The Mythic Side of Golarion

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

In the forthcoming Pathfinder Campaign Setting volume, Mythic Realms, we present a lot of setting-specific options for campaigns using the mythic rules found in Pathfinder RPG Mythic Adventures. Whether you're characters with mythic tiers or simply high-level, non-mythic adventurers, there's something here to add a touch of the mythic to your journeys through Golarion.


Illustration by Fabio Gorla

In the first section of the book, we present a number of founts of mythic power. These are locations within the setting that are imbued with mythic power and from which characters can gain access to specific path abilities. Among these mythic founts are the Mordant Spire, the Cenotaph, the Doorway to the Red Star, and even the Starstone. While the book doesn't detail the challenges a hopeful must overcome to reach the Starstone, it does explain how this mysterious meteorite became the apotheosis catalyst it has become, and gives GMs and players unique powers to use as their characters ascend to the ranks of the gods.


Illustration by Fabio Gorla

The second chapter of the book presents a variety of mythic adventuring locations, including the Pit of Gormuz, Mechitar, and the Valashmai Jungle. Each location receives four pages of gazetteer as well as a regional map, with enough information to give GMs running campaigns in the area plenty of adventure hooks and challenging foes to run entire campaigns. We also provide suggested mythic trials GMs can seed into campaigns in each location to allow characters adventuring within to gain mythic tiers as they face the seemingly insurmountable challenges presented in each spot.


Illustration by Yuriy Georgiev

Finally, the book concludes with a whole chapter on some of the setting's most iconic mythic characters. Inside, you'll find statistics for such NPCs and monsters as the Whispering Tyrant (CR 26), Old-Mage Jatembe (CR 24), Raskineya, the Dark Comet (CR 16), and the Oliphaunt of Jandelay (CR 30). These characters and the rest presented in the book play large roles in the setting and many within the specific locations presented elsewhere in the book.

All combined, GMs wishing to run mythic adventures set in the world of Golarion beyond the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path should find this book among the most helpful aids in putting together such a campaign. And those interested in the secrets and lore of Golarion would be hard-pressed to find another single 64-page volume we've published that contained more long-awaited big reveals of some of Golarion's most talked-about features than Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Mythic Realms.

Mark Moreland
Developer

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Tags: Fabio Gorla Pathfinder Campaign Setting Yuriy Georgiev
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Webstore Gninja Minion

17 people marked this as a favorite.

OMG! OLD-MAGE! *squees, dies*


7 people marked this as a favorite.

mark moreland if I ever start a metal band
it will most certainly be called APOTHEOSIS CATALYST

Liberty's Edge

8 people marked this as a favorite.

I remember wanting stats for the Whispering Tyrant long ago.

This I like.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
Lamontius wrote:

mark moreland if I ever start a metal band

it will most certainly be called APOTHEOSIS CATALYST

Needs a rock umlat

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
Galnörag wrote:
Lamontius wrote:

mark moreland if I ever start a metal band

it will most certainly be called APOTHEOSIS CATALYST
Needs a rock umlat

And to stave off like minded trolls, it also needs more cowbell.

Liberty's Edge

Oliphaunt of Jandelay,

Spoiler:
might help groups destroy a certain artifact.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

I love the Mythic Rules, and plan to use them in my own games / setting.

I can't wait to get my hands on Mythic Realms to see how you guys are using them :)


Äpöthëösïs Cätälÿst?

Spoiler:
Although the ones over the i, e, and y's are, strictly speaking, examples of a Diaresis or trema.


9 people marked this as a favorite.

More importantly, though: MORDANT SPIRE! and OLD MAGE JATEMBE! IS THAT THE MOTHER-LOVING TARRASQUE‽

Silver Crusade

As much as I'm loving my read through of MA, this is the book I'm hyped for!

Scarab Sages

This will be useful for the campaign I'm running where I plan to have the party go after the Whispering Tyrant. His stats will certainly help; I'm hoping there will be other info relevant to such a quest as well. 8^)


1 person marked this as a favorite.

This seems awesome :D
Doesn't The Whispering Tyrant seem a bit too low-level though? I always assumed that he was level 30+

Paizo Employee Creative Director

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Charles P wrote:

This seems awesome :D

Doesn't The Whispering Tyrant seem a bit too low-level though? I always assumed that he was level 30+

Level 20 has always been the cap.

At CR 26, he's above the normal maximum CR a plain old 20th level 10th tier wizard could hever hit.


Quote:
and gives GMs and players unique powers to use as their characters ascend to the ranks of the gods

I'm interested in hearing more about this.

Scarab Sages

Well, Dungeons of Golarion puts the level of Gallowspire he's on at "CR 24+", so it fits that at least. Plus, it mentions "personal guards and attendants", so anybody getting to him is still in for a heck of a fight. 8^)

Edit: Double ninja'd! By the Jacobsaur himself even. 8^)


4 people marked this as a favorite.

I don't know the Dark Comet... but man, I love Jatembe and want to learn more about him. I'm sold.


Interesting that Baba Yaga has a higher CR than Tar Baphon. Still, I suppose she is much more mobile than the Whispering Tyrant and has been around longer.


3 people marked this as a favorite.

Earth represent, yo ;)


That Tarrasque art looks amazing!

Sovereign Court Contributor

2 people marked this as a favorite.

Wait, Old Mage is still around? That's what's implied by stating him up, right?

%)


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Take my money already. You had me at Stats for the Whispering Tyrant.


Jeff Erwin wrote:

Wait, Old Mage is still around? That's what's implied by stating him up, right?

%)

My thoughts exactly :)

Sczarni

The Whispering Tyrant! Can we please get some solid art for this guy (I've seen several representations!)

Carrion Crown Spoiler:
Will this book give any advice on how to incorporate him into the end of Carrion Crown. I feel that Adivion just doesn't satisfy the hunger my players will have by the end of this campaign.


James Jacobs wrote:

Level 20 has always been the cap.

I guess this doesn't fare too well for the prospects of an Epic level book and epic golarion campaigns then? :'(

Liberty's Edge

Sweet!

Paizo Employee Developer

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Charles P wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:

Level 20 has always been the cap.

I guess this doesn't fare too well for the prospects of an Epic level book and epic golarion campaigns then :'(

Give Mythic Adventures a good read and decide from there if epic level play is still something you want. I'm not normally a big advocate of 21+ level play, but Mythic Adventures scratched what itch I had to play Epic and convinced me that a legendary feel available to any level of play is far preferable to a niche set of rules available only to those who go way beyond the expected level/power range.

I'm not the decision-maker about doing epic-level play options in the future, but I know I encourage a "never say never" approach. In the meantime, we have an elegant, new toolset in the form of Mythic Adventures, and I can't wait to start using it.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

From reading Hythic, I don't really see the difference between Epic and Mythic. Mythic seems to do all the demon lord-punching people want (just short of fighting deities), without having to wait until level 20 to do it.

Shadow Lodge RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Odraude wrote:
I don't know the Dark Comet...

I do :D


Odraude wrote:
From reading Hythic, I don't really see the difference between Epic and Mythic. Mythic seems to do all the demon lord-punching people want (just short of fighting deities), without having to wait until level 20 to do it.

demon-lord punching? *snore*. Epic let you do deity-killing.


This book is probably the single most exciting book that I've heard announced yet. Some of my favorite non-d20 books were those that detailed "mystical and exotic locations". Ars Magica had some of the best in that venue as far as I'm concerned, and I'm glad we're finally getting some in the d20 universe!

Scarab Sages

Icaste Fyrbawl wrote:

The Whispering Tyrant! Can we please get some solid art for this guy (I've seen several representations!)

** spoiler omitted **

Check out Dungeons of Golarion. It has what you want. :)


Jatembe! Cool.

That picture of the Tarrasque rising out of the Pit of Gormuz makes me wonder if it might not have had some more pedestrian origins, but was instead warped by the Mythic power of Rovagug's prison gateway into its monstrous form.


What is the Dark comet


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Lawful GM wrote:
What is the Dark comet

It's a "who" I believe- Raskineya, the Dark Comet.

Other than that, your guess is as good as mine. Probably a monster of some sort. Perhaps connected to the Dominion of the Black?

Shadow Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder PF Special Edition Subscriber

Oliphaunt of Jandelay is CR 30!! DOes this make it the single most powerful creature on Golarion?

Dark Archive

137ben wrote:
Odraude wrote:
From reading Hythic, I don't really see the difference between Epic and Mythic. Mythic seems to do all the demon lord-punching people want (just short of fighting deities), without having to wait until level 20 to do it.
demon-lord punching? *snore*. Epic let you do deity-killing.

If you ask me, most of the stuff in ELH was wonky as h***. I mean, I played in a pretty optimized party, and we had trouble qualifying for most of the level-appropriate feats. Not to mention that those CR 22-23 critters would regularly wipe the floor with our PCs, even though we had nearly every buff spell on. I had to beg the party wizard to craft us some magical tomes so that we could get permanent ability scores beyond 23...

IMO being "mythic" or "epic" is about feel, and not whether I can crank up my Spellcraft skill to +150, or slay (let alone *hit*) monsters and deities with AC 80+. Mythic lets me try that feel from 6th level onwards, rewarding players with abilities that let them slowly evolve beyond mortal limits by accomplishing truly heroic (mythic) deeds.

What is even better, you don't need to "waste" any character levels in acquiring mythic stuff; they're simply layered on top of your regular abilities. And I guess it's even possible (at lower tiers) to have mythic and non-mythic PCs in the same party, without making the latter feel completely like sidekicks.

Dark Archive

And yeah, I'm very excited about this book! September, why aren't you already here?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Cat-thulhu wrote:
Oliphaunt of Jandelay is CR 30!! DOes this make it the single most powerful creature on Golarion?

No.

1) It's not normally on Golarion.

2) There are a few other critters of equal power out there.

Dark Archive

I have to agree with the Epic rules being wonky.

I just flipped through some old Dragon magazines and had a look at an epic level statblock.

It was in the Ecology of the Titan article (I forget which issue), just pure insanity with that one. They had statted up Cronus, the titan from Greek mythology. If I remember correctly, he was CR 56, 1500+ hp, AC 60+, DR 23/-, 4 attack with an almost 100 attack bonus on each attack and he had a +15 colossal glaive and a +20 breastplate.

That's kind of the thing with epic, a lot of the time higher level just meant bigger numbers. Mythic gives a much better feel of epicness than the epic rules ever did.

The Exchange

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
137ben wrote:
Odraude wrote:
From reading Hythic, I don't really see the difference between Epic and Mythic. Mythic seems to do all the demon lord-punching people want (just short of fighting deities), without having to wait until level 20 to do it.
demon-lord punching? *snore*. Epic let you do deity-killing.

It's been said that if people ask for it enough, Deific Adventures could possibly be a future product dependent on the success of Mythic Adventure's. I, personally, am for such a product but from what I understand the Paizo people are mixed on that subject.

Grand Lodge

JATEMBE! YES!
I *love* this dude! There's only one human badass capable of defeating any foe barefoot, and that's Jatembe!


I can't wait for this book, so much stuff that sounds interesting to me in this little book.

Liberty's Edge

Will there be mythic versions of any Golarion setting feats (Mythic Harrowed anyone)?


Pathfinder Lost Omens, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
OmegaZ wrote:
Interesting that Baba Yaga has a higher CR than Tar Baphon. Still, I suppose she is much more mobile than the Whispering Tyrant and has been around longer.

While Tar Baphon is a little more powerful by the nature of being a lich, Baba Yaga is of greater strength due to the bonuses she gets from her hut and the fact that she sealed away her own death requiring a massive quest to retrieve her death and destroying her hut before putting her down to size.

Tar Baphon on the other hand only needs to have his phylactery destroyed before he can be slain, and while that is a quest in itself is still does not provide the same benefits or the as large complicated quest to complete as in the case of Baba Yaga.

Silver Crusade

5 people marked this as a favorite.

JATEMBE @#$% YEAH.

I was thrilled to see him show up in Faiths & Philosophies and his work turning up in Champions of Purity, but then this is coming?

After years of sticking to the shadows, Golarion's resident Big Damn Good Mage has been making one hell of showing this year. :D

realizes Jatembe usually shows up when the @#$% has hit the fan

:O

edit-Dude is much more cut than I expected.

Quote:
Raskineya, the Dark Comet

Well that's an attention-grabbing name. :)


Is there a Mythic Bestiary in the works, as well?

Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.
KestlerGunner wrote:

JATEMBE! YES!

I *love* this dude! There's only one human badass capable of defeating any foe barefoot, and that's Jatembe!

Gets even more badass when he took on a seriously nasty ant-themed foe while barefoot.

Cause srsly, that's just asking for pain.

And that same foe was tied into the Door to the Red Star! Been waiting a while for more on that!

Shadow Lodge RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8

Mikaze wrote:


Quote:
Raskineya, the Dark Comet
Well that's an attention-grabbing name. :)

Thanks, she was fun to write :)

Dark Archive

Looks great. I did think the Whispering Tyrant would be higher CR but I shall be happy to have his stats. YAY

Sovereign Court

brad2411 wrote:
Looks great. I did think the Whispering Tyrant would be higher CR but I shall be happy to have his stats. YAY

Yeah I do agree with that... I mean... The Whispering Tyrant was almost a threat to Aroden, right? I would have expected him to be at least level 20 and MR8... kind of disappointed...

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