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In Short

The Good: Readers unclear on what sorts of adventures Scions have may get a better idea from this book. The inclusion of a variety of interesting adversaries is a welcome addition, though they’re balanced against Demigods.

The Bad: The addition of Atlantis is bewildering. GMs uninterested in the ongoing adventure may be disappointed that all of the material but for the initial player material is included for the sole purpose of supporting that adventure. The ruleset feels like it’s getting a little messy, and it’s a lot harder for me to eyeball over/under powered characters.

The Physical Thing

Under the Cover

At Legend 5 the Scion’s parent showers their child with new gifts as they become something far removed from human. More attribute points, Boons, Birthrights, and Bonus points are immediately awarded to bring the Scion up to the next level. All the signature characters from the first book have been upgraded like this, as well as given 150 XP worth of development to reflect their time adventuring.

How much of a power boost is it? It’s huge. 9 Attributes, 10 Epic Atts/Boons, 5 points of Birthrights, and 15 Bonus points. It’s probably best to scale up an entire group at the same time, as a single Demigod could easily run the show with nothing but Heros around.

Chapter Two Epic Attributes and Knacks 16 pages.

Epic Attributes now extend to rank seven, providing up to 22 bonus successes apart from the dice roll. What does that mean? I don’t know. Scion: Hero states that there is no limit to how high difficulties can go, but “a difficulty 5 task is one of extraordinary difficulty which even experienced Scions can have trouble doing.” There is no discussion of what the raw power of Epic Attributes means in Demigod, so Storytellers are on their own. For Physical Attributes I don’t see this as too big of a problem, as they’re more quantifiable and characters regularly square off physically. For Mental/Social Attributes, however, it’s entirely within the realm of the Storyteller. Unfortunately, I don’t see any encounters that draw upon the use of Epic Social/Mental capabilities but there are a number that benefit from Epic Physical.

On the plus side, each level of Epic Attribute continues to provide Knacks and the Knacks here are interesting. While there are some where the Storyteller may say “Shouldn’t 22 successes be enough to do this anyway?” others enable entirely magical actions, such as being able to see into other spectrums or wirelessly interface with computers. They’re generally well done and players are sure to find some that are of interest.

Chapter Three Divine Boons 34 pages.

In addition to a large number of more powerful Boons Demigods gain the ability to use Purviews even without a specific Relic. While they still gain a benefit, Scions simply aren’t as reliant on Relics as they once were. Each Purview presented in Scion: Hero gains 4 new powers at levels 4, 5, 6, and 7. These powers tend to be potent and highly magical. Some examples include teleporting through shadows (Darkness 4), teleporting to the aid of those defended by the Scion (Guardian 5), granting immortality (Health 5), splitting into duplicates (War 6), and enslaving pet tornadoes (Sky 7).

Two things are worth mentioning here. First, as a purely mechanical matter I found many Purviews in Scion: Hero to be significantly weaker than Epic Attributes. Not so in Demigod, especially for non-combat characters. Second, many Purviews have some sort of ‘travel power’ such that just about any Scion should be able to get something that amounts to teleportation if they want it. This is an interesting design decision, and the big plus side is that it allows for a much more global campaign that might otherwise be easily available.

Chapter Four Unknown Lands 68 pages.

The goal of this section is to provide some setting detail for a variety of different mythological locations so that when the adventure throws the characters into their midst the Storyteller will have a solid idea of how to run them. The big advantage of presenting these locations here, rather than during the adventure, is that Storytellers uninterested in running the included adventure don’t have to wade through it to pull out useful content.

The first site of interest to be introduced is the Touchstone, a place of mystical significance connected to similar sites across the world. Further fulfilling the goal of quick mystical transport presented with new Purview powers, these locations quickly allow Scions to engage in intercontinental travel. For example, Stonehenge in Salisbury Plains, England is a Touchstone. It mystically connects to other Stonehenges around the world, including one made of cars in Nebraska. An interested Scion, then, could use this mystical connection to quickly travel from the United States to England.

After the discussion of Touchstones a broad variety of mythical locations are introduced covering something for every Pantheon. For example, Jotunheim, home of the frost giants, is included for the Norse Pantheon. These fantastic places are often accompanied with an adventure hook to enable the Storyteller to easily incorporate them into an existing game. What’s great here is that the book manages to balance a large variety with some detail, hoping to find something that will interest the Storyteller while providing enough support that the Storyteller doesn’t have to do all the work solo.

In addition to the wonderful variety of mythical locations Demigod introduces the Atlantis Pantheon along with a brief history of Atlantis. The setting support is very sparse, doing little more than introducing the Pantheon and the idea that Atlantis was once a remote paradise until something bad happened (Storyteller discretion) and the land was destroyed. Atlantis is a conceptually odd choice as well. There are still many human Pantheons that could have been added to the game, and there’s nothing particularly exciting about the write up for Atlantis. Perhaps if it was integral to the adventure idea the authors had it would make sense, but as it’s incorporated into the adventure the whole idea feels tacked on. The only advantage I see at all to the Pantheon is as an option for players who want something other than existing mythology to draw from.

The biggest single focus, though, is on the Underworld. Each of the core Pantheons has its Underworld presented in beautiful detail, filled with interesting description and ideas. While in some ways it’s a rehashing of existing mythology, the authors go an extra step and incorporate their own novel ideas to help bring the Underworlds to life. Whether it’s the long, difficult journey through Duat or the extreme difficulty non-Japanese speakers have in Yomi the entries are a treat to read.

I see the Underworld as having particularly impressive potential for Storytellers who want to harvest ideas from the book fortheir own adventures. Fighting or helping undead both make solid mythological sense and undead are such a staple of modern fiction that incorporating them is something players can easily relate to. More than that, as Scions grow in power they may want to make sure that their friends and loved ones are taken care of after the fact. A grand quest to assure the Scions’ families are safe in the underworld could make for an excellent series of adventures.

Chapter Five The Heroic Saga 58 pages.

This is an extension of the adventure presented in Scion: Hero, to be concluded in Scion: God. The core idea is that communication with the Overworld has ceased and the Scions want to know why. It doesn’t pick up immediately after the last adventure, so Storytellers can take the initiative to incorporate signs and portents of this adventure into whatever they have planned for the meantime. The action starts with a diverted flight or boat ride, introducing the characters to the Isle of Circe. From there it heads to Atlantis where the Scions foil a plan by a servant of the Titans. Finally, the characters journey through the Underworld in order to confront a Titan and restore communication with the Overworld.

The good here is that there are lots of suggestions for different ways to incorporate scenes and alternate content. The idea is to try and make a moderately railroady adventure seem more fluid and tailored to what the characters are actually doing. It all ties back into the Unknown Lands already presented as well, so Storytellers have a good enough idea of what’s generally going on that they can easily bend with the flow of play.

The big downside is in the nature of the challenges. Physical challenges are easy. The various monsters have detailed stat blocks and a Storyteller won’t have any trouble running them. Social and Mental challenges, however, are sorely lacking. Each of the encounters is rated according to its Physical, Social, and Mental difficulty but the non-physical rating has little to do with the situation. There’s little discussion of the non-physical challenges, and those that are included tend to be very simple.

Chapter Six Antagonists 77 pages.

Titanspawn, Dragons, Immortals, Dead, and a huge host of different creatures can be found here. The antagonists are an extremely varied group, providing the Storyteller with something for any situation. As with the fantastic locations, there are creatures from every Pantheon. In addition to perfectly supporting the adventure, these creatures serve well to fuel any adventure the Storyteller comes up with.

My Take

It’s important to recognize what Scion is. Each book is a complete package, with a lot of fiction, a big adventure, signature characters, and a bunch of support for the adventure. It’s a game about kicking Titan ass and not worrying about the petty concerns of the rest of the world. If you enjoyed Hero and are on board with the goals of the Scion line then you’re going to like Demigod, but if Hero didn’t work for you then Demigod is unlikely to sway you.

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