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.
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!
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.
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.
Is the creature on the cover Chemnosit or something else?
It's a nightcrawler (nightshade). Look at how shadowy and haggard it looks, and how a holy symbol is being used against it; also note the undead rising around it. Probably a nod towards one of Golarion's uber undead baddies.
Also, there's a weird synergy between this cover and Mythic Origins. I wonder if that was intentional? Magical ladies, both fighting worm monsters. Hmm.
I hereby nominate the following legendary mythic characters to be statted in this manual: Alaznist, Arazni, Geb, Jatembe, Kortash Khain, Nex, Sorshen, Tar-Baphon, and Xanderghul.
Mythic martial characters may be more likely in Jalmeray, Vudra or Tian Xia. James's post that I linked indicated there's a number of mythic martial character who simply haven't been introduced yet.
We already have a 'Who's Who?' of casters with Inner Sea Magic, and they have some un-statted Mythic Casters, but Paizo has been really lacking in the non-caster part of the game.
I'm hoping some of the kings from Land of the Linnorm Kings makes it in.
Legacy of Fire, Curse of the Crimson Throne:
Other candidates could be some of the surviving party members from the party that took down Kazavon in Curse of the Crimson Throne. Or some of the Templars of the Four Winds from Legacy of Fire (at full power).
Arazni probably had some Mythic martials when she challenged Tar-Baphon, and the Mendevian Crusades had to have had some Mythic Paladins involved. When the Elves returned and retook Kyonin, driving out Treerazer, there might have been some Mythic Rangers in there.
There are a lot of places in Golarion that could involve Mythic Characters outside of just casters. Truthfully, I'm looking forward more to the martials than the casters.
Another vote for more mythic martials. The end of a fair number of APs have a boss spellcaster that can be myth'd up by a few levels or tiers, if I need a mythic caster.
I'd definitely be intrigued to see how a mythic barbarian, monk, rogue or ranger would look.
Yeah, martials in published products are almost invariably (no matter which publisher - it's far from just Paizo) overshadowed by casters (there's no caster-martial disparity, though!)
Also, here's hoping to see Walkena statted up! I could see the little mummy-god king as a mythic creature.
Blasphemer! Walkena is no mere creature! Walkena is too mythic for a puny stat-block to contain His awesome powers! Also, He may be little, but He is mighty! You shall suffer the punishment of seven angry suns for your blasphemy!
I'm pretty pumped about this book, and the Mythic Adventures in general. The Mythic stuff brings back the whole Immortal Boxed Set feel for me. That was REAL D&D for me when I was a kiddo. That's when it all got so weird and wonderful that my brain exploded into a space no hallucinogen could ever touch.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Nicolas Logue wrote:
I'm pretty pumped about this book, and the Mythic Adventures in general. The Mythic stuff brings back the whole Immortal Boxed Set feel for me. That was REAL D&D for me when I was a kiddo. That's when it all got so weird and wonderful that my brain exploded into a space no hallucinogen could ever touch.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber
Nicolas Logue wrote:
I'm pretty pumped about this book, and the Mythic Adventures in general. The Mythic stuff brings back the whole Immortal Boxed Set feel for me. That was REAL D&D for me when I was a kiddo. That's when it all got so weird and wonderful that my brain exploded into a space no hallucinogen could ever touch.
Man, the modules for the gold box were like nothing else!
Six detailed locations, and so far we know three of them (Mechitar, the Pit of Gormuz, and Yjae). Any guesses on the other three? I'm going with the Dark Tapestry (pleasepleaseplease) and Eye of Abendego. Not sure what the third could be. Maybe one of the Vaults of Orv?
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Generic Villain wrote:
Six detailed locations, and so far we know three of them (Mechitar, the Pit of Gormuz, and Yjae). Any guesses on the other three? I'm going with the Dark Tapestry (pleasepleaseplease) and Eye of Abendego. Not sure what the third could be. Maybe one of the Vaults of Orv?
The Eye of Abendego would be the most likely candidate, I agree. The Temple of the Ravenous Moon is a touch mysterious and might fit the bill. But that would be a stretch. I'm setting up for a campaign in the region, so my thinking may be a little centered on the Shackles and their surroundings. :)
Perhaps the Everdawn Pool from Curse of the Crimson Throne?
Is the creature on the cover Chemnosit or something else?
It's a nightcrawler (nightshade). Look at how shadowy and haggard it looks, and how a holy symbol is being used against it; also note the undead rising around it. Probably a nod towards one of Golarion's uber undead baddies.
Also, there's a weird synergy between this cover and Mythic Origins. I wonder if that was intentional? Magical ladies, both fighting worm monsters. Hmm.
It can't be a nightcrawler cuz it doesn't have the red eyes and centipede legs a nightcrawler has.
Its probably an Mythic Undead Purple Worm. Just look at the form of the maw an compare it to the purple worms maw from Bestiary 1
It can't be a nightcrawler cuz it doesn't have the red eyes and centipede legs a nightcrawler has.
Different artists depict monsters differently - that there's a night crawler. Specifically, I'm guessing the scene is somewhere below Gallowspire. Tar-Baphon is noted as having nightshade servants.
Then its a big error from the artist, because that is just a shadow purple worm.
Off topic by this point:
If anyone took liberties with the nightcrawler, it was the artist who drew the Bestiary 2 picture. The Bestiary 2 description reads "This immense worm is covered with plates of dead-black, chitinous armor. Its toothy maw yawns like a cave." Yup, that's pretty much what was illustrated on the cover of Mythic Realms.
Interestingly (depending on how loosely you define that word), back in Dungeons and Dragons days the nightcrawler from the 3.5 Monster Manual is described as "...a massive behemoth similar to a purple worm, though utterly black in color." I'm not sure why the Bestiary 2 artist went with the centipede look. I personally prefer it, but the "classic" look is fine too. I'm not too picky when it comes to ginormous undead worms
The Eye of Abendego would be the most likely candidate, I agree. The Temple of the Ravenous Moon is a touch mysterious and might fit the bill. But that would be a stretch. I'm setting up for a campaign in the region, so my thinking may be a little centered on the Shackles and their surroundings. :)
Perhaps the Everdawn Pool from Curse of the Crimson Throne?
Back when this had the mockup cover, there was an image from (I believe) the Eye of Abendego. Plus James Jacobs has outright said it was an epic/mythic place. Oh, and I thought of another contender: the Mana Wastes.
I think the Everdawn pool would be a better example of a "fount of mythic power." A really good example actually. Off the top of my head, some other possible "founts" could be...
-The Star Stele from Thrushmoor in Ustalav
-Pretty much any mega dungeon (especially those linked with Nex, Tar-Baphon, and other confirmed mythics)
-The Pact Stone Pyramid
-The elves' Sovyrian (sp?) Stone
-Pretty much any Thassilonian ruin
Nicolas Logue, Nicholas Longue ... I remember that name ... I remember ... sharks with laser beams ... and some hollow falcon, full of despair .... sobriety, will we ever reconcile?
Six detailed locations, and so far we know three of them (Mechitar, the Pit of Gormuz, and Yjae). Any guesses on the other three? I'm going with the Dark Tapestry (pleasepleaseplease) and Eye of Abendego. Not sure what the third could be. Maybe one of the Vaults of Orv?
Mechitar gives us Geb, but maybe we'll also get the Refuge of Nex (or Spire or Crux)?
Mechitar gives us Geb, but maybe we'll also get the Refuge of Nex (or Spire or Crux)?
As desperately as I want to see the Spire of Nex detailed, I doubt this'll be the place. If Eric Mona was one of the authors that Mark named, then yeah perhaps.
He's been talking about the Spire of Nex since the end of Paizo's run as Dungeon/Dragon publishers. Where's the love? Grumble.
As desperately as I want to see the Spire of Nex detailed, I doubt this'll be the place. If Eric Mona was one of the authors that Mark named, then yeah perhaps.
You're probably right, much as I would love to see it.
I'd also love to see someplace not in the Inner Sea region as well, but I suspect this will not be the book for it. Pan Majang would be cool (and potentially Mythic- a clockwork necropolis?) or the Star Titan's Grave would also be awesome. Something Sarusan-i? Fuggeddabouddit.
Then again, we are getting Yjae, so maybe at least one of the other locations is likewise a Tian Xia locale?
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
I believe it has been mentioned elsewhere that we may see either Sorshen or Xanderghul in this. Considering those two are the only confirmed Runelords with Mythic Tiers, those are the only ones I feel it would be reasonable to expect.
