My campaign is set in a fantasied-up Greece (it's actually Greece in the far far future) centred on the Greek gods and arcane magic being completely banned.
I've assigned all the gods with Domains, but not favoured weapons. Poseidon will obvious obviously have a trident but for the others I'm a bit stuck. The most important one will be Hera's, as there's an Inquisitor of Hera in the party looking to fill a melee role as well. Any suggestions appreciated!!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Zeus, Javelin
Hera, Dagger
Poseidon, Trident
Demeter, Quaterstaff or sickle
Athena, Spear or even a shield
Apollo, Longbow
Artemis, Longbow
Ares, Spear
Aphrodite, Dagger
Hephaistus, Warhammer
Hermes, Quaterstaff
Hestia, Dagger
Dionyseus, Unarmed Strike,
Hades, Warfork
Do not forget the traditional weapons of war in greece were the spear.
(Phalanx)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Eris: Rubber chicken.
Quarterstaff? She seems to be depicted with a staff pretty consistently.
Athena - Spear
Apollo - Bow
Hephaestus - Hammer
Hermes - Mace? (Cadudeus)
Ares - Sword?
It's tricky because a lot of them like spears, bows, and staffs, it's not as diverse as you might like for gameplay purposes.
The setting will limit things a bit, as Anachrony and Helikon say. Just about the only sword used in Ancient Greece would be a shortsword, and apart from that the spear was the primary martial weapon.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Pallas Athena was sometimes shown with spear and shield, also with short sword and shied. But as the goddess of defensive war her favorite weapon "Could be the shield". It would be a nice twist to have the clerics favorite weapon a shield in my honest opionion.
Hermes is always shown with the Cadudeus, a quarterstaff with 2 serpents. Now I think booth would be workable.
Ares weapon of choice "should" also be the spear. Not sexy I know, but "the" Weapon of greek warfare, was the spear. Especially in their favorite formation, the phalanx wich made the spear even more deadly.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
deites and demigods from wotc should have info as well.
^Beat me to it. If I'm able to later, I'll post their stuff up.
Thanks for the ideas everyone! There's going to be a wider selection because it's in the future, but regressed back into the pre-Classical period with a few differences.
I'm making a city for every major god, and those cities have aspects closely tied to their patron deity. For example, Posagos, Poseidon's city, floats on the sea and can be moved around by a huge service of water elementals.
I'm struggling on the cities for Dionysos, Hera and Hermēs. What obvious aspects do they have that can be expressed through a city? :/
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Dionysos is for sure the party town. Maybe with loads of wineyards around. You go there for all the nice things of live.
For Hermes a city at a crossroad, specialising in trade and a huge medical facility. Hera has a city very traditional with a matriachat in control.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So Las Vegas for Dionysus, also Hermes' city should also have a thriving thieves guild...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
You should have twelve cities if you want them to correspond to the Big Twelve.
Hades isn't considered one of them, he stayed in the underworld so you might make his home a massive prison.
Hera is associated with marriages, childbirth (and abortion), cattle are one of her major symbols as is the triple goddess. So maybe a nunnery/school with a history of animal husbandry or some overlap with Demeter's agricultural city. I would make Hera's city a sister city to Zeus' city, maybe across a valley or river, but with his on higher ground. It could be the town everyone lives in and leaves their families in while they commute to Zeus' metropolis to work and govern (and wallow in corruption, like affairs with their mistresses).
Dionysus' city = Las Vegas + a little Sodom (not a sin to the Greeks) and Gomorrah.
Hermes' city should be a center of commerce and communication.
Alright, I've put this off long enough. The Deities & Demigods entries! I'm adding most of the information basically for completeness' sake. I'd suggest you tailor everything to your game instead of using these entries exactly as written
Zeus (CG, greater)
- Domains: air, chaos, good, nobility, strength, weather
- Portfolio: sky, air, storms, fate, nobility
- Weapon: shortspear or halfspear [huge +5 shocking burst thundering]
- Classes: 20 outsider, 20 barbarian, 20 fighter, 10 cleric
- Possessions: aegis (huge +5 heavy fortification steel shield; grant frightful presence special ability, radius 10, will DC 50)
- Unique Power: Creative Blood (take 20 damage from a single attack, spawn on the ground below a CR 11-14 [dungeon level 10+1d4; random encounter]; does not function in water or with no gravity)
Aphrodite (CG, intermediate)
- Domains: chaos, charm, good
- Portfolio: love, beauty
- Weapon: dagger [small +5 chaotic dancing]
- Classes: bard 20, cleric 10, sorcerer 10
- Unique Power: Curse of Madness (when angered as a glance, can make a mortal impotent [if male] or insane; treat as a permanent insanity with no save)
- Unique Power: Empowered Inspiration (Divine Inspiration [desire, love, or lust] can affect deities of any rank; the DC uses double the divine rank instead of just the divine rank; only Athena, Artemis, and Hestia are said to be immune)
Apollo (CG, intermediate)
- Domains: good, healing, knowledge, magic, sun
- Portfolio: light, prophecy, music, healing
- Weapon: (composite) longbow [huge +5 mighty speed disruption holy composite {+7 STR}]
- Classes: outsider 20, fighter 9, bard 20, wizard 10, cleric 10
- Unique Arrows: +5 arrows that place Apollo's plague (supernatural disease) on hit (Su) [fortitude DC 23, incubation 1 day, 1d4 CON and DEX] (3 lbs. for 20 arrows)
Ares (CE, intermediate)
- Domains: chaos, destruction, evil, war
- Portfolio: war, killing, strife
- Weapon: shortspear [+5 chaotic unholy ghost touch]
- Classes: outsider 20, cleric 20, fighter 20
- Possession: +5 heavy fortification breastplate, +5 large steel shield
Artemis (NG, intermediate)
- Domains: animal, good, plant, sun
- Portfolio: hunting, wild beasts, childbirth, dance
- Weapon: shortsword [+5 keen]
- Classes: outsider 20, druid 20, ranger 20
- Possessions: huge +5 mighty speed composite longbow, +5 arrows
Athena (LG, greater)
- Domains: artifice, community, good, knowledge, law, war
- Portfolio: wisdom, crafts, civilization, war
- Weapon: shortspear [+5 holy lawful speed]
- Classes: outsider 20, fighter 20, cleric 20
- Possessions: +5 breastplate, +5 greater fortification heavy steel shield (bears likeness of the first medusa, activated 1/rnd at will free activation, gaze 150 ft. v. mortals; will save v. turned to stone); helm (radiates antimagic field variable 10-150 ft. [altered, on, or off as a free action])
Demeter (N, lesser)
- Domains: earth, plant, protection
- Portfolio: agriculture
- Weapon: spear [+5]
- Classes: outsider 20, druid 20, wizard (abjurer) 20
- Unique Rites: Eleusinian Mystery cult
Dionysus (CN, intermediate)
- Domains: chaos, destruction, madness
- Portfolio: mirth, madness, wine, fertility, theater
- Weapon: quarterstaff [huge +5 chaotic]
- Classes: outsider 20, bard 15, druid 15, ranger 10
- Unique Power: Empowered Inspiration (Divine Inspiration [frenzy] can affect unlimited number of creatures (no save) engaged in his orgiastic rites)
- Unique Power: Water to Wine (change any amount of liquid within sight to fine wine)
- Unique Rites: Orphic Mystery cult
Hades (NE, greater)
- Domains: death, earth, evil
- Portfolio: death, underworld, earth, wealth
- Weapon: longsword [huge +5 unholy bastardsword]
- Classes: outsider 20, fighter 20, rogue 10, assassin 10
- Unique Move: burrow equal to land
Hecate (NE, intermediate)
- Domains: creation, evil, knowledge, magic
- Portfolio: moon, magic, abundance, undead
- Weapon: dagger [small +5 ghost touch keen unholy; mortals hit are treated as undead controlled by Control Undead power]
- Classes: outsider 20, wizard 20, cleric 20
- Unique Power: Dark Celerity (at night, all spells are quickened as if by metamagic feat quicken at no increase or cost; limit 1/rnd)
Hephaestus (NG, intermediate)
- Domains: artifice, community, earth, fire, good
- Portfolio: smithing, crafts
- Weapon: warhammer [huge +5 flamingburst]
- Classes: outsider 20, fighter 15, cleric 12, expert 8
Hera (N, greater)
- Domains: community, nobility, protection, trickery
- Portfolio: marriage, women, intrigue
- Weapon: light mace [large +5 thundering heavy mace]
- Classes: outsider 20, rogue 20, wizard 20
Hercules (CG, demigod)
- Domains: chaos, good, luck, strength
- Portfolio: strength, adventure
- Weapon: great club [+5]
- Classes: barbarian 20, fighter 20
- Possessions: +5 mighty distance composite {+4} longbow, skin of the Nemian Lion [+10 armor bonus, halves all piercing and slashing damage]
Hermes (CG, intermediate)
- Domains: chaos, good, luck, travel, trickery
- Portfolio: travel, commerce, thieves, gambling, running
- Weapon: quarterstaff [+5 speed holy]
- Classes: outsider 20, rogue 20, wizard 20
- Unique Power: gust of wind (whenever he takes a move action, he can create a blast of light, moderate, strong, or severe wind that spreads 150 ft. along his path)
- Possessions: Cadeuceus (see above; gift from Apollo); grants Control Creature (animals) power; only functions for those with divine rank
Hestia (NG, lesser)
- Domains: community, good, protection
- Portfolio: home, hearth, family
- Weapon: dagger [small +5 flamingburst]
- Classes: outsider 20, expert 20
Nike (LN, demigod)
- Domains: law, nobility, war
- Portfolio: victory
- Weapon: light mace [large +5 lawful wounding heavy mace]
- Classes: outsider 20, fighter 20, cleric 20
Pan (CN, lesser)
- Domains: animal, chaos, plant
- Portfolio: nature, passions, shepherds, mountains
- Weapon: unarmed strike [large gore attack]
- Classes: outisder 20, druid 20, bard 10, barbarian 10
- Possessions: huge +5 shortbow, +3 arrows, pan pipes (inspire goodwill among all mortals within 20 ft.; will DC = perform check; affected think of Pan as a dear friend and comrade; does not function in hands without divine rank)
Poseidon (CN, greater)
- Domains: chaos, earth, water
- Portfolio: sea, rivers, earthquakes
- Weapon: trident [huge +5 spellstoring thundering returning]
- Classes: outsider 20, barbarian 20, druid 20
Tyche (N, lesser)
- Domains: luck, protection, travel
- Portfolio: good fortune
- Weapon: short sword [luck blade]
- Classes: outsider 20, rogue 20, cleric 10, sorcerer 10
- Unique Attack: touch can deal 1d8 CON drain (no save)
The Academy (NG, [none; it's not a deity, but a philosophy])
- Domains: good, knowledge
- Portfolio: good, truth, beauty
- Weapon: quarterstaff
- Classes: [none; it's not a creature, but a philosophy]
Hope that helps! I might have made a few mistakes (though, yes, Hercules has no outsider HD and Hestia is only an expert and nothing else), but I think I got most of it. Later!
Both Apollo and Artemis should be using recurved (composite) shortbows. In addition, Apollo's arrows were capable of spreading disease: in the Iliad, he fires arrows at the Achaean camp in retribution for Agamemnon kidnapping his priest's daughter.
Hera is never described as armed, to my knowledge. A better idea might be to remember that the gods often transformed themselves into different creatures. The 3E/3.5E Deities and Demigods even had mechanics for that sort of thing (I think). The same would apply to other Greek gods as well: Aphrodite, Demeter, and Dionysus are never shown armed, to my knowledge.
Hermes' weapon should not be a quarterstaff. It's rod-size, at best, and I imagine it should function as such. There are magical rods that also function as magical weapons, so I imagine they could serve as a good springboard for what a god's weapon might do.
Zeus will require a special at will ability that he (ideally) can perform more than once a round - something like at an at will Lightning Bolt or Chain Lightning, etc.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Hermes' weapon should not be a quarterstaff. It's rod-size, at best, and I imagine it should function as such. There are magical rods that also function as magical weapons, so I imagine they could serve as a good springboard for what a god's weapon might do.
Zeus will require a special at will ability that he (ideally) can perform more than once a round - something like at an at will Lightning Bolt or Chain Lightning, etc.
But you're describing the actual Gods, who are traditionally never actually statted out in Pathfinder, so you don't need the mechanics of how their actual weapons work.
What the OP was about is what the followers of those Gods would use as their preferred weapon. These are normally just a standard category of weapon, not a specific magic artifact. The typical followers of Zeus and Hermes are not going to have actual lightning bolts and magic rods.
For a rank and file low level cleric, javelin seems like a decent approximation for Zeus. While Caduceus is technically described as a "staff" and would functionally be most similar to a "rod" in game terms, I think the closest mundane approximation to a stubby little rod with no special magical powers might be to call it a mace.
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
I recommend Sean K. Reynold's The New Argonauts. It's free, and right on the site!
Linky to the free PDF....it is really good!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I'm struggling on the cities for Dionysos, Hera and Hermēs. What obvious aspects do they have that can be expressed through a city? :/
Yeah, Dionysus is easy. Las Vegas, with a touch of Florida Spring Break and Napa Valley viticultural sophistication.
Hermes is more Wall Street. It should be a major hub of trade, transportation, and communication. A world class hospital facility. Underbelly of thievery and financial crimes.
Hera's should be a bit more rural than either of those. She has a strong association with cattle, so there should be a ranching industry on the periphery. She's a complicated one. Hard to pin down how her attributes would be reflected in a city.
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
Don't follow D&D's all-too-American example of saddling Herakles with his Roman name. I know it's popular, but you earn so many more geek points using his original name. :)
Hera has a city very traditional with a matriachat in control.And stiff penalties for adultery.
That don't separate perpetrator from victim.
Hera was pretty terrible
Plus, Hera seemed to be quite cool to anyone who was a) respecting her and b) not romantically involved with her husband. Which, even with said husband being Zeus, left roughly 95% of the greek world :)
Also, iirc in the Iliad there was a moment where Hera got angry, took Artemis' weapons and beat her with them. That probably deserves IUS, I'd imagine..
"With these words, Hera caught both arms of Artemis
in her left hand. With her right she grabbed the bow
snatching it and its quiver off her shoulders.
Then she slapped her with those weapons. As she did so,
Hera smiled to see Artemis twist away and squirm."
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Got it. Kentaurs, Kerberos, Athene, Odysseus, Hades, Herakles.
It's not the K. It can be transliterated with a C, too. It's the difference between Hercules and Heracles.
You wouldn't call Zeus Jupiter, would you?
Don't follow D&D's all-too-American example of saddling Herakles with his Roman name. I know it's popular, but you earn so many more geek points using his original name. :)
bless you
Edit:10 points to you.
What the OP was about is what the followers of those Gods would use as their preferred weapon. These are normally just a standard category of weapon, not a specific magic artifact. The typical followers of Zeus and Hermes are not going to have actual lightning bolts and magic rods.
For a rank and file low level cleric, javelin seems like a decent approximation for Zeus. While Caduceus is technically described as a "staff" and would functionally be most similar to a "rod" in game terms, I think the closest mundane approximation to a stubby little rod with no special magical powers might be to call it a mace.
Ah, man. I'm embarassed now! :D
Well, I guess I would ask the OP how close he wants his realm to resemble ancient Greece.
Beyond that, I would say it's less important to assign weapons that look the closest to what the gods do than it is to capture how the people themselves fought and what their culture was like.
Culture-wise, to name an example, Zeus grew up on the island of Crete. Every Greek knew that. Now, the double-headed axe never had any particular connection with Zeus - since priests of the Dodekatheon/the Olympic gods are never really shown with weapons in the mythos to begin with - but it IS identified with his "homeland", and thus has a more potent association with him than a weapon that was eminently forgetable to the Greeks (the javelin).
Where Greek fighting traditions are concerned, the OP should figure out what ancient Greek era he's trying to emulate. In the heroic Bronze Age, for example, warriors rode on chariots and fought duels on foot. They threw spears (not javelins) at each other. They supplemented them with swords*, axes, and even clubs. Many of them also favored the shortbow as well.
* And not just shortswords; the warriors of Crete fought with long-bladed, one-handed swords.
Plus, Hera seemed to be quite cool to anyone who was a) respecting her and b) not romantically involved with her husband. Which, even with said husband being Zeus, left roughly 95% of the greek world :)
Also, iirc in the Iliad there was a moment where Hera got angry, took Artemis' weapons and beat her with them. That probably deserves IUS, I'd imagine..
"With these words, Hera caught both arms of Artemis
in her left hand. With her right she grabbed the bow
snatching it and its quiver off her shoulders.
Then she slapped her with those weapons. As she did so,
Hera smiled to see Artemis twist away and squirm."
She DID eventually make peace with Heracles too, after (according to the wiki anyway) he saved her from being raped by a titan.
The OP should remember when designing around the Greek and Roman gods that they are exemplars of what their spheres of influences are. Hera was the "Ultimate Wife" Loyal (she didn't attack her husband, just his lovers), beautiful (and she knew it), dutiful (she maintained the household and family). Zeus was the "Ultimate Man" Powerful (King, Lightning Bolts), Wise (he outwitted his enemies as often as he destroyed them), and very, very virile (so much so that, as in the <<- link, he just couldn't be contained).
In Hellas, a "Bronze Age Greeks with spaceships and colony worlds!" setting (it makes sense in context), the creators took the Olympian pantheon and "regularised" the gods' names, splitting them into two groups of three male and three female deities, each god's name ending in "-on" and each goddess's in "-ia". The gods in each group of six all start either with A or H, as appropriate.
Thus Demeter, goddess of agriculture, becomes Aemoton, the Farmer, and Zeus (with his myriad portfolios) becomes Heuson, the Father. Dionysus, god of wine and merriment (along with Hellas' version of Hades), is left out of the Twelve, being recast as Aionisia, the Wanderer.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
To be fair, she had to marry her brother and then see him commit adultery thousands of times with everything that moved. And the one time she talked him into having a kid, it turned out to be Ares. A certain crabbiness is understandable.
One thing to note about all "Greek" Mythology is that it's mostly Athenian mythology. If you want proof look no further than Ares and Hera. Athens' biggest enemies were Sparta and Argos. Wanna guess who were the patron gods of those two settlements? If you guessed Ares for Sparta and Hera for Argos, no s!!+. If you asked a Spartan about Ares he'd probably tell you something closer to what a Roman thought about Mars. Same thing for Argives and Hera. Having them be more sympathetic and Athena be less friggin' perfect would be a good twist if you want.
Also Pluto wasn't evil. In fact, he was one of the better gods towards mortals. He, as king of all under the Earth, was the god of wealth due to his control of metals. So that could help with city design.
Also Pluto wasn't evil. In fact, he was one of the better gods towards mortals. He, as king of all under the Earth, was the god of wealth due to his control of metals. So that could help with city design.
Pluto wasn't a Greek god. I believe he was actually descended from an Etruscan deity and (of course) promoted by the Romans.
Pluto was the Romanization of Hades.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
One thing to note about all "Greek" Mythology is that it's mostly Athenian mythology. If you want proof look no further than Ares and Hera. Athens' biggest enemies were Sparta and Argos. Wanna guess who were the patron gods of those two settlements? If you guessed Ares for Sparta and Hera for Argos, no s~*#.
I've never bothered to read up on Hera and Argos, but you are not correct when it comes to Sparta and Ares.
In his detailed writings, Pausanias tells us that, of the 150 holy places in Sparta, only three were dedicated to Ares. Of those, only one was in Sparta itself, and in that one he is shown in chains. Pausanias tells us that this is because “[Spartans] think the god of war will never desert them if they keep him in chains; [just as] in Athens they believe Victory will stay with them forever because she has no wings.” (Book III, 15:6).
Athena's temple was the main one in the city. It was also the only one in passed for Sparta's acropolis, and one of only two major monuments in the city proper - the other being Artemis' temple. The city dedicated ten temples, shrines, and sanctuaries to Athena, six to Zeus, and five to Aphrodite. Apollo was also far more important to the city than Ares (as shown in their various festivals dedicated to the god of light and music), as were the Dioscouri (the city's ancestral hero-twins) and a number of other heroes and demigods.
Ares is often depicted with a sword and that might help differentiate him from Athena.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Aye, twelve cities for the Olympians and Hades' is pretty much a huge graveyard shrouded in black fog. The few citizens live underground to be closer to they patron, but I love the idea of a prison too; it's basically a mortal Tartarus.
Thanks to Tacticslion and Healer, they're invaluable! :D
Great idea for Dionysos and Hermēs. I'll have Hermēs' (Tradanos) on the Isthmus of Corinth, called the Hermian Isthmus in Hellathia, where all traders have to pass through to get to and from the Peloponnese and the mainland. Hera's polis (can't think of a name, any help?)
Dionysos' polis, Symphōsi, is a satyr place to cement the wild party aspect.
Sorry I can't respond to everyone before launching into a new question asking for advice. :)
I'm taking quite a few liberties to make things more defined for the players, so Ares will be the patron of Sparta, or Lakeros in my campaign. I think can get away with taking these liberties because (secretly) it's the far future just regressed back. So I can have iron weapons as the norm.
Just if anyone wants to throw other ideas around, here are the very basic foundations for each polis. (Darahnkesh is what Persia has become).
Aphrodite- Limnos- Famed for its liberties and brothels
Apollo- Thraesē- Famed for training best healers and musicians, strong alliance with Dasos
Athena- Ionatha- Centre of learning and wisdom.
Ares- Lakeros- Unbeatable army, trained from the cradle, haloi slave class treated brutally
Artemis- Dasos- Polis hidden away in a forest, inhabitants only women
Demeter- Myagēa- Walls made of thorns, enormous wealth from olives and farming, borders Hera's polis and helps feed cattle
Dionysos- Symphōsi- Near Darahnkesh and trades in wines to the rest of Hellathia. Party town dominated by satyrs, receives sultans and princes from all over Darahnkesh
Hadēs- Necropia- Primarily a mass graveyard shrouded in a permanent dark fog, citizens live underground, huge prison for worst criminals; "mortal Tartarus"
Hephaistos- Phōtadōmi- Situated at the foot of a volcano, heated by geothermal fonts. Steampunk dream, brass and steel. Supplies weapons, arms and gadgets to Hellathia
Hera- ?- Rears cattle, very traditional, incredibly strong fortifications but little in the way of an offensive army. Takes refugees from all over the world so has become a mosaic (not a melting pot) of different cultures and is less racist than the other poleis.
Hermēs- Tradanos- Located between the Peloponnia and the rest of the mainland on the strip of land known as the Hermian Isthmus. Main trading city which attracts foreigners from all over the world.
Poseidon- Posagos- Giant city that floats on water, water elementals can move the city anywhere in times of war for attack or defence
Zeus- Ouranopolis- Vast city built spiralling up in and around Mount Ithara, second highest in Hellathia
BIG QUESTION: I want the final destination to be a fight against Khaos. Yeah, chaos itself. The gods start warring on each other because of rivalries and confusions. Hades amasses an army of the undead for protection and the other gods think this is to invade and refuse to parley. Heroes will quest for the Three Words of the Bottle of the Bound and the army reveals Hellathia is in fact Greece in Earth's future. But this huge war is orchestrated by Khaos who hopes the gods sill destroy creation in the process, allowing himself to hsve sole dominion. So how do I get the players (Level 20 Tier 10) to fight the undefeatable force? I guess only having to send it back to sleep or whatever, but how on Earth do I go about building a stat block for this?
Pluto wasn't a Greek god.
I take that back. Apparently, Pluto was a Greek name, yet I've only ever heard his Greek incarnation referred to as Hades. Of course, "Pluto" has become far more famous as the name for his Romanised version.
Pluto wasn't a Greek god.I take that back. Apparently, Pluto was a Greek name, yet I've only ever heard his Greek incarnation referred to as Hades. Of course, "Pluto" has become far more famous as the name for his Romanised version.
Technically it was Plouton. Pluto is a nickname. Plouton means wealth and was used instead of Hades because the Greeks were afraid of death (big shock.)
The Romans called him Dis Pater. Dis means wealth or riches and Pater means Father. They also used Dis as a nickname. The Archdevil Dispater is named after this.
"[Spartans] think the god of war will never desert them if they keep him in chains; [just as] in Athens they believe Victory will stay with them forever because she has no wings."
That's the point. Ares was the patron of Sparta. The Spartans kept the statue in chains to show that the spirit of war (which the word Ares translates to) was always in Sparta. Just because the stature is weird doesn't mean they didn't hold him as a patron.
Also Argos' most distinctive ancient feature was the Heraion of Argos which was dedicated to her because she was their patron.
|
BIG QUESTION: I want the final destination to be a fight against Khaos. Yeah, chaos itself. The gods start warring on each other because of rivalries and confusions. Hades amasses an army of the undead for protection and the other gods think this is to invade and refuse to parley. Heroes will quest for the Three Words of the Bottle of the Bound and the army reveals Hellathia is in fact Greece in Earth's future. But this huge war is orchestrated by Khaos who hopes the gods sill destroy creation in the process, allowing himself to hsve sole dominion. So how do I get the players (Level 20 Tier 10) to fight the undefeatable force? I guess only having to send it back to sleep or whatever, but how on Earth do I go about building a stat block for this?
Brush up on your Star Trek: The Next Generation and the various superbeings/unstoppable forces they have to deal with.
I was also put in mind of something I saw just by chance years ago....
I'd strongly suggest the final confrontation take many forms - and I don't just mean "you fight it, you kill it, it transforms into something worse, rinse repeat;" eschew the World of Warcraft mold and draw more from puzzle/adventure games like Myst, Chronomaster, Obsidian, The Legend of Kyrandia, and Ecco The Dolphin, as well as the disturbing psychological horror incarnate for which the Silent Hill games are famous. Adventuring should get increasingly surreal toward the end (imagine the PCs having to fight their way across a bunch of M.C. Escher and Salvador Dali landscapes!). There should also be confrontations with all these cities you've made (and here's where some combat can come in) as you try to undo their misguided war efforts - the problem is not actually Khaos, but destructive actions taken in the vain search for Order. You say arcane magic is flat-out banned in this setting - it might be cool if the PCs were introduced to it ("The Forbidden Powers of Khaos") and given opportunity to achieve some degree of mastery over it (in a manner that didn't otherwise necessarily impede their chosen class progession) near the climax, since it turns out to be somehow uniquely necessary to save the day (making them look to others like The Bad Guys, no doubt, but the PCs have come to understand that Man Is The Real Monster). If you wanted to conclude with a giant Big Boss battle royale, you could do worse than a vengeful Ouranos (who is in some respects the original Tharizdun), a final test for all that is unworthy in the Hellenic heart.
The setting will limit things a bit, as Anachrony and Helikon say. Just about the only sword used in Ancient Greece would be a shortsword, and apart from that the spear was the primary martial weapon.
The Kopis was used in Greece as well I believe, which is statted in PF already (it was renamed to "falcata" later in Italy, although the Romans called it a harpe).