Incarnates are persons who allow themselves to become a living vessel in the service of a group of higher powers, becoming an Incarnation of one such higher power at a time with thematically appropriate abilities granted to them by the higher power they are currently serving.

The system makes use of the Multiform power, and is extremely simple conceptually (but Multiform math can get complex).

In most campaigns this form of magic is considered to be of Divine origin.

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Assumptions

This magic system assumes that there is an array of "higher powers", such as deities in a pantheon, loa type spirits, or even ancestors, saints, or similar that are able to grant mortals supernatural (or at least extra-normal) powers and are willing to do so in return for an oblation, dedication, service, contract, bargain, or similar.

An Incarnate is a person able to merge with such higher powers, as represented mechanically by investment in a (limited) Multiform based ability and a "Lore" oriented Knowledge Skill.

The magic system also assumes that an Incarnate can choose to switch the higher power they are currently associated with semi-freely, thus changing the nature of their granted abilities.

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Incarnate Invocation

The Incarnate invokes a higher power they wish to serve by performing a Ritual of Invocation that (generally) requires time and effort, which is intended as a check against mid-battle transformations.

To change the higher power they are currently serving and thus the Incarnation Package available to them, an Incarnate must have the following:

• Lore Skill
  • Know of an appropriate higher power and the proper ritual to dedicate themselves to / or entreat them
• Materials
  • Have the required items to make any appropriate offerings or conduct a particular ritual, if any are needed (as defined by the GM)
• Multiform
  • Have a Incarnation form in their Incarnism Multiform associated with the higher power

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Basic Mechanic

The basic mechanic behind Incarnates is the Multiform power, which must take the advantages and limitations detailed below.

The default example given assumes a minimum of four forms in an effort to keep the system practical and competitive. However, the exact number of forms is up to the player and GM to settle for an individual Incarnate, with an upper limit based on the nature of the higher powers the Incarnate is attuned to. For example for an Incarnate devoted to a pantheon of twelve deities, the number of different Incarnations they can represent is naturally limited to twelve. In some scenarios there might be no logical limit, but a practical limit does set in past a certain threshold when it becomes difficult to differentiate further forms from already existing ones.

Additionally Incarnates must take a Knowledge Skill representing the Lore related to the group of higher powers they serve. The use of this Lore skill might vary from group to group and depending on how the GM wishes to portray Incarnism, but at a minimum it serves to provide basic mythological / dogmatic knowledge of the group of higher powers associated with it and how they relate to one another, and the Rituals of Invocation for each of the higher powers the Incarnate has a form for in their Multiform.

The normal options for Knowledge Skills applies to this skill; it can be General or Intelligence based, and its cost is modified by the Scholar Enhancer. Any applicable Skill Maximas in effect in the campaign apply to it, and so forth.

The name of this skill will vary a little for each group of higher powers that supports Incarnism, so it is referred to generically as simply "Lore" throughout this document.

Incarnation Multiform

The following power is a default example; however it will likely need to be tailored to fit a particular group of higher powers that support Incarnism, and also a particular Incarnate character. It assumes a character of 150 total points that can evince four Incarnations.

Incarnate: Multiform (50 Active Points); 
150 Character Points in the most expensive form
4 Forms
Must Perform A Ritual of Invocation To Change Form (See Description; +0),
Inherent (+1/4)
Extra Time (minimum 1 Hour, Only to Activate, -1 1/2),
Always On (-1/2),
Only While In Good Standing With Faith (-1/4),
Only To Swap Out Incarnation Packages (-0);

Real Cost: 15 points

Incarnation Packages

Regardless of the number of forms (aka Incarnations) an Incarnate has, each of the Incarnations are largely identical, differing only around a Incarnation Package tailored specifically to the higher power the Incarnate is currently serving.

Each Incarnate Package should have a fixed and identical cost to all other Incarnate Packages available to an Incarnate. The GM decides for a given group of higher powers how many points the Incarnate Packages for that group will have.

It is recommended that Incarnate Packages be set at either 50, 75, or 100 points for reasons of consistency and mathematical regularity, but individual GM's are free to pick any number that works for them. Smaller packages of around 25 points are also possible, but verge on the inefficient as it is close to the cost of the Multiform itself.

There are two rules of thumb that apply here:

• The smaller the set of higher powers involved the larger the Incarnation Packages (in points) should be for that set
• The larger the Incarnation Package (in points), the longer it should take for an Incarnate to switch Incarnations

Example: For a pantheon of only four deities that supports Incarnism, Bob the GM decides that it is appropriate to define four 100 point Incarnation Packages, and to require the process of switching Incarnations to take several days or even as long as a week or more to accomplish as it represents a major change for the character.

Example: For a religion based on the worship of over two dozen aspects of a single central deity, Peter the GM decides that it is appropriate for each Incarnation Package to only be 25 points, but for it to be possible to switch Incarnation Packages in an Hour with a successful Lore Skill roll, or in combat time as a Full Phase action with a Lore Skill roll at -3.

Generally it is best if the GM is responsible for designing all of the Incarnation Packages themselves. It is intended for the Incarnation Packages to be locked and consistent across characters; thus Incarnates serving the same higher power all use the same Incarnation Package with no variation.

Complications

Each Incarnation Package can and often should include a Psychological Complication or equivalent that defines the nature of the higher power the Incarnation is associated with.

For instance, the Incarnation Package of a god of rage might include an Enraged Complication.

Any such Disadvantages generally don't benefit the Incarnate (they don't get any points back for them), and thus the GM should be careful to not get carried away with them.

Alternately, the GM could opt to have the points from such Complications modify the actual cost of the Packages, allowing a heavily complicated Incarnation Package to have more abilities than non-complicated Packages (i.e. use the net cost rather than the total cost of abilities; this is a variation from the normal HERO System accounting of Packages).

For instance if the Incarnation of the God of Rage Package had 60 real cost worth of abilities and a 10 point Enraged the GM might consider that to equate to 50 points.

The Rest Of The Character

Independent of their Incarnate abilities, a character must also have their Race Package and any Cultural or Profession Packages or miscellaneous abilities and characteristic upgrades that they can afford.

All of these other abilities must be taken on every form in the Incarnate's Multiform.

Thus if an Incarnate is an Elf with fighter skills then they are an Elf with fighter skills regardless of which higher power they are currently serving.

The nature of a given Incarnation may or may not be synergistic with an Incarnates other abilities.

Thus our Elf fighter Incarnate might benefit greatly when they are an Incarnation of a god of war, and not as much when they are an Incarnation of a god of peace that imposes a code against killing as the nature of the Incarnation does not mesh well with the nature of the character.

Character Development

As an Incarnate gains experience they must spend the necessary points on their Multiform to keep all of the forms' abilities in sync. Thus if an Incarnate buys +1 OCV and +1 STR on one form outside of their Incarnate abilities, then all of the forms have to take +1 OCV and +1 STR and the cost of the Multiform must be modified accordingly.

If an Incarnate becomes able to serve additional higher powers their Multiform must be modified accordingly to allow enough forms.

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Known Practitioners

• Incarnates of Luuz: Incarnates of Luuz call upon the various aspects of the god Luuz so that they may better further the work of this enigmatic entity. A list of incarnations can be found on Luuz’s page.

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Example Character

Am Example Incarnate, Rhea Okima, can be found here.

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Options and Variants

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Evolving Forms

Optionally, a GM may decide to enforce a set list of forms on players at the start of the campaign but, as the campaign progresses, the GM may then allow the player to develop and "personalize" their alternate forms by spending XP. Any personalisation should be thematically appropriate to the higher power for whom the player is a vessel and should be approved by the GM.

Such an approach may help model vessels gaining a greater understanding of the powers they serve through personal insight and help differentiate between Incarnates that serve the same set of higher powers.

Magic Systems