At the end of tWWI, the characters are flooded with mythic power due to their proximity to a certain event... if Irabeth (or any other good NPC) is there, why wouldn't they be as well? Its not as if this torrent is targetted.
I'm planning on making her mythic as well when the event takes place - it adds realism to the event, gives them a viable NPC (or replacement PC if needed) and gives me more leeway with things that are happening 'off-screen'. One of our PC's is a Halfling Archeologist, and we're going to kind of RP it as if he just got caught up in the whole thing by happenstance and never intended to be some great hero... if he gets infused with Mythic power, so too should a Paladin.
I'm posting this thread to ask if anyone agrees (or disagrees and why not), to ask if anyone else is doing it (and how it worked out if they did) and finally, to maybe get a hint or two if there's a reason down the road why I absolutely should NOT do it.
Creative Director
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The wash of mythic power, actually, IS targeted. It hits the PCs only because they're destined for it. Their fates are capable of holding the power. The reason they gain this power and others around them don't is part of what builds the PCs' legend.
If you want Irabeth to become mythic too, that's fine—but that starts to run the risk of robbing the spotlight from the PCs. And furthermore, that means that Irrabeth can't fade into the background, really. She NEEDS to stay on full center screen, and that means you as the GM will need to run her character a lot.
If you're not worried about running her, or about the possibility of her overshadowing the PCs and starting to feel like a Mary Sue... go for it. But keep in mind that the next 5 adventures are written with the assumption that the PCs are the only mythic creatures on the good guys' side.
Just as an aside, I think it might be interesting to leave open the idea that there might be a few folks in the area (like Irabeth) who got tagged as "Potentials" (to borrow a term from Buffy). Give them the Mythic Companion feat and if a new player joins the group or someone's character dies and isn't raised, a Potential steps up.
The wash of mythic power, actually, IS targeted. It hits the PCs only because they're destined for it. Their fates are capable of holding the power. The reason they gain this power and others around them don't is part of what builds the PCs' legend.
If you want Irabeth to become mythic too, that's fine—but that starts to run the risk of robbing the spotlight from the PCs. And furthermore, that means that Irrabeth can't fade into the background, really. She NEEDS to stay on full center screen, and that means you as the GM will need to run her character a lot.
If you're not worried about running her, or about the possibility of her overshadowing the PCs and starting to feel like a Mary Sue... go for it. But keep in mind that the next 5 adventures are written with the assumption that the PCs are the only mythic creatures on the good guys' side.
Obviously I'm not operating with all of the information (and you just as obviously are), but it seems as if the act by the PC's triggers the wash of mythic power, and it directly affects everyone nearby, good and evil in various ways - using the dam analogy written in the scene itself, it seems like a flood in every direction radiating out from the point of rupture rather than targeted streams of water... I'm assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that the wardstone wasn't damaged by the forces of evil and then destroyed by the forces of evil, then its remnant captured by the forces of evil with the intent of corrupting it - all to create heroes of mythic power that will be their downfall. In other words, I saw it as an unintended consequence of their actions, not something pre-ordained before they ever knew to act. I'm perfectly open to the possibility that this might be incorrect and to the further possibility that you can't even tell me if its incorrect at this time.
Rather than stick to the dam analogy, in order for it to make sense as you suggest it to be, instead of a flood, I'm going to look at it more as a storm that has been unleashed, and the PC's lightning rods for its power, giving it a place to settle and serving as a resivoir for it. That would explain it potentially dodging around any number of more mundane individuals and targetting the PC's, whether they are in the next room or even across the city at that moment.
Regarding Irabeth, my intent was not to have her running alongside the PC's as a fellow Mythic warrior, but rather tending to 'her responsibilities' in Kenebres and beyond while the PC's do their thing. I don't see her stealing the spotlight from the PC's since she'll be offscreen the vast majority of the time (or at least, I'm assuming that at this point). Knowing my group as I do, I feel like having at least one other mythic hero out there would make it feel more 'real' to them. Again, if its something that might detrimentally affect the story down the road, I'd much rather not do it.
This is one of the troubles with trying to run an AP before you have it in its entirety in your hands... its tough to customize it without knowing what repercussions it might eventually have.
Just as an aside, I think it might be interesting to leave open the idea that there might be a few folks in the area (like Irabeth) who got tagged as "Potentials" (to borrow a term from Buffy). Give them the Mythic Companion feat and if a new player joins the group or someone's character dies and isn't raised, a Potential steps up.
This actually occurred to me - I mean, there are 3 additional NPC's who the PC's wake up with and there is no reason why they too might not have been potentially 'saved for a greater purpose'... and thereby opening the door to serve as alternates for the PC's should one go down or a new player join the group.
Since they are recurring NPC's with potential and specific roles to play in the AP however, I wasn;t sure about doing that.
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I myself am setting up certain NPCs as becoming Mythic in the event as well. I am doing it only in case I actually kill one of the PCs. I already informed them that I will have a group of NPCs set up to being Mythic for them to use if their characters die.
They are very eager for the possibility, but are working hard to keep that from happening. They are all fond of their characters and completly hooked into the AP
FWIW, the campaign traits in the Wrath of the Righteous Player's Guide seem to be there (among other things, like plot hooks to future parts of the AP) to "set" the PCs' mythic potential before their ascension. A lightning rod analogy might be better; the PCs are lightning rods because they already have the potential; the "storm" has little or no effect on any NPCs present since the PCs serve as the conduit to "ground" the energies from the wardstones (and incidentally awakening their mythic potential).
As rickj3 mentions, the event could also "set" mythic potential in NPCs that happen to be present; the Mythic Companion feat is a good way to represent it. One other consideration: If a PC needs to be replaced, there is less of a strain on the campaign's continuity by having one of the "potential" NPCs inherit a PC's mythic power (this works best if the NPC already has a close connection with the PC being replaced); the "new" PC is already tied to the plot and the rest of the PCs.
Obviously I'm not operating with all of the information (and you just as obviously are), but it seems as if the act by the PC's triggers the wash of mythic power, and it directly affects everyone nearby, good and evil in various ways - using the dam analogy written in the scene itself, it seems like a flood in every direction radiating out from the point of rupture rather than targeted streams of water...When I raised the question of how the mythic power influx works in the "What Do We Know" thread (since the power of all the wardstones at once should be enough to fry the PCs to a crisp on sheer energy levels), I was told/it was noted near the end that given that the wardstones all go kablooey elsewhere and emit their power as well, by definition the PCs can't be the focal point of all the mythic power. They become mythic through their exposure to it/actions regarding it... but not all of it. The action of triggering the wardstones and subsequent exposure is the spark that ascends them. It isn't the source of their power - they already had the potential (assuming the traits were taken). They just need something to trigger it, which may never have happened otherwise.
As far as I can tell, they are only subject to the first wardstone.
On top of that, they aren't evil. The effects would be benign to good characters, and should have little to no effect on neutral characters.(Unless perhaps if they channel negative energy?)
That or inflict some nausea or indigestion or something.
If they are evil characters though, they probably all just died or something.
I consider the discharge to be on a larger scale. Thus other crusaders may have been empowered as well. These provide players with the possibility of replacement characters in case they either want to play a different character or their PC dies. They just don't play as big a part until they become part of the group. (This group dynamic could even explain why they aren't manifesting until they join up - they had the ability and were empowered, but never truly "woke" until they join the group.)
I would agree Alleran, In that it is potential unlocked and not power absorbed. However, this ofcourse does mean that the powers of others could be unlocked as well. The others characters that fell down with you would qualify. And possibly other crusaders somewhere else.
As a GM ofcourse you can empower anyone you like with mythic power, although if mythic power was that easy to come by, The crusades would've been won a long time ago