I was reading through my copy of Gurps Greece the other day when it struck me. Heroic/Homeric/Bronze Age/Mycenaean Greece would be a great setting for Barbarians of Lemuria. Think about it. The heroes of the time were larger than life, kick butt types. Think of Hercules or Achilles. Or they could be extremely wily as Odysseus was. Most of them did not use magic directly though some used magic-type items. The items the gods lent Perseus fall into this category.
Also you could scale the level of fantastic to suit your tastes. You could play it almost strictly "historical" by having inter-kingdom conflict, trade and social interplay be the main focus of the game. You could include realistic depictions of the sources of the myths. The origin of the centaur myth comes to mind. Or you could take it up a notch to include some of the real creatures faced by various heroes. I'm thinking of the Nemean lion, the various boars and bulls, the terrible birds, etc. Real creatures made particularly fierce or nasty. Or you could take it up another level by including the non-realistic creatures such as the Minotaur or the hydra. And finally you could have a full blown fantasy world including meddling gods, an array of monsters, and weird demi-humans. Or you could mix-and-match to taste.
Has anybody thought of this in connection with Barbarians of Lemuria? Has anybody created stats for Greek heroes? How would you stat up Hercules, for example? Any thoughts, comments or suggestions?
I also posted this on Rpg.net here.
You're definitely on to something here. It's almost 3 a.m. where I am, though, so I'm not coherent enough to say what. :)
ReplyDeleteWow, you're up late. It's just shy of 1 a.m. here. Any suggestions you may have, particularly re: The Iliad and the Odyssey, would be appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great idea! Heck go back further into the Bronze Age and you have a ready made enemy in the "Sea Peoples" Egyptians as mystics, figure out why the pyramids were really built!
ReplyDelete(G-Man)
ReplyDeleteI statted Achilles and Odysseus on the Lords of Lemuria forum ("Statting Classic S&S Characters")--sorry, I'm too technically challenged to include the hyperlink.
BOL works well with Heroic Age Greece. I added some additional careers (Amazon, Athlete, Philosopher, etc.), got rid of some standard ones that don't fit (Alchemist, Gladiator), and tweaked the combat rules to make shield-fighting more attractive.
Many of the existing boons can be used without modification other than name-changes for color. Divine Ancestry, for example, can be simulated by Marked by the Gods.
Also, when spending a hero point, it's more appropriate to imagine some god or goddess intervening on your hero's behalf, i.e. Athena nudges your spear in flight so it hits (paying a hero point to re-roll).
Possible stats for Heracles:
ReplyDeleteStr--8
Agl--3
Mnd--1
App--4 (factoring in his rep.)
Noble--1
Shepherd--1
Athlete--3
Hero--4 *(special career option)
Brawl--4
Melee--3
Ranged--3
Defense--1
LB: 20
HP: 6
Boons:
Marked by the Gods (son of Zeus)
Hard to Kill (Demigod)
Divine Strength
Strength Feat
Giant Weapons
Flaws:
Fated (short glorious life--counts as 2 flaws)
Hera's Curse (fits of rage)
Divine Enemy (Hera)
Hecules wields a giant club (base damage d6+2+1d3, before adding Str) and wears the skin of the Nemean Lion as armor (proof against weapon attacks, 'activates' on 1-4 on a d6). He carries a bow, the arrows tipped with deadly Hydra venom (fatal if struck, no 'save').
*Ranks in the 'Hero' career can only be taken after a character begins play. It covers anything a classic hero should know--very handy!
Here's the link to the thread G-Man mentioned above. The one containing Achilles and Odysseus.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.freeyabb.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=465&mforum=d6fantasy