What's the point of the "Calling" trait in War of Immortals?

[Tarpeius]

Do things besides Callings have the Calling trait, or is it as though there were suddenly a "Feat" trait that appeared on every feat? I checked up and down but couldn't find anything else with it. Are there to be special Calling items, for example?

[Finoan]

From what I am reading about it, it is just a trait put on the initial Mythic Calling options.

So it is very similar to the Dedication trait for Archetype Dedication feats. I don't expect any items would have that trait.

[Tarpeius]

Finoan wrote:

From what I am reading about it, it is just a trait put on the initial Mythic Calling options.

So it is very similar to the Dedication trait for Archetype Dedication feats. I don't expect any items would have that trait.

Right, except the initial Mythic Calling options are Callings. The Dedication trait makes sense since not all feats are dedication feats. So maybe some Calling-traited things are not Callings?

[Baarogue]

No definition for the trait in the book?

What I can find so far without my copy is this line in Calling: "You can have only one mythic Calling."

So maybe the trait is to ensure there's no argument about whether a calling is a calling or not. Or maybe they're preparing in case they print callings that aren't called "X Calling" in a future book

but I'ma circle back to my first question, no definition for the trait in the book?

[Finoan]

I don't have the book either. I am going off of the PRD version in Pathbuilder.

What I see for the Calling trait is: "The calling trait identifies mechanical options a character gains when they first gain mythic power. Every calling option grants a way to use and regain Mythic Points."

No it isn't identical to the Dedication trait. But it seems very similar to me. I don't expect that anything other than Mythic Calling options are going to have the Calling trait.

The trait's usefulness to me is that it specifies what a homebrew Calling option would need to have in order to be valid, and it makes searching for them on AoN easier.

[Lia Wynn]

Yeah, calling IDs something as a Calling. It has the same usage as the Dedication trait, ie This feat is a Calling. It's pretty standard trait usage IMO.

However, it is defined on page 69 of WoI in a Key terms sidebar and expanded on in the 'The Calling' section on page 74.

[Supe]

Its clearly an error, probably from time constraints. Classes don't have the class trait for example, and spells don't have the spell trait. Callings should instead have had "Calling" in big text to the top right of the feature the same way spells and feats do. General and Skill feats get the trait because they're feat subcategories.

Its similar to how every mythic feat has the uncommon trait. I can understand the dedications all doing that, meaning the gm has to give you access for the calling that you want. But for every feat its a bit awkward.

[Finoan]

From what I am seeing, only the Mythic Callings have the Calling trait. The Mythic Feats do not.

As for the Uncommon trait, why wouldn't the GM give blanket access to the entire Mythic Path? Having to ask for each feat specifically seems a bit strange in practice even with all of the feats having the Uncommon trait.

Much like a game where the GM is allowing firearms. What I have seen is the GM announcing that access is given to all Uncommon firearms.

[ElementalofCuteness]

I don't see the point of every thing being uncommon, I suppose it is Uncommon for a GM to potentially barring some of the feats for some reason. The fact Calling is a trait is also odd since it isn't something I think we need myself.

[Dragonchess Player]

"Uncommon" is often just another way of saying "check with the GM to see if this option is appropriate for the specific campaign the character will be in." That's it.

Not every campaign will be suitable for mythic characters.

[Elfteiroh]

ElementalofCuteness wrote:

I don't see the point of every thing being uncommon, I suppose it is Uncommon for a GM to potentially barring some of the feats for some reason. The fact Calling is a trait is also odd since it isn't something I think we need myself.

While it looks weird in the book, in the context of AoN or other SRDs, it make sense, as it's much more likely for someone to see these options in a vacuum.

As an example, at first, they only said that AP options were made for these APs and weren't meant to be used much outside these contexts. They weren't really tagging them with rarity, but people treated them as repository of new common options, and often were complaining that they were "too situaltional", so now they are 98% tagged with at least uncommon. xD
My guess is that with the system this mature, you'll see bigger and bigger percentage of options being tagged at least uncommon.

(And as a game dev, I'll say that having text in the section's introduction just "saying" that all these options have uncommon, a LOT of people would NEVER read it and thus never know they are uncommon if they only look at the book.)

[Vatras]

There are two definitions in the index of the book.
- Calling: all mythic characters gain a Calling when they first gain mythic power, ...
- calling (trait): the calling trait identifies mechanical options a character gains when they first gain mythic power. Every calling option grants a way to use and regain mythic points.

Since the word is the same, maybe there is some confusion about that.