03-17-2019, 04:42 PM
Ok, so this is just a working thought concept right now, but I've been studying the Mythic Adventure book and all of it's 3rd party supplements (I like DBZ battles and big numbers, it's kinda base, but it's what I like XD).
I think a lot of the problem of mythic isn't that it doesn't really enhance your already superpowered characters that much, but rather, it gives you too many abilities 'here and there' that don't really feel special or unique or "Mythic" as they like to call it. The other problem is the non-mythic mcguffin like abilities that D&D players seem to love to thwart DMs with (soft magic spells like Divination, Legend Lore, Wish, etc). The problem isnt that mythic is bad, mythic at it's core are number increases. A spell that does D6 damage will instead do D8. A mythic attack will gain a mythic rank to attack roll and damage. It's usually about increased numbers, but soft magic spells like the aformentioned ones, that do not have numbers, and have effects that depend on DM to DM thus making it an abstract, cannot be mythic, cannot be "More" than they are because there is no more to give.
This system, however, does not focus on soft magic. It focuses heavily on hard magic where numbers might be variable, but there is a static minimum and static maximum. Furthermore, this game seems to try and minimize three dimensional uses of the map in favor of two dimensional uses, which allows for greater tactical agency and effect shape/design. E.g., instead of just having lines, bursts, and walls, we can have unique, slightly more tactically abstract effects.
(For those who haven't heard the terms soft and hard magic, I reference this for you: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_and_s...ic_systems)
With the system in place as it is, and the idea that the power is inside the materia itself, which means monsters and players can use it alike, not only can every current materia gain a simple mythic ability tacked on at the end that any mythic character with "Mythic Power" can use.
To give you some examples. One standard materia from the SRD slightly modified to include a few minor mythic abilities, and one totally unique mythic materia.
Time Materia
Type spell; Rarity rare
Price (Materia Level) 20,000 gil (L1); 35,000 gil (L2); 55,000 gil (L3)
Attachable Slot weapon or armor
Aura strong enhancing; Caster Level 12th
Activation —
This materia provides the user the ability to strike easier with a weapon or react faster on the initiative. When attuned with the Use Magic Device skill, the user can cast Haste and Slow spells.
ARMOR BONUSES
Type Ability and Spell; Rarity Mythic
Price (Materia Level) Unknown for now
Attachable Slot weapon or armor
Aura strong enhancing; Caster Level ???
Activation Requirements: User must have a mythic rank of at least 1 to use this materia.
This materia imbues the user the power electricity, allowing their attacks to strike against metal easier or their bodies to be quicker and more resilient, but it's true power involves the manipulation of electricity itself.
ARMOR BONUSES
Once per day, Mythic users of at least 4th rank or higher can spend two MP to summon floating conduit motes, small 1ft globes of crackling electricity. These lightning motes can only be interacted with by the user of the materia. Anyone else who comes in contact with a mote simply pass through it as if it were incorporeal and insubstantial. 3 motes are summoned up to 100ft away from the user of the materia at the users discretion, and last for 1 round per mythic rank of the user. The user of the conduit motes can interact with the motes in one of three ways.
So this is all just a working theory/idea in progress but I think it could turn into a really cool mythic adventure overhaul by putting most of the power in spells, items and materia, so that not only could players benefit from it, but monsters could benefit from it equally as well. I think the idea of mythic adventures is awesome, but players already get so much as it is and the mythic needs to focus more on the creatures, the items, the spells, and less on trying to box 80-90 different base classes into 6 homogenized archetypes with abilities that only really relate to specific characters or builds.
Imagine taking on a mythic thunder gigas with this materia embedded in his axe.
I think a lot of the problem of mythic isn't that it doesn't really enhance your already superpowered characters that much, but rather, it gives you too many abilities 'here and there' that don't really feel special or unique or "Mythic" as they like to call it. The other problem is the non-mythic mcguffin like abilities that D&D players seem to love to thwart DMs with (soft magic spells like Divination, Legend Lore, Wish, etc). The problem isnt that mythic is bad, mythic at it's core are number increases. A spell that does D6 damage will instead do D8. A mythic attack will gain a mythic rank to attack roll and damage. It's usually about increased numbers, but soft magic spells like the aformentioned ones, that do not have numbers, and have effects that depend on DM to DM thus making it an abstract, cannot be mythic, cannot be "More" than they are because there is no more to give.
This system, however, does not focus on soft magic. It focuses heavily on hard magic where numbers might be variable, but there is a static minimum and static maximum. Furthermore, this game seems to try and minimize three dimensional uses of the map in favor of two dimensional uses, which allows for greater tactical agency and effect shape/design. E.g., instead of just having lines, bursts, and walls, we can have unique, slightly more tactically abstract effects.
(For those who haven't heard the terms soft and hard magic, I reference this for you: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_and_s...ic_systems)
With the system in place as it is, and the idea that the power is inside the materia itself, which means monsters and players can use it alike, not only can every current materia gain a simple mythic ability tacked on at the end that any mythic character with "Mythic Power" can use.
To give you some examples. One standard materia from the SRD slightly modified to include a few minor mythic abilities, and one totally unique mythic materia.
Time Materia
Type spell; Rarity rare
Price (Materia Level) 20,000 gil (L1); 35,000 gil (L2); 55,000 gil (L3)
Attachable Slot weapon or armor
Aura strong enhancing; Caster Level 12th
Activation —
This materia provides the user the ability to strike easier with a weapon or react faster on the initiative. When attuned with the Use Magic Device skill, the user can cast Haste and Slow spells.
ARMOR BONUSES
- Level 1: This grants a +2 luck bonus to the user’s initiative.
- Level 2: This grants a +4 luck bonus to the user’s initiative.
- Level 3: This grants a +6 luck bonus to the user’s initiative.
- Mythic Ability: Once per encounter, you may spend one MP to reroll your initiative and take the higher result.
- Level 1: This grants a +1 luck bonus to all attack rolls made by the user.
- Level 2: This grants a +2 luck bonus to all attack rolls made by the user.
- Level 3: This grants a +3 luck bonus to all attack rolls made by the user.
- Mythic Ability: Once per encounter, you may spend one MP to reroll a single attack roll and take the higher result.
- Level 1: Haste
- Level 2: Slow
- Level 3: Hastega
- Mythic Ability: Once per encounter, you may spend 1 MP to cast a Mythic Haste, 2 MP to cast a mythic slow, or 3MP to cast a mythic Hastega.
Type Ability and Spell; Rarity Mythic
Price (Materia Level) Unknown for now
Attachable Slot weapon or armor
Aura strong enhancing; Caster Level ???
Activation Requirements: User must have a mythic rank of at least 1 to use this materia.
This materia imbues the user the power electricity, allowing their attacks to strike against metal easier or their bodies to be quicker and more resilient, but it's true power involves the manipulation of electricity itself.
ARMOR BONUSES
- Level 1: This grants the user electricity resistance 5 and +2 to their reflex saves.
- Level 2: This grants the user electricity resistance 10 and +4 to their reflex saves.
- Level 3: This grants the user immunity to electricity and +6 to their reflex saves.
- Level 1: This adds an extra 2 points of lightning damage to the weapon’s damage, and grants a +1 to attack against a target made of or wearing or wielding metal.
- Level 2: This adds an extra 1d8 points of lightning damage to the weapon’s damage, and grants a +2 to attack against a target made of or wearing or wielding metal.
- Level 3: This adds an extra 2d8 points of lightning damage to the weapon’s damage, and grants a +3 to attack against a target made of or wearing or wielding metal.
- Level 1: Mythic Lightning Bolt
- Level 3: Mythic Lightning Arc
Once per day, Mythic users of at least 4th rank or higher can spend two MP to summon floating conduit motes, small 1ft globes of crackling electricity. These lightning motes can only be interacted with by the user of the materia. Anyone else who comes in contact with a mote simply pass through it as if it were incorporeal and insubstantial. 3 motes are summoned up to 100ft away from the user of the materia at the users discretion, and last for 1 round per mythic rank of the user. The user of the conduit motes can interact with the motes in one of three ways.
- If they are standing adjacent to a mote, and have not moved, they may make a 5ft step and travel in between any one other mote, landing adjacent in any square to the subsequent mote. When doing so, your body temporarily disappears and produces a lightning bolt between each mote, dealing 1D6 lightning damage per mythic rank of the user to any creature caught in between (Reflex Save for half, DC = 10 + MR + level of materia).
- The user may spend a move action to instead move the motes up to 50ft in any horizontal direction. The user cannot perform this action and a 5ft step in the same round.
- The user may cast mythic lightning bolt or mythic lightning arc to create an overload of the conduit motes. Lightning will travel from each mote in rapid succession, creating a feedback loop that quickly explodes, dealing 2D8 points of lightning damage per MR of the user within a 10ft radius of the conduit motes, but also in a triangular line of lightning bolts in between each conduit mote. Creatures that fail their reflex save (DC = 10 + MR + level of Materia) are inflicted with Static as well.
So this is all just a working theory/idea in progress but I think it could turn into a really cool mythic adventure overhaul by putting most of the power in spells, items and materia, so that not only could players benefit from it, but monsters could benefit from it equally as well. I think the idea of mythic adventures is awesome, but players already get so much as it is and the mythic needs to focus more on the creatures, the items, the spells, and less on trying to box 80-90 different base classes into 6 homogenized archetypes with abilities that only really relate to specific characters or builds.
Imagine taking on a mythic thunder gigas with this materia embedded in his axe.