Holiest 5E D&D Character? Mythic Odysseys of Theros Says Hold My Kykeon

Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted channel divinity to come up with the holiest character in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons to answer a community request. We returned to the Character Build Guide series we haven’t created for in a while and developed the Holy Paragon, a 5E D&D character leaning all the way into their divine nature. But now Mythic Odysseys of Theros released digitally and if you really want to play a character devoted to the gods, look no further. I’ve been incredibly excited about MOoT since we stumbled upon the release prior to the announcement and I looked through the whole hotly anticipated book this morning. I’m blown away.

Mythic Odysseys of Theros holier than thou

The video breaks down our ideas on playing a holy or divine inspired character for 5E D&D, constructing a narrative and following the character from 1st level all the way to 20th. Like all our CBGs we consider the journey more than the destination and present a guide suitable for any level of play whether you’re pursuing an epic campaign from start to finish, starting beyond 1st level or choosing a character for a one shot. Then we take those concepts and develop an NPC or creature version of the character build for Dungeon Masters to incorporate into their games. All of this gets packaged up and laid out in a PDF you can find over at Dungeon Master’s Guild. We’ve got 37 pay what you want products at DMG, many of them best sellers so if you want to check those out start with the Holy Paragon here.

“Kykeon was an Ancient Greek drink of various descriptions. Some were made mainly of water, barley and naturally occurring substances. Others were made with wine and grated cheese. It is widely believed that kykeon usually refers to a psychoactive compounded brew, as in the case of the Eleusinian Mysteries. A kykeon was used at the climax of the Eleusinian Mysteries to break a sacred fast, but it is also mentioned as a favourite drink of Greek peasants.”

Piety and devotion feature prominently in MOoT and greatly expand on the concept presenting in the 5E D&D Dungeon Master’s Guide. Like other sorts of Renown players track this score as they dedicate themselves to the gods and divine pursuits. In fact if you search for Piety at D&D Beyond almost all of the results refer to MOoT.

Tied right into character creation players are encouraged and in many ways required to explore their characters’ relationships to the gods when adventuring in Theros. There are magic items, monsters, class features and more keyed to Piety and I’m very excited to incorporate these ideas into my own games. For starters I’m certainly going to run the adventure No Silent Secret included in the book, something I’m happy to see. It’s terrific how WotC adds an adventure to their book releases as standard practice anymore. Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount, Acquisitions Incorporated, Eberron: Rising from the Last War and Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica all come packed with their own thematic adventures, making each book release a complete game all on its own.

Piety and devotion to the gods comes out most prominently through Supernatural Gifts. These are another layer of character creation like background, race and class to add new dimension to 5E D&D characters. Anvilwrought, Heroic Destiny, Iconoclast, Inscrutable, Lifelong Companion, Nyxborn, Oracle, Pious and Unscarred each represent a touch of the divine. They’re all so evocative and help players create the kind of epic saga adventures sure to become myth and legend.

“Most heroes of Theros have some kind of supernatural aid to help them achieve their goals. Often this aid comes from the gods, but some heroes might find their support from other beings, such as the sphinx Medomai, an oracle like Atris or Kydele, or a repository of mystical knowledge. Some heroes are born with supernatural power or born as a result of supernatural events.”

Mythic Odysseys of Theros hits the mark on so many levels and an initial flip through barely scratches the surface. The 5E D&D team created another big winner in my book and I cannot wait until the rad alternative art cover I ordered arrives. Working on the Holy Paragon video and CBG put the divine spark inside my imagination but MOoT fanned it into a mythic conflagration! You can get MOoT digitally right now through D&D Beyond here. And if you’re like me and want to add the amazing alternate art cover version to your bookshelf you can find it here. Also, DDB Digital Dice are now in public beta so you can try  them out but more importantly you can get a Mythic Dice Set and stand in solidarity with the black community against racism, discrimination and senseless acts of violence. Learn more about how here.