Guidance from the Seers - A Mythic Bastionland FAQ

Sticking this here for ease of access and update. 

With thanks to Udy Kumra in the discord for getting this started.

Do Scars remove Virtues permanently?

No. They are temporary as standard. If it's a permanent change (typically only from ageing or weird Myth stuff) it will specifically say so.

Do Myths have to be placed where they make sense (for example, The Sea Myth next to an actual sea)?

Not necessarily. As explained on page 27, "Myths may appear at odds with their Realm, such as The Sea in a desert." Of course, you can tweak Myth placement for where it would make sense, or tweak your map to match your Myths. 

Does Damage + Bolster happen before Gambits or after? For example can you trap a shield to remove armor before damage?

Per the Attack procedure on page 8, all gambits are performed before any damage is dealt.

When should I replace/restock a Myth after the players have resolved it?

Per the rules on page 27, a Myth is replaced the season after the players have resolved it.

How do I convert stat blocks from 5e or other games to design my own monsters/opponents?

See these blog posts:
https://www.bastionland.com/2020/03/bastionland-non-conversion-guide.html
https://www.bastionland.com/2023/01/beasts-vicious-and-knowing.html

Do the knights have to be connected to the seers on their page?

By default, your knight is knighted by the Seer on their page. That doesn't mean that that Seer is present in the Realm the players are exploring in the game, however. If knighting a squire, you don't need to seek out a specific Seer (unless you wish to); any Seer can make your squire into a knight. As with most setting-related questions your world may vary. 

What are players allowed to see/what is on your player facing map?

In most of my games players get a copy of the map with Holdings and general terrain marked. They cannot see Myths, Landmarks, and Barriers. You can vary this to taste but this method works well for me. 

Does Smite blast hit allies?

Technically Blast attacks hit everything in their blast, but I'm usually pretty generous for where the Knight is "aiming" the blast from Smite. If it's a tight, jumbled melee then I'd warn the player that their allies will be hit too. 

When should the Unresolved Situations table be used? For every Myth?

It is a tool available for your use whenever you are uncertain about how a situation would progress between seasons or ages. I use it more often for non-Myth stuff, like struggles faced by a holding, but it is your tool to use as needed. 

I generally advise against advancing the Myths "off screen" though. I'm happy to have them remain relatively static between the seasons or ages, then the game time focuses on the Knights actually dealing with them. 

Can you resolve a myth before the last omen?

Yes, use your judgement for whether it feels resolved.

Is the way to resolve a myth basically up to the players and I decide whether or not that works?

Yes. But it also doesn't always have to be a solution, nor does it have to be successful. A Myth is resolved when the whole group feels that its story has been told and finished. Glory is earned if the players were a meaningful part of that story—even if they failed, or the resolution wasn't solving it.

Can a myth only be "solved" in the myth's hex?

Nope, it can be resolved anywhere.

Do I tell the players when they stumble upon a myth hex? If not, how would they find out that this exact hex is the origin of the myth?

This is your choice how you do it, but it's important to remember that per the rulebook, the landscape is warped by the presence of the Myth, so you should describe it in a way that makes it clear this is a weird hex.

How much Virtue should a Knight lose when they trigger virtue loss through the action procedure or other non-specific means?

It's a sliding scale from d4 at the mildest end to d12 for something really bad. If in doubt go with d6. 

Do the players know which Myth an Omen comes from?

No, I don't tell them. Some will be more obvious than others, and of course Seers know what's up. For this reason the Wilderness Roll is actually one of the only rolls I'd recommend doing hidden from the players. 

What does "Wounded" do?

Nothing on its own. It's just there to show that you've lost VIG as a result of damage, which can help in descriptive terms, and also interacts with other specific abilities found in the Knights and Myths.

When Jousting or Duelling who gets to Deny first?

Remember that Denying happens before Gambits (p8) and so it can actually be resolved simultaneously before moving onto the Gambit step. 

Do qualities like Blast from a Smite or the Gallows Knight's neck-catcher weapon affect all attacks in a group's attack pool or just the Knight using that Feat/Ability?

Unless noted otherwise they only affects the Knight's own attack dice. For this reason it's sometimes important to keep track of which die belongs to which Knight when rolled together.

Can non-Knights use Gambits/Feats?

Anyone can use Gambits. Only Knights can use Feats, unless noted as an exception in their entry. 
For animals I'd use Gambits as feels appropriate. Your steed probably isn't trained to disarm an enemy, even if they can trample!

Please direct any remaining questions to the Screaming Seer.