The Player's Guide for Myth-Speakers has been released. A 1-11 AP set in Ibyldos, and it's the first Mythic AP of the edition! To quote the product page:
The port of Bailax hosts lavish funeral games for a recently deceased hero, inviting all to compete for prizes and glory. When the adventurers investigate an ominous omen that interrupts the festivities, what they find won’t just transform them into mythic hero-gods, but also will incite Bailax to violent revelry and arson. Can the new hero-gods stop the city from self destruction?
So there's a lot of different people who could get dragged in to this plot.
(Bonus idea: come up with a Homeric epithet or two for your characters as well - it would suit the Ancient Greek vibes perfectly!)
One of my players has already decided to play a Harpy Witch using Strix as a chassis. Exciting stuff.
Strix are great because you can do both Golarion-accurate Harpy (Monster Core gave them more of a focus on wind mastery than a compelling song) and Greek Myth-accurate Siren (may I suggest a bard with Bardic Knowledge? Occult list for the mind magics, and the lore can be flavoured as little scraps of prophecy)
Meanwhile, I've been thinking about Apollo's ravens, the strong association of white ravens in particular with prophecy, and the yatagarasu, so... how about Leukopete, a white raven, gregarious, curious, and both cursed and blessed with literally burning insight? Awakened animal flames oracle (obviously a flying animal) with the Student of Apotheosis background, investigating the process of becoming a hero-god to try and figure out how she awakened. Probably going sage's calling, but acrobat is also tempting.
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Awakened Animal (Lion) Cleric of Drokalion with the Beast Seeker Background - you're a devotee of the greater lion, and hope to be divine like him someday yourself.
I mentioned two in the player's guide thread:
1) (additional details) Minotaur/slabsoul kineticist (Earth gate, fork to Wood) with the Glory Hound background and (at 2nd level) the Artisan's Calling (crafter/stonemason);
2) Centaur/budding (green)speaker witch (Spinner of Threads patron; Seneschal class archetype [patron killed by Ongalte]) with the Student of Apotheosis background and (probably) the Demagogue's Calling.
For a third, how about a dwarf/forge ranger (Vindicator of Pharimia; Domain Initiate [Fire] as their 1st level ranger feat) with the Obari Wanderer background (a dwarf sailor wearing coral armor; seriously) and taking the Hunter's Calling...
I don't even have a group to play with, (yet?) but I'm a lifelong mythology buff and my mind is abuzz.
Since we know the adventure delves into the Iblydian Underworld, I like the idea of being a Duskwalker; maybe a long-ago Hero-God reborn, maybe just some guy, but destined to take up some kind of Charon/ferryman/life-death-rebirth god role regardless. Could go Animist, Monk, I like Caretaker's Calling for mythic. Take the Obari Wanderer background for Sailing Lore.
Chinostes being a Vampire Hero-God makes a Dhampir Exemplar a very tempting option, torn between the two cultic iterations of their father.
Part of me wants to be a Kineticist just to be contrary to all the people complaining that the class doesn't work with Mythic. I'm a prince who was tempered in the fire by a wandering Hero-God like Demeter and Demophon; a feral-child raised by dryads and blessed with the power of the forest; a Cyclops given a blessing by some now-dead smith hero-god that only truly awakened with the return of the plane of metal.
A Galatea-like statue Wished Alive, either a yaoguai or a reskinned android oread.
I also kinda want to be a Commander or Guardian purely to skin half-plate as a Dendra Panoply. I long for a boar's-tusk helm!
The other silly idea I had was essentially an Iomedaean Missionary. "I hear your gods are dying out. Would you like to hear about an ascended mortal who will never abandon you?" And then the plot happens and it's like "Oh, oh no, I've become one of the pagan idols. Oh dear."
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If I had a chance to play this, I'd go with a centaur. I don't know what class, it would depend on what the group needed if other people had more solid concepts.
But, I've wanted to play a centaur since they were released, and this seems like the perfect AP for one.
Also, I love that missionary idea TheTownsend!
Centaurs have a lot of fun options - you can go for a classic mythological archer (may I suggest Exemplar for maximum Chiron vibes - Horn of Plenty, either of the bow ikons, and maybe some Thousand-League uh Horseshoes? unfortunately a 1-11 campaign ends before you can pick up Teacher of Heroes, the most Chiron epithet of all time), but there's enough variety in the feats that almost any class will work (if this was a higher level AP, I would suggest maybe doing something funny with a Rogue with Accommodating Mount and Gang Up (and maybe that Ulfen Guard archetype from Shining Kingdoms, if you can swing it), but alas)
For a centaur archer, maybe a go with thaumaturge (a bow without the volley trait, such as the gakgung, as the weapon implement) and then take the Eldritch Archer Dedication at 6th?
Thank you, Lia. Probably not what I'd actually go with, just a funny concept. Like you, I want to live in the fantasy, not be an outsider to it.
For a centaur I'd actually be tempted to go monk. Take Ironhoof Centaur and Monastic Archer Stance, fit a kind of wild nude raider vibe while also being uncanny with a bow. It would take some swapping in and out of stances but I think it could work for that "Enemies are suddenly riddled with arrows and then trampled by a hooting beast person" deal.
Monk or Archer are definitely things I've considered. Whatever I did, if I played in the AP, I'd want to highlight speed and mobility when outside, if I could.
But, I'd also want to lean into where the group had weak spots, so if they were, say, a harpy archer, and a satry'ish monk already, I'd go something different, so that everyone gets to shine.
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A bit off theme for the Greco-Roman mythos, but I've had a character concept percolating for a while that is effectively a small fragment of the Norse god Odin incarnated into the body of a recently deceased mortal, travelling around under a number of (paper thin) aliases and doing classically heroic/godly deeds in an attempt to regain/strengthen their innate divine power, and more generally just seeking out knowledge and secrets in classic Odin fashion - in particular about how the death of prophecy at the dawn of the Age of Lost Omens might impact the prophecies of Ragnarok and whether they might somehow be averted.
A human/kjosas nephilim mainly built as a spear-wielding exemplar and almost certainly picking up a spellcaster dedication - witch or bard, possibly runesmith depending on how the class turns out.
Considering how they gave us textual evidence that there are vanaras around Ibyldos in the Player's Guide, specifically so anyone who wants to do Monkey King Jr. gets to do so, I think bringing in inspiration from other pantheons will work just fine.
Your shard of Old One-eye sounds very interesting, and just the sort of being to seek out information on the Hero-Gods to get embroiled in Plot. (You've now got me thinking on how to do an Odin myself - I think a Thaumaturge could be interesting, or a Warrior of Legend Fighter comes with a nice built-in Doom to try and dodge. Honestly, the Gallows-god's got so many versions you could probably populate a whole adventuring party just with him!)
Other grand mythologies could also be good inspiration... how about a Samsaran archer who was born a noble of Jalmeray? Bring a little Ramayana to the AP.
I was having some more thoughts about emulating various Greek Mythological creatures, in order to play as a sphinx or dryad or whatever, so I thought I'd share them here:
Dryads: I'm going to suggest hitting up the Tian Xia books, because both Yaksha and Yaoguai work surprisingly well - yaksha have a heritage that makes them plants as well as spirits, and grants a primal cantrip, as well as ancestry feats to ignore vegetation-based difficult terrain and cast Protector Tree as an innate spell (plus it heightens!). A born of vegetation yaoguai is a plant person who can grab a feat to turn back into their original tree form, which is also pretty dryad. Because Golarion's nymphs are all fey, perhaps a fey bloodline sorcerer, or filling out some ancestry feats with the Fey-touched options?
Other Nymphs: yaoguai are actually just quite good at "spirit of geographical location," particularly with a versatile heritage to add some extra mechanical heft (undine is perfect for a naiad, nereid, or oceanid, oread works quite well for the, well, oreads, while you could use the glowier bits of ifrit or nephilim to model the evening nymphs)
Sphinxes: Large or medium flying (for Grecian) or running (for Egyptian) awakened animal, and pick a class to suit - as well as the obvious lore oracle or enigma muse bard, perhaps a tome thaumaturge, or you could get Classical with it and make more of a temple guardian.
Giants: there are so many giants in Greek Mythology, and we're getting the jotunborn at the end of the month, for a Big Guy option that isn't half horse or bull. Lots of fightery guys in the legendry, here.
Automatons: not sure who'd be building them in Ibyldos, as Aerekostes doesn't seem to be the sort of crafting god who makes the wonders themselves, but presumably there have been other hero-gods of smithing or stonecarving or woodworking who could have made a wondrous machine that thinks and speaks and walks (in the Greek set, they're usually made by Hephaestus). Great excuse for including an automaton or android who's a native.
Dracaena: creatures with the top half of a human woman, and the bottom half of a dragon, but in the mythological sense, so at least some of them had snake tails (apparently two rather than one, though) - sounds perfect for a Sacred Nagaji!
Lykos of Athens: so this guy is kind of a one-off, but he's great, so I want to mention him anyway. Lykos was a, and I quote, "wolf-shaped hero with a shrine next to the jury court, and the first jurors were named after him." The sudden vision of an awakened wolf investigator becoming a hero-god of the legal system struck me, and that sounds like a lot of fun!
Awakened Animal's pretty all purpose are far as these things go. Hunter turned into a stag and attacked by his own hounds, assorted other therianthropic cruelties, weird animal a god sent to mess a guy up, magical steeds, and of course any of Typhon and Echidna's rugrats (though it's hard to mechanically represent having two or three heads, might have to leave that to rollplay).
For more obscure options there's an Empusa, shapechanging man-eating seductresses with one metallic leg--call that a Yaoguai or other shapechanging ancestry with Sterling Dynamo. Throw on Dhampir if you wanna lean into the vampiric angle.
The Kobaloi may be the etymological origin of the word Goblin, could be a local tribe.
The Myrmidons, Achilles' tribe from the Iliad, were said to have originated as ants, could be a fun basis for a Beastkin--actually a lot of options there, just say some hero god seduced your mom in the shape of X animal.
I've also just discovered the hippalectryon, sort of a reverse-hippocamp that's horse in the front and rooster in the back. Behold my mighty steed!
I wonder what ancestry is best for the Satyr?
I wonder what ancestry is best for the Satyr?
Gnomes, maybe?
I wonder what ancestry is best for the Satyr?
A (PF2e) satyr is a medium fey creature with a knack for magical songs, low-light vision, and a higher-than-average movement speed. Disregarding the fey bit for the moment, it wouldn't be unreasonable to model that using an elf, and seeing if you can get access to some of the fey-touched universal ancestry feats - Fey Influence and Fey Ascension both have appropriate faun-themed picks. As for class, fey sorceror or any bard are obvious picks, but I could also see satyrs as druids, or maybe even a barbarian (ligneous, elemental wood, or animal instinct seem most appropriate)
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I wonder what ancestry is best for the Satyr?A (PF2e) satyr is a medium fey creature with a knack for magical songs, low-light vision, and a higher-than-average movement speed. Disregarding the fey bit for the moment, it wouldn't be unreasonable to model that using an elf, and seeing if you can get access to some of the fey-touched universal ancestry feats - Fey Influence and Fey Ascension both have appropriate faun-themed picks. As for class, fey sorceror or any bard are obvious picks, but I could also see satyrs as druids, or maybe even a barbarian (ligneous, elemental wood, or animal instinct seem most appropriate)
In lieu of a proper "fey" versatile heritage, maybe you could use Nephilim to represent some supernatural influence/power - both Musetouched and Idyllkin seem like decent bases to use for a satyr, at least thematically.
I wonder what ancestry is best for the Satyr?
As I suggested here:
... you can probably "fake it" by using a gnome with the beastkin (goat) heritage, substituting horns in place of jaws for the hybrid form unarmed strike. You can also probably allow the Fey Influence (faun), Fey Ascension (faun), and Fey Transcendence universal ancestry feats.
My first group of the 2 I am running this for
1. Male Minotaur Barbarian (chip on his BIG shoulders against the local Gods as his father did something to displease one of them (Orc Mother and Father) and son (born a Minotaur because of the curse and the birth killed her mother) is suffering for it, seeking redemption.. not local to the Islands but close by) Came from a supply ship who docked on this Fatefull Island
2. Male Minotaur Kineticist (Looking for rumored magical beasts that might boost his new found powers, not from the Islands. Took a Passenger ship to this Island
3. Female Undine human Oracle (on a ship a sentient? storm sunk her ship and the last thing she remembered was throwing a spear into the heart of it, woke up on a beach where Terpsime found her and helped her to her Villa, and to greet her other guests as they arrived.
4. Male Orc Druid with Terror Bird Companion (Self imposed exile from his tribe after a local dragon mishap caused by adventuring group and dragon killed most of his tribe. Seeking power and redemption to make up for this to his tribe.) Not Local. Came on a Military Frigate then jumped ship
5. Human Male Fighter ( His warrior Poet father trained him then sent him out into the world to make a name for himself as his training was not up to Fathers standards. Shield Breaker became his nickname and not for how "great" he was...) Not Local and came on a Merchant ship to see these fabled Islands before their power diminished even more as the gods seemingly retreat further from this are... Came from a trading ship he paid passage for to the Island
6. Male Strix Champion (Grew up training in a Temple of The Mentor in Blades after another Champion of that local Diety saved his life when he was a child. Years later they let him out to see what his destiny might bring him and the temple) Local born and raised
The Hook for each was that Termsime was at the bedside of one of the last old cyclopse who was a fading fortune teller, a date was mumbled and 6 people would be on this Island, must be invited by her for something perhaps good or bad for the Islands, names were given then the death of their last would be Island champion showed there was something to this prophesy so specific messages were handed to each when they first stepped on the Island or from where they came from.
Tom
Cyclopean oracle or maybe construct summoner to tie in the artisan aspect.
I also want to play a centaur (human works too) that has offended the divine & been cursed for it i.e.. Heracles, Arachne, Aecteaon, medusa & the like. The curse manifests as an animast's spirits or a barbarian's rage.
My struggle right now is finding the correct background.
Gloryhound is the closest, but instead of seeking out stories, stories seek out them. As if the diety is keeping tabs on the character through a paparazzi-esque stream of storytellers.
Student of Apotheosis might also work, with the studious being an attempt to learn how others have escaped their curse, or at least create a suitable apology.
Beast Seeker might also work with the beasts being closer to the 12 labors needed to atone.
None of these quite fit though. Any thoughts?
None of these quite fit though. Any thoughts?
You don't actually have to use the backgrounds in the Player's Guide, if none of them fit. If you can talk a GM into allowing a Rare background, the Cursed one from PC2 seems appropriate, or you could just select a background based on what you were up to before you got cursed, which could be just about any of them. Maybe a Noble, for a Heracles-style backstory, or the classic shepherd boy as a Farm Hand or Animal Whisperer (why is there not an actual shepherd background?)
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I doubt I'll ever get the chance to play Myth-Speaker, but that's never stopped me from dreaming up characters for APs before, so...
I'd play an awakened badger barbarian named Alkter inspired by the Greek idea of hospitality/xenia mentioned in the player's guide. When he was a normal badger, a local druid fed him during a harsh snowstorm and let him stay in his tent. This gave the badger a faint understanding of "hospitality", so a few years later he showed hospitality to a hunter by letting him shelter in his burrow during another snowstorm, but the hunter betrayed him by killing his mate and running off with her hide. The druid realized that he'd caused this problem, so he awakened the badger and let him track down an slay the hunter in revenge. Alkter is now somewhat grumpy against the druid for introducing him to the knowledge of good and evil, but he knows he can't so back to his former innocence in the forest, so he's trying to find his place in the city. If he became a hero-god he'd be concerned with hosts, guests, and newly awakened animals.
Sacred Animal: badger
Religious Symbol: clawed paw holding bread
Sacred Colours: black, white, grey
Areas of Concern: homes, hospitality, newly sapient creatures
Edicts: tend to your guests, keep a spare bed for visitors, bind wounds.
Anathema: harm your host, harm your guests, make a creature sapient without due consideration
Domains: duty, earth, healing, might
Divine Font: heal
Divine Sanctification: none
Divine Skill: Medicine
Divine Attribute: Strength or Wisdom
Cleric Spells: 1st: mud pit, 2nd animal form, 4th sliding blocks (RoE)
Favoured Weapon: jaws or pick
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Actually, basing your character off of an obvious gap in the hero-god lineup would also be pretty fun - could you even get a whole reasonably functional party out of it?
The big blank spots right now in the Ibyldonian line-up are: agriculture (both farming and herding - olive trees are an important cash crop!), words/writing/knowledge (could also tie in with legal or astronomical knowledge), the aforementioned hospitality, any sort of psychopomp (in the mythic sense, not the creature type!), thievery/trickery, and maybe a more conventional artisan deity? (there's also the bigger archetypes like sky-fathers and such, but they seem a little too... celestial? for a hero-god. You're always going to be a bit more down-to-earth than a true deity)