lawrence.whitaker

No plans to change any of the content in Mythras Imperative at the moment - although as we prep the text for the SRD, we will look for typo and errata correction opportunities.

As to timings, Classic Fantasy Imperative will likely appear first, with Mythras Imperative following a little later.

But yes - people will be free to mix and match Mythras and Classic Fantasy Imperatives as they see fit, and bring in material from other ORC systems (like BRUGE) if they so wish. Just abide by the ORC license terms, giving correct and accurate attribution, and not using restricted content, and you're home-free.

Yes. Mythras Imperative will be released under ORC, alongside Classic Fantasy Imperative, which is an ORC edition of the Classic Fantasy rules. Both will have SRDs and are being worked on now.

8 hours ago, Atgxtg said:

I know, RQ2 and BRP do the same. I just mentioned this because the OP was wondering about the value of CHA and how to make it more useful. 

Or even the average of the two.  

I do go for the higher of the two. Less math.

1 hour ago, Atgxtg said:

That's why I liked how category modifiers added to improvement rolls in RQ3. Having a high CHA/APP not only improved your starting score, but added a few percentiles to your improvement rolls with CHA based skills, leading to slightly faster improvement and slighter higher skills throughout the character's career. . Something like adding 1/5th the base score to improvement rolls in Mythras would make all attributes more useful after chargen.

 

INT is added to the d100 roll for improving skills, but there are good arguments for making the bonus be one of the two characteristics that make up the base.

6 hours ago, Ravenheart87 said:

The DriveThruRPG quick preview for Gwynedd has a black background that makes it unreadable. Factions doesn't even have a preview. It would be neat if both had a proper full size pdf preview. Great timing by the way, yesterday I was talking with one of my friends about the importance of factions in sandboxes.

Now corrected!

Two new - and long anticipated - releases, now available!

Mythras Factions
Mythras Factions provides rules for creating and running factions of any size or complexity; from street gangs to international corporations. These can then be used as backdrops within a Mythras campaign, or even used as playable entities in their own right. Fully compatible with the entire Mythras line, including Destined and Classic Fantasy, Mythras Factions provides 15 example factions of varying types and sizes to act as inspiration for your own creations.

20 pages
PDF: $4.99, Print: $10.99 (PDF included free with print copies)
TDM Store.  Lulu Store.   DrivethruRPG

Mythic Britain: Gwynedd
This war-torn land has been the target of near-constant conflict for centuries, The native tribes have all but vanished, replaced by successive waves of Roman, Irish, Manx, Silurian, Pict, and Ordovician invaders, all of whom covet its fertile valleys and gold-rich mountains. It has been twenty years since a king ruled a united Gwynedd: eight contenders compete for the Oaken Torc of Gwynedd, divided into two major factions and a handful of minor ones. Only strife rules here, abetted by the interference of foreign powers and secret conspiracies at the heart of its princely courts; and it seems that Gwynedd is not destined for peace. 

This campaign book for Mythic Britain describes the clans, cabals, and coteries that fight for Gwynedd's throne, employing the rules detailed in Mythic Factions; along with the history, geography, and motivations that drive the conflicts. The adventure "Quarrelling Princes" adds another chapter to the Mythic Britain campaign, concerning Arthur's attempts to recruit Gwynedd into the Alliance of Britain. Three other adventures are outlined: "The Flooding of Maes Gwyddno" has the characters racing to save a land from the sea; "The Head of Bran the Blessed" sees the adventurers questing for a mystic artifact; and "The Madness of Ynys Mon" explores the cursed heart of druidic power in Britain. 

52 pages
PDF: $5.99, Print: $12.99 (PDF included free with print copies)

TDM Store.   Lulu Store.   DrivethruRPG.

 

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They promised us a "Classic Fantasy Imperative" for 2020, that should be a complete rulebook on its own... Sadly it's still not there (though it's "in production" we are told) so , right now, you also need Mythras to use Classic Fantasy.

Erm... no.

Classic Fantasy Imperative was announced in January this year. And yes it's in production. It is a complete set of rules, and will be available as both a laid-out version, and a text-only SRD.

CHA is fundamental component of 5 Standard Skills and 12 Professional skills (excluding the Magic skills, which bring it up to 15) and an infinite number of Passions. It's as well represented as any of the other characteristics and, indeed, was consciously designed that way.

Generally Mythras eschews characteristic rolls, but in certain circumstances that may be useful and helpful. There's no reason why you couldn't use a CHA multiplier to resist another skill, although generally there is a skill that's designed to do the job (such as Insight, Influence, Willpower or Deceit).

And no, shields don't suffer incidental damage when used to parry. They can be damaged though, if specifically targeted for damage, or using the Damage Weapon Special Effect.

This topic has come up a couple of times in various places, and as G33k says, a lot depends on what is pitched to us. Our most recent Mythras Matters Podcast tackles exactly this question, and as Brian and I explain, we really do want to see scenarios and expansions for our existing titles, ands we will be prioritising such over brand new settings in the future.

G33k's also right in that scenarios tend not to see as well as sourcebooks - but that's not a problem. We have a publishing model that can cope with reduced demand, and we believe that even though not necessarily as lucrative, scenarios for established settings help promote and keep the setting alive, so they are important and we will invest in them.

We just need more people writing them. 🙂

16 minutes ago, rsanford said:

Congratulations Pete & Loz!

Thank you - but thanks should really go to Mark Shirley and the production team - Carol, Sophia, Colin, Roena and James; they're the ones that did all the hard work in writing, editing, layout and art (direction and illustration).

Kia orana! May health be with you!

This, the traditional greeting of the Oceanian people, can be heard throughout a region covering a vast triangle with sides measuring over 10,000 kilometres. At the three corners of this triangle lie the Hawai'ian Archipelago in the north, the continental islands of Aotearoa in the south, and mysterious Rapanui in the far east. 

Mythic Polynesia describes the people and cultures of the Great Ocean, and is a complete guide to roleplaying in this vast area of myth and legend. Examining the traditions, myths, gods, spirits and creatures of the Great Ocean, the Polynesian islands are brought alive and presented through the Mythras game system. 

The book includes an exhaustive overview of Oceanian life, the tribes, their magic, and their complex history and politics. A section on staging Polynesian campaigns offers Games Masters copious guidance on creating compelling Mythic Polynesia adventures at the gaming table. This is part of the Mythic Earth range of sourcebooks for Mythras, and is not a standalone game. Either the Mythras core rules or Mythras Imperative is needed for play.

TDM

Lulu

DTRPG

Softcover: $35.99

Hardcover: $45.99

PDF Only: $22.99

240 pages, colour

This is an excellent adaptation of both sandestins and the Lyonesse magic rules. Great work! 🙂

The Predestination Engine & Other Stories is our first scenario collection for Casting the Runes. These seven investigations take the characters across the United Kingdom at the turn of the 20th Century, from London to Edinburgh, and involve them in hauntings, summonings, strange rites, macabre visitations, and things from folklore. Each adventure is standalone, but a loose campaign can be formed, and while developed for Casting the Runes, the adventures are almost statistics-free and can be used with your favourite supernatural rules-set.

Written by Paul StJohn Mackintosh and Tobias Cooper, these adventures wonderfully evoke the atmosphere of Edwardian Britain.

Predestination Engine
Softcover: $12.99
PDF Only: $5.99
58 pages, Colour

TDM Store

DTRPG

Lulu

The Bundle of Holding deals usually update separately when there's a new Bundle. Not sure when that will next be.

We will update Luther Arkwright to include the material from 'The Legend of Luther Arkwright', although you're unlikely to see more from 'Heart of Empire'. The latter takes place (mostly) on one parallel, and the rules from the main book cover everything needed. 'Legend' though, develops things, and so the game will also develop to reflect the new content. It will also be a standalone game. When will it be released? No idea. We haven't started working on it at all.

Subscribers to our newsletter should have a sneak peak of four new books coming out this year, including Mythic Polynesia.

Some quick replies - I'll see if I can secure a more detailed example separately.

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1) is the term Spell synonymous with Sandestin Ability?

Sort of. They are one and the same for the purposes of game mechanics. A spell is technically the set of instructions that makes the sandestin use its ability in the way the magician wants it to be used. This generally involves some form of negotiation and a fair amount of precision on the magician's part, but generally ability=spell.

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2) What is the number (or range) of ‘spells’ in an Axiom?

There's no actual range. Axioms are broad categorizations used to group sandestin abilities into a loose hierarchy. Magicians who decide to specalize in, say, weather magic, might focus on controlling sandestins from the Pyromancy and Macromancy axioms, or even Nigromancy. Different magicians might have different approaches. Some axioms may have a wide range of sandestin abilities available, and some not so much. The list offered is also not exhaustive, but just an example of how axioms are presented. Indeed, sandestins may even argue about which axioms apply to them.

As to how many in an axiom the character has - take page 346 as your guide. Characters starting as magicians have (INT/6)+2 abilities (or spells, if you prefer) - so a magician with INT 18 has 5 abilities. These may be in one axiom, or split between a couple, depending on how you want to specialize. More can be obtained through, study, research, theft and tuition. A grimoire might contain a dozen abilities relevant to a specific axiom only, and be useless to others. The pursuit of magic, and its mastery, are meant to be difficult and fraught.

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3) How does an Axiom affect (or guide) the choice of suitable Sandestin Ability, and does the Axiom otherwise limit the specific use of any particular Sandestin Ability?

Everything is negotiable and subject to the creativity of the magician (for that, read player) and the sandestin. You mentioned Cyclomancy, and the lack of abilities for it. Well, how about these suggestions:

Conflagration from the wheels of a cart on cobblestones
Conscription of creatures of the air (birds, say, or bat) from the whirling blades of a windmill
Cunctation - time slowing for the target when a spinning top is set in motion
Divination using a potter's wheel to set a bowl of water in motion
Ejection by spinning a coin on a flat surface
(an obvious one) Gyration to punish someone or break something by causing it to spin uncontrollably
Insulation by rapidly rotating on the spot
Involution by spinning it in a centifruge

An ability should have some relation to the axiom the magician specializes in, but the axiom can be used as a loose definition of how the magician performs magic, as much as the effects themselves.

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Can this be explained via an example?  Some detailed treatment of these issues would be appreciated, and if I am missing something obvious I’d be very happy to be corrected!

I'll see if Pete can put something together. His mind is way more fiendish than mine.

Book of Schemes is very much inspired by the Hanseatic city-states, and one thing about all the cities appearing in our books is that they have very different looks and feels - as cities should. Guelden (which very much takes the German cities as a cue, and which is partially illustrated by a German artist) is also written by a Dane, so brings a very strong Euro-centric sensibility to the subject matter.

On 'The Predestination Engine', it's about the most rules-light scenario book we've published. I think there are only about 5 sets of statistics in there, and they occupy perhaps half a page, and game rules are almost non-existent. You can use these scenarios with the rule-set of your choice (although naturally, you should choose one of the sets TDM publishes... ;))

As we move into Autumn (or Fall, if you prefer), we thought we'd share with you the covers of several upcoming books for Mythras and Casting the Runes. We're aiming to release most of these before the end of the year, and will also be providing sneak peaks of the contents to our newsletter subscribers in the next couple of weeks (if you want to sign up to our newsletter, you can find it here).

Casting the Runes: The Predestination Engine & Other Stories - six short scenarios of supernatural investigation, taking the characters around Edwardian Britain. Hauntings, possessions, seances, manifestations and strange rituals await...

Mythic Polynesia: the latest addition to the Mythic Earth range, and a comprehensive guide to the peoples of Polynesia, their way of life, myths, unique culture, and dozens of seeds for adventure.

Mythras Factions: a short supplement dealing with factions of all kinds in Mythras. From gangs to guilds, ambitious families to multinational cartels. The supplement includes unique rules for creating your faction, and guidance on how they can achieve their goals.

Mythic Britain: Gwynedd. A supplement for Mythic Britain, this mix of short campaign setting and adventures focuses on Gwynedd and Ynys Mon, a kingdom fraught with strife, and on the edge of implosion as old scores are settled between the sprawling families and clans.

Book of Schemes (expected early 2023): Welcome to Guelden, a city-state ruled by intrigue, guilds, feuding families, and a lust for power. This complete setting is in a similar vein to the popular Fioracitta, and details both Guelden and its immediate surroundings. The city can be dropped into any existing campaign, or used as the foundation for a new one, and is highly compatible with other books in the Mythras range.

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a reasonable interest on this from the Discord server.  If the ‘it’ is the recipient, that helps.  I don’t see anything in the spell description that links degeneration to the condition that the target must be injured first however? Just degeneration to the point of permanent death once out of range.  The description didn’t suggest to me that the spell heals someone either, just returns them to life, fully healed, when dead.

Yes, I can see how you'd infer this interpretation too. And having a recipient of the spell risk certain degeneration to the point of death if removed from the soul jar's sphere of influence makes for a nasty twist on the benefits of potential eternal life.

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Reading this again, the word ‘it’, does seem to refer to the recipient.  But ‘suffering damage in reverse’ still throws me!

It does refer to the recipient, and the circumstances are specific to whether the recipient is injured or not.

While within range of the soul jar, the recipient heals at the rate described in the spell. But if, while injured, the recipient moves further away, then instead of regenerating from damage, they lose hit points instead, at the same rate. It's therefore an incentive for the recipient of the spell to keep the jar within a reasonable distance at all times - especially if injured. If the injured recipient and jar are separated beyond the spell's effectiveness, it's going to be pretty much curtains for the recipient - or at least an exacerbation for the injury that otherwise regenerates. 

The spell description could do with a little more clarity. We'll look at that for future errata.

Absolutely! The key to Combat Styles is creativity, so no reason why you couldn't include unarmed in a CS with weapons.

21 minutes ago, Barak Shathur said:

The more I hear about Mythras the more I like it. I’m still resisting but it’s getting difficult! 😄

But aren’t you familiar with it already? There’s a lengthy thread over in the Mythras section concerning the damage of spears, axes and swords that you started. So that suggests you have Mythras in some form. 🙂

Mythic Polynesia is finalizing its art placement and proofing corrections. It'll likely be on sale towards the end of September. We'll be sharing previews in due course.

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Is the intended effect: I prefer the asymmetry (attack favored respect to defense) to avoid grinding (performing repetitive actions and tasks to progress in the game) but is a matter of taste.

Okay... 

Personally, I don't like skewing combat outcomes in favour of who is the more aggressive because it ignores (and in this case penalises) the defendant. There is basically no relief for the defender. If both sides fail the roll, the defender still loses. What if the defender is a more skilled combatant who was simply unlucky, or only narrowly failed the roll while the lesser-skilled attacker failed by a much higher margin? It breaks the realism that BRP combat strives for, which is why I said that the mechanics don't feel in the BRP/d100 spirit.

But, as I said, if it works for you at your table, go for it.

This sentence...

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If victory points are the same, the attacker does half damage.

Needs clarification. As presented, the attacker inflicts damage even on a failure or fumble. 🙂

And while subtracting the lower VP from the higher to provide the actual VP available for effects is a good balancing move, the effects are still weighted in the attacker's favour because they cost less and there are more to choose from.

I think that the major problem is that the mechanics introduce a lot of complexity that can be easily avoided. To work out if I crit, special or fumble, I have to flip the dice result and compare that flipped result to another target number. That's certainly more effort (to me, at least, your mental gymnastic ability may vary) than calculating 1/10, 1/5 or 1/20 of the dice result. It's certainly less intuitive than knowing that a fumble is always 99 or 00. But then, I've been playing these games for a long time, and so the Old Ways are ingrained in my DNA.

For the combat rules, I do like the idea of Victory Points (Mythras uses them for Tasks), but as presented it's a complicated and clunky way to do what Mythras does with a straight forward set of Differential rolls.

But, it's always fun to play around and test variations like these, because you can come up with some really good rules that help play and introduce something fresh to the game. If it feels right at the table, works for the players and your game, and is easy to understand and implement, then go for it. And certainly don't stop experimenting!