Synergy
syn·er·gy
Pronunciation: \’si-nər-jē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural
syn·er·gies
Etymology: New Latin synergia, from Greek synergos
working together
1broadly : combined action or operation
2: a mutually advantageous conjunction or compatibility of
distinct business participants or elements (as resources or
efforts)
While the term Synergy is a modern one, the concept is not. Ancient
heros have been coming together to benefit from
Cooperation (Synergy •)
Dice Pool: None
Cost: None
True synergy is predicated by cooperation. If individuals cannot
see past their differences in order to strive towards a common
goal, they will never be able to become greater than the sum of
their parts. If mundane or magical social or mental effects would
cause a Scion with Cooperation to oppose someone who also has
Synergy, he may spend 1 Legend to resist instead of 1 temporary
Willpower. If the effect normally costs more than 1 Willpower to
resist, the scion may choose how many of those Willpower points to
spend Legend for instead.
In addition, when using limited teamwork a Scion with Cooperation
grants double the normal bonus (i.e. two extra dice instead of
one).
Third Alternative (Synergy ••)
Dice Pool: None
Cost: None
"To the victor goes the spoils" is a lesson from a bygone age.
Today's synergistic culture seeks the win/win and strives to make
everyone victors so the spoils multiply. Those with Synergy are in
tune with the ebb and flow of negotiations and can easily find that
middle road that has all participants leaving feeling satisfied.
Whenever a discussion turns from arbitration to mediation and the
Scion finds himself striving for the middle road, he adds the
rating of his highest Synergy boon to his dice pools when rolling
to achieve that compromise. If multiple characters with synergy are
cooperating to reach the third alternative, the bonus dice
stack.
For example: Jack Covey, Scion of Baldur with Negative
Synergy (Synergy •••) and Third Alternative (Synergy
••) and Stephen Welch, Scion of Zeus with Third
Alternative (Synergy ••) are negotiating the release of a
prisoner from the Warden of Durance Vile. They have evidence of the
prisoner's innocence and could possibly prove that the prisoner
should be freed. The Warden however, is (as usual) unresponsive to
such issues and stands by his desire to keep the prisoner for
eternity. Jack and Stephen, keen negotiators, opt to aim for the
third alternative: the warden releases the innocent prisoner if
they can find a more deserving guilty one, or possibly retrieve
someone who has escaped in the past. When making Command, Politics,
or Presence rolls to convince the Warden to accept the third
alternative Jack and Stephen gain a bonus of 5 dice to the roll
(the total of their two highest ranking boons). These bonuses last
for the scene, until the compromise is achieved, or until any of
the Scions who activated it opt to stop seeking the Third
Alternative (whichever comes first).
Negative Synergy (Synergy •••)
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Politics (out of combat) or Manipulation
+ Command (in combat)
Cost: 1 Legend per target, penalty, and action
Though they do not often admit it, Scions who study the benefits of
Synergy also learn the things which can inhibit it, and how to use
those negative synergistic factors for themselves. Through proper
positioning, verbal maneuvers, and subtle influence of his
opponents' competitive urges the Scion causes another group to
stumble over themselves. The Scion spends four or more Legend and
chooses two or more opponents to influence. He rolls
Manipulation + Politics if in a non-combat situation, or
Manipulation + Command if in battle. Each success on the roll can
be applied towards duration or difficulty. For each success applied
toward difficulty, all targets lose 1 die from every pool
(including attacks, damage, and miscellaneous actions). Each
success applied toward duration allows the effect to continue for
one action. The total cost of activating the boon is the dice pool
penalty plus the number of targets plus the duration.
For example: Donald Trump, Scion of Twopay, finds himself
fighting three giants. He activates Negative Syngery, places
himself in positions where the enemies must trip over themselves to
attack him, and also begins verbally prodding their Dark Virtue of
Rapacity by telling them that he's a great prize and none of them
are smart enough to catch him. He rolls Manipulation + Command and
gets 5 successes. He applies two of those successes to difficulty
and three to duration, spending 4 Legend to cause the giants to
lose two dice from all of their pools for his next three
actions.
Valuing the Differences (Synergy
••••)
Dice Pool: Perception + Empathy
Cost: 1 Willpower
True seekers of Synergy know that all viewpoints contain at least a
kernel of truth. The Scion chooses a willing target and spends 1
Willpower to grant that target access to his virtues and learn from
his own. He rolls Perception + Empathy and for each success can
choose to grant the target one dot of a virtue he possesses, or
grant himself one dot of a virtue the target has. In no case can he
grant or receive more dots than the original owner has nor can he
give or receive a Virtue that the target already possesses. These
dots are temporary, lasting only for the remainder of the
scene.
For example: Jack Covey, a usually laid back Scion with
Courage •, Endurance •••, Expression
••, and Loyalty ••• is fighting alongside
his ally Stephen Welch. Stephen is a much more exuberant individual
with Expression •, Intellect •, Valor •••,
and Vengeance ••••. The two are squaring off
against the titanspawn who killed Jack's mother. Jack activates
Valuing the Differences and rolls 6 successes. He taps deeply into
Stephen's wellspring of Vengeance and grants himself 4 dots, while
granting Stephen greater insight into Loyalty (in the form of two
dots of the virtue). Even though he has higher Expression than
Stephen, Jack could not use Valuing the Difference to enhance the
virtue, as they both already possess it. At the end of the scene
the giant lies dead and the dots fade.
Note that this boon requires a little bit of bookkeeping, as virtue
channels are per story while these dots only last for a scene. Even
over the course of multiple activations the limit on channels of a
specific virtue still remain. So if Jack were to channel Vengeance
three times during the fight with the giant, he could only channel
it one more time in the remainder of the story, no matter how many
times he uses Valuing the Differences to gain access to it.
Communication (Synergy •••••)
Dice Pool: Perception + Empathy
Cost: 1 Legend per member (and 1 Willpower)
With proper communication, a group can rapidly become more than the
sum of its parts. The Scion spends 1 Legend per ally he wishes to
include in the Gestalt and forges a mental link between the
members. Apart from allowing instantaneous telepathic communication
amogst them, the link also means that each member gains access to
the ranks of one ability of one other member. If the Scion spends 1
Willpower point as well, each member gains one dot of an Epic
Attribute they do not already possess, but only if at least one
other member of the Gestalt possesses it. No knacks are transferred
by this boon.
For example: Jack finds himself in an unexpected fight
alongside amazons on the island of Circe. Out of ammunition, he is
handed a brace of javelins by one of the warrior women. With no
skill in Throwing, he activates Communication and includes the four
Amazons in his Gestalt (costing 5 Legend). He instantly gains
access to their three dots of Throwing, and they learn how to
better get their point across via his 4 dots of Presence (though
it's unlike to matter in the battle). If he also spends a point of
Willpower he can give the amazons a point of Epic Dexterity as he
has it and they do not. He cannot gain any benefit from their Epic
Strength, as he already has a dot of it.
Abundance Mentality (Synergy •••••
•)
Dice Pool: Intelligence + Craft
Cost: 1 Willpower + 3 Legend
One who believes in synergy holds an abundance mentality: the
belief that there are enough resources and successes to go around.
One who masters the Synergy Purview takes this knowledge from the
realm of optimism to realism. This boon can be used two ways:
First, it can ensure that there are enough resources to achieve a
goal. The Scion holds an object then spends one Willpower and three
Legend points to roll Intelligence + Craft. For each success he can
create one copy of that object. There are two restrictions on this
power. The object must be small enough for him to hold in one hand
without the application of Epic Attributes or other supernatural
effects. Second, he cannot create objects without first having a
source to work from. Any objects created last for the scene
only.
Second, he can ensure that there are enough opportunities for
success to go around. By spending one wilpower and three Legend
points as part of a multiple action the Scion rolls Intelligence +
Craft (or the other pool if it is lower, per the standard multiple
action rules) - 4. Any successes beyond the base difficulty of the
linked action can be given to an ally. They will apply to the next
roll the ally makes using the same pool as was used in the second
action, though they fade at the end of the scene if unused.
Renewal (Synergy •••••
••)
Dice Pool: The lower of Perception + Empathy, Charisma + Command,
and Intelligence + Medicine
Cost: 1 Legend and 1 Willpower Point per member
When an organization is in disarray, organizational development
effeorts are directed towards renewal and refocusing its employees
integrating systems. For sustainable high performance, the people
and integrating systems must be operating re-generatively. A Scion
with Synergy takes this principal one step further, from the
theoretical to the real. The Scion rolls the lower of his dice
pools in Perception + Empathy, Charisma + Command, and Intelligence
+ Medicine (counting automatic successes as 2 dice for the purposes
of choosing which pool is lowest). He chooses one willing target
per success and pays the cost to activate the boon. The targets'
wounds are distributed evenly amongst the members of the group.
Then their remaining Legend are pooled and redistributed evenly, as
are their remaining points of temporary willpower. Any points in
excess of a member's maximum are lost at the end of the
scene.
For example, Jack and three of his friends are in a pitched battle
and two of his allies are gravely injured. He rolls his
Intelligence + Medicine (which is his lowest pool) and gets 3
successes. He chooses to include all three of his allies in the
target group, as well as himself. All told the four of them have 6
lethal wounds, 8 bashing wounds, 40 Legend, and 28 dots of
temporary willpower remaining (after he pays the 3 legend and 3
willpower to activate Renewal). The lethal wounds distribute to
give them each one, and two members take one each. The bashing
wounds distribute evenly, giving them each two bashing. Each member
gets 10 Legend. Finally, they each receive 7 temporary Willpower.
Jack, whose Willpower is 6, loses the excess at the end of the
scene if it has not been spent.
One for All (Synergy •••••
•••)
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Presence
Cost: 20 Legend + 1 Willpower
The God using this power can completely give himself over to the
needs of his peers, distributing any or all of his knowledge and
aptitudes to any number of people of his choosing. For each
success, the user of this Boon may transfer up to two dots of
Abilities, Attributes, Epic Attributes, health levels, Willpower or
Virtues to any character or characters of his choosing. Successes
may also be used to transfer Boons or Knacks on a one-for-one
basis. The recipients may not have any score raised above their
normal maximum based on their Legend score and other applicable
factors. The giver may reduce any of his own scores to zero, but if
Willpower, health levels or any Attribute or Virtue is reduced to
zero then the God will fall into a deep slumber from which he
cannot be awakened for the duration of this Boon. This Boon lasts
one scene, and the recipients must be aware of and willing to
receive the gift.
Note: this boon taken directly from Civitas (Scion Companion, p.
246)
All for One (Synergy •••••
••••)
Dice Pool: Intelligence + Command
Cost: 25 Legend + 1 Willpower
While this power is in use, the God sets up a subconscious psychic
network that links the nervous systems of each member of a squad.
This provides many benefits. First, all the members of the squad
enjoy telepathic communication, which is both instant and silent.
Second, any member of the squad may use the highest base Dodge or
Parry DV possessed by any member of the squad, modified by the
character’s own attacks and other bonuses or penalties.
Third, any member of the squad may use the highest level of any
Ability possessed by any member of the squad in place of his own.
Fourth, any member may spend Willpower on behalf of any other.
Finally, any member of the squad who has at least one dot in an
Epic Attribute (including one transferred to him through Gift of
Attribute or One for All) may use any squad member’s Knack
associated with that attribute, even if the character using it
would not normally meet the requirements to do so. For each success
rolled, the God using this Boon may include one person in the
squad. All members of the squad must remain within fifty feet of at
least one other member. This power lasts one scene, and all members
must be willing and knowing participants when the power is
activated.
Note: this boon taken directly from Civitas (Scion Companion, p.
246)
Emergence (Synergy •••••
•••••)
Dice Pool: None
Cost: 1 Willpower + 10 Legend per person, and see below.
As complex systems can emerge from simple bases, so too can a
Synergistic group create a whole that is greater than its parts.
Like a multitude of ants combining to form a colony, a group of
Scions with Synergy can come together to create an entity whose
powers dwarf their own. When a Scion activates this boon, he
chooses a number of willing scions up to his Legend. All
participants merge into a single entity twice as tall as the
tallest participant.
The resultant entity's traits are determined as follows:
Attributes: The entity's attributes are each equal to the
highest value for that attribute amongst the participants. For
every member byond the first which knows at least one boon from the
Synergy purview add one to each attribute. So an entity formed from
Scions with Strengths of 4, 7, and9 would have a Strength of 9. If
one of the participants (not including the original user) knows
Valuing the Differences, the resulting entity would have a Strength
of 10. Epic attributes can be purchased for one legend point per
dot, though they cannot excede the highest rating amongst the
participants.
Abilities: As with attributes, the entity has access to all
abilities of the participants, at a rating equal to the highest in
the group. For every member beyond the first who knows at least one
Synergy boon, add +1 to each ability.
Supernatural powers: The entity has access to all of the
boons of the participants. It has one knack per dot for each epic
attribute. Knacks can be chosen from amongst those known by the
participants at no additional cost. Knacks which are not known by
the group can also be selected, but cost 3 legend points each. All
prerequisites for knacks and boons must be met, including the
possession of a relic if the character donating the boon is not of
sufficient Legend to activate the boon without one.
Relics: The combined entity has access to all of the
particpants' relics. If multiple weapons or armor are owned, the
group must decide which ones the entity is using. It can wear at
most one suit of armor and wield one ranged and one melee
weapon.
Virtues: The emergent entity has the four highest virtues of
the characters in the group. In the event of a tie, the players
choose which four to grant it. Any virtue channels it uses are
deducted from the donating character's available channels as if he
had used them himself.
Willpower and Legend: All characters in the group pool their
current willpower points and legend points. Any boons or knacks the
entity uses are have their costs deducted from this pool When the
effects of Emergence end any remaining points are divided equally
among the participants (any remainders from uneven division are
lost).
Health Levels: The Emergent Entity has health levels equal
to those of the healthiest participating member. It is unwounded,
regardless of what wounds the group may have sustained. Every
member beyond the first with Synergy may spend legend points up to
their Epic Stamina to grant the entity bonus health levels equal to
the legend spent.
The entity lasts for the rest of the scene or until its
Incapacitated health level is filled. When it fades, any damage it
has taken is divided equally amongst the participants.