Justice
This purview is currently being playtested. We present it here in an unfinished state so that you can see what direction we have been going with the purview, or test it in your own games if you want to.Justice Boons are almost all unresistable, as long as the target has broken the law. However, if a target possesses either Libertine (Chaos 3) or Above the Law (Justice 2) this changes. As detailed in Above the Law (Justice 2), these beings may contest the roll with an appropriate one, deemed by the Storyteller (but must have Justice or Chaos as its Power). So, if Zeus wishes to resist Tyr’s Brehon’s Eye, he might loudly declare that as King his rule is unquestioned, and he can roll Justice + Presence to resist.
Justice One
BREHON’S EYE ●
Cost: 1 Legend per Target
Dice Pool: None or Justice + Investigation
Type: Miscellaneous
The judges, rulers, and legal entities of the mortal world are deeply fallible. Mistakes can be made, accidents, misunderstandings, all potentially leading to a misapplication of Justice. A Scion, however, is above and beyond Mortals, the great authority of the heavens invested in those who possess this Boon.
A Scion with this Boon is capable of unraveling the wrongdoings of any being. When the Scion activates this Boon, designating a specific target, they immediately gain knowledge of all crimes the target has committed, though they don’t learn any details past the name and number of these crimes.
Justice Two
BINDING COVENANT ●●
Cost: 2 Legend and 1 Willpower
Dice Pool: None or Justice + Politics
Type: Reflexive
Oaths, pledges, contracts on scrolls, and clay tablets have allowed human societies to strive. Unfortunately, some beings are willing to violate such things, sometimes for good reasons, and sometimes for bad. A Scion so endowed with Justice, however, may make the phantom chains of mortal law into the great chains of Divine law.
When witnessing some form of agreement, no matter how informal, a Scion with this Boon may chose to reflexively activate this Boon. By doing this, the agreement is now enforced through their divine authority. Mortals may never break an agreement so blessed by this Boon, incapable of bringing themselves to violate the agreement. When used on Legendary Beings, the Scion must roll their Justice + Politics in order to create a baseline. Whenever a Legendary Being wishes to break the agreement, they must roll their MDV Attribute + Ability to attempt to overcome the activation roll.
If a Legendary Being breaks this agreement, it counts as a violation of the law in the eyes of Justice.
ARREST ●●
Cost: None or Justice + Command
Dice Pool: 3 Legend
Type: Activated
The detention of a being for punishment, or while awaiting judgement are the sights of modern justice, and too ancient justice, as with Antigone being imprisoned in the cave. A Scion who possesses this Boon may detain another being, whether through chains, handcuffs, or putting them in a makeshift prison, escape almost impossible.
Any being who has broken the law, as observed with Brehon’s Eye (Justice 1), may be targeted by this Boon on the moment of detention, be this throwing them into a cell, handcuffing them, or wrapping them with intestines as the case of Loki. Any Mortal who is detained through assistance of this Boon is entirely incapable of escaping, no matter how simple the bindings, or prison. Mortals will find themselves incapable of breaking bindings of plant fiber, or even walking outside of a circle drawn in the ground and declared a prison.
Legendary Beings, on the other hand, have some capability of escape, though difficult. Legendary Beings must overcome the activation role of this Boon when attempting to escape (or help another escape) with an appropriate Attribute + Ability roll, as determined by the Storyteller based on the method of their imprisonment. If the Legendary Being may not overcome this roll, they are just as incapable as mortals to escape their imprisonment, but if they can, they may break free from this Boon’s effects. However, the user of this Boon becomes instantly aware of the escape.
ABOVE THE LAW ●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None
Type: Persistent
The concept of equality under the law has not always been as commonplace as it is in modernity. Different laws applied to different people, be it based on gender, race, creed, or social role. A Scion who possesses this Boon is one of these individuals, the child of a Deity, only able to be judged by those above them.
A Scion with this Boon is able to roll to resist Justice Boons from any being of equal or lesser Justice Rank than themselves, where they would normally be unable to. In cases where a being with this Boon is at equal or lesser Justice Rank then the being attempting to use Justice on them, and a resistance roll is allowed, such as with Arrest (Justice 2) or Binding Covenant (Justice 2), they gain +6 Automatic Successes to resist instead.
It should be noted that some Pantheons may not approve of Scions possessing this Boon, who believe Law is above all, even the Pantheons. In some cases, attempting to resist Justice Boons through this Boon may itself be a violation of these Pantheon’s laws.
GUILT OF THE DAMNED ●●
Cost: 2 legend + 1 willpower
Dice Pool: Justice + Empathy
Type: Activated
Under the watchful eyes of a judge, or a king, the guilty shudder and wince as their crimes return to their mind as plain as day. A Scion with this Boon may invoke this in a Scene, causing all who have broken the law to be overcome by their guilt, even over the most minor infraction of the law.
Unlike many Justice Boons, any individual may resist this Power, comparing the Successes gained on the activation to their MDV. All beings who fail to resist this power must roll their Willpower, and then lose as many Successes they gained worth of temporary Willpower.
Although, any being who wishes to may immediately confess their misdeeds to the user of this Boon, restoring the lost willpower, and gaining an additional point.
Justice Three
CODE OF HAMMURABI ●●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None
Type: Persistent
A great advancement in the concept of law was to make all aware of it, in detail, rather than in vague concept. A Scion who possesses this Boon is blessed with knowing the laws and traditions of their Pantheon in exact detail, in addition to all mortal laws that they are currently bound by. When dealing with other Pantheons, however, they may only understand their laws in vague concept, such as if an action will violate the law, but not necessarily why.
Additionally, every time the Scion is about to break the law of their Pantheon, or the region in which they are currently in the jurisdiction of, the Scion is immediately made aware of it so they can stop if they wish.
CROWN AND FASCES ●●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None
Type: Passive
A Scion who possesses this Boon is marked by Justice, such as a small crown birthmark denoting their regality, or possessing many eyes, to be capable of seeing the law from many different angles. When they initially take this Boon, they chose an alteration to their appearance such as this, but also chose between the two following benefits.
Crown: The Regality of the Scion gives them +2 Automatic Successes to Command and Politics.
Fasces: The Scion’s duty as the Judge gives them +2 Automatic Successes to Empathy and Investigation.
A Scion may take this Boon twice in order to take both variations of it.
MANDATE OF HEAVEN ●●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None
Type: Activated
Mortals have always abided by the laws of Pantheons, and such great beings that form them, with a special few being specifically chosen by Heaven as an authority. With this Boon, the Scion may bless a single mortal with their Divine authority, allowing the Mortal to serve as their intermediary, or stand-in while they are busy.
When initially blessed, the user of this Boon choses to give the mortal a number of Phantom Dots in any two Abilities from below equal to half their Justice Rank rounded up. They may chose from Command, Empathy, Politics, and Presence.
Justice Four
ABSOLUTION ●●●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None or Justice + Politics
Type: Activated
Just as the law may punish, sometimes there are exceptions, the law not perfect for every situation. In these cases, a Scion with this Boon may chose to forgive someone of their violations of the law.
Through a simple ritual, or a grand gesture, the Scion may forgive an individual of either a specific violation of the law, or every violation they had committed previously. After this point, the target is unable to be targeted by Justice for these now forgiven violations, and they are hidden from Brehon’s Eye (Justice 1).
Additionally, this Boon may be used to remove another Justice Boon, such as Arrest (Justice 2) or Binding Covenant (Justice 2) if they can gain more Successes on the activation roll than the initial activation role of the Boon to be removed.
CODE OF HEAVEN ●●●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None
Type: Activated
The laws of the world have moved on since the hayday of many of the Pantheons of the world. The world has strayed from the just path, and even more so, sometimes peoples of foreign lands must be reminded that your rules are supreme.
With this Boon, a Scion may invoke the laws of their Pantheon to the Scene, overwhelming any mortal laws, and clashing with the laws of divinities in some cases. Every being in the Scene may be judged under these new laws, past actions suddenly becoming crimes which may then make beings eligible to being punished through Justice Boons.
A Scion will always invoke their Pantheon’s Code of Heaven save for special situations which may dictate otherwise. The following chart presents various misdeeds in the Pantheon’s culture which are different from modernity, but not all of their ancient laws, obviously. All of the ancient laws are brought into effect with this Boon, with the following chart just giving a brief mention of important, or interesting ones.
ADOPTION ●●●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None or Justice Boons
Type: Activated
The world of the Divine is complicated, and while some Deities may have need for Scions to perform their will, they may not be capable, or willing to have children themselves. For these Deities, this Boon must be used, transferring a Scion from one Divine Parent to another.
When both Divine Parents are willing to move a Scion, the Boon is effortless, and nothing more than a simple ritual, or document signing would be needed depending on the culture. Additionally, the exact details and effects is likely left to the Pantheon’s culture, such as the Tuatha de Danann’s use of this Boon using their Foster system.
If one of the Divine Parents is unwilling, however, this Boon must be rolled, which can make things more complicated, especially politically. The use of this Boon on an unwilling target, a Scion who is not Awoken, must have a contested role between the user of this Boon and their Divine Parent. The user of this Boon rolls their total number of Justice Boons opposed by the target’s Legend rating as Dice.
Justice Five
MARK OF CAIN ●●●●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None
Type: Activated
Just as Cain was marked by God for the first murder, and brandings and maimings were not uncommon markers of criminals in the ancient, or disturbingly, slightly less modern world, the Scion may enact a similar effect.
When faced with a being who has broken the law, as determined by Brehon’s Eye (Justice 1), the Scion may use this Boon to place an indelible physical mark on the target. This may be a simple mark, a disease like mark, or whatever else the Scion wills, but the effect is damning.
Any being who is marked by this Boon finds themselves outcast from all mortal societies, humanity refusing to interact with them, sometimes even turning to violence if the marked being won’t leave their community. Pantheons, Centaur Herds, Scion Bands, and the like however are slightly different. These groups will not necessarily have such a revolted reaction as mortals, but the being marked will take a penalty of the user’s Justice Rank in dice on all Social rolls.
AN EYE FOR AN EYE ●●●●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None or Justice + Command
Type: Activated
The term, ‘an eye for an eye’ is a concept with Babylonian roots, with the original meaning often misunderstood. Vengeance for a misdeed was almost inevitable, and this Babylonian law instead was a limitation on such actions, all retribution must be equal, and no greater.
With this Boon, when faced with a lawbreaker, as noticed through Brehon’s Eye (Justice 1), a Justice Demigod may curse another to learn from their misdeeds. A punishment for one of these breaches in law, the Demigod may curse the being to suffer the same crime as they committed, which they are being punished for. Additionally, every subsequent crime the target commits they find themselves, in time, facing as well.
It should be noted that the punishments created by this Boon will always be equal to the original, a theft of a horse will not be met with a theft of a powerful and unique Relic for example, but potentially the theft of a car if no horses are available. Additionally, if the target is being punished for murder, either through the initial activation or a subsequent punishment, the target takes a penalty of half the user’s Justice Rank to both their Soak and Dodge DVs.
Some crimes may not be applicable to be punished through this law, however. Such as if as crimes against society, rather than against a separate individual. For example, this Boon isn’t capable of punishing someone for using birth control if such action is illegal.
Justice Six
BANISH ●●●●● ●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: Justice + Command
Type: Activated
Sometimes someone just shouldn’t be allowed to remain in a community, but outright murder would be wrong. In cases such as this, cultures can banish others, such as the practice of ostracism in ancient Athens. A Scion who possesses this Boon may do just this, banning a lawbreaker from an area as small as a building, or as large as a Godrealm.
With this Boon, the Scion must roll to activate the power to determine the scale of the area they may banish the target from, drawn from the chart below. The Scion may chose to select a lower tier of the chart if they wish as well.
Additionally, banishing an individual from an Underworld may result in complicated political effects if one is not the ruler of sed Underworld, and may cause strange effects.
THE MOB’S JUSTICE ●●●●● ●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: Justice + Politics
Type: Activated
Justice is a complicated thing. Sometimes, for various reasons, justice is not done, for corruption, or someone performing such an atrocious deed that no one dreamt in their worst nightmare to ban it through law. In situations like this, just what is justice is becomes complicated, and hurled stones, and angry yells are not strictly uncommon results.
When activating this Boon, the Scion must designate a single target to focus the dangerously righteous anger of a society. All beings in the Scene must then compare their MDV to the initial activation role of this Boon, and if overcome, seek retribution for the misdeed from the target.
Exactly how violent the situation will become is highly dependent on who is affected, and just what happened to provoke the use of this Boon, and should be left to the Storyteller to decide. The effects of this Boon last until the act has been committed, and then immediately fade as people believe justice has been served.
This Boon, unlike other Justice Boons, may be used on anyone, even if they have not actually broken any laws. All that is required is the perception that they have done something wrong. Because of this, this Boon is highly dangerous, and inciting such violence through means such as this may be grossly illegal, and the beings swept up in this act too will likely have broken the law. Because of this, using this Boon may provoke very serious political consequences.
Justice Seven
DIVINE RIGHT ●●●●● ●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None
Type: Passive
Now on the cusp of Divinity, the Scion carries with them the true might of heaven’s law. They are chosen by the divine, their laws are inspired by the Pantheons. They are a great force for law, and hopefully justice. This new height of power allows previous powers developed to grow, and change.
Brehon’s Eye: The Scion may specify an incident when using this power, and learn if the target was involved, and if so, what crimes they committed in that incident.
Binding Covenant: If a Legendary Being breaks a deal enforced with this Boon, the user may chose to reflexively bind them with Mark of Cain (Justice 5), even if they don’t possess it, for the normal cost, no matter the distance that may divide them.
Mandate of Heaven: Mortals blessed with this Boon are instantly believed to be almost supreme authority figures in their communities, allowing the creation of sacred kings and the like.
Adoption: The Boon may now be used to abandon a Scion, even if they have been awoken. This separates the parent and child in all sense, no longer legally having any connection, and the Scion losing all benefits of having a Divine Parent. May not be done to an unwilling Deity.
DIVINE PUNISHMENT ●●●●● ●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None or Justice + Politics
Type: Activated
Misdeeds, and crimes are the bane of rulers and judges, those who wield the powers of Justice. Now, at the cusp of Apotheosis, a Scion with this Boon may lay low a punishment upon another being, though one of a special sort.
A Scion with this Boon may, when faced with a being who has broken the law in some way, demand some form of payment in response for this crime. This may be to travel the world on a quest, such as the Sons of Tuireann, pay a weregild in the Norse tradition, or take some action in repentance for the crime.
This Boon, however, does not force a being to perform any of these deeds, but instead highly encourages it. If the being refuses, or fails in this task, they are looked down upon as if Mark of Cain (Justice 5) had been used on them, and may be punished through more traditional means for this misdeed. If they perform the action demanded of them, the crime they committed which they are being punished for is immediately forgiven, as if they had been targeted by the Absolution (Justice 4) Boon.
It should be noted, however, that this Boon can be twisted, and manipulated, such as tasking someone to perform an impossible or lethal task, as was the final doom of the Sons of Tuireann at the demand of Lugh.
Justice Eight
UNQUESTIONED CROWN ●●●●● ●●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None
Type: Activated
What would be called tyranny in modernity has, at times, been the normal functioning of a society. A fact which has denoted the construction of many of the modern era’s laws. With this Boon, however, a Scion may appoint themselves above all others, and above the law. A dangerous prospect.
When this Boon is activated, for the remainder of the Scene, the Scion may use any Justice Boon on any being, no matter if they have actually broken the law or not. The Purview becomes a tool for absolutism, exceptionally dangerous.
When the effects of this Boon fade, it is likely that in many societies the user will face serious political fallout, unless such actions, of an unquestioned ruler, are normal, and not actually illegal. In some cases, using Justice in this manner may actually be a violation of the law, causing the Scion themselves to become susceptible to the Justice purview.
SEAT OF RULE ●●●●● ●●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: Justice + Presence
Type: Activated
The twelve thrones of the Dodekatheon, Hlidskjalf, Lia Fail, and the like are common signs of the authority of Divine rulers. Now a Deity in their own right, a Scion may too chose such a thing. Be it a throne, a hall, or a similar area in which they dispense judgement and their authority is based, investing their power in this area, or object. From that point on, when the Deity is within this area, sitting on their throne, or the like, they gain a great deal of authority, more so than they even possess outside.
All rulings made while within the area, sitting in the throne, laying sprawled out on a rich carpet, or otherwise within this seat of their authority, are nearly unquestionable. Both mundane rulings, and uses of the Justice Purview will be perceived as just, and right by all present at the ruling, the user rolling their Justice + Presence every time they make a decision, or use a Justice Boon, which must be compared to the MDV of all present. Only if a being has higher MDV then the Successes gathered may they believe that the ruling is not just, even if they personally disagree with it.
Justice Nine
SACRED KINGSHIP ●●●●● ●●●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None
Type: Activated
Rulers chosen by the Divine, a common theme, mostly because it is easy to wield authority when others believe that the actions are backed by a Deity. From Babylonian Priest-Kings, the Pharaohs, the Emperors of China, the High Kings of Ireland, and the European monarchs who prescribed to the Divine Right of Kings, the idea is prevalent. With this Boon, the Deity may make these things a truth.
With this Boon, the Deity may select a Mortal, or being below Legend 5, with their Divine Authority, normally coupled with a use of Mandate of Heaven (Justice 3) to improve the leadership capabilities of an individual. When a mortal is blessed with this power, the Deity creates link between the new de-facto ruler and the land they hold authority over. While the new ruler is just, through whatever definition the culture has, the land will flourish, with strong harvests, and good days. But, additionally, if the ruler falls to injustice, or just dies, the land will wither and die until a new ruler can be appointed by the Deity.
OUTLAW ●●●●● ●●●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None or Justice + Command
Type: Activated
One of the most frightening powers of the rulers and judges of the Pantheons, when faced with a lawbreaker, they may brand them (figuratively) an outlaw. While the term has been romanticised, the true meaning of it is terrifying.
From that point on, the individual who has been punished with this Boon will find themselves outside the law, hence the name. The law will offer them no protection, and will hound them wherever they go. Any being with Brehon’s Eye (Justice 1) reflexively notices someone marked with this, and knows who has punished them so. Furthermore, as they are outside the law, any actions taken against them are not illegal. Theft, and murder would go unnoticed in the eyes of the law if committed against an individual labeled an outlaw.
If the wielder of this Boon wishes to make the situation more lethal, they may as well, when using this Boon, state a bounty for the capture, or death of a marked individual, word of which will haunt the cursed being, following them everywhere, no matter the community they arrive in.
Justice Ten
DIVINE MANDATE ●●●●● ●●●●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: Justice + Politics
Type: Activated
Rules, laws, and the like are the whim of a Deity of this magnitude. Any change to the law of their Pantheon, or the laws of a mortal nation can be enacted at a whim by such a being.
With some sort of public statement, the Deity may create a new law, or remove, or change an old law at a whim. When enacting a new law, or changing an old one, the effect is potent, and frighteningly powerful, with all beings who are present in the Scene becoming incapable of breaking this new, or changed law, no matter their will to do so, if their MDV is not higher than the activation role of this Boon. Furthermore, any violations of this law, not just from these individuals, within their jurisdiction the user of this Boon becomes instantly aware of. If the Deity is using this Boon to remove a law, all individuals who had previously been in violation of it are immediately forgiven, and any Justice Boons levied on them for punishment of that specific crime ends. (This effect is divided by Pantheon. If Nuada, for whatever reason, makes murder no longer illegal, only beings who were punished through Irish law, or the Tuatha Code of Heaven (Justice 4) are forgiven. Not, for example, a being who Amaterasu punished for murder)
IMPRISON ●●●●● ●●●●●
Cost: None
Dice Pool: None or Justice + Command
Type: Activated
Imprisonment is often the fate of many of the enemies of the Pantheons. Typhon is imprisoned under Mount Etna, Fenrir and Jormungand are imprisoned, the Grecian Titans, Huitzilopochtli’s treacherous siblings to the night sky, and the like. Through the use of this Boon, a Deity may do just this, locking away an individual, even Titans.
Unleashed on likely the only worst lawbreakers, or on any being if Unquestioned Crown (Justice 8) is active, this Boon immediately imprisons the target. Any being lower than Legend 8 has no capacity to resist this power, and are just swept away by servants of the ruler, or the abstract concept of justice, to be imprisoned where and however the user of this Boon wishes. On beings above Legend 8, the individual must be physically defeated (brought to their incapacitated box), or willing to resign to the punishment without a fight, but will similarly be instantly imprisoned in conditions that the Deity using this Boon choses.
While many might wonder why one wouldn’t just kill someone instead of imprisoning them if their crime was so great, they should remember that Death is far from final. Resurrections are possible, either self, or at the will of another being. Additionally, in the case of Titans, the outright slaying tends to cause unexpected and terrible events as their concept runs wild and uncontrolled. Freeing an individual from this Boon may only be done through an Avatar, the will of the original user of this Boon, or exceptionally complicated situations. Furthermore the individual themselves imprisoned may not escape through any means, requiring an outside force???.