Stepping Out of the Matrix

Question: In general I really like this rewrite you've got going here, but I have a couple of problems with the Samsara PSP. Namely, with the first two dots. They seem to be way more powerful, especially the second dot, which seems to make some 3-4 2nd tier knacks less useful, or at least gives benefits commensurate with 3-4 Knacks.

The first couple of dots of Samsara are more powerful than knacks - and that's exactly the way it should be. Knacks are great, and super-useful, but they're kind of on the low end of the power scale in Scion; they can compete with low-level APP boons, but high-level boons should always be more powerful. There are exceptions for the truly high-level knacks (Multi-Tasking or Last Act, for example), but in most cases they're not meant to be competing with APP boons after the first few levels. PSP boons need to be more powerful yet than APP ones, because they're unique superpowers for only that pantheon (and, in many band setups, only that PC), so if you see that knack < APP boon < PSP boon is the general succession of power, that probably means things are working as intended. However, Samsara doesn't step on most of those knacks' toes as far as function goes. Karma specifically grants dots in abilities that Jack of All Trades and Know-It-All don't; they're the abilities that it isn't possible to pick up on the spur of the moment or through study, but that are rather inborn in a character's self, like Integrity or Fortitude. Furthermore, Karma allows Hindu Scions to gain those dots even if they already have some dots in that ability, something the knacks definitely can't do. Kriya certainly makes buying Star Pupil a bit silly, but the idea here is that Deva Scions, thanks to their understanding that the world itself is merely a smokescreen and therefore their physical capabilities are not limited by anything but their minds, are able to bypass the long, difficult learning process most others have to make to do things and simply do them nearly effortlessly. Furthermore, it only affects those physical abilities, so while Star Pupil may be redundant for them, Fast Learner, Eyes in the Back of Your Head, Natural Juggernaut and Natural Leader are still plenty useful.

Every pantheon's PSP is different, and every one means that the general setup needs to be tweaked just a little bit - Aztec Scions eventually won't really have any use for Legendary Surge, for example, but that doesn't mean either it or Communal Divinity are unnecessary or ruining the other's usefulness by existing. While we always strive to keep powers as distinct as possible and to avoid duplicating any unnecessarily, there's bound to be overlap here and there despite our best efforts. In the case of Samsara, that overlap doesn't hurt the function of any but a single knack for a few select PCs, and actually works together with the others to make them even more effective for those on the road to eventual enlightenment.