PDQ Scion

The Basics
The core rules for PDQ can be found here. I wont be re-printing the whole thing but for convenience heres
the basics:
Qualities: Your character traits, skills and talents. All Qualities are player-created and Ranked from Poor
[-2] to Master [+6]. The number in brackets is the Qualitys modifier (MOD) which is added to your rolls
in situations where the Quality is relevant.
Challenges: A Challenge is a simple obstacle to overcome or passive opposition from a character that
can be resolved with a pass/fail result. To resolve a challenge roll 2d6 and add the MODs of any relevant
Qualities. Compare the result to a Target Number set by the GM based on the PDQ Master Chart.
Conflicts: A struggle between two or more characters: fights, chases, debates, etc. Everyone takes turns
taking action and reacting to other characters actions. The attacker and defender each roll 2d6 plus
MODs and compare the result. If the attackers result is higher they inflict damage equal to the difference
in the roll. Ties go to the defender.
Damage: Each point of damage (called Damage Ranks) reduces one of your Qualities by one step down to
Poor [-2]. There are two types of damage: Failure Ranks and Wound Ranks. Failure Ranks are temporary
and caused by stress, weakness, etc and are recovered instantly at the end of a Scene. Wound Ranks are
more serious and represent physical injury or severe trauma. If all of your Qualities are reduced to Poor [-2]
any additional damage takes you out of the fight until you recover.

PDQ Master Chart

Rank

As Quality Rank

Modifier

As Difficulty Rank

Target Number

Poor

Notably Inept

-2

Trivial problems

Average

Typical human
ability

+0

Straightforward
task

Good

Better than usual;

most professionals
or talented amateurs

+2

Complex task
requiring attention
to detail.

Expert

Noted professionals
talent and skill
combined.

+4

Intricate task,
requiring sharp
concentration.

11

Master

Acclaimed genius;
world champion
material.

+6

Extremely difficult
task, hard for most
professionals.

13

Impressive

Ridiculously
difficult task.

15

Intimidating

Ludicrously
difficult, impossible
for the unskilled.

17

Impossible

Practically
impossible without
extraordinary
ability.

19

Mythic

Requires near
supernatural ability

21+

Character Creation
You can ignore the character creation rules in the core document and instead use the ones below. Character
creation has 5 steps:
Basics
Qualities
Gifts
Bonus Points
Miscellany

Basics
Your characters name, divine parent, background and appearance.

Qualities
You get 6 Quality Ranks to pick out your positive Qualities. Each Rank can get you a new Quality at Good [+2]
Rank or increase a Quality by one Rank up to Master [+6]. Each character must also take a Weakness: a Poor [-2]
Ranked Quality.

Gifts
You get 3 Ranks to pick out Gifts (see the next section for more info on Gifts). Just like Qualities you can spend
one Rank for a Good [+2] Ranked Gift or increasing a Gift by one Rank up to Master [+6]. You can also split
a Rank into two Average [0] Gifts.
Finally, you can also choose to exchange some or all of your Gifts for additional Qualities. Each Rank
sacrificed gives you two additional Quality Ranks.

Bonus Points
You get 6 Bonus Points which you can use for extra character features:
Techniques: You can buy a Technique for 2 Bonus Points.
Average [0] Quality: You can buy an Average [0] Quality for 2 Bonus Points.
Weakness: You can buy an additional Weakness for 1 Bonus Point to help earn additional Hero Points.
Hero Points: For 1 Bonus Point you can start with an extra Hero Point.

Techniques
Techniques are specializations of a Quality or Gift. For example a Quality like Swordsman might have
Techniques like Parry, Gladius or Vs. Giants. When using a Quality in a situation where the Technique
would also apply you get a small bonus: choose either a flat +1 or reroll one of your dice, keeping the best
results. You can apply multiple Techniques to a single roll and you can divide them up among +1s or rerolls as
you like.

Miscellany
This is used for any other aspects of your character, stats for sidekicks/minions, equipment and clarification on
any Qualities/Gifts that need additional information.

Gifts
Your Gifts are the result of your divine heritage whether in the form of superhuman abilities, supernatural powers
or magical objects/servants. Gifts are a special type of Quality, but like Qualities they are Ranked and they can
be reduced by Damage Ranks.

Epic Qualities
These are human traits which you possess at a superhuman level, allowing you to function on the Epic Scale (see
sidebar) when using the Gift. Some Epic Qualities might include additional features or bonuses, below are some
common examples:
Epic Strength: You can attack and perform feats of strength on the Epic Scale. See the intensity chart for
examples of what you can do with Epic Strength.
Epic Agility: You can perform acrobatics, feats of manual dexterity and evasive maneuvers on the Epic
Scale. For raw speed, see below.
Epic Speed: Youre capable of moving with exceptional speed (see intensity chart), running and evading
attacks on the Epic Scale
Epic Toughness: You can resist physical injury on the Epic Scale as well as things like drugs, toxins and
disease.
Epic Intellect: Your mind operates on the Epic Scale, including things like memory, reaction time, problem
solving, mathematics and reasoning.
Epic Beauty: Your appearance is intensely striking and allows you to interact socially on the Epic Scale.
In addition to providing Epic Scale abilities you can perform Stunts with Epic Qualities. Stunts are explained in
detail at the end of the section.

Purview
A Purview is control over some aspect of reality. Its worth noting that unlike the standard Scion set-up you do
not need a Birthright to use a Purview and instead Birthrights are their own type of Gift. A Purview normally
allows you to add its MOD to actions (Mortal-Scale) related to the purview. Performing more dramatic or Epic
Scale supernatural feats require using Stunts. For example, the Fertility Purview would add a bonus to rolls related to botany, farming, etc but entangling a foe in a mass of vines or causing a years worth of plant growth in
a moment would require a Stunt. Although your Purviews usually relate to your divine ancestors own sphere of
influence, that isnt strictly required.
Purview Stunts that operate on the Epic Scale use the Intensity Chart to determine their effects.

Epic Scale vs Mortal Scale

Epic Scale effects are vastly more powerful than normal mortal abilities. When Epic-scale forces interact they
function completely normally. So a hero with Epic Strength attempting to slay a dragon with Epic-Scale...scales
would use the normal Conflict rules (both roll 2d6 add relevant bonuses and compare the total).
However, when Epic-Scale characters interact with characters who can only oppose it on the Mortal Scale
the Epic Scale character may roll an additional d6. This extra die can also be re-rolled with Techniques or Hero
Points. So the Epic Strength hero striking a human with no Epic defenses would roll 3d6 for their offensive
action and the defender would get only 2d6. This bonus only applies in situations where the Epic-Scale traits
would reasonably interact. Thus, a character with Epic Strength attacking one with Epic Agility would be treated
as Epic vs Epic but attacking someone with Epic Intellect would be treated as Epic vs Mortal.
Almost anything without a Gift is going to operate on the Mortal Scale: humans, cars, buildings and
animals. Only a few mortal-made forces are capable of operating on Epic scale: tanks and bombs for instance.

Gift Intensity Chart

Gift Rank

Area

Range

Speed

Energy

Weight

Poor
[TN 5]

A Closet
(1 sq. Yard)

Touch

Runner
(20 mph)

A Candle

Heavy Person
(200 lbs)

Average
[TN 7]

A Room
(25 sq Yards)

Near
(10 yards)

Flying Hawk
(40 mph)

A Campfire

Motorcycle
(600 lbs)

Good
[TN 9]

A House
(150 sq Yards)

Middling
(50 yards)

Cheetah
(70 mph)

A Burning
House

Car
(1-2 tons)

Expert
[TN 11]

A Mansion
(1000 sq Yards)

Far
(200 yards)

Race Car
(150 mph)

A Forest Fire

Bus
(10 tons)

Master
[TN 13]

An Acre
(5000 sq Yards)

Too Far
(1000 yards)

Tornado Speed
(300 mph)

Lava

Tank
(50 tons)

Sample Purviews
The following Purviews are examples and are not strict limitations. Feel free to come up with your own Purview ideas.

Animal
You may add your MOD to rolls made to interact with animals and understand animals. This is not mind control but your influence makes it easy to command domesticated animals and interact peacefully with wild
beasts. This is not limited to a single animal type. Stunts: Speak with animals, commanding animals, change
into animal shapes or take on animal features, summoning or enhancing mundane animals.

Chaos
You can add your MOD to mundane attempts to disrupt or break down ordered structures and create chaos or to
incite others to create chaos. Stunts: Supernaturally instill chaos whether in a structure, an organization or otherwise. Distract and confuse others on the Epic Scale (inflicting Failure Ranks).

Darkness
Your MOD counteracts penalties from darkness and adds to rolls to go unseen or unnoticed. Stunts: Blending
completely into shadow, animating darkness and shadows, blinding others, moving between shadows, creating
darkness.

Death
Your MOD applies to rolls made to perceive ghosts or similar entities and to resist forces of death. Stunts:
Animating dead bodies, Recalling spirits from the underworld, Epic Scale attack and defense against ghosts and
undead.

Earth
Your MOD applies to rolls made to move or shape earth in mundane ways. Stunts: Moving earth and stone by
your will (including Epic Scale attacks), traveling underground, creating structures from rock and earth.

Fertility
Your MOD adds to mundane rolls made to raise, examine or harvest plants. Stunts: Manipulating plants, vastly
speeding plant growth, killing plants, blessing or blighting land.

Fire
Your MOD can be used to resist (on the Epic Scale) injury from fire. Stunts: Strengthen or extinguish flames,
Epic Scale attacks with blasts of fire, perceive or travel through fire.

Guardian
Your MOD adds to rolls made to guard a location (perceiving intruders, determining vulnerabilities, etc) or person (intercepting attacks, perceiving threats). Stunts: Redirect attacks against a place or person, Epic Scale defense when protecting something/someone, creating supernatural wards or alarms.

Health
Your MOD can be added to any mundane medical or healing rolls such as adding to damage recovered at the
end of a Scene. Stunts: Cure diseases or poisons, Epic Scale attacks via withering touch, creating diseases, instantly heal another MOD Damage Ranks by touch.

Justice
Your MOD adds to mundane rolls to pursue justice or retribution such as interrogations, determining lies, examining evidence, etc. Stunts: Forcing the truth from someone, curses of vengeance or divine retribution, Epic
Scale attacks when pursuing retribution.

Psychopomp
Your MOD adds to any rolls for navigation or travel. Stunts: Clearing aside difficulties or impediments to travel, intuitive knowledge of the best route, passing through doors, traveling to spiritual realms.

Sky
Your MOD adds to rolls to predict or resist weather and allows changes to the weather on a normal time frame
and within natural limits. Stunts: Flight, controlling the weather, Epic Attacks with wind or lightning.

Sun
Your MOD applies to visual perception rolls and to resist any kind of blindness or heat from the sun. Stunt:
Creating light (including Epic Scale blinding attacks), bolts and weapons of sunlight, Epic Scale vision.

War
Your MOD adds to rolls made to incite others to violence or to plan strategy or tactics. Stunts: Create large
scale violence such as riots or rebellions, inciting courage or fear in others (Epic Scale), create soldiers
(minions).

Water
Your MOD adds to rolls made to swim and act underwater. You can also hold your breath indefinitely. Stunts:
Control and manipulate water (on the Epic Scale), create structures or objects of ice, produce steam or fog, creating water.

Birthrights
While Epic Qualities and Purviews are intrinsic to the Scion themselves, Birthrights are external Gifts such as
enchanted Relics, supernatural servants, etc.

Relics
Relics are Gifts in the form of a useful object like a weapon or tool. In most cases the Relic essentially allows
you to use it on the Epic Scale. For example a suit of Relic Armor would deflect injury on the Epic Scale and a
sword can be used to attack on the Epic Scale. Additional minor special effects or features are common as
well.
Alternatively Relics might grant a constant power of another kind, typically granting a constantly functioning (or at will) Stunt from a Purview. For instance, a duplicate of Icarus wings would grant the ability to
fly, much like a Stunt from the Sky Purview.
Finally there are vehicle Relics which have their own sets of Qualities and Gifts. A vehicle Relic has a
Vehicle type Quality equal in Rank to the Gift, additional Quality Ranks equal to the MOD of the Relic and
Gift ranks equal to Ranks invested in the Relic.
Example: Chris Njorl is a scion with a flying motorcycle, a Good [+2] Mystic Bike. The Relic has a
Good [+2] Motorcycle Quality and 2 Ranks for additional Qualities which Chris uses to purchase Good
[+2] Durable Dwarf-Crafstmanship and Good [+2] Speed. Finally it has a single Gift Rank which
Chris uses to purchase Good [+2] Flight.
All Relics can be lost, stolen or (potentially) broken with enough effort but there will almost always be a way to
retrieve or repair the Relic. If an Relic is temporary unavailable due to one of these issues you get a Hero Point
in exchange.

Followers
There are two types of followers: Minions and Servants. Minions are a large collection of minor servants who
are, relatively, easily replaceable (see sidebar for more info). You have 5 Minions with a Rank equal to your
Minion Quality. You can double the number of Minions by reducing their Rank by one step (down to Average
[0]). Lost Minions can be replaced with a modicum of time and effort and 1 Hero Point
Example: Ravyn St. Crowe has the Gift Good [+2] Minions
in the form of a retinue of skeleton warriors. She has 5 Good
[+2] Skeletal Soldiers as her Minions. Meanwhile Bella
Cloud also has the Gift Good [+2] Minions. Hers take the
form of Average [0] Pixies, so she gets 10 of them.

Minions

Minions are minor characters with only a

single Quality. Groups of Minions are
treated as a single character (a Minion Gang)
which attacks and defends as one. Damage
inflicted to a Minion Gang will take out one
Servants, on the other hand, represent more powerful individual Minion for each point of damage inflicted.
followers, usually mythic beings. A Servant gets their own QualIn large groups Minions can be dangerities and Gifts based on the Ranks invested in the Servant Gift.
ous. Each doubling in size grants the MinThe Servant has Quality Ranks equal to 3 times the Ranks inion Gang a boost in the form of a +1 bonus
vested and Gift ranks equal to the Ranks invested. The Servant
or a reroll of a single die (just like a Techmust also have a Poor [-2] Weakness.
nique or Hero Point). So a gang of two
Minions would get a single boost, a gang of
Examples: Bobby has the Gift Expert [+4] Servant: Giant
four would get two boosts, eight would get
Owl. His servant has 6 Quality Ranks which he uses for the
three, etc. Minion Gangs fighting several
following Qualities: Expert [+4] Razor-Sharp Talons, Good opponents will usually split up into smaller
[+2] Large, Good [+2] Night Vision, Expert [+4] Silent
groups to take on multiple characters at
Flight. He also has two Gift Ranks which he uses for Good
once.
[+2] Flight and Good [+2] Epic Toughness.

Stunts
A Stunt is a special use of Epic Qualities or Purviews. Stunting with Epic Qualities grants you the ability to
use the Gift in a way that wouldnt normally be possible. Some examples would be using Epic Speed to run on
water, Epic Strength to leap incredible distances, etc. Purviews work a little differently, their Stunts take the
form of dramatic and blatant manipulation of the Purview (see that section for more info).
In order to perform a Stunt you must spend Hero Points to buy up the Rank of the Stunt starting with
Average [0]. The Rank of the Stunt is used in place of the Gifts Rank for this purpose and it cannot exceed the
Rank of the gift. The cost for Stunts is as follows:

Average [0]: 1 Hero Points.

Good [+2]: 2 Hero Point
Expert [+4]: 3 Hero Points
Master [+6]: 4 Hero Points

Normally a Stunt is used for a single roll or action, but if you want it to last for a full Scene you can pay double
the cost above. For an additional 1 Legend a Stunt can be made effectively permanent until you undo it or it is
disrupted by an outside force.
Example: Jimmy has the Gift of Expert [+4] Epic Beauty and he wants to provide a distraction at a party by
completely enchanting everyone there, making it literally impossible for them to take their eyes off him. The GM
decides that this works as a Stunt. Jimmy wants to spend 4 Hero Points to make the effect Master [+6] Rank but
the GM reminds him that it cant go above his Gifts rank. So instead he spends 3 for an Expert [+4] Stunt that
will last just long enough for his companions to try and take advantage of it.
Example: Grace Nguyen has Good [+2] Fire Purview and wants to fry a titanspawn with an Epic-Scale fire
blast. This would be a very appropriate Stunt for the Purview but Grace is low on Hero Points and so only
spends one to use an Average [0] Stunt. So she rolls using the Stunt Rank (+0) instead of her normal Good
[+2] Fire Purview to make her attack.
Example: French Saunders has the Fertility Purview at Expert [+4] Rank. Shes preparing for an epic confrontation and has no Epic Qualities or any other Epic Scale defense. So she asks if she can reshape and harden a
small grove of trees into a suit of living wood armor. The GM accepts this as a Stunt, but if she wants it to last
for more than her first defensive roll shell need to double the cost in order to keep the Stunt going for the
whole Scene. She spends 4 Hero Points to get a Scene-long Good [+2] Stunt, a suit of Epic Scale wooden armor.

Hero Points and Legend

Hero Points are a measure of your luck, mythic vigor and inner strength. They can be spent to improve your
rolls, twist fate to suit your purposes, power Stunts, and keep fighting despite injury. Legend represents your
overall power and renown in the mythic world and also determines the maximum number of Hero Points you
can have at one time. Each character starts with 5 Hero Points and 10 Legend. If you ever have more Hero
Points than your Legend score you must spend those points immediately or lose them.

Earning Hero Points

Hero Points are earned in a variety of ways.
Heroic Deeds: Performing dramatic, over-the-top and generally cool feats or deeds is worth one or two
Hero Points on average. If the Deed is one that is very strongly aligned with your divine ancestry then it
might be worth an extra Hero Point.
Affected by Weakness: Whenever your Weakness penalizes or hinders you, you get a Hero Point (once
per Scene).
Defeating Mighty Foes: Victory over a major foe is usually worth 1-3 Hero Points.
Unavoidable Fate: If the GM forces you into a negative situation without any chance to resist or avoid it
for the purposes of the plot, you get 3 Hero Points automatically.

Using Hero Points

Boost: You can add a Boost to a single roll for one Hero Point, this takes the form of a flat +1 bonus or a
reroll of one of your dice (keeping the best result). This is identical to the bonus you receive from a Technique.
Recovery: You can spend 2 Hero Points to immediately recover 1d6 Damage Ranks.
Powering Stunts: See the previous section.
Hand of Fate: You can dictate possible coincidences or features of the scene. For 0 hero points you can
dictate a minor coincidence (I happen to have a lighter on me) or a plausible feature of the scene (theres a
car parked on the street outside). For 1 Hero Point you can dictate a significant coincidence (theres a cop
driving by right now) or feature (theres an east-facing window in the room). For 2 Hero Points you can
dictate a major coincidence (the cop driving by happens to be someone who knows me personally!) or feature (the storage room is full of potentially volatile chemicals).

Earning Legend
Your Legend grows as you gain Hero Points. Every Hero Point you gain you should mark down a tick once
youve earned ticks equal to your current Legend it increases by one and the count starts over. If you do something that draws your legendary status into the public eye then your Legend automatically increases by 1
(although you may face significant other problems).
In general, the higher your Legend the more in tune you are with your mythic ancestors and archetype.
As a result, Fate tends to favor you and youll generally get more respect from supernatural beings, although
there are no direct mechanical benefits. The forces of fate tend to favor characters who represent a relatively
static archetype, so improving your character or adding new abilities requires a reduction in your Legend
score.

Spending Legend Points

Digging Deep: You can sacrifice a point of Legend to immediately get 1d6 Hero Points, but these dont
give any ticks towards Legend advancement.
Buy a Technique: Purchasing a Technique costs 1 point of Legend.
Increasing a Quality Rank: Increasing a Quality by one Rank, up to Master [+6], costs 4 Legend.
Buying a New Quality: Buying a new Quality at Good [+2] Rank costs 6 Legend.
Increasing Gift Rank: You can increase one of your Gifts by one Rank, up to Master [+6], for 8 Legend.
Buying a new Gift: You can get a new Gift at Average [0] Rank for 8 Legend but you must have an appropriate story hook or in-game justification for the new Gift.

Gear and Equipment

For the most part mundane possessions are not too important in Scion while Relics are represented via Gifts.
However, a few things do deserve note.
Starting Equipment
Generally speaking, you start with whatever equipment or possessions your lifestyle and Qualities would indicate. A character with the Quality Good [+2] Thief would likely own a set of lockpicks, B&E equipment, etc
while an Expert [+4] Swordsman would certainly own one or more blades (assuming they dont possess a Relic
weapon). Unless you have a Weakness like Poor or Homeless youll likely have the basics of modern life: a
vehicle of some kind, a personal computer, cell phone, etc. Those with Qualities related to wealth may certainly
have much nicer amenities. Regardless any starting equipment is usually of Average [0] Quality. Non-relic objects will very rarely provide any sort of special bonus except for the most exceptional or cutting edge: your
2,000 laptop will certainly boot up quickly and can hold a lot of videos but it would take something like a military supercomputer to actually qualify for a bonus to a roll.
Vehicles
You have the option to buy and customize Relic vehicles as Gifts. Non-relic vehicles are certainly everywhere
but usually only have a few Qualities. Below are some examples
Compact Car: Average [0] Car, Good [+2] Fuel Efficient
Luxury Car: Average [0] Car, Good [+2] Flashy
Sports Car: Average [0] Car, Good [+2] Fast
Motorcycle: Average [0] Motorcycle, Good [+2] Acceleration
SUV: Average [0] SUV, Good [+2] Four Wheel Drive, Poor [-2] Fuel Economy
Plane (jet): Average [0] Plane, Good [+2] High Performance, Good [+2] Fast
Tank: Average [0] Tank, Good [+2] Cannon (Epic-Scale), Average [0] Armor Plating (Epic-Scale), Good
[+2] Machine Guns, Poor [-2] Requires Crew
Weapons
Weapons are treated very broadly. The bigger and deadlier the weapon the higher its minimum damage is. That
means when youre using a sword to attack and overcome your opponents defense by 1 you will instead inflict
3 damage (the minimum for a sword). If your damage is higher than the minimum already theres no additional
benefit.
Small Weapons: Daggers, handguns, brass knuckles, small clubs, and short swords all inflict a minimum
of 2 damage.
Medium Weapons: Most swords, axes, baseball bats, clubs, rifles and shotguns inflict a minimum of 3
damage.
Heavy Weapons: Big, two-handed blades and bludgeons, high-caliber rifles and chainsaws inflict a minimum of 4 damage.
Extremely large weapons (trees, hurled cars, etc) or explosives (grenades or rocket launchers) instead add 1d6
damage on a successful attack.
Some weapons, especially guns, will have built-in Techniques to represent certain features. Things
like Long Range, Armor Piercing or Autofire. Relics dont come with any built in Techniques, youll need
to buy those if you want them to be a part of the relic.
Armor
Armor, other than Relics, has a minimal effect in the game. Large, bulky suits of full-body armor can grant an
Upshift (+2 bonus) to defensive rolls, but light armor such as leather jackets, ballistic vests, and so on are going
to be ignored on the scale of action in Scion.