Epic Blessings

When an elohim is promoted in Tier to Second Heaven, you may choose an Epic Blessing for them. You may choose a second Epic Blessing when they are promoted to Third Heaven, and then one final Epic Blessing when they are promoted to Archangel. This choice gives you, the Player, an opportunity to further express your elohim’s uniqueness as compared to other characters. While elohim serve the the Most High selflessly, they are still individuals and the Most High loves them each uniquely. Elohim do not feel a need for individual expression in the way that 21st century western culture understands. For elohim, being some quality comes first and that naturally leads to the expression of being that quality, without making special effort to do so. The expression is a consequence of being, rather than a means of being. 

Epic Blessings are either Accelerated Growth, a Covenant Item, or a Horse (or Horse and Chariot). There are also Epic Blessings that are only available when becoming an Archangel. Those options are Improved Balance, Ability Boost, and, if your elohim has chosen a Horse and then a Chariot, at Two-Horse Chariot. 

Accelerated Growth 

Accelerated Growth further enhances the choice of Primary and Secondary Basic Attribute made when creating your elohim character. If you choose Accelerated Growth, your elohim will gain a one time increase of 42 points to their Primary Attribute and 28 points to their Secondary Attribute. In addition, the elohim will gain one more use of each Attribute's Perk.

Accelerated Growth can be chosen no more than twice. 

Balancing Increase 

Balancing Increase helps to strengthen your elohim’s weaker areas by providing a one time increase of 28 points to their lowest two Basic Attributes and 14 points to their middle two Basic Attributes.

Balancing Increase can only be chosen as an Archangel Epic Blessing. 

Inspired 

Inspired gives your elohim 12 additional Inspiration Tokens at the start of each Day. It also increases your maximum Tokens to 24. 

Inspired can only be chosen as an Archangel Epic Blessing. 

Covenant Item 

A Covenant Item is a powerful object that the Most High blesses an elohim with, along with the agreement to use that item in service to Him. Covenant Items are created in a tangible form rather than being symbolically manifested. A Covenant Item could be a weapon, armor, shield, piece of jewelry, instrument, or almost anything else. 

Covenant Items are the most complicated Epic Blessings, but also allow for the most unique results. When choosing a Covenant Item, you must tell a Host (other than yourself) that you would like to make a Covenant Item. That Host will then begin to think of rough ideas and share them with you for your feedback. If you like the idea, the Host will develop it further. If you don’t like the idea, the Host will scrap it and try another idea. Once you and the Host can agree on the details, you will have a Covenant Item. 

The reason for involving a Host is to provide game balance and reflect that fact that this item is created for your elohim, not crafted by them. You will never be forced to accept a Covenant Item you do not like. If you tire of the process before you agree upon a Covenant Item, you can choose to take a different Epic Blessing instead. 

While there is great flexibility in designing a Covenant Item, there are guidelines to help prevent the Covenant Item from being either too weak or too strong. These are only guidelines and are not rigid rules if the Host and Player agree that the Covenant Item makes sense and is balanced. 

Covenant Items should have approximately 12 total Bonus Points worth of benefits similar to a General Item or Limited Use Item, only much more powerful. All the listed examples of qualities are positive, but it is possible (yet rare) that a Covenant Item could have negative qualities that would subtract BP from the total rather than add to it, making room for other benefits. The modifiers can help you get ideas, but the more creative the Covenant Item, the more enjoyable it often is for everyone. Look for creative ways for the Covenant Item to be uniquely advantageous for its owner, but doesn’t make the elohim nigh invulnerable. Overpowered Items sound fun on the surface, but these Items are permanent and an overpowered one will most often greatly reduce the fun for everyone. It is happier for a player if their Covenant Items gets slightly improved than having its power reduced.

It should be noted that a Covenant Item is intended to be slightly more beneficial than other Epic Blessings. This is because the elohim can temporarily lose possession of the Covenant Item. This inherent risk also comes with greater reward. No one can use a Covenant Item except the elohim for whom it was created. Still, if the elohim and their group are Defeated, the victorious fallen elohim will likely take the Covenant Item to prevent the elohim from using it. This could lead to new missions trying to recover it, or it could eventually be recovered by other elohim (or NPC’s). While a fallen elohim may choose to keep the Covenant Item as a trophy, it is more likely that the fallen elohim will deposit the Item at a nearby Foothold or Stronghold for safer keeping and to prevent needlessly making themself more of a Target for holy elohim. 

You may choose a Covenant Item no more than twice. You may alternatively choose to upgrade your current Covenant Item to a Greater Covenant Item, in lieu of a second Covenant Item.

Sample Covenant Items 

The following are examples of how Covenant Items could be constructed.

Horned Staff of Rallying Rams

• 3 SPP to invest into Battle Cry versions (6 BP)
• 3 SPP to invest into Ram Call versions (6 BP)

Potent Answer
Weapon that can alternate between a Sword wielded in 1 Hand and a 2-Handed Axe. 

• 1 Action Point to transition between Modes
• +21 Might (3 BP)
• +2 Precision (3 BP)
• +1 Mastery Level to Lunge Maneuver (2 BP) 
• Sword Mode
  • +1 Mastery Level to Counter Strike Maneuver (2 BP) 
• Axe Mode
  • +1 Mastery Level to Grand Parry Maneuver (2 BP)

Solid Response (pairs with Potent Answer)
Shield that can be combined with Potent Answer to enhance its 2-Handed Axe mode. 

• 0 Action Points to add to Axe 
• Shield Mode
  • +4 Guard (6 BP)
    • (-2 BP due to limited window of benefit)
  • +1 Mastery Level to Deflect Ranged Maneuver (2 BP)
    
• Axe Mode
  • +4 Force (6 BP)
    • (-2 BP due to limited window of benefit)
  • +1 Mastery Level to Swing Through Maneuver (2 BP)

Horse

You may choose to give your elohim the ability to manifest a Horse they can ride. This Horse is purely a symbolic manifestation and not a living being that can exist separate from the elohim. It takes 1 Action Point to manifest or dissipate the Horse. 

• 1 AP to manifest or dissipate Horse

• x1.5 Move distance

• +1 Magnitude

• +1 Guard

• no Move distance penalty for Defensive Stance

• +3 to Perceive for Incidental Perception

• -3 vs. Perceive for Incidental Perception

Riding a Horse gives the elohim several benefits. The elohim can move farther, covering 1.5 times the normal distance when Moving. The elohim's Magnitude and Guard are increased by 1 and the character can be in Defensive Stance without reducing Movement distance. The elohim gains +3 to Perceive for Incidental Perception and also has -3 vs. Perceive for Incidental Perception.

Effects that cause a character to Move or act "as if" in Defensive Stance do halve the distance covered when Moving with a Horse, bringing it down to 0.75" for each 1 AP or 1" that would be Moved.

Chariot 

• 1 AP to manifest or dissipate Chariot

• x1.5 Move distance

• +2 Magnitude

• +5 Guard

• 1 Defensive Adjustment for Strikes and Resist Checks 

• no Move distance penalty for Defensive Stance

• +3 to Perceive for Incidental Perception

• -3 vs. Perceive for Incidental Perception

• 1 passenger who gains +1 Guard

A Chariot is a cart that is pulled behind a Horse that protects the elohim from the Strikes of others. A Chariot still gives the x1.5 Movement distance multiplier that a Horse provided. It also increases Guard by 5 (up from 1 with Horse) and gives 1 Defensive Adjustment vs. Strikes and for Resist Checks. If the character assumes Defensive Stance or Full Defensive Stance with a Chariot, they do not gain additional Guard or another Defensive Adjustment or reduced Movement distance, but they do gain any other effects of further benefits that would normally be provided. The Chariot increases Magnitude by 3 (up from 1 with Horse). A character with a Chariot still gains +3 to Perceive and -3 vs. Perceive for Incidental Perception.

An elohim with a Chariot can carry one passenger of equal or lower Tier, regardless of their relative Might and Endurance. The passenger benefits from +1 Guard.

Effects that cause a character to Move or act "as if" in Defensive Stance do halve the distance covered when Moving with a Chariot, bringing it down to 0.75" for each 1 AP or 1" that would be Moved.

A Chariot may only be chosen as an Epic Blessing if the elohim has previously chosen a Horse.

Two-Horse Chariot 

• 1 AP to manifest or dissipate Two-Horse Chariot

• x2 Move distance

• +3 Magnitude

• +7 Guard

• 1 Defensive Adjustment for Strikes and Resist Checks 

• no Move distance penalty for Defensive Stance

• +3 to Perceive for Incidental Perception

• -3 vs. Perceive for Incidental Perception

• up to 2 passengers who each gains +1 Guard

The Two-Horse Chariot increases the bonus to distance when Moving to x2 the normal distance covered. The Chariot now increases Guard by 7 (up from 5 with Chariot) and still provides the Defensive Adjustment vs. Strikes and for Resist Checks. The Two-Horse Chariot increases Magnitude by 3 (up from 2 with Chariot). A character with a Two-Horse Chariot still gains +3 to Perceive and -3 vs. Perceive for Incidental Perception.

An elohim with a Two-Horse Chariot can carry two passengers of equal or lower Tier, regardless of their relative Might and Endurance. The passengers each benefits from +1 Guard.

Effects that cause a character to Move or act "as if" in Defensive Stance do halve the distance covered when Moving with a Two-Horse Chariot, bringing it back down to 1" for each 1 AP or 1" that would be Moved.

If your elohim has previously chosen a Horse and then a Chariot, then they may choose a Two-Horse Chariot as their Archangel Epic Blessing.