Warmaster Academy

Art by Dean Spencer

One of my favorite characters ever wasn’t a Mythras character at all. It was a 4th Edition D&D character named Ghesh. Ghesh was a Dragonborn Bravura Warlord with an 8 wisdom, and the action economy was his plaything. So many combats I spent granting reactions and actions, causing rounds to duplicate, and so many other things with that character. 

I’ve been perpetually disappointed that the Warlord has not appeared in other editions of D&D in the same, or similar form. They’ve all been about granting very specific bonuses which, quite frankly, betrays the warlord’s flexibility. 

For Mythras, I decided to offer some of that flexibility back in the Academy of the Warmaster, a school where one learns to lead soldiers into battle, and they become stronger for their presence. Hopefully I’ve incorporated the pieces that give them this.

At the lowest rank, the Lokhagos learn some basic vocal techniques to inspire their troops. Similar to folk magic in effect, it differs in being entirely non-magical, though limited in use by Tenacity. I find that many “martial” abilities for non-magical archetypes work pretty well as folk magic spells. They are generally of pretty limited scope but can do things you don’t see normal people doing. It can give a good feel without shifting the power balance much.

Tagmartarkhes learn how to mess with initiative. This comes from the original meaning of initiative in D&D, which was military initiative. It gives them a feel that they can see what is happening on the battle field before others, and can warn them. The addition about Surprise hints at a rule I implement in my game – anyone who withdraws can force a reroll of initiative. This means a warmaster is going to be able to regain the upper hand if he can get a moment to think.

Syntagmatarkhes gain the real meat of the school – a group luck pool. An optional rule in Mythras, this provides a nice reason for it to be. It encourages keeping the warmaster around, working together, and gives the warmaster some much needed flexibility. Remember, luck points allow for rerolls, swapping dice, mitigating damage and wounds, or even getting extra actions. This should let them do nearly anything that the group might need to, but not so many times that they are going to abuse it. 

Taxiarches get the ability to use a trained cult skill in lieu of Perception or Insight in some situations. While this may not seem like a huge benefit, not having to train a skill, and getting the benefit at such a high rank (the Taxiarches could have this skill at 90%+ by this point) ensures that it will likely be successful. In addition, their ability to make quick decisions will allow them to use their Lore (Strategy and Tactics) while engaged in melee or to look over a battleplan and deploy before most would have time to react.

Strategos, having served their time, gain the benefits of a residence and soldiers who watch over him. They are often far behind lines, making plans and plotting the safety of their armies, but some use their residence as merely a place to rest and recover before their next campaign to conquer. 

Setting

Clearly, the naming implies that the Warmaster would fit well into an ancient world campaign, but it could easily fit just as well into a World War campaign. One can easily see Patton and Rommel cut from this cloth. No magic is required, and it has a relatively limited scope, so should work in just about anything that will allow for strategists overseeing hundreds or thousands of troops, whether grimdark futuristic sci fi or Wuxia inspired formations of tens of thousands clashing during the Yellow Turban Rebellion

Mythos and History

The Warmaster Academy was founded centuries ago by proclamation of the king as a reward to a general for his loyalty and success in a great war. The teachings of that general have been passed down and augmented by many others such that the curriculum at the Academy is second to none in the art of warfare.

Nature

The Academy is the largest and most well-known school of warfare in the kingdom. Being accepted there is considered a great privilege. New students attend full time, which includes leading small groups of men in the field and focuses as much on physical fitness as it does war studies.

Organization

Those who train at the Warmaster Academy can come from either the enlisted in the Army, buy their way in with Noble birth, or occasionally from the rare scholarship and sponsorship by a senior member. Newer members spend most of their time attending classes, studying battles and leadership, while more senior members are deployed to the field, either at the heads of armies or leading small strike teams to target particularly troublesome problems.

Membership

Standard. Ranks (with corresponding Mythras brotherhood rank) are Lokhagos (Associate), Tagmartarkhis (Apprentice), Syntagmatarkhis (Journeyman), Taxiarchos (Master), and Strategos (Grand Master).

Restrictions

Members must pay a yearly fee of 100sp per rank they hold in the Academy. Strategos are exempt from this.

Skills

Lore (Strategy & Tactics), Oratory, Influence, Athletics, Endurance

Magic

Members don’t practice magic, but some of their encouragements are almost magical in their effect. Lokhagos learn how to use effects like the folk magic spells Calm, Demoralize, Fanaticism, Vigor, and Voice. These are cast using the Oratory skill and use Tenacity points instead of magic points, but otherwise behave identically to the spells of the same name.

Gifts

Tagmartarkhes gain a bonus to their initiative equal to 1/10th their Lore (Strategy & Tactics). Higher rank warmasters who have communicated with their group (1 round or 5 seconds) can give this bonus to them as well. This bonus cannot be used if the warmaster is Surprised without forcing a reroll of initiative (i.e. from the Withdrawal action, etc.)

Syntagmatarkhes can work with a group of characters up to 1/10th his Oratory skill and create a Group Tactical Pool with a number of points equal to 1/20th of their Lore (Strategy & Tactics) over the course of a day. The tactical points in this pool can be used by anyone in the group while the warmaster is with them, and act identically to luck points. This pool refreshes when narratively appropriate (in the morning before adventuring, during a rousing speech before a major battle, etc.) at the Games Master’s discretion.

Taxiarches can make snap judgements about battles, allowing them to use their Strategy (Lore & Tactics) in place of their Perception skill when using the Assess Situation action or in detecting ambushes, or in place of Insight when detecting deception. Additionally, when making, assessing, or countering battle plans outside of combat, they may improve the time interval of their task by one step (hours to minutes, minutes to seconds, etc.

Strategos are gifted with a residence, similar to a Sanctuary (Mythras p202), save enemy cults are challenged by cult members if they cross the threshold.

The Fiery Path

Art by www.athelu.com

This is one of the first sorcery cults I did up. It’s designed around a very common idea to provide a common image to those looking to build new cults of their own. It has a straightforward structure, some flavorful alterations, and builds in power as it gains in cult ranks.

The skills of the pyromancer school are mostly what you would expect, save for perhaps Insight and Seduction. These two skills flavor the pyromancers as more than just raw combatants and give them an edge in matters of the heart. I picked seduction as a metaphor for “the fire in the heart”, and Insight as a counter for it. Thus, they understand other kinds of fire and how to stoke them. A simple change of these skills can alter the feel of the school more than one would expect – substitute in Dance and Art (Fire Performance) and you would have a very different sort of pyromancer.

The extensive use of Folk Magic spells early in the cult ranks allows for a great deal of utility without pulling in the larger magics. The addition of Fire Arrow or Flameblade to party weaponry gives them an extra punch while keeping the sorcerer off the front lines themselves. Surreptitious use of Ignite can allow for a surprising amount of combat potential and chaos-making. Rounding out their list of utility, Dry and Warmth make the pyromancer a very useful companion to have in certain climates, including cold, dank dungeons. 

A notable thing about Folk Magic is that the school doesn’t offer training in Folk Magic. They expect you to come with some knowledge and invest in your own time. This gives the school the feel that they are focused on higher magics. The Mage Gift emphasizes this point, giving them a no cost thing but they still need to roll their skill to succeed.

Apprentices are not left out in the cold for combat, able to bring to bear Starve the Beast on their foes. While lacking the immediacy of Fire Strike, it also lacks the potential for collateral damage to equipment that can be collected. It is also a fair bit more discrete, only manifesting as a bit of quickly dissipated smoke. A quick casting of Perceive the Embers allows an adventuring party to cheaply maintain the cover of darkness in their discretion.

Adepts begin to show their power over fire, with Fire Dance and Flame Sculptor. Many don’t even make it past this point in the cult, finding plenty of utility in torches lit with Ignite and flame gouts animated and shaped onto their foes. Some develop exceptional skill in Craft (Fire shapes) and make beautiful and lucrative fire sculptures. Others find no reason to create anything more exotic than humanoid-shaped “elementals” to frighten off threats.

The inclusion of Fire Strike seems obvious, as what good would a fire wizard be without the ability to make blasts of fire from nothing. The important note here is that it deviates from the core Mythras Wrack spell, in that it does not ignore armor. As it is, it is exceptionally powerful, allowing the sorcerer to rain down gouts of fire and force evasion for lightly armored foes. Thus, the addition of armor brought it down to a more reasonable level. For lower powered games, try restricting Fire Strike to an instant spell, with no duration component, or requiring the Intensity to be paid for with Shaping points.

Archmages gain their last two spells which alter how fire moves through space, leaping distances via Call the Flame or allowing the archmage and companions to leap the space themselves. Their “Gift” is unique, as it can be a danger to those around them and encourages a spartan lifestyle.

Setting Suggestions

The pyromancer is a clear combatant sorcerer in most settings. Whether the Empire’s Red Wizards, scholars studying the sun and channeling its power, or a street mage who happened upon a tome of flame in the dusty stacks of a corner enchanter’s shop, they are likely to find a place for their skills. Perhaps the most interesting ones are where their skills are focused outside of combat, replacing their Insight and Seduction skills – perhaps to survival as a guide with Survival and First Aid skills, or a firefighter with Athletics and Engineering.

Mythos and History

Cultures have been fascinated with fire since its discovery. Myth and legend have been created around it, recognizing its creative, seductive, and destructive power. Eventually, those who feel a connection develop magic to control it, harness its power - perhaps to protect themselves and others, and perhaps to wreak burning destruction on their enemies.

Nature

The pyromancy school learns to look deeply into the flame and discern the mysteries therein. Similarly, it learns to emulate fire, inflaming passions, and drawing others to them. Those who follow are bound by their passion for fire, often bordering on pyromania. This makes the cult dangerous and feared by some, though some rulers have seen their value in military conflict - someone who can control the fires that the enemy hurls and create their own is an invaluable asset.

Organization

The school is a loose one, largely made up of pairings of masters and apprentices in stone towers found away from civilization, for safety reasons. A few larger schools in stone buildings have been founded in larger cities, with suitable protections placed around them. 

Membership

Though there are no common members, often members of this cult have had some traumatic experience with fire before joining, and those who have received severe burns are frequently scouted by the cult. There is also active recruitment by larger armies, as fire is frequently a useful weapon of war.

Restrictions

Standard. To join, you must demonstrate skill in one of the folk magic spells offered by the cult. Note, the cult does not actually provide training in Folk Magic, only in the spells once you have shown your ability.

Skills

Insight, Invocation (Pyromancy), Seduction, Shaping, Willpower

Magic

Apprentices are taught the Folk Magic spells Dry, Extinguish, Fire Arrow, Fireblade, Heat, Ignite, Light (manifesting as a flame), and Warmth, as well as the sorcery spells Perceive the Embers (Perceive (Fire)), giving Infravision) and Starve the Beast (Smother, manifesting as smoke in the lungs). 

Adepts are additionally taught Fire Dance (Animate [Fire]) and Flame Sculptor (Shape [Fire]). 

Mages learn Fire Strike (Wrack [Fire]). This spell differs from most versions of wrack in that armor does protect. However, if damage is done through worn armor, any garments, hair, or other flammable items may be ignited. The Intensity of this fire is half the intensity of the spell. Fire Strike can also target objects.

Archmagi learns Call the Flame (Attract [Fire]) and Jump the Firebreak (Portal). The Pyromancer may only open portals between two fires large enough to accommodate the creatures using the portal. The fires will not harm those using the portal for the duration of the spell.

Gifts

Those who achieve the Mage rank start to show the fire within them, allowing them to use the Ignite folk magic spell at touch range without expending magic points. Archmagi are barely able to contain the fires within themselves, gaining the Burning Chaos Feature for 1d3 rounds whenever they score a critical success on an Invocation (Pyromancy) roll. The Archmage is immune to the burning effect, but their equipment gains no such benefit from the Archmage.

The Fellowship of the Snake

Some artwork © 2015 Dean Spencer,
used with permission. All rights reserved.

The Fellowship of the Snake started as an idea to write up the cults that are in the core Mythras book. I was looking to have a Mysticism cult in the quiver, and something a little different than the traditional martial arts influenced eastern variety. I have a friend in my gaming group that likes this sort of character, so I knew I had a willing audience.

The angle of it being a storytelling cult came because I really asked myself “why would anyone make an organization dedicated to excellence at lying?” After all, lying is much harder to do well then telling the truth, and it would be very difficult to maintain a structure with so much deception. So, I decided to take a page from history and make it an organization of storytellers, who perhaps embellish and outright lie for the sake of entertainment. This provided them with plausible cover, and the Great Naga provides someone guiding their actions towards something constructive.

Once an Aspirant reaches the point where they are competent with their story telling abilities, they begin on the path to learn how to become truly unearthly in their influence and deceit. Even at the mere student level, a member of the fellowship will be able to augment their deceit and influence levels to make it nearly impossible to tell when they are lying or telling the truth. A few mere moments of concentration and they can manipulate chiefs and kings to whatever their ends require. 

Thus, many leaders employ special incense that makes it more difficult to lie in their presence, or employ members of the School of Impenetrable Silence, hidden away, to watch the conversations. Some keep one of the Sisters That Would Have Done Well, an order specializing in communication sorcery, in their retinue to cast Telepathy and read the minds of those who would speak to the leader.

Once they reach the level of Disciple, they start learning the art of Lying with Their Body. They learn to augment their Conceal skill, and those who have taken the time to find training in other places, how to augment their Sleight skill. Thus, many snakes become good smugglers, thieves, and black marketeers, but a bit of sleight of hand combined with superb storytelling skills will entrance many crowds. It is at this level they can change their eyes to have vertical slits, gaining the ability of Nightvision, allowing them to operate well in the seedy underbelly of civilization.

Once they reach the rank of Master, members learn the ability to enhance their movement, making catching them extraordinarily difficult, and become resistant to magics that may convince them to tell the truth. It is because of the latter that masters who show enough ability are allowed in front of the Great Naga – trust must be complete, and compromising the integrity of the fellowship must be nearly impossible.

Grand Masters, I felt, had nearly reached the pinnacle of lying, and didn’t really need anything to increase their skill. However, I felt that access to control the organization might allow them to have a wider influence. The ability to Change Gender also seemed appropriate. Note, it doesn’t allow them to alter their appearance outside of some alternative gender version of themselves, but a Grand Master may have forms for a male, female, and whatever other non-binary genders you have in your setting.

Setting Suggestions

Obviously, with the naga influence, a traditional fantasy setting works well with this fellowship, but it doesn’t have to be that way. An urban fantasy cyberpunk world could just as easily have nagas, perhaps as a counter to corporation-owning dragons.

As with any use of the Augment ability, it is important for your setting to have something that counters it, and have it show up occasionally. Fellowship members should be able to lie convincingly most of the time, should have the ability to talk people down from blows regularly, and so on. Taking that away is no fun if it happens all the time, but once in a while puts a little spice of life and helps them rely on some other skills (like a simple disguise).

Mythos and History

It is said that the Great Naga has existed since before the gods were born and witnessed their rise to the heavens. It seems farfetched, but there can be no doubt the Great Naga is incredibly old and wise. It (the Great Naga has not revealed its gender, and Naga is used as a convention. It has not corrected its followers) has been written in myth and legend for centuries and has been seen as recently as yesterday – if you believe its followers. The stories they tell of the Great Naga stagger belief, parting forests and mountain alike before it, stopping armies with merely a glance, and gods submitting before its glory and wisdom, and so it is easy to see how one might be skeptical. And yet, the honeyed tongues of its followers are quite convincing.

Nature

The Fellowship often takes the role of storyteller in society, but they can be and represent much more. Snakes can be found as deep cover spies gathering valuable information, as revolutionaries fighting against oppressive governments, and as politicians pulling the strings of power. Anywhere where deception might be needed, and the Great Naga sees need for them. Its own aims and aspirations are inscrutable, masked behind layer upon layer of its followers’ deceptions and fabrications.

Organization

The cult follows a traditional structure, with Aspirants practicing their skills under the tutelage of a Disciple. Once they are judged worthy and skilled enough, they partake in a ritual where they are led blind-folded into a room in the grand temple. There, they feel two pricks in their skin and venom coursing through their veins, transforming them. Assuming they survive this ritual, they advanced to the Student rank, and are given an assignment by the Master. Repeated success and training ensure progression to the Disciple rank, and eventually to Master. 

The most accomplished of masters are eventually brought before the Great Naga, seeing it for the first time. Here, the master must tell the story of his life to this point, with all embellishments and truth-stretching that the master can muster. This is a test of entertaining the Great Naga, and success advances the master to Great Master, and taking direction for running the cult directly from it. 

Membership

Standard. The character must have a 50% in all of the fellowship’s skills to progress to the Student rank. Students must show at year 70% In 4 of the fellowship skills to progress to Disciple rank, and Disciples must have 90% in 3 of the fellowship skills to progress to master rank. At the grand master rank, at least two cult skills must be 110% or better, though most have more. They must undergo the Trial of the Great Naga, which will test many of their skills against the perceptive abilities of the Naga, and failure will wipe the mind of the former member.

Restrictions

As one might expect with an organization that trains their members in deception, an Oath of Loyalty to the cult is taken. In addition, the venom of the Great Naga places a geas on them which punishes them for knowingly lying to others in the cult outside of training – though many are creative enough with their half truths to avoid this without explicitly lying. Some even think the Great Naga’s venom keeps their edge, at this risk of losing their abilities.

Skills

Deceit, Influence, Oratory, Meditation, Mysticism

Magic

Aspirants learn no magic. Instead, they must practice their skills exclusively and attend to their daily lives outside of the Fellowship. Those showing promise are likely to succeed, receiving the most attention from Disciple.

Students first learn to Augment Deceit and Augment Influence. Once they have advanced to Disciple, they learn to Augment Conceal, Augment Sleight, and Invoke Nightsight. Masters learn to Augment Willpower and Enhance Movement. Grand Masters gain access to a Sanctuary (as the Gift) and a retinue of cult members to assist in expanding the influence of the fellowship, as well as the ability to Change Gender (as the Gift) at will. Many Grand Masters also take the time to learn how to disguise themselves.

Ancestral Speaker and Guardian of the Totem

Some artwork © 2015 Dean Spencer,
used with permission. All rights reserved.

The Ancestral Speaker, along with the Guardian of the Totem, started as ideas to partially emulate D&D 5e subclasses but give it a very Mythras bent. In this case, they take inspiration from a couple of berserker subclasses – their Combat Style and Frenzy are clues here.

The use of a Fetch in this cult allows for channeling several abilities without requiring the shaman to negotiate many services from spirits. This is intentional, as it gives the feeling that the Ancestral Speaker and the Guardian of the Totem are self-sufficient, as befits a defender of the tribe. The additional fetch abilities provide variety and growth potential, as well as delving into different ways to benefit from the spirit.

With the Ancestral speaker, Abdication in the Sagacity ability prevents the power from being quite as predictable as one might like, as even a friendly fetch may have their own agenda. An ancestor with Sagacity (Lore - Strategy and Tactics) who was a great warlord may still bear some grudges against the friends you are trying to help. An Ancestor with Sagacity (Gambling) may be a notorious flirt or seducer and cause quite a scene. 

The Ancestral Speaker isn’t intended to be especially strong at using spirits outside the ancestors as tools. He has some Ancestors who can help for a long-term mission, but most everything else is going to be single use. On the other hand, they are not particularly limited in their use of fetishes, so binding a neutral spirit can provide easy access.

The Guardian is a representation of an animal totem warrior, someone who might have embraced the tribe's totem, and their powers reflect that. While they are likely to call on their totem-fetch for many of their abilities, it has more of a relationship with other spirits in the environment than the Ancestral Speaker. It is less likely to have bonuses to skills, however, and have more limited access to fetishes.

Setting Suggestions

                 The inspiration for this, a tribal berserker, is a clear path to use, but this is by no means the only one. A medieval noble family, with a long line of ancestors and burial grounds, could just as easily become a “tribal” defender. A modern political family would work as well – imagine being able to call on a dead ancestor’s knowledge of a political friend for favors or a foe’s weaknesses for finally destroying a rival faction. It could even be flavored to represent previous lives in some far-future lineage-manipulating priesthood, calling on nearly supernatural skills at a moment’s notice.

Ancestral Speaker

Mythos and History

The myths and history of the tribe are the lifeblood of the Ancestral speaker, as she invokes and abdicates her body to the tribe’s ancestors. The stories are told, often in the voice of the ancestor, as to the creation of the world, how the first game was hunted, how a particular waterfall gained healing properties, and how the world will come to an end.

Nature

Tribes in the wilderness often show respect for the spirits of their ancestors - making offerings, telling stories, and otherwise continuing their memories. This allows them to maintain an oral history, teach their offspring, and continue their cultural traditions.

Ancestral speakers, however, make this communication bidirectional, giving the spirits a voice and a presence that would not be heard otherwise. They can abdicate their bodies to the great people that have come before in the tribe, giving them a say long after the ancestor has passed to the spirit realm. 

And when the time of war comes, they can allow the spirit to defend their tribe even after death, driving the speaker into a terrifying and lethal frenzy.

Speakers often show a connection to an ancestor at an early age - maybe a favorite story, or maybe they are the progeny of a particularly heroic figure in their tribe. Over time and the repeated performance of rituals honoring the ancestor, the fledgling speaker learns to communicate with their ancestor, and in return gains access to the spirit’s knowledge.

Organization

Many tribes have a single ancestral speaker who guides rituals to honor the ancestors and has a duty to remember and pass down the stories of those who came before. 

Those fortunate enough to have several often see divisions reflecting politics throughout the history of the tribe, with speakers being favored by one faction or another. This can prove troublesome for the tribe, as it makes it difficult to let old arguments go. Even relations with other tribes may become tense, as political alignments in the physical realm may not reflect the views of a spirit who was at war with another tribe when they were alive.

Membership

Standard. Only tribe members are allowed to become Ancestral Speakers as a rule. Occasionally, a worthy hero undergoes a ritual and becomes a tribe member after some great service – saving multiple tribe members from death, feeding them in times in starvation, and so on. 

Restrictions

A Speaker speaks for only one tribe, and must take an Oath to that tribe, starting at 30%+POW+INT. There is also a Taboo on body snatching and binding souls to living creatures.

Skills

Binding, Lore (Ancestors), Trance, Combat style (Cultural), Customs, Perception

Magic

Every Ancestral Speaker of Spirit Worshiper rank has been blessed with an Allied Fetch representing an ancestor. The Fetch offers the Endowment (Frenzy) via Augmentation and has the Eternal and Persistent spirit abilities. Each Fetch also offers Sagacity in one Professional Skill (other than Binding and Trance), manifesting as Abdication. 

Additional fetch abilities can be gained by the Ancestral Speaker spending 5 XP per ability and performing a spirit quest (normally a month of fasting and ritual cleansing, the specifics differ per tribe). Common abilities include Bless Armor Points or Healing, Healing, Mana, Perceptive, Sagacity (in any professional skill the tribe knows), and Spellcasting (almost exclusively Folk magic, though your campaign may differ). Others are at the GM’s discretion. Only one such ability may be learned per rank in the cult, and how they manifest (Augmentation, Embodiment, Abdication) is left to the GM and the player.

Other Ancestor Spirits from the same clan or tribe are Friendly and have one spirit ability per Intensity. Most are found within the lands of the tribe, but some few may have been put to rest in foreign lands. Most other spirits are neutral, though bane, curse, sickness, and wraiths are hostile. Haunts and Undead, while hostile, are sought to put to rest or in rare cases bound to a fetish and unleashed on an unsuspecting foe.

Ancestral Speakers utilize fetishes but will not create them from Ancestors within their own clan or tribe. 

Gifts

Those who reach the Overseer rank gain the Cult Evolution gift, representing a new Ancestor whose story is passed from advocate ancestors to the speaker. This story is told by the tribe so that the spirit may be venerated.

Guardian of the Totem

Mythos and History

Many throughout the ages have felt a strong connection to a particular animal - seeing it in their dreams or feeling the presence of a spirit near them always. For those who hear this calling, the urge to follow it can be strong, and those who make the spirit quest are rewarded with a deeper understanding of their guide.

Nature

Most guardians became so after experiencing their connection to one animal species. This may have happened at a distance, as a Guardian of Caribou observing the Great Herd and running with them or a Wolf Guardian howling in the night with his brothers, or up close, as the child who miraculously survives a close encounter with a man-eating tiger, or the eagle hunter who grows a close bond with a favored companion.

Organization

Many Guardians are loners, though some take on an apprentice who follows the same Totem. In some places, whole tribes follow the same totem, though not all become Guardians.

Membership

Standard. 

Restrictions

A Guardian can only be so for one Totem. They take an Oath to that Totem, starting at 30%+POW+INT. It  is Taboo for them to kill an animal represented by their totem, resulting in inner conflict and the loss of access to their fetch until the act is atoned for.

Skills

Athletics, Evade, Combat Style, Binding, Trance, Survival

Combat style varies by tribe and by animal. Some examples include:

• Bear - Club, Great Club, Batter Aside. Shield splitter
• Eagle - Spear, Javelin, Net, Intimidating Scream
• Elk - Spear, Short bow, Cautious Fighter, Skirmisher
• Tiger - Unarmed, Bagh Nakh (dmg 1d6, size and reach as the wearer’s unarmed, Bleed special effect, enc -, AP/HP 5 / 6), Assassination, Do or Die
• Wolf - Spear, Shield, Battle axe, Broadsword

Guardians can learn the Trained Beast combat style trait for 3 XP a month of close training with an animal represented by their totem.

Magic

Every Totem Warrior of Spirit Worshiper rank has been blessed with an Awakened Fetch that has the Endowment of Frenzy and has the Eternal spirit ability. Each totem gains additional abilities as follow:

• Bear - Endow Intimidate, Endow Night Sight
• Eagle - Endow Flying, Endow Diving Strike
• Caribou - Bless Evade, Bless Movement 
• Tiger - Endow Leaper, Endow Camouflage
• Wolf - Bless Endurance, Bless Track

These are examples of totems, and other totems may exist in your campaign. In most cases, the fetch uses Augmentation or Embodiment to bestow the abilities on the Guardian.

Additional fetch abilities can be gained by the totem warrior spending 5 XP per ability and doing a spirit quest (normally a month of fasting and ritual cleansing, the specifics differ per animal). Endowments and Blessings match many totems, emulating animal abilities, as well as Comprehension, Conjugate, Domination, and Shapechange (into the totem animal). Occasionally, the fetch will gain Manifestation, which always appears as the totem animal. Others are at the GM’s discretion. Only one such ability may be learned per rank in the cult.

Nature Spirits and Predator spirits allied with the totem are Friendly. Most other spirits are neutral, though bane, curse, sickness, and wraiths are hostile.

Guardians do not make fetishes of predator or nature spirits, as it is offensive to them to enslave animals and the environment in this fashion. They will make fetishes of hostile spirits, however, binding them to prevent harm.

Gifts

Those who reach the Proven rank gain the Reincarnation gift, their spirit being reborn as their totem animal. In this way, many tribes have previous Guardians continue to protect the tribe after their deaths.

Some artwork © 2015 Dean Spencer,
used with permission. All rights reserved.

Seekers of the Great Void

The Seekers of the Great Void are one of the most “out there” cults I’ve done. They push mechanics quite a bit, with new Gifts, use of multiple types of magic, as well as a Creature Ability as a Gift and are unabashedly inspired by the AD&D 5^th edition Warlock. You can see that in the spells mainly, as well as the progression of those. The folk magic spells like Disruption, Darkness, and Protection map directly to equivalents in the warlock. The theism spells Mindlink and Illusion also translate somewhat closely to their analogs.

However, I wanted some things that were a bit more Mythras flavored. Something a little darker, something that leveraged the tools that Mythras provides. Some of the other spells (Corruption, Madness, Obliterate) felt appropriate and give it a real edge that make it distinct. In addition, I’ve added an Oath and a Taboo, leveraging the restrictions for a cult. In so many ways, restrictions like this provide flavor and defined the “space” that a cult operates in. A GM could easily change the Taboo to a Geas if it felt more appropriate to have the planar being granting power be more involved, but the Taboo makes it more of a social faux pas, and potentially dangerous to the Seeker.

 You can also see this pull between the desire for the familiar and pushing to uniqueness in the Gifts. Several of the Gifts translate directly to similar abilities on a 5e warlock, but with a Mythras nuance by affecting folk magic spells they already gain access to. Lastly the Chaotic Blessing is designed to be a gamble. Not all of those are going to be easy for the warlock to deal with. They make the warlock clearly in consort with mind breaking beings. They do then to have a bit more power behind them. At the high end, one is required – those beings want their advertisement as well.

Setting Suggestions

The Seekers (perhaps under another name) can fit into many settings where you desire Lovecraftian spice added to the campaign. A blighted hermit in Mythic Britain, shunned by Druid and Christian alike, would make a wonderful Seeker. Perhaps Luther Arkwright’s WOTAN has determined that dabbling in the darker arts and making unsavory pacts is how to beat the Disruptors, and a few agents volunteer to be the instruments of their sanity-shattering will. Men of Thennla’s Jekkarene Theocracy denied entry into the Moon Goddess’s cult and access to theism or sorcery might seek an untraditional route. It is designed to be a pretty ominous cult, and would be incongruous with some campaign flavors.

Mythos and History

Humans have long sought forbidden lore, pushing them to the very edges of sanity. The mind-bending, multidimensional, dark gods who dwell in the deep outer realms whispered promises of power and wealth across time and space, heard the call, and provide power for their own unfathomable reasons.

Nature

At its very heart, this cult works to bring its dark master from the beyond into this dimension. Occasionally this works, but most of the Great Old Ones are too alien to even understand their demanding followers. Because of this, they work to gain temporal influence and maintain their position, recruiting those in positions of power or with control over particularly valuable resources. This brings them into conflict with local authorities or entrenches them more fully.

Organization

Small cells working towards their dark master’s ends, hidden from the rest of the population, make up the organization. Associates come from family members and others who have close relations, and take a trial of loyalty, ensuring those entrusted with any secrets are well vetted. Sometimes, new members are recruited from the children of those in power, or from those in power themselves.

Membership

Standard. Most who follow the Great Old Ones are insane or desperate, but occasionally heroic characters manage to balance their own natures with the mind-bending desires of their otherworldly patron. These too serve their master, in their own inscrutable way.

Restrictions

Everyone in this cult takes an Oath towards the cult, starting at 30%+POW+INT, as well as a Taboo towards revealing its secrets. Violation is punishable by death.

Skills

Deception, Devotion, Exhortation, Insight, Lore (Great Old Ones)

Magic

Initiates of the Great Old Ones learn a modicum of Folk Magic, including Babble, Befuddle, Curse, Darkness, Disruption, Frostbite, Phantasm, Protection, Shove, and Witchsight. They also learn the Theism spells Illusion and Mindlink. Acolytes learn Madness and Mindblast. Priests learn Corruption (transforming the target into a tentacled monstrosity) and Obliterate.

Gifts

At each rank above Initiate, Seekers gain a gift from the list below.

• Unfettered Disruption - when the seeker cast Disruption, they may choose up to one twentieth of their Folk Magic in targets to suffer the effects. This does not allow a single target to be chosen more than once.
• Puissant Disruption - step up the damage of the seeker’s Disruption spell to 1d4.
• Writhing Protection - your Protection spell does not end when triggered, instead lasting for the entire scene.
• Familiar - as Animal Familiar Mythras, p202. This is an extra dimensional being in the form of the natural animal with unearthly mutations, though it has an INT score equal to the animal’s INS score and can follow more complex commands. It can speak telepathically to the Seeker within 3 meters.
• Chaotic Blessing – The seeker gains a chaotic feature, rolled randomly from the Seeker Chaos Feature table below (reference the Chaos Features table, Mythras p275, for effects)

Seeker Chaos Feature Table

Roll	Feature	Roll	Feature	Roll	Feature	Roll	Feature
01-05	Acidic	26-30	Climbing	51-55	Mutated	76-80	Poisonous
06-10	Alluring	31-35	Disturbing	56-60	Nerveless	81-85	Projector
11-15	Boneless	36-40	Entangle	61-65	Obfuscating	86-90	Scintillating
16-20	Brainless	41-45	Levitating	66-70	Oversized	91-95	Shadowy
21-25	Chameleon	46-50	Mimic	71-75	Perceptive	96-100	Slimy

High priests automatically gain a roll on the Chaotic Blessing table as an extra gift.

 

Art by www.athelu.com

This cult started as a challenge, though those who laid it did not know at the time. Many on the Mythras Discord had asked about the power of the Wrack spell. It had become a sort of joke, and those who were more senior in Mythras had recommended it only be included at higher ranks, or perhaps even completely avoided.

I decided to make a sorcery cult that relied almost exclusively on it.

Part of this was because I didn’t like the answer being given. I felt it missed the point of Mythras magic systems – you are supposed to manipulate and alter them. After all, there are sections on how to use ritual magic and how to tune magic point recovery to match a particular tone. It felt rather glib to ignore this entirely.

The Battle Wizard makes heavy use of modifications in Sorcery. It gains limited access to Shaping Components and must increase rank to gain access to more. There is an in-game reason listed, but from a gameplay perspective, it is designed to limit the power of Wrack by itself.

Each form of Wrack has some nuance that may make it more or less useful in a particular situation. None of them completely bypass armor as well as force an evade check. All but one have a secondary effect that can be brought to bear. This gives each version its own reason for being, and incentive to gain more. Choosing which to gain as an Apprentice will shape many choices in the future.

Additional sorcery spells are picked to provide them with some options, but some are protected from being used in too many shenanigans by restricting them to this school. This gives the school an exclusive feel and makes it safer for most any campaign. These were picked to give it the flavor of being a military wizard. While replacement is certainly possible, careful consideration should be given to which will give the most flavorful effect, and what restrictions should be placed on them.

The first Gift they receive is designed to get by a question that had come up frequently – do you really mean it can be cast repeatedly for the Duration? Well, yes, it does mean that. Without Range or Target, though, your Battle Wizard is going to have to get up in the thick of it. Once they become Adepts, they can dish out a lot of damage over a long range, but also have reached a level where power should be seen.

Once they get to the Mage rank, they gain access to two Shaping Components – Targets and Ablation. This gives them a remarkable amount of flexibility with their spells, but also forces choices about where to put those shaping points. GMs who use the Battle Wizard should feel quite liberal in their use of protective magics, as would befit a world that has powerful Wrack-slingers. This will force the Battle Wizard to make a choice to erode the defense, increase the magnitude to overcome defenses, increase the number of targets, or increase the range.

Setting Suggestions

The Battle Wizard really shines in a fantasy setting, where a king rides onto the field at the head of a charge supported by a platoon of blasting bearded mages. It would mesh very well in a game that includes the Aegis Arcanum.

It probably works best in Medium to High Magic games, where Magic Points flow freely. In a Low Magic game, will take on a very different role, and will likely have to augment their magic skills with other skills greatly.

Four-Fold Battle Wizard

Mythos and History

Four-Fold Battle Wizards is frequently criticized by other sorcerers for a lack of diversity in spells. Largely focused on variations of the Wrack spell, others think of them as a “one trick pony”. The battle wizards, on the other hand, might argue they can do both kinds of magic, fire and lightning. 

However, they are viewed, no one can deny they are effective in battle. With the ability to create walls of flame or acid or wrap their fellow soldiers in protective armor, they are appreciated. Arch Mages (or Magus General) are particularly valuable, being able to coordinate between unit commanders quickly via telepathic communication.

Nature

The school itself focuses on mastery of destructive forces and manipulating them. Many accidents over the years have led them to develop new techniques and spell-weavings to minimize any collateral damage from their magic.

Organization

There are no official lay members of this cult, though more senior members do keep an eye out for likely apprentices to add into their ranks. Most Four-Fold Battle Wizards (often shortened to just Battle Wizard) learn their craft in a military magic school, with strict discipline and learning to control the magic. As Battle Wizards gain in rank, they also gain in responsibility, and learn to coordinate between mundane and magical forces.

Membership

Standard. While not required, it is common for those of this school to be from the upper echelons of society, with parents who paid their way into a “less dangerous” and more prestigious role in the military.

Restrictions

Battle Wizards start with a very limited set of Shaping components to work with, as to somewhat mitigate the damage a young sorcerer can cause. Eventually, they gain access to all of these and more. Apprentices in this school only have access to Combine, Duration, and Magnitude when casting spells with Invocation (Four-Fold Battle Wizard). Adepts gain access to the Range component, and Mages learn the Targets component.

Skills

Insight, Invocation (Four-Fold Battle Wizard), Lore (Strategy and Tactics), Shaping, Willpower

Magic

Apprentices are taught the Folk Magic spells Darkness, Disruption, Extinguish, Frostbite, Ignite, Light, Shock, Tire as well as the one of the Wrack variants of their choice listed below. Adepts learn another variant of Wrack as well as Protective Ward, and regularly use it to cordon off an area. Mages soon learn the value of defense and learn Damage Resistance and another variant of Wrack. Damage Resistance can only be cast Combined with Protective Ward when using Invocation (Four-Fold Battle Wizard) and cannot be Combined with spells from other schools. Finally, archmagi can be recognized by their mastery of all four variants of Wrack as well as their knowledge of the Telepathy spell.

Wrack - The Battle Wizards eventually learn 4 different types of Wrack

• Fire - Bolts of fire that bypass half armor, can be evaded or parried as a missile weapon, treated as a Small Force weapon at range. Can light objects on fire as per fire of half spell intensity
• Acid - a stream of acid that directly attacks armor, treating the armor points as the armor hit points. Armor must be destroyed completely before hit point damage to the target can be done. Can be evaded or parried as a missile weapon, treated as a Small Force weapon at range
• Cold - a blast of frigid air that bypasses armor completely and is resisted with Endurance.
• Lightning - Strokes of lightning that bypass half armor, can be evaded or parried as a missile weapon, treated as a Small Force weapon at range. Can gain the Stun Location special effect.

Gifts

All versions of the Battle Wizard Wrack spells have additional flexibility: they may change the targets they have with the spell as a Proactive action. This does not allow them to exceed the number of targets dictated by the Targets Shaping component, but it does give them flexibility in their use. This cannot be used when Combining with spells from outside this school.

Mages become Empowered, gaining access to the Ablation shaping component for spells in this school. When using this component, it cannot be combined with spells that are not in this school

Archmagi achieve total Mastery of their spells, gaining access to the Precision shaping component for spells in this school. When using this component, it cannot be combined with spells that are not in this school.