLES FOR MORTALS

(Note that while these roles are given handy titles for the Storyteller’s use, neither Scions nor the Fated use said titles in-setting.)


Apprentice
The Fated greatly respects the Avatar,
so much so that he wants to follow in his footsteps.
He models his own behavior and ideals on the Avatar’s
(as he understands them), sometimes to an annoying
degree. Examples: The fresh-faced kid, the guy with the
mid-life crisis, the over-achiever.
Backup
The Fated is ready and willing to aid the
Avatar if things get tough, though he might not be any
good at it. He might have the courage but lack the skill.
Nonetheless, he’ll follow the Avatar’s orders and do as
he’s told. Examples: The biker thug, the plucky boy/girl
scout, the courageous nerd.
Balm
The Fated is a balm for the Avatar’s raging
emotions. Something about him calms the Avatar and
makes him feel at peace. The Avatar might not know
why—he might even despise the idea—but, for whatever
reason, the person makes the Avatar comfortable enough
to let his guard down. Examples: The innocent little girl,
the granny, the plain-suited accountant.
Boon Companion
The Fated considers himself the
Avatar’s best friend. He’ll do whatever he can for the Avatar,
even if it means telling him what he doesn’t want to hear.
While the Avatar’s cold reception or harsh words might
hurt him, he won’t give up his friendship, no matter how
much it’s unwanted. What makes this different from
other friendly roles is that the Fated will travel with or
behind the Avatar, even if it means taking time off work
or quitting his job. Examples: The childhood friend, the
grateful hobo, the rescued suicide attempt.
Canary
The Fated is the proverbial canary in the
coal mine. If something bad is happening, it happens
to this guy first (thanks to Fate), serving as a possible
warning to the Avatar. Examples: The selfish jerk, the
materialistic fashion queen, the faceless janitor.
Catastrophe
The Fated always causes problems—big
problems—that the Avatar has to fix. He might not mean
to (he might be akin to the Jinx role), but he can’t seem to
help it. Or perhaps he does intend to do harm, and is now
further prodded by Fate. Maybe it’s as banal as accidentally
dumping toxic waste in the city’s water reservoir, as creepy
as setting houses on fire or as malicious as firing a shoulder-
mounted rocket into a teeming shopping mall. Regardless,
it’s always in a place or situation that somehow involves
the Avatar and is sure to make him leap into action (even if
it’s just to save his own skin). Examples: The fire bug, the
klutz, the bottom-line CEO.
Contrary
This Fated seems to be playing another
role than he actually is. The Storyteller should choose
his real role (such as Lover) and then his cover role, what
others think he is (Rival). At some point, when it’s most
advantageous or deleterious to the Avatar (depending on
the nature of the real role), the Fated will reveal his true
role. Examples: The two-faced scoundrel, the long-lost
friend, the embarrassed lover.
Fan
The Fated is the Avatar’s biggest fan. Unlike
those of certain other friendly roles, the Fated is content
to adore the Avatar from afar, and is extremely nervous
and giddy in his presence. If the strength of the bond is 
such that the role can be assumed when the Avatar is not
present, the fan works to convert others to the Avatar’s
fan club, even though most people refuse to believe
what he’s telling them. Examples: The sci-fi geek, the
sports fan, the gushing gossip columnist.
Herald
The Fated acts as a PR flack for the Avatar,
trumpeting his deeds and/or character to others. The
Fated isn’t necessarily obsessed with the Avatar himself;
he’s merely thinking tactically, like an ad exec. He’s
quite willing to bend the truth about the Avatar, if it
makes his “client” look better. Examples: The ad exec,
the inspirational coach, the influential society maven.
Jinx
The Fated is decidedly unlucky for the Avatar. If
he’s near, he’s sure to do something that will screw up the
Avatar’s plans, even if he’s utterly well intentioned. He might
try to fix the Avatar’s car, only to break it worse. He might call
911 to bring aid, only to give the police the impression that
the Avatar must be taken down. Examples: The overconfident
son-in-law, the know-it-all, the hapless stooge.
Lover
The Fated falls in love with the Avatar. The
Avatar rarely reciprocates the emotion, but he might use
it to his advantage (if he’s a cad). In fact, the Avatar’s
mortal parent might have been playing out such a role
when the divine parent came calling. The Fated will do
whatever she reasonably can to get the Avatar to love her
back. Examples: The rescued maiden, the besotted blue-
collar worker, the intrepid reporter.
Martyr
The Fated is ready to die for the Avatar.
Actually, he might want to die for the Avatar (if the
Fatebinding’s strength is 4 or higher) and will seek out a
way to do so. He might jump in front of a bullet meant
for the Avatar, trigger a deadly trap to warn the Avatar
of its presence, drink the poisoned draught before the
Avatar can... Examples: The miserable screw-up, the
distraught widower, the guilty turncoat.
Mentor
The Fated seeks to impart his wisdom to the
Avatar. This doesn’t mean his “wisdom” is worthwhile,
but he thinks it is. It is imperative to him to instruct the
Avatar in the proper way to do whatever it is the Avatar
is attempting to do. Examples: The autodidact, the
bookseller, the gamer.
Nemesis
The Fated has a vendetta against the
Avatar. He is Ahab, and the Avatar is his White Whale.
He might be foolish and headstrong, ready to jump the
Avatar when he next sees him, or crafty and patient,
concocting all manner of slow and complex plots against
him. His ultimate goal is the Avatar’s demise. Examples:
The foiled noble, the spurned lover, the jealous athlete.
Rival
The Fated can’t stand to see the Avatar succeed,
or he desires to prove himself the better of the two. He
is in competition with the Scion for fame, glory or some
more specific goal (acquiring a lost Boon) and won’t rest
until he can claim victory. The Rival doesn’t necessarily
seek the destruction of the Avatar or even hate him; he
simply wants to be the winner. Examples: The professional
peer, the greedy executive, the shamed ex-hero.
Patron
The Fated tries to help the Avatar economically,
by providing goods and services or cold hard cash. He
won’t volunteer money, but he will step in to help when
asked or when the Avatar is obviously in need (but might
be too proud to ask). He won’t go beyond his means,
but he will give what he’s reasonably capable of giving.
Examples: The dilettante, the heir, the Mafia captain.
Preacher
The Fated sees it as his mission to convert the
Avatar to his way of belief, whether it’s religion, politics or
a simple hatred of a rival whom he wants the Avatar to also
hate. He might simply use words and reasoned arguments,
backed up now and then by evidence, or he might concoct
situations that somehow prove his point. Said situations
might even be dangerous, such as arranging to have a rival
mob boss take out a hit on the Avatar just to prove the
man’s a crook. Examples: The fundamentalist zealot, the
newspaper editor, the disgraced investigator.
Traitor
The Fated is the Avatar’s best friend — until he
really needs him, at which point the Fated stabs him in the
back, either figuratively or literally. He might do it for profit or
simply because he’s come to hate the Avatar’s sanctimonious
speeches. For whatever reason, he really seeks the Avatar’s
downfall (although not necessarily his death). Examples:
The jealous half-sibling, the greedy crook, the spiteful fan.
Trickster
The Fated seeks to screw up the Avatar’s
day. His maliciousness is all intentional, even if only
he thinks it’s funny. He won’t usually risk life and limb
himself, but he doesn’t mind if his pranks could prove
dangerous to the Avatar. Examples: The bully, the science
nerd, the social outcast.
Unrequited Lover
This person is too nervous or
scared to admit he’s infatuated with the Avatar. He
watches from the wings, hoping for a moment to show
his love, but he rarely takes it when it comes. He’s too
afraid of rejection, which would crush him. He might
stalk the Avatar, spying from afar, and finally move to act
only if the Avatar is in clear danger. Examples: The naïve
poet, the best friend, the closet gay.
Victim
The Fated is someone the Avatar has to save
over and over again. Somehow, by intention or accident,
he keeps getting into dangerous situations whence the
Avatar is in the best position to extricate him. If the Avatar
does not at least try to save him, Fate levies a Bane on
him equal to the strength of the Fatebinding. At some
future point of the Storyteller’s choosing (although it
should be apropos to the context of the Fated’s death),
the Avatar suffers a single, whopping dice penalty equal to
the Bane’s strength on a prominent action. This penalty
comes in addition to those imposed by mortal Reverence,
as well as the loss of his ability to spend Legend for the
scene. Examples: The intrepid
reporter, the curious kid, the FBI mob witness.
Weak Link
The Fated appears to be a friendly role
of a different sort, but when it comes time to deliver,
he just doesn’t have what it takes. He’s got a glass jaw in
combat, his speeches bore people to tears, his money’s
no good... Examples: The self-proclaimed jack of all
trades, the nervous rookie, the inveterate gambler.


FATEBINDING OBJECTS AND PLACES
Although people (or even animals) are more
common targets for Fatebinding, it’s not unusual
for an object or even a place to be Fatebound
to a Avatar. These subjects can assume Fateful
Roles similar to those mortals do. A wrench can
become a Weak Link (breaking at the wrong
time) or a Martyr (it stops a bullet for the Avatar,
but is broken by doing so), while a place might
cause Catastrophes or be a Balm to the Avatar.


MORTAL REVERENCE

The Fated hold certain opinions and beliefs about the
Avatar to whom they are Fatebound. This quality is called
Reverence, and it can actually have an effect upon the
Avatar’s abilities. There are basically two types of Reverence
that mortals hold toward Avatars: They perceive them as
heroes or villains. The logic behind the Reverence they
hold for any given Avatar might have nothing to do with
that Avatar’s actual character or deeds — the rhyme or reason
behind a mortal’s beliefs doesn’t always have a discernible
cause. One man’s hero is another’s villain, even if all the
Avatar has ever tried to do is to help the person who sees
him as an enemy. Even a friendly Fated can envision the
Avatar as a villain but still play out his friendly role for him
out of fear or hope of reward.
Of course, all mortals who encounter a Avatar
probably come to some opinion of him, but only the
opinions of the Fated that truly count as far as Fate itself
is concerned. When they revere him as a hero or villain,
it can alter his abilities, for good or ill.
The Fated are not the only ones caught in a web of
predestination—the Avatar to whom they are bound is
likewise bound. Unlike a mortal Fated, the Avatar does
not come under the spell of a particular role. He retains
free will, at least as far as his decision-making goes, but
his capabilities are affected by Fate. The odds of his
actions change based upon how the Fated perceives
him. In other words, he is drawn into the same script
that the Fated is, but as the object of the mortal Fated’s
own role, probabilities bend to help him live up to the
mortal’s revered ideal of him, as hero or villain.
The greater the Avatar’s Legend is, the more likely
he is to suffer the drag of Fate upon his will and limbs.
The Gods became even more prone to these chains,
so much so that they decided to remove themselves
from common interaction with humanity, lest they
be changed far beyond their own desires, warped by
mortal expectations and beliefs until they became
unrecognizable to themselves. The pantheons, fearing
this effect even within the Overworld, avoided other
pantheons, fearing the hidden, subtle threads of Fate
that trailed behind and often preceded them.
Over time and with repeated use of Divinity,
Fatebinding can cause a Avatar to play out someone else’s
goals rather than his own, making him essentially a slave
to mortal desires. To avoid this degrading destiny, Avatars
often shy from fame and prefer to remain incognito
when moving among mortals.
The bonds of Fate can affect a Avatar in the following ways

● -- Whenever a Avatar lives up to the Reverence a Fated (who is currently under the spell of a particular role) holds for him, he gains a +1 bonus die for that action or the following action (whichever is most appropriate to the deed) per every two points of the Fatebinding’s strength (+1 at strengths 1 and 2, +2 at strengths 3 and 4, etc.).

● -- Whenever a Avatar acts in contradiction to the Reverence a Fated (who is currently under the spell of a particular role) holds for him, he suffers a -1 die penalty for that action or the following action (whichever is most appropriate to the deed) per every two points of the Fatebinding’s strength (-1 at strength 1 and 2, -2 at strengths 3 and 4, etc.).

● -- If a friendly Fated (Apprentice, Backup, Lover, etc.) is harmed and the Avatar might have been able to prevent it, but chose not to act, he loses the ability to spend Divinity points for the remainder of the scene. Even if the Avatar does not like the friendly Fated and wishes him ill, he is nonetheless drawn into the drama that Fate is weaving and is expected to play the role allotted him. If he does not, he suffers the consequences.


● -- If, following a confrontation with the Avatar, a Fated foe (Nemesis, Rival, Trickster, etc.) escapes defeat by the Avatar’s hand, the Avatar loses one Willpower point. (If he currently has no Willpower points, there is no effect.)


FATEFUL AURA

Even when a Avatar doesn’t actively use his Divinity,
it can still bend probability to enact his story upon the
World. Calamity follows him, making sure that he will
live up to his Legend... or be destroyed by it.
Since the moment they become aware of their legacy,
Avatars live without respite in “interesting times.” Great
events happen around them, no matter how incognito
or withdrawn they wish to be. They are like planets
exerting the pull of gravity on all other stellar bodies.
People are drawn into orbit around them through
Fatebinding, and great happenings are likewise drawn
to them like distant asteroids or comets, rocketing to
their ends near to a Avatar’s path.
Natural disasters and upheavals. Man-made calamities and
war. Miraculous occurrences and impossible phenomena.
All these and more seem to dog a Avatar’s footsteps or await
him at the next crossroads. If something momentous can
happen when a Avatar comes to town, it almost certainly will
happen. Bank robbers plan a robbery and spontaneously
decide to move up their schedule a day early, timing their
strike just as a Avatar enters the bank. A titanspawn awakens
from its ancient slumber under a lake just as a Avatar moves
into his rented lake house for a relaxing weekend getaway.
The island volcano, dormant for centuries, suddenly erupts
just as a Avatar arrives to rescue a kidnapped heiress.
This propensity to attract — or even generate —
momentous events is called the Fateful Aura. An Avatar’s
Divinity draws the attention of Fate, which then uses the
Avatar as a protagonist in epic dramas of man vs. nature,
man vs. supernature, man vs. the Gods, et cetera. The
themes taught in high school English class come to life
around the Avatar as real life-and-death conflicts.
The great irony is that, in dealing with these events,
Avatars most often wind up increasing their Divinity, which
only further spawns new cycles of momentous events around
them. Those mortals who know about Avatars are rarely
happy to see them, for they know that something big—and
dangerous—is surely soon to occur. Sometimes, if an Avatar’s
Divinity is great enough (if his Divinity dots outnumber his
Charisma), mortals might instinctively sense this and give a
Scion the cold shoulder when he enters the local watering
hole. They don’t know the stranger, but they somehow see
"big trouble" written all over his face. A character with ALLURE 
might be able to counteract this effect, but only
after he’s spoken to the locals and put their fears at ease. A
character with REVELATION can either counteract or
intensify the onlookers’ first impression based on whether
the trait represents divine beauty or monstrous ugliness.
In game terms, there are no hard rules for dealing with
a Avatar’s Fateful Aura. An Avatar cycle, like the chronicles
and campaigns of many roleplaying adventure games, is
about a series of amazing coincidences that dog a group
of individuals — the players’ characters — from week to
week as they go about their lives. If this were real life,
it would be beyond belief. Nobody runs into that much
conflict with such regularity. But Avatars aren’t like mere
mortals. The Fateful Aura is a means within the logic of
the Avatar game universe to explain why these legendary
events occur to the same people so often. They can’t
help it — they can’t even avoid it. Greatness finds them
whether they want it to or not.
The Fateful Aura is the Storyteller’s excuse for
introducing what might otherwise seem like an entirely
too-convenient plot device. Fate takes an active hand
in Avatar, using such plot devices as tools in crafting
story and meaning from events. So if it seems odd that
something interesting is always ready to happen wherever
the Avatar characters go, that’s just destiny.



OTHER WORLDLY REALMS

THE NINE REALMS

Realm Description
ASGARD Protected Realm and Home of the Norse Gods
ALFHEIM Realm Description
SVARTALFHEIM Realm Description
MYRKHEIM Realm Description
NIFLHEIM Realm Description
MUSPELHEIM Realm Description
VANAHEIMR Realm Description
MIDGARD Realm Description
JOTUMHEIM Realm Description

REALMS OF THE THEOI

  •  :OLYMPUS -- Fortress home of the Olympian Gods
  •  :INFERIS -- The classical Underworld ruled by Hades



PANTHEONS

Celtic Pantheon

~ Cruach
~ Déithe Eile
~ Tuatha Dé Danann


Greco-Roman Pantheon

~


Germanic Pantheon

~ Aesir
~ Vanir
~ Drittir


ANTAGONISTS

Titans

~ Cronus
~ Rhea


TITAN SPAWN

The titanspawn are the greatest earthly enemies of the Scions. Formed directly by the power of their chthonic masters, some titanspawn are unique creatures, while others are members of hidden races of Titan-worshiping creatures. Scions with a bookish nature tend to categorize titanspawn into one of three general categories. Chimerae are amalgamations of different creatures into one horrific form. Scions have encountered a dazzling number of chimerae, but most are unique creatures unable to breed easily. Giants are typically enormous humanoids fashioned from the power of the Titans out of the very elements, although some few are mundane creatures grown to incredible size. Giants are among the most common enemies of the Scions, typically providing muscle for more powerful or intelligent titanspawn. Minions, on the other hand, are entire servitor races created by the Titans. Minions exist in greater variety than giants do, and they often fulfill specific roles for their Titan creators to which the crude giants are ill suited. Some minions have far more autonomy than others. A significant number of Japanese tengu have rejected their titanspawn heritage to aid the Scions, and almost all of the dwarves swore allegiance to the Aesir after the destruction of their creator, Ymir.

While titanspawn are dangerous adversaries, a Scion who defeats one can receive a benefit much more tangible than simply the thrill of beating up a big, ugly monster. Just as the Gods took power from the Titans after defeating them and made it their own, Scions can take part of the chthonic energy that fuels a titanspawn and gain supernatural benefits from it. The exact nature of what power can be drawn from a particular titanspawn varies according to the creature. Each titanspawn described here is associated with a particular “trophy,” which a Scion can use for supernatural purposes. In some cases, the trophy yields an actual Birthright weapon or object that permits the Scion to use a Boon once he has spent the appropriate experience for it, such as the skin of the Nemean Lion did for Heracles. In other cases, a particular titanspawn’s corpse might yield some substance that gives the Scion a short-term supernatural benefit. Generally, the more powerful and unique a titanspawn is, the more potent and permanent the trophy is.

Dark Virtues

CREATURES

  • Banshee -- A Wailing Woman (Originally known as Ban Sidhe...sounds the same.)
  • Baobhan Sith -- A female vampire, not of Caine's brood.
  • Berserkers -- Warriors who bind themselves to animal remains in order to fight with bestial fury. (Cults = Bear, Wolf & Wild Boar)
  • Dracolich -- The Undead dragon {Sárkány}.
  • Draugr -- Norse Undead
  • Ljósálfar --
  • Panes -- Creatures of the forest with the heads and torsos of men, the legs and tails of goats, goatish faces and goat-horns.
  • Pitys -- A pine Nymph {Eirene}
  • Laestrygonians -- Man-eating giants
  • Spartae -- Malevolent spirit born from violence. Spartae are normally depicted as a skeletal being with some form of a weapon and military attire.
  • Valkyrie -- A host of female figures who choose those who may die in battle and those who may live. {Hrund}
  • Vanargand -- Monstrous wolves


DIVINE STORIES



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