Step One: The Birth of a Hero
Not everyone can be a hero. Not even every scion of a god becomes one. We will be playing starting in 1930. Characters should be of an appropriate age/background to be adults at that year and ready to begin adventuring.
In addition character should:
be American or Allied: British (including Canadian, Australian and Indian), French, Belgian etc. background. We are talking WWII Allied here.
All characters should have a willingness to work with and usefulness to the clandestine services of the American military. Not that they exist, they aren't founded until 1941. Be useful anyway.
Characters should not be a strong believer in or clergy member of any Monotheistic religion. Note that characters do not have to actually know or believe they are the children of gods.
There are 2 example characters Tarzan and Captain Nemo:
- Tarzan was born 1888 so he will be 42 in 1930. He is by birth British, and not a religious figure. For those who know his history yes he works with the American military.
- Captain Nemo is older, of the previous generation and so the basic elements do not apply but he is a good example of a starting older character with a college and military career that Tarzan doesn't have.
- Choose a parent from the approved list.
- Tarzan will be a Scion of Odin but adopted by the Great Mangani
- Captain Nemo a Scion of Neptune
- Write a birth story with at least 10 of the 15 elements.
Step Two: The Mortal Character
You should not continue with this step unless you have talked to the GM about your characters birth story.
- Choose Attributes. The basic defining characteristics of the character.
- Choose Skills. What the characters knows and can do.
- Choose Mortal Backgrounds
- Gifts and Faults
Have you talked to the GM yet? Seriously don't do anything else unless he is OK with what you have done so far.
Step Three: The Visitation
At some point everyone is told they are special. In the characters case its true, they are the child of a god. The character may have known from birth that they were a Scion but its only at the Visitation that they become a Hero. Two things have to come together, 10 points in the birth story and the desire of some god (not necessarily the characters biological parent) to be the characters patron.
Attributes and Skills can now be raised as high as Legendary x2. Legendary is 1 step up from Superb.
Primary Attributes and Skills: Each character gets 1 point per point in Birth Story that can be spent as follows at the rate of 1 point per raise of attribute or 1 point per 3 raises in a single skill (the 3 raises can not be split between separate skills they must all be in 1 skill). The attributes and skills these points can be spent on are the gods Primary attributes and Primary Skills only and can only be spent in the Attributes and Skills the character already has. The god is raising the characters natural abilities not granting new ones. If the character is unable to spend points in either because he doesn't have any attributes or skills that their parent has these points are converted to Birthrights at the rate of 1 point per 1/2 point Birthright.
Secondary Attributes and Skills: Each character gets 1 point per 2 points in Birth Story that can be spent as follows at the rate of 1 point per raise of attribute or 1 point per 3 raises in a single skill (the 3 raises can not be split between separate skills they must all be in 1 skill). The attributes and skills these points can be spent on are the gods Secondary Attributes and Secondary Skills only and can only be spent in the Attributes and Skills the character already has. The god is raising the characters natural abilities not granting new ones. If the character is unable to spend points in either because he doesn't have any attributes or skills that their parent has these points are converted to Birthrights at the rate of 1 point per 1/2 point Birthright.
Divine Backgrounds: The character get 5 points in Divine Backgrounds, plus whatever points carried over from the above 2 entries. See Divine Backgrounds.
So you think you should just go back and make your mortal character with the same Primary Attributes and Skills as the parent and get lots of Legendary stuff right? That may not be wise. The Gods can manifest through mortals. Actually lets just call it what it is, they can possess them and in particular their own Scions. All those stories about the ritual marriage between the mortal king and the goddess, the priestess really was taken over by the goddess. The more alike the two are the easier it is for the god to do (yes there is a formula and % chance for success). The more often this happens the more likely the mortal becomes just an aspect of the god, the mortal part becomes subsumed and as a character is removed from the game. How do you think all those Scions got to be in the family tree as part of the gods background?
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