The Second Shard - Draft Manuscript Preview #2 for Backers
4 months ago
– Tue, Jul 23, 2024 at 02:33:06 AM
Hello Shardstriders,
We've had a few sneak peeks, but now it's time to dive right into Cyber-Scion, a World where the Gods stride the planet not as legendary beings, but as colossal machines made sacred by the enigmatic substance known as ambrosia. In this World, Scions are not the children of myth, but the rare souls who can resonate with these Divine Machines, drawing forth miracles that defy even the most advanced scientific research.
International Shipping – Collected in the Pledge Manager
One quick reminder about Shipping before we get into the manuscript previews.
First up, it's amazingly expensive to ship, especially from Onyx Path's home base in the US. We get that, but there's not much we can do at this time. Onyx Path is in a difficult space where the company is big enough that they're not saving money by fulfilling out of Rich's garage, but small enough that they can't really set up international partners to handle portions of the fulfillment. So we are where we are - for now.
The best we can do at this point is to plan carefully, advise everyone up front that international shipping will likely be expensive (see our projections on the main page) and only charge what it costs us when the time comes. We’ll be charging for shipping in the Pledge Manager once the books are being printed and we can deal with the actual shipping charges rather than using our best-guesses this far out. If you live outside the US and aren't sure you want the hardcover or other physical items, you can pledge to the PDF tier now and upgrade your pledge in the Pledge Manager once we know the final shipping costs.
DRAFT MANUSCRIPT PREVIEWS - BACKERS ONLY
Remember, thanks to BackerKit magic, these download links are visible to Backers only - you must be logged in and reading this on the website to have access to the manuscript preview links. So, if you're reading this via e-mail, click that "Read The Update" link on the bottom and I'll see you below the title treatment.
WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK
I'm going to be sharing the manuscript in sections - or shards, even - over the next 3 weeks, Part of the reason for that is to keep focus on one section at a time so that the team can gather feedback to help guide the manuscript through the next steps of editing and development. To that end, they've created a special
Feedback Form for you to submit your comments after reading each section!
Cyber-Scion Sneak Peek
4 months ago
– Mon, Jul 22, 2024 at 04:01:19 AM
Hello Shardstriders,
Backers will be able to read the entire Cyber-Scion section from Mythic Shards tomorrow, but we'll have a sneak peek at what we're in for today! If you haven't joined in yet, know that all backers will be able to read the entire current draft manuscript of the book before any pledges are processed or payments collected, so join in and see how cool this project is.
Building a Character
Before any skyscraper-shattering punches are thrown from the cockpit of a Divine Machine, first you must have someone to pilot it. Build a pre-visitation Scion using the rules found in Scion: Origin, starting on page 94. Choose three Callings but do not assign dots to them. Divine Machine pilots do not have Knacks, Legend, or Legendary Titles as these will come from their Machine. The pilot always has their pantheon’s Virtues and moves along the Virtue track as normal. If the pilot is Virtuous, so is their Machine.
Pilots are always pre-visitation Scions; the spark of divinity lurks within them but can only be expressed through the power of their Hero-Class frames. Using Scent the Divine or similar effects always identifies the pilot as someone with a touch of godhood within them. Likewise, pilot scenes involve human-scale conflict: interpersonal drama, logistics, and the like. Otherwise, all battles take place at colossal scale from the safety of their Divine Machine’s cockpit.
The Divine Machine
Choosing a pantheon for your pilot grants the character access to that pantheon’s arsenal of Divine Machines. Typically, players will pilot one Divine Machine for the duration of a campaign, but they are not restricted from doing so. A pilot may command a number of different Divine Machines. The only restriction is that the Machine and the pilot must share a pantheon. Some pilots refer to their favored Machine as their Pantheon Signature Frame.
The Divine Machine functions similarly to the Hero or Demigod template, supplying supernatural powers, exceptional durability, and godlike might on top of the pilot’s skills.
Building the Machine
After creating your pilot, build their Divine Machine. Additional machines can be constructed at any time later. There is no limit to how many Machines may be in a pantheon’s arsenal excepting the framework of the narrative.
Pilots must spend a narrative scene harmonizing their latent divine power with that of their frame. After doing so, the pilot gains the innate ability from all of the Purviews associated with her Machine, even when she is not piloting it. If she switches frames, this changes the Purview abilities she can access. A pilot may only equip or upgrade Calling-type Submodules that align with her Callings.
Divine Machines do not have Knacks and Boons. Instead, they grant the inherent property of any Purview associated with the Machine to the pilot as noted above. Divine Machines have Calling-type Submodules which function similarly to Knacks. A pilot must have a matching Calling in order to equip the Submodule to her mech.
There are two classifications of Divine Machines, called “frames:”
Hero-Class and
Demigod-Class. Hero-Class frames have a Legend rating from 1 to 4 and Demigod-Class frames have a Legend rating from 5-8. The Divine Machine is
not a Birthright and does not have a dot rating. Instead, the Divine Machine’s Legend increases as the pilot spends experience points on upgrading it (see
Advancement).
Calling-Type Submodules
Calling-Type Submodules are condensed supernatural powers used exclusively by Divine Machines. Like Knacks they are driven by the themes of the Calling associated with them. Submodules have two modalities: one that allows a mechanical extension or new effect when Momentum is spent, and another that allows the same but when Legend is spent. Some may also have a modality that grants another additional effect (usually without a cost) when the Machine’s purviews align with this Submodule. Not every Submodule will have this modality.
Hymn to the Divine Machine
Calling the coded prayer-phrases, the pilot beckons her Machine to her side.
System: Use a simple action to summon your Divine Machine into any pilot-scale scene. It smashes through the most appropriate scenery or rises up out of the ground or a nearby body of water, etc., as appropriate to the themes of its Purviews. You may enter it immediately and initiate Machine-scale battle as a result (or use the Machine to flee danger).
Special: This may be used outside of the Divine Machine.
Weapon-Calling Song
Humming the resonant frequency, the pilot summons her signature weapon to her hand — in or out of her Machine.
System: Spend Momentum. Call your Divine Machine’s signature weapon to its hand instantly and reflexively.
Special: This Submodule may be taken a second time to summon a person-scale version of the Machine’s signature weapon while in pilot-scale scenes.
Shield of The World
The pilot positions her Divine Machine into place and projects a shield of pure divine power that keeps her allies safe.
System: Imbue 1 Legend for the duration of the battle. All allied Machines within Close range of you are protected by your divine shield. Increase the cost of the Inflict Injury and Critical stunts against them by 2. The zone of protection moves with you.
Unseen Threat
A Divine Machine resonant with the Hunter Calling is an apex ambush predator.
System: Spend Momentum. Your Divine Machine vanishes from view, disappearing from all sensors. All attempts to locate or identify the Divine Machine suffer Complication (3) “Hidden from View.” If not bought off, the target cannot spot you and must choose to attack another target.
I'm like Johnny Sokko over here, extra eager to get my Giant Robo-themed manuscript tomorrow!
Join in if you haven't already, and please continue to spread the word in your social circles and on your social media. This book is
different from the usual Scion offerings; it's something
special and unexpected, so let's make sure we let others know!
#ScionMythicShards
Cyber-Scion coming soon!
4 months ago
– Fri, Jul 19, 2024 at 03:38:03 AM
Scion Bonus
The BOUDICA wasn’t much, by Divine Machine standards. It was compact, little more than powered armor. Even then, the “powered” part wasn’t obvious. It didn’t have the usual bells and whistles you expected from ambrosia tech; the glowing lines, pulsing symbols, and whirring prayer-motors. All that frippery was well and good, but Ephraim didn’t need it.
No, what Ephraim needed was a no-frills suit that could punch out a cyclops, take a sideways blow from a fire giant, and keep on running with the little maintenance he could scrape together. The BOUDICA did all of that in spades, even if it was starting to look a little worse for the wear. He knew a breakdown was coming, but he hoped it was at least another three missions away. That would push the mech just shy of its breaking point, and Ephraim felt damn guilty about it, but there wasn’t a good alternative.
At least, not until the Freehold came calling.
This call came in the form of a gray-haired woman — short but stately, with steel rod posture, a handshake like a vice, and an easy smile that was equal parts inspiring and intimidating. The only people who could smile like that were the ones who knew that they were the biggest fish in their pond and any nearby ponds in a hundred mile radius.
“Come work for us,” she said, and Ephraim noticed when she almost said “me” instead of “us.” Her smile grew all the brighter when he said he’d think about it, and she left whistling something old and cheery.
He didn’t want to work for her, and he didn’t want to think about it, but one by one every lead he had dried up. Local governments and minor corps always wanted an extra Scion on hand, especially one who came at a price like Ephraim’s. It didn’t matter how many krakens, dragons, or giant gorgons came rampaging out of the Great Lakes. No one was hiring. At least, no one was hiring him. So, he bit the bullet.
The Freehold was on the Canadian side of the lakes, smack dab in the middle of a pristine spruce forest. One second you were riding a gravel road, and the next, you were looking at a sprawling compound of immaculate buildings lit with the strange, twilight glow that wrapped itself around anyplace powered by an a-tech reactor. If they had one here, it meant they had deeper pockets than he’d thought — deep enough to justify a rotation of Scions on hand just to keep the reactor running at peak.
Maybe that’s what they wanted him for, another body to keep whatever scuttled mech they were using for the reactor core going while they switched someone else into the field. It would be a cherry job, nice and safe, but he could already feel himself getting a fatal case of boredom from the thought alone.
Ephraim’s legs almost gave out when he saw what they wanted him for.
The woman — Alyssa Chartier, a Scion herself in the border wars of the 80s — introduced him to the CÚ CHULAINN as if the mech was just another casual acquaintance and she hadn’t expected to find it here. It was fifty feet tall, plaited with some ambrosial alloy that gave it a silvery-gold sheen. The point of a seven-pronged spear rested just above the concrete floor, grasped in its hands like a lightning bolt. By the time he got close enough to touch the mech’s towering heel, he could feel its divinity in his teeth, as if every bone in his body had turned into a tuning fork.
“That’s a good sign,” Chartier said, “he’s responding to you already. We’ve had a dozen different Scions try and take him for a spin, and he’s never had that kind of reaction. Maybe he likes you,” she said, waggling her eyebrows. She knew that Ephraim couldn’t say no to a chance to pilot something like this. He looked back to a bay where a few of the Freehold’s technicians were examining the BOUDICA for repairs (part of his fee, naturally) and felt a twinge of guilt. Ephraim Wu cheated at cards and on the battlefield, but it shocked him in the gut to think he could cheat on his mech.
His heart sank when he got into the cockpit and the Demigod’s systems pulsed to life like a dog greeting an old friend long absent. Arcs of harmless golden electricity leapt from the console to dance across his skin, and his senses synched in naturally: his eyes of flesh fluttered to a close, and CÚ CHULAINN’s flared to life. He was the mech, and the mech was him, and together they were so violently alive that it burned like hope, like joy, like victory.
These Demigod eyes weren’t as limited as his human ones. In his mind, new awarenesses bloomed. A little flicker of his attention and he could sense temperature, pressure, electromagnetism, and that numinous radiation that came off every piece of a-tech. That last one is what caught his attention most of all.
He could sense the reactor, of course. And six active Hero-class Divine Machines in the midst of drills. And then, beneath the lake —
“You can sense it, can’t you?”
Chartier’s voice came in clear on the comms, cutting through the noise in Ephraim’s head. “I can sure sense something down there. What the devil is it?”
“A spawning pit,” she said, and all that carefully curated warmth went out of her voice. “And quite frankly, the bane of my existence. Do you know what it’s like to have to camp out right on top of something like that? It’s two, three kaiju a week, and that’s if we’re lucky.”
“Bomb it. Send in some Heroes. You’ve got six in the field right now and what feels like five more in repairs.”
“It’s deeper than that,” and her voice did something strange when she said deeper. It gave the word spin and gravity.
He understood. He didn’t know how he understood, but he did: this wasn’t just a physical thing, or place, or whatever. It was a knot of congealed Legend, or Fate, or something else with a capital letter that he’d only ever heard of in passing. Heroes fought monsters, but if you wanted a whole realm wiped off the map, you sent a Demigod. Even if the realm was a tucked away, hand-me-down, sideways place.
The spear sparked alive in CÚ CHULAINN’s hands, sizzling with the same golden electricity that filled the cockpit. The World quivered as the Demigod took its first steps, steady as the dawn, towards the water.
“I don’t suppose I get to keep it?” Ephraim asked as he walked into the icy waters.
“That all depends. Do we get to keep you?”
AFTER THE FALL review - Savior and Scourge
4 months ago
– Thu, Jul 18, 2024 at 04:28:26 AM
Hello Shardstriders,
We're closing in on our first Stretch Goal - a bit of a pace tracker, really, to help us figure out how to run the campaign over the next month. We've got some really cool things lining up, so please continue to spread the word and let your friends and friendly gamers know about this project. It's a bit of a departure for the regular Scion stories (I think that's what makes it so cool!), so the more information we can share, the more interested potential backers may become.
If you haven't already watched the Scion panel from last month's Onyx Path virtual game convention, check it out!
<Onyx Path Con 2024 - Scion Panel> The team talks about Mythic Shards a bunch!
And, for those who have already joined in to back, you'll be able to read the ENTIRE current draft manuscript of the book before the campaign ends, before any pledges are processed or payments collected. It's a Difficulty 0 roll with no complications.
In fact, the first section - containing the post-apocalyptic After The Fall setting - is available for backers to download and read right now!
WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK
The team doesn't just want backers to be able to read the manuscript - they want backers to be able to provide FEEDBACK as well! To that end, they've created a special
Feedback Form for you to submit your comments after reading each section! Share your thoughts directly with the developers and writers and help guide the book through the next stages of editing and development!
OK, if you haven't had time to read it yet, or are thinking about joining but haven't quite yet made that move, here's a little preview from our first section, After the Fall, with some new Fatebinding conditions for your apocalyptic Scions.
New Fatebinding Conditions — Savior and Scourge
Survival fuels the core of Apocalyptic Fate. With humankind forced to focus on primary needs and much of civilization obliterated, Scions always find the chance to echo the primordial roles of heroes and supernatural beings as either Saviors or Scourges.
Savior and Scourge are two Conditions player characters can invoke in association to one of their existing Fatebindings. Either Condition reinforces the way Scions appear in the eyes of their Fatebindings, empowered by the willing decision to act in accordance with the reputation of Savior or Scourge.
Both Savior and Scourge share the following Condition rules:
- Once per arc, Scion can link the Condition to a Fatebinding instance, defining themselves as Savior or Scourge for that Fatebinding until its Fatebound Condition’s (Scion: Hero, p. 197) resolves. The bonuses gained from the Savior/Scourge Condition’s activation apply if the Scion acts as embodiment of that role in the Fatebound’s eyes, even if the Fatebound character themselves isn’t present or is a place, item, or community. Fate echoes those actions through the wasteland and strengthens the Scions no matter what.
- The Savior and Scourge Conditions apply to the Fatebinding in relation to its Fatebound and Role Conditions. A given Fatebinding can’t be used to sustain both the Savior and Scourge Condition at the same time.
- Once per session, the character can activate the Savior/Scourge Condition’s effects. Demigods and Gods gain further effects for each activation but must also pay additional costs (see below.)
- The presence of their Fatebinding’s object in the scene doesn’t change the effects or costs of the Savior/Scourge Condition, no matter the Scion’s Tier.
- Activating the Savior/Scourge Condition’s effects counts as invoking the linked Fatebinding’s role Condition, meaning the Storyguide can roll as usual to increase the associated Fatebound’s Condition Strength. This is in addition to the once per session use of invoke players can do.
- If the linked Fatebinding’s Fatebound Condition duration would end, it persists at Strength 0 until the Savior/Scourge Condition resolves. A Strength 0 Fatebinding’s role Condition is “frozen”: players can’t invoke its nor suffer for its avoidance, Storyguides can’t compel it, but it can still resolve or become Imperiled. Players can invoke the Savior/Scourge Condition linked to the Fatebinding, which means its Fatebound Condition can regain Strength as detailed above.
- The Savior/Scourge Condition resolves at the end of the current arc, when the linked Fatebinding’s role Condition is resolved, or when acting in opposition to the Savior/Scourge Condition’s nature. The latter resolution also converts the linked Fatebinding’s role Condition to another one of equal Strength that reflects the change in the relationship between the Scion and their Fatebound.
Savior
Saviors protect communities, bring hope to settlements, and cultivate life from destruction. A Savior defends, nurtures, and rebuilds.
Hero: Gain an additional number of dice equal to the linked Fatebinding’s Strength on a single roll where you follow the role of Savior. Scions with the Creator, Guardian, Healer, Hunter, Judge, Leader, Liminal, Lover, Sage, Warrior, Shepherd, Primeval, or Knight Callings also gain an Enhancement equal to the highest relevant Calling on the roll.
Demigod: You can gain 1 Legend through adoration and gratitude. If you do so, one of your Fatebindings becomes Imperiled. Then roll the Collateral pool, no matter the current rating.
God: You can imbue rather than spend to invoke your Legendary Title as a Feat of Scale when you act as Savior. If you do so, the Storyguide gains a pool equal to the character’s Legend they can spend to craft a complex Problem (Scion: God, p. 74) afflicting one of the character’s Realms — or the character directly if they have no Realms — exchanging ratings from said pool for the problem’s rating and Complications on a one-for-one basis.
Scourge
Scourge torment towns, deliver death to whoever dares to oppose them, and pursue their goals with no qualms about the pain and devastation they cause. A Scourge attacks, raids, and destroys.
Hero: Gain an additional number of dice equal to the linked Fatebinding’s Strength on a single roll where you embody the role of Scourge. Scions with the Hunter, Judge, Liminal, Lover, Trickster, Warrior, Adversary, Destroyer, Monster, Primeval, Tyrant, Outsider, or Knight Callings also gain an Enhancement equal to the highest relevant Calling on the roll.
Demigod: Gain 1 Legend through dread and intimidation. If you do so, one of your Fatebindings becomes Imperiled. Then add the linked Fatebinding’s Strength to the Collateral pool.
God: You can imbue rather than spend to invoke your Legendary Title as a Feat of Scale when you act as Scourge. If you do so, the Storyguide gains a pool equal to the character’s Legend they exchange on a one-for-one basis for Threat, Size, and Narrative Scale to craft a Goliath antagonist (
Scion: God, p. 236) of any kind.
We'll be visiting all five shards in this book over the next 4 weeks.
And maybe adding a sixth if we get enough support and interest... so please continue to spread the word and let's see what we can get up to with this project!
Tomorrow: Our first taste of Cyber-Scion!
#ScionMythicShards
FUNDED! - And Now Stretch Goals
4 months ago
– Wed, Jul 17, 2024 at 12:01:57 AM
Hello Mythic Scions!
First up, we're gonna need a better nickname! Share some suggestions in the comments and let's see if we can't come up with something punny to call ourselves.
Secondly, and more important...
THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED!
Thanks to your support,
Scion: Mythic Shards will begin the journey from draft manuscript to a fully-developed PDF and hardcover release, taking our
Scion second edition games into entirely new directions!
And even as new worlds and new possibilities begin to open before our characters, so do new opportunities and rewards present themselves to us!
I'm talking about Stretch Goals! We've got some neat things planned and I'm hoping to get sorted soon, but let's start with a few just to figure out our pace in this campaign.
As we increase the overall funding and support for the project, we’re able to add additional resources to the project, expand the rewards listed, and add in new offers and opportunities. Each Stretch Goal will have a target that, once reached, will add a project to the reward list for backers of the relevant Stretch Goal path.
At $25,000 in Funding – MYTHCI SHARDS SHIRT ON REDBUBBLE – A Mythic Shards-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.
At $30,000 in Funding - MYTHIC SHARDS REFERENCE GUIDE PDF - AFTER THE END - A Mythic Shards Reference Guide PDF will be created, containing useful charts and info to help Storyguides run an After The End game. This PDF will automatically be added to the rewards list of all backers receiving the
Scion: Mythic Shards PDF.
We're just getting started in our campaign - it runs until August 15th at 2:00 EDT, so plenty of time to let our friends and friendly gamers know about the campaign and hopefully grow our backer count, unlock some Stretch Goals, and then add some exciting new targets for us to work towards!
Thanks so much for your support, and I can't wait to see what's coming next! But, seriously, let's come up with a funny nickname for this group!
#ScionMythicShards
