Scions Rules

Scions Rules for Character Creation

Characters will start at 250 points. If you select a House, a member of the third through fifth generations can be your parent. You cannot start with advanced powers of any kind, since that will be roleplayed through, but you may certainly put the points aside for it.

Strength
Strength-based fighting, like wrestling. It governs chance to hit and damage dealt. Strength also is for feats of strength (throwing a motorcycle) and shaking off hits from fists and occasionally weapons.

Warfare
How adept you are with weapons. Also how well you can devise strategies. Covers chess and games of strategy too.

Endurance
Being able to run a marathon. Five times a day. Recovering from wounds.

Psyche
Offensive and defensive ability in mental combat.

Philosophy on the Rank system

The rank system is all relative (pun only somewhat intended). If you were to rank my friends from high school and me in football I would be ranked number one or two for good hands, number three for speed, and dead last in low-speed maneuvering (aka, making a cut in front of me was likely to break my ankles). Put me in with all of us from today, and my high school era self jumps to number one in everything because I am up against a group of broken old men in their mid-50s. One of my former players was infamously attacked (successfully) by a couple of dogs. This means that rank is relevant among the ranked.

Philosophy on the Stat system

The stat system is also relative but is more fixed.

Human rating (not quite sure. If I ever spend some experience on myself and get one of my stats that high I'll let you know.) Typical human.
Chaos rating - best on the planet. Note that in Amber Chaos rank is -10 points, and I use gradations of this, so someone at -7 is better than someone at -10, but both are Chaos rank.
Amber rating - best on the planet, ever.
Ranked - supernatural.

The next set of stats is my interpretation of what one can do with the appropriate stat.

Strength
1-10 Can toss a motorcycle, but not far.
11-20 Pretty strong. Can't kick a door down because their foot would go through it. Has to hit it with a wider area. Can do ridiculous damage to shadow dwellers because of this. Can lift a car.
21-40 Shrugs off grapples from weaker foes. Can throw a car, but can throw a motorcycle farther.
41-70 Destructively strong. Could stand up to almost any superhero in a strength battle, except those specifically known for strength. Can throw a motorcycle at least the length of a football field, with aerodynamics slowing it quite a bit. Can carry one of the trees behind your house.
71-99 Ridiculously strong. Can hurl eighteen-wheelers. The main obstacle to throwing things is leverage and sinking into the earth. Given suitable footing, could lift an end of a destroyer. Can carry a large tree.
100+ Ludicrous strength. Can throw or kick a football over a mile, can use a strength bow to fire to the horizon, could punch through the armor of a battleship or a stone wall. Could destroy the doors and inner walls in Castle Amber. Can easily carry a redwood tree. Can go toe to toe with Thor in a fistfight, or the Hulk, or Superman.

Warfare
This one is easier to manage since the main sign of higher warfare is hints and outright information given by the gamemaster during a post.

Endurance
Again, nothing hard and fast, but is a good sign of how well one can abuse their body the higher the stat is.

Psyche
See Warfare.


Houses

Each House has its own advantage. See below for details.

Players will have the option to choose their House or one can be chosen for them after a character concept is made. With so much time since the last upheaval in Shadow, Shadow paths abound.

New Power - Shadow Pathing. 15 pts. The user of the Shadow Path power has the ability to find and use Shadow paths, due to the latent power of the Pattern in their blood. After a first Pattern walk, this power is changed to Basic Pattern, for 35 pts, so only 20 pts to upgrade.

Advanced Powers of any kind, including Shapeshifting, are not available to PCs at the campaign start.

House Advantages - Note that these are built in perks, and do not cost anything extra. Note also that this is above and beyond the natural kinship ones House may feel for them, as modified by your Good Stuff, Zero Stuff or Bad Stuff and can and will be modified with how you play your character.

House Brand - Controls the Pattern, and most if not all of the members of the Council are of this House.

House Caine - Depending who you are, loved, hated or feared by other seagoing peoples.

House Fiona - Has access to the Pattern, and many members of the Council are of this House.

House Finndo - Has some allies in Shadow and many enemies.

House Florimel - Not entirely trusted, but usually liked, this House has the ability to get into pretty much anywhere on name alone.

House Jolene - Revered in Arden. Jolene's son rules Arden, and when he is gone, more of Jolene's offspring will as well.

House Gerard - Respected in Arden. Probably looked down upon by the redheads, but also probably trusted.

House of Llewella - Great status in Rebma. Looked upon suspiciously anywhere else in Amber.

House Bleys - This name is not looked upon favorably anywhere near Amber, due to tales being told of how Bleys himself was responsible for so much death during a war over a thousand years ago. In Shadow, his name is looked on more favorably, all the way to the Courts, where it is told of how Bleys helped destroy the tyrant Zuren.

House Corilaine - Advantage is having many friends of the blood, and high status in the Kingdom of Corilaine, such as it is.

Dead Houses. Some of these Houses, should a PC choose one, may have an advantage or nothing, as listed below.

House Deirdre, House Delwin, House Sand, House Benedict. - Some of House Corilaine will claim the individual House, more likely as a warning than anything else. House Deirdre would receive a good reception in Amber City, since Deirdre was beloved there and anyplace else around the area. House Benedict would still hold some sway with martial peoples and others who knew of the line.

House Julian - Anyone claiming this House would be treated fairly well by House Gerard, House Caine or House Jolene, but it would be made clear that House Julian does not have any superiority to House Jolene, since Jolene ruled Arden after Julian abandoned it.

House Dalt - Supporters in the Golden Circle, where the name Dalt is equated with freedom. Nearer to Amber, his name is greeted with "Oh, Dalt." In the Fae lands, his name is greeted with "Yeesh."

House Mirelle - Has supporters deep in Shadow, nearer to Chaos.

House Nepenthe - Anyone claiming this kinship would possibly have Unseelie Allies. If you consider that an advantage. You would also get the enmity of the Seelie and others. If there are any members of this House, and Nepenthe was believed to have died without issue, it wouldn't be much of an advantage.

House Cianfa - Scholars who knew she was a necromancer might be impressed or frightened, but otherwise no advantage.

House Osric - Anyone claiming such might get respect from House Talon and House Finndo, or their enmity.

House Corwin - Hmm.

House Eric - At game start, no advantage.

House Random - No advantage.

House Angel, House Elwynne, House Teigan. No advantages.

House Evermay - Note that all of Evermay's offspring belong to House Brand, and all of them claim House Brand.

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