Post by David on Jan 16, 2006 17:48:55 GMT -5
Howdy folks,
For a number of reasons, I've been doing work on the Amazon character class for Dnd. While working on it, I was struck that a) the kits as described in the various "class" books have a nice point in that Amazons need not be only fighters, but b) most Amazon skills work better for fighters, and c) Amazon skill in just about every game source leave something to be desired. As a result, I'm working on constructing a general Amazon kit available to all classes, much like the Gypsy kit.
[glow=red,2,300]PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS on this kit[/glow]
BACKGROUND
Amazons are a matriarchal, pseudo-Greek society of humans. The largest and most typical Amazon community is found on the island of Themyscria, beyond the eastern Thracian islands and yet west of Zakhara and the Crowded Sea. Thus, the Amazons are largely isolated from the other "major" cultures of Oerth.
Amazon society closely mirrors that of typical Medegian or Greek life. The only major difference is that women control all major aspects of life. All leaders are female and wifes are the heads of households. After centuries of warfare and strife under the sovereignty of men, the Amazons united and overthrew the patriarchal culture of the Greeks. Moreover, to ensure that Amazon culture would never return to the bloody ways of the past, men were barred from positions of leadership and authority. In ensure there could never be a coup and because "men have shown immaturity when armed" no male may bear weapons in Amazon lands under penalty of death. This includes hunting arms, such as the bow, spear, and javelin, but does allow for self defense; Amazonian males may use those weapons available to wizards (dagger, staff, sling, and dart). Please note that to Amazonian justice "bearing arms" includes carrying such weapons in a sheath and foreigners are not allowed any lenience -- ANY man bearing arms on Amazonian soil for ANY reason is put to death. Naturally, there are very few male fighter-types in Amazonian society -- more males are either domestic caretakers or clerics, bards, or philosophers.
The Amazons venerate the Greek Gods, although Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Persephone, Hera, and Aphrodite hold places of particular honor. Zeus is acknowledged as the head of the pantheon, but the prophesy regarding the child of Metis is a key element; one day Athena will supplant Zeus as head of the Olympians. Then, the goddess of wisdom and war will lead her followers to a golden age of peace and happiness. In the meanwhile, Zeus (as well as Poseidon, Hades, Ares, etc) are to be placated and obeyed, if no alternative presents itself. The only male gods genuinely appreciated by the Amazonians are Apollo (Artemis' twin and her greatest supporter) and Dionysus (who strongly supports powerful females). Heracles is one of the greatest and evil of villains; his priests are usually executed on sight.
The Amazons understand that other societies often do not share their vision and that, moreover, many cultures given over to misogyny view Amazons as targets. The Amazonian response is "peace-through-superior-firepower". No hostile action against an Amazon is to be tolerated and any assault requires an even more potent response.
The Amazons keep themselves in a constant state of readiness in both mind and body. This has breed a very competitive streak in the Amazonian psyche which manifests itself as a drive to be the best. Amazonians are, as a result, very athletic and driven, constantly striving to be better.
For the benefit of the whole, Amazons agree to certain societal restrictions. The needs of the sisterhood come first.
As already mentioned, Amazonian society is matriarchal and matrilineal. While Amazons do marry, they may neither enter into a domestic partnership with a man nor bear children without approval from the council of sisters. Love is always a crucial prerequisite, but a healthy relationship that will better the community comes first. Any Amazon who violates this covenant is banished forever.
As a result of these rules (breeding program?), the Amazons are a strong, healthy, smart, and beautiful people with strong cosmetic diversity. Amazon females are usually as tall as males and stand out in foreign human environments. To qualify for the Amazon kit, all PCs must have a minimum of 11 Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, as well as a minimum of 8 intelligence, wisdom, and charisma. Since Amazonian society favors the best and brightest, any Amazon must also have at least a 13 in all prime requisites for their class. There are individuals who do not meet these high standards in Amazonian society, but they do not gain the benefits of this kit and are generally not given the opportunities Amazons are.
Amazons are taught to be proud, intelligent, cultured, and self-sufficient. All Amazons are required to be proficient in one missile weapon (almost always bow), one melee weapon (almost always spear or battle axe), proficient in one "traveling" skill (horsemanship, sailor, or charioteer), proficient in one athletic skill (swimming, running, jumping, wrestling, boxing, discus, etc), and proficient in one cultural skill (poetry, music, tactics, literature, history, etc). In the case of class conflicts (mages, for instance) a suitable substitute must be selected (such as bola or sling, staff or dagger, horsemanship, swimming, literature or history, with two languages burnt as a skill, therefore Amazonian mages must have at LEAST 14 intelligence!).
Amazons are taught to be proud of themselves and their heritage. They are part of a great sisterhood first and foremost and the actions of one reflect on them all. Amazons will not countenance the abuse of other women, Amazon or not, although they will not foolish risk their lives or mindlessly attack if their is no hope of victory. An Amazon watching a female slave being beaten by her master should at least attempt to protect the victim, although whether she resorts to reason, physically interposing herself, a fierce right-hook, or a spear through the chest would depend on the specifics.
Amazons sometimes serve as mercenaries for other local powers but NEVER fight amongst themselves (at least not when others are present). The bond of their community and sisterhood are more important than any other consideration.
Amazons are usually on good terms with centaurs and often work as allies. They are also on decent terms with merfolk, although often come into conflict with the patriarchal aspects of that society. Half-dryads are more common among the Amazons that anywhere else, although half-satyrs are still fairly uncommon.
GAME SPECS
So long as the prerequisites are met, the Amazon kit is available to any and all character classes that are appropriate to a Grecian milieu (no non-humans [maybe half-dryads?], necromancers, psionists, etc). Foreign humans cannot normally adopt this kit, as it is as much a result of culture as up-bringing and even breeding. There are many females raised in Amazon culture who do NOT qualify for this kit -- such women do not usually leave the protection of their sisterhood to be seen by outsiders.
ADVANTAGES
An Amazon who meets all of these requirements will gain certain benefits as a result of her competitive, athletic, focused up-bringing:
+1" move in light armor (studded leather or less) -- does not stack with other class bonuses (acrobat, beastmaster, monk, etc). This also gives a +1' to all jumps and +1 to such rolls.
+1 AC in light armor (studded leather or less) -- does not stack with other class bonuses (acrobat, beastmaster, mariner, etc). This also applies to dodgeable saving throws.
+1 to hit with favored weapon (chosen at first level, usually a bow, spear, or battle axe)
+1 to hit and damage ON FIRST STRIKE ONLY against a arrogant male foe from a patriarchal society. This is a function of the Amazon acting coy and weak, only to strike with sudden ferocity. This usually will ONLY work on arrogant humans and never if they've seen the trick before.
+1 vs will-based attacks and saving throws, such as hold person, charm person, suggestion, etc as well as resisting torture. This does NOT apply to an Amazon's MAC.
Access to certain "Amazon" skills (actually available to PCs of all ethnicities, but commonly taught to Amazons) such as missile deflection, shield use, combat dodge, weapon specialization (if permissible by class), boxing, wrestling, the various "athletic" skills found in the Celtic source-book, such as spear-twist, salmon-leap, etc, plus unique spells (the Arcane-Archer list of the Diablo Amazon).
DISADVANTAGES
In exchange, as already mentioned, an Amazon must:
Have 13+ in all of her Prime Requisites
Have 11+ in her Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution
Have 8+ in her Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma
Be proficient in one missile weapon, one melee weapon, one "movement" skill, one athletic skill, and one cultural/artistic skill
Must have permission from their sisterhood in order to marry and/or have children
Physically and socially standout among other societies due to their height, attitudes, independence, self-reliance, etc. In hostile societies, this will cause a -2 reaction penalty, although some men find Amazons fascinating.
Are psychologically conditioned to be competitive, competent, communal, and victorious. Amazons she never let her honor be stained, give up without excellent cause, or allow a woman to be victimized.
NOTES
While these Amazons do NOT perfectly conform to the Amazons of Greek legend, I think they actually work more smoothly and logically in a Dnd setting. They incorporate almost all the traditional elements of Amazon lore, without making them "foes to slaughter" as in some myths (notice, they no longer follow Ares, the arch-rival of the Athenians!). Culturally, they are a little like the Spartans, but balance this with a strong classical Hellenistic value-system, including art, beauty, physical fitness, and a drive for perfection. I would say most Amazons are neutral good (instead of the typical chaotic good of the Greeks).
This is a WORK IN PROGRESS. I'd love to hear your thoughts...!
For a number of reasons, I've been doing work on the Amazon character class for Dnd. While working on it, I was struck that a) the kits as described in the various "class" books have a nice point in that Amazons need not be only fighters, but b) most Amazon skills work better for fighters, and c) Amazon skill in just about every game source leave something to be desired. As a result, I'm working on constructing a general Amazon kit available to all classes, much like the Gypsy kit.
[glow=red,2,300]PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS on this kit[/glow]
BACKGROUND
Amazons are a matriarchal, pseudo-Greek society of humans. The largest and most typical Amazon community is found on the island of Themyscria, beyond the eastern Thracian islands and yet west of Zakhara and the Crowded Sea. Thus, the Amazons are largely isolated from the other "major" cultures of Oerth.
Amazon society closely mirrors that of typical Medegian or Greek life. The only major difference is that women control all major aspects of life. All leaders are female and wifes are the heads of households. After centuries of warfare and strife under the sovereignty of men, the Amazons united and overthrew the patriarchal culture of the Greeks. Moreover, to ensure that Amazon culture would never return to the bloody ways of the past, men were barred from positions of leadership and authority. In ensure there could never be a coup and because "men have shown immaturity when armed" no male may bear weapons in Amazon lands under penalty of death. This includes hunting arms, such as the bow, spear, and javelin, but does allow for self defense; Amazonian males may use those weapons available to wizards (dagger, staff, sling, and dart). Please note that to Amazonian justice "bearing arms" includes carrying such weapons in a sheath and foreigners are not allowed any lenience -- ANY man bearing arms on Amazonian soil for ANY reason is put to death. Naturally, there are very few male fighter-types in Amazonian society -- more males are either domestic caretakers or clerics, bards, or philosophers.
The Amazons venerate the Greek Gods, although Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Persephone, Hera, and Aphrodite hold places of particular honor. Zeus is acknowledged as the head of the pantheon, but the prophesy regarding the child of Metis is a key element; one day Athena will supplant Zeus as head of the Olympians. Then, the goddess of wisdom and war will lead her followers to a golden age of peace and happiness. In the meanwhile, Zeus (as well as Poseidon, Hades, Ares, etc) are to be placated and obeyed, if no alternative presents itself. The only male gods genuinely appreciated by the Amazonians are Apollo (Artemis' twin and her greatest supporter) and Dionysus (who strongly supports powerful females). Heracles is one of the greatest and evil of villains; his priests are usually executed on sight.
The Amazons understand that other societies often do not share their vision and that, moreover, many cultures given over to misogyny view Amazons as targets. The Amazonian response is "peace-through-superior-firepower". No hostile action against an Amazon is to be tolerated and any assault requires an even more potent response.
The Amazons keep themselves in a constant state of readiness in both mind and body. This has breed a very competitive streak in the Amazonian psyche which manifests itself as a drive to be the best. Amazonians are, as a result, very athletic and driven, constantly striving to be better.
For the benefit of the whole, Amazons agree to certain societal restrictions. The needs of the sisterhood come first.
As already mentioned, Amazonian society is matriarchal and matrilineal. While Amazons do marry, they may neither enter into a domestic partnership with a man nor bear children without approval from the council of sisters. Love is always a crucial prerequisite, but a healthy relationship that will better the community comes first. Any Amazon who violates this covenant is banished forever.
As a result of these rules (breeding program?), the Amazons are a strong, healthy, smart, and beautiful people with strong cosmetic diversity. Amazon females are usually as tall as males and stand out in foreign human environments. To qualify for the Amazon kit, all PCs must have a minimum of 11 Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, as well as a minimum of 8 intelligence, wisdom, and charisma. Since Amazonian society favors the best and brightest, any Amazon must also have at least a 13 in all prime requisites for their class. There are individuals who do not meet these high standards in Amazonian society, but they do not gain the benefits of this kit and are generally not given the opportunities Amazons are.
Amazons are taught to be proud, intelligent, cultured, and self-sufficient. All Amazons are required to be proficient in one missile weapon (almost always bow), one melee weapon (almost always spear or battle axe), proficient in one "traveling" skill (horsemanship, sailor, or charioteer), proficient in one athletic skill (swimming, running, jumping, wrestling, boxing, discus, etc), and proficient in one cultural skill (poetry, music, tactics, literature, history, etc). In the case of class conflicts (mages, for instance) a suitable substitute must be selected (such as bola or sling, staff or dagger, horsemanship, swimming, literature or history, with two languages burnt as a skill, therefore Amazonian mages must have at LEAST 14 intelligence!).
Amazons are taught to be proud of themselves and their heritage. They are part of a great sisterhood first and foremost and the actions of one reflect on them all. Amazons will not countenance the abuse of other women, Amazon or not, although they will not foolish risk their lives or mindlessly attack if their is no hope of victory. An Amazon watching a female slave being beaten by her master should at least attempt to protect the victim, although whether she resorts to reason, physically interposing herself, a fierce right-hook, or a spear through the chest would depend on the specifics.
Amazons sometimes serve as mercenaries for other local powers but NEVER fight amongst themselves (at least not when others are present). The bond of their community and sisterhood are more important than any other consideration.
Amazons are usually on good terms with centaurs and often work as allies. They are also on decent terms with merfolk, although often come into conflict with the patriarchal aspects of that society. Half-dryads are more common among the Amazons that anywhere else, although half-satyrs are still fairly uncommon.
GAME SPECS
So long as the prerequisites are met, the Amazon kit is available to any and all character classes that are appropriate to a Grecian milieu (no non-humans [maybe half-dryads?], necromancers, psionists, etc). Foreign humans cannot normally adopt this kit, as it is as much a result of culture as up-bringing and even breeding. There are many females raised in Amazon culture who do NOT qualify for this kit -- such women do not usually leave the protection of their sisterhood to be seen by outsiders.
ADVANTAGES
An Amazon who meets all of these requirements will gain certain benefits as a result of her competitive, athletic, focused up-bringing:
+1" move in light armor (studded leather or less) -- does not stack with other class bonuses (acrobat, beastmaster, monk, etc). This also gives a +1' to all jumps and +1 to such rolls.
+1 AC in light armor (studded leather or less) -- does not stack with other class bonuses (acrobat, beastmaster, mariner, etc). This also applies to dodgeable saving throws.
+1 to hit with favored weapon (chosen at first level, usually a bow, spear, or battle axe)
+1 to hit and damage ON FIRST STRIKE ONLY against a arrogant male foe from a patriarchal society. This is a function of the Amazon acting coy and weak, only to strike with sudden ferocity. This usually will ONLY work on arrogant humans and never if they've seen the trick before.
+1 vs will-based attacks and saving throws, such as hold person, charm person, suggestion, etc as well as resisting torture. This does NOT apply to an Amazon's MAC.
Access to certain "Amazon" skills (actually available to PCs of all ethnicities, but commonly taught to Amazons) such as missile deflection, shield use, combat dodge, weapon specialization (if permissible by class), boxing, wrestling, the various "athletic" skills found in the Celtic source-book, such as spear-twist, salmon-leap, etc, plus unique spells (the Arcane-Archer list of the Diablo Amazon).
DISADVANTAGES
In exchange, as already mentioned, an Amazon must:
Have 13+ in all of her Prime Requisites
Have 11+ in her Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution
Have 8+ in her Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma
Be proficient in one missile weapon, one melee weapon, one "movement" skill, one athletic skill, and one cultural/artistic skill
Must have permission from their sisterhood in order to marry and/or have children
Physically and socially standout among other societies due to their height, attitudes, independence, self-reliance, etc. In hostile societies, this will cause a -2 reaction penalty, although some men find Amazons fascinating.
Are psychologically conditioned to be competitive, competent, communal, and victorious. Amazons she never let her honor be stained, give up without excellent cause, or allow a woman to be victimized.
NOTES
While these Amazons do NOT perfectly conform to the Amazons of Greek legend, I think they actually work more smoothly and logically in a Dnd setting. They incorporate almost all the traditional elements of Amazon lore, without making them "foes to slaughter" as in some myths (notice, they no longer follow Ares, the arch-rival of the Athenians!). Culturally, they are a little like the Spartans, but balance this with a strong classical Hellenistic value-system, including art, beauty, physical fitness, and a drive for perfection. I would say most Amazons are neutral good (instead of the typical chaotic good of the Greeks).
This is a WORK IN PROGRESS. I'd love to hear your thoughts...!
With two Amazonian clerics to speak of, I look forward to this kit being fleshed out....so far it looks great!