Hey, so I have decided that since my storytelling always seems to go over the top that I would finally give making a mythic campaign a go. My players are level 6, nearly 7 with 1/tier of mythic.
I am completely up to the challenge of running a mythic game, but since its still sort of new to me, if anyone has any suggestions for like making good encounters so they still feel strong but challenged that would be awesome. Really just any other advice you may have, I am not to worried about telling a mythical story, but I am always open to suggestions.
You can check out some of the example encounters from the AP's that utilize mythic rules, like Wrath of the Righteous, for ideas.
On a more general level, remember that not every encounter needs to be with mythic enemies. Bad guys that have mythic tiers themselves are best saved for "boss" or at least "miniboss" type encounters. The bulk of the combat should consist of stuff of a CR appropriate for a group a couple levels higher than the party.
Also remember that while the players themselves are individually more powerful, they still more or less share the same action economy, so adding more bad guys isn't always the way to go unless you're just trying to intentionally set up mooks for someone to AoE down.
You can also utilize the mass combat rules, placing the PCs in control of an army that fights around them, while they get to go straight for the opposing general for an epic showdown.
I am running a custom mythic game where the party is finding the seals trapping Tar-Baphon and the end boss is him. I have mythic being rare so they are really only dealing with mythic foes that are tied to the plot. It would probably help if we knew more about the campaign you are running.
Using their powers is noticeable and makes them stand out. Casters are able to cast twice in a round while martials can double their attacks. This is going to look odd to most people and catch the attention of other groups.
Battles of attrition are good for wearing down mythic PC. And they can take on stronger foes after their tiers have kicked in.
One thing to consider is where the mythic abilities come from. Currently my group has no clue where they got these abilities. They have to figure it out. And they will later learn that Mythic powers come from Divine sources or from very powerful creatures. By powerful creatures I mean entities on the level with Tar-Bahpon.
A little about the adventure, well without getting to convoluted (as my stories often do, but my players enjoy it). The heroes acquired there mythicallity by taking some divine powers from several slain angels.
The angered a cosmic level being along the way and now it is coming to wipe them out. This being has a hold in the world already and sends perpetual attacks to try to kill them and the city in which they dwell.
The campaign is a heavy investment campaign, as in they are building a base, meeting people around a large metropolis city and occasionally venturing out in the world to eventually return to the city.
I came up with an idea to have everyone upon receiving there mythic power also received a vision of their death, a mythic death, doing something crazy like fighting the tarasque, hit by a meteor called by a wizard, thrown into a volcano ect. ect. I am going to use these as trail elements, where the players will have to figure out a way to prevent their deaths.
In addition to that I plan to tell the story from a heavy roleplaying perspective, taking turns doing stories in 2-3 session arcs around each character and things they are trying to accomplish. One example I cna give is we have an assassin character, so I might make a story where they have to pull off an incredibly complex assassination, maybe a whole group at once.
Either way, I am open to being given advice on how the mythic mechanics might break things for things like combat, but in all honesty I am more concerned about telling a good story. If they blow through a bunch of guys easily to do that, sure why not, so long as it serves the story.
One piece of advice I saw was attrition, if I really want to wear down the heroes just keep sending enemies to get them to the point I want then introduce the new element, be it a boss or whatever else it may be.
I tend to favor the story over the mechanics so I understand. Where the powers gained from theft or is it a gift?
If a gift then you could take from the Celestial blessed creature template and give them the features you like.
If stolen maybe from the the Devil bound one.
A fun one could be the Haunted Ones Template. They could get rid of the Angels but they would lose their powers if they did that.
Or the Half Celestial Template could apply here.
Sorry I cannot link them my computer is being mean to me today.
As to the mechanics of the mythic stuff that first tier does not feel like half a CR. The parties action economy can double in a big fight. The sorcerer I have can now cast any spell not just the ones she knows. This is only limited by the number of points she has. The wizard can force the baddies to take two rolls and pick the bad one. So with a save or die build it could be bad. He was shooting for a utility mage but is happy to do both. The druid picked on that lets him be able to be understood and speak with animals, plants, and fey. That one is really good for information gathering. Though I did have to role-play the grass once.
You are doing a custom game so you should be fine. To actually challenge the party the monsters out of the book just will not cut it unless you want a lot of baddies in a trash mob. They can fight higher CR critters but only so long as they have points or constant abilities.
Having people react to their abilities is fun. They can do things normal people cannot do and it looks strange. This should unnerve some people and make others fearful or in awe. Another option is the stat increases they get. This can as the tiers get up in number give high stats. I am having NPCs react to this. A high inelegance can result in people not understanding them. High strength is going to be an imposing figure by just standing.