Troy- Achilles a epic hero?

[jazzer]

After watching troy(which i didnt think was such a bad movie) i did seem that the heros achilles, ajax, hector were really a cut above the normal and it took a epic hero to kill another. do people agree that they could have been classed as epic heros, especially achilles for he could cut a bloody swathe through his foes eg the battle on the beach as the greeks landed. and out of curiosity are there any d20 books on ancient greece and the heros they had . I am one that always enjoys to look at the stats and skills of famous characters and to debate on whether they have been faithfully recreated

 

[Morrus]

Have you seen Green Ronin's Trojan War hardcover? Even if you don't use it, it's a fascinating book to read. Contains stats for all the major heroes and villains of the story. It concentrates on the original, though, not the movie version, so it may not be quite what you're looking for.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

do people agree that they could have been classed as epic heros, especially achilles for he could cut a bloody swathe through his foes eg the battle on the beach as the greeks landed.

Do you mean the classic Achilles and company, as described in The Illiad, or the movie versions?

In The Illiad, Achilles was the son of a god. So either epic, or merely a fighter with one heck of a template.

I haven't seen the movie so I can't comment on that version of the various heroes.

 

[jazzer]

Well i know that in the mythology of the battle of troy the gods had there favorite champions from memory ares had chosen hector has is favorite. No i am more going for the low magic kinda thing such as the movie troy. Just had the feeling that the heros achilles fighting ability, ajax's strength and hectors command abilites were always one step higher than those around them. i will have to check out that green ronin book it looks good

 

[Zappo]

Huh, the Iliad is practically the definition of epic.

Though it may not be epic in the D&D sense (which is, in power levels, a lot above pretty much anything else). I think any high-level D&D character is generally on par with most "epic" characters from literature.

 

[jasper]

Achilles was a 10+ level fighter with troll abilities. Think about he can only be damaged with hit to one small part of the body. Depending on the version of the myth he was either dipped in magic water or roasted over magic fire (the fire version I see very few of).
All the other the named fighter were at least 8 th. The spear carriers were either first level fighters or warriors.

Now what I would like is for the next Helen to be Ruth Buzzie with her hair net. How is that for a face which launched a thousand ships.

 

[Alaric_Prympax]

Well i know that in the mythology of the battle of troy the gods had there favorite champions from memory ares had chosen hector has is favorite.

Actually jazzer Hector was the favorite of Apollo.

 

[Taren Nighteyes]

Favored of the gods

It is true that these mortal heros were favored by certain gods according to myth.

Paris - Aphrodite (for choosing her as the most beautiful) 8th level fighter
Hector - Apollo (he wanted the Trojans to win, he helped build those walls
after all) 14th level fighter
Achilles - Hera (she wanted the "Greeks" to win) 14th level fighter (with a
template?)
Odysseus - Athena (She was a wise warrior) 8th level fighter, 6th level Rogue
Ajax - No particular god, I believe. 5th level fighter, 5th level barbarian

Just going from memory, so feel free to comment or correct me

Taren Nighteyes

 

[Aust Diamondew]

Well if the average mooks on the battle field were 1st-3rd level then heroes like Achilles, Hector, Ajax and Odysseus would need to be only in the 10th level to midteens in order to fight them with little fear of death (assuming since it's low magic that they are given class based defense bonuses equal to around half their BAB).

Achilles would either have DR or regeneration or possibly a combo of both.

So no they aren't "epic levels" but they are certainly epic in the traditional sense, you don't have to be "epic level" in order to be epic.

 

[Psion]

I think people (including some designers) overestimate the need for epic levels to emulate great heroes. A 15th-20th level character is a great hero AFAIAC, and certainly has the ability to mow down dozens of low level troops.