Lya's Mythic Path: the Archmage
Through painstaking study and dangerous experiments, Lya the Sage has achieved understanding of magic in all its forms, from a wizard's arcana to a priest's divinely granted gifts. With this understanding came answers, but her boundless curiosity led her ever further. Obtaining deep soul lore, discovering planar truths, crafting of mighty treasures: all this and more has Lya achieved. As she rises into myth, her knowledge of magic deepens and her spells grow in power, opening up new horizons to her curiosity and a new scale for her mighty deeds.
- Arcane Surge (Su): As a swift action, you can expend one use of mythic power to cast any one arcane spell without expending a prepared spell or spell slot. If you prepare spells, this spell must be one you prepared today (even if you have already cast it); if you're a spontaneous caster, this spell must be one of your spells known. If the spell requires a saving throw, any non-mythic creatures affected by the spell roll twice and take the lower result. If you must attempt a caster level check for the spell to overcome a creature's spell resistance, you can roll your caster level check twice (adding your tier to each) and take the higher result. You can't add a metamagic feat to a spell you cast using this ability.
- Mythic Feat: Dual Path (Hierophant)
- Recalled Blessing (Su): You can expend one use of mythic power to cast any one divine spell without expending a prepared spell or spell slot. If you prepare spells, this spell must be one you prepared today; if you're a spontaneous caster, this spell must be one of your spells known. You can't apply metamagic feats to this spell. If the spell requires a saving throw, non-mythic creatures roll twice and take the lower result. If the spell heals damage or requires you to attempt a caster level check to cure an affliction or remove a condition, roll twice and take the higher result.
- Crafting Mastery (Ex) (Mythic Adventures pg. 15): You can craft any magic item as if you had the necessary item creation feats. If you actually have the item creation feat needed for a magic item you're crafting, whenever you attempt a skill check to create that item, roll twice and use the higher result, and you make twice as much progress on the item for any time spent. This ability does not reduce the item's cost or any other requirements.
- Hard to Kill (Ex): Whenever you're below 0 hit points, you automatically stabilize without needing to attempt a Constitution check. If you have an ability that allows you to act while below 0 hit points, you still lose hit points for taking actions, as specified by that ability. Bleed damage still causes you to lose hit points when below 0 hit points. In addition, you don't die until your total number of negative hit points is equal to or greater than double your Constitution score.
- Surge (Su): You can call upon your mythic power to overcome difficult challenges. You can expend one use of mythic power to increase any d20 roll you just made by rolling 1d6 and adding it to the result. Using this ability is an immediate action taken after the result of the original roll is revealed. This can change the outcome of the roll. The bonus die gained by using this ability increases to 1d8 at 4th tier, 1d10 at 7th tier, and 1d12 at 10th tier.
- 3+ 2*Tier uses of Mythic Power per day
- Mythic Spellcasting (Ex) (Mythic Adventures pg. 50): You can learn a number of mythic spells equal to your tier and can expend mythic power when casting them to enhance the results. To select a mythic spell, you must be able to cast the non-mythic version or have it on your list of spells known. Every time you gain a new tier, you can select an additional mythic spell. You can take this ability up to three times. Each additional time you take it, you can select an additional number of spells equal to your tier and you gain one additional mythic spell whenever you gain a tier.
- Amazing Initiative (Ex): At 2nd tier, you gain a bonus on initiative checks equal to your mythic tier. In addition, as a free action on your turn, you can expend one use of mythic power to take an additional standard action during that turn. This additional standard action can't be used to cast a spell. You can't gain an extra action in this way more than once per round.
- +2 Int
- Flash of Omniscience (Ex) (Mythic Adventures pg. 16): Your ability to recall information is astounding. When you take 10 on any Intelligence-based skill check, add your tier to the result. As a free action, you can expend one use of mythic power to ask one question as if using divination. The base chance for a correct answer is 70% + your highest arcane caster level + your tier (maximum 100%). The answer doesn't come from a divine agent, but from your own native understanding; therefore, the answer is never cryptic. If you don't get a correct answer, it's like failing a Knowledge check, and you can't use this ability on this question again.
- Recuperation (Ex): At 3rd tier, you are restored to full hit points after 8 hours of rest so long as you aren't dead. In addition, by expending one use of mythic power and resting for 1 hour, you regain a number of hit points equal to half your full hit points (up to a maximum of your full hit points) and regain the use of any class features that are limited to a certain number of uses per day (such as barbarian rage, bardic performance, spells per day, and so on). This rest is treated as 8 hours of sleep for such abilities. This rest doesn't refresh uses of mythic power or any mythic abilities that are limited to a number of times per day.
- Mythic Feat: Mythic Craft Wondrous Item
- Eldritch Breach (Su) (Mythic Adventures pg. 15): You are adept at breaching magical defenses and overcoming resistance to your magic. When attempting a caster level check to dispel an effect, overcome spell resistance, or otherwise determine whether your magic affects a target (such as with knock or neutralize poison), roll twice and take the higher result.
- Surge bonus increases to +1d8
- +2 Int
- Competent Caster (Ex) (Mythic Adventures pg. 15): You automatically succeed at concentration checks to cast arcane spells. This ability doesn't apply to spells of the highest spell level you can cast.
- Mythic Saving Throws (Ex): At 5th tier, whenever you succeed at a saving throw against a spell or special ability, you suffer no effects as long as that ability didn't come from a mythic source (such as a creature with a mythic tier or mythic ranks). If you fail a saving throw that results from a mythic source, you take the full effects as normal.
- Mythic Feat: A Mythic Crafting Feat (TBD)
- Enduring Blessing (Su) (Mythic Adventures pg. 36): Whenever you cast a spell with a duration of 10 minutes per level or longer upon one willing target, you can change that spell's duration to 24 hours. If the spell has other duration conditions, those still apply (for example, the duration of stoneskin changes to 24 hours or until discharged). A creature can't be subject to more than one spell affected by this ability at a time; if another is cast upon the creature, the first one ends. You can select this ability a second time at 6th tier or higher. The second time you select it, you can use it on spells with a duration of 1 minute per level or longer.
- Force of Will (Ex): At 6th tier, you can exert your will to force events to unfold as you would like. As an immediate action, you can expend one use of mythic power to reroll a d20 roll you just made, or force any non-mythic creature to reroll a d20 roll it just made. You can use this ability after the results are revealed. Whoever rerolls a roll must take the result of the second roll, even if it is lower.
- Enduring Blessing (Su) (Mythic Adventures pg. 36): Whenever you cast a spell with a duration of 10 minutes per level or longer upon one willing target, you can change that spell's duration to 24 hours. If the spell has other duration conditions, those still apply (for example, the duration of stoneskin changes to 24 hours or until discharged). A creature can't be subject to more than one spell affected by this ability at a time; if another is cast upon the creature, the first one ends. You can select this ability a second time at 6th tier or higher. The second time you select it, you can use it on spells with a duration of 1 minute per level or longer.
- Channel Power (Su) (Mythic Adventures pg. 19): You gain the ability to channel raw arcane power into a spell. You can also expend one use of mythic power when casting an arcane spell to increase its damage by 50%. If the spell has a duration greater than 1 round, the duration doubles. Any saves required by the spell take a –4 penalty, although for mythic creatures, this penalty is reduced to –2. This spell ignores any spell resistance the targets have, although targets immune to the spell or to magic still retain that protection.
- Unstoppable (Ex): At 8th tier, you can expend one use of mythic power as a free action to immediately end any one of the following conditions currently affecting you: bleed, blind, confused, cowering, dazed, dazzled, deafened, entangled, exhausted, fascinated, fatigued, frightened, nauseated, panicked, paralyzed, shaken, sickened, staggered, or stunned. All other conditions and effects remain, even those resulting from the same spell or effect that caused the selected condition. You can use this ability at the start of your turn even if a condition would prevent you from acting.
- +2 Int
- Throw Spell (Su) (Mythic Adventures pg. 17): When casting a melee touch spell, you can expend one use of mythic power to throw that spell as a ranged touch attack. The range of this thrown spell is 10 feet per tier. If the spell allows you to make multiple melee touch attacks, you may make any number of the attacks as melee touch attacks and throw the rest as you see fit.
- Immortal (Su): At 9th tier, if you are killed, you return to life 24 hours later, regardless of the condition of your body or the means by which you were killed. When you return to life, you aren't treated as if you had rested, and don't regain the use of abilities that recharge with rest until you next rest. This ability doesn't apply if you're killed by a coup de grace or critical hit performed by either a mythic creature (or creature of even greater power) or a non-mythic creature wielding a weapon capable of bypassing epic damage reduction. At 10th tier, you can be killed only by a coup de grace or critical hit made with an artifact.
- Mythic Feat: A Mythic Crafting Feat (TBD)
- True Archmage (Ex): At 10th tier, whenever you cast an arcane spell that targets one or more non-mythic creatures, each of those creatures must roll any saving throws against the spell twice and take the lower result. You gain spell resistance equal to 15 + your highest arcane caster level, but only against arcane spells. Once per round when your spell resistance protects you from a spell cast by an enemy mythic creature, you regain one use of mythic power.
- Mythic Presence (Su) (Mythic Adventures pg. 51): Your power unnerves ordinary mortals. By expending one use of mythic power, you gain an effect similar to frightful presence, except that creatures are affected according to their tier (or rank, in the case of monsters) instead of their Hit Dice. Non-mythic creatures that fail their saves are panicked for 1 minute, and those that succeed are shaken for 1 minute. Creatures with a mythic tier or rank equal to or less than your tier are unaffected if they succeed, and are shaken for 1 minute if they fail. Creatures with a mythic tier or rank higher than yours are unaffected by your mythic presence. The Will save against your mythic presence equals 10 + your tier + your Charisma modifier. This ability lasts for 1 minute and has a range of 30 feet.
- Legendary Hero (Su): At 10th tier, you have reached the height of mortal power. You regain uses of your mythic power at the rate of one use per hour, in addition to completely refreshing your uses each day.
- +2 Int
tl;dr: Lya isn't just a crafter. She's a prepared spellcaster, who uses that to do amazing things. This build goes with that, and makes it Mythic!
Yes, I'm aware that Wild Arcana is more versatile than Arcane Surge. But Arcane Surge forces the opponent to reroll successful saves (that's otherwise the Tier 10 ability!) and I find it incredibly fluffy for Lya: she isn't a Versatility monster like Viserys, she's a prepared caster who casts mighty magic. Arcane Surge is also a swift action, which is great. Quickened level 9 spells? Sweet!
Now in recognition of the fact that she got her Mythic Rank by crafting things, I delayed Mythic Spellcasting until level 2 and gave her the "all crafting times are halved if you have the feat" ability at level one. If that doesn't sound juice, I don't know what will!