[Scion] Saints & Monsters preview 5

Titanic Scions

The Scions of Gods inherit both the power of their divine progenitors and their relationship to the World full of humanity. The child of Zeus does not merely wield thunder when they aspire to their father’s lightning, but a force which wends its way through the hearts of mortals as it lifts the Scion towards divinity. Even if a Scion of Thor becomes a hateful leveler of human works, even if a Scion of Huitzilopochtli devotes themselves to turning cities into engines for a new age of eternal flower war and sacrifice, even if their names are cursed and spat by those they’ve harmed, the decedents of divine mantels are part of the ineffable circuit that exists between the World’s inhabitants and its Gods. 

Those Scions who trace their existence back to Titanic roots know no such place between Gods and mortals. Whether the result of some Titanic whim, supernatural congress, or freak cosmic transfusion, the heart of their nature does not lie within the orbits between divine mantle and mortal heart. No matter how pure the intent a Scion of Banasura may be, their Titanic nature flows from a source of supernatural arrogance and opposition utterly uncaring of any mortal concerns or attachments. No matter the wondrous benefits to human civilization that a Scion of F?jin may accomplish, the Titanic essence of their powers is that of the howling inchoate wind, to which humans are mere detritus. 

This doesn’t mean that Titanic Scions can’t be good people by mortal or even Godly standards. It does mean that their relationship to their powers differ somewhat from that of divine Scions, and that as they grow in power and Legend, so too does their potential for unleashing awful devastation upon the existing World and its human population. 

Maelstroms’ Hearts: Epicenters

While the Scions of the Gods enjoy access to their Purviews Innate powers through the mastery they’ve inherited, the Scions of the Titans are heir to more unruly forces. Their parents, patrons, and progenitors bestow unmediated and seething energies, which always seek expression. As a result, Titanic Scions don’t automatically receive the normal Innate ability when they obtain a purview; instead, they are the Epicenters for related effects. These are constantly active powers, occasionally causing problems for the Scion and their allies, or even providing thoughtless aid to an enemy. A Titanic Scion may suppress any of their Epicenters and prevent any of its effects by imbuing one Legend, though those Titanic parents in regular communication with their children often encourage them to simply let their powers run wild.

Titanic Scions can actively pursue the abilities of Innate powers, paying 10 XP to gain access to the Innate abilities of a Purview they possess. This doesn’t remove their Epicenter or change its effects, however. 

Sample Epicenter: Death

Your presence thins the barriers between life and death, inviting the deceased to make themselves known. Underworld gates and other paths to deathly realms swing open in your presence, potentially ushering more undead into the world, while normally unperceivable and uncommunicative forms of ghosts, spirits, and the undead can manifest and make themselves understood in your presence. Such undead are never hostile to you unless otherwise provoked.