ON ATTRIBUTES

Scion’s Storypath system is versatile by design. Players should feel free to think of a myriad of different
ways to perform tasks. In keeping with that goal, all dice pools listed in this chapter are merely guidelines
or suggestions for the most common or basic dice pool. Thinking of inventive scenarios where players can
use alternate Attributes to perform tasks is encouraged. Some examples:
• Timing your sword strike for a gap in the enemy you’ve been observing with Cunning.
• Taking out a construction site with a few well-placed explosives using Intellect.
• Using Dexterity to nimbly pull the gears out of a clockwork owl while clutching on and riding it.

TIERS
Characters in Scion vary wildly in mythical potency, represented by their Tier. This has a number of
applications, but primarily determines the target number they use when rolling. More powerful characters
can casually influence the world.
1 (Mortal Tier). Characters without a trace of supernatural power. Legend 0. Target Number 8.
2 (Heroic Tier). Those with a growing Legend of their own, or who call on the power of a greater being.
Legend 1-4. Target Number 8.
3 (Demigod Tier). Creatures of storied power, and heroes who truly exceed the bounds of mortality.
Legend 5-8. Target Number 7.
4 (Divine Tier). Those beings who stir The World with their steps, foremost among them the Gods of each
pantheon. Legend 9-12. Target Number 7.

The Mental Arena’s Attributes are the genius of

APPROACHES Intellect (Force), the quick-wittedness of Cunning
A character’s Approach defines the way they tackle (Finesse), and the discipline and attention to detail of
challenges. Whenever a character faces a challenge requir- Resolve (Resilience).
ing a roll, their player should describe their Approach after
The Social Arena is divided between the charisma
the Storyguide decides the Arena. (Alternatively, the player
of Presence (Force), the subtle graces of Manipulation
and Storyguide can simply agree on an Attribute, as below)
(Finesse), and gruff resistance of Composure (Resilience).
A character using Force confronts their problems
head-on, sweeping obstacles aside with sheer direct power. USING ATTRIBUTES AND APPROACHES
Force is seldom subtle, but is also the most direct Approach. In a Physical underground boxing match, a fighter
Finesse is a softer Approach, one which uses speed and could dive in and hammer away with Might (Force), weave
wits to avoid opposition. Though subtle and swift, Finesse around for a perfect shot with Dexterity (Finesse), or drain
can provoke worse problems down the line. his opponent with a Stamina (Resilience) rope-a-dope.

Resilience allows a character to outlast their oppo- In a Mental chess match with lives on the line, a player
nents, using flexibility and guts to achieve their goals. might marshal memorized stratagems with Intellect (Force),
or try to feint and gamble with Cunning (Finesse), or simply
Resilience is often slow or dangerous, but is also thorough.
avoid foolish mistakes and pile on the pressure with Resolve
The character’s player should choose a Favored (Resilience).
Approach (p. XX).
In a tense Social police interrogation, the suspect could
ATTRIBUTES try to lie his way out of things using Manipulation (Finesse),
or simply keep his cool and deflect with Composure
Each combination of Arena and Approach is referred (Resilience). Meanwhile, his interrogator uses Presence
to in shorthand as an Attribute. For easy reference, mark (Force) to intimidate him.
these on a character’s sheet using the rating for the ap-
propriate Arena. Add two dots if it uses that character’s
Favored Approach.
DICE POOLS
The Attributes of the Physical Arena are the brute
FOR MIXED ACTIONS
A challenge can involve lots of different actions, like a
strength and speed of Might (Force), the deftness of
flurry of blows, but these are always aimed at a single goal,
Dexterity (Finesse), and the vital toughness of Stamina
like knocking out an attacker. When a character needs to
(Resilience).
do two totally separate things at once, this is called a mixed

62 CHAPTER TWO: STORYPATH SYSTEM

action. For example, she may want to cut down a tengu war- In other cases, the Difficulty of the challenge is caused by
rior while composing a poem about her victory, or prepare other characters. This is called opposed Difficulty, and it is
for a grand Bacchanalia while researching the stock market. generated by an opposing character’s own dice roll.
When this happens, the player calculates the dice pool In direct clashes, like a public debate or a brutal strug-
for each action and then rolls the smaller pool. She spends gle, one character is the “defender.” Their dice roll is used to
successes from this pool to meet both the Difficulty and set the opposed Difficulty for the “attacker.” In the case of
Complications of each challenge, and can succeed at one parallel efforts such as a foot race, or when it’s not clear who
while failing at another. If she has relevant Enhancements, the “defender” is, the competing characters compare their
she can only use her bonus successes to help accomplish total successes for that roll. The smaller number is used to
whichever task they apply to. set the level of Difficulty.

ROLLING THE DICE MIXED ACTIONS AND DIFFICULTY

Each task in a mixed action has its own level of
Once the player has assembled his dice pool, he rolls
Difficulty, which a player must spend successes to meet. If
the dice. He wants each die to land at or above his target
the total number of successes is too low to meet both levels
number. His target number depends on his character type,
of Difficulty, they can choose to fail at one of their tasks in
but by default it is 8. Each die that meets his target number
order to succeed at the other.
is a success. A success is the basic currency of the Storypath
system. Players use successes to complete challenges, over- LEVEL OF
come Complications, and do cool Stunts. DIFFICULTY CHALLENGE EXAMPLE
If a player rolls a 10, that die gives one success and is 1 Minor: You escaped a pursuer.
rolled again. This is called 10-again, and it continues until
no dice show a 10. Some special benefits provide 9-again or 2 Notable: You evaded coordinated
8-again, where those die results or higher are also rolled again. pursuit from trained police officers.
Occasionally in the text you’ll see an abbreviation like 3 Significant: You outran a police car on
“2s.” This translates to “2 successes.”
foot.
4 Major: You got away from a charge of
YOU AGAINST 5+
the Wyld Hunt.
Extreme: You slipped from the clutches
THE WORLD of a vengeful Fury.

E very challenge has two components — the character, and

everything else. The Skill and Attribute the player uses
to create their dice pool, and the target number they want
COMPLICATIONS
Some challenges come with a Complication, an
each die to meet, are all about the character. These numbers unforeseen consequence to success. Complications
don’t ever change, whether the character is staring down a can be avoided by spending successes, in the same way
bouncer or a sweet-talking Sif. as Difficulty, but they do not prevent a character from
succeeding. They are a “yes, but…,” a drawback that
Situations change all the time, however. Different chal-
might inflict injuries, cause new problems, or increase the
lenges have varying degrees of Difficulty, which represent
Difficulty for future challenges. For example, if a char-
the obstacles in a character’s path. Some challenges include
acter climbs over a fence, the barbed wire across the top
Complications, which can trip up even a successful charac-
would be a Complication. She can get over the fence; the
ter, and at times a character can leverage Enhancements to
question is whether she can spend a moment — and two
improve their chance. These are “everything else.”
successes — tossing her jacket over the wire to keep her
DIFFICULTY hands from being sliced open.

Every challenge has a level of Difficulty, which is the Just like Difficulty, each Complication has its own level
number of successes a player must spend to overcome any ob- of severity. Players can bypass a Complication by spending
stacles and succeed. Every challenge requires at least 1 success enough successes to meet its level. Complications only affect
to complete, so the minimum Difficulty is 1. If a character wants successful challenges, though characters who fail may face
to vault a Difficulty 2 gap between buildings, she must roll at their own consequences. If that fence-climbing character
least two successes to buy off the Difficulty and succeed. If the fails to meet the Difficulty of the challenge, she won’t cut her
character doesn’t have enough successes to meet the Difficulty, hands, but she might be caught by whoever’s chasing her. A
they fail the challenge and receive a Consolation to keep the Complication is a good way to make a challenge more daunt-
story moving. Situations where it’s impossible to succeed do not ing without actually stopping a character in their tracks.
have a level of Difficulty — characters just don’t roll. Occasionally in the text, you may see an abbreviation
The Storyguide normally sets the Difficulty based on like “1c.” This is short for “a level-1 Complication.”
the scope of the challenge. This is called static Difficulty.

YOU AGAINST THE WORLD 63

LEVEL OF
YOU TALK YOUR WAY
INTO A FAVOR FROM
ENHANCEMENTS
COMPLICATION OGMA, BUT… An Enhancement is something that makes a challenge
easier, such as a useful piece of equipment, or favorable
1 Minor: You upset him. He won’t circumstances that a character can take advantage of. If a
remember you fondly. player rolls at least one success, they receive bonus successes
2 Notable: He’s worked out from any Enhancements relevant to that challenge. If an
what you’re really after. At this Enhancement does not specifically apply to the task at hand,
level, Complications can result or if they don’t roll at least one success, the player can’t use
in Conditions, including Injury it. None but the most exceptional Enhancements offer more
Conditions. than three additional successes.
3 Significant: You got the bad Similar to Complications, you may occasionally
end of the bargain, and owe see an abbreviation like “1e.” This is short for “1 level of
him one.
Enhancement” or “+1 Enhancement.”
4 Major: An invisible spy over-
heard your secret discussion. Example: Eileen’s grabbed a gun loaded with runic rounds
that guide her bullets. This is an Enhancement to her accuracy,
5 Extreme: He’s seriously pissed but it won’t help her vault a barricade. In a mixed action, the
off with you. Watch out.

ENHANCEMENTS
LEVEL OF
ENHANCEMENT CIRCUMSTANCE EXAMPLE EQUIPMENT EXAMPLE
1 Minor: You have the high ground. A finely balanced rapier.
2 Notable: You’ve studied your enemy’s style. An enchanted macuahuitl.
3 Significant: Your target doesn’t know you’re A genuine Masamune blade.
there.
4 Major: Your enemy labors under multiple A dagger made from the head of Gungir.
divine curses.
5 Extreme: A god of war guides your blade. Excalibur.

64 CHAPTER TWO: STORYPATH SYSTEM

 massive havoc: All successes from the dice pool are mul-
tiplied if a roll is called for, or you can assume one success
TOO MANY COOKS for every three dice and then multiply that result.
Storyguides, be careful giving Enhancements • Dramatic Scale is how much the Scale actually affects
over 3 without accompanying drawbacks. characters and other elements that are central to the
These tend to make even difficult rolls quite story. Dramatic Scale provides an Enhancement to
easy, and remove the challenge inherent in actions against narratively important characters or
rolling at all. While players can benefit from objects. For static values, apply half the value of the
Enhancements from multiple sources, again, be Dramatic Enhancement.
extremely cautious in allowing the combined
Enhancement to exceed 3. Too much help When applying Scale to two opposing forces or individ-
tends to make the task more difficult, balancing uals, compare each character’s Scale and then apply the ben-
out the additional sources of aid, and you can efits of the difference to whomever has the higher Scale. For
reflect this by simply not awarding the value or example, a car racing after a human receives Enhancement
by adding a unique drawback. 4 due to its roaring speed (Scale 2), but when it chases a
cowardly centaur (Scale 1), the difference in Scale is only
one, so it only receives 2 bonus successes.
character can benefit from Enhancements relevant to either Scale comes into play for dramatically important challeng-
task. However, they can still only use those extra successes for es only; it’s the job of the players and Storyguide to bridge the
accomplishing tasks appropriate to the Enhancement. divide between the narrative and dramatic effects of Scale.

ENHANCEMENT DRAWBACKS A sprinter racing a sports car, or a power lifter arm-wres-

tling an oni, face a massive difference in Scale which makes
Sometimes using an Enhancement causes problems, victory a tricky prospect. Smaller differences, such as a hu-
even as it helps. These are the drawbacks. For example, man arm-wrestling a shorter human, don’t use Scale. Just
getting drunk might ingratiate you to a party of satyrs, but like all Enhancements, different kinds of Scale only affect
it’ll lessen your fine motor control. When an Enhancement the challenges to which they’re relevant. An astra weapon’s
has a drawback, the Storyguide can choose to play it out in destructive Scale is useful for sundering a bank’s vault, but
one of three ways: not for impersonating its guard.
• The drawback adds a Complication (p. XX). Some examples of types of Scale follow:
• The drawback increases the Difficulty (p. XX) of • Size: Huge differences in size provide a Scale
another action. Enhancement, which applies to tasks that make use
• The drawback gives antagonists a free Enhancement of a larger creature’s weight and height, like crush-
to use against you. ing, lifting, and intimidation.

TEAMWORK • Force: A Scale Enhancement for destructive force ap-

plies to efforts to cause damage, like a Scale 2 grenade.
When one character helps another in a challenge, the It can be opposed by defensive Scale Enhancements,
assisting character assembles and rolls their own dice pool, such as tank armor or a divine aegis.
and provides an Enhancement equal to the successes they
rolled, up to a total of 3. The two dice pools do not need • Speed: A disparity in speed offers a Scale
to use the same Skill or Attribute, so long as the teamwork Enhancement, which the faster party can use for
makes sense. For example, a character could use Athletics + challenges like races, chases, journeys, and changing
Might to perform the heavy lifting of massive server racks for range bands (p. XX).
an engineer, who works with Technology + Intellect. • Leadership: Outsized sway over others, such as the
Scale 3 influence wielded by a president or an incred-
SCALE ibly handsome fae, is represented by an Enhancement
Scale represents a sizeable gap in raw power or scope that aids attempts to change minds and encourage
between two things. Many supernatural beings operate on a certain actions.
level entirely above humanity, while exceptional equipment Normal humans are assumed to be Scale 0 in every
can give an incredible edge. Scale has two components: area; they are the baseline. Equipment or circumstances can
narrative and dramatic. justify Scale as well: A main battle tank can be Incredible,
• Narrative Scale describes the multiplier you should apply adding 6 successes to an already-considerable dice pool of
to successes or static traits. When comparing Scale to 10 or more.
minor characters and story elements, such as scenery, TRIVIAL TARGETS
bystanders, and minor combatants, feel free to handwave AND NARRATIVE SCALE
the Scale multiplier as a rough narrative benchmark of
Scale represents the kind of tremendous gulfs bridged by
what happens, simply narrating the characters creating
heroic luck and derring-do. Those lacking such things tend

YOU AGAINST THE WORLD 65

 SCALE RANK
SCALE RANK NARRATIVE DRAMATIC EXAMPLE
0: Standard n/a +0 (0)
1: Elite x2 +2 A wuxia martial arts master with wirework, an anti-tank rifle
2: Supernatural x5 +4 A giant that hurls cars with ease
3: Incredible x10 +6 Outrunning a car on the highway, a main battle tank
4: Godlike x100 +8 Smashing said tank in half with a single blow
5: Supernal x200 +12 Lifting a full aircraft carrier clear of the water
6: Titanic xLots +16 The World’s mightiest forces, weapons of mass destruction

to fare worse. The narrative effects of Scale can be applied spread out across a greater range than normal. The action
to trivial targets. Scale differences of more than three should is rolled once, then applied against everyone within range.
usually result in automatic failure (or success). In the case Each range increment outside of the original target reduces
of targets such as background scenery or nameless mooks, a the effect’s Scale by two, as the force peters out.
difference of more than one level is enough to dismiss them
Example: The animated, bronze Colossus of Rhodes strikes
without a roll. Storypath refers to this difference as “trivial
the ground upon which Eric Donner is standing at Scale 4,
targets,” who suffer more realistic effects from a difference
which generates a Shockwave. Donnie Rhodes is within close
in Scale. Rolls are only used for challenges, not effortless or
range of Eric, so he suffers the same hit at Scale 2. Omolara
outright impossible tasks: When the animated Colossus of
Muhammad is within short range of Eric, so she takes the same
Rhodes stomps down on a group of Greek protesters, there’s
hit, at Scale 0. Beyond that, it has no force. The Storyguide
little room for doubt about what happens.
chooses a lot of Knockdown and Knockback Stunts.
Player characters are never treated as trivial targets,
Not all Shockwaves stem directly from Scale; a master
even when the difference in Scale is extreme.
swordswoman might be able a cut everything within reach,
Example: As Sigrun wrestles the bunyip, they crash into thanks to a Knack granting her attack the Shockwave
the middle of a barbeque party. Throwing the hero clear, the (Close) tag.
beast snaps at a random bystander armed with nothing but an
overdone burger. The roll for the beast automatically succeeds; CONDITIONS
normally, it would enjoy a +4 Enhancement. Needless to Sometimes characters in Scion are struck by long-term
say, things end messily and without a roll for the poor, lesser problems or lingering benefits, such as a broken arm or a po-
carnivore. tent blessing. A Condition is a long-term status that lingers
SHOCKWAVE on a single character, affecting the challenges they face, and
is usually represented as a Complication or Enhancement (or
Some kinds of Scale or particular types of hits generate some mixture of the two). If a Condition causes a character
a Shockwave, which causes the effects of certain actions to

SCALE LEVEL
SCALE LEVEL SIZE EXAMPLE SPEED EXAMPLE LEADERSHIP EXAMPLE
0 Normal: Person-sized Normal: A decent sprinter
Normal: Just some guy,
y’know?
1 Large: Elephant, Bus, Troll Quick: Horse, Centaur Persuasive: Your supervisor at
work
2 Huge: Giant Squid, Roc Fast: Sedan, Cheetah, Authoritative: The boss of the
Atalanta company
3 Giant: Blue Whale, Behemoth Turbo: Sports Car, Kamaitachi Regal: The leader of a nation
4 Landmark: Statue of Liberty, Blinding: Airliner, Garuda Divine: A deity within a
Giant Buddha religion
5 Overwhelming: Typhon, Supersonic: Fighter Jet, Solar Divine King: The deity of a
Skyscraper Chariot purview like War
6 Geography: Manifest Meteoric: Scramjet, Railgun, Supreme: One of the chief
Primordial, Small mountain Dandu Morana Gods of the pantheon
66 CHAPTER TWO: STORYPATH SYSTEM
 ADJUDICATING SCALE
As with all Enhancements, Scale can include drawbacks. For example, a giant monster would tire in a
long battle without feeding and would have trouble dodging attacks. Gauge Scale carefully; mortals don’t
fare well against the supernatural advantages without aid. These advantages can be subverted in clever
ways, however — who needs the strength of the gods when an SUV going 80 miles an hour literally hits like
a truck? Characters can find ways to neutralize Scale or wield some of their own, whether by employing
stronger weaponry, researching mythological weaknesses, or attacking the monster in some arena where
they can’t wield Scale. This can greatly aid in hitting the high Defenses some monsters possess.
Sometimes, Scale can be a hindrance as well as a help. Giant monsters seldom find it easy to sneak
around, and it’s tricky to snipe a specific enemy with an artillery shell. In these situations, the Storyguide
should increase the Difficulty of the challenge by an amount equal to the Scale rating.

to fail or otherwise suffer a significant setback, it provides 1 a little extra flair, while 2 shows remarkable luck or skill, 3
Momentum in addition to any gained as a Consolation. is a dazzling display, and anything more is bound to win you
A Condition always includes one or more ways to re- honor, glory, and millions of YouTube views.
move it, called resolutions. The Storyguide can add more STUNTS
resolutions if they make sense. For example, the Hangover
Players with threshold successes can spend them on
Condition fades over time, but an appropriate Health Boon
Stunts to improve their character’s position or further their
or ridiculous home remedy could end it early. If a Condition
goal. Stunts are narrative permission slips — they give you the
is resolved before it naturally fades away, it provides 1
chance to alter the scene in your favor or do something that you
Momentum.
otherwise couldn’t have done. When a player rolls several extra
Some Conditions are so tied up with a character that remov- successes scampering over a barbed-wire fence, a good Stunt
ing them would be a dramatic change, like permanent blindness would be to carefully snip the wire on the way over, so the other
or paraplegia. These are Persistent Conditions, and can usually characters using raw muscle to climb won’t be injured.
only be resolved with Boons or other divine attention. Instead,
A Stunt must:
they provide the band with a good source of Momentum.
• Link back to the success of the character’s action;
FIELDS
A band of Scions may find themselves in a cursed temple • Affect a different Skill or Attribute combination than
or a cramped train car, which each impose their own obstacles the player used; and
and opportunities. Fields are similar to Conditions, except • Be narrated out by the player as to how they change
that they apply to every character within a specific area. Fields the scene.
are not defined by distance and have nothing to do with an
Stunts are also deeply involved in the three areas of
effect’s range. Instead, they represent a single “place” with dis-
action, particularly in action-adventure, and these Stunts
tinct features. A cramped elevator is a single Field for a fight,
have a particular success cost associated with them. There
but so are the miles of empty desert surrounding Zerzura.
are three basic types of Stunt:
Fields provide context for the world of the story, so the
Storyguide should add features whenever it makes sense. For • A complicated Stunt allows you to make a Complication
example, if a character calls down a rainstorm while fighting for another character, making their life more exciting.
on a rooftop, the Storyguide might add a Complication to How many successes you spend on the Stunt deter-
the Field that causes careless characters to slip and fall. mines the level of the Complication.
Players can suggest such ideas, but the final decision lies • An enhanced Stunt creates an Enhancement that
with the Storyguide. you can use for another action, whether that’s your
character’s next action (using a different Skill) or to
THRESHOLD SUCCESSES aid another character. Again, the number of successes
Once a player has totaled all her successes from her you spend on the Stunt indicates how many successes
dice pool and Enhancements, she spends them to meet the the Enhancement gives you. It’s like giving yourself or
Difficulty and succeed. Any leftover successes are called someone else some successes for later.
threshold successes, and she can spend them to overcome • Finally, a difficult Stunt makes it harder for others to
Complications. She can also spend them to pull off Stunts, accomplish actions directed at you. The successes
which are extra effects that stretch her success further. you devote to this Stunt add to the Difficulty for
Any threshold successes she doesn’t spend indicate a characters to take actions against you.
general degree of success. 1 threshold success demonstrates

YOU AGAINST THE WORLD 67

Example: Monica’s character Imogene Heat has just scaled a simple creating a new fact about The World, “There’s an open
heavily-fortified skyscraper, and gets five successes on a Difficulty window on the side of the building we can enter through,” or
3 Subterfuge + Dexterity roll to crack open a window on the “Every fire-alarm system in this apartment building is linked
38th floor. When the Storyguide describes the place as filled with to a few central sensors, like the one I’m going to light a match
guards, Monica says, “Imogene waits for the telltale flash of light- under,” or, with more successes spent on the Stunt, something
ning from her mother the sky goddess, counts to three, and then even more scene-changing: “From my character’s background
dives through the window as the booming thunders obscures her understanding of the Prose Eddas, I knew the villain was a
rapid footfalls.” The Storyguide allows her to apply Complication frost giant all along, so we brought flamethrowers.” The Twist
2 to the Subterfuge + Composure opposed roll of the guards — if should be agreed upon by all the players and the Storyguide
they hear anything at all, they’ll likely be drawn to the window and can’t be anything overtly supernatural.
instead of her.
• The mook’s gun runs out of bullets just as they get a
TWISTS OF FATE bead on the Scion.
If you’ve used your Path to enhance a roll and have • Sirens are heard in the distance as the police arrive
some successes left over, you can perform a special kind of on the scene.
Stunt: Telling the Storyguide to twist Fate, changing the story
• The character reveals they’ve got a gun under the
itself. Twists of Fate are the unlikely coincidences that follow
table and have been aiming all this time while the
Scions around; each success spent on a Twist of Fate can add
villain threatened them.
or remove one detail from the scene. Sometimes events just
aren’t going the way the character wants, or sometimes it • The character’s got a cache of passports just when
would make for a more dramatic escape if there were a door at the group needs to get out of the country, a gift from
the other end of the room, or if there was a gun conveniently their parent’s worshippers.
placed on the end of the table. If what Fate wants is a better • The damaged car engine suddenly turns over, allow-
story for your character, think of it as that outside force chang- ing the character to escape.
ing the story to make things more interesting.
• Reading the headline of a newspaper from a park
Twists of Fate can’t ask the Storyguide to undo something
bench reveals a vital clue.
that’s already established, but they can alter the context of
what’s established or introduce a new fact. An edit can be as • The “drunk” the villains just rolled for petty cash is in
on the scam with the player characters.

68 CHAPTER TWO: STORYPATH SYSTEM

 • The Wudang monk once lost a martial-arts battle to an interval gives the character a Milestone, which can be a
the player characters, and owes them a debt of hon- clue, an ingredient, a favor, a racing checkpoint, or whatever
or...just this once, at least. most suits the complex action. Once a character achieves a
The Storyguide may decide that some details require set number of Milestones (like a static Difficulty), the com-
more successes than others (the flamethrowers up above, plex action ends successfully.
for example), but in general it’s one success for one scene If a character isn’t under any pressure, she can fail as
change. Nothing created or removed via a Twist of Fate lasts many intervals as she likes, slowly accruing Milestones until
beyond the current scene. her project is complete. More urgent complex actions include
Heroes, Demigods, and Gods can create more powerful a limit on the number of intervals the character can attempt
and miraculous Twists of Fate that are overtly supernatural, before the entire complex action fails. Complications can
but this is determined by the kind of divinity they become force a character to skip an interval as she wastes precious
and even their mundane Twists become limited. See Scion: time dealing with them, or even lose a Milestone in the
Hero for more details. chaos.

DEGREE OF SUCCESS In some cases, the Storyguide may award a Milestone

without any need for a roll. For example, if a great luthier
After all successes have been totaled and spent on is gifted a strand of Sif’s metallic, golden hair for services
Difficulty, Complications, and Stunts, they can contribute to rendered, that easily qualifies as a Milestone in his ongoing
how impressively the character succeeds. Degrees of success attempt to craft an incredible electric guitar.
follow:
COMPLEX TEAMWORK AND OPPOSITION
LEFTOVER Characters can use the rules for teamwork to collab-
SUCCESSES DEGREE OF SUCCESS orate on intervals. Alternatively, they can try to achieve
0 Normal: You succeeded. No more, no different Milestones during the same interval. For example,
less. one character might perform forensic analysis while her
1 Competent: You showed particular partner interrogates a suspect. In this case, each character
expertise or luck in succeeding. rolls separately, earning Milestones as normal.
2 Excellence: You performed admirably, A complex action with opposed participants is a con-
and Gods of Arete or Luck pat them- test. The opposed characters or groups each work separately
selves on the back. to gain enough Milestones, and the one who does so first
is the winner. In contests with a limited number of inter-
3 Amazing: Your feats leave others in
awe. vals, like races with a set track, the one who gains the most
Milestones within that limit is the winner. Rivals can use
4+ Divine: You’ll be talked about for de- Stunts to interfere with each other’s efforts, so contests use
cades, at least. initiative to determine who goes first, as described on p. XX.

COMPLEX ACTIONS
When players need to resolve a challenge that involves
FAILURE
lots of separate tasks, they can use a complex action. This is
a series of linked challenges called intervals, each of which
have their own dice pools, Difficulty, and so on, but all con-
W hen a player doesn’t have enough successes to overcome
the Difficulty of a challenge, they fail. Depending on the
challenge, this can either mean that they fail to achieve their
tribute toward a greater goal. For example, a character who goals, or inflict entirely new problems. For example, a character
joins an illegal rakshasa street race must navigate different who fails to abscond out of their bedroom window might be
stretches of the race, each of which is its own challenge. caught mid-escape. Alternatively, she might get away…by
Complex actions act like a montage in a movie, so that plummeting to the ground and bruising something important.
each interval focuses on one of the “highlights” of a criminal Failure is never a dead end in Scion. It always leads to
investigation or political campaign. Meeting the Difficulty of something new, or builds up to a heroic comeback, because

COMPLEX ACTIONS
MILESTONES INVESTIGATION RACE
2 An awkward case A short-distance course
3 A carefully hidden secret weakness A three-lap chariot race
4 A treasure hunt with four keys A rough and varied derby
5+ A multilayered conspiracy An incredible marathon

YOU AGAINST THE WORLD 69