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S o Now You’re a Hero provides advice and examples
for Storyguides running a session that brings their
players’ characters from Origin level to Hero level, starting
with prompts to consider during character creation and
taking the characters through four scenes centered around
their Visitations. We provide examples for the four types
of Scions and discuss how their origins might inform their
experiences. All of the advice here is malleable — you
might want to condense it all into a single scene for each
character or draw the various parts out into multi-session
arcs. This could be run at the end of an Origin-level series,
or as the opening of a new Hero-level game. It might even
be a vignette you run at the end of your character-creation
soon-to-be Band.
BEFORE YOU START
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session to help everyone get to know the members of their
During character creation or Session Zero, in
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addition to noting who their divine parent is and to which
Pantheon they belong, here are some questions you might
want to ask your players to consider:
• Is your character aware of her divine heritage?
• If she knows who her divine parent is, are they in
touch? How does she feel about it either way?
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• If she doesn’t know, is there anyone in her life who
does? This might be a family friend who kept old
photos of her parents, or one of her Godly parent’s
minions sent to check in on her. It could even be
one of her parent’s enemies.
• For Created or Incarnate Scions, what is the rela-
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tionship with their patron like? Are they continu-
ing on the path the God intended for them, or have
they veered from it wildly?
SCENE ONE: NOT
LIKE THE OTHERS
F rom an early age, most Scions feel like they’re different
from their peers. They can’t shake the sense they’re
destined for more, whatever that entails. They challenge the
status quo and attempt daring feats. Many have a laundry
list of questions they’d like answered and injustices they
plan to set right. Additionally, they seem to be magnets
for strange occurrences. Weird things keep happening to
them, events they can’t write off as mere luck. Sometimes
Scene One: Not Like the Others
it’s subtle: the Scion of a God of Fortune is just plain lucky...
but when the coins always come up how you call them, you
can’t help but notice. Sometimes it’s overt, like when their
divine parents’ enemies fling monsters at them, attempting
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to goad the God into action in their child’s defense.
Open the scene by asking players to describe a typical
day for their Scion. What are some of the places they
frequent? Who do they see as they head to work or classes
— coworkers, baristas, fellow commuters, a dog walker
with her miniature pack? What are the hallmarks of their
days? This sets up the status quo, just before everything
changes.
Talk a little about things that are normal for the
characters, but would be extraordinary for everyone else,
and invite the players to elaborate and add their own. Are
there omens or symbols of her divine heritage all around
her, if she looks for them? If there’s an animal associated
with his parent, do they mysteriously follow him around
or seem to understand him when he speaks? Does the
first ray of sunlight after a storm shine directly on her?
How do the characters interpret these things when they
happen?
Keep in mind the different types of Scions, and how
that origin affects their Visitations.
• Born Scions are the children of a God and (usual-
ly) a mortal. They feel Fate gathering around them
like a storm, even if they don’t understand what’s
coming. They have the sense they could take on
The World and might even be willing to try. If the
character has relevant Short-Term Deeds, they
might plunge headfirst into fulfilling them, even
if it means taking on someone who’s stronger or
more powerful than they are. These are early,
heady days, where they’re just figuring out their
inner Hero. Be willing to let bold gestures pay off.
How do the characters handle situations in ways
that evoke their divine parent’s influence?
• Chosen Scions were blessed by a God who isn’t
their parent, through Fate or their own extraor-
dinary actions. They might have a firmer idea of
what’s coming, especially if they grew up knowing
they’d someday be tested. For them, this scene
might be full of their divine patron’s representa-
tives getting them ready for their impending trials
while the God’s priests offer advice and blessings.
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Other Chosen catch a God’s eye through their own
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deeds and, like Born Scions, see evidence they’ve
been noticed. What about their Calling aligns with
the God’s? What about them impresses their pa-
tron, or is about to come to a head in a way the God
will notice?
• Created Scions were made by a God to serve a
specific purpose, and through their Deeds granted
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freedom to determine their own destinies. These
Scions often already know who their patron is and
why they were created — their Visitation lies in
the moment of Creation. That doesn’t mean their
players sit out the first parts of this adventure.
Instead, show them fulfilling their duties, and ex-
amine how they feel like they fit in (or if they fit
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in) among their peers. Alternatively, this might be
the very beginning of their story. Describe what it
is the God needs them to do, and how they’re made.
What are they, before they take on human form?
What kind of awareness did they have before the
God breathed life into them? The player might
even take on the role of the God for this part, as
they realize the need they have.
• Incarnate Scions come from those Gods who
wish to walk The World themselves, in mortal
bodies, and are what remains when the Mantle is
severed or the God dies. Others are reincarnations
of Heroes and Demigods who died before forging
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Mantles of their own. Incarnate Scions might also
know who they are — or were — from the get-go.
If that’s the case, use this scene to explore what
happened to the God they used to be. What severed
them from their Mantle? Did the God they were
spun off from die? You don’t have to answer these
all up front; some of those questions make excel-
lent mysteries to pursue in the next scene or over
the course of the campaign. But some of the flash-
backs might offer insights and intriguing clues. An
Incarnate Scion who isn’t yet aware of their origin
might instead play out new versions of old myths,
all the while feeling a strong sense of déjà vu.
Flashbacks are an excellent tool to use in this scene
as well. As the characters go about their day, encourage
the players to reflect on their deeds (or Deeds) thus far.
This is the corner where, a year ago, they moved as fast
as Hermes to pull a pedestrian out of harm’s way. The
city park’s quiet now, but last week, she joined a party
that lasted all night, and had her own crowd of revelers
following her lead — just like Huehuecoyotl, even if she
doesn’t know it yet. Then there was the time they were
out hiking and got into that brawl with a troll...
Throughout the scene, play up the sense that the
characters are on the verge of something big. The omens
around them ramp up, to the point where even if the
character’s desperately trying to pretend she’s not being
followed by a murder of crows, her friends and coworkers
certainly notice it and comment.
 Example: Beth is playing Hannah, a Born Scion
of Ptah who lives just outside of Memphis, Tennessee.
Hannah’s unaware that her father is the God of craftsmen,
but as an amateur blacksmith, she takes after him. The
Storyguide, Alan, asks Beth to describe a typical day for
Hannah; she’s going to work, having lunch with a friend
(one of the other players’ characters), and plans to go to
the forge in the evening. Everywhere she goes that day,
Hannah spots images of bulls: a corporate logo, her baris-
ta’s new tattoo, graffiti on the wall outside her office. She
and her friend even have lunch at a café named The Bull
and Scarab. Alan also mentions weather reports alerting
residents of the potential for severe thunderstorms around
Memphis that evening. Even though it starts out as a sun-
ny day, Hannah feels like she can sense the storm building.
By the time she’s headed for the Memphis makerspace
where her forge is, dark clouds have gathered on the
horizon.
SCENE TWO:
DIGGING DEEPER
N ow that the players know what a normal day looks like
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for their characters, that’s all about to change. This is
where they truly start to discover who they are, by following
clues that will ultimately answer some of the questions that
have dogged them all their lives, and eventually reveal their
divine parent or patron.
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STRANGE OCCURRENCE
Begin this scene with a strange occurrence,
something that catches the character’s attention and
promises answers to the questions she’s been asking for
so long. Possible ways to accomplish this include:
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• Combat: A Titanspawn or other monster draws
the characters together and puts them on the path
to solving their mysteries as a group, or some pro-
fessional-tier antagonists (Scion: Origin, p. 145)
cause trouble in town. They might be after some-
thing important to the characters’ divine patrons.
Or they might simply be a gaggle of easily defeated
mooks who give the Scions a chance to show off
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their skills and get to know one another if they ha-
ven’t met previously. As the goal of this scene is to
give the Scions insights into their divine parentage,
you might want to use the Down and Dirty Action
rules (Scion: Origin, p. 115) to resolve the fight
quickly.
• A Figure from the Past: A face in the crowd jogs a
sudden recollection. Does that man at the bus stop
just look like the person from their hazy memories
of a picnic in the park when they were five, or is it
actually him? The auntie who comes to town every
few years and spins yarns about the Scion’s mom’s
college years sends a text reading, “We need to
talk.”
Scene Two: Digging Deeper
• Divine Messengers: A ghost comes bearing a mis-
sive from Anpu, or an animikii perches on a branch
outside the Scion’s window, observing her actions
to report back to Muzzu-Kumik-Quae. Ratatosk
shows up and shit-talks Baldr’s Scion, with in-
structions from the God of love and beauty buried
somewhere within the insults.
• Mirroring Their Parents’ Myths: The bouncer
at a nightclub called Tara asks Lugh’s Scion a mil-
lion questions before letting her in. Sun Wukong’s
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daughter trespasses to read beneath a peach tree,
though she’s never seen it bloom — before today.
Situations feel eerily familiar, and even some
otherwise innocuous activities gain a portentous
weight.
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These occurrences draw the characters into a
Procedural scene, as they gather information about their
origins and the Gods who loom large in their lives. Treat
all essential information as leads, beginning with the
information they gain from the occurrences. If there’s a
mysterious gilded box stashed in the vault the mooks are
breaking into, the Scions find it. If Ratatosk’s chittering
includes a time and address where she needs to show up,
the character understands.
CLUES AND ANSWERS
Clues the characters uncover may include:
• The meanings behind omens they’ve spotted.
• Which Pantheons or Gods a Titanspawn considers
their enemy, and vice versa.
• Information surrounding their birth and early
childhood, such as birth certificates, places they
lived or went to school, unusual phenomena at the
moment of their birth, etc.
• Information on myths they’ve reenacted.
• Newspaper clippings, articles in gossip magazines,
and social-media posts featuring their parents or
their own early feats.
If a variation on “learn about my divine parent” or
“figure out what makes me special” isn’t already on the
characters’ lists of Short- or Long-Term Deeds, it’s worth
allowing players the opportunity to adopt them and fulfill
them within this session.
Born Scions find answers to a lot of the questions
they’ve been asking themselves over the years in this
scene. It might take them back to their hometowns or
put them in touch with long-lost relatives who turn out
to be Gods, guides, or other followers. The truth comes
out over a pot of tea at their grandparents’ kitchen table,
or over the course of a long night poring over brittle,
yellowing copies of their small-town newspaper in the
library’s basement.
Created Scions with no memories of their pasts find
information about places they’ve been before and speak
to people who remember them, even if they don’t recall
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 WHAT ABOUT THEIR DIVINE PARENTS?
The names of the characters’ divine patrons can be a lead or a clue in this scene, depending on the
players’ decisions, their characters’ actions, and your story’s needs. Chances are, the players already know
this information, having filled in those blanks during character creation. However, if they’re still narrowing it
down, have left it up to the Storyguide, or want to make the reveal a cool moment for everyone at the table,
it’s okay to keep it secret a little longer — the next scene unveils them.
the events themselves. They may find the clay from
which they were shaped and stand in the grooves where
the God’s fingers scooped them from the ground. Or they
might return to the forest they only vaguely remember
and find themselves surrounded by a pack of wolves who
smell like home.
Incarnate Scions find another layer of mysteries
awaiting them. If they don’t recall what severed them
from the God’s Mantle, their investigations might
awaken old betrayals. If the God they were spun off from
was murdered, what happens when the killer learns
someone’s asking questions and digging for secrets they’d
considered buried?
TRIALS OF THE CHOSEN...
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At this stage, Chosen Scions might instead undergo
the trials they’ve been training for all their lives, or per-
form the feat that makes a God sit up and notice.
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If they have a trial to undergo, decide what form it
takes. Will their physical endurance be tested? Are they
expected to find clever answers to a series of riddles?
Keep calm amidst chaos? Prove they’re capable of
leading? If the Chosen Scion isn’t on the God’s radar yet,
their investigations might be in pursuit of one of their
Long-Term Deeds or another mystery central to the plot.
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In either case, one of the other areas of action might
better suit this stage of the Chosen’s journey toward
their Visitation. Decide which of the systems presented
in Storypath best fits the challenges. If they have a series
of tasks to undertake — for example, wrestling a God’s
champion, winning a philosophical debate, and charming
a mythical beast — the trial can be represented as a
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complex action.
...AND OTHER EPIC BATTLES
One or more of the Scions might also find enemies
waiting for them when they go digging. Either, as
mentioned above, their attempts to discover who they are
stir old rivals into action, or some other threat pushes the
Scions to their limits. They might challenge the monster
who stole their divine parent’s legendary sword or drive
off the Jötnar that’s been terrorizing the small town
they’re passing through. For both these Scions and the
Chosen, the challenge isn’t the whole story.
Remember that, while they’re kicking ass (or getting
theirs handed to them), the characters are coming to
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terms with their divinity and their place within The
World. What is it about this particular fight that prepares
them to shed their mortality and become a Hero? What
makes their divine parent decide to step in and introduce
herself?
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The answer might be as simple as “I performed a task
worthy of the Gods,” or “I succeeded where my divine
parent failed.” The Scion might have displayed wisdom,
kindness, or valor in a way that made the God proud or
reminded him of himself in his myth-forging days.
The player doesn’t have to have an immediate
response for this. It’s not a test, not one last question
the character must answer correctly in order to earn
their Visitation. It’s one more tool in the players’ and
Storyguide’s toolboxes to help shape the character and
inform their themes and motifs in story arcs to come.
FATE STEPS IN
Failure at any of these stages shouldn’t delay the Scions’
Visitations (unless that’s something the players want to
explore!) Instead, if a player fails or botches rolls, work
together to come up with some future Complications and
plot hooks. Maybe the character makes an enemy along the
way, or the God foists an inconvenient task on them after
their Visitation. Fate might nudge them back on track, or a
future Fatebound companion enters the story to help out.
Overall, remember that these are the Scions’
moments to shine and show off a bit. If you want any of
these scenarios to play out as a montage of cool moments,
it’s perfectly fine to narrate the scene and let the players
describe how their characters accomplish the challenges
before them. Everyone at the table has put time and effort
into creating the characters; if the dice are getting in the
way of that, feel free to set them aside.
Example: Hannah’s on her way into the city when
the storm breaks. The sudden downpour forces her to
pull off the road. Just as it’s at its worst — rain sluicing
down, thunder so loud she feels it in her chest — a bolt
of black lightning strikes the empty field beside her.
When Hannah’s vision clears, a black bull with a dia-
mond-shaped white patch on its forehead stands amidst
the scorched grass. On its back is another white patch,
resembling a vulture.
“Hannah takes a picture and texts it to her aunt
Marie,” says Beth. “She’s a rancher, and she knew both of