[Scion] Saints & Monsters preview 3

Denizens

There’s no such thing as an average Denizen ? they are exceptionally diverse, and range from nearly human creatures like strange folk, to Denizens who appear to be intelligent but otherwise ordinary-looking animals like Cú Sith, to bizarre hybrid creatures like motorcycle centaurs or the horrific nuckelavee. There’s nothing like a single Path, Knack, Purview, Condition, or other trait that can define all Denizens so the only way to represent the vast diversity of Denizens is with a wealth of different Conditions, Knacks, and Purviews.

The basic physicality of any specific type of Denizen, like a centaur or a giant is defined by one, or occasionally two Conditions. A Denizens’ special abilities linked to its physical form are represented by Knacks. In contrast, Purviews represent special types of magic that some Denizens possess, which are connected with their particular physical abilities and mythological resonances. In addition, Denizens’ physical capabilities are not static. While a motorcycle centaur will always be half person and half motorcycle, she can learn to push herself to drive faster than she ever could have managed before, gaining new Knacks.

Sample Denizen: Fair Folk

Examples: Sidhe, djinn

Example Calling Keywords: Clever, hidden, keeper, mercurial, noble, strange

Path Asset Skills: Culture, Occult

Path Contacts: Academics, local weirdos, noble courts, socialites, occultists

Persistent Condition: Fair Folk

You are highly resistant to all sources of damage that are caused by anything not made a particular substance. Regardless of whether the damage is caused by a punch, a wooden quarterstaff, a fire, poison, electricity, or even an explosion, you instantly recover from your most severe injury condition caused by any source that is of that source at the end of combat or the scene, whichever comes first. You cannot be killed by this damage; if Taken Out, you return to consciousness at the end of combat or the scene.

However, all damage from that source gains the Aggravated tag (Scion: Origin, p. 122) when used against you. In addition, you increase the Difficulty of all rolls to use weapons or tools made primarily of that source by +1, and also suffer a similar increase in the difficulty of all rolls when surrounded by it in a confined space. You gain Momentum when you are forced to do so.

Some sources are fairly straightforward, such as weapons made of iron or silver. Some potential sources, such as sunlight or the color blue, will lean more into the additional Difficulty rules. While all banes associated with this Condition should be reasonably common, sources difficult to weaponize should present themselves more often than their more prosaic kin. 

Denizen Purview: Illusions

You can pierce deceptions and craft clever illusions that can fool almost any observer.

Innate Power: You gain the ability to see through all illusions and disguises. In addition, you automatically know when a trivial opponent speaks a lie in your presence, although you only know you have heard a lie, not the nature of the truth. In addition, you gain +2 Enhancement for detecting deliberate and knowing lies in either the speech of non-trivial opponents or in print.