Mythic Overview

Mythic heroes are set apart from their contemporaries, capable of amazing feats of courage in the face of overwhelming odds. Where mythic characters differ from ordinary adventurers is in the special abilities they gain from mythic paths—collections of similar abilities chosen to represent their mythic power, enhancing them both in and out of battle for extraordinary, larger-than-life adventures.

Creating a Mythic Character

Unlike normal characters, those with mythic power have greater ties to the world around them and a greater place in legend. Creating a mythic character requires you to work with the GM to find your place in the story and determine the source of your power.

Start by creating a normal character using the standard rules. Despite their incredible abilities, mythic characters start with the same class features as non-mythic ones.

Characters generally become mythic in one of two ways: either the GM decides to make the characters mythic as one part of a larger campaign (possibly only temporarily), or mythic ascension and subsequent deeds are the central focus of the story from nearly the beginning. In either case, there will be a moment of ascension—the critical story beat when a character gains mythic power for the first time.

Mythic Ascension

The moment a character gains her first mythic tier is called the moment of ascension and is usually concurrent with an extraordinary event. The GM determines this event; it shapes the source of the character's power and can influence future choices and roleplaying decisions, though it does not affect which mythic abilities she gains.

Selecting a Path

Once a character gains mythic power, she selects a mythic path—much like an additional class. The path determines the majority of her mythic abilities. Instead of gaining levels, she gains tiers by completing trials. Tiers are independent of experience and class levels; you still receive XP for encounters as normal, but tiers advance only through story milestones.

Each path grants a number of specific abilities. All mythic characters also share a set of base mythic abilities determined by tier (see Mythic Power for the full ability list). As soon as a new tier is achieved, all new powers for that tier must be selected immediately.

Mythic Paths

Every mythic character belongs to one path chosen at 1st tier. Each path represents a journey into legend; each tier grants abilities and features related to that pursuit. Full path ability lists are on the Mythic Paths page.

Gaining Tiers

A character's mythic power is classified by tier (1st through 10th). Tiers are not gained through experience points—they are gained by completing trials. A trial is a difficult story task that adds to the legend of your character: a climactic battle, an impossible feat, or a moment that defines your hero's place in the world.

The GM decides what qualifies as a trial. You might not know you are attempting one until it is complete. Experience points are still awarded for encounters during a trial arc, but those XP apply only to class levels. Tier advancement is entirely independent. A mythic character can never exceed 10th tier.

The GM may reduce or increase the number of trials required to suit the campaign. See Mythic Trials in the GM Reference for 16 sample trial frameworks and guidance on designing your own.