RISUS HEROIC GREECE

©2002, Guy Hoyle

Revised 5/9/2002

The myths of ancient Greece speak of heroes, gods, and monsters, of mighty quests and tragic fates. It differs from standard fantasy in many ways,yet much of it has found its way into our books, our movies, even our RPGs.

Fans of the popular "Hercules" and "Xena" TV series will find much that they recognize here, but many of my interpretations of various mythological characters will be based more on the myths themselves. However, "maximum game fun" is my goal, so don't look for a dry, scholastic dissertation, either.

To use this page you’ll need a copy of Risus: the Anything RPG , (copyright 1993-2001) by S. John Ross. Note: I've often included variations on the cliches presented below. These can be used as synonyms for the cliches, although sometimes they might suggest something a little bit different.

HEROES

Most heroes have a divine patron or parent, and have earned thedispleasure of some god or another because of the circumstances of his conception (Hera despises the issue of Zeus' infidelities, for example), something they've done (such as stealing some god's sacred cattle, or cuckolding them), or something they didn't do (omitting an important sacrfice, especially if you promised one).

COMMON FIGHTERS


These men fight for reasons other than glory: duty to their lord, personal gain, etc. They are often looked down upon by the aristocratic heroes.

Freeborn Soldier: Obey superiors, complain about food, stand watch, complain about superiors, gamble and drink and wench whenever possible
Gold-Greedy Pirate: Sail the seas, attack ships, demand ransoms, climb the rigging, say things like "sink me fer a lubber" and "shiver me timbers"
Bandits: ambush passers-by, live off the land, retreat when overmatched

CRAFTS, PROFESSIONS, CALLINGS


These vocations are primarily practiced by those of non-heroic stature, but many heroes practice them as well at home or on campaign.

Pragmatic Priest: butcher animal, interpret sacrifice, perform ritual, perform marriage
Variation: Doom-shouting Priest, Devious Manipulative Priest
Blood-Spattered Chirurgeon: ignore screams, amputate maimed limb, cauterize stump, stitch wound, tell them "this won't hurt a bit", bind ribs, splint broken bones
Gossipy Midwife: tell old wives’ tales, spot pregnancy, treat infertility, prescribe contraceptive, terminate pregnancy, tend mother-to-be, deliver child, save mother
Doting Herdsman: keep herd safe, watch out for predators, run after animal, tend sick animal, butcher animal, stay awake
Hard-Working Farmer: manage farm, plow fields, lift heavy burdens, talk about crops, complain about weather, fix things
Fisherman: go fish, keep quiet, make traps, make nets, swim, know the waters, boating
Honorless Thief: skulk about, slink warily, wait for opportunity, pilfer swag, pocket valuables
Variations: Adorable Street Urchin
Wide-Faring Poet: compose poem, enrapture audiences, sing and play lyre, be welcome anywhere
Low-Born Entertainer: entertain audience, sense mood of audience, have casual fling
Variations: Somber Lyre-player, Slender-waisted Dancer, Sweet-throated Singer, High-vaulting Acrobat
Craftsman: make things, appraise things, fi d stuff to make things out of
Variations: Meticulous Woodworker, Finger-stained Leatherworker, Clay-daubed Potter, Wealthy Goldsmith
Broad-Shouldered Metalsmith: make things out of bronze, ignore burns,flex muscles impressively, evaluate metal
Clever-Handed Engineer: build palace, drain swamp, build fortifications, build the occasional mechanical bull or strap-on wings
Swift-Stalking Hunter: live in the wild, stalk prey, wait patiently, know nature lore, wise in the chase
Sun-Darkened Sailor: man oars, set sail, follow the coastline,know landmarks, gossip and swear, keep a weather eye out, be superstitious, keep a girl in every port
Wing-Worded Herald: Memorize messages, walk long distances, travel under the protection of the gods
Labor-Weary Slave: bear heavy burden, live on scraps, ignore pain, go without sleep, work until you drop, endure mistreatment
Far-Roving Trader: Evaluate oods, drive hard bargain, protect goods, organize trading expedition, communicate with stranger
Battle-Hardened Medic: Bandage injury, splint broken bone, carry patient, scream piercingly, dodge attacker, survive battle
Unwashed Beggar: Tell sad story, beg for scraps, flatter patron, show old wound, do amusing trick, swallow pride, sleep anywhere
Dutiful Wife: Do chores, run household, prepare meals, welcome guests, raise children, keep household gods happy
Grape-Stained Vintner: Grows grapes, make wine, shake off hangover
Sleep-Wary Sentinel: Challenge newcomers, defend wall, remain at post, withstand pain, go without sleep, stand fast, light beacon, sound alarm

DRAMATIC ROLES


These aren't occupations or nationalities or races, but they're roles that come up frequently in Greek mythology.

Calm-browed Peacemaker: End feud, forge alliance, put down weapons, see both sides, calm passions, find compromise
Favored by Aphrodite: Be mysteriously attractive, caress passionately, perform under duress, demonstrate ardor, endear with a glance, stay awake, run from enraged spouse, jump out window
Wise Friend: Boost confidence, resolve argument, prevent anger, sting pride, lift friend's burden, lighten heart
Steadfast Companion: Fight to the death for friend, stand loyal, watch friend's back, avenge friend's honor, talk sense
Trustworthy Counsellor: Be impartial, cite precedent, know unseen factors, sense dissent, find weakness in argument, talk for hours, know traditions, find compromise, memorize, speak with authority
Princess Chained to a Rock: Have parents that tick off the gods, get chained to a rock waiting for a monster to eat you, marry the hero who rescues you, slays the monster, and kills your parents.
Wicked King: be paranoid of mysterious visitors, arrange to have mysterious visitors killed, try and circumvent prophecy that you'll be killed by a mysterious strangerget killed by mysterious stranger

RACES

There aren’t any elves, dwarves, or orcs in the myths of the Greeks, but there were plenty of non-human intelligent beings.

SIGNATURE ABILITIES

Many heroes have a special ability or quality that marks them as unique. These abilities are often the result of being the child of a god, or an object of the god’s special interest. Take the “Child of a God” cliché above and choose a “signature ability” like the ones below to go with it (or make up one of your own), or add an appropriate descriptive phrase ("Peripipetes of the Godlike Speed", "Bucephalus of the Warlike Cry", "Wind-Footed Anchises"). Generally, you should only have one signature ability or a very closely related set of signature abilities (e.g., a special way with horses: communicating with horses, calling horses to you, a special healing touch with horses).

COMBINING CLICHES


Most of the cliches above can be combined easily. You can have Cattle-raiding Amazons, a Rock-fisted Sacker of Cities, a Wise Spear-famed Friend, a Silent-stalking Hunting Nymph, a Wing-footed Centaur Favored by Aphrodite, a Horse-taming Wife, or any combination agreeable to you and the gamemaster.

TRAITS

These are not cliches in themselves, but may be used in conjunction with them, e.g.Silver-Tongued Counselor, Huge and Mighty Warrior, etc.

SORCERY

Sorceresses are women with divine blood in their ancestry, which enables them to work magic, often using magic herbs and other substances, words of power, and special equipment.

Unlike the magicians of most fantasy games, they do not teleport, cast fireballs or lightning bolts, fly (though they can change into a bird or summon a flock of them up), visit other planes of existence (except via an entrance to the Underworld), or become insubstantial. Invisibility is something that only the gods possess, though sometimes they place it upon an object for use by mortals. Spells often take some preparation time to cast properly.

Here are some things you might want to provide in your magical ceremony. (It adds to the atmosphere of the game and it might entertain the gamemaster.) Generally speaking, the more powerful the spell is, the longer it will take; the more props and ceremonies you use, the easier it will be to cast.

Here are some examples of spells you might be able to cast. The list is not complete, but it might provide you with a sense of the style of magic employed.

HOOKS AND TALES

There are plenty of great hooks in the Greek myths. Some are fairly common, while others are rather rare. Here are some ideas you can use when developing flaws and backstories.

THE GODS

Many times a character will want to contact a god to ask for help or a favor. Priests can try and contact a god during a sacrifice. The children of the gods can also appeal to their divine parents, who might answer if they happen to be looking in on their children. Basically, the gods should only respond if it would be really, really interesting for them to do so. Listed below are the Gods and some areas they are usually interested in.

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