[Review] The Mystic World

[ghost-angel]

The Upside:

 

The Mystic World is a source book to magic and dimensions in the Champions Universe. It is not a sub-genre book to running a Mystic Campaign, but it can be used as a template to setting up your own mystic setting.

 

Chapter One - Worlds Upon Worlds. The Mystic World describes the many many universes and dimensions that make up the Champions Universe in total. Not all of them, as there are an infinite variety to include in your game, Chapter One instead goes into the structure of the Multiverse as it pertains to the Champions Universe.

 

The Four Worlds describes the underlying concepts that connect the various dimensions of the Champions Universe, it uses a fictional variation on Kabbalism and the Sephirothic Tree as a descriptor. Describing each of the four realms and what kinds of Dimensions are in them. The Astral Plane is described next, this is the connecting dimension between all the others, one has to go through the Astral Plane in some manner to get to another dimension. Four dimensions are important to the Champions Universe and each gets significant detail, Faerie: The Land Of Legends (where old Pantheons live, as well as elves and classic inhabitants of Faerie), Elysium (land of Heavens), Netherworld (Hells), and Babylon: The City Of Man (created on secular rather than spiritual beliefs). After that some other Dimensions are varying types and levels on the Sephirothic Tree are described, a total of nine other worlds are given a short description with some ideas on using them in a game.

 

Enough interesting worlds and ideas for worlds are provided that a GM could base an entire campaign around dimensional travel if that wanted.

 

Chapter Two - The Shadow World. This chapter has two sections, Mystic People and Mystic Places. Mystic People covers the difference between Supermages and everyone else who is a mystic, the vast majority are not Supermages. It also covers important people to the Mystic World, which is a very secretive society, organizations, and how they all get along. Two important aspects are brought out, that are sure to come up if you're running a Mystic Campaign. First is the idea of the Archmage, an individual assigned the task of protecting Earth and it's closest dimensions (Faerie, Elysium, Netherworld, and Babylon), in fact those four dimensions are so important to Earth they're considered a part of it spiritually. The second is the role of Gods, which are very real entities in the Champions Universe, and how they interact with the realm of mortals. The number and kinds of Mystic related peoples and beings described here should be enough for a GM to add a lot of variety to a game that uses Mystics as a center piece, or to choose the right kind of being for the focus of a Mystic adventure.

 

The second part of the chapter is Mystic Places, describing how the land and architecture relate to Mystics and magic in general. It gives some sample locations and how they became mystically charged. It also provides an example of how a building, or similar, location gains mystical importance and powers. Along with this it provides what effects these places have on magic itself.

 

All the people and places described are a good addition to a Mystic Campaign, or can be used for a signal adventure for a non-Mystic Campaign.

 

Chapter Three - The Book Of Wisdom. This is a chapter dedicated to creating a Mystic Character. It covers the difference between Superheroic and Heroic mages, as well as magic styles and how to incorporate them into a game.

 

It also provides a bunch of Spells (power write-ups with a magic special effect), twenty-seven spells in total are provided, which is a good start for a magic wielding character. Along with these three extremely powerful spells are described, mostly these are plot devices. Magic Items And Artifacts has six items described. First are three rather mundane magic items that can be used as a template for ideas to create more, such as a "Gadget" based Mystic character that enchants items instead of just casting spells. Next three artifacts of power are described, just like the three spells of power these are mostly plot devices. Entire story arcs, or campaigns even, can be focused around the three greater spells or artifacts described in this chapter.

 

Character Creation is the last section of this chapter. It covers useful Skills and Perks that are specific to Mystic Characters. The Powers section here goes into some detail regarding Enhanced Senses, such as creating a Mystic Sense Group, and the Dimensional Sense Modifier. Extra Dimensional Movement also gets some space, and expands on Time Travel as well as restructuring the Cost of the Power. All of these changes made it into the Revised version the Fifth Edition Rules. Also introduced is the idea of Range Modifiers for the Transdimensional Advantage, these are specific to the Champions Universe, but serve as a good look at how you can set up such Range Modifiers for your own games set of Dimensions.

 

Chapter Four - Mystic Master Villains. Three master villains are described in detail in this chapter. Each one of these could be the focus of an entire campaign as the main adversary. Ambitious games can include two or even all three in an epic battle for the fate of Earth (for even more fun also introduce Istvatha V'han from Conquerors, Killers, And Crooks into the mix). Unlike your normal Supervillain these Dimensional Lords have vastly larger resources to call upon, if your game isn't Mystically centered or you don't want to involve Dimensional Travel I would suggest finding a more regular style arch-villain to use.

 

Skarn The Shaper doesn't just conquer dimensions to rule, he reshapes them to fit his whims. As a conqueror Skarn is very traditional in his methods of conquest, he has an army run by lieutenants also of great power. His patchwork of dimensions is called the Congeries and some of them are quite random in nature. If you want a foe that comes complete with surreal and weird obstacles to overcome and quest through on top of lots of fights with underlings and soldiers (including some political intrigue once you get to his home), then Skarn is a good choice.

 

Tyrannon The Conqueror, on the other hand, is a completely different kind of enemy. Tyrannon conquers dimensions so he can consume them whole and add their inhabitants and raw material to his own dimension. Instead of massive armies Tyrannon is the Thousand-Headed God, he possess eight-hundred and eighty bodies at once, broken down into levels of power. Starting with his weakest form he infiltrates a dimension and conquers a small part, that builds a dimensional gate that allows his next higher levels through. His highest level, and most powerful form, is immobile in his home dimension. Eventually any fight against Tyrannon must be taken to him. He is good for a game where you want to take power levels to a near epic scale.

 

The biggest differences between the two is that Skarn can be negotiated with, he's a more traditional foe. Tyrannon can only be defeated or be victorious.

 

Lastly, there is The Dragon. The Dragon is the embodiment of all that is evil about mankind. The Dragon doesn't conquer anything, it's chained to the underside of Faerie. Instead it infiltrates the dreams and minds of man to work it's will. Campaigns centered around The Dragon take on a very spiritual nature as fear is it's biggest weapon, not external fear and threats, but the internal fear generated by mankind. If the Dragon gets loose he will cause destruction on an epic scale. If you want an apocalypse for your Champions or Mystic campaign this is a good way to do it. Opposing the Dragon are the Nagas, a race of reptilian beings that work to thwart the Dragons plans.

 

The Downside:

 

While a number of allies are mentioned the book could have used a few good guys to go along with the master villains presented. Allies that the GM and Players can use in a Mystic game.

 

Some advice on running a Mystic Campaign would have been helpful, pointing out the differences between it and a standard Superheroic campaign.

 

The Otherside:

 

If you're running a Mystic Oriented Superheroic Campaign (Hero System or otherwise) this source book is an excellent addition. You can use it as a template for creating worlds, people, and places of importance, or use it in total. Chapter One is a good guide to what to think about if you're setting up the cosmos of a world and want to add your own unique twists.

 

Even for non-Superheroic games this is a good source of ideas. Occult focused Dark Champions games can still use the People and Places in Chapter Two, and even the Dimensional aspects of Chapter One, to set a game against.

 

I would call this a must have book for anyone wanting to add a Mystic Element or Focus to a Hero game.

[Legatus]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

I still love my copy of Mystic Masters (4th ed.).

Could you compare the two?

 

I absolutely adore Tyrannon. He is a favorite mega-villain of mine, but I think his multiple forms lacked proper visual presentation in MM.

[ghost-angel]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

I don't own the 4E Mystic Masters, sorry.

 

Tyrannon has information on all his forms in TMW, a full write up for the Tree Throne. If you really want ALL of Tyrannon's forms written Mystic World and Mystic Menaces Funpack PDF has character sheets for every form, and of course all the background and other info is in TMW.

[Legatus]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

Tyrannon's write-ups are in MM 4E!

 

One of the good supplements of those days. Sorry you don't have one .

[ghost-angel]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

I own Mystic World and Mystic Menaces Funpack - they contain write-ups on all his forms.

 

I don't need 4E stuff. I have 5E.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

Tyrannon's write-ups are in MM 4E!

 

One of the good supplements of those days. Sorry you don't have one .

 

I also love Mystic Masters; but the 5E version of Tyrannon is more powerful overall, has a greater variety of illustrations for various forms, and includes lists of Powers broken down by class and power level of form, which makes them much more distinctive from each other. Tyrannon has also been given a new type of minion in addition to his many bodies.

 

Comparing Mystic Masters to The Mystic World, they cover a lot of the same territory in terms of "supermagic" campaign advice, example magic (some of the same spells from MM are updated in TMW, but there are quite a few new ones), how to create and use other dimensions, and so on. TMW doesn't feature any heroic NPC writeups (although several potential allies are verbally described), and while some details about the Archmage are revealed there's no writeup, as the office is currently vacant in the official Champions Universe.

 

OTOH The Mystic World goes into far more detail than Mystic Masters does about the "mystic" side of the CU: the cosmology of the Multiverse, places of magic power in the world, the important dimensions beyond Earth's, who the major mystic power-players are and how they relate to each other, and the like. For designing your own supermage campaign the two books are comparable, but TMW provides much more of a playable campaign setting.

 

BTW the companion book to TMW, Arcane Adversaries, brings back the delightfully disfunctional Vandaleur clan of supermages (including full stats for the Toad), among a sizeable variety of other menaces.

[Legatus]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

I own Mystic World and Mystic Menaces Funpack - they contain write-ups on all his forms.

 

I don't need 4E stuff. I have 5E.

 

Damn, sounds like I need The Mystic World too. And Mystic Menaces. And Arcane Adversaries. If only they were available over here.

 

Sure, you don't need 4E stuff. Make sure never to take a look at European Enemies. That book was crap. I wanted to sue the company.

[Legatus]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

I also love Mystic Masters; but the 5E version of Tyrannon is more powerful overall, has a greater variety of illustrations for various forms, and includes lists of Powers broken down by class and power level of form, which makes them much more distinctive from each other. Tyrannon has also been given a new type of minion in addition to his many bodies.

 

Comparing Mystic Masters to The Mystic World, they cover a lot of the same territory in terms of "supermagic" campaign advice, example magic (some of the same spells from MM are updated in TMW, but there are quite a few new ones), how to create and use other dimensions, and so on. TMW doesn't feature any heroic NPC writeups (although several potential allies are verbally described), and while some details about the Archmage are revealed there's no writeup, as the office is currently vacant in the official Champions Universe.

 

OTOH The Mystic World goes into far more detail than Mystic Masters does about the "mystic" side of the CU: the cosmology of the Multiverse, places of magic power in the world, the important dimensions beyond Earth's, who the major mystic power-players are and how they relate to each other, and the like. For designing your own supermage campaign the two books are comparable, but TMW provides much more of a playable campaign setting.

 

BTW the companion book to TMW, Arcane Adversaries, brings back the delightfully disfunctional Vandaleur clan of supermages (including full stats for the Toad), among a sizeable variety of other menaces.

 

 

Thanks for the in-depth comparison, LL.

As I said, it's a pity that it is not available here.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

Legatus, if you don't mind ordering online, the Hero Games website store ships hardcopy books worldwide, for free, as well as allowing immediate download of electronic products.

 

If you're uncomfortable with ordering by credit card over the Internet, you can place your order by mail instead. The online store FAQ tells you how to do so.

[Gadodel]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

I bought my copy by accident. I thought it was a Fantasy HERO supplement. This was 2 1/2 years ago when I was just starting out in HERO. Though, I found it to be a very cool read and a useful addition to my small library; even after I realized it was for Champions.

 

[Legatus]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

Legatus' date=' if you don't mind ordering online, the Hero Games website store ships hardcopy books worldwide, [b']for free[/b], as well as allowing immediate download of electronic products.

 

If you're uncomfortable with ordering by credit card over the Internet, you can place your order by mail instead. The online store FAQ tells you how to do so.

 

 

Thanks again! I have already looked into it and I will have to order, 'cause that'll get me back the respect from ghost-angel.

Oh man I'm so old-fashioned.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

I just want to add that over and above the virtues of TMW itself as a book, the "mystic" component of the Champions Universe is more fully developed and internally consistent than that of any other comic-book or comic-inspired universe. It has tons of long-term campaign potential, and with this book plus some of the other Champs volumes focussing on magic you have literal years of supermage adventures waiting to be played.

[Legatus]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

I've got a new disadvantage:

 

Easily excited by HERO gaming material (very common, total commitment): 20 points:D

[ghost-angel]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

Thanks again! I have already looked into it and I will have to order' date=' 'cause that'll get me back the respect from ghost-angel.[/quote']

 

Worry not, my respect for you had not diminished. The object of the book review is to get you to buy the books. If you buy you're golden!

 

(also, if you don't want to order direct from Hero in the future - though I recommend it - your LGS should be able to get any and all books through their distributor. If they can't they are buttheads.)

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

Damn, guess I should get around to writing a few more reviews myself GA.

 

Nice work... Too easy to agree with you.

 

QM :<

[ghost-angel]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

Please do! the more reviews the better picture people get of a book.

[Steve Long]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

I've got a new disadvantage:

 

Easily excited by HERO gaming material (very common, total commitment): 20 points

 

That's not a Disadvantage... that's just good common sense.

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

Mystic World is one very big package, hard to boil down. This thread has focussed on Tyrannon so far, but what really impressed me are the settings, and particularly Babylon, City of Man. There's a sense in the CU that Babylon is less real than Earth, whereas Grimjack's Cynosure is more real, but cosmology aside, that's because it is visualised as an adventure, rather than campaign setting. That could be changed, although the writeup might have to be more than 5 pages long.

Still, want to tackle "two-faced men in suits who talk backwards and forwards and remember the future as well as the past; and the Young Pioneers, truculent boyos in coonskin caps, armed with oversized hatchets and paralyzing squirt guns" --or perhaps assist them in their battle against "guerilla home redecorators?" (Did they exist yet when this book was written?)

Only problem? The Library of Babylon has the potential to be a bit of a campaign buster. "Takofanes, mysterious menace to reality?" The reference librarian looks over her glasses as she types at her terminal. "You know we have his memoirs, 300 volumes of collected papers and ..looks like 250 major scholarly studies. They look a bit old, but that should keep you busy for a while."

[Lord Liaden]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

Yes, Babylon is perhaps my favorite location as described in the book; but the other three "Imaginal Realms" (Elysium, the Netherworld, and the Land of Legends) are also very cool IMO, and full of adventure potential.

 

Only problem? The Library of Babylon has the potential to be a bit of a campaign buster. "Takofanes' date=' mysterious menace to reality?" The reference librarian looks over her glasses as she types at her terminal. "You know we have his memoirs, 300 volumes of collected papers and ..looks like 250 major scholarly studies. They look a bit old, but that should keep you busy for a while."[/quote']

 

Of course, the memoirs of Takofanes (and similar major campaign-useful works) would probably be in the Library's closed stacks, which are only accessible to privileged members. According to TMW that level of membership is a 5-point Fringe Benefit, and requires permission from a librarian or Babylon official to get, so it's far from an automatic thing. Even if someone gains access, the Library would still need to succeed at a Knowledge Skill roll to find anything useful, and a reference search can take up to several days (at the GM's discretion). Also, TMW mentions that collections of works from "lost civilizations" including the Turakian Age are not complete.

 

(This sort of flavor detail is another common element of The Mystic World that I find very enjoyable.)

[Princedarkstorm]

Re: [Review] The Mystic World

 

I think the MYSTIC WORLD is great sourcebook for spellasters and their related types .