Except The Hammer. This thread has given me quite a few ideas to progress this story thread. I like the idea of taking the villians route.
As a lone villian, the routes I'd consider: 1) Destroy the dungeons, and/or conquer them, or any other weak points the challenge might have Problems: Can the dungeons be destroyed at all? What do I need in order to do this? Will the Scions prevent it? 2) Insert self into pantheon challenge. Take down all challengers. Problems: You'll lose eventually. If you're too successful, they might take issue with that, too. Playing by their rules. Can it be done at all? Doesn't deal with extant scions on its own. Cuts but does not eradicate population 3) Develop mass producible weaponry that allows mortals to stand against scions. If the average scion can be taken down by a half-dozen mortals with "capekiller bows", suddenly their domination... isn't. Problems: How? The tech needs to not have a vulnerable source- don't show your hand too soon. If the gods take notice, you're in for trouble. 4) Kill every non-scion. Problems: This solves the problem in the sense that the power gap is gone, but misses the entire point. Well, it's still solved for future generations, though, if scions pass down genetically, or if they can't reproduce. How? 5) Kill every scion Problems: How? If you leave enough alive, they will have enough power to conquer or dominate, unless you survive our plot and manage world conquest. Many societies might depend on scions for things besides war, and you've just left them without, say, "the ultimate farmer". Even super strength and speed could- in the case of a more humble (meaning "actually willing to work when not at war") scion- allow for rapid transportation of messages or food in emergencies, or even more valuable things. 6) Ensure mass uplifting. Problems: How? Presumably, the normal Scion polymorph is hard enough, how much harder is it to cast it globally? Probably requires convincing or coercing a god into doing it. Might put the world in peril, if scions are strong enough. (alternatively, mass downshifting of scions, but similar problems. Might be easier, though. On the other hand, powers can be regained.) 7) Kill the source of scions: gods or priesthood, depending Problems: How? What are the limitations? What if killing the sun god kills the sun? What do you do it it leads to someone else being uplifted to take their place? Sure, it'd probably still solve the problem for a bit, and might even depower the scions, but there's more ways it can go wrong than right. 8) Assassinate the most problematic scions, avoid the rest; possibly expand to ensuring your idea of worthy scions ascend and the rest don't survive to ascend. Problems: Forces you on the offensive completely, up to and including requiring travel; forces you to work one at a time, never going to cause societal change. Not really villianous enough unless you actually look at and bother to care about consequences. 9) Organize a counter-organization, rope in as many scions as possible. Maybe operate as villians, but could also operate as a wandering millitary force that just happens to, somehow, be terrible at actually holding onto your conquests- you've got scions worried, but you're really just doing a weird form of level grinding. Gather power to break the organization, targeting scions and nations within it. Is PvP more effective level grinding than PvE? Will people notice? what do you do when they inevitably notice the pattern? Idk if any of these are helpful or rational, but those are the ones I'd think of.
Or you could just introduce a rogue element into the dungeon. Say an infernal essence demon or a virus that'll latch on to one of the known beasts. Once the Scion kills the beast he'll be infected and not even know it. Slowly going insane and seeing hallucinations that force him to kill the others or infect them. You set back and play politics. Claiming that the scion is an antique that no longer fits with the times. Look at what it's done to the youth of the nation. But not to fret, you're there. You'll do your best to contain this calamity so the virus doesn't spread to other civilians. Civilians like you for you are one of the people. Not some glitch that puts itself above the rest. All while you hold the only cure in your safe and hide your true power. Well that's what I'd do if I was the villain. But then again, I'm evil
Indeed, this sounds like a highly effective plot. However, in fairness to my own proposals: Problems: The gods surely cannot notice such an obvious disease, and may develop a cure of their own. They can tell you are at the front of the anti-Scion movement, too. Mere power plays are probably no major issue to them, but something designed to make them obsolete? They will either take offense, or respond by making something else that has the same issues (well, the same ones you take offense at), but with a different implementation. Either way, if they have anything even vaguely resembling omniscience- even undirected scrying- they'll get suspicious. You're not going to fly neatly under the radar if there really is something above scions. If, on the other hand, it's all a farce, and scions are the highest thing there is- the gods are either fabricated or disinterested beyond empowering them, and don't care about more coming into existence- this plan works out perfectly. If. Of course, no matter what plan you go with, gods are a problem. Well, maybe if you keep it localized, the gods won't notice/care?
There are gods in this game? I thought it was a hierarchy with the super scions on top. Well in case of gods I'm sure they aren't all pure and good. There has to be one or two that love to stir things up a bit. So hedge your beats and if the populous is religious then become so yourself (without committing to anything obviously) The gods will not interfere directly with the plan otherwise this whole system is rigid and would not be accepted. I mean why have a selection and training program to prove yourself? You can therefor interpret things to reflect things as you wish. Perhaps this outbreak is a message from the gods, telling us that this system is out-dated. Maybe it's time to change our ways. If a cure is found in time to save EVERYONE then rejoice, for we have been spared... this time. Remember, the heroes have to not only be lucky but provide a spectical powerful enough to win over the popular opinion each and every time. The villain just has to point at your failure once. I imagine him like sher-khan from the jungle book. Savvy and in it for the thrill of the hunt.
If you go with portal fantasy, why not gods? If you go with a game, then AI. The concept works better as a portal fantasy with RPG elements, but it’s flexible enough to be a game world instead.
They're mentioned off-handedly upthread, yes. I think they might, if scions are directly their servants. Unless you manage to find a god of evil who's evil enough to not care that his own minion assets are among the targets, or one who doesn't have any scions, but I'm assuming these gods are more like Zeus or Ares than, like, "I am the concept and cannot act out of tune with the concept", or "I am running on the minds of my scions, kill them all and kill me." This is a jump, it's just how I tend to think of gods.
I think the real thing to consider when asking this question is will a game world help anything? I the game world wont add much to the world itself and the story then dont do this. I personaly think this book would work best as a traditional fantasy more like SAM. Portal fantasy really dosent add much unless you want to add some creative spin it would be better to say the MC just grew up isolated or something.
