[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
A Classical Greece Setting for
Dungeons & Dragons
3rd Edition
Created by
Paul Elliott
INTRODUCTION
Centaur, chimera, dryad, griffon, hydra - creatures like these litter the pages of D&D's Monster
Manual. Creatures from Greek myth. Of course, there are plenty of other entries that would fit
nicely into a Greek campaign with a suitable name change: merfolk (Greek tritons), giants, wraiths
and so on. The great pull of roleplaying the ancient Greeks, however, is not the 'fit' of many
monsters or races, but the unique and atmospheric society of the day. Nodding horse-hair crests,
long-shadowed spears, many-columned temples of marble, triremes surging across turquoise seas
guided by painted eyes on the prow, phalanxes of grim hoplites, unconformist philosophers
debating science under shady colonnades ... classical Greece.
Heroes of Delphi
, as a fantasy supplement, gives you a way to mix the vividly historical with the
monsters and magic of Greek myth. We get both halves of Greece - as long as you enjoy a little
'imaginative interpretation' at the expense of rigorous historical accuracy. The aim of the book is
firstly to map out the amendments and rules additions needed to convey the Greek setting. Secondly
it is to provide a solid gaming 'hook' taken straight out of classical Greek history that can be used as
a foundation for building scenarios and campaigns. The hook I've chosen is the Third Sacred War, a
violent and bitter struggle in the mid-4th century BC for the holy shrine of Apollo at Delphi (hence
the term 'Sacred War'). With its focus on a religious shrine the
Heroes of Delphi
campaign can
legitimately be pumped full of magic and supernatural elements. We can tap D&D's epic potential
to build a conflict of vast and unearthly proportions. One of the important historical aspects of the
Third Sacred War is the intervention of the new Macedonian king, Philip - father of Alexander the
Great. Using this war as a foot in the door, Philip later conquered the entire Greek penninusula. In
Heroes of Delph
i the player characters get a chance to stop Philip and battle his allies, both human
and monstrous!
Why not leave the field open for DM's to pick any date? Well historically the Greeks were
constantly at war with each other. Long term rivalries, feuds, petty bickerings, alleigances, leagues,
differing governmental systems and competing interests meant that the Greeks never enjoyed co-
operation. There was never a Greek nation in ancient times. There were very occasionally unifying
events such as the Persian invasions of 490 and 480 BC, but even these epic battles for Greek
survival were marred by infighting. The Third Sacred War is one of these epic unifying events. Too
late, the Greek city states realised that the barbarian Philip and his Macedonians posed a threat to
the future of Greece. Spartans and Athenians fought on the same side (a rare event!). To see just
how deep the Greek rivalries could get take a look at the ultimate Greek-on-Greek conflict: the
Peloponnesian War (431 - 404 BC). A war that is filled with bone-shuddering atrocities.
http://www.geocities.com/zozergames/delphi-intro.html
Disclaimer
Dungeons and Dragons, D&D and D20 are all copyright terms belonging to
Wizards of the Coast
.
Heroes of Delphi
is an unofficial gaming supplement written by
Paul Elliott
designed to be used
using D&D and the D20 system. No infringement on the copyright of D&D or D20 is intended, and
no profits are sought from the dissemination of this publication.
CONTENTS
Introduction
The Sacred War
Apollo and His Shrines
Characters of Ancient Greece
Weapons and Equipment
Combat - Greek Style
The Greek Gods
The Adventures Begin!
Monsters and Magic
Aspects of Greece
Links and References
To Zozer Games
http://www.geocities.com/zozergames/delphi-intro.html
THE SACRED WAR
Delphi, the holiest shrine of the Greeks is under threat from warlike Macedon in the north. The
shrine is guarded by an alliance of local cities called the Amphictyonic League, an alliance led by
the mountain state of Phocis. Such are the riches of Delphi that control of the shrine has proved
contentious - much blood has been spilt in recent years in an attempt to control, or to ensure the
freedom of, Delphi. The most serious conflicts have only just begun, and the most powerful city-
states of Greece have become embroiled in the affairs of the Amphictyonic League. Most recently
the city of Thebes was able to get an ally on the League council to vote against the Phocians. The
Phocians, allies of great power Sparta, decided not to stand for this and in 356 marched on Delphi -
seizing it. The Phocian statesman Philomelus urged his countrymen on, and he was encouraged by
Athens, who also wanted to see the power of Thebes eclipsed.
Phocis sent out ambassadors to justify its actions, but soon had to defend the shrine against the
hoplites of another League state called Locris. The Locrians weren't happy and had declared war on
Phocis. They appealed for help from the Boeotians, the Thessalians and other Amphictyons. While
Sparta and Athens watched their ally Phocis with interest, Phocis plundered the treasuries of Delphi
to fund a huge mercenary army. It was determined to hold on to Apollo's sacred shrine.
The Sacred War saw ten years of bloody fighting concentrated in Phocis, Locris and western
Boeotia. Philomelus died in a bloody rout of Phocian hoplites in 355, and his successor
Onomarchus rallied the Phocians, and doubled the number of mercenaries after more plundering of
the holy treasuries. In 354 the Phocians enjoyed numerous victories. The Thessalians needed some
help in fighting the city-state of Pherae and turned to the barbarian warlord King Philip of
Macedon. Looking for a way to take Delphi for himself and gain control over all the Greeks, Philip
agreed to help the Thessalians. He became the tagos (leader) of the Thessalian League. Onomarchus
with his larger army and use of catapults twice faced the Macedonians in battle, and twice defeated
Philip's forces. In 353 the victorious general also fought the Thebans successfully; but Philip
wanted vengeance and began the siege of Pherae in Thessaly. The Phocians, led by Onomarchus,
faced Philip of Macedon once again, but this time they were defeated and brave Onomarchus was
himself slain. The 3,000 Phocian prisoners were executed by drowning as a punishment for
plundering the Delphic treasuries.
King Philip took Pherae and became the undisputed overlord of Thessaly. He would have pressed
home the Phocian defeat by marching south, but Athenian hoplites blocked the pass at
Thermopylae. It was becoming clear to all of the city-states what Philip intended, and in the years
of brutal and unrelenting warfare to come the Sacred War would undoubtedly provide an
opportunity for the warlord to pounce on the Greeks.
The Athenians had already come to blows with Philip; the warlord had captured the northerly
Athenian outpost of Amphipolis in 357. The city controlled gold and silver mines which were a
great source of income for Athens. Now Philip uses these riches to fund his Macedonian war
http://www.geocities.com/zozergames/delphi-sacred.html
machine and his expansion into northern Greece. He's already faced Athenian forces who were
dispatched to retake Amphipolis, as well as the phalanxes of Olynthus and the Chalcidian League.
Olynthus was once a Macedonian ally that helped capture a number of Athenian possessions in the
north. It then became a turn-coat friend of Athens and the betrayal of this Chalcidian ally has
inspired a ferocious campaign of Macedonian vengeance. This campaign continues.
In 356 Philip's sorceress wife Olympia gave birth to a son, Alexander. Rumours abounded that the
boy was not his, but Philip declared Alexander his heir and began to groom him for kingship. Other
rumours circulate that the boy is cursed with horns and that his real father is either a god or a
monster. In the same month as the birth of his son, Philip entered the Olympic Games and won a
spectacular victory in the four-horse chariot race. This victory gave him a great deal of prestige
amongst the Greeks. Philip the Warlord may be uncouth, but he celebrated all of the best Greek
traditions.
To the Introduction
To Next Chapter
To Zozer Games
http://www.geocities.com/zozergames/delphi-sacred.html
APOLLO & HIS SHRINES
"Phoebus Apollo heard [the] prayer and came down in fury from the heights of Olympus with
his bow and covered quiver on his back. As he set out, the arrows clanged on the shoulder of
the angry god; and his descent was like nightfall. He sat down opposite the ships and shot an
arrow, with a dreadful twang from his silver bow. He attacked the mules first and the nimble
dogs; then he aimed his sharp arrows at the men, and struck again and again. Day and night
innumerable fires consumed the dead".
The Iliad, Book I
The deadly wrath of the god Apollo, summoned to act by a vengeful priest, begins the famous
Greek poem known as The Iliad. In this epic story the gods of Olympus are ranged along the
battlelines of the Trojan War, some on the side of the Greeks, others with the Trojans, while
still others are neutral. Apollo's deadly plague upon the Greeks (for the arrows are a poet's
metaphor for disease) begins a feud amongst the Greek camp. Later in The Iliad even the gods
fight each other in their attempts to sway the outcome of the war one way or another.
The fabulous and stately gathering known as the gods of Olympus has been deeply ingrained
into the psyche of Western minds for centuries. The Olympians were the twelve central gods
and goddesses of ancient Greece, and between them they controlled practically every
conceivable aspect of mortal life, since each held sway over a particular sphere of nature or of
human activity. The twelve deities were: Zeus - King of the Gods, Poseidon, Hephaestus,
Hermes, Ares and Apollo; Hera - Queen of the Gods, Athene, Artemis, Hestia, Aphrodite and
Demeter. A plethora of other deities also dwelt on Mount Olympus, but none matched the
power of the Olympian twelve. Some of these other gods included Helios, Dionysus and
Selene and between them they made up a vast array of divine beings that could be called on to
aid in some particular venture or other. Whether it was a marriage that needed the blessing of
Hera, a business transaction that required an oath to Hermes, or the fear that the Fates would
conspire to ruin one's future, all aspects of classical life revolved around the divine. The gods
were present everywhere, always, and could be appeased or approached depending on one's
needs.
Zeus was the leader, or more accurately, master, of the Olympian twelve, and the most
powerful of all the gods. He held sway over both the material universe and those gods and
goddesses who controlled it. He was omnipotent and all-seeing, fearless and far-reaching. No-
one dared question his authority or challenge his rule. The warnings of mighty Zeus were
severe: 'Let no god, let no goddess, attempt to curb my will ... or I shall seize him and cast
him into darkest Tartarus. Then he will recognise how much mightier I am than all the gods!'
The other eleven Olympians could not match his power, even if they had worked together to
overthrow him. Yet one of these eleven lesser gods and goddesses had a special pre-
eminence, recognised even by Zeus, his father. That god was Apollo.
http://www.geocities.com/zozergames/delphi-apollo.html
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl audipoznan.keep.pl
A Classical Greece Setting for
Dungeons & Dragons
3rd Edition
Created by
Paul Elliott
INTRODUCTION
Centaur, chimera, dryad, griffon, hydra - creatures like these litter the pages of D&D's Monster
Manual. Creatures from Greek myth. Of course, there are plenty of other entries that would fit
nicely into a Greek campaign with a suitable name change: merfolk (Greek tritons), giants, wraiths
and so on. The great pull of roleplaying the ancient Greeks, however, is not the 'fit' of many
monsters or races, but the unique and atmospheric society of the day. Nodding horse-hair crests,
long-shadowed spears, many-columned temples of marble, triremes surging across turquoise seas
guided by painted eyes on the prow, phalanxes of grim hoplites, unconformist philosophers
debating science under shady colonnades ... classical Greece.
Heroes of Delphi
, as a fantasy supplement, gives you a way to mix the vividly historical with the
monsters and magic of Greek myth. We get both halves of Greece - as long as you enjoy a little
'imaginative interpretation' at the expense of rigorous historical accuracy. The aim of the book is
firstly to map out the amendments and rules additions needed to convey the Greek setting. Secondly
it is to provide a solid gaming 'hook' taken straight out of classical Greek history that can be used as
a foundation for building scenarios and campaigns. The hook I've chosen is the Third Sacred War, a
violent and bitter struggle in the mid-4th century BC for the holy shrine of Apollo at Delphi (hence
the term 'Sacred War'). With its focus on a religious shrine the
Heroes of Delphi
campaign can
legitimately be pumped full of magic and supernatural elements. We can tap D&D's epic potential
to build a conflict of vast and unearthly proportions. One of the important historical aspects of the
Third Sacred War is the intervention of the new Macedonian king, Philip - father of Alexander the
Great. Using this war as a foot in the door, Philip later conquered the entire Greek penninusula. In
Heroes of Delph
i the player characters get a chance to stop Philip and battle his allies, both human
and monstrous!
Why not leave the field open for DM's to pick any date? Well historically the Greeks were
constantly at war with each other. Long term rivalries, feuds, petty bickerings, alleigances, leagues,
differing governmental systems and competing interests meant that the Greeks never enjoyed co-
operation. There was never a Greek nation in ancient times. There were very occasionally unifying
events such as the Persian invasions of 490 and 480 BC, but even these epic battles for Greek
survival were marred by infighting. The Third Sacred War is one of these epic unifying events. Too
late, the Greek city states realised that the barbarian Philip and his Macedonians posed a threat to
the future of Greece. Spartans and Athenians fought on the same side (a rare event!). To see just
how deep the Greek rivalries could get take a look at the ultimate Greek-on-Greek conflict: the
Peloponnesian War (431 - 404 BC). A war that is filled with bone-shuddering atrocities.
http://www.geocities.com/zozergames/delphi-intro.html
Disclaimer
Dungeons and Dragons, D&D and D20 are all copyright terms belonging to
Wizards of the Coast
.
Heroes of Delphi
is an unofficial gaming supplement written by
Paul Elliott
designed to be used
using D&D and the D20 system. No infringement on the copyright of D&D or D20 is intended, and
no profits are sought from the dissemination of this publication.
CONTENTS
Introduction
The Sacred War
Apollo and His Shrines
Characters of Ancient Greece
Weapons and Equipment
Combat - Greek Style
The Greek Gods
The Adventures Begin!
Monsters and Magic
Aspects of Greece
Links and References
To Zozer Games
http://www.geocities.com/zozergames/delphi-intro.html
THE SACRED WAR
Delphi, the holiest shrine of the Greeks is under threat from warlike Macedon in the north. The
shrine is guarded by an alliance of local cities called the Amphictyonic League, an alliance led by
the mountain state of Phocis. Such are the riches of Delphi that control of the shrine has proved
contentious - much blood has been spilt in recent years in an attempt to control, or to ensure the
freedom of, Delphi. The most serious conflicts have only just begun, and the most powerful city-
states of Greece have become embroiled in the affairs of the Amphictyonic League. Most recently
the city of Thebes was able to get an ally on the League council to vote against the Phocians. The
Phocians, allies of great power Sparta, decided not to stand for this and in 356 marched on Delphi -
seizing it. The Phocian statesman Philomelus urged his countrymen on, and he was encouraged by
Athens, who also wanted to see the power of Thebes eclipsed.
Phocis sent out ambassadors to justify its actions, but soon had to defend the shrine against the
hoplites of another League state called Locris. The Locrians weren't happy and had declared war on
Phocis. They appealed for help from the Boeotians, the Thessalians and other Amphictyons. While
Sparta and Athens watched their ally Phocis with interest, Phocis plundered the treasuries of Delphi
to fund a huge mercenary army. It was determined to hold on to Apollo's sacred shrine.
The Sacred War saw ten years of bloody fighting concentrated in Phocis, Locris and western
Boeotia. Philomelus died in a bloody rout of Phocian hoplites in 355, and his successor
Onomarchus rallied the Phocians, and doubled the number of mercenaries after more plundering of
the holy treasuries. In 354 the Phocians enjoyed numerous victories. The Thessalians needed some
help in fighting the city-state of Pherae and turned to the barbarian warlord King Philip of
Macedon. Looking for a way to take Delphi for himself and gain control over all the Greeks, Philip
agreed to help the Thessalians. He became the tagos (leader) of the Thessalian League. Onomarchus
with his larger army and use of catapults twice faced the Macedonians in battle, and twice defeated
Philip's forces. In 353 the victorious general also fought the Thebans successfully; but Philip
wanted vengeance and began the siege of Pherae in Thessaly. The Phocians, led by Onomarchus,
faced Philip of Macedon once again, but this time they were defeated and brave Onomarchus was
himself slain. The 3,000 Phocian prisoners were executed by drowning as a punishment for
plundering the Delphic treasuries.
King Philip took Pherae and became the undisputed overlord of Thessaly. He would have pressed
home the Phocian defeat by marching south, but Athenian hoplites blocked the pass at
Thermopylae. It was becoming clear to all of the city-states what Philip intended, and in the years
of brutal and unrelenting warfare to come the Sacred War would undoubtedly provide an
opportunity for the warlord to pounce on the Greeks.
The Athenians had already come to blows with Philip; the warlord had captured the northerly
Athenian outpost of Amphipolis in 357. The city controlled gold and silver mines which were a
great source of income for Athens. Now Philip uses these riches to fund his Macedonian war
http://www.geocities.com/zozergames/delphi-sacred.html
machine and his expansion into northern Greece. He's already faced Athenian forces who were
dispatched to retake Amphipolis, as well as the phalanxes of Olynthus and the Chalcidian League.
Olynthus was once a Macedonian ally that helped capture a number of Athenian possessions in the
north. It then became a turn-coat friend of Athens and the betrayal of this Chalcidian ally has
inspired a ferocious campaign of Macedonian vengeance. This campaign continues.
In 356 Philip's sorceress wife Olympia gave birth to a son, Alexander. Rumours abounded that the
boy was not his, but Philip declared Alexander his heir and began to groom him for kingship. Other
rumours circulate that the boy is cursed with horns and that his real father is either a god or a
monster. In the same month as the birth of his son, Philip entered the Olympic Games and won a
spectacular victory in the four-horse chariot race. This victory gave him a great deal of prestige
amongst the Greeks. Philip the Warlord may be uncouth, but he celebrated all of the best Greek
traditions.
To the Introduction
To Next Chapter
To Zozer Games
http://www.geocities.com/zozergames/delphi-sacred.html
APOLLO & HIS SHRINES
"Phoebus Apollo heard [the] prayer and came down in fury from the heights of Olympus with
his bow and covered quiver on his back. As he set out, the arrows clanged on the shoulder of
the angry god; and his descent was like nightfall. He sat down opposite the ships and shot an
arrow, with a dreadful twang from his silver bow. He attacked the mules first and the nimble
dogs; then he aimed his sharp arrows at the men, and struck again and again. Day and night
innumerable fires consumed the dead".
The Iliad, Book I
The deadly wrath of the god Apollo, summoned to act by a vengeful priest, begins the famous
Greek poem known as The Iliad. In this epic story the gods of Olympus are ranged along the
battlelines of the Trojan War, some on the side of the Greeks, others with the Trojans, while
still others are neutral. Apollo's deadly plague upon the Greeks (for the arrows are a poet's
metaphor for disease) begins a feud amongst the Greek camp. Later in The Iliad even the gods
fight each other in their attempts to sway the outcome of the war one way or another.
The fabulous and stately gathering known as the gods of Olympus has been deeply ingrained
into the psyche of Western minds for centuries. The Olympians were the twelve central gods
and goddesses of ancient Greece, and between them they controlled practically every
conceivable aspect of mortal life, since each held sway over a particular sphere of nature or of
human activity. The twelve deities were: Zeus - King of the Gods, Poseidon, Hephaestus,
Hermes, Ares and Apollo; Hera - Queen of the Gods, Athene, Artemis, Hestia, Aphrodite and
Demeter. A plethora of other deities also dwelt on Mount Olympus, but none matched the
power of the Olympian twelve. Some of these other gods included Helios, Dionysus and
Selene and between them they made up a vast array of divine beings that could be called on to
aid in some particular venture or other. Whether it was a marriage that needed the blessing of
Hera, a business transaction that required an oath to Hermes, or the fear that the Fates would
conspire to ruin one's future, all aspects of classical life revolved around the divine. The gods
were present everywhere, always, and could be appeased or approached depending on one's
needs.
Zeus was the leader, or more accurately, master, of the Olympian twelve, and the most
powerful of all the gods. He held sway over both the material universe and those gods and
goddesses who controlled it. He was omnipotent and all-seeing, fearless and far-reaching. No-
one dared question his authority or challenge his rule. The warnings of mighty Zeus were
severe: 'Let no god, let no goddess, attempt to curb my will ... or I shall seize him and cast
him into darkest Tartarus. Then he will recognise how much mightier I am than all the gods!'
The other eleven Olympians could not match his power, even if they had worked together to
overthrow him. Yet one of these eleven lesser gods and goddesses had a special pre-
eminence, recognised even by Zeus, his father. That god was Apollo.
http://www.geocities.com/zozergames/delphi-apollo.html
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]