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Scion: God

Created by Onyx Path - Scion: God Crowdfunding Campaign

Founded in 2012, Onyx Path Publishing is a Pennsylvania-based company dedicated to the development of exemplary, immersive worlds. Working with a group of amazingly talented creators, we explore print, electronic and other forms of media distribution to make our products available to our fans. With over 20 years of publishing experience from which to draw, we are industry professionals who love the art of the game and plan to continue making meaningful, innovative contributions in the years to come.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

THE END IS NOW! The Scion: God has concluded.
over 1 year ago – Thu, Nov 17, 2022 at 11:03:40 AM

Hello Scions!

What is there to say other than...

WE DID IT!

Working together, more than 2,000 backers helped fund the development and printing of Scion: God, the ultimate step in the Scion Second Edition journey.


And there's more to celebrate! Not only did we fund this project, we built a bunch of cool bonus rewards for backers as we went! It was a great ride, picking up backers and unlocking Stretch Goals along every step of the campaign. We've added several bonus rewards - small celebrations for milestones marked along the way - as well as new content for those who want even more Scion: God!


MILESTONE MARKERS




These milestone markers helped us keep our pace as we built towards our big finish, and will be added to the rewards list of every backer who participated in this campaign.

ADDITIONAL and EXPANDED CONTENT





First up, we unlocked a new Scion: God Reference Screen. Onyx Path will create a Storyguide screen with charts and tables for Scion: God, featuring updated artwork to reflect the ongoing journey of the characters introduced on the Origin/Hero screen. Backers can add this to their rewards list for +$25.

More exciting, we unlocked a Jumpstart PDF, an introductory scenario to launch your Scion: God story, complete with Ready-made Characters and basic rules. Onyx Path will create this and release as a PDF to all backers receiving the Scion: God PDF as a bonus reward.

What's better than that? Something I'm really interested in - the Divine Inspiration supplement. Onyx Path will create a supplement to provide some direction and ideas for Storyguides to build upon, including creative Plot Seed Packs to explore in your game. We unlocked this and doubled it in size! All backers receiving the Scion: God PDF as one of their rewards will automatically receive the Divine Inspiration PDF as a bonus reward.

And what's even better than that? Working together, we helped unlock a Scion: God Companion supplement, and then expanded it again and again... and again! That last goal came in within the final hours of the campaign, but we did it! All backers receiving the Scion: God PDF as one of their rewards will automatically receive the Scion: God Companion PDF as a bonus reward.

The Scion: God Companion will cover a variety of topics, including:

  • Running religions, killing Gods, managing Realms, and possibly even running games where players play multiple Incarnation of the same God,
  • Additional information on Incarnations and Mantles, possibly including rules for rebellious incarnations that seek to sever their connection to their God, Incarnation troupe play, or forging or fighting for new Mantles,
  • Expanded rules around Terra Incognita, Realms, and Sancta. Rules and guidance may include information on ruling over Realms, creating or destroying Realms, Realm Conditions, and Realm challenges,
  • Examining Titanic Apotheosis, Full Dragons, and upgrading Mythos Scions. Additional exploration of how Dragons can steal mantles, and understanding Dragon Lairs as Realms may be included.

As I said, we unlocked that last section right at the very end, despite the doubts of some outside observers! But we had faith in our Scion: God backer community!



ELEVEN STRETCH GOALS!

That's excellent! We were only at nine just a day ago! It's been a fantastic few final days!   

Those celebrations and milestone markers along the way are fun - I certainly like having something to mark our accomplishments during the campaign and they help keep the enthusiasm up. But I really really love when we can add additional content, especially in the form of Jumpstarts (which Onyx Path does really well!) and interesting new things like the Divine Inspiration book and especially the Companion supplement.

And all of that is, of course, on top of our main purpose here - the creating of the actual book itself! This is the real reward - everything else is a bonus!





So a huge congratulations to the creative team on this project, and to all of the backers who've joined in to make this possible. I'm happy about the goals we hit and rewards we introduced, but I'm also always amazed and excited about having more than two thousand backers join in during this campaign. Having 1,000 backers is amazing! Crossing that 2,000 Backer Count is a big achievement, and then getting an extra 200 beyond that is simply astounding!

 AN EXTRA THANK YOU! 

So, thank you to all the backers who supported us and made this happen. And a personal thanks to everyone who participated online, either in the Community comments section of the campaign, and on social media around the web. Thanks to everyone who's kept the mystery about the aether and the martians and left it for other future players to discover on their own. Thanks to those who come out, time after time, to support Onyx Path and these projects. We had a ton of great discussion in the comments and a ton of sharing online, and I loved it all!

There's obviously a lot going on in the world right now - a lot of ongoing challenges to be dealt with - but it's been really great to see the community come together to support this project and turn it into a big success.

COMMUNICATION

So, as noted in today's earlier update, I'll be sending out updates once a month and whenever we've got a new goal, survey, or other item to cover. If you have any questions or need clarification on something related to the campaign, feel free to get in touch. I may take a bit to answer as I recover from this past month, but I'll eventually have an answer!

TO CONTACT ME

  • Via E-Mail: Onyx.Kickstarter [at] gmail.com
  • Via BackerKit: Click "Need Help?" from your forthcoming survey page, and then fill in the Contact Us form. BackerKit will pass your message along to me.

ONYX PATH DISCUSSION CHANNELS

If you've got questions about the rules or setting, or just want to discuss this game with other fans (as well as the Onyx Path writers and developers!), you can check out these Onyx Path discussion zones:


So, thanks to everyone for helping maintain this strong Scion Society!

Now to attend to other business and eventually collapse for a few hours and recover from the awesomeness of the last couple days! High fives in the comment section, and you'll hear from me again in December when we start the survey process and launch the Pledge Manager!

#ScionGod





FINAL HOURS: CHECKLIST & WHAT COMES NEXT
over 1 year ago – Thu, Nov 17, 2022 at 03:42:00 AM

Salutations, Scions!

I'm posting early because we're in the final hours of this campaign and I want to get this out to you with as much time as possible before we get to the end. So, expect some sleepy run-on sentences.

With Scion: God, Onyx Path decided to try something new, but still pretty familiar. For those who've participated in previous crowdfunding campaigns from Onyx Path, there isn't much different here other than the URL at the top of the page. And, again for those who've backed earlier campaigns, BackerKit is a known quantity - we've used them as a Pledge Manager for every campaign I've run and Onyx Path was using them long before I showed up.

Despite that familiarity and similarity to previous efforts, it's still a new platform and requires some extra effort to hunt down and find us. And I'm so happy that you did! It's been a great ride throughout the campaign, but those first few rocket ship days were amazing, blasting through our funding target within hours. You came when called and help make this book a reality!


As I post this, our campaign time is slowly unwinding and we have a handful of hours left before the conclusion. We seem to be in store for a fantastic finish, though!

Key Updates from this Final Week

Whether you've just discovered your divine spark or you're working your way through apotheosis, these are good items to review to make sure that we all end up where we want to be.

Refresher Course

Note for New Backers: Please check out the updates listed above. There's a lot of information there that will be important to know about before the end, like how we're not including international shipping charges in our pledges for this campaign and instead will be charging them in our pledge manager before we ship out the books, and you can also read the entire draft manuscript before the end of the campaign and any pledges are processed.

Note for Since-the-Start Backers: It's probably a good idea to review that stuff as well. Never hurts to make sure you haven't missed anything! And remember to add any feedback on the draft manuscript to the Feedback Form before the campaign ends so the developers and writers can be guided through the next stages of development and editing!

We've had, and will have, a bunch of new backers join in during these last days. I want to take a moment to highlight some key Update posts that new backers may want to check out (and existing backers may want to read as a refresher!).

MANUSCRIPT PREVIEW - As noted, the complete Preview Manuscript for the book is available for you to review prior to the conclusion of the campaign. If you're a backer, you'll have access to this preview manuscript after the campaign. Remember, though, there are still some minor edits, development and proofing that need to be done. But, you can consider it about 98.7% finished. Making the manuscript available for review before the campaign ends ensures that everyone knows exactly what our goal is - making this book - and are on board with our aims for this project. Thanks for your support, we're all in this together!

Nov 13 Update -  PLEDGE TIERS - your best starting point for figuring out which Backer Reward Level to choose to help support this project.

Your key decision: Go Digital with the PDF only or go Hardcover + PDF?

  •  ASPIRANT - This is the PDF-only reward tiers. So, if you're saving trees or saving shelf space - or avoiding the shipping charges that are absolutely ever-increasing - these are the reward tier options that you should begin with. The PDFs will be fulfilled by our partners at DriveThruRPG.com - when they are ready, you will receive a link to add it to your DTRPG library at no cost and be able to download at your leisure.
  •  RELIC- This reward tier includes the PDF as well as the hardcover version of the book. It'll look amazing on your shelf, especially if they're placed next to your other Scion Second Edition books, but may incur shipping costs depending on your location. As noted, international shipping charges will be calculated later and charged in the Pledge Manager. We'll have exact shipping costs once the book is in production and we know the specifications, but we do expect it to be expensive. See our estimates on the front pate. If you're an international backer, you can pledge at the Aspirant tier and upgrade to the Relic tier once the shipping costs are known before we lockdown orders. 
  •  Petitioner - If you want access to the manuscript previews but don't yet know if you want the PDFs or hardcover rewards, this tier also grants you access to the Pledge Manager after the campaign so you can upgrade your pledge in the future.


ADD ON REWARDS- the other half of the Reward Tiers update, including information on the second step of pledging. There are several Add On options that you can pre-pay for as part of your pledge process. including the other Scion Second Edition books (Origin, Hero, Demigod, as well as Dragon and Masks of the Mythos) and related supplements, as well as the the Storyguide Reference Screen that we unlocked via Stretch Goal and beginner bundles for two of Onyx Path's other Storypath system games - Trinity Continuum and They Came From.

ADD ON selections will be confirmed in the post-campaign Pledge Manager.

STRETCH GOALS - bonus rewards and options for those who supported this campaign! Check out this update for our big list of unlocked rewards and our remaining targets.




1. Choose Wisely

Choosing the correct Pledge Level for your desired rewards, and then filling in any "gaps" with add-ons, ensures that you'll be claiming all of your desired rewards as a thank you for supporting this project and bringing this world to life.

Remember, your PLEDGE AMOUNT is equal to your REWARD TIER + optional ADD ON FUNDING only - Any International Shipping costs will be collected at a later date. You will also be able to select Add On options in the Pledge Manager after the campaign, but remember that only funds added during the campaign count towards Stretch Goal funding targets.

Also to note, only those who participate during the campaign are able to have Stretch Goal rewards added automatically to their rewards lists. If you're waiting to pre-order at a later time, it's better to pledge to the Petitioner tier now and then simply upgrade your pledge later to include these bonus rewards.

SO: Ensure that you've selected the Pledge Tier you want, and maybe add funds for any Add On options you wish to select during the Pledge Manager phase. AND - make sure that you are comfortable with the Pledge amount, in terms of it covering everything you want and the affordability of the pledge at this moment!

I'm going to speak against my own self interest for a moment, and repeat myself one last time - though 2022 has been a bit better than the past two years, the world is still unpredictable and some futures are a little less certain. Ensure that your circumstances enable to afford this pledge at this moment - BackerKit will begin processing payments after the campaign ends and neither Onyx Path nor I have any involvement in that process. If you are unsure of your financial situation but don't want to miss out, please pledge for a tier you can afford now and know that you will be able to upgrade to open pledge levels in our post-campaign Pledge Manager for some time before the book is completed.

  • Choose a Reward Tier You Can Afford
  • Read the Manuscripts and Make Sure You Know What You're Getting
  • Be Aware of the Projected Delivery Date (Onyx Path will try to deliver earlier than this, but the book will take some time to get perfect)

2. PAYMENT AND CONTACT INFORMATION

Once you're comfortable with your pledge, please ensure that the payment and contact information in your BackerKit account is up to date and correct. Making sure your e-mail is entered correctly and your credit card isn't expired will speed up the next step process. (I have learned from experience!)




WHAT COMES NEXT?

3. AFTER THE CAMPAIGN ENDS

First, we celebrate. BackerKit may send out a virtual "Hooray!" email confirming the campaign ended with final totals. We'll give socially-distanced high fives and digital fist bumps in the Community section.

Then, the BackerKit payment process begins. Over the next week, Backerkit will begin charging your payment methods for the total amount you've pledged.

If there is an issue with your payment method (expired credit card or incorrect number or pre-paid Visa awaiting funds, for example), BackerKit will keep trying to process payment during this time.

Once this step is done, which will likely be by the end of November, BackerKit will confirm everything with Onyx Path and I can begin to set up the project in the Pledge Manager and load in all of the campaign data.



In addition to providing the crowdfunding platform for this campaign, BackerKit is also Onyx Path's regular Pledge Manager partner.

BackerKit provides a robust fulfillment integration and pledge management program that will allow us to work with all of the data and distribute the rewards to you. It will take me a few weeks to set the project up. Once I've got it all entered and built, the team from BackerKit will review to ensure I didn't mess anything up too badly, and then I'll make any changes they've suggested and we can move on to the Survey stage.

4. BACKERKIT SURVEYS

Once BackerKit says I'm good to go, I will send out a survey to all backers. This is why confirming your e-mail is important!

The BackerKit survey is both a verb and a noun - it will collect data for the analysis of some aspect of a group (enabling Onyx Path to set print runs, prioritize new projects, and fine-tune future kickstarters), as well as providing a general review or summary of the reward tier you've chosen, confirm all of the rewards associated with that reward tier, and confirm your total pledge amount.

I expect Surveys to go out by mid-December 2022.

During the Survey period, you can choose to increase your reward tier and add on additional options. If you've gone back to work or found an alternate income source and decide it's time to trade up to the hardcover version of the boos or include another add-on, you can do so at this time. Note, you will not be able to reduce your reward tier selection, only increase.

If you pre-funded Add Ons, you'll confirm your selections at this time.

Note that you'll be able to upgrade your pledge tier for quite some time - until we're getting ready to print the book itself and have figured out International shipping costs. So don't feel pressure to have it all figured out right away - we'll make sure there's plenty of time to get it all sorted before the books go out.

Similarly, if you have the hardcover book as one of your rewards, the survey will ask you to confirm your shipping address, even though it'll be some time before we ship out the final product. Do not worry about moving before shipping begins - you will be able to update BackerKit right up until the point that we begin fulfilling the final book. We will send out a notice prior to lock down so you can update any information.

I'll also use the Survey to confirm some details for the premium reward tiers.

5. REWARD DISTRIBUTION

Once the surveys are up and running, I'll prepare fulfillment for the existing rewards - the Add On options that are all currently available. Depending on how smoothly the Pledge Manager process goes, those should be out fairly soon after the survey stage starts. That's only the beginning, though.

This is a long process, but I will send out regular updates (usually at the end of the month) to keep you up to speed on Onyx Path's progress. There will be strings of updates that are just "still working on it," but I will share new artwork or information when I can.

Eventually, we will have a completed PDF of Scion: God. Onyx Path will take some time to distribute, review, and compile any errata or corrections that need to be made. When they've made any necessary changes, they'll make an updated version of the PDF available in your DriveThruRPG digital library and then begin creating print-ready files for the Print-on-Demand and the hardcover versions.

It's yet another long road ahead, likely full of twists and turns and unexpected challenges, but one that we wouldn't be undertaking if not for your faith and support.

#ScionGod



Final Days Review - Stretch Goals
over 1 year ago – Wed, Nov 16, 2022 at 06:50:14 AM

Hello Scions,

We're in the final HOURS of this campaign now, with fewer than 30 hours to go. The Scion: God crowdfunding campaign ends on Thursday, November 17th at 2:00 PM EST / 11:00 AM PST - there's still a tiny bit of time to help other Demigods work through their apotheosis, but we're definitely getting close to the finish line. With that in mind, I've been touching on some of the basics to make sure that everyone has all of the information they need to support the project in the way that works best for them.

Key Updates from this Final Week

Whether you've just discovered your divine spark or you're working your way through apotheosis, these are good items to review to make sure that we all end up where we want to be.



Refresher Course

Note for New Backers: Please check out the updates listed above. There's a lot of information there that will be important to know about before the end, like how we're not including international shipping charges in our pledges for this campaign and instead will be charging them in our pledge manager before we ship out the books, and you can also read the entire draft manuscript before the end of the campaign and any pledges are processed.

Note for Since-the-Start Backers: It's probably a good idea to review that stuff as well. Never hurts to make sure you haven't missed anything! And remember to add any feedback on the draft manuscript to the Feedback Form before the campaign ends so the developers and writers can be guided through the next stages of development and editing!

We've had, and will have, a bunch of new backers join in during these last days. I want to take a moment to highlight some key Update posts that new backers may want to check out (and existing backers may want to read as a refresher!).

MANUSCRIPT PREVIEW - As noted, the complete Preview Manuscript for the book is available for you to review prior to the conclusion of the campaign. If you're a backer, you'll have access to this preview manuscript after the campaign. Remember, though, there are still some minor edits, development and proofing that need to be done. But, you can consider it about 98.7% finished. Making the manuscript available for review before the campaign ends ensures that everyone knows exactly what our goal is - making this book - and are on board with our aims for this project. Thanks for your support, we're all in this together!


Nov 13 Update -  PLEDGE TIERS - your best starting point for figuring out which Backer Reward Level to choose to help support this project.

Your key decision: Go Digital with the PDF only or go Hardcover + PDF?

  •  ASPIRANT - This is the PDF-only reward tiers. So, if you're saving trees or saving shelf space - or avoiding the shipping charges that are absolutely ever-increasing - these are the reward tier options that you should begin with. The PDFs will be fulfilled by our partners at DriveThruRPG.com - when they are ready, you will receive a link to add it to your DTRPG library at no cost and be able to download at your leisure.
  •  RELIC- This reward tier includes the PDF as well as the hardcover version of the book. It'll look amazing on your shelf, especially if they're placed next to your other Scion Second Edition books, but may incur shipping costs depending on your location. As noted, international shipping charges will be calculated later and charged in the Pledge Manager. We'll have exact shipping costs once the book is in production and we know the specifications, but we do expect it to be expensive. See our estimates on the front pate. If you're an international backer, you can pledge at the Aspirant tier and upgrade to the Relic tier once the shipping costs are known before we lockdown orders. 
  •  Petitioner - If you want access to the manuscript previews but don't yet know if you want the PDFs or hardcover rewards, this tier also grants you access to the Pledge Manager after the campaign so you can upgrade your pledge in the future.


ADD ON REWARDS- the other half of the Reward Tiers update, including information on the second step of pledging. There are several Add On options that you can pre-pay for as part of your pledge process. including the other Scion Second Edition books (Origin, Hero, Demigod, as well as Dragon and Masks of the Mythos) and related supplements, as well as the the Storyguide Reference Screen that we unlocked via Stretch Goal and beginner bundles for two of Onyx Path's other Storypath system games - Trinity Continuum and They Came From.

ADD ON selections will be confirmed in the post-campaign Pledge Manager. 

Choose Wisely

Choosing the correct Pledge Level for your desired rewards, and then filling in any "gaps" with add-ons, ensures that you'll be claiming all of your desired rewards as a thank you for supporting this project and bringing this world to life.

Remember, your PLEDGE AMOUNT is equal to your REWARD TIER + optional ADD ON FUNDING only - Any International Shipping costs will be collected at a later date. You will also be able to select Add On options in the Pledge Manager after the campaign, but remember that only funds added during the campaign count towards Stretch Goal funding targets.

Also to note, only those who participate during the campaign are able to have Stretch Goal rewards added automatically to their rewards lists. If you're waiting to pre-order at a later time, it's better to pledge to the Petitioner tier now and then simply upgrade your pledge later to include these bonus rewards.

On Thursday, I'll be posting one further "Final Day" update, covering What Happens Next and outlining what to expect once the campaign ends.

But until then, we're going to hopefully hunt down one or two final Stretch Goal achievements as we race through our final day of the campaign!


In an earlier update I noted that I like BackerKit's term "Achievement" more than our usual "Stretch Goal" terminology because I like the celebratory tone and how "Achievement" can cover a few different aspects of these bonus rewards. But we may have to really stretch to reach these last goals, so Stretch Goals are pretty appropriate for this update!

Before we talk about targets on the horizon, let's look at our journey thus far. Over the past (almost) 4 weeks, we've been working solidly through our Stretch Goal targets, to the point that we've already achieved NINE Stretch Goal targets - including two that we achieved within the past day!

Within these Stretch Goals are some milestone markers that allow us to celebrate how the campaign grew as well as opening up an additional Add On option, and three really cool new supplements, two of which we expanded and grew by working together. Let's review and see what we've accomplished so far...


ACHIEVED! - New Add On: Scion: God Storyguide Reference Screen! – We’ll create a Scion: God Reference Screen with new charts and tables, and updated artwork to reflect the ongoing journey of the characters introduced on the Origin/Hero screen. This can be added to any reward tier containing a hardcover book for only +$25 (plus additional international shipping charges based on your location).


ACHIEVED! – Scion: God Companion Supplement – Scion: God is a complex game, covering running religions, killing Gods, managing Realms, and possibly even running games where players play multiple Incarnation of the same God. This has huge potential for confusion. Onyx Path will create a Companion supplement for Scion: God that will explain some concepts in more detail, as well as provide evocative and fun examples. All backers receiving the Scion: God PDF as one of their rewards will automatically receive the Scion: God Companion PDF as a bonus reward.


ACHIEVED! – Scion: God Companion Supplement II – The Companion supplement will be expanded to include additional information on Incarnations and Mantles, possibly including rules for rebellious incarnations that seek to sever their connection to their God, Incarnation troupe play, or forging or fighting for new Mantles.
 

ACHIEVED! - Scion: God Jumpstart - An introductory scenario to launch your Scion: God story, complete with Ready-made Characters and basic rules will be created and released as a supplemental PDF. All backers receiving the Scion: God PDF will automatically have this added as a bonus reward.


ACHIEVED! – Divine Inspiration Supplement – Scion: God contains so many options for play and story paths to explore it can be a challenge to narrow your focus. Onyx Path will create a supplement to provide some direction and ideas for Storyguides to build upon, including creative Plot Seeds to explore in your game. All backers receiving the Scion: God PDF as one of their rewards will automatically receive the Divine Inspiration PDF as a bonus reward.


ACHIEVED! - Backer T-Shirt – A Scion: God-themed Backer shirt will be hosted on Onyx Path’s Redbubble store for a limited time. Only backers will be notified when the shirt becomes available for purchase.


ACHIEVED! – Scion: God Companion Supplement III – More on Realms! The Companion supplement will expand and clarify rules around Terra Incognita, Realms, and Sancta. Rules and guidance may include information on ruling over Realms, creating or destroying Realms, Realm Conditions, and Realm challenges.


ACHIEVED! - Digital Wallpaper – Dress up your monitor with an epic scene from Scion: God, automatically added to the rewards list for all backers.


ACHIEVED – Divine Inspiration Supplement II – Plot Seed Packs, sets of thematically-connected plot seeds that can be threaded together for a larger story will be added to the Divine Inspiration supplement.



Looking at these, I'm always happy with our regular milestone markers, the Backer T-Shirt and desktop wallpaper. I just changed my computer monitors yesterday, and I like to update my screens every month or two. I'm doing my best to enjoy the simple things in life.

But I'm really excited about our new content rewards. I'm always up for a Companion supplement, with further exploration of themes and rules and possible expanded rules options, and the Divine Inspiration book is almost a necessity for me. Scion: God is so ... epic ... that it can be hard to even find a direction to point in, and a book of plot hooks and story seeds is exactly what I want to illuminate some potential paths ahead. 

And I'm always a fan of the jumpstart, especially when it includes ready-made characters and the rules basics and is ready to go at a moment's notice. While we've mostly been playing online for the past few years, the new games we've jumped into over the past decade are usually spur-of-the-moment ideas and these jumpstarts make it easy to pick up and play.

 
But why stop there? Nine Stretch Goals is great... but what about Ten? Or Eleven? Let's line up some additional targets in case to keep things really exciting over this final day. First up, our next milestone marker to help us mark our pace, and then one more expansion to the Companion supplement that sounds *really* exciting.


At $115,000 in Funding - Mobile Wallpaper - Dress up your lockscreen with this Scion: God-inspired mobile wallpaper, automatically added as a reward for all backers.


At $120,000 in Funding – Scion: God Companion Supplement IV – Titans, Dragons, and Mythos Scions, oh my! The Scion: God Companion supplement will examine Titanic Apotheosis, Full Dragons, and upgrading Mythos Scions. Additional exploration of how Dragons can steal mantles, and understanding Dragon Lairs as Realms may be included.



YOUR REWARDS!

That's right! You backed this project to help make and publish Scion: God! Our primary reward - the big thank you that we'll send out in appreciation for your support - are PDFs and/or hardcover copies of this book! BUT AS A BONUS, you may also have the Scion: God Companion PDF supplement, the Scion: God jumpstart PDF, the Divine Inspiration PDF supplement, a digital wallpaper an opportunity to add to your wardrobe and maybe you've opted to include the Storyguide's Screen on your list of rewards!

Not Much More Time

If only we had unlimited Divine power and could manipulate time!

Unfortunately, we seem to continue to move forward at a regular pace, and our campaign will some come to the inescapable end. We've achieved our primary goal of funding the book, but there are these two possible Stretch Goal rewards that are still almost within grasp! I know this last funding target may seem daunting, but it wouldn't be a STRETCH goals if we didn't have to really STRETCH to reach it! I'm confident that at least one is within striking distance, though it won't be easy. I'm sure we'll be watching right up until the end of the campaign, but it is completely within our ability! 

So, as every update concludes: let's keep the enthusiasm rolling! Keep spreading the word and letting others know about this project. They've got this final day to jump in and share the Stretch Goals we've achieved!

And every backer who joins in as we approach the end is not only able to enjoy the additional rewards already added by the early fans and backers, but also help reward those early backers by maybe unlocking that Companion expansion!

Remember, only the funds generated during the crowdfunding campaign go toward achieving these Stretch Goal targets, so the time to act is now! Together, we can bring this game to life and make great things happen!

THIS CAMPAIGN ENDS AT 2:00 PM EST / 11:00 AM PST on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17th, 2022!

#FinalDay

#ScionGod



Manuscript Preview #5 - Final Chapters!
over 1 year ago – Tue, Nov 15, 2022 at 04:19:11 AM

Hello Scions,

Here we are, on our final Tuesday of the campaign, with our final section of the draft manuscript ready for backers to review. Anyone who's pledged to this campaign is able to read the entire draft manuscript of this book before any pledges are processed or payments collected this Thursday at 2:00 PM EST (11:00 AM PST).

As we've done with the past three sections, these links will be visible only to Backers who are logged in to the campaign page, so click  "Read that Update" if you're looking at this in your inbox and I'll see you below the title treatment...

Sneak Peek: Antagonists
over 1 year ago – Mon, Nov 14, 2022 at 08:55:06 AM

Hello Scions,

Our final Monday of the campaign, our last little peek at the manuscript before the entire draft will be available for backers to review tomorrow, our final few steps before achieving our next Stretch Goal and hitting the $105,000 funding milestone. Lots going on here.

As a reminder in the midst of all of this, our schedule for this final week:


Final Days Schedule


Whether you've just discovered your divine spark or you're working your way through apotheosis, these are good items to review to make sure that we all end up where we want to be.

(An aside, if you're a new backer, make sure you check out the Final Week countdown post and the Reward Tiers and Add On Funding updates. They set up our final week updates and notes some important points to remember before you pledge. But even more importantly, check out last week's Draft Manuscript Preview post, which contains the manuscript links for backers to download and review before any pledges are collected or payments processed.)


Antagonists

Demigods face an entirely different class of opponents than Scions at the Hero or Origin level, but Gods fight still different battles with a still more dangerous class of antagonist: other Gods, Titans, and the odd unknown entity from outside the conception of divinity altogether. The following updates to the Antagonist system model how you might choose to represent those foes, with new Flairs and Archetypes. Following that, you’ll find example Antagonists to use in your Scion game. 

New Antagonist Archetypes

While Heroes and Demigods fight Titanspawn and the minions of rival Gods, Gods fight other Gods, their children and allies. These Archetypes reflect that eternal scaling-up; a new God can’t just fight the same old enemies while he learns to stand astride the world!

Top Tier
Scion: Origin and Scion: Hero focus on Tier 1 characters, who roll dice with target number 8. Scion: Demigod ups the ante, introducing Tier 3 characters, rolling with target number 7. However, when it comes to change, Gods place their thumbs on the scale, and so do their opponents.
Scion: God introduces Tier 4 characters, who roll with target number 6. That small change causes cascading differences with regards to probability, and the opponents which Gods face often exceed 5 successes on a given roll as a result. This permits Primordials and Godheads to hit player’s characters without tipping over an entire barrel of dice onto the table. Tier 4 Antagonists just do not need to play like that unless they want to.

Primordial

The Primordials exist within yet outside of every Pantheon. They came before the Pantheons; they rose  from the deep ocean, spun themselves out of air and earth, or embody the night sky, the sun, the World itself. Many Primordials eschew the struggles of God against God, existing in a sort of divine quasi-retirement. When they deign to rise from their resting places to fight, even Gods pay attention.

Primary: 15
Secondary: 12
Desperation: 7
Health: 8
Defense: 7
Initiative: 7

Extras: When comparing Tiers for any mechanical purpose, Primordials always count as one Tier higher than their opponents in all circumstances; powers which lower the Primordial’s Tier cannot decrease it beyond “one Tier above the highest-Tier opponent.” If this means the power cannot lower the Primordial’s Tier at all, it isn’t lowered, regardless of the effect chosen. Primordials outrank everybody, except when facing other Primordials, whose Tier they may match. 

Godhead

Sometimes Gods send their Avatars to walk the earth and carry out their bidding. When encountered in their Realms, or if something has truly gone haywire elsewhere, however, one may encounter the God in their true, irreplaceable state. The Godhead’s existence means Gods can die, though infrequently permanently, depending on how one defines ‘die’ and ‘permanently.’ Mantles make the whole thing a rather Ship of Theseus situation, after all: if you kill Loki and take on his Mantles, has Loki really died?

A question for the philosophers, to be certain. You can certainly try to kill him, in any case.

Primary: 14
Secondary: 12
Desperation: 8
Health: 10
Defense: 8
Initiative: 8

Extras: A Godhead in his native Realm rules absolutely: he always counts as a Tier higher than his opponents unless that opponent is a Primordial. Powers which lower the Godhead’s Tier cannot decrease it beyond “one Tier above the highest-Tier opponent.” If this means the power cannot lower the Godhead’s Tier at all, it isn’t lowered, regardless of the effect in play. 

This rule does not apply outside of the Godhead’s Realm; if he utilizes a power to designate a different Realm as his Realm, this rule begins to apply at the beginning of the next turn. Unlike Primordials, this sort of absolute investment of power only works within their home base.



Flairs

Attack Flairs

The Hydra’s Hundred Heads

Cost: None, or 1 Tension
Duration: Instant
Subject: Self
Range: Close
Action: Reflexive
Cooldown: One scene or the Antagonist is killed

For every 2 Health boxes lost, the Antagonist gains another attack per round, as it sprouts another limb or head, venom sprays from its wounds, or another manifestation of its nature appropriate to the Antagonist. For 1 Tension, the Antagonist gains another attack per Health box lost. 

Defense Flairs

Hall Of Mirrors

Cost: None
Duration: Instant
Subject: An attacking character
Range: Varies
Action: Reflexive
Cooldown: The Antagonist evades an attack normally.

When an Antagonist uses this Flair, the attack resolves as usual, using the Antagonist’s Defense rating. After determining the final effects of the attack, the Antagonist chooses one Stunt applied to her with a cost equal to her Desperation pool or less. She applies this effect against another target within the scene using the original successes rolled against her. 

The Resurrection of Ba’al

Cost: 2 Tension
Duration: One Scene
Subject: Self
Range: Self
Action: Reflexive
Cooldown: End of Scene.

By spending Tension before its death, the Antagonist may ensure the death’s impermanence. As Mot spread the ashes of Ba’al’s body across the desert but the Bull God rose again, the Antagonist may resurrect after a mythologically appropriate amount of time. For most Antagonists, this takes longer than a single scene. As with all such decisions, the Storyguide determines what constitutes a mythologically appropriate time but should permit the characters a means of discovering the most likely interval. This never takes longer than the duration of a story. 

Utility Flairs

Enter Stage Left

Cost: 2 Tension
Duration: Instant
Subject: Varies
Range: Medium
Action: Reflexive
Cooldown: Two turns

A favorite of trickster entities, this Flair allows the Antagonist to instantly teleport to a location where someone has just invoked their name. This should be a deliberate invocation of the entity’s name: simply saying the name “Thor” wouldn’t be enough to invoke the God of Thunder, but swearing “by Thor’s hammer, you shall be avenged!” counts, as would a professor giving a long lecture about the entity, or any action or speech which clearly indicates that specific entity. The professor in question giving a general lecture about the Aesir which doesn’t directly mention Thor, for example, wouldn’t allow the hammer-toting Thunder God to pop into reality next to him on the podium.



Áo Guāng

The Azure Dragon of the Eastern Sea is tired.
Year after year, second after second, a new Scion arrives at his doorstep. Usually ones that haven’t even made names for themselves! Lowly heroes and demigods all. Pah! This is all disrespectful to Áo Guāng. Just because Nezha defeated him does not mean that all Scions can!

So, The Azure Dragon readies his weapons, his sorceries, and his command over the water. In modern times, he is not averse to using newer weapons to stronghold his household. Whenever Scions that have not made names for themselves (or have not scheduled meetings with him) arrive, he meets them with excessive belligerence. That is, of course, what these filthy upstarts deserve, especially for thinking that they are in any way equal to Sun Wukong or Nezha.

Áo Guāng longer holds back. He will fight as he has fought in the ancient of days, when the world was old and new at the same time. When that Nezha fought against the natural order of things. He will shake his house and cause tsunamis and earthquakes. He will rise from his undersea palace and encroach upon The World, should the Scions over extend themselves, and the Gods think of him as too pliant.

However, Áo Guāng is paradoxically generous, perhaps against his will. If a Scion defeats him in combat, in any form of struggle, he will reward the Scions with gifts from his house. Do not expect Áo Guāng to hold a good heart over this, however.

This is the truth: Áo Guāng has always been impressed and captivated by his own power. He will break the heavens with his ability to bring droughts and tsunamis. He has abused his strength, his own servants. The Jade Emperor looks upon him in fear of his strength, and never admits or reports his vile actions. Thus, Áo Guāng thrives and prospers. This is a good reason for Scions to try and attack him, but still. Áo Guāng is tired.

Archetype: Primordial
Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence, Armor Piercing, Astride The World, Collateral Damage, Dominion (Water), Flight, Interference, Perfected Soldier, Unstoppable, Willful
Flairs: A Thousand Hungry Hands, Apocalyptic Rain, Calling the Mob, Clearing Space, Lead Astray, Penetrator, The Natural Order is Value-Neutral
Drive: To keep his power.
Callings: Destroyer, Monster, Tyrant
Purviews: Beasts (Aquatic Animals, Dragons), Sky (Storms), Water

Primary Pool (15): Bringing violence with weapons from his house, Protecting his house, Ordering others around
Secondary Pool (12): Controlling the seas, Conniving, Deception
Desperation Pool: 7
Health: 8
Defense: 7
Initiative: 7


Áo Guāng’s House Warriors

Áo Guāng’s warriors are trained to defend his house: a house packed to the brim with servants and princesses. These guardian spirits fight with the style and skill of kung fu martial artist masters, but they fight unencumbered by tradition. They have incorporated guns and harpoons and other modern weaponry into their arsenal. All to better defend Áo Guāng’s house.

Archetype: Titanic Minions
Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence, Armor Piercing, Martial Artist (Heroic), Perfected Soldier
Flairs: Shadow Step, Shadow-Strike
Drive: To protect Áo Guāng’s house… or else he will bring drought and pain upon those that I love.

Primary Pool (11): Martial Arts Tricking, Moving Through Áo Guāng’s House, Striking With Finesse
Secondary Pool (9): Communicating, Escaping, Travelling, Speaking With Áo Guāng’s Mantles
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 5
Defense: 2
Initiative: 7

Tiamat, Genesis of Genesis

Tiamat is the primordial salt ocean. Living in that twilight state of both alive and dead, she is eternal, and she is The World. She lives in compounded reality with the rest of the World-Bodies, but her rage and strength simmers and bursts. She is all at once indestructible but vulnerable to murder. 

A common depiction of her is as a dragon, but her true form is a massive ocean, incomprehensible in its size. All of her children take the form of dragons, which bolstered the ranks of Kingu. 

Tiamat is powerful, but Marduk slew her. She cannot approach Marduk personally, without being dead. She is thus forced to act through intermediaries. Her ancient knowledge, far before even the Gods themselves, puts her in a time so long ago that it is incomprehensible to humans. In fact, it is not clear if she is aware of humanity existing upon The World.

To Tiamat, her authority is absolute. All Gods are below her, especially those new upstart ones that arise from The World. She does not wait, now, although she is patient. Her wisdom is primeval, after all. She works through her dragons, hampering the movements of so-called heroes. Soon she shall unite once again with her beloved Abzu, and finish the First Titanomachy that Abzu started.

Tiamat is chaos incarnate. When her husband was killed, she enacted revenge. Hers was one of the first Titanomachies, fighting against the Gods that were their children.

Her first regret was not killing her children. 

And thus her fury will not be quelled until all Gods have been murdered.

Archetype: Primordial
Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence, Armor Piercing, Dominion (Sea), Destructive Force, Flight, Indestructible (Weapons blessed by the Sun), Omni-oracular, Physiological Void, Unstoppable
Flairs: Apocalyptic Rain, Clearing Space, Create Spawn, Death Curse, Divine Command, Transformation, World Shaking
Drive: To be reunited with her lover Abzu.

Primary Pool (15): Controlling the saltwater, Swimming through saltwater, bringing destruction upon her foes
Secondary Pool (12): Speaking, Coercing, Protecting her brood
Desperation Pool: 7
Health: 8
Defense: 7
Initiative: 7
Extras: Tiamat summons the monsters of the Annuna whenever she Creates Spawn. Tiamat can only be killed by a divine arrow, blessed by Gods. 


New adversary archetypes! New flairs! New antagonists! Check it all out in tomorrow's final manuscript download! We're in our final days, so please review your pledge and Add On funding as we draw closer to the conclusion, and let's see if we can't hit our next milestone marker and then move on to what could be our final Stretch Goal, doubling the size of the Divine Inspiration supplement! Let's go, Scions!

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#FinalDays