Hellenic Kingdoms

[snakefing]

This will be the first in a (short) series of notes, posted from my works in progress. What you see here are just rough notes, a place to jump off from, hardly a finished product. Hopefully people will inspire me, or be inspired, or at least not be too rough on me.

The first stop are the Hellenic Kingdoms (name to be renegotiated later. Obviously, a culture based loosely on historical Greek myths, culture, and political structures, but transplanted to a different geography. Consequently it will be heavily modified.

Regional Map

[spoiler=Overview]
The Hellenic Kingdoms are a collection of smallish kingdoms of common culture. Historically, they have been unified in the past as a modest empire. Currently, they are squabbling rivals grasping after past glories.

They are good sailors, and highly educated, but hampered by a conservative mindset and a tendency to look to the past rather than the future. They worship the Olympian gods (Zeus and so forth).

These lands are hot and humid, with plenty of timber and some minerals in the mountains to the west. Except for the island of Semiana, the kingdoms are not agriculturally rich. Instead, they tend to be overrun by rain forest. The island kingdom is cooled by sea breezes and therefore is able to support grain farming which is heavily exported to the mainland kingdoms.

The mainland kingdoms are rich in exotic animals and birds, spices, herbs, and poisons. The coastal areas support large, tall trees that are good for shipbuilding, and cleared areas are often planted with orchards and vines. Interior areas are more rough and wild. Transport from the interior to the exterior is slow because rivers are not navigable and roads require constant maintenance.

The politics of the Hellenic kingdoms are dominated by the intersection of hereditary aristocracy and the priesthoods. There is some tension between the temples of Zeus (ruler of the gods, seen as legitimizing the hereditary nobility) and the temples of Poseidon (sea god, especially important to the wealthy shipping and trading houses).

Trade is primarily with the militaristic Oupun to the south, and to a lesser extent the Gnomish and other isolated settlements to the north. Overland trade is very localized due to the difficulty of maintaining passable roads. Some more adventurous sorts manage some trade with the goblins and beast-men of the islands, primarily uncut gems and similar goods that are not common in their lands.

The Hellenic Kingdoms manage to maintain their independence from Oupun only through their extremely developed skill at naval warfare, and the near impossibility of overland invasion. Otherwise, they would lack the resources to protect themselves for long.

The other primary risk to the Hellenes are the island beast-men. For unexplained reasons, they periodically sail their barely seaworthy ships across the Ra'anic Sea to raid coastal areas. Since virtually all of the major Hellenic cities are on the sea, this is a significant threat. However, if the Hellenic navy patrols spot them before they land, they will easily be destroyed at sea.
[/spoiler]

[Tybalt]

I know a great deal about Greek mythology if you are interested in any brainstorming. I think this is a cool idea, it's one that I would have liked to have done myself if I had not gone in other directions.

You could easily for instance put together all the Greek/Mediterranean type monsters in your encounter lists.

One element that is always interesting when you put together a campaign based partly on ancient history and partly on myth is that geography can have very adventure-given qualities. For instance Scylla and Charbydis, the strange islands, the fact that there are physical entryways to the different parts of the lands of the gods and so on.

[snakefing]

There are certainly a good number of standard monsters that are based in whole or in part on Greek myths. One thing I'm aiming for is to capture a bit of the uniqueness of these monsters, and the heroism involved in slaying them.

Heracles didn't kill a Lernaean hydra, he killed the Lernaean hydra. Medusa was one of three Gorgon sisters, not the name of a race. And so forth. Killing even one of these monsters made you a hero of legend.

I might twist this a bit, for some fun. For example, the Lernaean hydra might have lesser offspring, with only two or three heads apiece. The original hydra would be buffed up a bit to make it a challenge truly worthy of epic poems. But in a world that isn't populated chock-a-block with monsters, even the lesser hydras would be a fearful beast to most people.

I'll be back later, maybe this week, with a few more random thoughts on history, culture, and religion.

Maybe I'll make a page on my wiki for this under campaign ideas. Feel free to edit or comment when I do.

[snakefing]

The Hellenic Kingdoms
Currently, the Hellenic Kingdoms are five distinct kingdoms, plus a few independent cities. They share a common history and culture, but are politically divided and have been for over 300 years.

The interior of the Hellenic lands is rough, rainy, and overgrown. Rivers are plentiful, but blocked by rapids at regular intervals. Settlements in this area are fewer and smaller, and linked to the main coastal cities primarily by roads that are often muddy and slow.

The dominant coastal cities are Hosis, Nyca, and Lepharion. Each is the capital of a fairly sizeable territory extending from the coast deep into the interior. (Although, the further you go into the interior, the less the influence of the capital.) In addition, the island kingdom of Katros and the smaller kingdom of Esep command some territory.

[spoiler=History]
History of the Hellenic Kingdoms
Starting about 700 years in the past, the Hellenes were unified under the banner of Nyca, their historical capital. Expanding by sea from there, they established major colonies up and down the coast. Eventually they ruled an empire that stretched along much of the western coast of the Ra'anic Sea. The colonies provided a bounty of resources for the empire, leading to a great expansion of the wealth and culture of their cities.

However, except for naval timber, the home cities of the Hellenes were rather poor in resources, which proved to be their undoing. As trade with the Hellenes expanded, the Oupun learned new magical techniques and technology. Combining this with their greater natural resources and their warlike culture, they began to press the Hellenic Empire back. It was a contest of the Oupun's strength on land against the Hellenes' command of the sea.

The final blow occurred 372 years in the past. The Hellenes had gathered a strong naval force at Trasus, intending to land at the Oupun city of Metesh, providing a two-pronged attack that would cut the supply lines of the main Oupun army commanded by the legendary general Agat of Ameketa. It was a bold plan, but a freak storm scattered the Hellenic fleet, sinking many ships and forcing others to take shelter in a tactically poor position. Sensing his advantage, Agat struck hard at Trasus, trapping the Hellenic leadership and destroying almost all their land forces. After this disaster, Agat drove the Hellenes out of what is now Greater Oupun.

With much of their leadership captured or killed in battle, the Hellenes were unable to mount any effective counter. Finally a coalition of naval commanders managed to mount a brilliant defense at Esep, stopping the Oupun advance at the very doorstep of the traditional Hellenic lands. The war ended with a truce after Agat himself succumbed to a mysterious wasting illness.

But Hellenic culture had been dealt a mortal blow. When the last Emperor died without a clear heir, the commanders started bickering. The empire itself fell apart into many kingdoms, and most of the colonies went their own way. Since that time, there has been a period of slow re-integration of the fragmented kingdoms. The process is hampered by the loss of resources from their colonies, plus ever-present threat of the now dominant Oupun.
[/spoiler]

Next up, culture and religion.

[Tybalt]

Interesting twist--so instead of the constant regional warfare you have a unification of the Hellenic peoples that fell apart after the decline and blows to the empire that had kept them together. Would this still have an effect upon the people living there today?

[snakefing]

Definitely. When I get a chance, this will be covered in more detail along with the culture. As a quick summary, much of the culture is obsessed with either the return to past glory, or at least maintaining the facade of past glory. This would affect the common folk less than the elite.

After 300 some odd years, the memory of the past empire is still strong, but highly mythologized. Consider how long it has been since Baghdad was the most powerful city in the whole of Europe and Asia Minor. Do you think they've forgotten?

So there is plenty of scheming and regional warfare, but the dream is for one city to assert regional hegemony and bring back the glory days of the old empire. Other countries find this somewhat amusing, given the barely-disguised poverty in the area; but to the Hellenics it is deadly serious.

[snakefing]

I'll cover religion here, mostly a brief overview. Keep in mind, although this is obviously inspired by classical Greek mythology, I've felt free to change a detail here and there to fit the setting a little better.

One thing I haven't worked out yet is the relationships of the various temples with the political heads of each of the major kingdoms and free cities. I'm hoping to get some work in on that soon, but work is interfering in a big way lately. (Start ups can be a bitch. x( ) Any questions or suggestions down that line would certainly stimulate my thinking.

[spoiler=Religion Overview]
Hellenic Religions
The state religion is the worship of Zeus. In his role as King of the Gods, he is seen as providing legitimacy to the ruling class, who he has blessed and rewarded by putting them in positions of authority. At the same time, in his role as the Thunderer, he is seen as both an avenger and protector of the Hellenic people, and a punisher of those who wrongly usurp authority. Because of this close connection between Zeus and the ruling class, the priesthood of Zeus has high status and strong political influence. The common folk do not much worship Zeus, except on civic holidays and similar occasions. Zeus' symbol, as usual, is the thunderbolt. His domains are Law and Protection, with probably a couple good Lightning type spells thrown in for good measure.

Perhaps the second most important deity is Artemis, the virgin queen and huntress. In her role as huntress, she is the ruler of the wild rain forests which cover most of the interior portion of the Hellenic Kingdoms. She is frequently worshipped by hunters, woodsmen, and any who have reason to enter the forests. These folk seek protection from wild animals, permission to take the fruits of the forest, good luck in hunting, or other such boons. In her role as the virgin queen, she is the patron of maidens and protector of women's virtue. Her priestesses are often involved in instructing girls and young women in morals, proper behavior, and a variety of practical crafts. However, they also have a well-known dark side as the deadly avengers of crimes against women. Their mark is the black-shafted arrow with green fletching, which can be used as a warning or an instrument of sudden death. Men can not enter the service of Artemis, but often woodsmen and rangers are close allies. Her symbols are a silver crescent moon, a spear, or bow and arrow. Her domains are Animal and Plant.

Demeter is a lesser goddess, though still quite popular on the island of Katros where they have extensive grain fields. Her symbol is a stylized bee. Her domains are Earth and Plant.

Hera is another important deity, as the patron of marriage and motherhood. (In this sense, she combines facets of the classical Greek deities Hera and Hestia.) As the wife of Zeus, she symbolizes the proper authority of the elder women over all manner of domestic affairs. Her rituals are also important as part of childbirth and christening. Marriage ceremonies often symbolically portray the passage of the bride from the domain of Artemis the maiden, to that of Hera the matron. Because the affairs of the household and those of the business and political world often overlap, there is often some friction between her priestesses and those of Zeus. When the priestesses of Hera are displeased, somehow things have a way of going wrong, until they are appeased. The symbols of Hera are the peacock and a stylized burning hearth. Her primary domain is Community. Possibly her priestesses would gain benefits to blessings and curses in some way.

Given the importance of fishing and sea travel to the Hellenes, it is only natural that Poseidon would be an important god, certainly rivalling Artemis in significance. As in classical myth, Poseidon is a capricious but powerful god, who requires frequent sacrifices to propitiate him. Fishermen, sailors, and sea traders can often be found praying for fair skies, calm seas, and a bountiful catch. It is often said that Poseidon is served by a race of undersea merlings, though no one in living memory has seen one. Or at least, they haven't survived to tell the tale. The symbols of Poseidon are the trident and, interestingly enough, the horse. His domains are Sea and Air/Weather/Storm.

Apollo rounds out the major deities. He is the god of beautiful things --- art, danse, verse, and the like. He is also associated with knowledge and divination, and with healing. His worship is probably not one of the most popular, but having a temple to Apollo is what proves that a city has attained a certain level of wealth and culture. He is also often associated with many forms of athletic competition. His symbol is the lyre. His domains are Healing, Knowledge, and Light/Glory. Many of his worshippers are also bards.

There are other deities that may be locally important. Ares can be popular amongst soldiers, but the battle madness he inspires is perhaps a bit too uncontrollable. Dionysus has popular annual festivals but is otherwise not that important. Aphrodite is more spoken and written about than actually worshipped. Hephaestus is popular only amongst metal workers. Hermes is often given a token sacrifice by travelers before a journey. The Triple Goddess (Hecate) is said to be invoked in secret rituals and witchcraft. But these deities do not usually have proper temples. Instead, people may set up shrines in their private homes, at crossroads, in inns and taverns, or as a small section of a larger temple.
[/spoiler]

[snakefing]

Hah! I forgot the most interesting, and oddest, deity of them all - Hades. According to classical Greek myth, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades divided the earth, sea, and underworld between them. Hades is the keeper of the dead, and certainly a figure of mystery and dread - yet not really evil per se. His priests (few as they are) are generally neutralish in approach, but their strange obsession with the afterworld marks them apart from society all the same.

Of all the Hellenic deities, only Hades has any power over undead - these being rare in their lands as Hades does not lightly give up control over his own. Furthermore, generally only Hades has the power to perform resurrections. Other deities (esp. Apollo) can raise the dead, so long as their spirits have not yet crossed the River Styx into the underworld. Once there, you have to deal with Hades to get them released.

I'm kind of torn right now between doing a culture and politics write up, or working on a little crunch to go with the various deities. I feel that a lot of the domains and powers need a little tweaking, but I'm just not that inspired right now.

[snakefing]

Nothing new lately, I've been too busy, but I'd like to request a few ideas. I know you are out there reading this, so here's a chance to put in your two cents.

I'm trying to come up with some crunch for a few things, and partly because of time constraints, I'm not getting very far. Here's what I'm looking for:

[spoiler=Hoplite - NPC Class]
Hoplite - Historically, the hoplite was a citizen soldier, expected to maintain their own kit and take it off to war when called on. These were usually the middle-class types, because they could afford the equipment. Typical kit mit be helmet, breastplate, shield, spear, and a smallish sword. Since each soldier provided his own equipment, the equipment in a single unit could be quite varied. They'd fight in phalanx formation, often massing together for a big push to try to break up opposing formations. I'd model this as low level Warriors because they aren't really trained fighters. So some set of typical equipment, stats, and feats for hoplites up to, say, level 4 Warrior.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Peltast - NPC Class]
Peltast - The peltast was more of a light skirmisher, drawn from the lower classes that couldn't afford hoplite gear. Lighter armor, commonly using javelins for ranged punch, less formation fighting though. I know less about this, so anyone who can help with that would be appreciated. Again, Warrior class but probably lower in level generally.
[/spoiler]

For the Hellenic kingdoms, these types form the bulk of their fighting forces. In the days of the empire, they also had some professional soldiers used for foreign actions. (Historically, Greek armies usually didn't range that far and were more likely to be composed of hoplites, who all had day jobs they were anxious to get back to.) Since the fall of the empire, the Hellenes don't usually maintain standing armies, except for small contingents of marines for ship-to-ship fighting.

Also, I'd like to create a unique class. Either a base or prestige class specific to the Hellenic culture.

[spoiler=Soldier of Arete - PC class]
Soldier of Arete - (Wikipedia article) Arete is usually translated as excellence or virtue. The Soldier or Arete expresses the martial virtues - tough, wily, and strong. He is expected to be physically, mentally, and morally outstanding. He puts it all on the line to serve and protect his society. Generally, this would be somewhere between the fighter and paladin types. He's mentally tough and wily - so maybe some extra will saves, or maybe some related extraordinary abilities, with perhaps a little less in the way of pure fighter feats. Anyway, I'm kind of stuck on prerequisites (if any) and class abilities, and how to balance them.

Update: Based on suggestions, I'll go with something like this:

Soldier of Arete - base class, kind of a replacement for paladins
Skill points: 3/level
Class skills: As a fighter, plus Knowledge (local), Knowledge (history), and Knowledge (nobility)
Saves: All good
BAB: +1/1
Hit dice: d10 (fighter)
Class abilities: Evasion (at 2nd level), Uncanny dodge (at 4th level), Aura of Courage (as paladin), Smite foe (as paladin)
Bonus feats: Fighter bonus feats at level 1, 5, 10, 12, 15, 17, 20

The Soldier of Arete is tough and dependable. They don't have the magical abilities of paladins, they don't have all the fighter feats of a pure fighter, and they don't have the skills of a rogue. But they do combine elements of all three. They are the elite of the elite among the Hellenes, and they command great status and respect.
[/spoiler]

[CYMRO]

I need help on my Soldier of Arete class in Hellenic Kingdoms thread

Soldier of Arete - Arete is usually translated as excellence or virtue. The Soldier or Arete expresses the martial virtues - tough, wily, and strong. He is expected to be physically, mentally, and morally outstanding. He puts it all on the line to serve and protect his society. Generally, this would be somewhere between the fighter and paladin types. He's mentally tough and wily - so maybe some extra will saves, or maybe some related extraordinary abilities, with perhaps a little less in the way of pure fighter feats. Anyway, I'm kind of stuck on prerequisites (if any) and class abilities, and how to balance them.

Start with all good saves/ good BAB.  Add Aura of Courage, smite(any foe instead of evil)per paladin.  Add evasion at 2nd, uncanny dodge at 4th, as per rogue.  Fighter bonus feats at levels 1, 5, 10, 12, 15, 17, 20.

[Tybalt]

A few thoughts:

Have you read the Trojan war epics? Those depict rather well the relationship between the priesthood and the rulers; they are consultants, advisors and yet also emissaries of the gods. From the sound of it you have a pretty good idea about this stuff already...I guess just to bear in mind that in the Greek mythos the gods are an everyday fact of life...they are in one sense very powerful and yet have desires and appetities and conflicts just like human beings.

I would also recommend not leaving out the other element of things like the old order of the Titans still kicking around.

You will I trust also put stuff in about chariots and ships and that kind of thing...

[snakefing]

Start with all good saves/ good BAB.  Add Aura of Courage, smite(any foe instead of evil)per paladin.  Add evasion at 2nd, uncanny dodge at 4th, as per rogue.  Fighter bonus feats at levels 1, 5, 10, 12, 15, 17, 20.

I rather like it, insofar as it captures the spirit of the thing quite well. No really nifty abilities, but really, quite the walking tank. All good saves, and evasion, and uncanny dodge. d10 hit dice. Full BAB and martial proficiencies. He'll have good resistance against spells and good hit points in melee, and hard to catch off guard too. The only real weakness is a relative lack of offensive punch, depending on his feat selections.

I think I'd add some extra skills to the class skill list, maybe Knowledge (history, nobility, local). Perhaps add a skill point per level, that is, 3+INT every level. Then again maybe not.

Code of conduct: The Soldier of Arete doesn't really have a strict code of conduct, but he is expected to be completely loyal to his society and especially his city. If he is suspected of being disloyal, or if he ever switches allegiance, he can be ostracized (expelled from his city). If this happens, he does not lose his abilities but he can no longer gain levels of Soldier of Arete. This makes the class most suitable for those with non-chaotic alignments, if you play with alignments.

[CYMRO]

I think I'd add some extra skills to the class skill list, maybe Knowledge (history, nobility, local). Perhaps add a skill point per level, that is, 3+INT every level.

Definitely a good idea.

[snakefing]

Thinking of this, I imagine Ajax and Hector smiting each other up and down the battlefield for a full day.

[snakefing]

Have you read the Trojan war epics? Those depict rather well the relationship between the priesthood and the rulers; they are consultants, advisors and yet also emissaries of the gods. From the sound of it you have a pretty good idea about this stuff already...I guess just to bear in mind that in the Greek mythos the gods are an everyday fact of life...they are in one sense very powerful and yet have desires and appetities and conflicts just like human beings.

I would also recommend not leaving out the other element of things like the old order of the Titans still kicking around.

You will I trust also put stuff in about chariots and ships and that kind of thing...

The common folk among the Hellenes take religion generally quite seriously. But unlike many other cultures, they don't generally feel compelled to worship any one deity primarily. At different times of the year, they'll have festivals or holy days dedicated to one or another deity. When starting a journey, they'll donate a few coins or make a small sacrifice to Hermes, to assure good fortune on their travels. If sailing out to sea, they'll perform a small ritual to honour Poseidon's dominant role.

I'd like to have some special sites similar to the Oracle at Delphi. Hecate has a sort of underground sisterhood of witches - not evil, instead dedicated to standard witchcraft fare, like simple healing draughts, love philtres, minor curses and blessings, simple glamours, and the like.

I'm not sure about the old powers - Rhea, Cronus, Gaea, and the like. They'll be at most slumbering powers that might awaken and rumble a bit from time to time. They've been defeated and locked out by the Olympians. Still, who can tell what ancient things might be found in the wild lands to their north. These areas are still only thinly settled by older tribal groups. (Perhaps Thracians? I haven't decided.) And some of the erstwhile colonies of the imperial period.

Chariots - not so much. Their terrain is not suitable. In the wake of the crumbling of their empire, they've developed a new fighting tactic - a martial order of rangers and scouts. In the final defense of Esep, they trained and sent out several companies of scouts in the rain forest, slipping past enemy lines by ones and twos. The rangers tend toward birds for animal companions - hawks, parrots, or sea eagles. Using their trained birds to coordinate their movements, they move in behind the enemy, reform as a coherent light infantry and missile force, strike quickly at unguarded supply lines, then break up and disappear into the forest again. As a defensive tactic, it is almost unbeatable in their home terrain.

But the sea, well, that is their element. Their coastal cities are blessed with a steady supply of strong naval timber, and they've been sailing for so long that their ships are easily the fastest and toughest in the area. During the time of empire, the taxes and wealth of the empire supported a large and potent navy. At present time, it is much reduced in size, but no less in quality. Unfortunately I'm not an expert on naval history, so I've little more to say on that until I do more research.