Roma

[mao]

The idea for this is Late Imperial Rome, with the barbarians at the gate. This is being designed to be a competition between Roma and the barbarians culminating in a battle between 2 PC parties at the gates of Roma

[mao]

this is going to be a Horse game, by that I mean most of the adventuring is going to be while you are riding. Going to make a lot of stuff about horses and some OD&D classes, prob mostly fighter subclasses
( in my Mysantia game of 31 years I don't think there was ever a horse, I eventually made it that the horses were all dead, they rode dragons , pegasis and griffins but no horses .Lol

[mao]

Horses



Nag >1+3 Hit die, ac8 Damage D6 morale 7> move 14> stability -3
Light riding> 1+1 HD, ac 5 Damage D6 -1 morale 12> move 18> stability -3
light racing> 1 HD, ac 6 Damage D6-1 morale 12>move 24> Stability -2
Medium War>2+1 HD, ac 6 Damage D8 morale 17> Move 18 >Stability + 2

Heavy Pack> 2 HD ac 7 Damage D6 morale 14>16> Stability 0
Medium> 2 HD ac 6 Damage D6 morale 14> 18> stability +1
Heavy War >4-5 HD +3 ac 6 Damage 3d3 morale 18>move 18> Stability +2

Abilities
1) be ridden > Stability +2
2) fighter> +2/+1
3) loyal> +2 morale/+1 to stability
4) tough> takes 1 point of damage less from incoming attacks
5) Brute >+3 on damage
6) Agile >+2 AC
7) Game >+ 1HD
8) Fast> +20% movement
9) Smart> Int 3-5
10) roll twice ignoring this
11) Fast Healer
12) Jumper
13) Stable>+1 archery when ridden

Disadvantages

1) headstrong
2) Magic Skittish> -2 morale around spell casting
3) battle shy> -2 morale in combat
4) slow healer
5) fat>-2 move

6) slow>-2 move

7) bad at being ridden>-2 stability
8) bucks>_2 to morale
9)roll twice ,pick your favorite
10) roll twice ignoring this number

[mao]

The big picture

drawing on later day Imperial Rome, it is a war against the Barbarians at the gate in an attempt to save civilization from chaos.This is also a horse game as poss  early knights, the Genesis of the Round Table like classic Arthur and Merlyn. The opposing group of PCs will be The barbarians, wild and brings of Chaos, feeling the oppression of Roma's law and reach. As this is goig to be on the realistic side the PC's will all start at First and take as much experience as to get to 5th but at that point the PC's will only be second, 10th to make 3rd which is whee they top out.

[mao]

Centaur
gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=36040


Centaurs are the apex predator of Roma. At 5 HD they are the mot powerful of the foes of mankind. Not having to worry about the care and feeding of horse, the tribes rampage through the world as Roma fades in power. Luckily they will happily war w each other as well as attacking civilization o they would be unstoppable

Hooks
> The PCs are tasked w negotiating a tready w one of the more powerful tribes.

> A charismatic Leader is emerging that might be capable of uniting the centaurs. This must be stopped at all costs.

[The Perilous Dreamer]

You could use the horses from the Horseclans novels for the barbarians with mindspeak between horse and rider.

[mao]

Nov 8, 2019 12:40:28 GMT -5 The Perilous Dreamer said:

You could use the horses from the Horseclans novels for the barbarians with mindspeak between horse and rider.

good call

[hengest]

This is a wonderful idea for a setting. I would sign up to play this anytime.

[mao]

The Elves


Image

These forest dwellers have gained a lot of advantages over the years and years of warfare against Roma there Riding Creature is treated as a medium warhorse  with a very special advantage.. The  rider and the Deer relative have combined HP, but not HD, so they benefit from the HP but don't gain any other benefits.

[mao]

Magic Horseshoes? You bet!

Thes come in sets of 2 not 4 , so you can put 2 sets on a horse. Efforts to create single horseshoes have failed

>This set causes the legs to be toughened and thus far less likely to break or go lame. These are the most popular of the magic ones.
> enhanced for combat. +1 etc. Also common
> giving advanced endurance.
> flying
> able to carry or pull greater loads
> faster, this is the one set of 4 as they need to co-ordinate

[mao]

The Grorse
A mad man came up w a truly insane idea> Let's breed horses with gryphons. The difficulty is compounded by the fact that gryphons like to eat horses. But persistence paid off and a breed was created about 10 years ago. The breed is still subject to growing pains but are gradually being stabilized now that so many breeders are interested. Right now they are being bred for temperament but as they have claws, a beak nd vestigial wings, these things are also being enhanced. They vary so wildly in stats that little concrete about them can be said. Some ar quite tame, enhanced claws and beaks and functional wings that can be used in assisting a jumping ability. This jumping ability will be highly prized by militarizes to leap over lines of troops and attack from behind.. they cost about 20x what a horse of the same type would cost and you have almost no idea what you are getting as the ones most likely to be sold and not held for breeding purposes are usually not sold.

[mao]

Brown Unicorns

When unicorns suffer a trama or loss, they will some times turn brown and hairier. They seek out warriors filled w blood lust to help queel the rage in their own soul. All they want to do is kill,a sad ghost of it's magnifagant heart.

[dilvish]

Aug 31, 2022 9:59:12 GMT -5 mao said:

Brown Unicorns

When unicorns suffer a trama or loss, they will some times turn brown and hairier. They seek out warriors filled w blood lust to help queel the rage in their own soul. All they want to do is kill,a sad ghost of it's magnifagant heart.

Brown Unicorns, I am restraining myself from saying it.

[mao]