Monsters of Ekhinira (pages refer to Runequest 2)

All characters created for players are human. However, there are other beings on the island. Players will NOT encounter such strange beings on a daily basis (but such and encounter MIGHT be the e.g. the climax of a given game night). It is also (under certain circumstances) possible that a character might be cursed into another form.

Beastmen: certain people have been cursed (though some strange people might have asked to "blessed" in a similar way) by the gods to take on monstrously powerful half-beast forms. In certain cases this seems to be heritable, although beastmen are always exceedingly rare, usually living as outcasts among old ruins, or in a few cases hidden away in a palace somewhere. Most people are terrified of such folk, and would band together to kill a beastman. Legends speak of two kind on Ekhinira.
Minotaur (p. 83), cursed by Diktaios.
Centaur (p. 76), cursed by Inara.




Lycanthropes: some individuals are said to be able to take on the form of an animal temporarily. This might be an ability that they are born with, or from certain curses cast upon them. They look almost, but not quite, like their natural counterparts (they retain some odd human-like traits, like occasionally screaming like an angry human)
Werewolves, Mazzeri: (Wolfbrothers p. 90) Note: normal wolves do not occur on the island, so the sight and sound of such creatures is always a strange and magical portent. Some very rare people can transform into wolf-like creatures, running around on all fours at night. According to folklore they tend to congregate in the mountains on certain nights for unknown purposes. They were possibly cursed by older gods before the current ones took over the pantheon, but they also have a strange ability to foretell death (e.g. by howling outside the home of a doomed person). 



Boarmen: (Tuskbrothers p. 88) Boars are common on the island, but some magical men can transform into large and fierce specimens of these savage beasts. These are known for their brutality, and are greatly feared.


"Hidden folk", "Little People, or Janas include Fairies and Subterreneans:
Fairies: (pixies p.84) these are normally invisible and half in the living world, half in the realm of spirits, often dwelling in and around ancient (neolithic) ruins and burial mounds.
Subterreneans: (dwarves) usually hidden underground, their tunnels often opening to the surface near ruins inhabited by fairies (although entrances are small and expertly hidden). Favored by Daedalus, the subterraneans are expert craftsmen. Not bearded like the Norse counterparts, they more resemble the Kobolds of Germanic myth, albeit usually dressed in loincloth.



Giants (p. 81): these colossal man-eaters were previously favored by the pre-pantheon titanic gods. Now almost extinct and living in the highest canyons, they probably do not reach the full size of ancient times (now expect SIZ 9D6 + 18 or about 6 meters tall). 


Griffin (p. 81). Trustworthy and proud, these hunters live near the highest peaks. A favored creature of some of the gods, their spirits are exceedingly wise though they cannot speak. Griffins sometimes guard magic items for the gods or other powerful spirits. Some few are their own masters.




Dryads and nymphs (p. 79): appear as beautiful women guarding forests or lakes, appearing nude or clad in leaves and flowers. They inhabit both the normal world and the Spirit World, and can nourish themselves on surprisingly little (berries, lake water) probably due to powerful blessings of Inara. They reproduce with humans, the offspring becoming a new female dryad or nymphs.




Spirits (ghosts p. 81): spirits and ghosts of the dead are surprisingly common on the island, some guarding specific areas and graves. They are usually invisible but may appear as transparent nude people or clad in filmy robes.
Note: the Detect Spirit spell (p. 36) does more than simply detect the presence of spirits; it enables you see into the spirit realm (Spirit World).

Other Undead: Zombies (p. 90) and skeletons (p. 86) are the results of vengeful gods or powerful ghosts or spirits animating the physical bodies of the dead.

Quote from: Baron on October 07, 2023, 02:25:42 AM
I'm just seeing this thread now. I had a hankering for something like this myself, then read a few reviews of an Osprey RPG called Jackals that looks interesting. I'd probably tinker with its setting myself, but the adventuring conceit seems like it might easily transfer to homebrewed Ancients settings.

Could be a good one, but here's the odd thing: judging from art this one and a lot of "Bronze Age" settings miss the mark on what is actually Bronze Age (very roughly 3000-1000 BC, at least in the Mediterranean region, though the early period is usually just using copper). Even if any setting is just Bronze Age-inspired at best, I wanted to hit a bit closer to the mark with this one. Whether others care is another question though.

EDIT: to be fair, I also use terms from the Classical period wherever it seems to suit. But the spirits and such in question were clearly part of the folklore long before. Many Bronze Age cultures were very animistic in the sense that spirits were thought to be everywhere, and you still see some of this belief well into Classical times. 

By the way, here's a neat little house rule for those who actually like the Resistance Roll Table. On the left side, write "hard" next to 18, "medium" next to 10, and "easy" next to 2. Perhaps "challenging" at 14. Now use it for simple characteristic rolls. (This is instead of deciding to multiply with 3 or 5 etc. A dash on top means automatic success, on bottom means automatic failure)

"Money" and trade:
There's a short story and long story here. The short story being: there is no money. The long story is that trade is often through a barter system, trading items of roughly equal value, BUT there is also an agreed-upon system of trade in metal lumps, and larger ingots, such as the silver and copper lumps/ingots shown below. Weighing scales are extensively used. In general metals are weighed in shekels (about 10 grams), and one shekel of copper (= 1 Lunar in RQ2) is worth one tenth of a shekel of silver, which is worth one tenth of a shekel of gold. The largest ingots can weigh 20 kg. Checking the RQ2 price list: a shortsword normally costs 25 shekels of copper (25 Lunars).   

Character creation, creating a competent* character with RQ2:
*the idea here is initial competence with heroic potential

A lot of the RQ2 Appendices are used here. Also money is not used per se.
Roll 2D6+6 for each characteristic. The character with the lowest rolls overall is automatically a poor noble (or roll per choice), the others roll for social status (RQ2 p.12). Remember to calculate Base Strike Rank, Experience Bonus, Attack Bonus, Parry Bonus, Hit Point Bonus, Damage Bonus, Defense Bonus, as well as Perception, Stealth, Manipulation, and Knowledge as per normal rules.



Normal skill development: Give the character training in a Guild, Militia, Cult, Apprenticeship, or "Barbarian" training (worth the equivalent of 4000L per specialized skill, see RQ2 e.g. pp. 22, 32, 104). Except for cults, most training in Ekhinira is actually through a personal mentor. "Barbarians" are here the dwellers in the highlands, usually shepherds, mounted barbarians do not exist. "Cavalry" on Ekhinira are charioteers instead, and this apprenticeship is only available to nobles.

Quick skill development: This is for fans of quick character creation. Give each character 250 points to distribute on skills, to a max of 75% for starting characters (including bonuses). Characters of the nobility get 300 points. Each spell point costs 20 skill points.

Characters are assumed to be in their early 20s at the start of the game. In either case, start only with the basic equipment that training has been obtained in, plus the equivalent in shekels (=Lunars) obtained from the Background table (RQ2 p. 12, assume 21 years of age).

Bronze age armor:

(see RQ2 table p. 29) Chain mail and brigandine do not exist, but most other types do (in bronze)

Many warriors fight almost naked, but wealthier people can afford armor. Protection run the gamut from a simple boar tusk helmet and shield, to full bronze plate armor. Helmets are often adorned with crests or horns. Most warriors have relatively light armor, but some aristocrats go all out and cover themselves in bronze scale or plate (note that this is extremely expensive). The heaviest types were usually taken to battle on a chariot. Shields of all kinds can be used (some look like a large figure of eight, or are of the "tower type", used mostly in battle formations).

Again, the heavier types are unlikely to be seen on any normal day, except large scale battle. But sometimes, there is agreement of each side to simply pick one of their braves warriors to fight the chosen one of the other side.

Blood feuds

Ekhinira is not for the faint of heart. In every large family there is a ghost that howls for the payment in blood of an old wrongdoing. Even in modern times the blood feud (a.k.a. vendetta) is a tradition that is ingrained in several Mediterranean islands (such as the highlands of Crete). In Ancient Athens, blood feuds were the norm until banned as an "official" form of justice by Draco of Athens in the 7th century BC. It was probably the norm in the Bronze Age Aegean. Ekhinira is no exception to this rule. In fact, its turbulent politics and proud people make it especially susceptible to the violence of the blood feud. Much of the island is wilderness, and there is no such thing as a police force or long arm of the law. In addition, the same code of honor that make many seek to become heroic members of their clan, sung by bards after they are gone, also make them seek revenge for wrongdoing against the family. However, the Archons (rulers) and assembly of elders try to maintain some measure of order in the cities. Even if a killing is deemed honorable, it is likely to create chaos and get you thrown in the Archon's dungeon. So revenge is more likely to happen in the countryside, but no place is completely safe. It has even been known to be supported by high priestesses, who view the family as a holy unit, and revenge a holy ritual.


Adventure ideas revolving around blood feuds could include; escorting a friend targeted by feud through enemy territory, negotiating peace between families, or seeking revenge for a dead relative (making the enemy family irredeemably evil makes this a lot easier). Sometimes, the person asking for help to take revenge is literally a ghost seeking out the PCs.

(Drawing: Eric Shanower, Age of Bronze)

Oracles



Some cave and mountain shrines are famous for their oracles, people who can communicate directly with the gods when entering a kind of trance. For a donation, these will help people with all sorts of daily problems, a common question being e.g. whom to marry. However, they sometimes bring the populace more serious messages; messages of angry gods, vengeful spirits, doom, war, and disease.
Oracles are masters of certain kinds of Divine Magic (Rune Magic), such as Divination (p. 61) and they are often the best people to ask for help with Divine Intervention (p. 61). A donation of 1 shekel of gold, as well as some good food and wine, are usually required. The Referee can use oracles in various ways, but they can be an excellent means for dropping hints for players who are stuck, or to introduce a new adventure.

Unlike the other cities, the citadel of Keftos is located in the hills north of the city itself, overlooking the passes through the mountains to the plains below.

Adventure hooks (based on Keftos as a starting point)
-Artisans in Keftos have made a chryselephantine sculpture for a mountain shrine, but the way there has been plagued by bandits. Expect blessings for the safe delivery (one free Divine spell from the Rune Magic section of RQ2, one time only).
-A member of the Keftos assembly of elders have not heard from a small mountain village where he has family. Adventurers are sent to investigate.
-A famous oracle has mysteriously been killed. The remote cave in which she operated is a part of a whole system of tunnels, some of which are poorly known.
-A boy has been embroiled in a family blood feud, and requires escort from his home village to relative safety at an uncle's villa in Keftos.
-A priestess requires incense and myrrh for a ritual. The best quality is sold by Phoenicians trading in Drakomaxos. But what is this important ritual?
-Keftos, recently having been placed in a precarious position by turbulence on Kaftor, is worried that the increasingly aggressive Argurios will attack. PCs are sent to Drakomaxos to negotiate for her to become an ally.




The city of Drakomaxos is located on a hill near the sea (near a small bay). Only the citadel is shown here.

Appropriate monsters from RQ Gateway Bestiary (RQGB)

Again, monsters in this world are supposed to be extremely rare, clouded in myth, and in usually found in remote places.

Hydra: (RQGB p. 19) this many-headed reptilian-looking monster is rumored to inhabit a secluded area of caves and hot springs on a nearby island. These caves are said to be connected to the Underworld. It acts as the guardian of a passage to the land of the dead, and is practically unbeatable by any normal hero.



Lamia: (RQGB p. 20) this is a particularly frightening vampiric monster, shaped like a woman's upper body, but with the rest being like that of a snake. Her mesmerizing stare can magically convince a man that she's a real woman, making him easy prey.



Sphinx (RQGB p. 23): this well-known type of guardian beast is the creation of some vindictive god before the current pantheon was established. They could be said to be the "evil counterpart to the griffin". They are very intelligent and manipulative, but quite chaotic and unpredictable. Females have wings and can fly, but are in the lower range of strength and size (below 26 and 21), while males are rarer, and have size and strength in the upper range (above 26 and 21), but cannot fly. 

Some notes on combat

RQ2 actually has a lot of cool options for combat, although it could have been better organized. I would suggest using rules for impaling, slashing, and crushing when rolling under 20% of attack ability (round down). Note that these rules make impaling weapons like spears especially deadly, which is appropriate for a "sword and sandal" setting where spears are commonly used. The rules are spread out in RQ2 (Special Damages and Appendices) but summarized here. Impaling (e.g. spear) gives normal damage roll plus full damage (e.g. short spear 1D6+1 + 7) and weapon is temporarily stuck. Slash is a deep wound with a slashing weapon, gives double rolled damage (e.g. battle axe would be 2D8+4) and weapon is temporarily stuck. Stuck weapons are hard to remove in RQ2: I suggest fighters have been trained in "unstucking" weapons, and a normal attack roll (no defense) will unstuck it the same round. If the roll fails, the weapon is currently useless, and the body part that it is stuck in is also useless (shield with large stuck weapon ENC>1 is also useless). Crush: blunt crushing weapons like clubs and cudgels only has the effect of normal damage bonus plus full damage bonus (e.g. if damage bonus is normally 1D4 this gives 1D4+4). Critical rolls (5% of skill round down): armor is bypassed AND damage is added as above (and weapon is potentially stuck). Some more incentive to use shields could be useful, so here's a shield house rule: Shields always protect the shield arm (unless critical) as if the blow was parried, and the largest shields also protect the leg on the same side.