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Adam1949
2014-02-08, 01:24 PM
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This is intended as supplementary material for "Mythos" classes, a special variety and subsystem created by Xefas. It's a "Racial Paragon" in the same vein as the previously-made "Human" (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=320038), "Kobold" (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=16645312), and "Reth Dekala" (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=16718230) varieties. In this episode of Homebrewing With Adam, we'll be working with a classic monster from mythology and legend, an undead that continues to charm—and drink—its way into our hearts (and blood). PEACH, the drill, traditional stuff. Thanks in advance!

Below are currently the three 'original' examples of the Mythos subsystem for which this race is built for.

The Teramach (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286983)
The Kathodos (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15947087)
The Olethrofex (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=16517470)




Due to requests, I will no longer post the 'iconics' tri-fold picture for Mythic Races. Instead, Here is a link (http://i.imgur.com/pKFO30z.jpg) to the picture.

"We own this night, just as we own the fear that runs in your veins. You may think your numbers protect you, but we shall feast upon your souls before the dawn!" ~Kilarq Tongueblade, Warhammer 40,000

The Mythic Vampire


Before the Vashar, before the Children of Io, before even the gods, there were the Primordials and the Lawbringers. And, between their vicious warring, they shared only one thing: Blood. It dripped from open wound, oozed out of every infection, spilled forth from every death, and coated the landscape. An ocean, practically, made from the vital life-force of dead and dying immortals.


It is no wonder, then, that with such a grand amount of it spread before them, that at least one being would dare to bring it to his lips, desperate for sustenance. This spirit, known now only by his later title, was a weak and frail Primordial, one who had seen their entire clan destroyed before his very eyes. The food burned, the water poisoned, and with no one there to see him, he brought up a handful of viscera to his face, and devoured it.


He felt his body change in ways unthinkable before. His body, once bony and weak, was now a lithe and muscular thing, able to lift ten immortals above his head. His face, once gaunt with famine, had filled into a handsome visage, the likes of which some claimed were of the perfect man. His clothing, threadbare and thin, were stripped from him, and the blood that surrounded him enveloped his body, turning into finery and garb fit for a king. He peered down into the pool of red before him, to see and to celebrate, but was confused when he did; as he stared into the makeshift mirror, nothing stared back.


He traveled quickly to a nearby encampment of Primordials, to exclaim with joy the power he had found. But as he came upon them, they recoiled in horror; they were not sure of what, exactly, they sensed, but they knew that the thing that stood before them was no longer one of them. They banished him to the front lines, hoping he would wither and die there, rather than do anything unforgivable to them. With a dark and heavy heart, the Blood Chief, as he called himself now, twirled his crimson cloak about him and turned away; like a mage, he had transformed into a new shape, that of a black cloud, and flew to the battlefield.


It was there, then, that he found his calling. Where Lawbringers would lift their swords against him, he would break their arms. Where the foe sought to grapple with him, he sunk his new fangs into them, draining them of their essence and healing any wounds that he had suffered. And when the day was done, and the enemy was retreating back to their camps, he shifted again, changing into a horrible writhing mass, covering them in a sea of red, drinking deeply even as he drowned them in the blood of their allies.


The same abominable power that had made the Blood Chief also granted him the ability to pass his lineage on, but at a vile cost. As he drained another victim, the Lawbringer brought a dagger to his neck, spilling forth his own blood and dripping it into her mouth. He pulled away, but not quickly enough; to his horror, the woman was shifting, just as he did. And just as he had slain so many of her people, so too did she eviscerate him, wearing his sanguine cloak as a trophy, and calling herself, now, the Blood Chief. Over the years, the original one's power has dwindled and weakened to a mere shadow of its former glory. Not in you, though; through your corrupted blood, you have awakened the true strength, the true hunger, of the vampire.



New Feat: The Blood Chief Legacy
Prerequisite: One Mythos, Must have Vampire blood within you. (Note: This includes any of the following, but is not limited to it: being an actual vampire, surviving a vampire's bite supposedly 'unaffected' but merely dormant, being a Dhampyr or a descendant of one, being a Cruroclast (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16691946&postcount=1), or any other logical means, with GM approval).
Benefit: Choose one Mythos-granting class that you have levels in. You may treat the following Mythos as if they belonged to that class. For the purpose of meeting [Monster] feat prerequisites, you count as Undead and lacking a Constitution score (even if neither is actually true). Your maximum hit points increase by 1 for every [Monster] feat you have.

If you somehow lose this feat, or no longer qualify for it, you cease to gain the benefits of the granted Mythos until you regain this feat or qualify for it once more.


Exceptional Mythos

Crimson Life-Thirst
Prerequisite: —
The Blood Chief got his name from the most obvious source: a desire for drinking blood, taking his foes and draining them like a tree would drain water from the ground. Like him, your thirst is never satisfied.

You gain a Bite primary natural attack. This attack deals 3d6 + one-and-a-half times your strength modifier in bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage, as well as 2 point of Constitution damage.
Whenever you successfully deal Constitution damage against a valid target with this bite attack, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to three times your class level. As a swift action, you may metabolize any amount of these into true life, recovering a number of hit points equal to half of your sacrificed THP.
For each day that you go without gaining at least 10 temporary hit points from this bite attack and had stayed awake for more than six hours, you suffer a -2 penalty to your Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution modifiers; this penalty can never cause you to go below 1 in any of those attributes.

Advanced
A Glass of Chianti: You may gain temporary hit points merely by drinking blood; you do not have to make a bite attempt against someone in order to avoid a penalty to your ability scores, so long as the blood that you drink is no older than a number of days equal to your character level. You gain 2 temporary hit points per ounce of blood consumed this way. Upon reaching 10th level, this increases to a number of weeks; upon reaching 20th level, a number of years equal to your class level.
Bathe in the Scabrous River: By merely touching an ounce of blood, you gain 2 temporary hit points. These hit points count towards the daily required total to be counted as having fed for the day.


Familiar Blasphemous Communion
Prerequisite: —
The First was an emissary for the natural world, strange as it may sound. Although his voice was only heard by the lowest and most vile of the animal kingdom, it was through them that he learned of how to find his own prey with horrifying swiftness and accuracy.

You gain the Lifesense and Vampire Hunter feats (both LM) as bonus feats without needing to meet their prerequisites. You also gain the Scent natural ability.
In addition, you act as though constantly under the effect of the Speak with Animals spell, but only in regards to bats, rats (and other rodents), and wolves (and other canines). This effect is an extraordinary ability.

Advanced
Call of the Nightstalker: A number of times per day equal to half your class level, you may summon 2d4+1 rat swarms, 1d6 bat swarms, or a pack of 3d6 wolves as a standard action (each of these animal types count against the total per-day limit collectively, not individually). These creatures arrive in 1d4+1 rounds from a suitably dramatic and/or shadowy location, and serve you unquestioningly for a number of hours equal to your class level.
Form of the Nightstalker: You may assume the shape of a Dire Bat, Dire Rat, or Dire Wolf as a full-round action three times per day. While in your alternate form, you gain the natural weapons, physical ability scores, and extraordinary special attacks of it as well as retaining your own Mythos abilities and mental ability scores (other abilities may be retained depending on what they require; GM approval is recommended). You can remain in that form until you assume another (including shifting back as a full-round action) or until the next sunrise.

Hellbred Sanguine Flames
Prerequisite: —
Beyond any understanding, the first vampire could shoot a burning spray of corrupt flames, burning both body and spirit of those unfortunate enough to catch his ire. This, by far, is one of the most dramatic abilities of his time that has not been passed onto his modern kin. You, however, are of an older breed, more potent than your ilk.

You may, as a standard action, let loose a bolt of Hellfire from your finger, burning a target with the flames of sheer damnation. Make a ranged touch attack at any target within 10 feet per class level; on a hit, you deal 2d6 points of damage to them per class level. Despite the name, the damage is not fire damage, and is not reduced by anything that grants a resistance or immunity to fire. Your attack need not take the usual appearance of 'fire'; it could be many things, such as (but not limited to) a spear made entirely of blood, a ghastly face rushing like a demon towards the foe, a cloud of blood-soaked bats from beneath your cape, and so forth.
You may only attack with your Hellfire every 1d4 rounds.

Basic
Face-Melting Scarification: Upon being hit, the target must make a Fortitude save. On a failure, they suffer 2 points of Charisma damage, and take a -2 penalty to Diplomacy, Bluff, Handle Animal, and Gather Information until the damage is recovered; these effects stack with multiple attacks.
Pit-Reaving Explosion: Instead of a ranged touch attack, you may elect to shoot forth a large burst of Hellfire, acting in many ways like a Fireball, except as follows. If you choose to do this, you do not need to make an attack roll to hit; instead, any foe caught within the radius must make a Reflex save or suffer the damage; any target that makes its Reflex save takes no damage. Whenever you choose to make use of this manifestation, your Hellfire deals 3d4 points of damage per class level instead.
Sanity-Cracking Inferno: Upon being hit, the target must make a Will save. On a failure, they suffer 2 points of Charisma damage, and take a -2 penalty to mind-affecting and fear effects, as well at to Concentration, Spot, and Listen checks until the damage is recovered; these effects stack with multiple attacks.

Sarcophagus-Bound Eternia
Prerequisite: —
Sleeping in a pool of viscera and gore, the Blood Chief rested his body and healed anything that he could not before. Like him, you have chosen a space to be 'blessed' by your presence, allowing you to recover from the most grievous of injuries in the blink of an eye.

When you obtain this Mythos, you must declare a location that you own of less than one-hundred square feet and that you could sleep in. This can be many things, including (but not limited to) a bed, canoe, grave-pit, throne, or most commonly a coffin. While resting in your chosen object or location (hereby referred to as your Chamber), you may lay yourself into a state of sleep. While sleeping in your Chamber, you gain Fast Healing 5, as well as DR X/Y, where X is equal to your class level and Y is one of the following properties: Wood, Cold Iron, Silver, Gold, or Good. In addition, even though you are sleeping, you are immediately aware of whenever a living creature enters within a radius of 200 feet of you, and may awaken as a free action. While in your Chamber, you do not age by any means, including magical aging effects. Finally, while in your Chamber and awake, you gain a +4 bonus to Concentration, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Listen, and Spot checks.


Fantastic Mythos

Hemophiliac Dark Metamorphosis
Prerequisite: The Crimson Life-Thirst Mythos
Strength is not without weakness. However, for a True Vampire, these are minor in comparison to the might that they wield.

You gain the Necrotic Reserve and Tomb-Tainted Soul feats (both LM) as bonus feats without needing to meet their prerequisites.
In addition, your body shifts and manifests into a cruel caricature of your previous form, granting you many of the abilities of the undead without necessarily being one proper. You gain the following traits: Darkvision out to 60 feet; immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects; a 50% chance of not suffering from a critical hit or a precision-based effect (like Sneak Attack or Skirmish); and immunity to massive damage.
Finally, you gain a flight speed of 40 feet (average maneuverability).
However, your dark powers are not without a steep cost. As soon as you take this mythos, the irises of your eyes turn a vibrant red, and your fangs elongate to the point of peeking out of your mouth even if you have your lips closed tight. You lose your reflection, seeing nothing in a mirror were you to look at one. Most distressingly, you must forsake the light of day; whenever you stand in the sunlight (or are affected by a spell of that potency), you immediately burst into flames, suffering 3d6 damage a turn and are only able to take a single move or standard action a turn (you still may use swift and free actions, however).

Basic
Nightmare-Inducing Celerity: You gain the Improved Speed feat (Drac) as a bonus feat without needing to meet the prerequisites. Whenever you charge, if your target can see you, they must make a Will save or become stunned for 1d4 turns after you successfully hit them.
Symphony of the Daywalker: You gain the Endure Sunlight feat (LM) as a bonus feat without needing to meet the prerequisites. In addition, your relationship with Positive and Negative energy equalizes: While you now only recover one-half of the amount of HP that a negative energy effect would provide, you also recover one-half of the amount of damage you would normally take from a positive energy effect as healing. This does not remove Tomb-Tainted Soul for the purpose of feats.

Soul-Freezing Gaze of the Stockades
Prerequisite: At least 1 Mythos gained by The Blood Chief Legacy
With a face like a god, the Blood Chief could command his foes into simply dropping their weapons and opening themselves up for him, allowing him to drink and slaughter at his leisure. A cunning glare is all that is needed; your hypnotic eyes can do the rest.

You may, as a standard action, stare deep into the soul of any sighted being humanoid or monstrous humanoid with working eyes within 30 feet per class level (meaning that any vision-blind being is immune to this ability). The target must then make a Reflex save (with the overall DC for this ability explained in your Mythos class) in order to avert their gaze; failure to do so causes them to stand still and stare back at you, as though paralyzed, until 1d4 rounds after you stop focusing on them. Unlike normal paralysis, the victim may still talk with you normally; however, any spellcasting that has a verbal component automatically fails unless they can make a Concentration check with a DC equal to their failed Reflex save, and any spell with a somatic component simply fails. A character that succeeds their saving throw is immune to your paralyzing gaze for 24 hours.
In addition, you gain the Irresistible Gaze feat (SK) as a bonus feat.

Advanced
Dark Seduction: While you are focusing on your victim, you may force them to attempt to make a Will saving throw with the same DC as their failed Reflex save. If they fail this Will save, they become infatuated and enthralled by you, listening to your every word as if under the effect of a Dominate Person spell for as long as you are focusing, plus 1d6+1 rounds afterwards. A being that succeeds their saving throw is immune to your dark seduction for 24 hours.
Miserable Little Pile of Secrets: While you are focusing on your victim, you may probe their mind for their darkest desires, their most treasured memories, or anything else that you'd like to know about them and they would rather not tell you. You may force your victim to make a Will saving throw with the same DC as their failed Reflex save. If they fail this Will save, you learn the answer to a single question, as though it were answered by the character to the best of their abilities. After using this ability, you must wait 1 minute before attempting it again.
One Eye in the Grave: While you are focusing on your victim, you may cause them to suffer from stigmata and nosebleeds, as your cruel mental abilities overtax their own feeble mind. The victim must make a Fortitude saving throw with the same DC as their failed Reflex save. If they fail this Fortitude save, they begin to drip and cough blood from their orifices, dealing Xd6 damage to them that bypasses all DR, where X is your class level. A character that succeeds their saving throw is immune to your bleeding gaze for 24 hours.


Legendary Mythos

Unholy Scion of a World Without Logic
Prerequisite: The Hemophiliac Dark Metamorphosis Mythos
There is no arguing that whatever the Blood Chief was, he was no longer a Primordial but something beyond, something simply wrong. The way he moved, ate, drank, and fought... none of that was normal, by any means. Calling him a demon would be an insult to the Abyssal ones; even they would be sickened by his presence. So it is, then, that you have been chosen by your blood to manifest his lineage completely, transcending your old form into something... dark.


Your type becomes Aberration, if it wasn't already. In addition, you gain the Awaken Frightful Presence feat (Drac) as a bonus feat without needing to meet its prerequisites.

As a standard action which does not provoke attacks of opportunity, you may let loose the combined force of all blood you have ever consumed, touched, or shed, becoming an abomination against all that is sacred. While in this form, you are completely immune to mind-altering effects, sneak attacks, precision-based effects (such as Sneak Attack or Skirmish), and fear effects. You also grow to Large size while in this form, or gain the Powerful Build special ability (your choice when you first gain this Mythos, which can not be changed later). Merely making contact with someone is enough to automatically make a 'bite' attack against them; you hit automatically, and deal twice the damage to both HP and Constitution as you do. Putting them into a grapple causes you to deal three times as much damage instead. You may shift back as a standard action which does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
The appearance of your dark form is unique to each individual, and should be iconic to your Mythos; a Teramach, for instance, might take on the form of a gore-splattered giant with mouths upon his hands and feet, while an Air-Focused Kathados would appear as a solidified plague, draining and slaying by mere association. More distressingly, if it would fit your character better, you could look nearly normal, with only a bloodthirsty glint in the eye to tell your foes what kind of monster you really are inside.
Finally, by going against everything that should and being that which should not, you enjoy a certain resistance to even world-altering effects, gaining Spell Resistance equal to 10 + your class level.

Advanced
Black-Blooded Beasts of Madness (Prerequisite: The 'Call of the Nightstalker' advanced manifestation): The animals that you call upon have the following abilities applied to them:

The creatures' type becomes Aberration.
The creatures gain an AC bonus equal to your class level.
The creatures always have maximum hit points.
The creatures gain Spell Resistance equal to half of your own.

The animals look like a twisted version of their usual variety, with several distinctly alien aspects on them; eyes where eyes shouldn't be, pools of blood trailing wherever their shadows touch the earth, and so forth at your description.

Eyes Should Not Be There (Prerequisite: The 'Soul-Freezing Gaze of the Stockades' Mythos): Whenever you are in your abomination-form, you may treat yourself as constantly staring in every direction (including directly above, below, and inside of you) for the purpose of targeting them with your gaze attack.

Fighting Fire with Hellfire (Prerequisite: The 'Hellbred Sanguine Flames' Mythos): Whenever you are in your abomination-form, you may ignite yourself with your Hellfire; if you do, any being that makes contact with you instantly takes damage from your ability (and must make a saving throw, if applicable), in addition to suffering your 'bite' attack. Also, you gain Immunity to fire.

Primal Fury
2014-02-08, 03:06 PM
Oh man this is weird... Knowing the Primordials from Exalted, and hearing one described like this is really... myeeerhhn. I'm sorry, that's the best I can do with putting that feeling into words. It's not bad, just not what I'm used to.

Crimson Life-Thirst seems nice. Why limit it to only Humanoids and Monstrous Humanoids to begin with? There aren't a whole lot beyond that, but why leave out... Goblinoids for example?

I'm bothered by Hellbred Sanguine Flames, but only from a fluff perspective. If it doesn't deal fire damage, or even have to look like fire, then why call it fire?

I'm a little confused on the naming of Soul-Freezing Gaze of the Stockades; where did that come from?

Hemophiliac Dark Metamorphosis is basically turning them into Nosferatu? I like it.

And what exactly is Unholy Scion of a World Without Logic doing? Is this what Alucard does after he releases his limiters?

vasharanpaladin
2014-02-08, 07:04 PM
And what exactly is Unholy Scion of a World Without Logic doing? Is this what Alucard does after he releases his limiters?

I'm tempted to say this might be a different Alucard (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/RosarioToVampire), alternately what Tsukune's turning into. But that might be ascribing a bit more intelligence than strictly necessary, given that Rosario's not quite as popular as Hellsing. :smalleek:

That said, a mythos/excellency is now required to play Moka. :smallcool:

Adam1949
2014-02-08, 10:00 PM
Changed some abilities to be less bad and more impressive, such as Crimson Life-Thirst and Unholy Scion of a World Without Logic.

commander panda
2014-02-08, 10:11 PM
oh gods, the horror...

the beautiful, beautiful horror...

i'm really enjoying your mythic races. your fluff feels a bit different from xefas' stuff, but thats inevitable, and by no means a bad thing.

i dont know if this is an idea that would unbalance the mythos, but i think an advanced manifestation of crimson life-thirst that changed the hitpoint gain to scale with your victim's hit die would be really interesting. it just seems like one should gain more power from draining a high level paladin of his blood, than some sickly commoner.

vasharanpaladin
2014-02-08, 11:09 PM
Oh, and I've said this before, but it bears repeating: Double-space between paragraphs. Please. Forums don't seem to like indenting, and it makes large blocks of text easier to read.

Durazno
2014-02-11, 05:54 AM
How will Call of the Nightstalker and Form of the Nightstalker scale, if at all?

Primal Fury
2014-02-11, 12:40 PM
Um... I only mentioned the name of Soul Freezing Gaze because I couldn't place it. It's been forever since I've seen or heard the word "stockade"; after I looked it up it makes perfect sense.

Adam1949
2014-02-11, 06:30 PM
Oh man this is weird... Knowing the Primordials from Exalted, and hearing one described like this is really... myeeerhhn. I'm sorry, that's the best I can do with putting that feeling into words. It's not bad, just not what I'm used to.
I'll be the first to admit that I am not at all proficient or well-versed in Exalted fluff. I apologize in advance for that!



How will Call of the Nightstalker and Form of the Nightstalker scale, if at all?
I'm not quite sure how to scale those abilities. Do you have any ideas?

Primal Fury
2014-02-11, 10:14 PM
I'll be the first to admit that I am not at all proficient or well-versed in Exalted fluff. I apologize in advance for that!
It's certainly not bad, but hearing the Primordials described with anything even resembling human traits is new to me. We're talking about world-sized sentient cities, deserts, and windstorms with souls so big they have their own established political structure.

Sgt. Cookie
2014-02-11, 10:28 PM
Wait, wind itself has a political structure in Exalted? What does it do, vote on which way to blow?

Primal Fury
2014-02-11, 10:40 PM
Well yes, the gods of the wind do indeed decided which way it blows, or they can if they want; I've always had a hard time understanding the politics of Heaven (you'll NEVER catch me playing a Sidereal).

But one of the makers of the world, Adorjan, takes the form of a silent, invisible windstorm that obliterates pretty much anything she touches. She has... at least 18 seperate souls, all of whom have their own desires, and personalities. For example, there's... ah, Jacint, the Prince Upon the Tower. He is the one who constructs many of the thoroughfares of the Demon City (streets, bridges, etc) and wishes to be worshiped for the work he does. These roads and bridges serve as convenient transportation for demons... and killing grounds for Adorjan.

Adam1949
2014-02-11, 10:44 PM
Well yes, the gods of the wind do indeed decided which way it blows, or they can if they want; I've always had a hard time understanding the politics of Heaven (you'll NEVER catch me playing a Sidereal).

But one of the makers of the world, Adorjan, takes the form of a silent, invisible windstorm that obliterates pretty much anything she touches. She has... at least 18 seperate souls, all of whom have their own desires, and personalities. For example, there's... ah, Jacint, the Prince Upon the Tower. He is the one who constructs many of the thoroughfares of the Demon City (streets, bridges, etc) and wishes to be worshiped for the work he does. These roads and bridges serve as convenient transportation for demons... and killing grounds for Adorjan.

... Well then. Paint me surprised, I didn't realize Exalted was so strange. Now I almost feel like I'm doing the whole Mythos thing a huge dissatisfaction. :smalleek:

Primal Fury
2014-02-11, 10:59 PM
That certainly was not my intent. I only meant to highlight what, I assume, Xefas to trying to portray with the Primordials in his Mythos Cosmology.

Sorry. :smallfrown:

Tanuki Tales
2014-02-11, 11:00 PM
I absolutely love the Yozi. :smallbiggrin:

I wish I could play Exalted. I have this awesome character concept buried somewhere in my inbox for an Infernal. He was all anger and sorrow and regret over being impotent against the Mask of Winter. And he was made of living coral.

Ah...what could have been.

Adam1949
2014-02-20, 09:07 PM
Made Unholy Scion of a World Without Logic more modular with special abilities, adding more effects to certain other Mythos that the Vampire might have.

Durazno
2014-03-15, 03:33 AM
I'm not quite sure how to scale those abilities. Do you have any ideas?

Sorry, I forgot to bookmark the thread.

It is a really tough thing to manage - the only idea I have offhand is that Call of the Nightstalker could have an advanced manifestation that gives summoned animals of a particular type progression as though they were the animal companions of a lower-level druid. (I have no idea how much lower, though... I haven't ever used a druid, and it's been a long time since I've dealt with summoners of any type.)

Form might have a similar relationship to Wild Shape.

EDIT: So here's the animal companion table. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm#theDruidsAnimalCompanion) Suppose it were possible to summon a smaller number of wolves that benefited from serving you as though they were companions of a druid, say, half the level of your highest mythos-granting class? So a level 18 Kathodos could call up wolves with 6 bonus HD, +6 natural armor, +6 Str/Dex... and maybe the tricks would be too fiddly to work in. I'm honestly not certain how much that'll help.

My issue was that the utility of most mythoi depend on the capabilities of the user, so even exceptional mythoi remain useful into high levels. Though now that I think of it, Call and Form would still have utility even after the average monsters you have to fight would smash wolves into strawberry jam without noticing them.