Scion: An Introduction.

[plaidrhino]

Hi folks, I have finally had some time to put together a little bit more info for ya. Here is it. If you have any questions feel free to post here, or to PM me.

Introduction

Main Entry: sci·on
Pronunciation: 'sI-&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French cion, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German chInan to sprout, split open, Old English cInan to gape
1 : a detached living portion of a plant joined to a stock in grafting and usually supplying solely aerial parts to a graft
2 : DESCENDANT, CHILD

Throughout history, people have believed in (a) higher power(s) that have brought forth both the rise and fall of many civilizations. Some cultures call them spirits. Others call them totems. And yet others simply call them gods.

Scholars pour through an endless barrage of tomes and artifacts of these fallen civilizations in search for the link that ties these powers together for the similarities in mythology between many faiths seem too uncanny to be a mere coincidence. Are these so called gods one and the same for each culture? Where do they come from? Where are they now? It is the answers to questions as these that the scholars seek but are destined to never find for that is the will of the gods.

Most historians believe that as their worshippers died out and the tributes ceased to come, the gods lost their power as well as their hold on civilization. Such a theory, however, could not be further from the truth. The gods still live within humanity itself. Their children walk amongst us and continue their work. They seek to strengthen the world and to protect it from the hubris of man. They are the Scions.

Setting

The game will be set in the modern world and will be continually impacted as well as based on current events. The existence of the Scions is a secret closely guarded by the families, also known as the Houses. Most of the time, Scions take on roles within society that are more of a backdrop type though there have been Scions who have taken a more direct approach to their work and became major figureheads within the world.

The setting will be a bit darker, perhaps a bit pulp-like. Events such as character death are a strong possibility if care is not taken.

The Houses are built upon history and tradition. As such, most Scions have been imbued with some strong belief systems though each system is up to the interpretation of the individual Scion. This is rather similar to the people’s view of many of the gods described in old pantheons. Often times, a god had many faces and different cultures had alternate beliefs depending upon which of the gods many facets they worshipped.

Beyond the Scions, there are other descendants who may come in to play. There are those stemming from the giants and titans who are often used by and sometime come into conflict with the Scions. These beings are generally a bit more primordial in nature and are well hidden from modern civilization. Those dealing with them should take care as some of the pains from the past still sting.

There are normal folk within the world who are aware of the existence of Scions. Many of them are descendents of the heroes or villains of legend. Some for good and others who wish to exploit them. Whatever their intent, to date, they have all kept the secret of the Scions safe.

One-Shot Story Arc

One month ago, two Scions disappeared, one from the House Hecate and the other from House Hephaestus. Authorities believe each incident to be anonymous of one another however, the Council believes differently.

A week after the disappearance, there was a security breach at the House Hermes and some encrypted files were stolen. During the breach, a security consultant from House Athena was killed.

These events are pointing towards a foe looking to expose the existence of the Scions to the world. The Houses of Aphrodite, Athena, Hecate, Hephaestus, Heracles, and Hermes have come together in order to find the source, retrieve the files and put an end to the danger using whichever means are necessary. The trail has lead to a pub in Plymouth, England where the Scions are to meet an operative of this unknown foe who is looking for asylum.

Gameplay

Scion will use a combination of the rules laid out in 2 systems. Most of the system will be driven using Mutants and Masterminds. This will include most of the character generation, combat, and game awards. The magic system will be pulled from D20 Modern and the Urban Arcana supplement. In addition, the use of character wealth will follow that lain out in D20 Modern. Feats will be allowed from both systems though some of the D20 Modern feat may need to be modified to fit the M&M format.

For the one-shot, I can certainly bring characters for everyone to play, however, I would like to give the players the opportunity to create the character they wish to run. If you would like to do so, please bear in mind the following:

1. Beginning characters will be Power Level 7.
2. Certain powers are unavailable. The powers included are: Dimensional Travel, Space Flight, and Time Travel
3. The Sorcery power works differently than that described in M&M. Rather, for every power rank in Sorcery, the subject gains the effective level of spell casting abilities of either Mage or Acolyte as detailed in D20 Modern and Urban Arcana. Some spells may need to be tweaked to fit into the M&M setting but that can be addressed during the creation process. The casting of spells will be treated like that of a Sorcerer in D&D.
4. While there are many pantheons to choose from, this first story arc will be focusing on the Greek mythos. When creating a character, please tailor it after one of the following gods: Aphrodite, Athena, Hecate, Hephaestus, Heracles, Hermes. It is ok to have more than one character tailored after the same god as tales have proven that the gods often sired many children. More information on the current incarnations of the god’s houses will be provided upon request.
5. At Power Level 7 characters have 4 Hero Points. For every 2 point deduction in Hero Points, a character can start 1 Power Level higher.

Edit: Replaced the XXX text with the actual powers and jobs. Added a 5th item under Gameplay.

[mataglap]

Interesting....

[Gotetsu]

DRAT! DRAT!! DRAT!!!

Why, oh why did I have to volunteer to run L5R!?! This sounds sooooooo freakin cool...

[devlin1]

Very cool stuff. I'll have to rely on you to handle the nuts and bolts of character creation for me, since I was fool enough to give BoC his copy of M&M I'd borrowed. I'll PM you with ideas as they occur to me.