Looking to pick brains on Sakuachi and also Deviant Abilities

[Optic_TH]

So, I'm grearing up to run Gatewalkers (don't try talking me outta it!) and I've considered some alternatives to how Sakuachi is presented in the adventure.

1) I was thinking of making Sakuachi a kid. The biggest reason being she loses main character energy and becomes "innocent kid we need to protect from bad stuff!"
1a) Her presences helps the PC Gatewalkers and they all experience the visions together, they are just as much 'chosen ones' as she is (of course any replacement PCs will grow into the same role too)
1b) She is very much the same as in the book, PCs help her, she becomes Snowy Owl (all grown up) but she's still a kid inside there (like Captain Marvel/Shazam)

2) Sakuachi acts as a temporary vessel that allows Ruun's visions to pass to the PCs (do away with taking any NPCs with them). Snowy Owl would manifest in a similar manner just without being a fusion of Ruun and Sakuachi.
2a) Snowy Owl would be a ghostly apparition to the PCs and entirely invisible to anyone else unless manifested by the PCs. Perhaps by all the PCs going Captain Planet and activating their Deviant Abilities to summon her power.

I feel like the first idea idea, my take on something a bunch of people suggest, has more narrative impact and increases the stakes (everyone wants to protect a kid, especially one that has a burden thrust on them like that).

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Another think I thought I'd pick some brains about - Deviant Abilities.
They kinda suck, considering the Backlash stuff and generally not being all that impressive even disregarding it. I'm definitely going to buff them up and make them powerful options for the PCs. The choice of giving up the powers is such a no-brainer with how bad they are, in most actual plays I've listened to the PCs rarely use them outside of flavour/RP stuff, and when they do they don't have much impact.

Has anyone tweaked/buffed them, or have suggestions on changes they think would be cool?

[DarkSpiral]

I've done exactly that, made her a child. I also got rid of the other NPCs that were with her. I have enough to do already! :D

So far it seems to be going fine. Last session, during the "bubbles" events out on the Lake of Mists and Veils, one of them realized she was connected to the manifestation they were fighting and tried knocking her out to get rid of it, but other than that my players have been OK with the little girl tagging along.

As for the Deviant abilities, aside from adding new categories from some third party supplements, I haven't tweaked the feats. I don't call for Backlash unless the player uses a feat 6th level or higher, and my players use their Deviant powers frequently.

[Curaigh]

I turned the deviant abilities into free archetype and added a couple of feats to make the backlash easier. Training your power makes it easier. Once per day refocus to reset (1) the DC flat check to zero or (2) the degree by one step (moderate to mild for example). I do not remember which my players chose because they were unwilling to use the abilities enough to suffer backlash when they always had better options from their class. I I have not tested this option, but I want to play with action economy. Making the abilities free actions, reactions, or have a longer duration should make them more palatable to action greedy players. :)

Sakuachi as a child works I suppose. I played her more as a seer, directing the party to their next goal and letting the PCs become 'blessed with Ruumas presence.

[Optic_TH]

Hey, thanks guys for the suggestions and feedback - very much appreciated and very helpful to have a different perspective. I like both options for making Deviant Abilities more impactful. I think I'll consult the table on which way they prefer for the backlash options.