Game Review - Mythic Part I

Well half of a review.  I'm going to look at Mythic as a tool for solo play.  I really hadn't heard about Mythic as a system until I ran into an intriguing post over at Tabletop Diversions.  Where he his playing out a solo game.  My interest in solo gaming is based on my once a month or less group's schedule (I'll be the one missing this month, so no Alesmiter Expedition writeup) and as I'm scheduled to take over as DM, I wanted to try solo questing as a means to flesh out the NPCs and the campaign setting.

Blue River, Costa Rica

  As I had some vacation coming up, I picked up the PDF bundle over at RPG Drivethru put it on my tablet and headed for the tropics.  Intending to read that and Clark Ashton Smith during the course of a week of sun, beach and jungle and do a lot of cribbage playing and a little blogging.  Everything but the blogging happened, although I did make lots of notes that are showing up as short Beastiary blogs.

Enough preamble, on to the review!

 Mythic, by Tim Pigeon, is a self contained system advertising the ability to be used for any genre, stand alone or with any other RPG or combination of RPGs.  It's a reasonably slim 146 pages, including covers.  But that's a bit misleading, after taking out charts, examples of play and the copious illustrations, the rules only comprise about half it's length.  And two thirds of those deal with character creation and advancement.

Character creation, which I admit to only skimming, is a point buy system, with the players adding arbitrary strengths and weaknesses as they seem appropriate.  To me, that seems easy to use for power gaming, only give your character strengths.  But I really have no intention of using the character rules.

I have to say that it's a very sparse system, the basic concept is that everything can be given relative ranks.  Relative to what, well Tim says relative to 'average' - which to someone with a background in Six Sigma and a lot of experience in computers doesn't really define it.  Essentially the ranks are an dimensionless scale distributed around a point.  If the scale is distributed symmetrically around the point, then it can be said to be relative to the average. However there is no hard and fast requirement to have a scale distributed evenly around a point - in fact most measurement scaless in RPGs start from 0 or 1, even those such as character abilities which we roll up on a 3d6 bell curve are really open ended linear scales.

That's all a bit of a quibble, as it doesn't affect gameplay.  In fact, Mythic's scales allow you to compare  percentile and 3d6 distributions head to head by using the conversions that have been helpfully provided.  These impose a dimension on each rank in the scale.   Now these aren't mathematically accurate comparisons as a Mythic score of 'Awesome' equates to a 3d6 score of 18 or a percentile score of 96-100,  while in reality you have a not quite one half of one percent chance of rolling an 18 (1 in 216).  Fudging the numbers this way doesn't bother me, it's a game mechanic and it's internally consistent .

Mythic also ranks the odds of an event occurring on a similar scale, this time ranging from 'Impossible' to 'Has to be'

When you really need them the most, million-to-one chances ALWAYS crop up.  Well known fact. - Sgt Colon.  Guards! Guards! , Terry Pratchett

Treasury - Tools of Klephtis

Image linked from The Adventuring Archives blog

Klephtis was the senior Guild Master in Apollonia - until he was assassinated one night.  His custom made set of thieves tools were never found afterwards.  One of his apprentices claimed to have been allowed to use them once and described them as "being made of divers material, keys of gold and crystal, saws of purest adamant and pliers made of quicksilver that could reach into the smallest lock and around corners".  But all know what sort of braggarts and liars thieves are when in their cups.  

In game terms possessing the tools gives a thief +20% to Find Traps, but oddly no bonus to remove or disable them.  And a +15% bonus to Open Locks.

Beastiary - Black Rider

An unclean umbral spirit that lends it's senses and intelligence to the unquiet dead.  The Black Rider is a demonic spirit who acted as a guide and adviser to a noble or other potentate in life.  As part of the pact where the ruler gained the familiar, the ruler swore to be guided "as long as flesh and bone shall endure", quite literally until dissolution of the corpse.

The spirit rides the head, shoulders or highest remaining piece of it's steeds anatomy guiding the undead's movements and attacks.  The undead gains exceptional intelligence and will use the spirit's saving throws if better than it's own.     The host undead also becomes capable of moving as fast as a human, if it's current speed is less than that and can take full actions every turn.

Inspiration - The Abominations of Yondo

Beastiary - Cactus Vipers

Pale green ophidians with lidless, pupil-less eyes of ocher, they dwell in, under and among cactus in deserts bordering the most desolate of wastes.  They have an array of keen senses, sight, heat and tremorsense that prevent them from ever being surprised.  While they won't pursue travelers, they will quickly strike any who venture within reach.  At night they will gather around the traveler, basking in his body heat during the chill of the night.  Invariably, they let the sleeper awaken and realize their horrific predicament before sinking their fangs.  Their poison is extremely virulent and the causes the most wracking pains during death.
All agree that the viper's only redeeming feature is that it is more merciful than what awaits the traveler in the wastes.

Inspiration: The Abominations of Yondo

Treasures - Breastplate of Diomedes

This +5 breastplate is embossed with a charging boar and was forged out of solid gold by Hephasteus himself.  Additionally, any armor check penalties are reduced by 2 and the armor provides the wearer with limited protection from critical hits.  Critical hits only occur on the roll of a natural 20, regardless of threat range or feats, and even if confirmed, there is a 50% chance that it is reduced to normal damage

Blogging from an Undisclosed Location

6:00 am watching and listening to the Pacific. This isn't a new post it's a ' neuva entrada'.  Google knows all.  Yes, I know about never saying you're out of town in social media, but my habitation is still occupied and with luck it will still be standing when I return. In the mean time, I'm reading Clark Ashton Smith and I'll be posting pieces inspired from his writings. The beastiary entries will not have stats as I left my references behind also writing html tables on a tablet is too much like work.

Beastiary - Ophies Amphipterotoi

Winged serpents, described by Herodotus as the guardians of the frankincense.  These snakes feature one or two pairs of feathery wings and a poisonous bite.

The snakes are at home in warm desert climates, but may be found anywhere, even crossing the sea during their spring migration.

Certain birds, notably the Black Ibis, will flock together to fight these monstrosities in vast aerial combats at that time.  The ground under these battles becomes littered with the carcasses and skeletons of the vanquished.  And are often sought out by aspiring necromancers as a source of guardian undead.

Ophies Amphipterotoi are usually small, but a swarm may include tiny, medium and even large specimens.

Combat An Ophies Amphipterotoi has a poisonous bite attack, large specimens also gain a constrict attack.


Statistics by game system.

3rd Edition / Pathfinder

Size Small  [Large] Hit Dice 1d8 (4 hp) [3d8 (13hp)] Initiative +3 (Dex) Speed 15 feet/60 feet Flying AC 17 (+1 Size, +3 Dex, +3 natural) [17, +3 Dex, +4 Natural] Attacks Bite +4 melee Damage Bite poison [Bite 1d4 and poison] Face/Reach 5ft /5ft Special Attacks Poison [Improved Grab, Constrict 1d8+2] Special Qualities Scent Saves F2, R5, W1 [F3, R6, W2] Abilities St 6 [16], Dex 17, Con 11, IQ 1, Wis 12, Cha2 Skills Balance +4, Hide +8, Listen +8 Move Silently (Flying) +6, Spot +6 Feats Weapon Finesse (Bite) Climate/Terrain Warm land Organization Single or Swarm (2-12) Challenge Rating 1 [2] Alignment Neutral Advancement 3-5 HD (Large)

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1st Edition

Adventurer, Conqueror, King

Frequency Rare No Appearing 1 or 2-12 Armor Class 7 [3 ACKS] Move 4"/24" Fly  [ 90'(30')/ Fly 180' (60') ACKS] Hit Dice 2 [5 Large] % in Lair Nil Treasure Type None No of Attacks 1 [2 Large] Damage/Attack 1d4 Poison [/Constrict 2d8 large] Special Attacks Poison Special Defense None Magic Resistance Standard Intelligence Semi- Alignment Neutral Size Small [Large] Psionic Ability Nil

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Chivalry & Sorcery

Body 3 [10 large] Weight 3-9 [150 large] Move 30/300 Armor 0 % Hit +10% % Dodge -05% Attack Mode 1xWDF MSS 1 Strike + Poison 1xWDF MGS 1 Strike + Poison: 15% Bash +Constrict 2 dice) Experience 75

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Runequest 2e

STR 1d6 [26+6 large] (3-4) [(13) large] Move 4/12 CON 2d6+6  (13) Hit Point Average 11 SIZ 1d6 (3-4) Treasure Factor 6 INT Nil Nil Defense +05% POW 1d6+6 (9-10) DEX 3d6 (10-11) CHA Nil Nil Bite SR10 Attack 25% Damage 1d4 + Wyvern Venom Potency 4 Constrict SR10 Attack 15% Damage  2d8 [Large]

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  Warhammmer Fantasy Role Playing 1e

M

WS

BS

S

T

W

I

A

Dex

Ld

Int

Cl

WP

Fel

3

33

0

1 [3 large]

2 [3 large]

3 [5 large]

30 [60 large]

1

-

24

6

30

30

-

Ophies Amphipterotoi fly as Hoverers,.  Large Ophies Amphipterotoi inject two doses of Snake Venom in a bite, others inject a single dose