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Third Edition Playtest Rules v1

(Italicized sections set off by **** are inserted or offset text.)

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In the first light of morning the great serpent rose up out of the mist-cloaked waters of the swamp.  It was fully the length of a dozen men, sinuous and quick, twining between the trees and flicking its tongue as if it could already taste blood in the air.

Crouched in the bole of a gnarled tree, Utmidios, Son of Dusares, felt the chilling grip of fear on his pounding heart.  Perhaps he had finally found his match and was standing at the gateway of Tartarus.  Half-god and hero though he was, an immortal horror like the Great Serpent of Anatolia could still send him tumbling into the cold grip of Kore, Mistress of the Dead.

He would have taken a morose moment to contemplate the rashness of his desire for invulnerable armor made from the serpent's hide, but there was no time.  The huge triangular head swung towards where he crouched and the golden glowing eyes had fixed on Utmidios with murder in their depths.  The swamp water had washed away the scent-concealing salve he had cozened from the Sybil of Metzora and now only moments remained before the serpent tore into Utmidios with fangs as long as his arm.

Utmidios had one chance, and it rested in those eyes which seemed to hold his with a will-stealing power.  While the scaly hide of the serpent was invulnerable to any weapon of god or mortal, its eyes were pathways to its brain for anyone with a long spear, a strong arm and the mettle to risk all on a single near-impossible blow.

The giant jaws opened and the serpent's head swung towards him like a great pendulum, Utmidios raised his spear.  A lesser man, even a full-fledged god might have turned and run for shelter, but Utmidios knew that he would never get a better chance to strike for the serpent's weakest point and he had already determined that in its native waters any attempt at flight was as good as baring his throat to its fangs.

Like his father who had fallen from the heavens in a meteor, Utmidios had the strength of stone and the speed of flame.  In the briefest moment before the huge jaws could close on his chest, his spear pierced the beast's right eye, extinguishing its golden light and plunging deep within to bury itself in the back of the serpent's skull, held fast in the bone.  In a shocked reflex the serpent's head jerked back and the mighty jaws slammed shut inches from Utmidios' chest.  The huge coils of the serpent flexed and twisted, plunging in and out of the murky waters until in a few moments it lay still.

Finally taking a deep breath, Utmidios drew his knife and prepared to skin the serpent, a long and bloody job, but soon he would have armor worthy of a demigod.
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INTRODUCTION
By the Gods is the roleplaying game of myth and legend. While most roleplaying games encourage you to play characters who are basically human with some aspects of heroism and aspirations to legendary status, By the Gods lets you play full-fledged gods and heroes in a setting which provides challenges of equally legendary status. This does not mean that they are any less human or rich in character. They have the same depth of personality and strengths and weaknesses of mortal characters, but amplified by their superhuman stats.
You might think of By the Gods as a superhero roleplaying game with a fantasy style setting. The powers which are available to characters far exceed what even the most magic-oriented games offer, but within the context of the game they make sense and may even be all that keeps the characters alive, since the challenges they face will be the most awesome foes of legend. The By the Gods rules are oriented towards the exploits of minor deities, demigods and heroes, but play on higher levels is certainly possible, as well as adaptation to unusual settings like gods in the modern world.
	There are many realms of myth to play in. We've provided a map of the mythological world from the rocky mountains of Basilia to the island realm of Tabrobane (see Orbis Legendarium map). You will also find information in the appendices on several major pantheons, as well as adventure scenarios to play in those settings. Don't limit yourself to what's here in these rules, though. There are lots of great sourcebooks on mythology and the same basic paradigms of legendary adventure apply to many different settings and myth cycles.

WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY
The main ingredient in any roleplaying game is imagination, but with any luck we all come equipped with that from birth. To make this game work mechanically you will also need a very few other items. The only unusual equipment you will need are a few 10-sided dice. These are widely available -- they even sell them at convenience stores in some areas. All die rolls in By the Gods are resolved with this sort of dice, adding a random element which helps resolve many situations. Pencil and paper for record keeping will be very helpful.
It also helps to have an open mind and if you are a player remember that your game master has the final say in all situations. If you are the gamemaster remember that adherence to the rules should be secondary to making sure that everyone has fun.
The basic mechanics of By the Gods are shared by several of our other games. Some of these games might be useful in combination with By the Gods, particularly our superhero game Challengers and our fantasy game Ysgarth, both of which feature greater elaboration on some of the concepts found in By the Gods.  If you want more mythological background material, Pantheon and Pantheon II offer more background on various myth cycles. 

THE CHARACTER CONCEPT
The character is at the core of any form of role-playing. Before you set out to create a character with the rules given here it is important to outline just what sort of person you are creating. A character is much more than just the numbers which represent his abilities. Before you choose a set of numbers to describe the character you should put together a clear personality with background, interests and motivations. Think about who your character is and what he does. Think about what he has achieved and what his goals are. Make a strong mental picture of him as a real person and then when you move on to the next sections create a character with statistics and skills which fit the model which you have established. A character who is thought out properly can exist as more than just numbers and is the ideal of role-playing. Once you have done the hard work of thinking up the character, the point allocation rules allow you to easily fit the numerical statistics for that character to your conception of his personality and abilities.
	Cosmology is one of the keys to setting up characters in a By the Gods campaign. In creating characters it is important to consider the setting in which play will take place, particularly the nature of the culture and pantheon involved and the position of the characters in that setting. It is also possible to use mixed pantheons or interaction of cooperating or opposing pantheons. Characters should know where they stand in the realm of gods and men. They should know who their parents are and where they fit in the hierarchy. Cooperation should exist between the gamemaster and player to select and develop an appropriate background for the character. Many of the central characters in myth form good models, such as Heracles, Gilgamesh, Perseus, Sigurd, Pwyll, Huon and countless others of greater or lesser power, though we recommend the realm of half-deities, demigods and heroes, those mortals of ancestry or inner greatness sufficient for them to aspire to godhood and to associate with gods.

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The Making of a Hero
If you want to have fun in the mythological world you need to design a character who makes sense in that world. Here are some things to think about:


1: Parentage
Where did your hero come from? Is he a half god, an outcast godling, an aspiring hero? Was his father a god who raped his mother? Was his mother a goddess who seduced a swineherd Are his father and mother siblings or even the same being (neither of which is all that unlikely)? How does this kind of background alter the character's persona  Rape, abandonment and incest can have a profound effect even on a demigod.

2: Abilities
What sets this character aside from common mortals?  What is there about his background (parentage, upbringing which deter-mined his special abilities? There ought to be a logical relationship between his abilities based on some-thing in his background. Did he inherit his powers? Did he work to develop them out of pure ambition?

3.	Objectives
What drives the character What axes does he have to grind?
Who does he want to suck up to? Who does he want to kill? How much abuse will he take before he cracks? What are his strengths and weaknesses

Mythological characters may be in archetypical situations, but they are not cardboard cutouts. They are often complex, strangely motivated,. even tragic figures  Make your character memorable!
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Quick Character Creation

Primary Characteristics
	Divide 150 points between 9 basic characteristics
	No characteristic may have more than 24 or less than 1 point.
	Each of the three groups of 3 characteristics must have between 25 and 75 points assigned to it.

Secondary Characteristics
	Size is 13 for males, 12 for females.  You may raise or lower this as you choose.
s directly to AP on a one for one basis.  The formula for A	Calculate Action Points - AP = ((REA+CRE)/2) + DEX + AGI - SIZ  
	Calculate Health Points - HP=25+STR+SIZ. 
	Calculate Fatigue Points - FP = 2 x (STR + WIL). 
	Calculate Movement - MOV = (AGI+SIZ)/2 Meters/CR.

Learning Skills
	Pick a Nationality and Profession
	Pick at least 3 skills from each list and several additional skills of your choice from the skill list.
	Assign 50 Basic Skill Points and 50 Advanced Skill Points to appropriate skills.
	Assign points equal to those assigned to each primary skill to secondary skills underneath it.  No secondary skill may have more than half of those points assigned to it.
	Determine Skill Ratings with each skill.  Facility x Skill Levels.
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Accelerated Character Creation
	If you want to get your campaign started quickly, it is possible to speed up character creation substantially.
	Learning Skills: Before doing anything else, have players pick a nationality and profession for their characters.  They then put a check mark on their character sheet next to three skills from each of those lists and two additional skills of their choice.  Don't have the players spend any skill points yet.  They may spend points on the skills they checked as they need them during the course of play.  Also allow them to spend points during play on up to 2 skills which they didn't check in advance.
	Primary Characteristics: Players select characteristics based on their skills.  For each time a characteristic appears in the Facility of a skill that has been checked, put a check next to that characteristic.  After this is done for all of the pre-selected skills, assign 10 points to each characteristic.  For each check mark it has give it 3 additional points.  If there are any points left over, the player may spend them as he needs them during the course of play.
	Secondary Characteristics: Players should pick size, but don't have them calculate any of the other secondary characteristics until they need them during play.
	This system works best for novice players.  If you are playing with some experienced players give them the option of not following all of these accelerated guidelines.  This system will produce somewhat cruder characters than normal, but it will get you started playing much more quickly.
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DESCRIBING THE CHARACTER
	Each character begins as an idea, but in game terms his abilities are represented by hard numbers which are used to determine the results of his actions.  In By the Gods almost all of the mechanics of defining what a character can and can't do are based on how the character is described by the player through a system of point allocation.  This allows you to customize the numbers which represent your character to the vision of the character which you have in your mind.  Character creation is a descriptive process where you use the rules to express your idea of the character in the terms and measures of the game.

Background Resources
	Before you even start describing your character in terms of the mechanics you should describe him in terms of the setting.  You should pick a nationality and a profession and get as much of an idea as you can of where he comes from and who he is.  To help with this, refer to the skill descriptions and the background material provided in the appendix.  If you need more information don't hesistate to ask your gamemaster and even refer to outside source material.

Initial Point Allocation
	Nine characteristics define the basic raw capabilities of each character.  In a normal human character they are on a scale from 1 to 24, but while 1 is still the minimum for By the Gods characters, they have no top limit.  Characteristics are broken down into three groups of three characteristics each, the Physical, Mental and Social characteristics  They come into play in a number of ways, particularly in the application of skills, as a base value to work from and in determining certain secondary characteristics.
 	Characteristics are established by point allocation.  The more points you apply to a particular characteristic the better you are with it.  Characters have 150 points to distribute between the nine Primary Characteristics. The characteristics are divided into three groups.  At least 25 points must be spent in each group, and no more than 75 points may be spent in any one group of three characteristics.  If you do not wish to spend all of your points on characteristics, you may reserve up to half of the points to use as additional Advanced Skill Points.

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Advanced Character Set-Up
	The standard character set-up rules are aimed at a relatively low-power style of play where characters are demi-gods early in their career.  The gamemaster may wish to run his campaign at a higher level of power.  Experienced players may wish to start with more advanced and capable characters for more dangerous and challenging settings.  In such situations the gamemaster should give players a larger number of initial points to spend on their characters.
	When this is done the gamemaster should set minimum and maximum point limits which players are allowed to allocate to Primary Characteristics and allow them to spend any left over points as additional Advanced Skill Points.
	For example, a GM might start players with 200 points and require them to spend no fewer than 140 and no more than 180 points on characteristics.  This would produce characters who are somewhat more powerful than average, perhaps the equivalent of characters who have been played 2 or 3 times.
	If you decide to start more powerful characters be sure that players aren't given too many points to work with.  300 points can create quite powerful characters and 500 points will create characters who are on the level of powerful, established deities.
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Primary Characteristics
	When allocating points to Primary Characteristics it is generally a good idea not to make them all identical or very close together.  The variety of having some higher values and some lower values makes for a more interesting and more playable character.  Try to fit the numerical characteristics to the character conception you have in mind.

Social Characteristics
	Charm (CHA): This indicates how attractive a character is to others.  It includes elements like physical appearance, charisma, speed of wit, conversational ability, personal magnetism and natural potential as a leader.  It is possible to have a high Charm without being particularly good looking in the traditional sense.
	Virtue  (VIR): This represents moral purity, religious fervor, faith and motivation regardless of faith or sect to which the character belongs.  To some degree it also represents adherence to a specific moral or philosophical code.  During play characters may be assigned Virtue Points.  These represent increases in the character's moral status and may be recognized by other characters and background characters.  For each 10 Virtue Points the character's actual Virtue is increased by 1.
	Privilege (PRI): An indication of background, education and where the character originates in the social strata of his society.  Very important in determining awareness of etiquette, manners and proper behavior in various situations, as well as the level of education and general training which the character has achieved.  Each point is equivalent to one year of school or similar practical experience.  During play characters may be assigned Privelege Points.  These represent fame and increase in social status and may be recognized by other characters and background characters.  For each 10 Privelege Points the character's actual Virtue is increased by 1.

Mental Characteristics
 	These show mental abilities in certain key areas most appropriate to game play.
	Reason (REA): This represents decision making and intellectual ability, intelligence, judgment and analytical skill.
	Will (WIL): This indicates the strength of a character's will and resolve.  It is also one of the factors figuring into psychic ability.
	Creativity (CRE): The ability of a character to come up with original ideas, unusual or intuitive solutions to problems or to be creative.  It is essential for artists and for many other creative professions and pursuits. 

Physical Characteristics
	These represent gross physical capabilities of the character, the durability, limits and resistance of his body.
    	Strength (STR): This is physical strength, ability to lift, carry, bend, push and inflict manual damage.  It also includes some elements of endurance and ability to withstand damage.  Generally the amount a character can lift without strain damage is STR3/20 lbs.
   	Dexterity (DEX): This represents manual manipulative ability.  This includes opening things, turning them, hiding them and other aspects of manipulation and fine hand movement.  To some degree it represents hand-eye coordination, and actions requiring accuracy and finesse, including aiming most missile weapons and hitting and defending in most forms of combat.  To some degree it also represents speed of reaction.   	Agility (AGI): This represents physical movement ability.  This includes running, jumping, dodging and other aspects of movement .  To some degree it also represents speed of reaction.  General base movement speed is (SIZ x 2) + AGI in feet per Combat Round (6 seconds) (abbreviated MOV).  Top running speed is generally two times this walking speed (as explained later).  Jumping height is (AGI/SIZ) + 1 meter.  Jumping distance is (AGI/SIZ) +3 yards.  These movement values can be modified by skills.  If additional AP are spent the rate of movement can be increased.  The normal AP cost to walk is 20AP.  If 40 are spent the movement rate is doubled, and if 60 are spent it is tripled, for full running movement.  This is an exception to the normal AP rules.  

Characteristics Compared

Range	General	Charm		Virtue	Privilege
1-3	Awful	Repulsive	Antitheist	Slave
4-6	Very Poor	Hateful		Atheist	Serf
7-10	Poor	Annoying	Agnostic	Peasant
11-14	Average	Innocuous	Indifferent	Commoner 
15-18	Good	Pleasant	Faithful	Bourgeois
19-21	Very Good	Charming	Zealous	Aristocrat 
22-24	Exceptional	Saintly		Pure	Royalty

Range	General	Reason	Will	Creativity
1-3	Awful	Redeless	Vegetative	Powerless 
4-6	V. Poor	Foolish	Docile	V. Weak 
7-10	Poor	Unwise	Weak	Weak
11-14	Average	Average	Average	Mediocre 
15-18	Good	Sound	Strong	Above Av. 
19-21	Very Good	Wise	Obstinate	Strong 
22-24	Exceptional	Venerable	Steel Will	Overwhelming

Range	General	Strength	Dexterity	Agility
1-3	Awful	Feeble	Spastic	Crippled 
4-6	V. Poor	Puny	Palsied	Lame 
7-10	Poor	Weak	Inept	Clumsy 
11-14	Average	Average	Average	Average 
15-18	Good	Strong	Adept	Agile 
19-21	V. Good	Powerful	Deft	Speedy
22-24	Exceptional	Herculean	Nimble	Blindingly Fast

Secondary Characteristics
    	These characteristics provide useful bits of additional information which are determined independently or found from the nine basic characteristics and used directly in play mechanics.  They are explained here with formulae for their calculation.  They can be applied in a number of circumstances and most are modifiable by training and skills.  In all cases when using the formulae given round up.

Size (SIZ)
    	Size indicates body height and weight in abstract form.  Average Height is: (Square Root of Size) x 50 cm.  Average Weight would be:  (Square Root of Size) x 20 kg.  Variance is plus or minus 20%.  Average human SIZ is 13 for men or 12 for women.  Size may be increased or decreased at the choice of the player.  It may not be lower than 8 or higher than 18 for normal humans, but for By the Gods characters the bottom limit is 1 and there is no upper limit.

Action Points (AP)
 	These are perhaps one of the most important aspects of character mechanics.  They are a fund of points available each Combat Round which are spent to do any major actions (combat, movement, defense, skill use, etc.).  Each action has a set cost in AP, and spending those AP will allow that activity to be maintained for one round.  Extra AP can be thrown in to increase effectiveness, as is detailed in the sections on AP and combat.  AP regenerate fully at the end of each CR, and some special manipulations are possible as will be explained later.  The skill Rapid Reflexes can be used to increase AP.  The formula for AP is:  AP = ((REA+CRE)/2) + DEX + AGI - SIZ  

Health Points (HP)
	These represent the amount of damage which a character can take.  They are broken down by area in the section on combat and wounding, but there is a base which is used as overall HP for gross body damage and to break down for areas.  HP regenerate at a rate of  STR/5  points overall per day, and  STR/20  points per area per day.  The skill Damage Resistance can be used to increase HP.  Average: 50. HP=25+STR+SIZ. 

Fatigue Points  (FP)
   	These represent the capacity of a character to withstand fatigue from any of a number of sources and activities.  They are lost at a rate based on specific activities explained later.  As they run out a character loses Action Points and eventually drops from exhaustion.  Fatigue can be regenerated fairly easily by rest or sleep.  Rest restores FP at a rate of 1% per minute rested up to a total of 50% per day (rest is time in which no more than 1/10th of the characters total AP are spent each CR.  Sleep regenerates FP at a rate of 12% per hour up to a total of 100% of total FP.  During sleep no AP may be spent.  The skill Endurance can be used to increase FP.  They are found by the formula:  FP = 2 x (STR + WIL). 

Movement (MOV)
	Movement indicates the amount of distance a person can move in a normal six-second round of combat at walking speed.  It can be adjusted upwards by spending additional AP on movement.  Walking costs 10 AP and gets the base Movement value.  Jogging costs 20 AP and gets 1.5  times base Movement.  Running costs 30 AP and is equal to 2 times base Movement.  Movement is equal to (AGI+SIZ)/2 Meters/CR.

Age and Aging (AGE)
	Age is picked by the player.  Most players create characters with ages in their early or mid 20s.  But some players may want to have older or younger characters as dictated by their character conception.  Age balances off the penalties of physical deterioration against the benefits of experience and training, but in the context of By the Gods these penalties and benefits have little meaning, although players should keep them in mind.

Character Wealth
	While coinage is not unknown in the settings used in By the Gods, for the most part wealth is measured in status and in the form of property.  However, to keep things simple, each character should be assigned some wealth which can be used to purchase mundane equipment.  All or most of this wealth should be spent on equipment before play starts. Initial wealth is equal to (PRI2 x 5)-500 units.


SKILLS & TRAINING
	By the Gods is a skill based game, so skills are of paramount imporatnce, working in combination with characteristics to determine what a character can do and how well he can do it. 

What is a Skill Point
	To some degree Skill Points represent time and effort spent learning specific things or gaining experience through activity and experimentation.  Learning isn't  just a matter of time spent studying or years spent in school or exposure to the world.  All of these things contribute together to the Skill Points which a character has.  In general one skill point corresponds to about 100 hours of study or other learning experience for the character.  What this corresponds to in playing time may be highly variable and some characters may learn better or faster than others.

Types of Skill Points
	There are two types of Skill Points.  Basic Skill Points may only be spent on generally useful skills having to do with the background and professional training of the character.  Advanced Skill Points may only be spent on the most specialized skills (combat, magic, etc.).  On the skill list Basic and Advanced Skills are marked with (B) or (A) after the primary skill.
	Points gained later in play are referred to as Experience Skill Points and may be spent freely within certain restrictions to increase existing skills or acquire new skills.
	Skill Points can also be gained by training outside of game time, where the character pays for specialized education in a particular area of skill.
	All Skill Points are spent in the same way to purchase levels of skills.  The more levels of a skill a character has the more effective he is with it.
	When first creating a character the player may have additional skill points to spend left over from his characteristics.  These points are spent just like any other skill points and are treated as Advanced Skill Points.

Skill Point Spending Guidelines
	A starting character should pick a nationality and a profession.  Each of these has specific skills associated with it.  He must spend at least half of his initial BSP and ASP on skills from these two lists.  He must spend on at least 3 skills from each list and may not spend more than half of his BSP or ASP on any one skill.
	As Experience is gained and spent it must be evenly divided between Basic and Advanced skills.  When spending Experience, no more SP may be spent on a skill than 10-Skill Level, rounded up.  This provides a limited learning curve.

Learning Skills
	You learn skills by spending Skill Points.  Each Skill Point spent on a skill becomes one Skill Level.  The more Skill Levels a character has with a skill the better he is at using it.  There is no top limit to the number of skill levels which may be purchased, and as the character gains Experience in the course of the game he may add more SLs.  Skills, levels and amounts spent should be kept track of.  Once points are spent they are treated exactly the same way regardless of source.
	Learning skills takes time, so as a character gains SP he may spend them, but it should take about 1 game week per SP spent on skills.  It is possible to unlearn skills to change the emphasis of training as well, but it takes one game month to switch a SP from one skill to another.

Default Aptitudes
	If a character has not learned any levels of a skill he may still have a chance to use it.  This is called Default Aptitude and is equal to Facility x 5.  Default Aptitude may not be used in place of the character's actual Skill Rating if he has learned levels of the skill.

Using Skills
 	During the course of play characters will find themselves in situations where their knowledge and training will help them.  That knowledge or training is represented in the skills which they have learned, and how competent they are with those skills determines the outcome of situations where those skills can be applied.

Determining Skill Rating
	Your chance of success with a skill is determined by your Skill Rating.  The higher it is, the better you are with the skill.  It can be thought of as your percentage chance of success with simple tasks to which that skill applies, except when it is opposed or modified for more difficult circumstances.  Skill Rating is equal to Skill Level times Facility.  When using a Secondary or Tertiary skill your total Skill Rating is based on the total of your Skill Levels with it and all the skills directly above it in the hierarchy.  So if you had a 10 SL of a Primary skill, 5 SL with a Secondary skill under it and a 3 SL with a Tertiary skill under that, your total SL with the Tertiary skill would be 18, and your Skill Rating with that skill would be 18 times the Facility of that skill.

Skill Hierarchy Example
Primary/Secy/Terty	FAC	SL	Total SR
Blade Weapons		2	20	40
	Broadsword		10	60
		Attack  		5	70
		Parry		3	66
		Disarm  		2	64
	Greatsword		5	50
		Attack		2	54
		Parry		2	54
		Disarm		1	52
	Shortsword		5	50
		Attack		2	54
		Parry		2	54
		Disarm		1	52

Success with Skills
	To determine success with a skill you roll 1D100 and try to roll as low as possible.  Until you learn the pattern of results you can check this value against the following table:

Skill Resolution
1D100	Result 
Over Skill Rating	Failure
Under Skill Rating	Marginal Success
Under Skill Rating/2	Superior Success
Under Skill Rating /5	Exceptional Success
Under Skill Rating/10	Critical Success

	Failure means the skill just doesn't work.  Marginal Success means minimum adequate results are produced.  The skill works, but not well.  Superior Success means the skill does what it is supposed to do.  Exceptional Success means that the skill meets the users highest expectations.  Critical Success indicates a superlative result, better than one could ever hope for.

Adjustments for Difficulty
	Skill rolls may be adjusted for any special difficulty of the situation under which the skill is used.  This usually takes the form of the gamemaster requiring a higher level of success for the skill to actually work, though it might also take the form of a numerical reduction of the character's Skill Rating.

Comparative Skills
	When the skill of one player is competing against the skill of another both players roll and the result is based on the relative qualities of their rolls.  If both achieve the same skill result (on the table above) they neutralize each other.  If one achieves 1 step better than the other he gets a Marginal Success result.  If he achieves two steps better than his opponent he gets a Superior Success result.  If he beats his opponent by 3 steps he gets a critical Success.  Thus, a Superior Success rolled against a Marginal Success would become a Marginal Success instead.

Action Points & Skill Use
	Everything you do takes time.  In game terms how long it takes to do something is represented as a cost in Action Points.  Each character has a set number of AP and they regenerate every round.  Every action has a cost in AP.  When that cost is paid the action is completed.  A character who has a large number of AP can complete a given action faster than a character with fewer AP.
	There are three general types of actions, Continuous, Extended and Immediate.  Continuous actions cost a certain set number of AP each round during which they are being executed and these points are spent as long as the action continues.  Extended actions take place over a large period of time and have an AP cost which may be spent over any length of time at a variable rate determined by the character.  Immediate actions have a single total AP cost and when it is paid the action has been completed, even if it takes more than 1 round to meet that cost,   For example, walking is an continuous action, casting many spells would be an extended action and swinging a sword is an immediate action.
	A character can take more time and try harder to make himself more effective with an action.  This is represented by spending additional Action Points.  If more AP are spent the character's Skill Rating or the magnitude of effectiveness goes up, but at a decreasing rate as indicated below.

AP Spent	Result
1 x Cost	1 x Skill Rating
3 x Cost	2 x Skill Rating
6 x Cost	3 x Skill Rating
10 x Cost	4 x Skill Rating

	With continuous actions increased AP spending must be carried out within each round that increased results are desired.  Immediate actions can be carried over from one round to another, but no more than one round worth of AP can be spent on an immediate action from the point at which it is initiated, and it cannot be paid for incrementally.  Multiple actions can be carried on at the same time if the AP are available.  
	Many skills are considered Passive skills and you may not spend additional AP to increase effectiveness with them.  Most knowledge and craft type skills are considered Passive skills.

Sample Action	AP Cost
Broadsword Attack	11
Create Mist Spell		150
Dodging		12
Longbow Attack		20
Picking a Lock		50
Riding		15
Walking		10
Wearing Chainmail	8

Skills, Actions & Fatigue
  	Activity is, by its nature, tiring.  When activities are undertaken they cost a set number of Fatigue Points (FP), either specially established, or based on the number of AP expended.  In general, a character loses 1FP per 100AP expended.  This means that an average character could carry on full action combat without resting for about 7 minutes.  FP can be restored, as previously noted, usually by sleep or rest.  In combat and other intensive actions AP and FP will be expended at a high rate.  If Psychic abilities are used they may have additional costs in both AP and FP as indicated.  Costs for most skills are given with the skill lists.  Generally, when engaging in unspecified activity, FP should be expended at a rate of 2 per hour, even if one is more or less sedentary.  In more active circumstances the 1 FP per 100 AP expended rule shoul apply.

Experience & Advancement
	In addition to the starting fund of Skill Points which every character has they gain experience which translates into more Skill Points as they go through life.  Additional SP can be gained either through training or through more a more immediate process of events and practice. 

Experience from Play
   	In the course of play advancement in skill and experience is handled by the acquisition of additional Experience SP for the characters as a result of their experience during play.  There is no hard and fast rule as to how many SP to give out during play, but it should depend primarily on the length of playing time and the quality of imagination, originality and personality development displayed by the particular character.  The range should be about 2 ESP per hour, with the least realized characters getting 7 or so for a typical 5 hour session and the most realized getting as much as 12. 	During the course of a game session players should make note of which skills they actually used during that session.  This is usually best done by putting a check mark next to those skills on the character sheet.  Once the adventure is over they may allocate the SP which they gained to any of those skills, broken up along the guidelines described in the skill section.

Experience from Training
	Characters may also study or train to gain Training SP.  This is usually done outside of game time, and again, it is at the discretion of the GameMaster.  The function of this is to improve skills not used in the adventure setting, learn new skills, or to augment those which a character already has.  In general, characters should not gain more experience SP through this method than they do through adventuring, though if they spend much time studying the amounts might be roughly equal, depending on the frequency of play.
	The standard correspondence of SP to time is 20 hours to one SP.  If you assume that game time runs 3 times as fast as real time and that characters spend no more than 20 hours a week in training, you can figure that they gain 3 SP every real-time week.  If you run game-time faster than that or if a character has the leisure and will to spend more than 20 hours a week in study and practice, adjust SP gain appropriately.   This works as a pretty good rule of thumb, though you may wish to place an absolute limit of no more than PRI/2 TSP gained between playing sessions.  These SP should be accounted for by appropriate payment to trainers, teachers, schools and the like.  This payment should generally amount to $100 - (3xPRI) per SP, adjusted for the economy of the setting.
	When a character undertakes training he should devote his attention to that, and should be penalized if he gets involved in other activities or distracted to any significant extent.  The player should also specify in advance what his character is studying or training in and it is on those things which the SP should be spent, divided appropriately according to the time spent on each skill.

Advancing in Skill
	As a character gains more Skill Points from whatever source, they can be spent to improve skills which he already has or to learn new skills which he can find someone to teach him.  The system of purchase for additional Skill Levels is exactly the same as for starting SL.

Additional Skills
	While the skill list provided in these rules is extensive, it would be foolish to think that it represents all the possible skills.  If a player wants his character to learn a skill which is not on the list, there's no reason why you can't add new skills.
	When adding skills use the already existing skills as a guideline.  Find the most similar skill in topic and difficulty to the new skill and use it as a basis as far as determining what characteristic it is based on, Facility, etc.  Beyond that the GM should use his best judgement.
	Don't create a new skill if the skill is already adequately covered by an existing skill or is just a more specific sub-set of an existing skill.  You can allow a player to learn the existing skill instead with a note that he has specialized in a particular aspect of it.

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THE HEROIC MODE

Unlike other games, By the Gods is a purely heroic environment.  The characters are intended to be larger than life and this means they should be given some latitude.

This means that what might be superhuman In other games is to be expected of characters in By the Gods. They are the kind of people who don't know their own limits, or for whom 'too far' and 'too dangerous' have little meaning. The characters expect to succeed - perhaps even more than the players do

This means that you should let characters get away with actions which may be outrageous from a rational view-point, but make sense for their character in the setting even if it's not specified in their skills or powers.

The gamemaster should also remember that the setting is inherently not realistic, so if a player wants his character to have some unusual power that makes sense only for his character and isn't specified in the rules, they should work together to design that skill or power

Traditional roleplaying is melodrama. Mythological roleplaying is the. realm of great tragedy. This means that eventually heroic characters should find a dramatic conclusion to their career, and  letting  that  career  be unprecedentedly glorious makes its inevitable conclusion at the hands of fate that much more dramatic

Don't be afraid of the flamboyant the outrageous  and  the  bizarre. As gamemaster let your world lead the way with high drama and imposing characters and your players will follow your lead. The end result will be the stuff of legends. 
****

MYTHIC POWERS
	Muthic powers are a special sub-set of skills which allow characters to do things which would not be within the ability of normal mortals. 
	Mythic skills can create substance out of nothing, direct natural and supernatural energies, and alter the very nature of the character.  In many cases they require an expenditure of time and Fatigue Points when used.  They are learned like any other skill and can be trained and improved in effectiveness like other skills.
	There are two basic types of Mythic skills.  Abilities cause things to happen and Affinities establish a relationship between the character and a particular element or substance.  While abilities can be used on their own, they are most effective when combined with Affinities.
	As a general rule, when starting out a character should learn at least one affinity and a variety of Abilities.

Using Mythic Powers
	Using Mythic Skills costs the character Activity Points and Fatigue Points based on the Power Level of what he is doing.  Once a character has selected his Mythic skills, the key thing to using them is determining specific applications of those skills so that a cost can be assigned to those applications.  It is a good idea for players to determine a selection of specific applications of Mythic skills in advance so that these calculations are less necessary during play.
	If you learn a Mythic Skill, what you can do with it is highly variable depending on the amount of power you want to put into it and how you choose to structure the effects.
	Each use of a Mythic power is judged according to seven criteria, Damage, Objectives, Range, Characteristic Resistance, Volume, Time and Senses Effected (DORMVT).  Not all uses of Mythic Power will require that each of these characteristics be used.  These elements and their effects are described below.
	Damage (D): Each 1 added to Power Rating can add 1 to base damage, or 3 points of AP damage, or 5 points of FP damage, or 5 points of Movement Speed, or 1 point of damage reduction for duration, or 3 points of one time damage absorbtion (or parallell  amounts for other forms of damage).  If several effects are desired the points spent are cumulative prior to multiplication for the final value.  Damage can also be considered equivalent to speed or force, with each point of damage roughly equal to 5mph of speed.
	Objectives (O): Power Rating is increased for each target which the power is intended to effect after the first, or for each additonal target/object manipulated or created.
	Range (R): Power Rating is increased for each increment of range from the target to the center or locus of the effect.  The increments are 1 Meter (1), 10M (2), 100M (3), 1000M (4), 10,000M, 100,000M (5).  Each additional 100,000M adds 1 to Power Rating.  No additional points are required for a power which only works on the character himself.  This classification also covers temporal range (backwards or forwards in time) at the same rate as the incremental scale given under Time.  If range is circular, the distance figured from is the diameter of the circule.
	Magnitude of Resistence (M): This represents the difficulty of imposing a particular effect on a particular target.  The scale of Power Ratings is: Mineral (1), Vegetable (2), Animal (3), Human (4), Lesser Spirit/Demigod (5), Greater Spirit/Deity (6).  The indicated Power Level will give that type of target a resistence roll equal to the appropriate characterstic times 5.  Each time the Power level is spent again it can reduce that multiplier by 1.  So to give a human target no resistence at all to the effect would be a Power level of 20 (5x4).  Resistence is generally used for things like summoning or controlling particular targets.
	Volume (V): Volume, mass or area of radius effected.  Volume: 1 point added to Power rating per 5 Cubic Meters.  When the target of the effect is a single being, volumes up to 2 Cubic Meters are free, but for anything larger than 2 Cubit Meters the volume must be paid for.  Area: 1 point of Power per 3 Meters radius.  Mass: 1 point of Power per 50 Kilograms
	Time of Effect (T): 1 Power rating per increment of duration.  Increments are Immediate/1 Combat Round (1), 1 Minute (2), 10 Minutes (3), 1 Hour (4), each additional Hour is 1 more Power Level.

Rating Powers
	When a specific application of a Transcendent Skill is designed, it is given a Power Level based on attributes as explained above.  The character can adjust the level of each of these to determine what the exact effects are.  The Power rating of any specific application of a Transcendent power is equal to the values for DORCMVT added together, but not all applications of a power are required to use all of those elements, based on the best judgment of the gamemaster.

Activity & Fatigue Point Cost
	The Power Level of a particular application of Transcendent power combined with the AP Modifier of the skill used determines the cost to use it in Action Points and Fatigue Points.
	With an active power the Action Point Cost of a given Transcendent power application is equal to the Action Point Modifier of the Affinity used, multiplied by the Action Point Modifier of the  Transcendent Skill used, multiplied by the Power Level of that partcular use.  The Fatigue Point Cost is APC/50.  As with other skills, the player must roll successfully to use the skill for it to produce a result.  Additional AP can be spent to increase SR with a Transcendent skill under the standard rules for increasing SR with immediate use skills.

Using Mythic Powers
	When you use a Mythic power, you roll for results agains both your Ability skill and your Affinity skill on the standard skill table, but the possible results can be rather special.
	If you do badly on the roll for your Ability skill all sorts of things can go wrong with the power.  If you do badly on your Affinity roll the power can be substantially weakened.

Success with Ability Skills
	Ability skills are rolled on the normal skill table.  Different degrees of success produce different results.
	Failure means the effect doesn't work at all.  A Marginal result causes the Ability skill used to be altered to one of the other skills at the same level in the hierarchy and under the same primary skill.  With a Marginal result the target picks which skill it is changed to.  The level of power remains the same and the gamemaster resolves any problems with interpreting the results.  With a Superior or better result the effect works as intended.

Using Affinity Skills
	Affinities are essential to the effective use of Mythic powers.  Affinities establish a relationship between the character and his environment and make it easier for him to effect certain substances or make it easier for him to use his abilities when their use is associated with appropriate substances.
	There are three degrees of affinity.  Direct Affinity means the use of the ability targets or directly manipulates the subject of the affinity.  Indirect Affinity means the affinity subject is present and directly involved in the use of the power, but is not the target.  Remote Affinity means that the affinity subject is invoked or in other ways alluded to in the use of the ability.
	When you use an Affinity you roll agains the Affinity skill and the result of your roll determines how many of the intended power points put into that effect you can actually spend.  This is determined using the standard skill table:

Roll	Power Available
Over SR	None
Under SR	100%/60%/20%
Under SR/2	120%/80%/40%
Under SR/5	140%/100%/60%
Under SR/10	160%/120%/80%

The first percentage listed is the portion of your requested Power points with a Direct Affinity, the second is with an Indirect Affinity and the third is with a Remote Affinity.
	If the Affinity result reduces the number of Power levels available for a given effect, you have to remove points from the effect to meet that limitation, but you still pay the full cost in Fatigue and Action Points.
	You may not voluntarily spend additional AP to increase your effectiveness with an Affinity.

Innate Powers
	It is possible for a character to have powers which are entirely internalized, always in effect and do not require any conscious thought or activation.  These Innate powers are purchased differently from regular powers and are not dependent on the use of skills.
	Innate powers are generally manifested physically as changes in physical form or characteristics.  Among the most common uses is in giving the character additional limbs, natural armor or the ability to fly.  Their Range is limited to the character himself.  Their Duration is unlimited.  Damage and Magnitude levels are variable.  They can neither be turned on or off, and what specific effects and affinities are logical as innate powers is up to the discretion of the gamemaster.
	Each innate power has a set cost which is paid in Activity Points, Fatigue Points and Skill Points.  This is based on the Power level and the skills whcih would be used if it were being done as a regular skill.  This cost is equal to the APM of the Ability times the APM of the Affinity times the Power level.  This cost can be paid as a permanent loss of Activity Points, Fatigue Points or Skill Points.  These points are lost at different rates.  AP are traded at 1 for 1.  It takes 2 FP for each point of innate power cost.  It takes 3 Advanced Skill Point for each point of an innate power.  An innate power can be paid for in any combination of these ponts, but at least one point of its cost must be paid in each type of point.  These costs are a reduction of the character's total ratings for the points they are paid out of and do not regenerate.
	For example, an innate power with a cost of 10 could cost 1 AP, 2 FP and 8 ASP, or it could cost 8 AP, 2FP and 3 ASP.  The best approach depends largely on the nature of the character.

Externalized Powers
	While many characters may wish their powers to be inherent in themselves, some may wish for them to be in the form of external devices or mechanical aids.  This is thre result of the character's psyche becoming fixated on an object as the focus to his understanding of himself.  This makes him more vulnerable and less versatile in the use of his powers.
	In many cases, this may result in a reduction in cost on that item.  Depending on the nature of the item in question there is a percentage reduction of the cost of the powers available through it.  Most powers require FP to work, and in the case of most tools they must have a Power Source built into them to provide this, or else be linked to the character with the Mechanical Interface power, thereby using his FP.  Those powered independently should be given a 'Power Source' type power as part of their makeup and run off of the Energy Points which it generates.  There are three basic types of mechanical aids, Objects, Vehicles and Garments.  In all of these cases some GM discretion is involved, and all reductions should be adjusted for the specific case.
	Objects: These are items which are carried or are wielded, can be set down, and are in no way attached to the user.  They may take any powers, with a basic cost reduction of 33% (30-36% range).  If the item is smaller than 8in square and less than 4lbs, the reduction is only 30% as it is easily hidden.  If the item is, for some reason unusually easy to lose or damage reduction could go up to 36%.  Other factors to consider might be if it is usable only by the owner (up to 3% less off) or unusually noticable or conspicuous (up to 3% more off).  Cost reduction should never be more than 36%.
	Vehicles: Vehicles can be given powers.  As with all items, these powers are in addition to any natural characteristics.  Vehicle cost reductions range from 24 to 30%, averaging 27%.  The same principles as above operate, depending on the characteristics of the vehicle.  Generally, each person worth of occupancy should reduce reduction percentage by 1%, and some of the other cases given above should apply.
	Garments: This class usually means armor, though it may mean other things as well.  In this case, all of the characteristics of the item are determined by the powers, including the armor protection, and it should be treated separatly from normal, bought armor.  Cost reductions should range from 18-24%, averaging around 21%, with such factors as comfort and concealability counting (3% less off if it looks like normal clothing.
	In addition, logical benefits can be added where power and function meet, perhaps 3-6%.  This would be in cases of hand held missile weapons which fire elemental attacks, armor, absorbtion or deflection for a garment, flight or speed movement for a vehicle, etc.
	In general, GM discretion is the key here.  Putting powers into an item means that it and they can be destroyed or removed, or fall into the hands of an enemy.  This should be weighed against the reductions.  It should be fairly easy to work reductions and custom designs out with players doing most of the work and GMs approving or modifying designs.  One additional aspect of this is the application of skills.  If the character has appropriate mechanical and technical skills for the powers and object involved, he should recieve reductions to fit.  Generally, such reductions should come to no more than 15%, about 1% per 10% on the application roll for the major appropriate skill.  Good examples would be things like woodworking or metallurgy, but ultimately what fits is up to the GM.


COMBAT
	Combat uses the same basic skill system.  Characters purchase attack and defense skills with specific weapons or techniques, and the SRs with these skills are compared to determine the results of attacks.

Combat Skills
	Combat skills are broken down to the level of Tertiary skills more often than other skills.  The Primary skills for combat are generally broad weapon groups (Blade Weapons, Bow Weapons, etc.).  The Secondary skills beneath those are specific weapons (Shortsword, Broadsword, etc.).  The Tertiary skills under each weapon are Attack, Parry and Disarm (plus possibly Entangle and Unbalance, depending on the weapon).

Attack & Defense
	Combat basically comes down to a test of skill against skill.  This is much like the use of other skills, but the possible results are far more likely to be deadly, so ability and strategy on both sides needs to be taken into careful account.

Making the Attack
At the start of an attack the attacker declares which part of the defenders body he is aiming at (Head, Chest, Abdomen, Arm, Leg, Hand, Foot).  Just as with any other comparative skill the Attacker rolls against his attack skill, modified for the body area he is aiming at and the Defender rolls against his defensive skill (if any).  The results are compared.  The effectiveness of the Attack is modified appropriately for the effectiveness of the defense as outlined in the general skill system.

Attack Target Modifiers
Target	Modifier
Hands	-30
Feet, Head	-20
Legs, Arms	-10
Chest, Abdomen	0

	Possible results for different levels of success with an attack are listed here.  In all cases when there is a choice to be made (between two possible results or choice of location) it is made by the defending player.  This is a mechanism to simulate general strategy, not a conscious decision by the defending character to redirect damage. 

Combat Results
Skill Result	Attack Effect
Failure			Miss
Marginal		Redirected
Superior		On Target
Exceptional	On Target, Bypass Armor
Critical			Choice of Targets, Bypass Armor

Redirected means the target of the blow relocates it to an area adjacent to the target area chosen by the attacker.  On Target means the attacker hits the area he aimed for.  Choice of Targets means the attacker can choose to locate the blow in any area adjacent to the one he aimed for if he wishes.  Bypass Armor means that if the defender rolls a defensive roll within his Armor Value the automatic damage negation effect of the armor is ignored.

Multiple Attacks and Defenses
    	Whenever the character has the AP to spend on a blow the same process can repeated, while at the same time his opponent makes his attacks in the same way. 

Defense
	Once an attack has been declared the target may roll against it to defend himself.  If he uses the skill Dodge he pays 12 AP to use it for that entire round and may roll against any attacks which come his way, but the Facility of Dodge is very low.  If he has the skill to Parry with his weapon or a shield he may use that as well, rolling against individual attacks, but every time he rolls he pays the AP cost for that Weapon and those AP are no longer available to spend on other actions that round.  So if a character had 32 AP and a weapon which costs 10 AP to Parry and was being attacked 3 times, he might attempt to parry all three blows, but would have no points left over for any other actions.  Or if he also had Dodge he might use Dodge against all three blows, Parry the one which he thought would be most deadly, and have 10 points left over to make an attack.

Action Points in Combat
	All attack and defense skills are considered to be immediate actions, except for Dodge which is treated as a continuous action.  Each time the AP cost of a combat action is spent that action may be repeated until the character runs out of AP for that round.  In addition to being able to increase SR with a combat skill, additional AP spending can also be used to increase the damage of an attack skill.  Paying the AP cost of an attack counts towards both SR and damage, but from that point they must be spent on separately if the character wishes to increase them.

Weapon Damage Modifier & AP Cost
Weapons 		WDM AP Cost
Battle Axe		5	11
Broad Sword	6	10
Dagger		8	8
Glaive		4	12
Halberd		3	13
Javelin		6	10
Longbow		6	15
Shield		3	12
Short Sword		7	9
Spear			6	10

AP and the Attack
   	Each time the AP cost for a weapon is spent, one attack can be made.  These AP are subtracted from the characters total for that CR when the attack is made, and he may make additional attacks, in sequence, if he has more AP.  AP are also spent for defense, but defensive AP are subtracted from the total for the round before any other calculations are made.
	Attack Skill Rating, Defense Skill Rating or Damage Class can be raised by a method similar to that used for other skills.  The basic value of Attack Skill Rating, Defense Skill Rating or Damage Class costs one times the APC. for that skill  Spending for Attack Skill Rating includes the cost of Damage Class for the first increment.  After that it must be spent for separately.  With any of these skills the second time the APC is spent it adds 50% to the SR.  The third spending adds another 50% to SR.  To double Attack Skill Rating, Defense Skill Rating or Damage Class costs APCx3, but Damage Class, Defense Skill Rating and Attack Skill Rating must each be spent for separately if they are all to be raised.  No stat can be more than doubled by spending AP.  Increases can be combined to increase more than one of these stats.  Remember the Damage Class is a special case.  Potentially a character may spend up to 5 times the APC of hand attack skills.  Up to 2 of the additional 4 increments can be used to increase Damage Class and up to 2 additional increments can be used to increase SR.  Damage Class increases by 50% per increment just like SR, and can never be increased more than 100%.

AP and Defense
	There are two basic types of defensive skills, those which are continuous and those which are used in specific response to an attack  The best examples of these are the Dodge skill and the Parry skill.  The Dodge skill allows you to roll for defense against any attacks you face in a round and is paid for once in that round.  The Parry skill allows you to roll against any attacks as long as you can afford to pay the AP cost of parrying for each attack you choose to parry.  Dodge AP cost is paid off of your total for the round at the start of the round.  Parry AP costis paid as needed during the round.

Sequence of Actions
	Also of note is the sequence of actions.  Different characters have different numbers of AP, but all spend their AP in the same space of time.  Those who have more AP to spend generally act faster than those with less.  AP should be compared in important combat to determine who can act first.  The lower number should be subtracted from the higher and the difference should be split so that the character with the higher AP can spend half the difference before the other character can begin to act, and half after he has finished his actions for that round.

Borrowing AP
	AP can also be borrowed from rounds  which are yet to come, or stored up from a previous round.  Up to half the AP from the next immediate round can be borrowed, but in that next round, double that number of AP must be paid for that borrowing.  AP stored up from the previous round, a period of concentration and perhaps aiming carry over at half value, AP from the round before that carry over at a quarter value, and AP from the round before that carry over at eighth value.  Older AP do not carry over.

Keeping Track of AP in Play
  	In general, AP should be kept track of in a functional way, but should not be monitored obsessively.  Characters should work out some standard combat tactics and the AP patterns they form.  In general, play it fast and loose in the vast majority of situations.  More specific use of AP should be reserved for key moments, such as character duels.

Taking Damage
	When a weapon hits the target usually takes damage.  This damage can take a number of forms, including physical damage, stun damage and other long and short term effects of wounds.

Physical Damage
Once a part of the body is hit, damage is determined. Each character has a damage value for the weapon he is using.  To determine the weapon's damage value when a particular character is wielding it, add together the character's STR and SIZ and divide by the Weapon Damage Modifier for the weapon - (STR+SIZ)/WDM.  To determine damage done, roll 2D10, take the lower of the two numbers and multiply that by weapon damage.  The average base damage with a broadsword in the hands of an average character is 5, so with an average die roll he would do 15 or 20 points of damage.
	Damage is done to the character's Health Points.  Each body area has a specific number of Health Points assigned to it, and if it takes damage equal to that value the character suffers negative results.  Health points by area are determined from the basic Health Point value.  When an area takes 1, 2 or 3 times as much damage as it has Health Poits assigned to it various results are produced as indicated on the chart below.  An average character would have 13 Health Poits assigned to his arm, so an average blow with a broadsword would incapacitate the limb.

Area	Area HP	1x	2x	3x
Head	HP/5	U	#	D
Hands	HP/5	I	B	S
Arms	HP/4	I	B	S
Feet	HP/4	I	B	S
Legs	HP/3	I	B	S
Abdomen	HP/3	U	#	D
Chest	HP/2	U	#	D

U=Unconsiousness for # of Combat Rounds equal to total damage.  #=Death (in CON-Damage Rounds).  I=Incapacitated (must roll within (WILx3)-Damage on 1D100 to use). B=Broken or Bleeding.  S=Severed (Unconscious in CON-Damage Rounds if not treated).  D=Immediate Death.  Under normal circumstances a Wound heals in Damage/HP days.

Subduing Attacks
	If a character wishes to subdue his opponent without killing him, he can choose to reduce his actual damage and do damage to his opponent's Action Points instead.  When damage is dealt he may reduce the actual damage by up to half of its value and for each point of damage given up this way he may do 3 points of damage to his opponent's AP, taken off of the next round of combat.  So if an attack did 10 damage, that could become 5 real damage and 15 AP damage off of the target's AP for the next round.  If a character takes enough AP damage he essentially becomes immobilized. 
	An attack can also be made with the objective of knocking an opponent unconscious.  In such an attack actual damage is halved, but it is treated as if it were doubled, but the doubled value can only produce an unconsciousness (in head or torso) or incapacitated result (in limbs).

Falling & Impact Damage
	Sometimes people fall down.  Sometimes they fall down cliffs or off buildings, or get hit by trucks.  When that happens it hurts them, sometimes it's fatal.  The results of falling and being hit by large moving objects are fairly similar, resulting in both overall and located damage.  Both overall and located damage is normally treated as club damage unless the surface is serated or covered with spikes.
	In the case of falling impact damage is based on the distance fallen and to some degree on the surface where they land.  Overall damage from a fall is equal to (Square Root of Height) x 10 HP in overall damage with height measured in meters.  For violent encounters with a moving object overall damage is equal to (Square Root of (Mass x Velocity))/5 HP, with velocity in Km/Hour and mass in Kilograms.  Thus, a fall from a height of 36 meters would do 60 points of overall damage, about the same as getting hit by a mid-size (1500kg) car going 60kph.  This damage is treated as Maximum Damage and the GM should roll 2D10 and actual damage is (MDxHiDie)/10.
	In addition to overall damage the character should take located damage.  The number of located attacks should be equal to the overall damage divided by 10 and rounded up.  Each of those attacks should be rolled randomly and have a MD of 1/5 of the overall damage amount.  So i n the previous example of a 36 meter fall or an encounter with a mid-size car the victim would  also take 4 or 5 located attacks on average for a MD of 12 points.  These attacks use the low die for damage, but if multiple blows are located in the same area of the body the MD are added together before rolling damage.
	Falling characters may make a roll for Cat Fall and in some situations a Dodge roll is appropriate to avoid moving vehicles.  If such a roll is made successfully the result is that the damage effects are halved/

Poison Damage
	Poison can damage a character in a variety of ways.  In general poison damage is treated as damage against overall Health Points, though the results of poison damage may be highly variable.  In general when poison overcomes 1 times damage overall its effects are felt by the character, be they paralysis, hallucination, incapacitation, illness or even death.
	All poisons should have an assigned value for Maximum Damage (MD).  Each poison should also have a value for Potency, a numerical rating indicating how fast it acts. with 1 being the fastest and no real limit on how high the rating can be.  Once that is determined, there are several ways that damage can take effect.  It can be an ascending progression of effect, a descending progression of effect or a linear progression of effect .
	To determine what a poison does, divide MD by Potency.  Call this value X.  For a Linear poison X indicates the number of points of overall damage which the victim takes per CR from that poison.  In a descending progression the victim takes 8X in the first round, 4X in the second, 2X in the third and 1X in all remaining rounds until the poison has run its course and the victim has taken the total MD.  With an ascending poison effect the victim takes  X/8 in each of the first two rounds, X/4 in the second round, X/2 in the third round and X for all remaining rounds until all the damage is done.
	Not all poisons are readily available.  They should be rated for Rarity based on MD and Potency.  This rating should be roughly equivalent to the X value previously mentioned.  This can be used to modify a skill roll to create a poison using the Chemistry or Pharmacology skill by subtracting it from the Skill Levels of the character doing the research.  It can be used to determine the expense of buying a poison at a rate of about X Squared  times 10 dollars per dosage.  It can also be used to determine the time to develop a new poison at a rate of X Squared hours of research.  All of this should be adjusted for factors like the detectability of the poison and the ease with which it can be administered.

Unusual Combat Tactics
	Some special attack tactics may be appropriate in special situations, for example a charge, tackle or trip.  These should do mostly AP damage based on the forces involved.  All would be treated as club-SPe hand-to-hand your body which is covered and the AP Modifier for the AV of the armor.  APM is equal to 1 for 1 AV, 2 for 2 AV, 4 for 3 AV, 8 for 4 AV, 16 for 5 AV, 32 for 6 AV, etc.  Armor APC is equal to 2+((APM x # Areas Covered)/2).  You can get armor which covers only certain vital areas.  The areas which can be covered are Head, Chest, Abdomen, Legs and Arms.  Thus, a bullet proof vest with an AV of 5 would have an APC of 10, while a full body suit of the same AV would have an APC of 42.  A typical Kelvar jumpsuit would have an AV of 3 and cover the whole body except the face, for a total APC of 10.

Healing & Recovery
	Characters heal normal Health Point damage at a rate of  STR/5  points overall per day, and  STR/20  points per area per day.  If a wound achieves a I  or B result and is not properly treated, there is a chance that full use of that limb may not be restored.  This may result in characteristics point loss in DEX or DEX which ever is appropriate.  In addition, wounds to the body which achieve a # result may lead to a permanent reduction of STR for the character.if not treated properly.  In general, proper treatment requires a successful First Aid roll immediately.  B, P  and # results both also require a successful Surgery roll within 72 hours, and a # result also requires a successful Life Saving roll within STR/# rounds or the character will die.  In situations where characteristic loss is appropriate an I result costs 6 points, a B result, a P resultt or a #  result costs 12 points.  If thefor each required roll which is made within the required time, this is reduced.  If two rolls are required, each reduces by half.  If three, each reduces by a third, etc.  If required rolls are not made, half of the amount they  would have healed is healed naturally at a rate of 1 point per week.

Armor
	Armor reduces damage directly.  It has a value between 1 and 7 and that amount is subtracted from any damage done to the area covered by the armor.  Armor is bulky and has a cost in AP which reduces the available AP of the character wearing it every round.

Armor Type	Value	AP Cost
Leather		1	3
Studded Leather	2	4
Boiled Leather	3	5
Ringmail		4	6
Chainmail		5	7
Scale/Light Plate	6	8
Heavy Plate	7	9

Life After Death
	Because By the Gods is a highly magical game, it is very possible that characters may come back from the dead in one form or another.  With skills like Incarnation and Reincarnation, they could create a new body or be born into a new form, and other skills offer other possible ways to stay around magically.  For this to be possible they must be able to use their skills while they are dead or in spirit form.  In this form all affinities are automatically treated as indirect, which makes them somewhat less effective.  In addition, because they are not in physical form, no abilities which would be dependant on physical presence or force will work either.  Spirits are also invisible and unable to speak, which limits their ability to seek aid.  Finally, spirits only have a number of hours equal to their WIL before they are dragged off to their appropriate afterlives, so if the character can't figure out a way to come back to life in that time he's out of luck.


CHARACTERISTIC ROLLS
   	In situations where a character attempts to do something or attempts  to respond to a situation which cannot be dealt with under the skill system or by simple logic, it may be appropriate to make a characteristic based roll of some sort.  These rolls for avoidance or effort are generally percentile rolls in which the character has to roll and asjusted 1D100 on the standard skill table.  The basic multiplier is 3 but this can be modified greatly for AP and the situation and characteristics involved.  A difficulty adjustment may be taken into consideration just like with skills, depending on the situation.
   	There are two basic types of Characteristic Rolls, those for active characteristics and those for passive characteristics.  For passive characteristics characters get an automatic 3 times the characteristic roll at no AP cost.  For the first 20 additional AP spent this can be increased by 1 multiplier, to 4 times the characteristic.  If another 40 AP are spent this can be raised one more increment to 5 times the characteristic, but that is the highest it can be raised.  Passive characteristics are STR,  APP and PRI.
	For active characteristics AP must be spent to have any kind of roll.  Each multiplier for the characteristic costs a flat 15 AP with a maximum limit of a 5 multiplier.  Thus, for 45 AP the character could have a roll with a multiplier of 3.  Active characteristics are CRE, STR, WIL,  CHA, DEX and REA.  If a roll is made successfully the character generally succeeds at what he is attempting or avoids what he is trying to avoid.  Active characteristics can also function as passive characteristics in some situations at the judgement of the GM. 
	In some cases a roll may be made on a combination of characteristics.  When this is done, average the characteristics together and then multiply them by the appropriate multiplier.  It is also possible to make rolls against secondary characteristics in some circumstances, especially in the case of Psi Points for a sensitivity roll.
	Remember that these rolls are only used in situations not covered by other systems already explained.
	Different circumstances dictate rolls against certain characteristics.  Noted below are the various primary and secondary characteristics and when rolls should be made against them.
    	Strength  is most likely to be rolled against when lifting, breaking, bending or moving an object, or when competing against another person in a trial of pure strength, such as arm wrestling.   	Dexterity  rolls are likely to be made when opening things, manipulating things, trying do something quietly or with great speed or finesse.
	Agility rolls are likely to be made when dodging, trying to perform unusual maneuvers, trying to avoid tripping, or moving silenty.
	Reason  rolls are most often made when trying to understand a situation or sequence of events, or when trying to deduce or analyze something.
	Will  rolls are most likely to occur when resisting pain or against some sort of mental or psychological attack.  A number of Psi powers may essentially be treated as attacks against the target's WIL.  It should also be noted that levels of the  skill Resistence adds in directly to the WIL of persons making WIL based rolls in mnay cases.
	Creativity rolls are made when trying to reach an intuitive conclusion, find an imaginative solution to a problem, or deal with a work of art or the creativity of another person.
	Charm  rolls are made for determining ability to lead others, to keep their attention, to be persuasive and generally be appealing in the long term.
	Virtue rolls are likely to be made when considering moral issues or issues of faith and belief.
	Privelege rolls are made in situations where it is necessary to make the proper decision in issues of manners, etiquette, protocol or social precedence.
	Size rolls are made when trying to squeeze through small openings, or reach something high up.  In cases where small SIZ is desirable then 20-SIZ is used.


TIME & MEASUREMENT
	For the most part time is measured in standard units.  These are the Combat Round or Round (appx 6 seconds), the Minute (10CR), the Hour (60MN), and other standard units of measure.  A CR is the time which it takes to spend all of a characters AP, and is very important for combat and skill applications.
 	In most cases distances are measured in meters and kilometers.  All distances represent real distances from the characters perspective.  Volume is measured in cubic meters and weight is generally in kilograms.


EQUIPMENT, COSTS & EXPENSES

*****
CHOOSING A SETTING

Virtually any mythological setting will work well for a By the Gods campaign but some are more fun to play in than others.

For players to have fun the setting needs to have a well-developed cosmology and a variety of characters to interact with and things to do.

'A By the Gods campaign set in the world of Gnostic philosophy won't be much fun, or at least ilot as much fun for typical players as one set in a pantheistic world with lots of anthropomorphic gods with their own motivationsand interests The more interesting the background and the background characters the more fun your p layers will have.

Read your mythology  There are endless stoires to draw on. Even the greatest gods go their start as ven-turesome heroesrrr and they make great examples and models for your players  The world of myth and legend is a world of upward mobility Even a remarkable mortal can grab a spot in heaven, and the game-master should remember that his players need to be rewarded from time to time for the risks they take and the ambition they show.
*****

DESIGNING A CAMPAIGN
	When designing a By the Gods campaign you face a number of choices. The most important of these are to determine where your characters will fit in the hierarchy of the world and to decide what the scope of your campaign will be.

DEFINING YOUR WORLD
	The traditional By the Gods campaign is a no-holds-barred setting ofheroic adventure . If yoy look on page 52 you'll see a map of the Orbis Legendarium, or the World of Legends. This shows the world of the pantheons of traditional European mythology. Each group of deities has its own area of control and dominance, populated by loyal worshippers.
	On the Orbis Legendarium Basilia is the realm of the Scandinavian gods (Odin, Thor, Freyr, etc.) . Jerne, Celtica and Britannia are the homes of the Celtic gods (Dagda, Pwyll, Lugh, Nudd, etc.) . Italia and Iberia are the regions of the Roman gods (Cybele, Dis Pater, Sol, Saturn, etc.) . Macedonia, Thracia and Hellas are ruled by the Greek gods (Zeus, Athene, Apollo, etc.) .Egyptua is the land of the Egyptian pantheon (Osiris, Anub is, Ra, Isis, etc.).
	Setting up a physical geography for the location of these pantheons opens up the possibility of characters travelling from one region to another, coming into conflict with opposing gr~1pe of deities and all the interesting possibilities which that suggests. This is not an unprecedented idea in traditional mythology. There are gods who show up in the pantheons of more than one group ol people, such as Vidar who is shared by both the Celts anc Scandinavians, or a number of Egyptian and Greek gods who mad their way to Rome.
	Some pantheons maybe inherently inimical to each othe and others may be sympathetic allies. Having a place on the mai which you can assign to each pantheon is very helpful in adding ~ grand political aspect to a By the Gods campaign which will makE certain types of more sophisticated adventures possible.
	The alternative is to run a campaign which is more narrow in focus and deals in greater depth with a specific pantheon and setting.  The coherence and depth of the Scandinavian and Greek myths make them ideal for a meaningful, limited campaign. The more substantial pantheons have their own built in bad guys and political problems and those should keep players active for quite a while . And even if you do take this limited approach it's always possible to expand it later to incorporate a wider range of gods and myths.

DEFINING YOUR CHARACTERS
	When starting out it is also very important to define the level at which play in your campaign will take place.
	Just on the technical level you need to decide how powerful your characters are going to be -- how many points players will have to work with in building characters. And in general you need to decide where in the heavenly hierarchy your campaign's characters will be ranked.
It can be fun to play full-fledged gods now and again, but it's generally not the best approach for a long-term campaign. At lower levels of pqwer playing minor gods or heroes with great potential works very well.
	Every pantheon has a wealth of minor gods whose area of interest or power is so limited or unusual that they haven't gotten much ~iblicity over the years. This type of god works very well as a character, because they have something to prove to the other gods.
	Also very effective are demigods, the half-human offspring of gods and mortals . They're usually raised by the mortals, but know they are different (exhibiting powers, etc.) . This gives them the motivation to go out and do things to get their standoffish (and possibly embarassed) divine parent to notice them. And of colirse, the ultimate reward for these characters is to be accepted as more god than mortal and be invited tojoin the heavenly family.
	Finally, the weakest characters you're likely to want to playwouldbe pure heroes. These are exceptional mortals who may be favored or blessed by the gods, but generally are not throbbing with supernatural powers and find themselves manipulated and guided as earthly agents of the gods. This can be a very difficult life to lead, but the implied reward is some sort of special status in the afterlife.

ADVENTURE DESIGN
	As a gamemaster it's more important in By the Gods than in other games to aiToid the pitfall of turning every adventure into atraditional quest. This sort of adventure is so strongly associated with the mythological setting that it becomes tedious pretty quickly.
In fact, quests aren't really typical of the adventures of legendary heroes in anything except our popular perceptions. If you take a look at the various myth cycles you will discover that the plots oflegendary tales are often quite unique and that the actions of the characters are inspired by complex motivations.
	You can find excellent source material for adventures in books like the Odyssey and the Illiad, in the Epic of Gilgamesh and in the various legends of the Celtic and Scandinavian peoples.  The Odyssey alone has en~igh material for a complete campaign full of horrible monsters, subtly annoying gods and a variety of situations and settings.
	Be creative . Gods face a lot of the personal problems that plague normal mortals. You can get a good adventure from sending the characters to follow a goddess suspected of cheating by her husband. Or even better, recruit them to keep her husband from finding out about a tryst. You can get characters involved in intrigue or struggles for power within the pantheon. Think about why major gods would want to have wannabes around, what they would want to use them for or get out ofthem, and what role those lesser beings would play in their great and subtle plans.


Appendix A: Skill List
	Skills are divided here into two lists, General skills and Mythic Skills in order to make the Mythic Skills a bit easier to idenify.  The stats for the skills are explained in the appropriate part of the text.  Full skill descriptions can be found in the appendix on skills.  Skills marked with (A) after their name are available for purchase only with Advanced Skill Points.  Those marked with a (B) after their name are available for purchase only with Basic Skill Points.

STANDARD SKILLS
SKILL				FAC
Agricultural (B)			REA/5
	Animal Husbandry
	Horticulture
	Viticulture
Applied Science (B)		(REA+PRI)/7
	Architecture
	Communications
	Computers
	Demolition
	Electronics
	Engineering
	Mechanics
Arcane Science (B)		PRI/5
	Demonology
	Folklore
	Occultism
Archery (A)			1
	Bow
	Crossbow
Axe Weapons (A)		1
	BattleAxe
	Hatchet
Blade Weapons (A)	1
	BroadSword	
		Attack
		Parry
		Disarm
	Cutlass
	Knife
Business (B)			REA/4
	Advertising
	Assess Value
	Finance
	Management
	Sales
Club Weapons (A)		1
	Baseball Bat	
		Attack
		Parry
		Disarm
	Nightstick
	Quarterstaff
Crafts (B)			(DEX+CRE)/7
	Leatherworking
	Metalworking
	Stoneworking
	Woodworking
Culinary Arts (B)		(REA+CRE)/7
	Brewing
	Cooking
	Distilling
	Vintning
Gaming (B)			(CRE+REA)/7
	Boardgaming
	Card Playing
	Cheating
	Gambling
Government (B)		REA/3
	Bribery
	Bureaucracy
	Diplomacy
	Intrigue
	Law
	Politics
Languages (B)		PRI/3
	African
		Bantu
		Swahili
	Asian	6
		Cantonese
		Japanese
		Korean
		Mandarin
	European
		Egyptian
		English
		French
		German
		Greek
		Italian
		Russian
		Spanish
Literary (B)			(PRI+CRE)/8
	Criticism
	Editorial
	Fiction
	Logic
	Poetry
	Research
	Rhetoric
	Writing
Manual Skills (B)		DEX/3
	Knot Tying
	Picking Locks
	Picking Pockets
	Sleight of Hand
Mathematics (B)		(PRI+REA)/7
	Accounting
	Higher Math
Medicine (B)		(PRI+REA)/7
	Diagnosis
	External
	First Aid
	Internal
	Neurology
	Pathology
	Pharmacology
	Psychology
	Surgery
	Torture
	Veterinary
Mental Conditioning (A)	WIL/4
	Body Control
	Instant Calculator
	Instant Measurer
	Psi Focusing
	Resistence
	Total Recall
Military (B)			REA/3
	Armament
	Artillery
	Fortification
	Logistics
	Strategy
	Tactics
Movement (B)		AGI/3
	Cat Fall
	Climbing
	Dance
	Gymnastics
	Jumping
	Riding
	Running
	Sexual Technique
	Swimming
Music (B)			CRE/3
	Composing
	Conducting	
	Dance
	Instrument
	Singing
Natural Science (B)	(REA+PRI)/7
	Biology
	Botany
	Ecology
	Genetics
	Herbology
	Meteorology
	Oceanology
	Xenology
	Zoology
Nautical			REA/3
	Fishing
	Navigation
	Piloting
	Sailing
	Swimming
Perception			CRE/3
	Awareness
	Lip Reading
	Observation
	Search
	Security
	Street Sense
	Surveillance
Performing Arts (B)	(CHA+CRE)/7
	Acting
	Comedy
	Debate
	Mime
	Mimic
	Oratory
	Preaching
	Storytelling
	Teaching
Persuasion (B)		(CHA+REA)/7
	Conning
	Disguise
	Hypnosis
	Infiltration
	Interrogation
	Intimidation
	Leadership
	Seduction
Physical Conditioning (A)	3
	Durability
	Endurance
	Hold Breath
	Rapid Reflexes
Physical Science (B)		PRI/3
	Astronomy
	Chemistry
	Geology
	Physics
	Planetology
Rustic (B)				REA/3
	Fishing
	Hunting
	Tracking
	Trapping
Shield (A)				1
	Chevron Shield
		Attack
		Parry
	Round Shield
	Shield of Opportunity
Social Science (B)			PRI/3
	Anthropology
	Archaeology
	Geography
	History
	Library Science
	Linguistics
	Philosophy
	Research
	Sociology
	Theology
Sports (B)				(DEX+AGI)/5
	Ball Sports
	Court Sports
	Field Sports
	Stick/Racket Sports
	Table Sports
	Team Sports
	Winter Sports
Stealth (B)			AGI/3
	Cover Parry
	Hiding
	Search
	Surveillance
	Silent Movement
Survival (B)			REA/3
	Desert
	Foraging
	Mountain
	Wilderness
Thrown Weapons (A)	1
	Axe
	Bola
	Javelin
	Knife
Thrusting Weapons (A)	1
	Pike
		Attack
		Parry
		Disarm
	Rapier
	Spear
Unarmed Combat (A)	1
	Boxing
		Attack
		Parry
		Disarm
	Combat Tactics
	Dodge Defense
	Judo
	Karate
	Wrestling
Visual Arts (B)		CRE/3
	Aesthetics
	Calligraphy
	Cartography
	Drafting
	Drawing
	Forgery
	Painting
	Sculpting

MYTHIC SKILLS (All are Advanced)
SKILL (APM)			FAC
Empowerment Ability (15)	3
	Generate (from)
	Transfer (to/from)
	Remove (from)
Generation Ability (8)		3
	Attack (with)
	Destroy (X)
	Form (from)
Knowledge Ability (20)		3
	Analysis (of)
	Detection (of)
	Location (of)
	History (of)
	Communication (with)
	Masking (of)
Manipulation Ability (12)	3
	Become (X)
	Command (X)
	Bind (X)
	Protect (from)
Manifestation Ability (20)	2
	Project (through)
	Incarnate (as)
	Reincarnate (as)
Movement (18)			3
	Passage (through)
	Summon (X)
	Transport (by)
Redactive Ability (20)		3
	Heal (X)
	Increase (X)
	Reduce (X)

(X indicates an affinity.  Other words in parenthesis are followed by an affinity)

AFFINITY SKILLS (All are Advanced)
SKILL (APM)			FAC
Earth Affinity (12)			3
	Beasts
	Plants
	Spirits
	Substance
Air Affinity (6)			3
	Beasts
	Plants
	Spirits
	Substance
Fire Affinity (8)			3
	Beasts
	Plants
	Spirits
	Substance
Water Affinity (10)		3
	Beasts
	Plants
	Spirits
	Substance
Cosmological Affinity (10)	3
	Day
	Moon
	Night
	Planets
	Stars
	Sun
Sensory Affinity (8)		4
	Hearing
	Vision
	Scent
	Touch
Physical Affinity (8)		3
	Warfare
	Sports
	Hunting
	Human Body
Mental Affinity (6)		3
	Art
	Music
	Philosophy
	Business
	Human Mind
Spirit Affinity (6)			3
	Love
	Madness
	Hate
	Dream
	Human Soul
Ritual Affinity (12)		3
	Contagion
	Relativity
	Sympathy


MYTHIC SKILL DESCRIPTIONS
	In these descriptions the term Affinity Target indicates a specific object, being or area which partakes of the affinity used in combination with the mythic skill in question.

Empowerment Ability
	Create or transfer energy from one source to another.  Will allow a character to gain Fatigue points from any source based on affinity.  Generate: creates additional energy from an affinity source.  Transfer: moves energy from one person or being to another.  Remove: eliminates energy from a target.  APM: 15.  Facility: 3.

Generation Ability
	Create or destroy physical effects or objects.  Attack: generate a physical projectile or missile of an affinity substance.  Destroy: eliminate a target of a specific affinity.  Form: create a specific object from anaffinity substance.  APM: 8.  Facility: 3.

Knowledge Ability
	Used to obtain information of all sorts.  Analysis: get specific information about an affinity target.  Detection: discover the presence of an affinity target.  Location: find a specific or general affinity target.  History: information on past activity or environs of an affinity target.  Communication: direct information exchange with an affinity target which would  not normally be able to communicate.  Masking: conceal the nature or characteristics of an affinity target.  APM: 20.  Facility: 3.

Manipulation Ability 
	Ability to modify or transform an affinity target.  Become: transform yourself to an affinity target.  Command: control the actions of an affinity target:  Bind: immobilize or imprison an affinity target.  Protect: prevent damage or other effects from any targets of a particular affinity.  APM: 12.  Facility: 3.

Manifestation Ability
	Making oneself appear or be present in another physical or non-physical form.  Project: create and control a temporary image of oneself through a target affinity.  Incarnate: create a second fully-physical form out of a target affinity.  Reincarnate: be reborn after death as a being of target affinity.  APM: 20.  Facility: 2.

Movement
	Going from one place to another by more than natural means.  Transport: move from one place to another using the presence of affinity material at both places.  Summon: call a being or an amount of a target affinity.  Passage: pass through target affinity substance as if immaterial.  APM: 18.  Facility: 3.

Redactive Ability
	Healing, repairing and restoring affinity materials.  Heal: repair damage to the affinity substance:  Increase: add to volume, mass or characteristics of affinity target, including intensifying natural abilities of target, such as amount of damage done.  Reduce: lessen volume, mass or characteristics of affinity targets.  APM: 20.  Facility: 3.


APPENDIX C: PANTHEONS

GODS OF ROMAN GAUL
	While classical Greek mythology is an obvious setting for By the Gods, there are variations on that tradition which are also interesting.  In the Roman period classical religion became more varied and influenced by outside sources, producing an interesting selection of secondary deities and intriguing variations on classical themes.  Roman religion was different in every part of the Empire, and one of the most interesting variations was the mixture of Roman and Celtic myth found in Gaul.

JUPITER
	Jupiter is the number one sky god, su preme over everyone and everything.  He is the single most important god of the people.  He is synonymous with Zeus, Dies Piter and Dyaus Pitar.  He is primarily a sky-oriented deity, as ated with fathership, storm, and lightning.  There are two primary divisions in his nature as he was worshipped, Jupiter Dolichemus, a squat, muscular, bearded storm/fertility god who bears a traditional thunderbolt, and Jupiter He nus, a tall, clean-shaven god, associated with the Emperor, primarily a sun-god rep tion.
	Jupiter was supreme.  His two titles were: Jupiter Optimus Maximus (best and greatest), and Jupiter Summus Exsuperantissumus (highest and supremest).  As the empire expanded, Zeus, the original Greek storm god, assumed the powers of the Egyptian sun god Amon-Ra, to become a sun-god, and also the attributes of the Semitic gods Baal Haadad and Baal Shamin, lords of the heavens, storm, and sun.  In those areas where Jupiter absorbed a god, that worship would continue as, say, Jupiter Amon-Ra, or Jupiter Hadad.  Jupiter also developed many characteristics of an almost monotheistic status, in the sense that rather than have many different gods, there was a specialized Jupiter for every occasion.
	Some noteworthy popular and specialized versions of Jupiter were Jupiter Tonans  (thunderer) Jupiter Fulgur (light-bearer), Jupiter Fulgurator (sender of lightning), Jupiter Fer etrius (striker/smith), Jupiter Lapis (presiding over oaths and treaties), Jupiter Fidius (Faithful), Zeus Olympius (in Athens), Zeus Panhellenius (for all Greece), Jupiter Conservator (protector), Jupiter Propugnator (defender), Jupiter Stator (sup porter), Jupiter Ultor (avenger), and many oth ers.  As you can see most of these aspects are related to his nature as an upholder of justice, honor and right, and a god of the sky. In Persian areas Dyaus replaced Jupiter as the name of the god, and the related name of Zeus was used in Greece.  Jupiter was often associated with Min erva and Juno in a triad, or linked with other similar goddesses of mother and daughter, ap ate to the region in question.  Heracles/Alcides/Hercules is often included in the cult as a sort of avatar or earthly incarnation of Jupiter.
	Jupiter achieved his greatest level of popularity under Marcus Aurelius and Sep timus Severus who sought to identify themselves with him and make a sort of state religion.  One significant aspect of the worship of Jupiter is that he was a purely and singularly public god, as ated with the state and people of Rome, and never seriously organized as a Mystery Cult.  
	Intervention by Jupiter should depend on the aspect prayed to and dealt with regularly, or strongest in the region. Many aspects could co ist.  In Rome their were dozens of different temples to Jupiter, some with ceila or chapels to dif ent aspects or associated deities, and some re served for single Jupiters.  The kind of Jupiter a person should worship depends on the inter ests and needs of the person. Remember that behind all of the attributes rests an archetypal deity of the raw power of the primitive sky.father.

CYBELE
	Cybele was the number one popular goddess.  She was a mother goddess and a fer ity symbol, originating in the east.  Her title was Deae Matres.  She was associated with animals, inspiration, and madness in particular, and rode in a chariot drawn by three lions.  Her worship was among the most extensive and well.developed, arriving in Rome in around 205ad.  She also had an associated Mystery Cult.  She was usually mated with Attis, her own grand son, a lesser deity of madness and rebirth.
	Cybeles priests were called Galli, and the high-priest was the Archigallus.  His uniform was covered with holy icons and medallions, and he would bear a scourge.  A large part of the religion was self-flagellation to purge sin, and all of the priests were regarded to castrate them selves as Attis did during a fit of religious ec stasy.
	Cybele was also a goddess of the new year, and held a lengthy festival in the end of March, the Roman new year. This features the Megalensia, her answer to the Olympics, and a long series of holy days. March 22 was The Entering of the Tree, in honor of the death of Attis and his father Agdistes a bi-sexual nature deity, Cybeles son, who was also castrated.  March 24 was The Day of Blood, which featured fasting, self-mutillation, and the castration of new priests.  March 25 was the Festival of Joy, which had sacrifices, spectacles and a festival to celebrate the equinox.  March 26 was designated a Day of Rest.  March 27 was the big day, the Ceremony of Washing, in which the gold and silver statue of the goddess was washed in the sacred River Almo.  This tradition continues among many Catholics who carry out similar ceremonies with statues of the Virgin Mary.
	The religion lasted into the late 5th cen tury, and spread everywhere, from London to the farthest parts of Persia.  Cybele was some times connected with Juno or Minerva, and there were a variety of consort gods, depending on the area.  She was without doubt the most popular of the earth-mother goddesses.  She is generally depicted as riding in her lion-drawn chariot, bearing a sacred tablet, wearing a crown, and with one breast exposed.

DUSARES (DUSHARA)
	Dusares was a god of death and rebirth, also called Dushara, and associated with Hadad and sometimes Jupiter.  He was usually mated to Atargatis.  He is often presented as wearing a tragic mask.  He is an ancestral burial god, and has no real physical representation.  In a temple he was usually represented by a block of basalt.  He was an earth and sky god, associated with meteorites (earth from the sky), and with vol noes.  Meteorites were often used in place of basalt as objects of worship.

GAIA
	This was one of the earliest Greek god desses, who carried on, changing and becoming rather strange.  She was very closely linked to Artemis and Demeter, often considered the same goddess.  She was universally revered as a fer ity and propagation goddess.  Some of her local congregations met in mobs of as many as 130,000 celebrants.  In this period she is presented as a many-breasted bee-woman, with the upper body of a woman and the lower body and wings of a bee.  Her virgin priestesses were called Bees, her male priests were eunuches or drones, called Megabyzi.  Her secular temple attendants were workers, called Neokoreoi.  Her actual temples were often built to look like beehives.  One of the centers of her cult was on the island of Thasos in the Aegean sea near Thessalonika, an island known for its bees.

ISIS (ESET)
	Isis is the goddess of protective moth hood.  She is vengeful and vicious especially in defense of her children.  Her son Horus was murdered and she serves as a protector for other mothers and their children.
	Her worship started at Philae in Egypt and spread to Alexandria, Athens, Ithaca, Sar dinia, Africa, Spain, Rome, and eventually even to Germany.  Worship was intense, anti-male and anti government.  She was identified closely with Hera, Juno and Tellus.  She was feared and worshipped far and wide. Her popularity and power was demonstrated when Aemilius Paulus ordered her temples destroyed and all of the workmen in Rome refused.
	Isis may be significant because of her Mystery Cult more than any other single aspect of her worship.  It was one of the dominant cults of Imperial Rome and one of the largest oriented towards women.  It is described in detail in the section on cults.

SARAPIS
	Sarapis is a largely artificial god, created from a merger of the attributes of the Greek god Zeus and the Egyptian god Osiris.  As a result he is sometimes referred to as Zeus Sarapis, or Osarapis.  He was a god of healing and the dead, and was the form under which Osirian worship from Egypt continued in the Roman period.  He was part of a triad with Isis and his old Egyptian brother Anubis, who were worshipped together in a Mystery Cult.  He demanded total devotion of his worshippers, and the cults orientation was towards power over life and death.  The cult was relatively minor in comparison with other Egyp tian originating cults such as Hermes Tris tos.

SOL INDIGES
	Sol is a pre-classical, pre-imperial Roman god, really the original god of the region.  His worship was limited, but durable, as he was one of the two oldest surviving gods of Rome, pre-dating the semi-mythical founding of the city.  He was a sun god, with his festival celebrated at the height of the summer on August 9th.  In many areas he was associated with or even merged with Jupiter, and in later periods he was seen as the symbol of the Emperor as had been the tra tion with Ra in Egypt.

APOLLO
	The classical god of the sun and music, Apollo was still worshipped in the later days of the Roman Empire, but he had become a rela tively bland shadow of Jupiter, and his functions were relegated to the arts, the sun and medicine.  To some degree his role as a god of medicine was taken over by his son Asclepius.

MITHRAS
	This god was of Indian or Persian origin, but really caught on with the Romans, par larly those in the army. He was a god of light, originally subservient to Ormuzd and opposed to the evil Daeva and their lord, Ahriman.  His worship was an offshoot of Zoroastrianism, the religion of the Persian Magi who were renowned for their esoteric knowledge and mystical pow ers.
	Mithras was a god of the upper air, and developed into the role of a mediary between man and the heavens, negotiating between Ahri man, who was the principle of earthly things as well as evil and darkness, and Ormuzd who represented the heavens and the powers of good and light.
	Early in his legendary career, Mithras wrestled and killed a bull, from whose blood sprung the first humans.  This made the bull motif important to the faith, as well as the popu lar practice of Taurobolium, or bull-sacrifice through one on one combat, a predecessor of the bullfight, in which a chosen worshipper would fight and kill (or be killed by) a bull armed only with a knife.
	The Mithraeums or temples were closed by Gratian in 377, but the faith still held on well into the 5th century or even later.  Ahriman and Ormuzd remained important elements of Per sian pre-Moslem faith, and were also wor shipped independently in Rome.  Ahriman was looked on as a demon to be feared and propitiated with sacrifices, and Ormuzd was associated with Jupiter.
	Mithras was considered to be a stern and strong god, symbolic of inner enlightenment and transcendence of the body.  Many Mithraic be liefs were similar to those of Gnosticism.  His mystery cult is described later.

TYCHE
	Tyche was a major goddess of Hellenic origin.  She was associated closely with the Moirae or Fates and with Ponoia, a goddess of provi dence.  Sometimes she is presented as three or seven separate goddesses, and is parallel in many ways to Atargatis.  She has a ships rudder as her symbol.  She is a goddess of fate and fortune, considered supreme in power over all gods, but lesser in social stature than any other.  Her char tics were altered in many regions and she often took on nature-related powers.  In  some areas she was even presented as being male.

FORTUNA
	This goddess was enormously popular with the lower levels of society. She is a goddess of fertility and womanhood, associated with Tyche, as she shares aspects of being a goddess of luck and good fortune.  She is ordinarily de picted as standing on a wheel, signifying her power over fate and luck.  She is different from Tyche in that she is widely worshipped for pre ing over childbirth and is believed to bring special blessings to worshipers.  Midwives and expectant mothers often sacrificed to her.

TARANIS THE THUNDERER
	This is one of the best known deities of the mainland Gauls.  He is a god of lightning and the sun, given the epithet the Thunderer which he shares with Zeus and Thor, gods who he par lels in other ways as well.
	Taranis is often depicted bearing a wheel and a whip, symbols of the sun and lightning respectively.  He is a major deity, and his wor ship was popular in many areas. Sacrifices are common, of both animals and human victims, who were placed in wood or wicker cages, and burnt alive.

SUCELLOS THE GOOD STRIKER
	Sucellos is often associated with the Roman god Sylvanus, and served a similar function as a nature god.  His specific area of power is fe dity, fertility, drink and death, a peculiar but not unprecedented combination.  He is a god of celebration of a darker sort and the negative aspects of drink and procreation.  He is pre sented as bearing a hammer (for knocking casks open), a drinking cask, and accompanied by a dog.
	There are echoes in Sucellos of both Bac chus and Gwyn, and he is linked to reckless merriment, madness and the moon (the dog  is a traditional lunar symbol).  His hammer is made of wood, and he is most emphatically not a smith god.  He should also be considered as governing madness and despair. 
	His popularity was greatest in central and southern France.

ESUS
	This is a god of trees and woodsmen. He is presented as a large man with a bull and three cranes, bearing an axe, and often depicted chop ping down a tree.
	As the Gauls converted from hunting and gathering to agriculture, clearing woodland became an important part of life and the cult of Esus grew accordingly.  He was particularly popular in northern and central France.
	The three birds are a symbol of the triune mother goddess who is found throughout Celtic mythology and will be discussed at more length later.
	Sacrifices were made to Esus by hanging the victims from trees and disemboweling them.  Some lesser sacrifices consisted of hanging and non-fatal bleeding to signify the felling of the tree.  These types of sacrifices were common in Gallic religion, but were particularly associated with Esus.

MAPONUS THE HARPER
	Maponus was a very popular god who many Romans in Gaul were attracted to as an aspect of Apollo.  He was a god of music and the hunt, represented bearing a harp and followed by dogs.  He was also associated with archery.  He was also a god of youth, but unlike Apollo he was more of an earth god than a sun god.  His worship was strongest in Northern France and Britain.  He also appears in Welsh legend as Mabon ab Modron, the son of the earth mother.  He also appears as a character in some Arthurian myths.

TEUTATES
	Teutes is probably the best known Gallic god.  His name derives from the early Celtic word Tuath, which means tribe, and is also the root word for the similar Irish deity Daghda. As you might have guessed he was a tribal god, the protector of the Gauls, especially those in French Gaul and Southern Britain.  He was a war god, but more than anything else he was a protector and guardian of the people, protecting against war and disease, promoting trade and com merce.  He had healing powers and was benevolent to his people, though fierce to others.  Sacrifices were made by drowning in a cauldron of wine or mead, the cauldron being a common Celtic motif of death and ultimately rebirth.  The cauldron is also closely connected to the Welsh deity Arawn, so there may be another connection there.

BELENUS
	Belenus originated in the pre-Roman kingdom of Noricum in the eastern Alps, but his power and popularity spread widely under Roman rule because of increased cultural contact between different tribes and kingdoms.  He started as a god of thermal springs, but his domain grew as his worship spread west, eventually including solar, fire and equine aspects.  Belenus was thought of as being shining and brilliant, too bright to look upon, and his popularity con ued in the western parts of the Roman empire long after Noricum and its springs were for ten.  He has been associated with the paternal deity Beli Mawr from the British Isles and with the general Celtic sun god Bel.

OGMIOS
 	Ogmios was a multi-faceted god who is clearly parallel to  the Irish god Oghma, though in this context he has considerably more depth of character.  He is a war god, a champion and a god of wisdom.  He is the war god or god of might grown old and seasoned, the ancient battle leader or king who has redirected his inter ests and abilities towards scholarship and holy mys ies.  He was represented as an old man bearing a bow and a club.  His actual powers developed away from war, towards learning, the afterlife and diplomacy.  He was known for his elo quence, sound judgement and quick wit.  He is the inventor of writing and magic, and called the Lord of Bindings, following the Celtic tra tion of magic being triggered by and embodied in writing.  He is often shown bearing two tablets which hold all the curses in the world to heap upon his enemies and the enemies of his people.  He was also a god of the afterlife, and guided souls to their resting place.  He was particularly associated with the priesthood and druids, often represented as the priest of the gods.

EPONA
	Epona is a well-known goddess among antiquarians.  She was a parallel to the Welsh goddess Rhiannon, a goddess of horses, death, and rebirth.  She was often represented as either a white mare or a woman with the head of a horse.  Her main claim to fame is that she gained great favor outside of Gaul when she was adopted as patron of the Roman cavalry, just as Mithras was adopted by the infantry legions.

NODENS
	Nodens was a sky and moon god, with a particular association with tidal motion.  He is considered a parallel to the Welsh Nudd and the Irish Lugh or Ludd.  He was usually represented as an old man accompanied by wind and wave spirits, the later somewhat similar to Tritons.  He was, of course, the father of Guyon or Huon, and may have also been called Lugon in some parts of Gaul.  As in England he was a god particularly associated with cities and towns, especially sea ports, explaining why so many are named after him.

HUON (GUYON)
	Very little survives of the mythology sur ing Huon or Guyon, save the fact that he existed as a deity and the things which that implies.  In Welsh and other Celtic myth Gwyn is one of the most important deities, lord of the hunt and of the world of elves and the super ral, and Huon is his counterpart in Gaul, com plete with horn and hunting hounds.  But all that survives of his legend is the collection of folk stories about Huon of Bordeaux or Huon the Hunter, a supposedly mortal character who oddly enough shares all the characteristics of Gwyn, down to becoming lord of Elfland at the end of his life.  His myth has also been confused by his similarity to Cernunnos, though their worship would have been concentrated in different geo cal regions.

TARVOS TRIGARNOS (DONNOTAURUS)
	This is the sacred bull-god, a symbol of rulership among the Gauls, usually presented accompanied by three sacred cranes, who rep sent the triune mother goddesses.  He may also be the same bull associated with Esus.  His wor ship continued in the Roman period because of their general affinity for bull oriented gods.

CERNUNNOS
	This god was widely known by the epi The Horned One and was a stag-god, de picted with antlers on his head and bearing a serpent, though this may just have been a poorly executed depiction of a hunting horn.  He was the lord of wild animals and nature, and was often accompanied by a stag.  He is a clear parallel to the Welsh deity Gwyn and the Scandinavian god Njord, both of whom had similar aspects.  His faith has survived to this day in some forms of witchcraft, such as the Cult of Wicca.  As a concept and deity Cernunnos was widely known, though under different local names, possibly including Huon or Guyon.  He also had some major lunar associations, was considered by the Romans to be the Gaulish Pan, though he was really symbolic of nature in all its wildness and danger to a greater extent than Pan was.

DIS PATER
	This unnamed god (Dis Pater being an epithet, not a name) was considered to be the father of mankind, and the lord of the other world.  He was at the center of a cult of ancestor worship among Celts in what is now southern Germany and France.  He was often mated with the Triune Mother.  His nature was generally benevolent.

THE TRIUNE MOTHER
	Triple goddesses are popular among all Celtic tribes, including those of Gaul.  In many cases these three godesses represented the three elements, Earth, Air, and Water, and were mated with a male god, like Taranis or Belenus, who represented Fire, the fourth element. Elemental worship was a major part of Gallic religion, es cially in this mother format, representing the three elements which nurture mankind, while fire was assigned to the protector god, driving off foes as a bonfire will keep wild animals at bay.  One set of well-known triple.goddesses is from western France, and consists-of Divona (water/Danube River), Onuava (earth) and Sirona (sky/stars).  There were great regional variations. In the Rhineland the goddesses were Alagabiae, Berhusiahenae, and Hamavehae, but their roles were similar.  In many cases Cybele was adopted as a single mother goddess, or in some areas, as was the case in Autun, there was a local mother goddess, Berecynthia.  These types of goddesses are paralleled in Ireland and Wales by such groups as the Morrigu or Y Mamau.

BRETON DEITIES
	At least a moment should be given to the second major Celtic group within Roman Gaul.  While the Gauls dominated almost all of France, the western peninsula which is now Brittany was the home of the Breton people who were cul ally closer to the Welsh or British than to the Irish and Scotts cousins of the Gauls.
	Details on their religion are not abundant, but unquestionably there would have been par lels to the gods of the Welsh or Cymric peoples.  One notable exception is the god Ankou, who was unique to the Bretons and who survives in folklore to this day.
	Ankou was the quintessential god of death, possibly the death god on whom most modern images of death are based.  He was the original skeletal spectre, appearing to the dead and guid ing them to the afterlife.  He was variously de picted bearing a scythe or a spear and had a special association with sacred wells where sac fices were offered to him.  Ankou is still used as a sort of a boogeyman in Brittany and his sacred wells are still feared and shunned.

OTHER DEITIES
	There were many other deities among the Gauls, filling other major roles in the society, some well known ones are Grannos (curative springs) Borvos (hot springs), Cunomaglos (hunter), Moccos (divine swineherd), Artio (bear goddess), Artarios (bear god), Ialonos (Mead ows), Alisanos (Rock), Contrebis (towns and commerce), Condatis (rivers), Dunatis (for tresses), and others.
	The Gauls revered all of nature, and they were a sophisticated and advanced people, though their achievements have often been over looked in the shadow of Rome.

THE NUMINA
	It might be said that the Romans had a god for everything. The Numina are what make that collection complete.  They are minor gods of every day things which usually functioned in a protective or guardian role.  There is a Numina for almost every moment of Roman life, for every home and for every activity.  Some of the thou sands of Numina are described below. 
	Unlike the more traditional gods, Nu mina generally do not have temples and are mostly worshipped as a small statue in the home or at a shrine somewhere appropriate or con ient.  They do not require great sacrifices, but they were believed to be very influential in their areas of specialization.  You may notice that some Numina have names which are merely the diminutive of the names of major gods, or that their names are merely descriptions in Latin of what they watch over.  This indicates the like hood that most of them functioned far more like abstract principles or philosophies than tra tional deities.  Although they may be of either sex, for most purposes Numina can be con ered asexual.
	Some notable Numina include: Alemona (fetus), Nona & Decima (gestation/conception), Partula (parturation), Lucina, Candelifera, Carmen tes (birth), Oriens (sunrise), Intercidona, Pilumnus, Diverra (protection from evil forces), Cunnina (cradle), Vagitanus (first cry, Rumina (breast feeding), Edusa (eating), Potina (drink ing), Fabulinus (speech), Statulinus (standing), Abcona & Adeona (play), Cinxia (bride), Unxia (groom), Vervactor & Rederator (prowing), Imporcitor (harrowing), Insitor (sowing), Obera tor (top-dressing), Spiniensis (thorn bushes), Sterculius (fertilizer), Puta (pruning), Nodutus (grain), Mellonia (bees), Saturnus (sowing), Newptunus (irrigation), Adolenda (fire), Com molenda (chopping), Deferenda (transport of goods), Pales (sheep), Janus (doors) Vesta (hearth),Penates (shops), Terminus (walls), Quirinus (meetings), Pax (peace), Pietas (patriot), Providentia (forethought), Liberalitas (gen ity), Libertas (freedom), Fides (loyalty), Dis plina (order), Virtus (military prowess), Moneta (money), Abundantia, Ubertas, Felicitas (good harvests), Acquitas (fair dealing), Clementia (imperial power), Salus (health), Nemesis (end ings), Sors (luck), Sator (sowing), Messia (reap ing), Conditor (grain storage), Carmentia (springs).

SCANDINAVIAN GODS
	This mythological setting is one of the most familiar, but there are many interesting elements which may not be familiar.  It is a highly structured setting with a clear hierarchy of gods, but lots of room within the various pantheons for characters to find a place.

THE GEOGRAPHY OF MYTH
	Midgard, the world of men, is formed from the bones and skull of Ymr, father of gods and men.  In every direction in three dimensions other realms branch off of this world to provide habitats for other beings and races.  We have already looked at Vanaheim, Asgard and Niflhel, as well as private dwellings which are unearthly, like Valhalla, Noatun and Glitnir.  Many of these fall into the classification of afterworlds or heav ens, and are places where people go after they die.  They are inhabited by both natural and supernatural entities.
	Other worlds also exist, inhabited not by gods and their followers, but by stranger entities and those who they have captured or convinced to serve them.  These areas can be both whole lands and small locii.  There are five main areas of supernatural habitation.  These are Mus heim (the Land of Fire), Niflheim (the Land of Ice), Utgard (The Outer Land/Land of Mists) (Utgard may be a general term encompassing both Niflheim and Muspelheim), Alfheim (the Land of Light and Air), and Dwarfheim (the Land of Dark and Earth).  Each of these touches on Midgard and has a specific physical location and specific inhabitants.  In addition there are a variety of beings who live in the world of men, but are not part of it, inhabiting little personal pockets where they have power.  We will look at a selection of these beings by region.

MUSPELHEIM: THE FYRJOTTUN
	Muspelheim is the realm of fire, to the south of Midgard, split by four rivers of fire, and ruled over by the Fyrjottun.  Like most of the Norse giants, the Fyrjottun partake of an ele tal nature, tied closely to a particular force of nature, in this case fire.  Interaction between the different giant races exists, sometimes on a friendly basis, sometimes not.  Interaction also takes place with both men and gods (Aesir or Vanir).
	To understand the Jottun better you can think of them as somewhere between demons and gods, great of stature, with elemental pow ers, and many of the attributes of gods, in many ways rough-hewn cousins of the Aesir or Vanir.  In fact, literally speaking, they are cousins by blood, as they are all descended from Ymr.  The Fyrjottun have kings and nobles, heirarchies and notable characters, and in some areas they may very likely have been worshipped and pro ated as representative of the destructive and malign forces of nature.
	Surt is the leader of the Fyrjottun and King of Muspelheim.  He is fated to lead their army into battle at Ragnarok and face Freyr in that final conflict.  
	Geirrod is another major Fyrjottun.  He has a number of daughters, all of whom are mages and pranksters, capable of changing form, going invisible, etc.  He has the power of true-seeing, and can do a great deal of magic.
	Other notable giants include Vafthrudnir, a great riddler, and his son Im, Beli, Asvid, a master of rune knowledge, Hlebard, Mogthrasir, who has several daughters who like human men, Rind, a jottuness who is the mother of Vali (by Odin), and Svarang.
	In general as much detail and background is not available on the Fyrjottun and their lives as is available for the other breeds of Jottun.  They seem to be the least ancient, least active, but possibly the most fearsome.  They are known as redoubtable warriors, and are a major threat at Ragnarok.  In general they should be run as huge humanoids (10-16ft), with considerable magical powers, particularly in the areas of illusion and the use of fire-related magic.  They are strong and powerful, able to face gods one-on-one, and fairly quick of wit.  It should be noted for the future that when we say Giant or Jottun the term has an indefinite quality.  These are entities with their own natures.  As they are larger than men, they can be called giants, but they have the powers of gods, the minds of men, and the natures of spir its.  In most cases the terms Jottun or Giant can be considered synonymous with Troll or Ogre.  In the Christian period they were even called demons.  Essentially what we are dealing with here are malign nature spirits, with the ability to change form, but usually opting for great stature because of the impression which it makes.  Their actual size seems almost to vary at random, like that of the Aesir, and often seems more a measure of supernatural stature than actual physical dimensions.

NIFLHEIM: THE ISJOTTUN/NIFLJOTTUN
	Niflheim is the realm of ice, to the north of Midgard.  The Isjottun or Ice Giants are the oldest of the giants, probably the oldest race of entities of all, as the first entity, Ymr, was an Ice Giant, the father of gods, men and giants.  The Isjottun partake of the element of Ice and cold, and their realm is a frozen waste of water, rock and ice.
	In general the Isjottun are similar to the Fyrjottun, but somewhat cruder and with dif ent powers.  They share the common in distinct ness of size and species, and can interbreed with gods or men.  There is a nobility and hierarchy in Niflheim, and it is a bit better detailed than that of Muspelheim.  There is somewhat less em sis on magical spell use in this group, and more emphasis on physical strength and im ity.
	The Isjottun originated with Aurgelmir who sprung from the poisonous blood of Ymr falling on ice.  His son was Thrudgelmir and his son was Bergelmir.  These were the first three Ice Giants, and only a limited amount is known about them.
	The King of the Isjottun is Thrym, who achieved renown when he stole Thors hammer.  He seems to live on what is probably a grave mound.  Fjalar is the ferryman who bears men to Niflheim, which has significant associations as a land of the dead.  He is sharp tongued, rather witty, and takes the form of a cock.  Hati is another major giant, who seems to specialize in kidnapping women.  He has a daughter named Hrimgerd.  Gymir is the father of Gerd, the wife of Freyr.  Another notable giant in this group is Hrungnir, who has a heart and head of stone, bears a shield and whetstone into combat, and is famous as a boaster.  Mimir, who has been dis cussed before fits in this general group as well.  Bolthorn is his father and Bestla is his sister.  Two minor Isjottun are Lodin and Gilling.  The Is jottun seem to be fairly passive and rather stub born, with clear associations with the af life.
	In general they should be treated as physically similar to the Fyrjottun, but with rock-like flesh, incredible strength, and limited intellect.  Their magical powers should be fairly crude, oriented towards cold and some shape shifting or illusion.

UTGARD: THE HILL GIANTS
	Utgard is the realm of mist, found to the east of Midgard.  It is a land of hills, mountains, winds and mists, embodying the elements of air and stone.  It is perhaps the most defined and detailed of the major realms, as there are several specific tales which deal with it.  Utgard is in ited by a varied race of giants who have powers of air, magic and earth.  They are quite magical and varied in ability, and several notable char ters stand out.
	The King of Utgard is Skrymir, who is also called Utgard-Loki, though no relationship with the Aesir Loki seems likely.  He is unusually huge, able to alter others sense of perspective, and has major powers over illusion.  He has a court which includes a number of giants with special powers related to particular elements of nature, such as Hugi, who seems to be a spirit of thought and mind, Logi, a flame spirit, and Elli, the personification of old age.  These could be seen as the giants of the hills, valleys and mists.
	Skrymir is not the only major power in Utgard, though he rules it.  He is balanced off by Thjazi, who is often presented as the most pow ful of all the giants of whatever kind.  He is a sky and mountain spirit with considerable pow ers.  He is said to be able to take the form of an eagle and to create the wind with the beating of his wings.  His eyes are stars, and he is said to be the strongest of all giants.  His daughter is Skadi.  Two giants associated with him are Idi and Aurnir.  This group could be seen as the giants of the upper air and mountain tops.  The third major group of these giants is associated with the mountains, caverns and domains beneath the ground.  They are led by Galling and his sons Baugi and Suttung.  Suttung is particularly inter ing, as he is the keeper of the secrets of making Mead, and a spirit of poetry.  There are several other notable Utgard Jottun, among them Alsvid, the keeper of runes and knowledge, and Allvaldi.
	The Jottun of Utgard seem often to be related to particular abstract principles, ideas, or elements.  They seem to be of variable physical form, and are often endowed with magic powers appropriate to their nature. They seem to be of high intelligence.

SEA JOTTUN
	After looking at the realms of the north, south and east, there remains the west.  To the west of Midgard there is only ocean.  Thus, there are Jottun of the seas.  This group has little coherence, and can only be cobbled together from references to specific giants of the sea, but the grouping is valid, though by no means as major as some of the others.
	Before looking specifically at these Jottun, we should note that the Vanir god Aegir is some times presented as a giant and as their leader.  Most of these Jottun live either under the water, on the coast, or on islands.  Unlike the Fomori of the Celtic peoples, the Sea Jottun are not all restricted to life beneath the waves.
	Gymir or Hymir is the king of these giants, unless you subscribe to the Aegir theory.  He is sometimes represented as the father of the Aesir Tyr for no really good reason.  He possesses a five mile deep cauldron and has a mother with nine-hundred ugly heads.  His daughter is Gerd, the wife of Freyr.  Gymir is a coastal giant, and the only Sea Jottun who is really well detailed in any of the myths.
	Another giant in this group is Hler, an island giant from the Baltic sea, who (as the H is silent) bears a surprising resemblance to the Celtic sea god Ler/Llyr/Lir.
	On the whole the Sea Jottuns are not too well documented, at least not by name, but they clearly exist as symbols of the perils of the sea, and they have supernatural powers relating to weather and the waters.

THE NORNS
	There are some groups of giants who do not fit into regional classifications.  Some are rather important, particularly the Norns, or fates, who are also sometimes called the Wyrds (wyrd being the word for fate).  These are an in nate number of giantesses who rule over destiny and the fates of men.
	The Norns are ugly, often described as foul and unclean, and they live in the woods, somewhere near Yggdrasil, the world ash (in Niflheim).  They are guarded by a pack of wild dogs and have a sacred spring or pool called the Pool of Urd.  They are undeniable in their power, speak to men in dreams, and weave a tapestry of future history in threads of gold and silver made from sunlight and moonlight.
	There are three main Norns, and all three are Jottuns, but there may also be others and attendants from various races.  Urd or Wyrd is the senior Norn, and rules over the past.  Ver dandi rules over the present and Skuld rules over the future.  A fourth Norn who is sometimes mentioned is Neri.  The Norns know and control everything, but will rarely alter fate.  They dont like to be disturbed, and their cruelest fate for those who bother them is to reveal their death or doom to them, which can be very depressing for the typical character in a Norse myth.
	Another associated group are the Jar nids, a group of Jottunesses who practice magic, essentially witch-priestesses.  They seem to be lesser imitations of the Norns, with none of the world-shaping powers, possibly reflected in the three witches in Shakespeares MacBeth.

GIANTS OF THE COSMOS
	There are three entities who represent the forces of the cosmos.  These are sometimes inter preted as gods, or more often as Jottun.  They are Delling, who represents day, Norvi, who rep sents night, and Mundilfeori, who personifies the sun, moon and the other heavenly bodies.  They seem to function mostly as symbols, rather than as practical deities or spirits.

ALFHEIM: THE LAND OF AIR AND LIGHT
	The first notion to dispel about elves is any image you have from Tolkein or other fan tasy stories.  There is no real difference between elves and dwarves.  They are essentially the same race, divided between the dark elves and light elves, or the Alf and Svartalf.  Neither group is in any way particularly nice or friendly, and they are invariably inimical to humans.
	The light elves are fair to look on and dwell in the realm of Alfheim.  While they are spirits of light, the air and beauty, their realm is fairly grim, coexisting with Midgard, but sepa rate from it.  The elves tend to reside around or in grave mounds or other hidden or forbidden places, bringing with them spectral light which may be glimpsed from afar by humans.  They need light to survive and will waste away in darkness.  They steal children and leave behind changelings and will torment and destroy hu mans whenever they are given the chance.  They accept sacrifices from humans and will refrain from causing trouble if they receive them.  Such sacrifices are called Alfblot.
	The leader of the elves is Dain.  He is a master of runic lore, and like most elves, he is skilled in the magic of deceit.  One interesting elven practice is that of impersonating Aesir and travelling around the country intimidating and taking advantage of humans.  As that implies, they are not smaller than human size, though their spiritual origin may be different.

DWERGHEIM: THE DWARVES
	The dwarves are also known as Svartalf or Dwerga, and are cousins of the elves.  But where elves are playful, nasty and capricious, dwarves are single minded, vengeful and full of spite.  No race can hold a grudge for so little reason or for so long.  It should be noted that elves and dwarves, while they may be somewhat smaller than humans, are not as diminutive as depicted in fiction.  They are not the same as humans with dwarfism.  Most likely dwarves and elves run about five feet in height.
	The dwarves are as swarthy and ugly as elves are light and fair.  They live in caves be neath the earth, because they are sensitive to light and can even die from it.  Some sport the tra tional beard, but many do not.  They are skilled with magic, par larly in the area of met ing and forging weapons and other items with magical powers built into them.  They can make just about any thing, but are also treach ous, greedy and horde treasure.  They will not do anything to help someone unless tricked or co erced.  They are avid gamblers, but are not al ways wise in their wagers.  They also have ter rible tempers and will pursue vengeance to in ible extremes.  They are very single minded and in a blood feud they will destroy themselves in order to get venge ance on a foe for the smallest slight.  Greed may prompt a dwarf to do some thing for a human, but he will always try to find a way to betray that person or trick them.  They have no sense of ethics, except for pride in their own crafts ship.  They are masters of rune magic and have their own language, Dwergmal.
	Dvalin is the great leader of the dwarves, a master of runes and secret knowledge.  Another mage is Thjodorir who does spells and en ment.  Dwarves may occasionally break tra tional roles and go out among the hated popu tion of humans.  They may also pursue wildly divergent lifestyles, as is the case with Andvari, who dwells in a river and can take the form of a fish.  There are also a number of different tribes of dwarves with different cultures, interests and practices, though almost all share a hatred of humanity.

OTHER SPIRITS
	There are many other interesting spirits and monsters in Scandinavian myth, most of them elemental in nature.
	There is are many different water spirits. The Nix (male) and Nixie (female) are essentially nymphs who dwell in streams and pools and are known for their beauty and cruelty.  Similar are the Unn (male) and Undine (female) who are sea spirits.  Wassermen are spirits of lakes and larger rivers.
	The Disir are quardians of womankind in the service of the goddess Frigga.
	There are also many different field and woodland spirits, including the Kobold (male) a creature which resembles an old man and brings luck or does services if he is offered food or drink, as well as a wide selection of spirits which dwell in plants or places and have characteristics ap ate to that area.  Many of these regional or elemental spirits have the power to cure or cause illness.  One of the most famous field spirits is the Corn-Wolf, an invisible bogeyman who lives in unmowed fields and waits to feast on the un ing who venture out into the field.  Many of these genius loci type spirits are unnamed or unspecified, but they remain feared and widely believed in.  Almost all are inimical to hu kind in one way or another.
	One of the most interesting of all these spirits is the Fylgia.  This is a spirit created by a human magician.  It is the astrally projected spirit of a mage or shaman which has the power to take physical form in which it can travel great dis tances, perform magic and and take the shapes of animals to attack enemies.  The generation of Fylgia is one of the most feared weapons of Scandinavian priests and mages, and battles between the Fylgia of rival mages are legendary.  Any damage taken by a Fylgia is reflected on the body of its creator, which remains behind in a trance-like state.
	Undead also play a very large role in the beliefs of Scandinavia.  The most notable undead spirits are Draugr (pronounced drow), the spirits of the dead who walk the earth, usually in the area where they are buried, and often with an interest in vengeance.  The actual motivations and powers of Draugr are widely varied.  Some are seeking to right a wrong, some wish to hold onto life as long as possible and others are merely confused.  Some may seek to help their de dants, some merely seek to destroy and some are even cannibalistic or vampiric.  Many Draugr have considerable magical power, and in the region of their burial site they are particularly strong.  They may also have special Wyrd or tasks to fulfill before they can rest properly.  In some cases these are things which mortals can help with.

THE AESIR
	The Aesir were the gods of the upper classes of Viking society, the warrior gods, the forces of sky, of storm and of battle.  While the Vanir appealed to the common classes and the Jottun represented inimical forces of nature, the Aesir were the favorites of the military elite of Viking society, and like the lives of their wor ers, the world of the Aesir is violent and full of strife.
	The Aesir are the family and associates of Odin, who clearly dominates the group, at least hierarchically. The Aesir were the most popular deities of the pagan north, deities suited to the upper classes, and thus subject to better and more complete written chronicling. Just as the Vanir are associated with Earth and Water, the Aesir have connections to Air and Fire. Cu ously, despite the martial nature of most of the Aesir, in many cases the Vanir come off seeming more powerful, if only because of their greater reliability and ability to cooperate.
	Aesir worship was somewhat more du rable in a public context than Vanirism, lasting into the 13th century, ending with the fall of the Jomsvikings in Norway, though some traditions have carried on since then, both from Aesir and Vanir backgrounds, preserved in folk traditions and superstitions.
	It is interesting to note here, that in an early myth cycle the Aesir and the Vanir fought a dread battle, with the curious result of a Vanir victory.  This reinforces the important ob tion that the general nature of a pantheon does not exclude diverse natures within the group, or impressive secondary qualities. 

YMR
	Ymr is not properly an Aesir, as he is really a Jottun, but he is the first of all the gods, the ultimate Jottun, and father of the Aesir, who used his dead body to form the earth.  He was born out of ice in the void which existed before time. Leading the Jottun who were his first off spring in a battle with the younger Aesir, he was killed by the brothers Odin, Vili and Ve, who were either his three sons, his grandsons through an intermediate son called As, or his great-grand sons through his son Buri and grandson Bor (mated with his grandaughter Bestla). Ymrs blood flooded the earth and created the world sea. The only survivors other than the three Aesir were the giant Bergelmir, Ymrs son and the father of the Jottun. Odin, Vili and Ve were the first Aesir, though they did not all rise to equal prominence.

ODIN GAGNRAD
	Odin is the leader and father of most of the Aesir. He is called All-Father, War-Father, God of the Hanged, God of Cargoes, Lord of Hosts, and The Wanderer (Gagnrad).  He is the creator of the earth and life, building all of the parts of the world from the body of Ymr, his father. 
	Popular depictions show Odin as a kindly, patriarchal deity. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Though he is a paternal and tribal deity, and is a deity of wisdom (marked by the lack of one eye, offered up to the pool of Mimir in exchange for wisdom and foresight), he is ac ally one of the grimmest and cruellest deities of Norse mythology, generally not a nice guy. While Odin was known for taking on and guiding human protege heroes, a quick examination of their careers show that they were beset by Wyrd, that hard to explain quality characterized by a heroic life ending with an inescapable and pitiful doom, usually the result of betrayal or fool ness.
	On one hand, Odin is a god of war, manly virtues, fury, rage, madness, tactics, and hunt ing, with associations to the sky and weather. He is known as a sword-giver and lord of berserkers and weres, and often walks the earth giving military advice in human form.  On the other hand, he is a god of wisdom, knowledge, in tion, poetry and the unknown. He practices possession, shapechanging, and a variety of necromancy and divination. He is a deity of all forms of magic, especially spirit and divinatory types. Other magical specialties include battle magic and weather magic. One of his better known aspects is as a god of runes and secret, magical language. In this aspect he is a super-shaman and god of shamans and mages. He has a number of interesting attributes and abilities. He is generally depicted as a grim-looking one-eyed man, but when he walks the earth he can take any form.  He sends out his spirit in animal form and possesses people, as well as being able to look through the eyes of others and see the future at times.  One of his practices was to sleep on grave mounds or use false death as means of communicating with the dead. An important and mysterious power is one of rejuvenation.  By wounding himself with his spear and hanging from he branches of Yggdrasil for nine nights he can regain his youth.
	Odin rules the hall of Valhalla in Asgard, where dead warriors feast. From his throne there he can see the entire world. He is great at Riddles, a master of disguise and deceit, he can fire ten arrows at a time, and has Gungnir, a magical spear of obscure properties, possibly related to resurrection or rebirth, which is said to never miss. He has two ravens who scout for him called Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory) who circle the earth each day, making him effectively omniscient. He is also served by a wolf, which is often used as his totem/symbolic animal. In many ways the wolf represents his nature and personality, which are certainly feral. He has an eight legged horse called Sleipnir, though to represent a beir born by four men going to a funeral. It is the horse of dreams and prophecy, particularly associated with visions of death and doom. He has an arm ring called Draupnir, which produces 8 identical rings per night, which Odin gives as rewards.
	He is thought to ride the skies at night, creating storms, wearing a concealing cloak and the traditional wide-brimmed hat, traveling in the Scandinavian version of the Wild Hunt.  One of his interesting powers is that anyone who hears him speak will believe whatever he says. It is important to note that more than anything else, Odin is a meddling, manipulating deity, he likes to breed and use humans, raising generations of entire families to serve his obscure purposes. Whats more, he is treacherous by human defi tions, using men and casting them aside, chang ing sides at will, and generally being fickle. He is also a deity of thieves and assassins, especially suicidal assassins, and various forms of traitors. This fits well with his death association.  As far as his own family life, Odin was wedded to Frigga, and had a huge number of sons, including Thor, Baldr and Tyr.
	The worship of Odin almost always in volved human sacrifice, usually by hanging. Odinites who died in battle were burned and their widows were expected to burn themselves alive on the pyre. Sacrifices were generally hanged. Odin is often depicted as hanged from a tree like a criminal, often with a spear wound. The cult practiced mass sacrifice, and was for den in various places and periods as too grim and dangerous to have around, especially as many of the priests practiced politically motivated as tion.  Worship was universal from the Black Sea to Ireland, with the center in Sweden. The Jomsvikings who are often seen as the last pa gans in Europe were Odinites, and succeeded in assassinating Christian kings and leaders in the north before Jomsburg was finally taken. Sui dal assassination was a reasonable part of the faith as it was thought that all those who died in battle or as a sacrifice (including in an as tion) would live on in Valhalla with the god. Odins symbols are the Valknut (a rune similar to a civil defense symbol), and the Triskelion (a rune similar to a twisted Mercedes symbol). Odin is certainly a strange character to have as the leader of a pantheon. It is a reflection of his power that he could maintain control most of the time given his attitudes and the unruliness of his various children.

THOR THE THUNDERER
	Odin had a number of sons, and the exact order of precedence is not clear, although Thor is definitely the eldest. He is a god of the sky, of thunder, storm and lightning.  He represents might, strength and fury. He also has an as tion with fire. He is seen as a destroyer of evil. Thor was a rather popular deity among the Germans, but less so with Scandinavian peoples. He also went by the name Donar, and has had a bit of a revival in the 20th centuries, with Nazism and now among neo-pagans.
	Thor is a fairly straightforward deity, his main faults being shortsightedness, pride, and obstinance. He is depicted as a huge man, heav ily muscled, with a red beard. He rides through the skies in a cart/chariot drawn by goats which he can kill, eat, and ressurect from their bones. The wheels of the cart rumble to create the thun der. He wears a belt which doubles his strength, and has iron gloves which protect his hands so that he can bear his most powerful item, his hammer Mjolnir. Mjolnir is a war hammer which was made with too short a haft, so it doesnt work quite right in hand to hand combat. To com sate he practiced extra hard, and developed the unique skill of throwing it. He can even make it return to his hand after striking. Mjolnir strikes with phenomenal force, shattering rock, and killing multiple foes in a single blow.  The hammer is his holy symbol, the origin of the T-cross which was worn by worshipers. It is not his only missile weapon, as he can also throw lightning bolts, represented by his other symbol, the Swas tika, which is a storm/lightning rune. One note on the hammer is that in earlier forms it may have been a double axe, parallel to that of other sky gods, particularly Zeus. As Odin is a deity of the nobility, Thor could be considered to have a peasant connection, with the cart and goats as symbols of the farm.
	Thor is a notable trencherman, and an amazing drinker. He is married to Sif. He also wears an oath-ring on his arm, by which oaths are sworn in his name.  His shieldbearer is Thjalfi, who is associated with the peasantry.
	In worship, statues are an important ele ment, one practice was to parade a statue in a cart, and temples generally had pillars all around them carved in his image. Temples were usually in oak groves, and often had an eternal flame. The most common sacrifices to Thor were bowls of blood, usually poured on the altar, or onto sacred ground.

BALDR THE BEAUTIFUL
	Baldr is another senior son of Odin. He is distinguished by the fact that he was killed through the machinations of Loki, but will rise again after Ragnarok. He is a deity of beauty and light, also of war and honor, with associations to the sky and sun, appropriate to a god who was described as shining. Baldr was invulnerable to weapons, because all substances on earth loved him enough to agree not to harm him, through an agreement with his mother.  The exception is mis toe, which she overlooked.  It is with this magical plant that he was speared by his blind brother Hodr who was guided by Loki and per haps by  intentions towards his wife. He  is said to be the most beautiful being alive, but Freyr is said to be more fair by some sources, though it may just be Vanir propaganda. He appears as a fair haired, pale-skinned man. He is wise and mer ful, and associated with healing as well. He is one of the nicest of the Aesir, however, be tween the period of his death and potential res tion he will be fairly pas sive.  Forseti is his son. He owns a ship called Hring horni.

TYR
	This is a popular, but not very well de oped son of Odin, who may actually be the same deity as Tew. Tyr represents the principle of victory in battle, and lost his hand in chaining the Fenris wolf. He is also a deity of bravery, despite his handicap. He is seen as honest and good hearted, and easily spotted in depictions by his single hand.

TEW
	The confusion with Tyr springs from the fact that Tew is often also presented as one handed and the fact that he will be killed by Garm, the wolf/hound of Hel at Ragnarok. However, the difference in their attributes beyond these super cial similarities is notable. Tew is similar in his aspects to Odin. He is a deity of war and victory like most of his brothers, but he is also a sky and paternal deity. He has one major, important facet which sets him apart from other deities. He is a god of law, order, duelling, feuding, and trial by combat, as well as any form of oath or agreement. He also presides over the punishment of crimi nals. In addition he has associations with the woodlands and wild animals. His judicial aspect is most notable in the fact that he is the patron god of the Thing, the regular tribal or national congresses of most Germanic peoples. His wor ship is characterized by sacrifices involving mass slaughter.

VIDAR
	Vidar is the most important of what might be called Odins younger sons. He is a deity of strength and justice, often associated with smith skills and some aspects of secret knowledge. He acts as if he is slow witted, but this masks a secret intelligence and subtle caution. He is the senior of Odins sons who will survive Ragnarok (not counting Baldr who is to be reborn), and seems to have been Odins heir as leader of the Aesir who survive the battle. He will slay the Fenris wolf at Ragnarok, and is probably stronger and better in battle than Thor. One interesting note is that Vidar is a crossover deity, also worshipped among various Celtic and Germanic peoples all over Europe, and is usually considered to be the father of Whelan, the great pan-European smith deity. Vidar is usually presented as being a giant, part giant, or at least of giant stature.

HODR
	Hodr is an enigmatic deity, probably the fourth oldest son of Odin, somewhere between Baldr and Vidar. He is blind, and and presented as a fool. He is a deity of those deceived, and self deceived. He is the classical epitome of care ness, foolishness, and bad luck. He is a patron to those who fall on hard times and have self-destructive tendencies. He is sometimes also seen as a story teller and entertainer. He threw the bolt which killed his brother Baldr, tricked into it by Loki. He may also be a deity of adultery and envy, as there are hints that he was after Baldrs wife.

VALI, MODI, VEOR, 
MEILI, MAGNI & HERMOD
	These are the remaining younger sons of Odin, with Hermod the youngest and the rest of unknown ranking. Most of them are fairly vague, and so are grouped together here. Vali is a deity of vengeance and mad rage, and the avenger of Baldr, killing Hodr, an act which should make him accursed by the tradition of the myth cycle. Veor is Tyrs shield bearer. Hermod is par larly interesting as he is the one sent to Hel to bring back Baldr. The rest are obscure, pre bly war and battle deities like their brothers. It should be noted that Modi and Vali will both survive Ragnarok, as will Magni, who ought to be mentioned here as well, as he is usually grouped with the younger sons of Odin, al though he is actually a son of Thor. He is primarily associated with strength, and has a horse called Goldfaxi.

FORSETI
	Forseti is of the younger generation of Aesir. He is the son of Baldr. He is one of the later developments in the Pantheon, a deity of pre cious metals, gems and springs, essentially any thing bright which comes out of the earth. He is seen as a peace-bringer, and bears a golden axe. He lives in a hall called Glitnir, made all of gold and silver. He is sometimes also seen as a law-giver. He is a pleasant if not particularly im tant deity, developed as part of the beginning of the romantic tradition, not as clearly part of the epic mode as Odin or other early gods.

KVASIR
	This is one of the stranger deities of the group. His origin is unclear, but it is very early. He isnt really alive, but yet lives on. He was slain by dwarves, who made a magic drink from his blood in the cauldron Odrerir, more or less with Odins approval. This drink became the magical meade of inspiration and poetry called Odrerir. It is a fairly important part of life in Asgard.

LODR
	Lodr is the shield bearer and companion of Odin, and one of the most practical deities. He is the patron of the arts and crafts, and also the god of the awareness and use of the senses. He is in many ways a reflection of Odin in the more physical realm.

BRAGI
	Bragi is a deity of dubious origin. He may be a son of Odin, but there is no reason to believe it.  Most likely he is the deification of a 9th century skald (poet/bard), who took on Odins skaldic aspects. He is a very late ad tion to the Aesir. He is a deity of poetry and word use. He is a symbol of peace and pros ity, though he is often presented as a bit boastful, with a tendency to back down after talking big ger than he is able to enforce with actions. He is also seen as a deity of politics of a sort, or at least a rouser of mens spirits to action through in tion.

HOENR
	Hoenr is another enigmatic deity of unclear origin. Like Mimir he is mentioned in the creation of the world, so he must have been around then, meaning that he is either of the earliest generation of the gods, or a Jottun of some sort. He is Mimirs partner and companion. He is silent and keeps his own council, but when he acts he is foolhardy. He tends to be a bit timid, but is handsome and an unusually fast runner. His prime aspects involve prophecy and in tion. Prophecy is part of his worship, per formed with blood soaked twigs. He is also a deity of manly sensitivity and tender feelings, particularly in familial contexts. He was sent with Mimir as a hostage, but because of his pleasant demeanor and passive nature he was not killed when Mimir was.

MIMIR
	Mimir is counted among the Aesir, although he was actually a Jottun, but, just as there are evil Aesir, there was one good Jottun, and he became an advisor to Odin, when the All-father came to his pool at the foot of Yggdrasil to offer up his eye in exchange for a wisdom-bringing draught. He is the guardian of Yggdrasil, the wisest of the Aesir, and the forger of the sword Miming. He was given as a peace-exchange to the Vanir, who killed him and sent back his head, which lived on, kept by Odins throne to advise him. In addition to his wisdom and smith skills, he is seen as a guardian and water spirit, par larly connected to fresh water.

HEIMDALLR THE WHITE
	Heimdallr is another mystery in the pantheon, but one who is more familiar, as he is one of the most powerful and prominent Aesir. He is said to be the son of nine maidens, who may have been sea giantesses. He has a number of unique powers and attributes. He never sleeps, can see and hear everything(grass growing, etc), shines, and can see through time(past and fu ture). He is the guardian of the Bifrost bridge, which is the main access to Asgard, and he lives close by it. He is described as having a shining countenance, and is quite handsome. He guards the Aesir, and it is his job to send out an alarm with the Gjal horn, a huge horn which can be heard through out the world, and which only he can sound. He may have connections to the Vanir, and he is called the Father of Men, probably because he has a closer physical proximity. He bears a sword called Heimdalliram or Hofud. His general area of provenance is the sun, sky, rainbow and moon. Fitting the shining aspect and the fact that he always watches over eve thing. He is generally strict in his guard duties, and benevolent in watching over mankind.

LOKI
	Loki is probably the most intriguing of the Aesir. While he is usually portrayed in an ad ial and oppositional role, there are many cases in which he helped the other Aesir and worked with them, although there is no question that he was the father of monsters and was generally abusive to the other Aesir. However, after his betrayal of Baldr he was imprisoned until Rag rok, when he gets his final revenge on the Aesir, leading an army of giants into Asgard. The source of Lokis grudge against the other Aesir is un clear, but it seems to be an attitude which de ops through his career, perhaps because he was snubbed and pushed around by the other more physical deities.
	Loki was the son of a giant, but was raised among the Aesir. In the course of his life he fathered a number of horrible little children, including the Fenris wolf, the Midgard serpent (circling the world), and Hella, goddess of the underworld, all of whom shared his opposition to the Aesir. These children were born by a unique method, as he was able to change sexes and impregnate himself to bear children, natu rally producing odd results. His sexual exploits were not limited to this type, as he also caused a bit of a stir when he had an affair with Tyrs wife.
	One interesting fact about Loki is that he was Odins brother by blood oath, a curious circumstance which leads into the logical sup tion of a fundamental relationship between the two deities. It is possible that Loki was de oped as an alter ego for Odin, or even a parody. In many ways he is an anti-shaman, a purveyor of false and deceptive magics and prophecy.  He is a trickster, beguiler, and rather sinister and mischievous. He is one of the most active gods, always scheming to humiliate others, and he carries many of his plots out by using his con mate ability to change forms. Perhaps his most interesting skill is the ability to insult any one brilliantly.  There is an entire poem called the Lokasena in which he abuses all the other Aesir and Vanir. He seems to have unlimited access to scurrilous gossip and knowledge of every foul and degrading act which anyone has committed.
	Loki is not primarily a violent deity, but one who uses others, and works with psychology to create chaos and dissention. In his early career he is not really evil, and he may never have been wholly so. He just becomes bitter and a bit more aggressive as he goes on. His desire for venge ance at Ragnarok can easily be attributed to the fact that the Aesir imprisoned him and set a serpent to drip acidic venom on his face, except when his wife was able to catch it in a bowl. He is sometimes seen as a deity of death or fire, and his nature is certainly mercurial enough to fit the first classification. He is usually depicted as a small, bearded, red-haired man with wild eyes. He has a sword which he rarely uses, called Laevateinn, which is associated with death and treachery. General worship does not seem to have been widespread, but worship and in tion in specific circumstances where he was appropriate was common. He is the protector of liars, thieves and traitors.

FORSETI
	Forseti is of the younger generation of Aesir. He is the son of Baldr. He is one of the later developments in the Pantheon, a deity of pre cious metals, gems and springs, essentially any thing bright which comes out of the earth. He is seen as a peace-bringer, and bears a golden axe. He lives in a hall called Glitnir, made all of gold and silver. He is sometimes also seen as a law-giver. He is a pleasant if not particularly im tant deity, developed as part of the beginning of the romantic tradition, not as clearly part of the epic mode as Odin or other early gods.

KVASIR
	This is one of the stranger deities of the group. His origin is unclear, but it is very early. He isnt really alive, but yet lives on. He was slain by dwarves, who made a magic drink from his blood in the cauldron Odrerir, more or less with Odins approval. This drink became the magical meade of inspiration and poetry called Odrerir. It is a fairly important part of life in Asgard.

LODR
	Lodr is the shield bearer and companion of Odin, and one of the most practical deities. He is the patron of the arts and crafts, and also the god of the awareness and use of the senses. He is in many ways a reflection of Odin in the more physical realm.

FRIGGA
 	Frigga is the wife of Odin.  She  should not be confused with Freyja, the sister of Freyr. She is the daughter of Fjorgyn, and lives either at Fen salir or Folkvang, where she holds a sort of continual cocktail party for the dead, par larly the Valkyries, of whom she seems to be the leader. She is the patron of warrior women, par larly those who support their men in battle. Like all of the Aesir goddesses she is rather secondary in nature, far less well developed than most of the forceful Vanir goddesses. She has two personal servants, Gna and Fulla.

OTHER GODDESSES
	Sigyn is the wife of Loki. She is as nice and kind as he is fickle. She seems to be sort of a symbol of faithful, long-suffering womanhood, but is really not very well detailed. Sif is the wife of Thor. She has hair which is actually spun gold, and she seems to be a corn goddess. Nanna is the wife of Baldr, and has no real personality save as the object of Hodrs theoretical affections. Idunn is a bit more interesting, though a late de ment. She is the wife of Bragi, and guards the apples of immortality, an essential commodity, as unlike many other deities, the gods of Asgard are not immortal, aging slowly, but like men in general. Only a few, like Odin and Baldr can bypass this and restore themselves by one means or another. Generally the goddesses of the Aesir are not very forceful, and pale in comparison with the Vanir, particularly Freyja.

THE VALKYRIES
	These are the warrior women who follow Frigga and serve Odin, travelling over the bat field, collecting the souls of the deserving to live on at Valhalla, feasting with the gods and wait ing to fight at Ragnarok. They live a fairly in ent existence, somewhere between the realms of men and gods, accessible by men only after hard trials. They are generally chaste ad ing to a martial code, but they can be seduced away, and a few married earthly heroes. They are probably some of the most prominent women among the Aesir.

THE EINHRARS
	These hes of Asgard should also be men tioned. They are the picked warriors of Valhalla, serving Odin, feasting, warring and drinking, waiting for Ragnarok when they will rally to the sides of the gods, just as the evil spirits in Hel will join Loki and the Jottun.

THE SKALDS
	This is another group which ought to be mentioned. They are the Norse equivalent of traditional bards, poets and writers who pre served the literature and history of the people, with religious connections and considerable political power. They are the chroniclers of the acts of the gods, and specifically the servers of Odin and Bragi. They are often attributed with magical and holy powers, and certainly with the gifts of inspiration and prophecy.
	Among the most notable skalds are Bragi Boddason (The Old), who seems to be the basis for the development of the god Bragi, and Snorri Sturluson, who recorded the Eddas and other major mythological sources. Like Celtic bards, the skalds held a privileged position in society, and are a major and noteworthy aspect of the worship of the Aesir.

THE VANIR
	This less prominent pantheon was a very important element of Scandinavian myth.  It includes the key gods of nature, crafts and peacetime activities, somewhat more primal in character than the more sophisticated Aesir.

VAN
	Van is a sort of theoretical earth deity. He is the elder brother of Njord and the original Vanir, but he is an obscure figure as anything more than a name.  He is probably a very old deity, and fades out of the picture and pantheon almost immediately, much like the ancestral god As in the Aesir myths.  He is associated with crops and commerce, and is known as the god of the wagon.  In fact, in the heavens he drives the Great Wain or Wagon (the Big Dipper).

NJORD (NJORTHR)
	Njord is Vans younger brother, and defi nitely the leader of the Vanir.  However, he was traded to the Aesir as a hostage after a war between the two groups and thus while certainly the most important Vanir, he was  absent from Vanaheim for a long period of time, leaving his son Freyr in charge.  Scandinavian gods were also taken hostage and traded between rival groups.  All hostages will be described with their home pantheon, even if they spent almost no time at home.
	Njord lives at his seaside fortress of Noatun, and is generally taken as a sea deity, although he partakes of aspects of the crossover  deity Nodens who is also associated with the Celtic sky god Nudd.  These crossovers  from one pantheon to another are most common among West Germanic peoples like the Saxons or the Franks who had more contact with Celtic peoples, and they are fairly common, especially deities who appear as Vanir and as Celtic gods.

NJORD
 	Njord is described as being a young man, despite his seniority, as handsome as Baldr, who was the personification of beauty.  Njords powers seem to deal mostly with the sea and ships, and he rules over commerce by sea.  He also has a role in fishing, although that is often usurped by Aegir.  His home, Noatun, is known as the Enclosure of Ships, and is where those buried in ship burials were thought to sail to. He rules over the desirable afterlife dwelling for dead seamen, to be opposed to the realm of Aegir and Rana which was the afterlife for more unfortunate seamen.  Njord is known as a decent, even tem pered fellow who is slow to anger, but mighty when aroused.

NERTHUS
	Nerthus is an enigmatic deity, the twin sister of Njord and also his wife.  It is sort of a Vanir tradition that children are often born in male and female pairs and the first thing they do is mate and then produce another pair of twins, though they may move on to other mates later.  This was the source of much abuse from the self-righteous Aesir who often questioned the morals of the Vanir, particularly Freyja.  The twin off spring of Njord and Nerthus were Freyr and Freyja.
	Nerthus is an earth-mother deity, usually associated with the Nodens aspect of Njord, and definitely a crossover deity, most common among the Saxons and related tribes.  In general her sanctuaries and holy places are on islands, af ing her relationship with Njord in his aspect as a sea god.  She is usually depicted as riding in a wagon, indicating a possible connection to Cybele.  She assures good harvests, protects men in battle, and takes blood sacrifices of all types similar in many ways to those of Freyja, though she is a mother, rather than a wife or love-god dess figure.  She is also a lunar deity, sometimes shown with horns or a halo.

SKADI
	Skadi is Njords second wife, and the one who was more popular in Scandinavia.  She is the daughter of a Jottun named Thjadi.  She is the goddess of mountains.  She spends much of her time away from Njord and finds the coastal climate of Noatun to be inhospitable.  She is not an enormously popular goddess, remembered mostly for her relationship with Njord.

FREYR, GOD OF THE WORLD (YNG, LYTIR)
	Freyr is  the single most important and most popular deity of the Vanir.  He is the son of Njord and Nerthus or sometimes Skadi instead, and is the twin brother of Freyja.  He is hand some, wise and accomplished, but has a ten dancy to be ruled by his heart and his emotions, rather than his head and to make rash decisions in tense moments.  For example, he was so des ate to wed Gerda that he gave up his powerful sword to the Jottuns to  buy her from her father.  This was rather rash, as his sword is the essential weapon needed to slay the Jottun at the final battle of Ragnarok.  This sword is the original dancing sword and can fight on its own under Freyrs direction.
	Freyr is one of the best equipped deities of the pantheon, having not only a flying horse, but also a magical golden boar called Gullinbursti, who can fly and draw his chariot  (Gullinbursti is some sort of automata made by the dwarves Brokk and Sindri).  Freyr also has one of several magical ships in this pantheon, Skithblathnir.  This ship can travel at the speed of wind, always has a favorable wind in its sails, navigates itself to any destination, and can hold all of the gods and their cargo.  In addition it can be folded up and fits in Freyrs pocket.
	Freyr is worshipped for many different attributes.  He is seen as the liberator of slaves and those imprisoned, and is closely linked with the elves, probably as their deity and protector.  He was once king of the region which is now Sweden, with his capital at Uppsala.  He is linked with kingship, as the god of anointing and royal power.  He is also a god of crops  and the harvest, and through him the king is identified with the crops.  This makes the king sort of a symbol of Freyr and the harvest.  If a harvest was bad it was common practice to sacrifice the king, be cause Freyr is also the deity of interment in the earth and rebirth.  The idea was that the kings sac fice will cause the crops to be born again.  He is also the god of the grave-mound (another Elf con tion as they are believed to tend graves), and of earthly rebirth and renewal  Most of these char tics relate to his role as a god of fer ity and the crops, but he is also very clearly an under world and death god, and it is believed that if you sleep on a grave mound Freyr will send you prophetic visions.  He is sometimes depicted as living on or in a grave mound him self.  Freyr is also as ated with wealth, earthly peace and warm weather.
	Freyrs holy symbols are horses and boars, and the center of his worship was Uppsala.  Human sacrifice was standard as a means of encouraging fertility and good harvests, a prac tice which was common for many of the Vanir.  Sacrifices were usually done only once a year, usually in the spring or in the event of a bad harvest.
	Like his father, Freyr has a twin sister, Freyja.  Although he is normally mated with Gerda, the daughter of the Jottun Gymir, he is also believed to have mated with Freyja.  They are most often mated as a couple with him in older mythological sources.

FREYJA (HORN, MARDOLL, SKRALF)
	Freyja is the twin sister of Freyr, and the daughter of Njord.  She should not be confused with Frigga, Odins wife.  She is a sky oriented deity, and lives in a castle in the air called Folkvang, where she hosts warriors and the spir its of unmarried girls.  She is at once a virgin goddess and a goddess of lust, worshipped sepa rately in both aspects.
	She was the most popular of all the Vanir, but was the subject of much rumour among the other gods, as she was said to be willing to put out for just about anyone or anything.  Many rumours about her were promulgated by Loki, but substantiated by several other witnesses to incidents which included an orgy with a group of Dwarves.
	One of her most popular aspects is as goddess of the bridal night, the passage from virginity to womanhood.  She is usually depicted as a beautiful woman of gold with burning eyes, wearing a golden feathered cloak, sometimes weeping, perhaps for Freyr in his incarnation as a dying and reborn god.  She is said to use her cloak to take the form of a falcon, and has a strong association with birds.
	Freyja is  the patron of Seithr, a form of witchcraft and enchantment practiced as a semi-religion, mostly by women.  This cult involved ecstatic trances, orgies, prophecy and various forms of ritual magic.  It was followed by many
women as a route to supernatural (sexually ori ented) power.  The priestesses were called Volva, and acted mostly as seeresses.  They were thought to be able to take the form of birds.  One im tant part of this cult was the brewing of potions and poisons for many purposes, especially for fidelity and the attraction of love.
	In some of her aspects she is a goddess of fertility, and she is certainly a goddess of magic and the ability to alter the environment.  In some areas the kings were thought to be wedded to her, and mock wedding ceremonies were often held to signify this relationship.
	Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, the most effective form of sacrifice to get the goddess motivated and restore fertility in the land was to kill off the king who was wedded to her, a prac tice known as Frobold.  Human sacrifice was a secondary form of worship, far exceeded in popularity by orgiastic practices.

GEFJON THE GIVER
	Gefjon is one of the nicer goddesses of the Vanir.  She represents fertility of the waters, islands, magic, and is symbolized by a bull.  She is renowned for being the only god or goddess able to see the future as accurately as Odin.  She is generally fairly passive and amiable.  She is either the sister of Freyr and Freyja or their daughter.

AEGIR
	Aegir is a kindly and rather amusing de ity, unfortunately wedded to a rather nasty shrew, Ran.  He is a deity of beer and spirits and rules the lands beneath the seas.  He is also the god of henpecked husbands, who often turned to drink to express their regard for him.
	Aegir is the greatest brewer in the world, and welcomes drunken sailors to stay with him in his underwater realm after their drunkenness gets them drowned.  He is the most notable sea god of all the Scandinavian pantheons and is said to bring good catches to deep sea herring fish men.  He sends the bounty of the sea, while his wife is left to handle the harsher aspects of storms and watery destruction.

RAN THE RAVISHER
	Ran is another grim goddess from this group.  She is the rather overbearing wife of Aegir.  She is a destructive deity who stirs up the waves and makes ships founder.  She is said to inspire terror, and her daughters are per tions of different types of waves.  She has a net with which she draws in drowned men, who then go beneath the waves to live in the halls which she rules over with Aegir.  Although she is a death goddess, her realm is restricted solely to death at sea and the dangerous aspects of navi tion.

ULLR, GOD OF THE SHIELD
	While Ullr is not one of the primary group of Vanir, he was a very popular deity in some areas and doesnt really fit into any other group.  He is certainly the most solitary of all the Scandi navian deities and one of the most elusive in many ways.  Despite the fact that he was of neither family, he held a powerful position among both the Aesir and Vanir.  In fact, he actually usurped Odins throne as chief of all the gods for a brief while.
	Ullr is a particularly strange deity, similar in some ways (mostly personality) to Odin, but with very different interests.  He is the god of the snows and northern wastes who travels over the snow on his shield, which he uses like a sleigh.  His main dominion is over lakes and mountains, the wintery northern wastelands, and the entire winter season.  He is also the god of hunters and hunting, and the greatest bowman among the gods.  Ullr is also a god of magic, enchantment and deception, especially self delusion, hal tion and illusion.  Like almost every other god of the pantheon, he can be considered a death god, as far as those who die of cold or in the mountains, and he also is believed to have the job of transporting the dead on his ship, Naglfar.
	Ullr is powerful and ruthless, described as having a regal, majestic and impressive de meanor, a true leader, but tending to be harsh and uncaring, motivated mostly by self interest.  Physically he is depicted as a bearded giant, always depicted alone or with wolves he has trained to hunt, ice frozen in his beard and a mad look in his eyes.
	In addition to his shield/sleigh, he also has the most famous ship of Scandinavian myth, Naglfar, made from the bones and fingernails of the dead, which he sails in arctic seas.  It is interesting to note that prophecies of Ragnarok say that he will lend Naglfar to Loki to help him transport his monstrous children to fight against the Aesir, implying that in the end Ullr will turn against the gods and fight on the side of the Jottuns and the forces of evil.  Ullr is known to be treacherous and ambitious, and at one point he usurped the throne of Asgard while Odin was away, though he was eventually cast out and sent into his icy exile.
	Ullr may be wedded or mated to a twin sister (of course) named Ullin, but detail on her is scanty.  Ullr is in many ways alien to the other gods, solitary and brooding, a very dark god, but his power, especially in his frozen realm, is un lenged.

HELLA
	Hella is the queen of Niflheim or Niflhel, the least pleasant of the Scandinavian af worlds, the equivalent of a Christian Hell.  It is where people go who dont manage to earn their way into one of the private afterlives run by another god.   It is a rather nasty, cold and unfriendly place, jammed full of unhappy dead spirits, along with all sorts of evil beings, undead spirits, snakes, wolves, bugs, etc.  The main body of people who go to Niflhel are murderers, oathbreakers and homosexuals.  It is situated below the earth and is guarded by the giant wolf Garm who is the hound of Hel.  There are several gates to admit the dead and the whole realm is a walled prison.  Those within are put through typical torment, such as eating carrion and drinking the urine of goats, with the torment usually appropriate to the crimes which got them there.  Even gods can be sent to Niflhel if they misbehave badly enough.
	Hella herself is an ancient crone, wrinkled, twisted and cruel.  She is a seeress and has a great disdain for men and gods.  She is supreme in her confidence that death will eventually claim eve thing in the world and that one day her realm will be everywhere.  She is known for sending terrifying visions and inspiring prophets of de tion.  She will sometimes emerge to actively campaign for souls which she thinks should be hers.

THE SERVANTS OF FREYR
	Like any good ruler, Freyr has a whole household of interesting servants.  Two of the most important are Byggvri and Beyla, a hus band and wife team.  Byggvri is a brash, but cowardly manservant who tends to boast and drink too much.  Beyla, his wife is, Freyrs cook, and a brewer of all manner of potions.  Skirnir is Freyrs messenger and herald, and tends to fol low him everywhere.  He is willing to take on extreme risk and danger for his master.


ANCIENT BRITAIN
	The world of the gods of ancient Britain was very much like the world of their worshippers, a world of strong family ties, blood feuds, small and isolated kingdoms, pervasive magic, and a very tenuous division between the real world and a variety of otherworlds.  The division between gods and heroes was unclear, and supernatural forces lurked everywhere.  Characters should be able to play minor gods from one of the major clans, or heroic figures whose deeds transcend their mortal status.  It is the nature of the setting that great deeds are rewarded by great power, thus heroes like Pwyll or Taliesin can weild the power of gods or even become gods under the right circumstances.

THE CHILDREN OF NUDD
	Beli Mawr had three sons, Nudd, Don, and Math (much younger), most generally inter preted as having been born in that order, with half a generation separating them.  The worship of Nudd and his whelps dominated the Cymric tribes of central Britain.
	Nudd and Don hate each other, and there is an intense rivalry between the two families.  In addition, several gods are given here who are related by association, not blood.

BELI MAWR (MATHONWY)
	Beli Mawr is not what would generally be considered an active deity.  He is an ancestral and tribal deity, symbolic of power and kingship.  Several royal lines trace their ancestry to him.  He is the father of Nudd and Don.  His worship was widespread, but not very intense, in the sense that he was not associated with any particular duties or rituals, very much the classic ancestral deity.

NUDD LLAW EREINT
	Nudd is a powerful and often underrated deity.  His worship was widespread under such names as Ludd, Nodens, Myrddin and Emrys.  He is the father of this line, although Llyr.is the dominant leader character in many of the myths, and thee family is generally called The Children of Llyr.  He is depicted as having a silver hand, and having command of the sun, wind and seas, as well as his special servants the storm spirits.  His silver hand directs his shining radiant power.  He is generally depicted as a beautiful youth, despite the fact that he is a senior member of the pantheon.  Nudd has a reputation as a good deity, a force for order and in particular as a symbol of creativity and constructive magic.  He is a sky god, and so commands the powers of the sky, but at the same time is a sort of a universal over-god and has many other powers as well.  He is strongly associated with Merlin, and has a hawk as his symbol.  He has two sons and a daughter.

CREUDILAD (CORDELIA)
	This is Nudds daughter, though in some myths and in Shakespeares King Lear she is the daughter of Llyr.  She is a goddess of beauty and wisdom.  She is the wife of Gwyn and Gwyrthur (note that as with the Scandinavian myths, sib ling marriage is pretty standard here), which makes her sort of the Celtic Persephone.

GWYN AP NUDD (GUYON, CERNUNOS)
	Gwyn is probably the most significant yet under exposed deity of the Celtic world.  While he is virtually unknown by name, he is the single most important deity in Celtic religion.  He is the great horned man figure of ancient Europe, proba bly the most omnipresent and resilient pagan image.
	He is a deity of the afterlife,.war and all
sorts of violent death.  He leads the Wild Hunt, and follows armies in war to collect the dead after battles are over.  These dead go with him to feast in the halls of his land of Gwibir Vynyd at the top of Mt. Vandwy.  He is also associated with the moon and with madness.  And it is said that he pursues men with his dogs and huntsmen until they are driven from their minds.  He has  a great horn which he blows when hunting, and from which he drinks moonbeams.  Anyone who drinks from this horn is driven mad, particularly with battle lust, and he is known as a god of bers ers.
	Gwyn is a seasonal deity, the god of winter and the woodlands, and each fall he battles Gwyrthur for the possession of Creudilad.  Generally Gwyn has her in the winter and Gwyrthur has her in the summer, and the world is cold during the winter to mourn her im ment with the grim death god.  He is also the god and/or king of the elves, though it is not clear that he is actually one of them.
	Gwyn is known as the Escort of the Grave and The Hunter of Men.  He is an extremely powerful, very grim deity, feared, respected and very widely worshipped.  But it should be re bered that he is not what would tra ally be considered evil, merely representative of the harsh side of nature and the dark side of death, which does not necessarily taint Gwyn as an individual.

LLYR AP NUDD (LER, LIR, LEAR)
	Llyr is less detailed than Gwyn in the myths.  He is a basic, fairly standard sea.god.  He is noted for his attention to justice and honor.  He is wedded to Penardur, the daughter of Don, thus linking the two families.  In some myths Llyr is portrayed as a tragic figure, maddened with grief over the destruction of his family and the faithlessness of his children, ancient and full of rage and destruction.  This is the image of him which is associated with storms at sea, some thing of ongoing concern to Celtic sailors and fishermen.  He is certainly known as being change able and having a temper, of the same protean nature as the sea.
	Llyr is especially noteworthy for his sons, who play a larger role, though he is the nominal head of the family.

THE CHILDREN OF LLYR
	Llyr has three children, his sons Bendi geidfran (Bran) and and Manawydan, and his daughter Bronwyn.
	Bronwyn is a basic nature deity, with all the basic mother-goddess characteristics, but otherwise of limited interest.
	Bran is a powerful god, representing dark ness, rage, and strength, usually depicted as a giant.  His wife is Modron, a major earth goddess and they have two sons, Mabon and Caradawc.
 	Mabon is of some note, a deity of music, youth, healing, and hunting.  Caradawc is a pretty obscure deity associated with nature.
	The youngest son of Llyr is Manawydan, a god of commerce, wisdom, and good counsel, who married Rhiannon after the death of Pwyll.

THE CHILDREN OF DON
	Don is Nudds brother, Beli Mawrs sec ond son.  He and his many children are described here.  In many ways they duplicate the powers and areas of influence of some of the deities from the family of Nudd.  They were most popular in northern Wales and in Caledonia.

DON
	For being the leader of the family, Don is a remarkably dull god, not too surprising con ing the assertiveness of his children.  He is a pretty standard chieftain and ancestor deity, associated with nature as an earth god, but not attributed any special powers or activities.  In general the family of Don can be seen as summer deities, while the family of Nudd might be con ered winter deities.

MATH
	Math is the younger brother of Don and Nudd and generally associated with the family of Don, rather than Nudd.  He is the supreme deity of magic, particularly illusion and shape alteration, and has some association with music, poetry and the arts.  He holds court at Caer Dathyl where he is often consulted because of his reputation as a reliable judge.  He figures promi nently in many myths.  He was originally en trusted with training his unruly nephews who he ultimately dealt with by turning them into ani mals.

THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF DON
	Don had six sons and two daughters.  Some of these are major deities, though some are of lesser significance.  The order of their birth is not known precisely, though Gwydion is probably the eldest.
	Dons two daughters are Arianrod and Penardun.  Arianrod is a very popular nature and fertility goddess and the made of her brother Gwydion.  Pernardun married Llyr and is not known for much else.
	Gwydion is the most important of Dons sons.  He is a god of priests and druids and a master of magic and illusion, sort of a protege of Math.  He is a leader of the gods and has two sons, Llew and Dylan, both of whom are pretty sig cant.  The domain of Gwydions power is de able, but probably focuses on the sky and weather.
	Dylan is a god of darkness and the wild sea, often associated with Roanes and other magical sea creatures.  Llew is his opposite in every way, representing light and the sun.  Llew is also a deity of crafts and skills.  He is a poet, a magician, a leathersmith and a healer, known as Llew Llaw Gyffes.  Llew and Dylan are mirror twins.
	Don has a number of other sons as well.  Most notable among these is Govannon the god of smiths and surgeons who never fails in a casting.  Amaethon is a very popular god of agriculture and the soil, depicted as a plowman.  Nynniaw and Peibaw are a pair of cursed fools who were eventually turned into oxen.  Gilvaethey was his youngest son, of limited sig cance, but supposedly of pleasant ap ance and rather charming.

THE FAMILY OF PWYLL
	These deities are popular in southern Wales and Cornwall and are loosely associated, centered around the family of Pwyll pen Annwfn and his friends and associates.  The antecedents of the family are unclear.  In fact, Pwyll may have been an ancient mortal king.  There is little re ship between these deities and other pan ons until fairly late when Rhiannon remarries after the death of Pwyll.

PWYLL PEN ANNWFN
	Pwyll is a traditional leader deity.  He represents wisdom and the afterlife for warriors more than anything else.  He personifies pru dence and good judgement.  He is married to Rhiannon and they have a son named Pryderis.  He has a strong friendship with Arawn, for whom he served as regent in the afterworld realm of Annwfn, with which both deities are associated.

RHIANNON
	Rhiannon is a fairly significant nature goddess, presiding over birds and horses.  Her symbol is either a white horse or three birds, or both, and she has three white birds whose song can bring the dead to life or the living to death.  She is married to Pwyll, and later to Manawydan.  She is the  mother of Pryderis.

ARAWN (THE GREY MAN)
	Arawn is a deity of the otherworld, usu ally depicted as a grey man on a grey horse. He is a friend of Pwyll and they share the rule of the otherworld called Annwfn.  Arawn is the origi nal ruler and he rules it in competition with Havgan, a gratuitous deity who he battles each summer and fall, similar to the seasonal com tion between Gwyn and Gwyrthur.  Arawn is the winter king, and Havgan is the summer ruler, but essentially insignificant, except as a foe for Arawn.  Arawn also represents all of the crafts and pastimes of winter, including music, poetry, and the arts.  He has powers of illusion and deception, and is especially associated with fogs and mists.

OTHER DEITIES
	Pryderis is Pwylls son. He is a pretty staightforward, dutiful son and a minor deity of warfare. He is married to Kicva, a hearth goddess of unclear origin, and only a small significance.
	Teyrnon is also in this group.  He is a deity of violent warfare and manly combat, associated with blood feuds.


PAGAN RUSSIA
	This setting offers some unique possibilities and a bit of a paradox.  Although most of the legends of Medieval Russia originate in early pagan mythology, Russia was so aggressively Christianized that many of the myths were weirdly transformed and reformulated into a cycle centered around Vladimir the Great and the heroes (Bogatyri) of Kiev.  The result is a bizarre melange where pagan era deities and heroes have become pseudo-Christian figures attached to Vladimir's court, while many of the pre-Christian antagonists remain mainly untouched, and the elemental spirits and forces which are such a large part of the mythology survive with only nominal Christian trappings.
	When running this setting you may wish to center it around Vladimir's Kiev as if it were a pagan kingdom, or leavel the partial Christianization of the setting intact.  You may also wish to move out into more obscure regions, make use of the pagan gods, and ignore the Kievan stories.
	This setting shares many characteristics with the legends of King Arthur or the Finnish Kalevala.  The emphjasis is very much on heroes.  The real pagan gods are deemphasized and sorcerers, witches and powerful elemental spirits play a very large role.  This is typica lof a myth system which went very rapidly from extremely primitive, almost animistic beliefs to relegation to fairy tale status after an abrupt encounter with Christianity.  This kind of situation makes the dividing point between gods and lesser spirits vague, which can be frustrating, but leaves a lot of room for gamemaster innovation.

Russian Pagan Gods
	Limited information is available on the true deities of pre-Christian Russia, and they should probably be played as remote and fairly abstract figures.  These deities originate in a bizarre mixture of Scandinavian, Slavic and Central Asian religion, and should be played as pretty primitive and forcefully elemental in character.  There is also a division within the mythology between the East and West Slavs so you essentially have two separate pantheons operating at the same time.  The East Slavic gods are more Slavic and Scandinavian in character, while the West Slavic gods are more influenced by Central Asian traditions.

Gods of the West Slavs

Svarog
	Ancestral sky deity.  Father of the Svarozhichi or Sons of Svarog, including Dazhbog.  Associated with the sun and with smithing.

Dazhbog
	The primary sun god or sky father.  The god of blessings and the bright sky.  Son of Svarog.  Sometimes also called Khors.

Stribog 
	God of the dark sky.  Controller of wind, storm and destruction.  Probably also a son of Svarog.

Sviatovit 
	God of the harvest, light, bounty and magical prophecy.  Summer and fall ruler of the land.  Son of Svarog.

Volos
	God of cattle, trade and the dead.  Winter and spring ruler of the land.  Son of Svarog.

Iarilo 
	Relatively minor deity with influence over male sexuality.

Simargl 
	Guardian of seeds and new growth.  Depicted as a winged dog.

Koliada 
	Goddess of the winter solstice.  Possibly the origin of the concept of the Ice Queen.

Kupalo 
	Earth goddess associated with the summer solstice.

Rozhanitsy
	Earth mother goddess, associated with birth and harvest.


Gods of the East Slavs

Rod 
	God of beginnings.  Ancestral fertility and solar deity, associated with the winter Solstice.  Mostly a background figure.

Perun
	Ruler of the gods.  God of storm, thunder, lightning and war.  Son of Rod.

Matsyra Zemlya or Mokosh
	Mother of the Moist Earth.  Basic earth mother deity.  Mother of the gods, mate of Rod.  Associated with household work, protection of maidens and childbirth.

Lada
	Goddess of the underworld.  Also associated with marriage.  Mother of Lyel and Polyel.  Possibly also goddess of the Spring.

Lyel and Polyel
	Twin brother hero gods or demigods.  Sons of Lada.


Russian Spirits
	Russian paganism emphasizes animistic and nature spirits very heavily.  Generally the more closely associated with human life the more benevolent the spirits are.  The more natural or elemental the more hostile they tend to be.

Domovoi (M) or Domovika (F)
	Household spirits or invisible helpers who assist with domestic chores and enourage industriousness.  They can be mischievious and play tricks on the lazy and negligent.  Usually depicted as an old peasant with a long, gray beard or a dog or cat.  Each household is usually watched over by one Domovoi and his family.

Dvorovoi (M) or Dvorovoika (F)
	Spirit of the garden and fields.  Similar in appearance and nature to Domovoi, but more likely to be hostile and troublesome.  Limited in dominion to the beasts and plants of the garden.  Sometimes called Polovoi and Poludnitsa.

Ovinnik or Gumennik
	Spirit of the threshing barn.  Very hostile domestic spirit, given to killing unsuspecting peasants by beating them to death.

Bannik (M) or Bannika (F)
	Powerful hostile elemental.  Known to waylay peasants and kill them by suffocation of by flaying them alive.  Probably a wind or air spirit, but associated with the household.

Leshyi (M) or Leshovika (F)
	Spirit of the wild woods.  Power over the forest, wild animals and most of the other nature spirits.  Likes to go among humans in disguise as a familiar person or animal.  Often appears as a common peasant, but always identifiable by the fact that he never wears a belt.  Likes to kidnap young women, steal tools, make people get lost in the forest, or even tickle people to death.

Vodyanoi (M) or Vodyanika (F)
	Very dangerous, evil water spirit known for drowning the unsuspecting.  Personification of the great Russian fear of running water.  Appears as a naked old man with a long beard which may merge into water, or as half fish and half human with scales.  May appear with green hair or take the form of a fish.

Rusalka (F)
	Hostile river spirit believed to be the spirit of a drowned maiden.  Believed to steal children and drown or tickle to death the unwary.  Appears as a woman with long hair.

Bereginia (F)
	Spirit of the riverbank.

Lugovik 
	Hostile spirit of meadows and grasslands.

Bolotnyi 
	Hostile spirit of swamps.

Alkonost 
	Magical bird of sorrow.  Similar in appearance to a harpy, with a bird's wings and legs, but the arms, body and head of a woman.  Her singing is so sad it makes the hearer forget the world and everything else.

Gamaiun
	Magical bird of joy.  Similar in appearance to Alknost, but with a joyful song of happiness which is equally distracting.

Sirin 
 	Male counterpart to Gamaiun.  Sings a song of joy and happiness, but flies away before he can be caught, leaving a great sense of loss.

Tsar Morskoi
	The king of the sea.  Father of Princess Volkhova.  Supernatural ruler of the oceans and their inhabitants who lives in a palace beneath the Black Sea.

Baba Yaga
	The stories of early Russia abound with powerful sorcerers and witches, the most famous of whom is Baba Yaga.  She is a hideous old crone who lives in the forest in a bizarre hut which can walk from place to place on giant chicken legs.  It is surrounded by a fence of skulls, and she rides from place to place in a flying mortar and pestle.  Baba Yaga likes to feast on the flesh of children, and hates all of humankind.  She may use her magical powers to help out those who come to her for magical aid, but her magic almost always turns back on the weilder.  She is a primal force of chaos and evil.

The Bogatyri
	These are the great heroes of mythic Russia.  Their name literally means 'little god', and although they are generally associated with the early Christian courts of Russia they partake of aspects of the older Russian gods.  Most likely they are reformulations of pagan gods and spirits into a nominally Christian form.  The stories of the Bogatyri are found in the Bilyny legends, where they are presented as human, but with very strange abilities and experiences.
	The most famous Bogatyr is Ilya Muromets.  For the first 33 years of his life he was unable to move at all.  Then he was visited by three wise men who asked him for some water.  This enraged him, because they knew he was paralyzed, and he rose up and walked for the first time.  He then journeyed to Kiev and put his unusual powers at the service of King Vladimir to defend Russia from its enemies.  His deeds included the single-handed defeat of the Tatar army and capturing the evil bandit Solovei Razboinik who had the power to kill people with his whistle.  Ilya is usually portrayed as a champion of the peasantry and of liberty and justice.
	There are a variety of other Bogatyri, each of them representing some aspect of virtue or skill.  They tend to have powers and abilities which extraordinary in a particular area, where they are the best who ever used that skill - the best smith, the best shipwright, etc.  There are also Bogatyri associated with Novgorod, including Sadko who was seduced by the sea princess Volkhova.
	Other heroes of early Russia aren't officially considered Bogatyri, but although they are more human, their legendary exploits set them above mere mortals.  Vasilisa the Magnificent is a good example of this, a peasant girl whose mother was a good witch, she uses her wits to escape her evil step mother and to outwit Baba Yaga.


ADVENTURE SCENARIOS
	Provided here are several scenarios for use with By the Gods but broad enough in nature to be adapted to other uses as well. These adventures look at the lighter side of mythology. They are not the stuff of epic legend. The style of the scenarios is fairly broad, so there is lots of room for gamemaster innovation and flexibility. Given are the situation, characters and perspective. what you oryour players do with it is in your hands. For variety the adventures are from several different backgrounds. For more information and background, we can suggest looking at ap p ropriate articles in back is sues of ABYSS magazine orin the forthcoming Pantheon anthology. Note that most ofthe characters and creatures have their stats provided in the special section alter the scenario descriptions.

SET -UP
	Characters for these scenarios shouls be the equivalent of major heroes or minor deities or spirits. As the adventures all have different backgrounds, you may wish to set-up a situation where characters can move from one background to another. For example they might be apprentice godlings on vacation, travelling from pantheon to pantheon.  The gamemaster may also wish to put them under the sponsorship of some major deity who is responsible for them and oversees their activities as a sort of mentor.

APPENDIX D: ADVENTURES

SCENARIO I..
THE PURSUIT OF LAPHERA
	Zeus is an amorous fellow. One morning he was looking down fromthe heights of Olympos and happened to notice something in a remote corner of Hellas called Locrisia. There he spied a beautiful nymph sunning herself on a hillside. He looked for her again every dav after that, but he never saw her again. After several weeks he became re ally curious and decided to do something about it. Being Zeus, his intentions towards the nymph are fairly easy to guess. Since he does not like to lower himself to wanderingaround among men unless absolutely necessary, he will recruit the characters to do his legwork for him. He will give one ofthem a mirror with which to communicate with him (only if they find the nymph, otherwise he would rather not be bothered), and set them down on the borders of Locrisia. They are to locate the nymph, inform her of Isis interest, and then summon him whether she is interested or not.
	An important side-plot to note here is that Hera may get wind of this and send interference, as she is very jealous of Zeus' extra-marital interests. She may anempt to subvert one of the characters to sabotage the mission, or she may send nasty monsters after the party, with the exact nature of her attack left up to the GM.
	They will be transported to Locrisia directly through the power of Zeus. They will arrive in a rural area and will have to contact the local people and entities to locate the nymph within the specific area which has been indicated. Some of the beings which they may encounter are listed here with the information which they can convey. Locrisia is an area of grassy hills and wooded valleys with a fairly sparse human population.
	Shepherds: They will probably arrive on a hillside covered with shee p and the ever present young, bemused shepherd. Now shepherds may be genuine curly-haired he-men, but they live with sheep, smell like sheep and tend to think like sheep. The young adonis they find playing his syrinx should be about as capable of giving them directions as a block of wood, though he will go out of his way to be helpful. With luck he maybe able to get them to a village (full of shepherds, some ofwhom maybe older, but no wiser) or to the local river, the Khinos.
	Centaurs: The woods in the area abound with strange creatures. As they begin to look around there is a fair chance that they will run into a group of 3 to 5 centaurs. These creatures are likely to be aloof at best and may well be hostile, with atendancy to rob and even kill small groups of humans or the equivalent which they can catch alone. The centaurs, if not hostile will gladly give complex and completely incorrect directions for finding the nymph.
	Satyrs: These are wild creatures ofthe woods, great friends of the nymph. ihey are rather careless innocents, sometnnes randomly violent. They will gladly lead the characters to the nymph and tell them all about her, but they are her friends, and if they discover that the characters have been sent by Zeus they will lure them out into the deepest woods until they are lost and then abandon them to twisting trails andwild beasts. Alternatively they could lead them to the lair of the Great Beast of Locrisia, though this is a bit too subtle for them.
	Khinos: At the river they may be able to contact the river god Khinos, a rather bad tempered old fellow who knows better than to give up something for nothing. He has had his eye on a young girl from the nearby village of Velios, and if they can convince or bribe the girl (who turns out to be a mercenary little chit) to become his mate he will tell them whereto findthe nymph in question. He has knowledge and authorityover all the water spirits in the area, including her. The description they have from Zeus is enough for him to identify her, and he doesn't care wht they do with her.
	The nymph's name is Laphaera and she keeps a spring which is in a shallow cave in a hill above a bend in the river. She is unusually beautifiil as was indicated by Zeus. Male characters will have to make a 3RAT% roll to avoid falling under her charm and wantingto keep her out of Zeus' nasty mits and get her into their own. She is charming and innocent, but has no desire to be Zeus' paramour, as those who fill that post have a istory of coming to nastylitends at the hands of Hera. She will not want to have anything to do with Zeus willingly, and they will have to confine her there or take her somewhere else until they can arrange of Zeus to be free to come and do his business. Ifthey take her in hand there are two possible problems. The first is that she cannot travel far from her spnng for too long, and the second is that Hera will have more time to interfere. Atthe point when thev have found Laphera and are goingto grab her, they can contact Zeus sparingly and he may find a free moment to come down and make their mission a success.
	The major problem which they face if they try to coerce her is that in an adjoining cavern dwells the Great Beast of Locrisia, a huge man-eating lion which is gentle only around her and which, like the Satyr's is very loyal to Laphaera and will seek to protect her.
	If they succeed, Zeus will reward them with a gift of Bonus Points to buy more levels of their powers (probably 15-25 SP each) .# If they fail he will send them on some arduous and odious penance mission.


SCENARIO II:
THE STEADING OF JURMUNG
This scenario has a Norse setting. It seems that when Odin was building a new wall around Asgard he hired the Jottun Jurmung and his family to do the construction. Unfortunately, being Odin, he decided not to pay them when the work was completed. On hearing this Jurmung stormed into Asgard and demanded to see Odin. Naturally his request was refused, so on the spot he drew a strange object from his back-pack and proceeded to unfold a large, well fortified, dwarf-made, completely collapsible, pre-fabricated Jottun Hall. which he then set up at the head ofthe Bifrost bridge, moving in with his family and retainers, announcing that he will be in residence until he is paid. This caused great embarassment for the Aesir and their guests who now have to walk by his lumpy children, gigantic launry, raucous dwarven workmen and collection of skulls and
thighbone s.
	This is all far beneath the notice of Odin, who is never in Asgard anyway and could care less if his children are embarassed. A committee of Aesir nominated Forseti to find someone to deal with the problem and get Jurmung off their front lawn. Unfortunatly this must be done without paying him off as Odin has expressly forbidden paying the Jottun and even in his absence they feel it is wise to obey him. Forseti has set Heimdallr to watch over the place, looking for a likely moment to send in an elite force to find his weak points and encourage him to leave. To this point he has been less than receptive to open petitions, and it is hoped that if someone were to take something of value to him as a hostage they might gain some leverage. Naturally, when Forseti looks about for an elite force whim is at once expendible and cost effective, his eye fails on our happy characters.
	There isn't room for fancy stuff like maps here. Just assume that Jurmung's Steading is a huge jumble of rooms and corridors, damned hard to find one's way into or out of. One interesting thing to mention is that it is considerably larger on the inside thanthe outside, through the agency of magic. They will be told to make their entry at a time when Jurmung has gone down to Midgard to haul up some home-improvement wares. Although he will be gene, members of his family and kin staff will be present, and any of these may be encountered while wandering through the building. These and other discoveries are described below. They should come on many if not all of these things.
	Dwarves at Work: While travelling down a dark corridor they may hear hammering and banging from a fire-lit chamber ahead of them. On enteringitthey will disc over it to be a forge where ahaif dozen swarthy dwarves are heartily at work. Should they discover interlopers thev will throw red-hot ingots and attack them with red-hot hammers. They will do what they can to kill, chase off or apprehend the invaders. They are working on repairing a cham.
	Ulgirm: They may stumble into a large, dark stone chamber deep inthe bowels of the bnildingwhere they can encounter Ulgirm. Jurmung's pet wolf, a monstrous beast who has broken one oftwo hind-leg chains and the frenry caused by seeing people in his lair will be enough to break the other so that he can runwild through the characters, killing, maiming and eventually dining, before moving out into the surrounding area.
	Jorymi: They may come into awell-lit room filled with tapestries, in which abeautiful, well dressed girl who introduces herself as Jorya will be doing embroidery. She seems like a nice, normal human girl, but is in fact Jurmung's only daughter. She is unusually strong. inn will resist if an effort is made to take her away, stabbing with her needles, etc. If she screams it will bringin her grandmother Ulyni, a horrible old monster who will attack those who are molesting her. She is the one thing Jurmung values highly, so she would be worth taking.
	The Treasure Room: Jurmung has a treasure room, hidden just off his dining room, which the characters can probably discover fairly easily. It has a great pile of gems and coin, which are pretty meaningless to Jurmung and the characters. It also has three unusual items, the Horn of Aegir, the Unfinished Sword and the Ring of Ani~iir. These are items of magical power which might be useful to the characters but are of little value to Jurmung, save as things which are his and not to be given to others. The Horn of Aegir can summon a limited amount of aiiy form of beverage or liquid which has been poured in it inthe past. The Unfinished Sword is a rather cheap looliiungweapon winch is unliandy in combat, but when it hits the damage which it does cannot be healed or regenerated by any normal or supernatural means. The Ring of Aurnir is an arm-ring which, when twisted allows the wearer to become immaterial. capable ui passing through objects and unable to manipulate matter. There is a chance that the ring will fail on each use,but the user will not know, and ft may fail while they are inside another object, with horrible, even finn results.
	The Sons of Jurmung: These are three young, rather playin. Jottuns who would like nothing better than to play a little game of soccer with puny godlings, kicking them around and causing them all sorts of pain and injury.  They are somewhat hyperactive and very large, and the adults seem oblivious to their tendancy to run around destroying things.
	Jurmung's Return if they take a long time wandering abant in the building there is a chance that Jurmung may return. He will be understandably angry and take violent and permanent action, something like picking them up and throwing them all the way to Midgard. He will be particularly angry if they have abused or kidnapped his daughter.
	If they are able to get Jorymi (they do not know she exists when they go in) out of the house and to a safe place they will have the leverage then need. Nothing else they can do or take is likely to have much impact on Jurmung except to make him angry. Alternatively, if they can make friends with Jorymi, she can probably convince her father to make some sort of a reasonable deal and go home.
	As with the previous adventure, the characters should be rewarded for success with a few more SP to spend on skills and powers, say 15-25, though should they fail some horrible mission, like spending a week naked in Niffelheim, should be arranged.


SCENARIO III:
THE POWER OF GW!ONACH
	This is a fairly simple scenario set in the world of Cymric myth. It seems that Gwionach, one of the grandsons of the god Math has become 'confused', and wandered off into the woods, where he is presenting a danger to the public wealth. Unfortunatly, when he went he took with him Math's magic wand, a powerful item which cannot be left in the hands of an apparent madman. The mission for the characters, as handed out by Gwydion or another appropriate mid-level god, isto go out, find Gwionach, neutralize him (preferrably non-fatally), take the wand from him and then administer the assigued punishment by using the wand on him. Theywill also have to take the wand and use it to return his victims to normal form. They will be told that the wand has the power of turmig people into animals and that those animals are usuallyunhappy afterwards. Owionach may also have his own magical skills and powers. So, they set out, entering the everpre sent wilderness, with a series of possible encounters ensuing. Frenzied Animals: On entering the woods they will run into all sorts of frenzied, even stampeded animals, including boar, deer, rabbfts and various birds. These animals may hinder their travel and even do minor damage, but they can follow back along their trail to the small village which Gwionach has just left, and from there they should be able to track Gwionach. The village will be empty, except perhaps for a few ducks and chickens. The frenzied animals are, of course, the villagers.
	TwrchTrwyd: As they get closer to where Gwionach is (on a hill above the village). they will run into some of his nastire creations which will fight to defend him. The first they will meet is a small herd of the Twrch Tiwyd, who are essentially demon boars, who will attack in a group. There will be 8-12 of them.
	Hwychwyr: when they are very close to Gwionachtheywill meet up with the Hwychwyr, orboar-men who he has created to be his personal guard. They are giant porcine humanoids who will guard him resolutely. There will be two patrols of three and three more guarding Gwionach at all times.
	Finding Gwionach: They will find Gwionach on a hillside above the village, musing on his inspiration. His Hwychwyr will have several prisoners who he is going to use the Wand of Math on. when new people show up they will grab his attention. He will send his guards into combat and while they engage the characters he will attempt to get in with the wand and turn the characters into appropriate animal types. Note that in addition to changingthe form of people to those of animals the wand can also insoire animals with fearand drive them off. The characters willneed to get the wand and use it on Gwionach (they can pick the animal form), and then go off and reverse the changes wrought on as many animals as possible. If they succeed in this fairly simple mission they will be rewarded with Skill Points to increase their powers and skills, somewhere I onthe order of 12-18 SP. If they fail Math will do something horrible and magical to them, though it will probably be temporary.


APPENDIX E: Bestiary
CREATURES AND FOES
Various people and creatures are described here. They are in standard TCT terms, but powers and skills are drawn from Bythe Gods. Note that Attack and Defnese Skill Ratings are broken down into Hand Attack Ratings, Missile Attack Ratings, Hand Defense Ratings and Missile Defense Rathigs. Damages noted are not modified in advance for DC. Numbers in parent he sis after skills and powers are mostly skill levels, except where noted.

CENTAUR
AP:54 HAR:25 Powers:BowAttack(1D8)	First Aid(10)
FP:80 MAR:45 Club Attack(1D6)	Conriing(10)
HP:75 HDR:20 Hunting(20)	Intrigue(12)
HT:7'  MDR:25 Gambling(10)	Mathematics(10)
RP:20 DC:20  Philosophy(15)	History(10)
Centaurs have the lower body of a horse and the upper body of a powerfully built man or well endowed woman. They are fully as intelligent as men, often well educated, but rather temperamental and hostile towards other races. They are amazing archers and good teachers, but they have a tendancyto be abit selfish and dishonest. They live in tribal villagos, apart from other races, but trade and interact with human commiunties iiear them.

SATYR
AP:~4 HAR:30 Powers:Hand Attack(1D4)	Wild Beast Affiaity(10)
FP:6O MAR:20 Club Attack(1D6)	Wilderness EntityAffin(S) HP:30 HDR:35 KickAttack(1D8)       L-uck(10)
HT:5'  MDR:35 Woodland Survival (10)	Jinx(10)
RP:20 DC:15  Sympathetic Magic (5)	Silent Movement(10)
Satyr's are wild woodland creatures, with the upperbody of a man mid the lower body of a goat, though they walk on two legs. They are foolish creatures, but can be very temperamental in their old age. They live in chaotic tribes and spend most of their time seeking self-gratificatioii. They form strong attachments to each other and to others, and tend to be very emotional, thoagh crises and problems are quickly forgotten in pursuft of morc fiin. They are all male, obsessed with sex, mid cmi breed with a variety of species.

KHINOS
AP: 50	HAR:50 Powers:Hand Attack (1D6)	Regeneration (5)
FP:60	MAR:35 Water Blast(1D20)	Liquid Crc atimi (10)
HP: 150 HDR: 30 Immateriality(10)		Liquid Transmutation (10)
HT:9'	MDR:30 Awe(10)	FormAlteration(10)
RP:50	DC:30  Deathlessness (10)	All Ocean Affiaities(10)
Khinos is an old and rather crotchety river spirit. His powers are typical for his type of demi-deity, but they are rather neglected. He has a temper and doesn't got along well with others, but may help them if it is to his benefit. He can manifest in different forms, but will usually appear as an old man with weeds and little fish in his beard.

DWARVES
AP:50 HAR:35 Powers:Heat Protection (15)	Metalworking(20) FP:45 MAR:20 Club Attack(1D12)      Mecharinal(10)
HP:40 HDR:S0 Thrown Ingot(1D8)	Constriictioii(15) HT:4'  MDR:30 Microvision(10)        Repair(10)
RP:20 DC:15  EarthMfimties(15)	PowerDampeinng(10)
These are hairy little buggers who live under the earth in a variety ofraces and tribes. They make their living by working metals and miniug. and have proven of value to the gods now and again. The balance this off they are hostile, sarcastic and often distinctly unfriendly to gods mid men, with a love of mischief and showing how superior they are to others.
ULGRIM
AP:70 HAR:50 Powers:Eite Attack(1D20) FP:60 MAR:0  PawAttack(1D1O)
HP:120 HDR:30 Armor(10/1O/lO) LN:8'  MDR:25 Regeneration(1O) RP:20 DC:30  Awe(1O)
Ulgrim is a great wolf, of the huge variety raised and trained lIke war dogs bythe Jottun. He is hungry and vicious and would like nothingbetter than agood meal of godlet flesh. He is also somewhat more intelligent than the averagebeast, and so maybe able to get himself into agood position before making an attack.

ULYNI
AP:60 HAR:35 Powers:Scratch Attack(1D12) Form Alteration(10) FP:60 MAR:25 Bite Attack(1D6)        Silent Movement(10) HP:00 HDR:30 Kick Attack(1D8)       Sympathetic Magic (10) HT:7'  MDR:30 Regeneration (5)        Relative Magic (10) RP:30 DC: 30  Deathlessness (10)       Contagious Magic (10) Ulyni is a nasty old gimitess of the classification sometimes called Jarvanids. She is a sorceress and shamaness, rather nasty and vicious, more than willing to use magic and force to protect her precious grandaughter. She has qilite a temper and will hunt down and destroy those who offend her. Her grandaughter is younger, but has similar powers.

SONS OP JURMUNG
AP:70 HAR:30 Powers:Hand Attack(1D6)	Jinx(10)
FP:60 MAR:25 Club Attack (iD 10)	Armor(313/3)
HP: 100 HDR: 30 Silent Movement (10)	Form Alteration(3) HT:8'  MDR:30 KickAttack(10)
RP:20 DC:25  Regeneration(S)
These are young, hyperactive Jottini. Like their father they are of the Uttgard tribes, thus, earth element associated, large, knobbly and rather brutish. They like to have simple sadistic fiin, just like other children and will be overjoyed to find some little people to kick around. There are tinee of them of indeterminate age.

JURMUNG
AP:60 HAR:60 Powers:Sword Attack (2D1 2) Regeneration (10)
FP:75 MAR:33 Thrown Spear(1D20)	Armor(5/515)
HP: 200 HDR: 30 Con st~ction (20)	Form Alteration(S)
HT:12' MDR:30 Geology(12)	Deathlessness(1O)
RP:50 DC:40  Intimidation(20)	EathAfflnity(1O)
Jurmung is a mature mid rather temperamental and obstinate Uttgard Jottun with powers related to the earth. He is a skiiled builder and rather proud, and has a justifiable axe to grind with the Aesir. He is very protective of his daughter and sort of likes his sons who are chips off the old block. If his home is violated he will take revenge, one way or another, and lie is rather formidable in battle.

TWRCH TRWYD
AP:60 HAR:40 Powers:Chargo Attack (3D20) Regeneration (10) PP:45 MAR:0 Tusk Attack(1D20)
HP:100 HDR:30 Trample Attack(2D12) LN:6'  MDR:25 Spine Attack(1D20)
RP:30 DC:25  Armor(6/6/6)
This is abreed of supernatural black boar with long spines on their backs. They move with unusual speed. charging and trampling. In addition, they like to cut with their spines or roll over and spear victims on the ground, and their spines bear a goey poison which causes a deep sleep if a 3CON% roll is failed, and does 1D1O overall per CR for 1D20 CR after the wound is made.

HWCHWYR
AP:50 HAR:45 Powers:Sword Attack(1D12) Survival(10)
FP:50 MAR:20 Tusk Attack(1D1 0)	Regeneration (5)
HP:120 HDR:30 Grapple Attack(1D20)	Torture(10)
HT:7'  MDR:30 Observe (10)	Intimidation (10)
RP:25 DC:30  Armor(3/3/3)	PowerShield(15)
These are large, nastyhumanoids, menwith the shins and heads ofboars, covered with spines and bearing swords. They are of low human intelligence, rather bestial, but capable of following orders and too stupid not to be loyal. They are sadistic and violent. They hke to make their victims suffer before finishing them off. They have forgotten that they were once men.

GWIONACH
AP:80 HAR:35 Powers:Sword Attack(1D8) Summon(10)
FP:90 MAR:50 Air Affinlty(1 0)	Power Shield (15)
HP:50 HDR:30 Otherworld Affin(10)	Vision(10)
HT:6'  MDR:40 Demonic Affinity(10)	Image Projection(10)
RP:40 DC:20  Control/Command (10)	Form Alteration (10)
Owionach is a mage/godling, with a full range of mid-level powers min magical sIcills. Those listed here are just a sampling. He should have a variety of others available to him as well. Unfortunatly, lie is raving mad, homocidal and sadisticallytwisted. He also has the Wand of Math, wllich auginents all his supernatural powers by 20% and allows him to change others into animal forms of his choice, if he can hit them with the wand. He can also use it to direct and control his spells. In conflict he will summon aid of all sorts and use avariety of elemental missiles and spells, oremplovthewand directly. He is still of the fminlyof Math, and so should not be kflled by those who are wise.

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  '  '&  )  )  /5  /7  /P  /  /  1  1  3  3  4m  4x  7  8  <  =  >a  >x  >y  >~  >  ?  ?  ?  ?  A
       
      
       
       
@       
        
        
        
   @    @P  A  A  D>  DV  D  D  E  E$  E  E  F  F  G  G!  H  H  H%  H.  I  I  L  L  M  N  NC  OR  O{  Pv  P  R&  R*  S  S  T  T  VH  VV  V  V  V  V  X  X/  XZ  Xg  Xk  Xz  Z  [  [A  [V  [Y  [h  \  \  \  ]  ^\  ^g  ^  ^  `R  `S  `f  `w  `y  `  a1  aG  c  c  g  g  j  j.  m5  mG  n\  ni  o  o  r  r  s  s  t  t  t 
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       
 
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       
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     W  t  t  w  w  xX  xk  z  z  )  1  2  9                 9  S  h  4  M        -  a  r  l  m  s                `  e               E  T  -  K  &  :                    )  (  <  Ȟ  ȥ      ̎  ̖  _  f  5  B                
      ٩  ٸ 
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      W  ٸ          <      S  k        l  ~      T  Y  h  m  z                 Q  ^  Z  v                "  #  3      f  ~ % . G L   
O 
X 
\ 
h " 9 l  3 9 < F G L M T     " " # # $ $& $ $ %3 %8 & & '< 'B ' ' (3 (= ( (
@       
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      \ ( )j )} + + + / / 0  0 0 0 0 1 1 1 6 7 9c 9| @9 @J B B B B B C	 F F4 H H! \E \M \ \ \ \ ]F ]L ] ] ] ] ^W ^_ ^ ^ ^ ^ _ _ _O _\ _ _ `o `u ` ` ` ` a	 a a a b1 b: b{ b c c& c c c c d] da d d e& e, e e m .    
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       
       U . A B i j k  	 	     !$ !% 9 9 : : E E c c d  d d d d d
 d d4 d= dF dP dV d` dh dn dx d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d e  e
 e e e e$ e, eK e  0    
   # + P R Z ` g q u ~                   @  
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       U       ,  -  p  q  v  x  y          '  (      %  &          
  <  R  S  i    |  ,  -  C  Z  Gܸܯܡܛtf                              
  
*0         *0            *0            *0            *0    
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  %I  %  %  %  &  &  &  &  ''  '(  '8  '[  '  (  (  )  )  )  )  )0  )Ǽ                             
  *0         *0            *0            *0            *0    
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  *0       -  )  +  -n  .  /1  /6  /7  /P  1  1  1  3  3  3  5  7  7  7  8  9  :  ;  <  <  <  =  >`  >a  >x  ?  A  D>  D?  DV  D  E  E  F  FȿȚȌ~pbb  
  *0        
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  *0          *0      *0    
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  *0          *0  T	
\          *0 
 T	
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 X	          *0  T	
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  *0        
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  *0  
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      
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  *0       '  j.  l  m4  m5  mG  n[  n\  ni  o  o  o  r  r  r  s  s1  sD  sU  sc  st  s  s  s  s  s  s  s  s  s  t  t  t  tֱֺ֨ttttttttttttf]                        *0    
  *0   p       *0  	$@
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        t  t  t  u  u=  ug  u  u  w  w  w  xW  xX  xk  z  z  z  |H    (  )  9  S  m        K        0  G  S  f  y            ȿȶ֭ߢ֎߃xxxxxxxxj   
  *0        
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 p      *0    
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       *0      *0      *0    
  *0          *0      *0      *0  C
\      *0 
 C
\   )       9  R  S  h  3  4  M  \  k            -  .  J  [  \  a  q  r      G  H  %  &  9  :      m  r  s  Ⱥ򦦕vii                      *0            *0       
    *0      *0     *0       
T	t      *0    
  *0        
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       
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  *0       '        .  /          )  1    m  '  (  <  Š  ȝ    ̍  <  D  ]  ^  _  f  4  5  C                ú̟vh̺                        
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  *0        
  *0          *0       $        !  0  ?  P  Q  ٨  ٩  ٸ          /  Z  [      <        R  S  k              	    $  2  @  M  ^  k  l  ~ՠ՗ՎwnՀ        *0 
     *0    
  *0          *0      *0    
  *0  ,L    
  *0  8    
  *0 
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  *0  p      *0      *0    
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       *0  x   *  ~                 P  Q  ^  Y  Z  v                    4  D  U  e  u                Kֺ֣֬tcccccccZ   *0      *0  T@          *0 
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  *0          	*0      *0      *0    
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  *0       (  \ ! " " $ $ %2 & '; ' (2 ( )h )i )j )} * + + + + + + + + ,9 ,: , , . .  / / / / 0 0 0·~se             
 *0          
  *0 
8     *0 
8 
 *0 
         
 *0 
           *0 
   
 *0 
         
  *0        *0    
  *0        
  *0        
  *0        
  *0       % 0 2I 4 6# 7V 9b 9c 9| 9 ; ; < > @8 @9 @J AS B C F FŸre[QC                              
  *0        	
 *0 
8     	 *0 
8      *0 
    8    
 *0          
  *0 
8    
 *0 
    8    
 *0 
    8,    *0 
8  *0 
8  *0 
8  *0             *0 
8      
 *0 
    8       *0 
8 
 *0           *0     *0 
8 F F F4 H H H! H. HG HY Hg Ht H H H H H H H H I	 I I I* I: I? II I\ Ig Ip I I I I I I I I I I I J  J J J* J3 J; JD JP J^ Jw J J J J J J J J J K K K+ K5 K? KU K^ Kk Kv K  *0      *0        *0   
           *0   
                  
        D K K K K K K K K K K K K K L L L L$ L, L6 L@ LJ Le Lp L{ L L L L L L L L L L M M# M/ M< MV Ma Mk Mv M M M M M M M M M M N N  N. N: NH N] Ng Nr N N N N N N N N N N N N O O O" O- O: OA OM OV Ov O O O O O O O O O O O O P P
 P P' P2 P?  *0   b P? PL PT P^ Pl Pz P P P P P P P P P P Q Q Q Q$ Q2 QA QO Q[ Qf Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q R R R$ R- R7 RA RQ Ra Rj Rr R R R R R R R R R S S S  S* SD SQ S_ Sm S S S S S S S S S S T T T# T- T9 TN TS TY Tb Ti T T T T T T T T T T T T T U U U U  *0   b U U6 UB UO U\ Uf Uo Ux U U U U U U U V V V* V9 VF VS Vm V| V V V V V V V W W W W9 WL W\ Wn W W W W W W W W W XA XB Xe Xw X X X X X X X X X X Y Y
 Y Y Y& Y= YE YM YV Ya Y~ Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Z Z Z Z2 Z7 Z>     *0  
 h	$@
\|           *0   Y Z> ZJ ZT Z` Zx Z~ Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z [ [ [ ] ] ] ^ ^ ^, `# `$ `: au av a b b b d d d& e e e e e e g g g i l pn q      *0     *0     	*0     *0     *0     *0     *0    *0            *0             *0      *0      *0      *0      *0  
 h	$@
\|           *0   2 q s s s u w6 z |c |d |v ~i ~j ~o     3 0 1 9             -  { |                  h     3 2 3 < [ \ d  	  D E K             
*0     	*0     
*0     *0     *0     *0     *0     *0     *0     *0     *0     *0  M   V W a       ) * 9 s o < = K  g h s  Ŝ ʇ ʈ ʚ ˦ ˧ ˽     :   ՟ } y ܩ ܪ  +   B < = U  &     X  4      z     @ A d      ɿ     *0     *0     *0     *0     	*0     *0     *0     *0     *0     
*0     
*0     *0     *0  K     8 	D 	E 	S 	 
 6  j    $ P y       '   % ) -1 2e 2f 2y 4j 9 : ; ; < @F @G @K A A A ET EU E[ H H H K K K K5 NY NZ Nb P P P R) R* R/ S. S/ S5 Uw Ux U~ Xw Xx X~Ŀ     *0     *0     *0     *0     *0     *0     
*0     *0     	*0     *0     *0     *0     
*0     *0     *0  G X~ [ [ [ _x _y _~ b! dY g k k k m m m ow ox o} p| p} p r r r v v v, x7 x8 xE yP yQ y\ {  |z |{ | }a }b }f 5 6 F "         
  { |  G { D      [    ( e f w         *0     	*0     *0     *0     *0     *0     *0     *0     *0     *0     *0     *0  M        p l  H @ A G     l m n ~ - . C =       ` a v µ ¶   ( n  q r ɐ  ̄ ̅ ̚   x 1 ε 9 : N X Y ]        գ  < ˾ݯݴ   *0     *0     *0    *0            *0             *0     *0     *0     
*0     *0     *0     *0     *0  E    ۂ ۃ ۔    N O d     @ A B O   t u          & ' 0       l m u       Z [ c          x y        	 
  N O P ` E F b     	*0    *0             *0     *0     *0     *0     *0     *0  R       ; < V   $                4 5 ?       ( ) 6    5 6 C    i j k  	 	 	ý                             *0           
  *0      
 *0           *0     *0            *0             *0     *0     *0     *0     *0     *0     *0  6 	       n  d  U ~              $< $IƸrggZZL?             *0           
 *0           *0           
  *0      
 *0          
 *0          
 
*0          
 *0          
 *0          
 *0          
 *0       l   
 	*0           *0    
  *0  @     *0           $I ' *g ,) - / 4y 5 7* 8 9 9 9 9 9 ? @ B E E E E˽rre_QDD                            *0           
 *0           	*0     *0            *0             *0     *0            *0            *0           
 *0             
 *0         P   
 *0              *0            *0            *0           E F
 G G G G H  HF Hq H JP JQ JW J J K' K^ Mo Mp Mw M M N! NI N O O O PT P P RQ RX R R T) T* T0 V V V V W" Ww W¹ȳզՓՠyq    *0    
 *0            *0            *0            *0     *0    
      *0      *0     *0     *0            *0    
  *0       *0            *0          , W X X X Y# YP Y Y Y [u [v [ [ \ \9 ] ] ] ] ^! ^P ^} ^ ` ` `  `Q ` ` ` a c c d d d d 䰰񰰥|wrr|d           
  *0                          *0           
 *0          
 *0          
 *0    
p   
 *0           *0            *0     *0            *0     *0             *0     *0   % 
 x  p2p1p3p4p5p0p6p7t8p9p10p11p12p13p14p15t16t17p18p19p20p21p22p23p8t2t1t3t4t5                                                                                              @  l       P                                       p  
	       
        ,                   |  
                           @          @ 
       
                                                                     ,$  
       
       
       
       
        ,                                	 
   
                  most cases how such tactics are handled is up to the gamemaster, following the guideline that the AP cost for the attack or action should be proportionate to the effectiveness of the attack in incapacitating or damaging the target.
character ifresulttherefordependentadjustedjudgment where they apply most appropriately.
	silentlymentalattacksResistancemanyPrivilegenotmotivations andstoriesest gods go their start as ven-, of heroicyouEgyptian pantheon (Osiris, Anubtravelinggroupofandothermapmakepowerpublicityembarrassedcourseto joinplay would be	As a gamemaster it is evenavoid 	of legendaryIliadenoughof themidentifyaan affinityr is the number one sky god, susociliresentaof Jupiter were Jupiter Tonans nder of lightning), Jupiter Ferr Ultor (avenger), and many othsociexassociated deities, and some retilmated with Attis, her own grandid during a fit of religious ec,on lasted into the late 5th cencas one of the earliest Greek godr in comparison with other Egypmegismpire, but he had become a relaeric knowledge and mystical powavens, negotiating between Ahri of the body.  Many Mithraic be of proviacteris on nature-related powers.  In is specific area of power is fecunan axe, and often depicted choplegendsterdi eros), Sator (sowing), Messia (reappel
(Affinity Descriptions Needed)

of men, and the natures of spir
 ')156<?@AGRTasu ")*/8<>DEMTZcgjklno               ! ( 5 P U V W c h n u } ~           7 : Y x y        : Y b i             < =                                                                                                                                                                       
 	     
        
       
       B  Q    =                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
  *0            b@ d      
    (0  2  D  Q/  a  q  ~  [  R  %  *  R  5     )~ : D H K N Q U, Xk dl r  P '    Ȝ } X   0  '1 6	 B N Zh i# t/ %  U Z 1 y {    e B   + A P _! b    =           @      @     P    @     P     #@     QP    	@    
P     @     P    
 @     P    @     P    @     P    @     P     @     P     	@     P     @     P    D@    P     @     vP     W@     P    !?@    "'P    # @    $P    %n@    & +P    'r@    ( P    )6@    * P    +@    , tP    - @    .P    / @    0P    1v@    2 P    3 @    4P    5 a@    6?P    7 @    8P    9a@    : P    ; @    < P    = @    >P    ?@    @&P    A @    BP    C            ,   -   p   q   v  x  y          '  (      
%  
&  
  
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    <  R  S  i    |  ,  -  C  Z  G  H  M  b                   "   "  "  "J  "  "  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  $
  $I  $  $  $  %  %  %  %  &'  &(  &8  &[  &  '  '  (  (  (  (  (0  (  *  ,n  -  .1  .6  .7  .P  0  0  0  2  2  2  4  6  6  6  7  8  9  :  ;  ;  ;  <  =^  =_  =v  >  @  C<  C=  CT  C  D  D  E  E  E  F  G  K  K  K  K  L  L)  LM  Lq  L  L  L  M  M  MA  Mj  M  M  M  M  N  NO  NP  Ny  N  N  N  N  O  OA  Ot  Ou  O  Q#  Q$  Q/  R  S   S  U  U  U  Wh  Wi  W~  ZV  ZW  Zf  [  [  \  ]  ]  ]  _b  _c  _d  _v  `.  `/  `E  b  b  b  d  d  eT  e  f  f  f  h3  i  i  i,  k  l2  l3  lE  mY  mZ  mg  n  n  n  q  q  q  r  r/  rB  rS  ra  rr  r  r  r  r  r  r  r  r  r  s  s  s  s  s  s  t  t;  te  t  t  v  v  v  wU  wV  wi  y  y  y  {F  ~  &  '  7  Q  k        I        .  E  Q  d  w                8  Q  R  g  2  3  L  [  j            ,  -  H  Y  Z  _  o  p      E  F  #  $  7  8  }  ~  k  p  q      R  h          x      ]        C  D  R  *  +  I    $  %  9          2        <                  /  0          *  2    o  )  *  >  ġ  Ǟ    ˏ  ?  G  `  a  b  i  7  8  F                  
    $  3  B  S  T  ث  ج  ػ          2  ]  ^     !  ?        U  V  n                   '  5  C  P  a  n  o                $  T  U  b  ]  ^  z                #  $  :  J  [  k  {                Q  k  l           O  ^ ' ( ? 
y 
z 
   E j   ! " #' &+ * , . 0@ 2	 4 8 9 : < >B ?Q @ A D4 L! [ e j n o r s uR x z | T  =   w   -  Û  a b *0 
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      @*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 `*0 %`*0 =`*0 U@*0 @*0 @*0 `*0 `*0 `*0 %@*0 @*0 @*0 `*0 '`*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 
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@*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 @*0 
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*0 @*0 @
*0              -   0     A  t  ٸ ( .  =     G  )  F  R1  j.  t          ~  K  \ 0 F K P? U Z> q    X~    	 $I E W  =          
       m    
 	
$&(,-KLT_aco~ ')156<?@AGRTasu ")*/8<>DEMTZcgjklno ,-.DWY[arv 467:FOQX]_ejmrtuxy|}~	 							
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    H H    (FG(    H H    (    d                      h                                 =/  R   @      H -:LaserWriter 8 
       New York   Geneva   Monaco   Venice   London   Athens   
San Francisco   Cairo   Los Angeles   

Zapf Dingbats   Palatino   Times   	Helvetica   Courier   Symbol   Mobile   m	PostCrypt   	Mishawaka   Mishawaka Bold   	ParkHaven   Swabia  Potsdam  Victrix  NeuSerif  Columba  	Starfield  
Verulamium  GolgothaNZ  Ascelon2  
GolgothaAM  Rackham   CM Big Daddy Normal  Sprite  Rousseau-Bold  	Lombardic  
Bucephalus  Oberon  Uvezich  Faerie  	Rousseau-Italic  
	Rousseau  Bogatyr  Landscape-Trees  $Landscape-Rocks  &Gloriana  (Nahkt  ,Basilica  -NeuSansBlack  Kxyz  LRudolfo  TReggio  _	Lyonesse  a
Baldessare  cBahairic  oCarawayBold  ~
Romantica  Corpus  
Eglantine  
Phoenician  
Alcibiades  Florissant B  	Talethior  Maginot  	AltGothic  
Queensland  Blazon  
Malebroche  Caesar  Ugarit  Marquis  Futhark  
Patrician  Athanor  
Palmerston  Kathasa2  Emblem  
Rheingold  Bentham  	Magdelena  	Albatross  Woodring  Bold  Boswell  Dromon  Sprite  Brandywine   Marseille Tarot A  
Pantagruel  Onuava  
Sanguinary  	Callixtus  Pantagruel  Visage  '	Patriarch  )Castiglione  1
BellBottom  5Broceliande  6Marseille Tarot  <	Lysander  ?Disraeli  @	Buccaneer  ACrivar  GVidilex  RFiorenza II  TBrigida  aChineseMenu  sDobler  uAnimal  Vrubel  	Harbinger  	Initials  Joyeuse  	Wet Paint  Ghost Gothic  Castiglione  Portia  Conjunction  BadAcid  	Finestra  	Chaldean  Alba  Mondial  Fiorenza  Regula   	MaidensNZ  Rochambeau  Orloff  Baroque A-M  Moravia  	Structura  	Knotwork  Descant  Midian  "Gallia  )Uncial  *	Buzzhead  /	Courtrai  8Fanfold  <Floral  >Scrivner  D	Korenski  EKnavery  M	MaidensAM  TTaranis  ZBeanie  c
Proserpina  gSavoyard  jAbaddon  kPhoenix  lTrue Golden  nNewClassica  oSpirals  Rounders  Rackham  Everest  Baroque  Publius  Cincinnatus  Moravia  
CracklingFire  Malinkov  Ogham  Xerox Sans Serif Wide  	Burghers  Otherworld  Purcell   	Procopius  
Bernhardt  Dahaut  Scrawl  Okrana  	Lachesis  Slava  OSWALDblack  ,	Galliard  -
Quasimodo  .Academy  DBatten  WOdovacer  Y
Floorplans  [Humana  aAdramalech  r	Baphomet  vMazarin  Goodfellow  Guardian  
Allembert  Oddities  
Talleyrand  Hermia  Silhouette  
Norumbega  Perigord  Mephisto  Gravilex  Zoomorphica  Beasts  Palmieri  Charcoal  	Wingdings  
Ekaterina  Ravenna  SilBooettes Unregistered  Mayhem   Basileus  	Cymbeline  Acadian  	Esperanza  Minima  	Theodoric  
Brassfield  4Ondine  6	Cadeaulx  7Ocelot Monospace  :Slither  FBalsamo  ODonskoi  QGravitas  XMonad  ]Folkard  _Karloff  eCaroline  jMontesquieu  m
Beaumarchais  rBartan-lite  tHauteclaire  u	PonchoVia  xBilibin  y	Harlequin  |Offenbach Chancery  }Rustic  ~	Semiramis  Tenebris  Golgotha  	Averoigne  Tancred  Ad Astra  Goblins  Sigil  Magnus  Ortelius  Durrow  Arberth  DownWind  Shelldon  Asphodel  Zapatec  Boneyard  	Centurion  	Florimel  	Flaubert  Mesoglyphs  
Cityscape  Mandragora  Textura Quadrata  	 	Adresack  	Malachim  	Divona  	Alpine  	Sirona  	
CarrDingbats2  	Baroque N-Z  	
Angelus  	Kowloon  	%Medusa  	/
Benevento  	7Novgorod  	8St. Nicholas  	=Florissant A  	>
Altenburg  	CPhaedrus  	F	Curetana  	I
Dorylameum  	MBlock Uncial  	O	Palomides  	SMorrisInitials  	U	Apollyon  	XXerox Sans Serif Narrow  	ZSanctum  	\	Golgotha  	]Durendal  	`Rossetti  	iPrimer  	j	Tuscarora  	o
Demoiselle  	uUlalume2  	vHerald  	|Jambon  	Dormart  	Xerox Serif Narrow  	Eboracum  	Premium TrueType  	Middlemarch  	Decoration  	Chelsea Studio  	Ruffian  	Bestiary  	Goetic  	Louisbourg  	Aneirin  	
Ironworks  	TheodoricPlain  	Vivat  	
Dinomania  	Childs Play  
 
Franconian  
Durrow-Italic  
Durrow  
Pavane  
Cochin-Archaic  

Stonecross  
Silvus  
Cochin-Archaic-NormalItalic  
Corabael  
	Gehenna  

Chaillot  

Burgundian  

Adamantine  
(Munich  
*Ashley  
4
Magdeburg  
5Cicero  
A
Nightmare  
BSeptimus  
KSeraphim  
\Phaeton  
kLichtenstein  
o	Streltsi  
qLindisfarne  
sNicaea  
Elphinstone  
Fleurons  
Hideous  
Cretaceous  
Canker Sore  
Groening  
Xerox Serif Wide  
	Constance  
Yazata  
Durrow-Bold  
Klovis  
Bruges  

Formidable  
Telluria  
UncialMinuscule  
	Glendower  

Kelmscott  
Octavian  
Dunsany  
Elysian  

Froissart  
Terpsichore  
Bedegraine  
Ascelon   TexturaQuadrata  
CampobelloMZ  Simplus  Trinculo  Cipango  
Constance  	Pyle  
Zabdiel  Gallia  Helzapoppin  (	Valhalla  +Franconian-Plain  ,Engrossing  /Netherworld  :Cheetah  ;	Ranegund  AFaustus  L	Carissimi  aMadrid  mMarmyadose  q
Iphegenia  wCondottiere  yHyacinth  Parsifal  Aarcover  Rhesimol  
CampobelloAL  Browning  Ariosto  Cordite  Ulianov  Motley  Coils  Bastarda  	Courthand  Fabliaux  NewYsgarth2  	Sangrael  GoudyHundred  Caliph  
Classified  Burgundian  Kennon  	Chambord  
Fraticelli  Titania  
Mandeville  }Weenies Dingbats  Rhyolite TrueType  Cushing Book  H	Halloween  	Bellerose  #Verdana  &p	Espi Sans  &qEspi Sans Bold  &sTecton  &uBeBox  &wVeritas  &Jugend  '	Jongeleur  (QuickType Mono  (QuickType Pi  (	QuickType  ) QuickType Condensed  )Shlop  +|InsigniaLQmono  +}InsigniaLQprop  +	HorstCaps  ,Rechtman-Script  ,Lilith-Light  -*Polo-SemiScript  .Agathos  .B
Dead World  .Rothman  /Koshgarian-Light  2	Starburst  2
Rudelsberg  3Goblin Moon  9 OCR-A  <OBones  ?Chicago  
VT100  c c    c     I I  V  	D	JO  <D	JO  D	JO        2X  2`  7h  7  Bb  Bk  B  C  _  _          >  F              ,  6                  x           
  l  s                  ɖ  ɠ  p  z      U  \      F  L                
x 
y T `     H Q , 4 U ] z  ! ! " " # # # # $( $2 $t $x &, &5 + +" + + ,@ ,G ,b , , , /$ /- /= /@ 1 1 2u 2~ 2 2 3 3 3 3 4I 4N 4 4 5
 5 9 9 :P :Y ; ; < < < < < < >B >] >p >{ > > > > ?Q ?R @ @% @ @ Ab Ah C C D D L! L( L) [ [ cw c c d e e f f g g g g j j j j k6 kU l^ l} o o pp p p p q r_ rb s s u, uK v} v~ v x x |7 |9 | |     ^ }    2 % D o   " ) ] | @ b W v % ,     Ʋ Ƴ 5 9 5 T   ؞ ؽ a a b b b      d
    3a  d    8  d4   Cm  d=    D  dF    `  dP      dV      d`    H  dh      dn     dx      d    8  d      d     d   ؀  d     d     d    ɀ  dƀ      dЀ    s  d׀      dހ     d    «  d      d    ʞ  d    w  e       e
    Y  e      e   G  e    ŀ  e$      e,     eK    0      k    R      
        B     %  #    O  +   !   P   #  R   $  Z  %  `  %  g  &9  q   &  u   (<  ~  -*     -    .N    .     .    16     1I  Ā   3    4    4π    5     5р    6Y    6     7     ;     <d    =    >&  !   >  (   >  5  @_  @r @}  P  @  U   @ɀ  V  AS  W   B%  c  B  h   Ci  n   Eʀ  u   F  N.  }   N6  ~   ]       e  e  e    g̀    h    ip     iÀ    lڀ  lۀ  l  Ԁ  m;     nd     q  rT    ri     r  7  tD  :   u  Y   w/  x  xa   xf  y   zӀ     ~     ~      ؀   Ѐ  ݀   `            :  *   z  Y  
  b  /  i        g     |  ɀ   0  Ѐ    Ӏ   ɀ  Հ  ȳ  ր  6  ڀ   R           ں   <    c    d    d &
tct4v7.msw 
Dave Nalle  
Dave Nalle                                                                                                