Mythos card

The term Mythos may also refer to the Mythos phase, or to the Cthulhu Mythos, the literary source of Arkham Horror and The Call of Cthulhu

Mythos cards depict major events in Arkham. One is drawn each turn during the Mythos Phase. When a mythos card is drawn, it has several effects. It identifies a location where a gate opens, it determines monster movement in Arkham, and it presents an event that may affect the investigators. Most mythos cards also list a location where a Clue token appears.

Mythos Types

Environment

An Environment Mythos card gives a description of an ongoing event happening in Arkham and surrounding areas. These events can have a beneficial or detrimental effect on the investigators by changing modifiers to different rolls or creating other special conditions. Some environment cards may detail an event or effect happening at a specific location or district.

Environment cards fall into three subtypes:

• Environment (Mystic)
• Environment (Urban)
• Environment (Weather)

There may only be one Environment effect in play at once. The effects of Environment cards stay in play until another Environment is drawn, regardless of subtype. If a new Environment card is drawn and resolved, all its effects take place during the Mythos phase (gate, monster, clue, monster movement) and upon resolving the new card's text, the old Environment is discarded. Some Ancient Ones completely negate the text of certain environment subtypes, allowing the other two subtypes to stay out for longer periods than they might ordinarily.

Headline

A Headline Mythos card, the most common type, gives a one-time effect, which may be beneficial, harmful, or neutral. Carry out the instructions on the card under the flavor text. Once this is done and the rest of the Mythos Phase is complete, discard the card to the bottom of the Mythos deck unless it directs you otherwise.

Rumor

A Rumor Mythos card has an ongoing effect (similar to an Environment card), a Pass condition and result, and a Fail condition and result (which is usually highly detrimental.)

Each turn the Rumor card continues in effect, its ongoing effect applies. If the Pass condition is ever met, usually requiring some action by the investigators, the result specified takes place and the rumor is discarded. If the Fail condition is ever met, the result specified takes place and the rumor is discarded.

While the Rumor card is in play, a second Rumor card can not enter play. If another Rumor card is drawn and resolved, all its other effects take place during the Mythos phase (gate, monster, clue, monster movement) but the second card's Rumor text itself is ignored.

List of Mythos Cards

Mythos	Type	Expansion	Gate location	Special type
A Dark Wind Covers Arkham	Environment (Mystic)	1	Unvisited Isle
A New Dawn!	Headline	8	Esoteric Order of Dagon or The Witch House	Alternate gates
A Sandstorm!?	Environment (Weather)	1	Independence Square
A Strange Plague	Environment (Mystic)		Independence Square
Aldeberan Ascendant	Environment (Mystic)	3	Unvisited Isle
Alien Technology	Environment (Urban)		Unvisited Isle
All Quiet in Arkham!	Headline		Woods
Along Came Jones	Environment (Urban)	2	Devil's Hopyard
Amnesiac Professor's Memory Returns!	Headline	8	Wizard's Hill or Independence Square	Alternate gates
An Evil Fog	Environment (Weather)		Graveyard
Angry Red Skies	Environment (Weather)	2	Wizard's Hill
Another Time, Another Place!	Headline	2	Woods	Gate burst
Balmy	Environment (Weather)	2	Wizard's Hill
Bank Foreclosure	Headline	1	Woods
Bank Targeted By Grifters	Rumor	8	Cold Spring Glen or Hibb's Roadhouse	Alternate gates
Big Storm Sweeps Arkham!	Headline		Independence Square
Bizarre Couriers	Headline	3	Graveyard
Bizarre Dreams Plague Citizens!	Headline		Science Building
Black Sabbath!	Headline	2	Woods	Gate burst
Blackest Night	Environment (Mystic)		Black Cave
Blood Magic	Environment (Mystic)		Independence Square
Blue Flu!	Headline		The Unnamable
Blue Plate Special	Environment (Urban)	2	Devil's Hopyard
Blue Skies	Environment (Weather)	7	The Witch House
Book Sale	Environment (Urban)	2	Wizard's Hill	Gate burst
Brawling in the Streets	Environment (Urban)	8	Devil Reef or Independence Square	Alternate gates
Break-In at Neil's	Headline	4	Silver Twilight Lodge
Brutal Accident!	Headline	2	Wizard's Hill
Campus Security Increased!	Headline		Independence Square
Cash on the Hoof!	Headline	6	Esoteric Order of Dagon
Charity Auction!	Headline	5	Hibb's Roadhouse
Charity Case!	Headline	6	Esoteric Order of Dagon	Gate burst
Checkered Cab Trials Begin!	Headline	5	The Witch House
Church Boycotts Exhibit	Environment (Mystic)	1	Historical Society
Church Group Reclaims Southside!	Headline		Black Cave
Citizens Urged to Lock Doors	Headline	7	Graveyard	Gate burst
City Gripped by Blackouts!	Headline		Unvisited Isle
Closed Mouths	Environment (Urban)	6	Y'ha-nthlei
Clothing Drive	Environment (Urban)	1	Graveyard
Compass Needles Point South!	Headline	7	Graveyard
Construction Crew Conundrum!	Headline	5	Graveyard
Contagion Kills Life in Blasted Heath!	Headline	2	The Witch House	Gate burst
Cops Sweep Kingsport!	Headline	4	Black Cave	Gate burst
Corpse Garden	Environment (Urban)	4	Unvisited Isle	Gate burst
Corpses Preserved	Headline	1	Hibb's Roadhouse
Cosmic Upheaval!	Headline	6	Esoteric Order of Dagon
Couriers in Town!	Headline	2	Wizard's Hill
Cover-up	Rumor	4		Two doom tokens
Curfew Enforced	Environment (Urban)		Unvisited Isle
Cursed Relics	Rumor	1	Unvisited Isle
Dark Conjunction	Environment (Mystic)	6	Esoteric Order of Dagon
Dark Day!	Headline	6	Devil Reef	Gate burst
Dark Shapes at Dusk!	Headline	4	The Unnamable	Gate burst
Dark Skies	Environment (Weather)	2	Whateley Farm
Darke's Carnival Arrives	Environment (Urban)		The Unnamable
Deathly Still	Environment (Weather)	2	Gardner's Place
Dire Portents Abound	Environment (Mystic)	7	Woods
Disturbing the Dead	Rumor		Black Cave
Double the Trouble	Headline	7	Unvisited Isle and The Witch House	Two gates
Dreams of a Sunken City	Environment (Mystic)		Independence Square
Dunwich Villagers Drive Out Undesirables!	Headline	2	Independence Square	Gate burst
Early Frost	Environment (Weather)	7	Independence Square
Eccentric Opens Doors	Environment (Urban)	7	Unvisited Isle
Eerie Coincidences	Headline	7	Independence Square and The Witch House	Two gates
Egyptian Exhibit Visits Miskatonic U.	Environment (Urban)		The Witch House
Endlessly Breeding	Rumor	5		Two doom tokens
Escape from Arkham Asylum!	Headline	1	Woods
Estate Sale	Environment (Urban)		The Witch House
Evidence Destroyed!	Headline	6	Y'ha-nthlei
Family Found Butchered!	Headline		Graveyard
Feds Raid Arkham!	Headline		Black Cave
Fire at the Mill!	Headline	8	Gardners' Place or The Witch House	Alternate gates, Gate burst
Fires in the Night	Environment (Mystic)	5	Independence Square	Gate burst
Footprints on Shore!	Headline	6	Devil Reef
Forgery!	Headline	8	Wizard's Hill or Woods	Alternate gates, Gate burst
Formal Dress Gala Announced!	Headline	8	Devil Reef or Woods	Alternate gates
Fourth of July Parade!	Headline		The Witch House
Free Clinic!	Headline	6	Devil Reef	Gate burst
Full Moon	Environment (Weather)	5	Graveyard	Gate burst
Fund Drive for the Arts	Headline	3	The Unnamable
Funnel Clouds	Environment (Weather)	5	Historical Society
Gangs Clean Up Easttown!	Headline		The Witch House
Gathering Storm!	Headline	6	Devil Reef
Ghost Ship Docks by Itself!	Headline		The Unnamable
Goat-like Creature Spotted in Woods!	Headline		Independence Square
Good Traveling Conditions	Environment (Weather)	2	Gardner's Place
Good Work Undone	Rumor		Unvisited Isle
Gossip Runs Wild!	Headline	2	Wizard's Hill
Graverobbers Strike!	Headline	4	Historical Society
Gypsy Caravan	Environment (Urban)	5	The Unnamable
Hallelujah!	Environment (Mystic)	4	Graveyard
Happy Days are Here Again	Environment (Urban)		Woods
Heat Wave	Environment (Weather)		Woods
Hellene Sighted!	Headline	4	Hibb's Roadhouse
Help Wanted	Environment (Urban)	2	Wizard's Hill	Gate burst
High Tides	Headline	3	Woods
Horns of the Black Goat	Environment (Mystic)	5	Unvisited Isle	Gate burst
Horrifying Sight!	Headline	2	Wizard's Hill
Horror at Groundbreaking!	Headline		Historical Society
Hospital Patients Disappear!	Headline	8	Wizard's Hill or The Witch House	Alternate gates
Icy Conditions	Environment (Weather)		Historical Society
Ill Wind Grips Arkham!	Headline		Graveyard
Impassable Streets	Environment (Urban)	8	Esoteric Order of Dagon or Unvisited Isle	Alternate gates
Infestation of Rats	Environment (Urban)	8	Gardners' Place or The Unnamable	Alternate gates
Innsmouth Invasion!	Headline	6	Esoteric Order of Dagon
Innsmouth is Restless	Environment (Urban)	6	Devil Reef
Innsmouth Sleeps	Environment (Urban)	6	Marsh Refinery
Intermission	Headline	3		Two terror level increases
Jail Break!	Headline	6	Marsh Refinery
King of Cards Cancels Show	Headline	1	The Witch House
Kingsport Mists	Environment (Weather)	4	Independence Square	Gate burst
Lightning Storm	Environment (Weather)	6	Marsh Refinery
Lightning Strikes Twice!	Headline	5	Unvisited Isle
Local Heiress Missing!	Headline	4	Graveyard	Gate burst
Lodge Member Held for Questioning!	Headline		Black Cave
Lodge Members Watch the Night!	Headline		Unvisited Isle
Lynch Mob!	Headline	2	Wizard's Hill
Mad Bomber	Rumor	2	Gardner's Place
Manhunt in Arkham!	Headline		Woods
Medical Supplies Contaminated	Environment (Urban)	8	Gardners' Place or Graveyard	Alternate gates
Merchants March on Crime!	Headline		Independence Square
Meteorite Spotted in Blasted Heath!	Headline	2	Unvisited Isle	Gate burst
Mirages of Lakes	Environment (Weather)	3	Graveyard
Miskatonic Arctic Expedition Returns!	Headline		Hibb's Roadhouse
Miskatonic Launches New Research Ship!	Headline	8		Two doom tokens
Miskatonic Scientists Research Anomalies!	Headline	8		Two doom tokens
Missing People Return!	Headline		The Unnamable
Mistrust	Rumor	4		Two doom tokens
Moon Creature Hoax	Headline	7	Woods	Gate burst
Mudslides	Environment (Weather)	8	Whateley Farm or Science Building	Alternate gates
Murder in the Museum	Headline	1		Two doom tokens
Murderer at Large; Victims' Brains Missing	Headline	1		Two doom tokens
Museum Artifacts Stolen	Headline	1	Independence Square
Museum Haunted	Headline	1	Science Building
Mysterious Crates Found Empty!	Headline	5	Woods
Mysterious Lights Fade!	Headline	7	Independence Square	Gate burst
Neighborhood Sale	Environment (Urban)	2	Gardner's Place	Gate burst
New Miskatonic U. Curriculum	Environment (Urban)	3	The Witch House
New Moon	Environment (Weather)	8	Esoteric Order of Dagon or Woods	Alternate gates
Nightmare Pool	Rumor	2	Wizard's Hill
No One Can Help You Now	Environment (Mystic)		The Unnamable
Noden's Favor	Environment (Mystic)		The Witch House
Noted Author Dies	Headline	7	Historical Society
Off Broadway	Environment (Urban)	3	Woods
Old Building Collapses!	Headline	6	Esoteric Order of Dagon
Old Debts Come Due!	Headline	2	Black Cave	Gate burst
One Thousand Young	Rumor	5		Two doom tokens
Oppressive Atmosphere	Environment (Mystic)	6	Devil Reef
Order of Dagon Suspected!	Headline	6	Marsh Refinery
Parazoologist Visits Miskatonic U.	Environment (Urban)	5	Woods	Gate burst
Patient Claims Madness Caused by Words!	Headline	8	Marsh Refinery or Independence Square	Alternate gates, Gate burst
Pets and Wildlife Mutilated!	Headline	5	Black Cave	Gate burst
Pickpocket Ring at Large!	Headline	4	Woods
Picnickers Panic!	Headline		Unvisited Isle
Plague of Frogs	Environment (Weather)	2	Gardner's Place
Plague of Insects	Environment (Weather)	1		Two doom tokens
Planetary Alignment	Environment (Mystic)		The Witch House
Plans in Motion	Rumor	6		Two doom tokens
Police Helpless to Displace Vagrants	Environment (Urban)	7	Black Cave
Police Offer Reward for Information!	Headline	8	Esoteric Order of Dagon or The Witch House	Alternate gates
Police Proclaim Cult Crackdown	Headline	3	Unvisited Isle
Police Step Up Patrols in Northside!	Headline		Silver Twilight Lodge
Private Security Hired in Uptown!	Headline		Woods
Profane Relics Seized	Rumor	8	Devil's Hopyard or Historical Society	Alternate gates
Raining Cats and Dogs	Environment (Weather)		Hibb's Roadhouse
Rare Antiquities Up for Auction!	Headline	8	Wizard's Hill or The Witch House	Alternate gates
Rash of Graffiti	Environment (Urban)	3	Woods
Rash of Missing Persons!	Headline	5	Independence Square
Relentless Doom	Environment (Urban)	6	Esoteric Order of Dagon
Restful Day!	Headline	2	Wizard's Hill
Return to the Old Ways	Rumor	1	The Witch House
Ring Around the Moon	Environment (Mystic)	8	Esoteric Order of Dagon or Independence Square	Alternate gates
Riots	Rumor	2	Cold Spring Glen
Rituals of Power	Environment (Mystic)	5	Black Cave
River Breaches the Levees	Environment (Weather)	1	Silver Twilight Lodge
Rivertown Residents Take Back Streets!	Headline		The Witch House
R'lyeh Rising	Environment (Mystic)		Woods
Sailor Take Warning	Environment (Weather)	6	Devil Reef
Scholar Speaks of Leylines	Environment (Mystic)	7	Silver Twilight Lodge
School of Medicine Seeks Test Subjects!	Headline	8	Wizard's Hill or Unvisited Isle	Alternate gates, Gate burst
Scientist Warns of Dimensional Rift!	Headline		Unvisited Isle
Scurrilous Stranger Scandal!	Headline	7	Black Cave	Gate burst
Seven for a Secret, Never to be Told	Environment (Mystic)	8	Wizard's Hill or Unvisited Isle	Alternate gates
Severe Hailstorm	Environment (Weather)	8	Devil Reef or Independence Square	Alternate gates
Sheldon Gang Turns to Police for Aid!	Headline		Graveyard
Shipwreck!	Headline	6	Devil Reef
Signs of Cult Activity!	Headline	6	Esoteric Order of Dagon
Silver Twilight Lodge on Trial!	Headline	8	Devil Reef or The Witch House	Alternate gates, Gate burst
Slugs	Environment (Weather)	3	Independence Square
Slum Murders Continue!	Headline		Woods
Snow Drifts	Environment (Weather)	8	Devil Reef or Woods	Alternate gates
Solar Eclipse	Environment (Mystic)		Graveyard
Someone's Watching Me	Environment (Urban)	6	Marsh Refinery	Gate burst
Songs from the Woods	Environment (Urban)	2	Cold Spring Glen
Soothing Night!	Headline	2	Wizard's Hill
Soup Kitchen Seeks Donations!	Headline	8	Marsh Refinery or Black Cave	Alternate gates
Southside Strangler Suspected!	Headline		Woods
Spawn of Yog-Sothoth	Environment (Mystic)	3	The Unnamable
Spiritualism Gains in Popularity	Environment (Mystic)	8	Devil Reef or The Witch House	Alternate gates
Stalkers in the Night!	Headline	2	Graveyard	Gate burst
Startling Message Sent from Overseas!	Headline	8	Marsh Refinery or The Unnamable	Alternate gates
Stopped Clocks	Environment (Mystic)	8	Wizard's Hill or Woods	Alternate gates
Strange Creatures Seen on the Shore!	Headline	8	Wizard's Hill or Independence Square	Alternate gates
Strange Forces Exorcised from Arkham!	Headline	8	Esoteric Order of Dagon or Unvisited Isle	Alternate gates
Strange Lights on Campus!	Headline		Woods
Strange Murders	Environment (Urban)	3	Unvisited Isle
Strange Ornithological Sightings	Headline	1	The Unnamable
Strange Power Flux Plagues City!	Headline		Independence Square
Strange Sightings!	Headline	4		Monster surge
Strange Sightings! (2)	Headline	4		Monster surge
Strange Sightings! (3)	Headline	5		Monster surge
Strange Sightings! (4) x2	Headline	5		Monster surge
Strange Sightings! (5)	Headline	6		Monster surge
Strange Sightings! (6) x2	Headline	8		Monster surge
Strange Sightings! (7) x2	Headline	8		Monster surge
Strange Sleep Disorder Baffles Doctors!	Headline	8	Esoteric Order of Dagon or Woods	Alternate gates, Gate burst
Strange Statue Destroyed!	Headline	2	Unvisited Isle	Gate burst
Strange Surprise!	Headline	7	The Witch House	Gate burst
Strange Tremors Cease!	Headline		Independence Square
Strange Visions Cease!	Headline	4	Independence Square
Strange Waves Subside!	Headline	2	The Unnamable	Gate burst
Strange Whispers Promise Vengeance!	Headline	5	Science Building
Strange Woman Distributing Words	Headline	7	Unvisited Isle	Gate burst
Strength of the Earth	Environment (Mystic)	3	The Witch House
Students Protest Museum Exhibit	Environment (Urban)	1	Black Cave
Sunny and Clear	Environment (Weather)		Black Cave
Superstitions Abound!	Headline	5	The Unnamable	Gate burst
Surrounded by Mystery	Headline	7	Unvisited Isle and Woods	Two gates
Taxes Come Due!	Headline	8	Devil Reef or Unvisited Isle	Alternate gates, Gate burst
Temperence Fever Sweeps City	Headline		The Witch House
Terror at the Train Station!	Headline		The Witch House
The Ancient One's Servants!	Headline	6	Marsh Refinery
The Chill of the Grave	Environment (Mystic)		Unvisited Isle
The Doors of Sleep	Environment (Urban)	4	Woods	Gate burst
The Evil is Everywhere	Headline	7	Independence Square and Woods	Two gates
The Festival	Environment (Urban)		Woods
The Great Ritual	Rumor		Graveyard
The Innsmouth Plague	Rumor	6		Two doom tokens
The Key and the Gate	Rumor	7	The Unnamable
The Man in Black	Environment (Mystic)		The Witch House
The Next Act Begins! x3	Headline	3		Infamous play
The Next Act Begins! (2) x3	Headline	3		Infamous play
The Rails are Washed Out	Environment (Weather)	6	Esoteric Order of Dagon
The Repairer of Reputations	Headline	3	Independence Square
The Siren Call!	Headline	6	Devil Reef
The Southside Strangler Strikes	Rumor		Independence Square
The Stars Are Right	Rumor		Science Building
The Story Continues…				Reshuffle deck
The Streets are Flooded	Environment (Weather)	6	Devil Reef
The Tattered King	Rumor	3		Two doom tokens
The Tempest	Environment (Weather)	2	Gardner's Place
The Terrible Experiment	Rumor		Unvisited Isle
The Trembling Earth	Environment (Weather)	6	Esoteric Order of Dagon
The Unraveling Tapestry	Rumor	7	Hibb's Roadhouse
The Veil is Strong	Environment (Mystic)	6	Esoteric Order of Dagon	Gate burst
The Veil is Weak	Environment (Mystic)	6	Devil Reef
Theater Experiences Renewal!	Headline	3	The Witch House
Things of Darkness	Environment (Mystic)		Silver Twilight Lodge
Tidal Wave!	Headline	6	Devil Reef
Time After Time	Environment (Mystic)	4	The Witch House	Gate burst
To Conquer Death	Rumor	8	Marsh Refinery or Graveyard	Alternate gates
Tongue-Tied Teacher Taunted!	Headline	5	Silver Twilight Lodge
Tourists Flock to Arkham	Environment (Urban)	8	Y'ha-nthlei or Silver Twilight Lodge	Alternate gates
Town Welcomes Visitors	Headline	7	Science Building
Train Robbers Strike Again!	Headline	8	Esoteric Order of Dagon or Independence Square	Alternate gates, Gate burst
Traveller Lost in Fog!	Headline	4	Black Cave
Two Sunsets	Environment (Weather)	3	Black Cave
Unending Darkness	Rumor	8		Two doom tokens
Unpleasant Surprise!	Headline	6	Esoteric Order of Dagon
Unusual Moonrises	Environment (Weather)	3	Black Cave
Unusual Phenomenon Sighted in Arkham!	Headline	4	Unvisited Isle
Uptown Hosts Famous Publisher	Headline	3	Independence Square
Vigilante Guards the Night!	Headline		The Unnamable
Virulent Disease	Rumor	3		Two doom tokens
Vivisection Victim!	Headline	5	The Witch House	Gate burst
Weakened Forces	Environment (Mystic)	6	Marsh Refinery
Whateley Family Feud Escalates!	Headline	2	Independence Square	Gate burst
Whateleys Accused of Witchcraft!	Headline	2	The Witch House	Gate burst
Whippoorwills of Dunwich	Environment (Mystic)	2	Whateley Farm
Wildfire	Environment (Weather)	8	Gardners' Place or Black Cave	Alternate gates
Wild Visions Plague City!	Headline	4	The Witch House
Windy	Environment (Weather)	2	Gardner's Place
Witch Burning Anniversary!	Headline		Unvisited Isle
Wolfsbane in Bloom	Environment (Mystic)	8	Devil Reef or Unvisited Isle	Alternate gates
World Torn Asunder	Rumor	4	Science Building
Worlds Drifting Apart	Environment (Mystic)	4	The Unnamable
Yuggoth in Retrograde	Environment (Mystic)	7	The Unnamable	Gate burst