Green Ronin's Eternal Rome

[johnsemlak]

I had been looking forward to this product and bought it as soon as I saw it available in PDF. I may by this one in print as well.

I'm jsut starting to look at the PDF now. It has a new class, the Gladiator, plus notes on using PHB classes (with significan't modifications. Barbarians don't have rage, for example).

Monks don't exist.

More later....

 

[Raven Crowking]

I have been pretty happy with the Green Ronin products which I own. Can't wait to hear more.


RC

 

[francisca]

I had been looking forward to this product and bought it as soon as I saw it available in PDF. I may by this one in print as well.

I'm jsut starting to look at the PDF now. It has a new class, the Gladiator, plus notes on using PHB classes (with significan't modifications. Barbarians don't have rage, for example).

Monks don't exist.

More later....

Hi John-

Are you going to do a formal review?

 

[Bobitron]

I just added that to my wish list about 1/2 hour ago. I'd love to see a full review as well.

 

[johnsemlak]

I'll get to a a review of some sort at some point. Gotta read it first. Getting late over here....

 

[johnsemlak]

Table of Contents



INTRODUCTION .........................................................................5
CHAPTER ONE: CHARACTERS ....................................................6
Eras ..............................................................................6
Nationalities .................................................................9

CHAPTER TWO: CHARACTER CLASSES .......................................15
Core Classes ............................................................... 15
Barbarian ....................................................................15
Bard ............................................................................16
Cleric ..........................................................................17
Druid ..........................................................................17
Fighter ........................................................................19
Paladin ........................................................................23
Ranger ........................................................................23
Rogue .........................................................................23
Sorcerer and Wizard ...................................................23

New Class: The Gladiator ............................................ 24

Adventures ..................................................................24
Characteristics ............................................................24
Alignment ..................................................................24
Background ................................................................24
Game Rule Information .............................................25
Gladiator Types ..........................................................28

Prestige Classes .......................................................... 29
Arcane Archer ............................................................29
Arcane Trickster .........................................................29
Archmage ...................................................................29
Assassin ......................................................................29
Blackguard ..................................................................30
Duelist ........................................................................30
Dwarven Defender .....................................................30
Eldritch Knight ..........................................................30
Hierophant .................................................................30
Horizon Walker ..........................................................30
Loremaster .................................................................30
Mystic Th eurge ...........................................................30
Shadowdancer ............................................................30
Th aumaturgist .............................................................30

New Prestige Class: Crime Boss ................................... 31
New Prestige Class: Orator .......................................... 32
New Prestige Class: Pankretiast ................................... 35
New Prestige Class: Soothsayer .................................... 36
New Prestige Class: Vigil (Watchman) ......................... 38

CHAPTER THREE: SKILLS AND FEATS ......................................40
New Skill Uses ............................................................ 40
New Skills .................................................................. 41
New Feats ................................................................... 43

CHAPTER FOUR: FAME .........................................................49
Fame Points, Modifi ers, and Checks ............................ 49
Gaining and Losing Fame ..........................................49
Negative Fame ............................................................49
Fame Awards for Adventurers ....................................50
Uses for Fame ............................................................. 51
Expectations of Th e Famous ........................................ 54
Military Honors .......................................................... 55

CHAPTER FIVE: EQUIPMENT ................................................. 56
Gladiator Weapons .....................................................56
Alternate Names .........................................................56
New Weapons ............................................................. 56
Armor ........................................................................ 59
New Armor ................................................................59
Helmets ......................................................................60
Partial Armor ..............................................................62
Equipment ................................................................. 62

CHAPTER SIX: ROMAN MAGIC .............................................64
Spells ......................................................................... 64
Druid Spells ................................................................65
New Spells .................................................................. 66
Magic Items ................................................................ 71
New Wondrous Items .................................................71
Minor Artifacts ...........................................................72
Major Artifacts ...........................................................73
Th e Evil Eye ................................................................ 74
Casting the Evil Eye ...................................................74
Countering the Evil Eye .............................................75

CHAPTER SEVEN: BESTIARY .....................................................77
Animals by Region ...................................................... 77
New Animals ..............................................................78
Standard Monsters ...................................................... 79
Variant Monsters ........................................................ 81
New Monsters ............................................................. 82
Legendary Races ......................................................... 86
Non-Human Races ..................................................... 87
Dwarves and Gnomes ................................................87
Elves ...........................................................................88
Halfl ings .....................................................................88
Half-Orcs ...................................................................88
Nymphs and Satyrs .....................................................88

CHAPTER EIGHT: THE EMPIRE ..............................................89
Italy ............................................................................89
Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia ........................................90
Spain ...........................................................................90
North Africa ............................................................... 90
Mauretania .................................................................90
Africa ......................................................................... 91
Cyrenaica ................................................................... 91
Egypt ..........................................................................91
Th e Middle East .......................................................... 91
Arabia .........................................................................91
Judea ...........................................................................92
Syria ............................................................................92
Mesopotamia ..............................................................93
Asia Minor ................................................................. 93
Asia .............................................................................93
Cicilia, Pamphylia, and Lycia ......................................94
Cyprus ........................................................................94
Galatia and Cappadocia ..............................................94
Armenia ......................................................................94
Bithynia and Pontus ...................................................94
Th race and Macedonia ................................................95
Greece ........................................................................ 95
Epirus and Achaea ......................................................95
Crete ...........................................................................96
Rhodes ........................................................................96
Th e Danube Frontier ................................................... 97
Moesia ........................................................................97
Dacia ..........................................................................97
Pannonia .....................................................................97
Noricum .....................................................................97
Rhaetia .......................................................................97
Illyricum .....................................................................97
Germania ....................................................................97
Gaul and Belgica ........................................................98
Britannia .....................................................................99

CHAPTER NINE: ROMAN HISTORY ....................................100
Ancient Italy .............................................................100
Th e Founding of Rome .............................................100
Th e Kingdom of Rome (753–510 BC) ......................... 101
Th e Early Republic (496–133 BC) .............................. 102
Th e Gauls .................................................................102
Th e Conquest of Italy ...............................................102
More Samnite Wars ..................................................103
Th e Pyrrhic War .......................................................103
Th e Punic Wars ........................................................104
Expansion of Roman Rule ........................................106
Th e Late Republic (133–27 BC) ................................. 106
Further Expansion ....................................................108
More Trouble in Gaul ...............................................108
Th e End of Marius ...................................................109
Th e Rise of Sulla .......................................................109
Th e First Triumvirate ................................................110
Th e Second Triumvirate ............................................112
Th e Early Empire (27 BC–69 AD) .............................. 113
Augustus ...................................................................113
Tiberius ....................................................................114
Gaius (Caligula) .......................................................114
Claudius ....................................................................114
Nero ..........................................................................115
Th e Year of the Four Emperors (69 AD) ..................115
Th e Middle Empire (69–235 AD) ............................... 115
Vespasian ..................................................................115
Titus .........................................................................116
Domitian ..................................................................116
Nerva ........................................................................116
Trajan .......................................................................116
Hadrian ....................................................................116
Antoninus Pius .........................................................117
Marcus Aurelius .......................................................117
Commodus ...............................................................118
Septimius Severus .....................................................118
Caracalla ...................................................................119
Elegabalus and Alexander Severus ...........................119
Th e Anarchy ............................................................. 119
Diocletian and Maximian .........................................120
Constantine ..............................................................120
Th e End of Empire .................................................... 121
Roman Timeline ....................................................... 122

CHAPTER TEN: ROMAN CULTURE ......................................124
Roman Society .......................................................... 124
Social Classes ............................................................124
Women ..................................................................... 125
Childhood ................................................................ 126
Patrons and Clients ................................................... 126
Careers and Offi ces ...................................................126
Th e Calendar ............................................................ 128
Days of the Week .....................................................128
Hours ........................................................................128
Holy Days and Festivals ...........................................129
Housing ................................................................... 131
Fashion .....................................................................131
Money ...................................................................... 132
Foreign Currency ......................................................132
Roman Names .......................................................... 132
Th e Army .................................................................. 133
Th e Legions ..............................................................133
Auxiliaries .................................................................133
Th e Fleet ...................................................................134
Law Enforcement .....................................................134
Bread and Circuses .................................................... 135
Food .........................................................................135
Th e Games ................................................................135
Literature and the Arts .............................................137

CHAPTER ELEVEN: ROMAN RELIGION ................................138
Cosmology ............................................................... 138
Olympus ...................................................................138
Th e Underworld .......................................................138
Th e Gods .................................................................. 139
Minor Gods and Spirits ...........................................142
Imported Gods .........................................................143
THE SOOTHSAYER .................................................................145
Junius Servilius Strabo ..............................................146
Th e Errand ...............................................................146
Strabo’s Estate ..........................................................146
Th e Road to Cumae ..................................................147
Cumae ......................................................................149
Concluding Prophecies .............................................153
Consequences ...........................................................154

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................... 155
Ancient Sources ........................................................155
Modern Sources .......................................................155
Games ......................................................................156

 

[johnsemlak]

Brief Flip through

The setting is very historically based, I've only flipped through but there no obvious diversions from history. A lot of history flavor text is in the book, outlineing the history, geography, and peoples of the Roman Empire. (Some will complain that this is stuff that could be read in history books). The book appears to offer info on playing at pretty much any point in the Roman Republic/Empire.

The book only has two maps of the setting: one of the Empire in the 3rd century and one of Ancient Italy.

All core classes are playable except Monks (and psionic characters). The book, however, does make suggestions about where certain character classes might come from. (i.e. Druids from Gaul). Some varient classes are presented--Celtic Bard, Orphic Bard, Celtic Druid. The variations are minor--some spells added/removed from spell lists, different class skills, etc.

The new class is the Gladiator. I'll have to look at this.

Notes are given for a large number of human tribes/groups/nations. PCs can be from pretty much anywhere in the Empire--info (flavor text only, and suggested classes) is given on playing Scots, Gauls, Huns, Greeks, Egyptians, Jews, and many more.

Testament and The Trojan War, related Green Ronin settings, are referenced breifly.

I haven't seen anything so far (again, brief look) that makes any fundamental changes on the magic system, or magic-using classes, which might make the game more 'historical'. I haven't seen anything that woudl prevent a wizard hurling a fireball at a legion for example (again, perhaps I haven't gotten to that). It is suggested that Wizards and Sorcerors are rare in general, and mroe comment in the East of the Empire. A number of new roman-flavored spells are presented.

A new spell like ability is presented, the Evil Eye. All characters have this ability to some degree, and it allows characters to inflict bad luck on someone.

A new character concept called Fame is introduced. Similar to an honor system at first glance. Each character has a Fame score. Basically it's a modifier that is applied to a d20 Fame check, which can be used to perform various things like Battlefield Oratory (success gives troops bonus in battle), divination, aquiring patrons, etc.

A ten-page adventure is provided.

The book does not have any famous Roman historical figures statted.

 

[trancejeremy]

So is it more D&D set in Rome than something like OGL Ancients, which was all new classes and magic system? (Both can work, I liked the 2nd edition AD&D supplement for Rome, which this sounds like)

 

[johnsemlak]

So is it more D&D set in Rome than something like OGL Ancients, which was all new classes and magic system? (Both can work, I liked the 2nd edition AD&D supplement for Rome, which this sounds like)

I can't compare it to OGL Ancients, but it definitely does not provide all new classes and a magic system. It is 'D&D in Rome' more or less.

the 2e Glory of Rome (or whatever) AD&D supplement is an obvious comparison. I really don't remember that one well. I seem to remember that book attempting to try to modify magic to give it a more Roman feel, and to limit the possible impact of magic on warfare. That book tried to streamline wizards as users of Augury, Divination, etc,from what I remember. However, IIRC, the book really didn't provide a complete framework for all this.

In any case, Eternal Rome does [edit: doesn't] try to do anything dramatic with the D&D magic system. Wizards and Sorcerors are simply rare, but pretty much standard D&D when they do appear.

 

[EricNoah]

In any case, Eternal Rome does try to do anything dramatic with the D&D magic system.

(Doesn't, I assume. )

Hmm, sounds like they took the same tack as they did with Hamanuptra -- a product that I found to be pretty disappointing. Oh well, at least it sounds like there are no elves, dwarves, etc. in Rome eh?