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Kevka Palazzo
2007-03-25, 02:25 AM
As much as the movie 300 was cool, I've been interested in Ancient Greek stuff for the longest time. Recently, since my friends are fired up about it, I decided to run a Greek-themed adventure. Here's what I've got so far, but I would like some criticism (constructive if possible), and some supplemental ideas.

Note that I'm not bothering to recreate the landscape. I'm using Europe and Northern Africa, and all the cities and places have the same names. I'm just putting Orcs, Elves, Hobgoblins, Bhuka (Sandstorm supplement) and humans in it.

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In Africa, a botched summoning ritual spawned the son of the king of the Infernal Realm on the earth’s surface. He slaughters the summoners save one, a hobgoblin sorcerer named Oba, who he pumps for information. He discovers that a huge number of hobgoblin tribes exist in Africa, ripe for unification and subjugation by a strong leader. With Oba as his guide he conquers nearly all of Egypt and Northern Africa and uses his new army to utterly subjugate the natives. He leaves the Bhuka their independence but hires them to act as his agents in Europe, to send him information about their military and social structure.

Meanwhile, in Persia, a powerful cleric named Xerxes declares himself a god-king and mobilizes a huge army, with the intent of conquering the world. However, he has hit a standstill after meeting with the hobgoblin army to the west, rendering his massive army immobile and useless. Neither tyrant will ally with the other, because each believes himself to be the greater.

In Europe, monsters begin appearing at an alarming rate, the elves close off their borders and the orcs set out from their island kingdom of England. The hobgoblin empire has pushed up into southern Spain but cannot progress any farther because of the orcs. Humanity sits in the middle of all of this, unsure of its destiny and hopelessly alone.

However, legends speak of an artifact sealed away in Mount Olympus. This artifact, an ancient pedestal known as The Ark, can grant one wish every 10,000 years to its owner. The Prince of Hell, Xerxes and the leaders of the Greek Senate have learned that soon it will activate, and they begin marshalling warriors from every corner of the known world to seek it out and retrieve it.

The Prince of Hell will wish for a powerful weapon that will restore his power to him, allowing him to take the entire Material Plane for himself, and eventually his father’s kingdom and the home of the Gods. Xerxes will wish to become a god, allowing him dominion over the entire world. And the Greeks will desire power and land: what they always have.

The adventurers have a choice: obey the Gods’ will and destroy the Ark before anyone has a chance to use it, or use it for themselves and conquer their enemies.

Other Elements

The elves have closed their borders, but they may have a shortcut to the River Styx. The adventurers may have to patch up relations between the elves and mankind to enlist their aid. However, this will be difficult. The marshalling of huge, hostile armies from all sides and the appearance of their cursed brethren from Hades will make them hard to get along with, and harder still to convince.

The orcs are becoming aggressive, and striking indiscriminately from their island home of the Great British Isles. Perhaps something is causing them to flee from their homeland. What could it be?

Monsters have seemed to come from nowhere in the lands of Greece. Where? Why? How? Who? These are the questions that will need answering, and the problems that will need solving.

Dervag
2007-03-25, 02:32 AM
Meanwhile, in Persia, a powerful cleric named Xerxes declares himself a god-king and mobilizes a huge army,Waitaminute.

How authentically Persian are these people? Where do the magi fit into this picture, and do the Persians have a religion resembling historical Zoroastrianism?

You might set things up so that Xerxes is the supreme priest-emperor of a kingdom that is actually good-aligned, but which is driven by Xerxes's own megalomania and the inflexible code of their good-aligned deity Ahuramazda (Xerxes would be more Lawful than Good; Ahuramazda would himself almost certainly be Lawful Good). That would be interesting. It's hard to set up a campaign with good heroes and good antagonists, but this may be an opportunity to do so.


In Europe, monsters begin appearing at an alarming rate, the elves close off their borders and the orcs set out from their island kingdom of England. The hobgoblin empire has pushed up into southern Spain but cannot progress any farther because of the orcs. Humanity sits in the middle of all of this, unsure of its destiny and hopelessly alone.Where are the elves? Are you going to use dwarves or Norse-style trolls as well?

If so, that might explain where the monsters are coming from. There are strange, alien, barbarian deities and races in the north, and some of their spawn are migrating south for some reason. You don't have to make the campaign center on this threat from the north, but it can add flavor.


The orcs are becoming aggressive, and striking indiscriminately from their island home of the Great British Isles. Perhaps something is causing them to flee from their homeland. What could it be?Norse-style trolls?


Monsters have seemed to come from nowhere in the lands of Greece. Where? Why? How? Who? These are the questions that will need answering, and the problems that will need solving.The Underworld is always a good explanation for the introduction of unknown factors in Greek mythology. Almost anything can be found there.

Kevka Palazzo
2007-03-25, 03:02 AM
Well, as I said, it's a Greek themed adventure. I wasn't planning on being historically accurate, but I suppose that makes it better. Now to answer your questions:


How authentically Persian are these people? Where do the magi fit into this picture...

Um...My idea was to arrange casters as such: Arcane casters were going to be more among the orcs, hobgoblins, elves and Bhuka (the hobbies and the Bhuka are in Africa, the Bhuka being major trade partners with the elves, who I put on the Italian peninsula and who control the naval forces of the Mediterranean sea, and orcs are British [WAAAAAAGGGGGH!]). Clerics and divine casters were going to be from the Middle Eastern areas and Persia, as well as a few high-level ones in the Greek society. The majority of casters in human Greece were going to be truenamers. These assignments were mostly arbitrary, and mean little.


do the Persians have a religion resembling historical Zoroastrianism?

....Yes?


Are you going to use dwarves or Norse-style trolls as well?

Dwarves: yes, in Scandinavia/Norselandplace (don't know European geography). Norse trolls: ....what?


The Underworld is always a good explanation for the introduction of unknown factors in Greek mythology. Almost anything can be found there.

I apologize for the question you answered. Basically, the presence of the Prince of Hell was going to be negatively influencing the very nature of the world, making it easier for monsters to escape from the Underworld. I actually had made a word document that said all of that stuff and just copied it here.

Jack Mann
2007-03-25, 03:27 AM
I believe he was referring to the Persian Magi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magi), not casters in general.

Kevka Palazzo
2007-03-25, 04:35 AM
I believe he was referring to the Persian Magi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magi), not casters in general.

They're wizards, then. Or sorcerers. Or just arcane casters.

LEAVE ME ALONE! GRAH! :p

Maglor_Grubb
2007-03-25, 05:51 AM
Who is this prince of the underworld and why aren't the gods stopping him? If you want a greek-themed adventure, centering the map on greece and using greek names is not enough. You need greek flavor: either historical or mythological or (better) both. Scandinavia and the British Islands were not a part of the know world at the time. Maybe you could make the map be as the greeks thought it to be. See my second link. Historical flavor: what the hell is this 'greek senate' thing you speak of? You have many different ethnic groups (maybe give them slightly different stats?): dorians, ionians, aegaians, etcetera. All of them have many different cities. The greek world has city-states (poleis) as its standard political unit. These poleis consist of a city (astu) and the surrounding land (choora). Every polis strives for as much independence as possible and recognition of this independence. The political body is bound to this poleis: when a group of colonists from Athens settle in Italy and build a new city there, they might be under the influence of Athens, but not under the direct control of the city. The striving to independence also means cultural and economical independence. Most cities develop their own political form and coins. There is, however, a very strong whole-greek-culture. Greece used to be an aristocratic culture, in the time of dorian supremacy, meaning that courage in battle and individual nobility were really important. You see this most strongly still in the dorian poleis. Mythological greek things ara that the gods are very active. They roam the lands in different forms. Hero's are a huge part of the mythology, hero's being close to half-gods. There are 2 kinds of people, hero's and common people (maybe have hero's have PC classes and high levels and the most famous divine rank 0 or 1?). Monster are common and don't really need much explanation. Many important people can trace their ancestry back on the gods, which gives them some special powers (Theseus, for instance, had received 3 wishes from Poseidon, 1 he used to curse his son Hippolytos - who was killed by a huge sea monster shortly thereafter). It is possible to travel to the underworld and you better keep the gods friendly or face their wrath. Important hero's have their own patron god who actively helps them, but most of the time not too directly.

BTW, these are good maps, if you need them:
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~smi25/greece%20maps.jpg
http://www.livius.org/a/1/maps/hecataeus_map.gif

Matthew
2007-03-28, 09:02 PM
Yep. 'Greek themed' is always going to cause problems if you don't define more precisely what you mean. There are a number of active 'Greek themed' threads current at the moment and several seem to have the same ideas and the same problems.

I recommend removing overt references to the 'real world' when aiming for something that is really 'inspired by' X.