Pathfinder Adventure Path #216: The Acropolis Pyre (Myth-Speaker 1 of 3)

Announced for July! Product images and descriptions are not final and are subject to change. :)

More adventures in Casmaron? Yes please!

At long last!! SO excited to see Iblydos in some detail; I hope Iapholi gets some love in it.

Heard about this in Paizo Live and even more hype for it now! Hero-gods! Myth-speaking! More Iblydos lore! My dream come true...

drokalion gang rise up

So question: will this be an extra long book to actually provide details for Iblydos to describe the land and run it? Or are we going to get another book to provide details to run there.

So question: will this be an extra long book to actually provide details for Iblydos to describe the land and run it? Or are we going to get another book to provide details to run there.

This is the same size as any other 3-part Adventure Path. There'll be a lot of context and lore to help GMs run it though, and to provide some more lore for Iblydos (although the bulk of the focus will remain on the Adventure Path, of course).

I will add the D&D/Magic Theros book to round out the region. Look it up, it’s cool and has tons of cool art and rules and even a starting adventure.

I can’t wait for the final logo and cover of this.

As Charlton Heston once said, "You go, girl!"

Oh, this is exciting!!!

Is there gonna be a gazetteer of the archipelago? I'm not even sure I know what the isles look like.

As a Greek, I approve of this AP, but I wonder why we keeping coming back to Greece and Europe when we could be exploring other cultures that have received far less content and are perhaps more deserving. Even Paizo’s name is Greek. Are there no words for play in arabic?

For what it's worth, this is the very first time an Adventure Path has been set in the Fantasy Greece part of the world - not that I mind stuff set further afield, of course!

OK, this looks interesting and different.

Iblydos... Where centaurs and minotaurs can be (fairly) common sights.

Also, from what has been mentioned elsewhere, the AP is supposed to incorporate the use of mythic Callings. ("All of this changes when a god's death awakens a forgotten source of mythic potential, transforming the player characters into the first new hero-gods in recent memory.")

I realized two hilarious things:

1. The Americans at Paizo removed Greece from the Mediterranean and placed us in Asia.

2. They placed themselves exactly where Greece is in the Med, and even took our invention of democracy as their own invention.

I couldn’t stop laughing when I realized this. If it was intentional it was genius. If it was unintentional it was hilarious.

I love you guys. No sarcasm.

Oh thank god maybe people will actually read the mythic rules now instead of just listening to kneejerk reactions on Reddit that critique Mythic Resilience outside the context of the rules to the point of pointing at a monster that a caster could easily solo and crying out "Look, this example in the book is an exception to the rules so I'm right that the mythic rules screw casters!"

I realized two hilarious things:

1. The Americans at Paizo removed Greece from the Mediterranean and placed us in Asia.

2. They placed themselves exactly where Greece is in the Med, and even took our invention of democracy as their own invention.

I couldn’t stop laughing when I realized this. If it was intentional it was genius. If it was unintentional it was hilarious.

I love you guys. No sarcasm.

Thanks! That said... it's worth remembering that while we do draw a LOT of inspiration from real world locations, history, mythology, and tradition... we aren't trying to make Golarion entirely into an Earth Analogue. So you'll see areas inspired by the pacific northwest and northern California (Varisia) show up just south of areas inspired by Scandinavia (Land of the Linnorm Kings), and just west of areas straight out of fantasy (Hold of Belkzen).

Oh thank god maybe people will actually read the mythic rules now instead of just listening to kneejerk reactions on Reddit that critique Mythic Resilience outside the context of the rules to the point of pointing at a monster that a caster could easily solo and crying out "Look, this example in the book is an exception to the rules so I'm right that the mythic rules screw casters!"

2nd Edition's mythic rules are SO much more tied into and interwoven into the narrative part of the game than 1st edition's, which were very deep into the rules side of things without a lot of intentional integration into the narrative. It's one of the larger ways we've adjusted mythic rules in this edition, after hearing so much feedback about how 1E's mythic rules meshed with the 1st edition "Wrath of the Righteous" tabletop experience, and then how much more satisfying an experience folks had with the computer game version where the mythic stuff was more deeply integrated into the lore and story and world.

Hopefully once folks start playing adventures (and once we start publishing them as examples, beginning later this year with the Myth-Speaker Adventure Path) this potential disconnect with how they work will smooth over a bit?

Ooooh! I'm VERY curious!

Another cultural tidbit people might be interested in.

The Olympian gods were our religion. Not “mythology”. We believed in them just as much as the Hindus or the Muslims believe today in their gods.

If you want to be cool, instead of “Greek mythology”, say “Greek religion”. Nobody ever says that, so if you say it people will think you’re cool.

CULTxicycalm wrote:

I realized two hilarious things:

1. The Americans at Paizo removed Greece from the Mediterranean and placed us in Asia.

2. They placed themselves exactly where Greece is in the Med, and even took our invention of democracy as their own invention.

I couldn’t stop laughing when I realized this. If it was intentional it was genius. If it was unintentional it was hilarious.

I love you guys. No sarcasm.

Thanks! That said... it's worth remembering that while we do draw a LOT of inspiration from real world locations, history, mythology, and tradition... we aren't trying to make Golarion entirely into an Earth Analogue. So you'll see areas inspired by the pacific northwest and northern California (Varisia) show up just south of areas inspired by Scandinavia (Land of the Linnorm Kings), and just west of areas straight out of fantasy (Hold of Belkzen).

You put Europe in the center, Asia in the east, Africa in the south, America (the Native America) at any rate, in the West.

If you aren’t trying to copy Earth I would say you’re doing a poor job at it. If you want to see a setting that’s not trying to be Earth, look at Dark Sun.

Best to own it and say that you’re doing Forgotten Realms on steroids, and doing a bang up job as well. It’s already an incredible achievement to beat the Realms in its own game. Beating Dark Sun is a whole other can of worms you haven’t tried opening yet.

James Jacobs wrote:

CULTxicycalm wrote:

I realized two hilarious things:

1. The Americans at Paizo removed Greece from the Mediterranean and placed us in Asia.

2. They placed themselves exactly where Greece is in the Med, and even took our invention of democracy as their own invention.

I couldn’t stop laughing when I realized this. If it was intentional it was genius. If it was unintentional it was hilarious.

I love you guys. No sarcasm.

Thanks! That said... it's worth remembering that while we do draw a LOT of inspiration from real world locations, history, mythology, and tradition... we aren't trying to make Golarion entirely into an Earth Analogue. So you'll see areas inspired by the pacific northwest and northern California (Varisia) show up just south of areas inspired by Scandinavia (Land of the Linnorm Kings), and just west of areas straight out of fantasy (Hold of Belkzen).

You put Europe in the center, Asia in the east, Africa in the south, America (the Native America) at any rate, in the West.

If you aren’t trying to copy Earth I would say you’re doing a poor job at it. If you want to see a setting that’s not trying to be Earth, look at Dark Sun.

Best to own it and say that you’re doing Forgotten Realms on steroids, and doing a bang up job as well. It’s already an incredible achievement to beat the Realms in its own game. Beating Dark Sun is a whole other can of worms you haven’t tried opening yet.

Fair enough, when you put it that way. My point was that the individual regions aren't always intended to map to specific areas.

Very excited for this ap, looking forward to seeing more of Casmaron and maybe a mention of Drokalion haha

Will the Player's Guide for this include advice for playing a necromancer or runesmith in this? A runesmith seems like a natural fit for this sort of story, and I've been thinking about some sort of pyre-tender necromancer, what with the focus in the blurb on funeral rites and cremation.

Will the Player's Guide for this include advice for playing a necromancer or runesmith in this? A runesmith seems like a natural fit for this sort of story, and I've been thinking about some sort of pyre-tender necromancer, what with the focus in the blurb on funeral rites and cremation.

While I agree, the only reason I don't think so is bc, at least judging from previous patterns, new classes generally aren't included in a Player's Guide until the finalized classes are out in their book. While we don't know much about the book the runesmith and necromancer are in, it's probably at earliest a late 2025 book but more likely a 2026 one. I'm new, but from what I've seen, most playtests seem to happen about a year before the classes come out? War of Immortals' playtest went from September to October of 2023, and the book came out October 2024. Battlecry! went from April to June of 2024 and it's coming out around August this year to my knowledge. The Impossible Playtest is still going on but started in December and wraps up this month. So I'd assume it's for a 2026 book from that pattern.

I'd definitely guess that commander and guardian would be in the player's guide if just bc Battlecry! seems like it'll release during this adventure path's run. But I'd be surprised to see runesmith and necromancer included just yet. If anything, once they're out, you could also bring them backwards 'in time', as it were. This is all just speculation though, so would be happy to be wrong.

Will the Player's Guide for this include advice for playing a necromancer or runesmith in this? A runesmith seems like a natural fit for this sort of story, and I've been thinking about some sort of pyre-tender necromancer, what with the focus in the blurb on funeral rites and cremation.

I doubt it, because those classes are still "baking".

Ah, well. That's development timelines for you. And it's not like the Player's Guide recommendations are the end-all be-all. I'm definitely looking forward to this one!

Myth-Speaker Main Theme: Mythic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ojpEYLaiqU

Will be nice to visit a place that is populated by more bestial races. Hopefully the players guide or back matter will include something to do with the mythic fonts.

Phoenix blessed city you say?

I cannot wait, Ancient Greece is my favorite historical period ever, and it's criminally underused in Pathfinder, and now we get a full AP there? Great!

Any idea if Aquatic races will be appropriate for this AP? I figure theres a chance given the location

Will this just shot up my must play list. I am a bit disappointed that James and Adam didn't think to tell me directly about this one. :D

Will this just shot up my must play list. I am a bit disappointed that James and Adam didn't think to tell me directly about this one. :D

I figured a Hound of Tindalos wouldn't need to "wait" for us to tell them. They can just ride the angles of time into the future whenever you want, can't you?

Will this just shot up my must play list. I am a bit disappointed that James and Adam didn't think to tell me directly about this one. :D

I wanted your excitement to bubble up organically. :)

Now that we have the second book’s final cover, the first book’s is also probably available? Any chance we can see it?

This is so exciting!

As Charlton Heston once said, "You go, girl!"

We are the Muses...

cheezeofjustice wrote:

Oh thank god maybe people will actually read the mythic rules now instead of just listening to kneejerk reactions on Reddit that critique Mythic Resilience outside the context of the rules to the point of pointing at a monster that a caster could easily solo and crying out "Look, this example in the book is an exception to the rules so I'm right that the mythic rules screw casters!"

2nd Edition's mythic rules are SO much more tied into and interwoven into the narrative part of the game than 1st edition's, which were very deep into the rules side of things without a lot of intentional integration into the narrative. It's one of the larger ways we've adjusted mythic rules in this edition, after hearing so much feedback about how 1E's mythic rules meshed with the 1st edition "Wrath of the Righteous" tabletop experience, and then how much more satisfying an experience folks had with the computer game version where the mythic stuff was more deeply integrated into the lore and story and world.

Hopefully once folks start playing adventures (and once we start publishing them as examples, beginning later this year with the Myth-Speaker Adventure Path) this potential disconnect with how they work will smooth over a bit?

The answer is definitely no. New mythic rules have narrative issues and mechanical. Narratively they are not working, because narrative should connect with things it really do. For example Fiend getting his own domain doesn't correspond with the fact, that it's just small area of diff terrain which you should suspend with heavy tax on your actions. Even later it doesn't get better. Beast master isn't actually a master, and even his ONLY companion isn't mythic, so useless vs mythic enemies. Wildspell that should be ultimate spellcaster mythic literally doing nothing with making you mythic master of magic. Narratively mythic enemies like Oliphant and Kaiju also not work, because the are no stronger or more epic then corresponding high level monsters, if forgot about over the top legendary-resistance style defense.

Mechanically also every thing is bad. Abstract collings that gives you nothing and also some of them are actually similar like bookkeeper and sage. Locking core things like mythic attack and mythic spell casting with feat tax, meaning there will be zero creativity and diversity, because you MUST take it, so you can still catch up with game mathematics. And poor alchemist, Kineticist and future classes that uses things like class DC or other things for calculations, meaning that they can't get their proficiencies. And biggest elephant in the room. Mythic proficiency it self. Why it getting worth with level? Why mythic powers start to be weaker near level twenty? Why it isn't just boost your current proficiency level for doing stuff by one level initialy(Like making you Expert, when you are trained, Master when expert, legendary when master and mythic when legendary)

And much more problems then what I mentioned. Mythic not working narratively and not working mechanically either, all system looks like it was unplaytested and very raw. And this makes me sad. I hope some day you and paizo will rebalance/redisign all this. Because absence of initially bad designed rules that needs heavy homebrew so they worked as something that they say they are, but actually not are the main reason why I loved PF2e in the first place.

Will we get any extra Mythic "things" in this AP by chance to supliment the base 1-10 Mythic or just as written in the Mythic rule book?

I was also a bit underwhelmed when reading this 2nd Ed Mythic, BUT I know one has to play a system (be it as a player or a GM) before really getting the feel of liking it, broken, unplayable, just right and so forth.

I DO get the context of the adventure will play a HUGE part in how it all shakes out, then we have the Revenge of The Runnlords AP just announced at the end of the year for the high Mythic play.

So I'll be GMing both of these when they come out, and hope to maybe be a player in one as well :)

Tom

THERE'S the final cover! A little charioteering and look at that handsome shepherd on the front. I'm sure Nobody is going to stab their eye out or anything!
I'd figured we'd get Nahoa in the art here, gotta have the Exemplar in the Greek Demigod campaign, even if he's a bit out of his cultural element. Looks like him, Thaleon, Sajan, and Korakai. Boys Night at the Greek!