Half-Bloods
A half-blood is precisely as it says on the tin: they are half-human, half-Other. At some point in the near or distant past, their ancestors consorted with powers beyond human comprehension, beings who lurk in mythology, in darkness, or in other dimensions entirely, and managed the seemingly impossible: viable children. The half-blood ancestor must be a magical creature from real world folklore, myth, or Lovecraftian lore. We request that you stick to reliable sources for your mythical creatures, Wikipedia and online encyclopedias are ones we accept.
In some cultures, to be a half-blood is considered a great blessing. In others, it is nothing more than a curse, a blight and an invitation to strangeness. In all cases, a half-blood’s ancestry manifests as innate magical ability and physical features that mark them as inhuman. They may also possess some inhuman tendencies.
Unlike arcanists, half-bloods can call upon their powers with a thought—no need for components or incantations. In exchange, their mixed blood is useless, if not outright dangerous, for ritual magic. While they are not forbidden from it, they would live a great deal longer if they didn’t practice ritual magic.
Half human and half something else, the half-bloods possess incredible inhuman abilities. Often, their power is a matter of seeking their potential.
Half-bloods look and function just like humans although their bloodlines may potentially have an effect on their physical forms. Usually, this is something small or hidden, allowing half-bloods to pass as human in their day to day lives. They are not able to transform into their ancestor's form until they have honed their powers significantly.
Typically, half-bloods run the gamut just like humans, although their non-human bloodline may have an effect on their mindset to different degrees, especially when they suffer a Bloodrush.
Due to their inhuman bloodlines, more often than not, a half-blood will enjoy a longer lifespan than the average human. This is somewhere in the ballpark of 150-200 years before their body begins to fail them.
If a half-blood is unlucky enough to be cursed by whatever means, the curse itself will not take root, but the half-blood will experience a significant period of time where they feel violently ill and be weakened.
If a half-blood is infected with the shifter curse and does not find a way to cure it before they transform on the first full moon, their body will literally tear itself apart, unable to compensate for the two disparate magics. If a half-blood becomes undead, they lose all innate abilities
Unlike ritual magic, blood magic is innate and requires no materials. Instantaneous and able to being conjured with a thought, gesture, or word, it uses the user's body as the conduit. As such, blood magic is physically, mentally, or karmically taxing; a necessary trade-off when channeling otherworldly forces, even if they're inherent.
The magical abilities a half-blood possesses are based entirely on the closest non-human ancestor. For example, if their grandmother was a mermaid, but their father was an oread, the half-blood’s abilities are attuned to earth rather than water. They can, however, possess minor physical features from both creatures.
Should a half-blood practice with their magical abilities, they could enhance and fine-tune their powers. Even if their inhuman ancestor is distant to the point of rumor, magic begets magic, and there is no upper limit to what a half-blood can accomplish with hard work and creativity.
That said, magic remains dangerous even for those born with it. A half-blood could easily tear themselves apart should they push too hard. It is reaching into the aether, the void, the beyond--the very tapestry of reality--and weaving it to your will. The Cinder dice is used to activate all magic a half-blood might use, except for their boon. It can be used to determine success, failure, physical toll, or potency of the effect.
Where arcanists need materials and time to prepare, a half-blood can do their magic spontaneously. Of course, it all takes a toll. A half-blood must always be prepared for when the bill comes due.
Half-Bloods are subject to Oaths, Thrice Asked, and Favors in the Codes of Conduct.
From the moment they’re born, each half-blood is blessed with a boon, a single minor ability they can perform without practice or even conscious thought—it could even be something outside of their control. It is a minor ability based on their bloodline that the half-blood can do innately. (E.g. sparks for candles or fire with a flick of their fingers, seeing in the dark, friendliness with animals, etc.)
Because you are not quite human, there has always been something off about you. You have a relatively small physical attribute that marks you as Other. This can be something as simple as pointed ears, cat-like eyes, or slightly pointed teeth, but it can also be so extreme that it cannot be ignored, such as an additional eye or a forked tongue. Your Maker's Mark may offer a minor physical benefit (e.g. functioning gills, cat eyes, or webbed hands and feet.)
Create a minor ability from one of your chosen keywords. This is something you can do with little to no effort.
For one roll per thread, after your third Cinder roll for that thread, you may have your Cinder dice explode on a 4, 5, and 6. This would manifest in a visible difference in power output (or backlash) based on success or failure.
The physical features of your bloodline have become more prominent, but so has your power. Create and additional cantrip and describe another Maker's Mark.
As you reach the end of your growth, you still appear human, but you are not. The magic in your blood is so potent that you've become a true hybrid, something beyond with the best of both your human and supernatural bloodlines. You have incredible endurance, able to use Cinder seven times per thread before Bloodrush, and are able to store an immense amount of raw magic to be released at a moment's notice. Once per thread, you may increase your Cinder Pool by 3d6. You are also able to assume the true form of your ancestor, although, like with your human form, there is something that marks you as a half-blood in this form as well.
Cold iron (also known as sky iron or meteorite iron) has a powerful dampening effect on half-bloods, preventing their abilities from functioning properly or functioning at all by either proximity or contact.
When a half-blood uses too much magic at once, their power overwhelms them. While they are still themselves, they begin to exhibit both physical and mental traits that are more characteristic of their non-human ancestor.
An Half-blood can use their magic up to half the number of die in their Cinder pool, rounded up. It is possible to go beyond this limit, but on the next roll, a half-blood goes into a Bloodrush. Both successes and failed rolls with a Magic Keyword counts towards the limit.
A Bloodrush is when a Half-Blood are infused with so much magic that it begins to attack their human system, forcing changes in their body and mind. When their human blood does not temper the inhuman in them, half-bloods take on both the best and worst traits of their inhuman ancestor.
For example, a siren half-blood may be shy and mild-mannered a majority of the time, but on the occasion she overuses her magic, she exhibits an overwhelming bloodlust while her voice becomes preternaturally enchanting.
If you are not utilizing the dice system, a Bloodrush is still the consequence of pushing past their limit, but is up to you when and how it happens. All we ask is that you keep these details relative to their rank. For example, a lower ranked half-blood would go into bloodrush before a higher-ranked one.
During Bloodrush, each use of a Magic Keyword reduces their Luck by one (1). This is the mechanical representation of them pushing their humanity to its limit.
As the product of a human and something more, a half-blood's possibilities are endless. Please be sure to select a creature found in folklore, mythology, or the Lovecraftian mythos, with appropriate sourcing.
Note: Please refrain from choosing a deity as your character's ancestor, as half-bloods are not demi-gods.
The Half-Bloods can select any Magic Keywords at creation, with no limitations on which portfolio they come from.
As a Half-Blood you can choose to stay at the Sanguine rank and select one (1) Mundane Keyword, instead of starting at Touched.
Here are a few further questions you're welcome to answer as you create your character:
Descended from the Fenghuang bird of Chinese mythology. Those in possession of this mystical blood manifest their abilities with delicate, birdlike features and brightly colored hair that is sometimes interspersed with feathers. Their magic is innate, based heavily on the elemental control of air.
The potent Djinni blood can mark its people with dark or tanned skin, intense beauty, or warm vibrantly-coloured eyes. Or all three. They move like dancers, agile and flexible. Their magic is fire-aligned, allowing them to control the element or breathe smoke at will.
Note: These are only our interpretations and not to be seen as rulings on how these half-blood concepts must be made.