Divinity of the City 8 (24)

It's Only Magic

Divinities of the city are a pantheon of modern-era demigods who have a strong connection to some aspect of urban life. They get their powers from their connection to a modern element that's being worshipped. For example, the Divinity of Defacement gains power when someone creates graffiti or stares in wonder at a mural, while the Divinity of Urban Creatures grows stronger each time someone saves a turtle from a highway or shivers at coyotes' calls. Divinities look mostly humanoid, but their appearance has some tie to their connection. The Divinity of Defacement might wear graffiti-themed clothing, the Divinity of Urban Creatures might have a bear's head, and the Divinity of Architecture might have gargoyle wings.

There is a divinity for almost anything one can think of in the modern landscape, from traffic and alleyways to skyscrapers and power poles.

Motive: Defense; protection; power

Environment: Urban landscapes

Health: 75

Damage Inflicted: Major wound (8 points)

Armor: 4

Movement: Short; long when flying

Combat: Divinities attack a foe up to a long distance away with a spell related to their connection (sending a pack of rabid raccoons after a foe, lifting a highway, or having a mural attack). These attacks inflict a major wound (8 points) on a single target or, if the divinity chooses, the attack hits all targets within short range of the destination for a moderate wound (6 points).

Most divinities have a close-range attack as well, such as turning into a coyote and attacking their target with tooth and claw or grabbing a painted weapon out of a wall mural.

Divinities also have a number of additional spells, including:

• Animate. Turns any material into an animate level 4 creature. The creature has a mind and will of its own, and acts just as that type of creature would act if it were born instead of created.
• Forever Space. Creates an endless length of alleys, roads, or bridges between itself and all characters it chooses within long range. Characters must succeed on a level 5 Intellect defense task to find an exit. While moving through the forever space, characters take 2 points of Intellect damage (ignores Armor) each round.
• Heal. The divinity heals themself, a creature, or an object for a moderate wound (5 points).
• Illusion. Divinities can cast elaborate and convincing illusions over their domain, making the area seem more appealing, beautiful, or dangerous. Illusions cover up to a ten-block area and last for up to an hour. Seeing through one is a level 8 task.

Interaction: Divinities rarely care about humans unless they're connected to their particular part of the urban landscape. Sometimes they can be persuaded or negotiated with, but not if the character has previously damaged or endangered the divinity's connection—for example, a poacher of urban wildlife probably has no chance of interacting positively with a Divinity of Urban Creatures.

Use: A divinity is a powerful aggressive or defensive force, putting the PCs in a position where they must fight or negotiate to prevent death and destruction. In addition to situations where a divinity clashes with those who would exploit them, they may have information or unique magic (such as an unlocking spell) that the characters need to reach a goal.

Loot: Divinities rarely carry anything of interest to humans, but they might bequeath to allies a powerful artifact related to some aspect of their domain.

GM Intrusions: A group of the divinity’s worshippers or detractors shows up in the middle of an interaction. A character accidentally damages or heals some element of the divinity’s urban connection.