Pathway Presence Copy link
Starting Presence in My HeroesCopy link
The starting build applies these marks from the two inheritance gifts and three chosen Pathway Shades, respecting the Adept starting limit and overflow choices. These marks do not issue extra Ember tokens beyond the two inheritance Embers.
[Token Add: 0]
The Pathways a Hero follows do more than determine what they have learned. They also shape the Presence they bring into the world.
During Character Creation, each of your three starting Pathways grants one Presence mark. The Presence gained is determined by the Pathway and the Shade chosen for it.
Pathway Presence represents the natural qualities strengthened through a Hero's experiences. A Hero trained to approach Prowess through Control develops differently from one who approaches Prowess through Impulse, even though both may be accomplished combatants.
STARTING PRESENCE LIMIT Copy link
No Presence may be increased beyond Adept during Character Creation. If a Parent, Pathway, or other starting selection would increase an Adept Presence, place that Presence mark in another Presence below Adept instead.
PATHWAY PRESENCE SELECTION Copy link
Pathway | CONTROL | VERSATILITY | IMPULSE |
|---|---|---|---|
Prowess | Might | Tenacity | Agility |
Influence | Resolve | Tenacity | Intuition |
Skill | Might | Tenacity | Agility |
Lore | Resolve | Tenacity | Intuition |
Threads | Resolve | Tenacity | Intuition |
Divinity | Resolve | Tenacity | Intuition |
Devotion | Might | Tenacity | Agility |
MARKING PRESENCE Copy link
For each of your three starting Pathways, find the Pathway and its selected Shade on the table. Mark the indicated Presence on your Hero Sheet.
Each mark increases that Presence by one Training Level:
Untrained → Trained → Adept
Pathway Presence cannot increase a Presence beyond Adept during Character Creation.
If the indicated Presence is already Adept, the mark may instead be placed in the other Presence associated with that Shade. If no associated Presence can receive the mark, place it in any Presence that has not yet reached Adept.
SHADE & PRESENCE Copy link
The Three Shades correspond naturally to the five forms of Presence:
Shade | Presence | Expression |
|---|---|---|
CONTROL | Might • Resolve | Strength directed through discipline, conviction, and deliberate action. |
VERSATILITY | Tenacity | Adaptability, persistence, resilience, and the ability to endure change. |
IMPULSE | Agility • Intuition | Speed, instinct, perception, reaction, and decisive action. |
Presence is not another Pathway. It represents the fundamental capability of the Hero beneath their learned skills and may be called upon whenever an action depends upon raw strength, instinct, endurance, perception, or resolve.
A Pathway represents what a Hero has learned. Their Shade reveals how they learned to do it. Their Presence shows what that experience has made stronger.