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  by Jesse Heinig
  Copyright CCP hf. 
  All rights reserved.
  Three hundred miles had already passed 
  under the odometer, and another thousand lay 
  ahead. Though his preternatural endurance 
  kept him awake during the drive, Eric had 
  gotten a late start, and already the nighttime 
  roads stretched ahead like sinuous, blackened 
  rivers. Suburbs had given way to farmsteads 
  and rural landscapes, until at last the route 
  was little more than a pothole-laden thread 
  winding between hulking trees.
  For a moment, Eric caught a glance of 
  light reflected in a pair of large and luminous 
  eyes, but they vanished into the brush as he 
  sped by. Still, the sheer size of the saucer-
  shaped orbs stuck in his mind; no raccoon 
  or opossum had eyes that large. He took a 
  quick look over his shoulder, then returned 
  his attention to the road.
  As Eric turned his head forward, some-
  thing fell out of the branches overhanging the 
  road. A tremendous KABANG reverber-
  ated through the car as it bounced off the 
  hood, and Eric heard a drumroll sound of 
  it hammering on the roof. He jerked the wheel 
  to the right, and whatever it was flew off the other side of the car, spindly limbs flailing. The GTO crashed through the underbrush 
  and slammed into a heavy tree, screeching to a stop.
  After catching his breath, Eric turned to grab the Goat’s car cover in hopes of using its magic to restore the vehicle. With his 
  back turned, he didn’t notice a slender hand reaching through the shattered windshield to wrap its fingers around Giantbane, 
  Eric’s enchanted pistol…
  A New Monster and Storytelling Adventure System  
  scene for Scion: Hero
  THe Devil iN THe DeTAilS
  About the Storytelling Adventure SyStem
  Think of an SAS product as a story kit, as if you’d bought a piece of modern furniture and 
  brought it home in a big flat box. You open it up, eager to be the Storyteller for your troupe, but 
  what you find is a collection of pieces and parts (like the parts in this article). To put it together, 
  you’ll need some tools: in this case, the Scion: Hero Rulebook, and any other books for the Scion 
  system for the particular chronicle you’re running (such as Scion: Ragnarök or the Scion Compan-
  ion). You’ll use these parts and tools to build a story together with your friends. It might not look 
  quite like you expect it to when it’s all done, but as long as everyone enjoys it, it doesn’t matter 
  how you end up using all the pieces, or even if you throw some of them away.
  To learn more about the Storytelling Adventure System, be sure to read the free SAS Guide, 
  found at the SAS website: www.white-wolf.com/sas
  
  Overview
  Scions deal with Legendary monsters of all sorts, so any 
  hero worth her salt is used to encountering basilisks, lamassu, 
  trolls and the other creatures of antiquity. Legends aren’t 
  limited just to the ancient world, though—the modern age 
  has its share of urban legends as well. One such legend has 
  made its mark for the last half-century as the Dover Demon, 
  the Riverside Bridge Monster or the Jersey Devil. If these 
  creatures are the mannegishi of Cree Indian folklore, their 
  history may stretch back even further, but with the new 
  Overworld War, mortals and Scions alike will certainly see 
  them in greater numbers. The mannegishi stalk humans and 
  Scions alike to play petty but dangerous pranks and to steal 
  valuable items—sometimes even the Relics of Scions.
  Description
  At first, it seemed like just an anomaly—an oddly misshapen 
  cat climbing along a low stone wall, a raccoon-like shape darting 
  across the road with only a brief pause to reflect its eerily glowing 
  eyes. Now, though, it’s clear that the creature you’ve been spotting 
  over the past several nights isn’t just some curiosity of the local 
  fauna, and it’s definitely shadowing you.
  Storyteller Goals
  The monster showcased here is definitely a titanspawn, 
  but one with a slightly different agenda than most. In the 
  mundane World, the mannegishi is just a trickster that enjoys 
  playing dangerous pranks, such as flipping over canoes in cold 
  rivers (sending the occupants for a hypothermia-inducing 
  swim) or leaping down from a bridge and dancing on top of a 
  car’s roof until the terrified occupant crashes. A mannegishi 
  rarely picks a fight; getting stabbed, shot or clubbed isn’t 
  amusing. Instead, a lone mannegishi usually stalks a likely 
  target for a short time and takes an opportunity to terrify 
  the poor sod. In the case of Scions, though, a mannegishi 
  has a special agenda: it loves to steal Relics.
  Mannegishi usually operate alone, but when given the 
  opportunity to molest a group of Scions, an entire tribe 
  may show up. A single mannegishi may create a distraction 
  and make off with a Relic (or perhaps a mundane item of 
  some value) during the chaos. Scions with Epic Perception 
  aren’t easily surprised, though; in such a case, a whole band 
  of mannegishi may descend upon the Band to keep some 
  busy while others make off with Relics.
  The goal is to create a swiftly ratcheting sense of tension, 
  starting with a few fleeting appearances by the mannegi-
  shi, which will appear at the edge of vision at night, then 
  vanish into the darkness. If the Scions are very alert or 
  very persistent in chasing down the mannegishi, then the 
  titanspawn will resort to causing chaos by frightening nor-
  mal mortals, engineering car crashes, breaking mundane 
  Scene
  THe Devil iN THe DeTAilS
  	
  Mental	••	
  Physical	••	
  social	–
  light sources and similar acts of vandalism that make the 
  environment more conducive to their mischief.
  character	Goals
  Determine what the mannegishi are, what they want, 
  and how to keep them from running off with Relics! The 
  Scions will know quickly that something is going on—they 
  deal with this sort of menace as a matter of course—but 
  the mannegishi are frustratingly elusive.
  Actions
  The Scions are likely to either hunker down or head to 
  a secure area once they realize that the mannegishi aren’t 
  just strange raccoons or errant orangutans. Talking to the 
  mannegishi is a pointless gesture; while the monsters can 
  understand human speech, they’re not keen on cooperating, 
  nor do they have the ability to speak themselves. Clever Scions, 
  though, may set a trap or counter-ambush for the mannegishi. 
  Since the mannegishi only come out at night, the Scions will 
  have to wait until dark to spring their trap.
  Because the mannegishi are both skittish and intelli-
  gent, they’re not keen on attacking the Scions during the 
  day, nor any time that the Scions might have the obvious 
  upper hand. Since they’re beasts, they also don’t have a 
  regular home for the Scions to track down and attack. 
  The best way to handle the mannegishi for good is to set 
  up a trap somewhere in a rural area, perhaps by pulling 
  the car over to the side of the road or taking a nap in an 
  old farmhouse. Once the mannegishi slink in to harass 
  the Scions, the Band can leap to the attack.
  counter-ambush!
  Dice Pool: (Wits + Stealth) vs. the mannegishi’s (Wits 
  + Investigation; dice pool 5)
  Action: Contested
  Hindrances: The ambush site is well-lit (-1); the am-
  bush site is in an open area, without much cover (-1); the 
  Band leaves more than one person in the open at the 
  ambush site (-2)
  Help: The ambush takes place during a new moon (+1); 
  the Band leaves out something valuable at the ambush 
  site, like a gold bracelet, a gemstone or a Relic (+2)
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The mannegishi arrange a hor-
  rid counter to the Scions’ trap. Perhaps they hurl bags 
  of flaming feces, or manage to crawl into a big rig and 
  harass the driver, forcing him to smash into the Scions’ 
  hiding place. The mannegishi know exactly where the 
  Scions are waiting and are careful not to trip any pe-
  rimeter guards (such as a Vigil Brand or Ward from the 
  Guardian Purview).
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  Failure: The trap fails to put the mannegishi in a compromising position. Although the mannegishi show up 
  to cause havoc, they are also prepared for the Scions, and are ready to run away or take advantage of the environ-
  ment, as the circumstances permit.
  Success: The Scions manage to spring a trap on the mannegishi, and catch the troublemakers by surprise. Each 
  Scion gains a bonus die to the Join Battle roll (Scion: Hero, p. 187).
  Exceptional Success: The Scions’ trap is an unmitigated success. The Mannegishi slink into the trap but wind up in 
  indefensible positions, caught in the Scions’ web. Each Scion’s first attack ignores the DV of the targeted mannegishi.
  consequences
  When the Band beds down for the night or makes a stop on a lonely stretch of road, a group of the mannegishi 
  tries to sneak up close, create a distraction and then steal something. If the Scions manage to set a trap or just fight 
  off the pests, the Band will discover that the creatures are, in fact, some sort of cryptic phenomenon, and a small 
  form of titanspawn (perhaps related to a vanished Native American pantheon). If the mannegishi manage to steal 
  something important and escape with it (even if some of them are killed), then the Scions will doubtless have to track 
  the creatures down in order to recover the item. Either way, the mannegishi prove to be a momentary nuisance that 
  is not necessarily a harbinger of some greater evil, but still annoyingly cunning.
  Mannegishi
  To all appearances, a mannegishi is something like a bizarre monkey or a bulbous, unusually dexterous cat. Its head is 
  elongated and ovular, but lacks a nose; its lanky limbs have six digits, with an opposable thumb on each side of its hands. 
  A stubby tail and short, dark-hued fur rounds out the creature’s animalistic appearance. Typically, the nocturnal creatures 
  only come out on dark nights and in places where they can easily hide and move about via climbing and brachiating. 
  Given the opportunity, mannegishi will stake out a likely place to startle travelers, then use their unexpected dexterity 
  to perform stunts or tricks that inevitably lead to dangerous situations—drivers swerving off of roads, machine operators 
  accidentally dropping heavy loads, repair crews inadvertently cutting into power lines or sewer mains and so forth.
  Most mortals only see one mannegishi at a time. The Riverside Bridge Monster, which 
  apparently attacked a traveler’s car in California in 1958, might have been a mannegishi 
  hoping to instill a little fear; the driver shot the critter in question, but the body was 
  never found. The Dover Demon, spotted in 1977 in Massachusetts, may have 
  been one of these creatures; it was crawling along a low stone wall next to a 
  road at night. In both of these cases, the mortals probably only spotted the 
  creature because it wanted to cause some fear and consternation.
  With the Overworld War setting loose great numbers of titanspawn, 
  mannegishi have become common enough to show up in significant 
  groups, like a troop of monkeys. Throw in the Fateful Aura of a Band of 
  Scions, and an encounter with a dozen of the creatures becomes downright 
  probable. A lone mannegishi is little more than a nuisance to a Band of 
  heroes, but a large group of them using coordinated tactics of 
  distraction can easily cause real damage to a Scion’s posses-
  sions (or even to a hero who isn’t a very skilled fighter!).
  Eye of the Storm: Mannegishi have an uncanny ability to 
  survive the chaos that results when they actions lead to sud-
  den disasters. This functions as the Chaos Purview power of 
  the same name (Scion: Hero, p. 140), but it is always on and 
  has no cost for the mannegishi. Of course, if the mannegishi 
  sticks around too long or becomes involved in the resulting 
  events, it risks losing the benefits of this protection. In general, 
  if a situation results because of someone else’s reaction to the 
  mannegishi—such as the previous example of a car swerving off 
  the road after spotting one of the creatures—
  the mannegishi remains untouched by the 
  subsequent events. Only if the mannegishi 
  stays in the area and continues to cause 
  trouble does it become subject to the painful 
  consequences of random destruction.
  
  Night Eyes: Mannegishi see perfectly 
  in darkness, as per the Darkness Purview 
  power of this name (Scion: Hero, p. 140). 
  Since they’re nocturnal, the mannegishi 
  prefer to use darkness for cover; they do 
  not suffer any penalties from sunlight, but 
  certainly don’t like to be caught outside 
  during the day.
  Preternatural Camouflage: Mannegishi 
  that don’t want to be seen are very hard 
  to spot. If a mannegishi freezes against a 
  dark background, it blends in immedi-
  ately. Even a moving mannegishi among 
  bushes, trees, or even the shadowy 
  underhang of a bridge can be stealthy 
  beyond measure. If a mannegishi uses a 
  miscellaneous action to hide (Speed 5), it 
  gains a +3 dice bonus to its correspond-
  ing Stealth score, and it can even avoid 
  the powers of observation possessed by a 
  Scion with Epic Perception. Mannegishi 
  will often leap out to perform one act of 
  surprise, then dash back into darkness 
  to hide again; in groups, they will take 
  turns harassing the target.
  Name: 
  Calling: 
  Pantheon:
  Level:  
  Nature: 
  God:  
  Strength  
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  Dexterity  oooooooooo
  Stamina  
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  Charisma  
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  Manipulation  oooooooooo
  Appearance  oooooooooo
  Perception  oooooooooo
  Intelligence  oooooooooo
  Wits  
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  AbILItIeS
  bIrthrIGhtS
  WeAPoNS
  KNACKS
  Legend 
  Points  
  –––– ––––
  o o o o o o 
  o o o o o o
  LeGeND
  vIrtueS
  ooooo
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  heALth
   0 
  –1 –1 –2 –2 –4 
  I
              
  WILLPoWer
  oooooooooo
  NoteS
  booNS
  AttrIbuteS
    Mannegishi  
  Ambition
  Malice 
  Rapacity
  Zealotry 
  Animal Ken
  Athletics
  Awareness
  Brawl
  Fortitude
  Integrity
  Investigation
  Larceny 
  Melee 
  Stealth
  Survival 
  Thrown 
  Cat’s Grace 
  Monkey Climber
  Bite: Acc 8, Dmg 3L, Parry DV —, Spd 5
  Clinch: Acc 8, Dmg 3B, Parry DV —, Spd 6
  Thrown Debris: Acc 8, Dmg 4L, Range 10, Spd 6
  Unarmed, Light: Acc 9, Dmg 3B, Parry DV 10, Spd 4
  Unarmed, Heavy: Acc 7, Dmg 6B, Parry DV 7, Spd 5
  Soak: 3B/1L 
  Dodge DV: 6  
  Join Battle: 6 
  Other Notes: Mannegishi can throw nearly any small object 
  with sufficient precision to present danger, as noted above for 
  their Attack entry of thrown debris. These creatures rarely 
  engage in close combat, although a pack of them might swarm 
  a lone opponent and clinch before biting.
  In spite of their appearance, mannegishi are not animals. 
  Thus, the Animal Purview power of Animal Communication 
  (Scion: Hero, p. 139) is of no help with them.
  1
   
   mental 
  physical 
  social  
  SCENE:
  PCs
  H I N D R A N C E S
  H E L P
  STs
  OTHER
  The ambush site is well-
  lit (-1)
  The ambush site is in an 
  open area, without much 
  cover (-1)
  The Band leaves more 
  than one person in the 
  open at the ambush site 
  (-2)
  the	Devil	in	the	Details
  ­••­
  —
  The ambush takes place 
  during a new moon (+1)
  The Band leaves out 
  something valuable at the 
  ambush site, like a gold 
  bracelet, a gemstone, or a 
  Relic (+2)
  Sneak a group of mannegishi among the Band to steal Relics and valuables.
  Determine that the mannegishi are not natural animals,  
  then prevent them from causing chaos.
  ••­
  Mannegishi will attempt 
  to steal Relics when pos-
  sible.
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Scion (storyteller) [multi]/1st Edition/Scion The Devil in the Details.pdf