Make me a Roman Legionaire

[Ace]

I would add that how magic effects your game will determine much about a D&D version of Rome.

If you are running a high magic, money can buy power enviroment you may well end up with something like SHARKS Vallorean Legions.

OTOH if the "Romans" are magic weak they could be outmatched by crafty Barbarian Shamans or even obliterated by Epic Persian Wizards.

I could easily Epic imagine spells like "The White Plague" which rendered everyone in an Empire major cities non fertile or worse killed all the women (Ala Frank Herberts novel of the same name) . OK the spell might kill half a nation as a casting cost but the effects would be devastating

If "Uber Rome" didn't have defenses against that sort of thing or couldn't stop the multiple casting, you can kiss the Emipre good bye.

 

[Whodat]

Because it beats singing "Kumbaya"

Tis the season...Almost
A Solstice Carol for your Legionnaire

I think you know the tune:

Dead Celts roasting on an open fire
Short swords nipping at your nose
Wartime songs being sung by a legion
And corpses dressed in shades of woad

Everybody knows a druid and some mistletoe
Help to make the fire bright
Tiny Celts with their homes all aglow
Won't find it hard to sleep tonight

They know that Caesar's on his way
He's finding lots of Celt barbarians to slay
And ev'ry mother's child is gonna fry
After the Romans make their parents die

And so I'm offering this simple phrase
To Celts from one to ninety-two
Altho' it's been said many times, many ways:
"Rome will always beat you!"

 

[mmadsen]

Imperian Centurion, Impirian (Human) Fgt6/Wan4...

Could someone give a brief run-down of the Swashbuckling Adventurers Wanderer class? Is it effectively a PC Expert? A Rogue with larger Hit Dice in place of Sneak Attack?

It sounds like a class D&D could use: the Adventurer -- a class most real adventurers could and should multiclass into, with Class Skills like Listen, Spot, Wilderness Lore, etc.

SA Evasion, Tradesman, Uncanny Dodge (Dex Bonus to AC), Ward of the Albatross

I don't see Evasion and Uncanny Dodge as very "Centurion", and I don't know what Tradesman and Ward of the Albatross mean.

Str 15, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 15, Wis 12, Cha 13

High stats -- and oddly allocated for a Centurion. The Con, Str, and Dex make sense (in that order), but why the extremely high Int? If anything, I'd rank Cha, then Wis, then Int, in that order. A Centurion is a grizzled leader of men.

Skills: Climb +9, Craft (Carpentry) +9, Craft (Stonemasonry) +9, Diplomacy +8, Gather Information +8, Intimidate +8, Jump +9, Knowledge (Engineering) +9, Knowledge (History) +7, Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) +7, Knowledge (Streetwise) +7, Knowledge (War) +10, Listen +8, Profession (Carpenter) +9, Profession (Stonemason) +9, Ride +9, Sense Motive +8, Spot +8, Swim +9, Wilderness Lore +8

Why the Profession skills where he already has Craft skills? And should a Centurion have Craft (Stonemasonry)? Weren't the daily forts made of wood? And does a Centurion need Craft skills at all for what could fit under Profession (Siege Engineer)? His skills aren't general; they're specific to building exactly what the Legions build.

I strongly agree with most of the skill choices though: Intimidate, Jump, Swim, Wilderness, etc.

Feats: Endurance, Expert Tactician, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical (Short Sword), Iron Will, Leadership, Power Attack, Run, Weapon Focus (Short Sword), Weapon Specialization (Short Sword)

Those look good.

Equipment: Lorica Segmenta +2, Dagger +1, Mithril Large Shield +1, Short Sword +1, Helm of Comprehending Languages and Reading Magic, Cloak of Resistance +1, Wooden Rod, Hobnail Sandals, Harness, Belt, Small Pouch, Waterskin, Potion of Heroism, Potion of Bull’s Strength, 2 Potions of Cure Light Wounds

How can that wooden rod not be magical? Perhaps a lesser version of the Rod of Lordly Might?

 

[Darklance]

Re: Flavor Questions

There's some really neat historical accounts of Roman legions and their commanders working to hold little bits of civilization against the barbarians after the west had fallen.

I've always wanted to see an RPG based on that period.

Sounds interesting. Know any links to info about this?

 

[mmadsen]

Tarchon omnibus SPD...

Perhaps it's a minor point, but this bit of Latin (and the "cum grano salis") made me smile. For everyone at home, it's a standard greeting; it means "Tarchon sends greetings to everyone" -- or, I guess, "Hey everybody!"

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Re: Darklance

Well, I asked the medieval historian who told me the story, about those legions.

Here's the basic background as I understand the instance I was referring to:

The empire is collapsing/collapsed and a general finds himself isolated in Northern France with three legions. He marches south to Paris, secures a route down to the ocean, contacts as many of the local Bishops as possible, and sets up a little island of Romanness. The Franks move in around him, but through clever use of his resources and good diplomacy he and his legions hold until he dies of old age, which is when the Franks come in and offer to absorb them, as it is now obvious that the western empire is dead and the Eastern empire isn't that interested in retaking the west at the moment. The absorption itself has massive long terms implications for the Franks and eventually plays a large role in the dynastic struggles that lead to Charlemagne becoming such a good friend of the Pope in order to secure his crown.

Guys name was Syagrius/Aegidius and Gregory of Tours is the major source for him. Gregory is also good for the whole early dark ages really shows you how wild a time that is, and how the whole of France was basically Ceasar in reverse with Barbarians kind of sitting over a Roman nation.

I don't have links yet, but I'm getting them.

Mmadsen: the wanderer is basically a kick butt expert for pcs. You choose any 12+int bonus skills as your class skills (8+int if you multi-class) and get 8+int points at every level. Simple wp only, d8 hit die, reflex as highest save, cleric BaB, and several special abilities as time goes on. The two you would be unfamiliar with are:

Tradesmen: one skill point gets you two ranks in profession, knowldege, and craft skills

Ward of the Albatross: once a day you get to change a natural 1 to a natural 20, so you might crit on a fumble

They also get evasion and uncanny dodge. I think it's a good choice for a centurion. Represents well-travelled nature, skilled abilities, and generally liklihood to survive weird situations. I just can't see someone who's been a soldier for 10 or more years ever being flat-footed.

 

[mmadsen]

PC Expert

Mmadsen: the wanderer is basically a kick butt expert for pcs. You choose any 12+int bonus skills as your class skills (8+int if you multi-class) and get 8+int points at every level. Simple wp only, d8 hit die, reflex as highest save, cleric BaB, and several special abilities as time goes on.

I definitely like the idea, but I think it's easier just to give the Expert a Bonus Feat every other level (like the Fighter) from a list of adventure-oriented Feats, e.g.: Alertness, Endurance, Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Quick Draw, Run, Skill Focus, Skill Mastery, Track, Woodland Stride. If anything, that's still less powerful than the Rogue's special-ability progression.

The two you would be unfamiliar with are:

Tradesmen: one skill point gets you two ranks in profession, knowldege, and craft skills

Ward of the Albatross: once a day you get to change a natural 1 to a natural 20, so you might crit on a fumble.

A bit wonky, but workable.

 

[mmadsen]

Re: Also

Who would win in a battle between a Roman legion and a medieval army?

The professor who wrote it said that only Air Force ROTC undergrads chose that topic and they all said, basically, "Medieval army, they had better technology."

A lot is left implied by that question. I feel the Romans would win "unfairly" by deploying a much larger force, much more quickly. Even if medieval heavy cavalry units (knights) matched up well against ancient heavy infantry units (legions) and their auxiliaries, how many Romans would show up on their doorstep?

 

[mmadsen]

The romans never adopted to the polearm against the heavy gothic cav, not for or even after the annihilation of adrianople 40.000 men the empereor and his chief officers died, after attacking the gothic camp and get attacked by the gothic main force. So i don`t think its reasonable to say they would. The short sword isn`t an effective weapon against a full armored knight especially in plate armor.

Against cavalry (pre-stirrup, pre-cap a pie armor), Caesar instructed his legions to use their pila as spears and to aim for the faces of the cavalrymen. I wouldn't expect them to hold off a true cavalry charge, but I wouldn't expect the Romans to be at a complete loss as to what to do. Besides, I'm sure the knights horses wouldn't be pilum-proof.