Hero

Heroes, by definition, are people who defy the predetermined course of fate. They take their fate into their own hands and chart their own courses, striding boldly into the unknown, striking down supposedly invincible foes, and resisting the will of gods. Their proud defiance of fate is rewarded when they at last complete their mortal journeys; worthy heroes spend their afterlives in Ilysia, the fairest realm of the Underworld, where they finally rest from the struggle of their lives.
The champions of the gods number among some of the most influential and inspirational figures in Theros. These mortals have personal relationships with the gods, potentially serving as divine agents in the world or being compelled to action by immortal schemes. Still others were born with divine gazes set upon them, whether due to their remarkable abilities or the circumstances of their birth. Through their lives, champions experience the blessings and curses of their divine relationships. Some might brandish incredible powers granted to them by the gods. Others, however, discover how fickle and vindictive the gods can be. How a champion contends with the whims of a deific patron defines what makes them a hero, whether they seek incredible ways to court immortal favor or forge a path that throws off the bonds of destiny. Regardless of the course they choose, the deeds of champions influence belief in the gods, but even more so, they fill the hearts of Theros’s people with hope and wonder. More than just for their deeds, heroes fill an important role among the inhabitants of Theros. Legendary heroes form a vast collection of well-known archetypes whose deeds create cultural touchstones and shape modern philosophies. They also embody the potential of mortals to be more than mere drops in the raging river of fate. Tales of heroes teach that greatness is achievable and that there is more to the world than what any one individual knows. The people of Theros see the truth of this in the powers of the gods and in the immortal constellations that fill the night sky. Even as the names of individual heroes might eventually fade away, their deeds live on as heroic archetypes—such as in the case of the nameless champion in the renowned epic, The Theriad. These archetypes teach and inspire, whether they’re represented in tales of journeys or creation, in sculptures rising above polis roofs, or in the temples of the gods. Throughout Theros, those who seek greatness typically begin by deciding what heroic archetype they most closely align with and letting that ideal influence their fate.
The heroes illustrated throughout this introduction are examples of heroic archetypes. The General, the Protector, the Vanquisher, the Hunter, the Provider, the Warrior, the Slayer, the Philosopher, and others like them are idealized figures who appear in narrative and theatrical drama—sometimes with personal names attached, but often without. Tales describe the Slayer destroying a hydra … and a mighty cyclops, and a dragon, and a Nyxborn giant, and a lamia, and any number of other creatures. Did one Slayer do all that? No, the archetype has become the repository for legends about many different heroes, all of whom are notable primarily for slaying something.
The heroes of a Theros campaign might aspire to emulate one of the great heroic archetypes, or they might strive to forge an entirely new mythic identity, to be remembered by name in tales of glory forever.
The Age of Heroes has not yet come to an end, and more epics will surely be sung and written as more heroes take their destinies into their own hands and chart their paths to the stars. The heroes of recent memory—Haktos the Unscarred, Siona and her crew on the Pyleas, Kytheon Iora, Elspeth and Daxos, Anax and Cymede, Ajani Goldmane, and countless others—are no less heroic than the protagonists of age-old epics, even if their deeds aren’t yet as widely known. Beyond individuals— a kraken attack on Meletis; the fall of the monstrous hydra Polukranos; the Nyxborn assault on Akros; Erebos’s titan felled by Heliod’s champion; the apotheosis and destruction of the mortal-turned-god Xenagos—the epic events of the recent past are already remembered and retold as mythic deeds. Many of these tales are told throughout this book, but they’re only a fraction of the myths the people of Theros share.
Like white-hot bronze on the smith’s anvil, Theros is ready to be forged by the deeds of today’s heroes and ushered into the next great era of its history.
What makes a hero? Is it a quality of birth that sets some mortals above others? Is it a blessing from the gods? Is it a matter of fate, spun out in the strands of a divine tapestry, charting the course of a hero’s life from miraculous birth to glorious end?
If you’re reading this, the answer is that you make a hero, of course. In Theros, player characters and heroes are synonymous, being rare individuals whose deeds aren’t bound by fate, who willfully stray from the paths laid before them and chart their own courses.
The defining characteristic of a hero in Theros is their heroic drive—the force that impels them to live a life worthy of great epics. Ordinary mortals across the multiverse are driven to extraordinary deeds when they are called on to pursue their ideals, to protect their bonds, and to overcome their flaws. In Theros, heroic drive stems from the same sources, but the power of fate and myth destines every character for legend; all one must do is act and discover their own immortal tale.
The heroes of Theros don’t often conform to tidy definitions of heroic morality and virtue, and they are often laid low by their own flaws. The Player’s Handbook encourages you to think of “anything that someone else could exploit to bring you to ruin or cause you to act against your best interests.” For a hero in Theros, a tragic flaw is something that the gods themselves might exploit or punish, with hubris being the classic example.
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.