This topic may end up being one of Telgar's Shop Talks one day, but I think looking at Birthrights from the point of view of the Players. In our games, we use some some houserules for dealing with Birthrights. Firstly, we use FrivYeti's Birthright Rules for Creatures and Followers (not Guides or Relics), located here. Relics can go up to 10 Dots. Lastly, both God Birthrights, Avatars, Wards and Sanctums, have their own houserules that Telgar wrote himself. Although we do not have any official rules regarding Wards, I will explain them below.
Relics
Relics are one of the most defining Birthrights available to Scions at all levels. Mostly because across all cultures we can see objects that are clearly Relics in their myths. I feel like a Scion should probably have one big Relic that ends up bound with their Legend. In the Atlanta Band, I would say that all of the characters have one, except maybe Eoin who has only recently gotten his most powerful Relic.
When you sit down to make a Relic, the first thing I would say is to keep in mind it may take a while. I think it took me three months to work Eoin's tongue out in it's entirety. Generally, if you can think of some, the best thing to load onto a Relic is Unique Powers or Augmentations (Relic powers that change how a Boon or Knack works). Other than those, I like dice adders or legend reducers myself. I think Relics that copy the effects of Knacks or Boons are both a bit stupid myself (although, I am guilty of doing this).
Lastly, Star Dot Relics are a thing in Atlanta, and we, as the players, can get them. But, not yet. We need to be at least Legend 12, in order to keep them balanced with other Star Dot powers. Additionally, to move a Relic from 10 Dots up to the Star Dot, we would need to undergo some sort of solo side-story to convince a Forge God to use The Maker on the Relic.
Creatures
Creatures are interesting. Depending on how your ST runs things, either you, or your ST will control your Creature. Some people really don't like talking to themselves, so if your ST is going to have you control your own Creature, it may be a problem for you. But, if not, take a Creature. Creatures are awesome.
Now, picking a Creature can be a bit difficult. If your Character's Divine Parent is an Animal God, some sort of empowered version of their chosen Creature works well. But other things can work too, such as the same type of animal the Scion has Animal Boons for.
Legendary creatures are also a good choice, such as Dragons, Black Dogs, Spawn of the Grey Wolf, or Thunderbirds. They really do help emphasize the fact that your Character is the child of a God, and can be fitted with a large selection of unique powers.
Then we have the Aztecs and their Nagual. I am not even going to pretend like I actually understand what these are. Hopefully Griff will do an Aztec Alley on them one day.
Guide
Guides give your ST a way to get you involved with your Pantheon, or at least the Divine Community even at lower Legends. Guides offer a wide range of personalities, and help the Player guarantee the presence of one of their favorite mythological figures. Generally, I would say taking your Character's Divine Parent as a Guide to be unnecessary, since, of all Gods, I would expect for them to respond to the prayers of their own Scions. But taking your Pantheon's resident knowledge God, or maybe someone with a lot of political clout, can both prove themselves very useful.
Generally, both the power and the amount of availability of the Guide determines how expensive they are as a Guide. FrivYeti's Birthright Rules do make this into a way to help you price the Birthright, but in Atlanta we generally keep it more loose. I don't think any of the Characters actually have a Guide in the main game. We do have two Guides in the Grunts game though (a game involving currently Legend 2 Heroes of the new Gods). So far, one of them has not been used much, and the other has given his Ward a slight breakdown of faith after being told that the Gods won't come out of the forests if he doesn't keep sacrificing people.
Followers
Alright, if you are planning to be a War God, you need some of these guys. They fit the War God theme as much as being decked out in Relic armor and weapons is.
Just like Creatures, Followers have the problem of possibly having to talk to yourself if you are tasked with roleplaying your own Followers. This can be a bit of a handful when you have somewhere between five and two hundred Followers. What I would advise for the larger numbers (more than five) is dividing up your Followers and giving them something like an officer in charge of them, and then just roleplay the officer.
What is awesome about Followers is that, like Relics, they let you help define your Legend. What your Followers are will let mortals know what you're all about. Do you lead bestial warriors in furs of all animals? Probably some sort of Animal God, with some touches of battle rages. Does your Character lead heavily armored automotons that your Character repairs between fights? A Craftsman. Do you not lead your legions of undead Celtic warriors, but leave them laying in barrows, waiting to protect the land around them? A God of Protection and Death.
Avatars
In Atlanta, Avatars are free at God, being given for free at the full 5 Dots. There is not much to say about this one, seeing as there is not a lot variation in it. But, what I suggest is writing down three or four of the most common Avatars your Character takes when on Earth. Giving them a picture for reference as well is also a good touch.
Wards
Wards are the opposite of a Guide. It's your Character being someone's Guide. You get a number of Bonus Points equal to a rating between 1 and 5 of how much trouble your Scion is. As an example, Rod, Eoin's half brother has a Ward Rating of 3.
I would suggest taking lower Legend Scions you have met as your Wards in order to keep in touch with them after you are Gods, especially if you like them both IC and OOC.
Sanctums
Sanctums are amazing. They let you create an environment from your wildest dreams for your God, and just like Relics are a further extension of your Character's Legend. Telgar wrote our own rules for Sanctums, they are located here.
As an example, Griff's Character, Alan, has a Sanctum that is both gargantuan, and entirely comprised of carnivorous things. Meaning, the mice, spiders, snakes, and jaguars are all carnivorous. Some of the Special Features of the Sanctum help him creating and changing animals and creatures with Health and Animal. This is just a further expression of Alan's Divine Nature.
Every God should have a Sanctum. Even at least a single Dot one. Except maybe if there is a Pious Pantheon that has children staying on the land of their Parents until they are married or something. Then, in that case, it makes sense to not start Godhood with this one.
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