Origin Divide (Action)

Heroic Action Role-Play

In some campaign worlds there is a strong divide among certain origins. Check with your GM for what applies in your campaign. This is especially common when different world-views collide. This is specific to each campaign world and has to do with how powers work. Divided powers are completely different and incompatible; philosophy, mechanics, physics; everything works differently to opposed powers.

Note that not all worlds have a power divide. In many campaigns all powers are one on an essential level, and all power origins are in compatible. Nor do all origins need to be available in every world; most worlds actually only have one to three different origins.

Example of Origin Divides

Here are some examples how a power divide can be set up in different worlds.

• All origins can be divided against each other, creating a very labile situation. It is every origin for itself and no collaboration between different power groups is likely. It might even be a general war between origins.

• An origin can be divided against itself. For example, two Religions of incompatible origins might exist in the same world and be divided against each other. This is not the same as dualism, when religions are hostile to each other but have the same basic idea about how divinity works, this is two entirely incompatible explanations of the world.

• Technology can stand apart from all the other origins, science and physics against mystical powers.

• Magic and Religion might be opposed. In this situation magic is seen as a heresy, and magicians and priests often war openly. The same can be true of religion versus the other origins. Again, be careful to separate schisms (that hate each other but are not power divided) from real power divides that require entirely separate world-views.

• Psi and everything else. Sometimes psi is seen as a hive-mind, a communal organism that infects sentient creatures, at odds with all individual achievement and liberty.

• Gifts is often tied to one or more of the other origins. In some worlds Gifts is tied to Magic and then has the same opposed origins as Magic. In effect, the two origins are the same, and many creatures might have been created by magic.

• The power divide between other origins might run trough the middle of the Gift origin. In this case, some creatures are tied to one origin, others to another, and the two kinds are completely different and their powers are incompatible.

Effects of Power Divide

Origins that are opposed like this cannot affect each other; they cannot dispel or otherwise modify each other with Meta Powers. It is as if powers of an opposing origin was a schtick and completely mundane.

In some cases it is still possible to affect powers of a divided origin that uses the same form. Analyze powers tied to forms, for example, tend to permit such cross-divide analysis. In this case, it is understanding of the form and of objects of the form that gives insights into the effects such an object are under. The other form is still incomprehensible to you.

Characters and Divided Origins

Characters generally cannot learn multiple divided origins. Using powers of one origin precludes the use of powers of a divided origin. It might be allowed with special GM dispension, but works quite poorly. Each origin needs a completely separate Tradition, with its own Methods. All Powers and Forms need to be learnt separately for each origin. In sort, mixing divided powers in one character is not recommended.