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[3.5] Greek Mythology Variant: Pantheon, Spell Lists, Base Classes
[3.5] Greek Mythology Variant: Pantheon, Spell Lists, Base Classes
The Scholarly Approach
“The Greeks want their gods beyond good and evil, enjoying life unfettered, eating, drinking, merrymaking, falling in love and - most notably - bursting into laughter at the slightest provocation: what better way is there to show how carefree they are? It is the famous άσβεστος γέλως, the undying laughter of the Olympians, when, for example, they see the bowlegged Hephaestus, limping and panting, in the role of the beautiful Ganymedes or the lovely Hebe - that is, serving wine to the other gods. Or when they see the illegitimate couple, Aphrodite and Ares, stark naked in bed and entwined in the invisible net that Hephaestus, the cheated husband, had forged. And Zeus laughs heartily when, from up there on Olympus, he watches the other gods down on earth arguing and bickering and about to fight each other.
A deity, as long as it is a human creation, cannot but embody a human ideal, depending on the nature of the pious. As such, the Olympian religion of the Greeks, instead of projecting morally perfect gods, grants them another kind of perfection: a life unbridled not only by death, but also by any other material or moral restriction - which is exactly what humans would give anything to enjoy, but aren’t allowed to have, submitted as they are to natural and human law.”
~ I. Kakridis, “Greek Mythology Vol. II: The Gods”
Re: [3.5] Greek Mythology Variant: Pantheon, Spell Lists, Base Classes
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I. INTRODUCTION
So, modifying 3.5 for Greek Mythology campaigns.The basic concept here is that all spells, (Sp) and (Su) abilities are granted by the gods - there's no “arcane magic” at all. You can gain the favor of only one god. Each god does not grant domains as a side-dish to an otherwise identical spell list, but an entire specialized spell list. (Among other things.) Non-casters also get goodies if a god favors them - and actually I’m assuming that this is the case for every player character. You can think of the benefits as free LA for all, or perhaps something like semi-gestalt.
I won’t list all the little houserules that are in effect, since I’m focusing only on the gods, the spells and abilities they grant, and Player Classes. But for reference, the world does not include alignment, non-human races (at least for now - if I include Nymphs and the like, I’ll need custom Monster Classes that actually fit the setting), undead, familiars, wands, scrolls and similar magic items, lots of spells, most monsters and the standard D&D cosmology.
I haven’t tried to achieve balance (for one, I couldn’t balance casters to save my life) and I aimed mainly for flavor, so if some gods seem to grant too much and others too little, that’s OK. That said, several things are completely unavailable for mortals (most notably, messing with the Planes and Time), and most spells are available exclusively to a few gods. So upper Tier versatility is probably out of the question even for a normal game. (A more thematically appropriate game would be E6 or E10 or even a harsh “no casters allowed” approach. But it’s not strictly necessary, and I didn’t compile 12 freaking spell lists to never use them.)
Of the Twelve Gods, I’ve omitted Hera because her portfolio is rather unconventional for D&D standards, and I added the lesser deity Pan. Spells were chosen from PHB, Spell Compendium, Frostburn, Sandstorm and Stormwrack. The rationale for picking spells and abilities for each deity was compatibility with their personality and achievements as much as their actual portfolio. My main primary sources were:
Homeric Hymns, by anonymous
The Iliad, by Homer
The Odyssey, by Homer
Theogony, by Hesiodus
Metamorphoses, by Ovid
Plays, by Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides and Aristophanes
Classical Lyrical Poetry, by various
The spell lists can also be used in a more conventional Greek Mythology game, or with the Roman Pantheon by simply changing the names.
Zeus = Jupiter
Athena = Minerva
Poseidon = Neptune
Dementer = Ceres
Apollo = Apollo
Artemis = Diana
Hermes = Mercury
Ares = Mars
Aphrodite = Venus
Hephaestus = Vulcan
Dionysus = Liber/Bacchus
Pan = Faunus
__________________ "We need the excuse of fiction to stage what we truly are." ~ Slavoj Žižek
Re: [3.5] Greek Mythology Variant: Pantheon, Spell Lists, Base Classes
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II. New Mechanic: FAVORED OF THE DEITY
Gods in this setting are exceptionally active. And personally active, for that matter - there are no avatars. They are immensely interested in mortal affairs, and they are in the habit of favoring mortal heroes for their own (just or nefarious or plain whimsical) reasons. To represent this, we use a new mechanic called Favored of the Deity.
Each character may choose one patron god or goddess. The Favored character gains a Granted Power, extra class skills, bonus weapon/armor proficiencies and the option to use supernatural abilities, spell-like abilities and spells that derive from classes. (Which is otherwise forbidden.) Each deity grants a different spell list, and the Favored spellcaster has access to the spell list of his patron deity, regardless of class.
Being Favored is much more personal than being a Cleric or Paladin of a D&D deity. A Favored character has seen the deity at least once in a dream or vision - and at high levels, they have probably chatted face to face. It’s also much more loose. Unlike Clerics, Favored characters are not required by their god to be militant about anything, are not considered “champions” of their god or their god’s cause, and will never have to deal with a church hierarchy that dispenses orders. However, it’s still possible to do something grossly inappropriate and fall from favor.
A character may choose to not be Favored, but in that case he cannot take levels in a spellcasting class, neither can he use any supernatural or spell-like ability. The sole exception to this rule is the Factotum (see below).
__________________ "We need the excuse of fiction to stage what we truly are." ~ Slavoj Žižek
Re: [3.5] Greek Mythology Variant: Pantheon, Spell Lists, Base Classes
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III. THE PANTHEON
Designer Notes
Spoiler
The Spell Lists of most deities offer a little bit of everything. Some battlefield control, some buffing, some direct damage, some utility, some save or suck/die spells. But no one gets everything - and not only because prepared full casters do not exist (see Player Classes below).
Scrying and powerful divinations are available only to two gods. Illusions are available to three. Healing (restoration stuff, not cure X wounds) is available to two, fear tactics to three, serious melee buffing to three, teleport to one, Polymorph/Shapechange to one, Dominate to one, elemental manipulation to three and so on. And no one has access to all - or even half - of the above.
Also, some big guns have been nerfed. Shapechange, in all but one cases, applies only to animals or plants or an elemental type - assuming they exist in the setting, which precludes anything exotic. Summoning is similarly restricted to specific creatures.
[The monster roster is severely limited. Basically, anything you can’t find in the mythology itself is out. I handwaved elementals and allowed them as a plausible personification of Air (Zeus), Water (Poseidon) or Fire (Hephaestus) - but not Earth. I also allowed some Plant creatures, with a LOT of refluffing.]
Others spells are completely unavailable: Time Stop, Celerity and Contingencies, Gate and Planar anything, most spells that have to do with etherealness, anything undead-related, anything that triggers on alignment, telepathic bonds, oh, and Raising the Dead. If a comrade falls, you do it the old-fashioned way and descend to Hades to make a deal with Pluto.
All of the above were choices made for the sake of flavor and consistency with the setting. Not for balance or to nerf casters or anything. I believe that still, with all these limitations, casters have amazing power and plenty of options. But players should know what they’re getting into: this isn’t vanilla D&D.
How to read the entries
Skills:
All the listed skills are considered Class Skills for the Favored character, for his entire career. The number in brackets shows how many skill points per level the Generic Spellcaster of each deity gets, multiplying by 4 at 1st level as usual. All other classes get the normal amount of skill points per level.
Weapon/Armor Proficiencies:
Each Favored character gains one bonus weapon proficiency, one bonus armor proficiency and one bonus shield proficiency from the listed ones (if any).
Granted Powers:
Each Favored character must choose only one of the available Granted Powers. Once made, this choice cannot be changed.
Granted Powers are based on Character Level for numeric effects that depend on level (if there are any). When SLAs are granted, the DC is 10 + Half Character Level + Intelligence or Wisdom or Charisma modifier (player’s choice), and the Caster Level is equal to Character Level.
Granted Powers are always Supernatural Abilities unless otherwise noted.
Spell List:
Spellcasting Favored characters have access to the Deity’s spell list - and no other spells from any other source - regardless of class.
__________________ "We need the excuse of fiction to stage what we truly are." ~ Slavoj Žižek
Re: [3.5] Greek Mythology Variant: Pantheon, Spell Lists, Base Classes
Zeus
I’m only interested in two things.
See if you can guess what they are.
Portfolio: sky, air, thunder, leadership, the status quo Skills (4): Climb, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Spot Weapon Proficiencies: all spears, javelin Armor Proficiencies: light and medium armor, shields Granted Powers:
Frightful Presence - or -
Animal Companion: eagle, lion (lvl 7), dire lion (lvl 10), griffon (lvl 10) - or -
Wild Shape: any bird, lion, dire lion, griffon, giant eagle - or -
Path of Augury
Spell List
Spoiler
0 Level: Create Water, Detect Magic, Electric Jolt SpC, Flare, Guidance, Know Direction, Light, Sonic Snap SpC 1st Level: Calm Air Creatures*, Cause Fear, Cloudburst SpC, Command, Deafening Clang SpC, Detect Air Creatures*, Doom, Entropic Shield, Feather Fall, Hail of Stone, Lesser Orb of Electricity SpC, Obscuring Mist, Omen of Peril SpC, Remove Fear, Shocking Grasp, Sonic Blast SpC, Speak with Air Creatures*, Summon Eagle, Thunderhead SpC, Towering Oak SpC, True Strike, Updraft SpC 2nd Level: Augury, Binding Winds, Bird Messenger, Bull’s Strength, Cloud Wings SpC, Eagle’s Splendor, Earthbind SpC, Electric Loop SpC, Fog Cloud, Fox’s Cunning, Gust of Wind, Hold Air Creature*, Iron Thunder SpC, Lesser Energized Electricity Shield SpC, Levitate, Master Air SpC, Owl’s Wisdom, Protection from Arrows, Reduce Air Creature*, Resist Electricity, Scare, Shatter, Sound Burst, Sonic Weapon SpC, Summon Small Air Elemental, Thin AirFrost, Whirling Blade SpC, Whispering Wind, Wings of Air SpC 3rd Level: Capricious Zephyr SpC, Call Lightning, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Dominate Air Creature*, Downdraft SpC, Electricity Energy VortexSpC, Energized Electricity Shield SpC, Favorable WindStorm, Fly, Great Thunderclap SpC, Hailstones SpC, Lightning Bolt, Primal Form (air) SpC, Protection from Electricity, Resonating Blow SpC, Scintillating Sphere SpC, Shatterfloor SpC, Sleet Storm, Sound Lance SpC, Summon Giant Eagle or Lion, Swift Fly, Thunderous Roar SpC, Weapon of Electricity Energy SpC, Weather Eye SpC, Windwall 4th Level: Air Walk, Arc of Lightning SpC, Eye of the Hurricane SpC, Fear, Greater Command, Greater Wings of Air SpC, Ice Storm, Lesser Geas, Orb of Electricity SpC, Rainbow Pattern, Scrying, Solid Fog, Summon Celestial Giant Eagle, Summon Air Elementite Swarm SpC, Thunderlance SpC 5th Level: Ball Lightning SpC, Air Creature Growth*, Blizzard Frost, Boreal Wind Frost, Arc of Lightning, Call Lightning Storm, Cloudkill, Commune, Control Winds, Cyclonic Blast SpC, Mark of Justice, Mind Fog, Moonbow SpC, Overland Flight, Sending, Sonic Rumble SpC, Summon Griffon or Dire Lion, Wind Tunnel SpC 6th Level: Aura of Terror SpC, Chain Lightning, Cloudwalker, Cometfall SpC, Death Hail Frost, Electricity Immunity SpC, Find the Path, Geas/Quest, Imperious GlareSpC, Legend Lore, Mass Bull’s Strength, Mass Eagle’s Splendor, Mass Fox’s Cunning, Mass Owl’s Wisdom, Stormwalk Storm, Summon Huge Air Elemental 7th Level: Cloud-Walkers SpC, Control Weather, Divination, Greater Scrying, Storm of Elemental Fury SpC, Storm Tower SpC, Summon Greater Air Elemental, True Seeing, Vision, Whiteout Frost, Wind Walk 8th Level: Bird Shapes, Demand, Discern Location, Lightning Ring SpC, Lion’s Roar SpC, Moment of Prescience, Polar Ray, Stormrage SpC, Summon Roc, Whirlwind 9th Level: Air Elemental Swarm, Cometstrike Frost, Greater Whirlwind SpC, Meteor Swarm, Shapechange (any air creature* or air elemental) Storm of Vengeance, Summon Air Elemental Monolith, Summon Elder Air Elemental
* Air Creatures are all birds and all winged magical beasts.
__________________ "We need the excuse of fiction to stage what we truly are." ~ Slavoj Žižek
0 Level: Acid Splash, Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Flare, Guidance, Light, Mending, Open/Close, Prestidigitation 1st Level: Alarm, Animate Fire SpC, Animate Rope, Appraising Touch SpC, Burning Hands, Color Spray, Detect Fire, Detect Secret Doors, Endure Elements, Identify, Instant Search SpC, Lesser Orb of Fire SpC, Mage Armor, Magic Stone, Magic Weapon, Produce Flame, Raging Flame SpC, Ray of Flame SpC, Reduce Person, Shield, Slow Burn SpC, Spontaneous Search SpC, Weapon Shift SpC 2nd Level: Aura against Flame SpC, Backbiter SpC, Bull’s Strength, Burning Sword SpC, Chill Metal, Combust SpC, Continual Flame, Earthfast SpC, Find Traps, Fire Trap, Fireball, Fireburst, Flame Blade, Flame Dagger, Flaming Sphere, Fox’s Cunning, Glitterdust, Heat Metal, Knock, Lesser Energized Fire Shield SpC, Levitate, Make Whole, Protection from Arrows, Pyrotechnics, Resist Fire, Scorch SpC, Scorching Ray, Shatter, Silence, Sound Burst, Spiritual Weapon, Splinterbolt SpC, Status, Strength of Stone SpC, Summon Small Fire Elemental 3rd Level: Bands of Steel SpC, Blade Thirst SpC, Body Blaze, Crumble SpC, Darkfire SpC, Diamondsteel SpC, Energized Fire Shield SpC, Explosive Runes, Flame Arrow, Flame of Faith, Fire Energy Vortex SpC, Fire Wings, Greater Magic Weapon, Meld into Stone, Primal Form (Fire)SpC, Protection from Fire, Rust Ray SpC, Searing Light, Shrink Item, Stone Shape, Stony Grasp SpC, Treasure Scent SpC, Weapon of Fire Energy SpC, Word of Binding SpC 4th Level: Blast of Flame SpC, Explosive Cascade SpC, Fire Shield, Fire Stride, Flame Strike, Flame Whips, Mass Reduce Person, Metal Melt SpC, Minor Creation, Orb of Fire SpC, Rusting Grasp, Spike Stones, Stone Sphere SpC, Sudden Stalagmite SpC, Summon Fire Elementite Swarm SpC, Summon Medium Fire Elemental 5th Level: Antifire Sphere, Break Enchantment, Earth Reaver, Fabricate, Firebrand, Greater Fireburst, Greater Stone Shape SpC, Inferno SpC, Major Creation, Mass Fire Shield, Parboil, Sarcophagus of Stone SpC, Shroud of Flame SpC, Stoneskin, Summon Large Fire Elemental, Transmute Mud to Rock, Transmute Rock to Mud, Unearthly Heat, Wall of Fire 6th Level: Animate Objects, Disintegrate, Fire Immunity SpC, Fire Seeds, Fire Spiders, Flesh to Stone, Fires of Purity, Hardening, Howling Chain SpC, Legend Lore, Mass Bull’s Strength, Mass Fox’s Cunning, Move Earth, Stone Tell, Scalding Mud, Stone Body SpC, Stonehold SpC, Stone to Flesh, Summon Huge Fire Elemental, Sympathetic Vibration, Wall of Gears SpC, Wall of Iron, Wall of Magma, Wall of Stone 7th Level: Delayed Blast Fireball, Emerald Flame Fist SpC, Fire Storm, Prismatic Spray, Statue, Summon Greater Fire Elemental, Transmute Metal to Wood, Vision, Vitrify 8th Level: Blackfire SpC, Bombardment SpC, Horrid Wilting, Incendiary Cloud, Iron Body, Maze, Repel Metal or Stone, Scintillating Pattern, Sunburst, True Creation SpC 9th Level: Fire Elemental Swarm, Meteor Swarm, Shapechange (any fire elemental), Summon Elder Fire Elemental, Summon Fire Elemental Monolith, Transmute Rock to Lava SpC
__________________ "We need the excuse of fiction to stage what we truly are." ~ Slavoj Žižek
Re: [3.5] Greek Mythology Variant: Pantheon, Spell Lists, Base Classes
Universal Spells
Designer Notes
Spoiler
Cure X Wounds are now Universal spells, along with Spontaneous Healing, since I’d hate a player to pick Apollo or Demeter not because he likes them, but because otherwise the party would die within the first week. (No wands of Vigor in this setting.)
Contact Other Plane was modified for flavor (and got a Greater Version), and is available to all, because if a god likes you enough to alter reality for you, you should be able to try and call him once in a while.
All casters gain Spontaneous Casting as Cleric (spontaneous healing), and add the following spells to their spell lists.
0 Level: Cure Minor Wounds 1st Level: Cure Light Wounds, Find Temple SpC 2nd Level: Cure Moderate Wounds 3rd Level: Cure Serious Hounds 4th Level: Cure Critical Wounds 5th Level: Mass Cure Light Wounds, Contact Other Plane* 6th Level: Mass Cure Moderate Wounds 7th Level: Mass Cure Serious Wounds 8th Level: Mass Cure Critical Wounds 9th Level: Greater Contact Other Plane**
* The Contact Other Plane options are modified thus:
Deity
Ability Decrease
True Answer
Don't Know
Lie
Random
Demideity
DC 9/1 week
01-44
45-67
66-86
87-100
Lesser Deity
DC 10/2 weeks
01-49
50-70
71-91
92-100
Intermediary
DC 12/3 weeks
01-60
61-57
76-95
96-100
Greater Deity
DC 14/4 weeks
01-73
74-81
82-98
99-100
Primordial
DC 16/5 weeks
01-88
89-90
91-99
100
Demideities include Hercules, Theseus, Chiron, Orion or any other star, Asclepius, etc
Lesser deities are the Charites, Iris, Helios, Selene and Hebe
Intermediary deities are the Titans, the Erinyes, the Muses, Hestia, Pan, Hecate and Persephone
Greater deities are the Twelve Olympians and Hades
Primordials are Uranus, Hemera, Nyx, Tartarus, Erebus, Aether, Oceanus, Tethys and Cronus
You must succeed on a Wisdom check (not Intelligence) or your Intelligence, Charisma and Wisdom scores fall to 8 for the stated duration.
If you are Favored of the Deity you’re trying to contact (or your deity is the target’s patron/ally), you receive a +2 bonus to the wisdom check and a +10% to the chance of receiving a True Answer (subtract from the chance to receive a Lie). This doesn’t apply to contacting Primordial deities.
If you are Favored of a Deity currently hostile to the one you’re trying to contact, you suffer a -2 penalty to the wisdom check, and the chance of receiving a True Answer is reduced by 20% (add to the chance to receive a Lie). This doesn’t apply to contacting Primordial deities.
The percentages are only indicative. For example, if you ask Iris, the messenger of the Gods, if she delivered a message from Zeus to anyone yesterday, she definitely knows the answer - though there’s still a chance she will lie about it.
** Greater Contact Other Plane works as Contact Other Plane, but with the following options instead:
Deity
Ability Decrease
True Answer
Don't Know
Lie
First Born
DC 20/7 week
01-91
92-93
94-100
Fate
DC 24/8 weeks
01-95
-
96-100
The First Born are Chaos, Gaia and Eros.
By contacting “fate” you can speak to Ananke, Clotho, Lachesis or Atropos. These ladies literally know everything.
Being Favored of a specific Deity grants no bonus and imposes no penalty to this wisdom check
__________________ "We need the excuse of fiction to stage what we truly are." ~ Slavoj Žižek
Re: [3.5] Greek Mythology Variant: Pantheon, Spell Lists, Base Classes
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IV. LIST OF GRANTED POWERS
Designer Notes
Spoiler
Some Granted Powers are very strong: getting Bardic Music or Special Mount or Wild Shape or Animal Companion - limited forms notwithstanding - is like getting half a second class. (Marshal’s Auras are like getting an entire second class, but that’s the Marshal’s fault, heh.) Others are boosts of some kind, like Brains over Brawn or Unearthly Grace or Powerful Build. And then there are various Paths, which usually give a skill bonus and some SLAs.
Admittedly, the Granted Powers are not at all similar in, well, power. But I believe that for most character concepts and builds, you will find something useful and appropriate somewhere.
Animal Companion works as the Druid ability. The listed available forms replace (and are not in addition to) the normally available Druid Animal Companions. It is available to the Favored of Zeus, Artemis, Aphrodite, Dionysus and Pan.
Aura of Courage works as the Paladin ability, except that the morale bonus applies to all allies within 5 ft/level. It is available to the Favored of Ares.
Auras work as the Marshal (MiH) ability (minor and major aura progressions, but Determined Caster is not allowed). They are available to the Favored of Athena.
Bardic Music works as the Bard ability. It is available to the Favored of Apollo, Pan (Inspire Awe ACF only) and Dionysus.
Brains over Brawn works as the Factotum ability. It is available to the Favored of Athena (may be wisdom-based) and Hermes.
Craftsman’s Lore grants Lore, as the Cloistered Cleric ability, and a bonus to craft (any, divided as you like) checks equal to HD. Also, it allows the character to take the feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item and Forge Ring. (Item Creation feats are otherwise unavailable.) Craftsman’s Lore is available to the Favored of Athena, Hermes and Hephaestus.
Frightful Presence works as the Dragon ability, and the DC is 10 + half Character Level + Charisma modifier. It is available to the Favored of Ares, Pan and Zeus.
Powerful Build works as the Goliath ability. It is available to the Favored of Ares and Hephaestus.
Special Mount grants the Wild Cohort feat (which applies only to specific creatures, see the deities’ entries for available mounts) and a bonus feat (Mounted Combat related) at levels 1, 2, 8 and 16. Prerequisites must be met. It is available to the Favored of Ares, Poseidon and Pan.
Unearthly Grace grants a deflection bonus to your AC and a bonus to your saving throws equal to your Charisma modifier. It is available to the Favored of Aphrodite.
Wild Shape works as the Druid ability. The listed available forms replace (and are not in addition to) the normal Druid Wild Shape progression (which is any animal at 5th, any plant at 12th and any elemental at 16th level). Restrictions depending on level (HD, size, type) still apply, unless otherwise noted. It is available to the Favored of Zeus, Artemis, Demeter, Dionysus and Pan.
Path of Archery grants a bonus to Spot checks equal to half HD and the following SLAs. It is available to the Favored of Apollo and Artemis.
Level 1: Guided Shot 1/day/HD
Level 3: Ebon eyes 1/day/HD
Level 5: Arrow Mind, 1/day/2 HD
Level 7: Hunter’s Mercy, 1/day/2 HD
Level 9: Arrow Storm, 1/day/4 HD
Level 11: Swift Haste, 1/day/4 HD
Level 13: Wind Tunnel, 1/day/6 HD
Level 15: Arrow of Bone, 1/day/6 HD
Level 17: Obliterate (as the Falling Star maneuver, swift action, affects one of your arrows for one round, no save, no SR) 1/day
Path of Augury grants a bonus to knowledge (any, divided as you like) equal to half HD and the following SLAs. It is available to the Favored of Zeus and Apollo.
Level 1: Omen of Peril, 1/day/HD
Level 3: Augury, 1/day/HD
Level 5: Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, 1/day/2 HD
Level 7: Divination, 1/day/2 HD
Level 9: Contact Other Plane*, 1/day/4 HD
Level 11: Legend Lore, 1/day/4 HD
Level 13: Vision, 1/day/6 HD
Level 15: Moment of Prescience, 1/day/6 HD
Level 17: Greater Contanct Other Plane*, 1/day
Path of Enchantment grants a bonus to Diplomacy checks equal to half HD and the following SLAs. It is available to the Favored of Aphrodite.
Level 1: Charm Animal or Person, 1/day/HD
Level 3: Enthrall, 1/day/HD
Level 5: Suggestion, 1/day/2 HD
Level 7: Charm Monster, 1/day/2 HD
Level 9: Dominate Person, 1/day/4 HD
Level 11: Mass Suggestion, 1/day/4 HD
Level 13: Transfix, 1/day/6 HD
Level 15: Mass Charm Monster, 1/day/6 HD
Level 17: Dominate Monster, 1/day
Path of Fire grants fire resistance and adds bonus fire damage to weapon damage. It is available to the Favored of Hephaestus.
Level 1: Weapons deal +1 fire damage
Level 4: Weapons gain flaming property
Level 5: Gain Resistance to Fire 10.
Level 8: Weapons gain Flaming Burst property
Level 10: Gain Resistance to Fire 20
Level 12: permanent Holocaust Cloak effect, as the Desert Wind stance
Level 15: Gain Resistance to Fire 30
Level 18: Weapons gain Ignan property
Level 20: Gain Immunity to Fire
Path of Healing grants Lay on Hands, as the Paladin ability (may use Wisdom instead of Charisma), a bonus to Heal checks equal to half HD, and the following SLAs. It is available to the Favored of Apollo and Demeter.
Level 3: Remove Paralysis 1/day
Level 4: Remove Disease 1/day
Level 5: Remove Fear 1/day
Level 6: Neutralize Poison 1/day
Level 9: Remove Blindness/Deafness 1/day
Level 10: Greater Restoration 1/day
Level 13: Stone to Flesh 1/day
Level 15: Regenerate 1/day
Path of Mischief grants a bonus to Bluff equal to half HD, and the following SLAs. It is available to the Favored of Hermes.
Level 1: Disguise Self, 1/day/HD
Level 3: Invisibility, 1/day/HD
Level 5: Glibness, 1/day/2 HD
Level 7: Greater Invisibility, 1/day/2 HD
Level 9: Phantasmal Thief, 1/day/4 HD
Level 11: Phantasmal Disorientation, 1/day4 HD
Level 13: Transfix, 1/day/6 HD
Level 15: Superior Invisibility, 1/day/6 HD
Level 17: Programmed Amnesia, 1/day
Path of Proteus grants a bonus to Disguise checks equal to half HD and the following SLAs. It is available to the Favored of Poseidon.
Level 1: Disguise Self, 1/day/HD
Level 3: Enlarge or Reduce Self, 1/day/HD
Level 5: Enlarge or Reduce Person, 1/day/2 HD
Level 7: Alter Self, 1/day/2 HD
Level 9: Polymorph, 1/day/4 HD
Level 11: Mass Enlarge or Reduce Person, 1/day/4 HD
Level 13: Greater Enlarge Person, 1/day/6 HD
Level 15: Polymorph Any Object, 1/day/6 HD
Level 17: Shapechange, 1/day
Path of the Earth grants a bonus to Survival equal to half HD and the following SLAs. It is available to the Favored of Demeter and Dionysus.
Level 1: Entangle, 1/day/HD
Level 3: Kelpstrand, 1/day/HD
Level 5: Plant Growth, 1/day/2 HD
Level 7: Wood Rot, 1/day/2 HD
Level 9: Wall of Thorns, 1/day/4 HD
Level 11: Find the Path, 1/day/4 HD
Level 13: Animate Plants, 1/day/6 HD
Level 15: Horrid Wilting, 1/day/6 HD
Level 17: Imprisonment, 1/day
Path of the Sea grants a bonus to Swim equal to half HD and the following SLAs. It is available to the Favored of Poseidon.
Level 1: Create Water, 1/day/HD
Level 3: Swim, 1/day/HD
Level 5: Water Breathing, 1/day/2 HD
Level 7: Control Water, 1/day/2 HD
Level 9: Sirene’s Grace, 1/day/4 HD
Level 11: Drown, 1/day/4 HD
Level 13: Watersprout, 1/day/6 HD
Level 15: Mass Drown, 1/day/6 HD
Level 17: Tsunami, 1/day
* See “Universal Spells” for details
__________________ "We need the excuse of fiction to stage what we truly are." ~ Slavoj Žižek
Re: [3.5] Greek Mythology Variant: Pantheon, Spell Lists, Base Classes
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V. PLAYER CLASSES
Designer Notes
Spoiler
Incorporating spellcasters of any kind in a Greek Mythology setting requires a LOT of handwaving, assuming you want the setting to be marginally believable. On the other hand, divine intervention is so frequent in this mythology, that you might as well give the players spells and imagine a god literally looking over their shoulder. Entirely plausible. On the other other hand, the gods intervene for Heroes: people who fight with blades, bows, fists or at the very least with words - not people who just stand there and beg the immortals for help all the time.
This is why I stayed away from the Wizard/Sorcerer model, and the only full casting class in this variant is a modified Generic Spellcaster. Less spells known and spells per day, more versatility with bonus feats (which may be class abilities per Generic Classes rules, but always subject to DM discretion). The modifications are more skill points per level (unless you’re a Favored of Ares, who is worthless at everything except war) and medium BAB. Add a couple of weapon/armor proficiencies, like all Favored characters, and there. Now the spellcaster can resemble someone that the gods would plausibly favor.
Another modification is the “two casting stats” nerf (one for bonus spells per day and one for spell DC). That’s because some Granted Powers are mental stat-dependent, and normal casting would allow for ridiculously SAD characters.
As for non-casters, I chose ToB and homebrew fixes rather than Core and Completes, so the power level has gone up. This is a setting for Heroes who are capable of extraordinary feats, so I thought that Player Classes should be suited for extraordinary characters. I had no problem whatsoever using ToB (I don’t believe it’s anime-exclusive :P), and in fact it gave me flavory options, like granting Desert Wind to the Favored of Hephaestus. But other systems like Incarnum and Psionics, I just couldn’t imagine here.
Some refluffing and minor tweaking was needed in the case of Crusaders (there are no holy warriors or holy anything here), Barbarians (the mechanic of Rage is very fitting, but the concept of “uncivilized” berserkers is irrelevant - in this mythology, completely “civilized” Heroes go berserk on a regular basis) and Knights (chivalry hasn’t been invented yet). Paladin is unavailable, because he’s both holy and chivalrous, and with annoyingly alignment-dependent abilities on top of it. Finally, classes like Monk, Ninja, Samurai etc are obviously incompatible.
Acknowledgements and thanks to T.G. Oskar, Chambers and BRC, whose classes I’m using as is, and to Fax Celestis and Frog Dragon, whose disciplines I’m also using.
FULL CASTING CLASS
1) Generic Spellcaster (UA)
Choose spells known from the spell list of your patron Deity
Choose two casting stats (any mental, one for bonus spells per day and one for spell DC)
Considered a divine caster
Medium BAB
Class Skills: you have as many skill points per level as indicated in each Deity’s entry. Your class skills are Concentration, Knowledge (religion), Spellcraft, Profession and the deity’s granted class skills.
HALF CASTING CLASSES
2) Ranger
Your spell list is the spell list of your patron Deity
If the Deity has the Animal Companion Granted Power, your effective Druid level may be your Ranger level, but you’ll have access to the listed Animal Companions of the Deity only.
Available variant: Wildshaping Ranger (UA), provided that you are Favored of a Deity that has Wild Shape as a Granted Power. You are not limited to small and medium animals, but have access to all the forms of the Deity’s Wild Shape Granted Power.
3) Hexblade
Choose spells known from the spell list of your patron Deity
The Piercing Point discipline is optionally available to all martial adepts (replacing one other discipline). Shadow Blade and Falling Star are available only to Favored (any). Desert Wind is available exclusively to the Favored of Hephaestus (if the class doesn’t grant it, Desert Wind may replace one other discipline). Similarly, electricity substitution DW is available exclusively to the Favored of Zeus.
4) Crusader (flavor adjustment: a courageous - but not holy - warrior)
All alignment-dependent maneuvers (such as Law Bearer) now work Vs any foe, but can only be used 1/encounter and cannot be recovered (or re-granted) in any way.
5) Swordsage
As written
6) Warblade
As written
7) Sublime Ranger
May exchange spells for maneuvers as Crusader (disciplines: Shadow Hand, Stone Dragon, and player’s choice of Falling Star or Tiger Claw)
Juggernaut is a Supernatural ability (the rest are Ex unless otherwise noted)
Remove all alignment-dependent abilities (basically those that allow you to overcome aligned DR)
Add Brawler Ability: Bonus Wrestler Feat - Gain a feat which has Improved Grapple as a prerequisite, other prerequisites must also be met (requires Brutish Tactics)
Add Brawler Ability: Bonus Tripper Feat - Gain a feat which has Improved Trip as a prerequisite, other prerequisites must also be met (requires Cunning Tactics)
15) Factotum
The Factotum is the only class that can use a “supernatural” ability (in this case, SLAs and magical healing) even without being Favored of a Deity. There’s a a fluff explanation behind this apparently irrational situation, but as far as the Factotum himself is concerned, if the character is unaligned, he has never been aware of the slightest indication that “someone up there likes him”. He can rationalize his abilities any way he sees fit. (He’ll be probably wrong.)
The Factotum’s SLAs may be spells that appear in any of the Favored spell lists.
REQUEST: If anyone knows of a decent Scout variant somewhere, in the spirit of Heroic X or Retooled X, or perhaps with a maneuver progression, please let me know.
__________________ "We need the excuse of fiction to stage what we truly are." ~ Slavoj Žižek
Re: [3.5] Greek Mythology Variant: Pantheon, Spell Lists, Base Classes
^: Is this for the Dwarf Pantheon thread in the Worldbuilding section?
One Idea I had for that might be to make a Pantheon domain that clerics who worship the pantheon gain. It would have spells related to the pantheon, and several minor abilities. The cleric would only be able to choose one Pantheon domain, however.
Anyway;
Echoing everyone above, this looks absolutely fantastic.
On a semi-related noted, I have been homebrewing some Greek related Fey, mostly nymphs, dryads and other similar creatures, found here. It seems like you are doing a greek related campaign, and they could be interesting to insert. Of course, if you are going strictly to the actual mythology, you should ignore the Afaistaeads and Kruomaeads, but everything else can be found in greek mythology, although probably not classified as they are in that thread.
If anybody is ever interested in playing one of my homebrewed base classes let me know, I'd love to see some of them in play and would try to run a game for it.
Re: [3.5] Greek Mythology Variant: Pantheon, Spell Lists, Base Classes
You'll really want to tread carefully around this; real world religion, active or not [and note that this has been "resurrected" in recent years] is banned on this forum. Similar things have been closed down by Roland the moment they come to his attention.
I'd genuinely suggest moving this off-site as it would be a shame to see it scrubbed.
__________________
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Re: [3.5] Greek Mythology Variant: Pantheon, Spell Lists, Base Classes
Quote:
Originally Posted by LOTRfan
You wouldn't happen to have any rules for Clerics worshiping entire pantheons, would you?
Ummm.... D&D?
Seriously now, normal D&D clerics are supposed to worship and serve one deity tops (and they get appropriate goodies via Domains), but basically, they can cast anything they please. Clerics of the goddess of Love can cast Harm or Earthquake, and we consider it normal (because Clerics weren't fashioned after priests, they were fashioned after soldiers/adventurers).
So if you want to worship an entire pantheon, you don't really need a house rule, just a bit of re-flavoring. At least I think so. :)
@ unosarta:
Your fey look very interesting, I'll definitely check this thread, thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zaydos
Biggest question is: any chance we'll see Hades?
My problem with Hades is purely a matter of flavor and consistency (not portfolio or anything): Hades rules over his dominion, and doesn't really interfere with mortal affairs, like those nosy Olympians. It wouldn't make sense for him to favor anyone.
However, I do have some plans for more unorthodox practices: Hecate is a goddess for whom we know very little, probably a big figure in an earlier pantheon who got "demoted" as the Greek pantheon was established. Apparently, she had small cults here and there during classical times ("cult" doesn't mean a bad thing in this case), and whoever mentions her does so with great respect. And Hecate is the closest thing we can imagine to a goddess of witchcraft. Yay!
So once I'm done with the basics, I intend to make a PrC for worshipers of Hecate, and another for those Orphic nut-jobs.
@everyone:
Hey, glad you like it! It still needs checking (and double-checking, and triple-checking...), which I'll get to during the weekend, probably. Thanks again for the feedback. :)
__________________ "We need the excuse of fiction to stage what we truly are." ~ Slavoj Žižek
Re: [3.5] Greek Mythology Variant: Pantheon, Spell Lists, Base Classes
Quote:
Originally Posted by HeadlessMermaid
@ unosarta:
Your fey look very interesting, I'll definitely check this thread, thanks!
Cool. I just thought that they would be very similar, thematically.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HeadlessMermaid
However, I do have some plans for more unorthodox practices: Hecate is a goddess for whom we know very little, probably a big figure in an earlier pantheon who got "demoted" as the Greek pantheon was established. Apparently, she had small cults here and there during classical times ("cult" doesn't mean a bad thing in this case), and whoever mentions her does so with great respect. And Hecate is the closest thing we can imagine to a goddess of witchcraft. Yay!
So once I'm done with the basics, I intend to make a PrC for worshipers of Hecate, and another for those Orphic nut-jobs.
Oh, wow, Hecate would be an awesome deity to worship.
And thinking about it, are you planning on doing Delphic Oracles/Sisters of the Fates, as a sort of Divination based PrC?
Quote:
Originally Posted by HeadlessMermaid
@everyone:
Hey, glad you like it! It still needs checking (and double-checking, and triple-checking...), which I'll get to during the weekend, probably. Thanks again for the feedback. :)
It looks pretty sound.
Also, someone did a Greek wrestler style base class a while back, can't remember their name, though...
In your description of the Unearthly Grace ability, you say "grants a bonus to your deflection AC" should be deflection bonus to your AC.
Interesting that none of the deities grant domains.
Re: [3.5] Greek Mythology Variant: Pantheon, Spell Lists, Base Classes
Quote:
Originally Posted by unosarta
And thinking about it, are you planning on doing Delphic Oracles/Sisters of the Fates, as a sort of Divination based PrC?
I wasn't planning to, but it's a neat idea. I have no bright ideas about the crunch at the moment, but when the time comes, I guess I'll check specialist diviners and any relevant PrCs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by unosarta
In your description of the Unearthly Grace ability, you say "grants a bonus to your deflection AC" should be deflection bonus to your AC.
Wow. Good catch. Fixed!
Quote:
Originally Posted by unosarta
Interesting that none of the deities grant domains.
Well, I figured that with specialized spell lists and a granted power to choose, domains become redundant, at least flavor-wise. Not sure if that breaks horribly something in the crunch...
__________________ "We need the excuse of fiction to stage what we truly are." ~ Slavoj Žižek
Re: [3.5] Greek Mythology Variant: Pantheon, Spell Lists, Base Classes
Actually Hades has played a major role in mortal affairs and has interfered plenty of times in the affairs of mortals specifically in the case of Persephone which is also why seasons change, according to ancient Greek mythology, so he should also by present in the pantheon. Another point to note is that the first Olympians where Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia, Hades and another figure of note was Chiron the trainer of the demigods and a brother of the other deities. Also i think it would be kind of cool to see a good representation of the demigods as presented in ancient Greek mythology.
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[3.5] Greek Mythology Variant: Pantheon, Spell Lists, Base Classes
