An adventuring party from throughout the ages.

[Averis Vol]

Hey everybody. For the game I am running, there comes a point where the party will come upon an adventuring company that is frozen in time in the ancient bowls of the old world. These were the heroes of an age forgotten who almost defeated the god queen who now threatens the land, and the heroes are going to need the key they hold to defeating this interdimensional beast.

Now, While I could easily just come up with characters for this, I would instead like to model this party off of real world (Okay, maybe not REAL)... lets call them champions of legend.

So things like knights of the round table, nordic legends like sigurd the dragon slayer, even people shrouded in mystery like Rasputin would work for my reasons. So I ask the playground; what other great "champions" (Fabled warriors, mages and rogues alike) that have appeared throughout history?

[Trickquestion]

Are you looking to make the entire party in the style of a single legend, or are you looking to mix and match from across cultures?

[Ziegander]

Also, must they be heroic, or can some of them be "darker" or even considered evil?

I would throw Nikola Tesla in there, myself, maybe even Leonardo da Vinci. ;)

[Averis Vol]

Are you looking to make the entire party in the style of a single legend, or are you looking to mix and match from across cultures?

I am looking to compile the worlds PC's into a functioning adventuring party.

Also, must they be heroic, or can some of them be "darker" or even considered evil?

I would throw Nikola Tesla in there, myself, maybe even Leonardo da Vinci. ;)

I am fine with the darker type people, it gives a forced together band of heroes that "We do this because the world is at stake" feel to it. Bonus points if they mesh ideally but vary in process :D

[Ziegander]

Genghis Khan?

[Dr Bwaa]

Just make an adventuring party composed of every character ever portrayed by Sir Patrick Stewart.

For best results, allow the party to discover each new Sir Patrick Stewart persona one at a time, and give very good, clear physical descriptions each time. See how long it takes for them to catch on.

[Vitruviansquid]

I don't know that it'd be very helpful to look at ancient warriors and heroes since many fantasy settings are full of anachronisms anyways. I'd approach this by having heroes who are somehow dated in the world.

For example, if one of your heroes is the subject of many old songs and tales, it'd be obvious that he was ancient. Likewise, if a hero's known for doing something that has left its mark on the world, like overthrowing an empire, shooting down the second sun, or building a mountain, it's clear that he's ancient.

Another possibility is, if your setting has a sense of time, like the ancient Greeks' idea of an ancient Golden Age when everything was bigger and better, ask yourself what would define the people from the past age. Would they be physically different from people now? Would they live by a different culture? And so on.

[GoblinGilmartin]

Gilgamesh and Enkidu, Genghis Khan, Jesus, joan of arc, Eric the Red, Rasputin, Ozymandius, Cú Chulainn, Scathach, Merlin (obviously), and....hmm...King Leonidas? Are any of those helpful?

[Alex12]

Big Dumb Fighter: Beowulf
Skillmonkey: Odysseus
Wizard: Merlin
Cleric: Don't know.

[Averis Vol]

I don't know that it'd be very helpful to look at ancient warriors and heroes since many fantasy settings are full of anachronisms anyways. I'd approach this by having heroes who are somehow dated in the world.

For example, if one of your heroes is the subject of many old songs and tales, it'd be obvious that he was ancient. Likewise, if a hero's known for doing something that has left its mark on the world, like overthrowing an empire, shooting down the second sun, or building a mountain, it's clear that he's ancient.

Another possibility is, if your setting has a sense of time, like the ancient Greeks' idea of an ancient Golden Age when everything was bigger and better, ask yourself what would define the people from the past age. Would they be physically different from people now? Would they live by a different culture? And so on.

Each of these people, from whomever I choose among the people listed by the end of this, are going to have a place in history. That place is going to be an adaption of how they were in (real) life, and they are going to be placed doing things that fit for the time.

The old age (hereafter referred to as the first era) was basically a utopian world given to them by a being from beyond the spheres so to speak whose soul want was to be the mother of an entire world. So while it was a "Golden Age", they were probably less civilised than the world is now.

Spoiler: Exposition of the role of heroes

Show

Through the ages on the Prime material plane known as Kalredos (there are more)the gods of all the pantheons have played a game with mortals against each other. The gods would look into a family and read their history back to the first, and they would do this until they found one of the offspring they were willing to wager some of their followers power on. When they did, they would state the bet, whether it be "This human will not scorn my gift, but instead he will spread my word and challenge the power of the king Therion in my name" or "This half orc will unite the realms of both his ancestry in my name".

For thousands of years this game played until Queen Faerna (known from hereafter as the mother) came into the realm and convinced them she was the one true benevolent being, the mother of all creation. Though not of direct divinity, the mother found that she could see the gods gift within each champion, and this gift was a miniscule part of their divinity.

So these champions are the last remains of the old game. After the conflict with the mother, the rules were rewritten so their power could be restored more easily, there's six of them, and they held a key piece of information required to actually kill her, not just send her back to her own realm until she could break back out.

so I'm looking for extraordinary people to use as models for the heroes. Maybe some key points about them if you have em.

@ Everyone: absolutely loving all the new folks to look up, if you have more, keep em coming :D

[Trickquestion]

An good archetype for the team's token evil guy would be the Spanish Conquistador. A cruel, greedy jerkass who never the less functions perfectly with the standard D&D gameplay.

[LWDLiz]

Hmm... here are a few I can think of... King Richard the Lionhearted, St. George (of St. George and the Dragon), Hercules, Indiana Jones, Spartacus, Terminator, Dracula.

[The Oni]

For a Barbarian might I second Cu Chulainn? He was said to have a terrifying rage in battle called a 'warp spasm' which made him an inhuman monster unrecognizable to his friends and enemies.

Also he was so badass that when confronted by enemies who tricked him into breaking an oath to drain most of his power, and then bumrushing him, he still killed a ton of them. When he was mortally wounded he managed to remain standing, and kill a few more, by tying himself to a standing stone with his own entrails - and died standing up.

Seriously, the best Barbarian ever.

[nedz]

How about Mordenkainen, Drawmij, Tenser, Bigby, ...

It would actually be funnier if you are not playing D&D.

[Averis Vol]

So after reading through the lore of all these guys I'm going to have to agree that Cuh Hullan is the truest definition of both a PC and barbarian, so he is dead set in the party as of now.

@Trick Question I don't know much about the spanish conquistadors. Are there any particularly notable ones out there?

@LWDLiz Dracula is actually one I hadn't thought of; the progenitor of his own breed might actually have been in accordance with the mother at one time, since he is the only one who knew what being the leader of an entire race was like.

@nedz Hah! I may find myself in use of one of them actually. Kind of as a way to let my players see the scope of who they're dealing with here....

Great suggestions, keep em comin!

[GoblinGilmartin]

So after reading through the lore of all these guys I'm going to have to agree that Cu Chullain is the truest definition of both a PC and barbarian, so he is dead set in the party as of now.

@Trick Question I don't know much about the spanish conquistadors. Are there any particularly notable ones out there?

@LWDLiz Dracula is actually one I hadn't thought of; the progenitor of his own breed might actually have been in accordance with the mother at one time, since he is the only one who knew what being the leader of an entire race was like.

@nedz Hah! I may find myself in use of one of them actually. Kind of as a way to let my players see the scope of who they're dealing with here....

Great suggestions, keep em comin!

just a note. It's pronounced "cuh hullan"

[Averis Vol]

just a note. It's pronounced "cuh hullan"

Noted. My apologies.

[Harbinger]

Gilgamesh. Beowulf. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

[GoblinGilmartin]

Noted. My apologies.

Apologize for what? I was just warning you. Pronouncing Irish and Gaelic things is a verbal minefield.

[navar100]

Cleric: Don't know.

Constantine

[5a Violista]

Characters that I thought about:
Aeneas, a Trojan hero and is given credit to be the founder of Ancient Rome in Roman mythology. He's the son of Aphrodite (Venus), the goddess of love, escapes Troy when the Greeks sack it, claims to be led by the gods to found a city, and falls in love with a "barbarian woman" who was the founder of Ancient Rome's rival for a long time.

Medea, the witch who fell in love with and married Jason from the Argonauts. She was the daughter of a king and granddaughter of the sun god. She's known as an enchantress who is skilled in poison, potions, hypnotism, trickery, and murder.

Jeanne D'arc, a holy knight who was burned at the stake at 19 years old for "insubordination and heterodoxy." Led armies to victory, was a great and aggressive commander, and claimed to be guided by deity.

Scáthach, a legendary martial arts teacher and warrior woman. She trained Cú Chulainn, and was pretty good in fighting.

You could have a "Men" group and a "Women's" group, it looks like; it shouldn't be that hard to find enough of both.

[Averis Vol]

Apologize for what? I was just warning you. Pronouncing Irish and Gaelic things is a verbal minefield.

It's more of a courtesy and an attempt to avoid ignorance.

Constantine

Damn good one!

Characters that I thought about:
Aeneas, a Trojan hero and is given credit to be the founder of Ancient Rome in Roman mythology. He's the son of Aphrodite (Venus), the goddess of love, escapes Troy when the Greeks sack it, claims to be led by the gods to found a city, and falls in love with a "barbarian woman" who was the founder of Ancient Rome's rival for a long time.

Medea, the witch who fell in love with and married Jason from the Argonauts. She was the daughter of a king and granddaughter of the sun god. She's known as an enchantress who is skilled in poison, potions, hypnotism, trickery, and murder.

Jeanne D'arc, a holy knight who was burned at the stake at 19 years old for "insubordination and heterodoxy." Led armies to victory, was a great and aggressive commander, and claimed to be guided by deity.

Scáthach, a legendary martial arts teacher and warrior woman. She trained Cú Chulainn, and was pretty good in fighting.

You could have a "Men" group and a "Women's" group, it looks like; it shouldn't be that hard to find enough of both.

nice list and exposition. I could have two groups, but nothing says ununited like separate gender groups.

[Deffers]

I would heartily suggest the unnamed Viking at the Battle of Stamford Bridge as perhaps an equally badass berserker, or, I mean, given how crazy unreal he was tanking an entire army at a bridge, maybe a Warblade. Gotta love those stances, yo.

Pretty sure he's actually called a 20th level fighter in the article, even. When a spear to the nuts is the only thing that can bring you down, I'd say that's deserved.

[GoblinGilmartin]

Characters that I thought about:
Aeneas, a Trojan hero and is given credit to be the founder of Ancient Rome in Roman mythology. He's the son of Aphrodite (Venus), the goddess of love, escapes Troy when the Greeks sack it, claims to be led by the gods to found a city, and falls in love with a "barbarian woman" who was the founder of Ancient Rome's rival for a long time.

Medea, the witch who fell in love with and married Jason from the Argonauts. She was the daughter of a king and granddaughter of the sun god. She's known as an enchantress who is skilled in poison, potions, hypnotism, trickery, and murder.

Jeanne D'arc, a holy knight who was burned at the stake at 19 years old for "insubordination and heterodoxy." Led armies to victory, was a great and aggressive commander, and claimed to be guided by deity.

Scáthach, a legendary martial arts teacher and warrior woman. She trained Cú Chulainn, and was pretty good in fighting.

You could have a "Men" group and a "Women's" group, it looks like; it shouldn't be that hard to find enough of both.

I'd just like it pointed out that I already suggested two of these, although i suppose I didn't use the proper spellings...

[Averis Vol]

I would heartily suggest the unnamed Viking at the Battle of Stamford Bridge as perhaps an equally badass berserker, or, I mean, given how crazy unreal he was tanking an entire army at a bridge, maybe a Warblade. Gotta love those stances, yo.

Pretty sure he's actually called a 20th level fighter in the article, even. When a spear to the nuts is the only thing that can bring you down, I'd say that's deserved.

Woah! damn! that guy takes hardcore to a new level! holy crap. Well, nothing says the savage tribes of Vel' Varis can't muster two god blooded champions.


@Mastergilgamesh aye, yea they've both (Joan and scathach) been mentioned, but I'm not going to discriminate between multiple people putting word of the same people in. just means they were extra story evoking.

[5a Violista]

Yes, you did.

So...it looks like I'm in debt two characters.

So here's two suggestions to replace those:

Morgan le Faye, a sorceress/healer/magician/enchantress/who-knows-what who is different in every story she's in. Sometimes she's an evil witch and antagonist of Merlin and King Arthur, other times she's Arthur's sister who saves his life.

and

Hannibal, the famous strategist who rode the mystical elephant into Rome. He swore a blood oath to never befriend a Roman, and remained true to his oath as he fought against the Romans in the 2nd Punic War.

[GoblinArchmage]

Daedalus, the legendary Greek architect who designed the Labyrinth and built special wings out of feathers and wax to escape from King Minos. His son, Icarus, flew too close to the sun, but everybody knows that story.

The Miller from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, an obnoxious, red headed drunkard who plays the bagpipes and likes to tell dirty stories.

[GoblinGilmartin]

Woah! damn! that guy takes hardcore to a new level! holy crap. Well, nothing says the savage tribes of Vel' Varis can't muster two god blooded champions.


@Mastergilgamesh aye, yea they've both (Joan and scathach) been mentioned, but I'm not going to discriminate between multiple people putting word of the same people in. just means they were extra story evoking.

NBD brah....Also, did anyone say Achilles yet?

[Deffers]

I don't think anybody mentioned Achilles yet, but my guy definitely had a more... realistic weak spot that ended his mythic rampage.

[Averis Vol]

I'd just like it pointed out that I already suggested two of these, although i suppose I didn't use the proper spellings...

I was a little surprised I hadn't seen achilles up til now.