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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

Rules Index | GM Screen | Player's Guide
War of Immortals / Mythic Rules

Designing Mythic Encounters

Source War of Immortals pg. 84
A character’s level indicates their general power in relation to all other beings and challenges present in the game. A level 20 monster is so much more powerful than a group of level 16 characters that they’ll need extreme luck and excellent tactics to have any hope of defeating it, and lower-level characters stand no practical chance of facing such a threat.

Mythic power doesn’t change a creature or character’s effective level, but it does make them more powerful than a creature of the same level. A mythic monster can generally be expected to defeat a non-mythic monster of the same level in an otherwise fair fight, and a mythic character will be able to overcome difficult challenges more reliably than a non-mythic character who’s otherwise similar in level and capabilities.

Unlocking New Paths Forward

Mythic powers, especially at low levels, can be thought of as skeleton keys that mythic PCs can use to access parts of the world that might normally be inaccessible to them. If the PCs are adventuring in a dungeon, this could be reflected through locked doors, hazards, and other obstacles that normally require a minimum proficiency level of expert or higher to bypass; since mythic proficiency is the highest proficiency level available, mythic characters with the correct Callings or feats can attempt these checks regardless of their level and normal proficiency by spending a Mythic Point.

When adventuring in the wilds, these same principles apply, but the obstacles might be mighty rivers, sheer and otherwise unscalable cliffs, or other types of natural boundaries that divide the world and prevent lesser mortals from proceeding.

As the GM of a mythic campaign, it's important for you to know what Callings and feats your characters have available and that you're prepared when the players use these resources to take the story in a different direction.

The essence of mythic adventure is that the players are able to interact with the story and influence the narrative beyond what a normal character can do, and it's important that they be presented opportunities to do so!

1st-5th Level

Source War of Immortals pg. 85
The abilities mythic characters gain at early levels let them apply mythic proficiency only to skill and Perception checks. Though some of these abilities have combat purposes (such as the guardian's Calling's ability to attempt Disarm, Reposition, and Shove checks at mythic proficiency), the characters' mythic abilities generally won't be adding significant amounts of extra damage to the PCs' attacks. The major ways that mythic play differs from standard play at this level are in the PCs' general survivability and their ability to excel at certain types of tasks during exploration and downtime mode.

As a GM running a mythic game, you might present your party with more hard or very hard skill checks during exploration mode, especially when those checks directly relate to a party member's Calling. Encounters: You should build and run combat encounters normally, as described in GM Core. If the players are finding combat to be too easy and nonthreatening, stop using trivial-threat encounters, and use fewer low-threat encounters; however, avoid using extreme-threat encounters or more than one severe encounter per day in game since these encounters are still weighted against the party, and the PCs have minimal resources to increase their advantage against such powerful and overwhelming threats.

As normal for this level range, remember that severe- threat encounters are better deployed as a boss enemy whose level is no more than the PCs' level plus 2, with supporting lower-level monsters. If the story of the encounter strongly indicates that the boss should be a solo threat, don't increase its level, but replace the lower-level monsters with similarly leveled complex hazards or a larger number of simple hazards. These hazards can help make the fight interesting and unique without making the game too lethal to be enjoyable.

6th-10th Level

Source War of Immortals pg. 85
At 6th level, mythic PCs begin to gain access to mythic feats that can allow them to make attacks at mythic proficiency. Such feats are still fairly situational and typically require specific circumstances before they can be used, but this represents a significant spike in the PCs' combat capabilities.

Encounters: At this level, avoid trivial-threat encounters entirely, and use low-threat encounters only in situations where you want the PCs to experience an easy triumph. You should still avoid running multiple severe-threat encounters without giving the PCs an opportunity to rest first, and severe-threat encounters against mythic opponents should be preceded by mythic deeds or a moderate combat encounter against multiple lower-level mythic opponents to allow the PCs the opportunity to recharge their Mythic Points.

12th-20th Level

Source War of Immortals pg. 85
Once a group of mythic characters have received the 12th-level feat for their mythic destiny, they'll have a significant amount of power both to defeat opponents in combat and to directly impact the narrative of the game world in ways big and small.

Encounters: You should avoid low- and trivial-threat encounters entirely. If the PCs would come into contact with adversaries who represent such an encounter, it's better to handle the situation via roleplay rather than playing through a fight with a predictable conclusion. For a significant boss fight that serves as the culmination of an ongoing plotline, it can be appropriate in this level range to present the PCs with back-to-back severe-threat encounters, such as against a powerful lieutenant backed by a larger number of weaker monsters and then the “final boss” with a pair of more powerful bodyguards. Only at the highest level of play—when the players are fully experienced with their characters, and the party is rested, fully charged with Mythic Points, and wielding mythic weapons—should you consider pitting them against a single apponent that constitutes a severe- or extreme-threat encounter alone