How can I ask my players to de-mythic their characters ? (Pathfinder)

[MonkeySage]

I have been running a mythic campaign from the very beginning but... as the campaign goes on, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to create encounters for them. They are a mid level party with mythic tiers on top of it...

And I've tried polling them on whether they'd be willing to de mythic before but I've always gotten strong resistance to the idea but... I'm at the point now where I do not think I can continue the campaign as mythic.

I hate doing this to my players, but I feel like I'm out of options.

For some players, it's as simple as removing the mythic stuff... for others, it's a whole ordeal- they have built their entire character around the fact they are mythic.

[ghanjrho]

I think that if you aren't having fun with the campaign, you should find a way to gracefully bring it to an end. Your players are resistant to the idea, with some of them having built their characters around mythic, so there's not a whole lot you can do. Maybe put that choice in front of your players: drop mythic (with rebuilds) or let the campaign end, but that could very easily go bad, hard.

[Godskook]

Offer them choices: 2 plot lines, in one, the campaign goes on to a absolutely terrifying end, and then the campaign ends. You roll up a new premise, they roll up new, non-mythic characters, and you go again. In the other, their characters get depowered, losing access to their mythic powers, and possible whatever else you deem relevantly problematic.

And imho, if you're having trouble making your next campaign E6 too, if that works in Pathfinder. Much much easier to DM E6.

[Quertus]

I think I'll go with my go-to answer here: talk to your players. Tell them that you don't know how to continue the campaign - and ask if any of them would like to step up and try to run the game. Or you can start a new game, that you feel comfortable running.

Lay their options out, and let them choose how to continue.

[RoboEmperor]

Get good.

By that I mean look up some really high-op monster optimizations, like the craft contingency feat. A properly built dragon is a god in mortal form.

But that is a ludicrous amount of work, and if doing that will stress you out then I agree with what Quertus suggested. If you're not having fun then there is no point in you playing so talk to them.

You might accidentally cause a TPK if you "get good" like I suggested. For insurance, make sure the monsters that you optimize are well within the suggested CR.

[Gildedragon]

Just tell them "game has gotten too strong for me"

[Florian]

Pause the campaign as it is and explain your players the reason why you do it. Start something new and maybe, when you feel up to it, go back to the campaign later again. I don´t think your players will enjoy their characters without mythic tiers, as they will play and "feel" very different.

[MonkeySage]

I ended up talking to my players about this and they were surprisingly receptive. I decided to allow them to respec their characters if they built their entire concept around mythic abilities. Mythic is something of a wild card that I suppose I'm not yet ready for, and that isn't to say there's anything wrong with the mythic content itself. It just adds a layer of complexity on my end.

I didn't want to put an abrupt end to the campaign, especially since this is a story I've spent 5 years preparing.

[Florian]

Mythic is something of a wild card that I suppose I'm not yet ready for, and that isn't to say there's anything wrong with the mythic content itself. It just adds a layer of complexity on my end.

I´ve played in a Mythic game to the very end, so level 20, MT 10. My Barbarian ended with both, STR and Con, at 50 while raging, on a Pounce/Spirited Charge/Dimensional Assault build. While it was "awesome" to have that kind of destructive power, it was also pretty clear that it´s also way beyond what regular abuse PF can handle as a system. When you one-shot a demon lord without prior buffing, you know something is wrong.