Additional Mythos and Logos City of Mist TTRPG Themebooks in Shadows & Showdowns

There’s a wealth of character options in the City of Mist tabletop RPG, allowing you to create epic heroes that are still working their 9-to-5. We’ve covered the 7 Mythos and 7 Logos themes in the Player’s Guide in previous articles. But with the Shadows & Showdowns expansion come 6 new themebooks to help you create your perfect mystery-solving crimefighter!

There are 4 Mythos themebooks and 2 Logos themebooks to cover, so let’s jump right in!

CONJURATION

We all need a little help sometimes, and that’s where the Conjuration themebook has your back. While other themebooks can use Conjurations, they’re often just an additional ability without a lot of room for upgrades. 

But Conjuration Power Tag questions frame your ability to conjure all kinds of objects and creatures, as well as buff and upgrade them. Want to summon Rumpelstiltskin to turn string into gold? Or maybe a robot to defend your hideout? This themebook doesn’t just give you an ace up your sleeve, it gives you the whole deck to pull out!

Change the Game, the main move for summoning anything, is the primary move enhanced by the Conjuration Theme Improvements. You can also give your Conjurations special buffs, like giving them Banish Resistance to avoid effects that burn your summoned power and story tags.

You can specialize in a specific Conjuration to fit any role within the crew. However, you can also build your character to be a versatile summoner who can conjure all manner of things. Just like with Adaptation and Relic, this themebook has a lot of flexibility.

DESTINY

There is no greater force in legend than destiny, and the Destiny themebook reflects that sense of otherworldly power by focusing on your Mythos’s fate. Icarus’s tale is not about his life but about his death as he flew too close to the sun and melted his wings, so of course his Rift in the City is a daredevil who constantly jumps through fire.

It’s this tempting of fate that gives characters who choose this themebook their power. The first Destiny Power Tag question asks what is useful about your destiny, and the rest define how that destiny influences your character and how the world responds to it. 

Destiny Theme Improvements focus on your Destiny’s progression, with multiple options to mark or erase Fade. The improvement What You’re Meant To Be even takes your fulfilled Destiny theme when it’s time to swap it out and turns it into a new Mythos theme rather than a Logos theme as usual.

Use this themebook if you want to focus more on your Mythos’s story rather than the Mythos’s abilities. While there are many powers to be gained from this theme, there’s also a lot of fun to be had in deciding whether to fulfill or forsake a greater calling - or doom!

ENCLAVE

Some Rifts are so powerful, they can project their Mythos onto physical locations. Other characters are Sleepers who stumbled into a magical place from which they now draw their powers. The Enclave themebook gives your character a place of power that’s specific to their tale. And because this is City of Mist, that Shaolin Temple or Garden of Eden can be hidden behind the door of your garage!

Your character’s Enclave is a safe place that you can fill out with useful features and protections by answering the Enclave Power Tag Questions. If the Enclave is big enough, it can even house creatures or people that are tied to its Mythos.

Your Enclave Theme Improvements further expand it into a home base and give you bonuses when you’re inside. Private Lab is tremendous for investigation or tinkering as it gives you an additional Clue or Juice to use during downtime. You can also show up to your Enclave instantly with Take Me Home, which is great for when your character is stuck in traffic!

Having your own Enclave is perfect for support characters who can bring their crew in for some much needed rest. Investigators can also use an Enclave to help with their conspiracy boards, which every good noir mystery needs.

FAMILIAR

Our last Mythos themebook adds one more member to the crew. The Familiar themebook gives your character an animal companion that is always by their side.

Your Familiar can be any creature, and the Familiar Power Tag questions help define what your Familiar is and how it can help. You can build a small, sneaky Familiar like a wizard’s magic cat, or a large, destructive Familiar like a real-life dragon (although in terms of pet-ownership, one is certainly easier to clean up after). 

Familiar Theme Improvements help your Familiar help you, like negating a single miss per session. You can also give your Familiar a True Form that they can transform into with additional story tags. 

No matter what you’re trying to accomplish, a loyal companion is always appreciated. Just remember to feed and walk them regularly!

---

STRUGGLE

We’re switching from the unreal powers of Mythos themes to a Logos theme that is incredibly real. The Struggle themebook represents a life circumstance your character is struggling with, whether it’s being a single parent, having a disability, being homeless, or really any struggle that your character had no choice but to become stronger against.

Keep in mind that this themebook has to represent something incredibly stressful to your character and, depending on the Struggle, it could be something incredibly stressful to your fellow players in real life. Before using this themebook, make sure to talk with your MC and the other players at the table if what you want to explore is cool with everyone. Be sure to actively get verification from everyone and discuss boundaries if needed. Communication is always key in this game, and the only way to “win” City of Mist is to make sure everyone’s having fun.

With that said, this themebook has great potential to tell a compelling story. The Struggle Power Tag questions focus on defining the Struggle your character faces before figuring out what your character has gained from a bad situation. How your character manages the Struggle, who they’ve come to rely on, and the survival instincts they’ve gained are all useful features your character can have.

The Struggle Theme Improvements take this even further. Evolution Through Hardship allows you to mark Build-Up each time you gain an improvement, along with marking Crack. This means your character is building up points toward later level-ups while working to overcome--and one day replace--their Struggle. You Can’t Break Me also acknowledges the iron will your character has forged against their Struggle, allowing them to resist Dangers that threaten to break their spirit.

TURF

Our last themebook is the Logos theme Turf. With this theme, your character has a domain they control, with people your character can rely on. Just know that it isn’t easy being king. Your character has to protect their turf, make tough decisions, and keep all comers from taking their throne. In Detective Enkidu’s case, Miller’s Square is her police jurisdiction, meaning she has a duty to protect and serve the people there.

Turf Power Tag questions have you define what domain you control, whether it’s your local neighborhood, a business you own, or even an online forum you moderate (P.S. join our Discord!). From there, you get to decide what people you have in your corner, along with the benefits you gain from being in your turf. This themebook is all about building your Home Team advantage.

Turf Theme Improvements make sure your character is even more powerful when they’re in their domain. Feel the Pulse is a fantastic improvement for investigation, as it gives you three free Clues at the beginning of the session while you patrol your Turf. You’re in My Turf Now also makes it so you can always Hit With All You’ve Got when dealing with someone on your Turf. 

If you want your character to be in charge--with all the responsibility that entails--then Turf is the perfect theme for them.

---

You can find all 6 of these themes in the Shadows & Showdowns expansion, available on the City of Mist website. There’s a lot more in Shadows & Showdowns, including even more character options for Gatekeeper characters and additional Relics your crew can use like magic items. If you want to hear me go over those in the future, let us know!

What’s your favorite S&S themebook? How have you used these themes for your character? Let us know on social media or on the City of Mist Discord.

Until then, have fun!