Heroic Drive

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.

Amplifying Your Ideal

Many characters’ ideals come directly from their service to a god. Each god’s description in chapter 2 includes a table you can use to determine your hero’s ideal if your character serves that god, instead of (or in addition to) an ideal derived from your background. But whether your character holds to one of those ideals, one from the Player’s Handbook or another source, or one of your own invention, try to state your ideal in the grandest possible terms to express your character’s heroic drive.

Legendary Bonds

The connections and goals that serve as characters’ bonds are powerful motivators, all the more so when they have supernatural origin or possess mythological weight. As with your character’s ideal, think on a legendary scale as you define your character’s bonds.
What if a person mentioned in your bond is actually a god? Consider this twist on a bond from the urchin background in the Player’s Handbook: “I owe my survival to Phenax, god of thieves, who taught me to live on the streets while disguised as another mortal urchin.” In this case, the secret divine identity of the person in the bond makes the bond more significant.

Tragic Flaws

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.
The gods of Theros aren’t so concerned about “ordinary” flaws like addiction or laziness. Rather, consider a tragic flaw involving something you don’t want a god to learn or certain to provoke a god’s anger.
For example, some of the flaws listed for the outlander background in the Player’s Handbook could put a character into conflict with a god. “I remember every insult I’ve received and nurse a silent resentment toward anyone who’s ever wronged me” could cause significant problems when the character nurses a grudge against a god.
A tragic flaw can also be supernatural in nature. A hermit who harbors “dark, bloodthirsty thoughts that my isolation and meditation failed to quell” might have a sinister connection to the vicious god Mogis.

Natal Omens

The birth of a hero is often accompanied by signs in Nyx and Theros alike. You can use the Omens table in chapter 4 to randomly determine an omen that appeared when you were born. It’s up to you and your DM to determine the omen’s meaning.