The first in a new monthly series by RPG blogger Kat Walden, a gamer completely new to Mythras, as she navigates the differences - and similarities - between 5th Edition D&D and Mythras.

The First 7 Differences Between D&D and Mythras

You’ve been playing D&D for most of your life. D&D 3e, 3.5e, 5e. But you want something different. The Forgotten Realms doesn’t appeal to you anymore. You’re looking for something that streamlines rolls instead of steamrolls them. You want something with a bit more mortality and less invulnerability.

Mythras is a great alternative. Why? What system is it? How’s it work? Don’t worry! I can explain. Mythras is a fantasy setting that is very flexible in both world and character building. Since it’s a d100 or percentile (%) system, it streamlines all the math for you. It’s got character building, combat, magic, luck, and skills for a well-rounded fantasy game. How do I know?

Well, I was in your chair once upon a time, trying to figure out what to do next myself. I’m Kat, I’ve been a Games Master (GM) for D&D and d20 systems alike for a while now. As a creator, I was getting stuck. As a player, I felt pigeonholed. I wanted something new and found Mythras. This game breathes flexibility into a setting, your character, and the rules so that the GM and player can feel free within the world.

Still on the fence? That’s okay, with your history in D&D, I don’t blame you. Hear me out though, let me be your guide through the differences between D&D and Mythras and let’s see if we can open those doors onto a level of creation you didn’t know was possible.

The big thing you need to understand is that this is the first blog in a series. Through this and Part Two, you’ll see the overview with a few examples of how gameplay and creation works. Then, as this series goes on, you’ll be able to delve deeper into the aspects that are critical to both systems.

Without further ado, let’s walk through the jungle of character creation between the systems.

Creating Your Character

The biggest difference you’ll learn in this blog is Character Creation. This is the easiest way I’ve found to get an understanding of a system. So, let’s start by creating a character. We’ll start with what you know: D&D 5e. This is a good refresh on what you need to do for a Human Fighter. I hear those groans from the veteran players! There’s a reason and yes, it’s because it’s easy.

To craft your character in D&D, you need d6s, a character sheet, and your internal (or external) calculator. In D&D, your character comes to life using race, class, background, and abilities. Most of the time, you’ve already selected what you want to be before you even approach the dice to figure out your stats. Then you start by rolling 4d6 for each ability, subtracting the lowest number. If your GM is nice, they’ll let you re–roll 1s. We’ll ignore that in–house rule since you’re an experienced player.

Looks like you have: 6, 4, 1, and 3. You drop the 1, for a total of 13. Bonus Info for you newbies: a 13 gives you a +1 bonus to all skills checks, and saves that are affected by that attribute and increase incrementally every even number.

Those D&D Abilities are:

• Strength (str)–How strong you are.
• Dexterity (dex)–How mobile you are.
• Constitution (con)–How difficult to kill you are.
• Intelligence (int)–How smart you are.
• Wisdom (wis)–How wise you are.
• Charisma (cha)–How personable you are

Each of these receives an assigned bonus to aid in your success throughout your campaign. And your class, background, and race further those abilities depending on what you are, what you do, and where you came from. In this example, you’re a human fighter with the background soldier. (I heard that second groan! ?)

Here’s your first similarity with Mythras: most GMs allow you to place the numbers you roll wherever you want to give you an advantage in character creation. This is true in both systems.

The next thing in D&D–if your GM wants them–is Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws. These don’t give you bonuses, but they help flesh out your character.

That’s the basics of D&D Character Creation.

In Mythras however, you get to know your character with more than just simple dice rolls and one paragraph backgrounds. You learn about their culture, community, profession, family, and passions. All these things give bonuses to your character during creation.

Similarly to D&D, Mythras has ability scores, but they’re call characteristics. The crucial difference in skill calculation is how ‘bonuses’ work using these characteristics. Instead of a numerical bonus based on division to give you a small number, like an attribute of 13 giving a +1 bonus, Mythras’s skills are based on the sum of two characteristics. And instead of bonuses, you increase your skills by choosing a certain career or culture.

Mythras characters are primarily human. That’s not to say you can’t make variations. There are plenty of options, but that’s between you and your GM to discuss the details. For our example, your character will be human (this is why I chose a human fighter).

When it comes to a predetermined character class or background, it’s a lot harder to have a concrete idea. Sometimes, for those of you who waffle as much as I do, you let the dice tell you what you can or can’t do. The dice may not roll in favour of an almighty wizard, but if you know you want to be a magic wielder or use a great axe, those are great starts. By the way, Mythras doesn’t necessarily constrain magic use to certain classes or sub-classes; there’s no reason why our Human Fighter cannot learn magic in the same way as a wizard. Or, for that matter, a wizard to use a broadsword, shield and wear mail armour.

Here are your characteristics:

• Strength (STR)–How strong you are.
• Constitution (CON)–How hearty your character is.
• Size (SIZ)–How big your character is.
• Dexterity (DEX)–How nimble your character is.
• Intelligence (INT)–How intelligent or quick thinking your character is.
• Power (POW)–How strong of soul you are, or strong your determination is.
• Charisma (CHA)–How much of a personality you are.

As you can see, Mythras uses Size and Power replaces wisdom. As you can guess, Size is how big your character is. With D&D, your character is usually a medium size and doesn’t really give you particular advantages. Medium is the middle ground. In Mythras, you can be on the larger size of medium, which means you’re tougher. Or you can be smaller, making you a little less durable. Power is the pool of your potential magic. Think like the number of spell slots you have when starting out. We’ll go over this a bit more later.

You roll these characteristics similarly to how you rolled those in D&D but instead of 4d6s; you use 3d6 for STR, CON, DEX, POW, and CHA. Then 2d6+6 for SIZ and INT. Or you can use a Points Build method, where you choose how 75 points are distributed among the characteristics. Which version you use depends on what’s agreed with GM and the players.

Now we have the characteristics for your character, I hear the cries about health. What you should know is that even though you’re a human fighter in D&D with a maximum hit points (hp) of 14, that’s not quite how this works in Mythras. Why doesn’t it? Let’s look at the more realistic aspects of Mythras.

Hit Points Aren’t A Huge Pool

Think back to the pool of health you had as your level 1 fighter. As you gain levels in D&D, you gain more health, adding your Con modifier to your hit dice roll as you go. Bonus information: Always remember, in D&D, you can fight as well with 1 hit point as you can at full hp.

Now, I mentioned realism. In Mythras your arm can only take so many hits from a mace (or any form of weapon) before you can’t use it. For instance, your torso can only take damage by massive chimera claws without armour once, maybe twice, before you’re disemboweled. What’s more, your Hit Points don’t increase with character improvement. They’ll likely stay as they are for the whole of the campaign. In other words, HP in Mythras are a fixed, finite resource to be managed carefully.

Heh, I hear the “where the heck did the chimera come from”? One of the easiest comparisons for monsters between systems is the Chimera. In Part two of this blog you’ll learn about combat and battle the chimera as an example. Every monster in Mythras also follows this HP rule.

There’s a reason you don’t have an infinite pool of health. It makes you feel vulnerable and brings a level of mortality to your character. Let’s be honest, unless you’re orchestrating a war, how often is it in D&D that tactics and strategies get lost during combat?

Not often? Yeah… I had a feeling. So, here’s how to calculate your HP in Mythras:

You add together CON and SIZ and consult the table. Think about it. Con is all about how hearty you are, which means you can withstand more hits. A greater size helps absorb damage and can reduce injury. A bodybuilder and a marathon runner can’t take a punch to the chest and have the same reaction.

With the cries of dodging and balance from the marathon runner versus the brick wall the bodybuilder is, let’s look at the skill calculations since, as you’ve observed, that can make a difference.

Skill Calculation

Skill calculation is where you form thoughts on how you want to play your character. Can you accomplish that fighter or spell caster? Do you want them to be stealthy? Perceptive? Strong of will? Mythras and D&D are similar here since they both have a lengthy list of skills that you have access to.

However, the differences are in how you calculate your skills. D&D takes only 1 of your ability scores into account for each skill you have. Each skill in Mythras is done with an addition of two characteristics, or one characteristic multiplied by two.

As you can see below, there are plenty of unique skills that your characteristics affect. Along with your base skills, career and culture give additional bonuses to your skills, taking them up from their base values.

On top of the skills you gain access to as your character, your characteristics also give you a set of Attributes:

• Action Points–This is like your action economy in D&D.
• Damage Modifier–What you can add to any damage as a bonus.
• Experience Modifier–This is a unique take on character progression.
• Healing Rate–A little different from a long or short rest.
• Height and Weight–How thin or stout; short or tall.
• Hit Points–This differs from the infinite pool in D&D.
• Initiative bonus–This is a number based on your wits, dexterity, armour and encumbrance.
• Luck Points–Think session regenerating inspiration.
• Magic Points–A little like spell slots.

The same addition between characteristics calculates these attributes before referencing each related chart found on pages 8–10 in the Mythras Core Rules.

So we’ve covered characteristics, hit points, skill calculations, but there’s something we’re missing. Oh, that’s right! Age. I hear the crickets again… Why does age matter? Let me explain.

Why Does Age Matter?

Your character might as well be ageless in D&D. Even as years roll by your character doesn’t really feel the effects of aging. Many campaigns may even end before your characters have made it a full year. But what if your human who’s lived almost 50 years had more than just 1 level of experience from the start? You’ve lived over half your life span and are an elder. Shouldn’t you get more from that than just level 1 stats?

In Mythras, characters age and gain skills and points to spend based on how long you’ve lived. The longer you’re alive, the more experience you have. Here’s the trade: with age comes drawbacks, just like real life. For each level of age–young, adult, middle-aged, senior, old–the more life events you have. Which can either be favorable or terrifying. As can ageing, which is an effect granted to Senior and Old categories of age. Ageing is an effect that will reduce certain characteristics if you fail an endurance and willpower save.

Pretty cool right? Makes the concept of having an older human soldier with more points to spend on your skills a good idea. But what if you’re soldier isn’t just any soldier? What if they came from a culture where soldiers are taught basic healing magic? Not something you can do unless you’re a specific type of fighter in D&D, which doesn’t happen at level 1.

Let’s talk a bit about the styles of magic between both systems really quick.

Magic’s Magic Right?

Not all magic has the same potential. With a d20 system like D&D, you have classes specifically dedicated to certain styles of magic. Some do overlap and you can easily multiclass if you’re looking for something specific. If you need a refresher, here are the main magic classes for D&D:

• Cleric–Your deity is your magic.
• Wizard–You just need your books to learn everything.
• Sorcerer–You were born with this power in your veins and will harness it for great things.
• Warlock–You made a pact for your power and must make your patron happy.
• Paladin–You fight for the betterment of all with the power given to you by your deity.
• Druid–You aren’t just a tree hugger. Everything has a spirit, and that is what you protect in one form or another.

This outlines what magic you know and how magic is used in a sense. Each of these classes have their own spells and cantrips available. When done right, any of these classes can compare to the other.

With Mythras Core, there are 5 disciplines of magic:

• Folk Magic–The spells from your culture and career grant simple magical aid in everyday tasks. A little like cantrips.
• Animism–Everything has a soul, and every soul has a use to benefit you or harm others. Think a little like the Circle of the Shepherd Druid.
• Mysticism–You understand your own power to bend reality at will to ascend to the next level of understanding. Think a little like sorcerers.
• Sorcery–You can bend the fabric of creation using the knowledge you’ve gained through various principles. Think a little like the Wizards.
• Theism–You can perform these miracles through the favour of your god to better those around you. Think a little like the Cleric, Paladin, and Warlock.

Each of these disciplines connects to a unique set of skills and can vary depending on how your character was taught, where they came from, or if they grew in a guild or cult of some kind.

You’re wondering, of course, how magic differs in gameplay. D&D gives you x number of spell slots and cantrips per long or short rest. Each number is determined by your level and you know more and more spells as you gain levels.

Mythras grants access magic through certain professions and career options. It’s between you and the GM to figure out what style and how to build your character best to be a magician (magic user). The concept of spell slots refers to your magic points. Remember when I mentioned Power earlier? Your Power characteristic = your magic points pool. Casting magic costs a certain number of Magic Points, with the more powerful effects costing more.

Like D&D, when you run out of magic points, you run out of your ability to cast spells. Recovering magic points depends again on the style of game you’re playing, but basic options are 1 per hour, day, or week, or after a certain event occurs. Instead of just on a long or short rest. The style of game the GM dictates will also make it so that you can rely more on strategy than just walking into a room and using fireball on that unsuspecting group of bandits.

Using magic in combat is a little different, too. Each spell takes an action point to cast but can take up to several turns to cast it outright instead of most of the instantaneous spells you find in D&D.

Now that you’re thinking about all of that, shall we talk about the elephant in the room? Not sure what I mean? Your golf ball of a d100, of course!

What About The Dice?

You shouldn’t worry about rolling that big ole d100 across the table. That’s why d10s and d% are for. They aren’t the only dice you need in a d100 system. You know all the dice you use for a d20 system? You need all those too. Mythras also uses those dice you maybe hadn’t considered: d2 and d3. I hear crickets again. D2 is simply a coin toss or evens vs odds. While d3, you roll a d6 and break down your roll. 1–2 = 1, 3–4 = 2, and 5–6 = 3.

With D&D, you’re pigeonholed into two or three styles of dice, depending on the type of character you choose to play. The d20 is your main rolling dice, as it’s associated with skill and ability checks, saves, and attack rolls. Then your main weapon or spells have their own dice for damage. That’s something shared between both systems. Depending on your weapon of choice, it gives you the range of rolling options for damage.

In Mythras, all those checks, saves, and attacks are rolled with a d100. And instead of praying that you beat someone’s armour class or succeeded against that lock on the gilded chest you just found, like you would in D&D, you know as the dice lands.

Let’s explain with an example.

You’re currently trying to unlock that gilded chest your party just gained after a near miss from fighting a young red dragon. At the moment you have 1 point of exhaustion, so you have to roll at a disadvantage. You know for a fact that it’s not trapped, (double nat 20s for the win). But you’re concerned about what the DC is going to be, since you’re down to your last lock pick after breaking the last 10 on the doors you struggled with on your way here.

The dice rolls, and your fingers cross as the clattering stops. 9 and an 8 and you take the lower. 8 + 6 = 14. Looks promising! Then your GM sighs. “It was a DC of 15. Sorry. But hey at least you didn’t break the pick this time?” You grumble something in reply.

Now let’s throw that same scenario through the Mythras system.

You’re still holding that damn chest and are looking to open it with your last lock pick. After an early start in the gutters of a major city, you learned a thing or two about picking locks and even though you’re tired, you still have a 73% chance of success. This is determined by your Sleight skill% so you already know what you need to roll under.

The GM informs you that because of the exhaustion; you have a negative penalty of -20%, so it’s more of a 53% chance of success, but at least you know the odds. The dice clatter along and comes to rest on 39. Because you have skirted under your skill, you succeeded and opened the chest.

Don’t worry about the blank stare. I did the same thing when I first heard that. In Mythras, to win, you need to roll lower to succeed. Seems a little backward to start, but makes sense when you stop to think about it. So let’s dive into that.

Over/Under. Meeting/Beating DCs

Think about this, are you 100% skilled in 1 thing at any point in time? If you had to do a task 100 times, how many times would you get it perfect? 1? 10 times? 30? That’s why d100 systems talk about rolling under our skill% as a success. The closer to 1, the better.

In D&D the GM has a preset DC for all the checks you need to perform. You need to meet or exceed this number by rolling Skill+Bonus without knowing what that preset DC is. So, it’s roll and pray because there are situations that even a crit (natural 20) won’t save you. Take the above example. You know your character is tired. You have bonuses to lock picking, but the dice and your exhaustion were against you and your 14 wasn’t enough to beat the unknown DC.

Rolling in Mythras, you’ve taken out all the guesswork and math and are comparing numbers that you already know. You determine your chance of success based rolling within the rating of your skill. So, if you rolled less than your skill%, you succeed. Like in the example above. Even with the calculated exhaustion, you still succeed, and you know the odds without the GM having to give you the news.

By rolling with a d100 you have an chance to roll a critical success, success or failure depending on your range. In Mythras, a critical success is one tenth of your skill; so the higher your skill rating, the better your chance of scoring a critical result. In D&D using a d20 gives you a flat 5% chance of rolling that one number for critical success, a 90% chance general success, and an equal 5% for rolling critical failure. Doesn’t really seem all that fair, does it?

Now that you’re grasping the differences between D&D and Mythras, or d20 and d100, where do you go? You play, of course!

Fresh Start or Comfortable Safety?

You’re armed with the basics of character creation for Mythras and d100 systems. As I see it, you’ve got two options. You can go back to that comfortable campaign you’re running through, or you can start fresh and dive deeper into d100 and its capabilities.

If you’re the type to dip your toes in, then check out Mythras Imperative or its sister rules, Classic Fantasy Imperative. Both are completely free. If you’re more like me, pick up a copy of the Mythras Core Rules and dive right in.With you on your way to understanding all the differences, start your journey into the d100 system.

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