Mike Myler, a fellow columnist at EN World and an amazing designer, has a new Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition project on Kickstarter. He agreed to talk about the book, what it will bring to 5e, and why he’s working with Legendary Games on this project.
EGG EMBRY (EGG): Mike, thanks for talking with me. You’re kickstarting a new project, what is it?
MIKE MYLER (MIKE): Thank you for interviewing me! I’ve been working on LEGENDARY ADVENTURES: EPIC 5E throughout the pandemic. It’s my take on how to take 5E into epic level play with class levels from 21st–30th, as well as a bevy of high-level hazards and different gods, mythical monsters, creatures from far beyond, and even foes from the future.
EGG: So, this is an epic level sourcebook for carrying your characters towards godhood, correct? Which classes are featured in this?
MIKE: All of the core classes, although it adopts the name changes for barbarians (berserkers), monks (adepts), and paladins (heralds) coined in Level Up. Each has a two-page spread, except for the druid (which has twice that to accommodate a statblock for transforming into the land itself).
EGG: Beyond the druid transforming into the land (which sounds cool), what new rules can players expect?
MIKE: That’s part of the trick with this book—it’s not a ton of new mechanics. Don’t get me wrong because there are new mechanics (see above), but one of the core design tenets was to make the most out of what’s in the existing 5E ruleset so as players get up into tier 5 play (21st–30th level) they master an additional class archetype (and maybe more). In addition there are new features like the druid’s aforementioned One With Nature, bard’s granting proper inspiration (not just the bardic kind), Arcana Matrix for wizards to change the type of area a spell targets, rogues disappearing with Vanish in Plain Sight, and more. The core concept however is to just make your wizard adventurer (or whichever class) feel more epic by adding on another wizard axle (maybe even two) so that evoker can also dabble in abjuration, or the nuances of conjuring, and so on.
The book offers different levels of prestige (“mortals know you,” “gods know about you,” “gods respect you”) but also I prepared and then dropped epic archetype features from the book for every archetype in the game. Those will still be available via the website (GMs can give them out instead of or in addition to prestige), just not in the book.
EGG: What can players expect from Epic Feats?
MIKE: Add another axle to your character with a third class archetype! There’s also epic feats for players that want to make sure that an important sword strike lands (or that a landed hit is a critical one), that an important saving throw isn’t failed, to get a sentient magic item, learn secret languages, or generally be more badass in a variety of ways from chosen resistances to picking up skills by the bunch.
EGG: What kinds of monsters and NPCs will this book contain?
MIKE: A total of 50 that go from CR 20 all the way to CR 35, ranging from iconic characters like mage-kings, half a dozen massive combination elementals (remember the Titans from Disney’s Hercules? Yeah), five new dragons (from holy to robo to vile), temporal enemies (time maestros and future assassins), a few avatars and gods, and even Satan. I’m not sure if the alien symbiote magic item should count as a monster but it probably ought to.
EGG: Who are you working on this project with?
MIKE: Playtesters! Otherwise this is a Mike Myler special, although I had excellent people helping make sure everything played right (including the eponymous Zana Broadway) and a few statblocks are sourced from other Open Game License books.
EGG: This is not your first time out with Legendary Games. What makes them the right group to partner with?
MIKE: Mythic Adventures! Legendary Games really embraced those epic rules for Pathfinder, and I’m sure they have plenty of fans who will dig into some epic 5E action. Also I must admit, it’s fitting for LEGENDARY ADVENTURES to be published by Legendary Games. 😉
EGG: One of your prior projects, Vast Kaviya, had an interesting path to publishing. What lessons did you learn from it?
MIKE: It was a stark reminder of how managing people and designing RPG material are different things! Seriously though it taught me that crowdfunding outside of Kickstarter is a unique challenge all its own, and that I had a hankering for some high level play. Also people REALLY LIKE IT when the book is already done and will ship immediately after the Kickstarter ends—which is the case with LEGENDARY ADVENTURES.
EGG: Beyond Legendary Adventures, you’re working on another major project, this one from EN Publishing. What can you share about Level Up?
MIKE: Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition is a broadening expansion to the 5E ruleset that addresses many of the game’s problems, vastly expanding customization and paying much more attention to the other pillars of play. We’re fast approaching the first draft of the book! There’s a lot of playtesting involved (check [it out here]!), exciting new content by the score (the exploration chapter is *amazing*, as are combat maneuvers), and a bestiary that everyone is going to want whether it’s to play O5E (original 5E) or A5E.
EGG: Thanks for talking with me. Where can fans learn more about your work?
MIKE: Thank you for the interview! To get notified when LEGENDARY ADVENTURES launches on Kickstarter people should jump on the mailing list. Otherwise I’m on Twitter @mikemyler2 and also Facebook, my website is filled with weird fun stuff (corrupted Hundred Acre Wood—that kind of thing), and I have a weekly column on ENWorld for mythological figures and epic monsters.
Legendary Adventures: Epic D&D 5E from Legendary Games
End Date: Thu, April 22 2021 4:59 PM EDT.
“128 page book of epic rules with 50 monsters to take your D&D 5E game beyond 20th level and into the realms of legendary adventure!”
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