Scion

Scion
RPG published by White Wolf
Rule System	Modified Storyteller System
First Publication	2007 (1e), 2019 (2e)

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Scion is a role-playing game by White Wolf, Inc. known for being a modern version of Exalted but having much more broken powers with an emphasis on defense. Players take the roles of children of the gods of various mythological pantheons, with the option of becoming gods themselves, if they survive long enough. The format of splitting up the books into three different power levels works great for games at the lowest, Hero tier, but get into Demigod and God and soon the cross-referencing of rules between three different books gets tiresome (less so if they're in a digital format).

Onyx Path released its second edition in 2019.

Important Elements

Pantheons

Pesedjet (1e)/Netjer (2e)

The Egyptian pantheon, keepers of the world's balance yet ensuring justice in the World. Their gods include:

• Anubis: Funerary god and judge of the dead. Normally calm and collected but has the passion of a jackal and will show it when it counts.
• Bast: Goddess of war and prophecy. When her visions grow too overpowering, she takes the mantle of Sekhmet and becomes a deadly warrior until plied with alcohol.
• Hathor: Goddess of the sky, love, fertility, and birth. The embodiment of motherhood among the Netjer.
• Horus: God of the sky and patron of the pharoahs. As the son of Osiris and Isis, he overthrew Set, avenging his father and claiming Egypt as his birthright.
• Isis: Goddess of magic and rebirth. The sister-wife of Osiris, who reassembled his body after Set slew him and used magic to help him sire Horus.
• Khnum: God of artistry and the Nile River. Devoted to the work of creation, and especially fond of pottery.
• Osiris: God of death and resurrection. Though slain by his brother Set, Isis revived him and he became the king of the afterlife. Although he doesn’t have any genitals due to that piece of him not being found, he can “adopt” other gods kids if they don’t want them.
• Ptah: God of craftsmen. Young by the standards of the Netjer at "only" a few thousand years of age, he taught humans how to control fire and design buildings.
• Ra: God of the Sun. The mightiest of the gods who is said to have created the World, though his power has declined somewhat after he was compelled to tell Isis his true name.
• Set: God of the desert, disorder, and violence. Despite his evil reputation from murdering Osiris, he has proven himself to be a devoted guardian of Ra and an enemy of the forces of darkness.
• Sobek: God of fertility and protection. His shameless and wild attitude is counterbalanced by his protective nature.
• Thoth: God of knowledge and the moon. Said to be the patron of writing and mathematics, and knows all things.

Dodekatheon (1e)/ Theoi (2e)

The Greek pantheon, known for being a shining example of how being family doesn't prevent people from hating each other's guts, especially due to their persistently swollen egos. During World War II, they participated on behalf of Italy after Caligula poisoned and impersonated Zeus. Their gods include:

• Aphrodite/Venus: Goddess of love and sex. Married to Hephaestus, but has a long-running affair with Ares.
• Apollo: God of music, prophecy, healing, and the sun. A renowned archer whose arrows spread deadly plagues, he is also the patron of seers and oracles.
• Ares/Mars: God of war. Least beloved of the gods in Greece for his bloodlust and rages, although in Rome he was revered as an unyielding commander of armies.
• Artemis/Diana: Goddess of the moon and the hunt. Having sworn never to marry, she is a devoted protector of women.
• Athena/Minerva: Goddess of wisdom, war, and law. Famous for emerging fully grown from the head of Zeus, she is a peerless tactician and guardian of civilization.
• Dionysus/Bacchus: God of wine, revelry, and epiphany. An unpredictable source of both wisdom and excess, and often associated with madness.
• Hades/Pluto: God of the Underworld. Neither especially cruel not particularly kind, he is a gloomy fellow who prefers to keep to himself.
• Hestia/Vesta: Goddess of the hearth and sacrifice. The calmest and humblest of the Greek gods, but her role in providing heat and light is undeniably important.
• Demeter/Ceres: Goddess of the harvest. When Hades kidnapped her daughter Persephone, she denied the world its harvest until Zeus returned her- but as Persephone is still obliged to go back to the Underworld for half the year, Demeter makes the land barren during that time to remind the gods not to steal from her again.
• Persephone/Prosperina: Goddess of the Underworld. As Demeter's daughter she shares her power over the things that grow upon the earth, and is said to grant the gift of reincarnation to the worthy dead.
• Hephaestus/Vulcan: God of the forge and industry. Hera hurled him off of Mount Olympus for his ugliness and withered legs, and while he is diligent he can also be quite vindictive when crossed.
• Hera/Juno: Goddess of marriage and queen of the gods. Zeus's endless affairs is a constant sore spot for her, and her jealous rages are nothing short of terrifying for those who have been the subject of her husband's advances.
• Hermes/Mercury: Messenger of the gods, and the god of boundaries and travel. A trickster who acts as the patron of all who live by their wits, he is also associated with commerce and magic.
• Poseidon/Neptune: God of the sea. Violent and temperamental, his fury generates earthquakes and stirs up storms at sea.
• Zeus/Jupiter: God of the sky and king of the gods. Greatest and wisest of the Greek gods...and possibly the greatest philanderer to have ever existed, given his reputation for seducing anything that looks vaguely female.

In 1e, Caligula and Quirinus joined the Dodekatheon during WWII. According to 2e, Julius Caesar was originally a Scion of the Theoi but for his part in subjugating the Nemetondevos he became the god Divius Iulius after his assassination.

Aesir

The Norse pantheon, torn between their knowledge that Ragnarok is unavoidable and their drive to defy their fates. During World War II, they participated on behalf of the Germans after a plan crafted by Loki. Their gods include:

• Baldur: God of love, beauty, peace, and the sun. The most beloved of the Aesir, and his fated death will be one of the signs that Ragnarok is drawing near.
• Freya: Goddess of fertility, love, lust, and war. She can be covetous and cruel at times, yet forgiving and merciful at others.
• Freyr: God of fertility and prosperity. He watches over all plant life and is said to have defeated an entire army with only a stag's antler.
• Frigg: Goddess of marriage and destiny. She says little, but sees far more than she lets on.
• Heimdall: God of perception and watchman of the gods. Able to hear grass growing on the other side of the Earth, and sleeps less than a bird.
• Hel: Goddess of the realm of the dead. Her hideous appearance- half-flesh, half-rotten corpse- is a fitting match for her grim and morbid demeanor.
• Loki: God of trickery and fire. Though he will ultimately betray the Aesir, his cunning has saved them from trouble as many times as it has gotten them into it.
• Njord: God of the sea and the winds. Originally sent to the Aesir as part of a hostage exchange with the Vanir while those pantheons were at war.
• Odin: God of wisdom, the dead, and magic. The Allfather, who is ready to make any sacrifice to gain greater wisdom and once hung himself for nine days to learn the secrets of the runes.
• Sif: Goddess of the harvest. The wife of Thor and the peacemaker of the Aesir.
• Skadi: Goddess of winter and the hunt. A frost giant who gained divinity and marriage to Njord as the blood-price for her father's death, though they separated after finding they could not tolerate each other's preferred dwellings.
• Thor: God of thunder, rain, and crops. The mightiest warrior of the Aesir, his hammer Mjolnir is the strongest weapon ever made.
• Tyr: God of courage and justice. When the monstrous wolf Fenrir was to be bound with dwarf-forged chains, he alone agreed to its demand that one of the Aesir first put a hand in its mouth; though it bit Tyr's hand off when it realized the chains were unbreakable, he did not complain.

Atzlánti (1e)/ Teotl (2e)

The Aztec pantheon is commonly known for their love of blood and ridiculously long and complicated names. Their gods include:

Huitzilopotchli, Miclantecuhtli, Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlipoca, Tlaloc, Tlazolteotl, Xipe Totec

Amatsukami (1e)/ Kami (2e)

The Japanese pantheon has a preference for solving problems without forsaking nature, leading to them taking forever to implement a solution. They participated in World War II to give their gifts of prosperity to all subjugated nations of East Asia. Their gods include:

Amaterasu, Hachiman, Izanagi, Izanami, Raiden, Susano-o, Tsuki-yomi

During World War II, Marishiten joined the Amatsukami.

Loa/ Orisha (2e)

The Caribbean pantheon were created by taking the gods of West Africa and mixing them together with aspects of native Caribbean culture and Catholicism for a relatively new pantheon. Their gods include:

Baron Samedi, Damballa, Erzulie, Kalfu, Legba, Ogoun, Shango,

As of Second Edition they replaced the Loa with the West African Orisha, with Loa being an offshoot pantheon that shares a purveiw and several deities, with the Voodoo pantheon proper is going to be gaining rules in Scion:Mysteries of the World. Their gods include: Eshu Elegbara, Ibeji, Moremi, Obatala, Oduduwa, Ogun, Orunmila, Orisha-Oko, Osanyin, Oshossi, Oshun, Oya Iyansan, Shango, Sonponna, Yemoja-Oboto.

Tuatha Dé Danann

The Celtic pantheon, while superficially similar to the Aesir, are more focused on expression than battle. Their gods include:

Aengus, Brigid, the Dagda, Danu, Dian Cecht, Lugh, Mannanan Mac Lir, the Morrigan, Nuada, Ogma

Celestial Bureaucracy (1e)/ Shen (2e)

The Chinese pantheon, similar to the Amatsukami in their speed in which they act due to their bureaucracy. This is compensated by their numbers with many Scions, shared pantheon with the Devas, and through hiring redeemed demons. Their gods include:

Chang'e, Fuxi, Guan Yu, Guanyin, Houyi, Huang Di, Nezha, Nuwa, Shennong, Sun Wukong, Xiwangmu, Yanluo,

Devas

The Hindu pantheon is arguably the oldest pantheon in existence and has the widest following. Their gods are:

Agni, Brahma, Ganesha, Indra, Kali, Lakshmi, Parvati, Sarasvati, Shiva, Surya, Vishnu, Yama

Yankee Pantheon

The American pantheon is composed of various folk figures in American lore. Their gods include:

Betsy Ross, Br'er Rabbit, Columbia, John Henry, Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, Rosie the Riveter, Uncle Sam The Yankee Pantheon has yet to be confirmed to be coming to second edition, though Columbia is mentioned in the fluff.

Allied Pantheon

The combined pantheons of Britain, France and the Soviet Union are similar to the Yankee pantheon in that they are folk figures for each of those nations. Their gods include:

For Britain: Britannia, John Bull, Robin Hood

For France: d'Artagnan, Madame Guillotine, Marianne

For the Soviet Union: Baba Yaga, The Citizen, Rodina Yat The Allied Pantheon has yet to be given rules in second edition.

Atlantean Pantheon/ Teros (2e)

For Atlantis: no one. The entirety of the pantheon is now long since dead, and so are all of its known Scions. As well as Atlantis itself, obviously. Now nobody even knows that they existed at all, including the other gods.

That said, for completion, they are given details in the Scion: Demigod and Scion: Companion books, which respectively detail the pantheon's members and Pantheon Purview of Scire respectively.

The deities who made up the Atlantean pantheon once, and who could maybe be brought back if their ruined culture was discovered in Antarctica and belief in them restored, consist of the following:

• Amnis: Goddess of fresh water, rivers, cleaning, medicinal herbs and magical healing.
• Badarus: God of the sea and exploration.
• Demosia: Goddess of the moon, the night, rumors, secrets, clandestine meetings and private thoughts.
• Heshon: Godess of nature, bounty, luck, plenty, ill-fortune and loss.
• Kuros: God of intelligence, investigation and the wind.
• Skaft: God of invention, technology, building, art and creation.
• Versak: God of truth, law and justice.

The Atlantean Pantheon is going to be given rules in 2e in Scion:Mysteries of the World.

Now that it's out, their Purview has been renamed to Demiurgy, and they are possibly still alive, with Atlantis as an isolated and stagnant but still extant civilization hidden from the mundane world.

Nemetondevos

The Gaulish/Celtic pantheon, originally a French Exclusive add-on, is to be given an official english release in 2e's Scion: Mysteries of the World. A once-dead pantheon, finally making their way back into the world after Julius Caesar wiped them out. Their gods include:

Andarta, Belenos, Cernunnos, Epona, Esos, Nantosuelta, Nehalennia, Nodens, Taranis, Sulis

Yazatas

The Persian/Zoroastrianism Pantheon, they were just a random PDF edition in 1e, while in 2e they are getting a full blown write up in Scion:Mysteries of the world. Their Gods include

Anahita, Ashi, Atar, Haoma, Hvare-Khshaeta, Mangha, Mithra, Rashnu, Sraosha, Tishtrya, Vanant, Vata-Vayu, Verethragna, Zam

Manitou/Orenda (2e)

The first 100% new pantheon of second edition, the Manitou are the spirit pantheon of the Anishinaabeg (Algonquin) tribes, combined with the Iroquois Orenda (which are either a subset of the Manitou, or the Manitou are a subset of them- it depends on who you ask). Their gods include:

• Geezhigo-Quae: Called Grandmother or Sky-Woman, she descended to Earth from the clouds to give birth but could not find land. With the help of the turtle and the muskrat, she formed Turtle Island, which became her home and the home of her descendants.
• Muzzu-Kumik-Quae: The Mother Earth, who received the Manitou and the people. She oversees the cycle of growth and regrowth that governs nature.
• Winonah: The First Woman and daughter of Geezhigo-Quae, born fully grown. She was raped four times by the Titan Ae-Pungishimook, each time giving birth to a son- the final birth killed her, but she has since returned. As Tekawerahkawa, she gave birth to the Orenda twins.
• Maudjee-Kawiss: The first of Winonah's sons. He is a peerless warrior, but has inherited his father's violent temper and disdain for weakness.
• Pukawiss: The second of Winonah's sons. A performer at heart who teaches the people lessons through tricks and drama alike.
• Cheeby-Aub-Oozoo: The third of Winonah's sons. He taught the people how to fast and seek visions, and upon his death he was named the chief of the underworld.
• Nana'b'Oozoo: The youngest of Winonah's sons. Raised by his grandmother alone, his childish demeanor and foolishness belie his power and purpose- by making mistakes, both he and the people learn how to avoid them.
• Ioskeha: One of the Orenda twins. He is credited with creating all that is good in humanity and the world. A force of justice and light that seeks to make the world the best it can be.
• Taviscara: The other Orenda twin, and the force of evil in opposition to his brother's goodness. While sociopathic in nature, he still cares for humanity in his own strange way.

Apu (2e)

The Incan Pantheon, going to be added in Scion:Demigod 2e

Bogovi (2e)

The Slavic Pantheon, to be added in Scion:Demigod 2e

Annunaki (2e)

Mesopotamian Pantheon, to be added in Scion:Demigod 2e

Atua (2e)

Polynesian pantheon, to be Added in Scion:Demigod 2e. Their Gods include:

Tangaroa

Tengri (2e)

Mongolian Pantheon, to be added in Scion:Demigod 2e

Other

Missing is an Abrahamic pantheon, which is odd as White Wolf wasn't one to shy away from commentary on Christianity or Judaism; as evidenced by Demon: The Fallen, VtM's biblical Cain fanfic, and WtO's holocaust splatbook. This hasn't stopped fans from making versions of it.

Purviews and Knacks

To reflect what makes a Scion super-human, they have inherent access to a number of a "Purviews", which are basically what Dungeons & Dragons calls Divine Portfolios. You get an easier buy-in for Purviews determined by your parent deity - it's only logical that the Goddess of Beauty would have a super-beautiful kid, or that a Storm God's brat could throw lightning bolts, after all - but it's possible to branch out into other purviews.

There's a large cluster of Purviews that can be taken by any Scion, and a small number of Pantheon-specific Purviews, which are bound up in a Pantheon's specific way of viewing the world.

Also, there are Knacks, which are specific ways of utilising your superhuman abilities (that is, Epic Abilities) - things like being able to make mortals not see your supernatural appearance, change gender, deliver a superstrong punch with a touch of the finger, etc.

Each Universal Purview and Epic Attribute has a "capstone" ability that takes the power up to eleven. Known as Avatars and Ultimate Attributes respectively, the character may spend a crapton of resources to do something Conceptual with their control of that facet of reality. Becoming the Avatar of Fire lets you simply burnimate anything and everything. Becoming the Avatar of Stars lets you outright time travel. Ultimate Strength lets you One Hit Kill anything that does not have Ultimate Stamina which lets you ignore any amount of damage including One Hit Kills. Ultimate Mental Attributes makes everything turn out just as planned generally. At this point hitting people with aircraft carriers is considered passe.

Universal Purviews

Epic Abilities: Divided up into one class for each of your ability scores, these basically make you superhumanly strong, tough, smart, fast, whatever. Epic Appearance is unique because you have to choose whether you are supernaturally beautiful... or supernaturally fugly. There's a Knack that lets you shapeshift between beautiful and ugly forms, and generally the divide affects what kinds of Knack you can take; super-freaks are good at scaring the piss out of mortals, but not so good at chatting them up, for example. As you might figure, these Purviews rely on Knacks for the really cool stunts. The Epic mental skills and appearance were removed in 2e.

Animal/Beast: Assorted powers allowing for control over a totemic animal. You can build up control over multiple kinds of animal, but that requires separate slots of Purview points.

Chaos: The ability to manipulate probability in order to increase or even decrease chaos.

Darkness: Powers to manipulate darkness and shadow, with enhanced ability for stealth.

Death: Manipulation of the forces of death. Kill mortals, see ghosts, command the undead, etc.

Earth: Various ways to manipulate the earth, from the obvious to more metaphysical, like being immune to being hurt by landslides and cave-ins, or being able to sense hidden treasures and spaces underground.

Fertility: Manipulation and control of plants.

Fire: The ability to burninate shit real good.

Guardian: Various abilities that make a Scion or diety super-effective at protecting places, things or people from harm.

Health: Healing powers, control over sickness, and the ability to breed supernatural monsters.

Justice: Assorted powers relating to pursuing and defeating the guilty and protecting the innocent.

Moon: Assorted thematic powers relating to the moon, like tide manipulation and transformation.

Psychopomp/Journey: Superhuman travelling abilities, from super-speed to full-on travel between the various worlds.

Sky: Weather control, throwing lightning bolts, flight, all that stuff.

Sun: Thematic powers relating to sunlight, including super-vision and burning shit with solar beams.

War: Powers that enhance the combat abilities of the Scion and/or their allies.

Water: Manipulating water. What more do you need?

Magic: The ability to manipulate and interact with Fate.

Mystery: Supernatural leaps of logic.

Prophecy/Fortune: Telling the future.

Prosperity: Ability to manipulate Wealth and Commerce

Frost: Manipulation of ice, snow and cold.

Illusion: The ability to manipulate reality through supernatural deceptions.

Stars: The ability to manipulate space and time.

Passion: Ability to manipulate a persons desires and emotions

Order: Ability to get people to follow the law and orders.

Forge: Ability to flawlessly craft things.

Deception: Ability to lie, cheat, and manipulate with supernatural skill

Artistry: Like forge, but with different kinds of art, including painting, sculpture, acting, and poetry.

Beauty: Basically epic appearance but you can also affect other people with it.

Wild: Mixture of Fertility and beast, basically gives you control over forest and other uninhabited areas.

Pantheon Purviews

Arete/Metamorphosis: Associated with the Dodekatheon/Theoi (Greek Pantheon). Arete, meaning "excellence", basically lets a Scion super-charge their ability to use their Ability scores and related skills, giving them free bonus dice when rolling for skill and ability checks. Replaced in 2e with metamorphosis, which lets a Scion shapeshift into anything they can imagine.

Cheval/Gun: Associated with the Loa and Orishan (Voodoo and Yoruba Pantheons). The Scion can now use others as "horses", projecting their spirit into a person's body to see through their senses or just take over.

Heku: Associated with the Pesedjet/Netjer (Egyptian Pantheon). Various powers relating to the Pesedjet's division of the soul.

Itzli/Nextlahualli: Associated with the Atzlanti/Teotle (Aztec Pantheon). Itzli is sacrifice-fueled blood magic, requiring the Scion to hurt themselves and/or others depending on the powers used. The difference between it and 2es Nextlahualli is the latter both allows non-blood sacrifices and also gives you buffs when answering sacrifices as well as making them.

Jotunblut/Wyrd: Associated with the Aesir (Norse Pantheon). Allows a Scion to feed others their blood to transform them into super-strong demi-giants. Replaced in 2e with Wyrd, which allows a scion to both use rune magic and the Aesir art of seiðr, which lets them manipulate a persons fate by weaving.

Tsukumo-gami/Yaoyorozu-No-Kamigami: Associated with the Amatsukami (Japanese Pantheon). Allows the Scion to command the kami of various objects and places.

Enech/Geasa: Associated with the Tuatha de Dannan (Irish Pantheon). Allows the Scion to place beings under geasa, both as punitive measures and to reward them if they adhere to their oaths.

Taiyi/Tianming: Associated with the Celestial Bureaucracy (Chinese Pantheon). Taiyi Allows the Scion to transform objects, beings and even places by manipulating Qi, culminating in the power to create life from nothing or even reshape supernatural creatures into more desirable forms. Replaced in 2e with Tianming, which lets you give yourself or others ridiculous promotions, such as "Minister of Kicking Ass" or "God That No One Likes."

Samsara/Yoga: Associated with the Devas (Hindu Pantheon). Samsara allows Manipulation of Fate through the precept of "action begets reaction". Replaced with Yoga in 2e, which is about through meditation and self sacrifice, you gain additional benefits.

Asha: Associated with the Yazata (Persion Pantheon). Fueled by the principles of Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds, power over truth and right.

Scire/Demiurgy: Associated with the Atlantean Pantheon. Gives the Scion increased affinity for knowledge and tools, from being able to learn anything in a book or on a computer disk by touching it to being able to mentally control a tool from afar. Yes, control computers with your brain is explicitly called out as possible, up to and including taking over the internet with your mind.

Industry: Associated with the Yankee Pantheon. Allows a Scion to do more and be more by improving techniques and technology.

Civitas: Associated with the Allied Pantheons. Allows a Scion to enhance the group in various ways, from healing to augmenting checks.

Dodaem: Associated with the Manitou (Algonquian Pantheon). Allows a Scion to commune with the spirits of objects, people, ideas, and events.

Nemetons: Associated with the Nemetondevos (Gaulish Pantheon), it allows a person to harness the power of sacred sites.

Mana: Associated with the Atua (Polynesian Pantheon).

System

Scion uses the same system Exalted does, where pools of d10s are rolled and 7-10 are successes with 10 being counted twice.

In 2e, this is replaced with the Story Path system, which scores successes on 8+ (mostly), exploding 10's, and giving the group bonuses (called Momentum) for failing rolls. Failing harder, either by botching a roll or by failing a roll you have a Specialty in, gives even more Momentum.

Roleplaying games made by White Wolf
Exalted - Human Occupied Landfill - Scarred Lands - Scion - Trinity World of Darkness - World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game