MythCraft Fundamentals
This section offers a quick, top-level explanation of the core concepts, terms, and mechanics in MythCraft.
What is MythCraft?
MythCraft is a tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) where you and your friends play as heroes in a fantastical world. Think of it as a collaborative story, like a movie or game, where each player is a protagonist.
A typical MythCraft campaign spans multiple sessions, where characters gradually “level up,” gaining power and influence.
The MythCrafter
The MythCrafter (MC) serves as the narrator, rulekeeper, and plays all non-player characters (NPCs) in the game.
A D20 System
MythCraft uses a d20-based system, with various polyhedral dice like d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20. For example, “1d20” means rolling one twenty-sided die, and “2d6” means rolling two six-sided dice.
Guiding Principles
There are a few general principles to keep in mind while playing MythCraft.
Specific Beats General
Whenever you run into rules that conflict with one another, defer to the most specific ruling. A talent or lineage ability should always supersede a general rule, and magical effects that last for a finite time override passive abilities.
Always Round Up
In MythCraft, you always round up in the instance of fractional numbers.
Overcoming DCs
When making an attack or ability check, you are successful if your roll equals or exceeds the Difficulty Class (DC). The DC might be a number set by the MC in the event of an attribute check. In any kind of attack, the DC is the defending creature’s relevant defense.
Base, Cumulative, and Transformative
When you see the word “base,” it means that this is the default instance of an ability. It might be modified by other abilities.
Whenever you see “+” or “increase,” whether it is in reference to more damage, increased range, additional dice, or something else, the effect is cumulative, stacking on top of the base ability.
If something says “now,” “is,” or “becomes,” then it is transformative, overriding any previous abilities, damage, range, and the like.
Recharging Abilities
Many abilities, especially those gained through talents, can only be used a finite number of times. You regain these abilities after you Catch your Breath, Recoup, or Take a Rest, as denoted by the ability. (2/Rest) means that you can use the ability twice, regaining the ability to do so after you Take a Rest. Similarly, (AWR/Recoup) means that you can use the ability a number of times equal to your AWR, regaining all expended uses when you Recoup.
If you have an ability that you can use a number of times equal to an attribute, you can always use that ability at least once, even if your corresponding attribute is 0 or a negative number.
Core Concepts
MythCraft’s core concepts are designed to be intuitive, easy to pick up.
Action Points
Each hero starts with a base of 3 Action Points (AP), which may be increased through the Coordination (COR) attribute. On each of your turns, you will spend a number of AP to perform various actions.
You do not have to spend all of your AP on your turn and may leave some AP to use reactively or carry over onto your next turn.
At the start of each of your turns, if you have any leftover AP, you may add some of that AP to the amount of AP you have on your current turn. The amount of AP you can roll over onto your next turn equals 1⁄2 your level + 1.
See Action Points for more information.
Hit Points
Your health is tracked with hit points (HP). When you take damage, you subtract that from your current HP. Once you reach 0 HP, you begin dying.
See Character Creation for more information.
Death Points
If you have 0 HP, you are not down and out, but you begin dying. You may keep fighting at your full capacity, but this comes with risks! If you end your turn with 0 HP, you gain 1 Death Point. If you would take damage and already have 0 HP, you gain 2 Death Points. When you reach 8 Death Points, it is over for you.
See Dying for more information.
Spell Points
You are only mortal, and casting spells can be quite taxing. When you cast a spell, subtract the spell point cost (SPC) from your current number of SP. When you reach 0 SP, you must Take a Rest before casting spells again.
See Magic for more information.
Combat
Like many TTRPGs, the most intricate mechanics in MythCraft revolve around combat.
Combat is resolved in a series of rounds. Each round consists of one turn per hero and one turn per creature.
On a hero’s turn, they may spend a number of Action Points (AP) to perform any action available to them.
On a creature’s turn, it may use a set of predetermined actions.
Initiative
To determine in what order the heroes and creatures take their turns, each hero and each creature rolls Initiative. This is 1d20 + their Awareness (AWR). The highest roll goes first, followed by the second-highest, and so forth. After the last participant takes their turn, combat enters the next round and the first goes again.
Action Points
Heroes track their capacity to perform different actions round by round using AP.
See Actions for more information.
Moving
All adventurers start with a base speed of 20 ft. Moving up to your speed costs 1 AP. You cannot “save” some of your movement to use later; for example, if you spend 1 AP and move 10 ft up to an enemy, then attack that enemy, you must spend another AP on movement if you want to subsequently retreat.
Attacking
Each weapon, spell, or similar ability will specify how many AP it takes to use that ability.
Making an Attack
When a creature is in range, you may make an attack. To make an attack, you roll 1d20 and apply a modifier based on one of your attributes, usually Strength (STR) or Dexterity (DEX). You compare your total modified roll to the target’s appropriate defense, usually their Armor Rating (AR). If your attack equals or exceeds the target’s defense, then you hit them and they take some form of damage. If your attack roll is lower than the target’s defense, then your attack misses.
The attribute you use depends upon the type of attack you are making. For example, hacking at someone with an axe uses your STR, deftly throwing a dagger uses your DEX, and scouring someone with arcane energy would likely use one of your mental attributes.
Tactical Advantage/Disadvantage
Tactical Advantage (TA) and Tactical Disadvantage (TD) are situational bonuses and penalties that can accrue in combat. TA is a +1 bonus and TD is a -1 penalty to your attack roll. TA and TD can accrue indefinitely. When you make any d20 roll, add all your sources of TA and TD together and add the sum to your roll. You might have several sources of TA and TD at once, so be sure to account for all sources!
Dealing Damage
When you hit a creature with an attack, you deal a certain amount of damage based on the type of attack. Each of your attacks will mention how much damage the attack deals. When you deal damage, roll the appropriate dice, then the MC will subtract that number from the creature’s current HP.
See Damage for more information.