MYTHIC HERO: What Do *You* Want To See?

[kjandreano]

This may have been mentioned, but how about a section on building god/demigod characters for NPC deities in a game world and even as PCs (such as in a Champions setting).
What makes a god a god? Do they have a similar source of power? Options for that in a game world? Package deals? Etc.

[megaplayboy]

Well, it seems like you'd have to at least touch on how the whole cleric/deity interaction thingy works--what benefits do gods derive from worship? How do the clerics/priests/holy warriors etc. get empowered by their deities?
Another thing...if a deity is the "Supreme Ruler of the Pantheon/Heavens" and the setting is fantasy, should their abilities be tweaked to reflect their relative omnipotence? If it's a superhero setting, does their power get tweaked down a bit? Or up? Perhaps some brief notes on "adjusting" writeups might be appropriate?

[kjandreano]

How about going over how the "I am a God!" thing would apply to existing villains (Dr. Destroyer, Istvatha V'han, etc). What if they become gods? How would that work with regular and god-type heroes?

[Lord Liaden]

I would like to suggest inclusion of Persian mythology. The gods of the Aryan peoples of the Iranian Plateau were diverse and, although they share a few common elements with the ethnically-related peoples of the northern Indian subcontinent, and influences from the nearby Mesopotamian civilizations, developed a unique philosophy and cosmology under the influence of Zoroastrianism, which influenced many neighboring cultures. And it's a subject that's rarely been dealt with for gaming, or any other Western popular culture media.

I'm afraid I haven't been able to find a really accessible hardcopy source for Persian mythology, but I can offer a couple of good online sources as a starting point to research. The first is a solid general introduction to the subject, with many specific references, by Albert J. Carnoy: http://rbedrosian.com/Carnoy.html . The whole article is downloadable as a .zip file.

The classic work of Persian folklore is the epic tenth-century poem Shahnameh ("epic of kings") by Ferdowsi. Its focus is much more a chronology of the deeds of legendary kings and heroes, than of the gods themselves. This translation by Helen Zimmern is favorably referred to by several sources: http://enel.ucalgary.ca/People/far/h...shahnameh.html .

[Steve Long]

LL -- I've been considering Persian mythology, which I have some sources on. It's certainly a possible addition to the book, though it can be a pretty large and complex subject, so I'm concerned about the research burden. OTOH I've already done Armenian mythology, which has some similarities, so maybe that'd give me a good head start.

[JmOz]

Just a thought: You could do it as an extra .pdf for a secondary goal on the kickstarter (Sorry if terminology is off, not able to concentrate right now)

[Steve Long]

JmOz -- I actually have some other goodies in mind as potential secondary goal rewards. I want all the mythologies in one place, though, for the reader's/user's ease of reference.

Hopefully my planned primary goal will be reached quickly so I can implement the secondary goals in short order.

[Zen Archer]

I can see it now - for a few grand, the pledger can be the basis for an NPC deity. Achieve Godhood.....or, you know, not.

[megaplayboy]

Well, if it's going to be "all in one place, for ease of reference", then the upper limit is probably similar to Hero System Bestiary, which clocked in at 498 pages. OTOH, FRED clocked in at 592, IIRC.

(a 600 page RPG reference on deities would clearly be the best evar!)

[Steve Long]

Well, if it's going to be "all in one place, for ease of reference", then the upper limit is probably similar to Hero System Bestiary, which clocked in at 498 pages.

AAMOF, when trying to get estimates on postage and suchlike, I used the HSB as my "test case." I don't necessarily think MH would be that big, but it never hurts to plan conservatively.

(a 600 page RPG reference on deities would clearly be the best evar!)

If I were going to go that far, I think the ideal would be to make it exactly 666 pages.

[Steve Long]

For those who are interested, you can now see a (slightly outdated) pic of my mythology, legends, and folklore library on the Mythic Hero page of my website:

Steve's mythology library

So obviously I already have a good bit of research material to work from.

[Goradin]

I had pledged $75. Sorry did not go through, Steve.

[Steve Long]

Thanx, Goradin. I appreciate that.