Mythic Clone

The Mythic Clone
Any artist will tell you that all works are derivative. Paintings draw on the styles of older artists, books borrow from existing characters and archetypes, and music takes notes from epics long past. Something truly original, wholly pure and fresh and new is a rarity in this day and age, to be commended and borrowed from. It is the nature of things. That which is good lives to pass on its makeup to the future, while that which is less desirable withers and dies, taking its weakness with it. But this is not a new development.

It came about in the unformed barren nothing and everything that would become the world. A fledgling creation was born to the world, but with naught to distinguish itself. It had no name, no purpose, no drive, and no goals. It was an existence unfettered by the chains of destiny and fate, but lacking a role to play in the stories to come. And its’ first though was not one of inadequacy, but of Want. Wanting to know why it was, what it was, what it could be.

It was a being of desire. Not of selfish desires, or even selfless desires, but of the desire simply to be. It wished for a name to call itself, a goal to follow, an identity of its own. It had nothing, and wanted for much. So it journeyed, crossing the untamed and unworked lands and seas and chaos that would become the world. Until it crossed its first other thing, the first thing it could identify to be not itself. Another creature, crashing through the newborn reality with reckless abandon, unchained and unkempt. a “Titan”. How it knew this, or where it learned this, it could not say, but a simple glance overwhelmed the wanting creature with hope and desire. A single thought flooded its entirety.

“I Wish To Be As He”

And it did. His form warped and twisted. His mind broke and rebuilt. A name, a goal, a place in the cosmology of things undone, all came to him in a flash of brilliance.Where once he was meek, he became angry. Where once he was unsure, he was convicted. When he had been weak, he became strong. But it was not enough. Its cursory understanding of what was and what it could be were not enough to get the full picture. It was nearly as strong and almost as angry as its origin, but its conviction was a fraction of his. And when he was caged and chained and pulled away by another, he looked upon the face of his origins jailor.

“I Wish To Be As She”

And so he did. Where he had been angry, he became wise. Where he once had been strong, he became powerful. But again, his conviction was not as hers. He was a pale shade of his origin, and would be with each story he learned of. And he became many such stories, from the grandiosity of The Conqueror, to the bleakness of the All-Shadow, the graciousness of Harmony, and even the Blood Chief and The Crawling Queen of Bone. And, in this way, it became known, but it was not for what it became, but what it had begun as. And it was there that it earned a name, and a fate, of its own: Emulation.

No legend wished for Emulation, but many had his attention at one point or another. In a meeting unseen since, the hands of creations and architects of the universe, discussed what to do with a creation previously unconceived. Whosoever held Emulations attention had their story strengthened, but diluted. Absolute conviction was necessary to tell their stories. And they called for its presence, all at once, and Emulation came across a dilemma. So many stories, identities that demanded his attention, his presence, and overwhelming amount of choice, something the titan did not know. And in his indecision, he found a true purpose, and broke. He became a shred of each story, not as strong or wise or angry or frightening or weak as any other titan, but a beast in his own right. This conglomerate of titans and stories and legends with all too many purposes and dreams hid himself from the others, for fear of losing it's all consciousness. It fled to the betwixt, where it would remain, unwilling to change and become a pale imitation again.

But such a soul cannot remain untapped forever. Such a story cannot exist without being told, without some to follow its path. Nature, artists, authors, teachers, students, many emulate others, borrowing various teachings and fusing them into their own styles. These are not the children of Emulation. Rather, the exact duplicates, reproductions, and copies of the world bear his legacy, the curse to be an imitation, but the possibility to be so much more.

NEW FEAT: Multifaceted Duplicate Legacy
Prerequisites: Clone

What Makes a Clone? For the purposes of this feat, a clone is copy of an existing creature, genetically or otherwise. This includes, but is not limited to: The products of the “Clone”, “Simulacrum”, or “Ice Assassin” spells, A creature created via “Incontemporary Roiling Flesh-Spawn Creation”, the product of asexual reproduction, scientific or psionic experimentation, or even the younger of a set of twins. Other examples are certainly present in certain settings and stories, and should be brought up with your DM if they qualify.

You free yourself from the will of your “Original”, even if it is only in minor ways. If a clause existed that said you cannot grow stronger, or some equivalent, (as in the Simulacrum spell), you ignore it. If you had previously been Inert (as in the Clone spell), you become a living creature with a soul of your own. If you were destined for a certain path (As per the “Incontemporary Roiling Flesh-Spawn Creation” Mythos), you specifically ignore it. In short, any effect that prevents you from fully becoming your own creature, you ignore. Extrapolate as necessary. You also have a one time chance to switch your gender, though the physical differences are minor.

You may change any number of your class levels into levels of a Mythos Class. If you did, choose one Mythos-granting class that you have levels in. You may treat the following Mythos as if they belonged to that class.

Adaptable Split-Soul Resonance
Prerequisites: -

Not all clones and duplications are made with perfect semblance of emotional control. You are one of the lucky ones to have been made with a fully functional mind for that sort of thing. But in the back of your head, a certain drive, a certain feeling, attracts your attention more than the others.

As a full round action, you may enter into a “Trance”. a state of exceptional closeness to a single emotion, described in the basic manifestations. You may remain in such a state for one hour per class level, before you must rest 8 hours to realign your mind. Ending this Trance is a full round action.

Basic:

End Inducing Trance: You become overwhelmed with inevitability and somberness, gaining a +2 to intelligence and a -2 to Charisma. You are immune to any Morale effects. You gain a +5 bonus to knowledge and sense motive checks, and can make any knowledge checks untrained. You take a penalty to your armor class when below half health equal to half your class level.

Fear Inducing Trance: You become overwhelmed with terror and paranoia, granting a +2 to Dexterity and a -2 to Strength. You gain ten feet of bonus movement speed, and a bonus to your armor class against Attacks of Opportunity from movement or when using the total defense option equal to half your class level. You gain a +5 bonus to Hide, Intimidate, and Move Silent checks, and cannot be panicked. You take a penalty equal to half your class levels on saves against fear effects, and any immunity you had to them is suppressed.

Fury Inducing Trance: You become overwhelmed with anger and aggression, granting a +2 to strength and a -2 to Wisdom. You gain a bonus to attack rolls made against creatures who have damaged you equal to half your class level. You gain a +5 bonus to Climb, Jump, and Swim checks, and gain Improved Unarmed Strikes while in this trance. You take a penalty equal to half your class levels on all intelligence, wisdom, and charisma checks and skill checks, except for spot, listen, and intimidate.

Joy Inducing Trance: You become overwhelmed with happiness and cheer, granting a +2 to charisma and a -2 to intelligence. You and allies within 30 feet no longer automatically fail saving throws on a 1, and you grant a +5 morale bonus to saves against emotion based effects. You gain a +5 bonus to Diplomacy, Gather Information, and Charisma ability checks, and morale bonuses and penalties generated by others have their effects improved by 1 on you. Your good nature blinds you to the truth, granting you a penalty to checks against being lied to or tricked equal to half your class level.

Pain Inducing Trance You become overwhelmed with agony and torment, granting a +2 to Constitution and a -2 to dexterity. You gain damage reduction equal to half your class level over magic and one damage type (bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing). You gain a +5 Bonus to Handle Animal, Ride, and saves against fatigue and exhaustion. While in your Pain Inducing Trance, you are immune to non-magical disease and poisons. You take a penalty equal to half your class level on all strength and dexterity checks and skill checks, and are unable to make concentration checks.

Sorrow Inducing Trance: You become overwhelmed with sadness and morosity, granting a +2 to wisdom and a -2 to strength. You gain remarkable insight in your grief, allowing you to affect incorporeal creatures as though they were corporeal, and to heal both from positive and negative energy. You gain a +5 bonus to spot and listen checks, and may take 10 on any skill check, even when stress or distractions would prevent you from doing so. You restrain yourself in your willingness to send living creatures to the afterlife, taking a penalty equal to half your class levels on attack and damage rolls against intelligent living creatures.

Advanced

Deep Seated Mood-Swing Acceptance: You gain an additional basic manifestation. You may only be in one trance at a time, and time spent in either is cumultive to the total amount of time you may spend tranced.

Overriding Societal Limitations: The bonuses, and penalties, granted to your ability scores by being in a trance increase by two.

Origin Improving Gene Therapy
Prerequisites: -

Not all clones are exact replicas. In fact, many are tweaked in very minute ways at the basest level during their creation. it may go unnoticed for years, but eventually, whatever genetic advantages were put into you come to full bloom, becoming the ideal specimen of your people.

You gain a +2 bonus to any ability scores modified by your race (I.E: A Dwarf would gain +2 Constitution AND +2 Charisma). Any racial bonuses to skill checks or saving throws doubles. You gain one Racial feat you meet the prerequisites for, even those that can be taken only at first level. Any special senses granted by your race (typically darkvision or low light vision) doubles as well.

You gain a bonus equal to your class level on charisma-based skills checks directed towards members of your race. Finally, you always breed true. An Elvish Simulacrum Anakitos with this mythos who mates with a Gold Dragon will produce a full Elf child. Half-Elves and Half-Orcs (and similar half-races) produce children of either their parentages.

Two-Faced Identity Difference
Prerequisites: -

You are a clone. Somewhere in the world, there is an exact duplicate of you on the physical, genetic, and astral levels. And while such an idea may be horrifying to others, to you, it is another extension of who you are. A glimpse of what you could have been, or could be. And your “Original” can be a potent ally, even if it all to unaware of it.

You gain a +20 bonus on Bluff and Disguise checks made to convince others that you are your original. Onlookers are treated as one step less familiar with the source of the disguise than they actually are, just because of how uncanny the resemblance between the two of you are.

Any effect that is based on your name, your alignment,or used to glean information from or about you (Such as Scry or Zone of Truth) that you successfully save against, you may as though you were your original. Even if these spells do not normally have a save, a special exception is made for you, using the usual formula for calculating saves. If he saves against Scry, he may refract the scrying eyes to his original, acting as though he possessed a body part of the scrying target, and forcing the save on them.

As an example, a Chaotic Good Human Clone Dinyomi based on a Lawful Evil Human Necromancer sneaking into his master's lair and being questioned by his minions may act as though he was Lawful Evil when he successfully saves against Detect Alignment, and Undead when he saves against Detect Undead.

Dualistic Existence Over-Channelling
Prerequisites: One Mythos granted by the "Multifaceted Duplicate Legacy" Feat, Must be a living Creature

Cloning has a curious effect on the soul. One would think that, being a reproduction of an existing creature, one's’ soul would be far weaker. In fact, the opposite is true. A clone carries all of itself and its original within its genetic code. Even if you never knew your progenitor, their experiences and their being are with you as well. With a breath, you take in the souls of what you could be and what you are and what you were, and expel weakness, become an ideal form of what you could be.

Over the next 24 hours, you grow a second heart, and your internal structure shifts to take advantage of the new capacity. First, your body become highly efficient in distributing heat, allowing you to exist comfortably in temperatures between -50 and 140 degrees fahrenheit. Secondly, you tire less easily, taking no penalties for being Fatigued, and reducing the ability penalties for being Exhausted by 4. Your movement speed is not reduced by being Exhausted, but you may not run or charge. Thirdly, your muscles build and function at greater efficiency, increasing your base Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution by 2, and your brain is capable of maintaining stints of peak activity for longer, effectively increasing your base Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma by 2. Lastly, your inner restructuring, incidentally, aids you in your ability to survive even the most grievous of wounds, granting you 25% Fortification, which stacks with existing forms of Fortification.

Experience-Echoing Equivalent Malleability
Prerequisites: One Mythos granted by the "Multifaceted Duplicate Legacy" feat

At your basest level, discounting your goals, dreams, personality, and methodology, you ARE your progenitor. You carry the same true name, the same DNA, an identical body and identical predilections in the threads of fate. You and they are weaved together into the same story, even if you never meet. You are an echo of they. The true self, in a way. You can feel the inclinations that come from they who came before, and by attuning yourself to them, you may pick up their talents.

You gain a bonus feat and skill trick. These feats and skill tricks are chosen from any feat that your original possesses, or ever did possess (in the case they retrained them or lost them, somehow). Whenever you or your original levels up or gains a new feat, you may change the feat and skill trick granted by this mythos.

You also gain all the class features of your originals first class level, including their spellcasting, maneuver usage, or whatever else have they. If you cast a spell, initiate a maneuver, or utilize an invocation that your original knows, you can use their casting/initiator level in place of your own, if theirs would be greater.

"I Am We"
Prerequisites: Two Mythos granted by the "Multifaceted Duplicate Legacy" Feat

The Legend of Emulation extends beyond what is written. Emulation is the story of a hundred would-be Titans, each seeking to replicate a greater power, and coming up short. Each attempting to climb upon the shoulders of others, and never quite reaching the summit. So what made Emulation different? What about it made it so different than all those who followed its lead? With each copy, the integrity of the work wanes, but so knowledgeable are you in what it means to be a copy, that its secrets open to you.

With a full hour of meditation, you pull together your own experiences as a facsimile, your drive as a copy, your motivations as a replication, and with a single, apostate realization, it comes to you, and you banish any insecurities you had in your purpose on this world. With your next exhalation, you create that which you are: A reproduction. A clone to call your very own.

Your clone is identical to you in every physical and genetic way but is somewhat lacking in your areas of expertise.

It possesses the same class levels as you, though they are one level lower, and the same base ability scores as well (That is to say, ability scores discounting bonuses from items, mythos, wishes, etc). It is born with the same equipment as you, but only in appearance. Your clone has only half your maximum hit points, and none of its feat or mythos slots expended. With training of (4 - Your clones intelligence modifier, minimum 1) hours it can be taught any feat or mythos that you know and that it qualifies for, and with (12 - your clones intelligence modifier, minimum 3) hours it can be taught a feat or mythos possessed by one of your allies, assuming they qualify. Fantastic Mythos takes twice as long, and Legendary Mythos take four times longer than that.

One exception to the above is that your clone automatically possesses “Multifaceted Duplicate Legacy” feat and one mythos granted by it. Your clone, being a reproduction of a reproduction, cannot change its class levels or utilize Multifaceted Duplicate Legacy to break the limitations set by this mythos. (Yes, this supersedes the above description saying you ignore such clauses, up until such a point that it does not)

Your clones base attack bonus is considered five less than your own, it can only learn mythos of one "grade" lower than you, and it cannot have more than (your highest skill total - 5) ranks put into a single skill.

At level 16, you can create an additional clone in this way, and at level 19, you may create a third. Your clones cannot learn "I Am We" Until you learn Exalted Mythos.