A Classical Greece Setting for Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition Created by Paul Elliott

INTRODUCTION

Centaur, chimera, dryad, griffon, hydra - creatures like these litter the pages of D&D's Monster Manual. Creatures from Greek myth. Of course, there are plenty of other entries that would fit nicely into a Greek campaign with a suitable name change: merfolk (Greek tritons), giants, wraiths and so on. The great pull of roleplaying the ancient Greeks, however, is not the 'fit' of many monsters or races, but the unique and atmospheric society of the day. Nodding horse-hair crests, long-shadowed spears, many-columned temples of marble, triremes surging across turquoise seas guided by painted eyes on the prow, phalanxes of grim hoplites, unconformist philosophers debating science under shady colonnades ... classical Greece.  Heroes of Delphi, as a fantasy supplement, gives you a way to mix the vividly historical with the monsters and magic of Greek myth. We get both halves of Greece - as long as you enjoy a little 'imaginative interpretation' at the expense of rigorous historical accuracy. The aim of the book is firstly to map out the amendments and rules additions needed to convey the Greek setting. Secondly it is to provide a solid gaming 'hook' taken straight out of classical Greek history that can be used as a foundation for building scenarios and campaigns. The hook I've chosen is the Third Sacred War, a violent and bitter struggle in the mid-4th century BC for the holy shrine of Apollo at Delphi (hence the term 'Sacred War'). With its focus on a religious shrine the Heroes of Delphi campaign can legitimately be pumped full of magic and supernatural elements. We can tap D&D's epic potential to build a conflict of vast and unearthly proportions. One of the important historical aspects of the Third Sacred War is the intervention of the new Macedonian king, Philip - father of Alexander the Great. Using this war as a foot in the door, Philip later conquered the entire Greek penninusula. In Heroes of Delphi the player characters get a chance to stop Philip and battle his allies, both human and monstrous! Why not leave the field open for DM's to pick any date? Well historically the Greeks were constantly at war with each other. Long term rivalries, feuds, petty bickerings, alleigances, leagues, differing governmental systems and competing interests meant that the Greeks never enjoyed co-operation. There was never a Greek nation in ancient times. There were very occasionally unifying events such as the Persian invasions of 490 and 480 BC, but even these epic battles for Greek survival were marred by infighting. The Third Sacred War is one of these epic unifying events. Too late, the Greek city states realised that the barbarian Philip and his Macedonians posed a threat to the future of Greece. Spartans and Athenians fought on the same side (a rare event!). To see just how deep the Greek rivalries could get take a look at the ultimate Greek-on-Greek conflict: the Peloponnesian War (431 - 404 BC). A war that is filled with bone-shuddering atrocities. Disclaimer Dungeons and Dragons, D&D and D20 are all copyright terms belonging to Wizards of the Coast. Heroes of Delphi is an unofficial gaming supplement written by Paul Elliott designed to be used using D&D and the D20 system. No infringement on the copyright of D&D or D20 is intended, and no profits are sought from the dissemination of this publication.

CONTENTS

Introduction The Sacred War Apollo and His Shrines Characters of Ancient Greece Weapons and Equipment Combat - Greek Style The Greek Gods The Adventures Begin! Monsters and Magic Aspects of Greece Links and References

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