Introduction

Demigods is a magical realism role-playing game, set in the modern day. All of the gods are real and every belief system is correct- all at the same time. In this fictional world the gods exist because humans imagined them into existence. At least a dozen different sun gods are pushing, pulling, or being the sun, while that same sun is a giant fusion engine ninety-three million miles away. Multiple truths, all at once. Lean into it.

Most mortals believe in the gods, or a god, but don't know for a fact that they are real. The same human imagination that brought the gods into existence also allows mortals to edit out things they don't want to see. When a seven foot tall demon walks into a coffee shop, the barista can believe that they're just a very tall person, ignoring the blue skin, horns, and spiky tail.

Demigods
Gods are too powerful to visit Earth very often or for very long because they are imbued with the ability to manipulate Fate. They can enmortilifyTM themselves for a few days to visit, but they're weakened and need to head home soon to avoid twisting the fabric of reality. Fate in Demigods is not a god or group of gods, but is an overarching concept used to describe why supernatural beings can do things that mortals can't.

The gods must remain mysterious. Their power is based in human belief if mortals knew for sure that Shango exists, rather than simply believing in him, his power would diminish and he would eventually cease to exist in a puff of logic.

In order to influence mortals and earthly affairs without risking their demise, the gods use demigods. Either through biology or spiritual adoption, one is imbued with the power of a divine parent. Then the god has an emissary on Earth who definitely, for sure, always does what their divine parent needs. Right?

Pantheons will ask their demigods to carry out tasks and will offer them treasures in return. Demigods have a smaller supernatural footprint than their divine parents and can use their abilities without much trouble, but they're also supposed to work alone. Normally, if demigods spend too much time together their Fates become intertwined, they can't get rid of each other, and then they start to have an effect on reality like gods do.

Dice Stuff
Demigods is primarily a narrative, story-based game. When characters decide to do something, the outcome may be obvious. If it is, don't worry about rolling dice. If The Warrior with Divine Might wants to kick down a flimsy wooden door, go for it! The story isn't about the door, but what's on the other side.

If the outcome is truly uncertain, roll two six-sided dice (2d6) and add your attribute to the total. So if you roll a 3 and a 4 to SMITE YOUR ENEMIES, and you have a Prowess of +2, then your total is 9, earning a 7-9 result for that move. Each move will say what to do.

No total bonus can be more than +4. If you have an attribute of +4 and roll snake-eyes (1 and 1 on the dice), no power in the heavens or on Earth can raise that from a 6 total. Spending a Thread for Fate's Favor changes your roll, not the bonus, so that's usable in this case.

Sometimes a Move will say specifically what to do on a 6-, otherwise the Herald will fill in part of the narrative. Try not to think of a 6- as a "miss," where you whiff and nothing happens. The character may even accomplish their goal, but the Herald will make a Hard Move, adding danger or pressure to the narrative.

The number one thing to remember is that a roll of the dice always advances the narrative. There should never be a dice roll where nothing happens.