Mythos Homebrew Discussion II: Where Simplicity Goes to Die

[Kymme]

Mythos Classes:

The Mythos classes are homebrew classes created by Xefas that use Mythos, abilities that describe the stories that the classes tell and are told about them. The classes are about around Tier 2 in terms of power and are intended to represent truly mythical characters who are far more powerful than the mundane citizens of the story that takes place around them. They are intended to be extremely high powered and fit in with the other Tier 1-2 classes for a high power game.

The links for them can be found below accompanied with a brief synopsis.

Spoiler

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The Olethrofex - A class based around death, necromancy, oblivion and undeath. A class obsessed about every form that death takes and bringing destruction to everything.
The Teramach A rage-filled beast that is angry at everything in the universe. It's rage allows it to perform impossible feats of great power.
The Kathodos A class that is linked inextricably to the natural world and the elements that make up the world. For them the world is their plaything to be shaped as necessary.
The Bellator - A class based around being the ultimate of fighting perfection. They are the warrior of old stories, and rivals to wizards and dragons alike.

Useful Resources:

Template for making custom Mythos banners courtesy of Greaserfish
(click the spoiler marked Aethenos Roster, there will be another spoiler that contains the downloadable template).

Guidelines for creating Mythos classes, gathered by Nanoblack

The Random Mythos document, featuring Mythos created for existing classes made by Yours Truly and many others.

The Mythos Compendium.

And some of the Mythos classes currently in the making by Xefas himself.

A Quote by Xefas concerning the way he writes Mythos.

Yet another Quote from Xefas, this time concerning the mechanics of Mythos.

And finally, the prior incarnation of this thread, in all its glory.

Now, let's go make some LEGENDS.

[Primal Fury]

Might as well kick off the new thread with more new stuff that will never get finished. Who wants the Mythic Soul Manipulator?

[Kymme]

I enjoy how the entire bottom row are anime characters.

Does this banner come with a name?

[Primal Fury]

I enjoy how the entire bottom row are anime characters.

Such characters are rampant in Japan, though surprisingly few (iconic) women fit this trope.

Does this banner come with a name?

Not yet. Whenever a character like this pops up, there are so many different names for what they are and do: Ninjutsu and Chakra, Reitsu, Ki, etcetera. It's hard to find a good name that unifies them. The fluff, however, paints the Positive Energy Plane as a construct of the Lawgivers that is intrinsic to the functioning of the universe, much like the Omphalos. Its true name is the Well of Souls.

[Tacitus]

Reposting a Mythos I need some help tinkering with.

Alright, so doing more work on the Occasus, tinkering with a Mythos and a name, perhaps not made for each other, but we'll see.

Spoiler

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Stitching Together The World
Exceptional or Fantastic
Prerequisite: Pragmatic Surgeon Method (Exceptional) or Black and White Chiurgery (Fantastic)

If this Mythos is selected as an Exceptional Mythos as part of the Mythos gained by advancing in levels it may be taken as their first Fantastic Mythos to expand the benefits while also granting a new Exceptional Mythos in its place. In such a case this Mythos would not gain an additional manifestation, though the Exceptional Mythos would.
Alternately, if you do not wish to make such an exchange or if this Mythos was purchased with Mythos Points it can be upgraded by paying the difference between the cost of an Exceptional and Fantastic Mythos.

With your incredible experience in taking apart both friend and foe alike you have also developed techniques to stitch them back together, even if their physical bodies are not truly connected. If taken as an Exceptional Mythos you may literally bind two or more living creatures together so that they quickly become more akin to a single creature in many regards. When performing this Procedure on any number of targets this Mythos becomes [Manic] for as long as any subject that has taken part in your experiments from this Mythos still lives. When performing the Procedure you may decide if the creatures involved are connected directly or by means of an umbilical tether that may be up to 25ft plus five feet per two Anthol levels (ie, close range) that may not be changed once the Procedure has been completed. However, if taken as a Fantastic Mythos the creatures involved no longer need to be tied together by physical means as you stitch together their essence and bind their pitiful stories together, though you may elect to gain a point of Mania to connect them physically as well if you so desire.

By performing a Procedure that takes five minutes minus one minute per level beyond first (minimum 1 standard action) you may join up to your Wisdom modifier (before any changes from Mania) in creatures together. Creatures so joined may split any healing effects between them, even if one target would not receive any benefit from the effect by means of not having taken any damage or not having a condition to cure.

If creatures have been bound physically by a tether rather than being stitched directly to another creature the umbilical has a number of hit points equal to one half the lowest number of maximum hit points of every creature connected by the umbilical with no hardness or damage reduction. This umbilical does not impede movement for the stitched creatures unless any individual attempts to move beyond the range set by the Occasus from any other creature they are stitched to. Despite being a mass of flesh laying about the umbilical does not impede movement for other creatures and takes no damage from passive environmental hazards unless the Stitched creatures are unconscious or willing for such harm as they are assumed to be keeping it safe and/or taking the damage in their own HP pools. (ie, cold weather damages the creatures, not their tether, but unwilling creatures could stick their umbilical in fire to break it.) In addition, area of effect spells do not affect the umbilical directly, unless a Stitched creature dies, in which case his portion decays.

If a Stitched creature dies, they must make one final saving throw at the time of their death. Fortitude if Stitched physically and Will if Stitched metaphysically. Any creature Ststiched to them may take two points of Constitution Burn to grant a +5 to this save. Upon a failed save all creatures Stitched to them take one damage per HD of the slain creature and lose 10xp per HD of the slain creature. [NOTE: Maybe damage for physical, XP for metaphysical? Need input here]

Basic:
???: You are always considered to be part of any and all of your Stitches if you are within range, so long as the total creatures you are stitched to does not exceed your Class Level+Mania+Wis. You do not take any penalties for entering or leaving a Stitch.
???: Any umbilicals you create have their hit points instead set to one quarter your own and gain a hardness equal to your wisdom mod plus your Mania at the time of creation (including the 1 mania you may gain from this Mythos).

Advanced:
Stitches in the Moon: Any creatures bound by an umbilical have their range extended up to medium range that grows with the level of the Occasus, resonating with his growing tale. Furthermore, when the Occasus gains Legendary Mythos the Range extends to Long, and out to Miles when he gains Exalted Mythos.
Any creatures who have had their souls stiched together increase their range out to Long immediately, out to Miles upon the Occasus gaining Legendary Mythos, and any range (even across planar boundaries) upon the Occasus gaining Exalted Mythos.
???: Creatures connected in any means have their minds joined as well, granting them telepathy with one another at the range of their connection. As they only have telepathy with one another, Mindsight would only detect Stitched creatures to which they are connected unless they obtain telepathy from another source.

Its not nearly done yet, but I wanted to throw it out there and see what sort of a reaction it got. Some inspiration from Vitalist/Worldthought Medic, some body horror, all mad rambling from a fever.
Also, either a manifestation or later mythos for unwilling participants and essentially a sadist lifeleech soulthief vitalist. XD

[Primal Fury]

I'm thinking of something like... Phemeruah. It's a variation of an Arabic phrase meaning "spirit vessel;" how's that?

EDIT: Or maybe Phemerah. That extra syllable makes it sound weird. Thoughts?

[Kymme]

Reposting a Mythos I need some help tinkering with.

I love this lots. But you know, I just really like the concept of a healer being viable in combat. This is pretty cool, but I think you need to specify something with ranges. Primarily, when you say 'Miles', how many miles are we talking aboot here? Like, one mile per level, or something more?

Also, healing algorithims. I'm such a nerd that I even made a table as to how much healing Vitalists can churn out. If you want, I can show it to ya.

I'm thinking of something like... Phemeruah. It's a variation of an Arabic phrase meaning "spirit vessel;" how's that?

I like that name. Also, the talk of souls reminds me a bit of another character...

Have you, by chance, heard of Forever Horse, of Bravest Warriors fame?

[Primal Fury]

Have you, by chance, heard of Forever Horse, of Bravest Warriors fame?

Wait... you mean the... that fights the... oooooh. Move over Ichigo. You have been replaced.

[Tacitus]

Meant to be Miles per level, but I might make it Miles per level plus Mania at time of Stitching. I see ranges and immediately think [range]/level and just skipped over specifying. XD It bugs me a little that I don't have the wiggle room to go from Miles to Any on Same Plane to just plain Any, but that'd require scaling off of class level than Mythos grades, and I don't want to. >.>
Do you think physically stitching people together (ala pidgeon-rat or via horror tentacle) is even worth doing or too cumbersome? I imagine it mostly for things that won't be going anywhere anyway such as creatures turned into walls, towers, or fortresses, but is it too restrictive if someone really wants to perform mad acts of helpful body horror on their allies from first level?

And I am also a huge fan of a healer being a viable combat role instead of calling that box of wands a healer. I don't think I've ever made a full table, but my longest running Worldthought Medic (aka Vitalist before it was cool) has a list of healing/pp in the notes on his sheet. So like a half assed table maybe? XD

[Sgt. Cookie]

I'm reposting this here, because it was originally posted at the arse end of the last thread. And I wanted to give them better fluff.

Spoiler: I've Done it! I have become a Summoner!

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The Episkeptis

In the Great Wheel, there beings of beyond the scope of mortal kind; powerful and mighty by simple virtue of being. Champions of virtue, waging war eternal on the damned to rid creation of their taint. Vile horrors, committing atrocities and genocide for nor greater reason than, they can. But there are other beings with more... esoteric goals; guardians of order, agents of anarchy and others who stand between.

But the stories of their actions, their forms and even their powers are just that. Stories. Tales for campfires and novels. Creations of fantasy, as much as fiction. They hold only as much power as mortal word allows them to have, which was insubstantial as language itself. Role models of highest virtue, hated enemies of vile nature and those who stand at the sidelines. And such would have been their fate, had it not been that some Stories can live.

And so it is with the Episkeptis. Theirs is not the story of a mighty warrior or rampaging beast, but that of an author and storyteller. They do not simply state a story as being, but bring it to life. They call forth those stories, fusing them with their own Living Narrative to give a form, a function, an ability to act to once unliving tales crafted by men, by gods and by history.

As it is with any ordinary storyteller, the content, moral and meaning of a story can change, so too can the Episkeptis make the stories their own, with embellishments, additions and outright alterations. In this way, no story is ever quite what it first was. With powers, strengths and weaknesses that they did not possess before, the Episkeptis creates soldiers, guardians and beasts with their only goal being that which the Episkeptis says it is.

Spoiler: Making an Episkeptis

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An Episkeptis is a Summoner. Plain and simple. If you're getting into the fray yourself, you've done something wrong. That's not to say you're totally useless, you can defend yourself if need be, but you really shouldn't need to. Even at low levels you have someone else around to do the fighting for you.

Abilities: The most important ability for an Episkeptis is Charisma. Intelligence and Wisdom are secondary. Constitution is nice to have, as always, but your physical attributes are peripheral. At BEST.

Alignment: The Episkeptis are as diverse as the things they summon, therefore they can be of any alignment.

Starting Gold: As Wizard

Hit Dice: d8
Skill Points: 6 + Intelligence Modifier
Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Disguise, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (All, taken individually), Listen, Move Silently, Perform (Oratory only) Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Speak Language, Spellcraft, Spot, Use Magic Device
Proficiencies: Episkeptis are proficient with all Simple weapons, one Martial Weapon, light armour and light shields.

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Mythos	Excellencies
1st	+0	+2	+2	+2	The Storyteller's Mythos, Mythos Known, Exceptional Mythos, Embellished Excellence, Ever Vigilant Guardian, Telling of the Tale I, Stories of Heroes and Villains	+1	+1
2nd	+1	+3	+3	+3		+0	+1
3rd	+2	+3	+3	+3	Telling of the Tale II	+1	+0
4th	+3	+4	+4	+4		+0	+1
5th	+3	+4	+4	+4		+1	+0
6th	+4	+5	+5	+5	Telling of the Tale III	+0	+1
7th	+5	+5	+5	+5	Fantastic Mythos	+1	+1
8th	+6/1	+6	+6	+6		+0	+1
9th	+6/1	+6	+6	+6	Telling of the Tale IV	+1	+0
10th	+7/2	+7	+7	+7		+0	+1
11th	+8/3	+7	+7	+7		+1	+0
12th	+9/4	+8	+8	+8	Telling of the Tale V	+0	+1
13th	+9/4	+8	+8	+8	Legendary Mythos	+1	+1
14th	+10/5	+9	+9	+9		+0	+1
15th	+11/6/1	+9	+9	+9	Telling of the Tale VI	+1	+0
16th	+12/7/2	+10	+10	+10		+0	+1
17th	+12/7/2	+10	+10	+10		+1	+0
18th	+13/8/3	+11	+11	+11	Telling of the Tale VII	+0	+1
19th	+14/9/4	+11	+11	+11	Exalted Mythos	+1	+1
20th	+15/10/5	+12	+12	+12		+1	+1

The Storyteller's Mythos: An Episkeptis' power is expressed in terms of one or more "Mythos", the building blocks of the legend they are, and the stories that they have told and will tell. While any given Mythos differs from the rest, they share some similar traits. They are always Supernatural abilities (Except that they function normally in Anti-magic or Dead magic zones, as well as any similar effects, as if they were Extraordinary abilities), except when stated, and when they reference a difficulty class that saving throw is always calculated as (10 + 1/2 class level + Charisma modifier, unless otherwise stated). When a Mythos a "level" that is not clearly defined in some other way, such as "character level", it refers to "class level" as in the number of levels one has in the Episkeptis class. When a Mythos references "allies", it specifically does not refer to the Episkeptis using it. When a Mythos grants a feat as a bonus feat, it is regardless of whether the character meets the prerequisites for that feat (unless otherwise stated), and if the character already possesses that feat (in some permanent fashion - via the normal allotment gained by leveling up, or through another Mythos, and so on, but not those gained temporarily, such as via a "Heroics" spell), they must replace the prior instance of that feat with another feat that they qualify for.


Every Mythos has a Tier. The Tier of a Mythos ranges from 1 to 4, typically referred to as Exceptional, Fantastic, Legendary, and Exalted. Exceptional Mythos are the stories of Knights and Monsters and Beasts. Beings that, while mighty, have been told a thousand times with a thousand faces. Fantastic Mythos are the stories of benevolent angels and vile demons, angry witches and contented healers. Beings of awesome might and exceptional power who often form grand allies and powerful adversaries. Legendary Mythos tell of Demonic rulers, primal forces and ancient, mighty monsters. Beings who's mere existence can alter the course of a tale. Exalted Mythos tell of ancient gods and forgotten powers, greatness beyond imagining and might beyond stopping.

Some Mythos, in addition to their initial stated effect, have Basic and Advanced manifestations. When an Episkeptis gains access to a Mythos with a list of Basic manifestations, they may choose one such manifestation, and they gain that benefit immediately as well. This choice may not be changed later. When an Episkeptis gains access to a Mythos with a list of Advanced manifestations, they may choose one such manifestation, and they gain that benefit upon achieving their next level of Episkeptis. This choice may be changed at any point before receiving the chosen manifestation itself, but not after (choosing beforehand is just an easy way to mark it down on your character sheet so you don't forget that you'll be getting something later).

Mythos Known: A 1st level Episkeptis begins play with one Exceptional Mythos that he qualifies for, if this is his first level in a PC class. At higher levels he gains additional Mythos as noted on the Episkeptis table.

For character that multiclass into Episkeptis after having taken levels in another PC character class, the 1st level of Episkeptis grants no Mythos, rather than one.

An Episkeptis also has the ability to learn more Mythos, above the ones automatically allotted to him by leveling up by perfecting his ability to summon and control. At any time, an Episkeptis may expend funding by writing, telling and publishing tales, but gaining no financial benefit in return. You may not simply writing a book and giving it to a person, but rather you write and tell tales to as many people as you can. The cost of spreading such tales is recouped as a number of Mythos Points equal to the Gold Piece value spent.

By spending 1,000 Mythos Points, and 250xp, he may learn an Exceptional Mythos. A Fantastic Mythos requires 5,000 Mythos Points and 500xp. A Legendary Mythos takes 10,000 Mythos Points, and 1,000xp. And an Exalted Mythos takes 20,000 Mythos Points and 2,000xp.

Learning Mythos above the standard amount requires astounding, nearly single-minded devotion to the story of the Episkeptis. An Episkeptis may only utilize this ability while more than half of his effective character level (ECL) is devoted to levels in the Episkeptis class.

Embellished Excellence: As denoted on their class table, an Episkeptis gains a certain number of abilities known as "Excellencies". These tend to be more general, generic, and passive than a Mythos, but are useful nonetheless, and are drawn from their own separate list, unsegregated by Tiers. Like a Mythos, a Episkeptis may learn more Excellencies above their allotted amount. Each one costs 1,000 Mythos Points and 100xp, plus an additional 1,000 Mythos Points and 100xp for each time a new Excellency is innovated beyond the first. (So, 2,000mp and 200xp for the second, 3,000mp and 300xp for the third, etc.)

Ever Vigilant Guardian: You gain the "Ever Vigilant Guardian" Exceptional Mythos automatically. If you already possess this Mythos via some permanent means (Such as via the Mythborn template or the Broken Storyteller Amalgam feat) you get any other Episkeptis Exceptional Mythos for which you qualify.

Telling of the Tale: The Episkeptis is an unmatched master of fiction. Weaving tales of heroes, villains and all the characters who depend upon

Manifest the Warrior ONLY affects Summons gained via Episkeptis.

At first level you gain the Augment Summoning feat, however, whenever you "craft" a Guardian (See "Crafting Guardians"), you decide which two stats to which the feat applies, instead of Strength and Constitution. (This otherwise IS the Augment Summoning feat)

At third level, your Guardians are tougher to dispel. You add your Charisma modifier to the DC of the Caster Level Check made to dispel your summons.

At sixth level, the benefit granted by Augment Summoning increases to +6 to two different stats, rather than +4.

At ninth level, your Guardians are harder to "kill". They gain extra Hit Points per HD equal to your Charisma modifier in a similar manner to extra Hit Points gained via Constitution.

At 12th level, your Guardians are harder to get rid of. Whenever one of your Guardians is successfully dispelled, you may make a counter check (1d20 + Your Caster Level + Charisma Mod) against a DC equal to the Dispel Check. If you succeed, the Dispel fails and your Guardians stays. If you fail, the creature is dispelled, as normal. ((This effect is so automatic that calling it a Free Action would be insulting.))

At 15th level, the benefit granted by Augment Summoning increases again to +8 to two different stats, rather than +6.

At 18th level, your Guardians are even harder to destroy. They gain an additional 4 Hit Dice for free, on top of any Hit Dice they were crafted with. However, this cannot cause your Summon's Hit Dice to exceed your Episkeptis level, as per normal.


Stories of Heroes and Villains: Some Mythos have the [Summon] tag, these Mythos are treated as if they were Conjuration Spells from the Summoning sub-school, except as noted: creatures brought down to 0 Hit Points or less reform after 5 minutes, rather than 24 hours.

Additionally, you are treated as a spellcaster with a caster level equal to your Episkeptis level, but only in regards to your summons and any effects that are dependent on a Caster Level. This ability does NOT actually grant a Caster Level nor any associated benefits.

Unlike Summon spells, using the various [Summon] Mythos are Standard Actions to use. Additionally, you have complete control over the Guardian, as they are an extension of your own living narrative, rather than an independent creature.

However, because of the difficulty of "telling" so may stories at once, you may only have a number of Guardians active equal to your Charisma modifier.

So, there you have it. They are now Anthols of a Living Narrative who's original story was to tell stories. Which in turn tells the story of the storyteller.

That said, does anyone have any suggestion for an "under the banner" quote? Cause I'm drawing a blank, there.

As an aside, I would also like to suggest Xefas' post on making the actual mechanics for Mythos.

[Kymme]

Meant to be Miles per level, but I might make it Miles per level plus Mania at time of Stitching. I see ranges and immediately think [range]/level and just skipped over specifying. XD It bugs me a little that I don't have the wiggle room to go from Miles to Any on Same Plane to just plain Any, but that'd require scaling off of class level than Mythos grades, and I don't want to. >.>

I found it a bit difficult to wrap my head around the fact that a Vitalist's collective went from ~300 ft to anywhere on the same plane. I appreciate the extending in range, but it's still a wee bit weird. I don't think there's anything for it.

Do you think physically stitching people together (ala pidgeon-rat or via horror tentacle) is even worth doing or too cumbersome? I imagine it mostly for things that won't be going anywhere anyway such as creatures turned into walls, towers, or fortresses, but is it too restrictive if someone really wants to perform mad acts of helpful body horror on their allies from first level?

Honestly, it seems like it would be hard to get your party to agree to making big umbilicals connecting each of them. (Or, gods forbit, reenacting human centipede... ) However, stitching together people's life forces together comes with no squicky imagery and is probably 500 times more creepy.

And I am also a huge fan of a healer being a viable combat role instead of calling that box of wands a healer. I don't think I've ever made a full table, but my longest running Worldthought Medic (aka Vitalist before it was cool) has a list of healing/pp in the notes on his sheet. So like a half assed table maybe? XD

Tacticus, I think this is the start of a beautifully grotesque friendship.

I'm reposting this here, because it was originally posted at the arse end of the last thread. And I wanted to give them better fluff.

Spoiler: I've Done it! I have become a Summoner!

Show

The Episkeptis

In the Great Wheel, there beings of beyond the scope of mortal kind; powerful and mighty by simple virtue of being. Champions of virtue, waging war eternal on the damned to rid creation of their taint. Vile horrors, committing atrocities and genocide for nor greater reason than, they can. But there are other beings with more... esoteric goals; guardians of order, agents of anarchy and others who stand between.

But the stories of their actions, their forms and even their powers are just that. Stories. Tales for campfires and novels. Creations of fantasy, as much as fiction. They hold only as much power as mortal word allows them to have, which was insubstantial as language itself. Role models of highest virtue, hated enemies of vile nature and those who stand at the sidelines. And such would have been their fate, had it not been that some Stories can live.

And so it is with the Episkeptis. Theirs is not the story of a mighty warrior or rampaging beast, but that of an author and storyteller. They do not simply state a story as being, but bring it to life. They call forth those stories, fusing them with their own Living Narrative to give a form, a function, an ability to act to once unliving tales crafted by men, by gods and by history.

As it is with any ordinary storyteller, the content, moral and meaning of a story can change, so too can the Episkeptis make the stories their own, with embellishments, additions and outright alterations. In this way, no story is ever quite what it first was. With powers, strengths and weaknesses that they did not possess before, the Episkeptis creates soldiers, guardians and beasts with their only goal being that which the Episkeptis says it is.

Spoiler: Making an Episkeptis

Show

An Episkeptis is a Summoner. Plain and simple. If you're getting into the fray yourself, you've done something wrong. That's not to say you're totally useless, you can defend yourself if need be, but you really shouldn't need to. Even at low levels you have someone else around to do the fighting for you.

Abilities: The most important ability for an Episkeptis is Charisma. Intelligence and Wisdom are secondary. Constitution is nice to have, as always, but your physical attributes are peripheral. At BEST.

Alignment: The Episkeptis are as diverse as the things they summon, therefore they can be of any alignment.

Starting Gold: As Wizard

Hit Dice: d8
Skill Points: 6 + Intelligence Modifier
Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Disguise, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (All, taken individually), Listen, Move Silently, Perform (Oratory only) Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Speak Language, Spellcraft, Spot, Use Magic Device
Proficiencies: Episkeptis are proficient with all Simple weapons, one Martial Weapon, light armour and light shields.

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Mythos	Excellencies
1st	+0	+2	+2	+2	The Storyteller's Mythos, Mythos Known, Exceptional Mythos, Embellished Excellence, Ever Vigilant Guardian, Telling of the Tale I, Stories of Heroes and Villains	+1	+1
2nd	+1	+3	+3	+3		+0	+1
3rd	+2	+3	+3	+3	Telling of the Tale II	+1	+0
4th	+3	+4	+4	+4		+0	+1
5th	+3	+4	+4	+4		+1	+0
6th	+4	+5	+5	+5	Telling of the Tale III	+0	+1
7th	+5	+5	+5	+5	Fantastic Mythos	+1	+1
8th	+6/1	+6	+6	+6		+0	+1
9th	+6/1	+6	+6	+6	Telling of the Tale IV	+1	+0
10th	+7/2	+7	+7	+7		+0	+1
11th	+8/3	+7	+7	+7		+1	+0
12th	+9/4	+8	+8	+8	Telling of the Tale V	+0	+1
13th	+9/4	+8	+8	+8	Legendary Mythos	+1	+1
14th	+10/5	+9	+9	+9		+0	+1
15th	+11/6/1	+9	+9	+9	Telling of the Tale VI	+1	+0
16th	+12/7/2	+10	+10	+10		+0	+1
17th	+12/7/2	+10	+10	+10		+1	+0
18th	+13/8/3	+11	+11	+11	Telling of the Tale VII	+0	+1
19th	+14/9/4	+11	+11	+11	Exalted Mythos	+1	+1
20th	+15/10/5	+12	+12	+12		+1	+1

The Storyteller's Mythos: An Episkeptis' power is expressed in terms of one or more "Mythos", the building blocks of the legend they are, and the stories that they have told and will tell. While any given Mythos differs from the rest, they share some similar traits. They are always Supernatural abilities (Except that they function normally in Anti-magic or Dead magic zones, as well as any similar effects, as if they were Extraordinary abilities), except when stated, and when they reference a difficulty class that saving throw is always calculated as (10 + 1/2 class level + Charisma modifier, unless otherwise stated). When a Mythos a "level" that is not clearly defined in some other way, such as "character level", it refers to "class level" as in the number of levels one has in the Episkeptis class. When a Mythos references "allies", it specifically does not refer to the Episkeptis using it. When a Mythos grants a feat as a bonus feat, it is regardless of whether the character meets the prerequisites for that feat (unless otherwise stated), and if the character already possesses that feat (in some permanent fashion - via the normal allotment gained by leveling up, or through another Mythos, and so on, but not those gained temporarily, such as via a "Heroics" spell), they must replace the prior instance of that feat with another feat that they qualify for.


Every Mythos has a Tier. The Tier of a Mythos ranges from 1 to 4, typically referred to as Exceptional, Fantastic, Legendary, and Exalted. Exceptional Mythos are the stories of Knights and Monsters and Beasts. Beings that, while mighty, have been told a thousand times with a thousand faces. Fantastic Mythos are the stories of benevolent angels and vile demons, angry witches and contented healers. Beings of awesome might and exceptional power who often form grand allies and powerful adversaries. Legendary Mythos tell of Demonic rulers, primal forces and ancient, mighty monsters. Beings who's mere existence can alter the course of a tale. Exalted Mythos tell of ancient gods and forgotten powers, greatness beyond imagining and might beyond stopping.

Some Mythos, in addition to their initial stated effect, have Basic and Advanced manifestations. When an Episkeptis gains access to a Mythos with a list of Basic manifestations, they may choose one such manifestation, and they gain that benefit immediately as well. This choice may not be changed later. When an Episkeptis gains access to a Mythos with a list of Advanced manifestations, they may choose one such manifestation, and they gain that benefit upon achieving their next level of Episkeptis. This choice may be changed at any point before receiving the chosen manifestation itself, but not after (choosing beforehand is just an easy way to mark it down on your character sheet so you don't forget that you'll be getting something later).

Mythos Known: A 1st level Episkeptis begins play with one Exceptional Mythos that he qualifies for, if this is his first level in a PC class. At higher levels he gains additional Mythos as noted on the Episkeptis table.

For character that multiclass into Episkeptis after having taken levels in another PC character class, the 1st level of Episkeptis grants no Mythos, rather than one.

An Episkeptis also has the ability to learn more Mythos, above the ones automatically allotted to him by leveling up by perfecting his ability to summon and control. At any time, an Episkeptis may expend funding by writing, telling and publishing tales, but gaining no financial benefit in return. You may not simply writing a book and giving it to a person, but rather you write and tell tales to as many people as you can. The cost of spreading such tales is recouped as a number of Mythos Points equal to the Gold Piece value spent.

By spending 1,000 Mythos Points, and 250xp, he may learn an Exceptional Mythos. A Fantastic Mythos requires 5,000 Mythos Points and 500xp. A Legendary Mythos takes 10,000 Mythos Points, and 1,000xp. And an Exalted Mythos takes 20,000 Mythos Points and 2,000xp.

Learning Mythos above the standard amount requires astounding, nearly single-minded devotion to the story of the Episkeptis. An Episkeptis may only utilize this ability while more than half of his effective character level (ECL) is devoted to levels in the Episkeptis class.

Embellished Excellence: As denoted on their class table, an Episkeptis gains a certain number of abilities known as "Excellencies". These tend to be more general, generic, and passive than a Mythos, but are useful nonetheless, and are drawn from their own separate list, unsegregated by Tiers. Like a Mythos, a Episkeptis may learn more Excellencies above their allotted amount. Each one costs 1,000 Mythos Points and 100xp, plus an additional 1,000 Mythos Points and 100xp for each time a new Excellency is innovated beyond the first. (So, 2,000mp and 200xp for the second, 3,000mp and 300xp for the third, etc.)

Ever Vigilant Guardian: You gain the "Ever Vigilant Guardian" Exceptional Mythos automatically. If you already possess this Mythos via some permanent means (Such as via the Mythborn template or the Broken Storyteller Amalgam feat) you get any other Episkeptis Exceptional Mythos for which you qualify.

Telling of the Tale: The Episkeptis is an unmatched master of fiction. Weaving tales of heroes, villains and all the characters who depend upon

Manifest the Warrior ONLY affects Summons gained via Episkeptis.

At first level you gain the Augment Summoning feat, however, whenever you "craft" a Guardian (See "Crafting Guardians"), you decide which two stats to which the feat applies, instead of Strength and Constitution. (This otherwise IS the Augment Summoning feat)

At third level, your Guardians are tougher to dispel. You add your Charisma modifier to the DC of the Caster Level Check made to dispel your summons.

At sixth level, the benefit granted by Augment Summoning increases to +6 to two different stats, rather than +4.

At ninth level, your Guardians are harder to "kill". They gain extra Hit Points per HD equal to your Charisma modifier in a similar manner to extra Hit Points gained via Constitution.

At 12th level, your Guardians are harder to get rid of. Whenever one of your Guardians is successfully dispelled, you may make a counter check (1d20 + Your Caster Level + Charisma Mod) against a DC equal to the Dispel Check. If you succeed, the Dispel fails and your Guardians stays. If you fail, the creature is dispelled, as normal. ((This effect is so automatic that calling it a Free Action would be insulting.))

At 15th level, the benefit granted by Augment Summoning increases again to +8 to two different stats, rather than +6.

At 18th level, your Guardians are even harder to destroy. They gain an additional 4 Hit Dice for free, on top of any Hit Dice they were crafted with. However, this cannot cause your Summon's Hit Dice to exceed your Episkeptis level, as per normal.


Stories of Heroes and Villains: Some Mythos have the [Summon] tag, these Mythos are treated as if they were Conjuration Spells from the Summoning sub-school, except as noted: creatures brought down to 0 Hit Points or less reform after 5 minutes, rather than 24 hours.

Additionally, you are treated as a spellcaster with a caster level equal to your Episkeptis level, but only in regards to your summons and any effects that are dependent on a Caster Level. This ability does NOT actually grant a Caster Level nor any associated benefits.

Unlike Summon spells, using the various [Summon] Mythos are Standard Actions to use. Additionally, you have complete control over the Guardian, as they are an extension of your own living narrative, rather than an independent creature.

However, because of the difficulty of "telling" so may stories at once, you may only have a number of Guardians active equal to your Charisma modifier.

So, there you have it. They are now Anthols of a Living Narrative who's original story was to tell stories. Which in turn tells the story of the storyteller.

That said, does anyone have any suggestion for an "under the banner" quote? Cause I'm drawing a blank, there.

As an aside, I would also like to suggest Xefas' post on making the actual mechanics for Mythos.

UHHHHHHHGGHHGHGHGHHGHG, MYTHIC SUMMONER!!!! I'm so hype for this. Can't wait to see what the Mythos will look like.

Also, have you considered doing more typical 'basically a super-refluffed high damage spell' kind of summons? I mean, that's pretty much the whole point of Personas. The way you have it set out (as far as names and fluff goes) seems more like the Pathfinder Summoner or the Rappeler.

I'll get right on to adding that post to the start thing-y.

[Sgt. Cookie]

The Guardians and The Protector (Granted by Vigil of the Protector (AKA a renamed Ever Vigilant guardian)) ARE essentially the Pathfinder Summoner's Eidolon. After all, as the linked post said "[Imagine] the character exactly as you want them to be, then find mechanics similar to that, then tweak."

Each Guardian has a "base" form that includes inherent abilities and such, but they can also be "tweaked" to fulfil a slightly different role. But, these tweaks are only available to THAT Guardian in particular.

For example the Mythos "Stories of Combat" gives you the ability to summon a Guardian known as The Warrior. In its default state, it's a Sword and Board fighter with a Shield, a Longsword and a chain shirt.

You can alter it to be a Great Sword wielding, Full plate donned, Power Attacking for full Knight. Alternatively, it could be a Dual Wielding, poison using, slayer of all that's good demon.

Other Mythos, however, grant various "tweaks" that can apply to multiple Guardians, instead of just one.

Now, barring a significant shift in moral outlook, a Guardian's form and abilities are static and unchanging. The Protector, OTOH, is more like how the Eidolon is presented normally. So I don't think I need to explain THAT.


To answer your question, some Guardians (At all Tiers) have abilities (Sometimes optional, sometimes inherent) that allows the Guardian to go "F*** this place in particular and everyone in it" at the cost of the Guardian's life. But the Guardian's nature, they return ready to fight a short time later.

That help?

[commander panda]

reposting the last part of my conversation with JKTrickster from the other thread.




turns out i'm gonna have time now rather than later, so here are my thoughts.

1. Do we even need the Goad feat? Honestly its such a limited feat. Maybe we can just make a whole new "Goad" mechanic. It wouldn't be hard honestly and it gets rid of the crappy base we keep having to make edits too.

we have rewritten most of it by now haven't we... ok, we'll write it into the actual goading manifestation. i have a new idea for a base ability. i'll do point form again.

Spoiler

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-glare at person within line of sight/hearing. force will save.
-if they fail they become worried about your pressence, and need keep a constant eye on you. any round in which they don't spend at least a move action paying attention to the belletor, they take a -6 on attack rolls, skill checks, saving throws and their AC. ("paying attention" can mean anything from staring at you to targeting you with a scorching ray.)

2. It doesn't make sense to do the Goad as a "move or standard" cause people are just going to use Move.....why would they ever use their Standard?

the option is there for all those brom types who want to just move and evade till their opponent drops. that said, if we extend the duration of goad it becomes unnecessary, so that can go.

3. We need a duration for the Goad ability. They shouldn't have to keep reapplying it. Let's say.....Half Bellator level rounds? 1 minute? Your choice. (I favor the one minute)

eh, i'm more in favour of 1d6+int mod rounds (or maybe 1d8 rounds). the idea of a single will save locking an opponent into fighting the belletor for a full 10 turns seems a bit cruel. i would just say that the belletor can extend the duration by goading her opponent again every couple of turns.

4. Do you think the escalating feature is too weak? Like Allnightmask pointed out, 4 rounds is an awful amount of time. Would it be broken to start the "Exhaustion" aspect straight at "Exhausted" instead of "Fatigued"?

I want to time it such that it's like:

Round 1: Strong Debuff that hinders you -> Round 2: Debilitating Debuff that completely shuts you down-> Round 3: Save against this Debuff, or be completely helpless as the Bellator destroys you.

How does that sound? Is that fast enough? 3 saves is still a challenge...

how about this?

Spoiler

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goad:
start off already fatigued, swift action brings you to exhaustion, another brings you to exhaustion/staggering, a third brings you to helplessness.

herding:
start off already frightened, swift action makes you panicked, a second makes you panicked and nauseated, a third makes you nauseated and cowering (i realize nausea and cowering don't compliment each other mechanically, but i'm really liking the idea that the belletor's enemies are so terrified as he comes for them that their stomach and bowls start rebelling.)

5. Instead of providing a speed boost, I like the idea of a speed penalty better. Its not the Bellator is running faster - but his/her enemies are too busy tripping over their own feet/soiling their undergarments to effectively run away.

done. walking is more intimidating anyway.

7. I like the idea of fleeing enemies take Nonlethal Damage. What happens if they are immune to this? Do they just not take any Nonlethal damage?

yeah, probably.

8. I think the "Extra Targets" should be one manifestation. Taking it once increases your cap to (Half Bellator Level). Then at level 13, it automatically grants (Full Bellator Level) instead. Scaling!

fair enough. we'll go with that.

9. Then make the "No need to understand Bellator" a separate Manifestation. Include that it can affect Animals and such and such. Hesitant, but should it be Mind Affecting, or no?

i think so. if goad was mind effecting this probably should be to, since its basically a more versatile version of the same concept.

10. I like the idea of making the penalties even more severe. I'm not sure these penalties are strong enough though.

with the progression of status effects sped up, the penalties will also definitely need to be amped up, yeah.

I like the idea that missing your attack against the Bellator provokes punishment. But striking allies is hard to pull off unless you're really fighting a lot of enemies. Maybe grant an AoO?

its a good point, but granting AoO's kinda goes against what i'm going for. perhaps it will get a bit more use if i give ranged enemies a threatened area or "everyone threatening the belletor"?

I like the idea of dealing Nonlethal damage to those who run away, but wouldn't this be too similar to what the Fear Manifestation does already? Maybe we can add something new and spicy.

i actually meant to remove that part from the herding mythos. it's supposed to get that ability from the advanced manifestation.

Hmm....maybe something like people who fail their save against you (but manage to run away) - when they encounter you again within 24 hours, they are automatically frightened again and take a penalty to their saves (even if they were Panicked, etc.)

buuuut i might just make another manifestation for this idea anyway.

[Tacitus]

Before the Vitalist there was the Worldthought Medic, and the range was different, increasing every 3 levels. 30ft, Close, Medium, Long, Miles, Any, Planar. Vitalist cut out the first two and skipped miles when they ported to Pathfinder. That always just felt strange to me, but having a higher initial range helps a ton.

Spoiler: Worldthought Medic Ranges

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1 30 ft 30 ft
4 Close 25 ft. + 5 ft. per two class levels
7 Medium 100 ft. + 10 ft. for every class level
10 Long 400 ft. + 40 ft. for every class level
13 Miles 1 mile per class level
16 Any Any distance as long as they remain on the same plane
19 Planar Any distance, even over planar and dimensional boundaries.

So, my ranges were based mostly on that.

And aye, I can't really see anyone willing to let an Occasus do any of the things that are Manic, and possibly label most of them as inhumane. I mean hell, you can probably turn a community of dwarves into a better fortress than the mountain they inhabit by 13th level. It might be a crime against dwarfanity and super Manic, but its possible.
Would being able to Stitch souls as Exceptional be too much, or should it stay Fantastic? Should I make it two separate Mythos, or is the function close enough to not be necessary? Do you figure the strange existence as both Exceptional and Fantastic is a bad thing?

[Sgt. Cookie]

Ooh, I just had an idea.

First off, remove the last line from Stories of Heroes and Villains.

Second, there is a new ability called "Weaver of unrelated tales" that does the following:

"The Episkeptis can weave multiple stories together, bringing them into the light simultaneously. But it can only do this for so many.

The Episkeptis gains a "Guardian Pool" that, at first level, is equal to his Charisma modifier."


Now, this change is important because it allows me to have a "standardised" name for this pool, which allows for some funky effects.

Namely, burning points from this pool (For varying times), to do some "traditional" summoning in the form of "I summon this mighty beast to immediately wreck face".

[JKTrickster]

So I think whole new Mythos classes deserve their own thread. That way the while Homebrew community can pitch in on them for balance too!

Spoilered below for the Bellator Mythos that commander panda is working on

Spoiler: Taming the Bloody Masses

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we have rewritten most of it by now haven't we... ok, we'll write it into the actual goading manifestation. i have a new idea for a base ability. i'll do point form again.

Spoiler

Show

-glare at person within line of sight/hearing. force will save.
-if they fail they become worried about your pressence, and need keep a constant eye on you. any round in which they don't spend at least a move action paying attention to the belletor, they take a -6 on attack rolls, skill checks, saving throws and their AC. ("paying attention" can mean anything from staring at you to targeting you with a scorching ray.)

I would change the wording from glare -> challenge. More generic term so individual Bellators can decide however they want to do so.

Ah so paying attention means they have to take offensive action against you (or at least spend a move action....giving you a dirty look?)

So how would this interact with Summoning Spells? Teleportation spells? What if they cannot take any actions against you (for some reason).

What if they can harm you with a Swift Action? Does that not count anymore? Logically, I feel like that should...

the option is there for all those brom types who want to just move and evade till their opponent drops. that said, if we extend the duration of goad it becomes unnecessary, so that can go.

Well....Standard Actions can be traded for Move Actions. So after you use a move, you trade your standard away and move however you want. It'll make the wording more concise too.

eh, i'm more in favour of 1d6+int mod rounds (or maybe 1d8 rounds). the idea of a single will save locking an opponent into fighting the belletor for a full 10 turns seems a bit cruel. i would just say that the belletor can extend the duration by goading her opponent again every couple of turns.

Ah that is more than fair. In that case, 1d6 + Int might be too long too. Int is their secondary attribute and they're likely to pump it.

What about Half Bellator level? That way it's only about 3 rounds to begin with, and slowly scales to 10 rounds at level 20.

how about this?

Spoiler

Show

goad:
start off already fatigued, swift action brings you to exhaustion, another brings you to exhaustion/staggering, a third brings you to helplessness.

herding:
start off already frightened, swift action makes you panicked, a second makes you panicked and nauseated, a third makes you nauseated and cowering (i realize nausea and cowering don't compliment each other mechanically, but i'm really liking the idea that the belletor's enemies are so terrified as he comes for them that their stomach and bowls start rebelling.)

First I'm assuming these are in addition to whatever effects the normal base ability is.

I like the Fatigued -> Exhaustion -> Staggered. It doesn't make sense to go to Helpless. A Staggered character is literally 1 hit point of damage from becoming Unconscious so why even bother?


For the second ability, I think Nauseated is too strong. You literally can't take any actions and there are no ways to become immune to this effect (compared to Cowering, which also takes away your actions but is much easier to defend against).

For the Fear part, do they still have to spend actions to attack you? Or can they opt to run away?

i think so. if goad was mind effecting this probably should be to, since its basically a more versatile version of the same concept.

Okay then! This will be a Mind Affecting ability. If someone has protection, they're just not affected - let's not make this too strong for a Fantastic level Mythos

its a good point, but granting AoO's kinda goes against what i'm going for. perhaps it will get a bit more use if i give ranged enemies a threatened area or "everyone threatening the belletor"?

Hmm what we need is some kind of new aspect that isn't too overpowering. After all its still the same Mythos, just an ability they get one level later.

Why not we make a full draft for now and then roll it out? See what we have working with?

[commander panda]

I would change the wording from glare -> challenge. More generic term so individual Bellators can decide however they want to do so.

i'll do that. bear in mind that these point form lists are kinda colloquial in nature. all the wording will change in the actual mythos description.

Ah so paying attention means they have to take offensive action against you (or at least spend a move action....giving you a dirty look?)

So how would this interact with Summoning Spells? Teleportation spells? What if they cannot take any actions against you (for some reason).

just to be clear, the person is still capable of taking their own actions. its just a pain in the ***. also, paying attention could equally mean running away from you.

Well....Standard Actions can be traded for Move Actions. So after you use a move, you trade your standard away and move however you want. It'll make the wording more concise too.

huh. weird. i was under the impression that you cant trade your standard actions for movement unless you're taking a double action. the more you know, i guess.

Ah that is more than fair. In that case, 1d6 + Int might be too long too. Int is their secondary attribute and they're likely to pump it.

What about Half Bellator level? That way it's only about 3 rounds to begin with, and slowly scales to 10 rounds at level 20.

i'm not really in favour of having a set time... maybe 1d4+int?

First I'm assuming these are in addition to whatever effects the normal base ability is.

i should have clarified this. when you target someone with your glare/challenge/taunt you have the option of activating the base ability at the beginning of the post, or one of the two expanded manifestations. you don't use the base mythos effect and the (for instance) goading manifestation simultaneously.

I like the Fatigued -> Exhaustion -> Staggered. It doesn't make sense to go to Helpless. A Staggered character is literally 1 hit point of damage from becoming Unconscious so why even bother?

going helpless represents the enemy simply keeling over and passing out.... and only now do i realize that helplessness and unconsciousness are not the same thing.
ok slight change

Spoiler

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goad:
start off already fatigued, swift action brings you to exhaustion, another and you can take only a single move action or standard action each round (on top of exhaustion), a third brings you to unconsiousness.

For the second ability, I think Nauseated is too strong. You literally can't take any actions and there are no ways to become immune to this effect (compared to Cowering, which also takes away your actions but is much easier to defend against).

fair enough. nausea is scrapped.

Okay then! This will be a Mind Affecting ability. If someone has protection, they're just not affected - let's not make this too strong for a Fantastic level Mythos

agreed.

Hmm what we need is some kind of new aspect that isn't too overpowering. After all its still the same Mythos, just an ability they get one level later.

Why not we make a full draft for now and then roll it out? See what we have working with?

very well. i'll try to get a full draft written up tomorrow.

[JKTrickster]

just to be clear, the person is still capable of taking their own actions. its just a pain in the ***. also, paying attention could equally mean running away from you.

Ah make sure that this is clear then. That makes more sense.

i'm not really in favour of having a set time... maybe 1d4+int?

Hmm...Wanna just do Half Int? d4 or d6 is up to you, but full Int seems too prone to optimization.

going helpless represents the enemy simply keeling over and passing out.... and only now do i realize that helplessness and unconsciousness are not the same thing.
ok slight change [SPOILER]goad:
start off already fatigued, swift action brings you to exhaustion, another and you can take only a single move action or standard action each round (on top of exhaustion), a third brings you to unconsiousness.

Want to do Exhausted -> Staggered -> Unconscious instead? Also I think this one should depend on a Fort Save instead of a Will Save. Visually, imagine that the Bellator was actively sapping his opponents strengths: either through dodges, or constants blows towards his joints that slow him down, or other such tricks that look cool in fights.

Also for the fear Mythos, make the last stage: Cowering and Helpless. Otherwise it wouldn't match up to Unconscious.

[commander panda]

Ah make sure that this is clear then. That makes more sense.


Hmm...Wanna just do Half Int? d4 or d6 is up to you, but full Int seems too prone to optimization.


Want to do Exhausted -> Staggered -> Unconscious instead? Also I think this one should depend on a Fort Save instead of a Will Save. Visually, imagine that the Bellator was actively sapping his opponents strengths: either through dodges, or constants blows towards his joints that slow him down, or other such tricks that look cool in fights.

Also for the fear Mythos, make the last stage: Cowering and Helpless. Otherwise it wouldn't match up to Unconscious.

not going to bother splitting this up. it all sounds good.

[JKTrickster]

Hey commander panda.

I think we need to fix up Discarding Quixotic Ideals - the Mythos that you made to deal Bonus damage.

Right now it's a little too messy and doesn't quite make a lot of sense.

EDIT:

Also Xefas, did you get my PM?

[commander panda]

yeah, i think kymme made a lot of changes to my stuff when he put it in his compendium. i've been meaning to ask him to switch it back or let me make edits.

here's the original. its a tiny bit op, but it makes more sense.

Spoiler: exceptional

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F#@* Chivalry!
prerequisites: -

The Bellator is many things. Sometimes she is a hawk-eyed commander, another day a whimsical rapier wielding dualist, and on a third she is tree-perched archer. She can assume many roles, but sometimes she prefers to be simply a pragmatist, striking where she can, as hard as she can.

The Bellator has become adept at attacking her foes in ways they can neither easily predict nor easily defend against. Whenever the Bellator hits an enemy who is denied their dexterity bonus to their AC, she deals a number of d4s in bonus damage based on her class level. This maneuver is not precision damage and works on enemies that would normally be immune to techniques like sneak attack.
This mythos is considered equivalent to sneak attack for the purpose of qualifying for feats, prestige classes and for determining her effectiveness against enemies with uncanny dodge.

Bellator level	Bonus Die
Level 1	1d4
Level 3	2d4
Level 5	3d4
Level 7	4d4
Level 9	5d4
Level 11	6d4
Level 13	7d4
Level 15	8d4
Level 17	9d4
Level 19	10d4

basic
I Kick Him In The Balls
prerequisites: -
The Bellator knows very well where to hit a man so it hurts.
As a standard action the Bellator may preform a special unarmed attack to strike her opponent where it really really hurts. If the attack lands successfully, the target must make a fort save or be staggered for a number of rounds equal to the Bellator's strength modifier. if the Bellator kicks him again before he recovers the time is reset and he is also shaken and denied his dexterity modifier to his AC. The time is reset each time the Bellator kicks the person.
This attack can only be used on enemies with a discernible anatomy who feel pain. undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures are unaffected.
despite the name, this strike is not limited to nut shots, and is therefore not limited to men. If used against a women, the Bellator might just give her a strong kick to the stomach, so she keels over.

Ground And Pound
prerequisites: -
The bellator gains Improved Grappling as a bonus feat.
Once the Bellator has pinned an enemy during a grapple she can attack with two weapons, draw weapons while pinning and escape another's grapple while pinning. Attacks while grappling no longer incur a -4 penalty. Any round in which the Bellator strikes a pinned opponent, they take a penalty on their escape artist checks, grapple checks, attack rolls and concentration checks equal to her strength modifier.
Finally, while the Bellator's opponent is pinned, he does not gain his dexterity modifier to his AC against her attacks.

To Be A Dirty, Dirt Flinging, Dirt-Bag
prerequisites: -
If the Bellator is standing on loose and moveable ground (sand, mud, gravel, sewage, water, ect) she can kick the loose material into an opponents square within her reach, avoidable with a reflex saving throw, as a standard action or as part of a full attack. If her opponent fails the save the muck gets in his eyes, and everyone he sees is treated as having partial concealment from him until he takes a full round to remove the grime (this provokes an attack of opportunity.) the target needs to actually have eyes to be effected.
Obviously, if the material used would have other negative effects on contact with the Bellator's target, such as acid, they are also applied if the attack hits.
The Bellator's enemy does not gain his dexterity modifier to his AC until he clears his eyes.

advanced
Dirtier Fighting
prerequisite: I Kick Him In The Balls
The Bellator loves nut shots, revels in their effectiveness, and has worked hard to make that effectiveness lasting. When the Bellator kicks someone in the balls, the effects are harder to shake off. Once the normal duration of his pain is over, the Bellator's opponent must roll a fortitude save at the beginning of his next turn or continue to suffer the consequences of getting sacked. He must continue to attempt fortitude saves at the beginning of each of his turns until he succeeds.

Beat Em When They're down
prerequisite: Ground And Pound
gain the improved grab ability.
The Bellator is no longer confined to fighting with light weapons during a grapple, and can employ one and two handed weapons against grappled foes. She now gets an untyped +4 bonus on grapple checks.

Improved Dirt-Baggery
prerequisite: To be a dirty, dirt flinging, dirt-bag
The Bellator has become a master of kicking sewage at people. She can now sling muck at up to two additional increments of her reach (so a medium Bellator, with a reach of 5 feet, can sling mud up too 15ft, and a large one, with a reach of 10 feet, could sling it up too 30.)
In fact she makes such good use of the trick that she now actively equips powders and liquids to use it with. If the Bellator is holding a material in her hand that she could normally kick at her opponent, she may substitute an attack to throw it at him. The material could be a handful of sand/vile of acid/mug of ale/etc/etc. Really anything that can be held and could easily get in ones eyes.

Thuggish Training Regimen
prerequisite: -
This manifestation can be taken multiple times, and each time the effects will stack on top of each other. Each time the Bellator takes this manifestation, she may add a damage bonus that starts at +2. with each purchase of this manifestation the bellator adds a number to the total damage bonus equal to the previous purchase doubled (so her second purchase would give +4 damage, third would give +8, fourth would give +16 and so on.)

also my other mythos. the changes are fewer, but many of them rebalance the overall mythos, so its worth showing.

Spoiler: exceptional

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Pin And Bug Restrainment
prerequisites:-

There are all kinds of people in the world. There are big people, and little people, and REALLY big people, and tiny winged people and grumpy old people that throw fire. There is a truly astounding variety of people out there.... and SO MANY want a piece of the Bellator! Not that she's complaining, per se, but some times she wishes they would just shut up and sit still!
As standard action, while wielding either a piercing weapon or a weapon that could conceivably do piercing damage (such as a longsword,) the Bellator can attempt to drive her weapon through her opponent and pin them to a nearby surface. This surface can be an adjacent wall/pillar/etc, the floor, and any other surface deemed reasonable by the DM. (for example, the DM could rule that it would be possible for a Bellator to pin someone's hand to a table with a dagger, but only if the hand was already on said table.)
to use this attack, the Bellator must first declare their intention to do so. the target may attempt a reflex save to avoid being pinned in place. regardless of weather the manuver works, the attack will deal half damage. If successful, the opponent cannot move out of their square, and takes the initial damage dealt again whenever they attempt a reflex saving throw (which they take a -10 on.)
This ability stays in effect as long as the weapon pinning the target stays embedded in both them and the surface behind them. Removing the Bellator's weapon deals the initial damage all over again.

basic
Hammer And Nail Body Security
prerequisites:-
Sometimes the Bellator gets stressed. She is a busy woman. She is a leader. She is a soldier. she is a body guard, a dragon slayer, a hunter, a tactician and a legend. She does not have time for your bull****, nor anyone else's.
when the bellator nails down her foe, she has the option to work out some stress and make a strength check to drive her weapon deeper. Whenever someone attempts to remove the weapon they must beat the strength check to be successful. damage is dealt to the pinned person regardless of whether the check is beat or not.

Rough And Tumble Acupuncture
prerequisites:-
There is a simple truth in warfare. The one who can deal the most damage the most quickly wins. This is a fact. The strong warrior can give life ending wounds with a speed compaired to lightning. But it is not the only truth, for in battle, a skilled warrior can deal no damage at all.
When stabbing her blade through a fool, the Bellator has the option no do no damage, rather then the normal half damage. This could be done by simply pinning their clothes to a wall, or the Bellator could slide her blade smoothly between muscle and bone in a way that barley makes her target bleed. Her choice.

advanced
Corpse Stacking Needle Charge
prerequisites:-
Gain Improved Bullrush as a bonus feat. If she already has that, the Bellator is now considered one size larger for the purpose of making bullrush checks.
The Bellator's unsettling talent for nailing her adversaries in place reaches new heights, as she learns fresh and exiting ways to trap enemies on the blade of her sword.
Whenever the Bellator successfully lands a Pin And Bug Restrainment strike, rather then run her weapon into a nearby surface and trap the fool, she can make an immediate bullrush attempt to push him in the direction of her choice. If successful, the Bellator can follow along with her opponent and keep him impaled on her blade, moving him at a rate of 5 ft for every 1 point by which she beat his opposing strength check. If, on their way, the two enter another creatures square, the Bellator can make an additional bullrush attempt against them too. if that succeeds, they are also impaled, and come along for the ride. At the end of her turn, regardless of how far she travels, the Bellator must drive her weapon into a surface and pin her new friends.

Big Game Bug Hunting
prerequisites:-
Gain Precise Shot and Improved Precise Shot as bonus feats.
The Bellator may now use the Pin And Bug Restrainment mythos with ranged piercing weapons (excluding weapons with extremely fine ammunition, like a sling or pistol.)

[Kymme]

yeah, i think kymme made a lot of changes to my stuff when he put it in his compendium. i've been meaning to ask him to switch it back or let me make edits.

here's the original. its a tiny bit op, but it makes more sense.

Spoiler: exceptional

Show

F#@* Chivalry!
prerequisites: -

The Bellator is many things. Sometimes she is a hawk-eyed commander, another day a whimsical rapier wielding dualist, and on a third she is tree-perched archer. She can assume many roles, but sometimes she prefers to be simply a pragmatist, striking where she can, as hard as she can.

The Bellator has become adept at attacking her foes in ways they can neither easily predict nor easily defend against. Whenever the Bellator hits an enemy who is denied their dexterity bonus to their AC, she deals a number of d4s in bonus damage based on her class level. This maneuver is not precision damage and works on enemies that would normally be immune to techniques like sneak attack.
This mythos is considered equivalent to sneak attack for the purpose of qualifying for feats, prestige classes and for determining her effectiveness against enemies with uncanny dodge.

Bellator level	Bonus Die
Level 1	1d4
Level 3	2d4
Level 5	3d4
Level 7	4d4
Level 9	5d4
Level 11	6d4
Level 13	7d4
Level 15	8d4
Level 17	9d4
Level 19	10d4

basic
I Kick Him In The Balls
prerequisites: -
The Bellator knows very well where to hit a man so it hurts.
As a standard action the Bellator may preform a special unarmed attack to strike her opponent where it really really hurts. If the attack lands successfully, the target must make a fort save or be staggered for a number of rounds equal to the Bellator's strength modifier. if the Bellator kicks him again before he recovers the time is reset and he is also shaken and denied his dexterity modifier to his AC. The time is reset each time the Bellator kicks the person.
This attack can only be used on enemies with a discernible anatomy who feel pain. undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures are unaffected.
despite the name, this strike is not limited to nut shots, and is therefore not limited to men. If used against a women, the Bellator might just give her a strong kick to the stomach, so she keels over.

Ground And Pound
prerequisites: -
The bellator gains Improved Grappling as a bonus feat.
Once the Bellator has pinned an enemy during a grapple she can attack with two weapons, draw weapons while pinning and escape another's grapple while pinning. Attacks while grappling no longer incur a -4 penalty. Any round in which the Bellator strikes a pinned opponent, they take a penalty on their escape artist checks, grapple checks, attack rolls and concentration checks equal to her strength modifier.
Finally, while the Bellator's opponent is pinned, he does not gain his dexterity modifier to his AC against her attacks.

To Be A Dirty, Dirt Flinging, Dirt-Bag
prerequisites: -
If the Bellator is standing on loose and moveable ground (sand, mud, gravel, sewage, water, ect) she can kick the loose material into an opponents square within her reach, avoidable with a reflex saving throw, as a standard action or as part of a full attack. If her opponent fails the save the muck gets in his eyes, and everyone he sees is treated as having partial concealment from him until he takes a full round to remove the grime (this provokes an attack of opportunity.) the target needs to actually have eyes to be effected.
Obviously, if the material used would have other negative effects on contact with the Bellator's target, such as acid, they are also applied if the attack hits.
The Bellator's enemy does not gain his dexterity modifier to his AC until he clears his eyes.

advanced
Dirtier Fighting
prerequisite: I Kick Him In The Balls
The Bellator loves nut shots, revels in their effectiveness, and has worked hard to make that effectiveness lasting. When the Bellator kicks someone in the balls, the effects are harder to shake off. Once the normal duration of his pain is over, the Bellator's opponent must roll a fortitude save at the beginning of his next turn or continue to suffer the consequences of getting sacked. He must continue to attempt fortitude saves at the beginning of each of his turns until he succeeds.

Beat Em When They're down
prerequisite: Ground And Pound
gain the improved grab ability.
The Bellator is no longer confined to fighting with light weapons during a grapple, and can employ one and two handed weapons against grappled foes. She now gets an untyped +4 bonus on grapple checks.

Improved Dirt-Baggery
prerequisite: To be a dirty, dirt flinging, dirt-bag
The Bellator has become a master of kicking sewage at people. She can now sling muck at up to two additional increments of her reach (so a medium Bellator, with a reach of 5 feet, can sling mud up too 15ft, and a large one, with a reach of 10 feet, could sling it up too 30.)
In fact she makes such good use of the trick that she now actively equips powders and liquids to use it with. If the Bellator is holding a material in her hand that she could normally kick at her opponent, she may substitute an attack to throw it at him. The material could be a handful of sand/vile of acid/mug of ale/etc/etc. Really anything that can be held and could easily get in ones eyes.

Thuggish Training Regimen
prerequisite: -
This manifestation can be taken multiple times, and each time the effects will stack on top of each other. Each time the Bellator takes this manifestation, she may add a damage bonus that starts at +2. with each purchase of this manifestation the bellator adds a number to the total damage bonus equal to the previous purchase doubled (so her second purchase would give +4 damage, third would give +8, fourth would give +16 and so on.)

Oh yeah, sorry about that. I kind of took the base idea and went somewhere else with it, especially when names were concerned. I just didn't really think that F*** Chivalry was the best name for an ability sharing a list with all the flowery-noun pranas of Xefas' design.

[commander panda]

i see what you mean, (primal fury said something similar) but i kinda wish you had asked first, given that your version is the one everyone is seeing, and therefor the 'official verson.' i would have been willing to find a more serious itineration of the name that still conveyed what it was.

[spikeof2010]

Kymme, I recommend you put the other non-Xefos Mythos classes in the OP.

[Kymme]

i see what you mean, (primal fury said something similar) but i kinda wish you had asked first, given that your version is the one everyone is seeing, and therefor the 'official verson.' i would have been willing to find a more serious version of the name that still conveyed what it was.

Sorry about that. I didn't mean to take the reins of the whole mythos away from ya. The Doc is completely open to comments, though, so if you have any critique or suggestions or things you'd like to see, feel free to shout them at me until I do something.

Kymme, I recommend you put the other non-Xefos Mythos classes in the OP.

Technically they are in the OP. You'll find all the non-Xefas classes in the Mythos Compendium, which is the fourth link from the top.

[commander panda]

Sorry about that. I didn't mean to take the reins of the whole mythos away from ya. The Doc is completely open to comments, though, so if you have any critique or suggestions or things you'd like to see, feel free to shout them at me until I do something.

ok, thanks. i was actually planning on rebooting my old mythos/excellencies to make them work a bit better (mostly the excellencies.) so how about i edit them then then yell at you till you swap them?

[Kymme]

ok, thanks. i was actually planning on rebooting my old mythos/excellencies to make them work a bit better (mostly the excellencies.) so how about i edit them then then yell at you till you swap them?

Sounds like the best possible plan.

Now, here are two Bellator Mythos from the database. I was asked to post them here so that they could be discussed more at large.

Spoiler: Thousand Arms Prana

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[Exalted]
Prerequisite: The ‘Summoning the Loyal Steel’ Exceptional Mythos.

With a full-round action, you may store (½ of your Bellator level) weapons elsewhere, including ranged weapons and shields. This Mythos is stackable infinitely; a Bellator can have as many weapons stored elsewhere as he wishes. In order to summon a specific weapon, you must spend a move action concentrating, which causes the summoned weapon to drop to the ground at your feet. You may also uses Mythos such as Summoning the Loyal Steel to draw your weapons from elsewhere.

As a standard action, the Bellator may release their grip on their weapons, causing them to fall in a circle (10 ft per Bellator level) in diameter. Her weapons do not immediately become tangible, but rather they glow with ghostly blue-white flames, and though they appear to be embedded within the scenery, they can neither be grasped nor moved by anyone but the Bellator for one hour, after which the flames disperse and the weaponry rejoins existence. Should she activate Thousand Arms Prana before the hour’s end, she may instantly banish her emblazoned weaponry with a thought if she chooses, or may otherwise sheath new weaponry elsewhere. If the Bellator grasps an emblazoned weapon at any point before the hour ends, the weapon immediately re-enters existence. It still does not become tangible to others until the hour has passed.

As a free action, the Bellator may teleport to one of her emblazoned weapons, pulling it from the ground in the process. This movement is instantaneous

Weapons drawn from elsewhere through use of this Mythos or Summoning the Loyal steel are sheathed in blue-white flames. All attacks made with these weapons for one hour after they are summoned are treated as touch attacks. You may now draw and sheath individual weapons in elsewhere as a free action.

Should the Bellator die while using this Mythos, her weapons do not spring from elsewhere, but rather float through the pocket-space of not-here, individual weapons falling to the Material Plane and other planes across (½ of the late Bellator’s level) months.

Advanced
My Body Is Made Of Infinite Swords: You are no longer a mere mortal. Something has happened to make you… transcendent. Your arsenal of conjured weapons becomes just as much a part of you as your mind or your heart.

You gain all the immunities of the Construct type. (Re-printed here for your convenience)

• Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
• Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and necromancy effects.
• Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain.
• Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or his harmless).

In addition, you gain DR X/- and Fast Healing X, where X is equal to half your character level.

Opening the Gate of Babylon: With a simple gesture you may summon hand-sized spatial distortions that function as one-way portals to the elsewhere where your arsenal is stored. These distortions can take the form of doors, small ring-shaped portals, or ripples in the air - it varies from Bellator to Bellator. Through these portals come your weapons, flying blade-first towards whichever foe you designate. Treat this attack as a melee attack for purposes of the attack and damage rolls, though it has a 50 ft range increment. These attacks may be used interchangeably with normal attacks on a full attack, Strike maneuvers, or attacks of opportunity.

In addition, you gain Manyshot and Greater Manyshot (XPH) as bonus feats. Your conjured weapons count as arrows for the purposes of these feats.

If one of your attacks misses, that weapon embeds itself in the ground, becoming intangible for one hour as per the normal effects of Thousand Arms Prana.

Spoiler: Swords-As-Coiled-Springs Technique

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[Excellency]
Prerequisite: One Fantastic Mythos.

As part of a full-attack action, you may opt to not make some of your attacks. You may sacrifice one attacks up to a maximum of one less than the number of attacks you would otherwise be able to make in that full attack (this includes additional attacks granted by the Speed weapon enhancement or the Haste spell, but not additional attacks granted by the Multiweapon or Two-Weapon Fighting feat chains).

For each attack sacrificed, you multiply your weapon’s base damage by one and gain a +2 circumstance bonus to the attack roll. Your weapon’s damage is multiplied before adding in damage from outside sources, such as a Bard’s Inspire Courage or Sneak Attack.

[JKTrickster]

Okay so first of all:

The Bonus Damage Mythos has to be revamped. You need a thematic connection between Dealing Damage and the 3 Manifestations that you have. Bonus damage isn't that bad but the rest of this stuff....wow.

Each Manifestation seems like a completely different beast that does not connect with the base Mythos

The first Manifestation that staggers for [Str Mod] rounds. That's....absolutely ridiculous. You do realize that when Staggered, dealing even 1 point of damage makes them Unconscious? And then paradoxically, they get a weaker condition when they fail the save twice. What?

The second Manifestation with Grappling.....has nothing to do with anything the Mythos seems to be dealing with. My biggest complain is lack of synchronicity. What story is this supposed to be?

The third Manifestation is extremely odd and requires more precise wording. E.g. what happens if they have eyes, but don't depend on them to see? Things like that.


Pin and Bug Restraint is odd, and the power level is uneven between the different Manifestations. I'll look into it more deeply later.


EDIT:

For Swords as Springs Coiled - why only Full Attacks? How about - whenever you can make multiple attacks?

Interested as to why you felt like you should not be able to do this with TWFing. Is it because of thematic issues more than balance issues?

[Kymme]

Okay so first of all:

The Bonus Damage Mythos has to be revamped. You need a thematic connection between Dealing Damage and the 3 Manifestations that you have. Bonus damage isn't that bad but the rest of this stuff....wow.

Each Manifestation seems like a completely different beast that does not connect with the base Mythos

The first Manifestation that staggers for [Str Mod] rounds. That's....absolutely ridiculous. You do realize that when Staggered, dealing even 1 point of damage makes them Unconscious? And then paradoxically, they get a weaker condition when they fail the save twice. What?

The second Manifestation with Grappling.....has nothing to do with anything the Mythos seems to be dealing with. My biggest complain is lack of synchronicity. What story is this supposed to be?

The third Manifestation is extremely odd and requires more precise wording. E.g. what happens if they have eyes, but don't depend on them to see? Things like that.


Pin and Bug Restraint is odd, and the power level is uneven between the different Manifestations. I'll look into it more deeply later.


EDIT:

For Swords as Springs Coiled - why only Full Attacks? How about - whenever you can make multiple attacks?

Interested as to why you felt like you should not be able to do this with TWFing. Is it because of thematic issues more than balance issues?

I believe you might be mistaken as to what Staggered does. Staggered means that your opponent may make either a standard or a move action per round. You are thinking of the Disabled condition.

For TWFing, balance. It is a balance concern for me because there isn't a whole lot stopping someone from having a mundane shortsword in one hand and a +5 longsword in the other and then dumping all their attacks together into one supah strike that'll make an ubercharger green with envy. Add on stuff like Thri Kreen or Garillion's Blessing and it just gets sillier and sillier.

My idea for Swords as Coiled Springs was to make someone with a big hefty greatsword able to make just one attack that was still on par with someone taking a full attack with a similar weapon.

[JKTrickster]

Ah I mixed up cause and effect then. My bad.

EDIT:

To fix that, add in the phrase "even if its nonlethal damage doesn't exactly equal its current hit points"

I still think the stipulation of Full Attacks is odd. Whenever you make multiple attacks seems more organic.