Pathfinder 2E Teases Mythic Rules in New God-Killing Storyline

Mythic rules are returning to Pathfinder, although they won't feature an extension of the game's level system past Level 20. This week, Paizo released a playtest for War of the Immortals, its upcoming 2024 multi-book event that will see a shakeup of the Golarion pantheon. As part of the playtest, Paizo noted that War of the Immortals would also feature a return of Mythic rules of the game, something that has been missing from Pathfinder since the second edition launched back in 2019. No details were provided about what these Mythic rules would entail, but Jason Bulmahn, Director of Game Design at Paizo, noted in a comment on Paizo's webpage that they won't be an extension of the game past 20th level. 

In the original Pathfinder game system, Mythic rules were an additional tier of play that pushed characters into the realms of myth, granting them extraordinary abilities as they proceeded down a mythic path (which served as an archetype of sorts.) A mythic path had 10 tiers to them, each of which could only be advanced by completing mythic trials. Each tier granted additional feats and abilities to a Mythic character, and the rules also contained Mythic monsters, magical items, and other rules. 

The Mythic rules were an answer of sorts of the Epic Level rules introduced by Wizards of the Coast for Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 Edition, which added rules for obtaining levels past Level 20. Epic Level rules were also provided for Dungeons & Dragons 4E, but have yet to be released for Dungeons & Dragons 5E. 

Expect to hear more details about the Mythic rules in 2024. 

What Is Pathfinder Remaster?

Paizo's plans for Pathfinder include plans to shake-up both the lore of the game and some mechanics in its upcoming Pathfinder Remaster project, which starts later this year with the release of new core rulebooks. Paizo announced earlier this year that they are moving away from material originally published under the Open Gaming License because of Wizards' attempt to forcibly de-authorize the current version of the OGL earlier this year. While Wizards abandoned that attempt after immense fan outcry, Paizo announced the Pathfinder Remaster project to totally break away from the OGL. While many other OGL-originated creatures (such as chromatic dragons or the duergar) could be salvaged in the Pathfinder Remaster project by simply giving them new names and lore, some mechanics such as alignment and creatures like the drow were determined to be too tied to the OGL to be used in the game.