D&D 5E Can 5e Be Mythic?

[Garthanos]

Noticed I missed the option of ASIs as Boons with an open ended 30 achievable.
The Mythic Bloodline concept could almost be expressed as a package of boons at a price. Perhaps they do not need much of a balancing price if you are making a Mythic campaign

Let me see if I can get more specific about the flavor
Bloodline of Dragons is sometimes seen as the Kings bloodlines (in real life many countries have royal lineages whose heritage purports to be that of Dragons, and even the Pendragon line of Arthurian Myth might be seen as invoking that same concept). Dragon Bloodline in a mythic context might have a Boon of Resilience ie the real reason for Arthurs durability is not his sword sheath... but rather his heritage.
Fire Soul also sounds like a classic European Dragon Bloodline one.
The Sleep of Kings
Dragons are often portrayed as Hibernating or engaging in deep sleep so in keeping with the King model you are the once and future ... you have an ability akin to that . It is a way of supercharging your resting ability one might gain a full long rest benefits in a short rests time span once every 7 long rest spans. Furthermore you may sleep for an indefinite duration and you do not age nor do illnesses progress you appear to be basically dead (like feign death?) but are preserved perfectly you can choose any duration and if you are attacked you have a bonus on all saves and do not make saves vs death till you break out of it.(breaking out of it involves?) I sort of conjured TSK on the fly probably not worth it but I like the flavor.

 

[Garthanos]

In 4e when someone wants a campaign with a more everyman flavor I would just recommend they play at a lower tier (and maybe reduce advancement rate). So perhaps the first 5e recommendation to play Mythic might be to start out such a campaign at a higher level.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

I do not have access to the Theros book. What kind of gifts are they granting?

Epic boons only occur in the over 20 range according to the DMG. These are specifically part of your normal advancement not end game treats. Somebody wants to feel Mythic you might want it earlier... you want that to feel like it has a price? And can fit in the relatively normal balance have it replace attuned magic items. (kind of like how the 1e Paladins abilities were "supposed to" )

And supernatural gifts in the DMG look to be utterly out of the players control and achieved whenever it fits the story, ie rewards much like receiving a magic item but having no impact on attunement. And these would be above and beyond anything else acquired they are because of your bloodline and a standard level acquired thing. Kind of like a supremish racial ability that awakens as you discover your heritage.

Boons seem bigger and more awesome than those gifts and these bloodline ones would need to be worth an attunement slot. Is that an assumption I am making? Hmmm looks them up again, some boons are pretty cosmetic in a game context (like the immortality one I see that as a take 2 it is minor effect with zero impact for most people's games I would say add the Perfect Health boon to be the physical manifestation of this immortality).

The flavor premise is the truly powerful are powerful independently not because of magic items.

Some boons if taken directly from the boon list might have level limits I suppose as the benefits are likely to be obnoxious at level 6.

That was a bit of a rambling reply. Not sure what your asking. My point is the tools and path to make something “myhtic” in 5e already exist. Theros as 2 mechanics:

1. Supernatural gifts: everyone gets one at level 1. Similar to the ones in the DMG, but tailored to Theros. They also say you can take a feat instead of a supernatural gift (so the gifts should be approx. equal to a feat)

2. Piety. You get benefits based on your relationship (piety) with your god. You get more benefits as your score goes up. You get different benefits depending on the god you champion. I believe there are 3-4 levels of piety, I don’t remember precisely.

i mentioned epic boons because they are a great way to make a game even more epic. Just give them at lower levels, every 30,000 per the DMG or whenever you see fit. The only change from RAW would be to not wait until level 20.

 

[Garthanos]

i mentioned epic boons because they are a great way to make a game even more epic. Just give them at lower levels, every 30,000 per the DMG or whenever you see fit. The only change from RAW would be to not wait until level 20.

I definitely ramble, I was suggesting boons too.... but my idea was originally designed trying to group them thematically (like isle of theros/odyssey do except based on a mythic bloodline) and when I first came up with the idea it was hinge around keeping the normal potency of 5e except assuming magic items were in use I probably didnt get that point across.

 

[Garthanos]

I use the cleave variant but ignore the “undamaged” part, starting around level 9 or 10.

That is an appropriate option they did that clause to basically say if this person is a minion and only if they are a minion

 

[Garthanos]

OK instead of being such a disser.... here are some of the available rules for making 5e a bit more epic.

Analysis

EPIC HEROISM
This variant uses a short rest of 5 minutes and a long rest of 1 hour.
This change makes combat more routine, since characters can easily recover
from every battle. You might want to make combat encounters more difficult
to compensate. Spellcasters using this system can afford to burn through spell
slots quickly, especially at higher levels. Consider allowing spellcasters to restore expended spell slots equal to only half their maximum spell slots (rounded down) at the end of a long rest, and to limit spell slots restored to 5th level or lower. Only a full 8-hour rest will allow a spellcaster
to restore all spell slots and to regain spell slots of 6th level or higher.

That half rule for high end spell levels is almost admitting that spell casters are already epic. Which I agree with.

HERO POINTS
Hero points work well in epic fantasy and mythic campaigns in which the characters are meant to be more like superheroes than the average adventurer is.
With this option, a character starts with 5 hero point at 1st level. Each time the character gains a level, he or she loses any unspent hero points
and gains a new total equal to 5 + half the character's level.

These hero points do not make for superheroes they make things a little less dicey once in a while and its spread across the entire level.

HEALING SuRGES
This optional rule allows characters to heal up in the thick of combat and works
well for parties that feature few or no characters with healing magic, or for
campaigns in which magical healing is rare. As an action, a character can use
a healing surge and spend up to half his or her Hit Dice. For each Hit Die spent
in this way, the player rolls the die and adds the character's Constitution modifier. The character regains hit points equal to the total.
The player can decide to spend an additional Hit Die after each roll.

This can support longer combats but it butts up against the action economy a lot of the time. And spending your action on this means not harming an enemy either, If you have some special ability that allowed you to do it as a bonus action that would be different.

Allow spending HD anytime someone heals you (even let the fighter do it to self) but with no action cost in addition to the above.

CLEAVING THROUGH CREATURES
If your player characters regularly fight hordes of lower- level monsters, consider using this optional rule to help speed up such fights.
When a melee attack reduces an undamaged creature to 0 hit points, any excess damage from that attack might carry over to another creature nearby.
The attacker targets another creature within reach and, if the original attack
roll can hit it, applies any remaining damage to it. If that creature was
undamaged and is likewise reduced to 0 hit points, repeat this process,
carrying over the remaining damage until there are no valid targets, or
until the damage carried over fails to reduce an undamaged creature to 0 hit
points.

That seems mechanically cumbersome with a lot of if clauses and checks, some are to ensure hay this only works on minions at minimum remove that requirement that they be undamaged.

Hmmm

 

[Garthanos]

2. Piety. You get benefits based on your relationship (piety) with your god. You get more benefits as your score goes up. You get different benefits depending on the god you champion. I believe there are 3-4 levels of piety, I don’t remember precisely.

That sounds like a Paladin/Cleric option only tbh... However in Greek Myth a hero generally had at least one enemy god to send you monsters to kill and one ally god to provide benefits/items and warnings and guidance about self empowerment and the like (This may not have been just Greeks)

 

[Garthanos]

Mythic D&D 5e:

• PC are special, select suitable backgrounds
• PCs start with higher stats and/or exaggerate what stats can do (ex. Carry capacity might = your strength score x your strength modifier cubed, or 2,500lbs at 20 instead of 300lbs)

A little of both might be satisfying

• PCs start with a supernatural gift
  • This could be a bonus feat (this could be tailored to they type of mythic you want)
  • This could be a supernatural gift like in the DMG or Theros
  • This could be an epic boon
  • This could be a combination of all of the above, just depends how "mythic" you want to get

I would go with one at start of heroic one at start of paragon and one at start of epic. basically to ear mark the progression.

Some boons if granted earlier in the story need scaled for instance the one grants 40 hit points should grant 10 per tier

• PCs have a mythic path that provide goals, but also benefits.

Fated Adversaries and Pieces of equipment or rare rituals for instance these are in Odyssey of the Dragonlords

• I would use the Theros deity champions as framework, but not require piety, but instead tie the benefits to story elements.

Maybe the benefits of fame in Odyssey of the Dragonlords are in a similar category as story elements. I own that book

• NPCs are mostly low level /CR (to emphasis how special the PC is)

Nods but its also why I present minions in the picture. If the ogre that throws around and challenges and nearly defeats level 5 or so heros crumple before you as a minion at level 11 it can feel awesome.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

That sounds like a Paladin/Cleric option only tbh... However in Greek Myth a hero generally had at least one enemy god to send you monsters to kill and one ally god to provide benefits/items and warnings and guidance about self empowerment and the like (This may not have been just Greeks)

I don’t see any reason to limit a divine champion to cleric / paladin. I think it works broadly for any class

 

[Garthanos]

I don’t see any reason to limit a divine champion to cleric / paladin. I think it works broadly for any class

tying your rogues and barbarians capability to piety doesn't clash to you?