Atman
The Deva have a deep understanding of their souls, and as their Scions grow in Legend, they slowly learn to understand their souls on the same level that their parents do. Learning how to access the prior lives that they have lived in the past, mastering their souls so that they may attempt to escape the bonds of Samsara, and greater things as they too become one of the Deva themselves. They take the mastery of the soul incredibly seriously, and it is seen as a gross dereliction of Duty for one of their Scions to make no attempt. This Purview allows the Deva to interact with the world around them through their own unique metaphysics of reality, that it is nothing more than an illusion. But, this does not mean that they are any more 'correct' than any other Pantheon. Every Pantheon is correct in their own understanding of the Universe, and the soul, none of them subsuming the others.Atman One
SAṂSĀRA ●
Cost: 1 Legend per use
Dice Pool: None
Type: Miscellaneous
Saṃsāra represents the repeating cycle of birth, life, and death within the sacred faith of the Hindu. Once per story, the Scion may meditate (a 10 Tick Action at minimum) upon one of her past lives to gain phantom dots of Guide equal to (½ Atman Boons) until the end of the story. She may change the benefits she gains the next time she activates this boon; she is essentially discovering a new past life every story, or revisiting a familiar old friend that has more wisdom to share. These dots do not count towards the soft cap for birthrights.
Atman Two
DHARMA ●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None
Type: Persistent
Dharma is the sacred duty that all Deva must fulfill, and everything has a role to play so that the universe may continue to function. She gains one phantom dot in every Deva Virtue to represent her focus upon 'the right way of living', which grants her a better understanding of the correct course of action. She may also reflexively spend 1 Legend to sense what course of action would resonate the strongest with her Deva Virtues.
Atman Three
PRANA ●●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None
Type: Persistent
A Scion with this boon has mastered her Prana through ritual and meditation. She may reflexively spend any amount of willpower to heal an equal amount of lethal or bashing damage.
Atman Four
KARMA ●●●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None
Type: Persistent
Karma yoga is the path of action, which purifies and strengthens the mind when done in the name of Dharma. Taking action is the first step the Scion must make towards her goal of achieving union with the spiritual essence of Ishvara. Whenever she channels one of her Deva Virtues, she regains willpower equal to her dots of that virtue (including any phantom dots from Dharma).
Atman Five
BHAKTI ●●●●●
Cost: 2 Legend
Dice Pool: None
Type: Miscellaneous
Bhakti yoga is the path of devotion, which encourages the Deva to share her enlightenment through ritual and meditation. Guiding others is the second step the Scion must make on her great journey towards Moksha. She may guide a number of people equal to her (Atman Boons) in a meditation (a 10 Tick Action at minimum), which grants them access to Rank One, Rank Two, and Rank Three of Atman for the rest of the scene. Others who come from a culture with no cycle of reincarnation gain insight from one of her past lives instead of their own.
Atman Six
JNANA ●●●●● ●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None
Type: Persistent
Jnana yoga is the path of knowledge, and the self-realization that the true self is just an expression of Brahman. The Scion becomes aware that something is amiss whenever she is acting different from her true self, and immediately knows when a supernatural compulsion is influencing her. She does not know who did the influencing beyond what she might assume. She only knows that her current feelings and perceptions do not represent those of her true self. This does not offer any defense against mundane expressions of Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, or Epic Appearance.
Atman Seven
MUKTI ●●●●● ●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None
Type: Persistent
By mastering each of the three paths, the Scion has begun to liberate herself from the illusion of reality and the influence of fate. These forces are nothing more than falsehoods that obscure the ultimate reality that lies beneath. She may add her (Atman Boons) as successes when resisting any Magic or Illusion boons.
Atman Eight
AVATARA ●●●●● ●●●
Cost: 16 Legend and 4 Willpower per use
Dice Pool: None
Type: Persistent
The most powerful of the Deva possess souls so grand that they no longer need to be contained within a single body. The Deva may separate a portion of her soul to create an aspect of herself, which is able to function independent of her true divinity. An Avatara comes into the world as a Legend 2 Scion through some dramatic situation ranging from a virgin birth, to being found in a volcanic stone broken apart in a University. From the moment it is born, the Avatara understands that it has some greater purpose it must accomplish in life (but not necessarily why unless the Deva reveals the truth to it). An Avatara has the same associations as a normal Scion of the Deva, and it may set forth on great adventures to advance in Legend and gain experience as the storyteller wishes.
Once per story, she may reflexively draw legend and willpower from her Avatara in times of great need. An Avatara has the same legend and willpower as a normal Scion of whatever permanent legend it has gained since it was created, but she must be careful that this does not put her Avatara into a desperate situation that might get it killed. If the Deva is ever slain while her Avatara is active in the world, she immediately absorbs her Avatara and appears in the same place it was when she passed away. This processes diminishes her own permanent legend by one.
Atman Nine
ISHVARA ●●●●● ●●●●●
Cost: 22 Legend and 2 Willpower per scene
Dice Pool: None
Type: Miscellaneous
Ishvara is the supreme cosmic spirit that maintains complete control over the universe and all sentient beings, which together also form the pan-organistic body of Ishvara. The spirit of Ishvara represents one third of the cosmic order which is collectively known as Brahman. When a Deva activates this boon, she merges her awareness into this cosmic spirit and gains the ability to share thoughts and images with every god in her pantheon for the rest of the scene, regardless of distance or plane. While many gods have important affairs that should not be interrupted, it is the sacred duty of the Deva to offer advice and aid to someone who has become Ishavara in order to gain their assistance.
Atman Ten
MOKSHA ●●●●● ●●●●●
Cost: 30 Legend per use
Dice Pool: None
Type: Miscellaneous
Moksha represents the final release from the chains of saṃsāra, and the achievement of true enlightenment and liberation. This is the ultimate goal of all Hindu worshipers, and the Deva with this boon has finally learned to transcend herself above the machinations of the eternal wheel. When she activates this boon, she breaks free from the world's illusions and automatically succeeds in resisting any Magic or Illusion boons less powerful than ultimates. She may also choose to glide casually through any inanimate object as she realizes its fundamental illusory nature. The only exceptions to this rule are Legendary Beings and Relics of 9 or higher, who have enough fateful momentum to still influence her ascended state. She retains these abilities until the end of the scene, at which point she can no longer hold her concentration and becomes part of the cycle once more.
