TABLE OF CONTENTS

STORYPAT H SYSTEM BASICS 3

ROLLING THE DICE 3
COMPLICATIONS 3
EN HANCEMENTS 3
STUNTS 4
FAILU RE AN D CONSOLATION 4
MOMENTUM 4
SCALE 4
HEALTH 5
PATHS 5

T H E T RI N ITY CONTI N U UM 6
COMING SO ON 7

SCION 8
COMING SO ON 9

T H EY CAME F ROM BE N EAT H T H E SEA! 10

DYSTOPIA RISI NG: EVOLUTION 12
STRAINS 12

STORYPAT H SYSTEM H IGH LIGHTS 14

MODES OF PLAY 14

ACTION-ADVE NT U RE 15
EXTE N DE D EXAMPLE

2
 WELCOME TO THE STORYPATH SYSTEM
Hello, Onyx Path fans!
The evolution of the Storypath system started with the Trinity Continuum, a world of hope, heroism,
and peril, and Scion, a world where the children of the old gods walk the earth. Since then, it’s expanded
to include They Came from Beneath the Sea!, a world of underwater horror in 50s schlock films, and
Dystopia Rising: Evolution, a world of horror and survival after the Fall of humanity.
Early on, we found that Trinity Continuum and Scion had similar system needs, because their charac-
ters are larger than life and fight in epic battles on a grand scale. We knew we needed a system that could
accommodate everyday citizens on the street, superheroes soaring above skyscrapers, and gods of the sun
and sky, but we also wanted rules to help facilitate the connection between the player characters, their orga-
nizations, and their values in the second editions of these beloved games.
To move forward, however, we needed to take a step back, because the first editions of the Trinity
Continuum and Scion used custom variants of the Storyteller System that powered Vampire: The
Masquerade and other classic White Wolf games. Despite the differences between those variants, how-
ever, at its core the Storyteller System was designed chiefly as a horror game for creatures that could be
effectively fought by human opponents. In other words, the Storyteller System is great for vampires, but it
didn’t excel at portraying superheroes or gods! To us, this meant that the stories of these action-adventure
games were hindered by their original systems.
The Storypath system was designed as a new set of rules, inspired by the legacy of the Storyteller and
Storytelling Systems, in addition to other story-centric rules. The Storypath system keeps the focus on narra-
tive, story-built play, and action-adventure. It also draws inspiration from a number of other influences that
focus on cinematic high-octane action and storytelling to create a streamlined experience for epic stories.
They Came from Beneath the Sea! and Dystopia Rising: Evolution both benefit from that design.
Within these pages, you’ll find a preview of the rules. We hope you enjoy the Storypath system and are
inspired to roll the dice and tell great stories!
Signed,
The Design Team

STORYPATH SYSTEM
BASICS
ROLLING THE DICE
Once the player assembles his dice pool, he rolls the
dice. He wants each die to land at or above his target num-
ber. His target number is 8 by default. Each die that meets
his target number is a success. A success is the basic curren-
cy of the Storypath system. Players use successes to complete
challenges, overcome Complications, and do cool Stunts.
If a player rolls a 10, that die gives one success and is rolled
again. This is called 10-again, and it continues until no dice
show a 10. Some special benefits provide 9-again or 8-again,
where those die results or higher are also rolled again.
COMPLICATIONS
Some challenges come with a Complication, an un-
foreseen consequence to success. Complications can be
avoided by spending successes, in the same way as difficul-
ty, but they do not prevent a character from succeeding.
A Complication is a “yes, but…,” a drawback that might
inflict injuries, cause new problems, or increase the dif-
ficulty for future challenges. For example, if a character
climbs over a fence, the barbed wire across the top is a
Complication at level 2. She can get over the fence; the
question is whether or not she can spend a moment —
and two successes — tossing her jacket over the wire to
keep her hands from being sliced open.
EN HANCEMENTS
An Enhancement is something that makes a challenge
easier, such as a useful piece of equipment, or favorable
circumstances of which a character can take advantage.
If a player rolls at least one success, they receive bonus
successes from any Enhancements relevant to that chal-
lenge. If an Enhancement does not specifically apply to
the task at hand, or if they don’t roll at least one success,
the player can’t use it.

3
 STUNTS
Stunts are a way of rewarding success beyond the basics,
allowing you to spend your extra successes to produce
additional effects, like creating useful Enhancements or
Complications for other characters. They’re also used to
narrate details about the scene that are beneficial to you
or other characters and generated by your character’s ac-
tion. Perhaps you successfully clamber over a wall and
have time to create a handhold for the friend fleeing
directly behind you or confuse pursuit with a false trail.
FAILURE AND CONSOLATION
If a dice roll scores no successes, or the character can-
not muster enough successes to overcome the difficulty
even with Enhancements, the action fails. Simply put,
you don’t achieve whatever you were hoping to. You swing
and miss, your charm falls flat, you draw a blank.
The specific results of failure depend on the context,
but it never ends in nothing happening. Instead, the
Storyguide (or GM) moves the story onward by offering a
Consolation, a minor benefit that doesn’t exactly give them
what they want, but advances the group’s interests some-
how. If your character fails to earn enough successes to
sneak into the white-collar criminal’s office after hours,
they might succeed at sneaking in, but accidentally trip
the silent alarm…giving them only a few scant minutes
to search.
Consolations can’t substitute for actual success but
might include information leading the character to an-
other avenue of assault or a completely different aspect
of the story, a minor Enhancement offering a success to a
future action, or attracting a potentially-useful Storyguide
character.
MOMENTUM
Perhaps the most common kind of Consolation is
Momentum. This is a resource that players spend to con-
trol the story’s narrative pacing and help their characters
by directly adding dice to their dice pool. By default, it
is an out-of-character resource, though some settings
may claim it’s the very real hand of destiny at work. The
Momentum pool starts out empty, and empties out again
at the end of each story arc.
You receive a point of Momentum whenever your
character suffers a failure or setback as the result of a
Challenge (a long-term Condition on the character that
provides difficulties in their narrative), or if your dice roll
fails and you accept Momentum as your Consolation.
SCALE
Storypath games span back-alley brawls to dragon-rid-
ing dogfights, often in the same adventure. Scale exists
to handle these extreme circumstances, representing enti-
ties or effects on a different level than normal humans. A

THE CORE MECHANIC

You roll a dice pool of d10s: Skill + Attribute against a set Difficulty, which is the number of successes you must meet. Each
die that rolls an 8 or above is a success. If your dice roll scores one or more successes, you add bonus successes from any
Enhancements from equipment or powers. You succeed on your action if the successes meet or exceed the Difficulty, and fail
if you don’t. More successes than you need allow benefits called Stunts, and failing gains you Consolation, a chance to affect
the story anyway. If you score 0 successes rolling the dice and one or more of them show a 1, you botch and fail especially
badly, but earn more Momentum (a kind of Consolation) than for a failure.
Powerful entities, like demigods or superheroic novas, roll at a target number of 7 or above to get a success.

Example: You roll 6 dice as your pool against Difficulty 3

0 1 2 3 4 5 6
No successes and if Insufficient successes Number of successes Extra successes
any die shows a 1, with Consolation needed. If you get this that add Stunts
then a botch occurs. many, you succeed.

4
Might (Physical Force Attribute) 1 weakling can struggle relationship to the setting like “Three-time Bare-Knuckle
against a Might 5 bodybuilder, but they’re both ants in Boxing Champion” or “Biotech Researcher for Orgotek.”
front of a T. rex. Each Path can contain any or all of the following
However, they are also exciting adventures where he- elements:
roes overcome impossible odds. Scale is therefore kind to
• A short description of the Path
important characters; a raging giant easily crushes build-
ings and faceless crowds, but our heroes can dart through • Four Skills associated with the Path
the chaos and face him on more even ground.
• Group, contact, and access connections
HEALTH
• Special abilities associated with the Path (usually
Characters gain special Conditions when injured, called Edges)
called Injury Conditions. There are four general categories,
corresponding to increasing levels of severity: Bruised, • A Path Condition that
Injured, and Maimed. Beyond that, you’re Taken Out. triggers when you
Except for Taken Out, characters don’t often get Injured invoke the Path
or Maimed, they get Broken Arm or Cracked and Crushed too often
Skull. Be descriptive when applying Conditions — weap-
• In some games
ons can only apply Injury Conditions that are narratively
(like Scion
logical. If an Injury Condition wouldn’t affect your char-
and They
acter (say, they’re trying to shoot someone while suffering
Came from
from a broken leg) the Condition effect or Momentum
Beneath the
generation simply doesn’t apply.
Sea!), once
per session
you may add
EXAMPLE HEALTH TRACK 2 dice to any
roll that plau-
Vitality: 3 ••• sibly applies
to your Path
experience.
-1 -1 -2 -2 -4 This also al-
lows you to
create new nar-
rative details.

PATHS
Paths are the organizations to which characters be-
long, the societies they join, the place from which they
came, or even a concept or setting topic that relates to
them. Each Path is important not only to a single char-
acter, but is built to give substance and meaning to an
entire chronicle, as well as a holistic sense to the charac-
ter’s history beyond Edges, Skills, and Attributes.
In some cases, these are setting-specific groups
and organizations of which a character can
be a part; in others, these are specific to
a certain chronicle or group. Characters
relate to a Path through a short sentence or
descriptive phrase that defines a fact and a

5
 HOPE • SACRIFICE • UNITY
The Trinity Continuum is an action-adventure uni-
verse of heroes of all kinds and every time period imag-
inable. It’s all about seeing something that needs doing
and doing it — because if you don’t do it, who will? The
Continuum is a collection of timestreams and alternate
universes stretching back into the barely-remembered
past, and flowing far into the distant future.
Talents are daredevils of extraordinary luck or skill,
the Indiana Jones or James Bonds of the world. Psions
are those gifted with the psychic aptitude to manipulate
the world to a precise degree. Novas are the stalwart few
who can control the very fundamental forces of nature — a
6
power which, if they’re not careful, will drive them mad
with aberrant temptation. These Inspired individuals, and
more, rise to the fore whenever heroes are in need. And the
world is always in need of heroes.
Every age has its heroes. Which will you be?
The Trinity Continuum starts with one core rule-
book — which includes all the core rules, a modern-day
setting, and rules for Talents — and three main ma-
jor-era game lines detailing important flashpoints in
the Continuum. Trinity Continuum: Æon describes a
science-fiction setting in 2122, where psions are on the
rise to help lift humanity to the stars and protect them
from the return of the Aberrants. Trinity Continuum:
Aberrant contains a more immediate, near-future super-
powers setting in 2028 where novas have begun to ap-
pear all over the world. Trinity Continuum: Adventure!
uses low-powered versions of the three Inspired types to
fulfill pulp archetypes in an action-packed 1924 – the era
that features the birth of the Aeon Society. These aren’t
the only eras that will be explored; other eras along the
Continuum are forthcoming.
The Trinity Continuum core rulebook uses the
Storypath system. Additionally, this game’s rules include:
• Allegiances: A heaping handful of modern-day or-
ganizations to which a Talent may belong, from the
troubleshooters of 9, to the explorers of the Global
Cartography Initiative, to the virtuous thieves of
Les Fantômes. Æon’s Allegiances are headlined
by seven psi orders, each specializing in a different
Aptitude of psychic power.
• Gifts: Can you shoot a target from a mile away
while skydiving? Does traffic always tend to work
in your favor, but stymie your foes? Have your
companions thought you dead on more
than one occasion only to see you
stumble home the next day with
a great story to tell? Gifts are the
inexplicable abilities possessed by
Talents that manifest as extreme skill
or incredible luck.
• Dramatic Editing: Sometimes, even
when the odds are stacked to your
advantage, things just refuse to
go your way. Maybe the
guards are doing
their rounds
early and are
about to catch
you break-
ing into a safe. Maybe
you’ve just fumbled and
fallen off a cliff. Dramatic Editing is what
allows you, the player, to briefly grab the
reins from the Storyguide to explain
how you’re going to get out of a jam.
Suddenly a convenient vent above
the safe door lets you quickly
hide from the guards, or an
errant tree branch growing
out of the cliff grants you
the means to save yourself.
COMING SOON
• A core rulebook for the fan-favorite Trinity Universe,
the Trinity Continuum depicts a world of heroes will-
ing to jump into action, to right wrongs, stand up to tyr-
anny, and make the world a better place. This rulebook
contains the core rules for playing games set in the
Continuum, which is the basis for further rulebooks
such as Trinity Continuum: Æon. In addition, it
contains a modern-day action-adventure setting where
teams of daring men and women confront corruption,
solve problems, and defeat the bizarre. Also contains
rules for playing Talents, people who display extraordi-
nary skill or luck.
• Trinity Continuum: Æon: A new edition of the
classic Trinity science-fiction game. The year is 2120,
a time of Unity, and the world has changed. Fascist
dictatorships rule over cyberpunk dystopias, vying for
control with bioengineered utopias. Insane, mutated
Aberrants have recently returned from deep
space to reclaim the Earth, while psions
arise from all corners of the globe to stop
them. Ranging from telepaths to teleport-
ers, psychokinetics to vitakinetics, the
psi orders are a force to reckon with. The
Æon Trinity watches over them all.
• Æon Æxpansion: Additional
material building off the Æon rule-
book, including VARG battlesuits,
Aberrants and Aberrant cults, no-
etic biotech, cyberware and espio-
nage hardtech, using psions in the
modern day, new weapons and ar-
mor, Nihonjin Superiors, an essay
on life in 2123, and rules for psiads. 
• Trinity Continuum:
Aberrant: A new edition of
the classic Aberrant super-
hero game. The year is
2028, a time of Sacrifice.
Ten years ago, the Galatea
exploded in orbit, and people all
over the world began to manifest
the ability to manipulate the fun-
damental forces of nature. These
novas quickly rose to become media
darlings, with influence felt everywhere:
From superteams to fashion shows,
from conflict zones to computer tech,
few parts of the world are left un-
touched. The Æon Society keeps an eye
on things, but even they can only do so much.
7
 FIND YOUR DESTINY
– LIVE THE MYTH –
EMBRACE YOUR FATE

Scion is a mythic game about Gods, humanity, and everything in between.

It’s a game about mythic deeds and the reasons people talk about those deeds.
It’s also about modernity — The World today is a very different place than
anything our ancestors could’ve conceived.
The ancient powers never fully went away. They wander our roads
and cities, mingling with the teeming masses of humanity. You are
one of their children, born to the magic of yesterday and the prom-
ise of tomorrow.
The Primordial deities and savage Titans, dread forebears
of the gods, have escaped their eternal prisons to wage war
with the Gods once more. Those battles in the heavenly
Overworlds of the gods have spilled over into our World.
Armed with weapons possessed of mighty powers, the
Scions, divine offspring of both God and man, stand as
humanity’s only defense. But even the Gods themselves can-
not stand united, as ancient rivalries spring forth once more.
Will you rise to the heights of power through your heroism? Will you become
more than just a pawn in a spiteful divine game? What great events will mark your
ascent to Godhood?
Scion Second Edition consists of four books that define and expand the
game’s setting, called The World, and some of the Godly pantheons defin-
ing that World. The Scions — children of the Gods — are granted a spark
of divinity from their parents, allowing them to climb in power until
they take their seats at the right hand of their parents, the Gods.
The first two, Scion: Origin and Scion: Hero, are corebooks con-
taining the Storypath system, the setting of The World, and how
to make characters in The World of Scion.
Scion Second Edition uses the Storypath system, and Hero
contains a number of additional mechanical elements:
• Divine Pantheons: Ten global pantheons, cultural
groupings of Gods that act as parents and patrons for
Scions: the Gods of the Algonquian, Aztec, Chinese,
Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Hindu, Irish, Japanese, Norse,
and Yoruba.
8
• Supernatural Paths: Genesis, Calling, and Pantheon.
Scions are born, are created, are chosen by the
Gods, and this Genesis act colors their entire life.
They’ve also got Callings, or aspirations toward the
kind of God they want to be — such as a Warrior, a
Lover, or a Healer — that determine the supernatu-
ral gifts they receive. Lastly, they’re born into or join
a pantheon, a grand collection of Gods with its own
rivalries and politics.
• Purviews and Boons: Discrete elemental miracles
tied into the powers of The World, granting Scions
influence over their powers of their parents: fire,
the sea, the forge, thunder and the sky, and many
others.
• Knacks: An upgrade to the Skill Tricks of mortals,
these allow Scions truly superhuman action-hero
moves or dramatic powers that defy belief.
COMING SOON
Several supplements are planned for Scion: Origin
and Scion: Hero. They include:
• Scion Jumpstart: Learn how to be a hero! This
jumpstart will provide everything you need to play
your first session of Scion: Hero.
• Scion Companion: This companion is a player-fac-
ing supplement for Scion: Hero, and will dive deep
into characterization and offer new rules.
• Scion Ready Made Characters: The Scion Ready
Made Characters are a collection of developed,
ready-to-play characters you can use to kick off a
Scion: Hero campaign.
• Scion Bestiary: The titanspawn are a looming threat
in Scion, but they’re not the only antagonists in the
World. The Scion Bestiary is an expansive collec-
tion of monsters, beasts, and antagonists for your
Scion: Hero game.
9
 They Came from Beneath the Sea! is a new game
encompassing the wonder, horror, thrills, and hilarity
of 1950s science fiction. This game evokes all that is
great in the B-movies of decades ago, and provides a
dynamic, fun experience at the table.
They Came from Beneath the Sea! (TCfBtS!) is a ta-
bletop roleplaying game in which the players, as humans,
live in a world under increasing attack. The attackers?
Aliens from beneath the sea, obviously. Adventures can
range from the one-shot defense of a small coastal town,
to the lengthier liberation of a cruise ship infested with
gill-kin, all the way to a campaign in which characters
seize an alien submarine and ride it all the way down to
the sea bed to take the fight to the invaders.
In this game, the protagonists are strong-jawed war
veterans, cunning and resourceful explorers, utterly
insane scientists, and blue-collar heroes, just looking
to defend their patches of land. Each appears as in
the B-movie classics of the era, providing a wealth of
inspiration for the kinds of characters you’ll play in
this game.
Aliens invade, but they’re not a homogeneous race.
Far from it: This game contains a mix of Enslavers,
Invaders, Destroyers, Primordials, and Spies, all pre-
senting a broad array of dangers and objectives for
repeat play, and frankly, to cause confusion. A part
10
of the setting of TCfBtS! is its chaotic assembly of
conflicting bad guys. The robot sharks may despise
the aquatepillars, while the Glowing People see ev-
eryone as their slaves — whether human, iguanoids,
or were-lobsters — creating a broad culture for players
and Directors to explore, manipulate, and form into
a living, gurgling world of aquatic menace.
The world with which you’re presented in TCfBtS!
is familiar, yet weirder. Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley
blare from the jukebox in the diner corner, our heroes
gather at the counter for their dollar ‘shakes, greasers
drive up to the outdoor theatre with their hair slicked
back, and the ladies do the Twist, all while suspicious
military personnel and scientists work on new weap-
ons and experiments within walking distance of town.
The Red Scare is in full effect. The words “atomic” and
“bomb” are on everyone’s lips. This could be the 1950s
we all know, except everything is cranked up: the para-
noia, the pop culture, the fear of global destruction.
Everyone is a little more protective over their home-
land, fearful of their neighbors, and when word spreads
of the Soviets consorting with aquatic monsters, it
doesn’t take long for the rumors to gain traction.
Your weapons against the alien incursion come
not only in the form of fists and bullets but Quips
and Cinematics. Drawn from decks of cards or
rolled from tables in the book, Quips are your
award-winning one-liners that allow your blow to pack a harder punch, make your rebuke more scathing, or
just act as a pithy thing to say before dying. Are they sometimes incongruous to the scene or inappropriate in
any context? Of course! But use that moment where you state “this alien tastes like momma’s apple pie” to your
advantage with this new game mechanic and get your whole table laughing, too!
Cinematics, meanwhile, encourage you to put the “meta” in “metagame,” as you accumulate points to
spend on inserting deleted scenes in your game, cut to black when the action gets too hot, apply bad dubbing
to an alien’s dialogue, or summon a stuntman to replace the scrawny scientist
character when he has to run the length of an exploding submarine, cr-
ab-person baby in arms. Cinematics are a new feature the players can use
to make their game of TCfBtS! even more frenetic and fun.
Highlights of They Came from Beneath the Sea! include:

• The human world invaded! An entire chapter on the world of TCfBtS!,

allowing you to pull events from the 1950s and incorporate them into your
game, with a distinctly fishy taste!
• Ready-to-play scenarios!
New to roleplaying or unin-
spired? TCfBtS! contains
an adventure and pre-
made characters that can
be run straight from the
book, and a separate com-
prehensive setting for you
to place your game into
idyllic, 1950s Delaware!
• A plethora of charac-
ters! As well as the five
Archetypes, a mix of 12
Origins and Ambitions
make for a wide variety
of heroes for play in this
game!
• Props! Stunts! Cinematics!
Quips! The customization of char-
acter powers in this game is one of
its most impressive features, and can
change from game to game!
• Over 30 alien threats! Complete
with profiles, stat blocks, and story hooks
for easy incorporation into your game!
• Fiction, setting and aliens by
Larry Blamire! The director of
such movies as The Lost Skeleton
of Cadavra and Trail of the Screaming
Forehead lends his talents to a substantial portion of this
book, branding it with his distinctive style!

11
 “People don’t need a reason to be awful to each
other. They just need to survive. But people don’t need
a reason to survive, either. They just need each other.
Figure that one out, you’ve got a shot at understanding
why we’re all still here.”
— Tribeca Rockaway, sniper of the Dead Heroes gang

No one knows how long it’s been since the world was
blasted with nuclear radiation and became infected with
the undead. Major cities were all but destroyed; transit
is reduced to animals, wagons, and the occasional iron
horse. The survivors of the Fall were the first strain of
deviation from the human condition and were able to
make it through the rapidly spreading epidemic.
Humanity has just started to rebuild, but large sec-
tions of the world are still irradiated or completely over-
run by the undead. Small communities come together
in a world where concepts such as “democracy,” “free-
dom,” and “government” are newly reborn. Finding a
community of decent size in this world is rare; finding
one that has any concept of equality or morality is rarer
still.
Some highlights of Dystopia Rising: Evolution
include:
• An update of the popular live-action setting, present-
ing a fresh and exciting take on the post-apocalypse
genre.
• Rules for creating characters for up to 24 different
Strains, variations on humanity that survived the
Fall.
• Details on the powers of faith and psionics, along with
advice on running action-adventure stories, webs of
personal intrigue, or procedural investigations.
• Dozens of antagonists, including a variety of zombies
and raiders to use in your series.

STRAINS
Oh, and people have the unnerving ability to come
back from the dead, regrown from the very virus that
destroyed the world.
Quoted from The Doomsday Book:
This is dystopia. The world is broken. It is up to you
Nobody really knows where the fungal infection
to pick up the pieces and make a new world from the
came from; sure, there are theories, but I haven’t seen
remains of the old.
12
anything close to definitive proof. I’m not sure it matters anymore, really. So instead, let’s talk about what it’s done
to us, the human race… or what’s left of us anyway.
For starters, we should all be dead. And I don’t mean in the live-die-
return way, either. None of us should be able to survive in this world —
the radiation, the chemicals, the tainted water, the poisoned meat, and
of course the fungal infection itself. Humanity should have died 100
times over. Yet here we are.
That’s where the Strains come in, I think. We’re looking
at hyper-evolution in action, changes taking place in real time
across a few generations instead of so many hundreds of years.
Funny how the old differences fell away, too. Nothing like an apoc-
alypse to make you realize that being an asshole to someone about
their junk or the color of their skin is useless bullshit.
I’ve got some notes on the most common Nor’East Strains,
though I’m willing to admit my exposure to some of them is way
more limited than others. There’s plenty more walking around,
but if you want the odds-on most likely Strains to run into, here
you go:
Diesel Jocks: I always thought the whole “bond with their
ride” thing was garbage until I actually met some Jocks. They
may not actually control their rides with their minds, but
they come damn close, and without them I doubt we’d
have what roads we do have left.
Natural Ones: I get that it’s easy to blame technology
for screwing up the world, and I respect their raw surviv-
al skills, but turning our backs on tech feels short-sight-
ed and a little spiteful. If the world is going to get better
in any major way, it won’t be from primitive living.
Pure Bloods: My parents were servants in a Pure Blood house-
hold and their patron got me my education and my first job, so
I’ve seen the good that these families can do. I also saw the para-
noia, greed, backstabbing, and endless politics up close, though, so
approach with caution.
Remnants: What can I say, we Leftovers are an odd bunch. The
stranger ones get all the attention — the ones with animal features or leaves
instead of hair, that kind of stuff. Most of us, though, just want somewhere
we can belong. I know I did.
Retrogrades: Pretty much the best example I can imagine of how our fast
evolution works. I know it doesn’t seem so from their appearance, but when
you consider that the Strain developed in some of the most radioactive areas
on the planet, it’s amazing how tough they are.
Vegasians: Imagine if the phrase “necessary evil” was a person, and you’ve
got a Vegasian. Sure, people run in groups, people need things, and so there
will always be people at the edge of the group who’ll get you what you want…
for a price. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Yorkers: Growing up in the city and running with the Dead Heroes taught
me a lot about Yorkers. Yeah, they’re argumentative, hot-tempered, territorial,
and hold grudges like gravity holds us to the ground, but they’ll go through
hell for those they love. What else matters?

13
 STORYPAT H SYSTEM
H IGH LIGHTS
• Cinematic Pacing: Storypath divides sessions and scenes into different units
of time that support a story moving at the speed of plot. Campaigns are mod-
eled similarly to a long-running television series, using episodes, arcs, and sea-
sons, to emphasize plot and characters over minutiae or real-time competency.

• Scaling: Storypath uses a comparative chart to measure general degrees of

power between opponents. Gods or superheroes can fight each other on mostly
equal ground, while mere mortals can do the same to one another. It’s only
when the psychic superhuman deals with your average beat cop that Scale
comes into play!

• Bonding: Though the rules are designed to portray individual characters,

Storypath also uses group mechanics to create a collaborative storytelling role-
playing experience. The Bonds formed during character creation and sessions
bring new overarching mechanics and collaborative themes into play based on
character milestones.

• Competence: The player characters are assumed to be competent in their area

of specialization be it research, combat, persuasion, or any other field of human
endeavor. Dice rolls aren’t always meant to assume success or failure: They’re meant
to determine influence over the story and the degree to which the character succeeds.

• Enhanced Combat: Storypath combat uses range bands, fields with terrain features,
and the tools for both active and supporting characters to contribute to a fight. Combined,
these techniques keep fights interesting — even in extended conflicts and battles.

MODE S OF PLAY
Storypath actions belong to three general modes that roughly map to Attributes, or
ways characters interact with the setting. These modes are schemas inspired by traits
instead of rigid categories and are not meant to be internalized as hard-and-fast rules.
• Action-adventure (Physical-inspired mode): Physical peril, violence, and round-by-
round action. This is the realm of punch-ups, car chases, and defusing bombs with
seconds to spare. These fast-paced scenes usually take place in careful moment-to-mo-
ment action, with specialist rules covering combat and dramatic movement.

• Procedural (Mental-inspired mode): Deductions, careful research, and cunning

preparation. The focus is on solving problems by using information gathered
through clues and evidence or formulated plans. These scenes take place as
montages, skipping through long stretches of work, and include specialist rules
for investigation and crafting.
• Intrigue (Social-inspired mode): Interpersonal ties, relationships, and so-
cial manipulation. These scenes include interrogations, infiltrating secret
social circles, and pursuing romantic ties. They blend real-time conver-
sation with stretches of “skipped” time and include specialist rules for
persuasion and representing different personalities.

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EXTE N DED EXAMPLE
A pair of psions (Alexis, a psychokinetic Legionnaire, rolls 3 successes. The mob takes damage once again
and Javier, a Norçan biokinetic), having been alerted as Javier slashes with his talons.
of an incursion of Chromatic vessels in the woods out-
side their colony, arrive on the scene. Among the dense- Another Chromatic screams as the talons slash into
ly-packed woods in the early-morning fog, they see the the tubes jutting from the alien’s spine. The Chromatic
bright flashes of light from a mob of Chromatics prepar- screams and falls unconscious. The remaining alien host
ing to march on the unsuspecting colony. Once they spot surges forward and threatens to consume both psions un-
the presence of the psions, the Chromatics quicken and der its writhing, glowing mass.
charge menacingly. The Storyguide rolls for the horde; the mob is
Alexis wastes no time and charges in first. The dangerous, so the pool is 8 dice. It’s a good roll,
mob is in close range already, so she moves to turning up 5 successes. The player characters roll
Engaged on her action without requiring a move- to boost their Defense; Alexis’ player ends up with
ment roll. She rolls Close Combat + Might (8 dice). Defense 3, while Javier’s player only has a Defense
She rolls 4 successes against the mob’s Defense (a 1. The Storyguide spends 4 of her 5 successes to
type of difficulty) of 1. After buying off the Defense buy off both characters’ Defense.
of 1, she uses her 3 remaining successes to damage The Chromatics damage both Alexis and Javier,
the mob. The Storyguide reduces their number of giving each of them one Injury Condition. Since
Injury Conditions accordingly. they are player characters, each Injury Condition
Alexis gives a loud scream of rage, and runs straight relates to the damage they receive. The Storyguide
at the Chromatics. Swinging her sword in a wide arc, she assigns Alexis the Injury Condition of “Gut Shot,”
slashes through them, scattering her opponents. One of reflecting the laser shot she gets to her stomach.
the Chromatics falls over, unable to withstand the psion’s Javier gains the Injury Condition of “First-Degree
onslaught. Burns” due to the laser burns on his arms.

Javier shouts that he’ll try to gain ground and
uses one of his noetic powers to grow wings and tal-
ons. His player rolls his movement dice (a pool of
Athletics + Dexterity) to move past the Chromatic
mob in a swoop. He rolls 3 successes — enough to
buy off the Storyguide’s difficulty of 3.
“I’ll get around them and attack from behind!” Javier
screams, as wings and talons grow from his flesh. Leaping
into the air, he dives just over the scattered Chromatics,
distracting them while staying just out of reach. Once
past the mob, he turns and faces them with his razor-sharp
talons.
Once he succeeds, his player rolls a Close
Combat + Might to attack with a dice pool of 6. He
The Storyguide also has the mob fire at Javier’s
wings, slowing his rapid approach — but not
enough to stop it. Spending the last success from
the Chromatic’s roll, the Storyguide gives Javier a
Complication of Pierced Wings to overcome.
Focusing their laser fire, the Chromatics punch
through the psions’ defensive maneuvers. Alexis grunts
in pain as the energy pumps into her abdomen. Javier
screams as the barrage rips through his arms and wings.
Gritting his teeth, he’s able to stay aloft despite the pain,
but he can smell the feathers on his noetic wings starting
to smolder and burn. “I don’t know how much longer I
can stay aloft!” he screams to Alexis.
Alexis nods, and prepares to swing at the next
Chromatic in front of her….

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