Re: Role-playing games

by Radaghast Fri Jul 31, 2015 2:45 pm

I'm not sure how 4 or 5E handles it but did the bugbear have class levels?

In the campaign I'm in, we're in the town of Knurl, about to face a siege from the "Horde of the Red Hand"... affraid

It's been building up to this for nearly a year.

by Forest Shepherd Sat Aug 01, 2015 1:53 am

Radaghast wrote:I'm not sure how 4 or 5E handles it but did the bugbear have class levels?

In the campaign I'm in, we're in the town of Knurl, about to face a siege from the "Horde of the Red Hand"... It's been building up to this for nearly a year.

A siege! How ambitious!
I'm curious as to how your DM handles the events of the siege so do please share details of the event. Smile

You say it's been a year of building now: how often do you meet?

As for your question, no, bugbears and nearly all the other monsters in the Monster Manual do not have class levels. The bugbear has some skill proficiencies and special ambushing rules, but no class levels.

by Radaghast Sat Aug 01, 2015 2:31 pm

Forest Shepherd wrote:
Radaghast wrote:I'm not sure how 4 or 5E handles it but did the bugbear have class levels?

In the campaign I'm in, we're in the town of Knurl, about to face a siege from the "Horde of the Red Hand"... It's been building up to this for nearly a year.
A siege! How ambitious!
I'm curious as to how your DM handles the events of the siege so do please share details of the event.

Will do!

You say it's been a year of building now: how often do you meet?

We aim to meet weekly, but we regularly skip weeks due to other commitments by players, so it's maybe bi-monthly, on average, I'd guess.

As for your question, no, bugbears and nearly all the other monsters in the Monster Manual do not have class levels. The bugbear has some skill proficiencies and special ambushing rules, but no class levels.

What level are you guys, how many players and what classes?

3 & 3.5 allows many monsters to have class levels*. Did they remove this in 4 & 5?

*There was even a 3E book called Savage Species, that gave players the option to play monstrous races; it was never updated for 3.5, though.

by Forest Shepherd Sun Aug 02, 2015 3:44 am

There are only two of us players right now. I've been trying to change that because at level one it was a heck of a challenge to stay alive. We just leveled last session though, so now my human Barbarian and his human Fighter are both level 2. I had a Paladin until he was killed, and the other player had a wizard until he wimped out and chose fighter instead.

So now we neither of us have any spells and won't for some time until either I hit lvl 3 and get some rituals, or if he chooses the spell-casting-fighter sub-class choice, also at level 3.
Kind of lame, as magic is incredibly helpful. But like I was saying, my character is very good at wrestling monsters to the ground, which might sound kind of lame, but it's very fun to do in game.

And I believe the reason that monsters don't have class levels is because that would add a lot to their stat block information. It is enough that many of them have the same types of abilities (the ability to cast certain spells, for example) without the DM also having to know what a 5th level Sorceror is going to have. It's a matter of simplification.

by Radaghast Sun Aug 02, 2015 5:23 am

Hm. Lots of changes from later editions to 3.5. I think we use a modified 4E rule for characters dying or staving off death. It's too bad you guys only have two players. I don't blame the other guy for not choosing wizard with only two players. A wizard needs more "meat shields" to be able to survive the early levels and become really powerful later on. Hope you guys can get another person to join.

Anyway, our first siege encounter occurred. Our party all expected we'd fight the siege from the walls, and we (a cleric and my character, a druid variant class) but as a small part of my brain suspected, it was going to be more like Diablo II or III (or any given war-themed video game, I suppose), where one of your missions is to go out into the field on missions to take out a catapult or wherever. In our case, it was a trebuchet (one of 6 stationed on one side of the town), which was raining devastation upon the town's buildings. We managed to take out of commission, but the creatures manning the trebuchet (four ogres, some hobgoblin soldiers and a hobgoblin mage and a hobgoblin war priest) nearly did us in. At least a few of us at least made some silly mistakes (like splitting up the party which happened while I was in the john) but it could have gone a lot worse all told (and, quite frankly, I'm surprised it didn't) and we did a fair amount of damage ourselves, but one of our party ended up being captured and we lost a couple of valuable items, which another party member inexplicably brought along with him. This guy, who plays the cleric, just didn't seem to be himself this session; he's usually the best player, but this time he made some uncharacteristically odd decisions. He lost the items because he was hit with a ray of enfeeblement which destroyed his Strength and he had to shed the weight, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to do anything.

Anyway, there are a lot of details I could relate but I'll spare you for now Smile

For now, I'm wondering how taking out one trebuchet makes that much of a difference when they've got five remaining. One of the vagaries of the game, I guess.

by Forest Shepherd Sun Aug 02, 2015 5:44 am

Thanks for the update!

I shall refrain from further comment until more of the battle has been revealed methinks.

As far as the other player in my game goes, I do blame him for switching from Wizard. I was playing a mother-flippin' Paladin, with 18 AC! AT LEVEL ONE!
I was a tanky flippin' meatshield and with his magics the game would have been easy. But NOOO he has to change over to a ranged Fighter. So a character that deals some damage, but takes none as he wants to spend his time distanced from the enemy. So instead of a wizard with his awesome disables and boosts and nukes and whatever I have a fraidy-cat wimp who hangs back and shoots things from a distance, leaving my character to take it all with zero support.
Hence my Paladin's death, and my Barbaran's near death and our total lack of magic! Mad

by Radaghast Sun Aug 02, 2015 1:40 pm

Well, you know that edition of the game more than I, but in 3.5 a wizard wouldn't be able to offer much more support at 1st level than an archer. The lack of a magic-user is often an inconvenience, at best, though.

by Pettytyrant101 Sun Aug 02, 2015 10:43 pm

Unless its a useful magic user- like a monk maybe- they can be handy in a tight corner- buffs and healing, extras against undead and handy in a scrap if it comes down to it (for a magic using class)

by Forest Shepherd Mon Aug 03, 2015 3:05 am

Well let us see, at level one in 5e, a Fighter who has specialised in archery is able to:
add a small bonus to his attack roll, and has a small self-heal (Second Wind).

That's it as far as the class goes. He can still do things like use his action to "help" another person, or attempt to use a healing kit on someone who is down (if they have one) or possibly even be proficient in the Medicine skill (if the fighter chose the Sage background, which would be quite odd but is possible).

Wizards on the other hand can actually get Medicine proficiency from both the (suggested for their class) Sage background as well as their Class skill proficiency options.
Secondly, they are proficient with slings, light crossbows and darts, so they can certainly be a ranged sort of character. Albeit, not with a bow, and far weaker than an archer. The point is you can still stand back and shoot bolt-things at creatures if you so wish.

Thirdly, a wizard has three cantrips (weak spells that can be cast an unlimited number of times per day) and two level one spells (plus one more after a short rest, once per day)
Their spell lists at level 1 include the following more-than-just damage spells. That is to say, abilities they have access to that do more than an arrow fired from a bow will do (instead of just doing 2d6 damage, it sends a group of creatures into a magical sleep, for example):

Cantrips:
Blade Ward: A good survival ability, this gives the caster one round of resistance to slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning damage.

Chill Touch: With a range of 120 feet, on successful hits this attack keeps the target from regaining hitpoints until the start of your next turn.

Dancing Lights: This works well as a distraction ability, doing exactly what it sounds like up to a range of 120 feet.

Light: Which can be cast on enemies to keep them from slipping away unseen and is very useful when both members of your party are human.

Minor Illusion: Another good distraction tool.

Ray of Frost: On hits this slows the target's movement by 10 feet for one round.

Shocking Grasp: On hits this keeps the target from performing any reactions until the start of its next turn.

And that's just the cantrips! If we consider the spells from which this level one wizard can choose from (they can choose any three at level 1), then we get:

disable abilities like,
Grease, Ray of Sickness, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, and Sleep. Sleep is the most overpowered ability there is for the first few levels and is an incredible tide-turner.

buff abilities like,
Comprehend Languages, Mage Armour, Protection from Evil and Good, Shield, and Thunderwave

And good reliable multiple-target damage too from Magic Missile, which in this edition consists of three separate attacks that can be directed against multiple foes or just one. And each attack does 1d4+1 force damage to its target.

So although these abilities cannot be used often at level 1, it really doesn't matter for our case, as my Paladin died in the second encounter of the night.
Overall, it's possible to grab some very strong spells and so I'd definitely take a wizard or other spellcaster over more ranged damage.

by Forest Shepherd Thu Aug 27, 2015 5:00 am

So, after about three months of my waiting and waiting and waiting and oh wow there's a game! and waiting and waiting and waiting and oh hey another game and what's that? You really want to play soon? OK how about tonight baboon-butt.

Oh, no, you're busy?

And waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting; after, in other words, a long-ass time of weekly rescheduling in which the group and I only played 3 and 1/2 sessions (in the half-session I had my first character death), after all that time it's apparently quits.

Our beloved Sam, oh responsible man of the year and best-beloved true-heart faithful friend is apparently too busy for the foreseeable future to play D&D. And what's that you say? "Ah, yes, it's understandable. That happens, and at least he let everyone know in a responsible and respectful manner."
No, he sure didn't. Two weeks ago I called to see if he wanted to play a board-game or go see a movie or something as the DM was busy. But no, he wanted to catch up on some reading. I called the night of a week ago to let them know that I could bring snacks, and an hour and a half before the game would have started Sam let me know that he was busy working and couldn't play. And so a week passed by and I send two messages over the weekend and call early the day of and only THEN do I get the response that he will probably be too busy to play any time soon as now that summer is over school is starting soon for him. I DID NOT CONTACT HIM IN THE BEGINNING. HE CONTACTED ME. He told ME that he wanted to play the game. He told ME that it was something he was interested in.
THEN WHY THE FUCK HAVE YOU NOT BEEN PLAYING IT???? If it wasn't fun from the very beginning than don't say repeat OVER AND OVER how interested you are in playing again soon and yet give last-minute excuses about how you're too busy.

BE AN ADULT AND TELL PEOPLE THAT YOU CAN'T DO THINGS WHEN YOU CAN'T DO THEM.

Don't string them along for THREE BLOODY MONTHS and then expect them to be cool with the fact that you just wasted all that time of theirs.

I am growing to hate D&D because it has brought me nothing but unhappiness. I hate the cliches. I hate the nonsensical rules. I hate the edition debates. I hate disappointment. I hate sadness. I hate self-proclaiming nerds. I hate World of Warcraft style STUPID RUDE-ASS FAUX-SCOTTISH DWARF CULTURE. I hate not having friends. I hate not being included. I hate not being able to find a reliable group. I hate that I played with the group I did last fall and early spring because it was the worst 6 months of my entire life (thus far). I LOATHE ENTIRELY the despicable cess-pool that is the website reddit. I hate people who think killing is fun in games and have idiotic conceptions of morality. I hate not being able to DM a game of my own. I hate feeling like I'm better at things than the people I play with when I am probably not and will BLOODY WELL never find out anyway.

I hate the idea of having to play D&D through Roll 20 or some other online service. I hate my misfortune. I hate that noone I talk to in-person cares or seems able to understand why it is that I've had such a horrible time with others who like this game. I hate feeling like a black thundercloud ruining everyone's day while they sit there twiddling their thumbs and laughing back-and-forth at inanities. I hate that I haven't been over to my sister's house for two months when I used to go there every single week. I hate that my niece doesn't include me in anything because she either doesn't like me or thinks that I don't want to be included or don't like her. I hate that I have to write these selfish rants in the D&D forum (that I started and whose existence it feels I have been eking along ever since) instead of telling friends or family.

I don't understand! Shrugging

What is it about Me and D&D that leads to me interacting with people who are either insecure tyrants or irresponsible wankers?

I think it might be me. That I have created my own stunted set of standards and am unable to reconcile the real world with these unrealistic notions.

And I also hate that I still haven't been able to unburden myself of the stress from my first group. As time passes the immediacy of it fades and yet I've still got the big chip there on my shoulder and it still affects me.

I passed a bus-stop last week. Joe was waiting there on the bench. It looked like he just gotten off work as he had this uniform on. My first reaction was happiness at seeing him again because we often car-pooled to the games and I had liked him when we met. I almost stopped and said hello, but kept driving as traffic was heavy. A few minutes after passing him though the happiness was replaced by all the feelings of rejection and insecurity and shame and sadness that I had felt when I left the group. I hate that too.

So screw D&D. I used to think it was the bee's knees and felt nothing but hope about finding others who felt the same. But now I think it must simply be a stumbling block put down before me to retard my advancement in life even more.

It reminds me of when I was a kid actually. I had a friend (just one). And before we were separated for 10 years I played with my cousins a lot. But I would read books like Harry Potter and the The Chronicles of Narnia, stories about flawed-but-heroic children just like me who had lots of friends and did wonderful things together. I would imagine how one day I would also have lots of friends and I would live in a far away and wonderful place like... somewhere in England I guess, where people would speak like the characters in those books. I would dream about them, my friends. Those were my favourite dreams. The ones in which I was part of a circle of good people with which I shared a beautiful camaraderie. And we faced challenges but we were smart and good and loved each-other and could survive anything.

All this nonsense about D&D feels like nothing so much as those childish dreams shriveling away in the face of reality. Life won't even permit me to pretend that I have those friends.

by halfwise Thu Aug 27, 2015 12:45 pm

Sounds like a dating rant. Razz

You could try picking that up as a hobby but it's not much better...

by Radaghast Thu Aug 27, 2015 3:42 pm

Forest Shepherd wrote:So, after about three months of my waiting and waiting and waiting and oh wow there's a game! and waiting and waiting and waiting and oh hey another game and what's that? You really want to play soon? OK how about tonight baboon-butt.

Oh, no, you're busy?

And waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting; after, in other words, a long-ass time of weekly rescheduling in which the group and I only played 3 and 1/2 sessions (in the half-session I had my first character death), after all that time it's apparently quits.

Our beloved Sam, oh responsible man of the year and best-beloved true-heart faithful friend is apparently too busy for the foreseeable future to play D&D. And what's that you say? "Ah, yes, it's understandable. That happens, and at least he let everyone know in a responsible and respectful manner."
No, he sure didn't. Two weeks ago I called to see if he wanted to play a board-game or go see a movie or something as the DM was busy. But no, he wanted to catch up on some reading. I called the night of a week ago to let them know that I could bring snacks, and an hour and a half before the game would have started Sam let me know that he was busy working and couldn't play. And so a week passed by and I send two messages over the weekend and call early the day of and only THEN do I get the response that he will probably be too busy to play any time soon as now that summer is over school is starting soon for him. I DID NOT CONTACT HIM IN THE BEGINNING. HE CONTACTED ME. He told ME that he wanted to play the game. He told ME that it was something he was interested in.
THEN WHY THE FUCK HAVE YOU NOT BEEN PLAYING IT???? If it wasn't fun from the very beginning than don't say repeat OVER AND OVER how interested you are in playing again soon and yet give last-minute excuses about how you're too busy.

BE AN ADULT AND TELL PEOPLE THAT YOU CAN'T DO THINGS WHEN YOU CAN'T DO THEM.

Don't string them along for THREE BLOODY MONTHS and then expect them to be cool with the fact that you just wasted all that time of theirs.

I am growing to hate D&D because it has brought me nothing but unhappiness. I hate the cliches. I hate the nonsensical rules. I hate the edition debates. I hate disappointment. I hate sadness. I hate self-proclaiming nerds. I hate World of Warcraft style STUPID RUDE-ASS FAUX-SCOTTISH DWARF CULTURE. I hate not having friends. I hate not being included. I hate not being able to find a reliable group. I hate that I played with the group I did last fall and early spring because it was the worst 6 months of my entire life (thus far). I LOATHE ENTIRELY the despicable cess-pool that is the website reddit. I hate people who think killing is fun in games and have idiotic conceptions of morality. I hate not being able to DM a game of my own. I hate feeling like I'm better at things than the people I play with when I am probably not and will BLOODY WELL never find out anyway.

I hate the idea of having to play D&D through Roll 20 or some other online service. I hate my misfortune. I hate that noone I talk to in-person cares or seems able to understand why it is that I've had such a horrible time with others who like this game. I hate feeling like a black thundercloud ruining everyone's day while they sit there twiddling their thumbs and laughing back-and-forth at inanities. I hate that I haven't been over to my sister's house for two months when I used to go there every single week. I hate that my niece doesn't include me in anything because she either doesn't like me or thinks that I don't want to be included or don't like her. I hate that I have to write these selfish rants in the D&D forum (that I started and whose existence it feels I have been eking along ever since) instead of telling friends or family.

I don't understand!
What is it about Me and D&D that leads to me interacting with people who are either insecure tyrants or irresponsible wankers?

I think it might be me. That I have created my own stunted set of standards and am unable to reconcile the real world with these unrealistic notions.

And I also hate that I still haven't been able to unburden myself of the stress from my first group. As time passes the immediacy of it fades and yet I've still got the big chip there on my shoulder and it still affects me.

I passed a bus-stop last week. Joe was waiting there on the bench. It looked like he just gotten off work as he had this uniform on. My first reaction was happiness at seeing him again because we often car-pooled to the games and I had liked him when we met. I almost stopped and said hello, but kept driving as traffic was heavy. A few minutes after passing him though the happiness was replaced by all the feelings of rejection and insecurity and shame and sadness that I had felt when I left the group. I hate that too.

So screw D&D. I used to think it was the bee's knees and felt nothing but hope about finding others who felt the same. But now I think it must simply be a stumbling block put down before me to retard my advancement in life even more.

It reminds me of when I was a kid actually. I had a friend (just one). And before we were separated for 10 years I played with my cousins a lot. But I would read books like Harry Potter and the The Chronicles of Narnia, stories about flawed-but-heroic children just like me who had lots of friends and did wonderful things together. I would imagine how one day I would also have lots of friends and I would live in a far away and wonderful place like... somewhere in England I guess, where people would speak like the characters in those books. I would dream about them, my friends. Those were my favourite dreams. The ones in which I was part of a circle of good people with which I shared a beautiful camaraderie. And we faced challenges but we were smart and good and loved each-other and could survive anything.

All this nonsense about D&D feels like nothing so much as those childish dreams shriveling away in the face of reality. Life won't even permit me to pretend that I have those friends.

Sorry, man. I wish there was something helpful I could say.

At any rate, I think we can agree that the other D&D are even worse Razz

by Forest Shepherd Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:34 pm

Whoo goodness, that was quite the outpouring of emotions.

Yeah, Benioff and Weiss are much worse. I actually love D&D. If I can ever DM my own game I think I shall be a very happy person indeed.

by Radaghast Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:51 pm

And find people who share your passion. It sucks when people flake out on you, not least of all the DM. Anyway, best of luck!

by bungobaggins Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:59 pm

Aww, Forest. Sad

This reminds me of trying to get together with my brother to just do anything. Lately I've just given up.

by Bluebottle Fri Sep 11, 2015 7:17 pm

by Forest Shepherd Fri Sep 11, 2015 7:52 pm

bungobaggins wrote:Aww, Forest.

This reminds me of trying to get together with my brother to just do anything. Lately I've just given up.

That's what brothers are for! Is he just too busy or something? Get together with that fool!

With my brothers I've only recently begun to spend any meaningful time with them. They all left home early (the brother who is one-up from me, Isaiah, left home when he was 15) and they all have a different dad, so that's kept us kind of distant from eachother. Isaiah has gotten work for me with his boss off-and-on for the last year however, and because of that we see eachother more often now, which is really nice.

P.S.
I found a couple of people down the coast a little ways that I might be able to get together for D&D soon. They haven't responded yet,
but hopefully that works out.

P.P.S.
Yeah I've seen that one before Blue. Smile

I've never been in a group that was fun enough to do such things, but I've also never tried. Perhaps next group I find I'll try something silly like that. (If I don't get to DM anyway, which is what I really want to do because then you can play 10 such characters every single game!)

P.P.P.S.
That should really be "common" that the bear is bluffing to speak! Bloody plebs! Mad

by Bluebottle Fri Sep 11, 2015 10:40 pm

Yeah, if that was what D&D (not the game.. err.. no.. actually the game this time.. Razz

) usually was I wouldn't mind playing. Very Happy

What always made it seems less appealing to me was all the limitations it puts on itself and the players. Like if I'm to role-play someone i would like a bit of freedom in deciding who they are. I don't want to have to go around collecting experience points just to be the person I wanted to be. I'd want to be someone interesting, damn it. Mad

by Bluebottle Fri Sep 25, 2015 5:36 pm

Game idea: You play as a humble peasant who must fight off waves of adventurers who feel entitled to just waltz into your house and loot whatever they please.

by Forest Shepherd Sat Sep 26, 2015 5:45 am

So kind of like Petty if he had to defend his Buckie stores.

by Bluebottle Sat Sep 26, 2015 3:02 pm

Yup. Petty in just about every forumshire story. Very Happy

by Pettytyrant101 Sat Sep 26, 2015 3:14 pm

Hey! I am not a stereotype, I'm consistent!! Nod

by Forest Shepherd Sun Oct 04, 2015 7:05 pm

Someone posted asking for help on this new campaign idea of his on Reddit. I spent about 45 minutes (which was probably 40 minutes too long) thinking about it and writing down ideas.

The Prussian Grippe wrote:The world:
The main story takes place in a land similar to turkey and greece. So classical greco-culture within the Dungeons and Dragons setting. To the east and north would be kingdoms of the other races, and to the west would be the other main human holdings.
The greco-culture: Sort of taking ideas from Atlantis: the Lost Empire, the greco country was incredibly technologically advanced, despite being a small nation. They allied with the Tiberian empire to the west (roman culture), which was larger and had a better military. The Tiberians benefited from the greco-kingdom's trade and technology (haven't come up with a suitable name yet) and they benefit from the Tiberian's military. They had very large cities, but they were spread out.

The timeline:
the story begins a couple hundred years after the fall of the greco kingdom. The god who originally gave them the ability to create and use these technologies became enraged by them turning away from him. He fell from Nyx/Elysium/heaven/whatever and plague and fire descended upon the cities. The rest of the gods granted the High Priest of the kingdom immortality, and in exchange he saved the king and a large segment of the population from death and ruination. The fallen god (Eidein will probably be his name, a combination of Eidos and Idein) remains within the former capital city, and the cities themselves have become cursed.

Modern setting:
after the destruction of their kingdom, the Tiberian empire funded a rebuilding effort. New cities were made, but much smaller and more frequent, with most settled within sight of the ruins as a solemn reminder of their sins. The High Priest has led the people away from the technology, citing the gods displeasure at their lack of worship. The gods saved them from the wrath of Eidein, and in exchange they have returned to their pre-tech discovery days. The tech is still used sparingly in the cities, and as trade goods, but no one knows how they function.

The beginning of the campaign:
the PC's are tied by their service in a city's defense unit. One of them is childhood friends with the son of the king. The game starts with the beginning of the week of mourning; the annual remembrance of the Fall of Eidein and the loss of their cities. The Tiberian emperor arrives to partake in the ceremonies and the PC's sit amongst the nobles. At night during the lighting of the memorial pyre a blinding beacon of light surges from the ruins of one of the cursed cities off in the horizon. The PC's are then granted divine protection by the high priest and are sent to investigate the ruins. They are the first ones granted permission to enter a ruined city. Prior to this many opportunists would enter trying to find working technology to sell for a fortune, but no one has ever come back. Could it be the beginnings of an all out assault by Eidein?

The twist:
after many obstacles are defeated, covering the span of greek myth ideas and the hero's journey, the PC's will confront Eidein and expect to slay him, but he reveals the terrifying truth. He has done no wrong! The chief amongst the gods (Zeus equivalent) and some of the others, jealous of the mortals use of his technology which they viewed as turning them away from worship, banished Eidean and cursed the land. They granted the High Priest immortality in order to ensure no one would find the truth of the matter and to keep the mortals worshipping them. The campaign then turns into the PC's being branded as heretics and attempting to gain access into the divine realm in order to put a stop to the gods deception and curse, raise Eidein back to divinity, and restore their land to the power it once was.
So does anyone have ideas for tropes I could use within this story, or critiques on the overall plot?

Good Ideas from Others
I was going to mention Prometheus and then another user wrote up a great summation of that figure. I think that if Eidein is going to be blameless in this situation than you should absolutely write him as a kind of Prometheus (you already have, mostly).
I also really liked the idea of having a pompous group of "heroes" chosen to investigate the city with your actual PCs accompanying them as baggage-haulers or something. You can then turn the spotlight onto your PCs by having the "heroes" be eaten by a cyclops or minotaurs or something.

Monsters
Speaking of NPCs and monsters, if you want your campaign to really feel like a Greco-Roman setting I would include as many classically Greek creatures and gods/demigods as possible:
There are many to choose from: Sphinx, Hydra, Cyclops, Minotaur, Siren, Pegasus, Chimaera, Nymphs, Dryads, Satyrs, Sirine, Lamia, Manticore, Harpies, Centaurs, Furies, Hippocampi (or sea-horse), Phoenix, Sylph, Neried, Gorgons (an actual snake-haired woman, not that ridiculous mechanical bull (pun intended)), Catoblepas, and Unicorns (not originally Greek, just like the Phoenix and others, but whatever).
I mean, sure, you can include goblins and orcs and dwarves and whatever, but then you're just bastardizing Greek culture and your setting will be very muddled thematically. Just like D&D actually, ironically enough. (See below for further thoughts).

Gods
As others have mentioned, there is a large pantheon of gods and demigods to include in the story as well. There are the 12 gods of Olympus, but there are also a host of lesser gods as listed here:
http://www.igreekmythology.com/lesser-gods.html
In addition, including Mediterranean creatures like lions and...? can help give the setting more local character. It would also be worth your while to get your PCs on a ship and sailing to some islands. This is Greco-Roman after all, and Greece has a bazillion islands and a rich naval culture.
I've mentioned this elsewhere, but going to the literature is always a good idea if you are short on ideas for encounters or want one of the ruined cities to be particularly interesting. There's only the world's most famous dungeon-style structure in the Labyrinth of Crete to draw from after all!

Customise the D&D Races for this Setting?
Perhaps we can simply lend a Greco-sort of flourish to the common races of dwarves and elves, so to speak, and then we can still have variety in our PCs without making the world feel too much like just another D&D setting. So dwarves could be descendants of the deformed god Hephaestus (Very Tolkien). Elves would be something silvan, worshipers of Artemis, and in union with Dryads and fauns. All things goblinoid could be the horrible children of... Orcus (ba-dum-tish!), the Roman god of the underworld (that's his name, although you can go with something Hades-ish if you like).

Is the Technology Theme the Best Way?
I'm not very keen on including sci-fi or modern technology in a D&D game, so I would personally not include the futuristic gadgetry. It's a certain sort of setting you create by including it, and if you are attached to the idea then obviously you're going to go for it.
Deity-Protected Primality Vs. Deity-Inspired Civilisation
I, however, would build the setting as more of a civilization vs. the wilderness and all things primal sort of contest. So perhaps this Eidein figure had given the people certain less advanced but still useful technologies like medicine or metal-smithing and advances in crop-growing. This gave them advantages over the rest of creation and led to imbalance. Eventually some of the other gods stepped in to protect their own and reorder the way of things.

Flavourful Ruined City Thoughts
The old glories of the past, once mighty cities of stone with wide streets and mighty structures, will have been abandoned and overtaken by various other creatures. In one city groves of trees have sprouted everywhere, and fountains gurgle out of cracks in the paving stones, wearing away at step and threshold alike, and breaking through crumbling walls.

And in another city great pits have opened up, pocking the city with ruin. And out of the darkness clamber wickedly-fanged creatures of the night. Among the ruined rooftops perch ravenous packs of hook-winged Harpies.

A harbour town begins to sink into the sea. Already Poseidon's temple Wink

is half-submerged in the waves and watery creatures now call the place their home. Where nets were once hung for repairs, schools of fish dart through the ruins; and limpets and crabs thrive where their ancestors remains were tossed on rubbish heaps. A lesser spawn of the Lernean Hydra coils its way into the ruined temple, and awaits dragon-like on a submerged bed of gold.

And whatever else! You're only limited by your own imagination, which is what I love about D&D.
Goodluck and I hope some of these ideas will be helpful! Smile

by Forest Shepherd Sun Oct 04, 2015 7:16 pm

Oh and in other news, a guy from down the coast a little ways responded to my LFG attempts. Another person got a hold of us as well, and the first guy has a girl (!) who wants to join us. This may be his girlfriend, and may just be a friend, I don't know.

Anyway, the real crux of this new turn of events is that none of them want to DM and the task falls to me! Which is perfect, because this is basically the only reason I ever wanted to play D&D in the first place. bounce

Anyway, we'll meet up soon to make introductions and see how first impressions go. Wish me luck!

by Pettytyrant101 Sun Oct 04, 2015 11:26 pm

Oooh good news on getting to Dm- I have always DM's onlyl ever actually played as a player a few times in my life.
If you need any advice on creating a campaign, how to handle the narrative elements when they get changed all the time or anything else Dm related just give me a shout.

(My 1 big tip is always use a screen to roll behind- and this is the crucial bit- roll when you dont have to, make rolls all the time, every so often behind the screen, as if your checking for stuff, or seeing if something is going to happen- the rolls of course are meaningless, your just rolling for nothing- but it keeps players on their toes, makes them nervous, especially in dungeons and the like, and adds tension without you having to do anything really)