Half-breeds

Birth

Depending on who sired and birthed them, half-breeds can have a relatively normal childhood with their human parent or grow up in a confusing household with not-so-human adults. As they cannot survive in Heaven or Hell, Earth is the only realm where half-breeds can be raised. Most are left orphaned for humans to find and adopt, often resulting in several problems and unanswered questions, from confusing non-human DNA to traumatizing heritage discoveries.

Once a half-breed reaches their teenage years, their origins begin to show. Whatever powers they have inherited can activate in the most unfortunate ways: inadvertently potent influence, harmless suggestions turned into forced action, even spontaneous combustions among close relatives. They would find soot or feathers around and on their possessions, invisible to all but the half-breed themselves. They could feel extreme comfort or overpowering distress in religious buildings and locations, unable to explain their intuitive reaction with logic or common sense.

In a best-case scenario, half-angels might find positions where they'd be able to provide support and help to those in need, and half-demons could strive to build their own personal empires of adoration and worship. Unfortunately, more often than not, half-breeds find themselves in juvenile prison for murder or other crimes and end up using drugs or hallucinogens to escape their horrific, twisted reality. However, their life has one silver lining: half-breeds are naturally infertile and can't pass their figurative curse forward.

Should a half-breed make it into adulthood, they'd be stuck between two worlds: mortal but not human, powerless yet influential, unwanted and shunned by both. An impossible situation to turn into a win… Or a unique chance to prove everyone around them wrong?

Appearance

When the blood-red rays of twilight or the blue flash of lightning illuminate a mirror, a half-breed may see a glimpse of their true face, revealing their non-human heritage. Those with demonic blood will notice their eyes burning with fire, their insides glowing through their scorched skin, and even wings or horns sprouting from their body. Those blessed with divinity can have their features tinted with blue ice, their veins illuminated with holy light, and a pair of wings sprouting from their back. Half-breeds will also have their pupils reflect light unnaturally with the color depending on their heritage: deep red for half-demons or bright blue for half-angels.

While half-breeds do not technically have a true or half form to reveal at will, they may learn to show off their heritage in other ways. Half-demons can reveal their skin tone, fiery eyes, and other demonic features; half-angels can display their ethereal, pale complexion and a shadow cast by their wings. Should they come in touch with one of their weaknesses, their faces would reflexively show the half-breed's true nature to everyone in their immediate presence: the burnt, scarred skin of half-demons; and the divine, unblemished skin of half-angels.

Variations

Half-angels
Also called Anakim (singular "Anak"), half-angels can be conceived by a vessel possessed by an angel or a higher-ranking angel's human form, both resulting in a half-breed child. Absent fathers are more common than nurturing mothers, adding to an Anak's already notable distaste towards their biological parents. Because of Heaven's strict rules forbidding angels from copulating with humans, the angel parent is always a fallen one, either before or as an immediate aftermath of the half-breed child's conception. If the mother is a human, their death upon childbirth is almost guaranteed.

Half-demons
Also known as Cambions, half-demons can only be fathered through a human vessel, as the act of receiving a demon's unfiltered seed would certainly kill a mortal mother. Because the possessing demon won't need to be present at childbirth, mothers have been known to give birth to children they do not remember conceiving, leading to maternal trauma of its own. Like half-angel offspring, half-demons often kill their mother as they are born.

Powers

Depending on the powers of the half-breed's immortal parent, they may inherit up to three supernatural powers through their heritage or, in unfortunate cases, none at all. The potency of these abilities can vary dramatically but never go beyond the capabilities of one's parent, watered down by human DNA. Even so, some consider half-breeds to be a considerable threat to humanity, mostly thanks to a half-breed's ability to blend among mortals and their lack of similar weaknesses than those of their pureblood kin.

Virtuous/sinful influence
Like Archangels and Sins, a half-breed may affect those around them by adding to their vices or virtues, although not nearly to the same level. Uncontrolled in most cases, an Anak could inspire their immediate vicinity to uphold higher morals, while a Cambion's presence could spark a scene of manifesting desires. Because of the power's unconscious nature, a half-breed's influence can lead to newsworthy tragedies, heroic deeds, or absolute chaos.

Sanctification/defilement
Related directly to the previous power, a half-breed may either sanctify or defile items and small, enclosed spaces. Coming into contact with a sanctified or defiled object or area would inflict the half-breed's influence upon the unlucky individual, or even a group of mortals over a period of time. Unlike their less controlled influential aura, sanctifying and defiling requires intent behind it to work.

Bio-/telekinesis
While half-demons simply inherit their immortal parent's telekinesis, the offspring of fallen angels can inherit a more sinister skill called "biokinesis;" an ability that lets them manipulate biological matter. Anakim can set their opponent's skin on fire, make their blood boil, or simply decide they have no further need for lungs. A truly perverted power from their divine side, biokinesis is one of the reasons half-breeds spark so much fear.

Holy fire/hellfire manipulation
Some half-breeds can manipulate fire related to their immortal parent's home realm, creating a spark from nothing and feeding the fire with nothing but their will. Because of its supernatural properties, neither type can be contained with normal means but instead the half-breed controlling the fire has to be subdued. Blue (holy) or purple (hellfire) in color, this type of fire burns hotter than regular flames and can turn burnt material straight into ash.

Clairvoyance
A handful of half-breeds possess a unique gift of sensing supernaturals around them—even invisible angels—and see into the recent past, usually through objects. These visions are related to the touched item and the world around it, sometimes to the last person holding it. This power can be honed to allow targeting of specific timelines or an increased radius, but never both.

Voice mimicry
While more common among Cambions, any half-breed can inherit a power that allows them to mimic the sounds of both animals and humans. The ability is usually utilized through the half-breed's vocal cords, although some have learned to project the sound outside of their bodies, allowing them to distract and lure out targets further away.

Innate abilities

Innate abilities are enhancements all half-breeds have regardless of their heritage or luck in inheriting their parents' powers. While not particularly notable compared to their pureblooded kin, half-breeds are still a far cry from regular humans.

Longevity
If a half-breed survives their tumultuous youth, their expected lifespan is above average, well beyond a single century. The effect gradually slows down their aging, allowing half-breeds to look youthful for longer and worry about grey hairs much later. Living in a mortal world may require them to look for unofficial IDs to hide their real age and birthday—or figure out a way to explain why a 70-year-old looks like they haven't even turned 40.

Heightened senses
Half-breeds have more sensitive hearing than humans, almost comparable to dogs. Most can see additional colors or in increased detail, smell more scents and differentiate smaller nuances than the average mortal, even taste with a more refined palette than the best chefs. These heightened senses usually come with drawbacks, are linked to sensory hypersensitivity, and may have a negative effect on life quality depending on the half-breed's life and personality.

Enhanced physiology
Harder, better, faster, stronger—well, at least the latter two apply to half-breeds. Anakim are often gifted with additional running speed, while Cambions do better in sports and situations that require strength. Just like senses, enhanced physical traits are not split evenly and have their own negative effects, from causing accidental injuries to underestimating a leap's landing. Fortunately, enhanced physiology comes with thicker skin, providing additional protection against bruises and small cuts.

Enhanced recovery
If a half-breed ends up cutting or bruising themselves, their enhanced recovery kicks in, healing any injury in double speed and with minimal scarring. This makes getting tattoos a hassle but ensures at least some half-breeds make it well into their adulthood. It also provides additional resistance towards mild diseases, like colds and flus, falling short as antibiotics are required to step in.

Metamorphing
As a half-breed ages, they may learn to master and control their appearance to more or less human-like. They can display their angelic and demonic features at will, intimidating or enticing those in their company. They may even choose to keep their unnatural eye color at all times, or control which parts of their body change appearance, making for some cool cosplay or a neat party trick.

Weaknesses

Mortality
Despite their enhanced condition, half-breeds are still mortal and thus not immune to sickness and old age. They will be slowed down by fatigue, need nourishment and water to live, and can't survive in conditions a regular human couldn't. They need regular sleep to function, social ties to stay sane, and the occasional dopamine to enjoy life—just like any mortal.

Other supernaturals
Half-breeds are underdogs when compared against most immortals, leaving only the weakest ranks able to be defeated by their half-human kin. With their mixed attitudes regarding half-breeds, angels are known for actively hunting down Anakim, while demons enjoy inflicting suffering on anything and anyone they come across. Only the direct offspring of Deadly Sins or other powerful individuals can feel safe in their daily life, and even then a single bad encounter may lead to a swift end.

Mental health
Often traumatized by their surprising supernatural heritage, half-breeds have a tendency for various mental challenges throughout their life. Some end up spending time in jail for accidental murders or being locked in an institute after discussing their non-human experiences, adding to the distress of an already troubled youngster. Substance abuse is common, as is a collection of unhelpful diagnoses that result in harmful and unhelpful drug use.

Nephilim

Nephilim or Nephalem (singular "Nephil") are the offspring of angels and demons, making them practically unheard of. With such a combustible heritage, it takes immensely powerful individuals of both species to first sire a child and then survive its birth. What's more, neither parent can overpower the other without risking loss of the fetus. A Deadly Sin would require an Archangel to balance their genes; an archdemon would require a Seraph; an overlord would require a Cherub. Lower ranks cannot create Nephilim without some sort of outside assistance, like temporary power-ups. Like other half-breeds, a Nephil can't quite reach their parents' power but rather the equilevant of a lesser rank.

As with other half-breeds, Nephilim may not initially realize their true nature before their powers erupt unintentionally. This usually happens when the Nephil is conceived without consent from both parties but can also result from a combination of deadly childbirth and absent sire. In case of Nephilim, their hidden features will be a mix of both worlds: mismatched eyes, veins illuminated by light as their insides burn under their skin, heterogenous wings, etc.

When creating a Nephil, consider:
Their mental wellbeing, age, parents, and unique powers.

Powers

Emotion empowerment
Unstable by default, Nephilim are powered up by their emotions—more raw the emotion, the greater the power-up. Negative emotions are an exceptionally powerful source, often leading into explosive destruction, intended or not. Desperation, anguish, rage, and hate cause the most potent effects, multiplying the Nephil's capability twofold. However, control over their abilities diminishes in the same ratio, leading into truly unpredictable results.

Psionics
What makes Nephilim so dangerous is their capability for some truly horrifying acts through mind control. Unethical even as a concept, a Nephil's abilities can include anything from telekinesis, telepathy, illusion, and clairvoyance to hallucination inducement, phobia creation, perceptive amnesia, siren song, or even psychic torture. Although no Nephil can do everything, mastery over any type of psychological manipulation is reason enough to fear them.

Soul absorption
Another one of Nephil's most terrifying powers is the ability to absorb spirits and souls, preventing them from ever moving on to their afterlife. Consuming a soul heals the Nephil, delaying their eventual death caused by the opposite forces slowly ripping the them apart. The soul's memories and moral are lost in the process, providing an increase in received energy. While unable to consume the spirits of more powerful beings, absorption is not limited to mortals.

Precognition
Most powerful Nephilim are able to see glimpses of the future, either related to objects or individual persons, but never in a directly understandable way. These visions and other sensations are random and might be of no use at all, or they might offer the Nephil an edge against their opponent in a stroke of luck. While the Nephil may have some control over their future-telling ability, they can never pick and choose what the power shows them, rather than what or who it's related to.

Element manipulation
A Nephil can control one of four elements: fire, water, earth, or air. While they can't create the element out of nothing, they can grow a tiny spark into a fullblown inferno or a droplet into a tsunami. Utilizing the ability to this extent requires remarkable empowerment but even in a smaller scale, a Nephil can entomb their opponent into a premature grave or take the air out of someone's lungs. The skill uses matter around it—i.e., oxygen for fire or air humidity for water—and as such has a time limit in addition to any toll it takes out of the Nephil.

Innate abilities

Enhanced condition
Nephilim surpass other mortals in all imaginable ways: they are stronger, faster, invulnerable to a degree, and have heightened senses compared to regular humans. Being the one aspect a Nephil can match or even surpass their parents, it takes more than brawn to defeat one. While some may use their increased strength to murder with bare hands, others utilize their speed and extended breath-holding capability to save people from burning buildings. Depending on the Nephil's moral, they can be both the hero or the villain of their own story.

Receptive omnilinguanism
Nephilim intuitively understand all spoken and written languages, sign, and body language. While this doesn't include the ability to automatically reciprocate what's being heard or seen, Nephilim have a natural talent for learning all kinds of languages, including musical and mathematical ones. They can even understand both Enochian and Profanish, nullifying any effect they might have on the hearer.

Regeneration
It takes more than a severe injury or a single shot to down a Nephil, especially in any kind of empowered state. Able to heal grievous wounds and other brutal injuries if given the time, Nephilim can undo most damage caused to them. This doesn't make them invincible, however—severed limbs cannot be grown back, nor any brain damage healed. Still, regeneration allows them to drink alcohol to usually fatal amounts without being severely hindered by it.

Flight
Blessed with wings, all Nephilim can take flight. Learning the ability itself is another story, unless it is taught by either parent. While Nephilim cannot turn invisible, they may still fly unnoticed in a shadow-like form, or wipe the memories of any witnesses. Unable to cross extended distances, flight is merely a way to get out of trouble or vanish from a crime scene.

Weaknesses

Mortality
Despite a Nephil's immense powers, they are still classified as mortals. Continuously battling a delicate balance between their parents' heritage takes a toll on all Nephilim, shortening their natural lifespan to a few decades. Absorbing souls allows a Nephil to extend their biological clock by weeks or a few months at a time, forcing them to choose between countless murders or their own death. Received healing can help to a degree but not completely nullify the need for absorption, carrying the additional risk of harming the Nephil's demonic side in the process.

Heaven's enmity
Nephilim are considered unholy to the degree of them being directly affected by Heaven's wrath. While the effect has greatly diminished in God's absence, it still limits a Nephil's potential. Some Nephilim feel the weakening effect as unexplainable fatigue; others feel the divine ire as physical symptoms like migraines in their daily life. Holy items and places may add to the discomfort or have no effect at all—as unique as Nephilim are, so are their reactions to the surrounding world.

Curses
Potent curses can incapacitate any Nephil, imprison them, or momentarily strip away their powers. Due to their mixed heritage, they may eventually break out of the curse's hold or become one with it, forever carrying the curse with them, unable to break it, yet too powerful to succumb to it. Legends tell of a Nephil once cursed with eternal life, free from a life of a serial killer but torn apart from the inside, their mind broken yet somehow functioning despite the centuries of pain and suffering. But such stories are just a myth… Right?

Gold
As with both of a Nephil's parents, their offspring can be contained with metal. All but pacified with bonds made of pure gold, Nephilim can be stripped of their supernatural qualities. Golden weapons can be used to severely injure them and slow down their regeneration; golden jewelry can prevent them from using most of their powers. While Nephilim do not react negatively to touching gold, they will notice its nullifying effects upon contact.

Archangels, Deadly Sins, and primordials
While some Nephilim can reach frightening potential with their powers, they will never match those of Archangels and Deadly Sins. Damage caused by either side could bring a Nephil's volatility to catastrophic levels, taking down both parties and then some. It is advised for any Nephilim to steer clear of the universe's big guns, especially those who wouldn't even notice the Nephil's destruction.