D&D in the lap of the gods
MYTHIC ODYSSEYS OF THEROS
Designer: Various | Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Between the capricious gods, mighty heroes and terrible monsters, there’s always been plenty of scope for a crossover between Greek myth and Dungeons & Dragons, and though it isn’t the first attempt made at such a task the Mythic Odyssey of Theros does a great job of blending the two together.
With a handful of tweaks, some new character options and a couple changes to the rules, the book creates something that plays like traditional D&D but feels noticeably different. Rather than battling dragons and raiding tombs, it shoves players towards epic quests through the underworld and hunts for monsters that sensible folk would ignore entirely. This comes together to create something dramatic; a feeling that the divine challenges and unlikely coincidences that fuel your adventures aren’t tired clichés but rather a baked-in aspect of the world.
The world in question is that of Theros, a realm already beloved by the Magic the Gathering players who’ve seen several sets based there. However, even if you’ve never so much as sleeved up a single spell you shouldn’t assume this is a sourcebook to skip, as the setting’s a pretty easy one to wrap your head around.
It is, essentially, a riff on mythical Greece, complete with a pantheon of meddling gods and stack of gargantuan monsters in need of slaying. The elves and dwarves of more conventional D&D are ditched in favour of satyrs, centaurs and minotaurs, and with them go a whole load of fantasy staples. The gods get a vibrant makeover, going from distant figures of abstract power to dangerous forces that regularly meddle with the world of mortals.
This isn’t simply background storytelling either. The entirety of Theros is warped by divine might and this is reflected in new rules that provide the biggest twist on the fifth edition ruleset to date.
For a starter, every character has a chance to pick a special supernatural gift that marks them as champions of the gods. All of these add in flavour to the mix, but also powerful little bonuses that make even brand-new adventurers feel like the heroes they’re destined to become.
The extra rules and power don’t end with character creation, either, as there’s an entire system set up to track a hero’s piety to their chosen god. You unlock greater benefits as the game goes on, and what starts out as a free spell or two can quickly become a permanent stat increase as you take on more powerful foes.
If there’s a problem with this, it’s that it can sometimes feel rather restrictive. Mechanical benefits like these are something players love to carefully curate, and sometimes they may feel trapped into following their gods’ wishes. Of course, in some ways this is appropriate – going against the god you’ve been championing should be a difficult decision, after all – but choosing between a story point and a +2 bonus just doesn’t feel great no matter the circumstances.
This is especially true when you think that little bonus might be needed to take on one of Mythic Odyssey of Theros’ greatest achievements: the enormous pile of monsters it brings to the table.
These beasts are among the best that D&D has to offer and offer a huge range of deadly encounters such as build-yourown chimeras and squads of well-trained hoplites. There’s an impressive amount of creativity on display, and while GMs may struggle with the fact that many fantasy staples just don’t match Theros’ tone, the list of new monsters should more than make up for that.
Indeed, if you wanted to you could quite easily pick up the core rules alongside Mythic Odyssey of Theros and happily game away without ever sparing a thought for the wider world of D&D or even bothering with the base game’s basic conceits. In some ways, it feels as though a subtle shift of rules and approaches has found the book a spot somewhere between a new setting and a new game entirely.
Is it the kind of game you’ll play for the rest of your gaming life? Maybe not, but that doesn’t stop it being a delightful breath of sea-salty air, and well worth investigating whether you’re a Magic fan or not.
RICHARD JANSEN-PARKES
WE SAY
A solidly constructed way to step away from conventional fantasy tropes and explore a world of myth and legend. We just wish there was more adventure support for it.
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED RUNEQUEST
If you’re after the mythical feel of Runequest but aren’t so keen on the system itself, Mythic Odyssey of Theros offers a great path into spears and sandals