Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Mythic Realms (PFRPG)

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Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Mythic Realms (PFRPG)
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Unleash Mythic Power!

Bring mythic adventure into the Pathfinder world with Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Mythic Realms. This must-have expansion to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game’s newest and most ambitious hardcover, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Mythic Adventures, is your guide to epic legends, secret places of power, and mythic hot spots within the Pathfinder campaign setting that unlock phenomenal new power. Learn how to seamlessly integrate the incredible options from Mythic Adventures into your existing game, unlock additional path abilities for mythic characters to choose from, discover locations primed to inspire new mythic heroes, and claim the strength of monsters and villains too powerful to defeat—until now! Forge new legends and take on the greatest challenges of the Pathfinder world with Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Mythic Realms.

Inside this book you’ll find:

  • Six founts of mythic power, including the Doorway to the Red Star, the Mordant Spire, and even the legendary Starstone, each with new mythic path abilities available to characters who show their worth and claim the power within.
  • Six detailed locations throughout Golarion that offer a campaign’s worth of adventures for characters of mythic destiny, including the vast necropolis of Mechitar, the Pit of Gormuz, and the flying city of Yjae.
  • Nine legendary characters of Golarion, including challenging foes only those of mythic might can hope to defeat, like Arazni, Kortash Khain, the Oliphaunt of Jandelay, and the Whispering Tyrant.
  • Mythic trials tied to each location and character, ready to drop directly into a mythic campaign.

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Mythic Realms is intended for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and Pathfinder campaign setting, but can easily be used in any fantasy game setting.

Written by Benjamin Bruck, Jason Bulmahn, Amanda Harmon, Nicolas Logue, Jason Nelson, F. Wesley Schneider, and Russ Taylor.
Cover Art by Michael Ivan.

ISBN 978-1-60125-567-9

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Perfect high level fluff and crunch!

5/5

GOOD:
The most powerful and mysterious locations of Golarion are described!
My favorite: THE BLACK DESERT - one of the 6 vaults of Orv, home to a house of Urgathoa-worshipping undead drow, the birth-craddle of the Purpleworms, tribes of Urdhefan and a cabal of awakened demiliches!
The most powerful and legendary beings of Golarion are statted out!
If you want your players to fight the "Whispering Tyrant", he is in here!

BAD: nothing!

UGLY: nothing!

The writeup for the Black Desert inspired me so much, that i began writing an outline for a novel featuring the undead drow as protagonists in the style of the "war of the Spider-Queen" series.
The same is certainly possible for each of the locations in here!


5/5

I've reviewed this book over on RPGGeek.com.


Good introduction of mythic to Golarion

3/5

Read my full review on Of Dice and Pen.

Mythic Realms introduces the mythic rules to Golarion and takes a look at how they interact with the setting. It provides information on founts of mythic power, locations, and mythic characters. Just as there is a lot of variety to mythic characters, there’s a lot of variety in the book, particularly in Chapter 2: “Places of Myth”. Indeed, each location detailed is often different enough from the others to make it feel almost like you’re reading a different book. This does have the downside that most people are only likely to use one or two small sections of the book, and few people will actually find use for the entire thing. Still, it’s a good book and definitely useful for people wanting to introduce mythic rules into their Golarion campaigns. It’s also an entertaining read for people already familiar with Golarion, as it adds detail to a number of things that have only been mentioned or hinted at before.


Almost, But Not Quite There


Mythic Realms is the latest addition to the Pathfinder Campaign Setting, and promises some impressive ideas. Powerful figures from Golarion's lore, sites of incredible power, and even the legendary Starstone. But closer examination finds the book's contents lacking, its concepts deprived of the execution expected of a Paizo work.

Chapter I contains information on Founts of Mythic Power, like the Cenotaph, the Morudant Spire, and even the Starstone(!). Mythic Founts are sort of like "seeds" GMs can use to transform high-level groups from extraordinary to truly heroic. The idea is great--it provides GMs with high-level groups to continue the adventure even when all other challenges begin to feel trivial. Furthermore, there are unique mythic abilities tied to the mythic ascension that occurs at each location.

The problem here is that not all founts are created equal, and this is particularly true of the Starstone. First off, the mystique of the Starstone test is all but obliterated by the book's presentation, and second, the Starstone's role in the lore is inexplicably changed. Suddenly the Starstone is only a means of mythic ascension, not the engine of divine apotheosis we've been lead to believe. What's worse is that the mythic ascension triggered by the Starstone provides bonuses linked to pre-existing gods, and only the twenty greater powers of the Inner Sea (so no blessing of Apsu, Tiamat, Shizuru, Tsukiyo, &c).

Furthermore, Mythic Realms paints a very confusing picture of Golarion's history. Did the Aboleth fear Azlant, or did they grow bored with their human experiment? The historical accounts in the Morudant Spire seem to conflict with those in the Starstone, but this isn't the only contradiction. The history of the war between Azlanist and Karzoug grows more confusing. Who was winning? Who was planning to summon the Oliphaunt of Janderlay?

Chapter II is, in my opinion, the best part of this book. It contains Gazetteers on six locations for your mythic heroes to explore. Although, again, historical accounts sometimes contradict themselves (I now have two conflicting accounts of what happened to the city of Gormuz). Still, the imaginative settings give GMs a lot to work with when planning their own adventures, and one entry can provide dozens of potential ideas for any given mythic campaign.

If Chapter I is my least favorite and Chapter II my most, then Chapter III falls somewhere in the middle. Here we find a bestiary of several legendary figures throughout Golarion's lore, from the terrifying to the heroic. This is both a good and a bad thing, in my opinion, as it provides mythic groups with epic challenges, but at the same time somewhat demystifies these otherwise mythical characters.

There is an adage once uttered on "The Spoony Experiment," which goes "if you can stat it, they can kill it." Simply put, this suggests that if you give a creature concrete representation in the rules system, then it becomes subject to the whims of that system, including death. Now, there are always ways to get around this (AD&D Fiend Folio's Trillioch, anyone?) but caveats that prevent defeat kind of feel cheap when you have a fat block of numbers and words staring you in the face.

That said, the histories of each mythic character are fantastic, if not unfortunately brief in some places. They manage to retain the intangible nature of the myths and representations these characters enjoyed in previous source material, never willing to commit too much detail where detail isn't needed, which in my mind is only ever a good thing.

All-in-all, the book had some great ideas and inspires some great ideas. The problem comes with the mechanical execution of those ideas, and the inconsistencies generated by its new treatments of setting-specific features. It's a 2-out-of-5, worth having for the ideas, but not the rules.


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Silver Crusade

James, have you and Mike Brock been able to confab with each other on what parts of the Mythic rules will be usable in PFS? I like all of Pazio Products and buy as many as my budget allows but am sometimes get exasperated that parts of products are not usable in PFS. This has gotten much better since late season 3 and season 4. It seems to me there is greater interaction between the Pazio staff to get as much content into PFS as Possible. Looking forward to World Wound and mythic content in PFS.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Lou Diamond wrote:

James, have you and Mike Brock been able to confab with each other on what parts of the Mythic rules will be usable in PFS? I like all of Pazio Products and buy as many as my budget allows but am sometimes get exasperated that parts of products are not usable in PFS. This has gotten much better since late season 3 and season 4. It seems to me there is greater interaction between the Pazio staff to get as much content into PFS as Possible. Looking forward to World Wound and mythic content in PFS.

That's not somethign I'd confab with Mike about. If anyone, he'd talk to Erik about doing it or not. I believe at this point the plan is to not use Mythic in Pathfinder Society... but I very well might be wrong. I actually don't keep 100% up to date on everything that's upcoming... or even everything that's current... with Pathfinder Society.

I will say this. We do produce some products knowing full well that they aren't going to be part of Pathfinder Society organized play. The game is bigger than PFS.


Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber

All I care about is Arazni. I'm obsessed with that character. I love whoever did her art, it's great.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
tradyblix wrote:
All I care about is Arazni. I'm obsessed with that character. I love whoever did her art, it's great.

Carolina Eade, if I remember correctly.


Tar Baphon?


Shalafi2412 wrote:
Tar Baphon?

That's the Whispering Tyrant.


Will Tar-Baphon be a lich with mythic tiers, or a mythic-template lich?

Contributor

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Heh. Mark outted me. Back in the game!

Truth be told though, I'll be surprised if many of the filthy words I wrote for a certain Pit are fit for print. I think I might have gone a little...too...far.

I'll keep the original draft right alongside the original Hook Mountain...in the deep, dark occipital lobe of my hard drive, where no one should ever look.


Nicolas Logue wrote:
Truth be told though, I'll be surprised if many of the filthy words I wrote for a certain Pit are fit for print. I think I might have gone a little...too...far.

Too far in what way, exactly?


Kajehase wrote:
tradyblix wrote:
All I care about is Arazni. I'm obsessed with that character. I love whoever did her art, it's great.
Carolina Eade, if I remember correctly.

I always found her work to be a bit exaggerated anatomy-wise (which I usually do not like), but very stylized and beautiful. I absolutely love it! If there was ever someone making a Middle-Eastern/Indian/Southeast Asian styled setting, they need to call her to do the artwork because it is very colorful and reminiscent of that style.

Scarab Sages

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Is that Chemnosit the Monarch Worm? The eye in the center of the mouth makes me think so.


James Jacobs wrote:
The actual rules [for psychic magic ] will likely work just like magic... but will be a new category that exists alongside the categories of "arcane" and "divine" magic.

Cool stuff, reminds me of the Rolemaster system where they choose a similar concept.

Ruyan.

Contributor

Alleran wrote:
Nicolas Logue wrote:
Truth be told though, I'll be surprised if many of the filthy words I wrote for a certain Pit are fit for print. I think I might have gone a little...too...far.
Too far in what way, exactly?

Just a little dark is all. I do get lost in the dark recesses sometimes, but its okay! I like it there! :-)


Nicolas Logue wrote:
I do get lost in the dark recesses sometimes, but its okay! I like it there! :-)

I think my pocket change says the same thing to me when I dig it out of the couch.


I like Carolina Eade's art style myself and would like to see more from her.

Silver Crusade

Odraude wrote:
Kajehase wrote:
tradyblix wrote:
All I care about is Arazni. I'm obsessed with that character. I love whoever did her art, it's great.
Carolina Eade, if I remember correctly.
I always found her work to be a bit exaggerated anatomy-wise (which I usually do not like), but very stylized and beautiful. I absolutely love it! If there was ever someone making a Middle-Eastern/Indian/Southeast Asian styled setting, they need to call her to do the artwork because it is very colorful and reminiscent of that style.

If Jalmeray/Vudra get a book, she's definitely gotta be the primary artist.


Is there any chance this book has a statblock for the tarrasque where it includes the Spawn of Rovagug subtype?

Dark Archive

It looks like this is shaping up to be a fantastic product. And it's great to have the Jolly Logue (TM) among the authors of this book! :)


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Nicolas Logue wrote:
Alleran wrote:
Nicolas Logue wrote:
Truth be told though, I'll be surprised if many of the filthy words I wrote for a certain Pit are fit for print. I think I might have gone a little...too...far.
Too far in what way, exactly?
Just a little dark is all. I do get lost in the dark recesses sometimes, but its okay! I like it there! :-)

And some of us like when you go there. My players still cringe and shudder when they remember Hook Mountain. I would love to read the original version some day.... :P


Stratagemini wrote:
Is that Chemnosit the Monarch Worm? The eye in the center of the mouth makes me think so.

It's a nightcrawler nightshade. Probably one of Tar-Baphon's pets. I practically wrote a dissertation on it upthread, because I have unusual priorities.

Liberty's Edge

Starfinder Superscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
The game is bigger than PFS.

As an avid PFS player, I'm glad to hear you say this. PFS has advantages, but also can be rather limiting for some things. It's nice to get into a home game and be able to stretch out a bit.

Scarab Sages Contributor

Evil Midnight Lurker wrote:
Will Tar-Baphon be a lich with mythic tiers, or a mythic-template lich?

/me puts nerd glasses on

*snort* Well, let us see. We have Inner Sea Magic, which says Tar-Baphon is at LEAST a level 20 necromancer. This makes him CR 19 at least.

It's a safe bet that he has PC equipment, so CR 20.

Lich template adds 2 to the CR, for CR 22.

This leaves us with 4 CR to go - but if we applied the mythic lich template, we would be CR 30 at least!

As such, I'm gonna say he's a lich necromancer 20 / archmage 8.

Yay deduction!


UllarWarlord wrote:
Evil Midnight Lurker wrote:
Will Tar-Baphon be a lich with mythic tiers, or a mythic-template lich?

/me puts nerd glasses on

*snort* Well, let us see. We have Inner Sea Magic, which says Tar-Baphon is at LEAST a level 20 necromancer. This makes him CR 19 at least.

It's a safe bet that he has PC equipment, so CR 20.

Lich template adds 2 to the CR, for CR 22.

This leaves us with 4 CR to go - but if we applied the mythic lich template, we would be CR 30 at least!

As such, I'm gonna say he's a lich necromancer 20 / archmage 8.

Yay deduction!

Actually, since mythic ranks on monsters only add about 1/2 cr per rank, and max rank being 10, if he was a CR 22 effective base, he'd become a CR 27 creature with the mythic lich template.

I'd wager you're probably right though. Otherwise he wouldn't be 30. But maybe they'll leave him at 27. Who knows.

EDIT: Strike that. I forgot that Tiers apply the same principle. I think he'll be just a straight up mythic lich, because even with tiers they do only count as 1/2. So even if he gets 10 full tiers, he'll be CR 27.

Liberty's Edge

Necromancer 20 = CR 19
Lich = CR 21
Mythic Lich Template = CR 26.

So I guess he (currently) doesn't have pc gear. Maybe the stats will represent his current, imprisioned CR?

Contributor

I could be mistaken, but I believe James Jacobs recently mentioned that he prefers to create "unique" mythic monsters rather than generic ones. As a matter of fact, he mentioned making a succubus a member of the trickster path, and considering this line is in his domain I'd suspect that Tar-Baphon is probably an archmage rather than a mythic lich.

Besides, the rules never technically say that you even need class levels to venture down a Mythic Path. Many abilities assume you do, but there's no reason that you couldn't have a succubus trickster 4, as an example.


I hope they at least drop the Horns of Naraga on his head!

Shadow Lodge

Alexander Augunas wrote:
I could be mistaken, but I believe James Jacobs recently mentioned that he prefers to create "unique" mythic monsters rather than generic ones.

Which is amusing to me, given that the entire bestiary section of Mythic Adventures consisted of Mythic [insert generic pre-existing monster here].


Kthulhu wrote:
Alexander Augunas wrote:
I could be mistaken, but I believe James Jacobs recently mentioned that he prefers to create "unique" mythic monsters rather than generic ones.
Which is amusing to me, given that the entire bestiary section of Mythic Adventures consisted of Mythic [insert generic pre-existing monster here].

James isn't the final word on that stuff, so while he may personally prefer unique mythic creatures, the rest of the development team had their reasons for boosting older creatures (which I have heard have turned out pretty rad).

The Exchange

Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Hell, just having information ABOUT the Starstone is worth the price of admission.


Pathfinder Lost Omens, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

19 days until the Starstone is ours! I wonder what the mythic powers from it will be like?


Man, I don't usually go for splatbooks and the like but I'm seriously tempted to pick this thing up when funds allow, right alongside Mythic Origins. Outside of a short PbP I haven't played Pathfinder in months, and then comes Mythic and I got all hot and bothered over it.

Why, Paizo? Why must you tempt me so?

Contributor

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Unruly wrote:
Why, Paizo? Why must you tempt me so?

Probably because they like eating just as much as the rest of us do.


Nonsense! Eating is for the weak and feeble!

Or was that sleep? Or maybe it was sitting...

Either way, I suppose that somewhere along the line I could buy someone at Paizo's lunch by making this purchase. Probably won't be until after Christmas though...

The Exchange

Kthulhu wrote:
Alexander Augunas wrote:
I could be mistaken, but I believe James Jacobs recently mentioned that he prefers to create "unique" mythic monsters rather than generic ones.
Which is amusing to me, given that the entire bestiary section of Mythic Adventures consisted of Mythic [insert generic pre-existing monster here].

As you know, the hardcover rulebook line is setting neutral as a principle. So it's a little bit hard to create specific monsters that don't belong anywhere.

In bestiary 4, we will get 12 unique mythic creatures that are enough mainstream to fit into most campaigns - like Cthulhu and the Kaiju. So yeah, most mythic creatures we are going to get will be specific rather than generic.


This book looks like it's gonna be flat-out rad.

I agree with a few others that info on the Star Stone is itself almost worth getting the book, but the rest is also definitely worth it. I'm REALLY hoping that one of the Mythic Sources will be tied/connected to the Dark Tapestry, as I am a Lovecraft junkie, and I'm using the Dark Tapestry as the source of Mythic power for the PCs in my game and would like to see how the minds at Paizo would handle it, and quite possibly alter my own plans if their ideas are better than mine (however, based on previous evidence of how well my own ideas mesh with what Paizo writes, I am willing to bet that any Mythic Dark Tapestry ideas from Paizo will cleave quite closely to what I had come up with myself, just thought out a lot more fully.

The beginning plot of my campaign is that the PCs were all victims of repeated Mi-Go abduction and experimentation throughout their lives, and their Ascension was the result of being the culmination of a millennia-long, interstellar genetic engineering, controlled breeding, and surgical experiment... but the experiment succeeded several generations earlier than the Mi-Go had predicted (cf. Dune, Kwisatz Haderach.) The Mi-Go had been experimenting on various creatures to empower them with the energies of the Dark Tapestry (implanting extra quasi-magical biomechanical protomatter organs, eldritch quasi-fungal rhizomes in muscle tissue, Evocation Capacitor brain implants, etc.), and when they finally succeeded they planned to use those techniques to raise themselves up to the level of the Great Old Ones, and eventually even the Outer Gods themselves.

But the Mi-Go in charge of the PCs segment of the experiment lost control when the PCs were set free by a Commando Team of Flumphs before it could dissect them, and they killed it in a battle that took place in an alien laboratory on the Dark Side of the Moon (something that sounded suitably Mythic to me; Commando Team of Flumphs!) and now they're loose and fully Ascended Mythic Beings, but empowered by the energies of the Dark Tapestry, and I want to see what Paizo has to say about what having the Dark Tapestry as a Source of Mythic Power would do to someone. They are a Neutral Good Magus with a Black Blade, a Lawful Good Monk, and a Chaotic Neutral Abyssal Blooded Sorcerer, and I'd like to know what effect Paizo thinks that the energies of the Dark Tapestry would have on them.

Especially once I read the Apotheosis Story Feat in Quests & Campaigns, and one of the possible Quests to complete the Feat was about how members of the Old Cults believe that if you travel far enough into the Dark Tapestry you could tap into the power of the Great Old Ones and ascend to godhood. That REALLY caught my attention because it was so close to what I had already been doing in my campaign, and I really hope they follow up on that thought in Mythic Realms.

Shadow Lodge

Lord Snow wrote:
Kthulhu wrote:
Alexander Augunas wrote:
I could be mistaken, but I believe James Jacobs recently mentioned that he prefers to create "unique" mythic monsters rather than generic ones.
Which is amusing to me, given that the entire bestiary section of Mythic Adventures consisted of Mythic [insert generic pre-existing monster here].

As you know, the hardcover rulebook line is setting neutral as a principle. So it's a little bit hard to create specific monsters that don't belong anywhere.

In bestiary 4, we will get 12 unique mythic creatures that are enough mainstream to fit into most campaigns - like Cthulhu and the Kaiju. So yeah, most mythic creatures we are going to get will be specific rather than generic.

A monster doesn't have to be unique to be "mythic" powerful.

Although the poor decision to make some of the most powerful entities in the multiverse (demon lords, arch devils, etc) at just barely above the CR rating a PC can achieve does constrain things.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

I don't see that as a "poor design choice". On the contrary, I think it adds flavor to the fact that these creatures aren't to be trifled with by "normal humans" - only those with truly legendary power can hope to stand a chance against a demigod.

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Kthulhu wrote:
Lord Snow wrote:
Kthulhu wrote:
Alexander Augunas wrote:
I could be mistaken, but I believe James Jacobs recently mentioned that he prefers to create "unique" mythic monsters rather than generic ones.
Which is amusing to me, given that the entire bestiary section of Mythic Adventures consisted of Mythic [insert generic pre-existing monster here].

As you know, the hardcover rulebook line is setting neutral as a principle. So it's a little bit hard to create specific monsters that don't belong anywhere.

In bestiary 4, we will get 12 unique mythic creatures that are enough mainstream to fit into most campaigns - like Cthulhu and the Kaiju. So yeah, most mythic creatures we are going to get will be specific rather than generic.

A monster doesn't have to be unique to be "mythic" powerful.

Although the poor decision to make some of the most powerful entities in the multiverse (demon lords, arch devils, etc) at just barely above the CR rating a PC can achieve does constrain things.

The CR of the Demon Lord does not reflect the CR of the battle to kill said Demon Lord.

CR 29
Fighting Demon Lord in its home plane +1
Demon Lord is decked out with PC wealth +1
Infinite numbers of demonic minions (+1 to +4 depending on what you throw into the battle)

According to the CR guidelines a group of APL 25 PCs against CR 32-35 encounter is considered EPIC and PCs WILL die. :D

Contributor

Kthulhu wrote:
Although the poor decision to make some of the most powerful entities in the multiverse (demon lords, arch devils, etc) at just barely above the CR rating a PC can achieve does constrain things.

Do you have Mythic Adventures? If so, check out the "Monster Statistics By CR" table. Here's a quick sneak peak.

Highest Average Statistics a PC Can Obtain (CR 25):

HP: 560
AC: 43
High Attack: 36
Low Attack: 28
High Average Damage: 180
Low Average Damage: 135
Primary Ability DC: 30
Secondary Ability DC: 24
Good Save: 26
Poor Save: 21

Highest Average Statistics a Monster Can Obtain (CR 30):

HP: 760
AC: 48
High Attack: 41
Low Attack: 33
High Average Damage: 255
Low Average Damage: 185
Primary Ability DC: 35
Secondary Ability DC: 29
Good Save: 31
Poor Save: 26

Having built a few CR 25 Mythic PCs, I can attest that the CR 25 values are fairly accurate, although in most of my tests the PCs have had higher damage outputs (an average floating around 200) but lower HP and AC. If we take these averages for what they are, however, here are some cool facts to note.

1) The Average CR 30 creature only misses the Average CR 25 creature (such as a fully stocked PC) on a roll of a natural 1.

2) The Average CR 30 creature cannot fail a saving throw against a primary ability used by the Average CR 25 opponent when the ability targets the CR 30 creature's good ability score.

3) In contrast to #3, the Average CR 30 creature only fails a saving throw used by the Average CR 25 creature on a 3 or worse (15% chance) if the ability targets its poor saving throw.

4) A CR 25 creature has, on average, 200 more HP than the Average CR 25 creature. Most players do not attain this average Hit Point value, however. Players are usually more offensively focused, so the gap is often closer to 400 to 500 HP.

Definitely some things in mind before using phrases like, "barely above the CR" when talking about CR 25 vs. CR 30.

Shadow Lodge RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8

Kthulhu wrote:
Lord Snow wrote:
Kthulhu wrote:
Alexander Augunas wrote:
I could be mistaken, but I believe James Jacobs recently mentioned that he prefers to create "unique" mythic monsters rather than generic ones.
Which is amusing to me, given that the entire bestiary section of Mythic Adventures consisted of Mythic [insert generic pre-existing monster here].

As you know, the hardcover rulebook line is setting neutral as a principle. So it's a little bit hard to create specific monsters that don't belong anywhere.

In bestiary 4, we will get 12 unique mythic creatures that are enough mainstream to fit into most campaigns - like Cthulhu and the Kaiju. So yeah, most mythic creatures we are going to get will be specific rather than generic.

A monster doesn't have to be unique to be "mythic" powerful.

Although the poor decision to make some of the most powerful entities in the multiverse (demon lords, arch devils, etc) at just barely above the CR rating a PC can achieve does constrain things.

Those aren't the most powerful entities in the multiverse. Those are the most powerful entities in the mutliverse that the PCs can actually kill.

Shadow Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Benchak the Nightstalker wrote:
Those aren't the most powerful entities in the multiverse. Those are the most powerful entities in the mutliverse that the PCs can actually kill.

Just being a full god doesn't seem to make you a multiversal power. The four horsemen are for more multiversal powers than, say, Iomedae....who isn't even worshiped in Tian Xia.

Personally, I think PCs trying to take on a demigod-level enemy should have to do it like at the end of Savage Tide...by allying with other demigods, etc. I don't think a 4-6 man adventuring party should be even remotely capable of taking them on unaided.

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Kthulhu wrote:
Benchak the Nightstalker wrote:
Those aren't the most powerful entities in the multiverse. Those are the most powerful entities in the mutliverse that the PCs can actually kill.

Just being a full god doesn't seem to make you a multiversal power. The four horsemen are for more multiversal powers than, say, Iomedae....who isn't even worshiped in Tian Xia.

Personally, I think PCs trying to take on a demigod-level enemy should have to do it like at the end of Savage Tide...by allying with other demigods, etc. I don't think a 4-6 man adventuring party should be even remotely capable of taking them on unaided.

I think Gods should be CR 26-30, and killable by CR 25 PCs.

Paizo has chosen to calibrate their setting a certain way in official books. GMs everywhere are free to change those assumptions in their own games.

Shadow Lodge

DM_aka_Dudemeister wrote:
I think Gods should be CR 26-30, and killable by CR 25 PCs.

That's a strong monster, not a god.

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Kthulhu wrote:
DM_aka_Dudemeister wrote:
I think Gods should be CR 26-30, and killable by CR 25 PCs.
That's a strong monster, not a god.

All of these numbers and definitions are arbitrary. In an e6 game a level 12 cleric could be a god.

Shadow Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Not if he's getting his spells from some other entity, he isn't.

That's one of the problems with nailing down the level of any god of demigod capable fo granting spells. At what point does the cleric of Desna stop recieving spells from her and start granting Desna, his new minion, spells?

The Exchange

Kthulhu wrote:
Lord Snow wrote:
Kthulhu wrote:
Alexander Augunas wrote:
I could be mistaken, but I believe James Jacobs recently mentioned that he prefers to create "unique" mythic monsters rather than generic ones.
Which is amusing to me, given that the entire bestiary section of Mythic Adventures consisted of Mythic [insert generic pre-existing monster here].

As you know, the hardcover rulebook line is setting neutral as a principle. So it's a little bit hard to create specific monsters that don't belong anywhere.

In bestiary 4, we will get 12 unique mythic creatures that are enough mainstream to fit into most campaigns - like Cthulhu and the Kaiju. So yeah, most mythic creatures we are going to get will be specific rather than generic.

1)A monster doesn't have to be unique to be "mythic" powerful.

2)Although the poor decision to make some of the most powerful entities in the multiverse (demon lords, arch devils, etc) at just barely above the CR rating a PC can achieve does constrain things.

1) I... don't really get what you are saying, honestly. If I correctly understood what I quoted, you criticized that while Jacobs said that it's important to him that most mythic monsters be unique creatures, all mythic monsters in the mythic adventures book are mythic-X creatures. To which I replied, that Mythic Adventures is a setting neutral book and therefore creatures in it kinda have to be non specific. I don't understand how the part of your post that I marked as "1" answers that.

2) I disagree. By the time PCs are 20th level, they are among the very few most powerful living things in their world. Hack, in the multiverse. People who achieve 20th level can easily become legends, and if not so then at least be extremely influential in their time of living. Take most BBEGs of APs, for example - most of them are weaker than a 20th level PC, and some of them are examples of extremely powerful and important people.
Now, if PCs gain mythic tiers, that moves them into a different scale entirely. Combine 10 mythic tiers and 20 levels and you get something quite beyond what the normal scope of the game could represent so far. By the time PCs reach that power level they are immortal, can grant spells, band reality to their whims and generally achieve what I consider to be power approaching those of godhood.
To call such amazingly powerful heroes an "adventuring party" is doing them a major disservice - they are stuff of legends, shining examples of power beyond mortal reach. I believe 20th level PCs with 10 mythic tiers are adequate heroes to fight something like a demon lord.


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I used to think that gods were unstattable, but admittedly, someone on these forums (I forget who) made me realize that I was looking at it through the scope of a monotheistic omnipotent god. As opposed to the pantheistic gods of Nordic, Greek, and other mythologies, which would plot against each other without the other knowing, and outright kill each other. Seeing it through that light, I can honestly say my view has changed and I'm okay with seeing gods statted up as CR 31+ creatures. Assuming there was a deific adventures coming out.


Alexander Augunas wrote:
4) A CR 25 creature has, on average, 200 more HP than the Average CR 25 creature. Most players do not attain this average Hit Point value, however. Players are usually more offensively focused, so the gap is often closer to 400 to 500 HP.

You may want to recalculate that in light of the retraining rules, permitting every PC to attain maximum possible HP with an investment in time and training.

The Exchange

Odraude wrote:
I used to think that gods were unstattable, but admittedly, someone on these forums (I forget who) made me realize that I was looking at it through the scope of a monotheistic omnipotent god. As opposed to the pantheistic gods of Nordic, Greek, and other mythologies, which would plot against each other without the other knowing, and outright kill each other. Seeing it through that light, I can honestly say my view has changed and I'm okay with seeing gods statted up as CR 31+ creatures. Assuming there was a deific adventures coming out.

CR 31 is probably too weak for a god, isn't it? I mean, CR 31 and 30 are not all that different... I'd expect gods to revolve around the CR 35 mark.


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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I would expect gods to revolve around the "outside of the CR system, fuggedaboutitpowergamer" mark.

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