Scion Second Edition is an urban fantasy game published by Onyx Path Publishing using the Storypath System. The primary path of play in Scion focuses on characters who are Scions of the gods or are beings of Legend such as supernatural creatures or legendary warrior folk. Whether through the lineage of their birth or an act of divine intervention, these Scions carry a spark of the divine and the potential to ascend to godhood.
While Scion Second Edition offers additional approaches to play through expansions such as Scion: Dragon, which allows players to assume the role of a draconic Heir, or Scion: Masks of the Mythos in which players assume the roles of Scions touched by the Old Ones of the Cthulhu Mythos. Other expansions include Titans Rising, which allows for players to assume the roles of Titanic Scions and Scion: Once and Future in which the characters pursue and assume the mantles of figures from Arthurian legend! All these options run on the same core principles, and follow the same basic ideas for character creation. With that in mind, we are going to focus on creating an Origin level character for Scion Second Edition. Such a character forms the basis of the Scion experience and can easily be adjusted upward for the proper power level if you’re playing Scion: Hero, Scion: Demigod, or Scion: God.
As with any roleplaying game, you want to begin with a strong concept for your character. In Scion it’s important to have an eye on who you want your character to become, but it’s also important to have a grounded idea of who they are when the story begins. Having these touchstones in mind will help you select your Paths and determine your Deeds, Deeds are things you would like to see happen in the story. Short-term Deeds are simple and usually attainable in a single session. Long-term Deeds Can take an entire story arc to attain and are generally attached to one of your character’s Paths. This Deed should be an aspirational goal regarding how your character will grow and change. Band-term Deeds, or Group Deeds, are chosen by the entire table and shared among the table. A group has one Band-term Deed at a time and this is intended to be accomplished over the course of several sessions (known as a Season in Scion) worth of play.
As with all Storypath games, you must select Paths at character creation which help define your character and their capabilities. In Scion Second Edition, these paths are your Origin, Role, and Society, Pantheon, or Supernatural Origin. Your Origin Path focuses on the formative part of your backstory. Where has your character been? Where did they come from? These questions help you define your Origin Path. The Role Path is the character’s passion, area of expertise, or occupation. The Society, Pantheon, or Supernatural Origin Path connects your character to a group, cult, pantheon, or supernatural creature type. Examples of all three Path types are presented in Scion: Origin, but players are encouraged to create their own if needed. Each Path must have a brief description, which could simply be a name or a single word, or could even be a short phrase to sum up the Path. Each Path also offers three Skills which are considered Path Skills for your character. If you choose from one of the pantheons provided in Scion: Origin, that pantheon will offer two Skills, allowing you to personalize the Path by selecting your third Skill. Each Path also offers Connections, which include a group or groups your character can call on for aid, a place, item, or service you can access, and a contact who you can reach out to via the Path for aid. Lastly, each Path has a Path Condition that activates if you call on that Path too much. Examples are provided in the book, but you can create your own as well!
Next, you’ll assign your character’s Skills. Choose a Path to be the character’s primary Path. The Skills associated with this Path get three dots each. Next, choose your secondary Path, giving each Skill in that Path two dots. The remaining Path gets one dot in each Skill in the Path. Sometimes more than one Path will offer a Skill. That’s okay, the dots are cumulative. If one of your Skills goes over 5 dots because of multiple Paths, just spend the dots above 5 on the other Skills in that Path. Any Skill at 3 or above gains a Specialty, offering enhancement to certain rolls when the Specialty comes into play.
After Skills, you’ll allocate your Attribute points. Each Attribute begins at a rating of 1 dot. Attributes are separated into Arenas, presented as vertical groupings on the character sheet. These Arenas are Physical, Social, and Mental. Decide which is most important to your character and spend six dots among the Attributes in that arena. Then choose what is next in importance and spend four dots. In the final Arena spend two dots. Next, you’ll note the character sheet presents three horizontal rows of Attributes, marked Power, Finesse, and Resistance. These are Approaches and describe the type of action those Attributes are commonly associated with. Choose one of these Approaches as your Favored Approach. You then add two additional dots to the Attributes in your Favored Approach. Much like Skills, no Attribute can go above 5 dots at character creation. If your dots from Favored Approach would take an Attribute above 5, spend the surplus dots on the other Attributes in that Attribute’s Arena.
Next you’ll choose Callings and Knacks. Callings are archetypes that most gods and supernatural beings fall into. You may select one from a list provided in the book. Each Calling offers specific Knacks, which are powers or abilities drawn from the divine. You may select one at character creation.
Finally, you’ve got to calculate your character’s Health and Defense. Health is based on Stamina while Defense is based on a Resistance Attribute of the character’s choice. Once those calculations are complete, you’re ready to take your first steps into the world of Scion games on Startplaying!
Travis Legge is a writer, developer, and streamer working with Onyx Path Publishing, Aegis Studios, and more.
