Everything

A godlike entity has claimed you as its own, and has stamped your features with evidence of that claim. You might have the bushy red hair and sly eyes of Reynard the Fox, the hearty temper and brawny build of Thor, the compassionate fury of the Christ in your eyes, or Legba’s lame leg and penchant for corncob pipes and tobacco. Folks who understand the lore of your associated god-form recognize this Mark of Favor, and even those who don’t know who you’re marked by realize that there’s something special about you.

An excellent companion to the Background: Legend, and already an element of the Background: Totem (see Totem Mark in Mage 20, p. 327), this Trait provides a recognizable connection to a renowned god-form. Whether or not this actually is a sign of divine favor, of course, depends upon your Storyteller’s preferred theological metaphysics. As far as your character is concerned, it totally is. Note that such favor isn’t always a happy thing; mythology is full of people who shared dysfunctional relationships with divine parents and patrons!

When dealing with people who recognize the Mark and respect the deity that bestowed it, you subtract -2 from the dif­ ficulty of related social rolls. Opponents of your divine patron consider you an enemy, and although intimidation-style rolls still receive the -2 reduction in difficulty, rolls that attempt to get on the good side of such people add +2 to the difficulty instead.

A Mark of Favor may, at the Storyteller’s discretion, bestow other miraculous talents, too. Strange things happen, and those things remain beyond the Marked character’s control. Someone chosen by the Virgin Mary could possess a minor healing touch,

while the chosen of Thor has a literally shocking touch when he gets mad. Again, these powers exist completely at the Storyteller’s whim, and suit the flavor of the story, not the desires of the player. Essentially, they’re miracles granted by your god, both given and taken in mysterious ways.